Once A Hero: [part 1]

...

3rd Person POV:

The NCIS team met back in the office Monday morning after having taken the weekend off. As everyone had settled back into their desks, the atmosphere was noticeably off. McGee frowned as he glanced around the room, trying to place where the oddity was. After minutes of silence he finally realized it.

Silence.

The office was never silent while everyone was in. Looking up across from him he frowned at Claire who was buried in her paperwork, eyes never leaving her computer as she typed. Turning, McGee looked towards the other side of the bullpen at Tony who was in the same boat. The two of them were typically the focal point of conversation in their office, but this morning they hadn't said two words to one another. Continuing his scan, he caught Ziva's eye. From the expression on her face he could tell that she had picked up on the difference also.

"The Director is going to the retirement party for the Secretary of Defense tomorrow. DiNozzo, David I need you two to go with her as protection detail." Gibbs announced as he made his way into the bullpen.

"Conners you're going with them. One of the other agencies had their own security officers call in sick so we offered up an extra man. You're up for general security." He added, taking a seat at his desk. From across the bullpen Tony and Claire stared at one another warily; McGee and Ziva watched them in confusion. At the lingering silence Gibbs slowly looked up and glanced between the two of them.

"Is there a problem?" he asked threateningly. Tony and Claire glanced away sheepishly, muttering 'no'.

"Then get to it. You three need to get layouts of the event and clean up for tomorrow." Gibbs barked, sending them scurrying around. Gibbs watched silently as Tony and Claire skirted around one another uncomfortably. He narrowed his eyes curiously; hoping that whatever was going on wasn't going to come back to bite them.

...

The next evening, elegant string music played in the lobby of the hotel where many agency officials and congressmen had gathered for the evening. Everyone was chatting politely around the room while others were grabbing food from the buffet. On the outskirts of the event Tony winced as he stared longingly at the buffet next to him. Beside him was Ziva, both sporting business suits and earwigs. Tony slowly reached over for the Danish pastries. Ziva reached out and slapped his hand; Tony yelping quietly in pain as he jerked his hand back.

"We're not here to eat. We're here to protect the director." She sternly reminded. Tony sighed and turned to face her direction, however his eyes never stopped scanning the room.

"Ziva this is probably the most secure room in the country right now. CIA, DSS, ATF, FBI, the whole alphabet is here. State Troopers, Metro Cops, and NCIS's finest…..me." Ziva shot him a look.

"…and you….and Claire" he added offhandedly. She smirked as they glanced away from one another, looking back at the room.

"But me is hungry." He sighed, glancing back at the table wistfully.

"You're always hungry." Claire shot back dryly from the other side of the room. Tony shot a glance that way, but she was had her head turned.

"These are public servants like us. This is free food." Tony added pointedly.

"So are defense contractors." Ziva mused. Tony pursed his lips.

"Low wage bandits who make a career of stealing from the public trough." he dismissed.

"Politicians." She added once again. Tony shot her a look.

"Ever seen a skinny politician?" he deadpanned pointedly. Ziva hummed and turned her head as the large doors opened across the way.

"Our guest of honor has just arrived." Claire informed. A small crowd of security came in along with the man of the hour.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the retiring Secretary of Defense of the United States of America." The man on the PA system announced as everyone turned and applauded the main the middle.

"I'm gonna get something to eat." Tony informed as he leaned down towards Ziva, sliding past her towards one of the buffet tables holding the meat. As Tony looked over the selections, Ziva's eyes shot upwards.

"Director!" she shouted in alarm, racing over and tackling Director Shepherd out of the way just as a man dropped onto the table next to them. Tony instantly pulled out his gun and began scanning the multiple balconies around them, looking for where the man had fallen from or any additional attack. Claire scanned the exits, keeping an eye out for anyone making a run for it. Meanwhile Tony slid next to the two women on the floor as they stood back up. Claire swiftly made her way over to join the group as Tony redirected his attention to the man lying prone on the now destroyed table.

"So much for an easy day." Claire muttered with a sigh. Pulling out her cell she dialed Gibbs.

...

When Gibbs and McGee arrived, Tony was inside talking with the local police about the situation. When Director Shepherd saw their approach, she made her way over to join them, filling them in on the situation and the name of the man on the floor. A marine, Sergeant Brian Wright.

...

