CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: A TABLE TURNED (HALE)

"I need to see some ID," I said, my heartbeat starting to slow down a bit. Gibbs nodded, still eyeing me closely, and extended his credentials. I glanced at them, validating them. Then I nodded. "Come inside. Um, I just recently started moving in, so I don't really have much furniture. I could, uh, get some boxes for you to sit on if you want."

Gibbs looked at me with a steely eye. For someone like me, who had hunted their fair share of twisted serial killers, it was weird to be so intimidated by him. I saw him taking in my distressed form, and the look in his eye softened ever so slightly. "That's fine," he said.

As I crutched over to the boxes sitting in the living room, I noticed that DiNozzo and McGee were staring at me, which caused me to blush ever so slightly in embarrassment. I was hideous in my current state, I knew that, but reminders still hurt. We all sat down, and they watched as I winced slightly on my way down. I saw a piteous look in DiNozzo's eyes and immediately felt a dislike towards him. I didn't need pity. I was fine.

"What happened to you, Miss Hale?" Gibbs finally asked, acknowledging the elephant in the room.

I tried to hold myself like a refined human being. And then I lied through my teeth. "Took a fairly bad fall down the stairs of my friend's apartment. Balance was never my forte."

"I'd say you're lying," DiNozzo said, eyeing me carefully. "Those bruises on your face look suspiciously finger-shaped."

"It's a long story. Maybe I'll share if you tell me why you're here," I volleyed back. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at my hurried tone.

"Are you familiar with a Lance Corporal Jason Lyons?"

My mind flashed back to the cell, as the bullet entered Jason's back and the light winked out of existence in his eyes. I thought back to holding his body, searching for a pulse, crying and praying over his lifeless form. I thought back even further, to the time we had first met, when we had fallen in love. I thought about all the dates, all the kisses, all the love we had shared. I thought back to when he'd made his mistake, and how I forgave him. And then it came around full circle, and I was sitting there again, holding his body, crying like I had when my mother was killed. "Yes. He's dead. I guess you found his body. I didn't think anyone would."

My frank words seemed to surprise Gibbs, DiNozzo, and McGee. The two younger men gave each other glances, and Gibbs scooted closed to me. "How do you know that he's dead?" he asked.

"I watched him die," I said quietly. "A little more than two weeks ago."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment. "And were you holding the gun?"

For the first time since being captured by Renwick, I grinned. Except this one was so humorless, so twisted and cynical, that I didn't really think it counted. "If I had been, the whole scenario would have been much different."

"So who killed him?" Gibbs asked.

"And why didn't you report this earlier?" DiNozzo added.

"The man's name is Ewan Renwick," I said. "And I was a bit preoccupied at that moment, Agent DiNozzo."

"I take it this Renwick is the one who did all of that to you?" Gibbs asked, his eyes flaring with some genuine emotion.

I didn't reply. "Tell me where you found Jason," I said.

"Listen, Miss Hale, you don't have clearance to know all the finer details—," Agent DiNozzo started.

In a flash of anger, I stood up, ignoring the searing pain throughout my body, and I ripped my FBI credentials out of my jeans and grabbed my gun from my holster. At the sight of the gun they all reached for theirs, but then I slammed both of them on the ground in front of Gibbs. "Is this clearance enough?"

Gibbs slowly reached down and grabbed my badge, glancing at it for a moment. Then he grinned. "FBI. I wonder if Fornell knows you."

"Tobias Fornell?" I asked. "I know him in passing. He's not in my unit."

"And that unit would be?"

"Behavioral Analysis Unit."

Gibbs studied me carefully. "So you're a profiler."

"Yes," I replied. "And Renwick is a top priority for the FBI, and more importantly, for my unit. It's our case. So I'd suggest finding another one if you want to get some action this week."

"Miss Hale—"

"My name is Nat," I said.

"Nat," Gibbs corrected, "you seem to be very personally involved in this case. The least you can do is tell us why."

I considered. And then I figured, what the hell. What were these agents going to do with the information besides feel sorry for her? "Renwick murdered my mother in front of my eyes when I was seventeen," I said, "and he's the reason why my father went MIA in a top secret mission in Europe when I was sixteen. He was FBI, too. About two weeks ago, Renwick got the best of me in this apartment and took me to one of his warehouses about twenty minutes away. My team rescued me two days ago."

