Chapter 6
Party Night
0545 hours local time, 30 June 2003, Ramadi, Iraq.
With pinpoint precision, the artillery erupted at exactly 0545 on the money. Three knew because he was looking at his watch as the first rounds screamed in. "Keep your heads down boys!" Three yelled as he crouched behind a wall that used to be a whole lot taller. Coalition Forces had spent the past week forcibly removing the Iraqi defenders from their positions inside the city of Ramadi. This morning, they would be making their final push against the south eastern section of the city. These defenders were all that stood between the CDS and Fallujah. Rifle in hand, Three ran crouched over to Lieutenant Hagan's position in a fox hole not too far away. Three slid in next to him.
"Staff Sergeant" the LT nodded.
"Sir" Three returned the nod. "Is it just me, or does this all seem too easy?" Three asked.
"This is their last stand inside the city" Tilden told him. "G2 says that they've made strong points out of the universities on the outskirts of the city. When we get there, we'll see just how easy it is"
"Is it true that the French had sent in more heavy equipment through Syria?" Three asked.
"Unfortunately, that is very much true. AMX-30s" he said. "Lucky for us, they won't stand a chance against anything we've got"
"What happens when we run into em?" Three asked.
"Pray" the Lieutenant grinned. "Oh, and in case you're interested, your uncle's unit will be on our right flank" he told his younger colleague.
"Wonderful" Three said.
"What's the beef between the two of you?" Tilden asked.
"I honestly don't know" Three said. "The last time we spoke was after Basra, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. I don't know what his fucking problem is" Three said as he lit a cigarette.
"Just keep it civil" the Lieutenant advised. "Also, the Peshmerga have slipped in 2 regiments on our right flank"
"Good; from what my father's told me, those Kurds are hell fighters" Three said.
"Just make sure the men don't confuse them for Iraqis, they'll be carrying AKs and RPGs, so heads up"
"I'll take care of it, Sir"
"We advance with the tanks, so keep an eye out for RPGs or anything else that could spoil our day"
"Yes Sir" Three nodded. Above them, the barrage began to lift. "I better get back, good luck Sir"
"Good luck Sergeant" they said as they shook hands. Three quickly rushed back to his own foxhole.
"The barrage is lifting boys, get ready to move!" he yelled. About a minute later, the last shell came careening in. behind them, the engines of the Tanks roared to life. "That's it boys, before they do it to us, let's do it to them!" Three yelled as he waived them on. The men advanced alongside the tanks, the idea that the men would cover the tanks from RPGs and any other nasty surprises the Iraqis had waiting. Three and his men had barely moved an 1/8th of a mile before several machine guns opened up on them from the out lying Ramadi's 2 universities, from which the Iraqis were mounting their defense. The tanks were quick to dispatch the machine guns, leveling a couple of the buildings in the process. As the advance continued, Three watched as Lieutenant Hagan called in an airstrike on one of the larger buildings. It was only a few minutes later that a pair of F-15 Eagles screamed overhead, dropping Mark 84 Bombs. The resulting explosion leveled not only the target building, but a few of the smaller buildings around it. The Iraqis deployed a few RPG teams, but they were quickly cut down by the ground pounders and the LAVs that were following behind the armor. By the time the advance reached the outer most buildings, it was clear that the Iraqis' heart was no longer in the fight, as even the Republican Guard units began to flee. The order came down that Coalition forces were to hold once they had secured the 2 universities, and to begin breach and clear tactics to secure the buildings. Within another hour or so, all remaining buildings had been cleared, netting a couple dozen prisoners, who were being guarded by the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. All was going well until a new round of gunfire broke out. Fearing that his men had uncovered some hold outs, Lieutenant Hagan came running over, only to find all of the Iraqis prisoners, dead; executed by the Peshmerga. He was also stunned to find Three, his weapon in his hands, looking on.
"What the hell just happened?" Tilden asked.
"What's it look like?" Three asked as he lit up a cigarette.
"Jesus Christ Three" Tilden said. "They were POWs" he paused. "You intentionally left them with the Pesh, didn't you?"
"Can you blame me?" Three replied. "Saddam has been oppressing and murdering their people since he took power" Three said as he blew smoke through his nose.
"Don't let this happen again, Staff Sergeant" Tilden ordered.
"Yes Sir" Three said as more shots rang out in the background. Tilden gave him a look. "What?" Three asked. Tilden gave him a look. "Ok, so maybe there were some more prisoners" Three said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. In the background, the shots continued, and only ended when the shouting of angry voices became louder than the shots themselves. Tilden and Three rushed over and came upon a shouting match between a group of US Soldiers and Peshmerga fighters, Republican Guard dead littering the ground around them. Lieutenant Hagan pointed to one of the Americans who were in a shoving match with one of Peshmerga fighters.
