It's taking everything in me not to write monster sized chapters that I won't be able to keep up with. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am! :)

As It Seems: Chapter Four

Monday morning sunshine drifted through the window, and Jethro rolled over to pull Tony against him tightly, unwilling to think about getting up, leaving the bed, and starting the work week. He'd gotten used to Tony's alarm rousing them instead of the smell of coffee rather easily. He loved waking up with Tony. On the rare occasion when Tony had been called out in the night, leaving Jethro to wake up by himself, the older man had been a bear to deal with for the entire day.

It was actually what instigated Tony's first official "decaf" call out, letting him know he was crossing the line. A few minutes together in the elevator with Tony tearing him a new one had put him in his place, and in response, all he could do was wrap Tony in his arms. They'd stayed that way much longer than they should have, and when both men left the elevator, the looks their teams gave them earned eye rolls and glares from both of them.

When it was obvious that both of their moods had improved though, Tony had to ward off IMs from the other side of the bullpen that were laced with insinuations, and then even got one from Abby asking for details of their rendezvous in the elevator. He sent her back a fairly honest response that doused the rumors of a sexual escapade up the ladder back to Tim and Ziva, and then Critten and Parke. Elly had intentionally not told Dorney that they had found out there was only talking going on, enjoying the expression on Dorney's face every time he looked up at Tony.

Their teams were working well together, and both of them were happy. However, no matter how great work was, Jethro still preferred lying in bed with his fiancé, detached from it all. He breathed Tony in, loving the smell of his soap that was still strong on him from their late shower the night before to remove the evidence of a long day of lovemaking around the house. He loved the way Tony's firm arms came around his even as he slept, instinctively holding him close in return.

This is what life is supposed to be like, he thought. Waking up together, warm and close, feeling like nothing could go wrong.

The alarm started beeping next to them and he growled. Tony reached one hand out to smack the alarm, and then the arm fell back into position. He had learned weeks ago that Jethro needed two snoozes worth of morning snuggles in order to keep the decaf-growlies away, and he gladly obliged. They stayed just like that with Jethro nuzzling his neck and breathing him in for eight minutes, and then when the second snooze buzzed, he hit it and rolled over.

Jethro loved that sleepy glazed look on Tony's eyes first thing in the morning. He smiled and leaned in to kiss him good morning. Their voices were hushed as they spoke, afraid to ruin the perfection of waking up together with actually waking up.

"Morning," Jethro whispered.

"Good morning, sexy," Tony whispered back, a lopsided grin on his face.

Jethro reached up and brushed Tony's hair back from his forehead. It was sticking up in a funny way that made Jethro smile, and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Gonna have to jump in the shower to get it to do anything today," Tony said softly before clearing the sleep from his throat.

"I dunno; I kinda like it like this," Jethro said with a smile.

"I'm not leaving the house with my hair looking like this," Tony said with a quiet chuckle.

"Then maybe you shouldn't leave the house," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Tony responded immediately, but a minute later pulled back.

"As much as I would love to play hooky with you today, I have a case busting wide open, and I can't wait to go brag about my guys to Vance."

"Yeah. I guess it would be pretty obvious if we both called off on the same day," Jethro said with a mock serious nod.

"Ya think?" Tony asked, pretending to consider it. "I don't know. I think we could pull it off." The second snooze went off and Jethro growled, glaring in the general direction of the nightstand. "One day Jethro, when we have a minute, we're going to sit down and plan it so that we use some of this stockpile of vacation time we have on late mornings. Maybe pick a couple of random days where we don't come in until ten or something, and then we'll sleep in late together, or even better, don't sleep in but stay in bed."

"I like the sound of that," Jethro said, leaning in to kiss Tony quickly before rolling out of bed.

Tony reached over and grabbed his phone, turning the alarm completely off and checking for texts or important emails. Jethro beat him into the bathroom like he did every morning, so he stretched and yawned, then picked out his wardrobe for the day. Jethro left the bathroom and Tony headed in, his hand running across Jethro's waist on the way by. They smiled as they went about their morning. Tony jumped in the shower for a minute to wet down his hair and refresh, and by time he was back in the bedroom, Jethro was sitting a mug of coffee on the dresser and pulling his belt through his pants.

