Chapter 6

8:10am

The elevator bings. Gibbs steps out with a steaming hot cup of his infamous coffee.

"Good Morning Boss." Tony quips quickly.

Gibbs slows his steps and looks at his face.

"You alright?"

"I got mugged last night."

"Girlfriend?" Gibbs asks; his expression is one of concern.

"No, an actual bad guy who needed money real bad."

"You stop the guy?"

"Just about the second he was going for my baby…" He trails on for a bit. "…My car…"

"You gonna be okay for the remainder of the day?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Tony waits patiently while Ziva and McGee still their hands and listen for anything as little as a pin to drop.

"Would I ask you if you didn't?" Gibbs stands there, cup of coffee still steaming in his hand.

"…Is this a trick question?"

"Do ya think, DiNozzo?"

"…I'm not sure."

Gibbs balances on his two feet. He wants to take a sip of his coffee, but he wants DiNozzo's answer first.

"…I think I'll be alright. A few more hours with an ice pack on my eye and I should be ready to go."

"No time!" Gibbs declares while shuffling to his desk..

McGee sees the moment to jump the gun. He stands from his computer chair and leans forwards a bit.

"Where to boss?"

"Stakeout." Gibbs opens his drawer to get his gun and badge.

Tony's eyes become large. His excitement evident.

"I think I'll be good for the day." He feels the rush to his toes. "Ziva and I will take--"

"Ziva and I will take the Navy yard. You two keep an eye on his wife."

Tony left his mouth open longer than he should have.

"Do I sense a protest, Agent DiNozzo?" Gibbs burns his eyes into his.

"No boss."

"Alright then--get movin'. We've got a case to solve."

McGee is behind him as they walk to the elevator.

"Agent David! DiNozzo!"

"He's supposed to call me first." Tony mutters while stuffing his gun in his hostler.

"You lost some of his respect." Ziva states.

"Did he say that?"

"Something I sense, Tony."

Ziva pushes past him with a smirk.

He swallows in uncertainty.


10:25am

Ziva sips a bit of Gibbs coffee.

His eyes are closed and his head rests against the back of the chair.

"I wasn't finished."

"I know."

He smirks at her challenging tone. Opening his eyes, he glances at her.

"Finish it."

She looks at him and he shrugs. She shrugs herself and places the cup back in the cup holder. He shrugs to himself, then takes a look out the window.

"We haven't found anything…or anyone." She states

"Doesn't mean there's nothing here." He fights the urge to sigh. He knows she could be right. "We haven't got anything else to go on anyway. We know it's a hate crime, but everything else is vague."

Ziva focuses her attention on the janitor pushing his cleaning cart through the side door of the Navy yard.

Gibbs notices her concentration and peers out his window. Straining against his seat belt, he rips it off quietly and leans into her side of the car.

She can feel him near. His body heat radiating through his suit jacket and polo shirt. She voluntarily pushes back a bit.

A slight jolt through his stomach causes his heart to skip a beat. Her signal of 'wanting' him near makes him realize that perhaps his gray hair and his frown lines actually do not stand in the way.

He sighs; his slight doubt and insecurities find themselves at an ultimate high.

"Cleaner."

"Janitor." He mutters near the back of her head.

"Do you suppose Tony and McGee have found something?"

With that question, she breaks the spell. He nearly flings himself into the area of the car while his doubts reappear.

"Don't know."

His tone is flat, his insides slowly shifting back to their usual density. Any trace of gooey softness he seldom feels and shows have disappeared.

Ziva inhales sharply. She can almost feel what he is feeling. A part of her mind scolds her for breaking the comfortable air between and around them while the other half pats her on the shoulder for keeping a distance between work and pleasure.


12:30pm

Empty McDonald fry cartons litter the backseat of the company car. DiNozzo is sleeping, a bit of drool sliding down through the left side of his mouth onto his shoulder.

The right side of McGee's mouth shifts upward as he feels his stomach muscles contract.

Reaching into his lunch bag he places a napkin on top of Tony's chest as it rises and falls.

"Clean yourself off, Tony." He says loudly. "Gibbs could show up at any second."

"Relax, Probie." He takes then napkin anyway. "Don't you know being uptight limits your fun?"

"I happen to be a very fun person."

McGee catches the corniness in his own statement, but never tries to alter it.

"I have my own kind of fun Tony. You know, less danger and with a consideration of care for those around me."

"You don't know what fun is." Tony cracks up. "And loose that turtle neck, you look like a sophisticated writer."

"I am a writer, Tony." McGee is annoyed.

"Ah-ah." Tony shakes his finger. "But you aren't a supplicated one. Not yet…" He plucks McGee's suit jacket. "Lose the suit or buy a new one."

McGee pouts while gliding his hand up and down his jacket.

"What's wrong with it?"

"…" Tony closes his mouth.

"There's nothing wrong with my jacket--or my suit." McGee informs him.

"It's ugly. Something about the color…"

"It's a black suit."

"Texture…"

"It's a usual suit texture."