"Isn't that…"
"Yeah" Three said as he cut him off before rushing over. He quickly rushed over and got in between the 2 men. "Enough, God damn it!" he yelled as he shoved them both back. Three yelled as the other Pesh fighters to restrain their comrade while he pushed back on the other man. "What the fuck is your problem, PFC Falconeri?" Three yelled.
"They're prisoners, they're killing them!" Dante yelled.
"So what?" Three said.
"They're executing them, but you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Dante snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Three said as he gave his younger Uncle a hard shove. Dante replied by clipping Three in the jaw with a haymaker. Three returned the gesture in kind. "You fuckin little shit, I'm a fucking Sergeant, you little motherfucker" Three yelled as they wrestled each other to the ground.
0930 hours local time, 30 June 2003, US 6th Army, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
"You know how many fucking witnesses saw Staff Sergeant DiNozzo and Private First Class Falconeri go at it?" yelled Lieutenant General Irving W. Morrell, Commanding General of the US 6th Army and of CDS Coalition Forces in Iraq.
"Mon General, both Private Falconeri and Sergent DiNozzo are young men, with tempers to match" replied Senior Lieutenant Christopher Galtier of the AROQ (Army of the Republic of Quebec) Special Forces Battalion. The Senior Lieutenant was also, at least for the moment, the Field Commander of the Delta Force; answerable only to Colonel Colleton in North Carolina. "And may I also point out that it was not my man who threw the first punch" he added.
"You may not" the General replied. "And another thing, these incidents with Iraqis prisoners, they must stop!" he barked as he slammed his hand down on the desk.
"Mon General, the Peshmerga fighters are our allies. They're people have been under Saddam's boots for over 20 years, you cannot expect them to, what is it that your Dr. King said…?" he have a questioned look on his face.
"Turn the other cheek" Morrell said as he took a cigar from his humidor, before offering the box to Lieutenant Galtier. The Lieutenant nodded graciously as he took one.
"Do you see my point, Mon General?" he asked as he leaned forward to get a lit from the General.
"Unfortunately, I do" Morrell replied. "Look, whatever it is that got these butting heads, it has to stop. If you recall, officially anyway, The Unit does not exist"
"English may not be my first language, Mon General, but I am no idiot" Chris told him.
"Then keep Staff Sergeant DiNozzo in line, God damn it!" Morrell yelled.
"I will do my best Sir, but the Staff Sergeant is his father's son"
"Yes, I am oh too well aware of that" Morrell said. "You show a great deal of respect to the DiNozzo family"
"He's a great deal of respect for mine" Chris replied. "For 2 years before the US intervention, Mr. DiNozzo supplied arms, ammunition and medical supplies to my friends and I"
"Those friends being the Quebecois National Army, Quebec's version of the IRA"
"Precisely" Chris nodded. "If your Justice Department ever got a full rundown on just how many people Tony has done business with, well…" he paused "Well let's just say that would be quite something"
"Tony DiNozzo has been running guns since he was in High School as part of Operation Cyclone" the General said. "I was only at the Point back then, but it was an open secret that we were running guns to the Mujahedeen" Morrell told him. "But back to my point, keep Staff Sergeant DiNozzo on a tight leash"
"By your order, Mon General" the Lieutenant said as he stood and snapped to attention.
"Dismissed" Morrell nodded. Lieutenant Galtier did an about-face and made his exit. He slipped on his patrol cap as he exited the outer office and stepped into the hallway, where Sergeant 1st Class Deeks and Staff Sergeant Weston were waiting for him.
"Deeks, get up to Ramadi and find out from Three directly what the hell happened" Galtier ordered. "Weston, have Master Sergeant Gardocki assemble the rest of team. We're moving out tonight". They both nodded.
1115 hours local time, 30 June 2003, Pre-Op Ward, 8063rd M*A*S*H, Al-Khalaf, Iraq.
"Been brawling again?" Jeanne asked, 2 cotton swabs in the corner of her mouth as she scrubbed the abrasions on Three's face with rubbing alcohol.
"Shouldn't you be in surgery?" Three asked, ducking the question.
"We're splitting the load with the 8055th" she said. "And you didn't answer my question"
"I got into it with my Uncle" Three said. The brawl between he and his uncle had managed to re-open the gash in his forehead that he had gotten the week before.
"Which one?" Jeanne asked.
"Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri" Three said, a slight hint of disgust in his voice.
"Ah yes, the Air Assault boy, if I remember correctly" she said as she took one of the swabs and used it to coat his wound in antibiotic cream"
"Ah, that stings" he whined.
"Oh grow up" Jeanne replied. "I know that he's your uncle, but doesn't Dante know that it's a violation of the UCMJ to strike a superior?"
"He has his father's temper"
"And you have yours" Jeanne said as she applied the bandage.
"Hey, I'm no saint, but when it comes to my uncles, I don't know ya know" he shrugged. "I mean, Rick is ok, but the rest of 'em are all fuckin hot heads"
"It isn't easy, being the son of a powerful man. I oughta know, I'm the daughter of one"
"So how are my teammates?" Three asked.
"They're on the mend" Jeanne said as she taped the bandage down. "We sent 1st Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Smith down to Kuwait City to recuperate" she told him.
"And Master Sergeant Colleton?"
"She's still here" Jeanne said. "She took a rather nasty beating at the hands of these bastards. I'm afraid she's still got a long road ahead of her"
"I hear that" Three said. "I was cooped up for months after I got blown up" he said. "Where is she?"
"Post-Op" Jeanne said. "Given who she is, we offered to move her to the VIP Quarters, but she refused. Something about DiNozzo's rules…"
"Rule 21: "In front, never behind"" Three said. "It means…"
"Yeah, I got it" Jeanne said.
"Can I see her?" he asked.
"I don't see why not" Jeanne said. "Follow me". Three jumped down from the table and followed her outside. They walked along as sand blew in their faces.
"I hate this fucking country" Three growled.
"Language please" Jeanne said as they walked into the Post-Op ward. It was then that Three realized they were walking into the opposite side of the same building that they had just left, something that annoyed Three to no end. They walked through the double doors into the Post-Op Ward. Tali's bed was the closet to the door. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me" Jeanne said before turning to leave. Three nodded as he walked over to Tali, who was resting comfortably. She looked up as Three walked over.
"Hey" she smiled. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Just passing through" Three replied as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"What happened here?" she said as she ran her finger along the bandage on his head.
"The stitches popped lose"
"You didn't get stitches" Tali called his bluff.
"Yes I did"
"No you didn't" Tali repeated. "I asked Jeanne how you were a few days ago" she told him. "You've been brawling" she surmised. "This is the part were you tell me what happened"
"I got into it with Dante"
"Your Uncle?" Three nodded. "I thought you two were close?" she asked.
"We got into it when the Kurds started executing the IRG prisoners. Dante didn't like that I wasn't doing anything to stop them" he explained. "Enough about me" he said as he pulled up a chair. How are you?" he asked.
"She's supposed to be resting" said a man in white lab coat as he stood over the bed. "Can I help you Staff Sergeant…?"
"DiNozzo" Three said. "And who the hell are you?"
"Colonel Thomas Asher, I'm the CO around these parts"
"Well congrats for you" Three replied, to which Tali lightly smacked his hand. "Right" Three muttered. "What can I do for you, Colonel?" he asked.
"Master Sergeant Colleton is supposed to be resting" the Colonel told him.
"I cleared the visit with Dr. Benoit" Three said.
"Of course you did" the Colonel replied. "Keep it brief" he said before walking away.
"Well isn't he a wonderful ray of sunshine" Three muttered as he turned back to Tali.
"What's the latest?" she asked.
"A CDS Armor Task Force is readying to blast its way through Fallujah. Despite being the Iraqi Berchtesgaden, it seems that the Republican Guard has little interest in actually defending it. It looks like they're gonna dig in along the line, and use Baghdad as the lynchpin" he said. "The line" wasn't really anything that you could point out on the map, but rather it was where if one crossed it, you would be moving from Shiite territory into Sunni territory. While the Shiites were largely either supportive or indifferent to the CDS Invasion, the Sunnis, were very much opposed and were rallying around Saddam's government. "G-2 says that all able-bodied males are being conscripted in order to oppose us" Three said. "There's more, but not right now" he said. "The walls do have ears" he said as he leaned over and gave her another kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest" he told her.
0530 hours, 30 June 2003, Colleton Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Colonel Thomas Colleton was still fast asleep when his cell phone buzzed on his night stand. With a grunt, he sat up and reached over to answer it. "Colleton" he answered.
"Tom, its Irv" a voice told him.
"What can I do for you, General?" Tom asked as he instinctively stood up.
"Ramadi is ours" General Morrell replied. "But as I'm sure you can guess, that ain't why I'm calling" he paused. "Your man DiNozzo got into it with a paratrooper"
"Private 1st Class Dante Falconeri?" Tom asked.
