If I ever got away from these cops, I would find a lawyer and totally go to town on their asses. After I broke Tony's nose, they stuck me into an interrogation room. Ages later, the Marine boss and this Goth chick in a lab coat entered.
'Abby is going to take some DNA from you, so we can sort this out.' The boss told me. Abby swabbed the inside of my mouth.
'I like to have two samples, can I have a couple of hairs?' she asked, I shrugged.
'Like I got a choice?' Abby pulled a few hairs out, I tried not to wince.
'Sorry.' She said. 'Oh, and in case you were wondering, Tony's nose isn't broken.'
'That's too bad.' I replied, sounding genuinely disappointed, Abby scowled.
'You leave now, Abs.' The boss ordered, the Goth chick disappeared. The boss didn't, he sat across from me. 'Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.'
'Cesar Morales.' He wasn't big on talking, this Gibbs guy. But two could play that game, I just stared right back at him. It got boring fast, but I wasn't going to give in.
Gibbs lost. Twenty minutes in his phone rang, I smirked as he answered. He listened to the caller before hanging up. 'With me.' he stood and we left interrogation. Ziva was waiting, I made sure there was a few feet between me and her. Okay, so I know how it looks, me being scared of a girl and all, but that chick knows stuff, fact is I'd be stupid to not be wary of her.
Another elevator ride and we entered a lab, the Goth chick was there, she was playing my favourite band. Tony was also there, he looked like shit. I grinned, he'd changed out of his suit and into what I guessed was a gym shirt, guess I left a lasting impression on his dress shirt. Can't say I was sorry either. He scowled at me.
'Bloody nut job.' He muttered under his breath.
'Abby, what are the results?' Gibbs asked.
'Please tell me it's not a match.' Tony begged.
'You're not has father, Tony.' Abby said.
'Ha! Told you, you little animal.' At that point, I was glad to not have that asshole for a father.
'But.' Abby interjected, Tony's smile shrunk. 'Uh, there is a strong DNA link between you two. I talked with Ducky, and we both agree on the verdict.' Abby paused for dramatic effect, glancing from Tony to myself. 'You're brothers.'
'Brothers?' Tony repeated, I shared his surprise.
'It makes sense Tony, your dad has the same name as you, and he's also a huge flirt.' Said Abby. I couldn't really tell how I felt at that moment, I'd gone searching for my father and found my brother instead. I began to wonder why I'd even set out on this trip in the first place? It's not like I really wanted to get to know my father, I just needed to get out of Vegas.
I guess I had two options at that point, I could keep running. But I had no money, I was a kid with very little schooling, no one was ever gonna hire me with my record. So at that moment I decided to see what would happen with this family angle. Even if Tony cast me out on my ass, I might be able to con some money out of him before that happened.
'I need to make a phone call.' Tony stood and left the room. He came back a minute later, muttering something about never answering the damn phone.
'You, stay here. Try not to assault anyone else.' Gibbs said, glaring at me. He beckoned for Tony, Ziva and McGee to follow him out of the lab. It was just me and Abby, who glared at me.
'I don't care whose brother you are, Cesar. I want you to know that if you punch Tony, or anyone else, I will kill you. I am one of the few people in the world who can do that, and leave no forensic evidence.' I'll be honest, she didn't really scare me like Ziva, but it was unnerving. Since I was planning on sticking around for a while, I decided I should cut down on my enemies list.
'I like this song. I saw them play live last year.' Abby changed suddenly.
'Really? God, I'm so jealous. The one time I managed to actually get tickets, I had to work instead. So unfair. How did you get tickets to their gig?'
'I didn't, I broke into the club they were playing in.' I replied, she grinned.
'That is so fitting for these guys.'
'So you believe that the drummer really did kill that guy?'
'Well, I am a sucker for an urban legend.' I grinned, this Abby chick wasn't half bad.
When Tony returned, he was carrying my bag, Ziva was with him. I was in the process of showing Abby my tattoo. The night after her funeral, the bouncer at her old club, Diego, took me to a tattoo parlour, and I had her name and dates put on my upper arm, framed by an outline of Colombia. She used to tell me these stories about her childhood, those times were the closest she ever got to being happy, so it seemed fitting to me.
'Is that tattoo real?' Tony asked.
'Yeah, course it is.' Replied Abby.
'Since when could fifteen year olds get tattoos?'
'Relax Tony, it's only a little one.' Abby said as a pulled my jacket back on. Tony didn't look convinced, he handed me my bag.
'Come on, Gibbs gave Ziva and I the day off, and I want to get out of here before he changes his mind.' Said Tony. I didn't like the sound of that, spending a whole day with that crazy whack job of a woman.
'Wait, how come you get the day off too, Ziva?' asked Abby. Personally I thought it was obvious, given that she was his girlfriend. But I guess not to Abby.
'Tony's apartment is tiny, yes?'
'Yeah, it doesn't help that he keeps buying more DVDs and cluttering it up.' Both women glared at him and he cowered slightly.
'We all have our hobbies.' He mumbled.
'So, Gibbs told Tony that he is not to make his brother sleep on a couch, and since Tony will not sleep on his couch either, they will stay at my place until Tony gets a decent sized apartment. That, and Gibbs does not like the idea of these two alone together.' Ziva cast a glance from me to beat up Tony.
'Ooh, lucky you.' Abby said to me. 'Ziva's place is great. How come I can't move in too?'
'Isn't your coffin kind of built in?' asked Tony.
