A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews and alerts - they help a lot. And they're much appreciated. This chapter is for YOU! I don't know when or IF next will be 'cause I lost my beta who help me with translation thing.
So, please enjoy this chapter.
Love, Chandni

Chapter 5

After Tony passed his brief, yet concise account of the what he heard from Sarah Franklin, they rode on in silence.
Tony had already noted that Gibbs is a man of few words, and sometimes even a single glance. On the other hand, his expression suggested that he was thinking deeply about something. They stopped at the hotel. Tony's inquiring gaze didn't get any answer, so he walked half-heartedly after Gibbs, across the hall to the elevator and then to room 107 on the second floor. As it turned out, room 107 was connected to the door of room 108, currently inhabited by the agent-with-neat-legs-and-nice-ass Todd. Tony sent her his classic smile to welcome her, and then decided to go for specifics. Question number one: who wants pizza?

They spend the rest of the afternoon and the night analyzing the collected evidence. Tony knew that he was tired, because he didn't quite feel the taste of coffee, and this happened sometimes after more than five cups of coffee and minus some 32 hours of sleep. Finally, around three in the morning he decided that he's going back to his place. Somewhere halfway between the hotel and his apartment, he got the message, as it turned out, from Alice. As a typical night owl, Alice worked efficiently in the evening, or rather, night. Anyway, she already had preliminary results of DNA test. Eventually Tony decided that the results can wait until morning, and now he will do something more constructive, like sleeping for example.

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It was already beginning to brighten when he awoke, with wild neck pain. So far, he couldn't remember that the couch in his living room was as comfortable as floor or the stairs. He stretched out swearing under his breath, then walked toward the kitchen, picking up through cardboard boxes of pizza. He found a nibbled piece of pizza from a day before yesterday, that he didn't have time to eat then.

He smiled. Best thing about pizza was that it was so good, regardless of the temperature and time of eating. If it didn't develop any civilization, it was good to eat. After all, it was made mainly from cheese, and it was a real rarity only when moldy.
Although that was claimed only by his friends, nouveau riches, having fastidious and soft palates, which only tolerated Cambridge and Camemberts.

He glanced at his watch, chewing on slice of pizza.
It was nearly sixth, jogging time. Tony yawned protractedly, then went in search of a tracksuit and his running shoes.

When he returned, at the door he found Frank.
"Frank?" He asked wearily, surprised by seeing his superior. "What happened? What are you doing here?"
"Did you order some tests at the laboratory?" he asked entering Tony's place.
Tony took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and pulled a few sips, looking at Frank.
"There is a possibility," he finally replied, pulling off his shoes.
"Old Man heard about it. He's furious, says that you're again doing something behind his back and make from him a fool. Unofficially, you're fired. Disciplinary action. I'm afraid that I can't do anything about it... "
"Hey, don't worry, it's even convenient for me," Tony said, although it wasn't convenient at all. Old Man surprised him a bit with his decision, although Tony really knew it was only a matter of time and finding a suitable argument.

"I had to tell you, as your boss," Frank further explained. It was obvious that he didn't like this situation, but what else was there to do, Old Man was immovable and it didn't seem worth the trouble anyway.
"I'm going to work," Frank said, leaving. Tony escorted him with his eyes, then quickly took
shower. When he had finished and covered with a towel marched out of the bathroom, in amazement he discovered unannounced guests occupying his couch.
Kate seemed to be embarrassed and Gibbs looked through a folder and generally didn't made a problem because of Tony's clothes, or rather the lack thereof. However, Tony himself thanked all holly spirits that allowed that he didn't go nude. It would be like realization of one of those dreams where you go naked to class or something.
"Feel at home," he threw, going into bedroom. "Coffee is in a cabinet on the left, in the box that says tea," he said through half-closed doors.

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"Maybe his daughter would be able to help us?" Tony interrupted the strange silence, when he sat in a chair in front of Gibbs, finally dressed. Todd still had inscrutable facial expression and seemed to avoid looking at him. Well. He was wondering about another problem. Where the hell did they get his address and how they got inside, after all he closed the door and the lock was supposed to resist even C4. 'Again I overpaid', he mentally sighed.
He didn't want to be rude, but he would like to show them the door in a few vulgar words. He was hungry, sleepy, unshaven and in addition, fired, that is, generally speaking, unemployed.

