NCIS/Bull

You Needed Me

Chapter 1.

Just when everything seemed to be going really well in her life, everything for Annabella came crashing down all at once.

After her last relationship had broken down in New York, as an FBI agent she had transferred to the DC office, but she did also have an ulterior motive for also making the move because after so many years of trying to find out who her father was, she had made that discovery and had tried to meet him.

When she was born her mom had originally come from the UK and had been a prison officer in London, which was how she had met the man that had been Annabella's father, but they lost touch when he returned to the US once again. After finding out she was pregnant, she had travelled to the US to find the man, but with not having any luck with tracing him, but then finding out he was an agent of some sort for the federal government, she guessed that he must have been on an undercover operation and after that she didn't really think she would ever find him again, so just before making the return journey home to the UK she had gone to New York on a few days break before she was planning on making her return.

All that was to change though because the friends she went to stay with while in New York had got another friend staying with them while he was on leave from the marines, she had gone onto falling in love with him and with knowing the story of Annabella's father, after she was born he had adopted her.

Over the years Annabella had always thought Anthony was her father, but when fate once again took a horrible turn with him ending up being killed in action on what was supposed to have been his final tour of Afghanistan, well that was what they had thought had happened, but it turned out he had been murdered.

While the investigation was going on, she kept wondering what was going on because of how her mom and the investigator kept acting around each other, but as she was still quite young her mom wouldn't tell her anything about what was going on between them, saying she was too young to know, so it was just let go.

When she had finally settled down into her work at the FBI, her mom had become sick, even though things turned out to be for the better and she went into remission, at one stage they had a worry that perhaps she may not make it so finally her mom had told her the truth about who her father really was and that it had been the agent that had been investigating the man she had thought was her real dad, was actually her real father.

It was around the same time as her mom was sick and with being so busy with her job and her boyfriend was busy with his own job, plus his slight obsession with his job meaning he spent a lot of time sleeping at his office, plus there were also times when she was getting worried about his health, which had caused arguments. Just as she was about to head to DC to approach her father they finally decided that they would call an end to their relationship.

While she was in DC and had finally admitted the truth to the man that was her father, he accepted it all and admitted that he had suspected something while they were investigating her father's death, but he hadn't dared to ask anything because of the grief that her mom was going through. With the way that she had guessed with what had happened with her boyfriend and because after that initial meeting with her father they had agreed that they did really want to get to know each other, she knew returning to New York would probably make things that bit harder. So she put in for the transfer and got it.

When she had joined a new team with the FBI in DC, she was also lucky because as well as getting the job, with the team being a new one she won a promotion and was now a team leader. At the same time, though there was a man working on another team she seemed to think he had something against her because of the way he would interact with her, so she would keep her distance from him as best as she could.

The thing that ended up being the start of her downfall was when a body was found that ended up being connected to her father's own murder, so she didn't even go down to the crime scene with her team and straight away got herself taken off of the case itself. That night she went tosee her father working on the boat in his basement and she asked if he thought it was possible he was one of the people involved in it, but he assured her they had got everyone that had been involved, and even though right at the start of things there had been a rumour, that someone may have tried to pay those people off to do the murder they had completely discounted it.

A few days into the investigation though she got the feeling she was being set up as the murderer, despite her having a great alibi, seeing as not only was she with her father, she was also with the rest of the team. It had also been that night she had said to her father that if anything happened to her, then he was to call one Dr. Jason Bull and was to get his help. He told her she needn't worry because it wouldn't come down to that, but a few days later he was proved wrong when she was taken into custody and charged with murder, not only that they also couldn't get her out on bail either.

New York

They had just wrapped up on the case they had been working on, as Bull was just catching up on some paperwork before they all left for the night, when his desk phone rang, which he answered to be met by a voice saying "I'm special agent Gibbs and in Washington DC and I was told to call you because we need your help."

"How can I help you agent Gibbs?"

He answers "My daughter Annabella told me to contact you if anything happened to her, but she has been arrested and charged with murder, the person who has done this is so good at setting her up he has even created doubt over her alibi and she said you would be the only person who would get to the truth."

"You mean Annabella Watson?"

"I do."

Bull replies "Ok I will get to you in a few hours, my team will get there by tomorrow."

As they end the call Bull gets straight up and goes to the door of the office and then asks Marissa to come in as she does so he has just finished booking himself onto the first flight to DC. Seeing the look on his face she says "What is it Bull?"

He answers with a sigh "I had a call from Bella's father in DC, she needs our help and I know very little until I get there, but she's been charged with murder and told him to get in touch with me because I was the only one she knew could help her. I'm going back to my apartment now to get some stuff and I'm on the next flight to DC. I want you and the team to follow me tomorrow and bring everything with you. In the meantime I want you all to get on the case for me and find out what's going on, Danny may have to use some of her contacts in the FBI to find out. As soon as I get there, I will let you know what I find out."

"Will do Bull, are you sure about this though?"

"I'm very sure Marissa, look I know that since everything that happened I've been doing a lot of reflecting, and I know that time was a big factor in everything and that I ended up pushing her away in the end, and I didn't exactly support her with all this finding her father stuff was going on, and yes I know that it's only been a few months we've been apart, but as she told her father to contact me I hope there still might be a chance that she may forgive me in time. Yes, I know that things might be hard to start off with for the both of us, and I have my doubts she will ever want a relationship again, but if we can at least end up being on speaking terms with one another again, I will be happy with that. The main thing is we need to get her out of prison and work on finding out how she is being set up for this murder."

Marissa then adds "And you know that you will also have to tell her about what happened with the heart attack, because I know that she was very worried that you were building to something like that, and she deserves the truth Bull."

