A/N: A big thank you to everyone who added this story to their alert! Thanks to C.O.L. for all of your inspiring chats on characterization. I'm all for keepin' the banter between Brody and LaSalle!

Guest Reviewer: Thank you for words. Those test results will be out soon!

"Oh no you don't," Agent Sonja Percy hissed as her so called training agent appeared in the doorway with Brody, looking more than a little haggard. Not that she cared about that at the moment. It was the cavalier grin he was wearing across his face, that had the new agent seeing red. LaSalle's ongoing promiscuous behavior had cost her a case, causing a would-be-killer to go free.

"Don't you dare waltz in here lookin all happy and shit," she ground putting her palms solidly into his chest. Whatever bonding, friendship, which had begun to develop between them was gone. She no longer cared if he was grieving over his vanilla flavored mermaid. She was done.

LaSalle looked at her a bit wild eyed as her dark eyes flashed fire at him.

"And you!" Percy whirled, directing her anger at Pride. "You just gonna let him get away with not showin' up for two days?"

"I'll take care of it," Pride shot back, unappreciative of her tone. "But for right now, I need for you and Brody to go back and re-interview all of the witnesses on your case. See if you can learn something new."

"Back to square one?" The petite agent's eyes went wide. LaSalle would most definitely pay for this, in some unpleasant shape or form of her most vengeful creation.

"The two of you can start right now," Pride said as the former ATF agent dared to try and stare him down.

Sonja finally rolled her eyes, consenting to defeat. "C'mon, luscious locks. I'll introduce to all twenty five of my new friends, I'm sure they'll just be thrilled to give their statements again!"

Brody gave LaSalle a doubtful glance as she walked out behind the angry agent. It would take her days to interview all of those witnesses but at least, she had been able to assist her partner with getting the blood and DNA samples to lab. With any luck, Sebastian would have something for them soon. She wanted to give his arm a small squeeze in show of support but with Sonja on the warpath and Pride looking like a father who was about to give a harsh tongue lashing to his son, she didn't dare. She would just simply call him tonight when the dust had begun to settle.

After Percy and Brody had gone, Pride circled around his desk searching for the words, there hadn't been too many times when he had to come down on his surrogate son for going outside the lines, but now that their little NCIS family had grown, his position as the agent in charge had change. It was no longer the just the two of them tearing through the rule book and doing as they pleased. He had no choice but to take an authoritative stand.

Stalling, Pride scratched at his cheek. "So, I talked to Ross P a little bit ago…"

"You talked to Ross P behind my back?" LaSalle clipped cutting him off. "King, he's my informant."

Pride put his hands out. "Just relax. He confirmed that the two of you were workin' together on a case and that ya ran into some trouble. "

He did? LaSalle made a mental note to thank his C.I. later for whatever story he had cooked up and told Pride.

"But-"

"But," Pride repeated, disappointed in LaSalle's inability to tell him the truth. Yes, he had talked to Ross P but after just two seconds it had been easy to see that the trusted informant was lying through his teeth. "I'm suspending ya"

"King-"

"Two weeks"

"Two weeks?"

"You're strugglin' Chris, you need the time off to get your head together." Pride hated sounding like an uncaring boss towards the man he thought of as a son. Especially since the center of Chris' problem was his fault. If he hadn't gone after Baitfish, then Savannah would still be alive and Chris would still be at the top of his game.

"Fine." LaSalle realized how easy it would be just to come clean and tell his friend and mentor the truth about waking up in the hotel room and the bite marks, but in all honestly this unexpected gift of time would give him a chance to investigate and find out what had really happened. If the results showed that foul play was involved then he'd bring King in but if they showed that he had some how just screwed up then it would give him the opportunity to try and save face.

It was almost nine when Brody met LaSalle back at his place. "Is that pizza from next door?" After a long day of interviewing witnesses with Percy she was famished. Even greasy pizza with a side of crawdads and beer sounded like heavenly, given the late hour and rueful growl of her stomach.

LaSalle gave her a nod. "There's cold beer in the frig, knock yourself out."

Watching her eat the pizza and a chug beer brought a smile to his face. He had to admit he found amusement in the times that Brody stepped out of her white collar upbringing and came down to his blue collar level.

"So did you hear back from Sebastian, yet?" Brody asked devouring a slice like she hadn't eaten in days.

"No," Chris said lowly as he took a pull from his beer. "But then again, I probably won't considering that Pride suspended me."

What? Brody's eyes went wide as she picked up a paper towel and blotted her mouth. She was so concerned over the possibilities of what had might have happened to LaSalle that she hadn't bothered to check back in with Pride after she and Percy had finished for the day.

"Two weeks."

"Did you try telling him what happened?"

Chris shook his head before taking another a pull, letting the thought process in Brody's head. He could tell by the look on her face that he was about to get a lecture.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, suddenly distracted by the amount of perspiration that was forming on his brow and cheeks. The man was starting to sweat like a pig.

Chris shrugged at her. He still had a dull headache behind his eyes that refused to go away but other than being dog dead tired he felt fine.

Brody's eyes narrowed. His eyes were still dilated, he was sweating and to top it off she thought he looked a little pale. "Maybe you should see a doctor. Those bite marks could be infected."

Chris grinned at her as he plucked a slice of pizza from the box. "I'll put some peroxide on it before I go to bed."

Brody began to play with the chain around her neck. "Speaking of going to bed, where do you plan on sleeping tonight? I know you haven't been sleeping here."

LaSalle's eyes narrowed as he finished chewing, setting his slice of pizza onto a paper plate. "You been pokin' around in things that are not your concern again?"

"You're my partner and my friend, which makes you my concern." She countered.

LaSalle raked a hand over his mouth. "Fine, I haven't been sleepin here, which is I was so puzzled this morning when we pulled up and the truck was sitting in the driveway."

Brody settled back in her chair, nodding. "So, where should it have been? Jennifer's?" She knew that ultimately, LaSalle's current sleeping arrangements weren't her business and might not have had anything to do with his so called predicament so she allowed him a way out.

"Caught me." He quipped.

"So someone took the truck and put in your driveway. Why?"

"Find the answer to that and mab'be we'll find out who bit me." He quipped, pulling to his feet and heading toward the refrigerator. "Ya, wanna another beer?"

"No, I'm good." She said, wrapping her hands around the dark brown bottle that she had yet to finish. "Listen, if you want a place to stay, you're more than welcome to have my couch."

LaSalle nodded, pursing his lips. He appreciated the gesture, he really did, but getting over Savannah's murder and the fact that his house had been shot all to hell was his to deal with and for the moment he was handling the best way he could.

"So how'd it go re-interviewing all those witnesses?"

Brody lifted her eyebrows engaging in a playful smile. "I can definitely see why Sonja is mad you."

LaSalle twisted the top of his fresh beer. "Ya know, I would never do willingly do anything to jeopardize a case."

"I know and for the record you don't have to try to convince me of anything."

"But Percy's a different story." He grinned.

"You could try telling her the truth."

"Can't." he replied quickly. "Not until I figure out some more things."

"You mean not until we figure out some more things." Brody said as she reached for the last slice of pizza in the time with the chime of the front door.

"You expecting company?"

"No."

Brody set down her pizza and followed him to the door, hanging back with her hand on her Glock. A nagging feeling in her gut told her something was not right.

Chris opened the door, to see a female JAG lawyer and two military M.P.s standing on his front porch. Pride was standing at their rear.

"Christopher LaSalle," the JAG lawyer addressed, "You need to come with us."

LaSalle looked over their heads at Pride. "What's goin' on, King?"

A/N: FYI, he's not being accused of murder. But he is in some very hot water...