Tony took in the view, comforted by its growing familiarity and the way the sight still made him yearn to be back in the positions he'd be in the day before. He was startled out of his revelry as Jethro's phone rang. He started buttoning his shirt as he listened.

"Gibbs," he answered. "Whoa, there, Malek! Hold on! Slow down! Say that again." Jethro looked to Tony. "Okay! Okay, got it. I'll be there in ten. Just- just stay there! And calm Dina down will ya?"

"What's going on? Malek alright?" he asked, his heart beating wildly.

"He and the girls went down the road from the safe house for groceries. When they came back, the place had been tossed. They got the hell out of there and are at the rendezvous point. I gotta go."

"Okay. You want me to go with you?"

"No. Just tell Tim and Ziva to be on standby if they get there before I get back." He leaned in and kissed Tony as he slipped his jacket on. "Love you," he said, then grabbed his coffee before heading out the door and down the stairs.

"Love you, too!" Tony hollered after him. "Stay in one piece!"

"That's the plan!" Jethro said, the front door closing behind him.

"Yeah," Tony said under his breath. "That's the plan. We all know how well things work out around here when we try to plan something."

AIS-NCIS-AIS-NCIS-AIS

Gibbs headed for Rosslyn Station, hoping that the crowd was thick enough with commuters to hide his friends. He was glad that they had kept them in a safe house close enough that he could get to them if needed. He tried to focus on the situation at hand. He thought about what it could possibly be that someone would think they had with them. When they came to the States, the only thing they had was a small duffel bag each that Dina and Talia had managed to grab before jetting. Malek had come with even less, just the satchel on his back as he ran.

He followed the pieces in his mind. Since Malek had to run and leave behind all of this possessions, perhaps he left enough to lead the wrong people in the Iraqi village to him. Since he never came back to wherever he was staying for his things, it would be pretty obvious he was gone, but they had worked hard at planting the bug in peoples' ears that he was killed in the blast. If Talia and Dina's things were half gone, then it would look more like they had run.

He thought about Talia's more versatile talents. She had managed to spy on a lot of people in her time with more discretion than most agents he knew. She was a devout Muslim woman, and she believed in education and legal equality between the genders. She was discreet about it, working behind the scenes and under the table to educate young women, and as of yet, she had not been caught.

Malek had travelled with her for years. After her family was killed in an attack, he had taken her under his wing, being her unchallenged male guardian in the streets. He was her brother's best friend, and it had become a natural succession. Dina, with a natural talent for blending into the background, was her closest friend, by her side through her grief, and together, the trio had formed an inseparable bond.

Malek had been working with one of the many underground revolutions at the time, unsure of his future, but firm in his beliefs. In the wake of the attack, Talia and Dina had asked to join him in whatever ways possible, and when he discovered their talent for espionage, they began reaching out to greater allies with the knowledge they had gleaned together. Those allies contracted them, and eventually, so did the U.S. government.

When Gibbs' mission in Kabul was thrown, he learned to trust them quickly, and since then, he had kept a chain of contacts to them in case any of them ever needed each other. He wondered who it was that was looking for them, but he figured after so many years of working in such a way, the options were many. It could be related to the information that Malek had gathered from the man whose children were being used to smuggle weapons into the country, or it could be one of Talia's contacts with the women's education movements being compromised. It could be due to a dozen different reasons, and he had to pinpoint where the threat was coming from.

He parked his car and ran towards the station, his phone to his ear.

"What now, Gibbs?" Vance asked on the other end of the line.

"The Arlington apartment was just compromised."

"Aw, hell. Are you putting your team on it?"

"As soon as I get back to the office with our guests. I'm picking them up at the rendezvous point now."

Gibbs scanned the crowd of people from the staircase to see if he could locate his friends. The throng of people around him was great cover for three people trying to hide out, but it made things harder on him. He wandered through the corridor, wading through the masses as he hung up with Vance and searched.

