Beautiful Child

By Glow60

Believe it or not I started writing this story back in December 2010. Since then I have changed the title and have deleted and rewritten it several times. I liked the idea of the story but I haven't been able to make it work for me. If you have read any of my previous stories you will know Tony is my favorite and is usually the center of my stories and he will also be in this one because I have always had a soft spot for very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I feel he is the most misunderstood character on the show. I have read some of the remarks about Tony and some feel he is nothing more than a bully and a clown. They believe the show would be much better without him. I fully disagree with these fans because to me he is one of the strongest characters on the show. I know this is just my opinion but I don't believe the show would have been as successful if DiNozzo didn't exist. That being said…I also do not have any intention of bashing the other characters because I happen to like them too. I hope you enjoy the story and see where is goes.

Summary – This story takes place shortly after Ziva makes Gibbs choose between Tony and her. With one missing agent life still goes on. Gibbs is tied up in meetings while DiNozzo and McGee are sent to investigate a murder. What the two agents don't know is one of the people they are about to interview has a very dark and sadistic past. Both agents are injured but one of them is taken hostage by this sadistic killer. It's now up to Gibbs and the others to find their missing agent and bring him home.

Warnings…

* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine.

** This story is rated M because of the language and the subject matter. You have been warned if you don't like please do not read.

Chapter 1

May 2009 - Tel Aviv, Israel…

"Gibbs…perhaps it is best if one of us gets transferred to another team."

"Transferred?"

"I need to be able to trust the people that I work with. I know you more than anyone understand that."

He looks at her and then her father. He can see the grin on the bastard's face. He knows Eli must have put her up to it. He kisses her on the cheek and says, "Take care of yourself."

It was now over a month since Ziva made Gibbs choose. Abby had finally stopped crying anytime someone mentioned the Israeli's name. DiNozzo, McGee and Ducky seemed to go about their business as if nothing happen but deep down inside they all missed her. Every now and then the phone on Ziva's old desk would ring. One of them would pick it up and tell whomever it was that David no longer works there.

Today…Vance and Gibbs were going to be tied up in meetings at the Hoover Building. Tony came into work early because Gibbs needed him to take care of some paperwork that had to be completed before the end of the day. Around eight, Tony was hungry so he decides to get something from the snack machine. As he was getting ready to walk into the break room he stopped immediately. He could hear two female agents talking about him and Ziva.

"It is such a damn shame. After all this time, I still find it hard to believe that Ziva no longer works for us. I liked her because she showed those men that women could be just as good or better than them."

"Yah…I know what you mean. I saw her once take down both Brown and Sulewski in the gym."

"I still can't believe that Gibbs would have chose that jerk over her."

"Chose what jerk? What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumor that has been floating around? I got this from someone who happens to know someone that overheard the director and Gibbs talking. That person said Ziva really didn't want to leave but she had no choice. She made the mistake of telling Gibbs that she could no longer trust that jerk DiNozzo. She wanted Gibbs to choose between DiNozzo and her…and you know how men always stick together?"

Seconds later Tony could hear the two women laughing. He takes a step back. He is no longer hungry and heads back to his desk to finish the paperwork.

An hour later, dispatch receives a call, a marine had been brutally murder and his body was dumped in a wooded area just a few miles outside of Quantico. It's a very busy Monday morning and the only team available at the moment was the senior team who were down two people.

DiNozzo answers the phone. "Sure Steve…we can do it. Give me the address and the person in charge." Tony writes down the information on a pad. He hangs up the phone and picks up his bag and starts to head toward the elevator, "Come on McGee we got a case. A Lance Corporal John Marcus was murdered and his body was dumped in a wooded area near Quantico."

McGee looks a little surprise; "I thought Gibbs wanted us to work only on cold cases until he gets back?"

When Tony didn't stop to answer his question, McGee grabs his bag and runs to catch up with him. As the younger man enters the elevator, Tony turns and looks at him, "Gibbs told me if something does come up and I think the two of us can handle it then we handle it."

