Warnings: Spoilers for Season 8

A/N: I was seriously considering going on a long hiatus from this site, but I've decided to just drown out the drama. Hope you like this chapter. This chapter starts my version of the Port-to-Port killer arc. And yes, EJ will be introduced into this verse.

amaia- I'm not sure Natalie would be the type to have sexy times on a friend's sofa with that friend sleeping in the other room lol, but I guess ya never know!

It was still dark when Tim pulled his car next to the van. Red and blue flashing lights lit up the area in Rock Creek Park that the team had been called too. In the backseat of his car, Tony groaned, murmuring something about a headache. Well, next time maybe you won't drink so much, Tim thought as he parked the car and shut it down.

Natalie watched through the windshield as Ducky and Jimmy pulled a gurney from the back of the Medical Examiner's van. "I'm not familiar with this case, Tim. But Tony and Gibbs, and even you seem familiar with it. Was this before I started?"

Tim nodded and took his keys out of the ignition. "Yeah. Few years ago the first body showed up in Rota, Spain. The NCIS team stationed there investigated but came up empty. Random bodies have showed up in different ports since."

"Hence the name Port-to-Port killer," Tony mumbled from the back. "Last body was found in Hawaii I believe. That was months ago."

"Are you okay?" Natalie asked, glancing in the backseat. "You don't look well, Tony."

"I'm fine. My head hurts," Tony snapped, opening his eyes and glaring at her.

"I told you not to have that last martini," Natalie chided him. "Did you finish your breakfast?"

Tony held up his empty take out container. "Yes, Mom, I finished my breakfast. And it was cold. Timmy's girlfriend is lucky she doesn't have to come to the crime scene. She gets to heat up her breakfast and taste the diner food warm, the way it should be."

Tim looked at Natalie and whispered, "He gets cranky when he's tired, hung-over, and has to work."

Natalie turned back towards the front of the car. "I'll say," she whispered as she opened the door. A blast of cold air hit her in the face. She wished that there had been time to go home and change. The clothes that Tim had given her to borrow from his sister were just going to have to keep her warm enough underneath her jacket.

Gibbs was waiting for the three agents at the crime scene tape. He took in their appearances, grinning at Tony. "Rough night, DiNozzo?"

"Yes, I wasn't planning on having to work on New Year's Day, boss," Tony muttered.

"Neither was I," Gibbs said, softly. "Duty calls and Vance wants us on this case, not the team on duty."

Tony nodded his head, gritted his teeth, and ducked underneath the crime scene tape. "I'll work through it, boss."

Gibbs recalled times that Tony would show up hung over at crime scenes, but that had been way before Natalie had arrived on scene. It seemed that his change in behavior had happened before he began dating Natalie. While she had changed a lot about him, Gibbs was starting to realize that the change had been set in motion long before she had appeared in the bullpen.

Natalie and Tim followed behind Tony, dragging the gear. It appeared that even they knew this wasn't normal for Tony anymore and they pitied him. Tony would hate it if he knew that they were. Which was why both Natalie and Tim kept their mouths shut.

Ducky greeted them, solemnly when they arrived. "Ah, Timothy, Natalie. I'm sorry that this psychopath ruined your New Year's plans. You're young and you should be able to partake in festivities."

"It's okay, Ducky," Natalie said, putting down the bag she was carrying. "We managed to have a cold breakfast of diner food in the car."

"For your information, breakfast burritos cold are actually quite disgusting," Tim said.

"I will keep that in mind the next time I place an order at the diner," Ducky said with a slight grin.

Gibbs came up behind them. "Get to work. Photographs, sketches, let's go! I don't want to be in the cold too long!"

Tony, Tim, and Natalie got to work without another word.

Sarah's clothes that Tim had let Natalie borrow were swimming on her. Apparently, Tim's little sister liked her clothes to fit rather loosely. Natalie was finding it hard to concentrate when the sweater kept slipping off of her shoulder, revealing her collarbone and the fact that she had on a strapless bra.

However, sensory issues aside, Natalie was going to have to concentrate harder on their case. It was obvious once they arrived at the crime scene that everyone on the team, except her, was familiar with the Port-to-Port killer. Gibbs had shoved files in her hand when the reached NCIS and ordered her to sit down and get caught up. It was not an easy task. The cases were gruesome, with very little clues left behind. No one was suspected in this case yet. There just seemed to be a trail to follow that had started in Rota, Spain several years ago.

