Ethereal

Chapter 7

Tim and Tony accompanied Gibbs into work the next morning, and Tim was not surprised in the least that they (well, Gibbs, but he and Tony automatically followed) had been summoned by Vance. When they entered the Director' office, Vance was on the phone mollifying someone high up in the FBI who was obviously not happy with the situation at hand. The three of them waited patiently for Vance to finish his call, which ended with Vance placing the handset back on the phone with a little more force than necessary.

"You wanted to see me, Director?"

Vance glared at Gibbs before replying, but Tim thought he saw a slight twitch of a smile in the man's normally deadpan expression.

"Hell of a mess, Gibbs. A heads-up would have been nice."

"I had a lead. I followed it."

"Yes, and that 'lead' has produced quite a string of problems, mainly the infringement on the FBI's territory."

"Too bad they didn't tell us they were investigating sooner. Might have saved themselves some trouble."

"You and I both know that never would have happened." Gibbs just shrugged. "So as a result I've been putting out fires since the whole thing went down."

"We had probable cause, got the warrant…I'm not seeing the problem, Leon."

Vance looked like he barely managed not to roll his eyes. "The problem is how you got probable cause in the first place."

"Confidential informant."

"So you've claimed. Richardson, however, is unconvinced, and his lawyers are out for blood. They're working on a court order for us to produce said informant or face charges of unlawful surveillance." Vance gave Gibbs a small sardonic smile. "I've been giving them the run-around, but eventually we're going to have to pay the piper. I trust you will be able to produce this informant when that finally happens?"

"Workin' on it, Leon. Might take some time, though. He's not exactly a fan of lawyers."

"None of us are, Gibbs, but we all do have our preferences. Mine is not to lose this case."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You do that. Make sure your informant knows, too."

"I'm sure he already does," Gibbs replied with a smirk.

Vance was not impressed. "Then you have a week to convince him to come in. I don't think I can hold them off any longer than that."

"I think I can swing that."

"Good. See that you do."

"Will there be anything else, Director?"

Vance studied Gibbs for a moment, and Tim thought he was going ask Gibbs something else, but instead he just said, "I expect all of the paperwork for this case on my desk by the end of the work day."

"Not a problem."

"Good. Dismissed." Vance growled as he sat down in his chair and picked up top file from the stack on his desk, which he opened and started to read. Gibbs turned and walked out of the office without another word, followed by his agents.

Once they were in the elevator, Tim spoke up.

"Uh, Boss? Do you…you do have a plan, right? I mean, of course you do, but…"

"DiNozzo…"

"On it, Boss," Tony replied with a grin smacked the back of Tim's head. "I've been waiting to do that."

Tim glared at his partner before continuing. "So what is the plan?"

"Got someone who owes me a favor. Gonna call it in."

"Oh, right, of course."

"Anyone we know?"

"Rudolf Kruse."

"Rudy? Yeah, I remember him, Boss." Tony chuckled. "He didn't have the greatest taste in movies, but a good guy otherwise. You sure he'll help?"

"Like I said, he owes me a favor."

The elevator doors opened and Gibbs headed for his desk. The rest of the team was clustered around Ziva's desk and they all turned to Gibbs with questioning (and worried) expressions on their faces.

"Director wants the paperwork for this case on his desk by the end of the day."

They all seemed to accept that as Martin and Fontaine returned to their own desks as well, while Tony and Tim took their places behind Gibbs' chair. Tim looked longingly at his own computer, still wishing he could help with the case in a more tangible way, and soon his thoughts drifted to their current situation. He remembered the man Gibbs was planning on using as a cover, and while he hated to doubt the Boss, he was worried that the whole thing was going to blow up in their faces. Well, Gibbs' face, since he and Tony were well past the point of being having their jobs threatened…

He and Tony had first encountered Rudolf Kruse a couple of years ago during the course of an investigation. Kruse had been in Gibbs' unit in Kuwait, but was at least a decade older than the lead agent, and had looked every year of it. He had come to their attention when he became a suspect in the murder of another member of Gibbs' old unit. Vance had been ready to pull Gibbs' from the case due to his connections, but had finally allowed him to keep working on it after Tim had shown him concrete proof that supported Gibbs' 'gut'. The team had eventually found enough evidence to clear Kruse and had identified the true perpetrator, but the man's mistrust of all things related to law enforcement had been evident. Tim wondered if he really would be willing to help them and, based on his previous experience in dealing with the gruff ex-Marine, would believe the true reason behind Gibbs' need for help.

