Chapter 12 – Magnetism

Tony DiNozzo

"Come on McGee," Tony said plaintively. "It's Friday and you've been holed up either at work or here all week. You need to get out. I need to get out."

"I'm really close to cracking this Tony," Tim muttered as he looked over his makeshift copy of the books which Tim had copied one page at a time and roughly bound together. He compared something from the books to several sheets of paper that were scattered about their dining room table.

Tony sighed. "You've been really close to cracking that code for four days now. Give it a break. You're working too hard. Sixteen-hour days at the office and up half the night working on that mess. It's melting your brain."

Something in his voice caught his partner's attention. He didn't want to just go out have a drink and maybe dance with some pretty girls; he was genuinely concerned about his friend's sanity. It seemed like Tim was trying to unravel Napolitano's network which he had built up over years in just a few days. As much as he would like this case to be over, he knew that wasn't going to be a quick end even if Tim cracked the code tonight.

Tim finally looked up at him. His partner looked numb and exhausted. Suddenly Tim slumped in defeat. "You're right," Tim replied as he leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe a break would help."

"Damn straight it would," Tony said as Tim began to gather up the papers. "I've seen you do this before. You get so wrapped up in the details that you lose sight of the big picture."

Tim paused and sighed. "I know. It's a bad habit."

"It is," he agreed. "And what you need is a break. It'll help the pieces come together. Besides, you can see Abby. That'll put you back in the right frame of mind. Let's go."

He watched as Tim perked up at the thought of seeing Abby. McGee had talked a lot about her this past week but they hadn't been back to Quicksilver since Sunday. Tim had put in extra time as he helped to redistribute the Tin Angel's assets. Then even after he got home, he stayed up to the wee hours of the night trying to crack the ledger's code. It had left him exhausted and unable to muster the energy to spend a few hours out or even to call her – Tim had told him that he didn't want to sound exhausted when he called her.

But damn, it was Friday and he needed to get out of their apartment! He had been prepared to drag McGee out to Quicksilver if need be. Luckily it wasn't going to come down to that.

Tim quickly returned the makeshift ledgers to his room and hid them wherever he hid them when he wasn't working on them. He didn't know where Tim put them and he didn't care to find out. Those papers had the potential to get them both killed if someone should find them. He didn't doubt that Napolitano would have their apartment searched if he thought that Tim was doing something untrustworthy.

He was already dressed to go out so he was forced to wait impatiently while Tim cleaned up and got ready. They left almost thirty minutes later and reached the club in seemingly no time at all thanks to his slightly aggressive driving.

As they made their way towards the club, Tim jolted.

"What?" he asked, instantly on guard.

"It's ok, Tony," he said. "I just see someone I recognize." Before he could stop Tim, his partner had hurried ahead to a shadowed doorway within eyesight of the club entrance. He hurried to catch up and surreptitiously put his hand near to his weapon, just in case. "Jimmy? Jimmy Palmer?" Tim asked causing the man to jump.

"Oh jeez!" Jimmy said as he turned to face Tim. "Tim! You scared me," Jimmy said.

"I noticed," Tim said as they eased into the shadows as several couples hastily made their way to the door, knocked and gave the password to be admitted into the club. "Palmer, what are you doing here?" Tim asked.

Jimmy looked abashed for a moment before he stood up to Tim.

"I should ask the same thing, Tim," Jimmy said. Tim looked at him incredulously. "Ok, so I know you have more of a reason to be here than me. But I met someone and she's a waitress here. I wanted to come by and see her."

Tony looked at Tim concerned. He couldn't help wondering what exactly this kid knew about Tim. Tim shook his head and Tony dropped it knowing that Tim would explain later. But when Tim hadn't introduced them, he cleared his throat meaningfully.

"Tony this is Jimmy Palmer. Jimmy this is Tony DiNozzo," Tim said introducing them.

"Nice to meet you," Jimmy said with a smile as they shook hands.

"Yeah," he replied skeptically. Maybe he was too paranoid but he found himself eyeing Jimmy suspiciously, trying to gauge whether he was a threat or not. Jimmy was tall, though not taller than himself or Tim, and had a thin build. He didn't seem like a threat but he wasn't about to let his guard down around Tim. Like Tim, Jimmy wore circular spectacles and had neatly cut, slightly curly, light brown hair. Jimmy was slimmer than his partner and neatly dressed in a suit that was little more formal than the average Quicksilver patron.