Natalie stretched out her aching neck. It was only eight in the morning and already she felt like she'd worked a full day. Of course, not sleeping at all the night before didn't help matters. It had been years since she had spent the entire night out partying but Tony brought out a younger, more vibrant side to her.

"Hey," Tim said, entering the bullpen. "Did you catch up?"

"Enough that I know we have extremely intelligent killer on our hands," Natalie replied.

"This is the first victim that's shown up here in Washington," Tim replied, a little bit excited. "Another team has been working this case with little results."

"Do you think we can do better?" Natalie asked him, honestly.

Tim shrugged his shoulders and sat down at his desk. Once the first body showed up he always thought that their team could do better; they were lead by Gibbs after all. "Yeah, I think we can do better. I think we can catch the guy."

Natalie pursed her lips and looked at the case file in front of her. "He's very meticulous, the killer. He cleans the bodies before dumping them to wash away evidence and he doesn't make mistakes. It could take us years to catch him."

"Okay, let's profile his victims," Tim said, calling up the plasma screen. "All enlisted, none of them officers. So why does he dress them up as such?"

"Could be something to do with being enlisted once himself," Natalie replied. "He knew how a Navy officer would dress; even the bars on the uniform."

Tony entered the bullpen, still grumbling about his headache. He had found a clean pair of jeans in his desk, but the dress shirt that Tim let him borrow was a bit tight because of the weight Tim had lost since the beginning of least year. Tony hadn't gained weight himself, rather, Tim's shoulders were slimmer and there fore his shirt didn't fit Tony around his arms and neck. "Did my probie geniuses solve this case yet?"

Natalie followed him with her eyes to his desk. "We might be good, but we're not that good. I need to profile the victims and I need to look over these cases without a pounding headache."

"I told you not to have that last glass of champagne," Tony said, echoing her sentiments from earlier at the crime scene.

"I seem to recall a certain very special agent egging me on," Natalie threw at him with a playful glance.

"So that would explain why you showed up at my apartment," Tim said. "Tony egged you on. I knew you didn't come too willingly, Natalie."

Tony grunted and slammed his drawer shut. "Can we get back to work? Please?"

Natalie smiled at him sweetly. "Yes. Of course."

"Do we have anything in this case?" Tony grumbled, resting his aching head in his hands.

"We know what kind of knot he likes to use," Natalie said. "Oh, all his victims so far have been male. I have a call out to the original agent on the case to get the criminal profile that she had done. But... it might be awhile thanks to the time difference in Rota."

Tony's head shot up. "Rota?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah. Spain. We have an office there."

He glowered at her. "I know we have an office there. No need to get sassy with me."

She titled her head to the side and sighed, "I'm not getting sassy."

"Could be a while before Rota gets back to you," Tim said, "Maybe you could rest down in Abby's lab."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Natalie asked, earnestly.

"No, you just... you look tired," Tim offered.

Tony now threw his glare at Tim. "Well, yeah! We were up all night partying! Feel like I'm back at Ohio State!"

Tim grumbled, "Except you didn't wake up naked with a nameless girl in your bed."

"Excuse me? What is that supposed to imply?"

"Oh, please, you know what I meant."

Natalie could see Tony becoming predatory. That was never good. Normally the senior field agent could smile and go along with Tim's banter, but today he wasn't feeling well, sleep deprived, and beyond grumpy. She could see this erupting into a physical confrontation...

Someone else spoke up before Natalie could and all three agents' attention was turned towards a petite blonde woman standing in their squad room. "Sorry, hope I'm not interrupting anything. I got an email that my assistance was needed on a case."

Tony glowered at her. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, sorry!" the woman said, stepping forward and holding her hand out to him, "I'm Special Agent EJ Barrett."

"You're Special Agent Barrett?" Natalie questioned, surprised.

"Yes," EJ replied, turning towards her. "I heard that you caught my case here in D.C."

"And you flew all the way from Rota?"

"No, no, I was home in Ohio for the holidays. I flew from Dayton."

Tony stood, coming around his desk and going to stand right next to EJ. "You were in Rota?"

EJ nodded at him. "Yes. My team has been working this case for months. Didn't Director Vance tell you?"

Tim sighed. "You'll have to forgive him, Agent Barrett. He had a lot to drink last night."

Letting that one slide, Tony studied the newcomer. She must have been the one that took the job in Rota four years ago when Tony declined. He never regretted that decision. After all, he wouldn't have fallen in love with Jeanne. Then again, maybe I should regret that decision. EJ was a tiny thing, smaller than Natalie by an inch or two. Her hair was long and blonde, and she had pretty blue eyes...

