'I think we should tell the BAU, they'll work with us. They already know something is going on. This is their case as well remember. If we can stop them here, we won't have to worry about any others. Penelope can set something up that alerts us if there are any changes on the files. She's not NCIS, nor has she been trained in the traditional way. I'm positive she could come up with something that McGee wouldn't find.' Tony explained briefly.
'Tony's right, we can't do this alone. We're going to need outside help to stop them.' Gibbs added, if they didn't get things sorted then he would deal with it, personally.
Vance stared at the two men, and finally nodded. 'Okay, talk to the team leader first and see what he says. He may not want them involved.'
'I'll invite Hotch over and we can discuss it with him.' Tony had no doubt that the other man would agree. There was no way Spencer would want to stay out of this, and Hotch would want to keep an eye the man he loved.
'Okay, we'll leave things there until we find out if the BAU want to help. If they do we'll have to meet somewhere else and make plans.'
'We'll call you as soon as we know anything Leon.' Gibbs spoke as they walked out of his office.
Vance lowered his head as soon as the door closed. He couldn't believe what two members of his agency were planning to do. They were all supposed to work together, and put criminals away, not become criminals themselves. Once this was dealt with he had to make sure that this kind of thing would not be allowed at NCIS. So many people had got away with too much when Jenny was in charge. She'd been too busy with her own vendetta, and trying to make herself look good. The agency had been in the process of being run into the ground under her leadership. He had made mistakes, but he wasn't perfect. He'd be the first one to hold up his hand and say I've fucked up. McGee and Ziva would be made an example and it would be what not to do in NCIS. They'd get all the attention, but it wouldn't be the type they wanted.
XXXXX
'We'd better go and update Abby.'
'You do that Tony, and I'll make sure that Ziva and McGee stay up with me.'
'Gibbs, we also need to talk to Hotch sometime today.'
'That one we'll play by ear.' Gibbs smiled as he watched Tony walk away from him. He was amazed how much had happened good and bad, in such a short period of time. Having Tony was worth any pain and he would make sure that the younger man knew that.
XXXXX
Abby just stared at her monitor and sulked. Why hadn't Tony come to her; she would have helped him improve his computer skills. She had already helped him understand some of his studies.
'Hey Abs.' Tony looked around to make sure that she was alone. 'We've just had a meeting with Vance. Ducky now knows all about it. He's going to help keep an eye on the medical side of things. We're also going to talk to Hotch and the other to see if they're willing to help. I'm hoping Penelope can tag the files so we get alerted if anyone changes anything.' He frowned as Abby's body stiffened as soon as he mentioned the BAU. 'Is anything wrong?'
She turned and glared at him. 'Why do we need THEIR help, we're a family.'
'Abby…'
'You went to HER for help; I would have helped you with your computer skills.' She pouted.
'Abby, now listen to me carefully I love you, you are family to be, but you don't own me. I have other people in my life, people that are important to me like Spencer and Penelope. We're not your private property or your toys. You don't get to have a temper tantrum when people want to spend time with us. It's time you grew up. You get away with so much that you now act as if you're entitled to dictate our lives.'
'Gibbs.' Abby called out, she gave Tony a smirk.
Tony's head dropped, Gibbs let her get away with so much, and this probably wasn't going to be any different. 'Where are McGee and Ziva?'
'They're getting coffee with Spencer and Hotch. We'll be getting some as well.' Gibbs took a deep breath. 'Tony's right Abby.' Two heads swung to him in shock.
'What, Gibbs you always….I'm like your daughter.' She stuttered.
'I only had one daughter and she died, but you are family to me Abby. You have your own friends, we don't tell you who you can and cannot spend time with. What gives you the right to tell us? I'm not sure you are really aware of what's going on Abby?'
'Of course I am Gibbs, McGee and Ziva are trying to set Tony up.'
'When this is all over they won't be in my team.'
'They won't?' Tony had always forgiven them before, why couldn't he know.
'They're trying to ruin my life. You expect me to forgive them and forget? You want me to trust them to watch my back when I know they have a knife waiting to stab me as soon as I turn? If nothing happens I wouldn't stay anyway.'
'Neither would I.' Gibbs added, he reached out and squeezed Tony's hand.
Abby watched the two of them. She was no longer first in Gibbs life. He would put Tony before her. She wanted them to be happy, but there was too much going on. 'I don't like change.'
'I know, but you going to have to accept it. Don't we deserve to feel safe and be happy?'
'Of course you do, but…..' Her voice faded away.
'There isn't a but in this situation. You either do or don't. Why don't you talk to the nuns later?' Tony smiled sadly at her.
'I will. If you hear anything more, you'll keep me updated. I still want them stopped.' Abby added.
'We know that, and yes we will.' Gibbs pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.
XXXXX
Tony stretched his arms above his head. It had been a long day, lucky enough it had just going through the files and then bouncing ideas off each other. McGee and Ziva had been fairly well behaved, for them anyway. As soon as they started to say something nasty Gibbs had just glared. He did need to work off some energy. He was going to head off and play some basketball with Derek, but first he needed to talk to Hotch alone.
