Back in the office, Tony waited for a response from Abby on the mould. She was checking to see if it matched any of the potential rifles. She had also collected sweat from the scene that she was running through the system. While he lost himself in his thoughts, he remembered that fatal, life altering moment. Watching Kate fall to the ground had been devastating. Not just to him but the entire team. He tried to keep his mind off of it, but whenever he was alone, he couldn't control himself.
"What are you doing, imagining your female co-workers naked?" a smug voice retorted. Tony opened his eyes to meet a pair of shimmering silver eyes. In front of him stood Candice, she held a tray with two coffees and a Chocolate Frappucino.
"I don't need to imagine you," he shot back.
"Pig," she retorted with a wrinkled nose.
"Oh, and you're so much better?" he snarled. She stuck out her tongue and placed the tray on her desk. "So he did send you for coffee?" She shrugged.
"Of course."
"So which one's mine?" he asked hoarsely. She stuck out her tongue again.
"One's for Gibbs and one's for McGee. I didn't think of you," she snapped. He scrunched his eyebrows and stared at her. Once she brushed her long, curly hair from her face, she straightened her skirt and picked up the tray. She was such a beautiful woman that cast a spell over any man in her presence. Like so many men before him, he was enchanted by her, but those days were gone. They had worked well together before, but now he wasn't so sure he could do it. Why had she chosen this route? Just to haunt him and torture him with the past, he had enough on his plate after losing Kate, he didn't need her to remind him of his terrible mistakes.
"If you ever return from Lala land, Abby wants to see you in the lab!" Candice yelled as she boarded the elevator. "I'm taking this stuff to Gibbs." Tony shot up in his chair and looked around. If Abby needed to see him, it must concern the evidence. Without hesitation, he hopped to his feet and headed down to see Abby.
"Tony!" she greeted him with a big smile and a hug.
"What did you find?" he asked. She picked up a rifle off the table.
"Our indentation was too worn down to get a direct match, but this is the closest match I could get. So I sent Candice out to tell Gibbs the news," she explained. Tony groaned in envy.
"And our DNA?" he asked impatiently. She appeared so excited, she was shivering.
"I can't tell you until Gibbs gets here," she said with a huge smile. When she was done talking, the rest of the team walked in.
"What do you have for me Abby?" Gibbs demanded.
"I got a match to our DNA…" her voice trailed off.
"And?" he asked impatiently.
"Brace yourself…" she warned as her gaze shifted over the rest of the team. Gibbs glared at her and shook his head. "Alright…" she smiled. "I'll take you out of the dark… It matches our one and only."
"Ari?" Gibbs asked. Abby nodded.
"He's in the system and I got a hit," she giggled. Gibbs smiled and patted the scientist on the head.
"Good work Abby. But it won't help us find him. Still, it's a start. DiNozzo, McGee, I want you out and try to get a lead on Ari. I'll take Candice. Go!" Tony nodded and took off for the elevator.
As Abby Scuito putted around her lab, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Trying to shrug it off, she decided to work on another case until further orders from Gibbs. The next case she was working on involved the death of four Marine officers. They'd been home for a vacation and took their wives on a cruise. All four ended up dead in their cabins. Gibbs passed up the case because he was so worked up on catching Ari.
Then there was the matter of Tony. She couldn't forget the look in his eyes every time Candice entered a room. She knew that they had worked together, but there had to be so much more. The two agents were hiding something and she wanted to know. It had been hard losing Kate, and Tony was hit the worst. Everyone knew they had feelings for each other it was undeniable, and he had the same look of longing everytime he looked at Candice. Being a forensic scientist, and educated in matters of the heart, she could put two and two together…
"Abby!" A husky voice drew her from her thoughts. When she swung around, she found Gibbs standing behind her. There was a stern expression on his face.
"How did it go, boss?" she asked meekly, still feeling uncomfortable.
"What's up with you?" he asked, noticing her jumpy behavior. "Too much caffeine today?" She shook her head and took in a deep breath.
"Do you ever get that suspicion that you're being watched?" she asked quietly. He stared at her and from the twinkle in his eyes, she could tell he knew exactly what she meant. With an almost unnoticeable nod, he stepped back and pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket.
"The other team members found this, I want you to run it against our other bullets," he ordered. She nodded and accepted the bag from him. "Now I'm gonna run out for a coffee. Would you like anything?" he offered. She shook her head and motioned him out. "Call me when you get something!" he shouted back at her. She agreed and proceeded to remove the evidence from the bag.
It was a bullet casing like the ones at the crime scene. Their best bet was that it belonged to the same rifle that killed Kate. As she began to process the evidence, that creepy feeling returned. Suddenly, she felt unsafe and uncomfortable.
"Don't be silly Abby, you are perfectly safe in here," she murmured as she placed the casing under the microscope. "Now, let's see if I can bring Kate some justice."