Okay, I think I am getting back into the flow of writing. I think. It is not hardly as good as I think it should be, but I am hoping that bits of it are worth reading, at least.
Can I say right now, though, that I have only written three chapters and I have no idea where this is going, so do not be expecting miracles? I do not know how much TIVA there will actually be, although there should be enough to tide you over, and I do not know how much case related stuff there will be, but that is what I am hoping to focus on, else this is all really pointless. Like something else I am working on, only this has more of a plot than that.
I did really want to get this all written up before I uploaded it, but I think I really need some feedback, and I need to know what you want to see with it before I go to far with writing something that is not very good. There is a good chance that I will continue with it anyway because it seems to be helping me to get back into the swing of it all, but it is useful to have feedback. At this point, I have no idea for a title, either.
Okay, the title will need explaining. It is from the quote "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there" as said by the Cheshire Cat, and it is probably more about how I am feeling with this story and life in general than what is in the story itself. But then, I think it might just be like that as a story; one that has very little to do with anything.
(Oh, I am adding ellipses to separate Story from Author's Note, because I have had to change to using Chrome and Chrome cannot tell the difference between bold and normal text on Fanfiction and it is really annoying me when I go back and check things in my fictions when I can barely tell the difference between what I wrote as an Author's Note and what is the actual story.
...
1. Golden Hours ~ Brian Eno
Tony stretched and groaned, rolling his neck and leaning back in his chair as he surveyed the squad room. Ziva was jamming the keys of her keyboard and McGee was continuously yawning. Gibbs sat at his desk, coffee in hand, reading through the report that Ducky had sent up on their latest closed case. "Gibbs." Four heads turned lazily up to the catwalk to see the Director stood by the railing, a serious expression covering his face. Gibbs checked his watch before walking leisurely over to the stairs, not seeing the need to rush after a long week of a difficult case.
"Leon."
"Gibbs, do you think your team can pick themselves up and get back onto another one?" The greying man raised his eyebrows and looked down at his three agents. McGee's head was beginning to lull and even David and DiNozzo were too exhausted to be winding one another up.
The director sighed. "It's not ideal, I know, but Agent Donovan's team were working a case and they've all gone down with this flu thing that's going 'round. This is a big case, Gibbs, and we've got agents dropping like flies. I need your team."
"How big's big, Director?"
"This guy's killed four navy personnel and one civilian that we know of already in the DC area. We have a suspect, but only circumstantial evidence – any good attorney could tear our case to shreds. Hell, even a bad attorney could damage it enough to get a not-guilty verdict in court." Leon looked down. "Donovan's team were preparing for an undercover op."
"How deep?"
"Deep enough that rigorous background checks would not throw up anything suspicious, not so deep that they would not still be able to be in contact." He bit his lip. "Our killer's booked on a Delta flight to Durham Tees Valley International near York, England, in a week. His mother runs an Inn somewhere in the North York Moors. There is a room booked there already for two agents posing as a couple visiting the area in search of a permanent residence. We are already in contact with the North Yorkshire Police and they have an officer ready to go undercover as an estate agent, to liaise between NCIS and the North Yorkshire Police. It's all set, all we need is a young couple experienced in undercover work."
Gibbs groaned internally, silently looking down at Tony and Ziva as they chatted quietly. The pair had been growing closer again and he was hesitant to partner them up too frequently. Yes, they had both grown up a lot in the past year, but they were also still them, and the gentle flirting that was returning often grew serious, murmured conversations and secretive glances shared between the two suggesting that the crescendo he feared was getting closer. He did not want them to hurt each other, or, more importantly, the team. They had been through a lot to stick together, and he did not want anything to ruin that. He had finally trained three competent agents who worked well together and had a higher success rate than any other team in the agency, and he did not want his two best yet most irresponsible and passionate agents to ruin that. Vance could see what he was thinking and shook his head.
"McGee's not got the experience that David and DiNozzo have, and he does not work as well with Ziva as DiNozzo does, and…" He hesitated, turning away from Gibbs' hardening glare and took on a more professional tone. "Probationary Agent David has only recently been brought back from what was a difficult time for her, we still do not know the extent and depth to which her scars go, we are still not one hundred percent certain that there have been no…side-effects of her time in the desert – PTSD – and if there is, we do not know what triggers there might be." He fell silent as an agent walked past with a tissue clutched to their nose and a stack of papers in their free arm. "McGee is a strong agent, but I am not certain he has the…physical strength to cope with David if there is a problem. I am also not certain he has the emotional connection to Agent David that Agent DiNozzo has. They have done it before, they have maintained a cover together as a couple successfully and McGee has not."