"And he…what? Just kept you there for ransom?" DiNozzo asked sarcastically. I glared at him, wondering briefly how such a handsome man could be so annoying.

"No," I snapped. "He tortured me for two weeks. And he sent a live feed of the whole event to my team to make them watch. They saw things happen to me that you don't see in horror movies, Agent DiNozzo, all so that they'd have an incentive to find my father. Renwick wants to kill him for stealing a woman away from him. He's so lacking in emotion that I'd barely call him human. He's a psychopathic monster. And he's my priority, not yours."

Gibbs stared at me long and hard. I stared back, until my strength faltered and my knees grew weak and I stumbled slightly, letting out a surprised gasp. Immediately Gibbs lunged forward and grabbed me, steadying me before helping me sit down. I felt lightheaded, and I put my head in my hands for a moment. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "Not used to so much movement at one time."

"Don't be sorry," he said in a gruff voice. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," I sighed. "I've only been back a couple hours. I've been in the hospital for a couple days. Walking and multitasking and all that stuff…it's been more difficult than I thought."

McGee cleared his throat and I glanced at him. "Nat, how did your capture connect to Jason's murder?"

"Jason was part of my torture," I explained in a quiet voice. "He and I definitely had some rough history, but I always cared about him. He made a couple stupid decisions, and while I never would have gotten back together with him…he was still a friend. And I guess since Renwick couldn't get to anyone else, he took Jason. And he killed him, execution style, right in front of me. He made me spend an entire day with his body. And then the next morning his body was gone." I realized I was zoned out, my mind slipping again into the abyss of memories I had collected, and I quickly checked back in. DiNozzo was looking at me, almost with pity. I snapped back to attention. "Where did you find his body? Don't tell me you can't say, I just want to know."

Gibbs assessed me for a moment. "A local park. A girl stumbled upon it last night."

"A park?" I responded, my brow furrowing. "That's unusual."

"I have a couple more questions for you, Nat, if you don't mind."

"I do mind," I said quickly. "This is my team's case. I have no doubt you are invaluable agents to your agency, but I really think the BAU would like to keep this one…in house."

"With all due respect, Agent Hale, Lance Corporal Lyons was a marine. One you seem to have been good friends with. We can help you find him."

"Agent Gibbs, I'm not your usual victim family member or close friend," I said. "I have resources, and I have the drive. I want to take Renwick down."

"If he's such a threat, how come we haven't seen his face before?" Agent McGee asked, after keeping quiet. "NCIS may be small, but we usually see the Most Wanted lists."

"He wouldn't have been on there," I said. "He was off the radar for a very long time, until he came after me."

"And why did he come after you?" Gibbs asked. "Why not your father?"

"I told you, Agent Gibbs," I snapped. "I'm not answering questions!"

Suddenly, there was a bang, and I jumped so violently that I gasped in pain and Gibbs bent down to steady me yet again as McGee and DiNozzo covered his back, pulling out their guns and aiming them at the door. I glanced over, and there stood Derek, gun pulled at the ready. "Hey!" he shouted at Gibbs. "Step away from the girl!"

I realized, from Derek's perspective, the situation could have looked compromising. McGee and DiNozzo had their guns out and pointed at Derek, fiercely protective looks on their faces. They must have really cared about their boss to be so intently focused. Meanwhile, Gibbs had his hands on my shoulders from trying to steady me as the waves of pain had rolled through me as a result of me jumping. The bang had been Derek kicking the door in.

"Derek," I tried. "It's fine, he's not—"

"I said, step away from the girl!" Derek reiterated, a fire in his eyes I had never seen before. "I'm not taking any more chances with you, Nat."

Gibbs lifted his hands off of my shoulders in an act of appeasement and stepped away. McGee and DiNozzo kept their weapons at the ready. "Who are you?" DiNozzo asked.

"Agent Derek Morgan, FBI. And you?"

"Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee, NCIS. We're investigating the murder of Lance Corporal Jason Lyons, and our search led us to Agent Hale."

"Let me see some identification," Derek demanded, not lowering his weapon.

"Derek, do you think I would have let them in if they hadn't shown me some proper ID?" I asked.

