I don't own them, never have and, sadly for me, never will. I'm still working through some kick ass writer's block. My job and class schedule have conspired to ensure that I only can write late at night or at work. Suffice to say that I'm not sleeping much these days… Oh well, enough about me and my problems. I hope you enjoy the next chapter in our journey.

Fifteen Minutes

To appreciate heaven well, it's good for a person to have some fifteen minutes of hell. -- Will Carleton


As Tony sat in Gibbs hotel room later that day and thought about what had happened at the bar earlier the only concrete conclusion he could draw was to decide that if he'd been following any closer then the blood would have sprayed all over his face much as it did when Kate had been killed. As it was, he ended up ruining a perfectly good white shirt by getting it covered in drops of a complete stranger's DNA. Davis, who had been walking directly behind Carlos, ended up with the lion's share of the blood and gore covering his face and torso.

Their entire group had fallen back into the bar in shock. The people running and screaming outside had created chaos until the police had come to sort it out and calm down the frightened bystanders. During all of the yelling and screaming the group from Washington had taken the time to escape out of the back door to the bar that Hector showed them.

Once they were safely at their hotel did any conversation start about what had just happened to Davis' contact. The FBI Agents wanted to chalk it up to the dangers of the city, and the CIA Agents figured that Ayella had finally crossed the wrong person. Gibbs had met with Tony and Ziva in his room to discuss the incident and its ramifications on their mission.

Ziva had turned to both men and had stated in a grave tone, "That was a professional assassination." She had turned her black, fathomless eyes to Tony and asked, "Where is Agent Dupree?"

Tony had shaken his head. "She's in DC working with a new group of recruits."

"Are you certain? Would you know if she were here?"

"Do you really think she would have missed Davis and hit that guy by mistake?"

Ziva looked at Tony, her eyes completely shuttered. "If that man were her target, then yes I think she would have. We need to find out who he is."

Gibbs nodded in agreement and immediately called McGee to make sure that he received the picture that Ziva was in the process of sending. "When you get an I.D. on the picture, call us immediately."

"On it Boss."

Two hours later McGee called back with news. "Okay, Boss, his name was Carlos Ayella. The FBI and Interpol had warrants for him on charges of terrorism and gun trafficking. This guy had known contacts in Al Qaeda in Central and South America."

Ziva nodded as Gibbs relayed the information to her and Tony. "I was correct. This was a professional job. Tony, call Agent Dupree and see where she is."

Gibbs nodded in agreement. "Call her. This job has her name all over it." He turned back to his phone and said, "McGee, when she answers trace the call if you can."

Tony sighed in exasperation. "I really don't like this…I'll call her, but I'm telling you she's in DC." He put his phone on speaker then dialed her cell phone. It rang once, twice, three times, then…

"Dupree."

"Hey."

"Tony! Where are you?"

"I'm traveling. Where are you?"

"I'm working."

"You didn't answer my question. Where are you?"

"I told you before you left; I have a new class to train. What's going on?"

"We just had a development here; someone we were meeting just took a bullet in the head…"

She was silent for a second, but when she answered her tone was filled with a combination of disbelief and sarcasm. "And you automatically assumed that I did it? Thanks a lot Tony."

The phone went silent and he realized that she had cut the connection. He turned to look at Gibbs and Ziva then asked, "Satisfied? I'm gonna be sleeping on the sofa for the next year because of that call."

McGee's voice piped over the speaker, "Uh…Boss? I traced the call to Langley, but it got lost in their system. I can't be any more specific than that. Sorry…"


"Well, that was awkward." Trent watched Eve closely as they sat in the small hotel room they had hidden themselves in for the night. "Apparently NCIS is already suspicious."

"You think?" Eve stood from her position in the room's lone chair and walked over to the only window. "It's Ziva…she's entirely too good at this. We need a distraction for her sooner rather than later so we can finish this game. Call John and update him."

"Alright…why don't you sleep for a bit whilst I make that call?"

Sleep actually sounded pretty good to her right now. She sighed and rubbed her eyes; they were gritty with fatigue, so she finally nodded in agreement then curled up on one corner of the lone bed and quickly fell into a light doze.


By the time the Seahawk had docked the next morning, several of the players involved had already made significant moves to change the nature of the game. Gibbs was frustrated to find that the officer they were looking for had already disappeared into the city before they could even get to the ship. He had somehow gotten word that NCIS was on the dock and made himself scarce in the crowd departing the ship.

The Agent Afloat, Jim Johnson, was chagrined to find that his best friend on board, Lieutenant Jason Mannon, the man he told everything to, was the very officer that Agent Gibbs was looking to arrest. He found himself on the receiving end of a very cold, angry stare as he stammered out an explanation as to why the suspect had known an arrest was imminent.

