Chapter 2: Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous
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A/N: Hope you enjoy! Please R&R!
"I promise, Agent Tony," Captain Rachel Tierney purred as she walked past Tony and out of the interrogation room. "If I think of anything else, I'll call you." She smiled in what Tony assumed she thought was a sexy way, but actually just stretched her doughy face into a gross distortion.
Afraid that he would vomit if he opened his mouth, Tony settled for a tight smile. Seemingly satisfied, Tierney "sauntered" down the hallway and out of sight. Tony shuddered and made a retching noise.
"Poor Tony." Ziva's amused voice said from his immediate right.
Tony whirled and froze abruptly when he saw just how close Ziva was. And just how sadistically amused the expression on her face was.
"Yes, well, you'd be just as traumatized if you had…that," he gestured to the place where Tierney had disappeared. "Attempting to flirt with you."
"Tony, Tony, Tony…" Ziva shook her head with mock disappointment. "Do not be shallow. She may not be the…prettiest…woman on Earth, but she may have a wonderful personality. Beauty is in the thighs of the beholder, no?"
If there had been a glass of water nearby Tony would have asked Ziva to say that again as he took a sip. He had always wanted to spit water out in surprise. "Uh, that would be eyes of the beholder, Ziva. Eyes…not thighs."
"Either way…" Ziva glanced down and smiled predatorily before smacking him lightly on the cheek and sashaying down the corridor.
Clearing his throat, Tony straightened and followed her with as much dignity as he could muster.
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Abby bobbed her head side to side as Plastic Death's new album blared from her speakers. Picking up the printout of the latest ballistics report, she pirouetted back to her computer and swung her hips from side to side as she sang along to the song. "Take it back, take it back, take it back! Falling faster and faster; can't hide from boneblack!"
Abby stopped abruptly as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She whirled around and saw McGee standing just inside the door watching her with amusement. Picking up the remote for her speaker system, she clicked the pause button. The sudden silence in the lab caused Abby's ears to ring.
"McGee." Abby narrowed her eyes. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long enough." His voice was even and playful, but there was something in his eyes that Abby couldn't identify.
"Haha." She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the way that unidentified look in McGee's eyes sent her heart racing. "What do ya need, Timmy?"
"Nothing. Just came down here to see if you needed any help." McGee shoved his hands in his pockets and took a few more steps into the lab. "What's 'boneblack?' Is that even a word?"
"Yes, McGee." Her tone was exasperated, but she smiled to soften the blow. "It's the black residue chiefly of tribasic calcium phosphate and carbon from bones calcined in closed vessels used especially as a pigment, or… as a decolorizing adsorbent in sugar manufacturing."
McGee simply stared at Abby for a second. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh." Abby shook her head and glanced down at the printout for the first time. Her eyes widened and she grabbed McGee's wrist. "Timmy! Look!"
"Whoa, Abs, what's wrong?" McGee stumbled as Abby pulled him next to her and shoved the paper under his nose. "Victim's blood contained trace amounts of heroin." McGee read aloud, not comprehending the words. He did a double take. "Heroin?!"
"Yep." Abby smiled widely. "Our dead Captain was under the influence."
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"Abby, you said you had something?" Gibbs hurried into Abby's lab, where the young scientist was bouncing excitedly on her heels. McGee was bent over the keyboard on Abby's table.
"Indeed, I did Gibbs!" Abby smiled and thrust the printout into Gibbs' hands.
"Why so excited, Abs?" Tony asked as he and Ziva followed Gibbs into the lab.
"Drug test came back positive." Abby paused for dramatic effect.
"For?" Ziva questioned.
Abby opened her mouth to answer, but McGee cut across her without looking up. "Heroin."
"McGee!" Abby half-whined.
"What?" He still didn't look up.
"Children." Gibbs snapped.
"Sorry, Gibbs." Abby offered him an apologetic smile before continuing. "Anyway, as I was going to say…we found minute traces of heroin in the Captain's system."
"So?" Gibbs interrupted.
"Patience, Gibbs." Abby teased. Upon receiving a definitely non-teasing look from Gibbs, she continued. "Or not. Um, I talked to Ducky and asked him to check for any puncture wounds that would suggest that the heroin was injected into him. He didn't find any."
"He could have snorted it." Tony chimed in helpfully.
Abby shook her head. "When heroin, any kind of drug really, is snorted the nose becomes enflamed and runs uncontrollably. There was no sign of any mucus near or on the body."