Outside Claire and Ziva were talking with Andy Nelson, the senators aid, who was the last person to see Sergeant Wright. The paramedics were checking him over after his run in with the marine earlier, as he claimed.

"Mr. Nelson has been explaining how he got injured." Claire elaborated for Gibbs as he walked over to join them. She shared a skeptical look with Gibbs over Nelson's head, neither trusting the politician. The man in question glanced up at Gibbs in surprise, his markings and bruising on his cheekbone more prominent now.

"He just came at me. He hit me, I fell down and then he ran away." Mr. Nelson surmised while Ziva jotted down some notes.

"Did you see him fall?" Gibbs asked. Nelson shook his head, touching his cheekbone tenderly.

"I just got out of there. I was down in the lobby to report it when he fell." He explained.

"Why were you on the sixth floor?" Ziva inquired.

"I was delivering a briefing paper to a defense contractor in one of the suites. Nordforce systems. I was walking towards the elevator." Andy Nelson elaborated.

"You see him before?" Gibbs asked.

"Every day." The older man with Andy finally spoke up. Gibbs glanced at him and the man grinned politely, holding his hand out.

"Congressman Gates." He introduced himself. Gibbs stared at him a moment before shaking his hand as the congressman continued talking.

"Well not the deceased. Just sad souls like him. The homeless." He mused empathetically.

"Unconfirmed." Claire corrected the man sharply.

"And a war vet. Or we'd be talking to metro police and not NCIS. Agent…" The man grinned at Gibbs knowingly.

"Special Agent Gibbs, and he was a marine." Gibbs answered briskly. Mr. Nelson glanced between the two as he listened intently.

"We need to do more to help the ones who come back broken." Gates boasted diplomatically.

"Yes, you do." Claire cut in, shooting the man a pointed stare. Gates glanced at Gibbs who was staring at him the same way. He nodded uncomfortably, unable to respond. Apparently, that was not the response he had expected to get.

"Well let's get that x-rayed, Andy. Unless agent Gibbs has any more questions about this unfortunate incident." Gates gently ushered Andy off the stretcher, helping to stabilize his aid as he limped. Claire walked around to join her boss, eyeing the congressmen.

"Did you pick up on what I did?" she asked, glancing sideways at her boss. He nodded in confirmation while Ziva's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Pick up on what?" Ziva frowned, looking between the two of them.

"The congressman thinks our marine was crazy and jumped." Gibbs explained.

"Well we just have to disprove that don't we." Claire murmured. As they made their way back into the main hall Gibbs spotted Tony holding a piece of bacon.

"DiNozzo…" Tony's head shot up in alarm.

"Boss" he greeted.

"Stop eating the evidence."

"Yes, boss." Tony frowned, setting down his plate as they passed by him. Claire glanced away as they brushed past one another. Watching her reaction Tony grit his teeth, choosing not to comment in present company.

"Got some preliminaries?" Gibbs asked, stopping next to Ducky and the victim.

"I find the ones who fall to be the saddest. Such a long time to contemplate one's end and no time to change one's mind." Claire glanced up at the multiple rows of balconies above, bothered by the thought.

"Well the injuries are consistent with a fall, except for the scraped knuckles. Possible in a fight before he went over the edge." Ducky pointed out.

"He's missing a shoe, no wallet. Although he had some dollars in his pocket. And a begging note asking for help." As Ducky explained his findings, Palmer handed the evidence bags over to Gibbs.

"The only real surprise is this." Dr. Mallard stood, taking the cloth from Palmer and gently unwrapping it to show the rest of the agents.

"A Bronze Star for Valor, and a Purple Heart." Claire murmured as the medals were unveiled.

"Two marine stars, it means he was wounded three times in battle." Ducky turned to explain to Palmer who looked at them curiously. Ducky turned back to Gibbs.

"I can't tell you why he died, but I can perhaps tell you how he lived. The man was a hero." Ducky sighed, looking down at the prone man on the floor. Gibbs phone rang.

"Yes Gibbs"

"Hey boss, I think this is where he launched." They could hear McGee's voice over the phone, and slightly in the room. Looking up they spotted McGee on a balcony.

"His shoe must have come off when he went over the side." McGee held up the object in his hand.

"Ok." Gibbs nodded and clicked off.

"Nelson said he was back downstairs when Wright fell. The question is, what was Sergeant Wright doing?" Ziva pointed out.

