HAUNTED PAST, BLESSED FUTURE
A/N- I know, I know, you're all ready to Gibbs-Slap me for starting another story when I've already got 7 or 8 that need finishing. Blame this one on our own LIFELESS APRIL, a fellow TABBY fanatic, who pushed me to write a story about her and Tony. She keeps me in TABBY videos on You Tube (they're AMAZING, go watch! - by Rikkuness) so I think it only fair I do something for her. Hope this is everything you want it to be, April!
Although I've always wanted to be a K-9 officer, for this story I've taken total artistic license about the job. Mastiffs - the dog April has as her partner in this story - are NOT used for the jobs described. Their snouts just aren't built for scenting. They are generally guard/security dogs. While huge, they are really gentle giants, using their size as a deterrent. Where a German Shepherd would attack a home intruder, the mastiff is more likely to wait silently, surprise the intruder, and hold them gently in a bite hold until the home owner arrives home and brings the police. Would you want to piss off a dog that large by trying to get away? I've probably taken license with other breeds, too, to suit the story, not to mention the agencies and jobs mentioned. I don't work for them, I know nothing about them, the versions herein are all my own creation. I apologize to those agencies for any inaccuracies - they're all my own, and have no reflection on the real people and jobs.
And now…..ON WITH THE SHOW!
CHAPTER ONE
April Hanson sat at her desk, tucked away in the corner of their little section of the bullpen, reading through a cold case file. She'd been assigned to Gibbs' team three weeks ago, but they had yet to accept her into their team family. Not that she was looking to be a part of it. She had Roo, that was all the family she needed.
Feeling the gaze of more than one member of her team on her, she resisted the urge to sit up and stare back. She was here to do a job, that's what she was going to do. More importantly, she was here to finish up her recovery before she went back to her position with Homeland Security. April knew that this NCIS team had a problem with someone from an outside agency sitting in their realm.
Ok, yes, she admitted there were still some communications problems between all the Alphabet Agencies, but whatever happened to working for the common good?
Frustrated, April shut the file she was reading and slammed it on top of the pile of others to her right. At her feet, Roo shifted and put a paw and his head on his handler's foot. A comforting gesture, letting April know she wasn't alone here, there was someone who cared.
Roo, named for President Theodore Roosevelt, is April's K-9 partner at Home Sec., a 5 year old mastiff, cross-trained in several different areas - Suspect Apprehension, drug sniffing, search and rescue, and incendiary sniffing - if there was a trace of explosive material on something, Roo would find it. His most recent skill was self-taught - anxiety attack detection. If April was about to have an attack, Roo could sense it and would alert, giving April time to get somewhere safe - and private - to panic. Roo would nudge her throughout the attack, to keep her breathing. When the de-escalation occurred, the dog was April's grounding, letting her hug and cry on his shoulder until the attack had passed.
April's return to Home Sec. really depended on her psych eval more so than her physical recovery. She felt she was getting better - the attacks were becoming less frequent. Of course, she had yet to go back into the field. Agent Gibbs hadn't allowed it yet.
"Getting a little 'dog tired' there, Hanson?"
April didn't have the energy to turn and glare at Agent DiNozzo, but Roo raised his head and growled softly.
Tony DiNozzo knew the dog wouldn't come after him - it was too well-trained for that - but he backed down anyway. Heckling was no fun when the 'hecklee' didn't respond. And this Agent Hanson never responded. What was her problem? Meeting McGee's and Ziva's glances, Tony shrugged. Someone else's turn to see if they could rattle the new guy.
From up above it all, Director Leon Vance watched. He'd been asked - privately - by the Director of Homeland Security to keep an eye on Hanson during her recovery. After reading her personnel file, he could understand why. In the two years she'd been partnered with her K-9 partner, the duo had made drug busts totaling in the millions of dollars, literally sniffed out a sleeper cell, not to mention all the successful search and rescue missions.
Leon didn't impress easily, but Hanson and her partner impressed him. So much so that he was thinking of a way to lure them to NCIS for good. But it certainly wouldn't be on Gibbs' team. He'd put Hanson with them to keep her skills sharp, but she had yet to get out in the field. To place her with another team at this stage of the game would be detrimental. To the other teams, it would be seen as a demotion, that she couldn't hack it on Team Gibbs and she wouldn't be taken seriously. But to leave her where she was wasn't helping anyone. "Hanson. My office."
