Disclaimer:
I do not own anything NCIS and make no money on any of this.
A/N: Wow. Thank you all for the reviews, story alerts, favorite story status and the traffic from across the world. I'm humbled, truly I am.
Special thanks to my signed reviewers: I tried to send each of you a personal message. If I missed any of you, I do apologize. And for those who didn't sign in and I couldn't send personal thanks to, well, thank you now. Special note to ForeignMusicLyrics - no, Tony and Ziva aren't working undercover yet, but will be as of this chapter. Hopefully it will all become clear as the story evolves. This chapter is needed to set up the forthcoming action, which will begin in chapter 4.
Enjoy and please keep letting me know what you think.
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"Unlove"
Chapter Three
"Setting Up Housekeeping"
Special Agent in Charge, LeRoy Jethro Gibbs looked up when his senior field agent left the elevator and walked directly to his desk. If Tony was still bothered by their earlier talk, he wasn't showing any signs of it. DiNozzo perched himself on the corner of Gibb's desk and waved at the screens above their heads.
"What idea is that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs might be irked at him, but he knew Tony well enough to know that wouldn't stop the younger man from continuing to work the case as hard as he could. Tony's methods were often unorthodox, but they also worked most of the time, so he was willing to listen to whatever idea he might present.
"Ah, well, Boss." Tony hesitated a moment, trying to make his racing thoughts line up into some kind of order that would make sense. "You know how we always find so much evidence at these crime scenes?" Gibbs nodded. "And how it always turns up to be one dead end after another?" Another nod. "Well, I'm thinking maybe the evidence that we find is somehow planted; like it isn't the real thing." Tony stopped and looked at his boss a moment, trying to determine if Gibbs was buying his theory. He didn't notice when Agents McGee and David stopped what they were working on and looked up, obviously interested. "What do you think?"
Gibbs tilted his head, considering. "It would explain why there is so much at the crime scenes, but none of it ever makes any sense."
"What about the blood, Tony?" McGee interjected. Tony turned toward the younger man. "That's actually what got me thinking this way, Probie. When Abby ran the sample I brought in, and it didn't match either the victim, or anyone in any of the military databases, I started wondering why."
"And you think you have figured it out, Tony?" Ziva asked. Tony shook his head. "Well, not all of it. But I think whoever the killer is; he's smart. Plenty smart. I mean, he knows enough to not leave any incriminating evidence, but he always leaves so MUCH evidence. If he's smart enough and careful enough not to leave us anything useful…" McGee interrupted before Tony could finish his sentence.
"Then why leave us anything at all?" Tony grinned in Tim's direction. "Exactly, Mc-interruptus. He should be able to get away clean. I mean, where we find the bodies, is obviously a dump site, not the primary crime scene. And we haven't found even one of those yet."
Ziva frowned. "When I interviewed the three women who survived the initial attacks, before he started actually killing his victims, they all had no idea where they had been taken. Just that they were grabbed from behind, drugged with something in a cloth over their mouths, and when they woke up, they were in a room, with no windows, no doors and nothing to identify them."
"And that is when the real horror began," Tim said in a small voice. He still had a hard time being cavalier and acting like it didn't bother him when people were so brutally injured and/or killed.
"Yeah, it is." Tony agreed, refraining from his usual teasing and baiting of the younger man. This particular case had them all on edge and there wasn't anything about it they found amusing. "And the process was simply reversed when they were let go. As awful as it was, they were the lucky ones. At least, they lived through it."
"So, Tony," Gibbs brought them back to the question at hand. "Your idea?"
Tony thought moment more and then gave his most mischievous grin. "You aren't gonna like it boss, you're really not. But it's a good one." With a long suffering sigh, Gibbs just nodded at him to continue.
"Well, you remember how Kate was always profiling people? And sometimes she could profile crime scenes, and even give us an idea of areas to focus on?" Gibbs nodded again, and Tim smiled, though he looked a little sad at the reminder of their fallen comrade. "I remember DiNozzo. And you're right. I'm not going to like this, am I?"
Before Gibbs could stop him, Tony continued in a rush. "Why don't we get Fornell in here with one of their fancy behavioral units? They should be able to get us a geographical profile, maybe even a specific location and if we have that, we can narrow down the pool of suspects." Tony grinned again, pleased with his analysis.