"You know em?"
"He's Three's Uncle" Tom told him. "And this sure as shit ain't the first time they've gotten into it"
"So your Exec tells me. Your reporter Girlfriend ain't in earshot is she?" the General asked. Tom looked over his shoulder; she was still sound asleep.
"She's still asleep"
"I can't stress this enough Tom; if Three gets into it with someone like this again, I'm shitcanning his six back home"
"Understood Sir" Tom replied as the line went dead. "These DiNozzo are gonna be the death of me" he muttered to himself.
0600 hours, 30 June 2003, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
Tony was at his desk, looking over a report when Paris knocked on the door. Tony checked his watch. "0600, right on time" he said.
"I'm a quick learner, Sir" she said.
"Yes, I can see that" he said.
"What are you reading?" she asked.
"An old open case file" he said as he closed it and got up to put it back in his safe, which was tucked behind a large portrait of President George H.W. Bush that hung on the wall.
"How long has it been open?" she asked.
"6 years" Tony replied as he slammed the safe shut and spun the dial.
"You ever gonna close it?"
"Someday" Tony told her. "Probie, what in your arsenal when it comes to formal wear?" he asked.
"Sir?" she looked confused.
"We have an engagement this evening, formal attire is required"
"I have something, I think. How formal are we talking?"
"Dinner for Nobel Laureates, or something like that"
"Where?"
"1600 Pennsylvania Avenue"
"The White House"
"Boy, nothing gets past you, does it" he smiled.
"Sir, I know why you're going, considering that last Friday you played basketball with the President" she paused. "But why am I going?" she asked.
"That is for me to know" Tony told her. "You can secure for the day at 1630, but be back her no later than 1900. We're due at White House at 1930"
"I'll be here" she nodded. After Paris stepped out, Tony's hardline rang.
"DiNozzo" he answered.
"Howdy MB" said a thick Texan accent.
"Don't call me that"
"Aw, come on now…"
"Ok, how much of that is actually you?"
"Most of it" she lied.
"My ass" Tony chucked as he leaned back and put his feet up. "What can I do for ya, Mrs. Martin?" he asked.
"I expect that cute behind of yours to be here no later than 1935 hours"
"I shall be there with bells on"
"In uniform?"
"No Mam" Tony replied.
"The President would like to express his wishes that you show up in uniform" she told him. "As a recipient of the Medal of Honor, you are entitled to…"
"I know what I am entitled to do" Tony cut her off. "And it would not be my pleasure to wear it"
"You're determined to make this as difficult as possible, aren't you?"
"Yes Mam" Tony grinned.
"Just be here, ok?"
"I already said I'd be there" Tony told her. "Jesus, it's just after 0600, are you at the office?"
"I'm still at home" Meg informed him.
"I'll see ya tonight" Tony smiled brightly as he hung up.
0735 hours, 30 June 2003, Quartermaine Residence, Port Charles, New York.
"She calls me a coward and the war criminal" AJ said as he put down the morning paper. "And she's up in the polls, what the hell is going on?" he asked.
"Mayor Lomax has a cult of personality among the Liberals in this town" Liz replied as she put a plate of eggs in front of him.
"But the New York 25th hasn't elected a Democrat since the Civil War"
"True, this is a Conservative area, meaning that the Democrats are more liberal" Liz said as she put down her own plate. "Why am I telling you this? You grew up here"
"I left town in 1986 and never looked back" AJ said.
"Yeah, you might want to not say that when you're on the stump. We already look like a couple of carpetbaggers as it is"
"You know you are so helpful" he told her sarcastically, his mouth full of eggs.
"One would think that table manners would have been part of your training at the Point"
"One would think" AJ said as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Allen James Quartermaine Jr., you will eat properly or not at all" she threatened him.
"You sound like my mother" he ribbed. Liz flipped him off. "The mother of my children, ladies and gentlemen" he grinned.
"Speaking of which, they'll be up in a few minutes" she said. "What do you have planned for today?" she asked.
"Campaign shit, what else?" he told her, earning himself a slap to the head from his wife. "Thank you that was very constructive" he told her.
"Any time hun" she grinned.
"Actually, I'm speaking to the American Legion and the VFW today. That is, if I can get past Lomax's legions of protestors"
"In the end, it'll come back to bit her in the ass" Liz said.
"And what an ugly ass it is" AJ joked.
