This section is on the lengthier side so be warned! I just couldn't find a good way to split up! Please review! Thank you to all those who have been loyal readers thus far!
As he sits waiting for the other team members, he closes his eyes and gets a flash of his dream and a smile covers his lips. The picture that gleams behind his eyelids is that of Kate withering in pleasure above and below him. Tony hopes that one day that he can actually be the one causing that intense look of pleasure instead of imaging what it looks like. Tony leans back in his chair with a smile painted on his face and wonders what he is going to have to do to get her to where he can be able to make love to her just like that.
"Fantasizing about the bimbo from last night, DiNozzo," Tony jerks up in his chair and his eyes fly open. He quickly scoots his chair closer to the desk as to hide the signs of his arousal. He stares into hazel eyes and sees the twinkle of amusement as she leans forward onto his desk. Kate Todd has no idea. He needs to find away to prove to her that he can be in a serious relationship and can love her more than any of the men she has ever been with.
"I can't believe you still think the only thoughts in my head are about sex," Tony can't help, but think how sexy her skeptical expression is because she obviously doesn't believe him. He has just proven her right, but sex isn't the only thing on his mind right now she is.
His eyes follow her as she sits down at her desk next to him and he takes in her full figure in her tasteful slacks and pink colored blouse that is bright against her skin. He also notes that her top is lower cut than the one that she had worn the day previous and he could even see the remnants of the surgical scar between her breasts. He turns away quickly hoping to not be caught trying to look down her top because she would go off on him if she caught him.
Seeing the scar makes him feel nauseous because it reminds him that not that long ago she had been shot in the chest and he had thought she had been buried six feet under in Indiana. He can't help, but feel angry for a moment, not her, never at her, but at the situation and for the most part at himself because he should have known that she really wasn't dead. He shakes his head and tries to rid himself of those thoughts hoping to put himself in the right mind set for the case and to hopeful have a normal conversation with Kate.
"You're here early, I'm surprised McGee isn't here," Tony discreetly keeps his eyes on her as she starts up her computer and types in her log in to the NCIS intranet.
"He's probably down with Abby," she nods with a little twinkle in her eye and Tony can see the wheels turning in her head regarding Abby and McDork.
Gibbs strolls in with a coffee in hand a few minutes later just as McGee appears around the corner from the back elevator. Ziva appears a few seconds later with her orange beanie a top her head, having obviously taken the stairs. That is one thing he won't dare tease the woman about because she had really liked that guy before he died.
"Do we have anything new?" Gibbs' annoyance is obvious.
"Boss, I just spoke to Abby, she went over the physical evidence again and she went over his computer also clean," McGee says not looking up from his computer screen.
"Boss, I think it's the wife," he pipes in, even though the evidence points to a male killer.
"Tony what is your strong fascination with it being the wife?" the Mossad Officer says sitting down at her desk and withdraws the beanie from her head before fixing her hair ever so slightly. Tony can feel Kate's almost disgusted disbelief that is directed towards him.
"It just makes the most sense, Ziva," he receives an eye roll from both women and Gibbs gives him a 'you are being dimwitted' look.
"Tony, her grief was real and even though she was rather sedated during our interview she wasn't faking," Tony glances towards the woman and she gives him a stern glare for accusing a grieving woman of murdering her husband. What amazes him is how much the woman still scares him even though he has spent two years working alongside a trained assassin.
"We have to find something I just spoke to Shepard and, SecNav wants us to find the killer and fast because of his high ranking and the fact that he was on track to making admiral," Gibbs gives them a stoic expression and Tony can tell that he is annoyed about having to follow orders passed down the chain of command to him and his team.
"DiNozzo, Todd, go interview the head of the investment firm and see if they have any sensitive clients from the hill or military contractors. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the changes being made to the fleets," they each nod and Tony watches as Kate grabs her purse and puts her gun in its holster on her hip.
"I'm driving, Tony," she says swinging the new set of keys given to her for the truck and the two Chargers.
"As long as your driving is better than Ziva's?" he sends the Mossad officer a fun-loving smirk.
"I have become accustom to the traffic laws of D.C. and the US, Tony," Kate glances between them with a smile that she is trying to suppress by biting her bottom lip. Tony wishes he has that bottom lip between his teeth.
"You better not tell me I drive like a girl, Tony," Tony restrains a smile as she has set herself up for a comeback especially since he had accused her of that not that long ago.
He decides against his comment and says, "I would never say such a thing about you, Katie," the glare he receives makes him glad he said it. At the very least if she reacted that meant she isn't completely indifferent to him.
"Don't call me that, Tony," she elbows him in the ribs as the elevator door close. He tries not to holler in pain, but her blow is significantly more powerful than he remembers and it makes him almost keel over.
After recovering from the pain he says, "Been working out, Kate?"
"Oh, you have no idea, Tony," he would love to know and his expression obviously shows it because the woman gives him a disapproving look before rolling her eyes.
Even though they are in no rush to get to the investment firm Kate is driving at considerable pace and as she weaves in out of traffic, Tony is surprised he isn't holding on for dear life. "Where did you learn to drive like this, you didn't drive like this before?! You use to get annoyed when I went over the speed limit by even ten miles an hour."
"Ever had to chase down a suspect through the busy streets of L.A? You learn pretty quickly how to drive even more offensively than they teach you at FLETC," Tony shifts his eyes back in forth because he is pretty sure the last time she was at FLETC was like twelve years ago.
"Oh, you never chased them down on foot?" he remembers having to do that all the time when he worked in Baltimore.
"No, I made my Probie do all the leg work," she winks and can't help the chuckle that rises to his lips.
"I never knew you could be so cruel, I'm impressed," he knows he had tortured McGee the first year he was on their team, but even though McGee would never admit it, Tony knows it made him a better agent. Kate having a mean streak isn't a shock to him, but he always thought she would be nicer to an agent just starting out then he ever was with McGee.
"Actually sometimes I ran, but it depended on who was driving or who had the more sensible shoes on. There were a few times where when one of us would catch a guy and he was surprised that we had caught him with heels on. Generally though having a Mercedes, Aston Martin, or Cadillac to cut off the suspect's escape plan, made our arrest rate almost 100," Tony's eyes widened.
