'Ello Loves! After being sick last week and then swamped at work this week, I'm so happy to finally get this chapter up! I honestly have no idea how this happened either, so don't ask. I hope you enjoy it!
As It Seems: Chapter 36
Tony, Jethro, and Vance all sat wearily around the conference table. Jethro was surprised at how helpful Vance had been, but he hadn't taken into consideration that he was a father too, and he understood better than most the challenges of doing a job like theirs while keeping his family a priority.
"I think that covers it," Tony said.
"Yeah," Jethro said with a sigh. "Remind me to thank Joan if I ever meet her."
Joan Truxton had called another montessori near them in Alexandria and had given her recommendation that they accept Amira into their pre-K program. They had called Tony to make the arrangements in the middle of the meeting. It eliminated a lot of the what-ifs they'd come across, and relieved the largest part of the burden.
"This sucks," Tony said. "She's so much stronger than I feel like I am right now."
"Welcome to fatherhood," Vance said with a snicker.
"Gee, thanks," Tony said, shaking his head.
"We'll make sure we keep it balanced," Jethro said, looking at Tony.
"Yeah. It's going to suck being away from the two of you as you plan the funeral," Tony said. "I know Leyla would want someone going after these bastards though."
"She would," Jethro confirmed, reaching to take Tony's hand and entwine their fingers. "When I think about it, I keep hearing her saying, "Keep her safe". I know she meant Amira, but I can't help but think she meant Dina, too. That's what she did- she kept them safe."
"I'll make sure her wishes are honored," Tony said, squeezing Jethro's fingers.
"This week, you take care of Dina, and I'll take care of Amira, and when we finally put all of this to rest, we'll work on learning how to balance the load."
Tony nodded.
"Are you going to be able to handle the interrogation?" Vance asked directly.
Tony nodded. "Ned will be in there with me. He'll keep me from killing the prick."
"Good. I'll be on the other side of the glass if you need me," he said. Tony nodded, knowing that he'd be watching as both referee and friend. He felt the support of everyone around him reminding him who his real family was. Vance was there for them, Ned was outside the door babysitting for them, and the team had rallied together around them so quickly, thinking of all of their needs.
"Thanks," he said quietly. "I'm going to go get Elly and Parke out into the field to start questioning people to find out how in the hell he knew how to get to Leyla."
He stood up, squeezing Jethro's hand one more time, and headed for the door. Once it closed, Jethro turned to Vance.
"Every minute he has to work on this case, the guy who drugged Critten and Dorneget is going loose."
"I've thought about that already," Vance said. "Parke has his instructions to keep tracking the man who owns Burgundy. We've frozen every financial asset he has, but he hasn't come forward to find out why. It's obvious it's either him, or someone he's acquainted with and he knew the plan. I've actually spent some time researching him myself. Discovered he spent time in rehab. Voluntarily. Twice. I have a feeling the money he's getting deposited into his account on a regular basis is a cut of what some of his old drug dealer buddies are giving him to allow them open access to sell at the club."
"Tony's going to be pissed when he finds out you've been working his case," Jethro warned him.
"Probably, but his plate is too full, and the only other person he'd trust it with is you, and you have other priorities right now. Let him be pissed. I'm pissed. Someone tried to kill my agents, and for money nonetheless. There's going to be hell to pay."
"Not saying you shouldn't be involved, just saying you should tell him before he finds out," Jethro said.
Vance agreed with a nod. "Planned on it after the Dwahalini interrogation."
Jethro nodded. "Good. I'm going to go take the munchkin home and see if I can't talk her into a nap so I can make calls to plan the funeral." He looked towards the door with a grimace. "She should probably stay with Tony or Ned while I go downstairs to talk to Ducky. I don't want her to know Leyla's body is down there. It's bad enough she doesn't know Dwahalini is in the building. Tony promised her none of the bad guys are here."
"She's starting to ask questions like that already?" Vance asked, obviously concerned.
"Yeah. Leyla had warned her about the bad guys, so she keeps bringing them up. Well, she keeps bringing them up with Tony. She never brings them up with me. She's got this odd disconnection thing going on. She's fine with me, but when she's around Tony, it's like she lets it all out. Her fears, her sadness, her anger. Tried talking about it earlier and she changed the topic. Four years old, changed the damn topic. And when we got here, as soon as she got ten yards from Tony, even before she saw him, it was over. She was sad, she was shaky, she wanted only him to hold her, wanted him to take her home…"
"She's got something she connects with him that lets her open up," Vance said with a shrug.
"Yeah," Jethro said with a sigh.
"Are you jealous?" Vance asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jethro chuckled. "Yeah! I think I am. Not that I want her sad, I just…"
"Want to feel like she trusts you as much as she trusts Tony."
"Yeah," Jethro said, nodding. He felt somehow closer to Vance suddenly. A part of his respect for the man had been forged over his dedication to his family, and now that he was a father again, he felt like they could relate on that level in a way they hadn't before. He'd figured he'd have one up on Tony in a way since he'd been a parent before, but he never considered getting dad advice from anyone else. He appreciated Vance a little more now.
