Life Changes and New Futures.

Chapter 4.

In the next couple of months that Tony picked the case up that he had while Natalie was visiting remained open and unsolved. Even so during that time his relationship with Natalie had been going great guns, even though it was a long distance relationship for them both. As well as the two of them constantly texting each other, they did also regularly talk on the phone and E mail each other, as well as of course the phone sex! The thing that Natalie loves the most though and it started from the first day she was back at her desk again after the weekend they had got together, which was to find a bouquet of flowers from Tony sitting on her desk, he would also do the same thing on a Friday unless they were having the weekend together in New York, then he would bring them with him to the office when he came to meet her.

At the end of a week a few weeks later and a weekend when the team were on duty they caught a case and when she got back to the office after being at the crime scene, as she started to check through case reports from the other offices because there had been something bugging her at the crime scene and it had felt really familiar for some reason to her. She then found that the details were very like a victim and a similar crime that the team in DC had picked up recently; in fact it had only been on the day before. Not only that as she started to look into things more she finally discovered that between both of the murders there were some details the same as what had been in Tony's current open case as well. So as soon as she found it she was straight on the phone to the director about it. A little while later he called her back and he told her that because of the way the two murders in New York and DC had happened so close together he was going to combine the teams together, so that they could all work together on it including forensics and the ME's. He'd already put a couple of extra members onto Gibbs team and would also send a couple more people to join hers as well, not only that Gibbs and McGee were flying out as they spoke to also join her team, especially with it looking like they had got a serial killer working in both areas. They were still waiting on the confirmation about the body in Rota being apart of things as well, if it was confirmed to be so then he would also be getting Tony's team involved to. Just after she and the director finished their conversation she sent Tony a quick text to say what was going on and that she'd got Gibbs and McGee on their way to join her. She also told him that if his case was confirmed in being apart of things as well, then he would also be joining with them. He sent a text back thanking her for the warning and also wished her luck for being with Gibbs.

As things turned out just as Gibbs and McGee arrived at the office they got a call out to another body, the team were just packing up to leave for the crime scene as they stepped off of the elevator. As the others walked past them and onto the elevator she stopped and said "Agent Gibbs agent McGee it's good to meet you, but if you would like to join us we may have another body." She then had a little smile to herself as they got into the elevator with her and fell into place with them.

At the crime scene she did her usual overview of things before she started helping with the sketches and photo's etc. When Cally their ME confirmed that it looked as though the body did have the same wounds as before, but that they would know more when they got back and she'd done the autopsy. Of course once they did get back and the autopsy was done it confirm that they did have yet another victim, so when they reported it to Vance he put both the DC and Rota teams on standby just in case they had another victim turn up in one of their jurisdictions next. As they kept pushing on with the work it was Gibbs that in the end said that he didn't want to tread on anyone's toes, but he thought that they should call it a night, get some rest and come back to it fresh in the morning. Not only that she had also noticed that as they all worked Gibbs did seem to be watching her closely, but she did also start to get the feeling that perhaps his trust in her was growing and that they would have a really good working relationship. So after she'd agreed to Gibbs suggestion as everyone was packing up she kept looking through the notes she'd taken because she could see something there, but couldn't work out what it was and that it was really bugging her. As he was watching her Gibbs could see that she'd got something, but that she couldn't see what it was because she was just so tired. So he went over to her, put his hands on her desk and looked her right in that face as he said "Leave it, go home, rest and you will see what it is when you come back to it again." He then got up and moved to round behind her, pulled the chair out with her still on it, picked up her bags and gave them to her. When she finally got up he took the bags from her again while she got her coat on, as she took the bags off him again she asked him if he and McGee had managed to organise somewhere for the two of them to stay. When he said that they hadn't, she told him that there wasn't going to be any arguments from either of them and that they could stay with her.

While the two of them got settled into her apartment she got them all some food and as they proceeded to have a really good night of food and conversation she soon realized that a real friendship was blossoming between them all. Of course just as she was taking a shower before going to bed what she was looking for sprung out at her. So rather than getting into her night ware as she was going to do, she rushed out and got dressed instead, telling Gibbs that she was heading back to the office again.

Within about five minutes of her leaving the apartment and because of her not answering her cell, Tony then called the apartment and of course got taken by surprise when it was McGee that answered it, so of course he jokingly said "McGoo what are you doing there?"

To which he answered with a smile "Natalie gave me and Gibbs a place to stay."

Tony then asked "Is she there?"

He answered "She's just gone back to the office, what is it?"

