The reason
Disclaimer: NCIS as well as the NCIS characters do not belong to me. This is just for fun.
A/N: Rated PG-13 for violence and language.
I would like to thank my wonderful beta Rinne for correcting my mistakes and providing valuable comments that greatly improve the story. All mistakes made are my own.
Chapter two
The elevator bell rang and its doors opened. Tony stepped out of the elevator carrying several food items he had picked up on his lunch run and smacked straight into McGee. With a succession of acrobatic feats, Tony managed to hold on to all the items, save for a single wrapped sandwich that flew out of his hand and hit McGee squarely on the head.
"Way to go Probie," said Tony. "Couldn't wait to get your sandwich, could you?"
McGee bent to the ground and picked up the sandwich. "I was just trying to get away from Ziva, she's in a bad mood."
Tony looked over to Ziva's desk. Ziva was repeatedly smacking the phone receiver onto its cradle, using much more force than was necessary and cursing in what Tony assumed was Hebrew.
"Hmm," he started with a smile, "it's a good thing we don't use courier pigeons. There'd be feathers everywhere."
"I don't get why she's so invested in this. I mean that woman was trying to kill someone," said a perplexed McGee.
Tony put the remaining food items on a nearby desk and rested his hand on McGee's shoulder. "I don't know if you've noticed it, Probie, but our Ziva has a certain affinity for the underdog."
"How do you mean?" asked McGee.
Tony couldn't believe that McGee hadn't noticed how protective Ziva could get of him and the autopsy gremlin. "Haven't you noticed how she always comes to y…" suddenly he realized that McGee would probably take offence at being called an underdog, "…Palmer's defense?"
"Now that you mention it," said McGee, "you could be right."
Tony headed towards Ziva's desk and handed her the sandwich he had bought her, together with her cherry-mango slurpee. "I take it it's not going well with the PD?" he asked.
Ziva rubbed her left temple and reached out for the slurpee. "Is there some international law that requires that cops everywhere be stupid?" she asked Tony.
"Hey!" Tony objected.
"Oh sorry, I forgot," said Ziva. "But, really, I mean, they won't even let me talk to the person in charge and no one is listening when I tell them this was no random shooting. It looks like they've already decided that…"
Ziva was cut off by Gibbs who was taking the stairs down from MTAC. "Everyone gear up!"
"What have we got boss?" Tony asked, heading for his desk.
"A marine Lieutenant just shot his ex-wife and his kid in front of several neighbors. He then shot one of the neighbors and stole his car. He's on the run and is probably trying to get out of DC," replied Gibbs.
"Have road blocks been set?" asked Ziva, grabbing her backpack and rushing after Gibbs, Tony and McGee. The four agents entered the elevator.
"Yes," Gibbs replied. "At all city exists. Look, the major priority on this is to catch the suspect before he kills anyone else. The director sent another team to inspect the crime scene. We're going to oversee the roadblocks and make sure he doesn't breech the parameter. I want us to split up. McGee will be with me and Ziva, you're with Tony."
As Tony and Ziva headed for their car, Ziva grabbed the keys out of Tony's hand.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Tony.
"We may have to conduct a high speed pursuit," replied Ziva with a smile. "That's my thing."
Tony couldn't argue with that. Every time Ziva drove it felt like a high speed pursuit, whether they were actually chasing someone or not.
"If he has half a brain, he's going to try and switch cars," said Tony as he entered the passenger side of the car. He reached over and turned on the short wave radio.
"Yeah," Ziva answered, reversing the car out of its parking space and speeding out of the NCIS parking lot, "if he's thinking straight."
They drove in silence for a while, Tony trying to concentrate on keeping down his recently eaten lunch. Ziva seemed to be really enjoying herself, much to the horror of the drivers that shared the road with her.
After a short while the radio came to life. "Suspect car, license plate BJK 1437, sited at the Friendship Flower Shop at 3236 Wisconsin Ave."
"That's our guy," said Tony after checking his note book. He picked up the radio. "This is special agent Anthony Dinozzo, NCIS. The suspect is armed and dangerous and is not to be approached! Do not let him leave but do not confront him! We're four blocks away."