"I've got to say, I'm looking forward to ending the battle with HR about the two of you never taking vacation time," Vance said with a grin. Jethro smiled and shook his head as he got to his feet.
"This is why we've been racking it up!" he said with a shrug. "We've got a daughter now, a wedding coming up, a honeymoon, and then probably yearly vacations with Amira. Want to make sure she gets to see everything she ever wants to see while I'm alive to witness it."
"I hope she's okay with the two of you leaving for a week for your honeymoon. It's going to be hard on her."
"We have a couple of months. She seems to be taking to Dorneget of all people," Jethro said with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe she can stay with him and Abby. A few days here, a few days there…"
"You'll figure it out."
"Yeah, we will."
"All of it."
Jethro sighed and nodded, then turned to head for the door.
AIS-NCIS-AIS-NCIS-AIS
When Tony left Vance's office, he found Amira sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, coloring with a highlighter. The picture was flowers and sunshine, all done in neon colors, and a rainbow was being added. As the door closed, she gasped, then looked up at Tony.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said with a sad smile, coming to sit on the couch next to her. "What are you drawing?"
"Flowers. There's pink, and - and orange, and yellow, and blue!"
"Wow! Those are really pretty flowers! Did you behave for Dorney?" he asked. She nodded as she colored her rainbow.
"She was very good," Ned said with a smile. "She lost a Twizzler in her Gatorade though. Bit it down too small, and it's floating around in the bottle." Ned looked at the bottle and grimaced, then looked at Tony who was suppressing a chuckle at Ned's obvious discomfort with that idea.
"Might be time for a new bottle, huh?" he asked.
"No!" Amira said, grabbing the bottle before Tony could take it. "I like it like that!"
"Okay, then!" Tony said. "If you guys can hang out a few more minutes until Jethro gets out, and then come join us in the bullpen, that would be great. I'm going to go get Parke and Elly out to check on-um- those things we were discussing earlier."
Ned looked at him with confusion. "The things?"
"Yeah," Tony said, looking at Amira. "The things!"
"OH!" Ned exclaimed, the light bulb flickering on inside his head. "Yeah, the things. Okay, not a problem." He turned to Amira. ["Are you okay if Tony goes downstairs now? Gibbs is still in the room,"] he asked her.
Tony smiled at Ned as she nodded, and he wondered if he'd been speaking to her in Arabic the whole time they'd been hanging out. He watched to make sure Amira was okay with it and that it didn't set off any emotional alarms. If anything, she seemed comforted by it, trusting Ned more because of this commonality.
"Thank you," he said to Ned. He bent and kissed Amira on the top of the head. "I'll be right downstairs, and you'll come see me in a few minutes, okay?"
Amira nodded again, and kept coloring. Tony got up and escaped before she could change her mind and get upset, relieved when he started down the stairs and he didn't hear her crying and running after him. He made his way into the bullpen, and sat heavily at his desk. He was exhausted, and now that he wasn't around Amira, he could let the façade that he was okay drop away.
"Okay you two. Time to get to work. Where are you going to start?"
"Uh?" Parke and Elly looked back and forth at each other. Parke shrugged.
"There are currently no missing person reports or any bodies in any morgues in the tri-state area that would have any reason to be involved with the case," Elly said, looking at Tony and then behind him as Tim and Ziva came up to the wall behind Jethro's desk.
"We canvassed the neighborhood really well the other day, and no one saw Dwahalini move in or out of the house," Tim said, making Tony turn around.
"The video should be here by four today from the busses so we can start going through that," Elly added.
"I took the liberty of requesting the video from the pharmacy that he stopped at for supplies," Ziva said.
"And I've been tracking every known trafficker that works the coastline from New York to North Carolina," Parke said.
Tony nodded. "Ziva, when is that video going to be here?"
"It will get here sooner if I go and get it," she said.
"Make sure it's okay with Gibbs when he gets down here. New incoming cases are your priority though. We've left Balboa by himself for long enough," Tony said turning back to Elly and Parke. "He had to have come from somewhere. Find it," Tony said, looking between Parke and Elly. They both nodded, unnerved by the gruff demand, and got up, throwing together their things to head out.
"I don't care what you have to do, who you have to talk to. As soon as Dorney gets down here, we're going to talk to the people at Epiphany and find out what we can, and then I'm coming back and interrogating this bastard. I want as much information as possible when I walk into that room. I don't care how big or how small. Got it?"
"Got it, Boss," Elly said, practically running from the bullpen with Parke on his heels.
Tony turned to Tim, who looked a little paler than he had a moment before. He had never heard Tony snap at his team, and he wasn't sure he liked it.
"They were looking for people that would be reported missing or dead. We need to find the people who wouldn't be. We need to look deeper."
Tim nodded, following Tony's train of though. "Undocumented, those most likely to slip under the radar. I can do that," Tim said.
"I will help," Ziva said.
"I need to talk to Ducky," Tony said. He turned around and picked up his cell, dismissing Tim and Ziva who exchanged concerned looks as they went back to their desks.
TMcGee02: Whoa.
ZDavid01: Indeed. I am not sure what has happened, but this is not like Tony.