"Yeah, I wouldn't repeat out loud" Liz advised him. "You gonna make any comment on the Estate Tax repeal?" she asked. "You are a Quartermaine after all, even if your father disinherited you"
"Thanks for reminding me"
"I'm just saying, coming out against it would definitely curry you favor with the Port Charles' liberal crowd"
"This is a conservative-leaning district. They'll crucify me if I oppose a tax cut" he said.
"Tie to being fiscally responsible" she told him. "The United States has a war to fight, and whether we like it or not, wars cost money"
"What would I do without you?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair, giving her a bright smile.
"You?" she said as she plopped down in his lap, slipping her arms around his neck. "You'd be dead" she said as she gave him a kiss.
1525 hours local time, 30 June 2003, 8063rd M*A*S*H, Al-Khalaf, Iraq
Three was in the shower, scraping off the most recently layer of Iraq from his skin, when the door opened and the 8063rd's company clerk, Corporal Spinelli came in. "Staff Sergeant DiNozzo, Sir" he said.
"I'm an enlisted man, Corporal; don't sir me, I work for a living"
"Yes Sir" the Corporal said.
"You're wearing on my nerves, PFC" Three said as he lathered up.
"But Sir, I'm a Corporal, not a PFC"
"You call me Sir, one more time and you will be" Three threatened.
"But…"
"Scram, God damn it!" Three yelled. The Corporal bolted for the door, nearly running over Captain Matt Hunter, one of Jeanne's tentmates in the process.
"Was that really necessary?" the Captain asked as he took the stall next to Three's
"Entirely" Three said.
"Figures" the Captain replied as he turned on the water. Back when the 8063rd was deployed to Afghanistan, Captain Hunter had been tentmates with Jeanne's predecessor, Navy Lieutenant Britt Westbourne, who was also Three's Aunt. "So, what brings you back to this rat hole, Staff Sergeant?" he asked.
"Master Sergeant Colleton" Three replied. "She's been laid up here for a while"
"She should be cleared within a week or so" the Captain informed him. "However, as to when she'll be able to return to full duty, I can't speak to that"
"Tali's one tough cookie, she'll be back before ya know it" Three assured him as he shut off the water. He ran a towel over his hair and threw on his robe as he headed for the door. When he opened it, a woman was standing there, also in a babe robe.
"Hey, this is the women's shower!" she protested.
"I waited as long as I could" Three flashed her a grin as he stepped past her.
A few minutes later, with his clothes back on, Three was standing in the compound, lighting a cigarette as a Humvee pulled up. "Aw, fuck me" Three growled under his breath as the driver killed the engine. "Marty" Three gave Deeks a nod as he stepped out.
"Howitzer is looking for you" Deeks told him. "He got his six chewed out this morning by the brass" he added.
"What did we do now?" Three asked.
"Not "we", you" Deeks pointed at him. "That scuff up with your Uncle"
"That's between me and Dante" Three replied.
"Don't matter, Howitzer wants your ass back at the new FOB in Ramadi" he said.
"This the only reason you're here?" Three asked.
"Yeah, why?" Deeks replied.
"Cause your wife is lying in the hospital over there!" Three yelled as pointed to the Post-Op Ward. Three tried to keep himself as calm as possible. Deeks began to protest, but he was quickly cutoff. "Look, I don't know what kind of fucked up arrangement the two of you have in your marriage, but nothing changes the fact the woman with whom you exchanged vows with is on her back right now. She was beaten and tortured at the hands of those IRG assholes, and right now she…"he paused. "She needs her husband" Three told him. Three remained silent as he watched Deeks get back into his Humvee.
"Colonel Colleton expects a full report up on today's events. Morrell is throwing you on a flight out of Amman at 2200. Get packed, you're going stateside" Deeks told him as he drove off. Three remained quietly stunned.
1935 hours, 30 June 2003, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jared Franklin's office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"I don't get it" Ellen told him as she stood in front of him, tying his bowtie. "Why don't you just get a pre-tied one?" she asked.
"It's not the same" Jared replied.
"It looks the same"
"At the end of the night you wanna be able to pull it open like Tony Bennett" Jared smiled.
"You honestly think that a bowtie is the only thing standing between you and Tony Bennett?' Tony asked as he leaned against the door frame.
"He's also shorter than I am" Jared said as he got off his desk.
"Paris, this is Jared Franklin, President Obama's Deputy Chief of Staff. Jared, this is NCIS Probational Agent Paris Summerskill"
"Nice to meet you" Paris said as they shook hands.
"Likewise" Jared replied. "You're in a tux" he said as he turned to Tony, who gave him a look in return. "Never mind" he said as his landline rang.
