Disclaimer – CSI and NCIS does not belong to me, nor do the characters portrayed on these show. No money is being made from this piece of fiction. All rights to these characters remain with their respective shows.

Summary – Tony Dinozzo, Nick Stokes. Two men who have gone through hell, and may just be able to help each other in their respective times of need. This will be a series of one-shots dealing with the times Tony and Nick are in contact with each other, whether it be on a case, or just a phone call in a time of need. Gen friendship – Nick Stokes/Tony Dinozzo, with a fair helping of Gibbs as well.

Io non ho paura

aka

I'm not Scared

It had been a crazed serial killer that brought the two teams together for the first time.

It was early March of 2003 when the team had received the call. A young girl, only five years old, had been murdered in Las Vegas. Tragic to be sure, but it usually wouldn't have required involvement from the agency.

This young girl, however, had been on vacation with her parents at the time of her kidnapping, and eventual death. Her father was a Petty Officer first class, who had still been stationed in Iraq only two weeks prior to her death. The family had decided they needed a break from Washington on his return, and had started their trip of Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming in the gambling paradise.

The young girl, Sunette, had been kidnapped in broad daylight. Her parents were busy talking with a street vendor, not noticing that Sunette had ventured closer to the road. They didn't know anything was happening until a scream from a passerby alerted them that something was amiss. They could only watch in shock and horror as their little girl was pulled into a beige car, its tires already screeching as it pulled away – no license plate to speak of.

It was the fifth kidnapping of its kind in the city in three weeks, all four the other children were found within twenty-four hours of their kidnapping, their throats slit – post mortems also indicated sexual assault pre-mortem on all the victims. The children were all dumped within a mile from the sites where they were kidnapped. No leads had been found before her kidnapping, and it didn't look to the CSI's as if they would find anything in this case either.

No link could be found between the victims. The first victim had been a Latino boy who had been seven years of age. The second and third victims were girls, one African American, the other Caucasian, four and six respectively. The fourth victim was a five year old Chinese boy. Their parents worked in diverse fields, there was a botanist, a professor, cab driver, receptionist, stay at home moms, and more.

The city seemed to be gripped with fear. A madman was loose, and was hurting the most innocent of innocents.

Gibbs, Ducky and Tony were briefed on the case as well as the other cases thought to be related to young Sunette's kidnapping. It was during their flight into Vegas that Sunette's body was found, dumped in an alley that was within a mile's reach of where she had been kidnapped, her throat slit, early indications also pointed towards sexual assault. There was no good news to greet them on their arrival.

Initially Director Morrow had been on Gibbs' back to appoint an interim member for their team after Agent Blackadder's departure. Till such time however, Ducky was used as an unofficial third member of the team. Officially he joined the team only in his capacity as a Medical Examiner; unofficially however, he was used as a sound board for the two agents to bounce ideas and theories of. It was unconventional and didn't follow agency regulations; however the unconventional seemed to work for this motley group. Their conviction rate hadn't suffered at the loss of Vivian, and until SecNav decided to breathe down his back Morrow determined to leave them be.

Monday 03 March 2003, 15h20

Arrivals, McCarran International Airport - LAS

"It is rather fortuitous that we only brought carry on luggage. I remember this one time when I was but a lad, it was my first trip out of Scotland if I remember correctly…"

"There's our lift." Gibbs interrupted Ducky mid-sentence as he was known to do. Tony had been working with Gibbs for going on two years, but he still found it difficult to understand the dynamics between the two older men. Gibbs respected the older man, that was clearly evident, and at times it seemed that they had a very strong friendship, but Gibbs' gruffness tended to hide that fact. Tony didn't even want to ponder the dynamics of his own relationship with one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Most of the time it seemed the older man merely tolerated his presence, but there were times that Tony could swear he witnessed something akin to paternal pride or concern from the older man, depending on the circumstances.

Tony looked at the man that was waiting for them at the end of the arrival line, a small board with the letters NCIS scrawled on it in his hands.

The man looked to be about the same age as him, a big smile that seemed more suited to a cleric or hair dresser than an officer of the law adorned his face. There was however something in his eyes, a look that seemed to indicate a sharp intellect, but that also conveyed that the man had seen many horrors in his life. Upon closer inspection Tony noticed sharp lines of fatigue marring the other man's face, as well as weariness in his body-language. It seemed that the guy had had a rough number of weeks.

He must have noticed their intent looks, as he started to make his way towards the trio through the mass of people meeting loved ones and acquaintances.

"Ya'll the team from NCIS?" Tony noticed the soft Texan twang immediately, and couldn't help but wonder how long the other man had been working in Las Vegas.

"Yes, you from the crime lab?" Tony could only shake his head at the gruff reply from his boss.

"Yeah, CSI Nick Stokes at your service." Nick held out his hand to the other man. Gibbs scrutinized the other man for a while, and was impressed that he didn't once squirm under his intense gaze.

"Gibbs, that's Dinozzo and Doctor Mallard." Gibbs briskly indicated everybody as he spoke.