Why couldn't he have a quiet life? Offences Department, for example, was quite a good storage area. He would sit behind a desk, ate donuts and drank coffee. Finally he would probably got hemorrhoids, and a big stomach, but at least he wouldn't be in this situation, and he had the impression that this is only the beginning.

"Your people finished the investigation," said Gibbs, drinking his second cup of coffee, that he made for himself. Tony looked at him for a moment, wondering how much of it he could drink. Since he met Gibbs, his constant companion was a cup of coffee and unreadable expression on his face.
"I don't think his daughter would be able to help us," said Gibbs. And that's it. No arguments, no discussion. Just a statement. In any case, Tony was already too tired to go into it all, ask questions and all. As an aside, the case wasn't really his concern anymore, he was fired ...
His reasoning was interrupted by the ringing cell.

"Gibbs," he answered and listen to someone for a moment, then hung up. "Let's go."

"The call?" asked Kate, who sprang up from the couch like a rocket, dashing for the exit.

"Two military dead," Gibbs said and reached for his coffee. "You are coming with us."

"Why?"

"To take you cup back when I'm done."

Tony loved the sarcasm, especially at half-past nine on Friday morning.

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"Someone is murdering all the military from one unit," Frank said, watching paramedics put the bodies into body bags. Man looked around the room. His eyes stopped at Tony. For a moment, they were staring silently at each other, and then Frank sadly shook his head and walked out. Tony knew that his hours are numbered, but the worst was that Old Man could seriously stir in his papers.
"Or someone wants to deceive us," said Tony, trying to focus on the case. His personal problems has to wait till bedtime.
"You think, kid?" Gibbs snapped, leaving the house after he saw everything. Tony sighed and walked out onto the terrace to get some fresh air. Unfortunately, even the air seemed to be against him. It was early morning and the air was already stuffy. He looked at the sky. He hated those days when the sun was rising just to make you look ridiculous.
A few feet away stood Frank, smoking a cigarette.
"So much noise just for some DNA tests?" He asked, approaching the man. He didn't noticed Gibbs, standing by the window.
"Without permission," jibed Frank. "Kid, it doesn't look good."
"We have a case!" Tony was indignant. "I thought that's what it's all about, solving it. Now we have also this double murder. Something stinks here, and I won't rest ... "he didn't finish. Suddenly an idea hit him. Something was going on. The Old Man was recently acting strangely, stranger than usual. He quickly closed the case, and yet he was known for his inquisitiveness and steadfastness in the conduct of similar cases. He liked to dwell on them, especially in front of the cameras. Now he was more nervous and picked on the details. He wanted to get rid of NCIS agents and inconvenient detective, who poked his nose into not his cases, as soon as possible.
"Frank," he whispered, struck by this idea. The man looked at him suspiciously. "And what if the Old Man is involved in this mess?" he asked.
Frank dropped his cigarette and for a long moment stared at Tony.

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He sat staring at the computer monitor, but really his thoughts were elsewhere. How to provoke Old Man to a conversation? He wondered, in the meantime toying with a pencil. He had to sharpen it ... and he also had to do something else, but he couldn't remember what and it was nagging him. He began to analyze the major events of the day, with the hope that it will help him come up with solution to the dilemma. He looked at the phone and then it dawned on him. Alice. He was supposed to get test results from her. If the Old Man knew about it, he would probably confiscated it, and she would got a scolding, but if he used his patented smile number 7 and irresistible charm ... He jumped up at once from his chair and, maneuvering between the two desks, moved toward the elevator. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of the results he hadn't noticed Gibbs, who was just emerging from an elevator, carrying a coffee.
Brown liquid flowed between the tiles, while a cup rolled on its own way, creating a few more no less spectacular spills. Tony couldn't read anything from Gibbs face, as usual, but something told him that it's not good ... He made a vague face and then went down the stairs. Spending time with Gibbs in the elevator didn't seem to be a good idea.

Alice was alone and busy at her desk, humming under her breath a song that was coming from the radio.