The terrified agent wanted to fall to his knees and beg as he tried to explain. "Agent Gibbs, he was my best friend…I had no idea he was wanted…"

"I don't want to hear any excuses from you. You're relieved of duty. You will catch the next plane back to DC, and, if you're very lucky, will only find yourself out of a job."

The Captain sputtered, "What am I supposed to do for an Agent Afloat until our cruise ends next month?"

Gibbs considered for a second then finally said, "I'll leave Officer David with you until we can get back to DC and get a more permanent placement for you. Ziva, grab your gear and report to the Seahawk before it leaves port tomorrow morning."

She gave a disgruntled sigh but nodded in agreement.


Eve sat quietly at a back corner table in a dive of a bar and watched her contact leave the bar as silently as he had come. The idiot Agent Afloat had let the Lieutenant escape before Gibbs and Tony could arrest him and send him home in cuffs. The only good thing to come from that debacle was the fact that Ziva would be on the Seahawk and out of her hair for the duration of this assignment.

The contact that had just left was resourceful and would be able to find the missing officer. Eve grinned. Once he found the man he was going to give Tony and Gibbs a tip on the traitor's location. She reached for the drink sitting in front of her and took a sip. Yes, she mused silently, it was good to have friends.


Tony and Gibbs sat across from each other in the small restaurant. Ziva had already taken herself to the Seahawk, and they had been looking for Jason Mannon nonstop, and had finally stopped to eat a meal in self defense. They had little hope of finding him in the teeming city, but were going to keep trying until they were forced to leave for their next location in Morocco.

As they sat there enjoying some coffee and rest when a slightly shady character sidled up to their table and wordlessly sat down. He gave Tony a hard stare and finally said,

Señor DiNozzo, I am a friend of a friend. I have some information for you about a certain missing Americano. Do you want to know this?

Tony frowned for a second and slid his eyes to Gibbs. He could tell that his boss was intensely curious about the supposed information that this stranger seemed to possess. Finally he said, "How do you know my name?"

"As I said, I am the friend of a friend. Many people in this city know who you are because of this friend."

Tony leaned back in his chair and gave an incredulous look to his and Gibbs' companion."

Gibbs could no longer keep silent and finally burst out with, "Who the hell is this friend? Do they have a name?"

"Of course they do, but we don't speak of it." The man gave Gibbs an insolent stare as he sat at the table.

Tony finally took the hint and switched to Spanish so they could speak freely.

"What information do you have for me?"

"I have seen the man you seek. He was at the market earlier today. He is looking for documents to leave the country. Roberto, the Specialist, is visiting his mother this week, and will not be back until tomorrow evening. You should have plenty of time to catch this one."

"Why are you helping me this way?"

"I owed her a favor. She saved my son's life two years ago. I was glad to help her."

"Her?"

The man smiled at Tony and nodded his head. "Yes…" her", La Tigresa. She said you needed help finding this man."

He stood and gave another smile before slinking out of the restaurant.

Gibbs turned to Tony and demanded, "Well, are you going to tell me what the hell this is about?"

"Yeah, Boss, he saw Mannon in the market today. He's looking to buy documents to leave the country. The man he needs to see is not in town until tomorrow evening, so the Lieutenant is going to be cooling his heels waiting. We should have a window to pick him up before he can purchase any exit documents."

"Well, why the hell would he help us that way?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say that Eve talked to Director Maxwell and found out what was going on here and decided to give us a hand. She does have contacts all over this city. Don't forget I was here with her last year."

"I'll be damned. Good job, DiNozzo. Let's go to the market and catch our man."

"On your six, Boss!"


Eve leaned over the roof of the outdoor market and watched carefully through her scope. The market was huge and had stores of every description. When she had lived in the city she had enjoyed shopping here for food and essentials every day.

She knew that Roberto the document specialist operated out of an electronics shop. She had found Tony and Gibbs as they carefully went from stall to stall looking for their man. She spotted Mannon slowly making his way to the electronics shop. As he got closer she could see the moment that Gibbs and Tony spotted him. Mannon ran and they pursued like a pair of hunting dogs. The chase ended far too quickly when Tony hit the sailor with a flying tackle that carried both men over a table top and into a display of shoes. Her finger tightened on her trigger as the crowd formed around the struggling men, and Eve breathed a sigh of relief when Tony stood, seemingly unharmed and helped Gibbs cuff the suspect. As they drug the man away she put her firearm away and left the roof, ready now for her next stop in Morocco.


Gibbs and Tony very gratefully handed their prisoner to the Marine MPs waiting at the airfield. The two burly men were going to escort the prisoner back to DC and return custody to NCIS. They both were exhausted, and Tony was sporting a long shallow cut on his neck that he received when he and Mannon went head first into the table. They walked over to the jet that was transporting their group to Casablanca and boarded.

