Riddle Me This, NCIS
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"For the next clue, the book is still due? What the hell does that mean? And where the hell is Kate?"
"Probably with Anthony, Jethro."
"No, I talked to DiNozzo…he left town again."
"What!?"
"What didn't you understand, Ziva?"…He pauses…"McGee, find Kate."
McGee rose from kneeling with a PDA in hand…"On it, Boss."
"Ziva, call Tony."
"Tony?"
"Yes, Tony."
"Why?"
"Because he worked all of the field work on the riddle case."
"He's suspended."
"You have a better idea, Officer David?"
Ziva flips open her cell and dials Tony…it rings once and goes directly to voicemail.
"Right to voicemail, Gibbs."
"Damn it."
"Where is he, maybe I can go and get him?"
"No idea, he suppose to be clearing his head."
Ziva closes her phone… "I'll find him."
"How?"
"I was in Mossad, Gibbs…I know how to find people."
"What the hell you waiting for then?"
Ziva hands Palmer the camera and leaves.
----------
Ziva opened Tony's door, putting away her lockpicking tool as she walked towards his bedroom. She starts going through his papers in his drawer.
"May I help you?"
Ziva quickly turned around…"Kate?"
"Yup."
"You ok? Are you drinking?"
"Maybe."
Ziva moves to her and slaps her in the face…"What in the hell are you thinking!?"
Kate drops her glass and puts her hand to her face and rubs it…"I don't know what I'm thinking."…She flops down on the bed, still rubbing where Ziva slapped her.
"Gibbs is looking for you."
"I…I got a call, but I didn't answer it."
"Kate…what's wrong?"
"I think Tony dumped me."
"Really!?"
"What?"
"I…I'm sorry."
Kate lies back on the bed…"God, I can smell him…I so miss him."
"Kate the riddle guy is back."
Kate quickly sits up…"W…what?"
"Do you know where Tony is?"
"No…no, I don't."
Ziva turns back around…"You could try calling the airport and see if he was on any flights."
"Good thinking, Kate."…Ziva starts to leave, but stops… "Come on, lets get you up and walking."…Ziva helps Kate up and puts Kate's arm around her shoulder and helps her walk…. "I'll take you home."
They move out the front door and she opens the passenger side door and helps her into the car…Ziva then moves around to her driver's side and turns away from the car. She closes her eyes and hears Kate's voice…"I think Tony dumped me."
"YES!"…Ziva yelled….she quickly gets in the car.
"What was that about, Ziva?"
Ziva starts the car…"Nothing."
----------
Kate lied on her sofa, her arms and legs tucked in the fetal position…Ziva walked over to her…"I found that blanket."…Kate doesn't answer…Ziva moved to her, putting the blanket over her.
Kate giggled…she starts talking gibberish in her sleep.
Ziva lifted Kate's hair out of her face and knelt next to her…"I'm sorry, Kate. I really am."…Ziva stood and left through the front door.
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"Boss, Ziva found Kate at Tony's…she said she wasn't feeling well."
"Damn it…where's Ziva?"
"She said she was gonna check out some airlines."
"Call her and tell her to stop…we need her here."
"You got it, Boss."
Gibbs moves over to Ducky…"What's the word, Ducky?"
"Just finished signing for her, Jethro. She's in the truck…I'll start the autopsy as soon as I get back."
"Let me know what you find."
"Of course, Jethro."…Ducky and Palmer leave.
McGee walks over to Gibbs…"Just got off the phone with Ziva…she's on her way."
"Good."
McGee toggles through photos in his camera…photos show Penelope Mendoza shot in the forehead, powder marks are around the bullet hole, it's a through and through…"What kind of person would shoot their own mother in the head, Boss?"
"More than you think, Tim."
Gibbs' cell rings…"Gibbs."
"Hey, Gibbs…I got some news for ya."
"What is it, Abs?"
"Alfred Mendoza was admitted to University Hospital with a severe concussion and a broken leg a couple hours ago…and their daughter is missing."
"I figured that, Abs…he mentioned another woman in this message."
"BTW, Gibbs."
"BTW?"
"By the way."
"Why didn't you just say by the way then?"
"Because I'm not old…not that you're old or anything…I love your gray…no silver hair, it's so sexy…uber-sexy."
"Too late, Abby."
"Aww, shucks…anyway, it seems Eduardo Mendoza had help breaking out of Belmont Psychiatric Hospital…her name…"
Gibbs interrupts Abby…"Her?"
"Yeah, she was psychiatrist working there…Candace Williams."
"What did he do…sweet talk her?"
"No clue, Gibbs…but the director of the hospital, Robert Allison did get complaints about them being too friendly."
"Excellent work by them, I see."
"Gibbs?"
"Yeah, Abs?"
"Silver IS sexy."…Abby hangs up.
Gibbs chuckles and takes a drink of his coffee…"McGee, where the hell is Ziva!?"
---------
Ziva stepped back into the house…"You wanted me here, Gibbs?"
"You and McGee go interview the father."
"Where is he, Boss?"
"University hospital."
"Lets go, Tim."
"Can I drive, Ziva?"
"No."
-------
Ziva steps out of the car and walks towards the hospital entrance…McGee places his hand on the hood of the car and steadies himself.
"Come on, Tim!"
"I'm trying to catch my breath."
Ziva moves to him, grabbing him by the ear and yanking him.
"Ow, ow, ow…ow, ow, ow…ok, ok, OK…I'm coming."
Ziva lets go and they walk into the emergency room…"McGee, David…NCIS."…McGee shows his badge.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
"We're here to talk to Alfredo Mendoza."
"He's in room 117. I'll page his doctor."
"Thank you."
"I'm gonna grab some coffee, McGee."
He nods…"Can you grab me a cup, too!?"
Ziva walked down the hall and slid into an empty room…she takes out her cell and dials…it goes right to speed dial…"Hey, Tony…it's Ziva…I….I wanted to let you know that I'm here for you, at any time, any place…call me and I'll be there with whistles on. You'll call me, yes? Ok, bye!"
Ziva lowers her head and closes her phone on her forehead…"Tembel!"
----------
McGee stands next to a doctor as Ziva walks back into the ER lobby
"What's up, McGee?"
"This is Doctor Jeanne Benoit, she's treating Alfred Mendoza."
"You can talk to him, for 5 minutes. We've gotten the swelling in his brain to subside, he should be out of danger, but he needs his rest."
"Thank you, doctor."
Ziva stood still and watched Dr. Benoit walk away.
McGee looks back at Ziva…"Something wrong?"
"I don't like her."
"You don't even know her."
"I still don't like her."
"Ziva, lets go."
"I bet she's a kalba."
McGee sighs…"You think everyone's a kalba, Ziva."
Ziva starts towards the room…"Yes…come on, little kalba."…She laughs softly.
McGee shakes his head…"I walked right into that one."
They walked into room 117, Alfredo Mendoza laid in bed, his left leg in traction.
"Sorry to meet like this, Mr. Mendoza."
He turns his face…the left side of his face is swollen.
"F...find my daughter."
Ziva moved to the opposite side of McGee…"What's her name?"
"Marisol."
"Awww, what a beautiful name."
McGee took out his PDA and starts typing with his thumbs…"Was it your son, Mr. Mendoza?"
"Y…yes, it was Eddie and there was this strange woman, they were in costumes."
"Costumes? What kind of costumes, Sir?"
"He was dressed in all green and purple and she was in all red and she had this weird hat with bells."
"Bells?"
"Yeah, weird."
Ziva puts her hand on his wrist…"I'm sorry about your wife."
"What…what…happened to her?"
"Oh…I thought they told you."
"Told me what?"
"She's gone, Mr. Mendoza."
He lowers his head and turns it to the side and goes silent.
"Come on, Ziva."
Ziva pats his wrist one last time and heads out the door…"Hey, what happened to you getting coffee?"
"I drank it."
"Mine, too?"
"I was thirsty, yes?"
-------
Gibbs steps off into autopsy.
"What you got for me, Ducky?"
"COD was a SGW to the head, he put the muzzle right to her forehead, Jethro…I've sent the indentation up to Abigail, maybe she can get the model of the weapon."
"Looks like a 45 to me, Duck."
"Did you ever find the bullet?"
"Nope, he must've retrieved it, while policing his brass."
"No trace under her fingernails…and no defensive wounds on her arms."
"She didn't fight back."
"Very sad, Jethro."
Ducky moves to his computer area and grabs a chart…"Hmm, before I forget, I did find biological trace on Lt. Colonel's face."
"No, don't tell me, Ducky."
"Heaven's no, Jethro…its saliva."
"He kissed her before shooting her?"
"Not quite, priliminary tests show it's female…and it was more like a lick"
"So, let me get this straight…a woman licked her face, then he shot her?"
"Indeed, Jethro."
"She wasn't sexually assaulted was she?"
"No."
Gibbs turns and walks out…"Let me know if you find anything else out, Duck."
-------
Gibbs steps off the elevator into the squad room.
Ziva stands looking at the plasma…"This guy is the riddle guy? He looks like a little punk."
"That would be him."…McGee said while sitting at his desk.
Gibbs sat at his desk…"Where's Kate?"
Ziva turns…"She's not feeling well, I told you, remember?"
"Oh, Boss…Director Shepard wants to see you."
"What the hell does Jenny want now?"…Gibbs stands shaking his head, he quickly moves up the stairs.
"Jenny?"
"You didn't here, McGee…they bumped uglies for awhile."
"Bumped uglies?"
"Did I say it wrong, I heard it from Tony."
McGee laughs…"Figures."
Gibbs rushes past a rambling Cynthia…"You…can't…go…in…there…Special…Agent…Gibbs."
Gibbs stands in front of Director Shepard's desk as Cynthia makes her way to the door…"It's ok, Cynthia…please close the door."
She closes it as Gibbs puts his hands against Jenny's desk…"What do you want Jen?"
"Director Shepard, Special Agent Gibbs."
"Sorry, whenever I look at you, I think of Paris."