TMcGee01: No, it's like Gibbs. I know he's taking his name, but I'm not so sure I like him taking the obsessive, angry persona.
ZDavid01: He has a family to protect now. You have seen Gibbs when someone he cares about is affected by a case or missing. It is not pleasant. I expect that we will start seeing the same from Tony.
TMcGee02: True. I hope he doesn't scare Elly and Parke too much though. They've been waiting for direction, not just sitting around. They haven't stopped working the case. And I shouldn't tell you this, but Parke is actually working the drugging case at the same time. He asked me a few questions on a search he was running, and it had to do with the club owner at Burgundy.
ZDavid01: Is that Tony's directive?
TMcGee02: No. The Director's. And no, Tony doesn't know. Though Tony did apparently have him working on the case before Dorneget and Elly knew.
Tim and Ziva both looked up suddenly as they heard voices from above them. Amira was telling Jethro all about the pictures she had drawn, and he was affirming that she had done a good job. Ned was chuckling, and the three walked down the stairs together. Ned made his way towards the bathroom while the other two joined Tony in the bullpen. Tony smiled at Amira as she came over and tried to climb up into his lap to show him her pictures.
"Very nice!" Tony said. "You're a little artist!"
"Thanks!" she said, and then reached for Tony's phone that was sitting on the desk.
"Nope!" Tony said, picking it up from her hands. "That's off limits."
"Awww!" she pouted.
"It's got grown up stuff in it. We'll have to get you something different to play with." Tony tucked his phone into his inside pocket.
"A phone?" she asked excitedly.
"Maybe not your own phone, but something. We'll think about it," Jethro said with a chuckle.
"Ooookayyy," she said with a sigh. Tony looked up at Jethro with a smile.
"I need to go talk to Ducky," Jethro said, looking briefly at Amira.
"He's waiting for you. We need to head out as soon as possible though."
"I'll be brief," Jethro said.
"Okay," Tony said with a nod. "Thanks."
Jethro headed for the back elevator, and Amira turned to watch him go from her position on Tony's lap.
"Where's Gibbsy going?" she asked, looking back at Tony in a small panic.
"Just to talk to his friend Ducky downstairs." He saw that answer wasn't pacifying Amira, so he thought fast. "I have a friend I want to come upstairs and hang out with you. She's eager to see you."
"Really?" Amira asked.
"Yup," Tony said, picking up the phone. Two rings and the phone was picked up. "Hey, Amira is up here if you want to come see her."
"Really?!" Abby asked excitedly. "I'll be right there!" She hung up before Tony could even start to chuckle, and he turned towards Amira.
"See? She's coming right up to see you!"
"It's a girl?"
"Yup," Tony said.
"And she's a good guy?" Amira whispered.
"Of course! I'd never let a bad guy come see you," Tony said quietly back, cupping her face in his hands. "Ever."
Amira nodded and took a deep breath. Before anything else could be said, Abby was coming off the elevator, shuffling across the floor in her big black buckle boots.
"Abby!" Amira said, jumping down from Tony's lap and running for her. Tony laughed.
"Hey, Amira!" Abby said, crouching down to hug the tiny girl. "I haven't seen you in so long!"
"Forever!" Amira said, hugging Abby as tightly as she was being hugged, if not more.
"Did you like the puzzles?" Abby asked, letting Amira out of the hug, but staying crouched down.
"Uh-huh! And I put them all together too! Gibbsy and Mommy helped a little," she said, and then she froze.
Abby smiled at her and reached to pet her hair. "That's because they love you," Abby said quietly.
Amira stood still, looking around the room, unsure of what she was doing or feeling suddenly. Tony could see the confusion on her face and tried to wait it out, but he wanted to jump up from the desk, pick her up, and hold her close. She looked like a lost little girl in a store more than a safe yet grieving four year old. She looked at Tony, her brown eyes full of tears, and Tony tried to smile at her, but suddenly he felt a knot tighten in his chest and he couldn't.
Abby shook her head and picked Amira up, coming around the desk so that she stood next to Tony, leaning against the drawers. Amira reached for Tony, and Tony gladly took her, feeling the knot unravel as he drew her close and held her tightly. Amira sniffled and shook a little, but she didn't cry. He rubbed her back lightly, and finally managed a sad smile at Abby.
"Who's-" Amira started before she hiccupped a little. "Who's gonna help me with my puzzles?"
"I will, and Gibbsy will, and I'm sure Abby will, and Dorney will… we all will," Tony said, fighting back his own choked sadness. Amira nodded, but didn't let him go.
"Mommy makes cupcake cookies, and we do games, and- and- and we put the puzzles on the floor, and she gives me three tries- and-" Amira shook harder and then she started crying those soft quiet tears that broke Tony's heart.
Abby looked over the bullpen wall to find Tim staring at her, waiting for her to summon him with her stare. As soon as she did, he got up and came over. Ziva followed him. Tony noticed she looked as teary eyed as he felt, and he gave her a sad smile.
"I can help you with puzzles," Tim said.
"And I am sure I can learn how to make cupcake cookies," Ziva said.
