Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.
A/N - Hope you are all enjoying 2009! There is still a number of chapters to come on this story. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and stuck with it. I'll try and update soon. In the meantime, enjoy chapter 5!
After lunch, Gibbs ordered the team to attend the two lectures scheduled for the afternoon, while he and Fornell went to network with their international counterparts.
"I don't think I can't stand another four hours of sitting in a lecture hall!" Tim whined as he leaned against the wall.
Tony gave a puzzled look, "What's the matter Probie? I thought you of all people, Mr MIT, would love all that stuff. Those little lectures, and those little pre-school drawings that you call notes."
"They're not pre-school drawings Tony, they're called mind maps."
The laugh came from deep in Tony's stomach,
"Mind maps! Ha! In that case, you've got a pretty sick and twisted mind Probie! Oh, how is your new book by the way, talking of sick and twisted minds?"
Tim smiled sarcastically, choosing not to respond to Tony's immaturity.
"Why don't we skip the lectures and go to the exhibition!" Abby exclaimed.
Sacks held up both hands, "Hang on, you heard Fornell and Gibbs, they were pretty adamant that we had to attend the lecture."
Tony's head snapped around and he snickered, "What, you a big scaredy chicken, Slacks?"
"I've told you before, its Sacks!" he growled with increasing frustration at Tony's teasing.
"It is a better alternative than attending a lecture," Ziva interjected with a grin.
With an agreement reached, the team, together with Agent Sacks, headed to the huge hall, filled with company stands.
"So, what is the point of this?" Ziva asked with a confused look.
"It's a selling thing Zee-vah! It's a chance for companies who sell stuff to different agencies to try and get you to buy their most updated product."
The smile grew wide on her face and her eyes lit up, "Will there be weapons?"
Tim chuckled, "Uh, no, what you'll find is a bunch of boring drop out employees who'll simply throw you a glossy leaflet. If you're lucky, perhaps you may get a stress toy or a candy bar to entice you in to talk to them."
"I'm just here for the free stationery!" Abby squeaked excitedly as she scanned the room looking for a company she recognised.
"Tim, come on, there's the new mass spec!" she added as she grabbed McGee by the arm and started dragging him to one of the stands.
Tony stood tall and took in a deep breath, "Okay, Ziva, let's go mingle and see how many toys and candy bars we can pick up."
She rolled her eyes, and trailed behind him and Sacks as they began to shuffle from one stand to another, furtively collecting all of the freebies they could get their hands on.
Jethro Gibbs took in a huge lungful of air as he stepped out of the conference arena with Tobias Fornell at his side. He narrowed his eyes and, with the skill of the sniper he once was, he scanned the bustling London street from left to right, searching for his target.
"Well Jethro?" Fornell snapped.
"Hang on Tobias. You know, you'd never make a sniper. You've got no patience," he responded quietly.
"Gibbs, come on, I'm dying here!"
Straining his neck and eyes a little more, eventually a grin broke across Gibbs face.
"Target acquired!"
He quickly snapped to his left hand side and nodded to Fornell.
"Come on, hurry up!" he chuckled as he marched quickly along the street.
The two agents eventually reached their target and stood outside for a moment with silent relief and gratitude.
"You don't think they like mess around with it do you, just because we're in Europe?" Fornell frowned.
"Nah, it's like burger joints, they're all the same. Same ingredients, same result. Might be a little different, but a whole lot better than the crap we've had so far."
Gibbs smiled, and, with another sigh, headed into Starbucks and found himself a seat. He gestured to Fornell to order the coffees. The FBI agent scowled as he reached for his wallet.
"Two black coffee's" he snapped.
"What size?" the young man serving, asked politely.
"As big as you got."
"Are you sitting in or taking it away today sir?"
"We're uh, staying here."
"Would you like a scone with your coffee's sir? We have a special offer."
"A what?"
"A scone sir."
"What the hell is a, scone?"
"It's a scone, sir. A, scone!" the boy replied, a little flustered.
"I heard you the first time, but you didn't answer my question. What is a 'scone'?"
Gibbs joined him at the counter and smiled sweetly. He placed his hand on his shoulder and turned him around, guiding him firmly to his seat.
"Just the coffee, thanks," Gibbs replied to the young man, who breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gratefully before turning to make their coffees.
With two large coffees in hand, Gibbs returned to his seat and put one in front of Fornell.
"Calm down Tobias. It's here."
Fornell simply grinned and inhaled the aroma of the hot coffee.
"So Tobias, I'd say, I could handle this networking for the rest of the afternoon huh?"
The two men smiled wryly as they leaned back in their chairs and took their first welcome sips of coffee.
Back at the exhibition, Tony DiNozzo decided that by some unknown law of science, that his ability to juggle did in fact increase if he stuck his tongue out to the side.
"Eight, nine, ten, ha!" he beamed as he completed ten seconds of juggling with three stress balls.
Sacks sighed, and slouched against the wall, "Put your balls away DiNozzo. Nobody wants to see you playin' with them anymore."
Ziva snorted a laugh and earned herself a scowl from Tony.
"I cannot believe Director Shepherd sent us all the way over here to get, stress toys!" she snapped with increasing boredom.
Tony rolled his eyes,
"We're not here just for the toys! We're supposed to be finding out what's hot in the world of criminal investigation and doing all the buddy-buddy stuff with people from other agencies. If you want to go make nice and get some new friends, go right ahead. I, for one, am getting a little disappointed. So far, I've asked about seven vendors for their telephone number and where they're staying and all they've given me is a glossy brochure on surveillance software or a pen. A man can only write with one pen at a time!"
