"Hey, Kate, what to you make of this?"
"What, Tony?" Kate replied, exasperated. "I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on."
"There's something on Gibbs' chair," he answered.
Kate looked up from her computer. Tony was bent over Gibbs' chair, his face about an inch from the seat. Struggling not to laugh at this bizarre sight, she asked, "What kind of a something?"
"Looks like...a hair." He stood, holding a tweezers triumphantly in the air. Kate couldn't help herself anymore; she laughed.
"What are you doing? Collecting evidence?"
"Yes," Tony responded, pulling out a plastic evidence bag and dropping the hair in.
"You must be joking."
"Nope. I'm taking this to Abby."
"And if Gibbs finds out you've been using Abby for non-work-related business?"
"It's work-related! I'm trying to learn about Gibbs, who is our boss, therefore this is work-related."
"Riight. What exactly do you plan to find out, anyway?"
"I don't know. Maybe there's someone in his life..." Tony grinned wickedly.
"Come on, Tony, we all know about the redhead. That hair is not nearly long enough."
"It's not red either. Maybe he's got someone on the side."
"Just because you have three girlfriends at a time, doesn't mean everyone does."
"Their loss."
Kate rolled her eyes as Tony flashed one last smile and left to take the 'evidence' to Abby.
----------
"Hey, Tony!" a slightly raspy female voice called.
"Yeah," he answered distractedly, continuing to concentrate on his computer screen.
"Remember that evidence you brought me the other day?"
Tony's head shot up. Glancing quickly around, he noted Gibbs' absence. "Yeah?" he prompted, in an entirely different tone of voice.
"Well, it's definitely female," Abby grinned, holding up a sheet of paper.
"Ha! Told you, Kate."
Kate unglued herself from her computer to join the conversation. "That doesn't mean anything, Tony."
"Well, it's a good indicator!"
"Just because your mind connects everything to some sordid –"
"What's going on here?" a gruff voice interrupted.
Tony turned slowly to face an unhappy Gibbs. Kate slid surreptitiously back to her desk, trying to fool herself into thinking she hadn't been seen. "Abby was just...bringing me...some results...boss," Tony struggled.
"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs dismissed her, taking possession of the data sheet. Glancing through the results, Gibbs' face registered nothing. "Where did you get this evidence, DiNozzo?"
Tony blanched. "I, uh, I...a...chair," he provided lamely.
"A chair. From which crime scene?"
"The, uh, the...it's a...case I'm working, uh, on the side, boss."
"Then why are you using NCIS resources?"
"Well, I thought...it'd go faster...and I'd be able to get back to my job quicker," Tony finished quickly, clearly trying to redeem himself.
"You shouldn't have been off the job at all, DiNozzo."
"Yes, I know. And I will never do it again, boss, I swear." Kate saw what Tony was trying to do. He was confessing to the lesser crime, attempting to misdirect Gibbs' attention. Kate knew it would never work.
Gibbs suddenly changed tack. Giving a rare and brilliant smile, he actually, to Kate's eternal wonder, laughed. Tony looked confused.
"Not bad, DiNozzo. Obvious and ill-advised, but not bad."
"Er, what do you mean boss?"
Gibbs did not answer the question. "DiNozzo, if you wanted to know who she was, why didn't you just ask?"
Tony's eyes bulged to a size Kate never would have thought possible. She, too, was battling shock.
Still smiling, Gibbs reached into his pocket. "You want to see a picture?"
Kate thought Tony might pass out. She had to admit, this was very odd...very un-Gibbs. Taking the picture, Tony started, then began to grin along with Gibbs. Kate took the picture, slightly anxious about what she might see. Looking down, she laughed aloud as she realized what a ride she and Tony had been taken for.
The picture showed a beautiful Alsatian female, wearing sunglasses and chewing on something round. It was captioned, "Wondermutt."
"What, Tony?" Kate replied, exasperated. "I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on."
"There's something on Gibbs' chair," he answered.
Kate looked up from her computer. Tony was bent over Gibbs' chair, his face about an inch from the seat. Struggling not to laugh at this bizarre sight, she asked, "What kind of a something?"
"Looks like...a hair." He stood, holding a tweezers triumphantly in the air. Kate couldn't help herself anymore; she laughed.
"What are you doing? Collecting evidence?"
"Yes," Tony responded, pulling out a plastic evidence bag and dropping the hair in.
"You must be joking."
"Nope. I'm taking this to Abby."
"And if Gibbs finds out you've been using Abby for non-work-related business?"
"It's work-related! I'm trying to learn about Gibbs, who is our boss, therefore this is work-related."
"Riight. What exactly do you plan to find out, anyway?"
"I don't know. Maybe there's someone in his life..." Tony grinned wickedly.
"Come on, Tony, we all know about the redhead. That hair is not nearly long enough."
"It's not red either. Maybe he's got someone on the side."
"Just because you have three girlfriends at a time, doesn't mean everyone does."
"Their loss."
Kate rolled her eyes as Tony flashed one last smile and left to take the 'evidence' to Abby.
----------
"Hey, Tony!" a slightly raspy female voice called.
"Yeah," he answered distractedly, continuing to concentrate on his computer screen.
"Remember that evidence you brought me the other day?"
Tony's head shot up. Glancing quickly around, he noted Gibbs' absence. "Yeah?" he prompted, in an entirely different tone of voice.
"Well, it's definitely female," Abby grinned, holding up a sheet of paper.
"Ha! Told you, Kate."
Kate unglued herself from her computer to join the conversation. "That doesn't mean anything, Tony."
"Well, it's a good indicator!"
"Just because your mind connects everything to some sordid –"
"What's going on here?" a gruff voice interrupted.
Tony turned slowly to face an unhappy Gibbs. Kate slid surreptitiously back to her desk, trying to fool herself into thinking she hadn't been seen. "Abby was just...bringing me...some results...boss," Tony struggled.
"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs dismissed her, taking possession of the data sheet. Glancing through the results, Gibbs' face registered nothing. "Where did you get this evidence, DiNozzo?"
Tony blanched. "I, uh, I...a...chair," he provided lamely.
"A chair. From which crime scene?"
"The, uh, the...it's a...case I'm working, uh, on the side, boss."
"Then why are you using NCIS resources?"
"Well, I thought...it'd go faster...and I'd be able to get back to my job quicker," Tony finished quickly, clearly trying to redeem himself.
"You shouldn't have been off the job at all, DiNozzo."
"Yes, I know. And I will never do it again, boss, I swear." Kate saw what Tony was trying to do. He was confessing to the lesser crime, attempting to misdirect Gibbs' attention. Kate knew it would never work.
Gibbs suddenly changed tack. Giving a rare and brilliant smile, he actually, to Kate's eternal wonder, laughed. Tony looked confused.
"Not bad, DiNozzo. Obvious and ill-advised, but not bad."
"Er, what do you mean boss?"
Gibbs did not answer the question. "DiNozzo, if you wanted to know who she was, why didn't you just ask?"
Tony's eyes bulged to a size Kate never would have thought possible. She, too, was battling shock.
Still smiling, Gibbs reached into his pocket. "You want to see a picture?"
Kate thought Tony might pass out. She had to admit, this was very odd...very un-Gibbs. Taking the picture, Tony started, then began to grin along with Gibbs. Kate took the picture, slightly anxious about what she might see. Looking down, she laughed aloud as she realized what a ride she and Tony had been taken for.
The picture showed a beautiful Alsatian female, wearing sunglasses and chewing on something round. It was captioned, "Wondermutt."