"Making love?"
"No, screwing me over, Jen!"
She clears her throat…"What's the news on Lt. Col. Mendoza's murder, Jethro?"
"I dunno, my senior field agent is still suspended."
Jenny sighs…"Still pissed about that?"
"Ya think, Director?"
"Why is DiNozzo so important to you?"
Gibbs gives her look and is silent.
"Rather, this case then, Jethro?"
"He ran every aspect of the field work."
"Isn't that your job?"
"I know my job, Jen…I trained you, or is your head so far up politician's asses that you forgotten!?"
She rises from her chair..."That's enough, Jethro!"
She straightens her clothes and sits back down…"DiNozzo only has a little over 6 days left. He'll be back soon enough, Jethro."
Gibbs starts to leave.
"Jethro…I remember where I came from, I'm not like that."
Gibbs opens the door…"You could've fooled me."…He leaves.
-------
Gibbs walked down the stairs…"You figured out that riddle yet?"
McGee shakes his head no.
"Where's Ziva?"
"She had to make a personal call."
"What is with her lately?"
"She likes Tony."
"Well, yeah…most women do until they know him."
McGee laughs…"She REALLY likes him, Boss."
"Oh really? Wonder how that's sitting with Kate? Where the hell is Kate anyway?"
"Boss, are you feeling ok? Ziva has told you twice that Kate wasn't feeling well."
"I'm fine, Tim…now figure out that riddle!"
"On it, Boss."
----------------
Ziva stood to the side of the staircase…"Please call me when you get the message, it's really important. It's about work…amongst other things."…Ziva sighs…"Bye."
Ziva closes her phone and walks back towards the squad room.
"Where the hell have you been, Ziva?"
"Making a call, didn't McGee tell you?"…She looks at McGee; he nods his head at her.
"Get to work."
Ziva walks past McGee's desk and mouths the words…"Is he ok?"…McGee shrugs.
"What about Tony, Boss?"
"Director Shepard isn't lifting his suspension…so, it doesn't matter if we find him."
Gibbs bangs his fist into the desk…he quickly stands and moves to the elevator.
"Boss?"
"Keep working!"
--------
Gibbs arrives in Abby's lab…Abby's machine dings.
"Perfect timing, as usual, Gibbs."…She pauses…"What, no caf-pow?"
"No time."
"Gibbs."
"No time."
"Ok…"
"What you got?"
The saliva belongs to…"…Abby clicks a few keys…"Candace Williams."
The sound of door opening is heard as Abby turns and Gibbs is gone.
Abby frowns.
----------
The next day...
Ziva sits at her desk...her computer starts acting up..."Damn thing."...She whacks the side of the monitor.
"What are you doing, Ziva?"
"My computer is on the fritz."
"Want me to look at it?"
She hits again..."I'll take that as a yes."
McGee stands up and moves over to her work area.
"May I?"
Ziva stands up...McGee sits in her chair..."What's wrong with the damn thing?"
"I don't know, Ziva...I just sat down."
"I thought you were some kind of computer genius."
"I repeat, I just sat down."
"Sorry, I'll go get coffee...I need to make a call anyway."
Ziva quickly leaves...McGee shakes his head as he watches Ziva open her phone only to lower her head and sigh...she slowly walks towards the break room.
McGee cracks his knuckles and starts typing.
The computer immediately crashes..."Well, crap."
He rises and moves to his computer..."I'll go through the network."
He sits at his desk and starts typing and his computer crashes.
"What the hell is going on?"
McGee stands up..."Boss?"
"What McGee?"
"Is your computer working?"
Gibbs clicks a button and his computer crashes...he smacks the monitor.
"Nope."
Suddenly all of the plasmas go black...then a huge question mark pops up on it.
"Umm, McGee."...Gibbs points to the plasmas..."We're getting hacked, aren't we?"
"No, Boss...we've been hacked."
"Can we record this?"
"No, you can't."
"Who the hell said that?"
"I did."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Tell them who I am, Candy."
"He's Mr. A."
"Mr. A? Is that short for asshole?"
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A gunshot is heard..."I love jokes...especially when they get people killed...MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Mr. A would like to invite you to the very beautiful crime scene at 1234 N. Columbus Dr., don't be late now. Toodles!"
The plasmas pop back on and computers all re-boot.
Gibbs just looks at McGee..."I'm on it, Boss."
---------
The elevator dings and Kate steps off into the squad room.
"Right on time, Kate...we got a case."
"What?"
"Gear up!"
"Ugh, can I at least go grab a cup of coffee first?"
"Ziva, give Kate your coffee."
Ziva stands near the stairs..."I need my coffee."
"You can share it."
"I'm not good at sharing things, Gibbs."
"Me either."
"It wasn't a suggestion...lets move."
"Where we going, Gibbs?"
"We got a body?"
"We do?"
"Oh, you miss the whole theatrical performance, didn't you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"The riddle asshole hacked our computer and apparently he killed someone."
"That's right, the riddle guy is back...shouldn't we get Tony, Gibbs?"
"No can do, Kate...now let move."
Ziva quickly moved to her desk...grabbing her Sig and bag..."Here, Kate."...Ziva takes a huge chug of the coffee and hands it to her as she walks towards her.
"Oh thank god."...Kate grabs it and goes to take a drink...about 4 drops fall into her mouth.
"Thanks a lot, Ziva."
She walks past Kate and cracks a smile..."Stom ta'peh"...Ziva stepped into the elevator.
"What?"
"Sorry."
"Here, Kate."...Gibbs hands Kate his coffee.
"Gibbs?"
"Take it."
"Are you feeling ok, Gibbs?"...As the elevator doors close.
--------
The team arrives at 1234 N. Columbus Dr., it's a warehouse in the red light district in D.C.
"Go around back, Ziva...Kate, you're with me."
Ziva quickly moves around to the back.
Gibbs and Kate stand by a large garage doors..."No backdoor, Gibbs...there's a window, I'll take a look."
Ziva jumps up and grabs a ledge and pulls herself up so she sees inside...there's a body tied to a chair...Ziva drops..."There's a body, don't see anything else."
Gibbs opens the door and Kate coughs..."What the hell is that smell?"
"It doesn't smell like any dead body I've ever smelled."
Gibbs moves in with weapon drawn..."Come around, Ziva."
"Got it."
Kate continues to cough..."My god, what is that?"
"Stand outside, Kate."
Kate moves to outside the door as Ziva passes her..."You ok, you look pale?"
Kate nods..."Yeah."
Ziva walks into warehouse and steps on something...she kneels down..."I found something."
Gibbs walks towards her..."They look like fireworks."
"Stink bomb, I bet."
"He's playing games with us."
"Or trying to mask his scent."
Ziva stands...she walks towards the body..."It's a woman, in her late 30s, early 40s."
"Close to his mother's age."
Gibbs kneels..."Her fingers are missing."...He pauses..."I bet her teeth are, too."
"Are you ok, my dear?"...Ducky stopped to check on Kate.
"I'm find, Ducky."
"Are you sure? Maybe you should sit down."
"I'm a little hungover, Ducky."
"Kate."...He sighs.
"I know, Ducky."
"If you need to talk, you know where I am."
"Thank you, Ducky."
"What took you so damn long, Ducky?"
"Mr. Palmer, of course."
Palmer sighs..."Sorry, Special Agent Gibbs."
Gibbs shakes his head.
"What have I told you about saying sorry to Gibbs?"
"Sorry, doctor."...They walk up to body.
"My bag, Mr. Palmer."
"Yes, doctor."
"Too early in the morning for a body, Jethro."
Gibbs nods.
"Poor, dear...what did they do to you?"
"Her teeth gone, Ducky?"
Ducky opens her mouth..."Indeed, Jethro."
"Get me a DNA sample for Abs, Duck."
Ducky nods..."The gunshot was post-mortem, Jethro."
Gibbs kneels beside Ducky..."COD?"
"Not sure, but the lack of blood around the opening of the bullet wounds tells me she was shot after she was already dead."
"Your bag, doctor."
"Thank you, Mr. Palmer."...Ducky pulls a liver probe out of his bag and slides it into the victim.
He pulls out the probe..."96.1...she's been dead 2, maybe 3 hours, Jethro."
"Mr. Palmer."
"On it, doctor."
Ducky stands..."So, this is the riddle guy again, Jethro?"
"Yep."
"You look different for some reason...wait, where's your coffee?"
"Gave it to Kate."
"Are you feeling ok, Gibbs?"
"Why do people keep asking me that!?"
---------
The team arrives back at the squad room.
"Figure that out yet, McGee?"
"Still working on it, Boss...I've already tracked him through 17 countries and it's still going."
"Looks like you've met your match, Tim."
McGee looks up at Ziva..."I'm not done yet."
"That's the spirit!"
Gibbs sits at his desk and runs his hand from the top of his head to the forehead numerous times.
"Do you have a headache, Gibbs?"...Kate asked as she looked at him.
"Naw, I'm fine."
Gibbs' phone rings and he answers it..."Gibbs...I'll be right there, Duck."
Gibbs rises from his seat..."Kate, help McGee...come on, Ziva."...Ziva stands and quickly joins Gibbs in the elevator.
"What can I do, Tim?"
-----------
Gibbs and Ziva step off into autopsy...the doors slide open as they walk towards Ducky.
"What's the news, Duck?"
"Good news, Jethro...this woman had a rod placed into her leg."
"Meaning?"
"Mr. Palmer?"
"It's coming, doctor."...Palmer stood by the printer holding his hand under a piece of paper as it rolled out of the printer...it finishes and Palmer carries towards them.
"Who do I give it to?"
Gibbs points to Ducky...Palmer hands it to Ducky..."Aww, her name is..."...Ducky sighs..."Error."
"What's the weird name for a woman, yes?"
"No, dear...there's an error with the system...my apologizes, Jethro."
"Didn't you say Gibbs didn't like people saying their sorry, doctor."
"Mr. Palmer, please!"
"Sorry, doctor!"
"Let me know when it's fixed, Ducky."
