A/N: This is my first attempt at a full length work. I actually got this idea months ago and tried to start it up, I even posted a chapter to it. However, I was dissatisfied with its potential and deleted it from this site. Following the same idea, I have begun to rewrite it with the inspiration of a few new ideas. The timeline of this story occurs within the period of time that will occur later this season. You could say its my idea of what could happen at the end of this season, in a manner of speaking. Of course they're will be some angsty sexual tension, but I've also tried to concoct a mystery to investigate that will run parrallel to it. I love reviews, both praise and constructive criticism. Hope you enjoy!
Prologue
A bright orange sky illuminate the Washington D.C. airspace as the sun began to set. The temperature of a hot spring afternoon was finally beginning to dissipate with each passing moment. Just as darkness fell upon the city, Lieutenant Gary Harris exited the Navy Research Laboratory. His car was parked on the other side of the parking lot. The lot was empty, as most of the people already had left work for the evening.
As Harris walked towards his car, he could hear the echo of his shoes tapping the pavement with every step. He accelerated his pace, and constantly swiveled his head taking note of his surroundings. The silence of the area made him uneasy.
When he finally reached his car, he slammed his door and locked it behind him. He looked in to the backseat, making sure that nobody was waiting there to attack him. He then threw his car in to gear and sped out of the parking lot.
All seemed fine. But he kept checking his surroundings, looking in the rear view mirror to make sure he wasn't being followed. Whenever someone seemed to be following, they would eventually veer off on to another street.
It was now completely dark out. The only light provided was the streetlights which illuminated the road on which he drove, and the full moon in the sky above. Harris looked in his rear view mirror once more, and noticed a black SUV veer in to the turn lane behind him. He fought the urge to let his fear overtake him. By inhaling and exhaling deeply, he tried to make himself relax; trying to assure himself that everything would be alright. The light finally turned green, and Harris turned on to the next street.
After a few miles, he noticed that the black SUV still tailed him closely. He tested the intentions of the driver by turning down random streets, and each time the SUV followed. Harris pulled out a set of rosary beads from his pocket, and silently recited a prayer.
Finally, he turned down the street to his house and pulled in to his driveway. He turned off his headlights, but left his car running. He sat in his car peering out the window towards the street, checking to see if the SUV followed him. The seconds that passed seemed like minutes. As he held back his frantic breathing, he could feel his heart thumping wildly within his chest. He continued to recite the prayer as he fumbled with the beads between his fingers.
Down the street a pair of headlights slowly made its way down to his house. Eventually then came to a gradual stop next to the sidewalk in front of his house. A tear welled in Harris' eye as the realization of all his fears became evident. His hands trembled as panic rushed through every limb of his body. Unsure of what to do, he clenched the steering wheel tightly within his hands. He strained in thought as he tried to think of a way to save himself from the evil that pursued him.
Then, the headlight of the SUV turned off. He knew it was only a matter of time before his pursuers came after him. Harris lifted the rosary to his face, and stared at the cross which was attached to it. He pressed the cross to his lips, and kissed it. "Protect me, Lord."
He heard to car doors slam behind him. A rush of adrenaline kicked in as he threw his car in to reverse. Gunshots rang out as he came to a stop within the street. The rear window to his car shattered as a bullet ripped through it. He through his car in to gear, and peeled out down the neighborhood street.
Harris sped through traffic as the black SUV followed close behind. He weaved in and out of traffic on the streets, avoiding accidents while also trying to escape what he assumed to be his death. Frantically, he picked up his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.
"Hello, yes my name is Gary Harris. I am being-yes, yes my name is Gary. Gary Harris. I'm being chased by some men in a black SUV." He continued to narrowly miss fellow drivers, all honking at him for his reckless driving.
"I'm on 82nd headed North. I think they want to kill me…NO I don't know why!"
After narrowly making it through several red lights, Harris still sped down the street at an incredible pace. He eventually turned in to a suburban neighborhood, where he hoped that he could lose his pursuers in the maze of streets. To his misfortune, they remained hot on his tail.
