Chapter 10 – Personal Connections
Gibbs
"I appreciate you taking a look for me, Mr. Gibbs," Hollis said as she unlocked the door to her apartment. "I know you must have better things to do on a Sunday morning."
"You don't need to call me Mister," he said evenly. Even after all this time, being called Mr. Gibbs made him think of his father and part of him still regretted that it had been years since they had spoken to one another. But since it had been so long, it made it harder for either of them to take the first step. And for better or worse, neither of them had.
She opened the door pushing thoughts of his father from his mind. He started to follow her but she paused in the doorway and looked at him. "Well then what can I call you?" she asked. "I assume that you do have a given name even if I've never heard anyone use it."
He smiled slightly at that. "I do," he replied. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs." She looked at him as if she was trying to sort out whether he was serious or not. "You can call me Jethro. Or Gibbs will do just fine. Miss Mann."
"Yeah," she said. "I see why you prefer your surname."
He shrugged. He had nothing against his name and liked it just fine. But it wasn't common either. And for some reason, people felt more comfortable calling him by his surname, so he let them.
"Most people seem more comfortable with my surname," he said.
"Leroy it is," she said with a smile, but he frowned. His father called him Leroy. "Jethro?" she asked. He nodded, appreciating that she didn't ask why he was averse to his given name. "Well come on in Jethro," she said as she entered her modest apartment. It wasn't large by any standards, but it was clean, bright and tastefully decorated. "You can call me Hollis. I've never cared for being called, Miss Mann," she said with a small smile.
He looked her in the eye and nodded to indicate that he would use her given name.
"So, you have a leak."
"Yeah," she replied nodding. "I hope you don't mind that I got your phone number from Abby. But I know you've done some work for her and I'd rather have someone I know take a look at it first."
"I don't mind," he replied.
He had met Hollis at Quicksilver numerous times over the last two months and he couldn't help but notice the strong and beautiful woman who was working to spruce up the linens, curtains and upholstery of the formerly rundown speakeasy while he worked to upgrade the bar, fixtures and anything else that Abby could think of to add a touch of class to the once pedantic club. They had talked on several occasions and he had felt the magnetic pull between them and from her expression, she felt it too.
It had been a long time since he had been this attracted to a woman and it had been even longer since he had allowed himself to flirt with a woman if it wasn't case related. But with her, he couldn't seem to help himself. She was easy to be around and he admired her strength and inner beauty. So, when she asked if he'd be willing to look into a leaky bathroom, he had readily agreed if only to spend more time with her.
"I can hear it in the bathroom after I draw my bath," she said.
Nodding, he stepped past her and into the bathroom. He ran the water for a minute and when he turned off the taps, he heard the unmistakable sound of water dripping.
"Your landlord won't fix the leak?" he asked.
"No," she replied. "Because I don't have a landlord. I own my apartment." He looked at her in surprise. "What? A woman can't own property?"
"That's not what surprised me," he replied evenly. "This is a nice apartment building. Seems like it would be expensive to buy a place here."
Hollis relaxed. "Yeah, it wasn't cheap," she replied. "And I doubt the bank would have given me a mortgage for it, being a woman and all. But I didn't need one. I bought it outright."
"Impressive," he said as he reached into his toolbox and found a heavy hammer.
"Earned every penny the hard way," she said as she watched him. "I served in the army in the Great War. I saved my salary and put it to good use when I came home."
"Nurse?" he asked wondering if he might have crossed paths with her.
"Telegraph operator," she corrected. "At least to start. Once they realized I also spoke French, I served as a translator and interpreter between the American and French units."
"Aren't those the same thing?" he asked. "Translator and interpreter?" he asked.
Hollis chuckled. "Not in the least bit," she said. "The only common thread is that two languages are involved. One involves translating written documents and the other involves interpreting speech."
"Seems the same to me," he replied.
"There's a difference," she said firmly.
Deciding to leave it be, he changed the subject. "You served at the front?" he asked.
