INTRODUCTIONS AND CONFRONTATIONS
Gibbs came into work, and immediately knew something was wrong. Everyone was quiet, and looked sad. He tried to piece together what was wrong, but just couldn't.
"Jethro!" Yelled the director Andy Hess, his boss, and the director of NCIS.
He took the steps two at a time. When he approached Andy, he turned to face him. Gibbs was just about as tall as Andy, but Andy had brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Yes sir? What is it?" He asked
"I have some bad news to tell you. Special Agent Thomas Miller was murdered last night." He said solemnly.
Gibbs was stunned. Thomas was an agent that used to work on his team, but three years ago was assigned his own team. Even though they had barely worked with each other anymore, they were good friends, and one of Gibbs only friends.
Slowly, he said, "I could tell something was up, everyone seemed upset, and I knew I was missing something. How did he die?"
"He was shot, he didn't have defensive wounds, which could mean he didn't see the shooter, or he knew him."
"Was he shot from the front or back?"
"The front. He was shot in a small town called Lancaster. It's in Pennsylvania. There is an agency he worked with sometimes in Baltimore, and they are going to help you and your team in the investigation. Go home, pack your bags, and get ready for a short plane ride out to Philadelphia PA."
"Yes sir. Thank you for assigning me to the case."
"Of course, he used to be your Probie, your teammate, and was your friend. You deserve to be on this case. You definitely earned it."
Gibbs nodded his head before heading back down the steps to the main floor. Everyone was watching him; obviously knowing he was on the case. He looked at them with his annoyed face, and they all looked away quickly.
" One more thing Jethro." The director yelled down.
Gibbs looked up at him.
" You can take Abby, Donald, and Agent Sauder with you."
Gibbs nodded again and than went to get those three people. Rebecca Sauder was one of the two other agents that worked on his team. She had a pretty face, and a good work ethic. When interrogating suspects, they opened up to her. His other agent, Kiersa Caddick, was a little different. She was a lot more talkative, and a really happy person. He had to remind her constantly to get back on task, but once she did, she got good results. She wasn't as great as Rebecca in interrogation, but suspects loved her bubbly personality, and she was easily loved by just about everyone.
Donald Mallard, aka Ducky, was his autopsy doctor. He was an old, kind, Englishman. He was wise, but sometimes would go off rambling about old cases he did in the past, but it helped relate to the case they were working on. And this would get them answers that they didn't know they had. He had a young assistant, Jerald, who, when he got older, would be just as wise as Ducky.
Abby was the young forensics scientist on his team. She could scan fingerprints, do face recognitions, and trace DNA faster than anyone else in NCIS. She practically ran on caffeine, and Gibbs would bring her a Caf-Pow when he needed results fast. When she did well, she was rewarded with a quick kiss on the forehead or cheek, or a "Good work Abbs.
Yep, Gibbs was ready to go off to Pennsylvania. He had a great team to back him up, and the weather there right now he heard was gorgeous. He got in the elevator and hit the button that would take him down to Abby's lab. When the elevator dinged, he stepped out to meet Abby, who was about to come up. She was crying. Gibbs than remembered that her and Thomas had been close. He hugged her, and she sniffled.
"He was my friend Gibbs." She choked back a sob.
"I know Abbs, he was my friend too. He was a friend with a lot of people."
"Gibbs, I'm really going to miss him. He was one of the only people who would listen to my explanations."
"We will find a way to cope. But right now you need to go home and pack some clothes and stuff. Were on the case of his murder where it happened in Lancaster PA."
"Really? Well I am going to do better and faster on this case than I ever had. Than I ever will! I will find out who his murderer is, do a background checks, and find out every single last secret that he keeps. I will track him, I will have his coordinates updated every couple seconds, and you will find him, and you will catch him, even if he dies when your trying. We will find him, even if he is dead!" Abby said full of ambition.
"That's good Abbs. Now go home, get packed, get rested, and meet me, Duck and Rebecca at the airport tomorrow at 8:00. Plane leaves at 10."
"Okey dokey Gibbs, see you tomorrow!"
She gave him a big hug before going back turning out the lights to her lab, and than grabbed her stuff, and headed out. Gibbs shook his head in amazement on how fast she was able to get her stuff out now. She had beaten her record of 30 seconds. Today she got 18. He got back in the elevator and went down to the level where the autopsy room was. When he got down there, Ducky was already packing his things, and Jerald was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, hello Jethro. The director told me about heading out to PA for the case already. You didn't need to come down here. I don't think he told Rebecca though, so you might want to catch her before she goes. She was going to head home to get some rest, she didn't feel the greatest."
"Well let's hope she feels better tomorrow. Were on a plane, and that can make a person who feels sick feel horrible. I don't need an agent puking all over the plane on the way there."
"Gibbs you have your usual sympathy even after an old friend just died."
Gibbs tightened up and just walked out of the room angrily, not really wanting to think about his old friend who was dead. He only wanted to go home, pack and head off for his mission. When he got up to the floor with his team's office on it, he saw Rebecca and walked over to her.
"Hey Gibbs, I was wondering if I could leave early today, because I didn't feel the best. But don't worry I gave my paperwork to Kiersa, and she said she had it covered. You can check with her, she will say so herself. She didn't have much work herself, so she was eager to take up the extra work. And…"
"Rebecca, you're babbling again."
"Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that Kiersa has it, and I really would like to go home and rest. It's my seasonal allergies, they're acting up. But I can stay.
"No Rebecca you can go home. I was going to send you home anyway. Pack what you will need for a week or two. Me, you, Duck, and Abby are all going to Lancaster PA, where Agent Thomas Miller was killed."
"Oh, I heard about that Gibbs. I feel so bad for you, you guys were close, weren't you?"
"Yea, but we need to focus. Go home, get packed, and than rest. Meet us tomorrow at 8, and the plane leaves at ten. See you tomorrow Agent Sauder, I don't need to see you again today." He turned around while Rebecca packed her things and left.
"Kiersa, where are you?" He asked annoyed.
"Over here!" She called from the filing cabinet next to Rebecca's desk.
"I am looking at these files, and wow, I NEVER get the good jobs of the murders. Rebecca has all the cool things. I am always working on background checks and phone calls. She gets to do all the fieldwork and interrogations. It isn't fair. I know I am not good at those things, but like the saying, practice makes perfect. How come I don't get to go on the mission in Lancaster? Once again, I am left behind with practically no one, and I can only play games on the computer when there is nothing I can do! I just don't get it Gibbs, why do I always have to stay behind? Why, why, why…
"KIERSA! Please stop rambling on, it is annoying the heck out of me, and we don't have all day to listen to your babbling."
"Well than can you answer my questions?
Gibbs sighed before saying, "You don't get those types of jobs because she is more experienced at those things. Also, she can connect with the witnesses and suspects, so they confess quicker. You aren't going on this case because the director chose, not me. If I had chosen, Rebecca AND you would be going, but I didn't choose. So calm down, and get some work done!"
Gibbs stormed off while Kiersa watched him with sad eyes. Gibbs knew that Kiersa had never really liked Rebecca because she got to go on all the fun jobs and missions and fieldwork. Kiersa was always left at the office to do all the office work. And trust Gibbs, it really sucked.
After Gibbs left Kiersa, he went home. He packed enough for two weeks, and than decided to work on his boat. The boat he was working on right now was named Shannon. He was just about finished with it. When he was done, he would probably burn it, because it gave him to many memories he didn't want to think about. As he was sanding the boat he heard his doorbell. He ran up the steps and answered the door. Standing in front of his door was the director of NCIS and a young man.
"Hello Jethro." Said the director.
"Hey, who is this young man?" He asked curiously.
The young man was tall and very fit. He was obviously athletic, from his muscle-like figure. He had the bright green eyes, as bright as the grass in the summer. The guy had light brown hair that went just near his ears and he had bright blonde highlights. The clothes he was wearing were designer clothes; very, very expensive you could tell from just looking at him.
"This is Police Officer Anthony Dinozzo. He will be working with you on the case in Lancaster. He came to collect you and the people going to PA."
"Well you told me the plane was tomorrow, and that we had to be ready tomorrow. But I can call them and tell them they can meet us all here. And it is nice to meet you Anthony Dinozzo."
"Please, you can just call me Tony. It was unexpected, I was supposed to collect you tomorrow, but my boss changed his mind. And if it is ok with you, I can just wait here until everyone gets here. The earlier they get here, the earlier we can leave, and we will to PA faster." Tony said with a hint of embarrassment, and he seemed like he wasn't used to pitching ideas.
"Yes, you can wait here. Come in, I need to make some calls. Thank you for delivering him, Director."
"No problem Gibbs. It was great getting to meet you Anthony."
"Yea, nice to meet you to Director Hess. I am flattered that I got to meet you. It was nice getting to meet some of the NCIS team." Tony sounded much more formal than any of them.
Tony and Gibbs went inside Gibbs house, and he pulled out his phone and started calling people. First Rebecca, than Abby, and finally Ducky. They all arrived within a thirty-minute time period. They arrived in order of the way they were called. When Rebecca showed up, Tony was immediately looking her up and down, but didn't say a thing.
When Abby showed up it was more interesting. Abby looked at him and was completely stunned.
"OH MY GOSH YOU LOOK A LOT LIKE MY EX BOYFRIEND RICK!" She screamed.
Of course this made Tony laugh.
"My name is Tony, and not Rick, so you have nothing to worry about." Tony said with a chuckle.
Abby laughed and said, " Yea, but Rick wasn't the worst of them, and he was one of my better boyfriends. So, actually, it wouldn't be that bad of a thing if you WERE Rick." This made them both laugh, and Gibbs knew that they were going to be friends.
When Ducky showed up Tony instantly seemed curious in the old doctor. Together, they sat down while Ducky told Tony all different stories of his past. Gibbs was just waiting until they were ready to go.
Finally, Tony stood up and said, "Let's go awhile. The earlier we get there the better. Crime waits for no one."
Everyone piled into his car, which looked expensive. Tony drove, Gibbs in passenger, and Rebecca, Ducky, and Abby in the back. All their stuff easily fit in the trunk. Tony didn't have anything with him except the stuff he would need for only a day. On the way, Tony barely said anything about what they were planning on doing about the case.
When they were trying to find a parking spot at the airport, Gibbs decided that he wanted to know more.
"Tony, what are you planning on doing in this case?" He asked.
"I am not at liberty discussing that, mostly to do with the fact that I am not going to be working the case. I may carry some things for my superiors, but that is about it. Ask my boss when we get to Lancaster. Because even though I have worked with the police for years, but I am not really involved with any of the cases specifically. My boss will be running our half of the case. I will be lucky if I even get to see the background checks on the suspects or even the victim."