The team completed their work well before the deadline, and just when it looked like they'd be allowed to go home early, Gibbs' phone rang, signaling the start of a new case. Gibbs sent Fontaine and Martin to gas up the truck while he and Ziva went to inform Ducky and Palmer their assistance was required as well.

Gibbs took one of the agency sedans for himself, but Ziva asked if she could join him, so Tony and Tim took their spots in the back seat. They drove out of the Yard in silence.

"Something on your mind, Ziva?" Gibbs finally asked.

"I was wondering…how you are doing."

"Why?"

Tim could not see her face, but he had heard that tone before and could imagine her expression.

"I know…I know how much you cared about Tony, and McGee. You have suffered many losses, and—"

"I'm fine, Ziver." His head turned slightly towards her. "You?"

She gave a shaky laugh. "No. Not really. Sometimes…sometimes I still expect them to come walking into the bullpen, bickering with each other. Sometimes I feel like I can still hear them." Tony and Tim exchanged worried glances. "But I cannot. I miss them, Gibbs."

"We all do, Ziver," Gibbs replied, his voice gentle.

"But we must accept it. I realize, the work cannot stop, but…would it be so bad, to just acknowledge what you must be feeling?"

Gibbs was silent, and Tim's gaze flicked back and forth between Gibbs and Tony, wondering which would break first.

"We can cover ours ears if you want, Boss."

Gibbs sent Tony a dirty look in the rear view mirror. "What do you want me to say, Ziva?"

"Just tell me why you have accepted their deaths so quickly. One moment we were still searching for them and the next…you decided that they were gone. You believed it. Why?"

"Sometimes you just know."

Ziva huffed in annoyance. "That is it? You gave up on them because—"

"I didn't give up. You know I wouldn't do that, Ziva."

"Then what happened?"

Tim and Tony waited, wondering how much Gibbs would reveal.

"They wouldn't have just left, Ziva. Not without a damn good reason."

"And that reason was…?"

Gibbs sighed. "That last night, after we had been searching…I knew. Like I knew with Shannon and Kelly. I recognized that feeling."

Ziva was silent for a few moments. "I am sorry, Gibbs. I should have realized…"

"It's OK, Ziver. Wish it wasn't like that, but it is."

"I…understand."

Gibbs reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder before returning his hand to the wheel. They drove the rest of the way to the crime scene in silence.

After they arrived and Gibbs had assigned the rest of the team their tasks, Tony finally asked the question Tim had wanted to ask since the conversation in the car.

"Why didn't you tell her, Boss? About us?"

Gibbs watched his team move out of sight before answering.

"Figured she's got enough ghosts in her life, Tony. She doesn't need any more."

XXX

It was almost midnight when the team returned to the Yard, and Gibbs sent his team home, although he ordered them to be in by 0700 the next morning. Tony asked Gibbs is he was going to contact Kruse tonight, but Gibbs just rolled his eyes and muttered that even he needed sleep sometimes.

When Gibbs started to leave Tony followed him to the elevator but Tim remained in the bullpen. Tony noticed his absence and turned to see him staring at his desk.

"You coming?"

"I think I'll stay here tonight."

"Need company?"

Tim gave him a weak smile. "That's OK. I need a little alone time, that's all."

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing, Tony. I promise I'll be here when you return tomorrow morning."

