A/N: TOLD YOU ALL
I'D UPDATE SOON! Okay, sorry, had to ha there. Enjoy! Oh, and to
avoid confusion, when I mention "rule number three" I am
referring to "Never be unreachable", not "Don't believe what
you're told, double check." They're both #3.
"Where
is my team, Jenny?!" Gibbs exploded as he burst into the
Director's
office, unannounced, as usual.
"Well, I'm sure that..." she began, but he cut her off.
"You
gave them time off, didn't you?" he yelled. "Dammit, Jenny,
they're my
team! I know their limits a helluva lot better than
you do. They already had
one day off. I care about these people,
and they'll get time off when they
really need it, but right now,
I need..."
"Special
Agent Gibbs," the Director said loudly, standing up, her voice
ringing with each word, "it's true that I attempted to give
your team today
off," she continued in a slightly calmer
voice, "but they all refused,
knowing what your reaction
would be, no doubt. So as to their whereabouts, I
haven't a clue,
but I suggest you find them and get to work." She gave him a
pointed look, which he returned with a scowl, and stormed out of
the office.
On
the way downstairs, he pulled out his phone, pressing his senior
field
agent's speed dial. It went straight to Tony's voicemail.
"Dammit,
Tony, rule number three," he muttered angrily to himself, trying
Ziva next. Hers too went automatically to voicemail. By then he
had reached
the bullpen, and he looked up to see McGee hurrying
out of the elevator.
"Somebody stole my car," he said apologetically. "Where is every..."
"Try
Ziva's home phone, her cell's off. I'm going to see Abby," Gibbs
grunted, already heading for the elevator. Once he was alone
inside, he
knocked his head backwards against the metal wall
angrily. Tony should've
known better than to turn his phone off.
He was still locked out of his
apartment, thanks to the idiots at
the police station, and it was Gibbs'
only means of contacting
him. The elevator doors dinged, and he headed for
the lab.
Abby
looked a lot better than she had the morning before, when he had
picked her and Tony up. She looked almost back to normal,
definitely less
tired and freaked out, but the effects of the
fire were still evident when
he looked for them. Even so, it was
clear that she was doing her very best
to appear her old self.
Smiling, she turned down her music when he entered.
"Hiya Gibbs," she said, and he couldn't help but feel his temper ebb a bit.
"Hey
Abbs," he replied. "Do you know where... What are you
working on?" The
last question had come out a little more
harshly than he had really meant
it, but he had caught sight of
that yellow notebook paper. He didn't want her
worrying about
that now, or really ever. She hastily turned off her computer
monitor.
"Nothing," she lied feebly, but Gibbs didn't buy it.
"Abby,"
he said in a reprimanding tone, and she sighed, turning the
monitor
back on, revealing a scan of the note.
"I'm
checking for prints and analyzing the ink," she said. "This
is just
something I have to do, Gibbs, okay?" She looked up
imploringly.
"I
understand," he said, pulling her into a quick hug. "Now do
you know why
Tony has his phone off?" Abby jumped with
realization.
"Crap,
Gibbs! I forgot to tell you!" she exclaimed. "Tony got
called in to
the police station, they wanna ask him some stuff
about the dead guy."
"They think he did it?" Gibbs asked, trying to remain calm.
"I dunno," Abby replied, shrugging.
"Thanks, Abbs," he said, pecking her on the cheek and heading out of the lab, "and you call me if you find something on that note, alright?" She nodded, and he sped back upstairs.
ncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncisncis
McGee started talking almost the second Gibbs entered the bullpen.
"No
word from Ziva. I've tried everything short of checking her
apartment,
and Ducky called. He wanted me to tell you he won't be
in today. His mother
came down with food poisoning." Gibbs
cursed under his breath.
"Good
work, McGee," he said. "Go to her apartment, then. I've
gotta go get
Tony." He grabbed his coat, and the both of
them headed for the elevator.