"Deciding whether to jump." Tony suggested dryly. Claire pursed her lips and shot him a disapproving look. He simply shrugged innocently, not wanting to antagonize her and turn her away from the first head on interaction he'd gotten all day.

"DiNozzo, photographs." Gibbs reminded. Tony nodded and went off to join McGee with the camera.

"DiNozzo." His boss called, causing Tony to pivot back around.

"The stairs." Gibbs gestured in the opposite direction without looking up from his work. Tony stared at him for beat, before reluctantly taking the long way up.

"Maybe the congressman was right? Maybe Sergeant Wright was crazy and jumped." Ziva suggested with a sigh. Claire gave her a grimace.

"Or maybe the Director was right….Politicians lie." Gibbs retorted pointedly. Ziva pursed her lips as he walked off.

"In this business I wouldn't ever suggest trusting a Politician right off the bat." Claire informed Ziva before following their boss.

...

Tony's POV:

Back at the office all of us had been put on separate duties in the information search. However, once I had what I needed I went in search of my lunch, which I had been so deprived of earlier in the evening. Out of the corner of my eye I could spot all my coworkers watching me in mild disgust… but I was too busy digging aggressively into a large burger. Nothing like greased meat to heal the cracks of the heart.

"That's disgusting. How can you eat that?" Ziva muttered from the desk across from me. I just looked at her blankly, still chewing.

"You see Ziva, the human body is a finely tuned engine. None more finely tuned than mine.." she rolled her eyes.

"...Even the best engine needs fuel." I finished with a mumble; my cheeks still full.

"Especially if that engine is burning the midnight oil all the time." Claire muttered sourly, not looking up from her screen. I looked over at her sharply. She had been taking sharp digs at me all day and I would never admit it aloud, but it was starting to really sting. But then again, I was the one who twisted the knife in her back just a few days ago. It was too naïve of me to think that everything would run smoothly after that big blowout. I chose not to rise to the bait she was setting out. I needed to push back and prove that I was serious about keeping her away from my 'extracurriculars'. McGee and Ziva shared a questioning glance; the nosy people that they both are. Thankfully Gibbs made his way over to provide the perfect distraction from the tension.

"DiNozzo." I paused and looked up at the man.

"Boss?"

"Anything from the hotel registry?" Gibbs asked, leaning over my desk, his steely eyes narrowing at me. I paused to swallow what was in my mouth and sheepishly put the burger back in the box, before sliding it into the desk drawer.

"700 names on the registry, none of them Sergeant Wright." I answered meekly. Gibbs nodded before turning to the next one. Once he turned his back, I quickly retrieved my burger, being sure not to eat as ravenously this time around. Which was harder than I thought, seeing as it was my comfort food for the hour.

"Ziva, the congressman's aide?"

"Single, no criminal record, he's worked for the congressman for the past 7 years and according to Nordforce systems he briefly delivered the paperwork to their suite, but they can't put a time on it." She relayed.

"Boss, I just got off the phone with Wright's doctor in Bethesda. He did two tours in Iraq. He was wounded three times and this last one was the worst. His Humvee was hit by an IED, he suffered several shrapnel wounds to the head. He's been on medical leave for 4 months but according to the hospital records he's missed his last three weekly appointments." McGee explained, pulling up the files on the screen. Gibbs threw his arms out in exasperation.

"No one noticed?" he asked.

"Must have fell through the cracks." Claire imputed in disappointment.

"Family?" I inquired.

"Divorced, no kids." Claire informed with a sad frown.

"The doctor said he stayed with friends or sometimes on the street." McGee added.

"What kind of doctor?" Ziva inquired.

"Psychiatrist."

"Treated for?"

"Depression" McGee answered with a frown. Well that wasn't good for our case.

"Some way to treat a war hero." I sighed heavily.

"Well Marines look after their own." Claire added. At this Gibbs sat up thoughtfully.

"How does a homeless man get past the security agents, hotel staff, local cops, into a locked down building?" Ziva mused.

"Maybe he was already there." Gibbs suggested thoughtfully.

"Claire look up the hotel staff, search for any former Marines." Claire nodded and began typing frantically into the computer.

"Maintenance supervisor, Lois Romero." She relayed.

"McGee you're with me." Gibbs nodded and made his way to the elevator, leaving the three of us alone. Once he had left, we went right back into the uncomfortable silence. No one acknowledged it and just kept our heads down and waited for something to come up.