"Indeed...hopefully it'll be before Abby has DNA results."
Gibbs starts to leave...
"Are you sure you're alright, Jethro? You look awful pale."
Gibbs stops..."I'm fine, Ducky...just a mild headache."
"I can give you something for that."
"No, I'm fine."...Gibbs steps onto the elevator...Ziva starts to follow him.
"Ziva, if I could have a moment."
"Of course, Doctor Mallard."...the elevator doors close.
"Ducky, please."
"What can I do for you...Ducky."
"I'd like you to keep an eye on Gibbs for me, he doesn't look well."
"I guess I could."
"Thank you, my dear."...He pauses as Ziva heads towards the elevator..."Kate, too."
She turns..."Why, Kate?"
"Because she's pregnant, of course."
"Of course."
Ziva clicks the button and elevator arrives...she steps on and the doors close, she takes out her cell..."You have 1 voicemail."
She smiles..."It's from Tony!"
-----------
Ziva flips the emergency switch to stop the elevator and clicks a button on her phone and brings her cell up to her ear.
"It's bells, not whistles, sweet cheeks...what's up? Call me back."...Behind him is the sound of slot machines and many background voices.
She pushes to play it again and she smiles...she then dials his number and it goes straight to voicemail..."Harah!"
She hangs up and flips the emergency switch and rides up in the elevator...the door opens and Gibbs stands in front of her.
"Problems, Officer David?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Why, are you accusing me of something?"
"I dunno, should I accuse you of something?"
Ziva slips past Gibbs..."Not at all."
"Good."...Gibbs steps into the elevator..."You're not coming?"
Ziva turns around..."Where?"
Gibbs shakes a caf-pow...Ziva starts towards the elevator.
"Take the stairs...you need to burn off some energy."
"W...what do you mean?"...The elevator doors close, Ziva stands there looking at the elevator doors...she pauses, then moves quickly to the stairwell door.
The elevator dings and Gibbs steps off and walks into Abby's lab.
He moves to Abby and hands her a caf-pow.
"You're being nice again, Gibbs."
He chuckles..."What you got?"
"The DNA from the saliva on the latest victim matches Candace Williams."
"What saliva?"
"Oh, Ducky didn't tell you? He swabbed her cheek just in case and I compared it to our existing sample, it matched perfectly."
Ziva arrives in the lab just as Gibbs starts to leave..."What the hell?"
"Quicker next time, Officer David."
Ziva sighs...she looks at Abby who shrugs while taking a sip from her straw.
----------
Gibbs holds the door..."Come on, Ziva."
Ziva joins him on the elevator...they ride up and step off into the squad room.
"Find him yet, McGee?"
"No."...McGee and Kate stand by the plasma.
"What?"
McGee points to the plasma..."Why aren't you playing the game, NCIS?"
"What game? Killing people is not a game."
"Hmmm, you think so? I could kill another woman, if you don't think I'm serious."
"We know you didn't shoot that woman last time until after she was dead."
"I see your medical examiner is good at his job, but...if you want to hear a real victim die, be my guest."
"What?"
A woman starts screaming in the background..."I'll let you choose how she dies."
Gibbs writes something down on a piece of paper and holds it up to McGee...it reads: "How is he doing this!?"
McGee throws up his hands in frustration.
"Does she die quickly or does she die slowly, Special Agent DiNozzo? The choice is yours."
"DiNozzo?"...Ziva said with a weird look on her face.
"You're crazy, you need help."
"I am getting help, right Candy?"
"That's right, Mr. A."...she giggles.
"What in the fuck is going on!?"
"Quick or slow? Choose now or I will."
"No, damn it...no!"
"Fine...HAH...that one was a squirter...Candy, if you would."
"Can I tell a riddle, can I, can I?"
"Of course, you can."
"It's in the same place, as your last case."...she laughs..."Was it good, was it?"
He laughs..."Not really a riddle, but it'll do!"
The plasmas come back on.
McGee types on his computer and suddenly stops..."He copied my hard drive."
"What!?"
McGee looks up at Gibbs with a look of disbelieve in his eyes.
"I want this dirtbag on Ducky's autopsy table today!"
----------
Ducky stood over a woman.
Ziva looked at the body..."Same age range as the other one, Gibbs...her fingers and teeth are also gone, like the last victim."
"He slit her throat, Jethro."...He pulls the probe out..."She's been dead maybe 20 minutes."
Gibbs kneels beside her..."That fits the time-line."...He shakes his head.
"What the hell are we suppose to do, Gibbs? Just stand here with our thumbs up our asses!?"
Gibbs looked at Kate..."No, we find this bastard!"
"How, Gibbs? We don't even know what the first clue is all about and the only one that does isn't here and we can't get a hold of him."
"I...I got a voicemail from him."
Kate looks at Ziva..."You did!? What did he say?"
"He corrected me on one of my Ziva-ism, as he calls them and told me to call him back."
"Did you!?"
"Yes, but I got his voicemail."
"Did you leave a message?"
Ziva grinds her teeth together..."Ah, I forgot."...She quickly takes out her phone and speed dials Tony..."Voicemail again...Tony, we need your help ASAP, the riddle guy is back. Please CALL ME BACK! Toda!"
Kate shakes her head..."A little late don't you think?"
Ziva sighs..."Sorry! I've had other things on my mind."
"I'm sorry, Ziva...it's not your fault."
"She got saliva on her face, too, Ducky?"
"Ah, thanks for the reminder."...He rubs a q-tip on her face..."Looks that way, Jethro."
"Bag her, Duck."...Gibbs stands and starts towards the door.
"Kate...you and Ziva stay here and watch this place. McGee, find if this place is important to him."
Kate nods.
"On it, Boss."
---------
Gibbs opened the car door and shook his head.
Ziva runs over to Gibbs..."Are you ok?"
"I'm fine."...Gibbs knees start to buckle.
"The hell you are."...Ziva takes out her cell and dials 911.
Gibbs grabs her cell and closes it..."I'm not sick...I certainly don't need a damn ambulance."
"Kate, maybe you can talk some sense into him."
"Gibbs? Ha! I'd be easier to find Osama Bin Laden!"
"Where?"
"Ok, Gibbs is officially gone bonkers."...Kate walks over to Gibbs and places her hand on his forehead..."God, you're burning up, Gibbs."
"For the last time, I'm fine."...Gibbs drops to his knee outside of the car.
Ziva grabs him by the arm and helps him up..."Kate, take him back to NCIS, I'll wait here."
"Are you sure?"
Ziva nods.
Ziva helps Gibbs into the passenger seat...she then takes out her phone and dials..."Ducky, Gibbs is sick and he won't go to the hospital."
Kate gets into the driver's seat...Ziva shuts the passenger side door and bends down and looks at Kate..."Caught Ducky in the truck, he said to bring Gibbs to him."
"Are you really sure about this, Ziva?"
"I'll be fine, Kate...trust me...I was once in a mosque standoff for 6 days...I'll be fine."...She hits the top of the car.
-----------
Kate stands next to Gibbs, who's sitting on one of Ducky's autopsy tables.
"I'm worried about your, Gibbs."
"Don't."
"Jethro, lets take your temperature."
"I'm not dead yet, Ducky."
"I'm not going to use a liver probe, Gibbs."...Ducky chuckled.
Ducky shakes a thermometer and is about to place it into Gibbs' mouth.
"Ducky, you sure that's the right one?"
"No, it's the one that goes in the arse, I'm actually a bastard pretending to be a doctor...now open up!"
Gibbs opens his mouth and Ducky slides the thermometer in.
Gibbs mumbles something..."Don't talk, Jethro."
Ducky takes the thermometer out..."101.8...my, my, Jethro...Mr. Palmer, an IV for Gibbs, please."
"Yes, doctor."
"An IV?"
"We need to get your temperature down, Jethro...you don't want me to use that liver probe today, do you?"
--------
Ziva sat in the driver's side of a 2005 black Dodge Charger, her phone rings...she quickly flips it open..."Tony!?"
"No, it's Kate...I'm in charge now...I've arranged for a couple Metro LEOs to watch the place, when they arrive, come back here."
She sighs..."Ok."
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"All right, get back here, ASAP."
Ziva closes her phone...she grips the steering wheel with both hands and squeezes as hard as she can..."Zdayen!"
-----------
Kate walks up the stairs and walks into Director Shepard's office..."I'd like to see Director Shepard, please."
Cynthia looks up at her and picks up the phone..."One second, please...Director Shepard, Special Agent Todd to see you."...She hangs up the phone..."Go right on it."
"Thank you."...Kate moves to the door and opens it.
"What can I do for you, Special Agent Todd?"
Kate walks towards Jenny..."Gibbs is sick."
"What!? Is this some kind of scam to get DiNozzo back early!?"
"Ma'am?"
"How is Gibbs sick?"
"He has a temperature of a 101.8, Ma'am."
"He's actually sick!?"...She stands and moves towards the door...she stops..."Come with me, Special Agent Todd."...Jenny walks out of her office and towards the elevator...they both step into the elevator.
They step off the elevator into autopsy..."Jethro?"
Gibbs looks up..."Aww, Kate."
"What!?"
"Don't get mad at her...it's her duty, she is in charge now."
"Actually Tony is senior field agent, Director Shepard."
Jenny looks at Kate..."And do you see Special Agent DiNozzo anywhere, Special Agent Todd?"
"Sorry, Ma'am."
"But he should be here, Jen."
"Jethro, enough of that!"
"No, Jenny...think like I taught you, not like some damn politician!"
"I'm the director of NCIS now, Jethro...I can't do that!"
"You can...but you won't."
"Jethro!"
Ducky steps between them..."Director Shepard, please...he is sick and we do need help."
"Ducky?"
"The lad has suffered enough, Jennifer."
"Who are we talking about?"
"You know who I'm talking about and you know how important he is."
Jenny sighs..."DiNozzo."
----------
The elevator doors ding and Abby rushes over to Gibbs from the elevator.
"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!"