Gibbs was appalled. That young man probably had a lot of potential, and yet he was practically used for nothing on his team.
"Hey I will talk to your boss and see if I can convince him to get you on the case."
"Thank you so much Agent Gibbs. I have always wanted to be very important on a case, and now I might be!" Tony's face was so surprised and so excited, it made it obvious that he barely did anything at the place he worked.
Gibbs started to think that after this was all done, maybe he would see if Tony wanted a place on his team. Just thinking about it made him somewhat hopeful. He hadn't had a guy teammate on his team in too long of a time. And even though Kiersa and Rebecca were good agents, they were both girls, and little got done when they were together and Gibbs wasn't there. They got out of Tony's car and gathered their things and made their way for the plane. Once on the plane, Tony made a little chatter, smiling, laughing, joking, and cheering everyone up on this rainy evening. Gibbs looked out the window with a small smile, happy that they all got along.
Finally, the pilot shut the doors and announced that they were about to takeoff. Tony quickly moved next to him and it was obvious that this was going to be different settings for Gibbs, working in Pennsylvania, and Tony just wanted to know if he wanted to talk about it.
"Hey Gibbs. You excited for the case?" He asked kindly.
"Excited? Definitely, I want to kill the guy that did this to Thomas. He was my entire teams friend. He knew all of us, and liked to hang out with us. He used to be my Probie."
"Probie? What's that?" He sounded utterly confused.
Gibbs laughed and responded, "A Probie is a beginner, a newbie, and someone who isn't used to the thing they are doing."
"Do think I would qualify as a Probie?"
"If you started working at NCIS, than yes. But for your job now, no, you wouldn't be a Probie."
Tony sighed a sigh of relief. "Good, cause being a Probie is something I don't think I want to be."
"Nah, it's not that bad, in fact my old boss still calls me Probie." He replied, going silent.
For a half hour they sat there, not really talking. They were just lost in their thoughts. Suddenly they heard the beep of the loudspeaker coming on.
"ATTENTION LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. WE ARE ABOUT TO LAND IN PHILADELPHIA PA! PLEASE GET OFF IN AN ORDERLY FASHION. HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!"
Tony stood, after they landed, and than went to get his carry on. Abby was still half asleep after her small nap, so Tony grabbed her bag as well. Gibbs appreciated this, almost a stranger to them, and he was helping carry their bags.
"Hey Tony, what about my bags?" He said jokingly.
"Well, I would, but my hands are full. Sorry Gibbs." He replied.
Gibbs gave him a small smile to let him know that he had been joking. Tony rolled his eyes and turned away. Sighing, Gibbs slapped him on the back of the head really hard.
"OW! What the heck was that for Gibbs?"
"For rolling your eyes at me Dinozzo."
Rebecca started laughing and whispered into Tony's ear, "Spend even a week with him, and you will learn everything that will keep you from getting hit." Her eyes sparkled as she walked away, making Tony stare, until he was finally able to turn away.
Chuckling, Gibbs led his team and Tony off the plane. Immediately Tony took the lead, and they all followed him happily. The weather was warm and nice, and the sky was filled with moths. It was beautiful. Ahead of him, Tony was talking to Abby and Rebecca about Lancaster.
"Lancaster is amazing! It is my favorite place to do cases. On summer nights lightening bugs fill the sky, and the only thing you see out on the countryside are stars. Billions of them. You don't get a sight like that in Baltimore."
The girls were listening to his babbling, and it really did sound beautiful.
"How long of a car ride from here Tony?"
"Well, considering how there isn't really any traffic at one in the morning, I say 45-60 min. Trust me, not long at all. Philadelphia and Harrisburg are the two biggest city's near Lancaster."
"Umm, is it a problem that I haven't ever heard of Lancaster, or Harrisburg before?" Abby asked.
"Well I thought you might know of Harrisburg, considering it is the capitol of Pennsylvania. But don't worry about Lancaster. It's a small town." Tony said reassuringly.
By this time they had made it to the car, an old van. Gibbs was confused. On the way they had driven a nice, sleek, black car. Now an old, dark blue van.
Tony seemed to sense the confusion and nervously said, "I drove my own car to Washington DC. My boss is finding another Officer from our force who will go and get it. This is the company's van. They didn't know how many people were going to be coming, and how much luggage you would have."
Gibbs nodded his head, as did the rest. Now they knew why they went from nice car to van. Gibbs got in the drivers seat.
"Um, Gibbs, I have to drive. You don't even know how to get there."
"Well I am faster. You give me the directions and we can get there within half hours time."
Rebecca commented, "It's true. Don't underestimate him. Oh, and I suggest you snap your seatbelt tight." She laughed, Abby and her exchanging knowing looks.
"Fine." Was all Tony said.
Tony gave the directions, trying not to freak out to bad about Gibbs' fast driving. Gibbs, well Gibbs was enjoying himself a little too much for torturing the poor police officer. When they pulled up at the agency, Tony told them where they should park. They left their stuff in the car and got out. Gibbs realized something.
"This isn't the agency you work at. This is Lancaster's agency." Gibbs pointed out.
"Yes, but this is where we are going to meet my boss and some of my coworkers. Our agency was to far away to go back and forth from. So we are staying here for this case." Tony replied.