"I know she does, but I may wait for her to get out first, as I think a conversation like that needs to happen in private. I know that by the time I get there it will be too late to see her, but I will go straight and see agent Gibbs, then I aim to go and see her in the morning, I will call you if I have any problems to see if you can get me in there instead."

She says "Get me where she's being held, as I may be able to see if I have any contacts there, then you might get in there. So what are we going to do about somewhere to set up?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll find somewhere when we get there."

DC

When Bull arrived at the airport, he was very surprised when Gibbs was actually there to meet him, they shake hands and then go back to his house, once there Gibbs gives him the files for the case and also the files for the investigation into her father's death. He then says "I've got you into see her in the morning."

"Thank you because I was wondering if I'd get in there or not, even if we are a part of her legal team, who is her lawyer?"

Gibbs answers "I've got my friend Kerry Clark on this; she's about the only lawyer I actually trust."

"Ok, we'll get my lawyer Benny and her to work together on this, the only thing we will need is somewhere for my team to set up."

Gibbs answers "I spoke to the director Leon Vance, and he has said you can use the education block at the Navy Yard, for now I've given you the file for both cases, seeing as I've got a good friend and the FBI who wasn't working on this case, but even he can't work out what's going on with all this. It seems that the victim was allegedly involved in the murder of her father, and that is why she has supposed to have killed him. Since she bought all this up the night before she was arrested and the night she told me to get in contact with you if anything happened, I've been through this and I still can't see how he was involved with things or even that he could be a relation of one of those involved, which could be the only other reason I could see because he wouldn't have even left school or been serving at the time when her father was killed."

"We'll find out I promise." He pauses for a second and then adds "Look I think that I'd better be honest with agent Gibbs, there was something more between Annabella and myself, I was the reason behind her transfer here, because we were together and had a very bad break up, I know that there is still something there because of the way she told you to come to me with this, but I also know that I will have to work very hard to get her to completely forgive me, the top priority though is to work hard and get her out of this, but I will promise you that however this turns out and whatever happens between the two of us after it, then I promise you that I will never hurt her again and I am determined to make everything right between us again."

Gibbs says "I had a feeling that when she got here, she was hiding something and all she said was that a relationship hadn't gone well, nothing about it ending so she may have been thinking that perhaps there might be a chance for you both. So because of how you know her as you do I will warn you that she's changed since being put in there, and I am worried about her."

"How do you mean?"

Gibbs replies "I know that she will be stressed and worried in there, as am I, especially as she's supposed to be in solitary and I know that it is supposed to be safe, but there is no guarantee for that, so she would be on edge very much. The thing is, I don't think that through the worry she is eating properly, because she's started to loose weight already and is looking pale and tired, plus she's become insular."

"It could be down to the shock of all this for most of this, but of course a lot of it will be down to the worry. Look I've not got many contacts around this area, but I might get in touch with my ones in New York to see if they know anyone, because it might help her once we get her out of there, especially as I wouldn't like to say how much the things surrounding us might be affecting her still. So who do you think could be behind all this?"

Gibbs answers "For now my main feeling is for an FBI agent and his name is Ron Sacks, we have had a lot of trouble with him in the past. He may have had it in for her because when she got the transfer here she got a promotion as team lead, and he may have thought the job was his, not that I know if he went for it or not that is."

"What problems did you have with him before?"

He says "We got to know him first off when a former agent was accused of murder, in the end it turned out that agent DiNozzo had been set up by our former forensic scientist's assistant, even so months later he still thought that he had done it, even though it was well and truly proved to be the assistant. Then our liaison officer agent Ziva David was set up by Iranian intelligence, but again he was determined that she was guilty through the whole thing."

"It sounds like it could be feasible that he could have set her up for the fall, and when my team arrive I will certainly get them to look into him, because he could be doing it through jealousy or because he thought the job should be his, unless he could be a relative of one of the people that murdered her father and it was just a case of revenge for him."

Gibbs replies "Well whatever you need other than the facilities you have, we will do what we can to help you out."

"Thank you, as I'm sure that if it's ok with you, then we may need to have Danny from my team as liaison to the FBI with her being former FBI herself."

Gibbs says "I'm sure I can put her in touch with my contact and the same goes for if you need help with anything you're investigating, as even though as a team we've all been warned that we have to stay away, they do want to help where they can, especially with the lot of us being her true alibi because the night of the murder we'd just finished one of those cases that we never thought we would see the end of, so to celebrate that we'd gone out for a meal to celebrate as a team, and it being the dinner I'd promised her to celebrate us knowing the truth and because of the team wanting to get to know her better. The CCTV that the FBI has got along with evidence against her they have has all been doctored somehow, along with the CCTV at the restaurant we were all in that night as well."

"Well, I promise you that we will do what we can to both get her out of there and also prove what's been done to make her look guilty and I hope to get the person that's done all this to her, but for now I'd better get to the hotel so I'm ready to see her in the morning. I'll send a message to Marissa Morgan telling her about the hotel I've sorted for them and also about where we're setting up, so that then if I'm still with Annabella my team can be setting up rather than waiting until I get there."

Gibbs says "Tell them to ask for me, I know that the director has said he will also ensure that you all get temporary staff passes, so you can get into the building all the time without having to ask for one of us all the time, but they will me to let them in for the first time. Also send my love to Anna and tell her I will come and see her as soon as I can, but I know that it might not be for a few days because of getting you in there, even if it is classed as you being a part of her legal team."

"I will do." And with that Bull leaves for the hotel, once he gets there he calls Marissa to let her know what's going on and where he will be in the morning when they arrive, before he finally turns in for the night.

6