"We can play lots of games together, and we can do lots of fun things. I know it's not the same," Abby said, crouching down again so that she looked up into Amira's face. "But you have a big family now, and we will all be there for you, and we can hang out, and play games, and do puzzles, and make cookies, and go do fun stuff, and watch movies…"
"And go to the park, and get ice cream, and play on the slides," Tim suggested.
Ned came back into the bullpen to see the group standing around Tony's desk, and saw Amira curled up in Tony's arms. He walked up to them tentatively, unsure of what was happening, but knowing it wasn't good.
["Are you okay, Amira?"] he asked her. Amira shook her head no vehemently and buried her face in Tony's neck. "Hey guys? Let's, ya know, give her some space," he said. Tony nodded and stood up. Everyone moved out of the way.
"Can you tell Jethro to meet us in the conference room when he gets done talking to Ducky?" he asked Ned quietly.
"Yeah, I'll go tell him," he said.
"Thanks." They walked a few steps together through the bullpen, leaving the rest of the group behind. "What did you ask her?" he said quietly, stroking Amira's head.
"If she was okay."
Tony sighed and nodded. "Thanks."
"Yeah," Ned said, taking the steps downstairs to autopsy. He needed a moment to himself as he felt the urge to cry hit him. He took some deep breaths as he went down the stairs, and then wiped at his eyes before the tears could fall. He closed them tightly, and then blinked a few times, wiping them again. He wasn't sure why it was hitting him so hard, but it felt like a kick in the gut to see her so sad, and to hear the broken voice of Tony thanking him for something as simple as asking Amira if she was okay.
He walked into autopsy to find Jethro and Ducky standing over Leyla's body. They both turned to look at him, and he sighed.
"Tony needs you upstairs in the conference room," Ned said quietly.
"What's wrong?" Jethro asked, turning towards Ned and heading for the door.
"Amira's upset. Well, she's crying, and I'm not really sure what happened, but everyone was trying to make her feel better."
Jethro nodded and left him standing there with Ducky.
"Agent Dorneget! I didn't get a chance to do your examination the other day. It shouldn't take but a few minutes, and seeing as they are probably going to be more than that, why don't we get it out of the way? Shall we?"
Ned shrugged, feeling like anything was better than going upstairs at the moment.
"Are you alright?" Ducky asked, coming to stand in front of Ned who hadn't moved from his spot.
He shrugged again. "It's just… it's so sad that a parent who loved their child so much, who obviously cared about her, treated her well, can be taken away. It's not like my mom, who… who…" Ned felt the tears escape and blinked hard in disbelief that they were there. His voice came out in a whisper. "Who doesn't love me, -and doesn't want me in her life."
Ducky frowned as he watched Ned's heartbroken expression and quiet tears.
"Sorry," Ned whispered, reaching up to wipe his eyes and sniffle.
"My dear boy," Ducky said going behind Ned and leading him to a chair with a hand on each shoulder. "Not all parents are created equal, but as I'm sure you've noticed, being a part of this team makes you a part of a very special family indeed. A family that most definitely appreciates you, and cares for you. Jethro just told me that you have been spending time with Amira today so they can get some meetings out of the way and make some decisions. The fact that she is being entrusted to you at all should tell you that you are regarded very highly in their eyes."
Ned nodded, tilting his head back against the stone wall, grateful to be in such a sterile place that he could do so without worry.
"Why do you believe that your mother doesn't care for you?" Ducky asked gently.
Ned shook his head. "She stopped acknowledging my existence when she discovered I'm gay." He swallowed hard. "Wouldn't look at me, speak to me, move out of the way for me when I was trying to get to the cabinet with the cups in it… She changed the locks on the doors after I went back to school my senior year at UMD so that I couldn't get back into the house. Cancelled my cell phone. Told my brother not to talk to me. Tried to get a refund on my tuition, and to top it off, just laughed when my brother told her that I'm a full field agent now."
"Oh, for god's sake! That is not what a parent should be like. I am very sorry she's become so cruel. You most certainly don't deserve that," Ducky said, trying his hardest to rein in his fury that any parent would treat their child like that, no matter what their differences may be.
"It doesn't matter," Ned said. "I know who my family is now, and it's not her, and it's not my stuck up brother, and it's not the rest of them. My family is here."
"It obviously does matter if it has you this upset."
Ned sighed, the tears streaming down his face again. "I don't want it to."
They sat silently together for a long couple of minutes.
"What's going to make you feel better, Ned?"
Ned's eyes closed and he shook his head. He thought for a moment, sighing. Suddenly the answer was as clear as day. "Elly," he said, surprising himself.
Ducky smiled. "Yes, love can do that- erase the pains of the past."
Ned smiled, wiping at his eyes. "Love. There's a lot of that here," he said softly. "There's so much pain here too, Dr. Mallard. So much pain. I guess that's why everyone on the team, on Gibbs' team too, loves each other so much. It's not exactly a normal love, but it's pretty special."
"It's the healthiest thing that can be borne from so much pain, and the people I've become so honored to get to know here make the most beautiful mess out of the chaos. Give it time, dear boy. You'll find it will heal even your deepest wounds."
