Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A.N.: Thank you everyone for reading this story and showing such interest in it. Thanks especially to black widow mistress, Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Huddly, MatteaAM, MissJayne, HesMines, babyred1995 and laoisbabe for reviewing it. Thank you all those who alerted it and favourited it, too.
Fornell stormed out of FBI headquarters and jumped into his car, tossing his case file on the seat next to him, slamming the door and viciously pulling his seat belt around himself. He had been up all night making sure the Agents scoured every inch of Dine's place for any trace of the man that had taken Emily, spending every moment immersed in the particulars of the case just so he didn't have time to think about what he had lost. He and Diane had not parted on friendly terms, but he had loved her once. He often joked with Jethro about OJ-ing her, but he hadn't actually wished her dead, and now she was, and his little girl was gone. Emily was at the mercy of a child molester, who even though he only attacks boys, is still a significant risk to her life. Just because he only enjoys young boys doesn't mean he won't kill her. Tobias cringed and found himself wondering if it would be better that he killed her, than extend his enjoyment to young girls. He closed his eyes and kicked the car, tears pricking his eyes at his own powerlessness. After securing the scene, he had been called into his Director's office and told that he was being taken off of the case because he was now too close to it to be objective. Damn right he was too close! That bastard had his little girl! Apparently his Director thought that 'being angry as hell still didn't give him the right to stay on the investigation', so he was going to go and see someone he knew would help him.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs could be an incredible pain in the FBI's collective butt, however he was Tobias' only friend, and someone he could trust to find Emily without worrying about the impact on the 'bigger investigation'. He still wanted to stop the killer from hurting anyone else though, and that was another reason to go to Jethro. He couldn't think of a single case where he hadn't gotten his guy, and even though there must be at least one, he had never heard of it. He took a steadying breath and then opened his eyes, starting the car and driving to the navy yard. It wouldn't do to succumb to tears before he had even tried to get back on the case, even if he was going to get Hell from his Director about taking it to another Agency. He had to keep a cool head around Jethro and especially Director Shepard, or they wouldn't help him, just think he was being over emotional.
He pulled into the parking area, and jumped out of his car, stalking towards the doors and angrily showing his badge to the receptionist. Why did he need a visitor badge anyway? He scowled and pinned it to his chest, stowing the manila case file under his arm and then walking to the elevator. If Gibbs was using his conference room right now he would have his guts for garters. He winced internally as the saying entered his thoughts. He had picked up that particular one from Diane… he reached the doors and pressed the button for the bullpen, using the short ride as an exercise in control. Don't snap now, you are so close. The doors opened and he stepped out hesitating momentarily. Should he go straight to Gibbs? He would take a little convincing, but he knew he could do it, and he would have help taking his case to Jenny, but she wouldn't like it. If he told her first he could get official NCIS backing and her help to get Gibbs to agree, and even if he didn't, she could assign another team to help him. He watched DiNozzo look up and narrow his eyes at him. Today he wasn't in the mood for the younger mans jibes, even if they were part of the usual charade of Agency hostility.
He looked over to Gibbs' desk, noticing he wasn't there. Well, his decision has been made for him then. He scowled at DiNozzo and then stalked past him, marching up the stairs and along the catwalk to Jenny Shepard's office. Cynthia, Jenny's Assistant looked up from her desk at his approach and smiled welcomingly at him, giving him the only real positive feeling he'd had all night. Gratitude. It took a lot to be so welcoming to everyone, especially when you had Gibbs habitually barging past you, but somehow Cynthia did it, and he was happy she did. It was more than likely a ploy by Jenny too, so you saw her smile and then Jenny's and assumed the Director was just as easily impressed. Then the door closes and you are trapped in her office with her, the tiger unleashed, playing with her prey, their confusion at her strategy amusing her. Invariably putting her in a good mood and allowing the victim to walk out unharmed. He wasn't unaffected by this ploy either, he was just better than most at hiding his reactions and deflecting her attention, usually to Gibbs. She was a strange woman, but a force to be reckoned with, which was another reason NCIS was the only option for him.
"Is Jenny in?" Cynthia nodded.
"Yes, but I think she's in a bad mood." He raised an eyebrow and she elaborated. "Gibbs' team just wrapped up the Sharif case yesterday, and then Gibbs bolted out the door after an army colonel, Hollis Mann." Cynthia whispered the gossip to him over the desk and he found himself leaning over to catch what she was saying. Did she think Jenny had super hearing? Because he doesn't.
"Red head?" he asked and Cynthia shook her head seriously.
"Blonde." He waved it off, laughing. A blonde? That'll be the day.
"It's just a phase. Trust me. If anything, he's testing Jenny's reaction." Cynthia grinned and shook her head. She hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. She checked that Jenny wasn't on the phone and then pressed the intercom.
"Agent Tobias Fornell here to see you, Director."
"Thank you Cynthia, send him in." she smiled and stood, rounding the desk and opening the door for him.
"Thank you." He said and nodded to her, walking into the room and stopping in front of Jenny's desk, deciding to take a seat. He wasn't sure his legs could hold him if she said no. She looked up from her computer and removed her reading glasses, placing them on the desk and then picking up a remote control. She pressed a button, and aimed it at the screen behind him. He turned, just in time to see the face of a man blink off. She put the remote in a drawer and then faced him, giving him the full power of her stare.
