A/N: I just want to thank folks for nominating and then voting for A Rose By Any Other Name as best crossover in the 2012 Profiler's Choice Awards. I am so touched and honored that people enjoyed that story so much. I hope you like this story which is the sequel to Rose as well. Please let me know what you think.
"We'll take our car," Gibbs told Emily and Rossi as he strode quickly towards the parking lot where the NCIS agency cars were. Ziva had fallen into step behind her boss with Emily not too far behind. Rossi was startled by the abrupt and quick pace and hastened to catch up with them.
Dave barely managed to slide into the elevator before the doors closed. He gave Gibbs a sharp look. "You move fast," he said in a mild tone.
"Don't like wasting time," was Gibbs' simple reply. His cold blue eyes stared appraisingly at Rossi who calmly submitted himself to the scrutiny. The oldest profiler in the group had been around much longer than his teammates. He knew they were stepping into Gibbs' territory despite the fact that the BAU had caught the case before NCIS was involved. Gibbs was a former Marine and one thing all good Marines had in common was loyalty. Out of loyalty to Commander Hill, Gibbs would personally see her murder is solved, agency jurisdiction be damned. The icy blue eyes seemed to lighten just a fraction and Gibbs looked away, having ascertained whatever information he had been looking for. The elevator dinged, announcing they have arrived at their destination and the NCIS agent was already stepping off before the doors could fully open.
"Charming fellow," Rossi huffed out as he tried to keep up with the quick pace Gibbs set.
"He has his moments," Emily replied. They reached the car just as Gibbs and Ziva were getting into the front seats.
As Rossi slid into his seat, he noticed Emily was hastily buckling her seatbelt. Puzzled, he slammed his car door shut and opened his mouth to ask her why she was in such a hurry to put on her seatbelt when there was a squeal of tires and the car was put violently into reverse. Rossi was thrown back against his seatback but before he could recover from his surprise, the car lurched forward as Gibbs changed gears and pressed down hard on the accelerator. Rossi fell off the backseat into an undignified heap on the floor.
Emily helped her friend back up, a wry smile on her face. "I forgot to mention that Gibbs is kind of an aggressive driver."
"Thanks for the warning, Prentiss," Rossi scowled as he resumed his seat. Gibbs took a sharp turn, throwing Dave against his door. Hurriedly, the FBI agent found his seatbelt and fastened it. He sent Prentiss an alarmed look.
She smiled and shrugged. "It could be worse."
"How could it be worse?" Rossi hissed back at her.
"Ziva could be driving."
Rossi muttered a short prayer in Italian and made the sign of the cross. The prayer seemed to work as they made it to the Italian Embassy in one piece though Rossi suspected he had quite a few more gray hairs after the ride. As they followed Ziva and Gibbs up towards the building, he gave Emily a look.
"How are you doing, kiddo?" Rossi murmured under his breath.
Emily arched an eyebrow at him. "Fine. Why do you ask?"
"You seemed upset earlier," Rossi murmured. "Did something happen?"
She licked her lips, but merely said, "I just needed a quiet place to do some research which was why I left the others to set up. I had that hunch I wanted to follow up on." Her face darkened. "Something Hotch didn't think I capable of handling."
"I don't think it was that, Emily," Rossi replied in a gentle voice. He hesitated a moment and then said carefully. "He's just being cautious, especially after what happened with Foyet. He can't bear to think of losing someone else who's close to him."
"We're not close, Rossi."
"Yes you are. You may not think it and he may not show it all the time, but you are close to him." Rossi glanced ahead where he could see Gibbs' gray coat flapping in the wind as he walked. "Hotch is a lot like your friend over there. Proud, private, but protective. They're men that don't show affection often or openly, but they feel it deeply." He patted Emily's shoulder. "Don't take it personally. It's not a comment on your abilities. It's just his misguided sense of protectiveness."
"Well, I wish he would direct it somewhere else," Emily grumbled. She sneezed violently and fished out a tissue to blow her nose.
Rossi frowned at her. "You're sounding worse."