Gibbs starts to sit up.
"I'm fine, Abs."
"No, he's not."
"Is it contagious? Because I'll risk it!"...She quickly hugs Gibbs.
"Aww, Abby."...Gibbs pats her on the back as they hug.
"Gibbs! I've never seen you sick before. Sure, shot, beat up, but never sick!"
"Abigail, how many caf-pow have you had to today?"
"I dunno...6 or 7."
Ducky nods..."Sounds about right."
Abby kisses Gibbs on the forehead..."Help him, Ducky...he's burning up!"
Ducky sighs..."Everyone get out!"...Gibbs starts to move.
"Not you, Jethro!"
"If Gibbs isn't going, neither am I!" Abby said with conviction.
"I'm feeling better, Ducky."
Ducky places his hand on Gibbs forehead again..."Hardly, I could fry an egg on that."
"Got any bacon, Duck?"
Ducky chuckles..."Still have the sense of humor, I see."
Gibbs cell rings..."Gibbs."
"Give me that, Jethro."
Gibbs leans away from Ducky..."I'll be right up, McGee."
"Something wrong, Gibbs?"
"Emergency in the squad room, lets go."
Gibbs gets to his feet..."Not a word, Ducky."
"If you want to kill yourself, go right ahead, I won't stop you."
"But, I will." Jenny said.
"Oh great, what are you gonna do, suspend me, too?"
Gibbs slowly makes his way over to the elevator..."Who else is coming?"
They all join Gibbs in the elevator.
Gibbs steps off the elevator..."You look like crap, Boss."
"Thanks, McGee...it's the new crap look from JC Penney's."...He sighs..."I wish Tony could've been here to hear that, he would've gotten a chuckle out of that."...He immediately looks at Jenny.
She sighs...and shakes her head.
"What's so important, McGee?"
McGee points to the plasma...it reads: "Where are you Special Agent DiNozzo? Come out and play!"
"What an asshole."
"I heard that."
"Oh great, he's back."
"I thought he talked in rhymes and riddles?"
"And who would you be?"
"I'm Director Shepard."
"Useless bitch."
"Excuse me!?"
"Where's Special Agent DiNozzo?"
Ziva walks off the elevator..."Did I miss something?"
"Aww, it's the Israeli...I like her."
"You do?"
"Yes...how long have you been sleeping with Special Agent DiNozzo?"
Everyone looks at Ziva..."Umm, what are you talking about?"
Kate moves over to Ziva..."Is this true!?"
"Let Special Agent DiNozzo answer it."
"He can't...he's not here."
"Ziva!"
"What!? I'm tired of this guy!"...Kate continues to stare at Ziva.
"I didn't sleep with him, Kate! I swear to god, I didn't!"
"Where is Special Agent DiNozzo then?"
"He got suspended because of you, dirtbag!"
"Dirtbag? And who are you?"
"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, I'm DiNozzo's boss, you deal with me."
"Umm, no."...he pauses..."We're gonna play a new game...it's call...help me Candy."
"Where in the world is Special Agent Di-Nozzo! Where in the world is Special Agent Di-Nozzo!"...He and Candy sing it together..."Where in the world is Special Agent Di-Nozzo! Where in the world is Special Agent Di-Nozzo!"
"Stop it! We don't know where he is."
"Well, you better...you have exactly...how much time should we give them Candy?"
"4...no...6...no...4...no...6, yeah...6!"
"You have 6 hours from right now, if you do not find him...another victim."
"Toodles!"...Candy chuckles.
The plasma returns to normal.
"DiNozzo is officially off suspension...find him, Jethro!"
---------
Kate sits at her desk...rambling though her desk..."I'm gonna kill him. He's dead."
Gibbs leans over..."Kate...stop it."
"He's dead, Gibbs...all I have to say is, we better not find him, because if we do, I'm going to shoot him."
"Kate...think...when did Ziva have time to sleep with him?"
She looks at Gibbs..."What?"
"She likes him...Tony is the only one that went out of his way to be nice to her, since he's been back, when have they had time to sleep together?"
Kate stands..."Ziva, elevator now."
"Kate!"
"No Gibbs, I want the truth...Ziva!"
"I didn't sleep with him, Kate."
"Elevator now!"
Ziva stands..."Fine."
"Ziva...leave your weapons!"
Ziva puts her leg on her desk and takes off her back-up and places it on her desk...he then takes out her knife and stabs it into the top of her desk.
"Kate...you, too."
Ziva walks past..."Let her keep them, maybe it'll be a fair fight."
Kate follows right behind her and into the elevator.
"Oh shit, Boss."
-------------
The elevator doors close, Kate flips the emergency switch, Ziva starts to turn around and Kate slaps her across the face.
Ziva stares into her eyes..."I'll let you have that one."
Kate raises her hand and goes to slap her again. Ziva grabs her wrist.
"I said one, Kate."...Ziva turns Kate's arm, dropping her to her knees.
"You bitch!"
Ziva is silent.
Kate starts to cry..."What, aren't you going to say something!?"
Ziva kneels..."What do you want me to say, that I slept with Tony, yes?"
"It would be a start."
Ziva shakes her head no.
Kate lowers her head..."You're the one who told me to fight for my man."
"Yes, I did...but did you listen?"
She raises her head..."What do you mean?"
"I'm not Tony, Kate...you can't belittle me, use that baby against me, lie to my face."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Think."
"What, Ziva!?"
"Why would Tony dump you, hmmm?"...Ziva lets go of Kate's wrist..."You treat him like shit, yes?"
"No!"
"Oh, really? Who lied to him? Was it me? Don't you see...he doesn't trust you anymore."
"That...that isn't true."
"He deserves someone better than you."
Ziva stands..."How can you say that to me!?"
"The truth hurts, yes?"
"I'm carrying his child."
Ziva sighs..."Get up."...Ziva extends her hand..."Take it."
Kate grabs Ziva hand and Ziva pulls her up.
"Kate, Kate, Kate...I can be your best friend or your worst enemy."...Ziva puts her hand on Kate's shoulder and pushes her back against the doors...Ziva moves her face within inches of Kate's face..."Don't do this again...I won't be so nice next time."...Ziva kisses her on the lips.
She moves her mouth to Kate's ear and whispers..."He's open game...may the best woman win."...She flips the emergency switch and the doors open and she slips past her and walks back to her desk.
---------------
Ziva grabbed her knife and twirled it before putting it back on her belt. She put her foot on her desk as Kate walked out of the elevator.
"Are you ok, Kate?"
Kate nods and moves to her desk and sits, she grabs her purse and takes out her cell...she flips it open and moves down her contact list to Tony...but instead of pushing send, she closes her closes her phone.
Ziva now sits at her desk, looking off to the left...Kate takes a long look at her, then goes back to doing paperwork.
The squad room is eerily quiet.
Gibbs phone rings..."I'll be right there, Abby."
"Ziva...with me."
"McGee...take Kate outside, get her some air."
"Sure, Boss."
Ziva moves behind Gibbs and follows him into the elevator.
"Come on, Kate...air would do you some good."
Kate wipes her eyes with her fingers..."Ok."
-------------
Gibbs hits the emergency switch and turns to Ziva.
"What are you doing?"
"Me? Why is it always me!?"
"I don't care if she overreacted, she's pregnant."
Ziva sighs..."I didn't do anything to her."
"If anything does...your ass is mine."
"Why would I hurt her?"
"Oh, I dunno...could be the fact you're both banging the same guy."
Ziva looks at Gibbs...but doesn't say anything.
"Damn you, DiNozzo!"
"It's not like that, Gibbs."...She pauses..."He didn't know."
"What?"
"The day he got back, he was like passed out and I got into bed with him...he thought I was Kate."
Gibbs sighs..."Why, Ziva?"
"I don't know...I...I...love him."
"Does he know?"
"About what?"
"Everything?"
She sighs..."He knows it was me, he found my Star of David necklace in his bed...but he doesn't know I love him."
"He knows."
"Why do you say that?"
"How many times have you called him since he's been gone?"
"3-4."
"How many that you didn't leave a voicemail?"
"20-25."
"Thought so."
Gibbs flips the emergency switch and they step off and walk into Abby's lab.
"What you got for me, Abs?"
"Got DNA hits from CODIS for the first 2 victims...Penelope Wayne of Belmont, Maryland and Penelope Cruz of Chesterton, Maryland."
"He's going after Penelope's."
----------------
5 hours later...an hour to deadline...
McGee steps off the elevator into the squad room..."Abby and I have contacted every news outlet about Penelope's, Boss."
"Good job...now where the hell is DiNozzo?"
Ziva reaches into her pocket and pulls out her cell..."You have 1 new voicemail."
Ziva clicks a button..."I'm in Atlantic City. Tell Gibbs I'm coming."
"He's in Atlantic City, Gibbs. He coming."
Gibbs stands up..."When did he call?"
Ziva looks at the phone..."55 minutes ago."
"Why wasn't your phone on?"
"I forgot."
"How far is it from Atlantic City to Washington, D.C., McGee?"
McGee type on his computer..."About 175 miles, Boss."
"He's not gonna make it."
45 minutes later...
"Still not answering his cell, Gibbs."...Kate said closing her cell.
"Wait, does Tony have Lojack on his Mustang?"
"I think he does, Boss."
"Do it, McGee."
McGee types into his computer...his license plate..."Let me look it up, McGee."
"It's TJ23Y2, McGee."
Everyone looks at Ziva.
Ziva shrugs..."I'm a spy, it's what I do."
McGee types it in...he sighs..."It's still in Atlantic City, Boss."
Just then the sound a car breaking hard is heard..."What the hell was that?...McGee rose from his chair and walked towards the window..."Wow, it's a Ferrari!"
Everyone joined him at the window, except Gibbs, who leans back and starts to chuckle.
A few moments pass and the elevator dings...Tony walks out wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of sunglasses.
"Finally did it, didn't ya, DiNozzo?"
They all stare at the car.
"Heh."
-------------
Kate moved over to Tony, who stood just outside the elevator.
