Disclaimer

I don't own NCIS I've just taken the characters & created my own story.

In my version both Cate & Ziva are alive & Ziva is an agent instead of an officer & the Director is Jen Sheppard. (Ari was ambushed before he could kill Cate).

BTW thanks for the reviews. Sorry for delay had trouble adding to website. Glad that y'all are enjoying it as much as me. Hope you enjoy chapter 2.

Chapter Two.

Special Agent Tony DiNozzo was in a very good mood. He was planning to propose to his girlfriend Jeanne on their date tonight and nothing could dampen his mood. He whistled happily as he walked out of the lift & into the squad room. As he put down his gear, the phone on the desk across the room rang. Tony looked up to see the rest of his colleagues quietly going about their work as though the phone wasn't ringing. "Where's the boss? Not like him to be late he's usually head slapping me for being late. Or is he-"

"Out for coffee." Finished Special Agents Caitlin Todd, Timothy McGee & Ziva David in unison. Tony rolled his eyes. "Do you think we should answer it for him? I mean it could be important. It could be the director or someone calling with a case." wondered Cate out loud. "Answer what..Cate?" said a voice behind her. Cate looked around & realized everyone else was sitting back at their desks. While she'd been talking Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs had returned from the coffee shop, answered & finished the call. He was standing behind Cate waiting for her to answer. Cate turned around & smiled. "Never mind." Cate walked to her desk & sat down. "Don't sit down. Another victim's been found. Tony, gas the truck, McGee grab the gear. Ziva call Ducky tell him to meet us there. What are you still all standing there for?" Gibbs smiled as they all rushed to do their jobs. Ziva stayed where she was. "Ah Gibbs, how am I supposed to tell Ducky to meet us there when you haven't told me where there is?" Gibbs gave her the look. "I can't read your mind, Gibbs." She added. He smiled & said; "Tell him to meet us at the alley next to Bethesda Naval Hospital." Ziva nodded & headed for the elevator.

Down in autopsy Dr. Donald Mallard was filling in paperwork. His assistant Jimmy Palmer was cleaning the autopsy tables. Ziva walked in quietly. "Jethro what brings you down to autopsy this morning?" asked Ducky as he turned around. "Ah, I stand corrected. My apology Agent David. Can I ask why Mr. Palmer & myself have the pleasure of your company this morning?" Ziva smiled "Please Dr. Mallard call me Ziva. Gibbs sent me to tell you we have another victim, he wants you to meet him in the alley next to Bethesda." Ziva noticed that Ducky looked like someone had attacked him. He had a deep cut above his right eye. And his eyes looked like he'd been crying or like something had been sprayed into them that shouldn't have. Ziva knew that if anything was wrong Ducky would have said something to someone.

"Very well Ziva please call me Ducky. Mr. Palmer kindly see that the equipment is all ready." Ziva smiled. "See you at the crime scene, Ducky." He nodded in her direction as she headed toward the garage.

When Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo, Todd, McGee & David arrived at the scene, the first thing they noticed was that it was just like every other scene. "Do we have an id yet?" Gibbs asked the local policeman in charge. "Yeah, a Petty Officer Eliza Fitzpatrick. Looks like she was headin' home just like the others. Only waitin' on the ME to call it." Gibbs nodded as Ducky & Palmer pulled up in the ME van. "Ah boss? You might wanna see this." Called McGee.

"What is it McGee?" Gibbs asked walking over. "Spit it out McGee," he added as he saw McGee trying to talk. "Well uh it looks like uh I mean I think she may of tried to fight back boss. There is a dent in this deodorant can here & blood. I think maybe she hit her attacker with it in an attempt to get away." Gibbs picked up the can with a gloved hand. "That's good work, McGee." He said as he dropped the can into the evidence bag McGee was holding for him. McGee smiled. He liked it when Gibbs was happy with him. "Good Morning Jethro. I see our killer decided to voice himself again. Do we know what this victim's name is?" Gibbs nodded as he turned around to answer Ducky & stopped when he saw Ducky's face. "What the hell happened to your face Ducky?" unconsciously Ducky raised a hand to his head. "It's nothing Jethro, my mother thought I was a burglar attacked me with a knife & cooking spray last night." Gibbs gave Ducky the look "Shouldn't you go to the ER Duck? That cut looks deep." Ducky shook his head. "Jethro we have another victim in a case that already has too many victims. We both know I'm not going to do that. Besides, you're forgetting I'm a doctor Jethro I know how to take care of myself." Gibbs growled & rolled his eyes. "Can you give me a time of death Ducky?" Ducky chuckled & shook his head. "Jethro I haven't even seen our victim yet. You need to be a little more patient." Gibbs smiled as they walked over to the victim. "Hey Ducky. Wow what happened? Gibbs what did you do?" Gibbs laughed. "It wasn't me Cate." Cate glowered at him. "He telling the truth Caitlin. My mother mistook me for a burglar." Cate looked skeptical but said no more about it. "Tony is going through her handbag to see if there is anything in there besides her id to give us an idea of why this scumbag killed her. McGee's bagging & tagging. & Ziva's talking to the couple that found the body." Gibbs nodded & turned as Ducky withdrew the liver temp. "Her liver temperature suggests that she was killed somewhere between ten & eleven last night Jethro. Such a shame."