After speeding through the streets of the neighborhood, Harris pulled back out on to the main road. He did this without stopping, and as a result almost collided with an oncoming pickup truck. He lost control, causing the grill to smash head on in to a light pole.
Harris woke up with a throbbing headache, unable to see anything except the blurred outline of his surroundings. His ears rang the echo of an explosion. From the hood of his car rose steam for the obliterated parts underneath its hood.
He heard the faint sound of footstep nearing his car. He looked out the shattered driver side window and saw two men with ski masks over their faces staring down at him. He couldn't discern what they were saying, but was able to barely mumble the only words that came to mind. "What…do you…want with me?"
Chapter One – Missing
Tony rocked back and forth in his chair while he twirled a pen between his fingers. Over the tops of his shoes, he noticed McGee pass the front of his desk. He was walking tall, and his chest was sticking out a little further than usual. His eyes contained an unusual flare; and a slight confident grin was etched upon his face. Tim's unusual confidence walking in to the work room caused Tony's eyebrow to quirk in curiosity. "Well, well; somebody is off to a good start to the day!"
McGee grinned a little more and shot a smooth look in Tony's direction. "Yes, Agent DiNozzo. I'm having a great day."
Tony removed his feet from the top of his desk and casually strolled over to McGee's desk. "So tell me, what's got you feeling good this morning? Were you promoted to the level of master wizard in your World of Warcraft account? Did you write a new book?"
McGee shot another knowing glance at Tony as he started up his computer. "Nope."
Tony chuckled. "Well what else could make such a techie feel so – lucky?"
"I, had a date this weekend," replied McGee as he fought to contain his urge to smile.
Tony squinted some as a mischievous grin crept on to his lips. Soon that grin emerged in to a maniacal chuckle. "McGee? A Date?"
McGee nodded.
Tony composed himself and placed both of his hands on the sides of his partner's shoulders. He looked deep in to his eyes spoke with a silly, yet genuine tone. "I have never been so proud!"
"I learned from the best."
Tony laughed. "I want to see her. Got any pictures?"
"That I do!"
"Good, McSwagger!"
McGee sat in his chair and opened up a picture of him, sitting cheek to cheek with a blonde haired, blue eyed angel.
Tony's laughed in disbelief. "Noooo!"
McGee smiled. "You better believe it."
"I have just gained so much more respect for you!"
While Tony and McGee ogled over the picture of McGee's new girlfriend, Ziva strutted in to the room with a grin of her own that she was trying to suppress. Both Tony and McGee looked at each other with curiosity.
"Good morning you two," Ziva exclaimed.
"Not you too," Tony replied.
"What?"
"Everybody is so cheery this morning. It goes against the atmosphere of a typical government job."
Ziva tilted her head. "Who else is cheery?"
"Well McGee had a hot date last weekend and-"
Ziva's eyebrows rose in excitement. "McGee, you had a date? Do you have a picture of her?"
"Right here!"
"I want to see her!"
Ziva walked over to McGee's desk and butted Tony out of the way.
"Wow! McGee she is beautiful. She is very lucky!"
"Thanks, Ziva!"
Tony squinted in curiosity in Ziva's direction. She grinned with excitement while she appreciated McGee's new love interest. She was a morning person, but Tony felt like she was more bubbly than she usually was. "What's the matter with you?"
Ziva whirled around and shot a curious look at him. "What do you mean?"
"Since when did you become so – cheery?"
"I am always cheery in the morning – Tony!"
Tony huffed. "Yes, but I never took you for the excited school girl type."
"Excited school girl type?"
"You know. Girl finds out her best friend met someone, they squeal together while jumping up and down on the bed…common in just about every chick flick."
Ziva furrowed her eyebrows. "So McGee and I will be jumping up and down?"
A blank stare formed on Tony's face. "No. I mean you seem like the excited school girl today!"
"Well maybe I'm just happy for McGee!"
"Or maybe something has you in such a good mood!"
Ziva lifted her eyebrows some and puckered the side of her mouth. "What are you referring to Tony?"
