Odd Pair Out
AN: This takes place a few years later. I know the timelines may not add up, but it's my story so work with me here…
Oh, and there is a very short crossover here with another show. I might end up doing this other story with the things that have been mentioned, but I really don't know. I don't own this other show either. Don't even own the fan fiction AU ATF version of this show. My thanks to whoever did, and especially to Cindy Combs for getting me started with writing her story "Refuge".
Anyone care to guess which show I'm talking about?
***
Chapter 1
Tony DiNozzo sighed as he watched his partner, Ziva David, typed with concentration. "You know, Ziva," he drawled, "the computer isn't trying to do you in."
"I know, Tony," she shot back. "As you keep reminding me, my English isn't quite good yet. Excuse me if I'm trying to finish before we leave."
"By who's clock?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
Ziva looked at him. "Point," she nodded, knowing that their boss, L. Jethro Gibbs, didn't like to do things by halves.
Tony nodded and turned to his own computer. "You know," he told his screensaver, "I know that Probie's still shook up over that cop, but I'd still like a case. It's just been over two weeks now. You'd think that something would've come up by now, right?"
"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness," Special Agent Timothy McGee quipped as he walked past and settled down at his desk.
"I'm talking to my computer," Tony defended. "Just so you know, paperwork doesn't do it for me. It might for you."
Ziva stretched as she said, "I'm going to have to agree with Tony, McGee. It's too… boring? Yes, it's too boring here. All we do is paperwork and paperwork…"
The trio shared bored glances.
McGee was still guilty about killing the undercover cop, but he was honestly getting through thanks to Abby and the roundabout ways that his friends and co-workers were showing their support. "Where's Gibbs?"
Ziva looked over to her left. "Coffee. I think that he's also gone down to visit Abby in her lab."
Tony nodded. "Seems about right."
He jumped as his phone rang. "Hello, DiNozzo speaking. How may I help you?"
"Ah, Anthony," Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard greeted him from Autopsy. "I don't believe Mr. Palmer has arrived yet. Would you, by chance, come down and help me with a few things?"
"Sure thing, Duck," Tony nodded and hung up. Getting up, he announced that he would be helping their ME and left for the elevators.
***
Arriving at the Canadian Consulate, Ray Kowalski rubbed his hands over his face. It was at least four months after that whole pirate thing and Ray was glad that crazy dream was over.
Getting out of his car, he fairly flew up the stairs and past Constable Renfield Turnbull, who was on schedule for 'statue duty', before letting himself in. Knowing exactly where Fraser's office was, Ray whistled a tune before knocking on the doorframe of his friend's open office.
Benton Fraser looked up from his report and subtly lit up at the sight of his partner and best friend. Unfortunately, duty came first and he gestured for Ray to take a seat on the cot while he finished his business.
Ray took a seat and leaned back against the wall, thoughts returning to the 'Henry Allen' case. He almost lost his friend and partner before that case and studied his Mountie friend as he worked diligently on his report. 'Same old Fraser,' Ray smiled. 'Dragging me into all and sun- sun- sun something. Maybe he could explain it to me again.'
They were quiet for a few minutes before Ray's thoughts inadvertently turned to the one subject he'd been thinking about since Ray woke up on the 'Henry Allen' to find the ship sinking. When Fraser had been trying to find a way out, the blond was busy thinking about a friend that he hadn't seen in too long.
Tony DiNozzo.
Ray's smile kicked up a notch when he thought about his old partner. Italian though he was, Tony was an alright guy. Liked a good number of things Ray liked. Boxing was not a particular favorite of Tony's, but that didn't matter. 'Unless the poor guy managed to get hooked on Curling…' Ray shuddered as he remembered being forced to watch something that wasn't a sport. Well, he didn't think it was a sport. Turnbull was another story for sure.
Back to Tony, Ray wasn't sure what drew him to the other, but they'd always thought that it was a sort of kindred spirit type thing and that was fine with them. Ray was always a bit of an outcast, especially with his learning problems and glasses. Tony, on the other hand, was almost encouraged to keep to himself. Ray didn't think that was right about how the other cops treated someone they were supposed to watch out for. Cops took care of their own. 'Even Mounties,' Ray knew about his friend's exile and how he turned in one of his own. 'Every cop, but in different countries. All the same.'
