Informative Conversations
091608
Disclaimer: I don't own anything right now, wish I did.
Summary: Everyone's talking about Grant…
Reviews: Yes please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!!
A/N: This bit ends awkwardly but it's been a while since I updated and I needed to get it posted. Most of this has been written for a while but RL, not to mention a totally amazing weekend at DragonCon, sidetracked me for a bit longer than I'd anticipated. So without further ado….
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Chapter 12
Abby's lab……
Ducky crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed the bright-eyed Goth. She had gone back to studying Grant's profile with rapt attention. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. She ignored him.
"Abigail." He said sternly. "We need to talk." She continued to ignore him. "Abigail!" He repeated in a stronger tone of voice. She jumped and turned back to the ME.
"Sorry, Ducky." She apologized meekly. She gestured towards the monitor that was still showing a slow motion of Grant pulling the gun on Ziva. She stopped the feed. "That's the most amazing thing I've seen in a long time." She said in awe before she turned and faced him, attention firmly in place. "What did you say?"
Ducky's strict tone belied the twinkle in his eyes. "What is this I'm hearing about you and Agent Mars kissing? Do I need to have a word with the young man?"
A shy smile appeared on her pretty face. "No, Duck-man. I kissed him. Well, actually he did kiss me first but on the neck." Her hand came up and covered the spot in the center of the spider web tattoo that Grant had caressed with his lips.
Ducky's stern visage melted into an indulgent smile. "Just keep me informed of developments, my dear. That way I can alert Anthony as to whether or not he needs to stock up on dollar bills." He patted her shoulder, kissed her cheek and left her gazing at the FBI agent's profile.
Meanwhile in Fornell's FBI issued sedan…..
Tobias watched as his newest agent nearly vibrated out of the passenger seat of the FBI issue sedan. He's gotten used to the excess energy that seemed to be part of the younger man but the tone of the energy had changed. Before today it had been the nervous energy of someone trying to prove something either to himself or his superiors, Fornell hadn't figured out which yet. Now the energy was… different… more aware. If he didn't know better Fornell would swear that Mars had gotten an infusion of confidence from something inside the NCIS building. Rather than getting a headache, he decided to talk to Grant.
"Give me your update." He commanded calmly.
Grant glanced over with sparkling blue eyes. He nearly bounced in his seat like an overactive child. "We're gonna get him this time, Boss. I can feel it."
There was something in the way Mars said 'feel' that made the hairs on the back of Fornell's neck stand up. He swallowed and tried again. "Tell me everything you did today from the time you got to the crime scene until now. Don't leave out any detail." He paused before continuing with a slight smirk. "Including any kissing you might have done."
Instead of the blush Tobias would have gotten even the day before, the grin that appeared on Grant's face seemed to light up the car's already sunny interior. He settled slightly on the cushion and concisely reported every moment of his day so far. "And now we're following up a lead from the BOLO they put out." The younger agent concluded.
If Fornell were inclined to follow Gibbs' example, Mars would have had a concussion from the headslaps he felt the urge to dish out. Instead he sighed and followed the NCIS car in silence for a few minutes. Following the other agency's vehicle was no easy task as Gibbs was driving but long-term friendship had its advantages and Tobias managed to stay behind the dark blue Dodge. They still had a way to go before reaching the clinic so Fornell decided to try to get some answers.
"Ok, I heard what you did today so now I want to know what happened to you today." He questioned quietly.
Grant turned slightly to look at his boss. "I'm not sure I'm following you." He said with a confused frown.
Fornell huffed in frustration. "Yesterday I had an agent that I'd hired just about a month ago. Sure, he was a bit wired from too much coffee and energy drinks but he was quiet. Followed orders without question, didn't flirt while on the clock, didn't get into arguments with agents from other agencies and never, ever pulled a gun on anyone who hadn't drawn first, especially a Mossad officer. I want to know where that agent went and why he left a DiNutso wannabe in his place."
An abashed smile graced Grant's lean features. "Oh, that."
"Yes, that!" Tobias exclaimed. "Explain that to me and maybe I won't fire you."