"It's Tony" Tony replied at the same time as Ducky greeted the other man with, "My friends call me Ducky".

"Nice to meet ya'll. We'll be heading directly to the lab, the body was found earlier today. Her daddy has already identified her, and our ME is busy with the post mortem. I'm sure he won't mind your input Doctor Mallard."

"It's Ducky dear boy, and it would be extremely satisfying if I could lend assistance where I can."

"I'm sure Doctor Al will appreciate it Ducky." The four men made their way through the revolving doors of the airport, into the midday sun of the Nevada Spring.

"Al Robbins? Does he still work at your lab? I would never have guessed! Oh, how wonderful would it be to see that old friend once more?" Nick turned his full attention to the other gentleman as he replied in surprise.

"Yeah, Al Robbins. From where do you know Doc Al, Ducky?" The other two men seemed to be interested in the answer as well, and quickly scuttled into the back of the Tahoe, as Ducky made his way to the front. After everybody was settled in, Ducky turned to Nick whilst the other man put the car in gear and pulled away.

"I met Al approximately twenty years ago, at a conference in Texas. We were seated next to each other the entire time, and got along splendidly. He had only started in Vegas that same year, promises were made of staying in contact, but you know how it goes… We kept in touch by phone for a few years, but I guess we both got busy in our respective careers… I haven't seen him, or spoken with him in, oh probably ten years now. His little girls probably have their own little girls by now…"

"I'm sure he will be happy to see you again as well. Have you been briefed on the case yet?" Tony noticed the weariness in Nick's voice as he turned his attention back to the two NCIS agents. It was clear that this case had taken a lot out of the other CSI.

"We have been briefed, but would like to see all evidence and information you have gathered when we reach the lab." Gibbs sounded almost sympathetic, which was unheard of for him, especially when the case dealt with children.

"That will be no problem, I'll phone in so they have everything ready in advance."

After Nick finished the phone call an uncomfortable silence permeated the air in the Tahoe. Never one to stand such silences Tony decided to fill it.

"So Nick, any hot women I can expect to meet in the next hour?"

Tony was already rubbing his head before the head slap had landed, but didn't miss the knowing smile on the Texans' face. It seemed that there was something good to look forward to on this assignment.

"It is clear that Sunette, like all of the other victims, were restrained whilst being sexually assaulted. There were no defensive wounds on any of the victims, and no semen, the perpetrator has been extremely careful thus far."

All of the night shift CSI's as well as the three men from NCIS were listening attentively to the ME's report. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be anything new to report.

"I want copies of all of the evidence that has been collected thus far. We'll send it to the lab in DC, see if they may have some better luck."

Gibbs could see the reluctance of the CSI's, hell he knew personally how it felt when another agency came in and shook up a routine, but this wasn't about trying to upstage the Police force. Kids were being killed, and thus far they had nothing to work on. If there was a chance of Abby finding something in the evidence that had been missed before, he wasn't going to pass it by. He didn't mind bruising some egos if it meant that families could sleep a bit easier at night.

"We'll have everything ready for you to send by the end of the night." The reluctance with which it was spoken did not escape Gibbs.

"Make it an hour."

The trio from NCIS had been in Vegas for three days, but no breaks had been made in the case thus far. The tension had mounted, and it was clear that if a lead wasn't found soon, something, or somebody, was going to break soon.

Tony got along well enough with all the CSI's, but felt he had found a kindred spirit in Nick Stokes. Sara and Catherine were both beautiful, but it was clear that Sara was hung up on an oblivious Grissom, and Catherine seemed to be a ball-buster that Tony wouldn't want to mess with. Thus it was that Tony spent most of his time with Nick and Warrick, going through evidence, looking for anything that may lead them to the killer. Gibbs and Ducky spent most of their time with Grissom and Doc Robbins respectively.

The NCIS agents didn't exactly feel welcome, but as time went on, the CSI's seemed to tolerate, and later even appreciate their presence.

It was seven o'clock on Thursday the Sixth of March that the call everybody had been dreading came in. An eight year old, Caucasian boy had been kidnapped, the same MO as the previous cases.

Gibbs and Tony, as well as Nick and Grissom met Brass at the site of the kidnapping. The perimeter had already been secured by the time they arrived, and everybody quickly dispersed to do their respective jobs. No instructions were necessary.

It was whilst Tony were taking photo's of the scene that he noticed a man across the street, approximately thirty years of age, staring at the officers working on the scene. Seeing that Gibbs was busy interviewing a witness, Tony exited the perimeter, hoping that the man may have witnessed something. What Tony did not expect was for the other man to take of running, as soon as he started to make his way over to him.

'Well that's suspicious…'

Tony yelled out the obligatory "Stop!", whilst racing after the retreating back. He didn't actually think the man would listen, but hoped that it would alert Gibbs to what was going on.

The other man startled Tony by suddenly turning around, gun raised straight at his chest. Instinctively Tony ducked as he heard two sharp blasts from in front of him. Ears ringing he thought he heard the sound of another shot from behind him, and turned around to see Nick, smoking gun in hand, with Gibbs on his heels, weapon also at the ready..

