I apologize for the delay in posting this update. Homeschool is back in full swing for me so that has had me busy. Also, I really wanted this chapter to be just right, hopefully I didn't disappoint. :)
It was a dead body like any of the other hundreds of dead bodies he'd seen in his career. More accurately it was two dead bodies a man and a woman although one couldn't call them typical considering they looked like the mummies Gibbs had seen photos of from ancient Egypt. The fact it was a couple, gave him pause worried him, glancing up at Ziva who was photographing the bodies he knew she was thinking the same as him. A pair a man and a woman wrapped beautifully in what appeared to be strips of white linen. They'd been discovered at the foot of the Washington monument. That by itself was odd but for now his focus was on managing the scene. Thankfully it was the nearly two am in the morning and somehow they'd gotten lucky. Ziva had finished photographing the scene and the press was only just showing up. Ducky was loading the bodies quickly, the press wouldn't get any pictures of the actual bodies or the state they were in this time.
He caught Ziva's gaze again and it was grim. The very real possibility that this couple was one of the missing couples from Haven was startling at the very least. "Spread out farther Ziva. Get pictures of the area from a wider view." He guessed there was a significance that they couldn't easily see but might be reveled through photos. He saw her nod then turned his attention to Tony. Tony was searching for evidence, from the look on his face he wasn't finding much.
McGee was sketching the scene, moving around slowly. Gibbs could see the wheels turning. It would be interesting to see what he would come up with.
"Hey Duck, any ideas?" Gibbs hovered close trying not to stand too close.
"Nothing yet Jethro. I won't know much until I remove the bandages and that will take time. Each layer of wrapping will require close inspection. Before I begin that there will be scans and what not." Ducky looked to Palmer who along with a few other agents was standing outside the closed doors of the van.
"Figured as much had to ask." Gibbs moved away to talk with the security guard that made regular rounds and had found the body. He looked to be a stand-up guy. He'd been making his regular rounds when he'd discovered the bodies. He'd been smart enough to grab photos of the bodies with his cell phone and send a text message to a friend in the Police Dept. Doing so was the only thing that had kept the Media from being alerted sooner. NCIS had been called when a series of Navy medals had been found arranged on the ground surrounding the male's body. When Gibbs approached he stood up straight and met his gaze.
"Sir."
Gibbs nodded "Don't call me Sir. Just tell me what you know."
"Yeah ok. So I do the same things every night. I patrol the area a few times throughout the night. I drive the cart to the general area, get out and walk around. Never had much exciting happen. A few people making out, some trying to do some tagging, mostly just harmless stuff. Security was stepped up directly after 911 but recently it's been lightened. Can't maintain threat readiness forever is what they tell me."
Gibbs eyed the man respectfully. "You military?"
"Was, Marine for eight years." He settled back against the golf cart he'd referred to earlier. "When I saw the medals, I decided that maybe keeping this quiet would be a good thing. Not to mention the way I found them. Got a friend who is a detective, sent him the info. I knew he'd call you guys, would have called you guys myself but didn't have a direct line, wanted to keep it low key, figured you'd appreciate the discretion."
Gibbs nodded. "Sure do, we rarely get a jump on the media. This hitting the news would make all sorts of problems." Gibbs let the guard know he'd need to come in for a formal interview, shook his hand and moved on.
Tony appeared to be finished with collecting evidence, Ziva was stowing her camera and McGee was putting the finishing touches on his last sketch. He glanced at Tony and caught him staring at the ground, following the path of the sidewalks that wrapped around and led to the monument. He glanced up at Gibbs and frowned. "This is going to get weird, I just have that feeling."
Gibbs nodded; he'd had the same feeling. Although, perhaps, not for the same reasons Tony had "Just what we need." He answered because it was expected. When he'd first seen the bodies of what was a clearly a couple he'd wondered at the timing. If these were the bodies of a couple associated with Haven then it couldn't be a coincidence. They had been to Haven only twice, their first visit to get the feel of the place, and the second trip for a quick brunch to see if going at a different time resulted in new information. Both trips had been uneventful they had seen no one they had easily recognized. There had also been no opportunity to do much exploring. There last trip had been only a few days earlier. His eyes found Ziva again trying to be casual; he could read in her eyes that she was as concerned as he was. How they would find out if this couple was linked to Haven was another matter altogether. They hadn't found any ID near the bodies and he could only guess at the state they were in beneath the wrappings.