They walked in the building, and immediately had two other people wanting to talk to them.
"Hi, my name is Johnson Alberts. I am Anthony's boss, and the boss for the police involved in this case. Of course NCIS is leading this case, but we will be to, and we want to be notified of everything your team does." He said proudly, arrogantly.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but you may call me Gibbs, and this is my NCIS team. Rebecca Sauder, Dr. Donald Mallard, and Abbigal Sciuto. We will make sure to notify you, no worries."
"Fantastic! Oh, this is Jeff Archibald, my assistant." He said motioning to a small man with glasses and dark brown hair. "And of course you have already met Anthony Dinozzo, my secretary/assistant. Please, check into a hotel and get settled. Meet here at nine-tomorrow morning for a meeting. Anthony, go with them. Help them get checked in, and than be ready to show them around if they ask. Now if you don't mind I need to go have a meeting with Jeff. Thank you, It was nice getting to meet you Gibbs." With that, he walked off with Jeff, leaving them and Tony standing alone.
"Ain't he just a charmer?" Tony asked sarcastically, making them all chuckle a bit.
"Come on Tony, help us find a good hotel to stay at."
Tony drove them to a Best Western Hotel. They rented two rooms. One for Abby and Rebecca, and one for Gibbs, Ducky, and Tony. Each room had two beds and a pullout couch. Tony and Gibbs made a silent agreement that Ducky should have a bed, because he was older than both of them. Tony offered that he would take the pullout couch. Gibbs wasn't going to argue. After everyone was settled, they all met together and decided how they were going to handle this case.
"I can call back to Kiersa and ask her to do the forensics that I can't do without being in my lab. I can walk her through it. Everything that I can do here, I will. But it won't be much Gibbs." Abby said.
"Yea, and I will totally follow your lead on this Gibbs. I will be on your side, watching out for you, and helping you when…"
"Rebecca! Were not getting married, and we don't need a book. Please stop babbling."
"I just meant to say that I've got your back." She said dejectedly.
Gibbs sighed. "Alright, now let's get back to the case everyone."
"Well I don't have Gerald, so this will be difficult, but I'll manage. I might need your assistance Abbigal, if that is alright with you."
"Uh, Ducky, I might need to pass up on that request. I am kinda scared of autopsy."
"Hey, I can maybe help you out. I have always wanted to see an autopsy!" Tony said eagerly.
"Ok, I think that is it for the night. Nothing else we can do to plan ahead. Everyone, get some sleep. We have a meeting at nine that we must attend."
Everyone gathered themselves and went their separate ways. Gibbs walked to their hotel room, and than lay down in bed. He listened to Ducky's and Tony's breathing. After awhile, their rythmatic breathing made his eyelids felt heavy, and within minutes he was fast asleep.
The next morning when Gibbs woke up, he heard a soft sound of singing. Looking into the kitchen he saw Tony absentmindingly reading the newspaper and singing a song with words he couldn't make out. Gibbs cleared his throat, and immediately Tony stopped singing.
"Good morning boss I...I…I mean Gibbs!" Tony said quickly.
Gibbs gave him a look before saying, "Calm down Tony. You can call me boss, just don't let YOUR boss catch you, or he will have your head." Gibbs said warningly.
Tony chuckled nervously while he suddenly became interested in his feet. He was still looking at his feet before saying, "Yea. I don't really like my boss, and he doesn't like me, so were even. Suddenly I was assigned to meet you and your team. They were nice to me, and treated me like family. I would like to stay in contact with you guys, and if there are any job offerings, I will be willing to accept." Tony said hopefully.
"Maybe, I will have to talk to my team, and see if there are willing too. But it would definitely be nice for you to be on my team." Gibbs replied thoughtfully.
"Really, you'll think about it! Thank you Gibbs, and I am sorry for being annoying, if I was."
"Rule number 4, Never say sorry, it's a sign of weakness."
Tony looked at him. "Rule number 4? According to who?"
Gibbs slapped him on the back of the head. "According to me."
Tony winced, but didn't say anything. Gibbs smiled happily, knowing that Tony was really enjoying having someone like Gibbs. Someone who wanted to treat him like family. Someone who probably treated him better than anyone else did that he worked with.
"Hey, can't a guy get any sleep around here. I mean seriously, two guys at your age, and you are talking like two teenage girls gossiping." Ducky complained good naturally as he woke up to Tony and his talking.
"Come on Duck, I was just talking to Tony about how he might be able to get a job at NCIS sometime in his future." Gibbs said simply, with Tony across the table, beaming.
"Well, I think that's a great idea. I would love for Tony to join our team, and convincing will be easy. Rebecca and Kiersa will be the difficult ones."
"Wait, I never even heard about Kiersa. Who is she, and why will she be difficult to convince to let me join the team?" Tony asked questionably.
Gibbs chuckled, and than got a serious face on. "Kiersa is Rebecca's teammate, and she is majorly loyal, fiercely loyal even, and she is my junior agent. She probably won't be so up to the "new agent" thing cause she will feel like she is once again, at the lower end, that she will always be the Probie. But since you aren't experienced with Navy Crimes, you're used to homicides. So YOU would be the Probie.
"You don't HONESTLY believe that, do you?"
"No, but Kiersa will, and that will most likely set her off about how she won't be the newbie anymore. So, your probably all set."