Ned nodded.
"I take it this means you and Elijah have been able to reconcile whatever issues you were having when he and I spoke the other day?"
"Yeah. We just had some communication issues. We're better now. A lot better."
"Splendid! So let's talk about the night the two of you were slipped the mickey, shall we?"
Ned took a deep breath and hunkered down to tell the story. He knew it was important, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to be too angry about it since it had blown the doors open on what was going to be the most important relationship of his entire life.
AIS-NCIS-AIS-NCIS-AIS
Jethro came into the conference room to find Tony sitting in one of the chairs with Amira laying sadly against him.
"Hey munchkin," he said quietly. Amira turned her head so that it was on Tony's other shoulder so she could see Jethro. "Hey- what's wrong? Come here," he cooed, holding his arms out to her. She reached for him, and he had to fight back the smile when she didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her tightly, closing his eyes. "Talk to me, munchkin," he said softly, rocking her back and forth in his arms.
Amira shook her head no, burying it into his shoulder, hiding her face.
"Why not?" he whispered, and Tony could hear the honest pain and confusion in the question. He suddenly realized that Jethro had been hurt by the way Amira hadn't been opening up to him. He played back all of the comments Jethro had made, and he heard them differently now. They weren't just said with Amira's wellbeing in mind, but his own confusion and heartache. He was grieving, and he wanted to grieve with Amira.
"Can we go home and play?" Amira asked Jethro, sitting up and wiping her nose on her sleeve.
"You mean play like Mommy used to play with you?" Tony asked quietly, starting to see the pieces shift into place.
Jethro looked at him with daggers in his eyes, and Tony's own eyes softened, shaking his head. "That's what she's crying about. Abby asked if she liked the puzzles she sent her at Christmas that you and Leyla helped her put together."
Jethro's eyes softened as well, and he looked at Amira who started crying again, playing with Jethro's buttons as she tried to hold back the tears unsuccessfully.
"You remind her of Leyla," Tony said softly. "She can be happy around you, so she is."
Tony felt his eyes burning suddenly, realizing that he wasn't ever going to remind Amira of Leyla, because he hadn't been around them hardly at all. Leyla, Jethro, and Amira had spent plenty of time together, but Amira wouldn't have memories of her mother that tied to Tony. They only had a handful of visits. That wasn't enough to compare four years of time together as a family to. She knew Tony enough that she trusted him to let him see her sadness, but not enough that he would remind her of the fun times she spent with her mom. He was destined to be the one to hold her when she cried, and Jethro would be the one that helped her get past the tears, and move on with her life by bringing her bit by bit back into the fun world that a little girl deserves to grow up in.
"We can go play, sweetie. What do you want to play?" Jethro asked.
"Can we play the puzzles?" she asked, sniffling.
"Yeah, honey. We can play with the puzzles," Jethro said, trying to blink back the burning sensation in his eyes. He came over and gave Tony a quick kiss. "See you at home."
Tony nodded. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Jethro said with a sad smile. Amira reached for Tony, and he came to stand closer so she could hug him.
"Love you sweetheart," Tony said, hugging her tiny frame as hard as he could without hurting her.
"Love you, too," she said, sucking up the sniffles.
"Don't forget Dirt and blue are on my desk," he said, following the two out of the room.
"Oh yeah!" Amira said, starting to perk up. "And my flowers!"
Tony let Jethro and Amira go one way, and he went the other, determined to lock himself in the bathroom until his eyes stopped burning.
AIS-NCIS-AIS-NCIS-AIS
Ned wasn't sure what he was doing, but he had an idea as he was walking out of autopsy. It wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever thought of, but it felt right somewhere in his bones. He'd been wondering about something since he'd been sitting with Amira, and he needed an answer. He couldn't fight it, and he turned in the opposite direction, taking the stairs very slowly as he thought through his crazy, suicidal idea. He knew if he was going to do it, now was his only chance. He wouldn't get the opportunity to sneak into interrogation without Tony knowing again.
He took a deep breath and shook his head, knowing this was irrational, knowing this could cost him so much, but there was something he needed to know before he brought Tony into that room with him. If things went the way he figured, it may be a moot point, but he had to find the answer to one very important question.
He pulled out his phone and text McGee.
I need to ask Dwahalini something, but I don't want the boss to know. Can you come run the soundboard?
Tim glanced at his phone and did a double take.
"What the hell?" he looked up from his phone, picking it up and jumping up from his desk. "What does he think he's doing?"
"What?" Ziva asked, getting to her feet.
Tim scanned the room quickly. "Dorneget is in with Dwahalini!" he said. "Go get Tony."
"What?! That cannot be right." She grabbed Tim's phone. "Tony's with Amira though. She cannot know that man is in this building right now."
"Then- then get Vance," Tim said, taking off running for interrogation. He opened the door to the observation room, confirming that Ned was in the next room, then flipped a couple of controls to make sure the camera was on before he went to join him. He jumped back into the hallway and opened the next door, looking at Ned who was sitting calmly behind the table, staring down Dwahalini with a cold stare that unnerved even him.