He was grateful that he and Ziva had taken a car while the guys had driven the van. He wanted to talk with her before they got back to NCIS.
Pushing their way through the crowd of reporter's was never easy but considering the location of the find the media was out in full force now. It took considerable effort for him and Ziva to make it back to their car and then only with the help of the local leo's. Finally back in the car and headed back to NCIS Gibbs sighed in relief.
"There is a good chance Gibbs that, the couple found is one of the ones missing from Haven. I know you suspect that." Ziva bit her lip staring out at the road ahead of them. "The timing is what worries you most though correct?"
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, we haven't been with Haven long, or caused enough trouble for there to be an obvious warning. So it's either a warning for warning's sake or it's a coincidence."
"You do not believe in coincidence." Ziva stated what everyone already knew.
"No, not as a rule but to be honest it does happen now and then. In this case I don't know what to think. It would mean the killer either heard about us or saw us." Gibbs shook his head.
"But it didn't look like a warning did it?" Ziva saw Gibbs give her a rueful grin and smiled back. "It felt..what is the word? Reverend?"
Gibbs chuckled lightly "Reverent, is the word you're looking for. I agree it looked very ceremonial. The jars, the medals, the wrappings and where they were placed. If it were a warning it should have been….."
"Scarier?" Ziva frowned again.
"Exactly, the whole things was just too pretty." He saw her smile and yawn. "You ok?"
Ziva almost gave him an annoyed look but knew that the line between personal and private was bound to blur. "I am fine just tired lately." She watched a look she couldn't place cross his face and almost asked about it but they were pulling into NCIS and the moment was lost.
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Gibbs was feeling the frustration of coming up with a whole lot of nothing. Not getting any sleep wasn't helping. Normally sleep wasn't exactly a necessity for him at least not a lot of it. Lately, Ziva had kept him busy enough that he savored the sleep he did get. That thought might have made him smile if not for the complete lack of evidence they'd found. Or almost complete lack of evidence. They'd found a few gum wrappers, a piece of chewed gum, a few pieces of snack food all of which would most likely be attributed to the tourists that had visited earlier in the day. It had been hours since they'd found the bodies and yet all they had was conjecture at this point. Only one piece of evidence held their interest, had them all staring at the screen as Abby explained what it was.
"24K gold dust. And not the kind you can buy just anywhere. This isn't the kind you find in makeup or glitter, this stuff is high end. I ran it through mas- spec and it's very pure as you would expect with 24k." Abby stepped back and leaned against the desk, fighting a yawn where Ziva didn't succeed.
"Boss we found this near the bodies." Tony pulled up a photo Ziva had taken of the small circle on the concrete near the body. "It wasn't near the any of the canopic jars."
Gibbs stared at the impression trying to make sense of it swearing lightly when it didn't make sense to him. "I suppose in and of itself gold shouldn't surprise us; mummies, canopic jars, the Washington Monument all of it links to an Egyptian theme. The Egyptian's were known for their love of gold. It has to tie in somewhere."
He ignored the look the surprised look the others in the room gave him. He did love catching them off guard every now and then. He stared at the circle on the ground in silence for a long moment then felt a grin cross his face. "A knee." Gibbs pointed at the screen running his finger around the shape Tony had photographed and taken the gold dust sample from. "Whoever left the bodies, kneeled down here. I would bet the gold dust was on the body of whoever dropped off our victims."
Tony sighed, "This one is going to get weird. Someone wearing gold body dust, carrying two mummies and a bunch of canopic jars dropping bodies off at the Washington Monument and nobody sees a thing. Really going to get…" Tony trailed off.
"Hinky." Abby finished for him.
Gibbs heard his phone ring. Looking at the caller ID he saw it was Ducky and hoped for some answers. He answered and looked to the rest of the team letting them know they were needed in the morgue.
Stepping into Ducky's domain was always interesting, this time was no different. With the two bodies laid out on metal tables and the canopic jars lined up on tables beside them for a moment Gibbs could believe he'd stepped back in time. "What you got Duck?"
"Well Jethro not as much as you might like but some." Ducky gestured to the two bodies on the table. "These bodies were mummified exactly as they would have been in Egyptian times. Or, so it appears from the x-rays and scans I've taken. Whomever did this knows their Egyptian traditions at least when it comes to honoring the dead. In between the wrappings are what appear to be amulets. The position of them tells me that this was no amateur that did this. The only difference I can see between these bodies and those of the ancient time is the way the brain was dealt with. Ancient Egyptians believed the brain had little value, so they would use a hook to pull the brain out and dissolve it. These bodies have had the skull cut open and the brain removed intact; it was then placed in one of these canopic jars. Thus far it's the only break with tradition I can find."