However as the silence lengthened, his smiled faded a little and he began reciting in his head all the reasons this was probably a really dumb idea. For one, Fornell hated him, always calling him DeNutso, or some other demeaning name. And he still wasn't sure of the relationship between Gibbs and Fornell, except that it made "weird" look normal. I mean, who becomes friends with the man who married your ex-wife?
For another, since when did NCIS call in the services of the FBI? Or call for help from anyone for that matter? And he realized he hadn't even begun to consider the amount of red tape that would have to be gone through before they could begin such a joint operation.
Tony was ready to smack himself in the back of the head as the quiet went on. He started to turn away and mumbled, "Never mind, it was a dumb idea. I might as well ask the CIA for help." Tony was looking down and missed the look Ziva shot his direction. She knew Tony had brilliant insights and instincts, but she also knew he sometimes restrained them, for fear of looking stupid or bad in front of his peers. She blamed that on his biological father, though at times she felt Gibbs was partially to blame as well. At the moment, however, she just wished she could go to him and give him a reassuring hug.
"DiNozzo." Gibb's voice was clipped, but not as intense as usual. "I want you to stop doing that." Puzzled, Tony turned in his direction. "Stop what boss? Blabbing out half-formed ideas before I've taken the time to think them through? I'm working on that." And Tony sat down at his computer, calling up the most recent reports on the series of attacks they were trying to get a handle on.
Gibbs actually got up, went over to Tony's desk, whirled his chair around, and placed his hands on the armrests, until DiNozzo had no choice but to face him. "No. I want you to stop downplaying your ideas. I need everyone on my team thinking all the time. And thinking outside the box is what usually results in the best course of action." Here Gibbs turned and actually grinned at the other two team members. "And I don't know anyone who thinks outside the box more than DiNozzo does."
Tony recovered from his shock at what sounded suspiciously like a compliment enough to comment, "Hey, I think I resemble that remark!" But his grin was back in place and he had relaxed.
"So, was there more to your idea? Or do you just want the FBI to figure out where things are happening?" Tim asked. He was just pleased to sense that things were returning to normal with the team.
"Well," Tony drawled, obviously still thinking things through. "If it turns out to be in a military neighborhood, like Ducky thinks it is from his psychological profiles of the live victims and the forensic profiles of the bodies, maybe we could infiltrate. Find out who is behind the attacks. Get them to let their guard down and figure out how they're operating."
"You mean, go undercover, DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice took on his dangerous quality again.
"Aw, well, something like that boss. Doesn't have to be me, although I've had the most experience at covert ops." Tony shrugged, he wasn't bragging, just stating the truth. "But if you think Tim or someone from another team would be a better choice, it's your call."
Gibbs thought for a moment more, and then picked up the phone. "Get me Fornell!" he barked into the receiver. "McGee, get Ducky up here. I want to hear more on his psychological theories." Gibbs sat down again and appeared to be considering all Tony had said. Just as Ducky walked into the bullpen, the phone rang.
Tony grabbed it before anyone else could. "DiNozzo. Yeah, he's here." And he held the receiver out to Gibbs. "It's Fornell." Gibbs took the phone and in a one sided conversation briefly explained the background on the murders, and then Tony's idea of a geographical profile. A few minutes of silence followed. Gibbs then nodded once, as if Fornell could see him. "Yeah, I know. I owe you. Just get the team over here now."
Turning back toward DiNozzo, he continued. "Tony, I want you to head this up. Your idea; your lead. Take Ziva and meet with the profile team when they get here. If they can adequately establish the likely location of the neighborhood or location, then you'll go undercover. Maybe both of you, depending on what kind of area it is."
Turning toward McGee and Ducky, he continued. "McGee, you go with Ducky. I want every piece of information the two of you can give me on the bodies. I need to know exactly what kind of sick bastard it takes to do this, as well as anything you can find to help narrow the location." When everyone stood, as if frozen, Gibbs looked up. "Go! Go! Get to work!" And they all scattered.