She nodded. "Or very near to it," she replied. He raised his hammer to break into the wall. "You're going to make a mess aren't you," she said dryly.
He turned around and looked at her. "Unless you'd rather keep the leak?"
She sighed. "No. Go right ahead."
Nodding, he carefully broke through the plaster until he found the source of the leak. He grabbed a flashlight and looked into the crevasse. One of the pipes was cracked and was dripping.
"What do you see?" she asked.
He turned to tell her but was surprised when he realized that her face was only inches from his. He watched as she swallowed hard. He liked that he had that effect on her. After all, it was only fair since she had that same effect on him.
He waited another minute to answer, daring her to act on what she was thinking but unfortunately, she didn't. "Iron pipes," he replied finally.
"Oh," she said, the moment broken. "I figured that you'd find those in there."
"Rusting iron pipes," he amended as he reached into his toolbox and pulled out a metal sleeve. He wrapped it around the leak and tightened the screw, effectively stopping the leak for now. "They'll need to be swapped out for new."
"Oh," she said her face falling. "You know a good plumber that won't rip me off?" she asked.
"I know a great plumber," he replied. "And his rates are reasonable." He stood up and looked at her. He already knew that he'd do the job at cost for her. Spending more time with Holly would be payment enough.
"Really?" she asked, realizing that he was speaking about himself. "How do you know someone is trustworthy?"
"You look them in the eyes," he replied.
She nodded and looked him in the eyes. "Then what?" she asked.
"You read what is behind their eyes," he replied as he read her eyes. It wasn't hard. He could see what she wanted as clear as day.
She smiled a little. "Ok, so what do you see in my eyes?" she asked.
He searched every inch of her blue eyes for good measure. "You want me to kiss you," he replied.
"Yeah," she said bluntly. "I've been waiting for you to figure that out for quite some time now." He smiled a little at her. "Are you always this bad at taking hints or are you just a little slow?"
He chuckled. "Some people call that being a gentleman."
"Well I call it being stupid," she replied. "If a man and a woman are attracted to one another they should do something about it…"
He cut her off in midsentence by pulling her close and into a deep kiss that left them both a little breathless when they finally broke apart. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he settled his hands on her hips. She swallowed hard. "See now that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked.
"No," he said clearing his throat slightly. "Not bad at all."
"So," she said as she glanced back at the hole in her wall. "How long is it going to take to repair my apartment?"
"Well," he said as he looked at her. "I have to order the pipes and it'll take a few days for them to come in. Then I'll have to tear out the plaster, replace the pipes and plaster the wall again. Could be a while."
She examined him intently but her face wasn't readable. "So, you'll be hanging around for a while?" she asked.
He nodded. "You trying to get rid of me?" he asked with a crooked smile.
She looked thoughtfully. "On the contrary," she said. "I was thinking of ways to get you to stay around longer. I have a loose doorknob on the pantry door…"
He cut her off as he pulled her into a kiss again.
When they broke apart for the second time he said, "You could just ask me to stay."
"Then who'll fix my pantry door?" she asked innocently. He stared at her but he didn't put the fury behind it that motivated his agents so well. She looked at him seriously and said, "Would you like to stay a while?"
He glanced back towards her bed. "Do you want me to stay a while?" he asked.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she said deliberately. "What do you want?"
He shook his head and smiled at her game. "Depends on if you want the same thing," he said to exasperate her.
She shook her head and smiled. "I have known you for two months, Jethro and all I know about you is that you are a complicated man. You won't say ten words if none will do." He shrugged a little, causing her to laugh at his joke. "I also know that you are a good man. That shows through the work that you do for Abby." He nodded. "And I know you like coffee. Probably more than any other man on the planet." He chuckled at that. "The rest is a mystery."
She started to back up towards the bed until she lay back onto it. She pulled him down with her, heedless of his rough and dusty work clothes. She pulled him into another long kiss. "And that is the part I'm looking forward to sorting out," she said.
"I'm looking forward to you trying," he replied.