"Jared Franklin's office" Ellen answered. "Ok, got it" she said before hanging up. "It's here" she said.
"You coming with?" Jared asked Tony.
"That's why I'm here" he said as they left the office, headed towards the Oval.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Stephanie McMahon and Communications Director Will McAvoy were also headed towards the Oval Office. "Quiz me" she said.
"I don't think I will"
"Come on, quiz me"
"Steph, you're a lively conversationalist; you won't have any problem…"
"Quiz me" she cut him off. Will rolled his eyes.
"Who are you sitting next to?" he asked.
"Dr. Kary B. Mullis, recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for chemistry. Born in 1944 in North Carolina, he earned his bachelors degree from Georgia Tech and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from U.C. Berkeley" she said as they walked into the outer Oval Office.
"Well, as long as he only wants to talk about where he's from, where he went to school and what his name is, you'll be fine" Rex smiled from behind his desk. Like all of the other men standing around him, including his father, he was dressed in a tux as well.
At the same time, Meg and the President were outside, walking along the Colonnade to the Oval Office. "7 Republicans who RSVP'd for tonight are suddenly not coming" meg advised him.
"There was a reason they had to cancel" the President said.
"Emergency meeting of the Republican Leadership" she said.
"Ok Chief of Staff, what do you think they're gonna be talking about?" the President asked.
"I think they're gonna throw you a surprise party" Meg told him.
"Ya know, I don't know why you're wasting your time as my Chief of Staff; with jokes like that you could be headlining in Vegas" the President's voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You asked" Meg replied with a smile.
"They could have left after the entre" the President said. "Have you seen the menu? That's an awfully steep price just to override my veto" he joked as they walked into the Oval.
"Maybe they think they have the votes" Meg said.
"You think something has changed in the past few hours that we don't know about?" the President asked as he stood behind his desk.
"They just sent the bill over 5 minutes ago, they know that you're gonna veto this thing, so why schedule an override tonight? Why risk it?"
"To make me think twice about vetoing it" the President replied.
"Are you?"
"No" the President stated confidently. "Bring them in" he said.
"Rex!" Meg yelled. A few seconds later, the door opened and the staff stepped in. Jared, Ellen, Will and Stephanie all stood off to the side, and were quickly joined by Gabby Giffords, the Deputy Communications Director.
"Mr. President, this Probational Special Agent Paris Summerskill of NCIS. She was assigned to me last week by Director Morrow" Tony said.
"It's my honor, Mr. President" Paris blushed as she went to curtsy before Tony stopped her.
"Curtsies are for Kings and Queens my dear; for me, a simple handshake will do" the President smiled as he held out his hand. Paris blushed even brighter as they shook. "So they stuck you with DiNozzo?"
"Yes Sir" she replied.
"You have my pity" the President smiled. "I'm just kidding with ya" he waived it off. "I know he may not look it, but Tony here is the best Agent on or off the Government payroll. You pay attention to him, and you'll go far" he said. "He's a good guy… for a Republican" he joked.
"Thank you Sir" Tony grinned. "Rexie Boy, where is this thing?" he yelled to his son.
"On its way up from the Executive Clerk's office" he replied.
"Do you know what we're starting with this evening?" the President asked.
"No Sir, but I imagine it's gonna be something that only you and Mr. 167 IQ can spell" he smiled.
"Hot pumpkin soup with cheese gnocchi and a chèvre brioche" the President spoke confidently.
"Sir, is anything you just said food?" Tony asked.
"7 Republicans who RSVP'd…" Gabby started.
"We know" Meg said.
"I still think they could have waited for after the entrée" the President continued to joke.
"I guess they didn't know about the uh…" Tony started snapping his fingers at Rex.
"Chèvre brioche" Rex said.
"Yeah, what he said" Tony pointed.
"Do we wanna think about waiting?" Will asked.
"No" Meg replied.
"The Constitution gives him 10 Days" Gabby added.
"Yes, I believe I'm familiar with that document"
"If it's a show of strength and resolve, you don't wait" Tony said.
"And if it's overridden it won't be either" Will countered.
"They don't have the votes" Meg said.
"Says you" Will pointed out.
"Says me, Jared, the Office of Political Liaison, the Legislative Liaison and the Minority Whip" Meg told him.
"Sometimes it's like I don't even need to be here" The President smiled as he took a seat at his desk. "So in the meantime, I'm going to admire how beautiful all of the women in the room look tonight"
"Easy" Tony said.
"I'm seated next to a Nobel Prize winning chemist" Stephanie spoke up.
"Ok?" Meg said.