"But Tony…it's only the two of us."

Tony turns and looks at the younger man and asks, "Look McGee you don't think we can handle the investigation by ourselves or do you think I can't handle taking the lead?"

McGee shook his head, "No…no Tony…that's not what I…I meant."

Tony presses the down button, "Listen McGee…before you, Kate or Ziva ever joined this team…it was just Gibbs and me and I think we did a pretty good job by ourselves."

At the crime scene, McGee could tell DiNozzo was still pissed. The senior field agent didn't say much as he split the work between them. The two worked quietly taking measurements and pictures. Almost an hour later, Tony was on the phone talking with the base commander while McGee was finishing up. Shortly afterwards, Ducky and Palmer bagged the body while Tony and McGee head to the Quantico.

For the next hour Tony and McGee searches Marcus' quarters and then begins to interview the men who worked in Marcus' platoon. The marines told them they remembered Marcus waking them up just before he left to go on his run. They thought he was crazy but Marcus always like to run alone in the early morning hours. He loved the fresh air and loved listening to the noises of every living thing starting to wake up. When DiNozzo ask them why they didn't become concerned when he didn't return, one of the marines told them they were on leave at the time. Marcus was supposed to go see his girlfriend and he told them he would not be back until the end of the Friday. McGee wrote down the girlfriend's name and address.

When they interviewed that last man, he told them they should talk to a Sergeant Paul Dupree because the sergeant also like to run at weird hours. Marcus one time mentioned that he had seen Dupree running.

When DiNozzo and McGee were finished with the interviews, they left to talk with Sergeant Dupree. When they arrived at the sergeant's quarters, they were told the sergeant was out running. One of the marines gave them the route the sergeant usually likes to take.

The route took them to an isolated part of the base. It didn't take long for them to spot the sergeant. He was coming in the opposite direction from them. DiNozzo slows the car down and stops. When Dupree was about forty feet from them, both DiNozzo and McGee open their doors and steps out of the car. The two walked toward the marine. They pull out their badges to identify themselves. The sergeant immediately sucker punches McGee in the stomach. The younger agent drops to the ground as he tries to catch his breath.

DiNozzo reaches for his gun but it's immediately kicked out of his hand. The sergeant hits Tony across the face and he falls backwards. The marine runs toward their car. He was just a few feet from the vehicle when DiNozzo tackles him from behind. Both of them continue to struggle for a few minutes before the two tumble down a steep embankment. Pain shoots through DiNozzo's leg when it hits a tree. Once they finally come to a stop, Dupree hits DiNozzo on the side of head and knocks him unconscious.

The sergeant pushes himself up off the ground; he looks around to get his bearings and tries to figure out what he is going to do. His eyes travel up the slope and he sees the agents' car. At the moment he knows it is going to be his only means of escape.

Before he heads up the slope, Dupree bents down and searches through the agent's pockets to see what he can find. He finds the agent's cell phone. He knows it can be used to track them. So, he pulls the battery out and tosses it as far as he could. As he continues to search the agent pockets he finds two sets of keys, a wallet, a pair of handcuffs, a knife and a gun. Dupree hears a low moan and he decides to use the handcuffs on the agent hands behind his back. He grabs the rest of the stuff and begins to climbs back up the embankment.

Once back on the road, Dupree heads toward the car and tosses everything he took off the agent's body onto the front passenger seat. He looks across the road and sees the other agent moving. He ran toward that agent because he didn't want to have any more problems with him plus he knew he was going to need a hostage just incase someone tries to stop him.

McGee finally catches his breath. He sees Dupree and tries to reach for his gun but Dupree kicks him in the face. This time McGee is out for the count. Dupree drags McGee's body behind some bushes so no passerby would see it. The marine searches through McGee's clothes and finds his cell phone and pulls the battery out before he tosses it like he did the other one. He takes McGee's gun, wallet and handcuffs. He checks for a pulse but can't find one. He covers any tracks that might have been left from dragging the body into the woods.