"I should warn you," she replied. "I like a challenge."
He smiled. So did he.
He didn't have the supplies he needed to complete the plumbing job at hand anyway so he hadn't expected to get any work done today. But even if he had the necessary supplies, they were rapidly becoming engrossed in one another. And that put the thoughts of plumbing and the whole in the wall out of both of their minds.
He finally left Hollis' apartment after dinner. He had promised to call her as soon as he had the supplies to repair her bathroom. But unable to repress his romantic side and his desire to see her again, he already had plans to stop by her shop tomorrow morning with a bouquet of flowers.
And he also had the repair job to look forward to. Replacing iron pipes wasn't hard but it would take time to make sure it was done right. And he suspected that the repair job was going to take longer due to other distractions in the apartment. He was pretty sure that Hollis didn't mind and he knew he didn't.
But that left him with a lot to think about.
He placed his toolbox into the bed of his truck and climbed into the cab.
He was undercover and while he wasn't in a high-risk position like DiNozzo or McGee, he didn't want to chance blowing his cover. He wouldn't want anything with Hollis to ruin what they had worked so hard to achieve.
He thought back to the last few nights at Quicksilver. Tim had been infatuated with Abby and she with him. That attraction was bemusing to him since they seemed to be polar opposites. But as he watched them, he realized that they had more in common than two peas in a pod.
And Tony was struck by the exotic Miss David's beauty. He knew the younger man well enough to know that he was going to pursue her if he could only figure out how to introduce himself. While he had more faith in Tony's undercover ability that Tim who was still a novice undercover, Tony was just as fallible as any man including himself.
Now he had spent the day with Hollis and he was already planning to see her again. And he knew that even after he finished repairing her apartment that he would want to see her again. Was he falling into the same romantic trap as his two young agents?
He shook his head. He was too old to be falling into the traps that snared young men's hearts. He had been there already. More times than enough and more times than any man should.
With his age and experience, he knew the best thing he could do would be to tell them to walk away from those women just as he really should walk away from Hollis. Their mission was risky enough without adding another complication.
But could he ask his team to put their lives on hold while they were undercover? He could, but should he? DiNozzo and McGee had both been undercover for a year. They were flesh and blood men with needs. And if they found someone, shouldn't they be given the opportunity to pursue her? To be happy?
Considering all they had sacrificed, he couldn't deny them that.
But not without a word of caution. DiNozzo had mentioned he had talked to McGee but he wouldn't be satisfied without cautioning his boys himself. And at the same time, he would have to make sure to take his own advice to heart.
He glanced at his watch. It was already past eight. He had a sneaking suspicion that he might find the pair in Quicksilver again tonight. And a glass of the excellent bourbon that Abby kept especially for him in return for all the work that he did for her around the place wouldn't hurt either.
Changing his direction, he drove towards the club and parked several blocks away. Sunday nights weren't especially busy since most people had to go to work the next day but there was still a steady stream of people making their way into the club.
He also noticed a few men lurking in the shadows or in an alleyway. They were dressed in rougher clothes than would be appropriate for Quicksilver and they definitely weren't police watching the place. His gut told him that those men worked for someone other than Napolitano, which probably narrowed the list to the Frog.
La Grenouille was the only one brash enough to try to take on Napolitano in this town and he had been expanding his criminal empire as of late. He had heard that a club only a few blocks from here had been snapped up by the Frog just last week.
As he hurried to the club, he filed that information away and made a mental note to tell Abby that she needed to beef up her security. When he reached the door, Simon recognized him right away and even before he could give the password, the door was pulled open.
"Evening Mr. Gibbs," Simon Cade said as he opened the secret door that led down to the club.
"Busy night?" he asked.
"More than your average Sunday," Simon replied. He nodded, unsurprised. With the Tin Angel out of commission, patrons had to go somewhere and evidently a few had come here. "But quiet compared to a Friday night. I'm surprised to see you here so late. The band has already started playing."
"Got held up," he said with a wry smile. He nodded at the large man and started down the stairs into the club. "Thanks, Cade!"