"I'm holding you to that," he called as he joined Gibbs on the elevator. Once the doors closed Tim returned his attention to his desk. Yes, his desk. He still thought of it that way, despite the fact that another agent occupied it during work hours.

Guess Ziva isn't the only one having trouble with letting go…

Standing by and watching while the new team processed the crime scene had been more difficult than he expected. Several times he had caught himself starting to correct Martin or offer him advice, only to remember that it was a useless exercise. The new probie would have to learn on his own or suffer the wrath of Gibbs. He didn't even have Tony to help him along, Tim mused and then smiled. He knew how much the older man had influenced him, even if he wasn't likely to tell Tony that.

While he was at the crime scene, Tim had gone over the searches in his mind that would be needed when the team returned. Some of them were relatively simple, but there was one trick that Tim was fairly sure Martin didn't know about. Maybe…

Tim walked over to his old desk and sat down in front of the computer, wondering if he could actually do what he wanted. He was careful not to move the chair any before he sat down, just in case someone was watching, and he very carefully willed the keys to depress under his fingers as he started the search. Martin had changed some settings and installed a few security measures but Tim easily bypassed them and soon got lost in the data scrolling down his screen. Finally the answer he was looking for popped up and he grinned. He quickly copied the information to an email, sent it to Gibbs, and then erased all signs of his presence on the computer. Satisfied and more than a little delighted that he had been able help on a case in a tangible way, Tim carefully rose from the chair and walked back over to Gibbs' desk. Gibbs' had left the word program open, so Tim typed check your email before settling down into Gibbs' chair.

Soon the rush brought on by the search faded and boredom took over. Tim checked Gibbs' computer to see if by some remote chance there were any games on it and was not completely surprised to find Minesweeper. He played a few rounds of that before wandering over to Tony's old desk. Fontaine hadn't installed any security on her computer, so Tim searched until he found the games file. He was surprised to find Tony's old games still in place (he briefly wondered if someone in cybercrimes actually had a sense of humor and had left them there) and he started to play.

The next time Tim looked up he saw that it was starting to get light out. Surprised that he had been occupied for that long, and had also remained undisturbed, he got to his feet and stretched. He didn't experience the normal sensation of the exercise, but old habits were old habits.

He walked over to the window and watched the world outside brighten and fade into view, and he was still standing there an hour later when Gibbs and Tony arrived.

"McGee! How was your 'alone time'?"

Tim turned and smiled when he saw Tony bounding toward him. "Productive."

"Oh yeah, how?"

"Boss," he turned and saw Gibbs was already reading his message. "Did you get it?"

"Get what?" Tony asked, but Gibbs just gave a slight nod as he started to read through the data Tim had sent. "Hacking? That was your alone time?"

"I wasn't hacking, Tony, just…using a protocol that I wasn't sure Martin would know about."

"Old habits die hard." Tim just looked at him and Tony started laughing. "Sorry, but have to admit—" Tim had already caught Gibbs' gesture and gave Tony's head a smack. The older man winced and gave him a dirty look. Gibbs just smirked and picked up his phone's headset to call the first lead on Tim's list.

By the time the rest of the team arrived, Gibbs had tasks for all of them. He was in the middle of telling Ziva and Fontaine who to go question when a startled exclamation drew everyone's attention to the youngest agent.

"What?" Gibbs barked and Martin stammered a bit as he tried to explain.

"S-someone's been using my computer. Was it you?" he asked Fontaine, and she chuckled.

"Why would I use yours when I have my own? And how do you know someone else has been using it?"

"There are some things out of place. I know I left them a certain way last night…"

"We were all tired last night, Martin. Maybe you just forgot," Ziva replied.

"No, I didn't. I have a very specific routine, and—"

"You didn't follow it. It happens," said Gibbs, the tone of his voice telling the younger man to drop it.

"But I…I wouldn't have done that, Gibbs. I'm sure of it."

Fontaine grinned. "Well then maybe the spirit of Agent McGee got bored and decided to play around on his old computer. You know, for old time's sake."

