I am so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. But I am officially back from D.C. And it was amazing! Seriously, it was fantastic and beautiful. I saw the Vietnam memorial. I just can't get over how something oddly simple (especially compared to all of the other monuments) could hold so much power. I mean there is no way a person with even basic human emotion wouldn't be moved by that memorial. And it's literally a slab of marble with names carved into it. But I had tears in my eyes as I walked passed it.
On another note, I was watching Cover Story the other day, and I just noticed that the receptionist dude checked Tony up and down before he left the room! I mean, the big bright smile he gave them later makes so much more sense now! He was scamming on the DiNozzo! I don't know, I guess it's one of those things where you don't really notice it (at least I don't) for the first eighteen times you watch it and then, BAM! There it is.
Last note before the end, this chapter turned out much longer than I expected. Which is why I'm so late getting it out. Sorry about that. But I hope you like it! And now, onwards!
Chapter Fifteen
Tony and Gibbs dashed after Trent. Tony could still taste the kiss. It was a mixture of the taste of Gibbs and himself. Normally it disgusted him to taste himself on a lover's tongue, but he actually liked it this time. He liked that he was mingled with Gibbs.
Trent rounded a tree. Gibbs followed behind him while Tony circled around to cut him off. Trent saw him coming and tried to turn around. He was met by a rather pissed off Marine.
Tony figured he would give up, and all would be over. Except he didn't. Trent wheeled around and punched Tony square in the jaw. The agent stumbled. The guy had one hell of a right hook.
He spun around on Gibbs. Tony knew from firsthand experience that Gibbs was an incredible fighter, he was a Marine for goodness' sake, but Trent wasn't too shabby either.
The bastard was Military.
Tony snuck up behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck. He struggled for a while, but after a few moments of Tony squeezing his windpipe he stopped. Gibbs stepped into his personal space. For a second, Tony thought that Gibbs was going to punch him again.
"Who the hell are you people?" Trent gasped out. Only then did Tony realize how tight he was squeezing. He didn't let up.
"I could ask you the same question." Gibbs kept his voice level and calm. Tony couldn't help the grin that formed. Gibbs was going to interrogate this guy out in the middle of the woods with Tony choking him. Nice
"He called you Gibbs. What the hell was that about?"
"You a soldier? Marine?"
Trent spit at Gibbs. Tony squeezed even tighter. He coughed and gasped and tried to pull Tony off of him, but to no avail. "National Guard." It couldn't even be categorized as speaking, or even breathing. Tony was hard pressed to describe the sound. The lead agent eyed him, a clear indicator that Tony was squeezing too tight. With a heavy sigh, Tony loosened up, but not too much. Just enough so the guy didn't pass out on them.
Gibbs smiled. "You didn't by any chance have sniper training, did you?" Trent coughed and gurgled, but didn't respond. Tony took that to mean 'yes.'
"Who the hell are you people?" He asked again after another minute. This time his voice was almost back to normal.
"NCIS," said Gibbs. "I'm Special Agent Gibbs. And you're under arrest."
Trent struggled even harder against Tony. "You kidding me? For what?"
Tony finally released him and slammed him into the tree. He really wished he had his gun on him. If Trent really wanted to he could kill Tony with his bare hands. "For starters," he said with as much cockiness as he could muster, "how about assaulting two federal agents and finish off with murder."
The color disappeared from the receptionist's face. "Murder? I didn't kill anybody!" He tried to push Tony away, but the agent kept a hand on his chest and glared daggers at him. Trent's eyes lowered to slits as he sneered. "Is it standard procedure to blow your partner during a case?"
Tony spoke before he had the chance to think. "Undercover, had to make sure you all believed we belonged here."
"The real Keller and Spano were murdered." Gibbs stepped closer to Tony and Trent. His voice was pure malice. "On their way here. Sniper rifle, full metal jacket. And I'm bettin' you know how to work one of those."
Tony studied the man, pegging his reaction. He looked genuinely startled at everything he was being told. "What could I possibly gain from killing a fucking Marine and a judge?"
Gibbs shrugged. "Spano was using this resort to scam men out of thousands. If word got out, this place'll burn to the ground." Gibbs was on a role now. "You'd be out of a job, forced to make your way out in the world that turned it's back on you in the first place. So, you save the place, save your job and make your boss happy at the same time. Two birds, one bullet."
"I couldn't give a fuck about Millworth or this place. I want this shithole to burn to the ground. And if I knew that Spano was screwing these guys out of their money, I'd help him! I would never kill a Marine. I served with Marines."
Gibbs eyes turned to slits as he thought about that. "You got a lot of contempt for this place, don't ya?"
"Figure a military closet case, you'd be all stoked, have a place where you can be yourself." Trent tried to spit at Tony this time.
"Fuck you, I'm not a faggot."
Tony chuckled. "You're not? So, that wasn't you I heard sucking off Millworth the other day? Sounded like you."
Trent knocked his arm away to attack him again. Gibbs grabbed him around the waist and pinned his arms down. The man struggled for a while, but Gibbs had a freakishly strong grip… as Tony recently learned.
