Chapter 3

Deeks managed to get up off the floor, still looking a little looped, but otherwise okay.

"Wow," he said, looking at Dabi with respect. "I am never doing that again."

"Mess with the best, get beaten like the rest," said Dabi, "and I've been trained by the best."

"It shows," said Callen. "What's up?" he asked Deeks.

"I have a special surprise for Gibor," was the reply.

At the sound of his name, Gibor perked up from where he was dozing in a nearby corner.

"Okay," said Dabi.

Deeks held up a cloth store bag he had managed to hold on to despite being flipped, and grinned. "Only the best raw hide bone, a rope tug toy, and gourmet doggie biscuits." He named the brand, and Dabi's eyebrows shot up.

"That set you back a pretty penny, didn't it?" she asked.

"Gibor doesn't like me because I look like the guy he hates. I'm going to make friends with him one way or another."

"This I have got to see," said Kensi, joining them, along with Sam.

Dabi called Gibor over, and kneeled down beside the dog when he came. Keeping a firm grip on his collar in case he decided to take a piece out of Deeks, Dabi pointed to Deeks and said firmly, "Friend."

That didn't stop the little dog from growling at the detective. Deeks reached into the bag and pulled out one of the biscuits. After making sure his scent was on the biscuit, he carefully offered it to Gibor.

Gibor sniffed the air before starting to lick his chops. He was interested.

"Hey buddy," said Deeks. "I'm not the bad guy, I promise. I'm a good guy and I got all kinds of really good treats for you. What do you say?"

Gibor sat down and tilted his head, a curious expression on his face.

"You want to try this? It's really good," said Deeks. He took another biscuit out and bit into it, to the amazement of his team members. Gibor's tongue shot out again, licking his face. He tugged at his collar, and Dabi let him go but kept her hand on his back, just in case. Cautiously, he moved to accept the biscuit and when he finished eating it, he looked at Deeks as if to say, "well? Where's more?" Grinning, Deeks gave him another one, and this time Gibor let him pet him.

Then Deeks brought out a rope toy and Gibor's tail started wagging. He knew what that toy meant; tug-of-war time!

"I don't believe it," said Kensi, watching in amazement as Gibor engaged in a very ferocious game of tug-of-war with Deeks.

"Believe it," said Sam, grinning at the antics.

"Tough dog, huh? You're a big, tough dog! Yes you are! Just a big, tough dog!," said Deeks to Gibor, who was growling and tugging as hard as he could at the rope, tail wagging the whole time.

"That worked," said Dabi. She glanced at Sam and said, "What's this about you being a former Navy SEAL?"

"That I am," said Sam, grinning.

"Good. You got any knife tricks?"

He went and got a set of training knives and handed one to her. "Show me whatcha got."

What she had was basic skills. What she got was a few new tricks, especially when she told him about the knife her dad had given her that she'd left at home because the airport wouldn't allow her to bring it.

After nearly an hour of training, Dabi was hot and covered in sweat. Kensi, very impressed with the young red-head, kindly pointed her towards the women's locker room facilities so she could have a shower. It was while she was having a shower that she discovered a minor problem; her Monthly Curse had shown up sooner than expected and she had no supplies.

Muttering something rude, she took care of it as best as she could before seeking out Kensi.

"I'm really sorry to bother you but do you know where there's a drug store nearby?" Dabi muttered to the junior field agent.

"Sure. What's wrong?" Kensi asked quietly, seeing the teen's face turn scarlet.

"My monthly cycle just started sooner than I expected and I don't have anything with me and I don't know the area."

"Oh, okay," said Kensi, nodding in understanding. "Do you need Midol?"

Dabi shook her head. "Not right now but I will pick some up. If you could point me to an Orange Julius, I'll get a strawberry banana smoothie; bananas are high in potassium and I find it helps with the cramps."

"The perfect monthly comfort food," said Kensi, agreeing. "There's a store a few blocks from here that'll have what you need if you don't mind walking."

"Good way to wind down," said Dabi. "I just don't want to admit to the guys about my little problem."

"They won't hear it from me, I promise." She turned towards the men and raised her voice. "Hey guys, me and she are going for ice cream and a girls-only chat session."

"Sounds ominous," said Deeks. "Whenever a girl says they're going to have a girls-only chat session, it usually involves some poor guy getting his balls shredded."

"Or worse," said Sam.

"There's something worse than getting your balls shredded?" Deeks asked, a worried look on his face.

"Skinned and boiled in oil... while they're still attached to you," said Sam. Kensi smiled at the idea.

"That's almost like how I make fritters," said Dabi in a perfectly innocent tone of voice, "except we usually dip them in a flour and water paste first, so they cook just right."

Deeks face went a little pale. "Heh."

"Have fun," said Callen to Kensi and Dabi. "You're getting better with the knife. If everything's quiet tomorrow, I'll show you a few tricks with the gun."

"Sounds good," said Dabi, smiling.

"You shoot?" Kensi asked Dabi as they walked away, Gibor beside them, looking a little pooped. He and Deeks had finished a very serious, very energetic tug-of-war that had turned into a very nice belly rub.

"Dad and Ziva have been teaching me. I can use a rifle and a SIG Sauer and I'm a pretty good shot," Dabi admitted, watching as Kensi took her own SIG Sauer from her desk and put it under her shirt, along with her federal agent badge. "I don't own a gun and I don't want to, but I can shoot if I have to. Dad's been trying to teach me to shoot on the fly, as he calls it. Shoot and run."

"That's tricky," Kensi admitted, "but it's good to know how to do."

"All I want to do is run Kranz Bakery, but with Dad being an NCIS agent who's pissed off his share of nut jobs, most of whom know how to use a gun, and with my boyfriend studying to be a cop, a lot of people want me to learn."

"What's special about Kranz Bakery?"

"It's owned by my grandparents, specializes in Jewish treats, and I'm next in line to take over. I'm studying Business Management."

Half an hour later:

"Drive-by shooting, three blocks from here," Eric reported, while Neil worked frantically to pull up any cameras in the area. "Kensi said she and Dabi were heading back to Ops when someone in a black SUV open fired on the crowd she and Dabi were in. She thinks Dabi got a good look and a shot off when she snagged Kensi's gun."

The call had come in, with Kensi barking orders at Eric. Eric had yelled for the rest of the team and Hetty and everyone had come running.

"Is Dabi okay?" Callen asked.

"Kensi says she and Gibor are fine, but there are casualties and Dabi's already tending to them," Eric said, also working at the computer.

"Got 'em," Neil reported. A street camera view was brought up on one large screen and as the playback began, everyone watched in grim silence. Then Hetty spoke.

"Mr. Deeks, your partner, now."

"Already on my way," he said, already moving.

"Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna..."

"Right behind him," said Callen, already following Deeks out, Sam right behind him.

Hetty looked at the two computer experts and said, "I don't believe I need to tell you what to do, do I?"

"No ma'am," said Neil, fingers already flying as she zoomed in on something on the video. Eric didn't say anything; he was too busy running facial recognition programs on the victims of the shooting.

"Good. I am going to place a phone call and it is one I am most definitely not looking forward to," said Hetty, leaving the room.

Eric glanced at Neil, who was cringing.

"Who to? Director Vance?" he asked.

"No, Agent Gibbs, Dabi's dad. He is going to be pissed," said Neil.

"Oh, that phone call. Oh boy."