I don't own NCIS or any of the characters on the show. I do own the ones that I've created. Here is the next chapter in our journey. Enjoy and let me hear from you.

Finding Foes

Scratch a lover, and find a foe. -- Dorothy Parker

Tony didn't like this scenario one little bit. He and Eve were waiting somewhere along the Miami waterfront surrounded by dilapidated warehouses waiting for a contact of hers to arrive. She held in her hand a bag that was vaguely familiar. He finally recalled seeing it when they were in the taxi on their way to the airport.

He had looked in the bag earlier while she had showered, and had been shocked to find it filled with cash and IDs, including several with his picture on them. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but when she had emerged from the bathroom dressed and coiffed he decided that he really didn't want the answers quite yet. He knew on some level that whatever they were they were probably going to disturb him to no end, so in true DiNozzo fashion he put off asking even though he knew he needed to.

She had attempted to go alone to this meeting, but he had quickly put that idea to rest and insisted on accompanying her. He'd been warned in advance to keep his eyes open and his mouth shut. She'd handed him a gun that had been stashed somewhere in a closet, and had also armed herself. Watching her as she waited he realized that she had a look about her that he hadn't seen since he met her in Colombia. She looked completely professional and almost detached from the things taking place around her.

He knew that she was still in pain, hell they both were. His ribs were wrapped painfully tight just as hers were, but this operation would continue, and the attempts on both their lives wouldn't cease until Davis was in custody or dead. Tony was shocked at himself when he realized he was leaning more towards the dead option. He knew that's what she wanted, and probably why they were at this meeting.

His attention was drawn by the slight man arriving with a rather large bodyguard. Eve stepped up and nodded at the pair. "Wilson, thanks for meeting me here on such short notice."

Thomas Wilson shook his head and looked at the slight woman. He eyed the larger man she had with her and his guard flinched slightly. Wilson gave a quick shake of his head and turned back to Eve. "Did I really have a choice? Don't answer that, we both know that I don't. Who's this guy? Is the Tiger Woman working with a partner now?"

Eve ignored his questions and merely asked, "Did you bring what I asked for?"

Wilson handed her a large bag wordlessly and watched as she went through it. She gave a dangerous smile and handed him a smaller bag filled with cash. "For your trouble. I'll contact you the next time I'm headed south."

Wilson gave a brief nod and walked away quickly leaving Tony alone on the dock with Eve and the mysterious bag. She finished cataloging the inventory contained within and zipped it closed.

"What did we just do?" His curiosity had finally gotten the best of him, and he was a bit worried that they had just done something very illegal.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and motioned to the bag. "Take a look."

Filled with trepidation he slowly grasped the zipper and pulled it open. He glanced within the bag and closed his eyes. "Jesus, Eve. What the hell are you planning to do with all of this?" He swallowed as he waited for her answer. His two second inventory had revealed several blocks of C4 explosive, about a dozen handguns of varying calibers, several silencers, and at least two assault rifles.

She gave him a predatory smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I just want a level playing field the next time I meet up with Mr. Davis."

"We just completed an illegal arms deal. Isn't that what we were trying to stop in the first place?"

"What the hell are you talking about? We didn't buy anything. All of this is mine. I simply gave him a delivery fee. It's all completely clean and untraceable. Wilson just keeps an eye on it for me until I need something from my stash. He owes me a few favors."

Tony felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Sometimes I wonder about you. How do you get this stuff?"

She smirked, "That's not something you really want the answer to, Tony. Trust me on that, suffice to say that I have it and we're going to use it.

"When are we heading back?"

"In a couple of hours. I have the pilot getting the jet ready."

"Yeah, that's the other thing. Where did the jet come from?"

"You'll have to ask your father about that. He leased it under an alias. We don't get to keep it, more's the pity. We need to go and get everything ready and head to the airport."

Tony nodded in agreement. His mind was filled with too many thoughts to catalog, but one thing was certain. She was getting ready to go to war, and he was right in the middle of it. He steeled himself for the coming confrontation realizing that this was probably the only way to get Davis out of their lives for good.

Jimmy Palmer sat in his quiet apartment studying for an upcoming test. He was so engrossed in his textbook that he almost missed the ringing of his cell phone. He grabbed it without checking the caller ID and said, "Hello?"

"Black Lung." The voice was almost a whisper, but Palmer realized at once who it was.

"Hey man, are you okay?"

