Chapter III

It took Gibbs quite a while to be able to kiss another woman without thinking of Shannon, but he'd eventually been able to move on. That's why he was surprised that Abby's face kept pushing into his mind now, as he sat on the beach of Lake Superior embracing a beautiful woman. Abby had been the last person he'd kissed, but he'd all but determined that a relationship with Abby was never going to happen… hadn't he? And at this moment, Alexa's hands were caressing the back of his neck and her lips were closed over his. The electricity between them was undeniable, so why was it Abby's face he saw when he closed his eyes? Alexa pulled back and met his gaze, a tentative smile on her lips. He returned the smile and slid his hand down her back. "Let's go back to the house" he said, "It's getting chilly." She nodded.

The night was still and a near-full moon was peaking through the clouds that scattered the sky. The two walked across the beach in a companionable silence for sometime, until they reached the barn.
"Let me go in and lock up," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "It should only take a minute." He stood by the door of the barn as she went in and locked up her workshop- he of all people knew the importance of having one's work area in order. He was somewhat mesmerized by Alexa's graceful movements as she climbed up the hull and covered the antique sailboat with a canvas cover. As he helped her down, his hand slid under the back of her shirt- his calloused hands brushing the soft, warm skin of her lower back. Their eyes met and before long, her lips found his. For a moment, Gibbs could have sworn he smelled Abby's spicy sweet perfume, but he took a deep breath and centered himself on the present: Alexa's soft lips, her long dark hair spilling over her shoulders, and the smell of lavender. They were interrupted by the trill of his cell phone. He apologized as he glanced at the caller ID; it was Abby.
"Sorry," he whispered and Alexa nodded and put some distance between them as he answered.
"Yeah, Gibbs."
"Gibbs. It's Abby."
"Yeah Abby."
"Um... I... didn't interrupt anything did I? I didn't wake you? Are you in bed? Sleeping? Or whatever. I mean, whatever you're doing in bed is none of my business of course. It's not like I... but were you-"
"Abby. It's fine. What have you got? Did you ID the remains?"
"No. Still haven't done that. But! Remember when I said I couldn't determine where the bones were before they were burned in the house fire? I lied. Well, I didn't lie. Like, I wasn't lying at the time… but it turns out, that was a lie." she paused to take a breath, and Gibbs waited patiently until she went on. "I do know where they were." She paused. "Would you like to know where?"
"Yes..." Gibbs replied, smiling in spite of himself at the brilliant jumble of energy that Abby radiated, even over the phone.
"Under water. Specifically, freshwater- not the ocean. It's possible this victim was drowned or dumped in a lake or river- even a sewer- before being moved to Seaman Rollins' house."
"Good work Abs," Gibbs said.
"Wait! Gibbs" Abby stopped him from closing his phone.
"Yeah"
"Are you coming back to me? I mean to us? Soon?"
He smiled and took a deep breath. "Yeah Abs. Soon."

Abby smiled as she hung up the phone. McGee had already gone home for the night and she knew they'd both sleep better knowing they were able to give Gibbs some information on the remains found in Seaman Rollins' grave, even if it wasn't a positive identity. Her joy faded somewhat when she remembered that Gibbs had spent that evening with Rollins' sister, but she reminded herself that she had no idea what was going on. Besides, maybe now he and Ziva would leave Michigan and come back to DC.

"Good news?" Alexa asked as Gibbs hung up his phone.
"Maybe," he said, turning to face her. "We might be a bit closer to determining whose remains were interned in your brother's grave." She nodded, and a somewhat awkward silence followed.
"I should get going," he said, and he leaned over and kissed Alexa on the cheek.
She squeezed his arm. "I'll walk you to your car."
"When was the last time you saw your brother?" Gibbs asked as the two walked across the damp lawn toward the driveway.
"The summer before he died." She said, and then quickly added "or before I thought he died. That was the summer Dad finally passed."
"And he didn't mention any disagreements or trouble?"
"No. Ed seemed pretty normal at the time. Flew into Traverse City, rented a car and drove up here. He spent a few days for the funeral and so forth, and then said he had to get back to work."
Gibbs nodded. They were standing by his car. Alexa gave him a soft kiss on the lips and said goodnight. "I'll be in touch" he said, as he got in his car.