"She's afraid she wont be able to make conversation, but she's wrong because she knows where he's born and what his name is" Tony smiled. The President laughed as a figure appeared in the doorway.
"Good evening, Mr. President" the man said. "I'm Doug Dolan from the Office of the Executive Clerk, sir."
"Meg, I don't think they're bluffing" Will said. "I don't think Delay and Hutchinson hold their members back from the summer recess for a bluff"
"That's because they're not bluffing" Meg said.
"You think they're holding an override vote tonight?" Will asked.
"I'm sure of it" Meg nodded.
"Why would they hold an override vote if they didn't think they could override?" Gabby asked.
"They wouldn't" Tony told them as he waived the clerk over.
"What do you have for me, Mr. Dolan?" the President asked as he stood up.
"Mr. President I have House Resolution 10, the Death Tax Elimination Act"
"Cute name" Tony muttered. Dolan continued.
"It bears the signatures of the Speaker of the House, Representative Thomas Delay of Texas, and the President of the Senate, Vice President John Edwards of North Carolina, and it is presented to you by the Congress of the United States of America for your signature or veto"
"Sir, if the House overrides this, we're gonna look weak"
"If the House overrides, we are weak" the President said as he made a mark with his pen. "Send it back" he said as he handed the clipboard back to the clerk.
While Stephanie briefed the Press Corps on the President's Veto, Gabby got on the phone. Will was in his office when she came in. "I just got off the phone with Miller" she said. "Delay has scheduled the vote"
"When?" Will asked.
"90 Minutes" Gabby to him. "An hour for debate, and 20 minutes to vote" she said.
"How does the Minority Leader feel?"
"Like we're down" Gabby said. "How could we have lost votes since yesterday?"
"Low in the polls President tells chicken-shit Democrats to vote against a tax cut during an election cycle, how could it have possibly gone wrong?" Tony said as he walked in.
"Shouldn't you be at the dinner?" Gabby asked.
"I'm avoiding people" he replied as he took a seat.
"We need a new Whip count" Will said.
"That'll take some time" Gabby said.
"They're all sitting there, have them raise their fucking hands" Will told her.
While Will and Gabby got setup in the Roosevelt Room, Tony reluctantly made his way back to the dinner. He found Meg and Paris and joined them for a drink. "I want you to get a hold of our union people at Reagan and Union Station" Meg told him. "Tell them to stop any Democratic members from leaving town. At gunpoint if necessary"
"It's already done" Tony said as he sipped his scotch. A couple of minutes later, Rex joined them.
"Rex, before the night is over, I want to talk to you" Meg said.
"I'm not taking a deal" Rex said.
"Rex…" his father began.
"Would you take it?" Rex turned to his father, already knowing the answer. He then turned back to Meg. "We're DiNozzos" he said. "We don't take deals, and we certainly don't rat" Rex said.
"Well. You are certainly your father's son" Meg smiled as she sipped her martini.
"I take that as a compliment in the highest form" Rex smiled.
"That's how I meant it" she smiled. "Martini" she told the bartender. It was right after she was served that she noticed a woman in a beautiful dark green dress walking across the room on the arm of a man in a smart tuxedo. "Oh shit" she muttered as they got closer. The couple had caught Tony's attention as well. Meg watched as Tony gripped his glass a little tighter. "Easy" Meg whispered as the couple walked up to them.
"Tony" the man smiled brightly.
"Count Spookula" Tony replied, taking a sip to hid his displeasure.
"Didn't expect to see you here tonight" Clay stated.
"I invited him" Meg said.
"And who are you?" Clay turned to Paris.
"Probationary Agent Paris Summerskill, NCIS" Paris said.
"Paris, this is Clayton Webb, Central Intelligence" Tony said.
"And this lovely lady" Clay turned to the woman on his arm. "Is Captain Bridget Sullivan, US Army" he said.
"Nice to meet you both" Paris nodded.
"We'll see you later" Bridget said, avoiding Tony's eyes as they moved on.
"Did you know?" Meg asked.
"Yeah, Rex told me they were seeing each other" Tony confirmed. He downed the rest of his drink. "Another" he slammed it down on the bar.
0135 hours local time, 1 July 2003. Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Austin's wrapped around her, Liat smiled as she and her boyfriend walked down the street. It had been a tough couple of days at work for everyone at Mossad HQ, ever since the body of a Kidon operative had arrived in a packing crate a few days earlier. Liat had learned that the operative, Adam Weiss, had been assigned by Director David to protect the now deceased President of the FSRC, Alberte Clarke. It was information that she had quickly passed along back to Fort Bragg. But right now, she could forget all that as she blissfully enjoyed Marcus' company.