He watched as Tim looked at Jimmy then at the club door. He nearly laughed at the reproachful, almost motherly, expression on Tim's face.

Jimmy saw Tim's expression too. "What? I didn't meet her here! I swear," Jimmy said. "We met at the pharmacy."

"The pharmacy?" Tony asked incredulously.

"The pharmacy," Jimmy said sincerely. He looked at the kid. The expression on Jimmy's face was of pure innocence. He wasn't lying. "We reached for the last tube of toothpaste at the same time. Then we started talking. We really hit it off and I worked up the nerve to ask her out. I asked her to dinner but she said she was working tonight and told me I should stop by."

"It's a match made in heaven, McGee," Tony said sarcastically. "Love over toothpaste."

Their conversation was cut short as they saw an opportunity to enter the club. They hurried over to the door and knocked. Four quick knocks followed by two hand slaps and a final sharp knock. The slot opened to reveal a pair of eyes.

"Wet birds don't fly at night," he said. The slot slid shut and the door opened to reveal a very large bouncer. They hurried inside and Cade shut and locked the door.

"Welcome to Quicksilver," Cade said as he opened the secret door for them.

"Thanks," he said as they started down the stairs.

"Seems like a really complicated way to get into a club," Jimmy said as they walked.

Tim laughed. "It's a pun, Jimmy. The knocking is Morse code for the letters H and G," Tim said. Jimmy shook his head. "The chemical symbol for mercury is Hg," Tim explained.

"Quicksilver," Jimmy said. "Funny."

"Abby," Tim explained. "She's the club's manager. She has a degree in chemistry."

"That explains it," Jimmy said as they descended the stairs into Quicksilver, which was playing host to a raucous jazz band at the moment. People were up on their feet, dancing and having a good time.

Out of habit, Tony scanned the club but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Abby's normal booth was occupied by an unknown group of people and the strange woman wasn't anywhere to be seen.

He glanced at Tim and noted his disappointment. Tony shrugged as they took an open table. A waitress stopped by and took their orders. After she had gone, the conversation continued.

"I assume that Doctor Mallard doesn't know about this," Tim said indicating the club.

"No," Jimmy replied. "You won't tell him? I don't want to be fired."

"I won't tell him," Tim replied. Tony looked at Tim for an explanation. "Jimmy is the city medical examiner's assistant," he replied.

"You work with dead people?" Tony asked. Jimmy nodded. "So, what does that make you? An autopsy gremlin?"

Jimmy frowned and opened his mouth to retort but Tim cut him off.

"We met at Sugar Street and I helped him with a financial issue a while back," Tim said firmly. "He and my former employer had a misunderstanding about a bar tab."

Jimmy avoided Tim's reproachful gaze and if he wasn't mistaken, the young man was blushing with embarrassment.

He looked at Tim for an explanation.

"Jimmy ran up a tab and wasn't paying it back fast enough…"

"How could I?" Jimmy interjected. "He charged so much interest, I couldn't pay it down. Not on my salary."

"You were at an illegal club," Tony said incredulously. "Did you really think they'd play fair?" Jimmy nodded leaving him speechless. "The whole point of letting you have a tab was to shake you down for even more money in the long run."

"I know that now," Jimmy muttered.

"It was one of Taylor's favorite rackets," Tim explained. "You weren't the only one he used that tactic on." Jimmy frowned. Apparently, that information didn't make him feel better. "Although, you got in deeper than most."

"Don't I know it," Jimmy muttered.

"When Jimmy was slow to repay his debt, Taylor had some of his goons…" Tim paused as he searched for the right words. "Encourage Jimmy to pay up or else."

"I'm guessing that their encouragement was of the physical variety," he said.

"You wouldn't be wrong," Tim replied. "They took him out back and worked him over pretty good. Jimmy was lucky that I found him. He was in a bad state."

Jimmy ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Tim took me to Doctor Mallard's place and he took care of me. Then Tim helped me out even more."

He looked at Tim for an explanation. "Taylor's time frame was a little unreasonable so I corrected the books until Jimmy could repay the money he owed."

"You made it seem like Jimmy had repaid his debt?" he asked.

