Inside Information

Tony raised his hand to his face, gingerly touching it where Karen Haynes' fingers had brushed his skin. It felt cold. His looked at Gibbs, who was staring back at him, wide-eyed.

"What the hell was that?" Tony whispered. His hand dropped to his side. "And what do we do now?"

Gibbs turned to look at the plasma and the picture of Jessica Porter. "Shut it off," he demanded.

Tony stared at him, then blinked, realizing the remote was still in his hand. He pointed it at the screen and hit the button; the plasma went dark.

Both men relaxed slightly; Tony let out a sign of relief.

"Grab your gear." Gibbs moved purposefully to his desk, getting his badge and gun. Tony headed for his own desk, giving the plasma and the file cabinet a wide berth by going around the far side and almost tripping over his pack. Moments later he was with Gibbs, waiting for the elevator.

"We get to the house, call Erik," Gibbs said. "I want everything we can get on werewolf ghosts before we go any further." There was a ding as the elevator arrived and the doors slid open.

"Betcha never thought you'd say that, Boss."

"Nope."

The drive back to the house was silent, both men running what had just happened through their heads. Once they were home, Gibbs fished Erik's card out of his wallet and handed it to Tony, who looked at him in surprise. Gibbs shrugged. "You're the Wolf-Friend."

Tony smiled slightly and pulled out his cell. Moments later they were sitting on the couch, Tony's cell on the coffee table, listening to the sound of ringing over the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Erik, it's Tony DiNozzo. Gibbs is here too."

"Wolf-Friend! Missed a hell of a party. Most of us are too tired to hunt tonight. Only reason I'm picking up at this hour."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Listen, we wouldn't be bugging you if we didn't think it was important… we just had a visit from Karen Haynes' ghost."

"Say what now?"

"You heard me. We were at the office, digging into her background and looking at possible suspects. We had one… a John Pritson. Don't suppose he's one of yours?"

"Name's not familiar. Karen's ghost? Really?"

"Yeah, really. She fingered her roommate, Jessica Porter, as her killer. Pointed to the token you gave me… guessing she thinks I should be helping her 'cause of my status with you guys. Don't suppose Jessica Porter is one of yours either?"

"Hang on, let me ask Arina." They could hear the werewolves talking in the background, but couldn't quite make out the words. "No, Arina definitely remembers Karen saying her roommate was human. She's gone to get Aleksandra… we should have the shaman in on this."

"Thanks, man. Appreciate it."

"No problem. I owe you, big."

"You realize now I'm gonna be looking over my shoulder for Daniel."

"Um, yeah, I guess. Really didn't think you'd have to worry about it. Sorry about that. Although frankly, Daniel wasn't the most patient guy in the world. If he were around, he'd probably have tried something before you left."

"Not sure that you're filling me with confidence here." Tony looked around nervously; Gibbs reached out and rubbed his back.

"Ah, they're coming in."

"That was quick."

"Werewolves, remember? We run fast. And now that you guys are gone, we don't have to bother with clothes."

Neither man was sure what to say to that, so they simply waited until Aleksandra's voice sounded over the speakers.

"Wolf-Friend? Agent Gibbs?"

"Hi Aleksandra, Tony here. Gibbs is with me. Arina told you what happened?"

"She told me of Karen… you tell me exactly what you experienced."

Tony gave her the story, with Gibbs tossing in a few details. No one spoke for a moment after they finished, and then Aleksandra responded briskly. "There are stories of such things. It is not usual… our spirits have better things to do than to linger here when the home dimension is calling. But you have seen how we respond to betrayal while living… I have no doubt that the same desire for justice is keeping Karen here. She likely followed you when you left us and has been waiting for the opportunity to share what she knows."

"So, you think she really does know who gave her the methanol?"

"There is no question. We would not act in such a manner based on a hunch."

Tony leaned close to Gibbs. "Guess you'd make a bad werewolf, Boss," he whispered.

"On the contrary," Aleksandra said dryly, "you would both make excellent additions to the pack. It is too bad we cannot simply bite you both and turn you into one of us, as your legends go."