Grant blanched at the threat but resisted the urge to retreat into the timidly passive façade he'd lived behind for so long he nearly couldn't remember when it had developed. He gave the issue a few minutes of serious thought, trying to figure the best way to explain how he felt. "Well, today while I was arguing with Tony I regained something I'd lost… or thought I'd lost at any rate."
Fornell concentrated on following Gibbs for a minute. "I'm gonna need a little more than that." He finally told the younger agent.
Grant nibbled his lower lip for a second before speaking quietly. "When I transferred to Boston out of Baltimore I felt like I'd lost something important. Like a sense that I'd relied on was gone. I felt numbed. Diminished. I felt that way for nearly six years. That debacle in New York didn't help any, if anything it made it worse. After that, after what Agent Johnson did to me, for the first time in my life I doubted my skills. I questioned my choice to become a cop rather than opening a law practice. I decided it would be better if I became just another agent, an automaton. Follow orders, don't make waves, don't stick out. I learned to blend rather than buck, even more so in the last six months. But today… during that argument, something clicked back into place. Gibbs had listened to me, heard what I had to say and didn't criticize. I'm not saying you do, Boss, but in the last few years I have gotten a good deal of criticism. Today I realized I still had that sense. It felt like my head was clear for the first time in years and it felt so good. All the old confidence I'd had in Baltimore, and even before that, just flooded through me like liquid heat." He closed his eyes and shivered a little as he remembered how good it had felt to throw that can across the garage and just know it was going to hit its target.
Something Fornell had said came back to Grant and he tilted his head curiously. "How did you know I was arguing with Tony? For that matter, how did you know I pulled my gun on Ziva?" He asked.
"Jethro called me over and dragged me down to Scuito's lab to watch the surveillance tape of it. And I saw you flirting with David." Fornell explained. He hesitated before continuing. "What's this 'sense' you keep talking about?" He had a funny feeling he knew already but wanted to hear it from Mars.
Grant rubbed his earlobe, thinking. "Well, for a very long time, starting when I was about 11, I trained in martial arts. I was small for my age, prime target for bullies, so Dad wanted me to be able to defend myself and not get hurt. I studied Jujitsu, Karate and Tai Chi. While I was studying those disciplines I was also being trained to focus my senses. The best sense I had – have – is hearing. So I was trained to listen. Ziva asked me the same thing. She's got some martial arts training and wanted to know how I'd managed to follow her with the gun. Told her I could hear her but she doesn't believe me. We're gonna meet up some evening after work, after this case is solved, of course, and I'm going to try to pass on some of what I've been taught. I tried to teach Tony back in Baltimore but he's too…" Grant paused trying to come up with the best way to categorize his old friend.
"Squirrelly?" Tobias suggested with an evil gleam in his dark eyes.
The younger agent let out a short roar of laughter. "Yeah, that's Tony."
Fornell laughed with him before he sobered and considered the phrasing of his next question. "Ducky said that you were using your 'gut' like Jethro does. What do you think about that?"
"By 'gut' is he saying that Gibbs and I have some sort of instinct about what's going to happen at any given time? Some sort of… I don't know… sixth sense?" Grant inquired.
"Could be something like that. Jethro's 'gut' is never wrong." Fornell confirmed with a nod.
Grant sat back in his seat, lowered his head and thought about that for a few minutes. Almost long enough to make Tobias nervous. Trying to divide his attention between the road and the younger agent, Fornell nearly missed it when Gibbs swung into a parking lot half a block ahead of them. He swerved just in time and slammed to a halt next to the other government issued sedan.
Grant's head snapped up and his startling blue eyes focused on the building several yards away on the other side of the pavement. "Oh yeah, he's in there." He said softly.
Fornell blinked at his newest agent as a shiver ran down his spine. The kid was more like Gibbs than anyone knew. They sat in the car for a few more minutes watching the other agents spilling out of their own vehicle. "How should we play this?" He asked.
Grant stared at him in shock, unable to answer.