Once he was downstairs, he winced at the loud music that the band was playing. They were playing a raucous piece that he had heard once when he was in New Orleans. To him it was just noise and he couldn't understand how Abby could listen to this music night after night after night and remain sane.
To sooth his eardrums, he hurried over to the bar and caught Burley's eye. The bartender nodded and poured him a drink without a word, not that he could have heard Stan over the loud music anyway. He fished out a few coins and tossed them into the tip jar before he turned and began to scan the club to see if his team had come in tonight.
Thankfully the loud song ended to loud cheers and Miss David took her place on center stage. The band started playing a soulful ballad and after a minute, she joined in. He still didn't care for the style of music that she sang but Miss David made it tolerable.
He looked around the club until he spotted a familiar figure. After McGee had hit it off with Abby last Thursday, he had suspected that Tony and McGee would be back at Quicksilver Friday night. And he wasn't surprised to see them again on Saturday.
DiNozzo had said he was going to try to get Tim to stay home tonight but apparently, he had failed.
Tim was seated with Abby in her booth. They seemed to be deeply involved in their conversation and were oblivious to the sultry song that Miss David was singing at the moment. And aside from Abby and Tim, he and DiNozzo seemed to be the only ones not enraptured by the beautiful foreigner.
Tony was seated at a table by himself within eyesight of Tim. He was hunched over his drink and did not look happy to be there. When Tony rebuffed the advances of a pretty, young flapper who seemed eager to cheer him up, he knew that something was wrong.
"You look like hell, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he sat down next to Tony. Miss David had just finished her song. The club was silent for a moment before the spell was broken by a shrill whistle of approval. Suddenly the club was filled with enthusiastic cheers and clapping as Ziva smiled broadly and took her bows.
"Feel like it too," Tony replied as he glared at the nearest patrons who were shouting their approvals a little too loud for his tastes. "Haven't gotten much sleep in the last few days. I'm beginning to regret bringing McGee here."
He looked over at the booth where Abby and Tim were seated. They were clapping but their attention wasn't focused on the stage.
"He hit it off with Abby," Gibbs said dryly as the band started into the next song, which was livelier than the first.
"Yeah. Never would have guessed it," Tony replied.
"She's a nice girl, Tony," Gibbs replied. He had gotten to know the strange woman over the last two months. Once he got used to her odd appearance, he found a caring, intelligent and hard-working woman. Abby worked as hard as the girls that scrubbed the floors and the boys that worked the loading dock and when needed, she would roll up her sleeves and pitch in no matter what needed to be done. He respected her work ethic and appreciated her business sense. But most of all, he liked Abby as a person. "Dresses different than any other woman I've ever met and has more tattoos that half of the Atlantic Fleet combined but other than that, she's a normal woman. Well mostly."
"No, I meant, McGee finding a girl before me," Tony replied.
He rolled his eyes. "Did you speak to him…"
"Of course I did," Tony replied indignantly. "He's aware of the risks and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care."
He glanced over his shoulder at Tim. From the light in his eyes as he looked at Abby and the way he smiled at her, there was no doubt that Tim was smitten with Abby.
"Yeah, I can see that," he said as he sipped his drink to conceal his concern. Abby loved her club more than anything. If she found out what McGee was trying to do, she could turn him over to Napolitano to save it. He could see that she was just as smitten with McGee as he was with her but he doubted that she would give up her club for a man, especially one she just met. "You'll…"
"Yeah," Tony said cutting him off. "I'll keep an eye on things. And if something has to be done, I'll do it. Tim'll hate me. But I'll do it."
"You wouldn't hurt…"
Tony jolted and looked at him indignantly.
"Of course I wouldn't," Tony retorted in annoyance. "You know me Gibbs. I wouldn't do anything like that."
Holding up his hands in his defense, he said, "I didn't think so DiNozzo. But you've been in Napolitano's network for over a year. I wanted to make sure his bad habits didn't rub off on you."