Actually, when Ray had first met the Italian, Tony was known as a 'rich boy', but to Ray it seemed like something else was up. Tony didn't fit with the picture Ray associated with rich boys. In fact, if he didn't know better, Ray would've thought that Tony was just like him. Ray couldn't explain it, but he had a hunch that Tony wasn't as stuck up as everyone thought he was. So, one day, he had picked up a peace offering, a banana cream pie, in the hopes of winning Tony on over to his side. Maybe being friends in the process. He had brought the pie over to the Italian's desk and was about to put it down when another cop tripped over a trashcan, slammed in a corner of a desk, and finally tripped Ray up. The blond went down, and the pie ended up flying half-way across the room, only for it to end up on the guy that the pie was for.
Needless to say, Ray was a mix between embarrassment, mortification, and anticipating the Italian to get up in his face about his fancy suit. Instead, Tony walked up to him and gave him a hug, ruffling up his hair in the process. 'There now,' he had said with a grin. 'Guess we're even, huh?' Right after that, he said, 'I never thought I'd get a pie for my birthday, but thanks for the thought.'
It took a week for Ray to relax enough around his new partner and Tony made it almost easy to make friends with him. Not to mention, both Ray and Tony ended up in a potentially volatile situation. One that didn't involve Green Buick Rivera's bursting into flames and being driven off a pier into the Lake they- Lake Michigan. Point of fact, it was actually a classic case of information mix-up between one bigwig and another. Not to mention that the place where they were supposed to be was actually somewhere else, other than where they finally ended up. Ray just had to laugh at the fact that some of Fraser and Ray's adventures were almost play by play for Tony and Ray's adventures. 'Man,' he grinned. 'I'd love to get Frase and Tony on a case alone together.' For some reason, that took the last of Ray's control which was pretty shot to begin with in the first place.
"Ray?" Fraser looked up at the sound of almost hysterical laughter emanating from his friend with a gleeful ring that had the Mountie scouring his memories trying to find another instance where he had heard the same tone. He frowned as came up with nothing. 'Is this really the first time that Ray has laughed like this?' Shaking off the morbid thought, he returned to his friend, who was still laughing but with tears starting to stream down his face. "Ray? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, Frase," Ray's laughter tapered off to chuckles. "Everything's greatness. Just thinkin' of someone I used to work with. Man," he started laughing again. "I'd love to get you guys on a case."
Fraser stared at his best friend for a few minutes, trying to figure out if he should be insulted or flattered at that. Though, he wasn't quite sure why his friend would be laughing so hard. 'Perhaps it's this friend,' Fraser shook his head as he finished up his work, unable to stop a smile from making its way onto his face as Ray's laughter echoed around the small office area.
It was never boring around Ray, that was for sure…
***
"Thank you again, my boy," Ducky praised his young friend as Tony left for Abby's lab. "I shall endeavor to include you in the future."
"Not a problem, Ducky," Tony shook his head as the elevator doors closed. When they opened again, he found himself listening to Abby's voice as she talked to someone via phone conference.
"You know, JD," Abby rolled her eyes as she finished up the e-mail, "you'd think that, after all this time, Buck would learn his lesson."
"That's what Chris keeps telling him," ATF Agent JD Dunne grinned. The grin grew wider as he spotted Tony. "Tony! How's it going?"
"Hey, JD," he smiled at the younger man. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Just needed Abby to confirm some things before we left for our next case."
"Will this be involving snow?" Tony had to wince as he remembered his first meeting with ATF's 'Magnificent Seven' just last year.
While wrapping up vacation in Montana, Tony was stranded at a hotel by a freak snowstorm. There, he met ATF sharpshooter Vin Tanner, who had been elected to make sure everything was in place for the rest of the team, and, to their everlasting surprise, the two just hit it right off. It was when Team Larabee's reason for being there decided to take out the sharpshooter that things went to a four letter place.
In the end, the perp was taken down, Tony found a new friend in the Texan, only minor injuries were sustained on the side worth rooting for, both teams found a sort of support system in each other, and Gibbs found a fellow team leader to share a drink with when their respective teams came a step too close to the edge for comfort. All in all, both Director Jen Sheppard and Judge Orrin Travis agreed that, should the situation ever come up, if a case involved both agencies then the teams would be able to work together without much fuss. Needless to say, everyone was anticipating when the chance to work together would come up again with unrivaled glee.
Tony came back to the present just in time to hear JD's reply.
"I kinda hope not," the tech specialist grinned, knowing exactly where the other's thoughts had taken him. "Once was enough, thank you. Ez couldn't stop complainin' 'bout the snow. Besides, we'll be in California."
Abby broke in with an innocent smile, "Even if we need you guys to help out in D.C. during Christmas? Or New York?"