"OSP gets fancy cars and we can't even get budget approval when one of the Chargers needs servicing," Tony wonders about where NCIS' priorities are, but L.A. is all about the bright lights, money, and some prestige.
As they arrive and park Tony wonders what message the killer was trying to send by throwing him out the high window where everyone could see him.
"Hey, Tony have you thought that the Captain's death might have do with him being in the wrong place at the wrong time? The building is only five blocks from the gym. Maybe he got off on the wrong floor and walked in on someone embezzling funds?" Tony thinks Kate's theory is good, but even she herself had said earlier that it seemed likely that he knew his killer or the killer knew him.
As they enter the lobby and pass the security desk with a nod and wait for the elevator Tony notices for the first time that there is no business directory and that makes sense considering there were so many private businesses.
"Tony, did we find any Navy connections to the investment firm?" he can tell from her expression that she is just checking even though she is up to date on everything about the case.
"They wouldn't agree to release their records without a warrant and legal doesn't think we have enough probable cause without making a connection to the firm especially since the firm is regional to Maryland, D.C., Virginia, and Delaware. As you heard earlier they found no immediate connection," Tony notices the thankful nod he receives at this information. The doors of the nearest elevator slide open and he notes that it didn't take long for the elevator to arrive at the lobby.
"How do they expect us to make a connection without the records," she finishes her statement as pushes the button for ten.
"It's all bureaucratic nonsense, Kate," the woman nods and he can tell that she agrees that sometimes things don't work in their favor.
"Don't I know it, Tony? This would be so much easier if there was a terrorist connection or at the very least a foreign intelligence angle because the we could go for a FISA warrant and you and I both know those never get rejected," Tony's eyes narrow at the fact that the woman says this in such nonchalant manner as if it is the most normal thing in the world to say.
"What were you doing at OSP?" the woman just shrugs and they wait in silence as the elevator ascends for a few more seconds before it gets to the tenth floor.
"Good morning, Welcome to McLaughlin & Associates, what can I do for you?" the blonde gives a overly cheerful smile.
"Morning, Federal Agents, we need to speak with Mr. Anderson, regarding our murder investigation," the twenty some secretary is flustered at his forceful tone. If it were just a year previous he would have tried to sweet talk the girl behind the desk. The both flash their badges long enough for the girl to read NCIS and their names.
"He's in a staff meeting until nine. He has a busy schedule, but let me page our security guard to escort you to speak with his assistant regarding how many minutes you can speak with him," he rewards her with a soft smile.
"It might be a few moments, so feel free to take a seat," Tony eyes the overall sleek waiting room that isn't much different than that of a doctor's office.
"Thank you," he notices Kate giving her a condescending smile.
As Tony takes a seat next to the wall and a side table as far away from the front desk, so they can possibly discuss the case.
"You could have been nicer to her, Kate," Tony receives a raised eyebrow especially since she didn't say a word to the woman.
"Oh, I forgot she is your type, young, leggy, and blonde," Tony wants to place a hand over his face in annoyance and disappointment. She is making it clear that he has a lot of work to do to convince her that she is the only one he cares about. He knows that his past exploits, behavior, and actions all working against him in this case.
"I'm getting older, Kate, college students don't have as much appeal anymore," he gets an incredulous expression before she lets out a scoff.
"Okay, prove it to me," she actually almost looks serious even though he can see the little bit of amusement twinkling in her eyes because she obviously thinks he is destined to fail. Tony gives an internal first pump. Tony gives a smile and thinks, I intend to.
"Agents," they both look up at a well put together security guard, who doesn't look like a rent a guard, who has just been hired for show.
"If you would follow me, please," Tony can tell that this firm must have lots of clients or rich clients. The amount of money wasn't obvious when they had been here investigating and the Metro police officers had escorted them to the scene.
"So do you work for a company or directly for the firm?" he inquires as they pass through the secure door.
"I work for Diamond Security Firm, I don't always work on this floor, but I work for the building," Tony gives him a smile, he glances around and notices that it is fairly quite in the office.
"Dana, these are the agents from NCIS, they wish to speak to Mr. Anderson," the assistant is slightly older than the secretary and she is in a power suit which makes her look professional and well educated.
"He will be out of the staff meeting in a moment, let me show you to his office," even he can't help the chuckle as he can read the words on the door ten feet away. Kate's face holds a serious expression; apparently she has more respect for this woman than the other.
She opens the door and shows them into the office that he swears is equal to half the size of his 1200 square foot apartment.
"Please, feel free to get comfortable, he will be with you shortly. Can I get you something to drink?" they both shake their heads as they sit down in matching arm chairs that he considers pretty comfortable.
"How much you want to bet, we are going to have to wait for a while?" he questions.
"A while, but at least we aren't in L.A. the business men there think the world owes them."
"Well I've met some D.C. businessmen that are like that," Tony says simply glancing around hoping to get a feel for the head of the investment firm.
"So if you aren't into college girls anymore does that mean no Panama City for spring break?" he glances down at his hands and knows that gave him away. He smirks quickly remembering the picture her from the wet t-shirt contest.
"I don't know maybe I will find more pictures of you during your wild days in college," his eyes twinkle with amusement when she gives him a death glare and Tony wonders if there are more pictures to find.
"No," Kate leaves it at that and even though he can tell she is telling the truth he really wishes she isn't.
"Hello. I'm sorry we are running behind schedule today. What can I do for you, Agents?"
"DiNozzo and Todd. We were wondering about your empty office," the man gives a look and he obviously has to think about his answer.
"Like I told Metro police that office has been empty for over a year since one of our senior VPs retired, Warren Dogan, I would give you his number, but he died of a heart attack a month and a half ago. No one has been in there for months. We have left filing cabinets in there in the past, but nothing recently," Tony can tell that the man is annoyed about having to answer the questions again.
"I'm sorry, but I really have to go. I will let my assistant escort you out and answer anymore questions that you have," Tony lets a grumble out because they hadn't even been able to ask about connections to the hill and possibly the DoD.