"Damn," Tony said, reaching up to rub his head where he'd just been smacked, "I forgot your hearing is so good."

"Just a moment." The speaker went silent; Tony guessed Aleksandra had put her hand over Erik's phone. He looked at Gibbs, who looked back at him.

"Wolf-Friend, Agent Gibbs," Aleksandra's voice returned. "Erik tells me you are worried that Daniel will come after you. That will not happen. He has left this plane and moved on."

"Ah… hate to ask, but are you sure?"

"We were bonded. If he were still here, I would know."

"I see. Uh, sorry I doubted you."

"I understand your concern. Karen's situation is different. She was betrayed. Daniel was the betrayer. There was nothing keeping him here. Once you have Karen's killer, she too will depart."

"Thanks, Aleksandra. Anything else you think we should know?"

"Only that you shouldn't expect Karen to act more than she already has. It takes a great deal of energy for a spirit to manifest in the way you describe. She will likely be watching and waiting, but that will be all. You may see her again if you are successful, but more likely she will simply leave once she knows there will be justice."

Tony grimaced. "You do mean human justice, right? You don't expect us to drop her off in the woods somewhere for you to hunt?"

Aleksandra laughed. "If Karen's killer were pack, of course that is what we would expect. But Arina tells me it is the human roommate, so human justice will suffice."

"Thanks for your help."

"You are Wolf-Friend. It is only right. Agent Gibbs?"

"Aleksandra."

"I know you are bonded to the Wolf-Friend, but should you ever wish to visit, I would happily dance with you again."

Gibbs hesitated before answering her. "I, ah, thank you."

"And if you were not bonded, I would consider taking you as a mate. You would bring good, new blood to us, and I think our offspring would be wolves." She laughed, a wicked sound with a hint of a growl. "Something to think about in case you and our Wolf-Friend should ever tire of each other."

"I'll keep that in mind." Gibbs reached for the cell, but then realized it wasn't his and he couldn't simply flip it shut. He handed it to Tony. "Hang that up, would ya?"

Tony grinned, hitting the screen, but not before they heard more voices raised in laughter. "Werewolves have an interesting sense of humor," he commented, observing the slight red tinge to Gibbs' ears and cheeks. "And here I thought McGee was the one who'd end up with the litter of puppies."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs growled.

Tony's grin grew wider. "Hey, listen to you! Sounds like Aleksandra had a nibble when I wasn't looking."

Gibbs glared at him, but was having a hard time repressing a smile.

Tony sat back, eyeing Gibbs thoughtfully. "She is a beautiful wolf, woman, whatever… I suppose if you really wanted a walk on the wild side – and I do mean wild – I might be okay with it. I am a Wolf-Friend, after all, and it's only friendly to share."

Gibbs stared at him, his mouth slightly open.

"Wow, Jethro, kidding! Seriously, you even think about it and I will head slap you SO hard…"

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "You're just jealous."

Tony smiled, baring teeth. "Yup." He dropped the smile and turned serious. "So, what's our next move? Not like we can just arrest her on the basis of the murder victim's ghost making her picture show up on the plasma. Pretty sure that won't be admissible in court."

"Ya think?" Gibbs sat back, thinking hard. "Who took Porter's statement?"

Tony concentrated, visualizing the file he'd gone through at the office. "Agent Tammy Reece, out of Norfolk. She went with the chaplain to speak with Porter. I've worked with her a few times; she's good. Observant, thorough." He watched Gibbs at the older man stared at the coffee table. "You wanna interview Porter again?"

Gibbs shook his head slowly. "Nah. Think we can rely on Reece's report." He turned to look at Tony, a small smile gracing his face. "Stakeout."

Tony's eyes widened. "Yes! Just please tell me I'm with you on this one."

"Of course you are. Ghost magnets, remember? Can't trust McGee or Ziva to have your six if they start flocking to you."

"Okay, that is not a mental image that makes me happy. But we could watch Hitchcock's The Birds tonight before we go to bed." He grinned at Gibbs' confused expression. "Flocks? C'mon, work with me here."

Gibbs simply sighed and went in search of coffee while Tony hunted for the DVD.