"Hey, Kate...happy to see me?"
She slaps him.
"Ow, I guess not."...He takes off his sunglasses and rubs his face...she slaps him again.
"Damn, woman!"...Tony looks at Ziva, then back at Kate..."Look, I can explain, Kate...it's not what you think, I was aslee..."
Ziva moves to Tony and slaps him before he can finish his sentence..."Damn...what the hell, Ziva!?"
Abby stands at the far end of the squad room...she waves...Tony waves back..."I still love you, Tony!"
"Heh. Abbycakes!"...He opens his arms and Abby runs to him and hugs him...she pulls back and slaps him also.
"Ugh...you, too, Abs?"
Abby laughs..."Sorry, it looked fun!"
Gibbs walks towards Tony...Tony puts his hands up in a defensive manner.
"You're right on time, DiNozzo."
"For what, Boss?"
"The riddle guy is killing innocent people now."
"Killing innocent people? He never killed innocent people before."
"His motives have changed...plus, he has a sidekick now."
"A sidekick?"
"Yeah, some psychiatrist at the nut house who helped him to escape."
McGee walks over to Tony..."How...who...where did you get the car? It's beautiful."
"Heh. Well...
11 minutes later...
"Let me get this straight, you won 25,000 dollars on a slot machine, then traded your Mustang and 20,000 for a 1984 Ferrari. 1984? Are you nuts!?"
"Heh. It's a classic car, Probie. If it's good enough for Magnum, it's good enough for the big D."
"Magnum?"
"Oh, Probie..."...Tony slaps in the back of the head..."Who's Magnum? Are you freakin' kidding me?"
McGee shrugs.
"Heh. And he threw in this kick ass shirt for free!"...Tony grins..."Free stuff is best stuff!"
"Time's up! Special Agent DiNozzo or another victim?"
"Who the hell is that?"
"Aww, Special Agent Dinozzo, it's you."
"You escaped from Arkham, I see."
He laughs..."No, but I do have my very own Harley, right Candy?"
"That's right, Mr. A."
"Mr. A? Are you changing baddies on me? You'd make a bad Joker."
"Don't say such things about Mr. A!"
"Candy...hush now."
"But Mr. A!?"
The sound of her getting slapped is heard.
"I'm sorry, Mr. A."
"It takes a real big man to hit a woman."
"She knows I love her."
"He loves me! He loves me! He loves me!"
"Remind me to let go next time."
He laughs..."Are you ready to finish the game?"
"What if I don't want to play your game?"
"Then another woman dies."
"Don't you mean another Penelope dies?"...Gibbs spoke.
"Awww, so you've figured it out."...He claps..."Candy, if you would."
The sound of something ripping is heard and a woman screams..."Tell them your name, bitch!"
"Penelope Hucklebee...please help me!"
"So, Special Agent DiNozzo...ready to resume the game...her death would be such a shame."
"Oh shit, he's rhyming again."
"Thank you, Mr. Probiobvious!"...Tony sighs..."What's the riddle?"
"Toodles!"...Candy laughs.
"Toodles? What the fuck? Toodles?"...Tony scratches his head.
The plasma pop back to normal.
"Permission to shoot his ass when I catch him, Boss?"
"Granted."
"For the next clue, the book is still due?"
Tony looks at Gibbs..."What?"
"That's the clue."
"Oh."
Gibbs quickly slaps him on the back of the head..."Welcome back...now get the dirtbag!"
"Eeeeeeek! On it, Boss!"
Ziva walks over to Tony..."Do you know what the clue means?"
"Yeah."
"Tony?"
"Yeah, Ziva?"
"I'm sorry about slapping you."
"Heh. I'm sure I deserved it."
"No, you didn't it."...Ziva said softly and moved back to her desk.
Kate still stood near the elevator...she has been watching Tony and Ziva talking...she lowers her head..."Is what Ziva said about me true?"
"What's that, Kate?"
"Aww, nothing...lets get back to work, Tim."
--------------
Tony stands across from Jenny in her office.
She opens her drawer and takes out his badge, then his weapon.
"Lets not have another incident with the media or I'll take these for good...understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good...take them and get back to work."
Tony takes his badge and weapon and starts to leave.
"Oh, Special Agent DiNozzo?"
Tony stops and turns around..."Love the shirt, just not at work."
Tony nods to her and leaves through the door.
Tony moves quickly down the stairs and moves to his desk, he sits in his chair...he bounces up and down, then adjusts the chair, he bounces again, then nods..."Much better."
He pulls his keys out and unlocks his drawer...he starts stacking Gibbs' agent of the year award cases on his desk..."Where the hell did I put that book!?"
"Heh. Look what I found, Kate."
Kate lifts her head and looks at Tony...He holds up a tiny pair of pink panties.
"Umm, Tony, those aren't mine."
Ziva stands next to him...Tony looks to his right and is startled..."I believe those are mine, Tony."
"Christ, Ziva...you could give a guy a heart attack."
Kate looks at Tony...and Tony shrugs..."You can keep them if you want."
"Heh."...Tony looks at Kate and she looks pissed..."Umm, no, that's ok."...He hands them to Ziva...She leans down and whispers something in his ear.
"Really!?"
She grins then leaves.
"I'm not looking at you, Kate."...Tony puts his hand over his eyes..."Stop giving me the evil eye, Kate."
Kate stands..."Tony, Ziva...elevator now!"
Ziva looks up..."Again!?"
"What do you mean again, Ziva?"
"Ok, I'm getting tired of this shit...you three need to work this shit out...I don't care how you do it, just do it."
"What shit, Boss?"
"DiNozzo."
"Yeah, Boss?"
"Shut up."
"Shutting up, Boss."
Tony stands, puts on his NCIS jacket and hat and moves to the elevator, he pushes the button and turns around, the doors open, he takes a step back so he's in the doorway...he points to Ziva and Kate at the same time, then at himself with his thumb and mouths the words..."Let's roll."
Kate grabs her gear and heads for the elevator...Ziva quickly follows.
"What are you doing, DiNozzo?"
DiNozzo smiles, taking a step back as the doors close..."My job, Boss."
Ziva stands to the left of Tony and Kate to the right.
Tony flips the emergency switch...
----------------
"Ok, what the hell is going on?"
They both start talking at the same time.
"Stop! Kate, go."
"I've...well, we've been missing you a lot lately and well."
"What, Kate?"
"How could you dump me like that!? You're an ass!"
"I didn't really dump you...I just need time."
"Time? Time to do what? To start banging little miss spy tramp over there!?"
"I'm not a tramp! Tell her, Tony!"
Tony looks at Ziva and raises his hands..."What?"
"Tony...I love you."
"You love him? You don't even know him!"
"I love him more than you! At least I show him the respect he deserves!"
"You bitch!"...She takes a swipe at Ziva, but Tony grabs her.
"Stop this shit, you're grown ass woman, act like it!"
"You should feel lucky, yes?"
"What are you talking about Ziva?"
"That she got to have you in the first place."
Ziva moves back against the wall of the elevator..."You take him for granted, Kate."...She slides down the elevator until she's sitting.
Ziva looks up at Tony..."I love you and I can't hold it back anymore, I've loved you since the day we talked for hours and hours at Ducky's house...just you and me, talking. No one has ever done that with me. I felt like the center of your universe. Then we started sharing scar stories and we were having fun. When Ari had his gun pointed at you, I knew I loved you, I knew I had to stop him."
Ziva sighs...she closes her eyes and tears start to escape..."I'm sorry, Kate...you had him and I wanted him more than anything. I even pretended to be you to make love to him. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Tony kneels and pushes Ziva's hair behind her ear and whispers in her ear..."Don't cry, my little Israeli flower."
"You didn't know you had sex with her?"
Tony looks up at Kate and shakes his head no.
"I thought it was you."
Ziva brings her knees to her chest and continues to cry.
"Please stop, Ziva."...Kate kneels next to her..."I didn't know that's how you felt."
Kate looks at Tony..."She's right about me, I do take you for granted and you're right, too...I did fail you, but...I'm not giving you up...I dealt with 2 years of absolute hell with you DiNozzo, falling in and out of love with you, despising you, hating, but there was always a part of me that loved you. Watching you, your unbridled freeness and I thought I envied that, but that's not true. I just envied being with you. Life without you sucks, it really does...the past month was downright the worst of my life."...Kate stands..."I'm not giving that up."
---------------
Tony pulls up to his house.
"Wow, I love your car...can I drive it, Tony!?"
"No."...Tony and Kate together.
Ziva sighs...Tony gets out and walks towards his house, but stops and comes back and grabs the keys from the ignition.
"Aww, you don't trust me, Tony?"...She smiles devilishly..."You know I can hotwire a car, right?"
Tony shakes his head and tosses her the keys..."No, Tony!"
"Heh. Only rev it, Zee-vah!"
Ziva moves to the drivers seat and starts the car...she looks over at Kate..."Wanna do donots?"
"It's donuts and no."
Ziva laughs..."You're no fun."
She revs the engine as Tony runs into his house..."What the fuck have you gotten yourself into Anthony!? And where the fuck is that Adultry book!?"
Tony starts searching through his shelves...he scratches his head..."I didn't throw it away, did I?"
"Think, DiNozzo...think!"
"I saved him, had the book...went to the hospital, had the book...went to Goldfinger, had the book ...went over to Kate's, had the book...went home, didn't have the book. Kate's!"
Tony runs to his front door and stops, his car is missing..."Ziva!"
-----------
Ziva slams on the breaks near a quietly standing Tony.
She smiles, wearing Tony's sunglasses...she looks at Tony..."I break good, yes?"
"Heh."
"Don't encourage her, Tony."...Kate shakes her head.
Tony reaches out and takes his sunglasses off of Ziva's head and puts them on..."Move over, sweet cheeks."
"What is this...sweet cheeks stuff, Tony?"
Ziva grins..."He told me I had the best ass at NCIS."
"What's wrong with my ass!?"
