Tag to S2E19, 'Conspiracy Theory'


Gibbs was waiting for Kate when she got off the elevator.

She slowed down and watched him warily, having no idea what he would have to say after last night, when her and Tony accidentally sent him those two pictures that they were essentially blackmailing each other with.

"My office." He said simply and walked towards the elevator.

She was surprised to find Abby already waiting beside it when she turned around to go back to it. She'd just gotten off it, when did Abby get there?

Gibbs stopped the elevator after a few seconds, and turned to the girls. "Now, one of you want to tell me what that picture was about that I got last night? The one making it seem like Tony is gay?" He felt the need to clarify which one so that the two didn't try to play stupid and pin it all on Tony for some reason.

"It was nothing, Gibbs, just some harmless payback." Abby said, confused. "Tony was trying to blackmail Kate with some picture of her back in college, she wanted something to make him stop." She knew that it was probably going a little far, but there was no harm in it. She would apologize to Tony later if he brought it up.

"Harmless?" Gibbs repeated in disbelief. Kate nodded her agreement with Abby's statement. "This is a law enforcement agency that deals primarily with military personnel. What do you think would have happened to Tony if that picture had gotten out, or if somebody had seen it while on yours or Tony's computers?"

Neither girl answered, but they had the feeling that from Gibbs tone that it would not have been good.

"None of the military we work with, or interview will work with him, or want to speak with him. Agents could refuse to work with him, or refuse to back him up in the field. That rumor that you two could have started would have been the end of his career and possibly his life!"

"Come on, Gibbs, it wouldn't-" Kate tried to brush it off, but he spoke over her.

"You know, Tony doesn't talk about his past much, but sometimes... his partner in Peoria, rode with him for almost a year. Somebody started a rumor that he was gay. It wasn't true, his girlfriend actually left him when she happened to overhear the rumor. But everybody believed it, everybody but Tony. The teasing, the heckling, the downright bullying... one day, Tony was in court, his partner got a call out. Back-up was ten minutes late in arriving, even though dispatch could put the closest cop car less than three minutes away. Their excuse was that they were having engine trouble. Guess what? Tony didn't buy that, so he did some poking around. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the car. His partner is still in a coma to this day, after being beaten half to death and shot three times, and the men who put him there got away." He fixed the two with a look.

"You know, most of the civilian population takes a very dim view to this sort of thing, but at least civilians aren't likely to beat each other up over it, at least civilians don't have to be able to trust those around you 110% with your life. Military, law enforcement, there is no tolerance for that kind of thing here. To accuse or even threaten to start those kind of rumors, true or not, is a very serious thing. I want a very public apology from both of you, and make it very clear just what it is you are apologizing for, just don't say what it was the picture showed." He fixed them both with a look.

"And Abby, I expect that picture to be completely erased, I don't want there to be the slightest chance that somebody will stumble on it or come across it anywhere." He instructed her, and she nodded slowly.

She was ashamed of herself, she'd worked in forensics long enough to know everything that Gibbs was talking about was completely true. Law enforcement and military did tend to be extremely harsh or even cruel at times to fellow law enforcement and military personnel. In fact, she was pretty sure Tony's former partner wouldn't be the first story out there about failed back-up.

She knew full well that if that picture had gotten out, Tony's reputation and career would have been in ruins.

"I'm really sorry, Gibbs. I didn't think." She said, and looked down.

Kate didn't say anything. She honestly didn't see what the big deal was, but she was getting the idea that she'd made a mistake in getting Abby's help with that picture. Either way, she felt like Gibbs was blowing this out of proportion.

It was just a picture.

Wasn't it?

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing while he made plans to make her see his point.


Two weeks later, Kate overheard two other agents discussing the picture they'd found on the computer.

They were discussing Tony, and not in a favorable light. Some of their comments were along the lines of how DiNozzo couldn't be trusted to watch their backs as the 'little fairy' that he apparently was. There was mention of how if he couldn't be trusted to watch them, then they shouldn't need to watch him.

They were laughing and joking around about it.

Listening to her comments, she understood just why Gibbs was so angry about that picture.

She'd seen those two agents talking to Tony, she knew for a fact that they were friendly with him in the past. To now hear them talking so bad about him because of one little fact that they'd just learned, even one that wasn't real, despite all the years they'd known him...

She went to speak to Gibbs and apologize profusely, and then she went and found Tony to make a much more sincere apology than the one she'd initially made.

Gibbs watched her leave and smiled to himself. Finding Miller and O'Neil, he grinned. "Good job, you two. Get a few drinks on me." He passed them a twenty.

The two had been informed of what Kate and Abby had done with that picture, and had been told that Kate wasn't taking it very seriously. They were former Navy, then they joined the police before going over to the 'dark side' and joining NCIS. They knew full well the attitude law enforcement and military could have, they'd seen what happened when an officer (law or military) was outed, or suspected.

They didn't want that to happen to Tony.