He finally located them all sitting together on a bench. Malek was comforting Dina, and he had to wonder how such a normally unflappable woman could suddenly look so fragile. He watched her closely, looking for clues. He had never seen her come anywhere close to this shaken. He saw Talia and Malek exchange a concerned glance with one another, and then Malek spotted him coming towards them.

Malek helped Dina to her feet, and Talia wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Gibbs," Talia began. "We are glad to see you. Can we go, please?"

Gibbs nodded, meeting Talia's eyes. She was trying to tell him something with that glance, but all he was able to understand was that she was very frightened and concerned. Something wasn't right, and he felt her anxiety as his own.

"I'm parked right outside the entrance. Let's go." They made their way back through the station and up the stairs against the crowd. They all crowded into the car, Malek sitting up front with Gibbs while Talia consoled Dina in the back seat. They pulled off towards the Navy Yard, and Gibbs looked at the women behind him before turning to Malek. "What happened?"

Malek started giving him a rundown of their morning. "We have yet to get over the jetlag completely. Our days are running into the nights, and our mornings begin at about three o'clock in the morning. We decided we would go to the store while it was not busy, hoping to be able to slip in and out without attracting too much attention to ourselves and avoid the people in the building. There are less people in the stores then, and it is feels a little less dangerous to go out.

"When we returned home, the door to the apartment was unlocked, and upon entering, we found that all of our stuff had been gone through. We took a quick look around, trying to take a visual inventory without touching anything, and then got out of there as quickly as possible."

Gibbs nodded slowly, and then stopped at a light. His eyes searched the rearview mirror to try to meet Dina's. Her eyes met his, and then she looked down. He knew that something wasn't being said, but Malek and Talia looked just as confused as he felt. Once they got to the Navy Yard, he took the three of them straight up to the conference room. He grabbed a cup of the disgusting coffee that was waiting there for them, and then threw it away after the first drink.

"I'm going to get a cup of real coffee. Anyone want anything?" Talia and Malek agreed to coffee, and Dina declined. "Why don't you come with me, Dina? If you don't want coffee, maybe they have something else you would like. It's going to be a long day, you might as well have something. C'mon." He was surprised to find her jump at the chance to leave the other two. He shrugged at Malek and Talia as Dina led the way into the hallway.

Gibbs noticed McGee and Ziva over the railing sitting impatiently at their desks. Once he got to the opening of their cubicles, he stopped. "I need you two to go process the Arlington safe house. Someone tossed it this morning."

"Boss?" McGee asked, getting to his feet. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, McGee. Just find me something good." He led Dina to the elevator and got on with her before his agents could gather their belongings and follow. As soon as the doors closed though, he flipped the switch.

"Dina, what's wrong?" he asked, taking the direct approach. He saw her trembling as she tried to find the words.

"I have done something foolish."

Gibbs stared at her, waiting for her to continue. He thought he was going to have to pull it out of her, but she finally took a deep breath and started talking.

"I have been keeping a journal since Talia taught me to write when I was eighteen years old. It has always been dangerous, but it was something I felt I needed to do. I may never be able to write a book, but I could write my story. I always burnt them when I filled the pages, but with the laws changing in recent years, I have stopped. I keep them with me, in my bag. There are three books full and part of a fourth. They are missing. I did not see them on the bed with the other things where the intruder emptied my bag."

Gibbs watched her shivering turn into a hard shaking tremble as she continued slowly, carefully choosing her words.

"Two months ago, we were performing in a private party with multiple high ranking officials in attendance. I had slipped away to find the information that we needed, when I was interrupted by one of the men at the party. He…"

Gibbs began worrying more about the state Dina was in now than the trouble they would be dealing with when she finished her story. She was shaking violently, and he recognized the wild lost look in her eyes as the look of many he'd seen come home from rough combat when they slipped into a flashback. He wanted to comfort her in some way, but he was worried that doing so may trigger a violent reaction considering the path he feared her story was taking.

"He…" she tried again, still unable to force herself to speak the words.