Tony opens the door and gets in..."Nothing, I love your ass. Your ass is great."
"Then how is Ziva's ass the best at NCIS!?"
Ziva laughs..."I have the best ass, Kate...deal with it!"
Tony looks up at the sky..."Please, god...kill me...meteorite between the eyes...lightning bolt...frozen urine dropped from a plane...anything, just kill me."
Kate slaps Tony in the back of the head..."You aren't getting off that easy."
"Hey!"...Ziva slaps Tony, as well.
Tony grabs the steering wheel..."I'm so screwed."
------------
Tony steps out of Kate's house holding up the book..."Found it!"
"Can we eat, Tony? I'm hungry."
"You just ate a snickers bar."
"I'm eating for two, Tony!"
"Fine, what do you want?"
"Everything."
"Heh. Can you ummm, narrow that down a bit, Kate?"
"Are we suppose to be looking for a killer?"
Kate looks at Ziva..."Did I complain when you were doing donuts earlier? Mmm, donuts."
"You were doing donuts!?"
Ziva laughs..."Maybe."
-------------
Kate burps.
"Heh."
"Good, yes?"
Tony opens the book and searches through it.
"Are you going to eat your sandwich, Tony?"
"I thought about it, Kate."
She smiles at him sweetly.
"Oh, alright, you can have it."
"Hey, I'm still hungry, too!"
"Fine."...Tony rips his sandwich in half and hands each of them a half.
"Happy now?"
They both smile.
"Thank god."
Tony re-opens the book and turns to page 117, he finds a handwritten note along the outside of the page, it reads: "The maker doesn't need it, The buyer doesn't use it and the user uses it without knowing. Find me."
Kate takes a drink from her straw..."What does that mean?"
"It's a coffin."
"Heh. I thought you hated riddles, Zee-vah?"
She takes a bite of Tony's sandwich..."I do."
"Gross, Ziva...don't talk with you mouth full."
Tony flips open his cell..."Abs, I need a favor...where's Eduardo Mendoza's mother's body?"
"Brookdale Funeral Home? Yeah, I got it...thanks, Abby."
click
----------
They arrive at the Brookdale Funeral Home.
"Before we go in, does anyone else want anything else to eat or drink? Maybe some sex? Heh."
"Me!"
"Ziva!"
She smiles..."He asked."
Kate sighs..."I could go for some sex, too."
"One at time."
"Why, nothing wrong with a threesome, yes?"
Tony grins.
Kate looks at him..."Hell to the no, Tony."
Tony's grin disappears.
They walk inside and walk up to a man..."NCIS, DiNozzo, Todd and David."...Tony shows his badge.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"We'd like to look at Penelope Mendoza's body, please?"
"Of course, it just arrived from you guys, I believe...follow me."
The man leads them down a flight of stairs into a room with dead bodies on tables.
"She doesn't have a coffin already picked out for her, does she?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, she does...her son Eduardo bought and paid for it just this morning."
"You saw him, Eduardo Mendoza this morning?"
"Yes, sir...he and this redheaded woman."
"Gotta be Candace Williams, Tony."
Tony nods to Kate.
"Can we see the coffin first?"
"Yes, of course...right this way."
He opens a door and walks into a room with numerous coffins...it's the large coal black one on the end.
"Thank you, please stay here."...Tony draws his weapon and moves towards the coffin.
"Ziva, do you crazy ninja skills...is there a bomb in there?"
Ziva moves past Tony and Kate and starts examining the coffin.
Suddenly a phone rings...Ziva lays her ear against the coffin..."It's coming from inside."
"Back up, everyone."...Tony moves to coffin and Kate and Ziva move closer to him.
"Heh. You take orders like I do."
Tony lifts up on the coffin lid and it pops open...happy music starts playing...
"Good, now we're playing the game again, I'm happy as happy can be, don't you see?"
"Take the box, inside you find...hold on to your socks...it'll blow your mind! HAHA!"
"That's a local transmitter, he can't be more than 500 feet from here."
"Ziva, do a perimeter check."
Ziva quickly leaves.
Tony picks up the box and opens it...it's a finger.
---------------
Tony steps into Abby's lab.
"Tony!"
"Hey, Abby...I'm sorry I have to do this to ya, but I'm gonna have to give the finger."
Tony hands Abby a bag with the finger in it.
"Ooh, hinky."
"Heh. Here's your caf-pow."
Abby takes the caf-pow from Tony...she takes a drink..."Mmm, caf-powy!"
Abby laughs..."So, how's the...umm, love triangle?"
Tony smirks..."If I was sleeping with them both, it might be good."
"You mean you aren't? Where's the manwhore NCIS knows and loves!?"
"Heh. Yeah, right...like Kate's gonna go for that."...Tony laughs.
"She might surprise ya."
"We're talking about Kate. Our Kate. Little miss goodie too-shoes."
"A woman will do a lot for love, Tony...a lot."
"I thought you were on Kate's side...don't you hate Ziva?"
"Hate's a strong word, but Ziva and I talk."
"You do?"
"She loves you, Tony."
Tony rubs the top of his head..."You and Ziva talk?"
"We have more in common than people think."
"You do?"
"Yes."
"What? Wait, never mind...anyway, I need a match for that fingerprint ASAP, Abs."
She nods as Tony lightly tugs on one of her pigtails..."Heh. Lovin' the hair, Abs."...Tony leaves.
Abby slides on some gloves and takes the finger out of the bag...she rolls it into some ink and makes a print with it. She then copies it to a new piece of paper and covers it with a clear plastic, she then places it in a machine and copies it to her computer. She types a few buttons and begins searching.
"Easy as pie, my babies...easy as pie!"...As she slowly spins around.
--------
Tony steps off into the squad room.
"I think I did it, Boss...I broke into his trojan horse, I used an algorithm I designed that goes through the backdoor of his system whenever he logs in."
"McGee, I don't care...just find his ass."
"On it, Boss!"
Tony moves to behind McGee..."What the hell do all those zeros and ones mean, McGeek?"
"That's data."
"DiNozzo, ask questions later...let McGee be McGee."
"Wow, that kind of looks like space invaders I used to place on the Atari."
"DiNozzo!"
"Shutting up, Boss."
"I almost got 'im, Boss."
"Get that one, Probie!"...Tony points on the screen.
"What one?"
'That one!"...Tony places his fingers on the screen.
"DiNozzo!"
"I'm helping, Boss!"
"I can't see, Tony!"
"Heh. Sorry."...Tony moves his hand away.
"Damn it, he's cutting right through my program."
"Stop it, Tim!"
"I can't, Boss!"
Tony kicks McGee's computer tower, making it spark...his monitor goes blank.
"Tony!"
"What?"
"You just destroyed my computer!"
"You're welcome, Probie."...Tony pats him on the shoulder and walks away.
-------------------
Tony types very slowly on his keyboard.
McGee sulks sitting in front of his computer.
Tony looks at McGee..."Probie, for the last time...you can get a new computer, hell, you can have mine."
"I don't want yours, I want mine."
"Not whining, McBaby...I could've just saved your life."
"From what? A virus on my computer?"
"PCVD is a terrible thing to have, McGeek, but you should know that...you live on your computer, don't ya? How many online date a week do you have?"
"I told you I stopped doing that."
"Heh. Remember LoisLovesSuperMan?"
McGee sighs.
"What was she, 400 lbs?"
"It was a petite 400 lbs."
"400 lbs is not petite...wait, you didn't, didja?"...Tony starts laughing.
"DiNozzo?"
"Yeah, Boss?"
"I'm trying to drink my coffee over here...shut up, would ya?"
"You should hook up with Abby again, Tim...you two made a nice couple."
"Wow, are you being nice to me?"
Tony stands up and walks over to McGee..."I like ya, McGee...but you're still a probie."
"Boss, how long until I'm not a probie anymore?"
"Tim, my Boss still calls me probie."
"Heh. Oh, Probie."
McGee sighs.
Gibbs phone rings..."Lets go, DiNozzo...Abby got a match and she doesn't sound happy."
"On your six, Boss!"
----------
Tony and Gibbs step off the elevator..."What cha got, Abby?"...Gibbs and Tony together.
"Sorry, Boss."
"The finger belongs to Penelope Marshall."
"Holy shit, he cut off Laverne's finger!"
Gibbs slaps Tony on the back of the head.
"Eeeeeeek!"
"She's a Metro police officer, Gibbs!"
-------------
Gibbs stands next to the front door of Penelope Marshall's residence. Kate stands right behind him, McGee a few steps back in the rain, it's pouring.
"DiNozzo, you two in position?"
"Affirmative, Boss."...A soaked Ziva and Tony lean against the back door of the residence.
"We're going in 5, 4, 3, 2..."
Gibbs kicks in the door and moves inside, he then quickly turns away, a woman's body lies on the floor, a massive pool of blood surrounds her, soaked up by the carpet...next to her a word is written: "Greed", the TV is on, the white snowy picture brightens an otherwise pitch black room. Sitting on the TV is a VCR with a tape sticking out of it...written on the label is: "Play Me."
"Christ, what is this!?"...Kate turns away..."Don't come in here, Tim."
Tony and Ziva make their way through the back into the large room...a large leather chair with blood all over it is the first thing that they see, then the body...Ziva moves closer, kneeling above the body.
"She's been carved on, a piece of her is missing."
Tony points to a desk, which has scale on it...lying on the scale is a bloody piece of human flesh.
Gibbs slides on a pair of gloves and moves to the TV, he pushes in the tape and presses play.
Candy comes up on the TV screen...she stands right in front of the TV and drops a knife and she waves..."This one's for the movie lover of the team, what movie is this scene from, hmmm? Figure that out and you'll receive your next clue. Toodles!"...Gibbs turns pushes stop, the snowy picture returns.
Gibbs looks down and the knife shines from the light of TV, still stuck in the floor.
"Ziva, photos."
Gibbs carefully walks over to Tony.
"What movie is this from, Tony?"
"Seven, Boss."...Tony points to the wall at a large rectangular picture of modern art.