It was nearly 0100 by the time he got back to the hotel. He decided to wait until morning to get Ziva's report- she was going to spend the evening interviewing the few people in Paradise who knew Ed Rollins. As he finally slipped under the generic hotel-bed covers, he again found Abby on his mind. He sighed. He was definitely attracted to Alexa- she was an intelligent, strong woman, and he had enjoyed kissing her that evening. Being with her was relaxing and comfortable – it made him almost forget about the tension and drama that often permeated his life as an NCIS agent. Yet when he tried to remember what Alexa's mouth tasted like, he could only taste Abby's; when he tried to remember what it felt like to run his hands through her long hair, his mind only recalled Abby's pigtails. It was confusing: he felt relieved that things hadn't gone further with Alexa that night, yet in a way, that's exactly what he wanted. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear his mind. He had to get some sleep.

Abby was dreaming.
Back in the freezer… but this time, not scared. Her hands on Gibbs' arms, his breath against her face as he imbued into her his quiet strength. Slowly, his lips connected with hers. She wasn't sure who made the first move, couldn't tell where the kiss began or ended. In a way, there was no beginning or end; it was as if they had always been in this embrace. She relaxed her head and neck as his mouth closed over hers, his tongue urgently exploring her mouth. She ran her hands down his back…I know what happens next she thought, as their confined space was flooded with sunlight. But instead of seeing McGee standing above them, there was only a bright light. Gibbs caressed her cheek with one hand as he pushed himself up. He stood, climbed out, and shut the door, and Abby was again encapsulated in darkness.

Gibbs too was dreaming.
He is back in the freezer, with Abby. The small space is filled with her fear and uncertainty. But he is not scared; he is oddly certain they will make it out okay. He whispers comfort into her ear and feels her body relax; her leg wraps around his and her breath slows. He feels her full lips against his neck, and every hair on his body stands on end. Then they are kissing and he lets himself be consumed by the tumult of their passion for each other- he feels stronger than ever, braver, and energized. But something isn't right. She is crying. He pushes himself up on his forearms and tries to get a better look in the dark. What is she looking at? He turns to see the door open behind him. Alexa stands above them, reaching her hand down toward him.

His eyes opened slowly, now back in the real world. The events of the last two weeks rushed back to him. He sat up in bed, forcing himself to concentrate on the case- the reason he's in a hotel room in northern Michigan instead of his own bed. He got out of bed and pulled on some clothes just in time to hear a knock at the door. It was Ziva, a hot cup of coffee in hand. He gratefully accepted it and stepped aside, allowing her to come in.

"I just got off the phone with Tony," she said, sitting in the chair by the window. "he is investigating some leads on the murder. A security camera recorded a man who may be Seaman Rollins. Tony believes he is living in the area under an assumed identity. He said that Abby and McGee have determined that the remains in Rollins' grave had been submerged in water for some time before being planted in the house fire."
Gibbs nodded. He knew most of that.
She continued, "I spoke with four of Rollins' former classmates who still live in Paradise. None have heard from him or seen him since his last visit in June, 1999. One of those, a Richard Smith, is a former diving partner of Seaman Rollins. Smith is out on parole. In 2001, he plead guilty to stealing several artifacts from Great Lakes shipwrecks and selling them."
Gibbs' eyes narrowed and Ziva could tell he was formulating a theory. "Let's pay Mr. Smith another visit."

