Takes place Season 8 of NCIS and Season 2 of LA. Nate hasn't left yet.


Callen brought Gibbs and Tony to headquarters. Tony had started to calm down; maybe his nerves were all just in his head.

"Everyone one meet our resident Italian Tony DiNozzo. Tony meet Sam and Kensi, they are Agents. Nate, our Operational Psychologist. Eric, our Tech operator. Deeks is a liaison officer with LAPD and last Hetty our boss. She runs the team, but does it from here." Callen introduced.

"Henrietta, it is good to see you again." Gibbs spoke up.

"Same to you Leroy Jethro." She responded.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Nobody really ever calls him "Leroy", only his father and the people back home. To everyone else he is "Jethro" or "Gibbs"

"You called me by my full first name, turnabout is fair play."

"She is a feisty one." Tony whispered to Callen.

"Hetty? Oh yeah! Also someone you never want to get on the wrong side of." Callen whispered back.

Tony nodded.

"Alright folks let's get down to business." Callen spoke up. Everyone turned to give him their full attention. Once Callen had it, he continued. "Tony is going to want to do business with Santiago. I am going to go in as his bodyguard."

"Wouldn't being a bodyguard require you to know Italian, which you don't?" Sam questioned.

"Tony doesn't want his bodyguard to know what business they are conducting." Callen replied.

"So Tony what does the note that was found on the body say?" Nate asked.

"Callen, you tell them." Tony replied with a smile

"It is a recipe for some Italian dish, Spaghetti something or another."

"Spaghetti alla Bolognese." Tony corrected.

Everyone started laughing, whatever they thought the note said, that wasn't it.

"You serious, the note in Italian found on the Petty Officer is a recipe." Deeks smirked.

"Why would they do that?" Kensi asked.

"Most people who see a note in a foreign language on a dead body would automatically assume the worst. Especially if it is in a language they can't understand. Then when it finally does get translated they feel like an idiot for whatever it was that they were thinking." Nate spoke up.

"Everyone go home and get a good night sleep. We do this tomorrow." Hetty announced.

"Gibbs, Tony, you can stay at my place." Callen told them.

"I don't want to put you out; I can just stay in a Motel." Tony replied.

"Trust me I have the room. It is a 4-bedroom house. Come on. I'll even buy dinner."

"Pizza, if that is okay with you."

"It is fine." Callen agreed.


Tony followed Callen and Gibbs into Callen's house carrying the pizza.

"Wow G, how did you get this place?" Gibbs asked.

"You remember that Russian girl when you were here earlier. Right before I got shot." Callen began.

"Yeah" Gibbs answered not really sure he wants to hear this.

"She was actually trying to warn me about the shooting; that there had been a hit out on me. I wish I had given her the chance. When I was 14, I lived in this house with her and her parents for 3 months. Unfortunately, I didn't find out who she was until after she had been murdered. Hetty negotiated a deal for the house on behalf. When I found out the address of the so-called house Hetty got for me, I just couldn't resist." Callen explained.

"So you know Russian. Do you know Spanish?" Tony asked.

"Some, why?"

"The only 2 languages I really know cold, other than English of course, are Italian and Spanish. I figure we should have some type of language between us."

"That is a good idea. I am a little rusty at it though." Callen admitted. "I picked the basics up in a few of the foster homes I was in, but not like Russian. Italian I get, but how do you know Spanish?"

Tony wanted to answer after all Callen had been straight with him about his foster homes. But he just couldn't answer. He will admit that he knows it; he just doesn't like to think about how he knows it. He still misses her. He knows that he will never get through this assignment tomorrow if he gets into it now.

"I am tired; it has been a long day. So I am going to go to bed. Goodnight G, goodnight Boss."

"Night Tony. Take the second room on the right." Callen told him.

"Night Tony." Gibbs replied.

After Tony left the room. Callen asked Gibbs in Russian "Was it something I said?"

In Russian Gibbs replied "Sort of, Tony won't talk about where he learned the languages. He will get this far away look in his eyes and then slip his mask back on in full force."

"I think we should also be getting to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Callen said in English.

"Night."


Tony brought his Armani suit and his Italian leather shoes with him to headquarters. He will change right before they leave for the op.

"Alright we should get ready to do this." Callen announced after a few hours of going over the facts.

"So what is the safe word going to be?" Sam asked Tony.

Tony looked at the Agents like they were the ones speaking Greek. "Safe word? What is a 'Safe Word'?"

"Yeah you know a way of calling for help if the op goes bad and you get into trouble." Callen explained.

"In all the times I have been undercover. I have never used a safe word. I've worn GPS signals."

"We will be wired for sound and sight. Kensi, Sam and Deeks will be our backup. Nate, Eric and Hetty will be here listening keeping an eye on the op. They will see and hear everything we do. Sam and Company won't respond unless either one of says the 'Safe Word'. So what is going to be?"

"I get the 'Safe Word' is some type of code for trouble, but how do we go about coming up with it." Tony asked.

"It is a word you would use in a sentence that can be easily thrown into whatever conversation is going on at the time and not alert the other party to it." Sam answered.

Tony turns his back to everyone so he can think. Tony turns back suddenly with a smile. "We are meeting with an Italian mob boss. One thing about Italians is that they love to eat, especially Italian food. So our safe word will be 'Fettuccini Alfredo.'"

"Fettuccini Alfredo it is." Callen agreed.

"Boss, where will you be?" Tony asked.

"I will be on your six."

"Gentlemen here put these on. Tony they go over your buttons, one is a microphone and the other is a camera." Hetty explained.

Tony put the microphone on his collar button and the camera on the top button of his Armani jacket.

Tony took a deep breath "Alright let's do it."