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A few grueling hours later, Tony and Ziva were still in deep discussion with the two profilers Fornell had sent over. As the evening wore on into night, one of the FBI agents noticed DiNozzo's huge yawn and suggested they finish the next morning. That idea was quickly shot down by both NCIS Agents. Ziva simply left and returned with more coffee. They were still at it, and had just reached some specific conclusions when Gibbs, Ducky and McGee walked in.
"Anything, DiNozzo?" Gibbs cocked his head at his obviously exhausted agents, but did not suggest they take a break.
"Yeah, boss," Tony ran his hand through his hair, leaving it in unusual disarray, evidence of just how tired he really was. "Jackson here has narrowed it down to two neighborhoods."
Without being asked, Jackson explained what he had deduced from all of the evidence he'd been given. "I believe it is an upper middle class neighborhood, probably in the McLean area or Tyson's Corner District. Both regions have a high concentration of military families, almost exclusively navy and mostly officers. I'd have a hard time deciding between the two, however."
"It's in McLean, I'm sure of it." Ducky sounded utterly certain. "Before you ask, Jethro, I asked Abby to run a soil sample of some material found on all three victims. Each one had a small trace of the leaf of the Emerald Ash. Since they are found in very limited areas, I ran a check and found that there is a thriving grove in McLean, but none in any of the other surrounding neighborhoods."
(A/N: There is such a tree in Virginia, but I really have no idea where they are found or if they are rare. I just needed an exotic sounding tree for the sake of the story. Also, to anyone who lives in these particular areas, my apologies in advance for the evil things that are going to happen in your neighborhood. I simply googled areas around DC and picked one. )
Gibbs looked around at the group gathered in the conference room. "Okay. That's good work people. We now have a location to concentrate on. So, first thing – go home. Get a good night's sleep. And be back here at 0500 ready to plan for our undercover operation." When the others all started to ask questions, Gibbs forestalled them by simply leaving the room.
Glancing around at each other, Ducky was the first to follow suit. "Good night, all. I suggest you do as our fearless leader has instructed. You can be assured he won't be late and if I were you, I wouldn't be either." At that, they all left in a hurry.
Tony and Ziva did not even glance at each other as they left, each to their own apartment.
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When Gibbs entered the bullpen at 0430 the next morning, he was less than surprised to see Tony already there, freshly shaved and dressed nattily as usual. "Morning, boss. I've been going over the real estate websites in the McLean area and found a couple of houses that look promising." Pointing to the overhead screen, he quickly clicked through a few houses. With a big, cheese-eating grin, he stopped on one that was at least 4500 square feet and had a large and luxurious pool. "That's my personal favorite."
"In your dreams, DiNozzo. What else you got?" Gibbs shook his head, glad that Tony evidently was not letting their earlier discussion get in the way of his warped sense of humor. He had a feeling that before this case was finished; the whole team would be in need of all the humor they could get.
The elevator dinged and Ziva and Tim walked in together. "Wow, Tony!" Tim exclaimed. "If that's the new undercover house, count me in."
Tony glanced up at the younger man, a sneaky grin on his face. 'Nope, Tim. If you're going undercover, it will be somewhere more like this." And this time Tony clicked on a picture of a dilapidated hovel, one with several antennas on the roof and no furniture, except for a huge antiquated computer in it.
Gibbs had sauntered up behind both agents and whacked them lightly on the back of both their heads. "Enough, you two. We've got work to do."
Plans began to form quickly after that. It was decided that Tony and Ziva would move into the neighborhood, into a home that was considerably less elegant than the one Tony had first picked out. The rest of the day was spent perfecting their cover story and working with the real estate agency. A visit from Fornell himself to the owner of the local real estate office took care of those formalities and by that evening, "Commander Anthony and Mrs. Ziva Rodgers" were scheduled to become proud new owners of a home located in the heart of an upscale, military neighborhood in the middle of McLean, Virginia.
Two mornings later, Tony and Ziva arranged to meet the real estate agent at the house. Tony was completely decked out in his new Naval Officer Uniform and carried it off quite well. They had debated on whether or not to give Ziva a military persona and had finally decided against it. In checking the demographics of the area, it appeared most of the wives did not work and few were in the military themselves. Ziva would likely have more luck learning about the goings on if she was able to stay "home" during the day, and meet with the other women.