"What about it?"
Tony moves to the wall and takes it down...he then takes off his jacket and turns his hat backwards, he then grabs an end table and moves it under where the painting was and stands on it..."Tim, get me a fingerprint kit."...Tony takes out his flashlight and turns it on and holds the end of it in his mouth.
McGee nods and sets his kit down and opens it, he takes out black powder and a brush and Kate takes it from him and hands it to Tony...Tony starts dusting powder all over the wall.
The whole team looks on as Tony continues to spread black powder.
Gibbs squints..."Does that say...'HELP ME'..?"
Tony nods...he takes the flashlight out of his mouth..."Just like in the movie, Boss."
McGee moves up to Tony...he hands a piece of plastic to Tony, he opens it and collects one of the fingerprints from the wall. He steps off the table and hands it back to McGee.
A camera flashes as Ziva takes pictures.
A small droplet of something hits the bill of Kate's hat...she looks up, it's completely dark, she moves over a few feet and flips the light switch...Kate gasps as she looks up...the word "Lust" is written in huge letters in blood.
Tony turns to Kate..."You ok?"...Tony sees her looking up, his eyes raise to look..."Lust?"...Tony shakes his head..."All of this because his mother cheated?"...Ziva snapped off a photo of it as Tony moves outside, Kate grabs his jacket and follows him.
"McGee, did you find anything out about warehouse?"
"Not a thing, Boss...no one even rented it in the past 4 years."
Tony sat on the steps...rain poured over him, he takes off his hat and flings it into the front yard, he runs his hands through his quickly drenched hair..."Put your jacket back on, Tony."
"I could've end all of this...none of these people should've died."
"Tony...it's not your fault...you did the right thing."
"Tell that to her family...or the other women who've die."
Tony tries to stand up, but Kate pushing him down and she sits down next to him, still holding his jacket.
Tony looks at her...he then lays his head on her shoulder, she turns her head and kisses him on the top of the head.
-------------
10:17 P.M.
Tony steps off the elevator into the squad room...he walks to his desk and sits down.
"Where'd Kate go?"
"I had McGee take her home, DiNozzo."
"Why, Boss?"
"She looked like she was gonna pass out."
"Oh. Sleeping does sound good, Boss."...Tony puts his head down on his desk and closes his eyes...he's immediately out.
Ziva sits at her desk uploading photos into her computer.
"Done, Gibbs."
"Put them up on the plasma."
Ziva clicks a key and they pop up on the plasma.
Tony lightly snores...Ziva walks over to Tony and is about to shake him..."No, let him sleep."
Several hours pass...Ziva is now asleep, Gibbs is no longer in the squad room...the elevator dings...McGee steps out.
"Where the hell have you been, McGee?"...Gibbs said as he came down the stairs.
"I stopped for bite to eat, got everyone else a sandwich, too."
Ziva awakes...sniffing..."Rueben sandwich, yes?"...Ziva opens her eyes.
She stands and walks over to McGee, she grabs him by the cheeks and pinches them..."You are so cute."...she takes the bag from him..."Kosher pickle, too?"...She quickly kisses him on the lips..."Toda!"
"Ziva, stop kissing my agents."
"Heh. Sorry, I was happy."
McGee just stands there bewildered and he smiles.
McGee moves towards Tony and is about to place his sandwich on his desk, when Ziva grabs it..."He's asleep...I'll eat his sandwich."
McGee shrugs..."Fine with me."...Ziva moves back to her desk and starts eating her sandwich.
"You've been eating a lot later, Ziva...you aren't pregnant or anything, are ya?"...McGee laughs.
Ziva stops eating mid-bite and swallows hard...she swallows hard again...she laughs..."Don't be ridiculous, Tim."...She slowly raises her hand and counts on her fingers...she then takes another bite..."'otally 'diculous, McGeef."...she continues to gnaw on her sandwich.
Tony continues to sleep...
------
Tony re-opens the book and turns to page 117, he finds a handwritten note along the outside of the page, it reads: "The maker doesn't need it, The buyer doesn't use it and the user uses it without knowing. Find me."
Tony stands in the middle of darkened room..."How, Tony?"...A distorted female voice speaks to him.
"How what!?"...Tony yelled at the top of his lungs.
"You captured him."
"What!?"
"You captured him!"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"The book."
"What book?"
"How? You arrested him."
A book floats in front of Tony..., it's opened to page 117, light surrounds the lettering around the page...Tony grabs it and stares at it.
"How?"
Tony's eyes open wide..."I understand!"
----------
Tony suddenly awakes, rises quickly from his chair and runs towards the stairwell.
Ziva stands..."Tony?"
---------------
Tony turns the ignition as the passenger door opens.
Tony looks to his right...Ziva quickly gets in and closes the door..."What are you doing?"
"You're my partner, wherever you go, I go."
Tony puts it into first gear and slams on the gas...he spins the back tires on the wet asphalt, sliding before zooming out of the parking lot.
"Where are we going, Tony!?"
Tony takes out his cell and dials...it rings...and again...and again..."Damn it!"
"Tony!"
"I have a bad feeling, Ziva."
"About what?"
The phone continues to ring.
Ziva grabs the cell and rips it away from Tony and reads it..."Kate Todd."
"What's wrong with her, Tony?"
Tony is silent.
"Tony!"...Ziva smacks Tony on the back of the head.
Tony changes gears as he flies past cars...he looks at Ziva and sighs.
Ziva moves her hand to the past of Tony's head and caresses it..."What's wrong, Tony? Talk to me, please."
The phone continues to ring..."How could the location of his mother's coffin be in the book?"
"What do you mean?"
"She wasn't dead when we arrested him."
"So?"
Tony angrily changes gears...Tony goes silent...his cell continues to ring...
------------
Tony breaks heavily, turning into Kate's driveway, he quickly jumps out of the car...he runs to Kate's front door and kicks it open.
A body hangs from the ceiling fan in the front room, its back is to the front door, it's dressed in Kate's heart pajamas.
Tony drops to his knees..."Noooooooo."...Tony said softly, like all the air had been pushed out of his lungs.
Ziva enters the house and stands behind Tony..."Oh god."...She puts her hands on Tony's shoulders and squeezes them tightly.
"He's dead."...Tony pulls his gun from his holster, it shakes in his hand..."He's fucking dead!"...Tony starts to get up when Ziva grabs his arm.
"Where are you going!? We don't know where he is!?"
Tony looks at Ziva..."Let go of me!"
Ziva slaps in the face..."Think!"
Tony grabs her around the throat and squeezes...she grabs his arm..."Tony, stop it."...He continues to squeeze, then suddenly lets go...he moves to wall and punches it severely times putting holes into the wall...He turns back towards Ziva and fall to his knees and starts crying.
Ziva follows him to the ground and surrounds him with her arms, cupping the back of his head with her hand, she lays his face on her shoulder.
---------------
Ziva rises and moves towards the living room...she flips on the light switch and the fan starts to rotate, she quickly turns it off, as the body slowly starts to move.
She takes her flashlight from her belt and turns it on, she points it up at the woman's face...she moves the woman's hair.
"Tony, it's not Kate!"
Tony, still on his knees..."What?"
"I think its Marisol."
"Who?"...as Tony stands and moves towards Ziva.
"Eduardo Mendoza's sister."
"Oh, thank god."
He shakes his head..."Kate!?"...He runs into the bedroom..."Kate!?"
Ziva moves her flashlight and notices something on the wall..."Tony!"
Tony runs out of the bedroom..."Did you find her?"
She points to the wall with her flashlight.
Written in blood: "She died for the sins of her mother, she died before she could suffer...but in her place, I have replaced." Under the writing is a bloody handprint.
Tony lowers his head..."He took Kate."
Ziva stood staring at Marisol hanging..."She was 12 years old."...She shakes her head..."We have to find this bastard."
Tony's cell rings..."Tony, Abby matched the fingerprint from behind the picture, it belong to Alfred Mendoza."
Tony is silent.
"Do you here me, DiNozzo?"
Tony sighs..."They have Kate, Gibbs."
"What!?"
"Send Ducky to Kate's...Eduardo's sister is here, she's dead."
click
"Ziva..."
Ziva walks towards Tony..."Lets go."
----------
Tony and Ziva arrive at University Hospital, they walk up to the front desk..."Alfred Mendoza...NCIS."...Tony takes out his badge and stares at it, rubbing it in a circle with his thumb...finally showing it."
"His personal doctor came and got him."
"What? Who?"
"Some woman...wait, I have the chart somewhere."...The nurse searches through her charts..."Here it is, Candace Williams."
"Damn it."...Tony puts both of his hands on his head and pulls his hair.
"Can you tell us anything at all about her?"...Ziva asked, stepping forward.
"Yes, actually...she was driving a purple truck, it looked like one of those bread trucks."
"Please tell me you got a license number."
"No, sorry...but we do have security footage."
"Where?"
"Come this way."...She leans them to the security room..."Hey, Joe...they need to look at the security footage from earlier this evening about 3 hours ago, Emergency entrance."
She turns towards Tony..."He'll help you, sir."
"Thank you."...Tony and Ziva walk in.
The man puts in a tape and starts rewinding...Ziva points..."That's the truck, can you zoom in?"
The man zooms in...the license plate number comes into focus...Tony takes out his cell..."Abby, no time to talk...I need you to run this license as fast as you can...4JH59Q."
The sound of typing is heard through the phone..."Ummm, it registered under Jack Napier."
"Fuck, it can't be!"
"What is it, Tony?"
"What's the address?"
"It's Comic 'N Card."
click
"Tony!?"
--------------
Tony turns off the car outside of Comic 'N Card..."Stay here, Ziva."
"Not a chance, anywhere you go, I go, remember?"
Tony sighs as he steps out of the car...Ziva follows suite...Ziva starts running towards the side..."Tony, the truck."...She draws her weapon and moves closer. She steps up onto the truck..."Nothing inside."...She steps back from the truck and sidles against the wall.
"What did Abby tell you, Tony?"