"No," Tony said softly as he swirled his drink. "I've had to do some questionable things under Napolitano but never that Gibbs. I've only ever acted in self-defense, I swear." He nodded as Tony downed the remainder of his drink. "You know just as well as I do that there are ways to get her out of the way without permanently getting her out of the way."
He nodded.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," he offered gently.
"Yeah," Tony said as he glanced at Tim and Abby again.
"So seriously, Gibbs. Did I hear it right? One of Quicksilver's shipments was stolen?"
"That's what I heard," Gibbs replied leaning in and accepting the change of topic. He was glad that DiNozzo had talked to McGee about Abby, but he still wanted to personally warn the young man. "It was taken without much of a fight. Abby's current bootlegger is good but he isn't up to snuff for the job at hand." Tony looked at him expectantly. "La Grenouille is trying to make a move in on this neighborhood. Quicksilver is a prime target."
He looked around. For the fourth night in a row, the club was packed. Since the Tin Angel had been raided, it had fallen from grace, so to speak. Even though the Prohis hadn't found anything – they had been tipped off in enough time to move the liquor – anyone with half a brain wasn't feeling too inclined to test their luck. It was the worst kept secret in Washington that the Prohis had the Tin Angel under surveillance.
Business had picked up at a few other clubs, but Quicksilver seemingly had gained the lion's share. The renovations, the good booze and Ziva David's singing voice had seen to that.
"I saw a few of the Frog's goons loitering around tonight. I think they're just checking out the place," he said.
"They weren't here when we got here but I'm not surprised," Tony said. "They took over a blind tiger about ten blocks up the street. Not sure what the name of it is."
"Tollbridge Trading," he replied. "Brought the liquor in with shipments of shoes," Gibbs replied. "You got any pull with Napolitano to get more muscle round here?" Gibbs asked.
"Why?" Tony asked. He stared at Tony. The answer should have been obvious. "To protect this club?"
"Ya think DiNozzo?" he asked.
"Other than good bourbon, why would you want to protect this place? You aren't exactly a people person and you are definitely not a fan of jazz and hot music. So, what is it?" Tony asked curiously. Tony looked at him, searching his features. "The last thing we want to do is stir up extra trouble especially with an out-of-towner like Grenouille. And to be honest, if La Grenouille took over that would solve the dame problem."
He frowned. It would solve their problem. McGee wouldn't be able to frequent Quicksilver any longer if the club changed hands and that would guarantee the end of their blossoming relationship.
But that wasn't all. If La Grenouille took over Quicksilver, the chances that Abby would get to keep her club were slim. He wouldn't put it past the Frog to kill a woman especially if he thought she was a threat. If he went through the trouble to take over the club, La Grenouille wouldn't want to risk losing the club back to Napolitano.
"You like Abby," Tony said suddenly. "You want to protect her."
"Got a problem with that?" Gibbs asked, challenging Tony. He did like Abby and while he didn't think that she needed protecting, he was going to do it anyway.
"No," Tony said backing down.
Gibbs looked around. There was another reason why he was so fiercely protective of this place. "I put a lot of work into this place. I'd hate to see it in La Grenouille's hands," Gibbs replied, sipping his drink.
"That's something I can drink to," Tony replied toasting Gibbs. He watched for a moment. Tony had tried to sip his drink only to remember that he had downed the last of it a minute ago. Chuckling, he sipped his drink as Tony pushed his empty glass away in annoyance. "Given that Mr. Gemcity has taken a shine to Quicksilver and its manager, I think I can get some extra muscle to deter Grenouille from elbowing in. Besides, this place has gotten pretty popular since the Tin Angel was raided."
"If La Grenouille was smart, he'd move before Napolitano shored up his security," Gibbs replied.
"Well let's hope not," Tony said. "As much as the law would love to get hold of Gemcity, the Frog wants him just as much. It's easier to muscle in on a town if you know where your competitor's assets are. And Tim knows where the all the clubs are located and he has since the day he started working for Naps." He stared at Tony. That was news to him. "Yeah he shared that morsel on Thursday. I guess I forgot to mention that when we saw each other on Thursday."
