Chapter Eleven: A New Day
The next morning, not one of them got up early.
Abbey, Ducky and Gibbs stayed alone all night but that was not the case for the rest of the team. Annabel and Tim had gone to sleep talking and woken in the same position. Whilst Tony had had some luck with Ziva and they had stayed up talking most of the night before falling asleep on the couch watching My Best Friend's Wedding.
At around 10am, Tony and Ziva got to the hospital. Abbey was already there with a coffee for Gibbs then Ducky arrived about half an hour later. By 12:30 McGee and Annabel where still not at the hospital, Tony was getting worried although he trusted McGee, it was natural instincts to defend his own. He rang McGee's cell. It rang on quite a number of times until a female voice answered,
"Annabel?"
"Tony?"
"Where are you?"
"At NCIS, why? Where are you?"
"At the hospital. No wait, where's McGee?"
"He's busy."
"Isn't he with you?"
"Yeah, kind of."
"What do you mean kind of?"
"Well, he's kind of in the Director's office…"
"What do you mean, in the Director's office?" Tony said suspiciously
"He's been there for about fifteen minutes–" she looked up to the office from where she was sitting in Tony's chair, "oh, hang on he's coming. We'll be at the hospital in about twenty." She said and hung up. McGee walked into the squad room,
"Who was that?"
"Tony," she handed back the cell, "I said we'd be there in twenty."
"Sure." He smiled and she knew he had got what he had gone for.
As they got into the car McGee said, "Vance asked how Gibbs was going."
"What did you say?"
"He was recovering and as always hopes to be out of hospital as soon as possible."
"Right!"
The trip was spent in silence and it didn't take long to get there.
Once there, they found Gibbs up and about again, supported by Tony and Ziva, being followed by Abbey and Ducky.
Gibbs was not in a particularly good mood, his wound had been seeping all night and then Abbey, Tony and Ziva had been annoyingly happy this morning after having the night off.
For lunch there was delicious hospital food that was supplied for each of them.
"So why where you at the Director's office morning Probie?" Tony asked as he scoffed down a mouthful of roll.
"Vance wanted to know how Gibbs was, so I said he was making a quick recovery and was hoping to get out of hospital as soon as possible." McGee explained.
"Is that all?" Ziva questioned him.
"Yes. Why shouldn't it be?"
"Mmn." Ziva grunted.
"What?" McGee said with a smile.
They all laughed about it and Gibbs' mood did improve when they started talking about the case, "So did you find what he used to kill Bryant?"
"Iron -52."Annabel started, "It's an ion with a half life of only 8 hours and that's why Abbey was having trouble tracing it."
"It's so cool Gibbs, it's like the ultimate killing ion." Abbey added.
"DiNozzo, did you find out why the base was closed?"
"Still working on that Boss, but they're saying there was a suspected security breach that was totally unrelated to our case, but we still don't know who kidnapped me and Ziva."
"We've hit a stone wall." Ziva added.
"McGee, can you get the CCTV from the base."
"Yep, on it Boss." He said as he got up and left.
"DiNozzo, David you go talk to Bryant's family and tell them what's happened."
"On it Boss." They replied as they left.
Now all the troops where deployed, there was just Gibbs, Ducky, Abbey and Annabel left.
"Gower," she looked at Gibbs, "why did McGee go to the Director this morning?"
"I don't know." She said confidently.
"Don't tell me that. Why?" He said a little more aggressively.
She rolled her eyes, "He got a call this morning saying to go there. That's all I know."
"Really?"
"Yes." She said knowing full well he didn't completely believe her but it was the truth, that's all she knew. Gibbs decided to leave it, if she was hiding something from him, which he thought she was, it was probably for a good reason.
- - - - - - - -
At about 5 the team returned with all jobs complete.
It was true, there was a security breach at the naval base and it was one of the petit-officers who had locked Ziva and Tony in the room, suspecting them to be some form of bad guys trying to steal information.
The Intelligence officer's family were distraught at the thought he was killed because he was working for a professional criminal and could tell them nothing after that.
Gibbs' mood had improved during the course of the day and now the rest of his team was back, with case closed, it was a positively good day.
The nurse finally turfed them out at 8: visiting hours where over.
They all split up for the night again. It was once again time for Abbey to go bowling with the nuns. Ducky and Tony where going back to Ziva's for dinner and Tim and Annabel where going to a little Chinese restaurant down the street from Tim's apartment.
They got there soon after leaving the hospital and where immediately seated at a table.
"Do you realise it's been like a week since I met you?" Annabel said in her still strong English accent.
"A week. Is that all?"
"What are you sick of me already?" She joked.
"No of course not–"
"I certainly hope not! Besides, think of all the things that have happened."
"Oh, yeah! I find this beautiful, young, English woman I meet knows Tony of all people and then I find you're actually related to him."
"Then you discover you have to go undercover with her." She added.
"Then you casually just add you where engaged to a Joshua Woodford when you where in England–"
"But you got to play my husband! Remember the other night, I um, I think it was Sunday, when we went out to dinner and you wore your black suit with the black tie and I wore the little black dress."