"Tiger, we're not taking any chances here. Hotch is going to be pissed when he hears you let someone into your apartment three hours after we dropped you off—"

Gibbs walked up to Derek and pulled out his NCIS identification. "Satisfied?" he asked as Derek looked at it. After a moment, Derek nodded, and as he lowered his weapon so did McGee and DiNozzo. "Now do I get to see your ID?"

Derek quickly showed him his FBI credentials, and Gibbs seemed satisfied as well. When the tension died down a little, Derek rushed over to me and bent down. "You alright, Tiger?"

"I'm fine, Derek," I said quickly. "Honestly, these agents were just leaving."

"Not true," DiNozzo said.

"Make it true," Derek snapped. "She's been through enough. She doesn't need to be questioned about Jason right now."

"Derek!" I exclaimed, ignoring the pain in my body that came from being so exuberant. "Thank you for worrying so much about me, but I can handle this, okay? I'm not helpless."

Derek stood up, eyeing me uncertainly. Then he looked towards Gibbs. "I'm sure she already told you, but this is our case."

Gibbs looked at me, and then looked at Derek. "From what I've seen of your team, you're emotionally unfit to take on this case. My team could work better, and without bias."

I hobbled to my feet again, ignoring Gibbs' and Derek's attempts to make me sit back down. "Stop it!" I said. I grabbed my crutches, which were situated beside me. "I'm going outside for a bit, or to get some water, or…I don't even know, somewhere other than here. I can't deal with this right now. Agent Gibbs, honestly, your concern is duly noted and appreciated, but this case is being handled professionally and adequately by the FBI. The help of NCIS is neither needed nor wanted. Renwick is ours to find."

"This decision isn't yours," DiNozzo stated, looking at me. He took a couple steps towards me, and almost unconsciously I stepped back. He stopped, gauged my reaction, and then retreated, but not before saying, "I'm sure our Directors will be in touch."

"Keep in mind, Lance Corporal Lyons falls under NCIS jurisdiction," McGee added. "I wouldn't expect to keep this one to yourselves."

DiNozzo and McGee began walking out, but Gibbs trailed behind. He looked at Derek, and then at me. "Nat, you decide you want to cooperate, if you need anything…." He handed me a simple card with a name and a number. "Don't hesitate," he said. I nodded, and then he followed his team out the door.

Derek looked at me after Gibbs closed the door. "What the hell, Nat!" he exclaimed. I flinched when he said my name. So rare was it that he didn't call me Tiger or Aubie that I knew he was serious. "Don't let anyone in. Would that have been so hard?"

"They were government agents," I said calmly. "They showed me their credentials, I made sure before I opened it all the way. If I hadn't let them in they would've broken down the door. You've heard the stories about how unconventional NCIS can be."

"Yeah, but Renwick's smart. What if he set up traps like that? I can't lose you again, Aubie. We can't lose you."

I looked at Derek, and then I felt my lip quiver for half a moment. It wasn't long, but I think he noticed. "Derek…I can't live my life constantly afraid of him coming to get me. If I did…I don't think I'd ever be able to really live. I'm just trying to feel normal again."

"That could take a while, Tiger," he said gently. "I don't mean to add fuel to the fire, but right now it's probably healthy for you to be a little scared. You don't need to jump in headfirst."

"I do, though," I said, crutching my way over to the kitchen to get some water, Derek following anxiously behind. "I mean, if I stop and relax too much, I just start thinking about it, and then it's just…unbearable. I can't even….even breathe without thinking…without feeling…." I shivered, and then grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water, taking a sip to distract myself from my emotions.

"Do you think that you're ready to…see someone?" Derek asked. I looked at him sharply. I knew what he meant.

"I don't need a psychiatrist," I snapped. "I got through it with Jared, I can get through it now. I just need time."

"You don't have to do this alo—"

"Please. Not now," I interjected. I had no energy for that. "I think I need to take a nap or something. I'm exhausted."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm fine. Are you staying?"

"You think after all that I'm going to leave?" he replied.

"Okay," I said. "I won't argue with you. Make yourself as at home as you can be."

I didn't listen for his response as I crutched my way to my bedroom, where a lone mattress awaited me.

As always, thanks for reading! Follow, favorite, and review! ~ Lacey :)