'I guess.' Abby pouted. 'Fine, whatever.'
'Come on Cesar, unless you wanna spend the afternoon watching me do paperwork.'
'I don't want to spend the afternoon with you full stop.' I retorted.
'Hey! You're the one who found me, so enough of that.'
'I'm only here, because believe it or not, the alternative is a lot worse.' It slipped out, I hadn't meant to say that. The last thing I wanted was people like Tony knowing my secrets. I left the lab for the elevator, Tony and Ziva were just behind me.
The afternoon was kind of weird. Instead of heading straight over to the house, they took me to the mall and told me that I looked like a homeless bum, I needed new clothes. The look on Tony's face every time he pulled out his credit card was the only reason I persisted with the shopping thing. I didn't need his charity, or the pity that comes with it.
As the day wore on Tony began to complain more and more, and she finally agreed that we'd done enough shopping. We drove over to Tony's apartment so he could grab a few things. He lived in a really nice neighbourhood, judging by the cars in his parking garage, which made his Mustang seem average. However his apartment was very small, the walls of the living room were lined with shelves of DVDs. Clearly Tony had no social life.
'Ugh, I hate shopping.' Complained Ziva as she flopped into an armchair. This chick just seemed to get weirder and weirder by the minute, what kind of woman doesn't like shopping?
'Could have fooled me.' I replied as I took the couch. I mean, all afternoon Tony kept saying we'd done enough, he was broke, and Ziva kept telling him that she knew what his credit card limit was, and that he could handle it.
'Tony likes shopping even less that I do.' Ziva replied. 'Unless he is buying for himself, that he seems to enjoy.' She smirked at the thought. I decided then to stop trying to figure out what the hell was going on between them, they seemed to revel in not acting like normal human beings.
Tony took forever to pack, seriously, he's like a girl. You should have seen him fussing over his stupid suits, it wasn't until Ziva threatened to shove the TV remote somewhere nasty that he got his act together. That was one good thing about Ziva, Tony had a very healthy respect for her.
Ziva's place was pretty big. Set in a suburban area with large blocks, she had clear lawns all around her house. The house itself was a two storey building with a bluestone facing. The ceiling in the entrance hall had been removed, creating a huge open space, where you could see up into much of the second floor.
'You can have this room.' Ziva said, leading me to a room at the far end of the second floor. It was simple enough, cream walls contrasting with the burgundy curtains that framed the bay windows overlooking the front of the house. A double bed and a big old wardrobe in one corner. I dumped my stuff and went back downstairs, Tony was ordering pizza. What was it with cops and pizza?
I didn't really want to spend much time in their company, so I went to my room. After a few minutes I grew bored, and headed back down to see what I could scrounge from the kitchen. I stopped just around the corner, out of sight when I heard talking.
'So, what did your father have to say?' asked Ziva, there was a loud cracking sound. 'That was stupid Tony, you need your phone.'
'He's in Monaco, thinks he's hit the jackpot on this investment scheme, can't posssibly leave Europe right now.' This was the first I'd heard about my father, and I felt nothing. No disappointment, no betrayal. I mean, I had never known him, so the fact that it wasn't going change didn't really bother me.
'So that leaves you to care for Cesar.'
'He's rude, angry, violent, and he's got a fucking tattoo.' Tony complained. 'I think Gibbs has been blown up one too many times, I don't think I can help him.'
'He has a false bravado, Tony. But underneath is just a scared boy. He has seen things a child should not have, and it has marked him.' Ziva replied, I wanted to go in there and tell that chick where to shove her opinions. False bravado? What bullshit was this?
'Yeah, remind you of anyone, Ziva David?'
'What are you saying Tony?'
'Come on. Things haven't been the same since Somalia. And by things, I mean you.'
'This is the wrong time to be having this conversation.'
'Wrong time? Yeah, it's always the wrong time, wrong place. If I'm the wrong fucking person Ziva, just say so, and I'll back off.' Tony sounded pretty frustrated.
'It is the wrong time Tony, because your brother is eavesdropping. Yes, Cesar, I know you're there.' Ziva appeared suddenly, Tony a moment later, looking pissed.
'How do you do that?' Tony asked Ziva, to be honest, I wanted to know the answer as well.
'Later, Tony. I am going to bed, goodnight.' Ziva turned and left suddenly, leaving me with Tony. He kind of stood there, not saying anything, deep in thought I guess.
'So what happened in Somalia?' I asked, cos really, I was getting tired of all these long silences. Tony scowled.
'Nothing that's any of your business kid. Why aren't you sleeping?'
'I just wanted to get something to drink.'
'Do that, and then get some sleep okay? We start work early, and I'm not leaving you alone in the house, which means you're coming with us.' Tony walked past me after muttering a quick goodnight. I made my way into the kitchen, noticing the broken bits of a cell phone. He didn't want me here, I was a complication.
I went back upstairs, passing the closed door to the master bedroom, the next bedroom's door was also closed, but I could see that Tony had the light on. I stopped. 'Death isn't good enough for the rat bastard.' I heard him say. I didn't really want to listen to more of what Tony thought of me, so I went back to my room. I packed up my stuff, leaving the new clothes Tony had bought me, before making my way downstairs. I found Tony's wallet on the hallstand and took out all the cash.
Tony didn't want me in his life, and frankly, I didn't like the guy enough to force the issue. It was with that last thought that I left the house and began to make my way towards the closest bus stop.
So please review, I'd love to know what you think.
