Yeah, I know its been almost a week since my last update, but I was lazy. And it seems that even after I explained that Gibbs and Tony are not dead, you still seem to be a little confused. So I'm gonna say that I have no freakin' idea why the kidnappers want them to think the other is dead. Charlie probably doesn't either. Its most likely cuz they're a bunch of freakin' psychos! Sorry about my rant. It happens sometimes. So I'm just gonna shut up and let you read the chapter.
Ziva placed her head in her hands, letting her brown hair fall in front of her eyes. She gently rubbed her forehead and sighed softly. McGee stopped working and glanced over at Ziva. He was worried about her. When Gibbs and Tony first went missing, Ziva had taken the lead in searching for them. But days turned into weeks and weeks turned to months, and Ziva had lost faith in herself along the way.
"Ziva," McGee said softly.
Ziva raised her head and glared at McGee with a look she had most definitely adopted from Gibbs. Ziva was angry with everyone. She hated the people who took Tony and Gibbs away from them, she hated the people at the agency who didn't take this seriously, and she hated herself for not finding them.
"Ziva, are you alright?"
"Yes, McGee, I am fine considering it's been over a month since Gibbs and Tony went missing and they are most likely dead. So, yes, I am fine," Ziva snapped.
McGee's phone rang; he had long since given up hope that it would be Gibbs and tony calling to say they were okay. McGee was now terrified it would be someone calling to report that their bodies had been found.
"Special Agent McGee," he said answering the phone.
"You and Miss David need to get up here now." It was Vance.
"Yes, sir."
McGee hung up and motioned for Ziva to follow him to MTAC. The two trudged up the stairs, the claws of fear playing their heartstrings like a guitar. McGee paused for the eyes scan, and then opened the door.
Vance's mouth was drawn in a thin line. He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but it had to be said. Vance led Ziva and McGee to empty chairs, and prepared himself for what he was about to say.
"You need to move on," Vance started.
"Excuse me?" Ziva asked angrily.
Vance held up a hand to quiet her and Ziva reluctantly shut up.
"Most kidnapping victims are killed in the first ninety-six hours. I, however, do not want to believe the Gibbs and DiNozzo have met that fate and I know for a fact neither of you want to think about it either. However, there has been no recent development in their case. So I'm assigning two new agents to your team."
"What?" Ziva roared.
"You need help with this case, you can't do it alone," Vance stated. "Face it, you're used to working as a team, and I feel you need help with-"
"We are perfectly capable of picking up the sack Gibbs and Tony left behind," Ziva interrupted.
"Slack," McGee corrected.
Vance rolled his eyes and motioned for someone to come forward. A man and a woman stepped out of the shadows. The man stood tall and confident. His hair was black and his eyes were grey-blue. The woman was small; she looked almost like a teenager. She had long fiery red hair that came down to her waist and her eyes were light brown. She appeared to be afraid of Ziva and McGee.
"This is Special Agent Justin Brown," Vance said, pointing at the man. "He's been an agent for seven years."
Brown shook Ziva and McGee's hands and sat down like he was already one of them. Ziva took an instant disliking to his cockiness. Brown seemed infatuated with himself; it seemed he considered himself a big shot.
"And this," Vance introduced, "is Special Agent Brianna Rain."
"Bree," she said sheepishly. "Please call me Bree."
Vance nodded. "You are Bree's first team."
Bree looked uncomfortable as she sat down beside McGee and Ziva. Vance explained that Brown and Bree would be helping with the 'Gibbs and DiNozzo' case. Ziva wasn't happy with that. She didn't like either of them for the simple fact they were there to replace Gibbs and Tony.
Brown lounged lazily in Tony's chair like he didn't have a care in the world. He rummaged through the desk, just inviting himself in. Ziva fingered a paperclip, debating on which way to kill Brown with it. Ziva's eyes flew to Brown when he knocked Tony's Mighty Mouse stapler off his desk. She rushed over and held the object in her hands as if it were as fragile as tissue paper.
"You can't sit there," Ziva snapped.
Brown shrugged and moved to Gibbs's desk and flipped through private files, meant only for the team's eyes. With a growl Ziva slammed her hand down on the desk, closing the file. Brown gazed up at her annoyed expression.
"You can't sit there either," she said through gritted teeth.
"Then where should I sit?"
"The floor, maybe," Ziva muttered.
"Is that any way to talk to me? You, Miss David, need your attitude checked," Brown retorted.
"Who perished and made you team leader?" Ziva growled.
"It's died. And your boss did."
Brown found himself on the floor with the tip of a misshaped paperclip pointed at his nose.
"Take that back," Ziva ordered.
"And if I don't?" Brown questioned.
"If you don't, this paperclip goes up your nose and into your brain."
"Yeah, like you're really going to do that," Brown snorted. "You have to face the fact that your co-workers are most likely dead."
The tip of the paperclip entered Brown's nostril and scratched the sensitive tissue. He began to struggle under Ziva's grasp. She wanted to kill him, but she refrained from doing so. Maybe she could "accidentally" bump it…
"Get this crazy chick off me!" Brown screamed.
Ziva felt McGee gently grip her shoulders. She let him pull her off of Brown, who stood up and held his nose as little droplets of blood trickled out of it. Ziva and Brown stared each other down. McGee felt a fight coming on, so he stepped in between them. McGee could feel the tension in the air like thick smoke.
"Field trip," McGee announced.
"To where?" Bree asked excitedly.
"The crime scene."
The four walked to the cars and had a quiet ride to Gibbs's house. When they had parked out front, they found Ducky's car in the driveway. McGee felt his stomach doing back flips, he couldn't get the look of pain and grief the elderly doctor had worn at the crime scene out of his head.
McGee opened the door and everyone shuffled in behind him. They found Ducky sitting in an arm chair with his head in his hands. He smiled weakly at them as they approached.
"What are you doing here?" Brown demanded. "This is a crime scene."
"It's okay, he's our ME," McGee assured.
"I thought you said they weren't dead!" Bree exclaimed.
The thought of dead bodies terrified Bree, as did the thought of possibly shooting someone. Ziva scared her too. Truth be told, she was easily frightened. But she had to become an NCIS agent. She owed it to her family.
"They aren't," Ducky told Bree softly. "And you are?"
They had their introductions and the team moved upstairs. McGee's eyes were glued to the blood stains on the floor and wall. It wasn't enough for someone to bleed out, but just same, it was blood. Most likely Gibbs and Tony's blood.
"They were hurt when they were taken," Bree said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Bree had never met Gibbs or Tony, but strangely she felt she had to help them. In a way she knew they were alive, but she also knew they didn't have much time. It was a strange feeling really. It started in the pit of her stomach and made its way up.
"They're alive," Bree said. "I can feel it. In my…In my gut, you know?"
McGee smiled. "Yeah, I know." McGee shook her hand in greeting. "Welcome to the team, Probie."
I really, really, hate Brown. I think he's an arrogant buttface. But I really like Bree though. Oh, and ya know how I told you about McGee the fish dying last week? Now all the fishies are dead cuz the idiots who cleaned the tank last used cold water instead of room temperature and they all freakin' died. I'm still not sure how Gibbs died, cuz we found him in the filter thingy. And the autopsy report on McGee is still missing.
I have no freakin' idea when I'll post the next chapter, so don't ask me. And the next chapter will be centered on Gibbs and Tony. I think its just Tony, but I'm not sure.