Sequel to Persona Non Grata

Rated: M for strong language, adult themes

Chapters: 1 / 3

Disclaimer: As always, every character or place you may recognize is not owned or controlled by me. The odd little people that interact with them still are solely the products of my imagination and do not represent any real person - past, present, or future.

A/N: I wrote the short story Persona Non Grata as a one-shot set 10 years in the future. People kept reviewing it and asking when I was going to write and post the next chapter. I didn't want to do it, but V kept bugging me until I finally told her that I would write one just for her. Here it is, 5 years beyond that. I hope that those others of you who wanted the original story to go on enjoy it also. Thanks to G who encouraged me to listen to the muse when the bunnies hopped away. Please Note: There will be NO sequel written to this story.

A/N 2: Although members of NCIS:DC will be mentioned, this is not a crossover story.

In Propria Persona

Chapter 1

July 17, 2030

Dallas, Texas

Nell Jones, the Operations Manager of the Dallas Office on Counterintelligence, looked like crap. Every night she got two to three hours of sleep at the very most. Most nights she felt like she got none at all. She started to look back at the last six months and tried to pinpoint the exact time or event that caused everything to start going downhill.

She had narrowed it down to around the time that Eric had come to her office and asked to have a private conversation with her. When the door was closed, her head tech's eyes started to tear up as he looked at his boss, and told her, "Nell, I am so, so sorry. I just can't do this anymore."

Nell asked him, "What do you mean?", a puzzled look on her face.

"I told you that my dad was suffering from early stages of dementia because of the stroke he had last year. Well, now my mom is starting to show the early symptoms of Alzheimer's. She forgets where she has put things that she has kept in the same place for years and she has trouble trying to come up with the right words every once in a while. I hired a private nursing service to help take care of them while I am here at work, but that is not working out. My parents do not recognize any of these people and do not want to listen to them or allow anyone else to help them. When I get home, it takes all my energy to help my folks do what they need to do. Then the next day, I come here, and all day, instead of concentrating on my work here, I just worry about what is going on at home."

"So, what can you do, Eric; are there any medications that can help them or do you have to put them in a residential facility that can provide the care they need?" Nell asked.

"They both are on the medications they need. As far as putting them away in a care home, I just can't do that to them. It would kill them. The doctors advised me to keep them in familiar surroundings as long as possible, because that would slow down their mental stress." Eric informed her.

"So what are you planning to do?" Nell asked, her heartbeat increasing and breathing growing slower, since she already had a good idea of what he was going to say.

"I am going to have to resign for NCIS so I can care for them 24/7 instead of hiring some one else as their care givers."

Those were the words that Nell knew she didn't want to hear from him. "Is there any other way, Eric, you know I need you here, in more ways than one."

Eric knew what she meant, as his eyes filled up with tears, "Nell, you know I would love to stay here with you. I have deep feelings for you. But these are my parents. You can relate to that. You have that type of love for your family, too."

His words made her really feel guilty. It was two years since she last was home to see her family. The phone calls and Skype hookups had been growing less and less as she assumed more and more responsibility of directing her team. She tried to justify it in her mind as something that went with the territory as a Manager, something that she could work out later when the case load settled down a little more. She hated the fact that she had to lie to her folks about what she was doing and that they could never visit her because they might find out. She had developed her convoluted back story for them and always had to make sure she kept it in mind when dealing with them so she wouldn't slip up. But she knew in her innermost being, if she were faced with the same circumstances in which Eric found himself, she would not hesitate for one moment to do the same thing.

"Of course, Eric. I understand." she lied, as she tried to silently justify her need to keep him working with her. What she really wanted to ask him was how he could choose the needs of his parents over the needs she had. His mom and dad would be taken care of by others, even if he didn't do it. Sure, they wouldn't recognize any of the new care givers, but pretty soon, if their problems followed the normal progression of the disease and developed the way they always did, his parents wouldn't recognize Eric either. If he stayed with her, she would be saving him from an even greater hurt down the road. Couldn't he see that? She really wanted to beg him to stay.

"When do you want to leave?" was the question that came from her lips instead.

"As soon as possible. I would like to spend as much time with them while they still know me. Would next week Friday be OK?"

"Of course," she answered, even though her mind screamed **No, NO, NO,** at him. "You do whatever it takes to help your parents. I will see if I can't get your replacement in here later this week so that you can bring him or her up to speed on what we have going on."

Nell tried to remember the last relationship she was involved in and how amicably the two of them had parted. She used every one of those memories within her to get up, go over and hug Eric, and whisper to him as she patted him on the back, "Everything will work out for you and your folks. Give them my love, too. We'll have to keep in touch after you're gone." She knew he had chosen them over her, and she was fighting hard in an attempt to show him she was OK with it, even though she was not.

Nell Jones did not know if it was because Eric was not longer in ops and his replacement, Robyn Tran, was still trying to find her way around his system to help her with the strategic planning for the mission. Perhaps it was because Nell missed or overlooked some minor detail while they were setting up the operation. Maybe she just had lost her leadership skills. No matter what the reason, the Operations Manager lost all four members of her first string team that day. Isaac Hoffman, the big German, who was the senior agent and team leader, whose fifteen years in NCIS made him the longest serving agent in the southwest area and one of the most savvy veterans she had ever worked with; Omar Meas, who was the team explosive and munitions expert, who could field strip and reassemble any weapon, from a derringer to a RPG launcher in less than five minutes; Rebecca Lindsey, the little blond, who was the team expert in all forms of martial arts and hand to hand combat and could use and throw a knife with the best of them; and finally Kerry Ramos, their communications expert who could work magic with any and all types of machines. All four of them were now gone, and it was Nell who had given the go order for the operation.