The older man shook his head in bemusement. "You know the guy. You've been chasing him for over three years. I'm assuming we can't just go in there and arrest him. NYPD couldn't even hold him."
Hatred flashed in Grant's sapphire eyes. "They're idiots up there." He snarled. "I could have…"
"I know what happened." Tobias interrupted him. "It wasn't your fault. Now, did you question him at all? Does he know who you are?"
"Yeah, I did and yeah, he does. Why?" Grant nodded, his attention wandering to the four NCIS agents waiting for them.
"Ok, then. We'll have to play this one by ear. Come on." He opened his door and stepped out, after a couple of seconds Grant followed suit.
Meanwhile, NCIS car…..
In the front passenger seat, Tony's head bounced forward from the headslap. "OW! What was that for? I didn't even say anything!" He protested.
In the back seat, Ziva and Tim exchanged amused glances but chose not to tease Tony in front of their boss.
"That" Jethro growled, "was for arguing with an FBI agent in the middle of our building." Another smack echoed through the car.
"OW!" Tony yelped again. "What was that one for??" He demanded.
"You told me you would be all right working with Mars. Was that a lie?" Gibbs asked quietly. His tone was ominous.
"No. I can work with him. But… Boss… he kissed Abby!" Tony hissed.
"So?" Gibbs asked. "Abs is a big girl. Did you forget that she can take care of herself? Do you need to ask Chip how well she does that?"
Tony glared at the floorboard. "No." He muttered sullenly.
"Then what is the problem?" Jethro demanded.
"I don't know." The Italian admitted.
"Well, either figure it out and get your head on straight or sit this one out. Which will it be?" Gibbs warned his Senior Agent.
"I'll get my head straight, Boss." Tony almost whispered before he turned his head to stare out of the window.
"Good." The Team Leader turned his attention back to the road for a few hair-raising minutes. Several moments of silence passed before Gibbs spoke again. "Ziva, explain to me what you think you were doing with Agent Mars."
"I am not sure exactly what information you wish for me to give you. Agent Mars and I went to question the friend but she had nothing to tell us. While we were traveling the Agent and I got acquainted. He is a very interesting man. Abby is a very lucky girl." Ziva's dark eyes gleamed with humor when Tony swung around to glare at her.
"That is soooo not gonna happen." The Italian growled. "OW!" It was all McGee could do not to snicker as Gibbs' hand once more made contact with the back of the Senior Field Agent's head.
"Pipe down, DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered. "You know what I mean, David. Did you make a date?"
"Yeah, Zee-vah, did you and the Martian make a date?" Tony sneered the word 'date' as if it were the foulest of curses. He ducked yet another headslap.
Ziva smiled slyly. "Grant and I…" She was interrupted.
"Grant?" Tony snarled at her. "It's 'Grant' now?"
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled, annoyed beyond his limits. Tony subsided momentarily and faced the front, sulking. Gibbs continued. "You and Grant… what?"
Realizing that further tormenting her partner would swing their boss's ire her way, Ziva wasted no time in completing her explanation. "Grant and I are going to meet in the gym and he's going to demonstrate some of his martial arts to me. We are going to train together that is all."
"Good." Gibbs nodded as he allowed a tiny smirk to cross his handsome face. "We need good interagency cooperation like that. McGee, I want you to see if Mars can give you a few pointers."
"Well, Boss, I don't know…." The younger agent trailed off as steely blue eyes caught his in the rearview mirror.
"Wasn't exactly a suggestion, McGee." Jethro stated.
From practice, all the team members braced themselves as Gibbs braked suddenly and swung into the parking lot of the clinic. They spilled out of the car only to have to wait for Fornell to finish talking to Mars in the FBI issued sedan.
Gibbs immediately made his way next to his old friend as he exited the car. "What's the plan, Tobias?"
"For now, by ear." Fornell grimaced at the scowl on Jethro's face. "We need to visually ascertain that it's our dirtbag in there. Someone needs to go in."
The words "I've got a plan" were spoken in a voice neither Team Leader expected and they spun as one to the speaker.
TBC