Chapter 10: Attitude
Eli David stills his hand to answer his telephone.
"Director David, this is Director Shepard." She bounces back and forth between addressing the agency she is from or just waiting.
"NCIS." He says clearly into the phone. "How can I help you?"
"I would like to speak to Ziva David…" Her voice is professional, but the hopefulness behind it can be read even through the phone.
"Ziva can not be reached."
"Was she sent back to the states?"
"No. Her Liaison status was terminated." His tone is gruff. "She's in a secluded region following through with her appointed duties."
"You haven't sent her to kill again, have you Eli?" The Director tries to control her own emotions, but she is having a hard time. "Here we taught her how to be a proper investigator."
"As you did--but she stripped herself of that. She returned to Mossad with intentions to continue with what she started with."
"Does that make you feel good?"
"I've trained my children to follow the way of Mossad. Ziva is the only one left. She has failed me once and now she has returned to make her father proud." He slows his speech. "It makes me proud."
"If she dies--it's her blood on your hands."
"As expected." It hardly phases him. "Yet her blood is my blood--I find nothing wrong with that."
"Could I possibly have her coordinates?" She tries to change the subject. "It is important I speak with her."
"I've already told you--she can't be reached."
"Right…" Her tone is of disbelief.
"I should warn you Director, our rules and regulations differ from yours. I'd hate to have to have some of my Agents stop some of your Agents at the gates. Stay right where you are."
"Are you threatening me, Director David?"
"Warning you." He corrects her before he hangs up his phone.
His eyes travel with his moving partner as if he is ready to pounce on his prey. McGee feels a pair of eyes on him and turns to look over his shoulder.
"What?" He asks DiNozzo, his tone slightly hitched.
"Don't let Abby get to you." He says in a warning tone. "If she persists--and believe me, she will, continue to deny it. Tell her you're gay if you have to."
"I'm not gay!" McGee gets angry. "You worry about yourself. I'm not the one who can't keep their mouths shut."
"I can keep my mouth shut, I just choose not to."
"Well once in a while I wish you'd spare me."
"Once in a while I wish you'd disappear--but my wishes have gone overlooked." He stands from his desk. "Any sign of Gibbs?"
"I just got here."
"True…" He takes a quick sweep of their work stations. "Think he'll ask about a replacement?"
"Probably. He's been harping about it enough."
"Doesn't that peg you as being just a tad bit strange?" Tony lingers by McGee's desk. "Normally he would be content with just the two of us."
"How would you know?"
"When Kate…passed, it was only the three of us until Ziva showed up--and even then he treated her like she was the gum on the bottom of his shoe."
"Gibbs does that." McGee shrugs. "You guys did the same thing to me when I was new."
"We did not."
"Oh please Tony, yes you did. Gibbs not so much, but in reality he let you carry on therefore he's just as guilty."
"Yeah--well, don't expect our guilt to eat us up inside…" Tony wanders away from McGee and rolls his eyes when his back finally turned.
"I saw that."
"Wow Probie, you're on fire this morning. Care to share just which bug crawled up your ass this morning?"
"Shut the hell up, Tony. I'm so sick of your shit." McGee jabs his computer's 'on' button, but does not sit down.
"Whoa there Probie…this is too weird. Are we in the Twilight Zone?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not the one that often travels there."
"What the hell's your problem?" Tony knits his eyebrows.
McGee gives him a dark look--one Tony has never seen on his face ever before. Sitting down, McGee begins to check his email.
"Hello--I'm talking to you McCrabby."
"It was your job to secure the warehouse." McGee states.
"And secure it I did…" He sees McGee's doubt clear as the sun that is creeping through the large windows. "Are you saying it's my fault they were held captive?"
McGee shrugs. "It's possible." He sees Tony about to make an advance towards him, so he stands to better his point. "I told you to quit playing around--to quit chattering on. To stick to the task at hand and instead you ignored me."
"Sorry Probie, but I'm a pro in my line of work. I'm the master of what I do."
"Really? Because the last time I checked Gibbs was our Team Leader." He stands his ground. "What if you just screwed up? It happens."
"I didn't fuck up, Probie." Tony's features become angry.
"It's possible."
"No. It. Is. Not." He turns away and storms over to the elevator doors.
McGee exhales slowly and feels the tension drain from his body. He does not feel better, but a weight has been lifted.
Gibbs stands by an empty metal table. His palms are pressed flat against the cold surface.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Yeah, Duck--I got nothing else to listen to at the moment." His tone grumpy.
"This is serious, Jethro."
"Oh, I know…" Gibbs swallows as he pulls out the note from the inside of his pants pocket. "And it just got even more serious…"
Ducky takes the note and reads the simple scribbles on it. "Did you write this?"
"You'd think with my name on it…" He watches Ducky's eyes grow intense. "I wrote one just like it, but this was forged."
"Anthony let his curiosity take him to the next level."
"Uh huh…" Gibbs removes his hands from the table and rubs them together slowly as a way to warm them. "What'll I do now, Duck?"
"The last time I gave you advice you butchered it better than the street corner deli." Ducky hands him the note. "I'm afraid you are on your own, Jethro."
"I haven't got anyone else to talk to!" His voice raises.
"Ziva's an option." Gibbs rolls his eyes. "If you would have gone this route in the first place, this wouldn't have escalated."
"Thought you weren't gonna give me advice."
"I stand corrected." Ducky's voice is almost careless. "There's no use in speaking to you, Jethro. You're treating this like every other tragedy in your life."
"It's practical."