"You got any idea on cause of death, Duck?" Ducky sighed. "Jethro I've told you I can't give you those kind of specifics until I get her home."

"So you don't have any preliminary idea Duck?" Ducky rolled his eyes. He could tell that Gibbs was getting grumpy. "Well I would have to guess but I would say that this gash across her neck here could be the cause, Jethro." Pointing to the cut across her throat that started at one ear & stretched to the other. "Mr. Palmer would you kindly go & retrieve the stretcher? I think it's time we took her home. That's if you don't have any objections Jethro." Gibbs shook his head. Palmer & Ducky lifted her together into the body bag. But as they did there was a small clunk as something dropped from the victim's hand. Cate bent down & picked up a closed penknife, which had the victim's name inscribed on one side. She dropped it into an evidence bag & sealed it. "I think we just found the murder weapon Gibbs. I'll take it & the rest of the evidence back to Abbey." Gibbs nodded. He looked around. McGee was handing all the evidence bags to Cate & Tony was photographing & sketching the crime scene. He walked over to Ziva who dipped her head in his direction as he stopped to stand next to her. "This is Special Agent Gibbs. Would you like to tell him what you told me?" The young couple exchanged glances. "Uh you have our statement can't he just read that? I mean he's gunna read it anyway right? Uh ok." He added when he caught Gibbs' face. "Well we were out walking and..."

"You go for walks near Naval Hospitals?" Gibbs interrupted. "Uh well we were heading to Anacostia Park but we kinda got distracted." Gibbs turned to Ziva & they exchanged glances. "Anyway as I was saying, we were walking & Shawna noticed the handbag lying on the path. I told her to stay back & went into the alley to check it out. I didn't want her to have to see the body. When I went in there she was just lying there. I didn't stay to long because it was creepy I mean I could tell that she was dead but her eyes were still open. I don't think I'm gunna be able to sleep tonight. I mean this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this & I dunno how you cop types do it I mean you probably don't sleep much but I don't know how you can work like this day after day…" Gibbs held up his hand. "Enough of the verbal diarrhea. Ziva get them to sign their statements & meet us back at headquarters. Oh, & get any personal information just in case they don't check out. I'm going for coffee." He added as he walked away. Ziva nodded & held the statements out for them to sign. Tony & McGee walked back towards the truck & packed up the gear while they waited for Ziva. As she walked away from the witnesses, Ziva noticed Ducky picking something up. As she looked closer, Ziva realized that he wasn't picking it up but that he had taken it out of his pocket. "Mr. Palmer? Take this to Tony & McGee would you?" He held it up. Ziva could see it was a used glove. 'How could they have missed that?' she wondered. 'What was he up to?' Palmer walked over to Ducky. "Yes, Dr. Mallard." Palmer took the glove from Ducky & walked over to where McGee & Tony were waiting for Ziva. "Uh, Dr. Mallard asked me to bring this over to you. He found it as we were loading the victim into the van." Tony & McGee looked at each other. Then McGee grabbed an evidence bag & motioned for Palmer to drop the glove into it. He sealed it as Tony walked over to Ziva. "You planning on comin' back with us Zee-vah? Or were you thinking of walking. What's with the look on your face?" He added as another strange look crossed Ziva's face. "Nothing, Tony. Let's get back. Wouldn't want Gibbs to think we weren't doing our tasks." Tony looked quizzical for a moment then he worked out what she meant. "The saying is doing our jobs."

"Whatever. The point is we should get back before Gibbs does." Tony smiled & nodded. McGee was waiting in the driver's seat with the engine running as they came up to the car. "What are you doing, Probie?" asked Tony grinning at Ziva. "Uh well you were taking your time uh so I thought I would uh start the car & uh …"

"You weren't thinking of driving back to the navy yard were you Probie?" said Tony as McGee climbed out of the driver's seat. "Uh nnno I just thought maybe it would uh help if I had the car started & ready to go." Tony grinned. "Relax, McGee. Nice work. Oh no you don't Ziva. It might be helpful to the case, Gibbs & the victims if we arrive back at headquarters alive instead of in body bags." McGee smiled as Tony tried to get Ziva out of the car. He laughed as Ziva let the car move forward a little. "You think this is funny, Probie?" Tony growled as he head slapped McGee. Tony walked around the other side of the truck & got in. "Do you want to get left behind, McGee?" he yelled as McGee rushed to follow him rubbing his head where Tony had hit him as he ran. "Strap yourselves in boys. It's going to be a wobbly ride." Tony & McGee rushed to put on their seat belts. "It's bumpy ride, Zee-vah, not wobbly." Tony yelled as Ziva gunned the engine. "Uh are you sure you want to be going this fast, Ziva?" Stammered McGee Ziva looked at him & smiled. "Relax, McGee. I have it under control."

"Then you might want to slow down seeing as you're coming into an intersection." Yelled McGee. "ARGHHHHHHHH" they all screamed as a semi-trailer came barreling into McGee's side of the truck…

Hope you liked it. Please r&r & stay tuned to find out whether McGee, Tony & Ziva survive.