"Well, now's an opportunity for him to learn," Gibbs said gruffly, trying not to admit that, for all his faults and despite the fact that Gibbs did not like it, what Leon was saying was true, and made sense.
"Gibbs…"
"He'll never learn if you never give him a chance. Besides, you said young couple, I wouldn't exactly call DiNozzo young."
"He's younger than you or I." Gibbs' resistance was getting on his nerves. "They fly out from Dulles to JFK international Tuesday afternoon, then spend the night in New York before an American Airlines flight from JFK to London, Heathrow – flight time six hours and fifty minutes – then the underground from Heathrow to King's Cross Train Station, then an eight hour train journey to Scarborough and a taxi the rest of the way."
Gibbs stared blankly. "Does it have to be that complicated?"
"It was planned like that so they do not bump into our suspect before they reach the inn. He should have had a day to settle in with his mother."
"How certain are you that it is him, Leon?"
"I'm spending thousands of dollars of agency money just getting two Agents over there. I'm certain, Gibbs."
"I don't like them being in other countries, Leon. Splitting the team up is never a good idea. They work best here."
"Gibbs, we have no other option. We have profiles and backgrounds already built for the two agents who were supposed to go, we just need to alter a couple of things so they fit David and DiNozzo." He followed Gibbs' line of sight to where he was staring at his two agents. "Do you want to tell them or should I?"
The older man snorted and shook his head. "DiNozzo doesn't like you already, telling him he's got to work on another big case straight after the last one probably won't make him like you anymore."
"Gibbs?"
"Yeah?"
"Why doesn't he like me?"
Gibbs paused, his eye twitching slightly as he thought about it. Finally, he sighed, landing on the answer. "He doesn't like the power and authority that chair gives you." He nodded to the director's office. "That, and he doesn't understand you. Doesn't understand why you do what you do. But then, I don't think any of us do, really."
"I bet it's 'cause he threatened that suspect last week. No, I think…he's behind me, isn't he?" Ziva smirked as Tony turned around. "How long have you been there, Boss?"
"Elevator. Now." The younger man was about to protest when Gibbs turned his gaze to Ziva. "You too."
"But Gibbs, I did not say anything…" Her protests fell on deaf ears as he walked to his private conference room. "What did you do?" She hissed at Tony, elbowing him in the gut for good measure.
"Nothing, I swear."
"Then why is he angry with us?!"
"I'm not angry with you, Ziva," Gibbs said, as calmly as he ever spoke to them, whilst he stepped into the elevator and flipped the switch once the carriage had jolted to life.
"You're not? Then why are we in here?"
"The director wants you two undercover." There was a tired sigh from Ziva and a discontented growl from Tony. "In England."
"England? I've got tickets to go see the game on Saturday! We're supposed to have the weekend off!"
"You can still see the game, DiNozzo."
"It's not the same on a screen, Boss." He grumbled, scuffing the toe of his polished shoe on the carpet.
"You don't fly out until Tuesday. You've got the weekend to prepare. Go home, the pair of you. Your IDs will be done by tomorrow evening, I'll get McGee to drop them off with the files and your travel details. Read up on the case, get to know your backgrounds, pack - you get one hold suitcase between the two of you and carry on luggage each."
"How long are we going for, Gibbs?" Ziva asked. She had hoped it would just be a couple of days, but hold luggage meant longer.
"Don't know. You're to observe and befriend the suspect. We don't know if he'll kill again, or if he'll give some information, but you'll be liaising with the British police. They'll have an officer undercover posing as your estate agent trying to find a place for you to live over there." Ziva nodded as Tony tried to conceal a yawn. "Go home and get some sleep. You're no use dead on your feet."
"Thank you, Boss."
"Gibbs." Ziva nodded in acknowledgement as she and Tony stepped off the elevator and walked in synchronisation to collect their bags and coats.
"I'll see you both on Tuesday for final preparations. Abby will want to say goodbye."
"Sure thing, Boss."
...
The chapter titles are going to be songs by British musicians because I cannot be bothered to be creative with that.
I have actually had to make the train part of the journey that they have, from King's Cross to Scarborough years ago, including transport from Scarborough station, as well as getting the bus and train from where I live to King's Cross, which takes about an hour and a half to two hours, if traffic is good and you get one of the fast trains, neither of which I managed. And then I had to the return journey a day later. I spent 25 out of 36 hours on trains and buses that weekend, and it was my first time properly being away from home without anyone with me. Not my first time taking the train on my own, but it was the first time I had to do change-overs ever, and my first time booking into a hotel on my own, too. I loved it and still do love travelling around the country by train. Train and car are my favourite forms of transportation; I do not like buses that much, really do not like boat and I really hate flying, but I love taking the train and I love sitting in the driver's seat of a car.
For my reference: 54th NCIS fic.