Emily waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing."
Rossi continued to frown but said no more as they had caught up with Ziva and Gibbs at the front door of the Italian Embassy. After showing their credentials and explaining their request they were asked to wait in the Vice Counsel's office. A tall, gray hair man, hair carefully coiffed in sculpted waves and dressed in an impeccable designer suit entered the room and looked inquiringly at them. His smile revealed gleaming, perfect white teeth.
"Agents?" His deep baritone was slightly accented, but his English was perfect. "I am Bernardo Manzetti, Vice Counsel. I understand you have questions regarding a cell phone that is from the embassy."
"We need to find the owner of this number. It's connected to a case we are working on," Ziva said as she handed a slip of paper with a number printed on it after the agents introduced themselves.
Manzetti took the paper and glanced at the number. A look of exasperation crossed his face and he sighed. "Prego, si accomodi. Please, sit down. I have forgotten my manners."
"We're fine," Gibbs replied. "The number."
The Vice Counsel sighed again. "Si, I know the number. I trust a woman is involved?"
"What makes you say that?" Emily asked.
"The man assigned to this number is a, how do you say? Ladies man." Manzetti pursed his lips in distaste, indicating that was the politest term he could find to describe his colleague. "I will ask that he join us." He crossed over to a phone and spoke in rapid Italian.
Gibbs was the only agent in the room who did not understand Italian. Ziva said under her breath. "He just asked them to bring in that disgusting dog."
"Don't need to understand the language to know the Vice Counsel isn't a fan of this guy," Gibbs muttered back.
Manzetti hung up and came towards them with his polite smile firmly back in place. "Prego, is there anything I can get for you? Some cappuccino?"
"Thank you, no. We just need to speak to the owner of that number," Rossi politely declined.
"He is coming." Manzetti pursed his lips again in distaste.
A few moments later, there was a quiet knock on the door. The Vice Counsel asked the person to come in and the door opened. He was tall with dark hair that turned silver at the temples and was in his late 40s or early 50s. His tanned skin spoke of leisurely hours spent in the sun probably playing tennis or polo judging by his lean, but muscular frame. Bright blue eyes looked out from his face. He was a handsome man, but there was something about him that set off warning bells in three of the agents.
For Emily, she found herself facing a childhood nightmare.
Rossi was standing next to Prentiss and he felt her tense when the man walked into the room. He turned to look at her in surprise and saw she had paled considerably. She swallowed a gasp, but made enough noise to make Gibbs and Ziva turn around. Though she tried to hide it, Prentiss definitely looked surprised and shaken. The other three agents turned sharp eyes back to the new man and instinctively, Rossi moved closer to Emily and the NCIS agent positioned themselves protectively in front of her, to keep her separated from this newcomer.
"Agents, this is Riccardo Rapetti. He is an attaché here," Manzetti said. "Riccardo, these are agents from NCIS and the FBI. Agents Gibbs, David, Rossi and Prentiss."
"Prentiss?" Rapetti asked in surprised. He looked at Emily and the most unpleasant smile curled around his lips. Rossi, Gibbs and Ziva could feel their hackles raised and they moved just a fraction more into a protective stance around Emily. "I remember an Ambassador Prentiss in Rome when I just started my career. Are you related to her?"
"Her daughter," Emily said stiffly. Rossi sent her a sharp look and then a hostile one at the man.
Rome. The Ambassador was assigned to Rome when Emily was a teenager. Rossi knew that was not a good year for Emily.
"Ah, yes, I think I see the resemblance. A beautiful woman, the Ambassador, like her daughter." He moved as if to shake Emily's hand, but suddenly found himself almost running into the solid wall made of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
"We need to know if this phone number belongs to you," Gibbs asked, holding up the piece of paper, forcing the man to look at him and away from Emily. Gibbs didn't know what was going on but this man was upsetting his friend and that was enough for Gibbs to make sure he didn't come within ten feet of her.
Rapetti let out a sigh and glanced at the number. "Yes, it is mine. What is this about?"