...

Claire's POV:

Thankfully McGee gave us a call, explaining that there was a murder on the same hall as Sergeant Wrights room. As awful as it sounds, I was glad there was something to distract from the uncomfortable tension surrounding Tony and I. Currently, Gibbs on the phone with director, talking about these two cases seem to be related. McGee was on camera duty while Ziva and I evaluated the body and the room.

"There's something on her cheek." Ziva commented. Taking out a swab she gently wiped away the substance off the girl's face.

"Looks like saliva. A kiss and kill." She pointed out, placing the swab back into the container to be evaluated later by Abby.

"Well there's no bag. Most likely the killer took it." McGee added from the other side of the bed.

"Maybe she just didn't have a bag." Ziva countered.

"Every woman has a bag." McGee shot back as if it was obvious. Ziva jerked her head back in surprise. At this comment I slowly turned around, watching from the closet in amusement.

"I feel like that's a pretty generalist statement, Tim." I mused, leaning on the doorframe. McGee glanced up at me.

"Do you have a bag?" he asked with a small grin. I paused, frowning.

"Yes…..but that doesn't mean anything." I countered defensively. McGee grinned, shaking his head as he went back to his work.

"Do I have a bag, McGee?" Ziva pointed out smugly.

"No, but you're not a w…." he froze midsentence, realizing what he was about to say. I watched as McGee slowly looked up in embarrassment, meeting Ziva's calculating gaze. She stared at him, warning him to tread carefully.

"I mean of course you're a woman, your just not…." Ziva tilted her head, eyes widening in mock curiosity as McGee continued to dig a hole.

"…not a normal…." He tried to explain. At this Ziva huffed and glanced away in annoyance. McGee looked back down at the floor.

"You're right not every woman has a bag." He quickly consented. Ziva's jaw twitched in annoyance but she didn't comment. Gibbs made his way over to stand next to her, looking down at the young girl on the bed.

"How old?" he asked quietly.

"No ID, no pocketbook, and no bag either." Ziva relayed, making sure to emphasize the word 'bag' with a look at McGee while glanced away. Tony entered the room. I glanced over at his entrance and we locked eyes, but I quickly glanced away. Just couldn't deal with it quite yet. He cleared his throat lightly.

"The room was booked to Michael Lowe, sales agent. Single occupancy. The room was paid for in cash." Tony informed, already knowing that this information was most likely false.

"Sounds fake." McGee hummed, taking more photographs of the scene.

"They're going to review the security tapes to send us what they got." Tony added. I blew out a breath tiredly, my eyes catching something hidden by the dresser. Leaning down I picked up a hotel key card.

"Boss." I held up the key up for Gibbs, who then took it over to the entrance of the room.

"Mr. Romero?" he asked, getting the maintenance manager's attention. Gibbs held up the card for him to see. Lois frowned at it.

"It's the keycard I gave Sergeant Wright. It's a master key, it opens up every room in the hotel." He explained. Well that is not what we wanted to hear if we were trying to prove Wright's innocence.

...

3rd Person POV:

The next day Tony remained quiet as he pressed his fingers against his forehead, face scrunched up in mild pain.

"Are you ok?" Ziva asked, jolting him out of his headache fueled daze. He grimaced and blinked heavily, catching the full attention of Claire from across the room. She watched silently, taking notice that he really didn't look all that great. He looked exhausted.

"Never better." Tony grumbled unconvincingly.

"You look run over." Ziva told him with concern.

"The term is run down….I do?" he asked in surprise. Tony reached over to pop the CD out of the player on his desk and flipped it around so he could see his reflection. He frowned in displeasure at what he saw.

"Maybe you need servicing." Ziva smirked as she watched him. Tony lowered the CD with a deadpan stare.

"Clearly we're still having some problems with the idiosyncrasies of the English language." He drawled tiredly.

"The finely tuned engine I think you called it." Ziva recalled. Tony sighed, nodding in agreement. Claire stared at him thoughtfully. Just because they were currently at odds with one another doesn't mean she didn't care about his wellbeing.

"You should see a doctor." She suggested quietly. Tony glanced over at her, hopeful from her first friendly remark in days. He smiled slightly in her direction before going back to staring down at his reflection once more with a grimace. Suddenly his cell phone rang, and Tony scrambled to fish it out of his pocket. He flipped it open and frowned, realizing that was not what was ringing. Placing it down he spun around and started digging through his bag, pulling out another cell. Claire and Ziva watched him with wide eyes. Tony had a second cellphone?

