Washington- NCIS

Gibbs was the second-last person to storm into the bullpen on a rainy February morning, and walked over to his desk, picking up the phone that was ringing incessantly on his desk.

"Gibbs. Talk." He barked into the phone.

Ziva and McGee exchanged a look. What was up with the boss now? He'd spent the last week snapping at them. It didn't help that almost every single day, DiNozzo had been late.

Tony is going to die if he comes in any later. McGee though. More book material, he supposed. He was watching Gibbs carefully.

Finally, he said. "Grab your gear everyone."

"Should I gas the truck, boss?" DiNozzo asked, walking in, ignoring the glare from Gibbs.

"Nope." He sounded almost cheerful now. "I want you to get us tickets on the next flight to Boston."

"Little out of our usual turf, isn't it boss?" DiNozzo asked carefully.

"Ya think, DiNozzo?" was the call.

"Where are you going?" Ziva asked, regretting it the instant it left her mouth.

"I need more coffee." Was his short reply.

"Boston… a bit of a far shot from Washington." Ziva commented.

"Long shot, Ziva." Tony sighed, looking after Gibbs.

"Why were you late?" McGee asked him. "Gibbs was ready to eat you alive."

"Sorry Probie, I was unaware that I was supposed to be Mr. Punctuality."

DiNozzo typed away at his computer, sighing periodically. "Why does Gibbs want us in Boston? What could possibly be in Boston?"

"I'll tell you what." McGee said. "Something that concerns NCIS."

"Well no kidding." DiNozzo said, deadpan, rolling his eyes. Stupid McGeek. He thought. He went looking for the flight from Washington to Boston.

Gibbs walked back in. "DiNozzo, you better have something."

"Boss, you've been gone fifteen minutes!" Tony complained, although Gibbs silenced him with a glare. "I could get us on the next flight out of Washington, leaves at 1300."

"All right."

"So what's in Boston?" Tony asked. Gibbs turned and looked at him.

"Dead Marine."

"Will we have to grapple with local LEOs?" Tony asked, grimacing at the thought. "Or worse, FBI. I'd rather not talk to Agent Slacks again."

"Tony." McGee sighed. Would Tony ever get over it?

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual, DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped. "I don't know, I've heard that Boston PD is already working on it. So it may be a battle."

"Oh we can take Boston PD easily." Tony said.

"I'm sure I could persuade them." Ziva said, not looking up from her computer screen.

"Not happening, Ziva." Tony said. "We'd end up having to arrest you for killing them."

Her head shot up and she glared at Tony. "Who said I'd kill anyone?"

"McGee did it." Tony was always quick to point the finger at McGee, who glared at him.

"Do we have the flight or not?" Gibbs asked. Sometimes I feel like a teacher or a parents around these three. He thought to himself, annoyed.

"On it boss!" Tony said quickly. "Is Ducky coming with us?"

"I don't know, have you talked to him or Palmer yet?"

"Well, no."

"So what are you waiting for, DiNozzo?"

"On it boss!" Tony said, for the second time, picking up the phone.

Ziva asked. "Did they ID the Marine?"

"Yeah. Detective Vince Korsak, Boston PD, called us immediately."

"Are we really the closest to Boston?"

"Likely." He muttered. "Vic's name is Gunnery Sergeant David Stern, age thirty-four, on leave in Boston. Ziva, you're getting more background on this guy."

"Where's our farthest case ever been?" Ziva asked, curious.

"Boondocks?" Tony asked.

"Nah. I can think of one case…" Gibbs was thinking hard. "Gitmo." He reminded Tony.

"Didn't you guys fly out to Kansas once?" McGee asked Tony, interested.

"Yep. Wichita, Kansas. We went there to check out the football carrier aboard… Air Force One." Tony was silent for a second, thinking it over.

McGee heard the silent message. The plane that led to Kate. He thought. He was silent too, he and Tony exchanging a look.

"I am confused. What is so special about Air Force One?" Ziva asked.

McGee and Tony were silent, remembering their own encounters with their dead friend, Caitlin Todd. Who at the time they had met was… as she often reminded them… a Secret Service Agent, handpicked to protect the President.

It was Tony who finally said it. "At the time, when we arrive on Air Force One, we were greeted by an extremely pushy Secret Service agent who didn't like other Feds worming their way into her turf. Of course by that time we weren't put off by duping Fornell and the other FBI buddies of ours, but we almost had to hijack Air Force One."

"And what was so special about the Secret Service Agent?" Ziva asked, not following.

"It was Kate." McGee and Tony said at the same time.

"Who resigned several days later and ended up with us." Tony finished. He noticed Gibbs was standing by the elevator.

"Is story time over, DiNozzo?" He snapped, haunted by the memories DiNozzo was currently discussing. Kate. He thought.

"Yeah boss!" He called back. Ziva was watching Tony, who seemed slightly… sad. McGee was silent, trying to focus on his computer screen. It was frightening how calm they bother were, but she was wondering about their inner turmoil.

A few hours passed. When all of them returned from lunch, carrying small suitcases, they headed to their desks- just as Gibbs stormed past. "Grab your gear, let's roll." McGee and Ziva immediately followed, but Tony remained behind, trying to sneak his GSM magazine into his backpack.

"Magazine stays behind, DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped, and Tony quickly grabbed his backpack and suitcase, before running to follow Gibbs into the elevator. A flight awaited, as did Boston, and the Boston PD.