"Do you still have these results?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

"Are you on fire?"asked Alice, clearly amused. He was lucky, so she was still in a good mood. Otherwise, even Gibbs with his eye tricks wouldn't get anything out of her. "Old Man took the originals, together with the evidence, but I have a copy for you. Thanks to this old printer, which copies everything twice..."

"I prefer to thank the young lab tech," said Tony, reaching for the paper.

"Ass-kisser," pointed out Alice, returning to a report file.

"Anyway, you're great," he confessed, then smacked his lips on her cheek, near the corner of her mouth. Alice at first froze completely motionless, then her cheeks pinked, and she muttered something as she walked to a machine standing against the wall.

Tony looked at the results. "Half-siblings?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yes. There is something else, that came out just when the Old Man left …" Alice lowered her voice and looked around uncertainly. "This girl was related to the Senator."

Tony looked at her, frankly astonished at this turn of events. Relative? Of the senator? But...

"Are you sure?"

Alice just shook her head. "She was his daughter," she whispered, as Mac entered the laboratory.

"Hello!" Tony shouted, almost deafening Alice, and then went to the door at a speed of fired torpedo.

On the stairs he once run into Gibbs, but this time, the latter didn't have coffee with him. Fortunately. On the other hand, agent's inscrutable face was speaking for itself. He was screwed.
Well, thought Tony, too much luck can't be good...

"Sorry for the incident with the coffee," he began looking for an escape route.

"Incident?" asked Gibbs. "You'd better have a really good news."

Tony pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket and handed Gibbs without a word.
"The results ... "

"I see," said Gibbs, once again moving the card slightly, in search of a better angle.

"Judging by how you hold it, I was not certain... shutting up now," said Tony, when Gibbs' look spelled him out the murder in passion.
Someone like Gibbs could kill him with secret blow of NCIS agents, pushing his body down the stairs and say that he found the deceased already in such a state. Or worse, he could carry it out, nobody would have noticed anything, and his body would end up as a Swedish table for vermin, rodents and larger scavengers. Tony shuddered up, eyeing closely Gibbs. Yes, definitely, this guy could do it.

"You see something interesting on my face?" Gibbs asked suddenly, almost making Tony jump.

"No, I just wanted to say …"

"Later,"Gibbs decided, reaching for the phone. "Your promotion is a sure thing," he added after a moment, waiting for someone to pick up the phone.

"Not likely," Tony began, but anyone Gibbs was calling, that someone picked up the phone and the agent turned his back on him, giving further information.

"You have an idea how to nail the senator?" Gibbs asked after the call.

"Even a few," beamed Tony, in his mind playing a few possible scenarios. But something in Gibbs eyes, probably a fierceness, told him that the idea straight from Pulp Fiction is completely eliminated.

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Twenty minutes later, he was standing in the cold autopsy room waiting for the arrival of the captain who, as usual, when it came to him, wasn't especially in a hurry. For those few minutes he could get a good look at the tools, polished, gleaming in the light of lamps, which in some strange way had a calming effect on him. What else Melissa rummaged with them in human cadavers. Maybe ... probably ... rummaging is not too politically correct term, or technically, but only that at the moment came to his head.

He was gently touching the cold steel, when somebody marched into the autopsy room.
"Detective, I officially announce that you should look for another job," the captain has already begun from the threshold, not even trying to hide his anger.

"It's unhealthy intriguing, the whole process of the investigation of what led man to this table, don't you think? Especially when the death is sudden and caused by someone else. Husband, sister, jealous lover, a psychopathic neighbor, whom one always believed to be retarded idiot..." Tony said in a calm voice, looking again at the tools on the tray.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Asked the Captain a little crestfallen. DiNozzo behaved like a fool, but he probably wouldn't be so desperate and stupid to kill his supervisor in police autopsy room and expect to get out of this unscathed.
The Captain stepped back slightly to the rear. He didn't like the way DiNozzo looked at tools and prefer not to stand too close. He regretted that he so mindlessly marched to the center, instead of stopping barely out the door.

"About selling out soul to the devil," said DiNozzo a bit too dramatic, rebuking himself in mind for the pathos. The Captain has already looked like a man, who had just noticed that he's losing ground under his feet. After all, he wanted just to scare him a bit, and not make him shit himself out of fear.
"About your deal with the senator."