"Hello?" he asked quietly.

"Hi….yea….no its not a bad time." Tony chatted with the other line, grinning and chuckling as he did so. Claire watched from across the room, her face scrunched up in hurt and confusion. His demeanor was tensed but at the same time he was gushing over the phone pleasantly as if it was a friend. Why would he have a second cellphone? And who was he so friendly with on the other line?

"…this afternoon will be great….well I will see you then…ok bye.." he quickly hung up, tucking the phone away once more before turning back to his work. Ziva quickly jerked back to act as if she was not staring while Claire didn't move. She remained watching him intently from across the room. The sickening feeling just increased as he acted as if nothing happened.

"Two cellphones huh?" Claire pointed out, her tongue digging into her cheek to keep her emotions at bay. Tony blanched minutely before grinning to cover it up.

"Uh…one for each ear." He joked. Claire stared at him blankly.

"Um it's just a spare. This one has actually been on the fritz." He explained evasively, shaking his regular cell.

"This is another word you probably don't know the meaning of." Tony redirected towards Ziva in an effort to distract from the situation.

"Acts up?" she answered, looking up at him. Tony nodded in approval.

"I'm impressed." He mused. The three of them sat in silence, Tony actively trying not to look over at Claire who was burning a hole in the side of his head. He dramatically stretched before slinging on his coat as he stood.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Going to see a doctor…about being run over….down." he muttered, strapping on his gun and making his way to the elevator.

"Don't forget fritz." Ziva pointed out, nodding to the phone left on his desk. Tony stared at her in confusion before quickly realizing his mistake. He snatched up the phone and cheered childishly as he tossed it to himself. Tony quickly made his exit. Claire sat there for a moment, her fist clenching on top of the desk before she broke and took off after him. She bounded towards the elevator and when Tony spotted her his eyes widened and he quickly went to press the 'close door' button. She growled and stuck her hand in between the doors just before they closed. A smug grin slid across her face as Tony sighed and slouched against the back wall. The lift started back up and they stood in silence once more.

"So….two phones?" she lamely started, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yup.." the cab was filled with silence once more. Claire ground her teeth, tapping her fingers anxiously against her thigh. With a huff she reached over and turned off the elevator. Tony stared at her in surprise.

"What was that for?" he inquired curiously. Claire spun around and held her arms across her chest tightly.

"What has got you so exhausted? And do you really need a second phone?" she blurted anxiously. The man across from her groaned and ran a hand down his face.

"This again? Look it's not anything you need to be concerned about." He brushed off, reaching for the switch. Claire slapped his hand away; Tony yelping and holding his hand in pain.

"Nothing to be concerned about? So just because we no longer sleep together it means that I have no right to care about your wellbeing." She snapped. Tony pursed his lips, biting his tongue.

"You can care but I need you to care as a friend." He explained tightly. Claire jerked her head back indignantly.

"Ok…..then as a friend I care that you're up half the night, getting second cellphones, and eating your way to a heart attack." She shot back pointedly.

"No, as my friend I need you to just be there for me and not nitpick about what I'm doing with my life. If you can't do that then I don't think we can make even this friendship work." Tony barked, staring at her sternly. Claire swallowed and fell back into silence. He had never truly yelled at her before.

"Just. Leave. It. Alone." He added lowly. Tony watched as her face scrunched up and jaw tightened as she struggled internally with what he was asking of her. But he knew that she needed to back off before she got herself into trouble and he couldn't protect her. He needed her in his life but in order to keep her they had to establish boundaries. Claire pressed her fingers into her eyes roughly. After blowing out some air she turned and started the elevator back up.

"Fine….but I don't have to like it." She muttered. Tony chuckled. He wouldn't expect her to.

"I know, I'm not asking that of you." he quietly assured. Claire turned to glare at him.

"I'm still mad at you, so don't expect me to be so warm and fuzzy about this." she warned. Tony nodded solemnly.

"I know." He whispered, leaning farther back against the wall of the elevator. They rode the rest of the way down in silence until Tony's floor came up.

"Tell Gibbs I'll be back soon." He told her as he exited, not looking back to see her face. It was nowhere close to how he wanted them to be….but at least it was a start.