"Actually, if you're ambidextrous, you can technically be using two pens at the same time," Sacks said smugly.
Tony glared at him "Shut it Slacks, else I'll find another use for a pen that'll involve one of your freakin' nostrils!"
Ziva huffed loudly at the two men squaring off, "Well, I am bored with this now. Where is Gibbs?"
"He's uh...networking...apparently...with Fornell," Tony replied, still glaring at Sacks.
As she growled she began to smile at the approaching Tim McGee and Abby Scuito.
"Hey guys! This is such a really cool place!" Abby beamed excitedly.
They groaned in response and she frowned, "Where's Gibbs?"
"Networking with Fornell!" they responded in unison.
Tim folded his arms and scowled at Abby, "If I were you, I'd think myself lucky that he is out of the picture right now Abby!"
Tony stood bolt upright and placed his hands on Abby's shoulders.
"What have you done? Tell me. Come on, spill to Uncle Tony!"
"Nothing," she replied sheepishly.
"Probie?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I tried to stop her Tony, but she wouldn't listen!" he snapped defensively.
Tony turned to face Abby once more, and he tipped her chin up, so that she looked him in the eye.
"Abby?" he said gently.
The pout only lasted a few seconds more till she broke into a wide smile.
"I've got a new, state of the art, mass spectrometer!"
The team gasped and Tony lifted his head, raising his eyes to the ceiling.
"Oh shit Abby! How much?"
"Tony! The value of solving cases can not be measured in the fiscal sense. When you guys are tracking the murderer, of one our nations finest Marines or Sailors, you don't think about how much a piece of equipment costs!"
"How much?"
"You don't ask how much a test tube is, do you?"
"How much?"
"Just think, with my ability to help solve your cases even faster than I do now, I can pretty much guarantee no more weekend working!"
"How much?"
"In the grander scheme of things Tony, it wasn't that much, dollar for dollar!"
"How...much?"
"One-ninety five."
Tony squeezed her shoulders a little harder and swallowed.
"One hundred and ninety five dollars?"
She bit her lip and shook her head from side to side slowly.
"How many zero's?" he grimaced, in anticipation of her response.
She raised her hand and slowly extended three fingers. He groaned instantly.
"Aw, shit Abby, he's gonna kill you for buying that! Oh no, hang on, he's gonna kill me, for letting you buy that!"
Tony turned and whacked Tim across the head.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for?"
"That was for not watching my six, by letting her clean out the entire NCIS budget!"
Ziva giggled, "Oh Abby, I think that your mass spec thing is going to create mass problems for you. But most of all for Tony!"
Tony scowled at her and then turned to Abby,
"Okay Abigail, here's what your gonna do. You're gonna get your little goth-like butt back to that stand and you're gonna speak ever so nicely to the kind person who twisted your arm and your gonna get them to cancel your order!"
"But Tony!" she whined.
He tilted his head to the side and spoke quietly.
"If Gibbs finds out you've spent two hundred thousand dollars without him knowing, you know who he's gonna take it out on don't you?"
She eventually nodded and heaved a sigh as Tony continued,
"And you and I both know, what that means. And, for the record, can I remind you that it is a seven hour flight back to DC. Now, after Gibbs points out the fact that I should not have let you buy your new toy I am definitely not going to want to face sitting during a seven hour flight am I?"
Abby looked at him with her wide puppy dog eyes.
"I suppose not. Okay, okay, I'll go speak to the guy and save your ass, again!"
"That's my girl! Now go do what Uncle Tony says and when you come back, we'll talk about what we're doing tonight."
She hugged him and then headed dejectedly into the exhibition.
Tony heaved a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, shuddering at the thought of Gibbs reaction to Abby's purchase.
Five minutes later Abby returned. She pouted and gave Tony a weak thumb up, without even looking at him in the eye. Ziva folded her arms and sank to sit down on the floor beside Sacks and Tim and huffed at Tony.
"So, Senior Field Agent, what do you have planned for us tonight?"
"I thought Slacks, Probie and I could check out the wild side of London. You know, see if English girls really do have stiff upper lips. I thought you and Abby could go girl shopping in Oxford Street. Apparently that is the place to go. Then, after your little cutie pie bonding thing, we could all meet up at Covent Garden or Piccadilly Circus. We could maybe head for a show, then high tail it back to the hotel bar for a few midnight cocktails."
Ziva frowned, "Why can't Abby and I go with you to check out if English men are stiff?"
Tony laughed nervously, "Because! You can't! You two go shopping and get girl, shopping, things! Buy shoes, or something!"
She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously and he gulped. He then started to slowly retreat backwards as Abby's glare also began to pin him down.
"Whoa! Wait a minute! I thought you guys would like to shop! That is what girls do isn't it? And I'm pretty sure that you both are...girls! Certainly in the physical sense, you are...well...Abby...is..."
It took about a second and a half and Ziva had Tony's arm painfully thrust up behind him and his face squashed into the wall.
"Aaaooww! Ziva! I'm sorry okay! Ooww! My arm god-dammit!"
She smiled and turned her head to Abby,
"Men or shopping?"
Abby returned the smile with a wicked glint in her eye.
"Oh, definitely men. I want to check out the young versions of Ducky!"
Ziva tightened her grip on Tony's arm and he yelped.
"Haaooww! Okay, okay, we'll all go! Just let me go! Please!"
She loosened her grip and stroked the back of his head gently.
"I knew that you would see sense after a little, girl power, persuasion."
Tony winced as he rubbed his shoulder,
"Okay, let's head out of here, before Gibbs and Fornell get back. You figured out that underground tube map yet Probie?"
To be continued...