They arrive back at the Navy Yard annoyed that they hadn't found anything and that Anderson hadn't let them ask more than one question before swooping away.
"Abby confirmed Ducky's findings about the ligature, a plastic tie about a quarter inch in diameter. Nothing that you couldn't find on any number of things," Ziva says as they enter.
"He had a long list, but I stopped listening after he went into a rant about the creation of plastic," Tony totally gets it.
"Weapon of opportunity then," Tony responds and Kate nods.
Kate takes a long breath before pulling the trigger and she smiles after a long moment as she takes the scope and checks the target. Even after a year of having not shot a sniper rifle she still manages to hit the target exactly where she means to. It is also kind of peaceful and it is a great way to focus her mind after having been on nonstop go since she got back from the undercover operation. The last two years have been complete chaos and it is nice to have a quiet moment to herself. It feels good and even though it had been the way that she had almost died, it gives her piece knowing that she would never shoot someone without cause. It also has helped her come to terms with her own shooting, now she knows never let her guard down because some could shoot from anywhere. There is something peaceful about being the only one out here and just being able to hear the sound of the nearby river and the slight wind. She fires again after looking down the scope.
Tony glances around, it is just after three in the afternoon and they had still come up with nothing. He has been so focused on finishing his paperwork in hopes of Gibb's letting him go at five to get dinner that he hadn't even noticed when the other Senior Field Agent had slipped away. She has truly become sneakier after the two years away and that kind of scares him because she could probably totally sneak up on him and scare the living daylights out of him.
"Hey, guys, where did Kate go?" he doesn't mean to sound alarmed, but he is.
"Nice of you to notice, DiNozzo, she left half an hour ago to go to the shooting range," the annoyed look Gibbs gives him reminds him why he respects his boss. He is sure that Kate hadn't been able to sneak by Gibbs because the man is like a hawk, nothing ever gets by him.
"I'll be right back, boss," he says scurrying off towards the elevator.
As he climbs out of the Charger and glances towards the range he notices that only two of the stalls are being used and as he advances he notices both of them are men. He glances back towards the street where he sees the other Charger sitting. Where the hell is she? He glances at the manmade ridge set up off to the side that is meant for the tactical teams to use to prepare for specialized ops. It also is used for agents to practice their long range shooting and though Kate has said nothing about it in the past he knows that is where he will find her. As he walks towards the range he is unsurprised to see a target set up and as he peers around he is surprised to not see her anywhere. She had apparently chosen to try and blend in with the environment, but he is sure that even if he can't see her she could see him.
He waits for a long moment and then off in the distance he sees her stand up and take the long walk towards him. As she gets closer he finds it hard to believe that he missed her, but he lets a smile raise to his lips as she walks towards the target and his eyes widen at the tight grouping around the center mass of the human shaped target and the three in the head forming a perfect triangle.
"You follow me, DiNozzo?" he chuckles because over the two years pervious that they had worked together she had accused him of that a few times when he had made fun of her dates.
"You are a pretty good shot, Todd," Tony notices the glint of mirth in her eyes at his surprised tone of voice
"Thanks, Tony. I'm better than you, for sure," Tony bites his lip a sarcastic smile.
"Are you sure about that? I could totally hit that target from up there," he knows he is lying through his teeth as he tries to grab for the long barreled semi-automatic weapon that Kate is holding.
"Oh, don't even think about it, DiNozzo, this gun is my baby," Tony will never tell the woman, but that kind of horrifies him a bit.
"Let's get back before, Gibbs yells," Kate chuckles and he can tell immediately that the woman is thinking up some witty retort.
"Oh you mean at you. I told Gibbs where I was going," he shakes his head and laugh sbecause she makes a good point.
It is late at night and all of the team members are trying to stay busy, but nothing is coming up. Kate glances around the squad room and her eyes land on Ziva who is staring at the computer screen in almost hopelessness. Kate glances at the three men in the office and all of them seem to be content in their tasks, even though she is pretty sure Tony is playing Tetris on the computer.
"I was going to get coffee, anyone up for joining me?" Kate mostly directs her question to the other woman, who is looking tired despite trying to focus completely on her task and is staring blankly at her computer screen.
"I will go with you, I'm not finding anything more and I am getting a headache staring at the same words on the screen," Ziva says with a smile. She gives a glance towards the men and Gibbs despite being a coffee addict doesn't look up or acknowledge her question. Tony gives a small smile, but shakes his head. McGee is also too focused on his task at the computer to respond. She grabs her purse and Tony gives a smirk and Kate rolls her eyes at his obvious fantasy of the two of them together. Kate is not surprised by that at all because obviously Tony is still the sexist pig he has always been.
"Gibbs, we'll be back," silver haired man gives a nod.
"So, we haven't gotten to talk very much, Ziva, I hope that you know that I'm not trying to take your place on the team?" the other woman gives her a small, but sincere smile.
"I am not worried Kate, I know that the others are really excited to have you back. I know you are a good agent and a good friend to all of them. They have all had such wonderful things to say about you. I think we can make a good team, all of us together," Ziva finishes as they enter the elevator.
"You know you would not be at fault if you wanted to take my place on the team because it was yours before it was mine," Kate shakes her head with a laugh because she would never do that to someone that her friends have so much respect for.
"Ziva I…" Kate struggles to find the right words, which isn't a normal occurrence for her. "You have been on this team almost as long as I was before I got shot and I can see clear as day that you have earned their respect and the fact that you have that from Gibbs says a lot about your character and it is already clear to me that you have made friends with all of them."
They don't talk much on the short ride to the coffee shop. The coffee shop is empty and there orders come up quickly and they decide to take a seat for a few minutes before heading back to the Navy Yard.
Kate glances across at the other woman. "I know this a lot to ask, but did you know a former Mossad Officer named Ari Haswari," Kate watches the woman's expression darken, in pain even though it is barely detectable.
"Director Shepard, didn't tell you?" Ziva asks in shock letting a little bit more away when she makes this inquiry.
"It wasn't her decision, after I was put into WitSec it was up to my handlers what to tell me. I tried to find the information on the NCIS server while I was at OSP, but I believe that file was blocked specifically from me," Kate lets out an annoyed grumble. She had asked Eric to try and hack into the file, but the man had just been starting out and he was too afraid of losing his job to try and help her.