"Is Kiersa nice? Do you think she will grow to like me better in a way than just having her power over me?"
"Kiersa will grow fond of you, as will the rest. Don't worry about it now, it is not even a done deal yet."
"What isn't?" Said Abby happily when she and Rebecca walked into their hotel room.
"The fact that, if it is ok with Gibbs' team, and there are job openings, if I could maybe be on your team." Tony said excitedly.
"Really ohmygoshgibbsthatwouldbeawesome!" Abby squealed so fast and so excited that Gibbs barely understood what she had said.
"Abby slower and calmer."
Ok I SAID ohhh myyyy gooooshhhh thhaaattt wwwooouuullld bbeeee sooooo aweeesooommeeee." This time when she spoke she said it exactly like she asked. Slower and calmer. But she also was just being a smart aleck.
Gibbs gave her a look, and Abby looked back at him and gave him a complete innocent look like "what did I do" look. Gibbs rolled his eyes and looked back at Tony, who was smirking.
"Dinozzo, you better wipe that smirk off your face, or I will slap it off for you." Gibbs warned.
"Sorry boss." Tony immediately stopped smirking and looked away, trying not to laugh. Gibbs decided to let this go, no reason to scare Tony before he even started working with him.
Tony was so excited. Soon, hopefully he would be on Agent Gibbs team, and hanging out with the entire crew, and just living his life there. And not at the homicide office. He just couldn't imagine living his life so well, and hanging out with the one she wanted to be with, other than the people he was forced to work with. He was just so excited.
When it was eight thirty, they left for the police office agency. Tony knew that Gibbs and his boss wasn't going to get along well, considering he thought of his teammates as almost exact equals, and his boss, well, did not. Hiss boss, Johnson, thought of teammates as people who worked for him, and kept him safe. Nothing more.
When they made it to the agency, Gibbs stormed inside with Rebecca and Tony. Meanwhile Ducky and Abby were going to check out the autopsy room and the forensics lab.
They made it in the office for the meeting at exactly 9:00. Tony himself was impressed that Gibbs knew what to do. If he arrived right at 9, no one would bug them, because the meeting was going to start soon. If they had arrived any earlier, they would have had to talk and make small talk with everyone in the room. And trust Tony, that was a very awkward position.
Suddenly, Johnson Alberts made his appearance. He walked in like he owned the world, and it was such an honor that he was there. Tony saw Gibbs fuming beside him, but he didn't say a thing.
"Hello, I would like to honor everyone with the two NCIS agents. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and Special Agent Rebecca Sauder. Them, along with me and my two police officers, Jeff Archibald, and Anthony Dinozzo, will be working this case." He said giving all of the people he mentioned his gaze for a little while. "Now, I am going to turn this over to the man leading this investigation. Gibbs, it's all you." Johnson backed away from the mike, and Gibbs stood and took his spot.
"Hello, my name is special agent Gibbs, and I am leading this investigation. I would like everyone to understand that the man dead in autopsy was Special Agent Thomas Miller. He was an agent for NCIS, and my friend. He also worked some cases with you." He said, motioning around the room with his hands.
"And now I think my friend Tony Dinozzo would like to say something." Gibbs stepped away from the mike and grinned at a stunned Tony.
Oh no, Tony thought. He and I agreed to tell everyone AFTER this case. Because if he told them now, he would probably get kicked off the case. Than again, he would be under Gibbs' command for the case, so he would still be on it, most likely, anyway.
Tony stood, walked to the mike, and took a deep breath before beginning, "Johnson Alberts, I am resigning. Gibbs offered me a job with him, and I accepted. It is a step up, and an improvement. I am going up the line. I never was treated right here at the agency anyway. NCIS treats me like family, or at least a teammate. They don't treat me like a person that will use his life to save his boss, but I will, for Gibbs. Sorry Johnson." He said slowly, clearly, and with a lot of thought.
There was a dead silence as everyone took this in. The first thing Tony noticed was his angry boss and next to him, his exasperated partner, wondering how he now had a better job than him. Tony just smiled, before walking off the stage and sitting with Gibbs and Rebecca.
"Tony, how could you betray me like this?" Johnson practically hissed at him.
"Sorry, but my job now lies elsewhere.' And than Tony was done with all the questioning, knowing, deep down, he had made the right choice.
The room silenced again, and than someone in the back started clapping. The clapping was like wildfire, and soon everyone was clapping loudly, and cheering for him. With that, the meeting was over. People walked up to him and congratulated him, and he was more than proud. Abby came in at one point with a young girl in her early twenty's. She looked upset and hurt, but as soon as they had vantage point on Tony, Abby whispered something, and the girl's eyes started to sparkle.
"Hey Tony, Abby told me about you. My name is Kiersa Caddick, and I am pleasured to meet you." Said Kiersa sweetly.
'And a nice pleasure to see that not everyone on this team is as old as Gibbs." He said jokingly until Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head.
This made Kiersa giggle, and than she, Abby, and Rebecca all walked off, and started talking to different people. He took his spot next to Gibbs, and listened to him talk about all the things they were going to do on the case.
Gibbs turned to him and smiled, "Yah bout ready Dinozzo? We need to get back to the hotel rooms and discuss our next move."
"Ok, ready when you are Gibbs."
Everyone, including Johnson and Jeff, were meeting in Gibbs' hotel room. Ducky was rambling on about how he should start the autopsy. Abby was sadly moaning how she missed her forensic machines. Gibbs, on the other hand, was more worried about the case.