Finally, he settled down and Gibbs let go. Trent wouldn't meet their eyes, but Tony saw guilt and disgust on his face. "If you're not gay then why are you here?"
He sighed heavily. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. I was discharged from the National Guard."
"Medically?" Asked Gibbs. Although, from the tone of his voice, he didn't really believe that.
"Dishonorably." He sighed again. "When I was in college, I did a video."
Tony's eyes widened as he started to get the picture. "Broke straight guy, by any chance?" He knew a few guys at his frat who went that route for a few extra bucks. Tony stuck with donating sperm. Trent visibly wilted. "The Guard found out, I take it."
"I was broke, but I'm not gay. But it didn't matter. I disgraced the entire freaking Guard just to make two hundred bucks. You try getting a job with a dishonorable discharge, and then explaining why. Nobody would take me seriously." He started to really get upset again. "And then I met Millworth."
Tony and Gibbs listened as Trent told his story. It was gut wrenching. He basically became a sex slave to Millworth in exchange for a job. His girlfriend didn't even know he was in the National Guard because he was afraid to tell her why he was discharged. He was the kind of guy who thought about killing himself every day, but he was too much of a coward to go through with it.
"Worst mistake I ever made."
He was silent for a few more minutes. He obviously didn't want to share his entire life story with two complete strangers, but Tony could tell he needed to talk with somebody. That was why he started seeing a therapist. There were some things you just needed to get off your chest before you exploded.
"You two ever serve?"
Gibbs nodded. "Marines."
Trent nodded. "If the murders were connected to the Farm, would it be shut down?"
Tony shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
Gibbs finished for him, "But we can help you, if you help us. We can't reverse your discharge, but we can get you outta here."
"You can do that?" For some reason, he turned to Tony when he asked. His face was wide open like a little child. Tony couldn't imagine what this man went through. Every day, doing something he hated, that disgusted him. Tony loved his job, he loved the people he worked with. He was falling in love with Gibbs, but that was something completely unrelated.
"It won't be glamorous, but you won't have to spend time on your knees anymore." He added a reassuring smile.
Trent huffed. He obviously couldn't believe that they were telling him the truth. "Why should I believe you? You're just as bad as they are!"
"Because we're all you got." Tony stepped closer into his personal space. He sighed heavily. "You don't think we don't know what it's like to do something you hate for your job? We do." He left it vague so Trent could think whatever he wanted. But Tony had a few specific images in his head. He didn't want to shoot Jeffrey White, he sure as hell didn't want to go to Tel Aviv to meet with Ziva's father, and a day will never come when he didn't regret what happened with Jeanne. "We need your help. And you need ours. What do you say?"
Trent breathed heavily. He was quiet for a few minutes as he thought it all over. "I won't say anything. As far as anyone's concerned, I saw and heard nothing."
"Well that's definitely helpful," Tony started. "But we need more. What were you even doing out here?"
Trent turned a little sheepish before he answered. "Somebody asked me to check up on you two after your little indiscretion at the bar."
Tony blushed again. In hindsight it probably wasn't the smartest move he could make, grinding up on his boss in a crowded bar. Not that he regretted it or anything.
"Who was it?" Gibbs asked.
Trent sighed. "Bernie, he's one of our security guards."
*~*
Tim finally made it back to the Navy Yard hours later. He hated this case. He hated what Gibbs just made him do. He knew that Gibbs wasn't perfect, but he asked Tim to do something that could have jeopardized their case.
Why did Wilbur Griffin deserve special treatment? The man was a hypocrite who cheated on his wife and lied to the public. He preached that homosexuals were impure servants of the devil, and infidelity was a sin against God. Tim saw the pictures of Griffin. He had engaged in a few orgies with other men. He didn't deserve sympathy.
Gibbs informed Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman about Corporal Ernie Yost's wife's involvement with Corporal Kean, the victim. But Wilbur Griffin got a free pass.
Some part of Tim thought it was because Gibbs could relate better with Griffin.
He strode into the building and immediately went down to Abby's lab. As always, the music filled the room. Tim heard what sounded like saws being played with a violin bow by a tone deaf three year old. There was nothing appealing about Abby's music, there was no melody, or even just simple fluidity. But for some strange reason, Abby loved it.
The second thing he man noticed was the absence of Abby. He looked around but he couldn't find her anywhere. "Abby?" He called. He checked her office; nothing. Where the hell was she?
"You looking for me McGee?"
Tim wheeled around at the sound of Abby's voice. She stood before him in her usual short skirt, high stocking ensemble. "Where were you?"
"Bathroom." She moved back to her computer. "I drink a lot of Caf Pow! McGee. One of the side effects is a very full bladder."
Tim shook his head. "Did you find anything?"
"McGee, are you doubting my awesomeness?" She made her way to her computer and started typing. "I've been working on finding the sniper's nest. From what I can tell so far, this guy was good. And I mean like really good. Like, good as Gibbs good. Not that I'm doubting the bossman's awesomeness, but if he wasn't a cold blooded killer, our guy would totally deserve a golf clap."
"Abby!" Tim yelled, finally fed up. "Why is our guy awesome?"