He then said "Can I talk to Gibbs?"

After answering "Yeah sure." McGee handed Gibbs the phone and mouthed "Tony" at him. Gibbs then said "What is it Tony?"

He answered "Can you get to the office and be with Natalie please, I'll be getting there as soon as I can."

Hearing the concern in Tony's voice he then says "What's wrong?"

Tony's sighs and answers "We've finally had the confirmation that our case is connected with all the others and I was coming out there anyway to join you. I don't know if you know it, but her mom has been ill for a very long time. She's been feeling ill recently, but Natalie's brother and sister made me promise not to say anything to her unless it was really necessary. Today she took a turn for the worse, so I've got Lee our SFA coming out to you with me, as I need to bring Nat back here to Rota with me because her mom was rushed into hospital and it's not looking good. I know what it means if she's gone back to the office and it might be better if you see what she's got rather than her having to end up explaining it to you on the phone and I also think it might be better to have someone else there when I tell her the news about her mom."

Gibbs says "Ok I'm just going to leave now and I'll see you when you get here."

He replies quietly "Thanks Gibbs." And they both then end the call.

When Gibbs gets back to the office it's to find a couple of large maps with things on them laid out on the floor and Natalie kneeling on the floor with them and the paperwork out in front of her, as she studies everything. When she all of a sudden senses Gibbs presence, because she was so far gone in studying everything she never even heard the elevator ding as he arrived, she turned and with a smile said "Oh, hi."

As she put the paperwork she had in her hand down and he helped her up from the floor he then said "What is all of this?"

Because of having put the maps out on the floor at the end of the bullpen, she hands him some of her notes then takes his hand to get him round to her side as she then replies "Ok I could be wrong so that was why I was just trying to work it all out. I think that our suspect is a Phillip Jackson." She then grabs the clicker and brings his picture up on the plasma for Gibbs.

He then says "Why do you think that it's him?"

She answers "Well that was what I was just working out. But he's an ex-agent and with doing some digging ages before I'd thought about applying for the team lead job at Rota, he applied for it and didn't get it. Then obviously we don't know what was said when he got the turn down for it, but it appears that he then had an argument with Jenny about it and the outcome of that was her giving him the boot. I know that it's a bit out there, but I'm wondering if she did the same sort of thing with him that she had done with me over the job. So he hasn't then gone onto find out what happened with me over the Rota job and thinks that because he got passed over on the chance of the job there and here as well with being sacked, and that me and Tony have then subsequently got these jobs over his head. Because from looking at his file he was an agent long before me and Tony were, as well as becoming SFA's before he did as well."

Gibbs then says "But then why do the murder in DC and why your suspicion?"

She answers "I think he did the one in DC because he was in France when he got the news about not getting the Rota job. It also appears that he may have also done something there not long after getting that news, which I've been trying to find out what it was he did. But whatever it was lead to his recall to DC and the subsequent row between he and Jenny. I've got the suspicion because as I was doing this digging on him, it seems that he was probably heading for dismissal anyway, because during a visit to Rota to his girlfriend he beat up his then girlfriend, at the time of his return to France he was awaiting to hear if he was going to be charged with anything for it or not, so I've also managed to get hold of her injury report as well." She then brings up a copy of the report up on the plasma and then adds "Something seems familiar in the pattern of her injuries with what we have found with the wounds on the bodies of our murder victims."

Gibbs then points to what she has on the floor and asks "So what's all of this about?"

Again because of she and Gibbs talking she managed to miss the elevator ding and she then jumps when a voice from the end of the bullpen answers for her "It's her thought process, as she always complains that maps are too small to be looked at on a screen."

With her surprise she then says "Tony, what are you doing here?"

Stepping over everything to join she and Gibbs he answers "I'll tell you in a minute, but first of all you might want this." He then hands her a file and adds "Before we got the confirmation that our case was also connected to the others, we were looking up if there were any other crimes that involved injuries exactly the same as those on the victims. We found three possibles, but one of those cases also involved our man here. He was arrested and charged after beating up another one of his girlfriends in Rota. The charges got dropped when both the victim and a witness to the incident disappeared."

Gibbs then says "Ok call people and get them in. Before you do anything else Natalie call Cally and Trent in, get copies of these reports to Abby and Ducky as well, and to Tony's forensics and ME in Rota, get them all to conference on their findings and also get Ducky to do a psych eval too."