"He's decoded the ledgers?" Gibbs asked.
Tony shook his head. "Apparently there's more than one code in the ledgers. He figured out the clubs but everything else is still a mystery. He's going to get the club information on Monday and I'll find a way to get it to you."
He nodded. Gibbs turned and looked at the booth where McGee and Abby had been sitting a few moments ago.
Tony followed his gaze. "Hey," Tony said noticing that they were gone. "Where'd they go?" he asked.
"I don't know, DiNozzo," he replied sternly even as he was irritated with himself. He hadn't seen them leave either. "You're the one who's supposed to be watching him."
"Damn," Tony said as he abandoned his empty drink and stood up. Tony spent the better part of an hour combing the club for McGee but he came up empty. Strolling back into the club after checking with Simon, Tony caught his eye. "Nothing Gibbs. No one saw them disappear."
"Back door?" Gibbs asked.
"Next to the service entrance and it's guarded. He hasn't seen anyone," Tony replied. "The security manager, Cooper, is in the back room but he's ossified. The only thing he's been seeing is the inside of his eyelids."
He frowned. If the Frog made a genuine play for Quicksilver, he'd take it without a fight. Maybe he was making a play. Maybe he already had McGee and if that was the case, he didn't have high hopes for his youngest agent's survival.
Tony sighed. "The only place I haven't checked is the ladies room. Only reason why I haven't," Tony said cutting him off before he could ask, "Is that I don't want to get kicked out."
Gibbs rolled his eyes. Reaching out, he caught a passing waitress' arm. He recognized her as Michelle, the waitress they had on Thursday.
"Hands off," she said sharply as she tried to shake him.
"Hey," he replied just as sharply. "I'm just looking for someone and you can go where we can't." He let go of her. "We want you to check the Ladies room for us.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked relaxing.
"Our friend and your manager," Tony replied.
"Oh," Michelle replied. "I saw them going towards the back stairs about an hour ago."
"Where are the back stairs?" Gibbs demanded.
"In the back," she said defiantly. He glared at her and she wilted. "Near the dressing rooms. There's a secret door like the one to get down here."
"Where do the stairs go?" Tony asked.
"How should I know?" she asked. "I don't deliver drinks up them."
"So how do you know that the stairs go up?" Gibbs demanded.
"Just because I don't use them doesn't mean I don't hear things," she retorted as she hurried towards the bar, eager to get away from the two intense men. "Besides how much lower can you go from here?"
Without another word, they hurried through the club and back stage. After some searching, Tony found the secret door. He drew his gun as Tony opened the door. He nodded and they started up the stairs.
These stairs were dimly lit by bare bulbs so they proceeded cautiously. But it wasn't warranted. After a dozen stairs, they couldn't hear anything, even from the club below.
"Is it just me or are there more stairs than the other set?" Tony asked as he glanced up at Gibbs.
"It's not just you," Gibbs replied looking back at the younger man. "We're going above the factory."
"The roof?" Tony asked. He shook his head. He didn't know. "I saw a fire escape attached to the side of the outside wall," Tony replied. "Maybe they were taken to the roof and down the fire escape? But it would be hell to kidnap someone that way."
"Yeah, well, it may have worked," Gibbs replied as he continued up the stairs until they reached a door. He listened intently and when he didn't hear anything, he tested the door knob. It wasn't locked. He looked at Tony then opened the door, sliding smoothly into the room.
Tony followed him and looked around in surprise. They were in a small living area lit by a single lamp. Ahead of them, they saw a couch and a couple of plush chairs surrounding a coffee table. To the left, they saw a kitchenette and a wooden table with a couple of wooden chairs. They could just see a bathroom to the right and a door straight ahead of them.