Tony settled into his seat and rubbed his hands over his face. He was exhausted and ready for this mission to be finished. All he wanted to do was go back home and sleep for a week or two. He carefully traced the long scratch on his neck, relieved that it wasn't deep. It was sore as hell, though. As he closed his eyes to nap he wondered just what Eve was up to, and how she had possibly known that he and Gibbs were looking for Mannon.


Eve and Kort were enjoying Morocco. They had found a small hotel in the Old Medina, and were taking turns napping while they waited for the others to catch up to them. Eve had been to the city several other times in the past, and she had several contacts that would be helpful in finding the next target. He was Stephen Moore; a former British Agent who had joined Davis' organization after seeing how much money was to be made by selling weapons and secrets on the open market. She had spoken to a contact in Interpol and found out that they had active warrants for Moore's arrest. She had laughed out loud upon hearing that fact. Once she got done with him there would be no need for Interpol to bother anymore.

Her cell phone rang, and she answered it quickly so as not to wake Trent who was napping. She listened for a minute then hung up quickly. She looked at her partner who was sleeping. She shook her head and scribbled a note before quietly leaving the room.

She settled herself in a small café in the old section of town and waited. A couple of minutes later a blonde in her mid thirties slid in the chair across from Eve who simply took a sip of her coffee and waited until her companion settle herself before speaking.

"Why is MI5 interested in what's going on here?"

"Why? Obviously because you're here; The Company doesn't send you anywhere unless something big is going on. We're not oblivious to the goings on across the pond. We realize that Jeff Davis went rogue and you were instrumental in taking him down. Now, why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"

Eve gave a low chuckle and stood, "Not happening. You can always try to take me into custody, but… well…you'd better make sure that you've paid your life insurance up because I'm not going quietly. If I catch any of your people trying to follow me I'll make sure they regret it. Back off. I'm not joking." She stood and walked out of the café leaving her stunned companion behind.


Gibbs sat beside Davis in a small park located in the Old Medina and watched the people pass by. Tony was standing behind them as they waited for the arrival of Stephen Moore, a former British Intelligence Officer and current member of Davis' organization. After what happened to the contact they met they were prepared for any contingency.

Suddenly a tall dark haired man materialized beside them and said, "Jeff, what are you doing here? You weren't supposed to contact anyone until the heat was off again."

Davis gave his colleague a smirk and said, "Things change. Are you hearing any chatter out there about Carlos?"

"About Carlos, no. You…well that's a different story. I heard you made an enemy of someone you should have really steered clear of. I also heard that she's looking for revenge."

"If that were true I'd be dead by now. Don't worry about it. Now, did you bring my information?"

"Yes, did you bring my money?"

"Of course." Davis nodded at Gibbs who handed Moore an envelope fat with money. "Our business is concluded. Don't spend it all in one place."

"Thanks, Mate. You needn't worry, I'm retiring now. You'll never hear from me again. Take care of yourself." He smiled and began to walk away.

Gibbs and Tony signaled the FBI agents to come and again surround Davis while they carefully followed Moore.


Eve and Kort slid carefully through the crowd. They spotted Moore immediately, but also saw his tail. They fell back to follow and wait for the call to come that would give them the green light. Kort's phone vibrated.

"Yes." His voice was short and to the point.

"You have the green light. Take him out."

"Sir, we have a complication. NCIS is following the target."

"Deal with the complication however you see fit; you just make sure that the target is neutralized."

"Yes Sir, hold the line for confirmation."

Kort turned to look at his companion. She was watching their target and his tale closely looking for an opening. "Eve, they say to deal with the complication however you see fit. Take out the target. They're waiting for confirmation."

She nodded and slowly made her way forward. Before she reached her target she carefully wrapped a scarf around her head so it completely covered her hair. Once that was done she blended into the crowd since she resembled one of the local women. She sidled up to Moore very methodically so that she was walking right beside him. He turned his head to smile at his new companion. She took advantage of his distraction to reach for her belt knife and hide it carefully at her side. Eve then forced herself to stumble so he would reach out to catch her. As soon as his arms reached out to stop her from falling she forcefully jammed her knife in his neck, severing his carotid artery. He fell immediately, his hand tangling in her scarf and pulling it off her head. She snatched herself away from him so she could disappear from the footsteps she heard rapidly approaching. Once she managed to escape she turned to watch and found herself looking right into a pair of familiar green eyes.


Tony raced to the side of the man they had wanted to try and apprehend for a conversation. He knew as soon as he watched the man fall that he was dead, but he was completely unprepared to see the assassin making her escape. He watched the retreating figure, frozen in place as he recognized the dark hair tumbling down her back and the curve of her face. His suspicions were confirmed when she turned around and he found himself looking directly into the unrepentant eyes of Eve Dupree.