"I think me, Dinozzo, and Kiersa should go to the crime scene and find some more evidence.'
"Really?" squealed Kiersa, "I really get to help you and Tony on such an important case?"
"Yes, now stop squeaking. I think you," he said, motioning to Johnson, "Jeff and my agent, Rebecca should interrogate any possible suspects you might have. Ducky, you work on the autopsy, and try to find some fingerprints so Abby can do some forensics before she has a heart attack." Gibbs said playfully, making everyone laugh, including Abby.
"Ok Jethro, I will be on it, and oh, the director called. He said he wanted to talk to you when you got back from this case."
"K, thanks Duck."
Everyone got to their work, Ducky, Abby, Johnson, Jeff, and Rebecca went back to the agency. Gibbs, along with Dinozzo, and Kiersa, went to the crime scene.
When they got to the crime scene, it was practically clean, except some small, useless items.
"Spread out everyone. Investigate anything suspicious."
They did as they were told. Tony was walking alone on the side of the forest for something, anything, which would help with the case. Suddenly, he saw a small piece of paper, with something on it. He picked it up to get a better look at it. It looked like exactly what he thought it was.
"Boss, got something!" A couple moments later Gibbs was standing in front of him, waiting for his find. "It's a phone number. It says Thomas on the front, but on the back," he flips the card over, "says Shannon Neilson. And it has another number." He finished proudly.
"Good work, bag it and tag it." Gibbs said, and than walked off.
Tony grabbed a bag and placed the numbers in the bag and than labeled the bag as two important phone numbers. Than he scampered away, looking for Gibbs, hoping he might get a reward in exchange for the good evidence.
In autopsy…
Ducky looked at the body and used a UV light to see what fingerprints there were. He looked up and down the body, and than noticed that there were fingerprints on the man's shirt. He hadn't been able to give the clothes to Abby, but he did find a fingerprint. He grabbed the fingerprint lifting kit that Abby gave him for his birthday a couple years ago. He noticed that there were three different peoples fingerprints on him. He also took the mans fingerprints of his fingers so that Abby may match them with the one pair of prints on the clothes. Finally satisfied, he put Agent Thomas' clothes in a bag and the fingerprints in another. Walking to the forensic lab, which was just across the hallway from autopsy, Ducky felt so proud. He had never been really good with lifting prints, but he had done pretty well. Walking into the lab, he noticed something odd…
In forensics…
Abby waited in the forensic lab. She knew that Ducky was going to come and give her his clothes, and give her fingerprints if he found any. While she was waiting a handsome young man walked in. He had green eyes, like herself, and blond hair. He was wearing a suit.
"Hello, I was to come down here because I usually work the forensics of a case. I was asked to ask you if you would mind if I helped you." He said very formally.
Now, Abby normally would say, no thanks, I don't like the help. But there was something about him that seemed like he would actually listen to her rambling and explanations. And would listen to the results she got, without cutting her off and tell her to get to the point, they were wasting time.
So Abby looked him in the eye and said, "Sure, but you need to know a few things. First, I get to pick what you're going to do, and what I do. Second, you listen to my results, without cutting me short, like my boss does. And thirdly, you have to enjoy yourself. We can goof off, but not for long. We need to mostly stay on track." She said happily.
"Yes ma'am!" He said saluting her jokingly. Than less joking he asked, "Did you know Thomas Miller?"
"Yea, I did, and he was a good friend of mine." She said solemnly.
The man looked at her and said, "My name is also Thomas. Thomas Mcdonald, and when I heard of Thomas Miller I wondered if I could help on the case. I know we only shared the same name, but for some reason it feels like I know him."
Abby looked at him, and suddenly gave him a hug. He stalled for a moment, and than returned the hug. They stood there hugging until they heard someone clearing their throat. They jumped apart and Abby looked over to see Ducky standing there.
"Should I come back later?" He asked.
"No Duck, you're all good. Come in. Oh, and Duck, this is Thomas. He works forensics also." She said quickly.
Ducky laughed, "Nice to meet you Thomas. Abby I came here to give you the fingerprints I found and Agent Thomas Millers' clothes."
"Why thank you Duck. Thomas, take these over to the desk." Abby said.
Sure enough Thomas grabbed the things and placed them on the desk nicely. Abby looked at Ducky and smiled, and Ducky smiled back. They both had the same thought. Thomas was a nice guy. Ducky turned around and walked back to autopsy. Abby waved bye, and Thomas and her went to start with fingerprints. Walking to the fingerprint scanner, she took one last look at Ducky, and than finally turned her head and smiled at Thomas. He really was a nice guy…
In interrogation…
"What did you want with Thomas Miller?" Rebecca asked threatingly. Right now they were questioning a young woman, Shannon Neilson, the one that made a phone call to Thomas half and hour before he was killed.
"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about. He and I, we were just friends." She said nervously.
Rebecca suddenly had an idea. "Your fingerprints were found on his shirt."
"I didn't touch his red plaid shirt!" She screamed.
"How did you know it was red plaid than, ma'am?" Rebecca asked, knowing she had caught her.
Shannon's eyes went wide, "Fine! I was standing with him when he got killed. We were having an affair. I was kissing him, and than I quickly went to my car to give him something. I heard a gunshot, and raced back. A tall man carrying a gun ran off. I went to Thomas, and he was dead. That is all I know!" She said sobbing.