A second door was located to the right of the bathroom. From the deadbolt and the chain, it was easy to guess that door was another exit. This was obviously an old set of offices that had been converted into an apartment. It was comfortable, but not elaborate. Only a few people would choose to live above a garment factory and a night club, which limited the pool of people who would come up here.
He had a feeling he knew where Tim was and what he was doing but he was determined to make sure his young agent was all right.
"Boss," Tony hissed quietly. He looked at him plaintively then back at the door to the club. Tony apparently was thinking the same thing.
"DiNozzo," he said pointing to a puddled garment that lay in the middle of the floor. They both recognized it as the coat Tim had been wearing tonight.
Tony checked the coat and found Tim's pistol, still in its shoulder holster. He stepped around Tony and made his way to the closed door. Tony reluctantly joined him.
They listened to the door for a moment and heard the unmistakable sounds of moans and heavy breathing and the slight squeak of a mattress.
Suddenly, he grinned and led the way back to the stairs to the club. After Tony had pulled the door shut, he glanced at his watch. Tim and Abby had been missing for over an hour. Replacing his pistol, he smiled wryly and said, "McGee is doing just fine, Tony."
"He might be," Tony replied as they walked down the stairs. "But I may be scarred for life. I didn't really need to hear McGee and Abby pitching woo, you know?"
Gibbs paused and looked at him. "Jealous, DiNozzo?" he asked.
"Jealous?" Tony asked incredulously. "Why would I be jealous of McGee?" Gibbs just looked at him. "Ok I see your point. Abby is gorgeous which makes McGee a lucky guy but I'm not jealous. I'm happy for him. He could use the stress relief. But I warned him about getting dizzy with this girl and he clearly ignored every word."
He stepped out of the secret stairwell and waited for Tony to shut the door. "Like you and Miss David?" he asked.
Tony blinked and looked at him. "Me and Miss David? We've only met briefly when Abby introduced her to us. I haven't said more than 'hello' to her."
"You like her," Gibbs said. It was a statement.
"Well yeah, she's beautiful. Who isn't attracted to her?"
"I saw the way she looked at you," Gibbs said as they started to walk towards the club. Tony couldn't stop the smile that crossed his lips. "I'm not telling you to not get involved," he said as they caught sight of Miss David as she exited her dressing room for her second set.
Ziva saw him and smiled brightly at Tony. Tony returned the smile and followed her with his eyes as she stepped onto the stage to thunderous applause. He watched as Tony stared at the point where she had disappeared. He got the feeling that if he could Tony would stand in that place like a lovesick teenager until Miss David returned.
With a shake of his head, he reached out and smacked Tony upside the head.
Wincing, Tony turned to look at him. "Hey! What was that for?" he asked.
"Take a little of your own advice DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. "I need at least one of you two to have a clear head. Usually that's McGee but that ship has sailed."
Tony sobered. "Noted, Gibbs."
They returned to the club and got another drink while they waited for the happy couple to return, snagging a table when one opened up. Tim and Abby returned nearly an hour later and returned to their booth which was quickly emptied upon Abby's return.
He examined the pair and noted that both looked very content as well they should. Tony caught a waitress and ordered a drink to be sent to Tim along with a message which he hastily scribbled on a receipt from his wallet.
Gibbs watched as the waitress set the drink down and handed over the message just as Miss David finished one of her best songs to loud cheers and applause. Tim looked around the club until he caught sight of Tony. He grinned lopsidedly as he looked at Abby. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed to be a mix of embarrassment and pride.
"What did you say to him?" Gibbs asked.
"Oh," Tony said as the applause died down. "I just congratulated him." Gibbs shook his head and smiled before taking a sip from his drink.
Author's Note: Disclaimer, while this story has elements of 'Tiva' and 'McAbby' and whatever you'd want to call the Gibbs and Hollis Mann pairing, I wouldn't consider this a 'Tiva' or 'McAbby' story. As I noted to start, I tried to mirror the relationships from the show so keep that in mind as the story continues. The main focus is the attempt to take down Napolitano's criminal empire and that story is going to heat up very quickly in the coming chapters.