Ziva eyed the bodies with speculation. "Does it not take at least seventy days for the process to be completed?"
"You are correct Ziva. The mummification process is time consuming complicated and requires a fair amount of space. That may help you narrow down who did this. As I said it's going to take quite a bit of time to remove the wrappings. They weren't sealed with any sort of glue which surprised me. So, I'll be unwrapping the bodies, each strip of linen will have to be processed for any trace. I don't expect to find any but it's always possible." Ducky looked at Gibbs saw the frustration and knew what his next question would be. "It's going to take hours Gibbs, and it's not something I can rush. I'll need to document each layer as I go."
Gibbs didn't bother to hide his frustration as he let out a sigh. Glancing at his watch he had to bite back another sigh when he realized it was later than he'd realized. They'd all been up since the wee hours of the morning and it was already nearing typical quitting time. To keep everyone any longer just to wait on Ducky would be foolish. "I get it, go home everyone we'll start again in the morning." He wanted answers now but it would seem odd even for him to push this any later. Only he and Ziva realized the potential ramifications. To everyone else it was just another interesting case, even if it was weird as Tony had said. "Including you Ducky, I want you fresh for this. No point in trying to work through the night." He knew Ducky was as tired as the rest of them but would work anyways because Gibbs gave everyone a sense of urgency.
Ducky almost argued but saw the look on Gibbs' face and knew there was no point in arguing. Plus, he wasn't getting any younger; a good night's sleep would give him a fresh perspective. "Right, well then I'll just get this fine couple stored properly."
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Gibbs sanded the wood slowly, letting the familiar movement sooth his mind. He wanted answers but wouldn't get any till sometime tomorrow at the earliest. That didn't sit well with him, before he'd left NCIS he'd spoken with the director about increasing security around autopsy. It did little to relax his mind that the director had agreed to post two guards until they all returned in the morning. Ziva had met him at home and he insisted she nap, something she rarely did. He had to convince her it was safe to stay in his bed to rest. She worried that they were not being careful enough. On one hand he agreed but he needed her close.
Glancing at the clock he was surprised at how early in the evening it still was. At some point he would need to stop working on his boat and figure out something to feed them. Ziva liked to cook but he had a feeling she wouldn't feel like it when she woke up from her nap. He smiled but the smile was a heavy one, his thoughts full of questions. A noise at the top of his stairs had him pausing.
Abby let herself into Gibbs place. He never minded and he never greeted her with a gun. He'd told her long ago she'd earned his trust. She was smart enough to know how meaningful that was. She'd brought his favorite beer and a pizza. Without having to look she knew he'd be in his basement working on his boat.
Despite the fact she knew he'd never hurt her Abby always came down the stairs slowly but not quietly. Standing at the top of the stairs she saw him notice her and smile. He was shirtless which she knew sometimes made him feel self-conscious but she couldn't fathom why he was damned good looking. He was sexually appealing and yet she'd never been truly sexually attracted to him. She saw him as far more, something that couldn't be put into words but the two of them understood it. It was not quite a parent child relationship and never lovers but something unnamable. He grinned again when he saw the beer.
"How did you know I just ran out of beer and I'm starving." It was true loving Ziva was testing his stamina, almost. Grabbing a beer he popped the top and took a long swallow. He was grateful Abby had stopped by he truly enjoyed her company. He was worried though when he could easily see she intended to stay for a bit. Ziva was upstairs and could come down at any moment. Her car thankfully was parked in his garage. He grabbed his phone and quickly texted her that Abby was visiting and he'd let her know when it was safe to come downstairs.
"Jethro Gibbs did you just text someone?" Abby noticed something different about him but she couldn't quite place it. The saw dust covering his sweating chest wasn't new, neither was the beer in his hand. His hair was slightly longer than he normally wore it but that wasn't it.
"I'm not quite as ignorant as I let McGee believe Abby he just likes his tech speak so I let him." Tossing the phone on his work bench he sat on the bar stool and watched Abby do the same on the one across from him.
"You're also not as mean as you let people think but I won't tell anyone that either. Seems that everyone has secrets these days." Abby had come here to talk to Gibbs about Ziva and she felt slightly guilty about it.
"Whats up Abbs?" Gibbs suspected he knew and would have to tread very carefully.