Rebecca nodded and said, "You may go now ma'am. Thank you for finally telling us the truth,"
She got up and led Shannon out of interrogation and left Jeff to escort her. She looked at Johnson, and they both had the same surprised look on their faces. Rebecca could barely believe that the woman confessed to that. She smiled at Johnson, and than they both walked to find Gibbs and his team.
In the lobby…
Everyone was meeting. Gibbs, Tony, and Kiersa were all trying to piece together their evidence. Jeff, Johnson, and Rebecca were all talking about the shocking confession. Ducky came up and was talking to Gibbs about the autopsy, and Abby and her assistant, Thomas, were telling him their results also.
"Hey Abbs, Tony found a gun, the murder weapon, and found this lipstick tube. Check them for prints, Oh and Tony, Kiersa, call this number that Tony found. Than you guys can go get something to eat." Gibbs said.
"Ok, thanks. Oh, Abby, when we go out to eat, should we bring you back something? Or Gibbs, do you want something?" Tony asked, just wanting to help out his new team.
"Yea, just get me some sort of sandwich. Kiersa knows what I like."
Abby said.
"No thanks. I have my coffee, and that will be enough for me." Gibbs replied gruffly.
Tony nodded and together, he and Kiersa walked over to a quieter place to make the call. Meanwhile, Abby was looking at the gun carefully. She was thinking how easily she could get the fingerprints off the weapon. Even if the murderer used gloves, for as long as they held the weapon, it would have made an imprint on the gun from the whitish powder on the gloves.
Rebecca was telling Gibbs all about the confession that Shannon had made, and how they hadn't been able to get anything else out of her. She also said about how she had a note with the name of three more people.
"They could be more suspects. The names were Rachel Kilgore and Sarah Miller. And than there was Michelle Neck."
"Ok, call those three up. Get them in here. We need to show them something. Oh and get that girl Shannon, I don't think she was telling everything she knows."
Rebecca gave him a look, and thought, what does he know, but she went anyway.
In Forensics…
"Ma'am, I got something on the weapon!" called out Thomas, anxious.
Abby hurried in to the lab and took the weapon from Thomas.
"What did you find?" she asked quickly.
"It had fingerprints on it. I ran them, and got two hits. Sarah Miller and Michelle Neck. Apparantely Michelle is a hired assassin here in America, while Sarah was Thomas' wife. That is all that was on them Ma'am."
"Can you stop calling me Ma'am? I hate the title 'Ma'am'. In fact next time you call me Ma'am, I will 'accidentally' spill hydrochloric acid on you!" she said angrily.
"So what should I call you other than Ma'am?"
"Call me Abby."
"Ok, and what about what I found, Abby?" he asked her.
"Oh, good job Thomas, I need to call Gibbs. Get ready to present this in front of him, ok?'
"Ok."
She called Gibbs, and a couple minutes later he was down in the forensics lab, and was giving her a Caf-Pow! When Gibbs saw Thomas, he asked her who he was.
"This is Thomas, the one who found the cool, interesting thing. Thomas, take it away!"
And he did. He told Gibbs about the fingerprints, and about Michelle and Sarah. He told him about how Michelle was an assassin, and how Sarah was his wife. Gibbs was definitely impressed and even told him good work, which was definitely rare, coming from him. Suddenly his phone rang, and he went off in the corner to get better sound. Abby was watching Thomas, the overly smart and fast forensic scientist, like herself. Suddenly Gibbs was behind her and said he had to go. He quickly kissed her on the top of the head, before proceeding out the door. Abby looked over at Thomas, and was surprised that he met her eyes. They both smiled, and slapped a highfive.
In the lobby…
Thirty minutes later, four young women were standing in the lobby. Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, and motioned for them to follow him. The women followed him. Tony noticed all the girls' reactions. Sarah looked a little nervous, and so did Michelle. Shannon had no facial expression, and the youngest girl, Rachel, looked scared out of her wits.
When they got down to autopsy, Rachel turned sheet white.
"Wha, what are we doing down here?" She stammered.
"Giving you a show. Enjoy." Gibbs said coldly.
"Hello, my name is Ducky. I hope that through this, all of you will understand what happens after a murder."
They watched as Ducky started the "show" by opening the body up, and pulling out the liver. Rachel burst into tears and than threw up. Gibbs immediately took her out, and it was obvious. That girl did not kill Thomas Miller. The other three looked thoroughly disgusted, but didn't look like they were going to throw up. Suddenly, Shannon looked at Ducky and said. I am done here. I want to talk to Agent Gibbs." She said, obvious that she wanted out of there..
Twenty minutes late, Shannon was sitting in interrogation 1 and Sarah and Michelle in interrogation 2, only because they insisted on being together.
"Rule number one, Never let two suspects together in interrogation." Gibbs angrily hissed at Johnson, before walking into interrogation 1.
He sat down, and than looked at Shannon. She wasn't at all like his wife had been. This Shannon was cold, mean, closed off, closed in, completely unlike how his wife was when she was still alive.
"Gibbs, I hired them. Sarah and Michelle. Since Sarah was married to him, and astonished to find out that he and I were having an affair, she was willing. Michelle is a contract assassin here in the US. She kills, no reason needed. Not many people know about her work, but keeping a low profile is better for her type of job. I am sorry I lied Gibbs, I was scared. But this is the full truth. I am now telling you everything I know, and that is that I hired them, and they killed him." Shannon said sadly.