April shut her eyes in embarrassment. This was like being called to the principal's office. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She looked at Roo, who gave no signal of an impending anxiety attack. She took a deep breath and stood, walking to the stairs followed closely by her partner. She hoped no one could see her wobbly legs.
"Whaddya' think that's about?" wondered Tony out loud.
"She is probably going to turtle on you to Vance, how you constantly harass her."
"Tattle, Ziva. Tattle. And you haven't exactly been BFF's with her yourself, you know."
"Well, it is not easy to make friends with someone who does not appear to want friends."
Tony turned to McGee. "What about you, McWelcome Wagon? How come you haven't given her your 'welcome to the neighborhood' speech?"
Ziva was interested in McGee's answer, also. If anyone was going to befriend a new person, it was going to be him. "Yes, McGee. Why are you not mentoring her, as you usually do with new people?"
Tim shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. "Just don't have anything to talk about with her, that's all."
Tony was skeptical. "Nothing in common? You have nothing in common with anybody, McGeek. What makes Hanson so special?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, Tony."
Ziva was thinking. "You may not have careers in common, but you both have dogs. Why have you not bonded with her over that?"
"There ya' go!" Tony gestured to Ziva enthusiastically. "You could discuss grooming tips, share kibble coupons, debate pooper-scoopers…"
Annoyed, Tim glared at Tony. "She just reminds me of a time in my life I'd like to forget, ok? Leave it alone, Tony." As soon as the words left his mouth, Tim knew Tony would never be able to forget about it, and he sighed.
"Ooooo, something you'd rather forget, huh? First date? Senior prom? The day Bill Gates and Steve Jobs broke up?" Tony teased with a smile.
Tim closed his eyes and prayed for Tony to drop it. "No, Tony. It's not important, ok? Just drop it. Please?"
This was too good for Tony to pass up. "I beg to differ! It must be important if our own 'helping- grannies-across-the-street McBoy Scout' won't make friends!" He walked over to McGee's desk and laid a hand on Tim's shoulder. "C'mon, McNice, tell us why our Officer Friendly isn't feeling so friendly…." he said with a fake sympathetic pout.
Ziva got up and came to Tim's desk, also. "Yes, I admit I am intrigued by what could make you so impassioned as to not want to even be polite to someone, McGee." At least Ziva looked honestly sincere in her request.
Tim heaved a great sigh, knowing he'd never get any work done until he'd satisfied his friends' curiosities. "Remember when I got attacked by Jethro the dog? Before he was Jethro, I mean…"
Tony laughed. "Who could forget? You jumped like a little girl every time a dog barked, for weeks!"
Rolling his eyes, Tim typed something into his computer, then put it up on the plasma screen behind his desk. "Thanks for caring that I was almost killed by a dog, Tony."
"Hey, if it really scared you, you never would've let Abby make you take said dog in, let alone keep it." Tony looked at the screen, recognizing a hospital report. "What's this?"
"Her ex-husband's hospital records." Tim brought up the page he wanted. "Agent Hanson got into an altercation with her ex in her office at the Homeland Security kennels. At some point during the fight, she released a few trained attack dogs, and gave the order for them to attack her ex. Then she just stood by and watched them bring the man down. If another agent hadn't shown up to help, Agent Barrows would probably have been mauled to death by Hanson's dogs." Even Tony was grossed out by the photos attached to the report. "I just can't shoot the breeze with someone who would be so inhuman as to not only order the bite, but would stand there and watch it go on and on. Not when I remember what this feels like."
+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++NCIS+++
April and Roo made their way up to Vance's office. He ushered them in, and went to sit behind his desk. "Have a seat," he offered politely. April sank into the nearest chair and Roo took his place lying at her feet. She sat back in the chair, crossed her legs, but her body was stiff. Being called in front of the Head Honcho was never good news.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
Leon looked over his new agent. She appeared to be physically healed, but he wasn't sure about mentally or emotionally. "How's it going, Agent Hanson?"
"Fine, sir," she answered casually, controlling her breathing.
"You're getting along with your team?" Vance raised an eyebrow, wondering how she'd answer, if she'd tell the truth.
"Yes, sir," April answered. Seeing Vance raise his eyebrow knowingly, she elaborated, "well, as well as a newbie can."