"That's really not funny, Rayna…"

"Neither is unemployment," Gibbs growled. Fontaine's grin vanished and a bit of color rose in her cheeks.

"Sorry, Agent Gibbs. That was inappropriate."

Gibbs gave her a 'ya think' look before finishing giving the assignments. Ziva and Fontaine left as Martin was still fussing over his computer and Gibbs headed for the elevator. Once they were inside, Gibbs spoke.

"McGee?"

"Boss?"

"Next time, use my computer."

"Yes, Boss."

XXX

After getting an update on their current case from both Ducky and Abby, Gibbs decided it was time to deal with the problem from the previous case. He went back to his desk and checked through his rolodex for the number before heading out to make the call. The phone rang several times before a whiskey-roughened voice answered.

"What?"

"Kruse? It's Gibbs."

"Gunny. Why the hell are you calling so early?"

"Need a favor."

Gibbs heard a deep chuckle. "Finally calling in your marker, huh? What do you need?"

"Need to talk. Got a place we can meet?"

"Yeah, yeah. You know that little diner under the overpass on 8th street?"

"Yep."

"Be there in an hour. You're buying."

"Got it. See you then." He snapped the phone shut and started walking back towards the building.

"What did he say, Boss?"

Gibbs chuckled softly. He still hadn't completely gotten used to hearing a voice out of nowhere.

"Meeting him in an hour, Tony. You two can tag along if you want."

"You got it, Boss."

After returning to his desk and making a few more calls, Gibbs told Martin he was heading out to check on a lead and made the trip to the diner. When he arrived and went inside, he checked the area and saw Kruse sitting at the back of the dining room, coffee cup in front of him on the table. The man looked a bit worse for wear, but he raised his head as soon as the door opened and appraised Gibbs with clear eyes before raising his mug in greeting.

Gibbs approached the booth and offered his hand, which Kruse shook without comment. After he was seated Kruse gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Long time, no see, Gunny. How you been?"

"Managing."

"Yeah, I hear ya. Heard what happened to your agents. DiNozzo and McGee, right? Hell of a thing. They ever find out what happened?"

"No." Before he could elaborate the waitress approached to take his order. Once she was gone, Kruse sat back to study him.

"You're at peace with it, though, aren't you? That fire you usually have when a case is open ain't there this time."

"Yeah. I have to be."

Kruse nodded. "So what do you need?"

"Got a case, drug related. Made a bust based on information from an informant."

"Yeah, that happens. Why do you need me?"

"Perp's lawyers want to talk to my informant and there's no way he'll be able to meet with them."

"So, what, you need someone to pose as your informant?" Gibbs smirked. Kruse had always been more on the ball than he appeared.

"It would help."

"Gunny, need I remind you that the only person that hates lawyers more than you is me? No way in hell I'm going anywhere near a bunch of overpaid jackasses."

"And if you don't, another overpaid jackass will walk."

"Perp's a lawyer?" Gibbs nodded. "Hell, Gunny, what kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?"

"One you can help me with, Rudy."

"If I was so inclined, which I'm not. What can't your informant come in?"

"That's…a long story."

Kruse snorted. "You really didn't have an informant, did you Gunny? And now you're just covering your ass. I know you've straddled that line before, between what's legal and doing what needs to be done. Now it looks like it's come back to haunt you."

"One way of putting it."

This time Kruse laughed out loud. "Yeah, I'll bet." He thought for a moment and then grinned. "Tell you what, Gibbs: you get DiNozzo and McGee to talk me into it, and I'll do it."

"Challenge accepted," said Tony from behind Gibbs and he heard McGee groan.

"Tony…" They started to bicker and Gibbs barely managed not to roll his eyes.

"That your final decision?" Gibbs asked Kruse, ignore the discord behind him.

Kruse laughed again. "I don't believe in ghosts, Gunny. But if I'm convinced otherwise, yeah. I'll do it. Not expecting that to happen, though."