"Dorneget?" he asked.
"Hey McGee," Ned said, not looking up from where he'd been staring at Dwahalini for the past three minutes in silence.
Tim didn't know what to do. He didn't want to call Ned out in front of Dwahalini, and he didn't want to incur the wrath of either Gibbs or the Gibbs-to-be. He stood by the door, waiting. Hopefully this would be a quick question, and they could get the hell out of there. He wasn't comfortable being left alone with Dwahalini, even if he was bolted to a table, after learning his background.
"Do you have any children Jamaal?" Ned asked, his head cocking to the side the slightest, his voice low and emotionless.
"What is this?" Dwahalini asked.
"A question. Answer it." Ned's anger made Tim raise an eyebrow at him, but he remained a silent guard on the door, not sure if at this point he was more afraid to be in the room or outside of it, and whose wrath he'd rather deal with. He'd never seen Ned like this, and the feeling he was emanating was pretty intimidating.
"No," Dwahalini said.
"Any little brothers or sisters?" Ned watched Dwahalini shift in his chair, and even if he didn't know the answer already, that would have given him away. "Sister."
Dwahalini tried to put on a stony face, gritting his teeth.
"How old is she again? Twenty-five? Twenty? No, wait, she's seventeen- that's right. And how young was she when your parents were killed? Seven, wasn't it? She must be so proud of her big brother. Does she know what you do for a living? Killing people for money? Taking people out just like your parents were taken out?"
Tim's eyes were locked on Ned, and his mouth began hanging open. His head turned to look at Dwahalini, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Ned. When their suspect didn't answer, Ned continued.
"Yeah. I didn't think so. She probably thinks you're some kind of mercenary, but an assassin? No. She's going to though. She's going to know, and you know what else she's going to know? How you left a four year old girl without a mother yesterday. How you took someone else's mother's life, running a knife through her stomach, letting the blood drain from her body, letting that little girl's hopes, dreams, and happiness drain from this world. She's going to know. She's going to know every single bit of your ruthless story, and about how you did it all for money.
"And you know how she's going to know? I'm going to go find her, and tell her. I'm going to show her pictures of Leyla Shakarji, and pictures of her beautiful little brown eyed daughter, with her curly hair, and the flowers in her hands that she's going to leave at her mother's grave, and I'm going to show her what you've done. I'm going to show her exactly the monster you are. And then, I'm going to bring her back here, to look into your eyes through jail cell bars, and tell her how much she hates everything you are, and everything you stand for."
Tim swallowed hard, unsure if Ned was the stupidest or ballsiest person he had ever met. He finally broke away from the view of Ned's stone cold gray eyes and turned to look at Dwahalini, who looked furious enough that he was going to explode any minute now. He instinctively took as much of a step back as he could before he ran his ass into the door.
"Tell me, who else's mothers and fathers did you kill to get to Leyla? Who else's children did you leave without parents along the way to sneak into whatever cargo hold you snuck into to get into the country?"
Ned's voice was rising, and his face was turning pinker and pinker as Tim watched. He flicked his eyes towards the two way mirror, and wondered if anyone else was seeing this. Ned got to his feet leaning over the table, his voice rising more and more until he was screaming.
"Who else? Who else are you going to leave crying in the arms of practical strangers while they beg to go home to a house stained with the blood of people martyred because of your greed? A house whose walls have absorbed the pain of the screams of an innocent woman, and the tears of her innocent daughter?!"
Dwahalini tried to stand up to scream back into Ned's face.
"There is no such thing as innocence! Whatever innocence you believe there is, it was not in that woman! It was not her daughter, whose blood is tainted by her sins! It is not in the people they are hiding who have taken many lives of parents, sisters, brothers , all for their, and your, political causes! What is it to you if one more child cries if it gets us one step closer to ending the lives of tyrants like Dina Ta'anari, who takes lives one by one without care in order to gain the smallest scraps of information!"
"How dare you act so noble like you give a damn about the Qureshi's causes?!" Ned yelled in the man's face. "You don't have any ties to them, any reason to give a damn about them and their losses! This is about you, and your filthy greed! There's no humanity in there anymore! None! And your sister is going to see that! She's going to know, and she's going to understand that you are the monster that she's afraid of when the streets are dark and the lamp goes out!"
Dwahalini let out a noise that was like a growling howl, and he jerked his bulky arms so hard that the bracket that chained him to the heavy wooden table pulled up through the wood, and immediately, the chains of his cuffs were around Ned's neck, pulling him across the table. Tim drew his weapon, and turned it on Dwahalini.
"Let him go now, or I'll shoot," he announced. Dwahalini jerked the chain tighter around Ned's neck as he scrambled to try to get it loose before it killed him. The door opened behind Tim.
"Take it, McGee," Vance said. Tim didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, landing a bullet right into Dwahalini's skull, sending brain matter across the wall, and causing the man to fall to the floor. Vance and Tim were already racing forward, trying to untangle Ned from the chain around his dark red face. He gasped for air over and over again.