"Do you know a Commander Laura Hill?" Rossi asked. He was becoming alarmed. He could feel Emily trembling ever so slightly. Something about this man had rattled her and she didn't rattle easily.
"Yes, we went out several times."
"Has something happened to the young lady?" Manzetti inquired, a hint of concern in his voice. He sent Rapetti a sharp look.
"What makes you think that?" Gibbs asked, his voice cold and hard.
"Four agents from two different American law enforcement agencies, it is definitely a serious matter," the Vice Counsel explained, sending Rapetti another sharp, piercing look.
"If something has happened to Laura, I was not involved. I have not seen her in a week," Rapetti said in a dismissive tone.
"She is dead," Ziva replied bluntly, repulsed by the man's callous attitude.
"That is a shame. She was very pretty," Rapetti said, his focus back on Emily. He smiled at her and it was all Emily could do to not shrink back or throw up.
"Hey! Show some respect," Gibbs snarled as he stepped closer towards the man, once again blocking Rapetti's view of Emily. "She was murdered and we need to know where you were last Tuesday."
Rapetti sighed. "I will get you my calendar. Perhaps Agent Prentiss would like to come with me?" He grinned at Emily.
Prentiss could feel her stomach churn and bile rise in her throat. Before she could formulate an answer or Gibbs could push the man back, Ziva stepped forward and said, "I will go with you," she said in a tone that would stand for no discussion or arguments.
Rapetti glanced at her and shrugged. He smiled one more time at Emily. "Perhaps we can have a coffee later, Agent Prentiss and talk about Rome."
This time it was Rossi who stepped before Emily and glared at the other man. The Vice Counsel muttered something under his breath and ordered Rapetti sharply to get his calendar information for the agents. When he had left the room with Ziva, Manzetti apologized for his subordinate's behavior. "I am sorry, he is not a polite man around women."
"You have any complaints about his behavior towards women?" Gibbs asked as he glared at the door Rapetti had gone through there.
"Only that he 'dates' too many women and does not concentrate on his work," Manzetti said with a slight curl of his lip. "However, there have been no formal complaints." He sounded regretful. "Rapetti is the son of-"
"Bruno Rapetti, the billionaire," Emily said in a soft voice. "He has connections and is looked after very well."
"Si," Manzetti responded, grateful Emily said what he could not. "He is not the ideal choice here."
"What does he do?" Rossi asked.
"Cultural affairs," Manzetti waved his hand. "Essentially he goes to parties and help plan events though others do the actual work."
"You know of any of his other 'dates' we can interview?" Gibbs asked.
Manzetti shook his head. "No, I do not have their names and phone numbers. I simply hear things and one has to wonder what might be idle gossip."
"But you don't think it's just gossip," Rossi asked.
Manzetti's lip curled again. "How do you say here? There is smoke, there is likely fire."
Ziva returned at that moment and the agents departed, each of them watching a very quiet Emily closely. Rapetti was not seen again, but it was obvious Prentiss had been rattled by the man's appearance and that he knew the effect he had on her. Silently they got into the car, the FBI agents again taking the backseat. This time, Gibbs drove less aggressively and in the rearview mirror he watched Rossi give Emily a worried look. The woman ignored her colleague and everyone else in the care as she studiously looked out the window.
Ziva watched Gibbs watch the FBI agents in the back. She took a deep breath and said, "According to Rapetti's schedule he was in meetings during the day and then had an embassy dinner to attend the day Commander Hill disappeared."
"Track down anyone who can corroborate his story," Gibbs ordered as he continued to glance in the rearview mirror. "The Vice Counsel pretty much said this guy is a real dirtbag with women. If there's something hinky about him, we need to know." This last part was directed at Emily who looked away from the window and met Gibbs' eyes in the rearview mirror for a second before she turned away again to look at the passing scenery that was quickly disappearing as night fell.
A/N 2: Yep, there's going to be an explanation of where and how Emily knows Rapetti and why he freaks her out so much and let's just say the explanation will be sending more than one guy through the roof when they figure it out.