Jennifer Hathaway made her way to the front door when she heard the doorbell. Peaking through the peep-hole, she recognized her friend instantly and threw open the door. "Abby!" she threw her arms around her. "You didn't have to come-" she paused when she saw the people that stood around her on the porch. "What is this?"
"Jenny, these are friends of mine," she said. "Is Kyle home?" Jenny shook her head. "I think we can help you..."
*~.~*
Jenny had brought coffee to all her guests, and a bottle of Caf-Pow for Abby, before sitting down next to her on the couch. "So what's this about?" she asked quietly.
"We need Kyle to get us in on the receiving job," she said.
"Receiving job? I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean..."
"Just tell him I'm here and I brought friends who need the job."
"Why do you want to work for them? I don't understand."
"To keep Kyle safe, Jenny," she said, placing a hand on her arm.
"You can do that?" Jenny looked up at Gibbs.
"Jenny, this is my boyfriend, Gibson," she stood and took Gibbs' arm. He fought down the blush that he could feel spreading on his face. "He goes by 'Gibbs'." Jenny stood and extended her hand to him. He took it.
"I feel like I've heard that name before," Jenny said with a small grin. "How long have you been going out?"
"Since uh...right after you left," Abby improvised, then turned to introduce McGee, "This is Tim. I met him in college, and he teaches online college computer courses. We're super good friends."
"Nice to meet you," Tim shook Jenny's hand.
"This is Zee, Timmy's girlfriend."
"Zee..." Jenny shook her hand, "Interesting name. You're gonna...work with them?"
"She might seem harmless," Abby defended, "But she can kill a man with a paperclip."
"Eighteen different ways," Ziva added with a small smile. Jenny responded with a frightened grin, then shifted her gaze to the one man she hadn't met.
"Tony," Abby introduced. "Tim's brother."
"Funny," she said as she shook his hand, "You don't look much alike."
"Different dads," Tony improvised. Jenny gave an understanding nod.
"Can I...speak with you in the kitchen for a minute?" Jenny inquired her friend.
"Sure," Abby said.
"Just...make yourselves comfortable," Jenny told them, then turned toward the kitchen with Abby.
*~.~*
"Abby, what the hell are you doing?" she whispered. "I told you not to tell anyone!"
"Listen, Jen. I know you want out of this thing with Kyle. You have to trust me. We can put them all away. And we can keep you safe. But you have to trust me...us." Jenny's eyes searched hers. She took a breath.
"What do I have to do?"
Jennifer had made the call to Kyle. He seemed happy to hear that there were people willing to take the receiving job, and told her to tell them to meet him downtown at an outdoor cafe. So, the team left Jenny and made their way to the cafe.
There were several tables on the patio, but Abby spotted Kyle right away. She ran ahead of the team to greet him, and Kyle scooped her into a hug. "Abby, it's so good to see you, Babe!"
"Kyle, you look...great!" Abby replied as she looked him over. "I want you to meet my boyfriend," she shrugged her shoulders modestly as Gibbs took her arm. "Gibson, this is Kyle."
"Gibbs," he took Kyle's hand.
"I hear you're looking to take the receiving job?" Kyle asked. Gibbs nodded, then motioned to his team.
"All of us."
"What line of work are you in?" he squinted as they all sat down at the table.
"I drive," Gibbs said.
"Get-away?" Kyle smirked.
"If the price is right," he returned the smirk. Kyle seemed satisfied.
"What about your friends? What do they do?"
"Anything you need," he replied, flatly and confidently.
"That's what we like to hear. Are you able to start today, after I talk to the boss?"
"That's why we're here," he responded.
"Excellent," he smiled and turned to Abby. "Any friends of Abby's are friends of mine. And any friends of mine, are welcome to work."
"Where do you want us?" Gibbs asked.
"I'll give you an address..."
"You'll see a large office building. Behind it, in the private parking lot, you'll see several trailers. You can park there and come up..."
Gibbs recalled the information as they drove the streets of downtown Landover. He glanced in the rear view mirror at Abby's reflection for a moment, then over at Tony, who seemed unusually quiet.
"You okay over there, Dinozzo?"
"Yeah. Just have a weird feeling..."
"There it is, Boss," McGee motioned up the street.
"You can't call him 'Boss', Tim," Abby said. "And for the love of all that is sane and holy, you two need to start acting like a couple, or they're gonna figure us out."
"I'm not not acting like we're a couple, Abs," Tim defended.
"You're acting like a scared puppy," she retorted.
"You love puppies," he squinted.
"McGee!" she said angrily through her teeth. Ziva laughed through her nose at the two of them.
"Relax, Abby," she said, "I will take care of it," she turned to look at McGee with a devilish grin as she snaked her hand over to sit on his knee. Tim swallowed and glanced at her nervously. "Do not be afraid of me," she said in a sultry voice, "I do not bite...hard."
"You don't have to make out with him, Zee," Gibbs said. "Just...I don't know...hold hands or something." Ziva pulled her hand from his knee and gently grasped his hand in hers.
"That better?" she smiled.
"Yeah...yeah I...think I can handle this," he decided and gave her a small smile.
In the front passenger seat, Tony seethed inside with jealousy. Gibbs pulled into the parking lot and parked the car, turning off the engine and glancing at his agents.
"Ready?"
"Do we get to hold hands, Gibbs?" Abby smirked as they got out of the car. Gibbs cocked his head and smirked, reaching out to grab her hand in his as they walked toward the building.