"Well," JD had to grin, "I'm sure Ez would be willing to overlook that in the face of helping our fellow government agents…"
"Mr. Dunne," Abby and Tony grinned as they heard the southern accent signaling Ezra Standish's arrival in the background. "I have told you and our compatriots time and again: my name is Ez-ra."
Buck Wilmington was heard off-screen as he teased his Southern friend and JD had to go, having received Abby's information. Chris Larabee's bellow for a gathering of the present members of the team echoed around Abby's lab as the connection cut off.
"So," Abby turned to Tony. "What did you need from me, my dear Agent DiNozzo?"
"Just a few minutes before I had to go back up to the Lion's Den."
"And a few minutes you shall have," she declared as she spun a near-by stool around to present it to Tony. "Just let me know when you're ready to leave."
Right before Tony left, his phone rang. "DiNozzo."
He listened as McGee filled him in before hanging up. "Gotta go, Abs. We caught a case."
Before the elevator doors closed, Abby yelled after him, "Bring me back something good!"
***
Ray, Fraser, and Dief pulled out of the Canadian Consulate in pursuit of a good meal. Dief, being himself, wanted to go for a pizza. Fraser had no preference, but Ray had a place in mind and turned the car to that direction.
"Where might we be going, Ray?" Fraser wanted to know.
"I'd like to have Italian," Ray told him absently. "I've been thinkin' about one of my old partners. He was Italian and, let me tell you, he makes a mean manicotti that no one else could ever copy. I know it. I've been looking for another and Ma Vecchio comes close. Tony's Italian isn't like Ma Vecchio's Italian. Don't know how to explain it. There's something different between them and I don't know what, but I'd take Tony's cooking any day of the week. Four times on Monday."
Fraser studied his friend and ventured a guess, "Was this the same person you alluded to in my office?"
"Yeah," Ray couldn't help chuckling at the memory. "Tony and me, we were a different duet, I guess you could say. You and me, we click. Tony, though, was different. Besides the fact that I didn't have to pretend with him to be someone I'm not. He was a great back-up, a guy you could count on in a fire fight or a bar fight." Ray shook his head. "No offense, Frase, but the guy was a great shot. If he had to shoot, he did. You know, now that I think of it, Philly was the first time he really had to shoot to kill. I ain't proud of the fact that I was there when he did, but I am proud that I was there to keep his head up. He told me that I was the only one who actually cared enough to stay around and make sure he was going to be as alright as he could be."
'A sentiment,' Fraser mused, 'that I myself fully share.' He did agree, but he couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy. Which was completely ridiculous, he knew, but Ray made it out that this Tony person was a very good friend of his. Fraser honestly didn't know that his best friend had another seemingly best friend. He thought he was the only one. Mentally shaking the selfish thought aside, he reasoned, 'I've never met this man, so I shouldn't be one to judge.' Aloud, he said, "I'm glad he could provide sufficient back up for you and that he was a good friend to you before our meeting."
"You know it, Frase," the blond grinned at him boyishly. Sobering, he sighed slightly. "Wish I knew what he was doing now."
"You haven't been in contact with him recently?" Fraser wanted to know.
"Not since I started being Vecchio I haven't."
Ray shook his head. "I wish I knew that he's doin' alright. That I knew that he's got someone that he trusts to watch his back. Like I do," he added somewhat shyly to his friend.
"I'm sure he does, my friend," Fraser put aside his unseemly thoughts about the absent party to assure his friend. "I'm sure he does."
"Yeah, well," Ray shook his head to get rid of his embarrassment. "I bet Tony doesn't have to chase after a partner who can't seem to keep out of trouble," he couldn't help teasing his friend, who blushed at that. "I also bet that Tony doesn't have to go around in alley ways trying to process a crime scene that has a bunch of pink polka-dots painted around on the walls."
***
"Tony?"
"Yeah, Ziva?"
"Please tell me that this is not what I think it is."
Tony looked up from where he was taking down notes while listening to one of Ducky's stories ("You know, Anthony, we have seen many scenes in alley ways, but I must admit that this reminds me of another case that I worked with over in England. Yes, the poor girl was indeed…") in order to follow Ziva's gaze.
"Yeah, Ziva," he nodded in resignation. "Those are pink polka dots on the walls."
"But, why?" She couldn't help questioning. "What purpose do these serve?"
McGee walked over with the answer, "Some of the kids around here wanted to do something about Breast Cancer Awareness. The local elementary school picked a handful of alleys to paint and this would be the one that the third graders got."
Gibbs walked over and the team gave their reports.