"But it isn't logical!" He slams his stack of papers on top of the empty table to emphasize his point.
"Thanks, Duck." Gibbs is insincere.
He turns quickly and exit's. Ducky leans against the table; his expression flashes with depression.
Lior crawls skillfully on his stomach. Ziva, his newly appointed partner, leads in front of him. After several minutes, she forces herself into a sitting position and carefully lowers herself into the bunker. In a matter of seconds they both scan the area with their weapons drawn.
"It is safe." She tells him.
"That's what we thought last time." He mentions their previous bunker, which had recently been blown away by a sudden surprise.
"It is all we have now." She throws her knapsack into the wall farthest from the opening they came through. "We sleep here. Tomorrow we look for resources."
"If there is a tomorrow…" He corrects her casually before throwing his bag next to hers.
Lior shifts in his sleep. A sudden click of metal makes his eyes open quickly. He hurriedly sits up and presses his back against the wall."
"It is fine." Ziva says easily.
He takes notice to her posture and what she is doing. The small bristled brush rubs against a piece of her gun.
"Is there a reason for this?"
"It relaxes me." She smiles as a warm thought enters her mind.
"What is it?"
"You've reminded me of someone…" Her smile falls when reality sinks in.
"Someone special?" He threads lightly, but threads just the same. "A significant other?"
"A friend." She pushes the brush against an area of her gun once again.
"How so?" He fishes for his canteen, but does not drink the bit of water that is left.
"He once asked me why I did this…we were on a case…undercover…" She remembers being stuck under the covers with Tony for a few nights. "I told him it relaxed me."
"Case?"
She sighs.
"You do not need to explain." He assures her. "Sometimes it is best to keep things to yourself."
Her hands still and she closes her eyes…
"Nobody has to know."
"Nobody will know."
"I agree." She says once her eyes open and she continues to clean her gun.
McGee's attention flickers to the elevator. He hopes it is Tony, but instead he sees Gibbs fly around the corner with a fresh, steaming cup of coffee.
"Morning." He mutters.
"Anything the matter, McGee?" Gibbs watches his Agent shake his head. "Where's Tony?"
"Don't know." His lips are tight. "Maybe he took the day off."
"He had better not." Gibbs finds the seat at his desk. "Find a replacement, yet?"
"No." He answers; his eye contact still lingers on his computer screen. "You'd get a better answer asking Tony."
"What's that mean?" Gibbs stills his fingers as they hover over his keyboard.
"You left him in charge, didn't you? I'm just his little helper. His Probie." The end of McGee's state is a scoff. He looks to Gibbs. "Sorry--I shouldn't have said that."
"Something bothering you?"
"…No…just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, I guess, boss." McGee pushes his own feelings aside. "What are we working on?"
"Dead Marine. Found at his home. Call Ducky, I'll get the truck."
McGee nods and does what he is told.
Small, white, puffy flakes linger in the whipping air. It probably will not amount to anything, but stranger things have happened in the winter months.
The level of the NCIS building that could possibly be known as Team Gibbs' floor is quiet and cold. The usual warmth that is created by the people that occupy it and their glow-y, moody setting lights does not exist.
Inside the four steel walls of the elevator, two men fierce men face-off.
"Ya gonna speak?" Gibbs breaks the silence that has settled between them.
"I got nothing to say." Tony spits.
Gibbs smashes the note into Tony's chest. "Talk."
"I could say the same for you."
"Are you trying to get your ass kicked, DiNozzo?"
"I could say the same for you, Gibbs."
Gibbs takes the note and stuffs it back into his pants pocket.
"What are you hiding?" Tony asks as he sees Gibbs' hand about to hit the emergency button. "Where's the condom?" He continues because Gibbs refuses to give answers to any of his questions. "Why'd Ziva leave?"
Gibbs whips around and slams Tony against the wall--his forearm jamming into his throat. "You givin' me the third degree?"
Tony shoves at his superior and makes Gibbs stumble back. "Somebody's got to do it."
"You broke into my house!"
"You leave the fucking door unlocked!" Tony stand firmly on the ground with his boot-covered feet.
"You had no right to come into my house--"
"And you have no right lying to us. We're your team--if you can't trust us then who are you going to trust?"
"This isn't about the team!" Gibbs snaps, then holds his head as he feels it grow heavy.
"What happened?" He pushes once more. "Why did you need to speak to Ziva?"
He lets go of his head. "None of your fucking business, DiNozzo!"
Tony steps closer to him. "I'm making it my business. Ziva was the best thing that happened to this team since Kate. She brought back an ease I never thought would exist again."
"You're just infatuated with her." Gibbs is sarcastic. "Any woman would do that to ya."
"Don't talk about Ziva as if she hasn't left a valued impression on all of us." Tony's eyes soften. "Sure--okay, she was a pain in the ass in the beginning--but she was coming around…she worked hard to get there."
"Don't want to hear this." Gibbs reaches for the emergency switch again, but this time, Tony knocks his hand away. "DiNozzo!"
"How can you sleep at night?" Tony asks. Gibbs' back still faces Tony's front. "Does hiding things dull the pain?"
"You don't know shit, DiNozzo."
"I know she's gone." He reaches past Gibbs' arm and flicks the emergency switch. "And I know I miss her."
The elevator rises swiftly and the doors open. Tony emerges and heads straight to his desk. Grabbing his backpack, he decides to avoid Gibbs by taking the back elevator.
The four walls surround Gibbs as he sits in a parked elevator; his back pressed against the wall and his knees bent. His head rests tiredly in his two rugged hands as his insides pulsate.