Tim nodded. "It also eliminated Taylor's unreasonable interest rate, which gave Jimmy more time to repay what he owed."

"Believe me, Tim, I am so grateful that you helped me out," Jimmy said. "I definitely wouldn't be here without your help. Dr. Mallard agrees. He actually forbade me from setting foot into an illegal club ever again," Jimmy finished. "He told me that if I did, he would fire me."

"He was concerned that Mr. Taylor was going to put Jimmy on one of the Doctor's tables, which he was about to do," Tim said meaningfully. "Until I fixed things. You better not be falling into your old ways again Jimmy."

"I'm not!" he said looking the picture of honesty. Seeing Jimmy made Tony realize how worldly Tim really was, which wasn't saying much. This kid was pure mother's milk. "I swear, Tim. I never open a tab any more. I only drink what I can pay for." The waitress returned with their drinks. Jimmy smiled as he paid for his. Well he was mostly pure mother's milk. He was breaking the law by going to illegal clubs and drinking illegal alcohol.

"Good because Napolitano isn't as dumb as Taylor and he isn't as forgiving either," Tim warned as he sipped his drink.

"You're working for Napolitano now?" Jimmy asked but Tim didn't answer. "Ok, you won't say. Fair enough."

"I wonder where the mistress of the lounge is?" Tony asked as he looked around the dark club. It was a blatant change in topic but Tim seemed grateful. From the look on his face, Tim was wondering where Abby was as well.

"Which one? Abby? Or Miss David?" Tim asked with a smile as he turned around to look at his friend. "I've noticed that you've taken a shine to Miss David. You going to ask her out?"

"I don't know what you mean," Tony said innocently, but he knew Tim knew him too well to be fooled. He did want to ask her out. But Gibbs' warning about keeping a clear head still resonated.

He was taking his job seriously. Probably more seriously than he had ever taken any other job before. Tim's life was in his hands right now and Gibbs was right. One of them had to keep a clear head and that made him hesitant to get involved with a woman while under cover. Their position was dangerous enough as it was even without adding a dame to the mix.

Unfortunately, his younger partner hadn't had the same hesitations. He just hoped it didn't blow up in McGee's face. He liked seeing his partner so happy.

"I've heard good things about Miss David but I've never seen her perform. Is she as good as they say?" Jimmy asked.

"Better." Suddenly he spotted Abby. "Oh, there she is, McGee." Abby changed direction when she saw them but her expression was concerning. "But Abby doesn't look happy to see you."

Tim turned around smiled when he saw her. He stood and opened his mouth to say hello but she slapped him, hard, across the face. Startled, Tim put his hand to his stinging cheek as Tony looked between the two of them. Tim grabbed his cheek and looked at Abby in confusion while Abby glared bullets at him.

"We'll just leave you two alone. Come on Jimmy," he said awkwardly excusing himself. He and Jimmy picked up their drinks and settled at the next table. He didn't want to be in the middle of an argument between them but he wasn't above eavesdropping either.

"What was that for?" Tim asked both angry and hurt as he pulled her down to the table.

Abby shook him off and glared at him. "Did it mean nothing to you?" Tony looked down at his drink. Oh boy. His Probie had landed in the thick of it this time.

"Did what mean nothing to me?" Tim asked confused.

"You know," she said dropping her voice. "It." She pointed upwards toward her apartment. Jimmy's eyes widened so Tony smacked him in the arm. He was trying to eavesdrop surreptitiously and he couldn't do that with the kid gawking.

Jimmy opened his mouth to object but one look silenced Jimmy. After that, the young man turned away and watched the people dancing.

Tony surreptitiously watched as Tim closed his eyes and shook his head in realization. "Of course it did," he said seriously. "Last weekend was the best weekend I've had in ages and not just because of… it. You are the most interesting woman I've ever met and one of the smartest people I've ever met. You're strong, beautiful and that," he said looking upward, "was amazing."

"But when you get sex, you just up and disappear," she said, hurt.

Tony noted that she seemed more disappointed than upset. He didn't think that Abby was easy, but she was definitely a modern woman who wasn't afraid to get a wiggle on if she liked someone enough. And technically, she and McGee had been on their fourth date or maybe their fifth or sixth when you add up all the time they spent together over those four days. So, it wasn't like she and McGee had hopped into bed at first blush.