Ziva takes a long breath in before taking a sip of coffee, "So you don't know the circumstances regarding my introduction to NCIS and my eventual assignment to MCRT?"
"No all I know is that you and Gibbs and the team met on a case," Kate realizes in that moment how vague WitSec and NCIS had been about everything that happened after she 'died'.
"I was Ari's control officer at Mossad. I was sent by the assistant director of Mossad to assess and handle the situation. At that time I believed that he was still faithful to Israel and Mossad and even though he had infiltrated Hamas. I thought he was still doing it for bettering of the state. I was ordered to help him escape the U.S. not knowing that what he had truly done and when the truth came to light I couldn't understand why and when I did I couldn't… couldn't believe that a fellow Mossad officer would betray everything that I believed in and in order to save Gibbs I shot him. My father was the assistant director of Mossad then and is now the Director. According to both NCIS and Mossad, Gibbs shot Ari, but I did because I believed I was doing the right thing by saving Gibbs, but even as you sit in front of me and I know for certain that he shot you, I regret the decision to do so every day because what many people don't know is that Ari was my half-brother. My father had an affair with a Palestinian doctor who over saw a critical clinic in the Gaza Strip. He wanted to have a child with Arab blood so he could be accepted into Hamas. Kate, I don't agree with either of my father's or my brother's decisions especially my brother's because he shot you and lured Gibbs into a sadistic game for his own pleasure," Kate tries to absorb all of this and all she can feel is sorrow for the Mossad Officer who had to kill her own brother.
"Ziva, I can't even imagine. When I met your brother even though he held Ducky, his assistant Gerald, and I hostage I still saw kindness in his eyes. I don't know what happened to make him betray his country and your family, but I'm sorry that you had to kill you brother, Ziva," she can't even imagine killing one of her brothers.
"You know I've never told Tony, McGee, Abby, or Ducky the truth, but I believed you deserved to know," Kate isn't sure what to say, but gives Ziva smile.
"Thank you for trusting me with the truth," they both get up and give a heavy sigh because of the intense weight from the conversation.
"I think it is best that we get back," Kate nods because it is getting late and they still have a lot of work to do.
"I think you're right, Ziva."
As they walk back to the car, Kate decides to ask about Tony and Ziva, "So you seem pretty close with the rest of the team. And I don't know how to ask this without sounding like I'm prying, but you and Tony?" Kate is shocked when the other woman laughs and the continues to laugh for a very long few minutes.
"Tony and I, are you kidding?!" Kate shakes her head and the woman laughs again.
"I will be the first person to admit that I felt some attraction to Tony at the beginning, but that is all it ever was because, my god, he's Tony! He's my co-worker, he is annoying, he is always correcting me when I get something wrong. Besides he's always carried a beam for someone else," Kate raises her eyebrow at Ziva's wrong use of what she considers a rather common idiom.
"I believe you mean torch and from what I saw he cared a lot about Jeanne," Ziva gives her a raised eyebrow and Kate wonders who she is talking about if it isn't Jeanne. Ziva's expression tells her that she is missing something right in front of her. Ziva doesn't add anymore and Kate decides not to press because she knows that she will probably find out eventually.
"Ziva, you got any juicy details on Abby and Tim?" the look Ziva gives her as they climb into the car is enough to cause Kate to giggle out in laughter.
"Abby and McGee?" Ziva asks bewildered.
"Never mind, I guess they haven't decided to get back together," then she sees the realization reflected in Ziva's brown orbs and she lets out a chuckle.
"Mostly they are just jealous of the other's romantic interests, but other than that no movement whatsoever," the both laugh at Ziva's statement.
"One of these days I'm going to get them to figure it out," Kate says as she turns on the car and puts it drive and pulls out of the parallel parking space.
"Good luck with that Abby is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met and I've met my share of stubborn people," Kate gives a smile with a laugh and nods because that is true. Kate has a feeling that there is more to why Ziva thinks Abby is stubborn, but she doesn't ask.
It is past two and none of them, not even Gibbs can seem to figure out who the killer is it is like the murder was random, but there is no way that it was because it was like the Captain got mugging or something. There is some clear message by hanging him out the window after he was dead, but none of them can seem to figure out what it is.
Kate sips her coffee slowly as she drives and she is tired because it is so early and she is taking a longer route to work very near to where the victim's house happens to be. She realizes what the discrepancies in Mrs. Donahue remind her of. She had been up and down all during the interview, but she had been almost to calm. A lot of the wives she met in L.A. were like that cold, distant, and out of touch with their surroundings.
"So, stupid, how did I miss it?" Kate hadn't been the one to search the bedroom or the bathroom, but she would be willing to bet if the woman had a drug problem she would have been smart enough to put the drugs in some generic bottle that is suppose to hold aspirin or Tylenol. Though Kate wouldn't be surprised if the woman is a recovering addict.
As she arrives in the squad room she sends Ziva a smile and a nod as a greeting as she turns to glance where Ziva is looking which is across at Tony who is leaned back in his desk chair with a GSM over his face. Ziva places a finger to her lips and Kate chuckles under her breath. She mouths 'Is he really asleep?' The Israeli woman nods in response. Kate shifts her head indicating that she is going to go wake him up.
"So what is it this morning, DiNozzo? Naughty nurses, cheerleaders, or maybe possibly vampires?" she asks right into his ear and the man wakes up in shock.
"Ahh!" Kate steps out of the ways as Tony falls out of his leaned back chair onto the floor.
"Nice going, Tony," Kate lets out with a laugh and she turns to look at Ziva who is hollering in laughter from behind her desk. Kate walks by Tony spread out on the floor and goes behind her desk where she sets down her purse and backpack.
"No, for your information it is schoolgirls," Kate worries at the smirk on the man's face as he gets up and fixes his hair and then his tie and suit. He straightens the wrinkles out of both of his dress shirt and slacks.
"Hey, Ziva did you know that Kate use to be—" she doesn't let him finish before she walks over to him and punches him in the arm.