"All I need to know...come on."...Tony moves towards the huge garage door that leads into the back, there's a masterlock on it.
"Can you pick it?"
She kneels and chuckles.
"Is that a yes?"
She stands up holding the lock..."What do you think?"
Ziva grabs the handle is about to pull up on it.
"Wait, I got a better idea...you said you could hotwire things, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm in need a large purple truck...can you do it?"
"A bear shits in the woods, yes?"
"We have to work on your metaphors, sweet cheeks."...He smacks her in the ass..."Go!"
She runs back to the truck...30 seconds later she pulls up in it..."That was quick."
"The keys were in the ignition."
Tony shrugs..."Back up to the door, Ziva."
She quickly backs up to the door, Tony opens the back door of the truck and takes a rope out...he attaches one end to the truck and the other end to the handle.
"Ok, when I give you the signal, hit the gas. Got it?"
Ziva nods and she moves to the driver's seat...she looks at the passenger sideview mirror and sees Tony, Tony draws his weapon and backs up.
"Showtime, Ziva."
Ziva slams on the gas, ripping the door off...Tony moves in quickly with his weapon raised.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Where is she!?"
"You found us quicker than I thought! HAHAHAHAHAHA! You're good!"
"You're living in the fucking fantasy world, asshole!"
"You should've killed me when you had the chance! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I won't make the same mistake again!"
A light comes on and Eduardo Mendoza steps into it..."You're bluffing! You won't kill me, it's not in you!"
"But I will."...Ziva raises her gun and Tony pushes her gun down.
"Ziva! He still has Kate!"
"Do I? Really? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The light turns off..."Oh, Harley!"
"Yes, Puddin'?"
"Kill her."
A spotlight pops showing Kate tied to a chair in the middle of the floor...the sound of a bolt action of a rifle being pushed forward, then locked into place is heard.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love that sound!"
Ziva runs as fast as she can towards Kate as Tony starts unloading into the darkness.
"Miss me! Miss me! Now you're gonna have to kiss me!"
The sound of the rifle fires as Ziva tackles Kate, knocking them out of the way.
"I think I missed her, Puddin'!"
"Fire again then, Harley!"
"Right."...she unlocks the bolt and pulls it back...Tony sees a glimmer of light and fires at it.
The rifle clanks as it hits the floor..."He got me, Puddin'!"
"NO!! CANDY!!"
---------------
"You will pay with your life for this."
The sound of something landing is heard...then a door opens and Eduardo runs out.
Tony chases after him, right before going through the door, Tony stops, he grabs a rolled up poster extends it into the next room, it's sliced in half.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...Tony steps through grabbing his hand.
"No, it's my sword, get your own!"...Eduardo kicks Tony in the ribs and he fall back against a glass display case.
Eduardo kneels twirling his sword...he reaches into his purple jacket and quickly tosses something at Tony, he moves quickly, but it cut him along his cheek...Tony looks back at the wall, a metal playing card sticks about an inch into the wall.
"Like my new toys!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What next...the penguin? Drop your drawers and waddle over here so I can kick your ass."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...He twirls his sword again..."Did you know when you grew up, you'd be a shish-ka-bob? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I dunno, did you know when you grew up, you'd be an crazy asshole?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Takes one to know one, boy!"
Eduardo reaches into his jacket again, he's sweating profusely, his white face is starting to melt away..."How about a riddle for old time sake?"
Tony notices a replica Highlander sword sitting in the window, out of the corner of his eye..."Extending your death scene, I see."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...He smells his flower on the lapel of his jacket..."Would like you smell my flower?"
"I'll pass."
"You sure, it's a real killer scent. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...A liquid shoots out of the flower landing on Tony's jacket, his jacket starts to smoke, he quickly takes it off.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That was funny!"...He pauses..."I almost forgot, the riddle...lets see if my wonderful mind can remember that far back! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Tony starts moving towards the window.
"Kings and queens may cling to power and the jester's got his call. But, as you may all discover, the common one outranks them all! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"...He reaches into his jacket again.
"It's the Ace."
"Huh?"...Tony quickly moves to window as Eduardo hesitates, grabbing the sword...Eduardo pulls out a larger than normal metal ace of spade card and starts to throw it towards Tony.
Tony rolls under it and comes slashing with the sword, but Eduardo blocks it with his sword.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Impressive, but I've been studying the katana since I was 12...you can't beat me...you can't beat me...you can't beat me!
"Hey, asshole!"
"Hmmm?"
"En garde, motherfucker!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! At least you have spirit!"...Eduardo attacks him furiously striking down as hard as he can, Tony gets knocked back with each blow Eduardo lands. He swings again, this time the blade slides down Tony's blade to the hilt, Tony grabs his hand.
"Huh!?"...He looks at Tony's hand grabbing his.
"My turn!"...Tony pushes him back and twirls the sword around his hand, he then comes down so hard that his sword snaps in half, sending Eduardo to the ground.
He looks up at Tony..."How!?"
"Heh. I've seen every Star Wars over 50 times."
He looks back up worried, but then smiles..."You don't have the balls to kill me. You're not a killer. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I'm here, Puddin'!"...Out of nowhere, Candy jumps on Tony's back and starts choking him...Tony starts shaking his head, trying to knock her off, he finally grabs her hair throws her out the store window!
"Get off me, bitch!"
Eduardo crawls over to the window, Tony picks up Eduardo's sword, Eduardo looks out the broken window at the bleeding Candy...he looks back at Tony and stands up, Tony turns away from him..."Don't turn your back on me!"
He takes a step forward..."Turn around!"...The sound of gun cocking is heard..."I said turn around!"
"Tony!"
"After you're dead, I'll kill her, too."
"You can't."
"Why's that?"
Tony quickly turns slashing with the katana, the gun drops to the floor, Eduardo drops to his knee, then his head falls, making a thud on the floor.
"Because you're dead."
Tony walks through the door towards a now free Kate..."Tony!"...Kate rushes into Tony's arm kissing him passionately.
She pulls away..."Wow, Ziva didn't say a thing."
Suddenly another thud as Ziva falls to the ground...Tony rushes to her...he quickly unzips her jacket, her shirt is bloody..."Shit, you're been shot."...Tony pats his pants..."Where the fuck is my cell?"...Kate joins him on the ground, she presses her hand against the bullet wound.
"Hold on, Ziva!"...Tony starts patting Ziva's jacket and pants, finally finding her cell...he opens it and dials 911..."I need an ambulance at Comic 'N Card now, god damn it!"
Tony places his fingers on Ziva's neck..."She has a pulse...no, I don't know the fucking address, hurry up!"
Tony picks up Ziva and moves her out the back door..."Tony's where's your car?"
"It was right there."
"Where?"
"Right fucking there!"...he gestures to his right with his head.
"I hear the ambulance out front."...They rush through back through the place and into the storefront, Candy is no longer there.
Tony looks around...his jacket is missing..."The bitch stole my car!"
Tony jumps out of the window as the Ambulance pulls up..."She has a GWS to stomach."
Tony carries her to the back of the ambulance and hands her to the guy in the back.
"Sir, we'll take care of her."
"Kate, go with her."...Kate quickly gets into the ambulance, Tony then slams the doors closed and smacks the back of the ambulance, leaving a bloody handprint.
--------------
Hours later...
Tony walks into the emergency room, Kate sits in the waiting room.
"Any news!?"
"Haven't heard anything since they brought her in...did you find Candy?"
Tony shakes his head..."Found my car, she totaled it."
Tony drops to his knees in front of Kate, laying his head in her lap. She runs her fingers through his hair.
Several hours later...
A doctor walks out of into the waiting room..."Friends of Miss David?"
"It's pronounced..."Da-veed."
Tony quickly rises from the chair, Gibbs and the whole gang is now sitting in the waiting room...Tony walks towards the doctor..."How is she, doctor?"
"She's gonna be fine...but I must know, are you the father?"
"Father?"
"I'm sorry, she lost the baby."
-------------
Tony stood in the doorway into Ziva's room, like he was watching over her, protecting her.
Kate slept in the chair next to the bed, her body sideways, her head lying against the back of the chair.
Tony moved over to Kate, he pulls up a blanket, covering her shoulder and patting it gentle, he leans down kissing her on the temple.
He then moved to Ziva, a tube is down her throat...Tony looks up at her heart monitor, she's calm.
Tony sighs..."Why didn't you tell me, Ziva? Did you even know?"...He lowers his head; laying it against her arm...she awakens and runs her fingers through his hair.
Tony looks up, she caresses his cheek with her hand..."You're gonna be fine, Ziva."
Ziva lightly smacks Tony in the cheek...and she does it again.
Tony takes her hand in his and kisses her palm.
"You scared me."
She moves her hand to the other side of his face...she rubs his cheek with the back of her fingers to his mouth, she opens her hand pushes up and both corners of his mouth making Tony smile.
She moves her hand back and points, then smacks him in the face harder than the first two.
Tony smiles..."I understand."
Her hand falls to her side and she falls back asleep.
Tony leans up and moves back to the doorway and continues his watch of his two girls...he continues to smile.
"Heh."
Gibbs comes up behind Tony..."DiNozzo, there might be a problem."
Tony turns around..."What's up, Boss?"
"Eduardo Mendoza's head is missing."
"Boss?"
"Seems as though when Ducky arrived, his head wasn't there."
------------
Candy sits in darkened room, a small black and white TV is on, the sound is muted...she stands from a chair and flips a lightswitch...she moves to the mirror and holds up her left arm, showing a bullet wound through her wrist. She grabs a pair of tweezers with her right hand and digs out the bullet in her left wrist. She tosses the bullet into the sink and pours alcohol over her wrist; she then covers it with a bandage and tapes it up.
She laughs..."That was a good one, Puddin'!"
She looks to her right and in the corner of the bathroom sink counter is the head of Eduardo Mendoza.
"Aww, you're so sweet, Mr. A!"...She picks up the head and kisses it on the lips...she laughs..."You know I'd never give away your true identity."