She turned to him, a strange look on her face. "The shot came from a mile away. The spots he could have been perched were minimal. He had to be one hell of a sniper to hit Lieutenant Colonel Keller and Judge Spano, McGoo."
Tim looked at her with an annoyed look on his face. Abby's eyes widened even further as a pout crossed her lips. "Well, Tony's not here, and somebody had to do it, McGee! I just decided that it had to be me."
Tim shook his head. "Why does everyone have to take on Tony's role when he's not here?"
"Because it's Tony!" Tim still didn't understand Abby. She glared. "Gibbs would understand."
That caused Tim to shiver. He was still trying to be open and accepting, but he still had a hard time believing that Tony and Gibbs were in love. He worked with these people for years and he never saw anything.
"How are they?" Abby asked, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts.
It took him a second to figure out who she was talking about. "Oh, um, I don't know, they didn't say anything."
"Well did they look happy? Did they look satisfied?" She said that with an evil grin.
"Abby!" That was something Tim did not want to think about.
"I bet they've had sex while they were there." Abby kept going, despite his feelings. "I mean, they're at a gay sex resort, surrounded by hot men getting down and dirty. I think they definitely acted on their feelings. I mean, how could they not?" She swiveled around with a beaming smile on her face. "Who do you think is the pitcher?"
Tim shut his eyes tight. That was definitely not an image he wanted in his head. Fortunately, Abby answered her own question before he could speak. "I think Gibbs pitches. I mean, it makes sense. He is a Marine. Marines never catch. And Tony follows him around like a puppy dog."
"Abby, I really don't think we should be talking about this."
Abby pouted again. "But McGee! It's Gibbs and Tony! And they finally acted on their feelings."
"That may be, but we don't have to talk about it. I'm sorry Abby, but I don't want to hear about Tony and Gibbs having sex."
"DiNozzo and Gibbs are having sex?"
Tim paled. He slowly turned to see Vance and Ziva standing in the doorway of Abby's lab. Both wore matching surprised looks. Tim swallowed. "No."
Ziva pointed as her eyes glazed over in thought. "But you just said—"
"We're speculating, based on the case." Tim interrupted.
Vance didn't look convinced. Neither did Ziva, but he really didn't care. She was scary, sure, but she couldn't fire him.
"Agent McGee." Vance waved him forward. "Come with me."
It was like walking the green mile on his way to his own execution. His heart beat a mile a minute. He had no idea what Vance wanted with him, and he was too terrified to even think.
How pathetic was he? He managed just fine the last time, and he inadvertently outted the Director. What could possibly be worse than that?
They stepped onto the elevator. The very small elevator. Wasn't the director some crazy special ops guy way back when? How easily could he kill Tim in his cramped space?
He flicked the emergency stop, the lift slowed to a stop and the lights dimmed. This wasn't good.
"What exactly is going on with Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo, Agent McGee?"
Tim stuttered a few moments before he actually spoke. "They're on an undercover assignment to Millworth Farms. We discussed this yesterday."
"Do you know if your coworkers are engaging in a romantic relationship with each other?" Vance whirled around and shot him his hardest look.
Tim finally got his courage back up. "No sir. I just know they're doing their jobs."
Vance snorted. "Selling the cover of two closeted gay men at a sex resort."
A sex resort that you visited yourself director, Tim thought, but didn't say. That was just asking for trouble. "I'm sure Tony and Gibbs are being completely professional." It didn't look like Vance was believing him. "Sir, with all due respect, I know that you don't like Tony very much, but he's a great agent. Hell, he's better than most people in this agency. And we both know that Gibbs is the best agent you got. Whatever they're doing, I'm sure the assignment is their first priority."
"You think Gibbs never screwed up? You think that he never hindered an investigation."
Tim immediately thought back to this morning. "Sir, everything that Gibbs does is for the people that he serves, and unfortunately, that doesn't just include you." He sighed heavily. "He always does what he believes to be the right thing."
"And DiNozzo? Does he always do the right thing? Did he think it was the right thing when he killed a Mossad officer?"
"The guy killed an American and attacked Tony, didn't he?"
Vance glared hard. Tim knew that Vance always liked him, but he wasn't sure how strong that feeling was at this point. A part of him wondered if the director was only acting like this because of what he told him yesterday. Maybe he was testing to see if Tim would throw that in his face if he pushed him far enough. Or maybe he was ensuring that he would keep his word and stay quiet.
Or maybe he was just getting slack from the FBI and the Secretary of the Navy so now he was taking it on the Senior Agent in the office. "Tell Gibbs he had forty-eight hours, and then I'm taking over the investigation."
"But sir, you can't—"
"It's my agency, McGee. I can do whatever the hell I please." He flicked the switch again. The doors opened only seconds later. Vance strode out and headed for the stairs. They were back in the basement at Abby's lab.
Tim slouched against the elevator wall. Things were getting worse with every minute that passed.
He really hated this case.
Well, yet again, tell me what you think. Do you like where things are going? And just so you all know, it will probably be a while before they have sex again. But the story probably isn't going to take much longer. We're more than halfway through! Hurrah! Please, read, enjoy, maybe leave a review to make me all warm and fuzzy inside!