"Come over to my apartment in about an hour, we need a medical professional to give us the once over."

"You're back in town?" Palmer almost squeaked in his excitement.

"Obviously." The retort was both dry and sarcastic. "Don't tell anyone you've spoken to us until we see you. I'll contact the Boss myself, once we get checked out."

"Are you sure you don't want Dr. Mallard instead?"

"If I wanted Ducky I would have called him. As much as I love him, he's a direct pipeline to Gibbs. We're not quite ready to deal with all of that yet. Can you handle it, Black Lung?"

Jimmy puffed up a bit. He felt this absurd swell of pride that Tony had called him first. "I'll see you in an hour."

The phone went silent and Palmer quickly stood up and began to gather necessary supplies and ready himself to leave. He smiled to himself, "Yep, just call me Special Agent Palmer."

Tony walked around their apartment, taking an inventory and realizing that someone, probably one of his team, had been inside. Eve caught his eye and smirked.

"What do you want to bet that Gibbs sent Ziva over to break in and make sure I wasn't stashing you here?"

"Now that wouldn't surprise me in the least." He kept a close eye on her. Her bravado was beginning to fade slightly. At least neither of them had been sick on the trip back up. He felt the beginnings of a nasty headache, and knew that his concussion was going to rear its ugly head sooner rather than later.

He finally collapsed on the plush sofa and automatically pulled her down beside him. "Sit with me until Palmer gets here."

Eve settled against Tony's side and tucked her head against his chest. She took a deep breath and found herself relaxing as she inhaled his unique scent. "You smell good."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "It's good to be home."

She was stopped from replying by the tentative knock on the door. She roused herself and pulled the Glock from the holster resting at the small of her back. Tony watched her with wide eyes and whispered, "Put that away! It's just Palmer."

"Better safe than dead. I'll put it away when I know for sure it's just Palmer."

She stood slightly to the side of the door and opened it. Palmer walked in without checking to the side and was surprised to find a gun wielding Eve standing directly behind him. "Uh, Agent Dupree…"

"Are you alone?" She pressed the barrel of the gun to his kidney and waited for an answer.

He stammered, "Uh, um, yes. I'm alone."

She took a careful glance into the hallway before shutting the door and putting her weapon away. "Sorry for the precautions. We can't be too careful."

Palmer took a relieved breath when she put the gun away and turned to Tony. "Everyone was really worried about you. I'm glad your home. Now, let me take a look at both of you…"

An hour later Jimmy was shaking his head at their stubbornness and lamented, "You both need to rest. Broken ribs and concussions are nothing to take lightly. Are you sure I can't talk you out of whatever it is you're planning to do?"

Eve simply gave him a dead-eyed stare and shook her head no. Tony put a hand on Palmer's shoulder and gave him a friendly squeeze. "Thanks for coming over. I'll call Gibbs and let him know we're back."

"There's no need to let me know anything." The voice from the doorway startled each person. Jimmy froze in place, but Tony dropped into a defensive crouch, immediately pulling his sidearm. Eve reached for her the knife sheathed in her boot and threw it at the door in a seamless motion. She pulled her gun and trained it on the figure standing at the door, her hand steady and her gaze unwavering.

When Gibbs picked the lock and quietly swung open the door he hadn't quite been expecting the reception he ended up getting when he made his appearance known.

Monitoring Palmer's cell phone had been a particularly good idea that Abby had come up with earlier that day. She knew that Tony and Jimmy had a one time had a close friendship when Gibbs was in Mexico. She never spoke of it, but she had seen the two of them in the garage with their heads together on more than one occasion. Gibbs had been shocked when the GPS beacon in Palmers phone had made its way to Tony's address, and he had been unable to keep himself from following to see if his second was finally home.

Okay, he had known since the first day DiNozzo had introduced her to the team that she was a killer, but actually looking down the barrel of a gun with her behind it was slightly scarier than he'd anticipated. He knew that DiNozzo wouldn't shoot before seeing who it was, but Eve Dupree had no such compulsion. He just hoped that common sense would prevail before she pulled that trigger. She was thinking about it, he could see it in her eyes as she stood there, waiting for his reaction before she committed.