"Uh huh." The Director turned his chair sideways and fiddled with a pen. "And Agent Gibbs?"
April sighed. "He….takes some getting used to," she hedged.
Vance smirked. "I've been working with Gibbs for almost five years, and I'm still trying to get used to him."
April smiled uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to that.
"I haven't seen any case reports with your name on them, Hanson. Any reason you're not writing them?"
Gulp. "Uh….well….." At that moment, Cynthia buzzed from her office. Saved by the buzzer!
"Send him in," Vance said into the phone. The office door whipped open and in stormed Gibbs.
"You wanted to see me, Leon?" The supervisory agent did a double take when he saw April sitting there, then rolled his eyes with a grimace, like he couldn't be bothered.
"Agent Hanson was just going to explain why she hasn't handed in any case reports." Leon leaned forward, eyes on Gibbs. "Knowing the tight ship you run, I must say I'm surprised you haven't brought this to my attention before now, Agent Gibbs." Vance had Gibbs' number, and he knew it.
"No case reports because she hasn't had a case," Gibbs answered matter-of-factly. Vance raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
"Really? Well then, I am doubly surprised you haven't brought this to me sooner. You're not exactly known for putting up with slackers on your team." He looked between the two of them, seeing how uncomfortable with each other there were. "Tell me, Agent Hanson, what have you and your partner been doing these past three weeks?"
April looked nervously up at Gibbs, expecting him to have some story ready to go. But he just looked pissed off. Looking at the Director, she saw he was watching her expectantly. "Ummm…c-cold cases, sir."
The Director picked up another file. "Oh, that's right, cold cases." He flipped through the contents. "Just three cold cases?"
Looking anxiously at Gibbs again, April cleared her throat. "Umm, those are just the ones that, uh…" When she paused to clear her throat again, Vance finished the sentence for her.
"Those are just the ones you've closed," he stated, glaring at Gibbs.
April gulped again and tugged on her collar. "Uhh, y-yes." She could feel the anger radiating off Gibbs. Oh, this was so not good. Never good to piss off your immediate supervisor.
Vance spent a few minutes reading over her cold case reports. "The Menkin case. Been cold for fifteen years." Glancing up, he saw Gibbs flinch. This had been one of the supervisory agent's first cases as an NIS probie. "You closed it?"
"Yes, sir," April mumbled.
"In six days," Vance said.
April shrugged. "Called a few contacts at Home Sec, got some fresh intel, accessed some sealed files…" Seeing the look on Vance's face, she clarified, "all through legal channels. My clearance…."
"Is higher than mine," the Director said, only slightly joking.
Gibbs' temper was beginning to boil. This agent - and he used the term loosely - may have been dumped on him, but he didn't have to like it. His team were not a bunch of babysitters. "So she uses who she knows to get ahead," he said sarcastically. "Why am I here, Leon?" Gibbs and the Director stared each other down.
"Agent Hanson, you can go," Vance said, never taking his eyes off Gibbs'. "We'll finish our discussion later."
Standing, April looked between the two men, knowing this was not going to end well for somebody. Most likely her. A nudge from Roo gave her a start. That was his signal to get somewhere private and safe. "Y-yes, Director." She walked quickly to the door and left. She walked down to the bullpen on wobbly legs, a more insistent nudge from her dog alerting her to her own rapid breathing. She needed privacy, and fast. She refused to give these people any more ammunition against her. Without a glance at any of the team, April all but ran for the elevator and jumped in when it arrived, closely followed by her trusted four-legged friend.
The young agents of Team Gibbs looked at each other, questions in each of their minds, but nobody voiced them. It's not like she's part of the team, after all.
NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~NCIS
Neither man moved as the door closed quietly behind Hanson. They stared at each other a few seconds more before Director Vance spoke. "What is your problem, Gibbs? You've got a more than capable agent on your team, and you won't put her in the game."
Gibbs squinted back at the Director. "She's not part of my team, Leon. I didn't ask for her, I didn't want her, but you foisted her off on us anyway. Since when is NCIS babysitting for Homeland Security, anyway?"