That mission started, just like any other. But it soon went to hell, Big Time. They were supposed to have backup from the Dallas Police Department, but somehow their request supposedly got screwed up. The backup detail didn't show up until thirty minutes later, after it was all over and too late to help the team. There were just supposed to be a couple of minor members of the Columbian cartel in the building, guarding a shipment of drugs. They were going to sell the drugs to finance their terrorist activities in Texas and open up new places from which they could operate across the border in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. So simple. Maybe the simplicity of it all lulled them into a false sense of overconfidence.

The senior agent's voice came over the com as he reported back to Nell in ops. "There were two entrances, Ma'am. I don't think we can wait too long for the DPD to arrive. You know those cops don't like to work with us all that much, and personally, I don't think they are much help. If we hit the cartel members fast from both sides, I think all this will be over quickly." Little did he know how true that statement would be, just not in the way he expected.

Nell reluctantly agreed, "OK, Hoffman, you have a go. Just be careful." This was the part of the job that she hated the most, ever since the first day that she joined NCIS, the waiting and not being able to do anything to help. If there were cameras available, the Director might be able to watch how the operation went down. Most of the time, all Nell could do is listen to the words over the com, with her mind providing the video feed. When those times happened it was far worse for her than seeing what was actually happening. This was going to be one of those times.

"Will do, Ma'am." Hoffman answered.

"OK, Lindsey and Meas, you two take the back. We'll wait two minutes until you're in position and then we'll hit both doors at the same time." the senior agent instructed the team.

Two minutes later, the sound of doors being broken open filled the com. Nell felt relief come over her as she heard the various calls of "Clear" come through as the team went through the various rooms. Then, all of a sudden, Lindsey's voice was heard saying, "egggh" and there was the sound of a body falling and a gun clattering on the floor.

"Hoffman, Lindsey's down, didn't see what hap..." Meas' voice did not continue, but another thud was heard.

"Lindsey, Meas, what the hell is happening," Hoffman shouted.

"Find them, Hoffman." Nell told him, a very worried tone immediately filling her voice.

"Will do," she heard him say, then the single snap of his fingers as he went to silent mode in communicating with his partner. Nell could imagine them, trying to be as quiet and as quick as possible as they searched for their team members, both of whom appeared to be down. After three or four minutes of this, there was the sound of an electrical discharge and two separate groans, followed by bodies hitting the ground.

The next voice Nell heard was unknown to her, a Hispanic male with a heavy accent. "¿Comprendes, Carlos. I told you it would work. These gringos come after us with their bulletproof vests and think that will protect them. They forget, tasers work just as good to stop them, and when you hit them in the belly or anywhere below, nothing can help them.

An evil laugh responded to his words, "Si, Miguel, now we get rid of them?"

"Bind these two, and bring them over by the others."

As they heard the sounds of the bodies being dragged across the room, Nell had Robyn try to contact any other agents that could get over there to help. The Director called the Dallas Police Department demanding that they get their police backup detail to respond to the scene before something worse could happen.

While Nell was on the phone, the voice of the man she assumed was Miguel was again heard. "OK, NCIS peoples, I do not know who you are, but I see the letters on each of your four policía. I know you can hear me. I see the communication devices each has. Now you will learn not to interfere in our business. Here is how we deal with you all. First the big guy." The sound of a single shot and Lindsey's half choked scream was then heard.

"Silencio, puta." Miguel told her. "Now you, you traitor to your own people." Another shot, another scream.

"I told you, puta, to shut up. Because you will not listen, we will save you for last and shoot the dirty Arab first."

Another shot rang out, and those at ops could hear Lindsey scream through the open com, "No, No, NO!" A fourth shot was heard, then the only thing to break the silence was the laughter and the soft sound of footsteps moving away.

In her mind, Nell could see what had happened. The four of them were brought into one room, hands zip tied behind them, and forced to kneel so they could see each other. Four shots, execution style, each to the back of the head, increasing the terror to those still left alive. Nell felt each of those shots, as if they entered her own brain, her body jerking after the sound of each report. Robyn Tran, the new tech, made it through the sound of the first two gunshots and bodies falling to the floor, then she vomited into wastebasket. Nell didn't have that luxury. She had to listen and share the pain of her team members. Then she had to find the bastards who did it and bring them to justice.

"I want every camera you can locate in that area to track down these two killers," she said quietly to Robyn, her face ashen in shock. "I don't care what you have to do, just hunt them down."

"Yes, Ma'am." Robyn answered, using a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes and the remaining spittle off of her face. The she turned back to her computer console and began the manhunt.

Willie Wright, the first NCIS agent to get to the scene, confirmed the images that Nell's mind had conjured up. All four agents were found in the same room. Their bodies were laying roughly in a circle, each with a single gun shot wound to the back of the head.

At that very moment, Assistant Director Darryl Mann entered ops. "Ms Jones, I order you to stand down."

Nell jumped up from her chair and turned around to face him, "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean," she asked. " Those were the members of MY team that were just executed." Unconsciously Nell was channeling all of her memories of Hetty Lange dealing with the incompetency of her superiors.

"I realize that, Ms Jones, and I am extremely sorry for your loss. But the Office of the Inspector General will have to conduct an investigation into this whole operation. Since you had an integral part in the planning, you cannot have an active part in that IG investigation or any further part in this operation. You are immediately placed on administrative leave, pending the results of your psychological evaluation and the IG investigation. They will inform you when you are to be interviewed. You should understand why that has to be." the Assistant Director said.

"Can I at least go and offer my condolences to the families, or would that impact negatively on your IG investigation?" Nell asked icily.

"As long as you don't mention anything about the planning or operation of the mission" You know the drill." Darryl Mann replied.