Voices and footsteps came running down the hall towards the door. Vance's eyes met Ned's, and nothing had to be said. Vance gave him one small nod, letting him know that he approved, and that was all that Ned cared about. Tim turned to Ziva in the hallway.
"Go get Ducky," he ordered, and Ziva nodded before running off for the doctor. Balboa and Daniels were in the doorway, holding people back. Being in the offices closest to the interrogation hallway, they had gotten there first, other than Ziva who had been on the other side of the glass with the director.
The three sat in silence, Ned's eyes on the dead man next to him. He swallowed hard as he considered the blood and other things that were on his clothes, and he shook his head as he thought that there wasn't enough hand sanitizer in the little bottle Elly had given him to clean up this mess.
Ducky and Ziva came rushing in, and Ducky froze when he saw the scene before him.
"My god… When you left me twenty minutes ago, I had no idea you were on the way in here to interrogate the man," Ducky said, shaking his head.
"I wasn't," Ned said quietly. "I was just going to ask him a question. Tony told me that he wanted me to help him with the interrogation because I'd remind him that Dwahalini was an actual human being, and not just someone he wanted to kill. I needed to find some part of him that was worth protecting, so I only meant to get his reaction on his sister. I didn't expect it to turn into this."
Ducky bent down to check the bruising on Ned's neck. "Uh-huh. And did you get your answer?"
"Yes," Ned said somberly. He turned to look at the dead man next to him, and then looked back at Ducky. "Only someone holding on dearly to his last shred of humanity could have turned that violent that quickly. Otherwise, what else is there to protect?"
Ned broke into a fit of wheezy coughs as Ducky nodded. "Let's get you downstairs. I want to x-ray your neck to make sure there's no damage, and then send you for an MRI."
"I'm okay," Ned said, taking Tim's hand to help him up. He held on to it for a moment, looking Tim in the eyes. "Thanks," he said softly.
Tim nodded, raising an eyebrow at him. He suddenly saw Ned differently, and he realized that there was a lot more to him than any of them realized. He noticed that his gray eyes were sad, and it made him wonder just how much he'd regret this in the morning.
Tony suddenly came through the crowd of people, pushing them out of the way. He got to the door of interrogation just as Ned was coming out, Ducky, Vance, and Tim all behind him. They all came to an abrupt stop, as Tony's eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. Ned was already bruising around the neck in a deep purple circle matching the chainlink pattern of Dwahalini's shackles, and when Tony's eyes flicked past him, he saw the blood spatter on the wall. Confusion took over.
"What happened?" he asked, looking into Ned's eyes for an answer.
"Just watch the video," Ned said quietly. "Ducky?" he said over his shoulder.
"Anthony, we need to get him checked out. Your questions can wait."
Tony moved to let the group of people through, staring after Ned and feeling completely lost. Vance took Tony by the shoulder, and showed him into the observation room.
"You need to see this," he said going over to the board and rolling back the video. "Kid messages McGee and says he needs to ask Dwahalini a question, wants to know if he can run the boards for him real quick while he does. McGee tells David to come get me, and then comes in here after him. This is what we saw."
Tony picked up the headphones on the desk, and sat down in the chair, leaning forward to squint into the tiny monitor. He watched Ned sitting in silence until the moment Tim closed the door, like he was waiting for him. His eyes burned as he spoke of Amira and Leyla, the part about them being strangers hurting somewhere deep, and touching his own fears like a flame to gas. It was true- as much as he cared about Amira, loved her, and would do anything for her, they were practical strangers to one another.
He listened though as Ned spoke out of that passionate side that he only brought to the table when it was needed most, tearing into Dwahalini, reminding him of his most human parts. He flinched when he called Dwahalini the monster his little sister would be afraid of, and then sat back a little when he growled, broke partially free, and started strangling Ned. The next couple of seconds went by in a blur as Tim took the kill shot, and the two men rushed to free Ned from the chokehold.
Tony listened as Ned explained to Ducky why he had gone in, and he shook his head, taking the headphones off. He reached forward and hit pause.
"He did it on purpose," Tony whispered. Vance leaned back against the soundboard, crossing his arms and his feet. He looked at Tony, who looked up to meet him in the eyes.
"I know that," he whispered. "You know that. A jury isn't going to know that. I think McGee only just now realized what that kid's potential is; how precisely he can plan that next move. Dorneget knew he was going to tap into that most primal part of Dwahalini. Like he told Dr. Mallard- only someone holding onto that last little bit of their humanity could turn that quickly. He knew. Like you said, he's studied this bastard more than any of us. He may lack social skills, but did you know that he aced every psych class he took?"
Tony shook his head.
"I made sure to look since it's a field of interest we share. He knows how people tick just as well as how to plan an operation. He could plan wars if he wanted to, and whatever side was lucky enough to have him would win, no doubts."
"I'm gonna kill him, hug him, and kill him again."
"You'll have to wait. I'm sending him to Sudan to tell Dwahalini's little sister he's dead."
"What?!" Tony said, turning to Vance with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.
"He wanted to know what it's like in the field? He's going to get his chance. Consider it his penance for pulling this stunt."
"He's dead meat if you send him out there by himself," Tony said.
"I'm not sending him by himself."
