Director Vance called Special Agent Gibbs up to his office and with a deep seated sense of humorous pride, waited for him to arrive. Since it was after hours Vance took out the bottle of Buffalo Trace and poured a couple of fingers for each of them. Walking into Vance's office and seeing two glasses of bourbon on the table let Gibbs knew that he wasn't going to like the discussion they were about to have.

Vance motioned for Jethro to sit at the table. A file sat there waiting for him. "Gibbs, a problem has been given to me by the Secretary of the Navy. I need you, along with DiNozzo, to go to Boston and work with a Detective by the name of Jane Rizzoli. It seems there have been an incident aboard the USS Constitution and they would like our help in finding the perpetrator and solving the case."

Gibbs looked at his boss and couldn't understand the logic for sending them. "Leon, isn't there another agent closer than Washington to send? Tony and I have cases open here that need our attention. It seems like a long trip for nothing."

Vance happened to agree with Gibbs but his orders came from above and Gibbs and DiNozzo were going. "Gibbs the request came from upstairs and there's nothing to be done about it. SecNav wants you on the case. You need to go."

Gibbs swallowed a sip of the bourbon and savored the taste. It was delicious and he knew he didn't have this brand at home. "How long will we be gone?"

Vance sipped from his glass and thought. "Go and find the perp and come home. Think of it as an easy job. Better yet, go by yourself and let Tony work on the cases here. Now finish up and get to Boston. Detective Jane Rizzoli works in the 12th Precinct. The address and phone numbers you need are in this file. Study up and hit the ground running and that way you can get home quicker."

Gibbs nodded, finished his bourbon and set the glass on the table. "Thanks for the good stuff." He turned to leave, reaching for the door knob, but a sudden thought stopped him. "Why'd you think that you'd need it?"

Vance chuckled inwardly, outwardly he smiled. "I hear that the detective is a female you, now get out of here and get the job done." After Gibbs left he had a real good laugh for himself wondering how this whole thing would turn out.

The Next Day:

Gibbs rented a navy blue Dodge Charger at Logan Airport and drove to the 12th Precinct to meet this detective who Vance found so hilarious. A sergeant by the name of Mickey Rivers, at the front desk let him cool his heels for twenty minutes before even calling the detective. That is never a good way to start a work relationship. When the sergeant finally did get around to it, the detective took another ten minutes to get her butt down to get him. No one escorted him to her desk like at NCIS. It began to piss him off.

Detective Rizzoli walked into the front hall and saw a grizzled older man sitting waiting for her. She began to do a slow burn. "I have a major case to share with the Navy and they send me an old man to work with? Who the hell are you?"

Gibbs nearly took her head off but decided to try niceness instead. "I'm Special Agent Jethro Gibbs. I have come from Washington DC to work with a Detective Jane Rizzolli. That isn't you is it?"

Jane's mood grew darker as he spoke. "Yeah that's me and you're the wonder boy from DC. Let's go up to my office and talk. Yo Mickey, why doesn't Superman here have a visitor tag?"

The Sergeant looked up at Rizzolli and grimaced. "So… who the hell is he?'

Gibbs tired of the rude behavior and almost snapped but held his tongue. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS."

Mickey's face clouded over in thought. "NCIS, what's that?"

Rizzoli grew impatient with the rig-a-ma-roll. "Mickey the name tag please. I don't have all day and neither does Superman."

Once Rizzoli got to her desk she motioned for Gibbs to have a seat. She stared across the divide at Jethro as if she questioned the rationale behind his being here. Having made up her mind she pulled a folder from her open case file and tossed it across the desk at Gibbs.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't always the warmest and fuzziest of people but this woman made him seem like a cuddly teddy bear. So in an effort to quell the bitchy behavior he went in for a gut punch. "What's with you? Are you always this warm and welcoming or is it just me?"

Rizzoli sat in her chair and leaned back. She took a good hard look at the man across from her. He was older, but he hadn't proven himself to her so he'd get no respect, yet. Her reputation was curmudgeonly at best and most people just took her guff, got what they needed and got out. This man didn't seem like he'd back down but she wasn't ready to back down just yet either. "Here's the deal Superman, I don't want you or need you here. My Lieutenant says I have to have you here, so here you'll be. I have a couple of suspects and I'm checking them out. Read the files and then we'll talk." She got up to get coffee without offering any to Gibbs.

Gibbs just smiled after her. "Sure I'll have one."

Jane turned around to him with a look of sheer amazement. "What, now I'm your maid? If you want a cup of coffee get off your ass and get it yourself." With that she left the room and him by himself.

Jethro did just that and when it was poured and in his hand he went back to the desk, took his seat and opened the file. The file was complete as far as forensics goes. The Bomb Squad had placed a report on the type of device that had been placed and where on board it had been. This report had been written by a pro. Then he turned to Detective Rizzoli's notes. No one had typed them and there was no reason to except for professionalism. Her handwriting was neat and precise, very much like the woman who had written them. They were concise and to the point, so much so that Gibbs felt the urge to walk the crime scene. He understood what was written but it was his gut talking to him and it needed to be answered.

Rizzoli returned as he finished reading the file.

Gibbs looked up at her. "Nice job with the file. It is very complete and concise."

Jane couldn't keep the smile from her face. She was happy he liked the file. She also couldn't help being a smart ass. "So, Superman, who planted the bomb?"

Jethro watched her face and knew that while she enjoyed the compliment, she just had to get that dig in. "Nope, can't tell you that until I walk the crime scene. Take me to the Constitution."

Rizzoli lost her patience and blew up. "Listen I am not your lackey, your maid or your tour guide. You want to see the ship, go see it."

Gibbs rose out of his chair and leaned across the desk and delved into Jane's brown eyes. "If you're done being a bitch maybe we can get some work done. This is not about territory or interdepartmental squabbles; it's about catching the bastard and putting him away." He stopped just long enough to see if he had her attention. "Now can we go?"

Jane Rizzoli got up, grabbed her pistol and holstered it, snatched her suit coat from the back of her chair and motioned for Gibbs to follow her.

Gibbs just smiled and followed her. The other detectives in the bull pen sat in silent awe. No one had ever spoke to Rizzoli that way.