Natalie nervously shuffled her papers about and stood up, deliberately forcing herself between Tony and EJ. "Why don't we go talk in the conference room?" she suggested to the other female agent. "It will be quieter in there without these two bickering."

"We were not bickering," Tony argued with her. "We were having a lively discussion."

"Well, your lively discussion will be distracting," Natalie argued right back as she climbed the steps with EJ.

EJ saw the broad grin that crossed Tony's face as they reached the top of the stairs. Natalie ignored her partner and led the way into the conference room. "How long have you been stationed at headquarters?" she asked, making small talk.

Natalie closed the door. "I joined NCIS a little over a year ago. They helped me solve a cold case in Boston and Agent Gibbs offered me the job. He had a vacant spot on his team and thought I'd fit in."

"Do you?" EJ asked, honestly.

"Yes," Natalie snapped. "I wouldn't judge my team on what you saw downstairs. Last night was New Year's; we all did a little too much drinking and we're cranky today."

"And you're relationship with Agent DiNozzo?"

"Why is that important?"

EJ smiled, coyly. "He's rather attractive."

Natalie slapped her legal pad down onto the table to end the conversation. "What can you tell me about the Port-to-Port killer?"

"Sadly, I can't tell you much. The first victim was found in Rota. My team investigated but came up empty," EJ said, detecting the tiny bit of jealousy in Natalie's demeanor.

"A body was discovered in Hawaii as well," Natalie said.

"In Pearl Harbor," EJ confirmed. "Vance sent my team there. We came up empty and were reassigned to Rota. We shipped out several times since for this case. Still nothing."

Natalie made a note on her pad. "Were their any similarities between the bodies?"

EJ scrunched her nose up. "You mean besides the obvious? No, both victims had different heights, builds, and positions in the Navy. They were close in age."

"So, besides being wrapped in plastic, bound with a knot, cut at the throat, and dressed in officers uniforms—that's all you have?"

"This killer is flawless, Agent Callahan. He doesn't make mistakes."

"Did you have a profile done?"

"I didn't see the need to have one done, at least not yet."

She thought back to her first case with NCIS. They had caught a serial rapist and murder when he'd finally made a mistake. And she had written a pretty intense, detailed profile. Not having one seemed rather arrogant and stupid on EJ's part. "They all make a mistake eventually, Agent Barrett. Sooner or later, the Port-to-Port killer is going to make one."

A resentful look crossed EJ's face. "Hey! My team is a damn good team and they have worked their asses off to find this killer! And they're going to continue to work their asses off because this is my case."

Natalie grabbed her pad and silently stood. Tucking it underneath her arm, she opened the door to the conference room and stepped out. "Director Vance will be in around eleven; he had a New Year's brunch to attend before coming into the office. You can talk with him then."

Slamming the door shut, Natalie headed back towards the bullpen. The nerve of her... asking about my relationship with Tony...

"How'd it go?" Tony interrupted her thoughts upon her arrival.

"Fine. She knows nothing more than we do. It was a waste of her time to come here," Natalie said, tossing her pad down onto her desk. "She hasn't even written a proper profile on our killer. How does she expect him to be caught if we don't have a proper profile?"

"Uh-oh," the senior field agent quipped, looking at Tim. "Someone sounds a little bit jealous."

"Jealous?" the probationary agent snapped back. "Of what? Poor profiling skills?"

Tim shook his head. He didn't want to get involved. Sure, he'd seen the way Barrett had looked at Tony... but a lot of women looked at Tony that way...

Tony was more willing to get involved. "Oh come on, you saw the way she looked at me. You hate it when other women look at me that way, and when it happens you turn into this prowling cougar."

Natalie glared at him, resting her hands on her hips. "And you don't?"

"I have never denied that I can predatory when another man blinks in your direction."

"This isn't about how she looked at you, okay?"

"Hey!" Gibbs snapped coming up behind Tony's desk and smacking him lightly. "This isn't a high school! Keep the relationship problems out of here!"

"How come I get smacked on the back of the head, boss?"

"My father taught me never to hit a woman."

Natalie's stance softened a bit when the disgruntled look came over Tony's face. Gibbs suddenly had his eyes on her and she knew what he wanted. "Agent Barrett didn't have any new information for me."

Gibbs nodded. "What were you saying about a proper profile?"

"Um... there isn't one," Natalie said.

"Write one," Gibbs ordered.

He went to his desk and grabbed his keys. He needed a refill on his coffee, telling his team that when he got back he was hoping for some better results.