"You?" Tony raises his eyebrows.

"Me?"

"You're ugly, that's why the suits ugly."

"Hey!" McGee roars.

"Easy Probie, we're on duty." He straightens himself in the drivers seat.

"If you were taking this seriously you wouldn't have left to fetch us lunch."

"I only went because I have you here." He grinned with an attitude. "Nobody likes a cry-baby, McGeek."

"Mature Tony. Very mature."

"I try."

McGee shifts his attention to the dead Navy Officer's home. His wife's car is outside in the driveway. The sprinkler rotates on their freshly cut green lawn.

"Place looks pretty good for someone who just lost their husband."

"A tragic loss doesn't mean a home can't be maintained." McGee says. "I cleaned my apartment the day grandmother passed away."

Tony made weird eyes at the back of McGee's head.

"Not everyone's weird like you, McWeirdo." Tony shook his head; trying to rid his mind of McGee's weirdness. "What do you think they had?"

"They?" McGee shrugged. "A perfectly normal marriage…love, fighting…some more love…financial problems…"

Tony whacked McGee in the back of his head. McGee felt it and began flinging his arms towards Tony's face.

"ALRIGHT!" Tony wailed. "Enough's enough…besides I don't want to lay you on the pavement."

McGee's face began to cool; its redness slowly decreases.

"I meant Ziva and Gibbs."

McGee's forehead creases.

"I don't know." He is hardly interested. "Ask either of them."

"Should I flip a coin?"

McGee looks at Tony with a sarcastic look.

"Okay. It's settled. I'll ask Ziva."

McGee gave him a quick smirk before returning to his work.

"Why do you suppose Gibbs has us on stakeout so early?"

"We've been over this before Tony." Annoyance drips from McGee's tone. "Not every stakeout needs to be done in the dark nor do we need to arrive dressed for an undercover operation."

Tony shook his head while pursing his lips.

"I know that Probie, but this was done on a whim."

"It's Gibbs."

"Gibbs isn't exactly Mr. Spontaneous."

"Here, Tony." McGee pushes his cell phone into Tony's personal space. "Call our boss and ask him why he chose to put us all on a stakeout at this time of day." He wiggles the phone. "Go on Tony."

"No. I don't want to." He slightly pouts.

"Come on…" McGee wiggles the phone again. "Be that Senior Agent I know you can be."

Tony glares at him.

McGee stuffs his cell back in his pocket.

"Chicken." McGee mutters.

"As Senior Agent, get back to work, Probie."

"Yes, Tony."

McGee keeps the wicked grin on his face.

Tony grumbles to himself.


3:00pm
NCIS HQ

Tony paces the floor between their desks. His face is stern. No hint of humor present on his face.

McGee tries to focus on finding a lead--any lead.

Tony stops and stares at Ziva's desk. The temptation to prowl through it itches the tips of his fingers. His mouth opens and a puff of air escapes him.

"I wouldn't touch that, Tony."

Tony calls McGee a swear name under his breath before sitting in his desk.

"Gibbs could have relieved her--had one of us come in." Tony thinks out-loud.

"Let it go Tony." McGee continues to type. "Whatever you don't know might be goo for you."

"You think?"

McGee leans closer to his computer screen while reading.

Tony looks at him waiting for an answer.

McGee never answers.

Feeling restless and lazy, he jumps off of his chair.

"Tony…" McGee says in a warning tone.

"I'm going down to see Abby!"

McGee watches the back of Tony until he disappears.


3:45pm

Tony walks into Abby's lab while her metal must blasts through her stereo speakers. The trinkets near her computer vibrate uncontroably. Without a single word--or shout, Tony turns the music down by touching the dial.

"Gibbs!" Abby shrieks, then notices Tony's face. "Oh…Tony…" She makes a face. "I'm losing my touch. Note to self: Must fix Gibbs Radar--something's hinky."

Tony grinned at Abby's unusual usualness.

"What's up Tony?" She waits; eyes somewhat innocent.

"Find anything?"

"Not a darn thing." She frowns. "I'm still trying though."

"Well…I'm not Gibbs so you won't get any scolds from me."

"Or Caf-Pow." Her frown deepens. "Come on bro, hook a sista up."

She flashes a peace sign. Tony cracks into a wide-tooth smile.

"You don't really need to get me a Caf-Pow." She mingles her fingers in front of him. "I was just trying to get you to smile. You seem down."

"Really?" He breaks into an unsure grin. "I am Anthony DiNozzo, I don't have time to be down."

She stands there in front of him. Her face a seldom shade of serious.

"What's really wrong, Tony?"

He lets out of a laugh while he rubs the hair at the back of his head. His face turns a slight shade of pink.

"Girl problems?" Abby does her best doctor impression.

"It's nothing Abs." He lies. "I've just got a few things on my mind."

Abby nods in an understanding manner.

"So I'll let you get back to doing your work…" He walks over to her stereo and turns up the volume by rotating the dial.

He leaves her with a grin.

She waves to him frantically.