"OK." Gibbs pulled a few bills from his wallet and tossed them on the table. "I'll get my breakfast to go. See you around, Rudy."

"See ya, Gibbs."

Gibbs took care of his breakfast order, paid, and left the diner, the sounds of the two former agents arguing following him. When he reached his car he decided to end the argument.

"Hey!" Both voices immediately went silent. "Let's go."

After they were in the car and headed back to the Yard, Tim spoke.

"Boss, you're not seriously considering…"

"You heard what he said, McGee. Think you two can convince him?"

"On it, Boss," Tony replied and Gibbs could almost imagine the wicked grin the agent undoubtedly was wearing.

"I…" He heard Tim sigh. "Yes, Boss."

"Yes!"

Gibbs just shook his head and managed to hide a smile. His life was definitely interesting…

XXX

After Gibbs had dropped them off a couple of blocks away, Tony and Tim walked to Kruse's house and stopped outside to survey the structure. Tony only needed a few moments of consideration before he started up the front steps. When he reached the front door he turned to Tim, only to find that his partner was still standing on the sidewalk.

"What are you waiting for, Tim? We've got a job to do."

Tim sighed. "I can't believe we're actually going to haunt someone. I feel ridiculous."

"Well, you are a ghost, McPoltergeist. This should come naturally."

Tim smirked. "To some of us."

Tony shot him a dirty look. Even though Tim had worked with him and he had really put effort into learning, he still hadn't managed to be able to move objects as well as his partner. He could move small things and knock larger items over, but throwing and carrying (and yes, typing) evaded him.

"Whatever. Come on."

Tim soon joined him on the porch and they walked through the front door and into a small foyer with stairs leading to the second floor. The interior of the house was plain but clean and it remind Tony of Gibbs' place. There wasn't a lot of furniture but the pieces he could see as he looked through the first doorway into the living room had ceased to be fashionable a couple of decades ago. One wall of the room was lined with free-standing bookshelves and a large lazy-boy recliner sat in one corner. A rather nice home theater system covered most of the opposite wall. They noticed light shining through an open door further down the hall and the two men walked over to examine the doorway. It led to a kitchen, in which Kruse stood in front of an ugly green stove, stirring a pot of something that smelled rather unappetizing.

"So now what?" Tim asked. Kruse did not seem to hear him.

Tony considered the question. "I wonder if he has a computer you can use to send him a message."

"I'll check." Tim disappeared through another doorway as Tony watched Kruse stir his dinner and occasionally take a sip from the bottle of beer he held in his other hand. A few minutes later Tim returned.

"No computer, but he does have an old typewriter upstairs in a spare bedroom. Doesn't look like it's been used for a while, though."

"Great. Any paper?"

"Yeah, a few sheets." Tim raised an eyebrow. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"Yep. Get to work, McTypist."

"Might be more effective if he actually saw me typing, you know."

"He can't see you at all."

"You know what I mean. We need to get him upstairs. I don't want to have to wait until his bedtime, either."

"Yeah, Gibbs is waiting." He glanced around and his eyes lit upon an old umbrella standing near the front door. "There. Knock that over. That should get his attention at least."

"You do it. You need the practice."

"Fine." He walked over to it, concentrated, and managed to tip it over. It hit the floor with a thunk, which brought Kruse out of the kitchen.

"Who's there?" He looked around and saw the umbrella on the floor, which caused him to let out a snort of laughter. "Gotta do better than that, Gibbs." He checked the rest of the house inside before making a circuit of the property. Tony followed, just to make sure he wasn't going to run off on them. Kruse finally returned to the front door and shut it before double-bolting it and sliding the chain in place. He then returned to the kitchen and cursed loudly when he found that his dinner was a bit scorched.

After removing the edible portion of his dinner from the pan and putting it on a plate, Kruse headed for the living room. He set the plate on the stand next to the chair before flopping into the recliner and pulling the lever to raise the footrest. He grabbed the remote, flipped on the TV and scanned through a few channels before settling on the classic movie channel.