"Ow! When did you get so violent, Katie?" she gives him an eyebrow raise in response.
Kate turns when she hears a chuckle and she gives McGee a smile.
"Morning, Tim," the younger agent nods still chuckling from having watched the last few minutes of interaction.
"Get to work," Gibbs says swooping in and Kate is surprised by how use to Gibbs' antics she already is again.
"I got it!" Tony hears and he snaps his head towards Kate especially since she has been so quiet for the entire day.
"I noticed an activities list for St. Matthews Episcopal Church in the victim's home and the wife told me neither of them were religious, but I could tell that there was something that she wasn't telling me," Tony is surprised that Kate had picked up on one single thread that he was sure any of them would have missed.
"So?" he asks waiting for the woman to proceed. He can tell she is waiting for Gibbs to come back.
"I talked to one of the priests and he told me that neither the Captain or Mrs. Donahue are parishioners at the church and even though the church offers a wide variety of community based activities the times written on the pamphlet to correspond to the only one not listed because of the sensitive nature. Narcotics Anonymous is held on Monday and Wednesdays at 8-9," Tony can't help, but notice how easily the woman had been able to surmise those facts just by seeing a date and time scribbled on an activity pamphlet.
"Wait, did you just say Narcotics Anonymous?" McGee asks confused.
"You didn't notice how out of it Mrs. Donahue seemed out of it when we went to interview her?" he tilts his head and thinks about it before nodding.
"So, how does this help us establish a connection between McLaughlin & Associates and the Captain?" Ziva asks and Tony has to agree.
"It will hopefully help tell us who either wanted Donahue dead or confirm hopefully what Tony suspects about it being the wife," Kate says after a moment.
"We need someone to go undercover then," Tony says glancing between the team.
"Ziva," the woman nods as Gibbs say this and Tony notices Kate smile before crossing her arms over her chest.
"What boss you don't think I can play a drug addict?"
"Yeah, I do, but they would never let you into the church, DiNozzo," Tony glares when the three other agents other than Gibbs each express their amusement. McGee chuckles and Ziva has a silly smile plastered on her face. Kate in turn lets out a barely audible laugh, but sends him her classic smirk.
"Besides all of us have interviewed the key players in this case and Ziva is the only one who has had minimal contact with any of them throughout the progression of the case," Kate adds and Gibbs nods at the woman's statement and Tony wishes that Gibbs would trust him like that.
"I have an idea Gibbs give me an hour to get some things together and we will have Ziva looking like she is ready to spill her guts to a room full of strangers," Tony is interested in what the hell that even means.
"Get it done we have less than four hours to get surveillance set up," the man grumbles out and Tony's eyes narrow as Kate grabs her purse and swoops away to the elevator without another word.
Tony eyes the other team members who are already getting back to work. He slides out of his chair and around the left side of his desk squeezing between it and partition and runs to catch up to Kate who is still waiting for the elevator. The doors slide open just as he makes it to her and she gets in.
"Where you going, Kate?" he asks with a charming smile as he leans against the frame of the elevator stopping the doors from closing so the elevator
"Nowhere that you need to know, DiNozzo," Tony smirks and the woman gives him a look telling him to try and test her and he waits for a long moment for something to happen and when nothing does, he steps into the elevator. When the woman raises her hands from her side he assumes that she has given in and is going to at least let him ride the elevator down to wherever she is going. The next second she does something he isn't prepared for and she shoves him out of the elevator. He is so shocked that the elevator doors close and the woman waves goodbye to him with a smirk plastered across her lips.
He walks back to his desk a little defeated and he sees the smirk that the Mossad Officer gives him. "You know I think I'm going to like working with Kate."
An hour later Kate walks back into the squad room with a garment bag slung over her arm.
"You have got to get into character, Ziva," Kate can tell that the woman is a little skeptical about not only this mission, but the fact that she had disappeared for an hour.
"I am I going to be wearing something like those homeless people who begs on street corners," Kate is surprised by her assumption especially since she can tell that if there is anyone who knows that things aren't one-dimensional it is the woman in front of her.
"No not at all. The point is for you to be an addict for all intents in purpose actually functions in society rather well," she can tell that she has not only peaked the interest of the woman going undercover, but the other senior field agent and McGee.
"Come with me, Ziva," the woman nods and follows her towards the woman's restroom.
"A second, Kate," Kate turns towards Tony and she cautiously walks towards the former Baltimore detective throwing a curious and slight worried look to McGee and Ziva over her shoulder who both shrug, but each give her a look of caution.
She walks between their desks towards him. "What do you want, DiNozzo?"
He motions for her lean in and lowers his voice so only she can hear and says, "Just to let you know to watch your cute butt. I still have the picture of the wet t-shirt contest," she tries hard to not hit him when he says this, but she also can't help, but realize that she has missed this game of back and forth with Tony.
"Be very careful what you wish for, Sex Machine because I can destroy you and it will be so much worse for you then what Lieutenant Kim did by putting you on the Herpes Alert website," she says this into his ear and as she pulls away she is delighted to see his horror as she turns away and gives a nod to Ziva.
"Are you going to come out? It can't be that bad," it had only been a couple minutes since they had entered the bathroom and Kate had passed the garment bag to Ziva for her to change.
"It's not," Kate turns away from the sink when she hears the click of the lock turning on the bathroom stall.
"Does it not fit?" Kate is aware that she is probably a few pounds heavier than Ziva particularly in the chest and shoulders, but she doesn't think that the difference should affect much especially with the outfit that she had picked out. Kate takes a long sweep of looking over the woman who has a black pencil skirt and silvery gray sweater/ white shirt combination.
"I look rigid!" Kate in turn smiles and even though it hurts a little bit because Ziva is wearing her clothes, but the truth is that Ziva looks exactly like what she had envisioned when she had come up with plan.
"That's the point, Ziva. You are suppose to be a housewife from an upper middle class family who has been raised on the ideals of maintain decorum no matter what and that is why you have become a Dilaudid addict because it makes it easier to just let everything go and pretend that nothing effects her. The addiction is also supplied by faking persistent pain and getting drugs from different doctors," Kate notices Ziva nods as she takes in this information.