Vance stood behind his desk, still glaring at his best agent. "Since the babies are kicking more ass than the babysitters." He watched Gibbs roll his eyes, and grew angrier. "Before joining Homeland Security, she was a lieutenant in homicide with the South Boston PD, not to mention being a SWAT commander, and head of that PD's K-9 unit." He tossed a thick file across his desk toward the other man. "You can roll your eyes all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that for every medal, award, and commendation you've got DiNozzo hiding away for you, Hanson and her partner have three. They're that good, Gibbs. Isn't one of those infamous rules of yours about not wasting good?"
Gibbs groaned to himself. "C'mon, Leon…"
Leaning over his desk, Vance nailed Gibbs with a glare all his own. " 'C'mon' nothing, Gibbs. I think I've been pretty accommodating to you and your team. You're one of our best, you know that. There's not a team here that can match your closure rate. Except for Hanson and her partner. That's why I assigned them to you while Hanson recovers, to bring her skills back up where they were without her running herself into the ground."
Gibbs clenched and unclenched his fists. "So what are you saying, Leon?"
Vance sat, still staring at Gibbs. "I'm saying….you put Hanson and her partner in the field. Starting now. They work cases just like the rest of your team. You treat her like a real member of your team. She's not the pink elephant in the room. She's a more-than capable federal agent, and will be treated as such. And I can say this with all honesty, Gibbs….she and that dog of hers could easily replace all three junior members of your team without causing a drop in your closure rate. Hell, she could replace you, too."
Giving the Director his best squinty glare, Gibbs asked, "that a threat, 'Director'?"
"Not as long as you put Hanson in the field, ASAP."
Gibbs grabbed up the fat file on Agent Hanson with a growl. "Anything else, Leon?"
The Director smirked. "Not at the moment. Read that," he gestured to the file, "and then you tell me."
Without a word, Gibbs turned and stormed out of Vance's office, slamming the door behind him. Cynthia, seated at her desk just outside the door, didn't even flinch, being so used to that kind of exit from Agent Gibbs.
Stomping down the stairs to his desk, Gibbs kicked his chair away from his desk and sat down angrily, throwing the folder on Hanson off to the side of his desk.
The three younger agents shared a worried look. Seeing the vote was two to one, Tony spoke up. "Problem, boss?" He grimaced at the look the older agent threw his way.
"Ya' think, DiNozzo?" Gibbs scrubbed a hand across his face. "Where are we on the case?"
The elevator dinged as the team filled Gibbs in on the details they'd uncovered while he'd been up with the Director. A worn out looking April walked in carrying two fancy designer bottles of water, her behemoth of a dog trailing her. She felt all their eyes on her as she walked past them all to her desk.
"We, uh….we were just about to go pick the CO up for questioning," said Tony, watching April while reaching to pick up his gear.
"Hanson can do it," Gibbs said sarcastically.
Ziva and Tony froze midway to standing with their gear. "Huh?" Tony's eyebrows rose.
Gibbs looked over at Hanson, eyes glaring. "You heard me. Hanson's in the field, she can go pick up the CO."
Tony and Ziva shared a nervous and incredulous look. They were really giving the new guy stuff to do? "But….boss, the guy…"
"You heard me, DiNozzo. Hanson!" he yelled, just as her butt hit the chair. "Go pick up the CO, bring him in for questioning. You've got thirty minutes." When April just stared at him, hand on her fancy waters, he yelled again, "Go!"
April snagged her gear bag, stood, and attached her gun and badge to her belt. She grabbed Roo's leash and motioned for him to follow her. The dog glanced longingly at his water dish. "C'mon, ya' big lug. There'll be a treat to go with it when we come back." At the promise of a treat, the dog lumbered happily behind April, who snatched the paper with the address out of DiNozzo's fingers as she strode past him. With a 'ding' from the elevator, Agent April Hanson was on her way to her first official assignment at NCIS.
~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~NCIS~~~K-9~~~K-9~~~
A/N- Well April, my young friend, here was the first chapter of the story about YOU. I hope you're happy with it. And thanks for letting me adapt a story idea I already had about a K-9 agent into YOUR story. Much appreciated! ENJOY!
A/N 2- Time for some shameless begging for reviews! Please, please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! I know I have no business starting another story when I have so many others just dying for another chapter, but to be honest, I've been in a writer's funk for a while now. Couldn't think of a blessed thing for any of my stories. So I'm hoping that something new will light the fires under my other stories again. So, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please?
A/N 3 - THANK YOU!