*~.~*
The sun was setting in the sky as they sat in the waiting room looking out at the view from the window beside them. Tony sat between Abby and Ziva, watching from the corner of his eye as Ziva continued to toy with McGee. Her fingers drew little ovals on the top of McGee's hand that sat on the armrest between them. Tim seemed to be more comfortable with it now. Tony shifted in his seat and laid his head back against the wall.
His eyes looked to the left, past Abby, to his boss, who seemed to be blushing a lot today, and tried to play it off every time. Tony shifted forward again, his eyes glancing down to the floor. And just moments later, the woman at the reception desk told them they could go in.
They stood, making their way to the double door of the office. Gibbs held the door open for them and walked in once they were all inside. "Gibson Price and...friends, I presume?" the man at the desk greeted. Gibbs nodded and shook the man's hand before sitting.
"I apologize...I seem to be a couple of chairs short."
"Not a problem," Gibbs said, "C'mere, Abs," he motioned for Abby to sit with him. She tried to hide her excitement and sheepishness as she sank down onto his knee. She was surprised how instantly he'd fallen into the role as he placed a supportive arm around her back.
Tony stood, leaning back against the wall nearby as the other two agents took the chairs. Anything to prevent Ziva from sitting in McGee's lap...
"Mr. Glover told me about all of you," Stone said, "And it fills me with relief that we are able to fill this position on such short notice."
"We were relieved the position was still open," Tony said. Stone smiled at him.
"It seems to be an excellent day for all of us then. The job, of course, is tomorrow. But for my own sense of security, I implore you to stay in our...accommodations. And I need a small favor from you," he continued, leaning on the desk top a bit, "Tonight, we will be receiving a small delivery. I simply need you to accept it at the provided accommodations. Mr. Glover will deliver it, and give you further instructions. I hope I can trust you to comply."
"You can trust us, Sir," Gibbs said.
"Thank makes me very happy," he said, leaning back in his chair. He opened a drawer in his desk, and they all tensed for just a moment, luckily going unnoticed by Stone. "Here is a key to the first trailer on the right," he handed over the small metal key to Gibbs. "They are bigger than they look from outside, I assure you. Plenty of room for all of you..."
They walked into the trailer with their overnight bags and turned on the lights. "Well, he was right about one thing," Tony said, "It's definitely bigger inside."
"Only two beds," McGee called out as he explored the back of the trailer.
"Short straw gets the couch?" Tony suggested.
"Abby and I can share a bed," Ziva said, ignoring Tony's amused grin.
"There's two couches," Gibbs said.
"Deck of cards, Boss," Tony said as he rifled through the kitchen drawers and discovered the playing cards. "We can play poker. Winner gets the second bed?"
"I can save you the trouble," Gibbs said with a smirk, "I'll win."
"Oh ho!" Tony laughed, "Game is on."
*~.~*
The girls unpacked their bags in the small room as the boys played cards. "Can I ask you a question, Abby?"
"Sure."
"Why did you couple us up the way you did?"
Abby sat down on the bed and looked over at Ziva, "I didn't want Timmy to feel left out," she said quietly. The corner of Ziva's mouth curled up.
"Then why did you not couple yourself up with him?"
Abby smiled, "I'm not going to tell you..."
*~.~*
"Damn," Tony said as he folded. "Best two outta three, Boss?" Gibbs smirked.
"We got time to kill," he said, "I'm gonna use the head. Be right back," he stood and disappeared into the bathroom.
"Hey, Tony," McGee whispered. Tony turned to him, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he whispered back.
"About...the 'girlfriend' situation."
"You don't hafta be sorry," he turned back to shuffling the cards. Tim felt frustrated. But Gibbs returned from the bathroom and took his seat back at the table. And suddenly there was a knock at the door. Gibbs looked up at Tony, then McGee, then over at the girls as they came quickly from the bedroom and toward them.
Gibbs stood and opened the door. "Hey, Gibson," Kyle walked into the trailer and shut the door behind him. He carried a briefcase in his hand; cuffed to his wrist. He walked to the table and stood at the edge of it. "Why don't you all take a seat?"
Ziva and Abby took seats at the table with the agents. Kyle opened the case and pulled out a bag. "Mind if I use one of those cards for a minute?" Tony handed a card to Kyle and tried to get a view of the bag. "I assume Stone told you I'd be giving you instructions?" Gibbs nodded. "Very good," he shut the case and they all got a view of the bag...
"That what I think it is?" Tony asked, eying the bag of cocaine in Kyle's hand.
"A special blend of it," he grinned. "Your instructions are to try the merchandise."
"What?" Gibbs asked, cocking his head. Kyle laughed a bit.
"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking. We need you. It's just...Stone doesn't like sending people out without knowing what they're selling. You'd be surprised how easy it is to spot a cop when you pull this stuff out. They refuse to do it. Then we gotta relocate...after taking care of the problem, of course."
The agents shared quick glances with each other as Kyle began cutting the cocaine into lines with the card on the table top. "You want us to snort this stuff?" Gibbs asked.
"Is that gonna be a problem?" Kyle looked at him in question, then to Abby.
"No," Abby answered for him, as he seemed to be lost for words.
"Great," Kyle smiled and closed the remaining coke in the bag, stuffing it back into the briefcase. "I'll be outta your hair as soon as each of you try it." He stood back from the table to allow them to step over to where he'd cut the lines.
Tony stood first, walking over to the edge of the table. He was hesitant...his gut wrenching. This wasn't what any of them had signed up for. But he remembered Fornell's words; they would be killed if they made Stone suspicious in any way...
This is so fun lol