When Ziva walks over to the mirror and checks her reflection Kate can tell the woman is still a little uncomfortable
"One final thing," Kate reaches into her suit jacket pocket for the necklace box that she had grabbed that had one of the things that she had brought back from the storage locker in L.A.
She hands it to the Israeli woman and she looks confused until she opens it.
"I thought it added a little more to the overall effect," there is a reason she has never worn the pearls with this particular outfit except for when at work.
"I'm sure it does," the younger agent says with a nod taking the string of pearls out of the box. Once Ziva has the pearls on Kate can tell that the façade that she had made for Ziva will actually work quite well.
"Thank you, Kate," the woman says and Kate is surprised by how much true sincerity is reflected in the Mossad Officer's dark orbs. She can tell that Ziva truly has a heart of gold underneath all of that Mossad training that had taught the woman to express as little emotion about anything as possible.
"Anytime," and she truly means it.
When they return to the squad room, Kate isn't shocked when both McGee and Tony give raised eyebrows about Ziva's attire.
"So what did you bake for the bake sale?" when Tony says this McGee chuckles too, but what surprises her is the fact that Gibbs lets a humored filled grin fill his features. Ziva looks slightly confused.
"A bake sale is where they sell baked goods and the reason that Tony so rudely asked is because often times they are for school fundraisers and they are often run by doting mothers."
"I know what bake sales are," they all nod not really believing her.
"Surveillance glasses," McGee says handing the woman a pair that are rather librarian like, but Kate has to say they go with the outfit.
Kate takes a deep breath and prays that this undercover op. goes smoothly especially since it is likely that whoever killed the Captain is at this meeting if it isn't Mrs. Donahue, though she knows for certain that woman is going to be there. She doesn't want to believe that because even though the call to church had confirmed her suspicions about Pam Donahue, she knows that woman's grief had been real. But she also knows that most of the time it is the wife that killed the husband.
"Testing," the woman says into the little microphone hidden on the inside of her sweater.
"We've got you loud and clear. Ziva. Picture is great," Kate is surprised by how many people are there. They had intended to have Ziva there ten minutes early to possibly get shots of all the participants before the meeting actually started, but between traffic and setting up the surveillance van Ziva had only managed to arrive five minutes early and everyone seemed to be already seated in the activity center. There were four rows set up five in each side set up facing a stage with a podium. Kate along with McGee and Tony were watching the video feed from the van a little less than a block away. Gibbs was matched into the audio sitting in the charger a block away from the church in the other direction.
They all watched with interest as the leader of the group got up and made an opening speech inviting any newcomers to get a welcome chip before sharing his story. A few people got up and shared their stories and the events in their lives since the last meeting McGee ran facial recognition on them and found that none of them had anything to do with their case. Ziva continued to try to get shots of the people in the crowd other than those sharing, but it hadn't worked that well.
"The only way we are going to get a shot of all of the participants to run for facial recognition is for you to get up in front and share, Ziva," McGee says and Kate nods agreeing.
"We also need to be sure that Mrs. Donahue is there," Tony adds and Kate gives him a raised eyebrow because obviously the man is still stuck on it being the wife.
"I don't know what to say," Kate is surprised that the woman has no idea what to say, but she also knows that Narcotics Anonymous is something that and the whole sharing your personal details with a group of strangers is probably something that Ziva has never done.
"I have got you covered, Ziva, just repeat after me. I'm going to need you to cry can you do that?" Kate pieces together a story in her head and she knows it is a good one especially since she knows that Ziva can relate to.
"I can," the other woman says without any hint of emotion.
"This could be hard for her, showing emotion isn't one of Ziva's strong suits," Kate gives him a warning look.
"Kate, head slap, DiNozzo," she gives a smirk.
"Sure thing, Gibbs," she brings her left arm back and hits man in the back of the head like she has seen Gibbs do so many times.
"I should head slap your right back," Kate gives him a look warning him to not even try attempt it.
"Ready, Ziva?" instead of answering verbally the woman nods which shakes the picture up in down as the woman ascends the steps onto the stage.
"Hello, I am Natalie," Kate is unsurprised when the woman says this she still has a slight accent.
"Ready to follow me word for word?" once again the camera shakes and Kate can tell the woman understands what she has to do.
"Hi, Natalie," everybody responds and Kate can tell that Ziva is nervous as she clears her throat. Though Kate knows it is
"I am… sorry this is hard for, I have never done this before. I have never shared my feelings to anyone let alone a room of complete strangers. I took my last dilaudid 2 hours ago and I don't know if I will be able to make it through the night without popping a few more. I feel like it is truly the only thing that is keeping me from going completely insane. One of the many reasons being that in my family growing up we never talked about our problems it was ingrained into us that if you showed any sign of emotion or it would be seen as weakness and we would get physically punished for it. I'm sorry… this harder than I thought. I need you to cry now Ziva and take a long moment before continuing," the woman continues to repeat her words verbatim and she even manages to shed rather convincing tears.
"Scanning the first row of participants through facial recognition, now. Already have the second row of faces on standby. It is going to take a few minutes to ID all of them, but we will get it done," McGee says and Kate knows that Ziva understands hat she is saying.
"They are all clean and besides a few drug arrests, none have any connection to McLaughlin & Associates, the Navy, or the Donahues," McGee says and Kate looks at the screen in front of Tim and notes that they don't even have any secondary connection other than going to this particular meeting.
"But I know that I need to continue or else I wouldn't ever get it out. I had been so shut off from my emotions for so long I was shocked that I was even able to find someone to love. He helped me come out of my shell and I learned that expressing my emotions wasn't a bad thing. We eventually married and everything was going so well, but then things just took a downturn just when I thought things were looking up. Things have just gotten too much for me in the last few years."
"Scanning second row through the database now."
"Mrs. Donahue is in the middle of the second row,"
"There, right there, zoom in McGee that's Anderson the president of McLaughlin & Associates. Third row on the right end. He may be in disguise, but that is him,"
"Good eye, Kate" she gives McGee a nod of thanks.
"Is that enough of a connection to McLaughlin &Associates for you, boss?"