Tony started. "Petty Officer Second Class Andrew Carson. Just came in from his latest tour in Africa where they were doing a double assignment patrolling for pirates and helping the relief effort from the recent and ongoing drought over there."
"He was out with some friends and shipmates," McGee added next. "They separated around midnight after going to some of the different bars."
Ducky piped up as he joined the group, "I estimate that he died almost two hours after they split up."
Gibbs looked at Ziva. "Where was he between midnight and around 0200?"
"Myself and McGee will be on that as soon as everything has been logged in and to Abby."
Gibbs nodded and went to make a phone call to parties unknown and Ducky joined Jimmy Palmer in getting the body in the bag and into the truck.
Tony sighed as he flashed back to his days with his former partner, but still best friend, Ray Kowalski. The blond would always be good for an entertaining, if not amusing, conversation about whatever the other would think up. Even if Tony sometimes didn't quite know where the inspiration would come from…
As Tony went to help his other teammates, he wished desperately that Gibbs would let them take a lunch break. He wanted to take Abby out and he had a feeling that she wouldn't object to a change in atmosphere, because he was in the mood for Polish.
***
Ray sank back in his chair with a happy sigh and contented pat to his tummy. "That was very nice."
"Indeed it was," Fraser agreed as he finished off the tea he had requested. Normally, Ray favored Chinese or pizza but Fraser was privileged to see a side of his partner that he was pretty sure that no one else ever really got to see. Not even Stella.
The blond knew what he wanted and even managed to order it in Italian, a certain byproduct of his continued relationship with his Italian best friend. When the waiter had gone off to process the orders, Ray had to grin at the amazed look on his Canadian friend's face and shrugged. "I picked up some things," he had shyly explained.
"Want some dessert to go?" Ray asked the pensive Constable. "I'm getting some."
"Perhaps," the brunette licked his lower lip in thought as he looked the desserts over. "I believe I will."
A few minutes later, they were on their way to the 27th Chicago PD Division to peruse case files for any interesting things to take note of.
***
Tony sat back in his chair with a happy smile as he signed off on the last report of the day. The killer caught, booked, and paperwork filed. Or, as Ray would put it, 'dot it, sign it, stick it in a box marked 'Done'.' Tony shook his head as he again entertained the thought of doing a database search for the Chicago native. He really probably would have had the fear of losing his first true best friend not overridden his desire. Abby had secured a place as his other best friend, but there was only so much Tony could talk to her about plus the fact that Tony really wanted to relive one of the few happy months pre-NCIS with someone who was actually the reason for those happy memories.
Ziva and McGee finished their own reports and stretched to work out the stiffness of sitting for a long period of time.
Ziva paused before hitting the printing icon as she looked at her partner across the aisle. Tony noticed her scrutiny and flashed a purely gleeful smile in her direction. She blinked as she bore witness to a rarely genuine smile, the one that spoke of true contentment, and sent one back albeit a bit uncertainly. She watched as an e-mail alert caught Tony's attention and stood up to look over his shoulder, McGee having caught the action and also going over to investigate.
All three of them grinned in surprised delight as a virtual postcard came up on Tony's monitor showing all seven members of ATF's Team Seven standing in front of LAX and grinning happily at them. At the bottom left corner were the words: "Wish you were here from your friends at ATF."
Without being asked, Tony printed copies for his team, Abby, Ducky, and even Palmer, the latter having not quite met them in person but over the phone and he seemed on good terms with them anyway.
Also without being asked, McGee slid into his partner's chair and managed to create a postcard of the NCIS team in the nearby café and, with the approval of the others, sent it back with the words: "Hope you all come back in one piece to share some nice coffee with your friends at NCIS."
A few minutes later, Buck Wilmington sent them a message saying: "Very funny."
Tony took his computer back and shot back: "But true."
"Point." Buck conceded.
At that, Ziva and McGee went to retrieve their reports as Tony powered down and grabbed his own report. Leaving the hard copies on Gibbs's desk, along with the copied e-mail, the three took the elevator down to the garage where they noticed that Gibbs and Ducky were the only ones still in the building.
Tony left his teammates at their cars and turned his towards home. Stopping for a light, he looked over at the virtual postcard that was on the passenger seat next to him and decided that he had something to do before turning in for the night.
As he waited for his weekly dose of the hit Sci Fi Channel original series, "Eureka", of which only Abby knew about so he wasn't joking when he told Ziva that he was visiting with some old friends, he cut out the postcard and got up to scour the bookshelf that held a fairly filled scrapbook. Getting that and some of his materials to bring to the table, he selected a page, picked a background, and set about putting the postcard in it.
