The Red Haired Woman
Chapter 13
Chanel and Gibbs walked into the director's office holding hands. Her eyes were cold as ice.
"I understand you wanted to see me? Tobias, you want to take my statement, and Mr. Director sir, you want to hear it. Correct?"
The director responded first, and very sympathetically as well. "Chanel. There was a terrorist attack in our own building, and you single handedly resolved it. Fornell is here to take your statement and put it together with the rest. No one plans on accusing you of anything. From what we can see you have done nothing wrong."
Tobias spoke up. "Gibbs this is her interrogation or interview, whatever you want to call it, you are in a personal relationship with her so you cannot stay."
Gibbs quietly but firmly responded, "Tobias, I am staying."
Chanel spoke up, again with a voice of ice. The room was getting positively frigid. "Tobias, if you consider this to be an interrogation, then I invoke my rights to legal counsel, and you won't get a word out of me. If this is simply an interview I will cooperate. But if you have any inkling in that tiny brain of yours that this is anything more, you are legally bound to tell me. I will invoke, and my attorneys will drown you in paper until you die and you will never get a report from me. What's it going to be? And the only way I talk is if Gibbs stays with me. If he goes I go, and if you feel the need to arrest me, you go ahead and do that. I'm sure the President will appreciate that late night phone call Tobias." He paled at the thought and decided to step back.
"I misspoke when I used the word interrogation. Given the information we have gathered so far, along with the evidence, I see no reason to believe that anything will come to light other than you killed a terrorist this evening. And of course Gibbs can stay."
"One other thing Tobias, this is the only statement you will get. There will be no meeting at the FBI office to go over this again. Take good notes or tape it. After tonight, it gets bundled into my top secret file and I will not discuss it again."
"I'm not prepared for that Chanel."
"I'll give you five minutes to find a pad and paper then Tobias. I'm sure Tony is still here and can help you find one. After that, I will write out my statement and it will stand with no questions." Tobias gawked while Gibbs smirked. "Well? What are you waiting for Tobias? Clock is ticking."
Tobias raced out of the room, while the director and Gibbs snickered. "Do you lead all men around by their balls or just ones you don't like?"
"I only do it when I'm pissed. Director, sir, do you think I could have a glass, maybe two fingers of scotch? I feel a need for some special sustenance." Both Gibbs and Chanel were handed drinks, Tobias returned, and the interview began. She told them her thoughts where appropriate and all of her actions. When the discussion of Ari began she took a deep breath and completely without emotion and without shame or doubt told the whole story.
All three men were stunned as she concluded her story. It was clear from Tobias' face there would be no further questions or actions taken.
Chanel looked at the Director and Fornell. "Is there anything else gentlemen? I have a team and a father to debrief and then I am going home to bed." She stood quietly, nodded to the Director, ignored Tobias and walked out the door. Gibbs stayed behind for a few minutes and then walked Fornell to the elevator.
"You are going to marry her? I think you must be the luckiest man in the world and one of the bravest. To live with a woman who can crack balls like she did up there, that would scare me. But God, she is beautiful. No wonder Ari would rather have died at her hands then those of his enemies. I just don't know who his enemies are, and if they are ours also. Seems to be, but it is convoluted. Good night Jethro. Take care of her."
Chanel was eating some of the pizza that Tony had thoughtfully ordered. The General supplied his own version of morale boosting that many were partaking in. The team started reassembling when they saw Chanel leaving the Director's office. For the most part everyone was quiet and waiting patiently for Chanel to speak, but Abby's sense of guilt and her overly caffeinated brain made her practically hysterical. Chanel finally snapped at her to be quiet and she would tell everyone at one time, but her nerves were shot right now, and Abby needed to take the noise level to zero or she would not be allowed to stay.
Chanel repeated the story again, leaving nothing out, Ducky and Palmer inserting their take on things. To say they gushed over the way Chanel had handled things was an understatement. Chanel was sitting on the floor at Gibbs' feet with her knees pulled up arms wrapped around her. She looked very fragile and tired, and while she was tired she was definitely not fragile. She shared her final words to the whole team because she knew she would hear it again and again.
"I know everyone just wants this day to be over, me maybe most of all. But I do want to say a couple of things. I want to thank you for all the things that went on behind the scenes so to speak. I don't know what all everyone was doing, but I'm sure no one was wringing their hands in vain. The second thing I want to say, and this goes for everyone including you Jethro. If anyone else other than me had gone into that room someone other than Ari would have died. So please, no guilt about not being the person to take the evidence box down to autopsy. While I suffer a personal tragedy, this was the best possible ending for everyone. And a day when we all go home is the best. Good night, everyone." Chanel gracefully stood up, got her things, and she and Gibbs followed the General to the Mercedes limousine and the driver that would take them home.