Ducky looked on as Tori placed skin depth markers on the first skull. He could tell she was quite adept by the way her hands moved with confidence.
"Obviously, you've had experience doing this before," he said to her.
"I've done more than a few, unfortunately," she replied. "No one should end up like this."
"What you're doing is a great service," Ducky responded. "You help get them back their identity."
"My husband used to say the same thing," Tori said as she looked up at Ducky. "In fact, he's the one who encouraged me to start doing this."
"You don't use a computer?" Ducky asked. "Abigail would, I'm quite certain."
"Abby definitely would and I've used them, too," she explained. "However, I can get a much better feel using my hands. Believe it or not, I'll be able to get the subtleties and nuances quicker this way. Does that make any sense to you?"
"Yes, it does," he replied. "So, you'll be going back to Canada when you're finished? I hope you don't mind me talking while you work."
"Not at all," Tori said. "Yes, I was supposed to return today until this came up and Agent Gibbs officially borrowed me. Once I'm done I'll be going home, much to the dismay of my mother."
"I'm sure your sister and brother would also like you to stay," Ducky said to her. "Abigail was very happy you were coming to visit."
"I'm glad to hear that," she told him. "I've missed everyone, especially Abby. Her not speaking to me for years really hurt, especially since we were so close when we were kids. That being said, for now I still need to be in Montreal. Maybe one day that will change but for the moment it's home."
At nine o'clock that evening Tori was still working. She had finished one reconstruction to her satisfaction earlier in the day but the one she was presently sketching was causing her all sorts of trouble. As she tried to figure out why, she heard footsteps in the dim lab. She spun around to see Tony standing there.
"I hope I didn't startle you," he said. "I was coming to see if Abby was still here."
"She's not and you did. I sent her home a while ago," Tori replied and looked at her phone she had placed on the desk for the time.
"But you're still here," he said. "Gibbs will understand if you don't have them all finished in one day, you know."
She smiled and said, "I know that. I tend to get lost in my work sometimes. I didn't even know what time it was until you walked in."
"So you haven't taken a eaten since…?" he asked.
"Since I arrived," Tori said.
"We should get you some food," Tony said. "I know this great Italian place."
"I don't know. I've got a lot of work ahead of me," she hesitated. Tony was handsome, funny and a flirt from what Abby said and the little she had seen, but she had no intention of getting involved.
"Gibbs is gone for the day. They can wait until tomorrow," he told her. "Besides, you need to eat. It's really hard to draw when you're on the floor from hunger."
"Okay … you win," she said laughing and grabbed her purse.
They got a table at a casual Italian restaurant and decided on pizza and antipasto.
"I'm not trying to be rude, but Abby never said she had a sister," he said.
"Yes, you mentioned that earlier," Tori nodded. "She has a brother, too, in case you're keeping track. We weren't on the best of terms for a long time. It's still awkward sometimes."
"Your accent is odd," Tony said abruptly. "Where do you live?"
"I'm going to assume that wasn't meant to be rude either," Tori told him. "I live in Montreal. Before that I lived in France for seven years. I tend to have a bit of a French accent to my English now."
"Hmmm," he said shaking his head. "I still can't get over you and Abby are sisters. I mean, she has dark hair and all those tattoos, and you, blonde, no tattoos."
"Her hair wasn't always that color, but you didn't hear that from me," she said conspiratorially. "And who's to say I don't have any ink?"
Tony looked at her all flustered. "Well … ah… I guess you could," he stammered as the pizza arrived.
"My job at the museum doesn't permit me to dress like Abby does. I tone it down; wear a skull necklace, the skirt, the shoes. Just because it's not obvious doesn't mean it isn't there," she explained.
"So you do have a tattoo?" he asked.
"I didn't say that either," Tori laughed. She had no intention of getting involved but she found Tony fun to talk to. "That should keep you wondering for days, yes?"
"Why weren't the two of you getting along, if you don't mind me asking?" he mumbled through his pizza.
"She was angry because I stayed in France after my year at the university," she said. "She thought I should've come home when that school year ended."
"And you didn't because?" he asked.
"Do you remember what it was like to be twenty-two?" Tori countered. When he nodded, she continued. "I had finished at the university and had the opportunity to continue my studies there. In Paris. At twenty-two."