"Well, I don't know exactly. It could be a number of things. Maybe you got a raise. Maybe you ran in to an old friend." Tony paused. His expression shifted to a more serious one. His eyes peered in to Ziva's with a prodding gaze. "Perhaps, someone – did something nice to start your day?"
Ziva's jaw dropped some. Shocked at the nature of Tony's prodding, she opened her mouth to reply before she was cut off by another voice entering the room.
"I'm about to DiNozzo!" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs walked in to the office gripping a Styrofoam cup of coffee. His silver, high and tight haircut was always parted neatly down the middle. Though a creature of habit, Gibbs' actions were always unpredictable. Somehow, even when he wasn't in a room, he knew everything that was being said; and he would inject at the perfect moment with the perfect comment. "Gear up. We've got a missing Navy scientist."
"Well if he's missing, why are we gearing up," inquired McGee from his desk chair.
Gibbs faced McGee and answered his question with his trademark, ice cold glare that caused even the most frightening men to shutter. He never said anything if he could say it with a look, and often times this glare was all he needed to make a point.
"You know, I don't know why I asked that. I'll just grab my gear." Flustered by Gibbs' stare of death, McGee began rifling through his stuff getting together everything he hadn't already unpacked.
"Good idea, McGee," replied Gibbs.
"If we don't know where he is then where are we headed," asked Ziva.
"To the last place that he was seen," answered Tony with a confident tone.
Gibbs interjected as he passed their desks while going to the elevator. "Nope. Where they found his car." Tony and Ziva exchanged bewildered looks with each other as they followed Gibbs out of the office.
"C'mon, Loverboy. We're waiting on you," hollered Gibbs with a sarcastic smirk as McGee struggled to gather his gear.
The bits of glass along the pavement crunched underneath Tony's shoes while he snapped pictures of notable evidence surrounding the crime scene. Yellow crime scene tape and road flares marked the boundary of all the evidence that surrounded the totaled car. The street light had crushed the grill all the way up to the engine block, and glass was missing from nearly every window.
In the gleam of the morning sun reflecting off of the pavement, Tony noticed a pool of blood next to the driver's side door. He placed a numbered yellow marker next to the dried fluid, and then snapped a picture of it.
"Tony, there's more in here." Ziva said as she leaned inside from the passenger side door while she brushed the interior for finger prints. He peered over towards her and she had a small upon her face.
"So you still haven't told me," started Tony as he captured a picture of the blood in the driver's seat.
"Told you what, Tony?"
"Why it is that you seem to have woken up on the right side of the bed this morning."
Ziva quirked her brow in confusion. "I usually sleep on the left."
Tony rolled his eyes. "I mean, why your're so…happy."
"Who says I'm happy, Tony?"
"That grin that you keep trying to hide. It's not working by the way."
Ziva moved in and sat in the passenger seat as she rifled through the glove box. "What is it a crime if I smile at work?"
"When investigating a crime scene, yes." Tony paused, "but then again it's you, the assassin, we're talking about after all."
Ziva huffed. "Maybe I just have other things on my mind that are more, happy."
"I already figured that part out."
Ziva turned and faced Tony. A knowing grin crept back on her face. "Why are you so curious about this?"
"Well, I am Senior Field Agent and it my duty to make sure I know the state of mind of my probette," Tony replied.
"Is it also your job to go through her e-mail when you hear she might be talking with a man?"
Tony replied merely with a sarcastic grin. "Get back to work!"
He squatted down once more and stared at the pool of blood. His eyes squinted for a moment when he took a closer look at the pool of blood. A large smear of blood protruded from the main spot towards the road. Next to it, he saw some more drops of blood which trailed out to the middle of the street. He followed the blood droplets until they stopped near a set of skid marks.
"Boss, I think I found something else."
Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee came and stood by Tony as he marked the tire streaks as evidence. "I don't think this was a typical accident, boss."
"I know it wasn't," Gibbs replied.
"So where did he go," inquired McGee.
"Just talked to Metro PD. They said he called in a panic, saying he was being chased."
Ziva began to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head. "So we don't know where he is, but – "
"- we know someone found him," Tony finished.