In retrospect, it probably hadn't been a good idea to try and sneak in. He looked at the knife that was buried in his coat sleeve. He had felt the blade brush his skin before it embedded itself in the wooden door. Somehow he knew that she had put the blade exactly where she had wanted it, close enough to worry the hell out of him, but not close enough to injure. He pulled it out and held both hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Tony immediately walked over and placed himself between his lover's gun and his boss' person. He knew that Eve would not shoot if he was in her way. He greeted the visitor, "Gibbs! It's good to see you." He rapidly turned his gaze to Eve and was relieved to see her put her weapon away. "Come on in and we'll give you a sit rep."

Gibbs walked in the room and wordlessly handed her the knife hilt first. She inclined her head in thanks and replaced it into its sheath then walked into the kitchen area to start a pot of coffee.

Palmer had sunk onto the sofa in relief that no one was dead and was waiting for Agent Gibbs to read him the riot act. Gibbs looked at him not unkindly and said, "Palmer, why don't you head back home. I believe Ducky said that you had a big test coming up tomorrow."

He nodded his thanks and stammered his good-byes before quickly taking his leave.

His departure left Gibbs alone with his Second in Command and a slightly jumpy CIA Assassin. He grasped Tony's forearm in an affectionate greeting. "You look better than the last time I saw you." His comment glossed over the fact that Eve had in fact absconded with Tony as soon as Gibbs' back had been turned.

"The rest did me a world of good. I feel much better."

Gibbs turned his laser like stare on the woman sitting beside Tony. "How about you, are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine." Her clipped response didn't fool either man, Tony knew she wasn't a hundred percent, and Gibbs could guess.

Tony turned to Gibbs to ask, "Have there been any sightings of Davis at all?"

"Nothing yet. I know you've got a plan. Where's your head at, DiNozzo?"

"We're going to very publicly step back into our lives. He wants us dead and won't be able to resist the opportunity. Once he comes after us again, we'll get him."

"Or he'll get you." Gibbs couldn't resist pointing out the flaw in this plan.

"I didn't say it was a perfect plan, but it's workable."

"What do you think about this idea?" Gibbs hoped to prevail on her protective nature.

She disappointed him when she snapped, "I hope that bastard brings it on. It's time we quit playing by his rules and made him play by ours."

Gibbs finally said, "Tony, if you do this you wear a vest at ALL times. I can't make Agent Dupree wear one, but I want you in one. The first time you deviate from that condition then don't bother coming back to work."

"Agreed. Eve?"

She shrugged her shoulders then said, "Wear one, it won't do any good if he takes a head shot, but if it makes Gibbs feel better…" Her voice trailed off, and she stood and left the room.

Gibbs indicated the woman who had just left. "What's with her?"

Tony sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, I haven't seen her like this since Colombia. Gibbs, she's ready to go to war. I think this has hit her hard because Davis was one of her own. She'll be okay; she's just a bit touchy right now."

"How are you really doing? Don't tell me 'fine' because I saw you in the hospital and I know you aren't fine."

My head hurts like hell and I've got several broken ribs. I'm as fine as I'm going to be until this asshole is arrested or dead. How are things at the office?"

"Quiet. Vance took us off rotation until your whereabouts were discovered. "

Tony gave a small smile. "It's really good to see you, Boss."

"You too, Tony, you too."

The next morning dawned overcast with snow falling. Tony and Eve woke early and readied themselves for the day ahead. Tony put on his vest under a sweater and shook his head when Eve refused one. "I can't move easily in one of those."

"I wish you'd wear one."

"It's not SOP in my line of work." They left the apartment, her bag bulging with supplies.

They drove towards NCIS in Tony's Mustang, and he noticed as soon as the late model sedan started following them. It was two cars back and never deviated from that distance.

"I see it." Was his only comment when she began to point it out. "What's the plan?"

She pulled a gun from her bag and chambered a round. "Let's see just how much he really wants us. Take the long way to work and you'd better call Gibbs and let him know we have a tail so one of them can pick him up."

He nodded and settled in to his seat ready to make the most of his defensive driving skills. He had the phone to his ear and had just made contact with Gibbs when a second car fell in behind them.

Tony inhaled deeply when he saw the addition and said, "Ah, Boss, you might want to get over here ASAP. We've definitely got a situation developing here."

Gibbs swore violently and replied, "We're on our way. Hold 'em off as long as possible before you make any contact. I want them alive. Make sure she knows that. We want them alive."

Tony glanced at Eve to see if she had overheard Gibbs' overly loud comment and was rewarded by a predatory smile.

He grimaced and had only one thought racing through his mind. "What the hell have I gotten myself into this time?"