Chapter Fifteen

8.00am

Tim collapsed on the Commanders soft, soft …soft….

Tim!

Argh Tim jerked awake. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. He had been in the middle of a thought and then he had……

Tim!

He blinked rapidly and saw Willow looking down at him sympathetically. 'I'm sorry Tim but I just have to ask you a couple of questions and then as soon as I can you can get some sleep.'

Tim nodded and stifled a yawn while Willow sat next to him on the couch.

'Ok so what do we know? Rat face down in the basement seems pretty limited with his actual knowledge. He was used purely for the access he had to my office and security authorization. He did know where the money was to be siphoned to but couldn't get access to it. Who even knows if these others would even come through and pay Jeffrey out his cut once the job was done? He has apparently lost a few screws somewhere but was able to hold it together in public. Now your part Tim?'

'Ok well I have re established the connections for your computer and security setup here at your place and then used that to set up some trace programs on yours and Jeffrey's work computers which are already gathering information about who was using what programs and when and then they are being correlated to information about times and dates of disappearances of specific drug……..'

'Woh there Timmy! You have really done all that while I was down stairs with Jeffrey? You are good.' She smiled and winked at him. 'Well I could have told you that already but you know what I mean'. Tim blushed.

He was feeling a little distanced from reality after the strange occurrences of the evening. It all felt like a strange dream he had had. And now surrounded by normal looking soft throw pillows, books and picture frames in a normal looking lounge with bright sunlight streaming through the windows, the only thing that told him it had been real was his aching right side and the red stripling slashes across his chest.

'So where does that leave us?' Willow interrupted his meandering thoughts again.

'Well basically in a few hours I should be able to back trace where the money is coming from and where and when the transfer authorities are being registered. I have set up dozens of viruses to activate, kind of like trip wires once certain activities become active all across the Base computer network so once anything happens and it's ready to go down we will be ready.'

Willow looked thoughtful and then turned to Tim. 'How would you feel about getting a reputation?

Tim blinked and looked a little bit lost. 'A reputation for what?'

Willow smiled and leaning in ran her finger across his plump lower lip. 'You know a reputation, as in with the ladies'

Tim struggled a bit for words,'Umm I don't really have a reputation. At all. It's not something I really discuss. I consider it kind of personal and I'm sure woman wouldn't like to be discussed, you know behind their backs'

'What if I said in this case it would be a good thing?'

Tim still looked at her a bit blankly and she smiled again 'You really are sweet you know that? Ok what I'm thinking is that today is supposed to be my day off, which means that it's Jeffrey's day off too. So people won't be expecting me or him to be around but I'm sure they are already probably looking for you. It is after 8.00 o clock you know. I'm sure that I'm going to get a call at some stage soon just to update me on what's going on. Even if it is supposed to be my day off I have briefed my staff to always contact me if anything of importance is happening. And you missing would definitely count.'

Tim blinked startled, as he had lost track of time once he had settled himself in front of the computers and started setting his virtual bloodhounds running loose through the vast network systems, finding a way to track down what had been happening over the last six months.

Willow continued on 'So we need to find a way to discuss what we know with Gibbs and the rest of your team without alerting the rest of the base and possibly any contacts they have floating around. A missing NCIS agent is going to be cause for gossip if I know anything about the quality of scuttlebutt around here. So they are going to group a missing NCIS agent with the pharmaceuticals case and the bad guys will be suspicious, especially with Jeffrey temporarily off the scene. But if the entire Base gets the idea that we spent the night together…. Well then not only would it be the Scuttlebutt of the Year but it would actually distance you from the case. You see?' Willow leaned into him enthusiastically, her eyes flashing in her excitement.

Tim thought carefully for a moment. 'But we did you know…… spend the night together. So you want people to know that? He asked for clarification, his head tilted slightly to the side and his eyes considering.

Willow nodded 'Well you wouldn't have to actually say much. I'm sure people will assume most of it. Your people you can tell them whatever you want. You don't have to tell them we did sleep together, just that we were using it as a bit of a foil for what we were really up to. I don't mind Timothy really I don't.

Actually the advantage is probably mine as people will think I'm cradle snatching the hot young NCIS agent who was gone all night, while you get stuck with the whole Wicked Witch of the West thing.' She smiled a little sadly and felt a bit depressed that soon her little adventure would probably be over and she would have to share Tim with the rest of world. Too soon she would be back behind a desk, with someone scowling at her.

Tim smiled mischeviously up at her as he remembered some of the more pleasant aspects of the evening with Willow. 'So we just play up on what people are already thinking for a while until we can get everything set up to catch these guys?'

Willow brightened as she realized that Tim didn't feel ashamed at having slept with her, or more precisely letting lots of other people think that they had slept together.

'Exactly. We just need to find a way to spread the word as quickly and scandalously as possible. We might even be able to have a little fun with it. I promise I will be very complementary to you. How do you feel about being discovered in my robe?'

(Ok come on now people review. Is it boring? Does it explain anything? Do you care to keep reading? The next chapter should be fun. This chapter if you have been keeping track then merges into Chapter 10, where Gibbs and co turn up at the house to find McGee there. Feel free to re read that chapter if you like)