"You don't have any evidence for this," began the Captain, but soon he gathered his wits. "You tell some crap sucked from a finger, in which no one will believe. Now get out, before I accuse you of trying to blackmail me. Your papers without it are only good for wiping one's ass.

"Actually, I have quite a bit of evidence," said quite casually Tony, playing with one of the knives, not paying much attention to the Captain. "The best part is that I know what connects senator with our deceased girl," he continued. "Perhaps the NCIS agents are aware of this ... maybe not. In any case I won't be intimidated. Nobody messes with DiNozzo's family .

"You don't even know what you're getting into, Kid," began the captain, trying to regain advantage, escaping between his fingers. "It's not a matter for a minnow like you."

"And certainly not for a whale like you. Unfortunately for you, I have the test reports and testimony of witnesses," he continued, this time not taking his eyes from the Old Man. "Go for a deal with NCIS, and they'll count you less for your dealings with the senator."

The captain was silent, pondering in his mind DiNozzo's words. If he weren't bluffing, the senator was in really serious trouble, from which no one will pull him out. As this ship went down, he certainly didn't want to follow him into the dark the other hand, what evidence could they have, after all he had his hand on the pulse all the time. NCIS didn't get any material that could bring them back on track.
He smiled ironically. "Learn how to bluff better, son. If you want to survive, get out of here!" he said, and then simply walked out, leaving Tony alone in the autopsy room.

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It was exactly 8 p.m., when black limousine pulled up from the western side of Petterson park. Senator Franklin got out of it, and walked poorly lit alley into the park. After a moment, he was joined by a man.
"Senator," he welcomed even without looking at him.

"I heard, Captain, that you have some problems with, how to call it... overzealous detective," he began, looking around if no one's watching. He didn't need another problem."It's the kid, who appeared in my house with the agent of this NC - something," he growled unhappy, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket for a cigar.
"He's not a problem anymore," assured the Captain, also looking around. Since when DiNozzo told him about his theories, he felt a strange need to keep checking back if no one's following. Meeting with the Senator in such a place would give rise to uncomfortable questions. At this stage, things certainly didn't need any more 'surprises'. "He was fired from work."

Senator Looked at his interlocutor with the derisive expression on his face. This man probably wasn't aware of what he said or maybe you just had to be a politician to know that the case was closed when all the mouths were closed. Or, for appropriate fee, in cash or lead.

"I doubt it. This kid can still cause problems, but I'll take care of it myself. You see to make things go smoothly with this Navy agency.
"What do you want to do?" Asked the Captain, not entirely sure whether he wants to get an answer. The evening was sultry, but he felt that he began sweating. He didn't like it all, increasingly, however, to tell the truth, he had little choice. He come into this too far to step out now and get out of this unscathed.
"Show the kid that he put his nose where he shouldn't," senator replied sharply, exhaling cigar smoke. "Does anyone beside the lab technician had seen these results?"
Captain swallowed hard and remained silent, considering his options. In the end he decided to tell the truth. It'd be better if senator won't catch him in a lie. In this situation, when the game was fought for high stakes, this man was capable of literally everything.
"DiNozzo," replied in the end, and Senator just shook his head.

"I thought so too, so it needs to be dealt with promptly. Him and those ... "
"NCIS."
"Exactly," he sighed, brushing nonexistent speck of dust from the flaps of his jacket. "I didn't like this whole Gibbs, he looks like man who can't be easily fooled, and removing him may be too risky. On the other hand, no one will meddle with my business," he said and thought for a moment. "Youngster knew too much and had to be killed," he added after a pause, "but the military was a mere accident."
"And the other two?"
"Ordinary bluff," he replied, throwing onto the asphalt remains of cigar. "One had to wave a carrot in front of them, they would spend weeks looking for something that links the victims. In the end they would close the investigation for lack of evidence. Simple, cheap and clever," he concluded, smiling triumphantly. But his smile fell after a while, when he noticed police officers surrounding them, as well as NCIS agents.
"Thanks for the carrots, it helped us connect a few facts," said sarcastically Gibbs, cuffing the Senator in handcuffs.
"How?" The captain asked, clearly surprised by the turn of events, as Tony just smiled and showed the wiretapping, which has placed in the captain's jacket after their conversation in the autopsy room.