DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters from NCIS belong to Belisario and CBS. I'm just playing in the sand box. Characters from Unwritten, the novel, are property of M.C. Henson. So I suppose I shall give myself persmission to use my own characters.
For those of you who that have read my novel Unwritten, thank you. This is a prequel to the novel. I have had this in my head for some time and decided to commit this to 'paper' as it were. Unwritten is a JAG story and blends so seemlessly with NCIS, I just had to write this. Especially after meeting Mark Harmon last year. He was the inspiration for a character in the novel- Sonny Blaine.
Enjoy! I like reviews. I need them in order to develop this story effectively. I have no beta, so the mistakes are my own. Thanks for reading my prose.
14:07 Zulu
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Washington, D.C.
Caroline Blaine walked across the Navy Yard on her way to meet up with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. They had crossed paths many times in the past while she worked on NCIS Intelligence assignments with her contact, NCIS Intelligence Director Special Agent Jack Madison. A JAG officer had been killed by her husband, who happened to be a Marine. A full investigation by NCIS and a concurrent JAG-man investigation had also been launched. Gibbs had sought Jack out when Blaine's name had been found in a crate of stolen ammunition at the crime scene. Jack phoned her on-board the USS Franklin Pierce, a bird farm, deployed in the Mediterranean. He always knew where to find her.
Blaine entered the building in civilian attire, flashing her credentials. She waited patiently for the guard to check and log her weapon, a Beretta, at the door. She received her weapon from him and a pass, to allow free movement without escort inside the building.
Coming off the elevator, she was encompassed in a monster hug from Abby. Blaine's eyes almost bugged out from the squeeze. Abby practically squealed with delight.
"It's nice to see you again too, Abby." Blaine rubbed her ribs as the feeling began to return.
Despite the need to question Blaine and treat her like an involved suspect, Gibbs had to turn his head and smile. Leave it to Abby. It was just her manner when greeting old friends. Blaine came forward in the open squad room, noticing Jack on the stairs above, descending from MTAC. Abby was hot on her heels.
"So when you're done up here, come down to the lab. I've got this killer new CD and you've just got to-"
Abby was cut short by Gibbs and his famous stare. She inhaled and went quiet. "Um, okay. Later then."
Gibbs watched as a dejected Abby retreated to the elevator once more and Blaine came to stand in front of his desk. Dinozzo, Kate, and McGee were all sitting patiently at their desks awaiting orders to follow him to interrogation. Each one was glancing at the other to see if they recognized the woman before them. Dinozzo was, of course, staring at her rear. Gibbs said nothing to them however as he acknowledged Jack on the stairs with a negative head shake. Jack wouldn't be joining them yet. The drawer which held his Sig Sauer was unlocked and the clip slid into place. This let his team know that he would be leaving the building with Blaine.
He barked out an order. "Conference room, now."
She followed without hesitation, or a single word.
The doors shut on them. The switch was flipped to halt the car in its tracks. He embraced Blaine in hug, which was not his usual behavior. She returned the gesture.
"Damn, it's good to see you again Blaine. I only wish it were under better circumstances."
"I'd say the same, but I don't really miss that arrogant persona of yours. We do what we do. We don't apologize."
Each sported a grin of mutual understanding.
"Run it down for me and I'll tell you what I know Gibbs."
"Later, in the interrogation room for posterity. Right now-"
She laughed and finished his sentence. "Coffee."
The sun was in her face as she drank the cup of Starbucks brew. The anchor in the yard outside NCIS headquarters supported her weight as she leaned against it. She was jet lagged and beat. Riding a Navy transport was rough sometimes and severe turbulence had prevented her from sleeping enough.
Gibbs observed Blaine from head to toe. She was carrying her Beretta, tucked neatly under her suit jacket where it always rested. He knew from experience it was the only weapon she carried, for she was a lethal weapon herself. Few people knew of her true background. Gibbs was one of them.
He sipped the coffee and decided to take a shot at a touchy subject with her. "How is your Dad?"
"He's still in Italy, robbing banks now."
Gibbs laughed. "Really? I would have thought he'd be on the range teaching."
" He robs banks for big-bucks so he can tell a decrepit board of European directors how to prevent others from doing the same. He loves it."
"I'm sure he still has his James Bond moments then with that kind of job."
Blaine snorted. "I'm sure. But not on my watch. I don't have much to say to him sometimes."
Gibbs shook his head. "I know the feeling. I didn't grow up 'Leave It To Beaver' style either. He's a good man though. He taught me how not to screw the pooch as a sniper. He always said 'one shot, one kill.' Taught me how to make a gilly suit out of whatever I had on hand."
"You'll forgive me if I don't go all warm and fuzzy on you. I have different memories of him. I'm just now to the point where I'm not ready to interrogate him on why he left us. It nearly killed my mother."
"He had his reasons Blaine."