"Dina, did he hurt you?" Gibbs asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yes, but not as badly as I hurt him. I was taken by surprise Gibbs. After he… there was a letter opener on the desk in the office, and I… I took it, and I…"

Gibbs saw a cold calm descend over the woman in front of him, and he felt a slight chill run down his back at the way she suddenly turned all emotion off.

"After he forced himself on me, I killed him with that dull blade. I pushed it into his frozen heart."

Gibbs nodded slowly.

"I got the information that we were looking for, and I gathered myself. In all of our missions, if any of us had to take a life, we admitted it to one another so as to keep each other safe. I could not tell Talia. I could not tell Malek. They do not know what that… creature… did to me. My journal was the only one who knew until now.

"I had never written about our missions in the past. I had never written of the lives we have had to take and the information we have searched for and obtained. That night was eating me alive, Gibbs. It was consuming my soul. I had to put it somewhere, or else it would have remained inside of me. That book contains every detail of that night. We will never be able to return home now, or we will be killed. I have sentenced us all to a life in exile from our families and our friends, and if the events of that evening reach the wrong people, they will all suffer because of our actions being made public. They will hold our families responsible for what we did."

Gibbs looked into the passion-bright and distraught eyes of the woman in front of him. He knew that there was no doubt to what she was saying. They had managed to keep their cover for many years, and this would prevent them from ever doing their work again. He knew he could get the three of them a safe place to live in the States for the rest of their lives based on their situation and the work they had done for the government, but the safety of all those that harbored them and helped them back in Iraq would be in jeopardy.

"Dina, how long ago were you attacked?"

Dina's eyes closed, and Gibbs noticed her demeanor soften. "It was the fifteenth of March."

Gibbs sighed. "Right now we have three priorities. The first, is we have to get you checked out. My friend Doctor Mallard is in this building. Would you agree to let him examine you?"

Dina looked at Gibbs with frightened eyes.

"I trust him with my life, Dina. We have been friends a long time. We need to make sure you are not injured, pregnant, or that he gave you anything." Gibbs witnessed her change back into the fragile shaking mass that she had been just a couple of minutes before.

"If you say that I can trust him, that would help put my mind at ease."

Gibbs gave her the slightest smile. "The second priority is telling Malek and Talia what happened. They are your friends, and they will stand by you, you have to know that."

Dina's eyes started flooding and she began crying in earnest. "I should have told them when it happened, but I was…"

"You were in shock. There's nothing to be ashamed of. They will understand."

She shook her head. "Because of me, and my cowardice, they have no idea what we are dealing with!"

"No!" Gibbs said in a low, fervent voice, taking the smallest step in her direction. "Not cowardice! Dina, no one should ever go through what you went through. You are incredibly brave and strong. Be strong one more time, and let them help you."

Dina took a heaving breath, and nodded once.

"The third priority is that we have to find that book. Let's take care of talking to Ducky, and then we'll tackle the rest."

"Ducky?"

"That's what we called Doctor Mallard, since a mallard is a kind of duck." The odd reference made the frantic woman stop and think, and it brought her back to the rational world. Gibbs turned and flipped the switch for the elevator, pressing the button for autopsy before she could change her mind.

Gibbs walked into autopsy with Dina, and Ducky looked up from his file. "Good morning, Jethro! And who are you my dear?"

She nodded, and looked up to Gibbs for support.

"Duck, we have a situation. This is Dina."

"Ahh! It is my pleasure to meet you, Dina. Any friend of Jethro's, is a friend of mine. What can I do for you?" Ducky used his gentlest voice, noticing Gibbs' tentative pose.

"Duck, Dina was assaulted two months ago. I know there's no chance for a full rape kit, but will you give her a check up?"

"Oh, my dear woman. I will do what I can." Dina nodded, unable to not feel comfortable with the doctor's compassionate gaze. "I understand that this is of a sensitive nature, but because of our difference in gender, I need to bring in another woman to be present with you while I do my examination. Have you ever met our forensic scientist, Abby Scuito?"