'Hotch,' Tony called him over.
'What is it?'
'I need to tell you something, but it needs to be just us. How about we take a walk over to the court where I'm going to be meeting Derek?'
Hotch eyed him carefully. It was something important that much was obvious. 'Okay, let me just go and tell my team.'
Gibbs looked over and Tony nodded at him. Soon they would find out if the BAU would help him. He had no doubt that they would, they were protective over one very special agent.
XXXXX
'So, are you going to tell me what is going on, or do I have to start profiling you and filling in the blanks?'
Tony laughed bitterly. 'Some of this I doubt you would guess. You've noticed how McGee and Ziva are with me?'
'Yes we have, how did it get that way?' Hotch was still very angry about that.
'To be honest it built up so slowly. They little snarky comments were part of our routine. Kate and I use to do it all the time. It then became crueller; Gibbs had a huge amount on his plate. I never said anything. As I said it built up. It was one the reasons I wanted to do a course, between the two of them my education and my history as a cop was to be laughed at.'
'What? From what I can gather you were an exceptional athlete and could have gone pro if your leg hadn't been broken.'
'They don't see it that way. In their eyes I didn't make it as a pro, no matter the reason. It makes me a failure.'
'Being a cop is a hell of a job. You never know what's going to happen when you get that call out. You have to deal with all kinds of people and situations.'
'Once again not impressive enough McGee has the brains, so he keeps telling us, and Ziva has her Mossad training.' Tony help up his hand to stop Hotch from answering. 'It doesn't matter what you, I or anyone else thinks they are not going to change their minds. Now, back to why I need to talk to you. We recently, and when I mean recently it only happened when I went over to help you guys found out that my lovely team-mates have a plan.'
Hotch didn't like the sound of this. 'What kind of plan?'
'Well, they don't like the fact that I am no longer acting like the clown and getting into trouble. Instead they are, and I'm getting praised. McGee and Ziva, and I am leaning towards it being her idea and not his, want to get me out of the way.'
'How do they plan on doing that?' He was ready to grab Tony and hide him away until those two idiots had been dealt with.
'They want to take a case, destroy it and to make it look like I did it. Then when I denied it, I'd look like I was lying. Vance, Gibbs, Palmer, Ducky and Abby are the ones who know about it. They tried to recruit Palmer, but my little autopsy gremlin came straight to Gibbs and I.'
'They're going to ruin a case?'
'They wanted to start with some of my older ones, so it looks like I've done it before. Gibbs refused and gave them cold cases that had nothing to do with me. We're concerned that they may try it with the one we're working on together. If the BAU agree with them I wouldn't have had a chance.'
'And they think talking bullshit about you is going to help their case?' Hotch was a little confused by that.
'When it was just the three of us, the two of them would back each other up they're used to it. McGee thinks that NCIS won't run without him, and Ziva is used to having people suck up to her because her father is the director of Mossad. It never even occurred to them that people wouldn't join in. Gibbs telling them to stop it has them a little lost.'
'I'm not happy with Gibbs either.'
'He's made mistakes, and he knows it. The main thing is now he's stopped, and has changed how he acts.'
'And that has nothing to do with you and him?'
Tony gave him a huge smile. 'Things are going well with you and Spence?'
'Don't change the subject.' Hotch grumbled, and then chuckled.
'I'm happy for you both.'
'So I am I, even though I think you can do better. Gibbs still has to prove himself to me, especially after what you've just said. At the moment he's not good enough for you.'
'He is, but thank you for caring. Back to the situation at hand, as this case does involve you lot Vance wants to know if you would be willing to help us stop McGee and Ziva?'
'Of course, we have to make sure they're stopped, what do you need?'
'Well, you need to tell your team, and we're hoping that the lovely Penelope would somehow flag the files. We would get an alert if someone tried to alter them. We also need to make sure McGee won't spot it.'
'Okay, I'll talk to her and the others now. Can you tell Derek after your game with him?'
'Sure, thank you for helping us.' Tony hugged him quickly.
'We would've helped anyway, but now it's personal. We take care of our own, and you DiNozzo have become one of us.'
Tony bent his head and blushed. It had been a long time since anyone had truly cared about him. 'Yeah.' He turned and quickly jogged towards the court before he said something really embarrassing.
Hotch smiled, and shook his head. Tony DiNozzo was absolutely charming. His face became hard, his eyes cold. Ziva and McGee would pay not for only how they treated him, but also because of this idiotic plan they concocted. He grabbed his cell; it was time his team, minus Derek met up at the BAU. They had lots to discuss.
XXXXX
Sacks carefully read through the letters again. He was sure that this was the killer. He'd managed to get hold of them before they were sent to Hotch and his team. It seemed that they were getting angrier; they even left a way to contact them. Through a newspaper, not original, but Sacks wouldn't complain if it worked. If he played his card right he could get rid of DiNozzo and get into the BAU. In the end Fornell would be his as well. Things were going to go his way. To get the ball rolling he needed to let the killer know that it was all down to DiNozzo and that would get that pain in ass taken out of the equation.
TBC