"I know. They were good reasons. But tell that to a ten year old." She turned and kicked the anchor slightly. "Come on. Despite the Gibbs patented interrogation method, you don't scare me. I have a feeling the details of the case aren't going to shock me either."
He smiled. "Wanna bet? Bottle of brandy on it as usual?"
"You're on." She drained the coffee cup and followed him to the garage. They would visit the crime scene before her interview.
Jack was sitting on Dinozzo's desk as they returned.
Gibbs walked past them to return his weapon to the drawer. He finally spouted the order they had been waiting on. "Everybody, interrogation, now."
McGee and Dinozzo followed behind Blaine. Tony was more interested in her rounded figure as he stared at her behind again. Kate shook her head in disgust as he motioned to McGee an hour glass figure. They filled the observation room, along with Jack, while Gibbs circled the table, file in hand.
Tony grimaced. "I'm confused."
Kate jumped right on the comment. "You? You didn't seem too confused by her 'assets' earlier when you were walking behind her. Let me explain it to you Tony. When a man and woman really like each other-"
"Ha ha, very funny Kate."
McGee just loved seeing them this way. Combat with words seemed to be their forte. He preferred to listen and watch, keeping information tucked away for blackmail later. They continued for a few moments before Jack had heard enough.
"Okay Fred and Ethel, enough."
Tony stuck his tongue out at Kate behind Jack's back. "I'm going to ask Jack, since you obviously know something more than we do. Who is this woman and how does Gibbs know her?"
Jack eyed the eager agents. "Ask them."
Tony was dissatisfied with that answer. "Just ask them? Perhaps you haven't met our team leader. Yeah, you know- quiet type, barks orders, hits you on the back of head when he gets annoyed with you and never answers a direct question."
Jack smiled. "That's Gibbs. Wouldn't be him otherwise."
Kate glanced between McGee and Dinozzo. "So you're not going to tell us?"
"Nope. She's a national security secret. Need to know only." Jack eyed the glass separating them.
Gibbs finally sat down with the file open in front of him. He began arranging photos in front of her. They were shots of the crime scene and an ammunition crate, but not of the dead JAG officer.
"For the record, please state your name." He waited.
"Caroline Blaine, special service agent for the United States of America, serial number 979386909. My duties are classified."
"Your name was found in a crate of yet unreleased prototype ammunition at the crime scene, involving the death of a JAG Lieutenant Commander by her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Carlyle Ramsey. He was arrested by base security, fleeing the scene with the crate in a really big hurry. Ramsey never made it past the end of his driveway in a car though. He made too much noise and the neighbors called the guard at Anacostia. I have a dead Navy officer and a Marine in custody that refuses to tell me anything." He leaned across the table. "Can you tell me why your name was in that crate?"
"Not at this time."
His eyebrow twitched. "Can't, or won't?"
"What's the difference?"
Gibbs was enraged with her, despite the fact that he knew her. "You're on thin ice. Without explanation you're implicated in theft of United States Armed Forces property, and anything else I decide to charge you with. Don't try my patience with this."
"I can't tell you. What I can tell you is to back off this. You're in over your head and you don't even realize it. Ramsey wasn't acting alone. Check his cell phone records and see who they lead back to. McGee already has them. Let him cross reference the numbers. Dinozzo pulled the bank statements for the money trail. Someone was paying Ramsey for the theft. Kate has his full service jacket and where he's been traveling to within his work. He's meeting up with someone to exchange more than cock and bull stories."
McGee seemed surprised and looked at the others behind the glass with him, feeling a bit paranoid. They didn't know her, but she obviously knew them.
"I'm going to see Abby. I'll be back." McGee was good with numbers. Between himself and Abby, they could find out who this woman was by pulling the service number he had committed to memory already.
Tony held his head at an awkward angle suddenly. "This is starting to feel like the Twilight Zone and I've walked into another dimension with you and Elf Lord. Who is this woman and how does she know what we've been doing?"
McGee sat at one of Abby's many computers pouring through every service database they had privy to. Niether of them could find the number Blaine had spouted off.
"Who exactly are we looking for Timothy?"
"It's a number that was given out during interrogation. I came down to pull the record to go with it."
"Why not pull that at your desk?" She was confused.
McGee swallowed hard.
Gibbs walked up behind them suddenly, seemingly appearing from thin air as always, when you were trying to do something sneaky. He answered for McGee.
"Because he doesn't want me to know he's researching Blaine." He targeted McGee with laser beams from his eyes. "Next time, just ask. Okay?"
McGee nodded quickly. "Yes, Boss."
Blaine came in to the room flanked by Dinozzo, Kate and Jack.
Everyone suddenly turned and focused on Blaine.
Gibbs tapped his foot. "I'm waiting. My team deserves to know everything. Not just me. That's why we left the interrogation room."
"Walls have ears here and you know it."
He agreed. "Abby, turn some of that noise you call music up and follow us into the ballistics lab."
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