Thanks to my wonderful beta Kristen!

Chapter 7: The Arrival of Charlie

The elevator doors dinged open yet again, and Ziva David watched as Charlie stepped out.

The CIA agent looked as handsome as ever, although his eyes were guarded. Her former running partner and Lily's current work partner was carrying a black rucksack. He hurried over to the others.

Ziva watched as his gaze raked over Jenny and knew what he must be thinking. His partner had managed to talk herself into becoming a hostage, while Jenny was covered in now dry blood. Lily was somewhere he could not help her, even if he was urgently needed. He could no longer watch his partner's back.

Jenny appeared to be over the worst of her ordeal, but the Israeli had noticed the subtle shaking of her hands and the way her eyes were darting about everywhere. The redhead was definitely nervous and off kilter. She seemed to be fighting the urge to run out and not come back.

Charlie sidled up to her and held the rucksack out. She took it from his hand without even looking at him.

"Found it in the trunk of Lily's car," he told her. "Heard about what happened."

Jenny scrunched up her forehead. "How?"

"She taught me well."

The redhead stared at him, her expression vacant.

"And my boss gave me a phone call that almost deafened me. I swear Arbourne forgets he's not a SEAL anymore."

"I know an ex-marine who's like that."

"Don't let Arbourne hear you say that," he warned. "I can hear him now. 'There's no such thing as an ex-marine.'"

"Are all ex-military guys the same?" Jenny wondered aloud. "Maybe they clone them or something."

Charlie stared at her for a few seconds. "You might want to get changed," he offered finally. "I can burn your shirt."

She shook her head, lost in thought. "The shirt stays." She handed him the bag back, without looking at him again. "But I'll go and wash my hands." She stared at them, dried blood coating every inch.

Charlie appeared to be on the verge of slapping her. "Don't look at them," he muttered. "Wash them, and your face too. You've got a few streaks on there."

Jenny was surprised at that. "I have?"

He took her arms gently and steered her towards the bathrooms. "Wash. Relax. If I see you back out here in the next ten minutes…"

"You'll do what?" She didn't move.

"I'll set Loius on you."

The redhead walked towards the bathrooms. Clearly, she knew who Loius was.

"Who is Loius?" Tony inquired.

"Loius Arbourne, my boss," Charlie grinned. "You think Gibbs is bad?"

"Loius?" McGee considered it. "You mean 'Louis'."

Charlie's grin widened. "I mean 'Loius'. His mother was dyslexic. Lily's the only one who dares to wind him up over it."

"I bet he loves that." Tony sounded amused. Ziva agreed; it sounded very much like Lily.

"Tell me about it," Charlie chuckled. "Last time she did that, I could hear him chewing her out from the ground floor. Some Probie hit the fire alarm in panic. Arbourne continued his tirade during the evacuation and outside. You know what she said to him when he finished? 'Sorry, I was thinking about what to cook for dinner. Could you repeat that?'"


Cynthia watched as Gilman struggled to stay in control of his frustration.

Jenny and Lily had played a smart game. They had forced him to give up the more valuable asset, leaving him little to bargain with. On top of that, Agent Gibbs was now able to receive medical treatment, something he had clearly needed urgently if the blood on the carpet was any suggestion.

Regrettably, their game had angered Gilman. They were still hostages, and needed some food and water soon. The techs normally kept a small supply under their workstations. They were not supposed to, but it was useful if an important call came through when they were about to go on a break. The Director had never discouraged it.

Lily was still sipping her coffee, which had to be very cold by now.

Cynthia had known about Jenny's sister, but hadn't been aware that they were identical twins. Somehow they were dressed the same, although Jenny's shirt was currently ruined. Cynthia wondered if they had ever swapped places before, and concluded that they probably had. She was not annoyed, but secretly pleased. Hopefully Jenny had someone else to confide in.

She was also able to venture a guess as to why Jenny always received a bouquet of lilies on her birthday. Lily and lilies. Not much of a leap there.

Lily seemed amazingly calm. None of the threats Gilman had made to her appeared to have penetrated. The CIA agent did not seem to mind if everyone was killed, although Cynthia doubted this was the case.

Or rather, she hoped it was not the case. She wanted to get out alive.

"I swear I will kill someone if you do not unseal this room," Gilman repeated coldly.

"For the last time," Lily answered. "Jenny will have changed the codes by now, so even if I did know how to, I cannot unseal this room."

"Why did you come in here on such a futile mission?"

"Because it's my job?" Lily suggested. "Because I don't like leaving innocent people to die if I can help it? Because I honestly don't care if you put a bullet in my head? What answer would you prefer?"

His response was to hit her in the same place he had previously hit Jenny, in her right eye. Like Jenny, Lily did not react to it.

"Is that really the worst you can do?" she taunted.

Gilman stared at her briefly, obviously not expecting anyone to answer him back. "I wonder what I can trade for you," he finally spoke up. "Surely your sister would not want to see you dead."

Lily smiled, a sad smile. "My sister wouldn't care. She would act for the greater good, and right now that consists of not letting you make a call."


Ziva David followed her friend into the bathroom. The redhead had left the squad room five minutes ago, and Charlie was starting to panic that she would emerge early.

Quite why Jenny needed to spend at least ten minutes in the bathroom was beyond Ziva. She was aware that most women liked to take their time and sometimes gossip with their friends, but Jenny only needed to wash her hands. They might be covered in blood, but it should not take ten minutes.

Jenny might need some time alone to recover from what had happened though, the Israeli conceded. She had been in a highly stressful situation, with Gibbs' life in her hands. She seemed in shock.

The sight that greeted her as she opened the door was unnerving. The bathroom was empty, as she had expected, save for the redhead. Jenny stood at the nearest sink, fresh tears on her face. Her hands were under a flow of water, and they were still shaking.

Ziva moved to her side, not saying a word. Instead, she placed her own hands on her friend's shoulders. Jenny visibly pulled herself back together and managed a weak smile.

"Shouldn't you be in the squad room?" the redhead asked.

"You are more important right now," Ziva replied.

She stayed where she was as Jenny finished washing her hands, before using the mirror to help her wipe the streaks of blood from her face. "I haven't looked this bad in years," the redhead commented.

Ziva laughed. "I cannot imagine you ever looking like this before," she admitted.

The redhead smiled. "When we had just turned teenagers, my sister thought it would be extremely amusing to throw a tub of red paint over my head as I walked down our hallway. Unfortunately, she'd picked some weird type of paint that refused to come out of either the floor or me. When my father came home…" She tailed off.

Ziva understood why. Her sister had murdered her father in front of Jenny, and now was not the best time to be dwelling on it. She decided to change the topic. "You knew this was coming."

Jenny looked up, trying to follow. "Ah, yes, I knew he was going to take over MTAC. Both of us did. But knowing about it is not the same as being able to stop it. You must have learnt that by now." She turned the tap off and started to dry her hands on a paper towel.

"Are you worried about Gibbs?"

The redhead considered this for a moment. "Objectively, I know my worry or lack of it is not going to change a damn thing. In reality, I'm worried. I'd like nothing better than to get in my car, race to Bethesda and sit by his side until he wakes."

"There are other things to focus on right now."

"Like a hostage situation, like my pig-headed sister getting caught up in it."

Ziva nodded. "Gibbs will be fine. He will pull through, if only to come back here and kick Gilman's butt."

Jenny laughed.

"Is that the right term?"

The Director patted Ziva's arm. "It's the right term, but I'm afraid there's going to be quite a queue to get to Mr. Gilman."