With that she goes to her desk to do it and Tony goes to borrow one of the other desks to do his, while Gibbs is also on his phone he starts to study her map and notes. When she and Tony finish what they're doing, because of no-one else having managed to get into the office yet he leaves a note for McGee explaining that he will explain everything to everyone when they get in, because for now he is dealing with something private. After that the three of them then disappear into the office the director uses when he is there for a visit, so that they can tell Natalie the news about her mom in private.

Of course Natalie doesn't take the news about her mom very well and ends up in tears, but she does also end up being surprised because as well as Tony giving her hug, Gibbs does the same as well. As he does so he also kisses the top of her head and tells her to worry about her mom and the rest of the family rather than the case, because they will all handle it all for her with the great work she has done on it so far. If it ends up coming down to it they will also get their suspect for her. Just before finally letting her go he then tells her to go and use the directors private bathroom to freshen up, then to go home and get packed up to get home to her family in Spain.

When she disappears into the bathroom Gibbs then turns round to Tony and says "Look after her Tony won't you?"

He replies "Of course I will Gibbs, especially as I have a feeling that this is going to get pretty hard at times." He then adds a bit quieter just in case she can still hear him in the bathroom "To be honest I am glad that she has been away from it all in the last few months, because I think that if she had still been with us in Rota then she would have ended up completely giving the job up, especially as she is just as stubborn as her mom and sister are, that's why they took the option to keep it quiet about how sick Dion really was. I'm just hoping that she has the strength to get through all of this."

Gibbs says "I think that she will get through whatever is thrown at her as she is a very strong woman, yes it may get hard at times for her and I know what she's been through as I did do some checking on her after getting your call. But she had the strength to step up as team leader while still being a carer for her mom. Then between you and her family you all gave her the strength to get through both what Jenny had done to her and also what she was trying to get you to do and finally you all also gave her the strength to take this job here and leave her family and you as well. She's a bloody good agent Tony and you will keep giving her that strength to keep going, and we will also all be here for you and her as her work family. Plus she's in love with a very special man who I know will be there for her, and that's you Tony."

Tony answers with some surprise "How did you know that we were together? It's only been for a few months and she is a very special woman and you're right she does have some amazing strength. I could see it in her in those first few months that we were together in Rota, working together. With the way that she did her job so well, being there for her mom as well and also doing the fund raising stuff too and I have a feeling that is why I do really love her so much."

Gibbs says "I had a feeling about how you felt because of the way that you wanted to be the one to get her and tell her the news about her mom. She then confirmed it for me because of the way she reacted when you spoke, as she was dying to just come and jump on you, but she stopped herself, even so it showed on her face just how much she was in love with you. Just look after her and be there for her. If you need anything at all, promise me that you will give us a call. We may not be able to do much with this mess of a case, but we can be here to listen and help where we can."

Tony replies "I promise you Gibbs that I will be here for her and I will really look after her and I will be in touch with you if we need anything at all."

When Natalie comes out of the bathroom, Tony then ducks in there himself for a quick freshen up. While he's in there once again Gibbs gives her a hug and kisses the top of her head as he says "You know that we're all here for you and if you need anything at all you just have to give us a call. I know that we may not be able to get to you because of the case, but we are for you if you need us."

She does a weak smile up at him and replies "I know that you are and thank you. Just promise me that if it is Phillip that has done this you will get him for me."

He says "I promise you that we will get him. But also make sure that you look after yourself and also that man of yours, because you know that he does love you very much."

She replies "I know he does and I love him very much too."

He says "And that's what you need is to get through this together, especially as I have a feeling that your mom would want you to make this work and has already given you both her blessing, so be strong together."

She replies with a chuckle "I'm sure that we will be. It's a bit of a long story, but as well as giving us her blessing, she was also the one that got us together, even if she did trick us into it." As Tony then comes out of the bathroom, he comes over and wraps his arms around her as she then adds "Mind you, you did also trick me as well, because you hadn't told me that you'd continued your lessons with mom and Jess after I'd left."

He says with a smile "Well I did want to be able to understand what you were all talking about when I was with you all, seeing as I had already been in the position of not understanding when people are talking about you in front of you."

As he then lets go of her he nods at Gibbs and with some puzzlement she says "What?" He then says in sign that Gibbs also signs. The both of them then laugh as they see the look on Gibbs face as he finally falls in with what they were talking about with them being tricked into getting together as he then says "Aaah she tricked you into signing things, making sure that he also saw it."

They both smile at him and in unison say "She did." After that the three of them share a final hug, before she and Tony then leave for Spain.