Tony's assignment was as a Commander at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Annapolis. His credentials were impeccable, having been forged by Abby with a little help from some of Fornell's subordinates. He had an office, a secretary and staff (other FBI and NCIS undercover agents) and the appearance of real work to do. Since they had little idea what they were getting themselves into they were being extra careful.
Touring their new home, Tony and Ziva played their parts with panache. They signed the papers out on the front patio, and it was obvious they were observed as they did so. As soon as the real estate agent left, Tony put his arm around Ziva and walked her to their car. On their way, they were stopped by two of their new neighbors and welcomed into the area.
Watching from a van parked several hundred yards away, Gibbs was pleased to see them strike up a conversation. Listening in via the ear wigs both Tony and Ziva wore, he gave them the go ahead to accept an invitation to a block barbecue to be held three nights later, a Friday.
The next morning, their moving van arrived and Tony and Ziva, with help from some "friends", namely Gibbs, McGee and a couple of other NCIS agents, quickly settled in. That night, after everyone else had left, Tony turned to Ziva. Motioning for her to remove her ear wig for just a moment, he smiled into her eyes. "At least Gibbs can't complain about us spending the night together now, can he?" And with that, he walked her into "their" bedroom, gallantly giving her the bed, as he took up residence on the couch under the window.
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Tony dutifully left for work on both Thursday and Friday mornings. Ziva went about setting up housekeeping, making sure she spent time in the yard, as well as shopping in local stores. She soon struck up a friendship with two other wives; one whose husband was a Lieutenant at the NSA. Ziva was careful to be a bit vague about what Tony's duties were, but it was soon obvious their "husbands" worked in opposite sides of the station.
On Friday evening, Tony and Ziva joined some of their neighbors at a BBQ held two homes over. Mingling and getting to know their neighbors was much more of a chore for Ziva than it was for Tony. Having been raised by a Father who demanded he know protocol for all social situations, he fit in easily. Ziva was much more comfortable in military situations than social ones. However, she carried her part off without a hitch.
She made a point to introduce Tony to her new friend. "Tony, dear," she smiled sweetly. "This is Leana Jenkins. I believe her husband; Roy is stationed at NSA, where you are. Perhaps you two have met?" Ziva turned her smile on Roy who was hovering near.
"No, can't say that we have. Pleasure to meet you Commander," Roy Jenkins held his hand out. Tony shook it firmly. "Sorry. I'm stuck way over in the catacombs, so I haven't had chance to meet too many people yet. Transferred from Naval Station, Everett, Washington. Good to meet you, Roy."
The evening continued, uneventfully. After it was over and Tony and Ziva were back in their "bedroom" they compared notes, with Gibbs listening in on an encrypted cell phone. "Don't know boss," Tony said, finishing his report." I didn't really pick up anything, except…." He frowned as he tried to place what had been bugging him all night.
"What, DiNozzo?" Gibbs demanded. Tony looked at Ziva, raising his eyebrows.
"Nothing, really Gibbs. It's just that some of the talk seemed a little strange. Especially among the men. Almost like a, um, I can't think of the word I am looking for," and her voice trailed off.
"That's it!" Tony exclaimed. "It's like some of them were talking in some kind of code. We need to find out more, figure it out." The discussion went on far into the night, before Tony and Ziva headed for bed.
Ziva was getting closer and closer to inviting Tony to share her sleeping arrangements, and indeed, when they weren't under direct surveillance by Gibbs or one of the other NCIS agents, they talked freely about everything. It was obvious to both of them that their relationship was fast moving toward something much, much more serious than partners or mere friendship. Ziva wondered how long before one of them finally gave in.
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Five days later, she wished she had told Tony her feelings. Coming home in the early afternoon from yet another round of bridge with her new "friends," she was shocked to find Tony sprawled on the couch. That he had been beaten was obvious. That he was trying to downplay it was equally obvious. What wasn't obvious was why there were three other Naval Officers standing around him.
"Mrs. Rodgers?" one of them turned toward her as she came in, and rushed to Tony's side. "I'm afraid your husband has been involved in a little incident."