"It's Ziva. Has she told you the name of the man she's...dating?" Abby munched her pizza and avoided Gibbs' gaze. She knew Gibbs believed people deserved their privacy but she honestly was just looking out for Ziva.
Gibbs sucked in a silent breath. "Why?"
"She's very involved with him Gibbs more than any of you know. I won't break her confidence but there are aspects to their relationship that …..well, I just don't want to see her get hurt. I was thinking if you knew his name you could run a background check on him make sure he's a good guy." Abby stopped eating her pizza when she saw Gibbs grip his beer bottle just a little too tightly. Something was off in the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. She let her gaze slip away past his throat, just a quick wicked glimpse at his chest. He was after all a damn good looking man and it never hurt to look. He wore a gold chain, which she almost laughed at because it was so not something the Gibbs she knew would wear. She almost made a silly comment but something caused it stick in her throat. The pendent at the end was familiar it took a moment of staring at the cylindrical gold before it struck her. It was a key of sorts. She'd seen them many times in fact different versions of course but why would he be wearing a key? Suddenly she felt the shock of it hit her. Her eyes flew to Gibbs and saw him watching her, self damnation was in his expression but so was something else, a protective glint that if she were an enemy she would never want to see.
"You" it was just a whisper but in the silence of his basement it was as loud as shouting.
Gibbs wished he had someone to slap him on the back of the head. He'd forgotten to put a shirt on when Abby had come down the stairs and of course she'd seen Ziva's bracelet knew what it meant. For all her bubbliness Abby was smart as a whip as well. He absently clutched the small piece of gold and saw Abby swallow hard. He remained quiet as she worked things over in her mind. He needed a minute or he would say something unforgivable. Ziva made him that protective, Abby was trustworthy he knew that but for a moment the man that he was almost lashed out at her. He almost ordered her silence, felt the protective man he was nearly reach the point of threatening her. Instead he grabbed his phone and texted Ziva to come downstairs immediately.
"I guess I don't have to worry about her safety, although I feel sorry for the beer bottle it's definitely not safe." Abby had been shocked again when Gibbs had caused the beer bottle to crack in his hand. For a moment she had held perfectly still afraid if she moved too much or spoke he would lose it. Instead he'd breathed deeply and somehow gotten his immediate anger under control. A protective Gibbs was something to see. He set aside the beer bottle wiping up the mess he'd made. "A lot of things make sense now. Why she couldn't tell me. Do you have any idea Gibbs how much she..."
Gibbs nodded tersely; he knew what Abby was asking. But he couldn't let her finish the words. They were words he and Ziva only said to each other, only together, only alone where the rest of the world couldn't get in. He knew he needed to speak but he only laid his soul bare for Ziva, still if he didn't say something Abby was going to get the wrong idea. "It's not simple Abby."
"The best things never are Gibbs."
Gibbs saw a flicker of movement and saw Ziva standing there on his stairs gun in hand hair falling loose around her. It was so long now, almost touching the waistband of her slacks and only for him. Anywhere but with him she wore it contained. "It's okay Ziva"
"Oh I thought from your message something was wrong." She caught Gibbs's look, saw Abby's face and the key and suddenly she understood. Holstering her gun she came to stand by Gibbs, feeling his hand wrap in her hair she sighed. "I see."
Abby saw the way Ziva stood by Gibbs and wondered how the hell she'd missed it, and then she laughed. For a moment she couldn't stop and when she saw Gibbs fight a grin she laughed even harder. But when Ziva sat on Gibbs lap she was finally able to stop. "I can't say I'm surprised." she almost laughed again when both Gibbs and Ziva raised an eyebrow at her. "I meant it Ziva when I said I've never slept with him."
Ziva blushed at the same time Gibbs sucked in a breath and turned her to him. "You asked her if I'd slept with her." That was damn bold even for Ziva.
Abby saw no fear in Ziva's eyes but came to her rescue anyways. "It was a long time ago Gibbs, not long after she came to NCIS. She was staking a claim even then."
Ziva opened her mouth to deny it but stopped herself. Meeting Gibbs gaze she saw the question there. "I told you there were rumors, I never said I did not encourage them." turning her attention to Abby she bit her lip and spoke softly. "Abby it was my choice, Jeth...Gibbs he is my choice." Ziva quickly corrected herself when she felt the faintest tug on her hair from him.
