NCIS
Don't Push but Don't Hesitate
Chapter 3
Let's be Alone Together
Gibbs stood outside the elevator anticipating the arrival of his agents. It wasn't long before the doors opened revealing the pair standing side by side. In one look Gibbs communicated to DiNozzo that he wanted a moment alone with the lady of the team. Taking the hint Tony removed himself from the equation.
Remaining inside the elevator Samantha watch Gibbs board the lift and press the down button. Once the doors closed and the ride began he waited a few seconds then flipped the emergency switch. Then there was nothing but silence. Completely aware of what he was trying to accomplish with this tactic Samantha waited, refusing to be the first to speak.
"Word on the street is you're getting a divorce." Gibbs eventually said.
Samantha looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Don't look so damn smug about it."
"Can't help it." Gibbs replied with a smirk.
When there was no response from her at that point Gibbs reached into his pocket and held up the engagement ring.
"I think you dropped this."
Samantha looked at it and sighed. "It's all yours."
"We've already established that I don't want it back, Sam." Gibbs responded with an edge to his voice.
"Then what do you suggest I do with it?" Samantha asked.
Gibbs moved to stand in front of her and took her hand. Placing the ring in her palm he gently closed her fingers around it.
"You'll figure it out."
Samantha accepted the words and nodded in agreement. Gazing into his eyes she searched for any sign of emotion. Any glimmer of hope that he might still feel something for her other than scorn.
"Jethro…if this arrangement is going to be a problem…I can request a transfer." She suggested.
"Never said it was." Gibbs replied.
"No, I guess you didn't." Samantha acknowledged. She reached for the switch to turn the elevator on but Gibbs intercepted.
"One more thing, does the name Ziva David mean anything to you?" He wondered.
Samantha nodded. "I was briefed on her time here."
"How much do you know?"
"I know Ari was her half-brother. The Director of Mossad is their father, and that she was Ari's Control Officer. I'm also aware that Jenny used her as a resource to track Ari's whereabouts." Samantha answered honestly.
"That it?"
"Am I missing something?"
Gibbs filled Samantha in on the fact that Ziva had taken it upon herself to develop dossiers on each member of the team. It went without saying that Gibbs' relationship with Samantha had been uncovered by a complete stranger but there was more. Shannon and Kelly were discovered as well.
"Do the others know?" Samantha asked. Of course the team was already aware of their private history with the exception of how long they had truly known each other. The question was in reference to her sister, Gibbs' first wife, and his daughter.
A visual change in his eyes and Samantha had her answer. The most precious secret they shared was still safe.
The private session in the elevator was brought to a halt when the cell phone clipped to Gibbs' belt rang. It was DiNozzo announcing that there was a case. On the way to the crime scene Samantha held a fresh ice pack to her eye while she rode shotgun. Gibbs was behind the wheel and Tony was in back with McGee. Not a word was exchanged amongst the agents but the silence within the vehicle was surprisingly comfortable.
When they reached their destination Samantha removed the icepack from her eye and tied her hair back into a ponytail before putting her cap on. Fortunately her stitches were hidden from view by the visor. Naturally Gibbs took the lead, assigning his agents separate tasks. Samantha was given responsibility for the victim's girlfriend who was in shock after finding the deceased Marine. Upon their initial examination of the scene it appeared to be a suicide but of course they had to investigate before officially coming to that conclusion.
As Ducky and Jimmy prepared to transport the body Samantha escorted the girlfriend to the comfort of the living room where they discussed the woman's routine and the state in which she found her boyfriend. During the conversation Samantha took excellent notes on the young woman's alibi and the details of the relationship. The agent also focused on the nonverbal behaviors of the twenty something female. Fingerprints were taken for elimination purposes and Samantha advised her to stay with a friend or relative within the area. Contact information was exchanged before Samantha left her to check in with the others.
On the way back to headquarters with all the evidence Tony made his usual claim that the girlfriend was involved. In the past Samantha would have agreed but she was skeptical this time around. When they returned she took it upon herself to gather the evidence. McGee offered to take it down to Abby for her but she declined.
The agent found that Abby was not alone when she entered the lab with the bin of evidence to be processed. Jenny was with the forensic specialist on the other side of the glass doors leading into the next section of the lab. The pair appeared to be having a heated discussion that came to an abrupt halt after they saw movement near the door.
Samantha moved toward the steel table and began unpacking the evidence and laying it out in a specific order. A few minutes passed before Abby and the Director emerged and approached the agent.
