Not beta'd; standard disclaimer applies.
ENGAGING, PART 9
"Is everything all right?" Ziva asked, causing Tony to look up to see who she was talking to.
"Hey, Fornell, glad you're back," he said, pausing midstep when the Feeb's gaze turned to him. "Uh, I'm guessing everything is not all right and that you're mad at me for some reason."
Fornell approached Tony, until the two stood chest to chest, meeting the younger agent's eyes, Fornell ordered, "You stay away from Alexandria. No more dinners, no phone conversations, no texts, nothing! And no more nicknames!" The last command almost shouted. "You hear me?"
"Ah, yeah, I hear you," Tony replied, exchanging confused looks with Ziva.
"You know Lexi?" Ziva injected, hoping to find out what was going on.
"She's my daughter," he answered, his gaze still locked on Tony. Satisfaction settled in when the younger agent paled.
"You're the deadbeat dad?" Tony said automatically, taking a step back when Fornell growled.
"Sorry!" Tony apologized, not caring if he was breaking rule 6.
"Call her," he hissed. "Call her and tell her that you want nothing more to do with her, ever."
"I, uh,"
"What?" Fornell said, spying Tony's phone on his desk and picking it up to hand to him. "Call her."
"I, uh, don't have her number," he admitted.
"What, did you already move on to your next girlfriend?" Fornell spat.
"She's not my girlfriend," Tony protested.
"Does she know that? Is this all a game to you? She's with another guy when you meet her, so you have to prove to yourself that your better than him by getting her to break up with him to see you. What was all that about marriage, then? Just a way to 'win' the game? You make me sick," Fornell hissed.
"I h-" Tony began, trying to explain, only to fall silent when Fornell glared at him again. If he didn't know better, he would think Fornell had taken glaring lessons from Gibbs. Then again, who knows what those two men did.
"I would like nothing better than to shoot you right now." Fornell whispered as he leaned closer to Tony. "Unfortunately, there are too many witnesses here. I suggest you do as I say or else be very careful," he threatened.
Ziva broke out of her trance like state. She had been mesmerized, and a bit entertained, by the scene before her, at least until the threats came. "Fornell,"
"Don't bother defending him," Fornell interrupted. "He's not worth it."
"I know," Ziva replied, "But I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere."
"Really?" Fornell asked sarcastically, "So he didn't make a play for her with her boyfriend right next to him? They didn't have dinner last week? He didn't create an internet account asking me for permission to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage? He didn't cancel on us at the last minute last night?"
"No, well, no to half of those," Ziva admitted. "He did the first two, but not the latter. He's not engaged to Lexi."
"You better believe he's not," Fornell agreed. "And he never will be."
"Tim!" Tony said loudly, finally finding his voice again, "Tim!"
"McGee can't help you now."
"No, it's Tim that's seeing Se-Lexi. Tim! Not me," Tony replied.
Fornell paused at this bit of information, "What?"
"That is what I was trying to say," Ziva rolled her eyes. "There has been a misunderstanding."
"You were taking too long," Tony mumbled. "I could've been dead by the time you said it."
"McGee?" Fornell repeated, finally stepping away from Tony, who collapsed in his chair in relief. "McGee is T?"
The other agents exchanged looks, wondering why Fornell was so obsessed with tea.
"Er, Tim is engaged to Lexi, or rather," Ziva clarified, "Hopes to be."
"Tim," Tobias repeated. He turned to Tony, "But you came on to her, had dinner with her last week," he began.
Tony swallowed, "Uh, that was the first time I met her. Tim wouldn't introduce her to any of us, so I followed him one night when he left here. He knew that I was there and pulled into a restaurant where we talked and had a beer. Lexi came in, Tim couldn't take his eyes off of her. She noticed and approached our table, with Tim being almost engaged, I tried to pi-I tried to start a conversation with her," Tony corrected, remembering who he was talking to. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered she was Probie's kinda fiancee."
"McGee." Fornell repeated.
"Yes, McGee," Ziva repeated impatiently.
Tobias looked around, "Where is McGee?"
"With Gibbs," Tony replied, standing up to face Fornell again. There was no way he was going to let the Feeb intimidate his Probie and try to steal his happiness.
"Uh, not anymore," Ziva corrected, nodding to the figure approaching them.
11-12-18