"Yes, how can I forget–"
"We did look totally awesome though," she cut in, "you know, ever since I was a girl I've wanted to do that!" She stared into space as she reminisced with a silly smile on her face.
"Do what?" McGee looked a little confused.
"Oh my God, like totally dress myself and my husband-slash-partner in matching outfits that just look like, amazing!" She giggled.
"Of course!" He said sarcastically with a smile.
For the rest of the evening, the conversation flowed easily and around midnight they headed out of a bar they had found after dinner.
Both of them enjoying the whole time more than any sober person would, whilst not excessively drunk, not really drunk at all, still neither of them could be called completely 'down to earth'.
They laughed and joked the whole time as they took a detour through the park and stood in the rotunda. It was a clear night and the moon's light was reflecting over the lake they where standing in front of. There was not a whistle in the trees, the night was silent and the only sound that could be heard was of their actually rather loud laughs echoing around the rotunda. It had become noticeably cooler in temperature since they had left the bar and Tim rapped his arm around Annabel and pulled her in close to his chest as they stood and she gently rested her head on his shoulder whilst continuing to giggle quietly.
After a minute she moved away and sat on the thin stone fence surrounding the rotunda. McGee quickly rejoined her and looked at her face that was eternally beautiful even when covered by shadows cast by the moon's light. It was now completely silent in the park as they looked into each other's eyes and perhaps in a bid to relieve the tension that was building, Tim put his hand up and held the side of her face then kissed her delicately on the lips… A second after they broke off, she leaned over and gave Tim a big, meaningful hug. Also a cold one…
Once they had hugged, Annabel was moving back to her original sitting position when she lost her balance and managed to grab Tim as she fell back into the lake. Water splashed up as their weight penetrated the surface. It was cold and Annabel let off a momentary scream as she crashed into the water, quickly followed by her partner.
They both quickly scurried to the edge of the lake as they tried to make their way out of the water as quickly as possible.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Annabel said apologetically.
"No probs." McGee said as he stared down at his iPhone that was now never likely to work again.
"They don't make those water proof do they." She said as she joined him looking over the drenched phone.
"No. Unfortunately not–"
"Annabel? McGee?" A voice well recognised to both of them said from the bushes.
"Ziva?" McGee questioned as the person slowly moved from the bushes, gun drawn, followed by Tony who was looking a little confused, "What are you doing here?"
"My famous ninja chick here had a gut instinct so when Ducky left she made me come with her while she drove round DC trying to find trouble. Then we heard the scream from the park so we came straight away but I have to say I didn't anything as, juicy as this." Tony gestured towards the drip drying pair.
"It's not funny." Annabel said, trying to be serious, "I fell in–"
"And dragged McWater Baby in with you by the looks of it." He said teasingly.
"I couldn't help it." She said defensively.
"Yeah, whatever you say little cous–"
"Tony." Ziva reprimanded him, "I am sorry. Before dinner he sat on my couch drinking raspberry cruiser and quoting Saving Private Ryan. Like a toddler!"
"Really." Annabel said amused.
"Would you like to come and spend the night at my apartment and let the boys sort out their own problems?" Ziva said to Annabel but before she could reply Ziva butted in, "By ourselves Tony." She added as she stared at him again. Annabel readily agreed then turned to Tim and smiled a little apologetically before walking over to Ziva and linking arms with her. After another short discussion, the girls departed in Ziva's car leaving the boys to ponder each other's prescience.
Tony now appeared to be drunk whilst on the other hand McGee was a little cold from being firstly pulled into the below with his companion and then for being separated from her and left with a semi drunk Tony.
"So Probie, did you have fun?" Tony said as he went and looked at the lake, which had been found to be deceptively deep.
"What do you think Tony? It's kinda cold in there and my phone got ruined." McGee said kind of angrily.
"Oh, poor Timmy, are you mad?" Tony said in a baby voice.
"Tony just shut up, I cannot believe you got drunk at Ziva's and we have to see Gibbs tomorrow."
"Don't be so ridunculous." DiNozzo said more defensively, "You know I would never get drunk on a school night, maybe I had just a little too much but, that's all!" He said more innocently using his very best puppy dog eyes.
"Really? 'A little too much' Tony, I'd say that was a bit of an understatement." McGee snapped back.
"Look Probie, just because you've been separated from her for one night–"
"What are you implying?" McGee asked with a frown.
Tony went and put a hand on his colleagues' shoulder, "You know you don't have to hide it from me, I've known since the first time you spoke to her, you like her. And fair enough, she's a beautiful woman." He started staring into the distance, "Those beautiful eyes, that tanned skin, that lovely dark hair–"
"Tony, we're talking about Annabel here."
Tony cleared his throat and turned away before saying, "C'mon let's go. We have to visit Gibbs tomorrow."
"Yeah, we have to go visit Gibbs tomorrow whilst being even half sober…"
Their bickering continued in a light hearted manner for the rest of the night until both Tony and McGee eventually made it home safely.