Dina shook her head no, and looked at Gibbs in a panic.

"It's okay, Dina. I trust Abby. I'll go get her." Ducky headed towards the door with him.

"I'll be right back my dear. Please, have a seat."

Jethro turned to Ducky with a raised eyebrow, but the older man shooed him into the elevator outside of the double doors to the room.

"How long do you think it's going to take with Dina?"

"Roughly an hour. This isn't something that can be rushed. Considering my gender, and her violation, coupled with unfamiliar surroundings, the nature of the situation is going to be, at very least, unsettling for her. Should we call her friend to be with her? Talia, isn't it?"

"Not yet Duck. There's a lot Talia doesn't know yet. Dina has a rough day ahead of her."

"Ahh. I think I'm starting to get the picture, or at least the part I need to concern myself with for the time being."

The two men walked into Abby's lab to discover Tony and his team working with Abby to explain the program they had developed, and why they were having her run such an old hair sample through the database.

"That is so totally awesome! You guys are geniuses! I'll get on your hair sample as soon as it gets here."

"Thanks, Abby! You're the best!" Tony said, and then realized they weren't alone.

Tony smiled, but then he realized Ducky looked distraught, and he looked at Jethro with concern.

"Abby, Ducky needs you in the lab," Gibbs broke in. "He has to examine Dina, and he needs another woman present."

"Dina? She's one of your friends from that op a couple of months ago, right?" she asked confused. "But why is Ducky examining her? Is she sick?" She turned to Ducky, and Tony looked at Gibbs with a crestfallen face as he realized what Gibbs was asking Abby to do. Gibbs nodded, and looked at Abby. It suddenly sunk in and Abby's face fell. She nodded, swallowing hard and turned to Ducky.

"Are you ready, my dear?" Ducky asked.

Abby took a deep breath. She hated doing these kinds of examinations, but she had been present through a few of them at that point. She put her game face on, pushed back her lingering fear of autopsy, and nodded.

"Yeah, Ducky. Let's go." She didn't stop to hug the guys, she just headed for the door, and Ducky squeezed Jethro's shoulder as he passed.

"Hey guys?" Tony asked. "Can you give us a few?"

Elly, Parke and Dorney had been watching the scene unfold curiously, none of them really understanding what was going on, but trying desperately to get a handle on it via body language.

"Sure thing, Boss. Let's head upstairs, guys." Critten said quietly as he shut down his laptop and pulled his bag over his shoulder.

Tony watched them go out the door, and then met Jethro's eyes. "What happened?"

"She was attacked during an information op two months ago. She's a tough kid. Took the bastard out, but she hasn't told the others. She did however write about it, and that notebook is now in the wrong hands. It was taken during a break-in this morning. Ziva and McGee are combing the apartment now."

"Shit, Jethro. I'm sorry." Jethro nodded and sighed. "Let me know what I can do to help," Tony added.

"I will, Tony. Thanks."

Tony nodded. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been worse. Just worried about Dina for now. I told Talia and Malek that I was going for coffee. I should probably go check in with Dina and then head out there."

"Care if I tag along? Could use a bit of caffeinating myself."

Jethro smiled and nodded his head towards the door. He and Tony walked towards the lab together, and Tony stopped outside, not sure if the exam had begun. Dina was still sitting up on the table though in plain sight, so they entered.

Tony watched as Jethro approached Dina and spoke quietly to her. She nodded to him when he asked if she was okay there alone with Abby and Ducky, and Tony saw the slight relief in Jethro's shoulders. This was never an easy thing, but being present for an examination was not something either of them ever wanted to go through.

Tony was impressed with how quiet, gentle and reassuring Abby's voice was as she promised to stay with her through the entire examination, and he was glad Dina responded well to her. As Dina laid down on the table, he could see her grab Abby's hand, and Jethro turned around to leave them alone. He met Tony right inside the door, and they walked out together.

"If she hadn't already killed the son of a bitch that raped her…" Jethro mumbled under his breath.

Tony's eyebrows arched in surprise, and then he shrugged, knowing that he shouldn't be shocked. From what he had heard, Dina was highly resourceful when she needed to be.

