Warnings: Spoilers for "The Bone Yard".

A/N: Thank you everyone for your reviews, favorites, and follows. I'm happy that you want to continue this ride with me. It's nice to come here and read your reviews and see people just as excited about where this season of NCIS is taking us and not whining about things that are out of our hands :). I love the positive vibes I get reading your thoughts. Not comfortable leaving a review, you can always PM me. :)

Here is the next part. Yes Tony is missing Leah, but no she isn't back yet. Besides, the team has to catch the evil husband first.

Tim watched from a perch on an exercise bike in the NCIS gym as his partner swiftly, and effectively brought the trainer to his knees again. In the span of twenty minutes that Tim had sat there, Tony had managed to take down the trainer three times.

Did they teach you how to box in the Marine corp? No, they taught fighting. Tim flashed back to the day so very long ago, when Tony had acted like a complete goof in the ring with Gibbs, boasting about taking boxing lessons. Boxing wasn't going to save them though when faced with a suspect engaging in physical combat. Judging from the effortless way Tony had wrestled the trainer to the mat, Tim knew he'd taken that lesson to heart.

He might not be as fast as he was once was and his back could be an issue, but Tony still commanded a physical prowess, strength, an athleticism that Tim had admired.

"Lord, DiNozzo," the trainer said, breathing heavily as he got up, "Who the hell pissed you off today?"

"Wife beater," Tony responded, wiping sweat from his brow on the back of his hand. " 'Nother go?"

"Hell, no," the trainer said with a laugh, "Why don't you bitch slap McGee around for a while?"

Tony looked up then, his breathing still heavy, and saw Tim sitting there for the first time. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. "Promised his girlfriend I'd be nice to him."

Tim rolled his eyes while the trainer laughed and walked way. He slipped off the bike. "BOLO came back on Patrick Webber's truck. It was found abandoned in a rest stop near Virginia Beach. State troopers are bringing it up to NCIS now, but according to them there isn't much evidence."

His partner moved closer to him and grabbed a towel off of a bench. "Abby will find something," he said, confidently while he wiped his face. "Any word on where Kristine was actually murdered?"

"Ah, yeah," Tim said, adverting his eyes. "Police found the area and sent several rocks to Abby to test as the murder weapon."

"Webber use multiple?"

"It looks that way. We won't know for certain until Abby tests them but they had blood and prints all over them."

Tony cursed, vehemently and looked over his shoulder. He could definitely use another round with the trainer. The physical release had been amazing for his frustration and rage, but now he was even more angry. He just wanted to beat something senseless, well, actually he'd like to beat Patrick Webber senseless, but since the marine wasn't around he might have to settle for a punching bag. "How'd you know I was down here?" he asked Tim suddenly.

Tim could see his partner clenching his fists tightly. "Gibbs."

Of course. Tony sighed and reached for his duffel bag that had a change of clean clothes in it. It had been awhile since the SFA had disappeared down to the gym to release his frustrations. Truthfully, it had been a while since had been this tense on some many levels, but of course Gibbs knew where he was. He'd probably known this was where Tony was going to go when he found out that Tony had not been intimate with Leah yet. Before she had left they hadn't been ready, but now that she had-well absence makes the heart grow fonder and he'd decided that he was ready. He was now forced to wait for her to return. Punching the living snot out of a bag was an excellent way to release pent up sexual frustrations. Even better when there was a free trainer around that was willing to let him kick his ass on the mats.

Ducky and Tim had been on to something when they teased him about missing Leah. Yeah, he missed her because he found that he was beginning to physically need and want her. In more ways than one. Of all the times for her to go away, when I figure out that I'm ready to bring us to the next level.

His tight lines in is face told Tim all he really needed to know. He quirked a slightly, teasing grin. He couldn't help it. Sometimes it was fun to taunt a cranky Tony. "Frustrated, DiNozzo."

"Don't give me reason to kick your ass too," Tony snapped.

"All right. Relax. Cranky."