"Rebecca. Good choice." Tony grinned wickedly. "And appropriate."

"Why?"

Tony sighed. "I really hope it's not too late to improve your movie education, McGee."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure we have time, but not right now. Come on, Tony, let's just get this over with.

"Fine." He walked over to the bookshelf behind Kruse and scanned the titles. He found a copy of Clear and Present Danger and focused on pulling it off the shelf. Finally he managed and the book fell to the floor with a thump. Kruse turned his head at the sound, a puzzled look on his face.

"The hell was that?"

He got up and searched the area behind him, and when he discovered the book on the floor his frown deepened before he leaned over to retrieve the book. Before he touched it, Tony kicked it across the room. Kruse jumped back with a gasp, his eyes wide. Cautiously he approached the book again, but Tim reached it first and slid it out into the hallway to the base of the stairs. Kruse swore in surprise and looked around.

"Alright, Gibbs, enough is enough. Got more tricks than I thought, Gunny." He crouched down and started checking the bookcase and floor, probably for wires or something, Tony guessed. He resisted the temptation to kick the guy in the butt. Barely.

Finding nothing, Kruse returned to the hallway and approached the book again. This time Tim picked it up and tossed it up the steps where it landed about halfway up. Kruse stopped and looked around, noticeably shaking. After a few deep breaths he started up the stairs after the book but Tim made it past him and tossed the book again. It landed on the top step.

Kruse froze, staring at the book, before he shook his head. "This is crazy." He checked the stair where the book had been only moments before. "Not funny, Gibbs. How are you doing this?" He cautiously climbed the stairs the rest of the way, but this time Tony got there first and slid the book down the hall to the spare room. As Kruse watched, Tim pushed the door open and Tony kicked the book into the room. He stared, open-mouthed, as the chair in front of the desk was moved.

"Holy…"

"Now do you believe in ghosts?" Tony snarked as Kruse walked past him and into the room, still wide-eyed and silent. Tim sat in the chair and turned to the typewriter where he began to slowly press the keys. Tony leaned over Kruse's shoulder to read what was being printed on the paper.

Gibbs needs your help. Do what he asks. Please. – McGee

Kruse let out a shaky laugh. "Well I'll be damned… Where's your partner, Agent McGee?"

Tim looked over his shoulder and Tony saw a wicked grin cross the younger man's face before he turned back to the typewriter.

Behind you.

Kruse spun around and his eyes flicked back and forth, looking for something he'd never be able to see. Tony casually walked over and pushed the door shut. Kruse backed away and bumped the chair, only to spin around again as he realized what he had done.

"S-sorry."

No problem, Tim typed, and Tony grinned.

"W-what…what does Gibbs need me to do?"

And Tim told him.

XXX

Gibbs waited silently in his car, parked a few blocked from Kruse's house. He had no idea if the boys would be successful, considering how well he knew Kruse, but considering how well he knew the two men he was sure they'd give it their best shot.

He'd been waiting for almost an hour when his cell phone rang. He checked the number and a smile crossed his face as he answered.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Must be nice, that level of loyalty. Didn't even stop after death."

Gibbs chuckled. "You willing to help?"

"A deal is a deal, Gunny."

"Expect to see you at the Yard at 0800, Marine."

Kruse laughed. "I'll be there." A pause. "This better be the only time, Gibbs."

"Don't worry. It will be."

Kruse hung up and Gibbs let out a small sigh of relief. He'd definitely have to be more careful in the future.

"Mission accomplished, Boss." Tony's voice declared.

"I noticed."

"He's going to cooperate, right?"

"So he says, McGee."

"Good. I'm not looking forward to doing anything like that again."

"Aw, you liked it, McSpooky. Admit it."

Tim said nothing and Gibbs grinned as he put his car in gear and headed home.


A/N: Three more chapters to go.