As Dupree is crossing the road he again looks both ways to make sure no cars are coming. He opens the car door and tosses the agent's things onto the passenger's seat. As he was getting ready to leave he takes one last look down the slop. He sees movement and realizes he could still have a bargaining tool after all. He smiles as he heads back down the slope. He drags the unconscious man up the embankment. He opens the trunk and puts the agent inside. He notices the agent's right leg looks like it could be broke. He grins because he knows this would stop the agent from getting too far if he tries to escape.

Dupree drives the car down the road about three miles and turns off onto an old dirt road. He parks the car behind some trees so no one will see it. Dupree jogs back to his quarters and gets a few of his personal things. He throws them into his car and drives back to where he left the fed's car. He moves the unconscious agent and the things he removed from both agents into his car. He made one last stop before he leaves the base and that is to dig up his special box. Once he has everything he finally leaves the base. As he is past the guards he smiles and waves to them. They wave back.

Dupree needs to do one more thing before he leaves the DC area; he stops by to see his old friend Doctor Martin Smith. Smith was his mentor from his early days at Guantanamo Bay. The two share a deep love of watching human suffering. It was kind of strange because Martin Smith was also the head military medical officer at the detention center. The doctor helped with some of the interrogations because he knew ever technique on torture and what drugs to use to pry the information from the prisoners. Sometimes the interrogators would go a little too far and the prisoner would stop breathing. Smith was always able to bring them back.

Dupree knocks and a few seconds later Smith opens the door. He smiles when he sees his old friend. Dupree tells Smith that he is in trouble with the feds and asked if he can stay there until nightfall. He needed to get out of the DC area but he didn't want to do it in the daytime. Smith tells him he is always welcome and to park his car inside the garage. Once the garage door is closed, Dupree tells Smith that he has an injured federal agent stuffed in the trunk. He tells him he wants to use him for a hostage and maybe some entertainment while he is on the run. Smith grins as Dupree opens the trunk. The two men pick the unconscious man up and carry him inside the house and lay him down on the bed in the spare room.

The physician in Smith looks at the unconscious man. Smith leaves the room to get his medical bag. When he returns he says, "He has a broken leg. I am going to have to set it if you want to keep him for a hostage. When I am finished, I will go to the bank to get you some money. I will also stop by the pharmacy and get a few things for the broken leg. If I don't fix his leg you're not going to get very far with him. He will become more of a hindrance than a hostage.

Dupree respects this man and knows he is right, "Then…do what you need to do. For now we are not going anywhere."

A little over an hour later, Smith returns with the money and the medical supplies to fix the agent's leg. Smith tells his friend to hold the agent down because it is going to hurt like hell when he sets the leg. At the moment Tony was semi-conscious and let out a scream when his leg was set. A few seconds later Tony passes out again.

While Smith was cleaning up, "Paul, have you thought about changing your appearance? While I was at the pharmacy I saw a newsflash about you and this agent. They were flashing both of your pictures. I bought you some hair dye if you want to change the color of your hair or…maybe his."

Dupree looks at himself in the mirror. "I wouldn't mind dying my hair but the fed is going to get a haircut. Martin…I still remember your teachings on how to effectively dehumanizes my victims."

Smith laughs because he knows he taught his protégé well. The doctor hands his friend a small leather bag. "Your friend here is a big boy. He is going to be hard to manage unless you have some special help. There are twelve needles already filled with a special mixture for someone his size. When needed just give him one of these and it will keep him under control."

Dupree smiles and he takes the bag, "Thanks…my friend. I am not sure how long I will have to stay in hiding but I may need you to make me some of your special stuff in a few weeks just incase I do run out."

"Just let me know."

Six hours later, Dupree was now driving a stolen car heading south on I-81…

The nightmare begins. I hope you enjoy…