He knew that wasn't McGee's style. He was too much of a gentleman and too straight laced to go for sex straight from the start. But Abby didn't know Tim like he knew him.

Tony watched as McGee put the pieces together. Suddenly Tim realized what was going on and what he had done wrong, even if unintentionally. "You're mad because I haven't been to see you all week?" he asked. "Because I haven't called you?"

"Well yeah!" she said. "I'm not that kind of girl Tim!

"I didn't think you were," Tim replied quickly. "I'm not one of those guys either!"

She glared at him. "I didn't think you were either until you didn't call," she said crossing her arms. "Turns out I was wrong," she said clearly disappointed. "I know we'd only known each other a few days but I'd thought you were different. We connected and it was something special. Which is why I…" She cut herself off. "I don't just jump into bed with any guy, you know," she said angrily. She looked hurt. "But when I didn't hear a peep from you all week, I realized I was all wrong about you."

"Jeez, Abs," Tim said running his hand through his hair. "With the Tin Angel going under, I've been working to rearrange its assets, many of which I've directed here by the way," he said pointedly. "It isn't an easy job to make sure money, employees and illegal goods are rearranged so that Jimmy's business doesn't suffer. Then on top of that we've got to make sure that the Feds don't get wind of it. I've been working my fingers to the nubs all week."

"You directed assets here?" she asked, deflating. He watched as she put the pieces together with her eyes.

"Yeah," Tim replied with one of his crooked smiles. "The increased security and Blue McGinty taking over for that drunk, Monroe Cooper. The extra money Napolitano sent your way for the boiler. The Tin Angel's best liquor and Alex Tanner as your new bootlegger."

As he spoke, Tony watched her features soften. "I was wondering why Blue showed up Monday afternoon to take over my security," she said softly. "Alex too?"

Tim nodded. "La Grenouille was the one that took your shipment last week. He has been eying up the place," Tim said pushing now that he had the advantage. "If he took over, God knows what would have happened to you. Even if you managed to keep the club, I wouldn't be able to see you again. I can only frequent Mr. Napolitano's clubs."

"Oh, Tim," she said melting. Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. Surprised but not upset, Tim returned the kiss whole-heartedly.

When she broke it off, Tim was grinning like a drunken fool. Suddenly Abby smacked him on the chest.

"Hey! What was that for?" he asked confused as he rubbed his chest.

"You could have called or something," she said crossing her arms over her chest. This time she seemed more annoyed than angry.

"Yes," Tim conceded. "I should have called and for that I apologize. I promise I will make it up to you."

"Really?" she asked mischievously. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Tim swallowed and glanced at Tony. He looked like a man who knew he was walking into a lion's den or perhaps in this case, a lioness' den. He shook his head. McGee was on his own with this one. He motioned with his hand to tell his friend as much. Tim swallowed hard and turned back to Abby. "Any way you can think of."

"I can think of a lot of ways," she said suggestively. "You might want to reconsider that offer."

"Well," Tim said pausing to think for a moment before he agreed. Tony had plenty of guesses what Abby could have in mind. Of course, it was all speculation, however. She was a strange woman. But apparently Tim decided that it was worth the risk because she was worth the risk. "I want you to know that I am really sorry for not calling you this week. Plus, if I'm right, I have a feeling that I might just enjoy what you have in mind."

Suddenly she grinned and looked toward the door backstage. Tony watched as Tim followed her gaze as it trailed upwards towards her apartment. Tim smiled, took his drink, downed it in one long swallow, and followed her. Tony rolled his eyes and took a deep draught of his drink as Tim pass them buy.

"What?" Jimmy asked as he watched them disappear backstage. "What's going on? Where's Tim going?"

"Somewhere I'm not following again," he said to Jimmy's confusion. He glared at Jimmy to keep him from asking for an explanation.

"Did you know," Jimmy said to break the awkward silence. "That Jazz is considered to be America's classical music?" Jimmy asked trying to make small talk. "It's a combination of French and African music and brass-band marches that became popular in New Orleans before spreading."

"Fascinating," he said dryly. Jimmy smiled broadly and nodded. He sighed as he realized that he was probably stuck with Palmer until Tim returned. "I need another drink," he said sourly.