Author's notes:

1. This chapter is a little shorter. I had to cut it where I did. It might not make sense to you now but you'll see… eg hehe

SparklingCatseye: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter :-) I'm trying really hard to let Gibbs's and Tony's relationship evolve also at work with Tony being able to support and not only the other way around and I'm happy it worked. The conversation with Kate wasn't planned at all but I had to bring her in somehow and all of a sudden the last part was written.lol. I usually prefer Ziva coz I started watching late season 2.. I only saw a couple of Kate-episodes and I was sorry she died but still… I like her in my story. It's how Is see her in a way :-). Btw, this chapter came in quite quickly but the wait for the next one will be longer… just so you know, coz I'm working on the second and last chapter of "Cup of Coffe" right now.lol.

Super em: hehe, I'm glad I made you warm up a bit to Kate. I was quite surprised at myself coz I'm not a huge Kate-fan either. I don't mind her but I like Ziva better. And I'm not saying that to offend anybody out there :-). Just a matter of opinion.

Letters and Digits

Gibbs waited for his other two agents by the car. He was becoming impatient… well even more so than he already was, that's more like it. His talk with Commander Guerra only confirmed his suspicions. Robert Sanderson was indeed gay. The different sex-toys were a big hint but now he couldn't ignore the facts anymore. Not that he really had in the first pace. But he had let himself hope.

Now there were two options for this case. They could be faced with a hate crime or a hate crime used as cover-up for something else. He didn't like this one bit.

"DiNozzo? You pay Sanderson's closest friend's a visit and interview them. Get as much info as you can."

Tony jogged to his boss and opened the car… he pulled out his jacket and stuff. Only 1 minute later he was on his way brushing softly against Gibbs while walking away. It could have been coincidence but the older man knew better. Like in the elevator Tony showed him that he was there without big words or actions. Unconditional support was conveyed by the smallest of touches and Gibbs felt his heart warm more and more at the idea of finally having this extraordinary man all to himself.

They hadn't even been on a first date yet and no "real" kisses had been shared. Still he felt connected in a way he had seldom felt to another person save his first wife.

Feeling Kate's gaze upon him, he let go of his musings and tuned to her.

"We're going to take a look around. I want to get a picture of Sanderson's immediate neighbourhood."

"Sure boss."

Two hours later, when Kate and Gibbs returned to the car Tony was already waiting for them. His relaxed pose, back leaning against the fibreglass and basking in the last sunrays, suggested that he had done so for more than only a couple of minutes.

"Talk to me DiNozzo."

"Sanderson got around quite a lot… and I mean that as it sounded. He was always in for a good time. With quite a lot of the guys. I got the names but they asked me to keep this out of the investigation if we could. You know the deal."

Before Gibbs could say anything at all, Kate interrupted indignantly. "So essentially what you're saying is that our squeaky-clean Petty Officer was sleeping around? I can't believe it."

"He might have been an easy lay but he wasn't cheap according to the men I asked. Sorry to destroy Sanderson's image… or at least the one you had. Never judge a book by its cover. You're the profiler here."

"Am I back in high school?" Gibbs barked exasperatedly. This was getting worse by the minute. They not only had a gay and murdered marine but apparently also a "man-whore" for the lack of a better word as victim and so far no real indications what the motive could be.

"Shutting up, Boss." DiNozzo tried to pacify Gibbs. He had known that the older man wouldn't like what he had found out. The marines were his world and he liked to think that everybody had as much control about themselves as Gibbs did but this case confronted them with a different side of human nature. Tony was fairly sure that his Boss wasn't put off by the obvious kink but what he didn't like was the sleeping around part.

Maybe he's a bit conservative when it comes to that.

It wasn't a very good explanation but all he could come up with right now. Sure it was an assumption and he had been told that, "NCIS Agents don't assume, they double-check!"more often than he could remember and on top of that his gut told him something different. With a heartfelt sigh he slid into the passenger seat and with Gibbs behind the steering wheel they were back at the Navy Yard in no time.

Sitting down at his desk and mentally going over all that they knew, Gibbs realized that they had nothing to go with. No real lead, maybe a few jilted lovers but still no obvious motive. And McGee still hadn't come up with a solution for their agenda entries.

"McGee You graduated from MIT… how difficult can it be to find something. It's only 2 letters and 6 digits, for God's sake," he barked into the receiver before he threw it down again.

Kate and Tony exchanged meaningful looks over the short distance between their desks and decided without fuss or words that they would keep low profile… for now at least.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah Boss?" came the hesitant answer. Tony knew that his boss was in one of his very bad moods and was ready to beg for forgiveness out of general principle. Therefore he was quite surprised at what came next.

"I need you to think with me here."

"Shoot boss."

"The entries are a single letter and a 3digit number. What could the letter be?

"First or last name. usually one letter's random and 2 are coincidence when some one wants to leave a trace."

"How many hits for marines on the Quantico base with first or last name starting with W, Kate?"

Following the indirect order immediately, she came up with the answer 10seconds later and a wince on her face.

"2643, Boss."

"Ok. With K?"

Another short break

"1829"

"Any ideas, Kate?"

"We could narrow down the number considering the unit he was in and his circle of friends." She looked up at Gibbs. The silence stretched.

"Well what are you waiting for? Do it!" Gibbs barked and Kate hurried to comply.

"Boss I think I got an idea." Tony tried tentatively. Usually being the first to shout his findings into the room, his behaviour was a bit unusual but Gibbs let it slide. He had a murderer to find!

"Let's hear it, DiNozzo."

"So we know that Sanderson has been in Quantico for 2 years now and all his friends are fellow marines. He has not much contact to people outside the base, just family visiting on the usual holidays. Therefore it would be safe to say that the killer was a marine. "

"And further knowing that he was whoring himself out, "Tony winced slightly at his choice of words when he saw Gibbs face darken almost imperceptive , "he had to have found a way by keeping them apart without anybody else being the wiser but him still knowing whom he was seeing at what time."

A slow nod confirmed that Gibbs was indeed following his line of thought. Kate looked a bit sceptical but bore with him. After all they had nothing else and she knew that Tony's hunches mostly paied off. Everybody always thought she would consider him more lucky than skilled when it came to his work as Special Agent but they were wrong. She appreciated his unconventional ways but sometimes baiting him was just too much fun. Tit for tat, as simple as that she thought to herself while following Tony's musings mentally.

"Ok. And what kind of number does every marine have? Come on, it's not hard." Tony was grinning like a mad man. If this was indeed it, he had just made a major break-trough in the case. He could practically see the light bulbs flashing over Kate's and Gibbs's heads when they got what he was hinting at.

"Serial number," they stated simultaneously. Kate excited, his boss a bit more level headed.

"Exactly!" Tony smiled and moved to check serial numbers with the last three numbers identical to the ones they had found on the slip of paper.

"Tony?"

"Yeah Boss?" he looked up slightly to see what his Boss wanted and was glad he had done because the warmth he saw in his supervisors and lovers eyes made him feel 2inches taller

"That's good work." Was all Gibbs said but the younger man that his boss was sincerely grateful for him to have worked out this riddle. It was an indirect Thank You and Tony knew it.

"Thanks, Boss." Smiling softly he tuned back to his screen and 5 minutes later he came up with the 2 names corresponding to the letters and numbers they had decrypted successfully.

"Ok here we go. W047 is Private First Class Dean Wilson. 59376047 Complete serial number. K295 is Lance Corporal Fred Kellerman. His complete serial number would be 12436295. I talked to both of them today. You could call them Sanderson's regulars."

"Call them and bring them in for questioning."

"On it, Boss."

TBC

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