Ziva turned the car around, narrowly avoiding the traffic that was headed in the other direction. "What the hell is he doing in a flower shop? Who kills three people, escapes, and then stops to buy flowers?" she asked.
Tony didn't have an answer to that.
Within minutes, they had arrived at the scene. They found four police cars surrounding the small flower shop. As they exited their car, a police sergeant approached them. "The suspect is in there. As far as we can tell, he has one hostage. We've called the negotiator."
Tony made a judgment call and decided that there was no time to wait. He would have to try and talk to the suspect. "Is there a back entrance?" he asked the police sergeant.
After learning that there indeed was a back entrance he turned to Ziva. "You take the back entrance, sneak up on him. I'll go in from the front."
Ziva nodded and headed towards the back of the shop. Tony headed towards the front entrance. He entered the shop and saw that the suspect was pointing his gun at his hostage. The hostage was clearly terrified and was begging. "Please, I don't know what you're saying. I've never even met your wife."
The suspect was in a rage. He grabbed onto his hostage and pulled him closely to him, pressing his gun against his head. "Liar! You were fucking her!" he shouted.
As he noticed Tony, the suspect held the hostage closer to him, using him as a shield. "Stay away!" he barked at Tony.
Tony could see Ziva sneaking up behind the marine. Due to the way he was holding the hostage, she didn't have a clear shot.
"So this is what this is about? You think your wife was having an affair with this guy?" he asked, pretending he was both calm and amused.
"What's so funny?" asked the crazed marine.
"You want to know what's funny? What if I tell you that our little friend here is the only one that wasn't doing your wife?" smirked Tony.
"What are you saying?" asked the increasingly agitated marine.
"I'm saying she was as easy as they get, hell, even I did her," said Tony.
The unhinged marine gave a crazed cry. He tossed his hostage to the side and raised his gun to shoot Tony.
Two shots were heard and the marine fell down. By enraging the suspect, Tony gave Ziva the clear shot she needed and, as Tony expected, she didn't hesitate in taking it.
Tony leaned over the marine's body and checked for a pulse. The marine was dead.
Ziva went over to the crying flouriest and helped him up. "It's going to be okay," she told him, looking over at Tony. "It's all over."
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Tony took the steps down from MTAC. He had just been chastised for taking what the director considered to be an unnecessary risk. He didn't think Gibbs agreed with her and was pretty sure he had done the right thing. When he reached his desk, he noticed that Ziva was sitting at her own desk, staring at her phone.
"I didn't think you were the type to sit by the phone and wait for a man to call you," Tony said.
Ziva looked up to him and made a face. "The dispatcher I spoke to promised me she would have the detective in charge of investigating this morning's shooting call me," she said. "That was half an hour ago. These people are really jerking me off."
"Around," corrected Tony.
"Did the director give you her speech?" asked Ziva.
"Oh yeah, you?" Tony replied.
"Yes, she seems to think we were reckless." Ziva shrugged. "I think we did the right thing. How do you say, the proof is in the pudding."
Ziva's phone rang and she eagerly picked it up. "Yes, McGee," she said clearly disappointed. "I think the chardonnay will go great with the fish recipe I gave you. But the main thing is don't overcook the fish. Yeah, you can call me anytime."
Tony was intrigued, but before he could ask Ziva who McGee was cooking for she turned to him. "I'm getting the feeling that the detective isn't going to call Tony," she said.
Considering it was already eight in the evening, Tony had to agree.
"I was thinking," Ziva continued, "seeing how tomorrow is Saturday and they haven't arraigned her yet, I thought I'd go visit her in central booking. I want to ask her who she was afraid the man she shot was going to hurt."
"You want me to come with?" Tony asked.
"Would you?" asked Ziva.
"If you need me for my superior investigative skills, who am I to say no?" Tony agreed graciously.
Ziva wanted to make a witty comeback but decided against it. She really did want Tony to come with her. She needed someone to corroborate her gut feeling about the woman, and she did trust Tony's intuition.
"There is, however, one condition," continued Tony.
"You're not going to make me say that I need you for your superior investigative skills?" asked Ziva.
"No, although that would be nice," smiled Tony. "I want you to tell me what's going on with McGee."
TBC