"Agent Fornell, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she gave him a friendly smile and he found himself smiling back almost nervously. The request he was about to make of her was the biggest he had ever asked of anyone, especially since if she agreed, it could damage relations between the FBI and NCIS. She was all about interagency cooperation, but would she help when he technically didn't have the case?
"I'm here to make a request, Jenny." She raised her eyebrows at his use of her first name, but said nothing, instead sitting back to wait for his explanation. "The FBI has a case that we have been working on, that I have been working on, for three years, and last night we thought we had our guy." He paused, collecting his thoughts together.
"You didn't?" she asked, guessing that something had gone wrong, and wondering why he was telling her about it. She had a feeling this would have more to do with Jethro than her. A brief flash of Colonel Mann's face made her take a deep breath; she closed her eyes briefly and focussed on Fornell. He was here to ask her for help, the least she could do was listen.
"No. He slipped past us and left something for me to find, me specifically." She frowned, the killer knowing who the investigating officer is, was bad, very bad.
"Are you asking for protection?" he shook his head.
"No. The thing he left for me was a few photos of Diane and Emily." She sat forward, and looked at him seriously, searching his face for something.
"Do you want protection for them?" she asked slowly, almost like she knew he was going to say no again.
"No. it's too late for that. Diane is dead; she was stabbed in the back. Emily… Emily is missing." He tried to keep his voice as level as he could but he knew he had failed. He could see Jenny looking more closely at him and he found himself wishing he could slap some concealer on his face like she could when she was tired.
"You've been thrown off the case." She said. It wasn't a question, and she was getting a clearer idea of why he was here, she just wasn't sure it was worth the risk. Did she want a child to die? No, but was she willing to openly investigate one of the FBI's cases using one of their own agents, who has already been taken off of the case because of personal involvement? Not unless he could give her a superlative reason to do so.
"Yes, my Director thinks I'm too close to the case to stay on it, but I'm the only agent who knows this guys method inside out. I can find his next house before he kills, I always do. The bureau just takes their sweet time sending me the resources I need to take him down." He stated heatedly. The bureau's red tape had cost more than a few children their lives, and now Diane had lost hers too. Jenny sighed and leaned back in her chair apologetically. Tobias was too close and too angry to be let near any investigation, never mind one involving his own daughter. She couldn't help him.
"Tobias, there is a good reason why you were removed from the investigation…" she started trying to let him down gently, but Fornell wasn't finished.
"Why? So I won't kill him?" he threw the folder on the desk towards her and gestured to it. "I can't say I wasn't going to do that anyway." He watched as she dubiously picked up her glasses and put them on and then picked up the folder and opened it, reading through all of the information the FBI had on this case. Jenny felt the blood drain from her face when she read the MO and saw the autopsy pictures. Those boys had been subjected to so much horror and violence it was probably a good thing they were dead, recovering from it would have been a long, if not impossible, process. Was that what awaited little Emily Fornell? She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, she didn't need this. Now if she refused him, knowing in advance the things that this guy could do, she would look like some sort of cold hearted, self-serving ice queen and he would make sure everyone knew it. She took off her glasses and set them on the desk, fixing him with a calculating stare.
"You have put me in an awkward position, Tobias. If I help you, the FBI will never cooperate with our investigations again and could press charges because of our interference in this case, but if I don't help you, your expertise goes to waste and this guy gets the chance to kill more children, including your daughter. I don't appreciate being the only thing between Emily being saved or killed." She tossed the folder back on the desk and shook her head at him, narrowing her eyes crossly "What lengths would you be willing to go to, in order to save her?" he glared back at her, annoyed. Was she purposefully ignoring everything he said? This psycho had his little girl, he was going to do whatever it took to track him down and teach him a lesson.
"What lengths would you be willing to go to, for family?" he fired back irately. He didn't know what it was about what he said, but her face instantly softened and her eyes flickered back to the screen behind him, before settling on his face. She nodded slowly, biting the inside of her bottom lip, and picking up the folder again. She passed him the folder and his heart sank. She was throwing him out. He hesitantly took the folder and stared hard at her. How could she do this? She smiled at him and then leaned towards him again, his confusion showing on his face.
"What team did you have in mind?" she asked, and just at that moment the door flew open, rebounding off of the wall and Gibbs stormed in. "Good morning Agent Gibbs. Sleep well?" Jethro shot her an odd look at her enquiry and then noticed Fornell.
"I didn't get much sleeping done actually, Jen. Thanks for asking." She glared at him behind his back when he turned his attention to Tobias. "I haven't even started a new case yet, Tobias. Is this the FBI's idea of a pre-emptive strike?" he smirked at Fornell, but Tobias couldn't muster one up in return. This was too serious.
"Actually Jethro, I'm here on personal business. I need help and you are the only one I can trust to do it right." He looked over the desk at Jenny and she inclined her head. It had been rather obvious he would choose Jethro; she wasn't going to deny him his choice of Agents for this case. He looked back at Gibbs and stood, giving him the option of a seat. Jethro gave him a quizzical look and made no move to sit, so Tobias took that as the go ahead to speak. He forced his feelings to the back of his mind once more and wringed his hands. "Diane was murdered last night and Emily has been abducted."
A.N.: I have no idea what 'OJ-ing' is. I assume it's an Americanism I'm just not familiar with. If anyone knows, could you let me know what it is please?