"Do I have time to take a shower?"

Tim glanced at his fancy watch. "Yeah. Nothing's moving on this case until we get forensics back and find Patrick Webber."

Tony pursed his lips together. "Anyone think to check with his squad buddies?"

"Gibbs and Bishop were talking to them now," Tim replied.

"Commanding officer?"

"Said that Webber was a good marine and didn't show any tendencies towards violence."

Tony shook his head. "Obviously he was violent. Look what happened. Hey, while I shower, pull up Kristine Webber's medical file."

Tim nodded. "Got a hunch?"

"Yeah," Tony said as he stalked off towards the shower. "Big one."

Ellie Bishop was comfortable interrogating, she was married to a lawyer after all. But this was probably the only thing so far on her new job she was comfortable with.

Her ribs still were sore from when the bullet had lodged into her vest. A very ugly, black, purple, and yellowing bruise was in its place. Still, she was learning a lot, especially from Tony. Who, she was told, was not acting like he normally did around probationary agents. He liked to haze probies, play pranks on them, just make their lives miserable. McGee had said it was to toughen them up. He'd survived and Ellie saw how close their friendship was now. But, Tony had been nothing but helpful to her, welcoming even.

After last weeks disaster of a shoot out, he'd given her some pointers on how to shoot when taken cover. She was appreciative of that because, like he pointed out, the next time she might not have a vest.

"Corporal Wilkins, thanks for coming in," Gibbs said, starting the interview. "We need to ask you a few questions about Patrick Webber."

"Patrick sir? He's my friend. A damn good marine," Wilkins stated. "Is he in trouble?"

Ellie watched as Gibbs pulled out a photograph of Kristine on the autopsy table. She winced. This was something else she was still trying to get used to on her new job. Being an analyst you hardly ever saw dead bodies. You saw numbers and trails and connections. Not physical people. "His wife is dead," she blurted, noticing Gibbs cock a wary eye at her.

Wilkins looked shocked. "Kristine? That's Kristine? I...you can't even recognize her."

Gibbs nodded. "That's because Patrick beat her to death, beat her to the point that you wouldn't recognize her."

"Patrick did that?"

"Kristine was found dead at a battered woman's shelter, where she'd been living for the past three weeks."

"No way. No way was Patrick a wife beater. He loved Kristine."

Ellie stared down at the photographs that Gibbs had spread out. "This is love?"

Wilkins glared at her. "Agent Bishop, have you ever served overseas? Do you have any idea what it's like over there? We saw things that no one should ever have to see. You don't come back the same."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes on the marine. "Patrick come back different?"

"He was...he was angry all the time."

"Did he seek help?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Four days ago."

"And how did he seem then?"

"F-fine."

Tony opening the door ended the rapid fire of questions. The SFA stepped inside the interrogation room and eyed Gibbs. "Boss," he said, firmly, "we think we have a lead on where Patrick Webber might have gone."

Gibbs gestured for Bishop to go with him. Wilkins looked relieved, like he had gotten out of questioning. Gibbs chuckled when the door clicked shut. "Oh, no, we're not done just yet, Corporal," he said before engaging in another series of rapid fire questions.

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked when they got into the Charger.

"Patrick's parents own a farm in Cumberland County. Police were called there a few months ago because of a domestic disturbance," Tony replied. "We pulled Kristine medical records and she was treated at a local hospital there."

Ellie put her seat belt on and stared out the windshield. "Do you think he went there?"

Tony took a deep breath. "There's a good possibility. Surveillance video from the rest stop shows him abandoned his pick-up truck and then getting into another one. We ran the plates. It's registered to his dad."

"Should we put a BOLO out on his dad's truck?" Ellie asked.

"That's very good, you're starting to think like an agent," Tony said with a smile. "McGee put one out. Hoping to get something."

Ellie settled in for the long ride to Cumberland County. Hopefully they would get something so they could close this case. If they didn't she was pretty sure Kristine Webber's beaten face was going to haunt her for a long time.