Hi guys :D Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!
Yeah, I know, this one's rather short, but really, who has much time to write around Christmas? I decided on the crime plot as a background story; care to tell me what you think about it (about what is already there, anyway)? ;)
Also, I changed the rating and genre accordingly; I don't know if that's really necessary and how much I'll go into detail about the case, but better safe than sorry.
Whatever, enjoy :)
'See? I told you we would be on time.'
'Barely', Tony muttered, 'we'll have to run up the stairs. Ouch!'
He rubbed his shoulder where Ziva had punched him.
'I couldn't show up in the same clothes as yesterday, with you', she argued, 'it's code for 'guess what we did last night', and everyone knows the answer to that.'
They exited Tony's car and hurried toward the building. They still had two minutes left – enough to make it to the office before Gibbs could smack them for being late. No reason for Tony to complain, especially when he was dressed in a clean suit and shirt. They flashed the security guy their IDs and headed to the elevators, where they bumped into McGee.
'Morning, Probie!'
'Morning, McGee', Ziva added, grinning. McGee suspiciously looked from one to the other.
'Are you two alright?'
'Sure. Why wouldn't we be?'
'Uhm.' McGee seemed to feel a little awkward. 'You haven't been talking in weeks, I just thought... you... maybe...'
He fell silent as they both smiled widely at him. Tony patted his shoulder.
'See, Probie, we are both grown-ups, and we got over it. Something you might still have to do. Grow up, I mean.'
McGee muttered something unrecognizable under his breath when the elevator door opened and they found themselves facing Gibbs.
'Finally.' He rushed past them, signaling them to follow. 'We've got a case. Some incident in the house of a Seaman in Maryland. Let's get going.'
They looked at each other, Tony rolling his eyes, and followed their boss. Ziva had noticed the wary look Gibbs had given them. She bit her lip; he suspected something. Ziva made a mental note to ask Tony about talking to Gibbs. Whatever they'd do about this relationship thing, she couldn't deny her pregnancy. Not only would she put the child in danger when she continued her field work, but they'd also get in trouble if they kept it a secret for too long. As much as she hated the thought of being confined to boring office tasks for months, she had to tell Gibbs. He'd decide what to do.
-o-
During the drive to the crime scene they barely talked; McGee seemed rather uncomfortable, Gibbs never lifted his gaze from the street, and Ziva was lost in her own thoughts. Tony suspected she was worrying about telling the others. He had seen how Gibbs had looked at them when he had noticed the change in Ziva's mood. He always was so observing. Most of the time it served them well, but just now Tony wished his boss was more one of the oblivious kind. Through the years, he had taken on the role of a surrogate father for Ziva. If he suspected something was seriously wrong, not just the usual 'DiNozzo, you are a jerk!' kind of wrong, he would step in. And Tony had to admit that he was a little afraid of how Gibbs might step in. Not to mention Abby, if she got wind of it. Abby could be so damn scary if she wanted to. He wasn't really afraid of McGee, though. He could always take on McGee single-handedly. As long as he was sober and wouldn't risk getting his suit torn in the process. That would be a real nuisance, especially against McGee.
Thirty minutes later Gibbs parked the car in front of a small house with bright blue shutters. The local cops were already there, keeping the nosy spectators at bay and questioning the neighbours. The four of them walked right up to the Sheriff, who was talking to a tiny blonde. The woman looked shaken and was barely able to form a coherent sentence. She seemed to be about to burst into tears.
'…hands… there was… a ring… had it since college…'
The Sheriff patted her arm sympathetically and gently pushed her towards a woman in uniform, who lead her aside to sit on a nearby bench. The Sheriff turned toward Gibbs as they approached him.
'Finally. Must be the traffic, it's madness on the streets today. Anyway, I'm Sheriff Dawson.'
Gibbs flashed him his badge.
'Special Agent Gibbs, these are the Special Agents David, McGee and DiNozzo. What happened?'
Dawson scratched his head.
'I wish I knew what to make of it', he said, 'we don't get many murders here, it's a nice and quiet county. But this is just sick… I think it's best if you take a look at it yourself. It's Seaman Sean Donahue. The woman was his wife Amanda.'
The Sheriff turned and led the way up the porch steps. Puzzled, the team looked at each other before following him into the house.
-o-
The hallway was barely illuminated, the only light coming through the open front door and the archway to the right. To the left a door led into the bathroom, the archway opened to the small but clean kitchen. Clean except for the severed hand on the table.
Ziva felt her stomach turn, but followed the others into the room. On the table next to the hand lay an open parcel. Sheriff Dawson stayed by the doorway and motioned towards the package.
'It's in there.'
The three men moved forward and took a look into the carton. McGee immediately took a step back.
'Damn, this is sick!'
Gibbs frowned upon the sight of whatever was in the package, and Tony looked disgusted. Cautiously, Ziva stepped beside him and peeked into the parcel.
She shouldn't have. In the very same moment that she saw what was in there, the smell of blood arose and instantly made her sick. She didn't even have time for an excuse before she bolted for the door. Hunched over the toilet bowl in the small bathroom she could barely hear her team-mates' concerned voices.
'Ziva, are you alright?'
It wasn't Tony but Gibbs who knelt beside her and gently rubbed her back when she finally stopped retching. Light-headed, but otherwise fine Ziva nodded.
'I'm okay', she murmured as Gibbs pulled her to her feet. 'Must be the eggs I had for breakfast.'
It was a weak excuse and she knew it, but thankfully Gibbs didn't say anything. He left the room and waited by the door as she rinsed her mouth and washed her face to clear her head. When she left the bathroom, Tony and Gibbs were there, while McGee already took pictures in the kitchen, shooting her a curious glance before returning to his task.
'You two, we need to talk when we get back to the office', Gibbs whispered, giving them both a stern look. Tony took Ziva's hand while she nodded hesitantly. 'Fine.'
Gibbs seemed satisfied for the moment and pointed to the door.
'No offence, but I think you should wait outside for us. Go question the wife.'
Without a word Ziva let go of Tony's hand and left the house, happy to be away from the stench of the dried blood. She hadn't had much trouble with morning sickness yet. Just a weird feeling every now and then, never leading to anything else than her skipping breakfast, which was why it had taken her so long to figure out what was wrong with her. Now it seemed like she had just discovered what triggered the sickness in her case. Blood. Great. Just what she needed now.
With a heavy sigh, Ziva stepped into the chilly morning air and prepared herself for questioning a woman who had just received a parcel containing the severed hands and head of her husband.