"Yeah, DiNozzo," Gibbs grumbles out.
"Running facial recognition to confirm," and Kate watches as the ID comes up within seconds because McGee has it cross-referenced with the list of employees at the financial firm.
She continues on with her story as Ziva finishes repeating what she had just said, "My husband and I had just started to finally figure out our lives and were going to start a family. I even was able to get pregnant after a few months of trying. The pregnancy was going so well, but there was a complication late in my pregnancy and my baby… my little girl died before I could even hold her. She never even got to take her first breath or feel the love that I had for her. After that there were days were I could barely get out of bed for weeks and eventually the pain it just got to be so much that I need something to dull it even if it was just for a little while . Even after I got use to the fact that my little girl was gone. I mean I never got over it or stopped thing about it, but I had come to accept it. I just couldn't stop with pills and eventually it was as if they were the only thing keeping me grounded. Little did I realize that I was spiraling out of control till it was too late. I had prescriptions for high levels of Dilaudid from four different doctors. It wasn't until I went out yesterday to the store that I realized how bad I let it get. I was too hyped on the pain pills to realize how erratically I was driving by the time I realized it I had hit a pole. I totaled my car and I didn't even care, all I cared about was getting more Dilaudid. I realized in that instant that I had hit rock bottom and I needed help. So I am here today to look for that help because I'm an addict."
"It's not exactly an Oscar winning performance, but the screenwriter could get a bid for an award," Kate gives Tony an annoyed look, but she can't help, but feel a little satisfaction that he thought her words were convincing.
"Where did you come up with that, Kate? It was amazing," she just shrugs at McGee question.
"Thank you for sharing, Natalie. That was very brave especially on your first time here," Kate glances at Tony in surprise as the three of them watch Ziva get hugged by the group leader and Ziva obviously stiffens and does not return the hug.
"I played the role of a drugged up upper middle class wife before while in L.A.," Kate notices how impressed both the men in the surveillance van look at hearing this.
"Do you want me to take Anderson into custody, right now, Gibbs?"
"No let's wait and see what he does," Kate gives a sigh and watches the events unfold for a few more minutes.
The meeting continues on for ten minutes and Kate is surprised when neither Donahue or Anderson get up to add anything. Kate is especially surprised the woman doesn't get up especially after losing her husband, she assumed the woman would have been pushed rather close to the edge and she would need to seek solace in her peers.
"Ziva, run interference until we can intercept him," Gibbs barks out as everyone beings to get up and mill around as they begin to leave.
"Ask him about being your sponsor, Ziva," Kate says hoping that even though Ziva doesn't know exactly what that is she will do it.
"I got it."
"Moving in boss," Tony says all three of them climb out of the back of the truck and take off towards the church getting there in thirty seconds.
"Hi, I noticed you didn't get up to talk and I was wondering if you could share any insights into how to get through the next few days. I was wondering if you could possibly be my sponsor," Ziva words are perfect.
"I really have to go, but if you want someone to talk go talk to Paul. He has been clean and sober for over fifteen years and I know that he could set you with someone to talk to," Kate is surprised how polite that blow off is compared to the one had had give she and Tony the other day. When she finishes she catches sight of Gibbs running towards them.
"He is headed towards Pam and they are obviously familiar with each other," Ziva says as all four of them climb the stone steps into the church.
"He said something shocking and then walked away. He is headed in your direction right now."
As the four of them burst through the church doors and glance around at the old gothic church.
"We need to split up there are a variety of exits he could take," McGee says and they nod.
"DiNozzo, Todd go," Gibbs motions for them to go to the right while he and McGee take the left.
They navigate the church and finally find their way to the activity center. As they walk calmly into the room they are surprised by how many people had already dispersed.
"Over there," Kate whispers to Tony shifting her head to the other side of the room where Anderson is getting ready to leave.
As they close the distance to the man he turns and sees them and takes off running before than can even say anything. Kate glances towards Ziva and motions with their head for her to follow. The each withdraw their guns ready for anything. Everyone begins to murmur in fright moving out of the way.
"It's alright, Federal Agent," Kate says pulling her badge and raising it for the meeting participants to see.
He exits through another set of double doors heading the other direction and Kate and Tony with Ziva hot on their heels take off after the suspect.
"Boss, he took the other entrance out he is heading for the back of the church," Tony screams out as they start to gain on the man. He some how breaks away and bursts through a door in the hallway and Kate wonders where that leads. The three of them get to the door and quickly assess the situation before entering another hallway. The three of them form a triangle as they begin to walk at a fast pace trying to open all the doors which are locked.
"He didn't have enough to time to jimmy open and of these locks," Ziva concludes as they reach the end of the hallway and turn to the right.
"He just went for the exit," Tony says pointing to the sign twenty feet away. They all nods pick up their pace again as they clear the exit and they catch sight of Anderson now calmly walking away.
Kate looks shocked when instead of running down the few steps Tony vaults himself over the side and lands a few feet behind the man.
"Stop, right there!" Tony orders and the man almost looks like he is going to pause, but when the man turns he sees the gun and he readies himself for the shots to come, but the man doesn't fire and Tony knows he should be prepared for anything.
"I believe the man said stop!" Tony notices that the investment firm's president now looks even more shocked when Ziva appears as she walks down the stairs with her gun pointed at the man who has just fled from the three of them. Kate is also on the stairs ready to take aim.
The man looks like he thinks about continuing to run for a moment, but then raises his hands in the air after dropping the gun in his hand. Tony closes the distance fist securing the pistol and the man's hands.
"Suspect secured," Tony says into his mic. for the benefit of Gibbs and McGee.
"Good job, DiNozzo," Tony hears this both through his headset and in person as Gibbs and McGee appear in the open doorway at the back of the church.
"Why thank you, boss," Tony knows not to add anymore in fear of his boss's compliment being replaced by a slap to the head.
Ziva turns and looks at the two of them as the five of them begin to lead the man around the block to the front of the church, "Out of curiosity what does hitting rock bottom mean it sounds very painful?" Tony turns and looks at Kate and the woman just chuckles.