"I can't go right now. Not with Amira the way she is. She'll have a-" Vance held his hand up and shook his head.
"I know who Dorneget's CIA contact is. I'm going to have him meet him in Israel and go from there together."
"Who is it?"
Vance smiled. "His mark, his story to tell."
"When will they leave?" Tony asked quietly.
"I'm going to need him to finish the op first, and then he'll have two days' rest, and be on his way."
Tony shook his head. "I don't want him to go by himself."
"No other choice. He needs to do this one on his own."
Tony stood up so that he was eye to eye with Vance. "You know this family doesn't do anything on their own, Leon."
"Trust me, he won't be alone."
Tony turned and began walking angrily towards the door.
"Tony."
The use of his first name stopped him, but he didn't turn around.
"Why do you think he did that just now?"
Tony leaned against the door with one hand, looking down at the floor.
"You've given that kid the keys to the city, opened the world up to him. He feels like he owes you his everything, but at the same time, he wants to prove to you he's worthy of the chance you've given him. You know just as well as I do that he calculated every second of that, every move, every word, every breath. He knew the chances going in there that the outcome wouldn't be good, that McGee would hesitate just a moment, or that the way Dwahalini would have broken free would have allowed him to completely break his neck. He did it anyway. He did it knowing you, me, Gibbs, the entire free world would be pissed at him, but he didn't want you to have to face him. He faced him for you."
"Then let me face the next step with him," Tony said.
"You said it yourself- you've got a little girl to worry about. She's your family now."
Tony turned around and looked back at Vance. "Ned, Elly, Greg, Ziva, Tim, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, Jethro- they're my family too. Even you. I promised him that I'd push him, but that I'd always be there for him. They're my team, Leon, and I look out for my own. They're my family, and they mean everything to me. I can't let him go out there by himself with someone I don't know! I can't send him halfway across the world to a country he's never been to, to search village after village for a girl that he may never find, or die trying! And to do what? Admit that he orchestrated some kind of plot to be almost murdered so another agent could kill her assassin brother? It's Sudan for crying out loud! He tells this girl this, and she's going to have him hung from village square."
"He's not going to tell her all of that. He's just going to tell her he's dead and that he's an assassin. And like I said, he won't be going alone."
"If he's not going with me, Jethro, or one of our team, he might as well be going alone."
"You'd feel better if someone else from the team went? Then you'd be down two men and worrying about two of them."
"But at least I know they'd be able to watch each other's backs!" Tony said, frustrated.
"Fine. He can take Critten. I'll put it on the papers that he's going for tech purposes, but you need to warn them that they cannot so much as touch one another while they are there. You know the consequences could be lethal."
Tony swallowed hard. He wished more than anything Vance would relent and let him go, but if he left anytime over the next few weeks, even for just a few days, Amira would panic. He didn't like the idea of having to send two of the most touchy-feely men he'd ever met into a religious nation state where homosexuality was punishable by the death penalty.
"You're going to get them killed," Tony whispered.
"No. They're going to do just fine," Vance said, stepping up to Tony. "You want to prove to them that you have their backs? You want to prove to your team that you believe in them and their abilities? You let them do this."
Tony sighed, glaring at Leon. "I hate you when you're right," he said, and turned around and stormed out of the room. He was glad the crowd of people in the hallway had vanished, and he passed Jimmy and security coming through the corridor.
"Hey, Tony! Dr. Mallard wanted me to tell you that Dorney is going to be fine, be he's still gotta go to the hospital to get checked out. Standard procedure."
"Thanks, Jimmy," Tony said and continued down the hallway. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Elly. He shook his head and ducked into a nook in the hallway, not ready to face the bullpen yet.
"Uh, hi Boss," Elly said, wincing as he looked at Parke, not sure what to tell their boss about how they'd found absolutely nothing.
"Get back here. Both of you. Dwahalini is dead."
"What?" Elly asked.
"Yeah. Actually, where are you?"
Elly looked at the street sign of the intersection they were passing through. "Uh, Cherry Terrace and Horseman. Why?"
"Okay, turn around and head up to Bethesda. I'll be meeting you there shortly."
"Whoa. What happened? Turn around Greg. Go to Bethesda."
"What?" Tony heard Parke ask in the background.
"Just do it!" Elly hissed. "Who's at Bethesda Tony?" he asked frantically.
"He's fine, but it's Ned," he said.
"What?!" Elly asked. "Move it, Greg. What the hell happened?"
"He went in to clarify something with Dwahalini without permission, and all hell broke loose. See you in fifteen. I'll explain it then."
He pushed the button on the top of his phone to end the conversation and shook his head, unsure of how to explain exactly what had happened. He turned to go back to the observation room and make a copy of the interrogation so Elly could see it for himself. He walked in to see Vance pulling the copy he had just burnt out of the disk drive. He snatched it from his hand, and then walked back out of the room.
"Hey!" Vance called after him.
"I'm going to Bethesda!" he called over his shoulder. "My team is going with me!" Tony grabbed his gear and headed for the car, swearing up one side and down the other that he was going to find a way to get Ned and Elly out of this mess.