"I think there's a French boy involved somehow," Tony said with a wicked smile.
"He wasn't a boy," she said matter-of-factly. "He was older. For what it's worth, I have no regrets. It was a wonderful time of my life."
"And when it ended you came home?" he asked.
"I came home for a while but I missed it," she explained. "I wanted to go back but my parents wanted me home, too. I compromised; moved to Montreal. My parents were happy I was on this side of the ocean; Abby was a bit less angry and actually spoke a sentence or two to me after a while."
"And now that's home?" Tony questioned.
"For years now," she stated her face suddenly changing. The lightness of the conversation was gone and she seemed almost sad. "It's late. We should get going; I want to get an early start tomorrow."
Tony could tell something had touched a nerve with her. Instead of pressing, he decided to follow her lead. "I'll drop you off, it's the least I can do."
Abby was in the lab by the time Tori arrived the next morning.
"What time did you leave here?" Abby asked her sister. "I called Mom after I got home and she said you weren't there yet."
"I think it was around nine," Tori answered. "I grabbed some pizza with Tony before going home."
"You went out with Tony?" Abby asked eagerly. "And?"
"We went for food. It wasn't a date," Tori replied.
"He's not cute enough for you?" Abby questioned. She had purposely told her sister all about Tony when she arrived hoping to spark some interest.
"Abb, really. He's rakishly handsome and you know that," Tori said as she grabbed a pencil. "In fact, I'm not sure how you get any work done with all the attractive men walking around this place."
"We'll talk later," Abby said as Gibbs and his team walked in. Tori looked up from her chair and smiled a greeting at all of them.
"Your sketch was impressive," Gibbs said to Tori before leaving the lab. "We'll be distributing it along the coast to the naval bases and local law enforcement offices. Hopefully someone will recognize her."
"I hope so," Tori replied.
Abby held Tony back in the hallway outside the lab. "Well?" she asked.
"Well, what?" he answered.
"Tori said you guys had pizza last night," she told him.
"We did," Tony said matter-of-factly. "I think she would've slept here otherwise."
"Are you going to have dinner again?" Abby asked.
"I don't know," he answered. "We talked; we ate. Your sister's nice but …"
"But what? I saw you look at her," she cut in not letting him finish. "She didn't turn you down because of Jeremie, did she? She's got to move on with her life. I thought she was doing okay."
"Abby, it wasn't a date. We got pizza. She hadn't eaten since she arrived," Tony told her and then asked. "Who's Jeremie?"
Abby looked at Tony her eyes wide. "She didn't tell you? Oh crap. She's gonna hate me."
"Abs, who is Jeremie?" he asked hoping to shed some light on Tori's mood change the previous night.
"Jeremie is … was Tori's husband," Abby told him. "He was a RCMP; worked in drug enforcement. He was killed while on duty a little over a year ago."
"That's got to be tough for her," Tony said sincerely. "I don't think she'll hate you for mentioning it."
Later that afternoon, Tony walked over to where Tori was working intently. He stood for a few minutes watching before clearing his throat to let her know he was there. When she looked up, he said, "Hey!"
"Have you been there long?" she asked.
"Not really," he said. He noticed she was dressed in black jeans and a form fitting black short sleeve t-shirt. He could see the skull pendant again but still no tattoos.
"I was talking to Abby," he began. "She wanted to know if we would be having dinner again."
"She asked me the same thing," Tori replied. "I told her…"
"That it wasn't a date," he finished. "Yeah, I said the same thing. Not that there'd be anything wrong with a date, just that it wasn't."
"Exactly," she said as she sketched.
He paused and then said, "She also told me about your husband."
"Oh," she replied quietly not flinching from his gaze.
"I'm sorry," Tony said.
"Really?" she asked. "I'm not. I'm really pissed … still. Some dealer who didn't give a damn about who he hurt took away one of the best things that ever came into my life. It's not fair … and I'm angry."
"They say that's normal," he said to her.
"I've accepted that Jeremie's gone. It's a fact I don't ever have to like or be okay with, though," Tori responded. "Maybe you can take these up to Gibbs on your way."
"Sure," he replied as she ended their conversation. "You do really good work."
"They become really good when someone recognizes them," she said. "But thank you."