They sat there for a minute or two before Gibbs spoke up. "Thank you for telling us this information. It is nice that you didn't lie again, but you will be put in jail for assisted murder, as well as Sarah and Michelle. But we will deal with them. My assistant Kiersa will escort you to the holding cell you'll be staying in before court."
Shannon let Kiersa handcuff her without a fight, and let her lead her out. They made their way, while Kiersa told Shannon the verdict. Gibbs stood, and than made his way to interrogation 2.
"Hello ladies. By the way, Shannon told us the whole story. That she hired you two to kill. Well now, you go to jail. Unless you would like to confess, which may just get you a shorter time in jail."
"All right! We did it! He cheated on me, what else could I do?" Sarah cried out. "And I wasn't alone. Thomas Mcdonald and Michelle helped! They are both hired assasins."
Gibbs recognized that name.
Suddenly, it came to him. "Kiersa, go to the forensics lab! Thomas Mcdonald is Abby's assistant!" He yelled.
Than he angrily eyed Sarah and Michelle. Michelle was giving Sarah a death glare.
Gibbs hoped Kiersa would get there in time…
In Forensics…
"Now you see Ma'am," Thomas said tauntingly to Abby, swinging the gun around a bit, "why I can't let you leave here alive. You have found evidence on me murdering your precious Thomas Miller."
"You'll never get away with this." Abby said nervously.
"Of course I will. I'll shoot you, than run. I'll move, change my name,, start a new life." He said, sneering.
"No, your not, because your already caught." Abby said smuggly.
"What?" Thomas yelled. He spun around. Kiersa was standing behind him, gun pointed at his head.
"Busted." She said.
Thomas went to shoot Kiersa, but she was faster. Abby watched Thomas fall to the floor, dead.
"Thank you." Abby whispered, giving Kiersa a hug. She had made it just in time.
In Interrogation…
"Gibbs, Abby is fine. Kiersa has her." Tony whispered into Gibbs' ear.
Gibbs looked at Sarah, who was crying, and Michelle, who looked angry.
"Well, would you like to add anything to your partners confession? It might get you a shorter time in jail." He said
Michelle stood, and looked at him. "Oh really Gibbs?" she said. Suddenly she pulled out a gun from her purse and shot at Rebecca, who had been leaning in the doorway. The gunshot hit her leg, and she screamed and hit the floor. Gibbs flung himself across the room and grabbed the gun. Tony raced in and helped up Rebecca. He led her from the room, and was back in seconds to collect the gun.
Gibbs looked Michelle in the eyes and said, "Now you go to jail for twice as long. One, for murder, and two, assaulting a federal officer."
He handcuffed her and Sarah, and the two were led out of the room. Meanwhile, Rebecca was being rushed to the hospital.
A day later, they went to the hospital to visit Rebecca. When they came in, she was laying on her bed with a huge bulky cast on her leg. When she realized they were there, Gibbs, Tony, Kiersa, Ducky, and Abby, she smiled and motioned for them to move closer. They did.
"Hey Gibbs. I need to tell you something." She said, sounding happy that they were there, but also like something was on her mind.
"Yea? And what is that dear Rebecca?" He replied.
Blushing, she said, "I'm retiring. I really injured my leg, and I will never be able to properly use it again. I can walk, and jog, but I can't run. Also, my husband is worried. Caleb says I shouldn't be working with a leg like this. So I think I am going to become a paralegal or something. Ok? Please don't be mad." She pleaded.
"Wait, your married? To who again? Caleb? Who's he?" Tony asked, stunned.
Laughing, Rebecca answered, "Caleb Hasselhoff. I kept my maiden name, Sauder. Instead of Rebecca Hasselhoff."
"Oh" was all he said.
"Are you sure you want to retire Rebecca? Because once you do, you can't come back." Gibbs said, warningly.
"I know, and I do want to retire. I'm positive."
"Ok, when we get back to DC, give me your badge and gun. You'll receive unemployment checks until you get a new job."
"Yea, I know the drill. My mom told me all about her retirement, helping me for when I would retire. Although, she probably didn't think it would be so soon." She said, laughing again.
"Yea, well everything will be alright Rebecca, I promise.
A couple days later…
"Ok Dinozzo, this is where your desk is. This is mine, and this is Kiersa's." He said, pointing out all of their desks.
"Ah, Rebecca. Do you have your letter of retirement for me?"
"Yep, here you go Gibbs." Said the young girl on her crutches. "Sorry it took so long, Dinozzo wouldn't shut up with the movie references."
Gibbs looked at Tony funny, so he had to reply. "Lately, well, for a while, I have been watching tons of movies, and I just love them. I have been relating them to life just recently." He shrugged, than seeing Gibbs' face, he turned away.
Gibbs sighed, and than smacked him on the back of the head with a loud, WHACK! Tony winced, and everyone else, except Gibbs, started laughing. Gibbs gave them the stare, and they immediately stopped.
"Jethro." Everyone spun around to se the director standing behind them, and he was carrying a box with him.
"Jethro, sadly to say, I am retiring myself. There will be a new director taking over, of course, and I thought you might want to meet him. Thomas Morrow, this is one of the agents now working for you. Gibbs I would like you to meet your new director."