He wasn't ashamed to have a scrapbook in his possession. Ray had influenced his current hobby as a late Christmas present designed to help him keep track of all the happy memories, and some not so happy ( aka Kate and Chris Pacci), in an otherwise not so happy period in his life. Besides the Polack and Tony, Vin Tanner knew about it and was actually thinking of starting one of his own. A bit closer to home, Abby, Palmer, and McGee were the only ones to know about it: Abby knew because she helped him move in and was bound to find it eventually; Palmer knew about it because Tony was the only one who knew about his cousin and the older man helped him organize his own scrapbook in his memory; and the only reason McGee knew about it was because he accidentally came across the Italian in the local arts and crafts store just before Thanksgiving. In fact, every now and then, Tony would let McGee tag along when out to get some new backgrounds and the computer geek would actually suggest some pretty good ideas, even going so far as to hide a small selection in his desk when his birthday would come around and Tony got to have a different present along with the banana cream pie that Abby would leave for him.
Actually, Tony mused as he put the finishing touches on the page, McGee was very receptive to the fact that the 'playboy college frat jock' actually had a more softer side to him. The fact that McGee's mother did scrap booking also made it easier to look the younger agent in the face and the habit he had in helping his mother as a child was an unexpected bonus. And it really did help that Ziva still didn't get the scrap book references that kept flying over her head, though Gibbs sent a look at the male agents that made Tony wonder if telling his boss would support this little hobby. Abby encouraged him to try while his fellow male agents/ coworkers wanted to err on the side of caution, Gibbs being an ex-Marine and all…
Still, Tony thought he would be laughed at when people started to know and the fact that he was getting some actually interesting tips from who he was completely sure was Ducky playing inconspicuous helper was somewhat of a morale boost. Ziva was the unknown factor and even Abby agreed to keep it on the down low around the Israeli.
Sighing, Tony finished and cleaned his area, grabbing a beer from the fridge while getting some snacks, he heard the familiar voices of "Eureka" and eagerly sat down to bear witness to more adventures concerning the small town with big secrets.
***
Brrring!
A hand shot out of a nest of blankets in order to slap at the inactive alarm clock and it took a few seconds for Ray to realize that it was his phone that he had placed on the TV on the other side of the room.
Grumbling, Ray cautiously made his way over to the television set and snatched it up while looking at his watch.
"Someone better be dying and/or dead because it's two o'clock in the freaking morning!" He growled into the receiver, running a hand through his already spiky blond hair.
"I believe it's 'dead and/or dying', Ray," Fraser gently corrected his friend.
"Fraser? I shoulda known it'd be you, ya freak! Only you would call me… Why would you?" Ray suddenly frowned as he realized that his friend had to call him for a reason.
"Ah, well, I believe I should have waited to call, but-"
"Fray-zier," Ray drew out, knowing that particular tone of voice would get him to the point quicker. "If this is some sort of Canadian thing, or-or something about *another* ghost ship, so help me I am going to come over there and kick you in the-"
"No, no," Fraser cut off his friend's threat, amusing though it was (even if Fraser had no doubts that his friend really would carry out the threat, but that was neither here nor there). "Actually, I called because… Well, I suppose this would be considered a 'Canadian thing', however, one of our visitors just left and I have reason to believe that the person that he is staying with is a convict. Granted one that just got released for good behavior, but…"
"And there is a reason for getting me up this early?" Ray grumbled, stretching slightly.
"Ah, yes, well, I have recently had several concerns placed against this person and I thought it be best to let you know."
"Alright, alright, let me get some more sleep before I do anything. We'll both swing by tomorrow, er, later today, before lunch, okay?"
Fraser thought it over and agreed. "I suppose you should get back to sleep before we have to report in to the Leftenant."
"Sure thing, Frase."
Saying their good-byes, they hung up and Ray yawned tiredly. 'Canadians,' he shook his head fondly. 'Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.'
Ray climbed back into bed and snuggled back under the covers. "I'll look Tony up. Maybe tomorrow…"
***
Hyper
August 24, 2009 (M)
AN: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I know it's been a sort of 'filler' chapter, you could say, but I wanted to establish some background. Don't worry. We should be getting to the good stuff soon. Oh, and about the scrap booking, I am sort of in the middle of a, I guess it would be, companion fic. It's called "Keeping Memories", and it establishes the scrapbook idea. By the way, I'm feeling a midge overwhelmed, so please don't ask about a NCIS-Magnificent Seven ATF crossover until, at least after Thanksgiving. Then we'll talk.