"Look, I know what I did was wrong. I was just trying to make a few quick bucks. I haven't even dove a wreck since then- it's a condition of my parole." Gibbs and Ziva had found Smith at his job in Tahquamenon Falls State Park, where he was clearing brush.
"When was the last time you saw Seaman Rollins?" Gibbs asked.
"Like I told her," Smith said, gesturing to Ziva, "it was '99, when he was here for his dad's funeral."
"You two go diving then?" Gibbs asked.
Smith looked down.
"Let me rephrase that," Gibbs said, leaning to within a few inches from the other man's nose. "Where did you and Rollins dive, and what did you take?"
"Look," Smith sighed, "I don't want to speak ill of the dead. But yeah, we both took a few things from the Fitzgerald."
"The Edmund Fitzgerald."
"yeah."
"The SS Edmund Fitzgerald is the largest ship to be lost in the Great Lakes. It sank in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. All 29 hands lost- none recovered." Ziva reported, reading from the notebook she held in front of her.
"And what exactly did Rollins take?" Gibbs asked, growing impatient with someone who would not only defame an archeological site for money, but also disturb the graves of 29 men.
"I don't know – I swear. Look, we both had a few things in our bags, but we didn't discuss it. Those were the rules."
Ziva and Gibbs exchanged a look. The man was not lying. Gibbs turned and pulled out his cell phone, punching in the speed dial for Abby's lab.
"Gibbs. Look, we haven't been able to ID the remains. You have to consider the possibility that we'll never-"
"Abby, I need you to run the records against all men who served on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, went down in Lake Superior in 1975."
"Got it," came her pert reply, and he snapped his phone shut.
"Are we going back to DC?" asked Ziva, now matching his stride beside him as they returned to the car.
"Almost. I have one more stop."

Ziva waited in the car as Gibbs knocked on Alexa's door. He half expected that she wouldn't answer, that she'd be out in the barn at work on her boat. She did answer, however, and gestured for him to join her in the house.
"Heading back to DC?" she asked, head tilted.
Gibbs smiled, "How'd you know?"
"Have you found Ed?"
"Not yet. I need one more thing, Alexa."
"Anything" she said, smiling in a way that let Gibbs know she really was up for anything.
"Did your brother leave any of his diving equipment here? The last time he visited?"
She nodded. "Yeah, there's quite a bit out back- wet suits, dry suits, tanks…"
"I'm going to need to take it with me."
"If it will help you find Ed… or clear his name. Absolutely." He turned to go get Ziva but stopped short as Alexa grasped his arm. "Jethro… you'll call me when you find anything, right?"
Gibbs nodded.
"And if you're ever back in town…" she smiled sadly and kissed him on the cheek. Gibbs returned the gesture and turned to go. He wasn't necessarily happy to leave Alexa, but he knew he had unfinished business in DC… in more ways than one. Until he resolved his feelings for Abby, he wasn't going to get involved with another woman. It wouldn't be fair to himself or the other woman. Or Abby he thought to himself, entertaining the idea that she might feel the same way he did. Maybe recent events had awoken the same feelings in Abby as they had in him.

Gibbs and Ziva were halfway to the airport when Gibbs' phone rang. He answered quickly, hopeful that it was Abby. However, the familiar voice on the other end of the line belonged to Timothy McGee.
"Boss, we made a match on the dental records. "James Pratt. Second Mate aboard the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. How in the heck did he get in a house fire in DC?"
Gibbs smiled, "I'll tell you about it when we get there." He said. "Give me Tony."
A moment later, Tony came on the line, "Boss! How's life in Paradise? You and Ziva do any skinny dipping in those Great Lakes?"
Gibbs chose to ignore the question, as Tony certainly knew he would. "What have you found on our murder suspect?"
"He's been using the name Marco Carr." Tony continued, not missing a beat, "McGeek is working on his bank records right now, but it looks like he's been dealing in stolen weapons for a few years. He must know we're on to him. Looks like he left his apartment in a hurry. But we'll find him. I've got a list of known associates; one of them is sure to crack."
"Good work, DiNozzo. We'll be there tonight." Gibbs snapped the phone shut and looked over at Ziva. "Happy to be leaving Paradise?" he asked.
She nodded. "Too many trees. However, I will miss the lake. This state definitely has some beautiful natural resources."
Gibbs smiled as he took a deep breath of the lavender-scented air streaming in the open window. "Yup. But there's no place like home."