"Could have been wiped up." Ziva added.
"Yes…except that isn't what happened. There were only trace amounts because only a little teeny bit got into his system." Abby mimed 'little' with her fingers. "Not because a lot of time had passed since it was "taken.""
"And that means…?" Tony frowned.
Abby and McGee shared a look before Abby turned back to "The Group."
"Since there were no injection sites and no mucus residue…the only other option is…" Abby made eye contact with each of her friends. "Is that he was smuggling drugs back from Iraq. In his body."
"He was a carrier." Ziva nodded with understanding.
"That's good work, Abs." He moved closer to her, but paused with his lips just centimeters form her cheek. "Again." He kissed her lightly.
"Reminds me of a little movie called 'Who'll Stop the Rain.'" Tony said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Except this is from Iraq, not Vietnam. And Walsh was definitely no Nick Nolte."
"Right." Ziva spoke with the slowness one uses on a particularly dense child. Turning her attention to Gibbs she said, "If Walsh was smuggling drugs, his entire team was most likely in on it."
"Tierney…" Tony shuddered.
Ignoring DiNozzo Gibbs said, "But we have no proof."
"Gibbs, if this is not an isolated incident we have a serious problem." Ziva said worriedly.
"I'm aware of that, Ziva." Gibbs said. "Teams who go into combat together have a bond that isn't easily broken. They'll cover for each other even if we send them to the worst prison in the world. We need a way to get information out of them without looking like we're getting information from them." Gibbs shared a look with Tony, who smiled.
"Undercover." Tony laughed boisterously and clapped his hands together.
Ziva nodded, catching on. "Watson did so kindly share with me his "type" in women, Gibbs."
"Oh?" Gibbs waited.
"Tall, dark, and gorgeous." Ziva ticked off her fingers.
"Hmmm…" Abby frowned, running through all the agents she knew in her mind. "Who do we know that fits that description?" With her eyes unfocused she didn't see all heads turn to her. When she finally noticed that everybody's attention was on her, her eyes widened. "What?"
Mischievous smiles curled over Tony and Ziva's lips, while McGee and Gibbs looked a little more than worried.
"What?" Abby repeated looking back and forth between the agents in front of her. "Guys…?" Her voice was lower, more suspicious. "Guys, what's going on?"
"Well…Abs…you're tall…" Tony trailed.
"You like the dark…" Ziva picked up.
"And you are gorgeous." McGee finished.
Abby would have blushed if she had not been so dumbfounded by what they were implying. "Me?!" Abby squeaked, her voice a few octaves higher.
"You." Tony, Ziva, and McGee answered at the same time.
"No! No! No! Absolutely not!" Abby shook her head so hard that her braided pigtails smacked her in the face.
"I second that." Gibbs broke in, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.
"Thank you!" Abby exclaimed, throwing her arms around Gibbs' neck.
"Gibbs," Ziva started, her negotiating voice firmly in place. "This may be the only way to get enough evidence to convict the killer or killers. Abby is the only one who fits Watson's type. You know as well as we do that Abby must do this."
Gibbs looked at them like they were all crazy. "No way am I going to let Abby do this. She's not a trained agent; what if her cover is blown? No, it's not going to happen."
"Boss," Tony interjected. "We'd always be within reach of Abby. We wouldn't let anything happen to her. You wouldn't let anything happen. Plus, Abs may not be an agent, but she's pretty badass. Remember the taser?"
"And she did almost bash my head in with a ceramic toilet lid when Michael was stalking her." McGee added helpfully.
Abby's eyes flew between all the agents, finally settling on Gibbs. He still looked completely against the idea. Taking a deep breath, he turned to her and gently clasped her shoulders. "Abs…I won't force you to do this."
"Gibbs…" She frowned, refusing to make eye contact with any of them.
"I'll be wherever you are, I promise. I won't let anything happen." Gibbs narrowed his eyes in earnest. "It's up to you."
Abby sighed in defeat. She didn't want to do it, but she couldn't let a killer roam free. "What do I have to do?"
"Alright, Abby!" Tony thrust his fist into the air.
Ignoring Tony, Gibbs studied the forensic scientist. "You're sure?"
With a confidence she didn't feel, Abby squared her shoulders and set her jaw, allowing a small, cocky smile to spread over her lips. "Absolutely."
TBC
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