Turning back to the original shooter Tony realized the man was panting on the ground, blood seeping from his right upper arm.

"You alive Dinozzo?" The concern that could be heard in Gibbs' voice took the sting out of the comment.

The words "I'm fine" was on the tip of Tony's tongue, as he started to get up, before he felt the world tip on his side, and started to slide towards the ground again. Surprised Tony looked at his left shoulder and noticed the red stain gathering there.

"How could I not notice I was shot?" These were the last words Tony spoke before he gave in to the threatening darkness that had surrounded his vision.

Tony woke up to an unexpected sight. Nick Stokes was sitting beside what could only be his hospital bed. His eyes were closed, and his head hung against his chest, Tony could even swear that he saw some drool falling down his chin.

"Hey no drooling on the convalescent!" Nick jerked awake at the sound of Tony's voice, and sheepishly rubbed his eyes, before quickly wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as well.

"So sleeping beauty has decided to grace us with her presence." Tony decided not to deem that statement worthy of an answer, and jumped onto the more pressing matters.

"Not that I mind or anything, but what are you doing here Stokes?"

"Gibbs was here until a while ago, but had to go to the precinct to tie up some loose ends on the case, so he asked me to keep a vigil over your prone body. Knowing that he would probably kill me with a toothpick if I refused, I decided to take the wise man's path, and here I am." The smile that graced the other man's face belied his statement, but neither of them seemed to care.

"Tie up the case? So you guys solved it?" The news was both unexpected and very welcome.

"It turned out that our serial liked to return to the scene of the crime, watch as we do our jobs. If you hadn't noticed him… Well, I don't think any of us want to consider that scenario…"

"Wait, so the scumbag that shot me, was the scumbag that killed and raped those children? What charges have been filed? Was the boy found alive? How long have I been in here?"

"You finished? Yes, it turns out that the dirt bag that shot you was the same guy that kidnapped and killed the children. He has been charged with five counts of murder and rape, six of kidnapping, as well as one count for attempted murder. We have his signed confession to each charge, and the case is definitely a slam-dunk. There's no way he can get off on any of the charges, your boss made sure of that. As for the last victim, we found him alive and unharmed a couple of miles from where you were shot. Our perp had five different rental apartments around the strip where he kept the children. As for your last question, you've been out of surgery for almost thirty six hours."

"Surgery? What surgery?" Tony scanned his body, and noticed the sling that adorned his right arm.

"The surgery to remove the bullet. It was lodged in your scapula. It had also hit an artery on the way in, you were apparently a bitch to stabilize, at least that's what I've discerned from some of the lovely nurses around here."

"Urgh, I hate being shot!"

"Then you must learn how to duck better my dear boy." Tony hadn't even noticed Ducky's entrance, until the other man spoke up.

"Ha! Ha! Everybody's a comedian today." Nick noticed Tony struggling to sit up, and quickly helped raise him so that he could look around the room a bit easier.

"Well I should probably be heading back to the lab. We're back on duty tonight. I would tell you to stay out of trouble, but from what I hear, and what I've witnessed, that's impossible." Nick smirked at the other man, and started to get ready to leave.

"Hey! I'll let you know that I do NOT go looking for trouble. Besides, this is only the third time I've been shot. That's not too bad." Nick stared at the other man in shock. 'ONLY three times.' What on earth did NCIS deal with on a daily basis? Before he could comment however, Ducky had some words of wisdom to bestow.

"Anthony, I've told you countless times, you just have to face it. You are a born trouble-magnet. You don't ask for it, but it does follow you. Yes it has only, and I do use that term loosely, been three times you have been shot, but don't forget the two knife attacks, the dog bite, and the two story fall. And if I'm not mistaken that was only in the past year!" Incredulous, Nick turned his attention back to Tony.

"Tony, please remind me whenever we see each other to stay as far away from you as possible. I do NOT need that type of bad luck to rub off on me." Face colouring in embarrassment, Tony feebly tried to protest.

"I am not that bad! It's just been a hinky year as Abby would say. I am as lucky as the next man. Even luckier if you believe some of the girls I've been with, or wait no, they always say that they couldn't be luckier…" The suggestive smirk quickly wiped from his face as he felt a sting on the back of his head.

"Ouch boss! Easy on the convalescent!" Rubbing his head, Tony looked at Gibbs. He never even noticed the other man's entrance.

"Ah, you'll be fine Dinozzo. And this better have been a hinky year! According to Morrow YOU are the reason for the increase in our hospital plan fees!"

The sounds of the men's bickering faded away as Nick left the room, realizing that they had much to discuss. He did however have a sneaky suspicion that this would not be the last time he'd see the irrepressible Italian.

A/N – I would love to hear what you guys thought. English isn't my first language, so please be lenient when it comes to spelling and grammar errors. Thanks! Next one shot will be about the happenings in Grave Danger, SWAK and Twilight.