"Special Agent Fielding, Abby has something she would like to say." Jenny announced.
Samantha gave Abby her undivided attention and the Goth shifted uncomfortably for a moment before making eye contact.
"I'm sorry." Abby mumbled.
Samantha could have easily pretended that she hadn't heard what Abby said but she decided to take the high road instead. When she nodded Jenny took that as a hint that the two would remain civilized if she left. Once she was gone Samantha spoke.
"Don't apologize…I earned it."
"No, you didn't, even if that were true I'm not the one who should be punishing you for what you did." Abby replied. "Can you forgive me?"
"Already have." Samantha smiled.
The rest of the morning the team of agents investigated the history of the deceased Marine. Samantha's focus was the girlfriend who was the last person to see him alive as far as they were aware. Meanwhile DiNozzo focused on the victim's service records and then some. McGee studied financial records of both parties. If there was anything worth finding it certainly was not going to be on the surface. They had to go deeper than the records were willing to allow.
It was around noon when Gibbs announced he was going for coffee. A tap on her desk as he passed by to capture her attention and a hand gesture for her to follow and Samantha stood. As she grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair Gibbs went to the elevator. Samantha caught up to him as the doors opened and he allowed her to go first. This did not go unnoticed by their colleagues.
As the doors to the elevator slid shut Tony was going to suggest to McGee that they order a pizza. At the same time McGee was going to comment on what they just witnessed between Sam and Gibbs. Jenny beat them both to the punch. Approaching from around the corner she addressed DiNozzo.
"Special Agent DiNozzo, I need to see you in my office." It was an order not a request.
Assuming that this had to do with what happened earlier that morning Tony respected the Director's wishes. However the exchange between Abby and Samantha was far from what Jenny planned to discuss.
Samantha and Gibbs strolled side by side through the Navy Yard. They grabbed coffee from the vendor on the corner before finding an unoccupied bench on the grounds.
"I didn't get the chance to give you my condolences." Samantha said, breaking the silence that was between them since they left the office.
"That makes two of us." Gibbs replied.
Samantha paused to take a sip of her macchiato and collect her thoughts. "What happened to Kate was a tragedy. What happened to my marriage was karma."
"Listen to me Sam you never did anything to deserve a wife beating cheater." Gibbs replied stiffly.
"That's debatable." Samantha mumbled under her breath.
If Gibbs heard it or not she was uncertain because he did not react either way.
"Have a seat." The director instructed the agent politely once they reached her office.
Tony obliged and made himself at home in one of the swivel chairs at the table within the office. Jenny joined him, taking the seat at the head of the table.
"Agent DiNozzo, are you seeing anyone at this time?" Jenny asked bluntly.
Tony was thrown off guard having expected Jenny to bring up Abby's behavior earlier. At any rate the Italian shrugged casually.
"I'm between girlfriends at the moment."
"Good, I'd like for you to keep it that way. I have plans for you that involve a rather fetching doctor." Jenny replied.
"I'm not the kind of guy that enjoys being set up." Tony said respectfully, he preferred to work alone when it came to dating.
"Consider this arrangement to be more professional than personal." Jenny advised.
McGee was alone in the squad room for the first time all day. This was as good a time as any to fill in the blanks regarding the returning member of the team.
What he learned was more than he bargained for.
For starters Samantha was from a small town in southern New Hampshire where she attended high school and graduated at the top of her class. From there she went on to attend Ohio State University followed by Harvard Law School. It was in 1994 when she joined NIS. None of this however contained the juicy details he was looking for.
The agent used his skills to dig a little deeper and as a result he found some shocking information. Samantha had previously been married to Steven Adler, the name was familiar because he had been Tony's frat brother in college at Ohio State. The same Steven Adler who also dated Kate but it got worse. According to Samantha's file Adler had sent her to the hospital.
The photographs of the injuries Samantha sustained were disturbing and McGee was unable to look at all of them. The abusive behavior was the reason Samantha filed for divorce. After learning all of this information McGee deleted any trace that he had accessed the file. Although he gained some insight into Samantha's background there were still unanswered questions about her relationship with Gibbs.
The partners abandoned the bench when there were no words left to speak and their coffee cups were empty. They walked in silence back to the office building where they came from. When they reached the elevator he allowed her to go first just as before.
When the elevator began moving Jethro wasted no time in flipping the emergency switch. What came next was not the lecture Samantha was expecting. Instead he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. The next thing she knew he was kissing her and she had no intention of stopping it