"Kate, go get Mrs. Donahue and escort her back to NCIS for another interview," Tony watches Kate nod and turn and climb the steps back into the church.
Kate sets the tea down in front of the woman and the woman gives her a soft smile and a nod of thanks even though she doesn't touch it.
"Why didn't you just tell us that you knew James Anderson?" she lets this out in an easy tone because the last thing she wants is to make it sound like she is accusing the woman of anything,
"Because it would have brought up too many questions about how and quite honestly I had no idea— and I mean no idea that he would do this," Kate sucks in a heavy breath
"He was in love with you for years and he saw how your husband being gone ate at your spirit even after you gave up the drugs," the woman lets out a pained sob and Kate can see the realization dawn on the woman's face.
"We helped each other through so much… I never thought that he…felt that way about me. I guess I was just to blind to it because I loved my husband and James was one of the only things that held me up for such a long time."
"It's alright you didn't know," Kate reaches across the table to grasp the woman hand in a gentle squeeze and when she does she can tell that it helps ease the woman's pain even if it is a miniscule amount.
"I have one question," the woman nods and gives a sigh leaning back in her chair the tears still running unchecked down her cheeks.
"If you were each other's sponsors how did we not find any links between the two of you in the form of phone calls or e-mails?"
"Because… I think we were both were too worried about appearances. I was worried about it looking like an affair and he was worried about someone at the firm getting wind of it and realizing that he was a recovering addict. We only ever talked before and after the meetings and for me that was enough. I could go back to my normal life the best I could during the week," Kate nods and honestly she is not surprised about this considering the only thing that they found that gave any link to the Narcotic Addict's support group was a date and time on a pamphlet for a church.
Tony looks at the man intently waiting for him to speak. He knows the man is stalling for his lawyer, but now that they have all of the facts and the piece of evidence that never made sense finally fits he knows they have him dead to rights. All they really need is a confession.
He gulps ready to speak when the voice from behind him fills the room with a tone of firmness that Tony has never associated Kate Todd. "Mr. Anderson, we know how you did it and why. Do you have anything to say about it?"
"You have nothing," the man eyes narrow and his mouth spreads into a smirk that makes Tony want to roll his eyes because this man is so egotistical just because in the past he has made many people a lot of money including himself.
"Actually we have a lot," Tony gives a stern nod and Tony can see his fellow senior field agent as she pushes herself off the wall next to the two way mirror and crosses her arms posturing herself to seem cold, but from what he knows about Kate and her interrogation style she is going to go on the offensive at the moment the man least expects it because Kate plays understanding and caring so well. Her being the offensive completely right now is interesting to him.
"I'm guesstimating that you have been an addict for well over twenty years, you probably started, oxy just after you started at your first job to relief the stress of your first big job. It was a lot easier to get back then, cheaper too. How am I doing so far?" when man gives a grunt Tony exchanges a glance with Kate and she gives a nod indicating that she knows she is on the right track.
"And I'm guessing that you met Pam Donahue there about a year after you got sober which was about seven years ago and you have stayed clean because of her, but you also grew to rely on her and I think before you knew it you were in love with her and you couldn't do anything about it." The man gives Kate a look that says they don't have anything even if it is possible what she is saying is true.
"We found the plastic tie in your trash, it has your finger prints and Captain Donahue's DNA where you chocked the life out of him," Tony pulls the evidence bag from the box next to his chair and sets it on the table in front of the man.
"How did you do it?" he asks giving Kate a nod as he goes into his offensive style of interrogating.
"Did you wait until Captain Donahue was alone on his way out of the gym when you attacked him?" Tony notices a smirk fill the man's lips.
"He was probably about to get into his car, he didn't even see it coming. You were smart instead of using a gun or even a knife that could be traced to you used something commonplace, the tie off of one of the trees. One question how did you know it wouldn't break around his neck?"
When the man doesn't respond Tony can tell that they are getting to him even if he is remaining silent because he is waiting for his lawyer.
"If you didn't want it to be connected back to you why did you hang him from out of the window at your firm?" Tony notices the change in the man's expression and he can tell they had worn the man down.
"Because after what he had done to Pam for all those years ignoring her and choosing the Navy over he deserved to suffer even in death. He needed to be put on display for everybody to see," Tony glances over at Kate surprised that the man who had barely said a word since being sat down in the interrogation room.
Tony glances back at the observation glass and he gives a nod indicating to Gibbs and the rest of the team that is probably the best they are going to get as far as a confession. Tony turns to his left and looks at Kate and she nods to.
"Hey do you want get a drink, maybe celebrate your first case back?"
"Tony, that is almost sweet, if didn't think you were just hoping to get me drunk in revenge for this afternoon?" Tony chuckles because honestly she isn't that far off. He was hoping to get a few drinks in her to see if she is more receptive to his advances than she was two years ago.
"Come on, just one drink and I even promise to not to hit on any woman in the bar," this makes the woman outright laugh because she doesn't believe him. He knows he probably shouldn't promise that because he wants to hit on her.
"Nice try, Tony, but I have to unpack most of the boxes from L.A. and London have arrived and I need to get the ones that are in crates out of the evidence garage?"
"Crates?" Kate just shrugs and walks the few feet to her desk where she picks up her backpack and purse before opening her desk and pulling out her Sig.
"Have fun hitting on graduate students, DiNozzo," she says before giving a wave as she passes by him.
"Hitting on graduate students, huh," Tony shakes his head and settles back in his chair and he gives chuckle at the comment as he watches Kate wait for elevator to head down to the evidence garage. At least the woman didn't say unsuspecting undergraduates.
He waits a few minutes before getting up and grabbing his things and turning off the desk lamp. He decides to see what Kate has in those crates.
When he walks out of the elevator he is surprised to see how quiet it is, but he sees Kate out of the corner of his eye with a crow bar opening a wooden crate. He decides instead not to announce himself instead to just simply watch her for a few moments. She almost looks at ease as she gets to work getting out the contents of the box. He isn't surprised when it turns out to be art. He quickly sneaks away and heads towards the door that leads towards Abby's lab and the stairs.
The next chapter after this will be directly from the show! Thanks for reading!