Abby wondered if they knew the picture they made. Here in this place that was safe for them their need for each other was blatant, so was the depth of emotion they felt for each other. Gibbs was holding onto her as though he owned her and apparently in their minds he did. She wondered if he knew with his free hand he traced the bracelet Ziva wore or that Ziva by sitting on his lap was protecting him in her own way. "Before you both kill me you have to know I would never say anything, ever." Abby was dead serious and knew they saw it as well. Gibbs' grip on Ziva loosened somewhat and Ziva's stiff posture gentled.
"Thank you." Gibbs found the words were gentle as he should have been earlier when she'd seen the key and found them out. "I'm sorry about earlier." Gibbs didn't apologize but Abby deserved it. He'd reacted out of instinct rather than trusting her as he should have.
"Gibbs, what did you do?" Ziva looked from Gibbs to Abby.
Abby spoke first "When I saw the key Gibbs almost reacted badly, and I would have expected no less. He just needed a minute to calm himself down." Abby watched as Ziva took a long look at Gibbs and he allowed it. Ziva smiled at him and only then did Gibbs appear to relax. "You didn't scare me Gibbs if that's what you're worried about. If I didn't know you better you might have but I know you."
Gibbs could only nod grateful that Abby did know him so well.
Abby took a deep breath. "Well, I think I'm going to make my way back home, I've got a lot of work ahead of me tomorrow I imagine. As I said I won't say anything so don't worry ok. I'm betting the two of you have enough without adding me to the mix." Boldly she stepped forward gave Ziva a quick hug and did the same with Gibbs.
Ziva watched Abby leave and only when she heard the front door close did she turn back to Gibbs. "Jethro do not." She saw his eyes meet hers carefully. "I saw no fear in Abby did you?"
"No." Gibbs pressed his mouth to her forehead for a moment, breathing deep. "I've never been this man with anyone else Ziva. I've had to hide it or temper it, keep it at a "safe" level and with you I don't have to do that. It's liberating but it's also all consuming. The idea of you not…."
"I am yours Jethro you know that. Eventually people will find out, it's naïve to think otherwise. But no matter who finds out it changes nothing I am yours. I'm not leaving you Jethro."
Gibbs leaned against her knowing he should feel weak, he wasn't exactly acting strong but instead he felt strong. Gently he nipped at Ziva's throat and her moan brought his already hard cock even further to life. It was like that with her instantly she could make him harder than hell. "Mine"
It was a barely contained growl against her throat and yet it caused Ziva's body to clench and she nearly came just from the word slipping from his mouth. He chuckled against her neck knowing how she was responding. He took the knife at her hip, the one he'd made for her and slit the front of her tailored dress shirt open. Apparently he was too impatient for buttons. The fabric quickly puddled on the floor along with her bra which he had slit open as well. She arched into cool wood of the blade the feel of it against her heated skin brought a hiss from her throat.
Gibbs felt her reaction met her dark eyes and remembered how much she liked an edge of danger to everything why should this be any different? He let the knife slide slowly down her belly. She was writhing beneath his touch and it was almost too much. "shh be still, easy" He heard her whimper when the tip of the knife popped the button of her pants, and gently eased the zipper down. He set aside her gun, placing it on a high shelf. With his free hand he slipped her pants down and she stepped out of them without ever breaking his gaze. The tiny thong she wore did little to hide her from him and he felt his mouth go dry when he saw how wet she was. With a flick of his wrist the triangle of cloth fell to the ground. Carefully he set the knife back on the work table off to the side safe from where he was about to set her.
Ziva felt the slide of smooth wood beneath her and didn't hide the sound of pleasure she made. Gibbs watched her a satisfied stamp of possession marking his face. He was all about control, all the time. She knew that the single moment with Abby when he'd nearly lost that control had shaken him. Raising her hand she found the softness of his hair pulling him closer. "Neshama, please."
Gibbs didn't need any further encouragement, he freed himself from his pants and had her legs wrapped around him before she speak any further. It wasn't until he was sliding inside her that he felt sane again. Her body greeted him as it always did pulling at him drawing him deeper and closer with every thrust. His eyes found hers telling her without words that he would never let her go, savoring the acceptance he saw there of that knowledge. "I love you, Ziva."
Ziva felt what his body was driving in its own way to tell her. This was Gibbs' way of reminding her what they had was forever, would endure long after the case was finished. With heat and color enveloping her it was all she could do to hold on as he created the magic inside her she craved every moment of the day. His words whispered as her body flew into a thousand pieces imprinted themselves upon her soul as though it was the first time hearing them.