"Whoever has that journal right now knows what they were doing that night, and what happened. None of them will ever be able to go back home, which I suspected, but from how Dina sounded a little bit ago, they think they may be able to. Even without that, their friends, contacts and sympathizers will be in jeopardy now."

"Are they sure it wasn't just a normal burglary?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Come on, Tony. How many burglars do you know that steal diaries?" Jethro asked as they got into the elevator.

"Hey! Hey! Don't get all decaffed on me, just trying to think positive." Tony raised an eyebrow at Jethro who sighed.

"Yeah, I know," Jethro said, which was a much of an apology as Tony had ever gotten when the smart ass boss came out.

"So, not only is Dina getting a rape exam today, but she has to tell them that she's put them all in danger by writing about it."

"Not only that, but the fact that she and Talia can write as well as they do goes to show how long they've been at it. They work with the Women's Education Movement, and they've maintained a low enough profile to go unnoticed, but a lot of the teachers in the movement have been coming up dead, sometimes put on display for their supposed crimes. There's a chance it could lead up the chain."

They ordered their coffee from the barista and Gibbs got some for Malek and Talia. Tony was glad to help carry the drinks in, hoping to get a chance to say hello to them. They were halfway back to the building when Jethro's phone rang. Tony took on an extra coffee so he could answer it and listened closely as they stood outside in the early summer breeze.

"Okay. Thanks, McGee. We'll see ya when you get here." He hung up on Tim, and then took the coffee back from Tony. "They are finishing up at the site. There's not a lot to go off of, but he thinks he may have gotten a few good prints."

Tony nodded his approval, and they started back in the building.

"Are you going to tell Malek and Talia where Dina is and why?" Tony asked behind elevator doors.

"The where, yes. The why, no. That's her story to tell." Tony saw the frown deepening on Jethro's face, and he reached out to flip the switch. Jethro raised an eyebrow, and Tony leaned in for a simple kiss, then pulled back, flipping the switch again. He smiled at Jethro who was now grinning and shaking his head. The elevator stopped on their floor, and before the doors opened, Tony nudged him with his elbow.

"Come on, hubby!" he cajoled, knowing Jethro was rolling his eyes behind him dramatically. They headed for the conference room, and Tony greeted them with a smile.

"Tony! It is good to see you my friend!" Malek answered, taking Tony's hand in both of his as he shook it with a warm smile. Tony smiled back.

"I wish it were under better circumstances. Just wanted to come up and say hello while I had the moment. Gibbs told me you were here."

"Are you not going to help with the situation?" Talia asked, coming to stand with the men.

"Actually, I'm in charge of my own team now. A lot has changed since the last time we saw one another," he said, looking to Jethro for some support as he slipped his left hand in his pocket to hide his ring. It was suddenly very obvious how much of the past few months they'd been left out of.

"We'll need to do dinner when this is all over to catch you up," Jethro suggested. "Right now, we need to concentrate on what is going on with this mess, and make sure everyone stays safe."

"Where is Dina?" Talia asked cautiously, giving Jethro a confused look that Tony noticed held the slightest warning behind it.

"She is with Dr. Mallard. She'll be up soon."

"Why is she with your doctor, Gibbs?" Malek added with a little more protectiveness than Talia.

"She needs to tell you that herself when she is able." His slightly sad eyes threw all three of the other people in the room. Tony knew Jethro considered these people his friends, and it was strange to see him take down that wall with anyone outside of the team. The other two seemed to know the depth of that look, and Tony watched Jethro as he sat down at the conference table. Talia and Malek also dropped into chairs, suddenly much more somber than before. Tony gave Jethro's shoulder a little squeeze on the way by, excusing himself.

He walked into the hallway, shaking his head as he closed the door. A part of him didn't want to be on the other side of that door anymore knowing what they were about to go through, but there was a part of him that did. He wanted to have Jethro's back, he wanted to have their friends' backs, but he knew that it was going to get messy, and he had his own situation to worry about. He had to let go.