Extra special thanks goes to NCISgurl805 for providing my one and only review up to this point. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You made me smile. :)

Part 3

DiNozzo stuffed two large salty chips into his mouth on top of the bite of sandwich already there and after a couple of loud crunches he asked Tim, "What's your hurry?" At least that's what it was supposed to be, but coming from a mouthful of food it could have been interpreted as almost anything.

Whether he understood the words or not, Tim winced at Tony's tone, but didn't reply in the same way. He was not going to be baited this time and Ducky saw him mature a little more in that instant as he stood looking at the more senior field agent. There certainly was some ammunition with Tony's sweaty brow and damp shirt which had been stained with a small dollop of mayo. Instead of acting like DiNozzo, Tim cordially responded, "I got back later than expected from the dentist yesterday. I want to be on time or early today."

Ducky smiled and silently agreed that they should all be on time. The director had already read them the riot act about budget cuts citing locked office supply cabinets, shortest possible routes to and from crime scenes and rigid accountability for gloves, cotton swabs, plastic bags and luminal, among other things. Time management would certainly be on the agenda for the next employee meeting the following Monday. Ducky was fine in that respect. Autopsies took what they took and while it might seem to some that he talked a lot, he also worked a lot. And he had always been rather frugal with supplies and was teaching Jimmy the same. The ME hated paperwork, but accepted that it was an important component of his job. He also hated inventory, but supplies had been known to mysteriously disappear and was yet another reason why all the cupboards and cabinets were now kept locked.

Abby didn't finish her potato salad. Instead she gently wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up to go with Tim. "See you guys later," she quipped as the two headed for the swing gate leading to the sidewalk.

Ducky was secretly glad that she was leaving with McGee, feeling that both of them had endured quite enough. In addition to the rude remarks there had been smirking and sneering from DiNozzo and everybody needed a break from the man and his annoying ways. Ducky could have used a break too, but he decided to stay the course and hoped if Tony was insufferable anytime during the afternoon that Gibbs would put a quick halt to the behavior.

DiNozzo had been worse than ever this day and Ducky wondered if he needed to take the man aside and counsel him again. Surely it had nothing or little to do with young Erica or Director Vance. Perhaps something else had happened. Well, he would find out in short order if Tony's behavior didn't straighten out.

The older man had just finished chewing when suddenly Abby was back at the table to gather up her trash and Tim's too.

Ducky assured her. "We'd have done that for you, my dear."

Abby grinned at the ME. "I know you would have, Ducky."

Tony looked miffed that she didn't think he would have policed the trash, but without Ducky there to do it she was probably right. He would have just left everything as it was, deciding that the service people needed to earn their meager salaries. He was so glad he had a decent job, a career even that came with a badge and a gun. Yea, being a federal agent was pretty sweet. Now he just needed his own team. He'd take Ziva and McGee as he had before. And maybe they'd leave it a three person team. After all EJ's team was only three so why did Gibbs have four? DiNozzo decided in the future it would be three. The whole thing was made for television, it was perfect. Parallel NCIS teams led by two very special agents who were also sleeping together. They worked together and they played together. Hmm, it was something to think about after sex with EJ when she'd gone to sleep and he stayed awake for hours.

Ducky knew DiNozzo leaving the trash was the truth, but he didn't say anything else about it. After Abby deposited the paper bundle into the waste receptacle, she was once again at Tim's side and they began their walk back to work. Ducky finished his small cup of water before telling Tony that they should go too. He crushed his own trash into a tight package and then placed two one dollar bills under the salt and pepper shakers in the center of the table. Tony had tipped his chair onto the back legs and was chomping on another few chips when Ducky told him, "That's for our server, Anthony."

Server was accurate as far as the person who brought their food to them, but that was all. They ordered at the counter and paid at the counter and only got served if they were eating their food there at the deli. A little red plastic placard with white numbers placed at the edge of the table told the server which order number was theirs and their food was delivered to them. Today their table had had five signs as the server had delivered five orders for the five people. She'd brought trays with food and drinks and she'd made sure they had straws, forks and spoons, plastic though they were, and she had even been generous with napkins, though Tony had made a face when she plopped a short stack in front of him. After the patrons finished eating and departed, the servers cleared the remaining trash, wiped down the tables and pushed in the chairs. In the case of really messy people, they brought out a broom and dust pan and sometimes a bucket and mop.

Tony attempted to look innocent at Ducky's comment about the money, but it was a very poor acting job. And it was a lost cause too because Ducky knew that Tony figured on pocketing an easy couple of bucks as soon as his back was turned. DiNozzo sometimes forgot how predictable he could be, especially with someone like Ducky, who found him pretty easy to read. Before Tony could form a reply to Ducky, or not, the server was there to pick up the tip and begin to wipe down the table.

"Hey, I'm still eating here," DiNozzo growled. In a test of wills he noticed her scrutinizing him and not in a good way, and being ever self conscious about his appearance he quickly wiped the sweat from his face with a swipe of a paper napkin.

"Sorry," she replied sweetly. Her big smile was for Ducky and he was pleased that she hadn't given much attention to the younger man, who craved attention, especially from women much younger than himself. "I thought you'd be leaving right now too." DiNozzo didn't respond. He just looked at Ducky who was looking at the young woman who was smiling at him. Now what in the world did she see in the ME that made her smile like that?

"No, I'm not leaving," Tony groused. He tossed a napkin onto the table right where she had wiped it down and then purposely grabbed his plate and cup to keep her from taking them. Glaring at Ducky more than at her he announced, "In fact, I think I'll have dessert and a drink refill."

End of part 3

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