A/N: Hey guys, this is the first time I've co-written a story with anyone. It's written with a friend of mine, MG12CSI16. You should check out her other stories. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: The Key
Science And Faith
Tobias Fornell was a man on a mission. His infamous scowl was plastered on his face and his heavy footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the corridor.
The file in his hand was labeled classified, and little did he know it held the key for one agent to return home. He entered the bullpen and scanned the rows of desks, each filled with busy agents and secretaries.
His eyes rested on a young agent with wavy brown hair and dark eyes. Seated next to him a strawberry blonde woman he had never seen before. He made a slow approach and extended his hand.
"Tobias Fornell." he said. The young man gave him a firm handshake followed by his companion.
"Sac Pratt. This is my partner Catherine Willows. Anything we can help you with?" he asked. He kept a careful eye on his new aquatance and Fornell couldn't help but admire the kids confidence.
"As a matter of fact there is. A new case just came in. The name Charlie Blackwell ring a bell?" he asked the younger agents. Pratt nodded his head while Catherine sat with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yeah I remember him. Sick son of a bitch." Pratt said, a look of disgust playing up on his face. He looked at Catherine an started explaining.
"Charlie Blackwell surfaced about 5 years ago. He's a serial killer completely fixated on women. He holds them for 2 days an tortured them. His signature is carving a C into there cheek. None of the women seem to be connected and there seems to be no pattern in choosing his victims." he told her. Fornell nodded and handed them the file.
"A body came in this morning matching the MO. Blackwell dropped off the grid right before we were set to make an arrest." he said. Pratt was flipping through the file and suddenly looked up.
"How come nobody's been talking about this?" he asked.
"The woman was a female petty officer. Her body was taken to NCIS, it falls under there jurisdiction. But since we had access first it's become joint jurisdiction." Fornell explained. Catherine looked up, a hint of excitement on her face.
"So we're working with NCIS?" she asked. Fornell nodded and stalked off, leaving the two agents with nothing but the manilla envolope.
"Have fun with it!" he called over his shoulder.
"Well this should be exciting." Catherine said, perched on the end of her desk.
" You keep telling yourself that." Pratt said. His eyes were wide as he handed her the file. She took it and scanned the pages.
"What's the big deal?" she asked. She handed the file back to him and leaned back.
"Did you read who exactly we're working with?" he asked. She shook her head, a skeptical look showing in her eyes.
"It says here we're working with Jethro Gibbs. I've seen him make grown men run screaming." he said recalling his one and only encounter with the senior agent. Catherine rolled her eyes and waved him off.
"Come on, theres no way he's that bad." she said. Pratt shot her a look but kept his mouth shut.
"Come on, Lets get some coffee and go over the rest of this file. You need to be informed before we meet with Gibbs." he said.
Taking their coffee to an open booth in the local cafe Pratt and Catherine spread the mound of papers out in front of them. Pratt explained Blackwells history and told Catherine about his almost arrest.
"Forensics had targeted him as the killer and got us a warrant. Apparently he somehow got word and went into hiding, convincing everyone there was a mole in the agency. He's been on the top of our lists ever since." Catherine layed down the paper in her hand and picked up her coffee.
Taking small sips she thought back to the Dick and Jane killer, he had escaped police custody and went into hiding. She just hoped Pratt didn't become obsessed like Langston had.
"So what do you know about agent Gibbs?" she asked. Pratt layed down the file and clasped his hands together.
"I've only met him once, very briefly. He's not to keen on working with others, so this should be an experience to remember." he said while twiddling his thumbs. He stared at her, making her shift uncomfortably under his gaze.
"What?" she asked. He shook his head and leaned back in his seat.
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about how far you've come in the last 3 months." he told her with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and thought back to the long months of training.
She had many lessons in self defense and had to take a shooting test that would put the crime lab to shame. She had passed them all with flying colors and had impressed all the other trainees as well as Pratt.
She remembered seeing him beam with pride when she received her badge. She was a promising agent, very intelligent and always eager to learn.
Pratt admired her greatly, happy he snatched her up when he did. Snapping back to reality the two gathered the file and drained their cups, tossing them in the garbage on the way out.
"Are we going to NCIS now?" she asked. Pratt nodded and unlocked his sleek black car, climbing inside and bringing the engine to life. Catherine followed an did the same. Pratt Shot her a look and asked,
"You ready for this?" She buckled her seat belt and turned to face him.
"Ready as I'll ever be."