At the same time, conflicting thoughts were running through Austin's head. On the one hand, he could finally relax, as he was now quite sure that no one would be able to trace Officer Weiss' body back to him. On the other hand, he could feel himself inching closer and closer towards the former-Lieutenant Colonel's warnings. At first, everything he had with Liat was simple, it was easy. But everyday that they spent together, with every passing second even, he was starting to really fall for her. And that was dangerous on more than one front. Even if he wasn't breaking the Lieutenant Colonel's undercover rule, there were a thousand other reasons why this was a really bad idea. For starters, he was an undercover operative in a foreign country, and any entanglements were dangerous. There was also the fact that he and Liat worked together quite often, meaning that their relationship was risking both their lives even further. But right now, none of this mattered, not to AJ anyway. And even if the relationship was doomed to fail, right now, none of that mattered, not tonight.
Up ahead of them was a café and despite the hour it was very busy. "Hey" AJ nudged Liat. "How about a cup of coffee?" he asked.
"Isn't it a little late for coffee?" she replied .
"It's a little late for everything" he joked. Liat looked at her watch. 0140 hours.
"Eh, what the hell" she shrugged. As they moved closer, the saw a man who was walking towards the nightclub across the street, stop abruptly in the middle of the street, and turn toward the café. Both AJ and Liat watched, puzzled as he got closer, walking up to 2 college age kids wearing American sweatshirts.
"Oh God" the both said.
2100 hours, 30 June 2003, White House, Washington D.C.
"Maybe the Speaker wants to put a compromise back on the table" Gabby said.
"I doubt it" Will said.
"He was willing to compromise on a $10 Million dollar exemption instead of a 5"
"A $10 Million Dollar Exemption" Will scoffed. "There's a conversation my father never had"
"Yeah, he was too busy beating your ass" Tony said as he sipped his whiskey.
"Excuse Me?" Will got his back up.
"Hey, I've been there, my father used to beat the hell out of me too" Tony said.
"Sonny abused you?" Paris asked timidly, not sure if that was an ok question to ask.
"Sonny hit me" Tony said. "And I hit back" he paused. "Senior, my biological father, abused me, until I was 12 and cracked a champagne bottle across his face" Tony said as he downed the rest of his drink, trying to wash down the painful memory. "Another" he motioned to the bartender.
"Boy, aren't you 2 just cheery" Meg said. "Look, we're gonna have to give something away, just don't give away the whole store" Meg said, sipping her martini. As she did, her assistant, Ginger, tapped her on the shoulder and whispered something in her ear. "Excuse me" Meg said as she set down her drink and walked out into the hall. "What is it?" she asked.
"Heather Wilson is in your office" she said.
"What's going on?"
"Something's happened"
"How very perceptive" Meg rolled her eyes as she walked towards her office. "Heather, what's going on?" she asked as she walked in.
"A bomb went off outside a cafe on Ha-Carmel Street in Tel-Aviv. Suicide bomber, explosives strapped to his chest"
"Casualties?"
"10 dead so far; at least 125 injured" she said. "Meg, 2 of the dead were American students" she paused. "We think they may have been targeted" she said ominously.
"All right then" Meg nodded as they walked out. "Ginger, I'll be in the Situation Room"
2110 hours, 30 June 2003, White House Situation Room, West Wing, Whitehouse, Washington D.C.
"Ok, thank you" Heather said as she hung up. "Meg!" she yelled.
"Yeah?" Meg yelled back from the other side of the room.
"INP thinks they have traces of C4"
"C4?" Meg gave her a funny look. "Did this asshole have a fucking Cadillac strapped to his chest?" she replied as the doors opened and the President walked in.
"Have the parents been notified?" he asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.
"The Ambassador made the call" Meg said.
"Anyone claiming responsibility?" he asked.
"In the next hour, everyone will claim responsibility" Heather said from the far end of the table.
"Heather, hasn't the State Department been issuing travel warnings since the this new Intifada began?"
"They were there for a soccer match" Heather replied.
"And they were targeted?"
"We have an eyewitness who says that the bomber was headed into a nightclub across the street, but stopped and turned toward the café when he saw the 2 wearing US delegation sweatshirts with insignias and flags" said Erskine Wheeler, the Undersecretary of Defense.
"They were brothers, Ariel and Noah Levy" added Major Thomas Bowles, the evening's watch commander in the Situation room.
"He walked up to them and detonated" Wheeler added.
"We know this?" the President asked.
"Yes" Heather nodded firmly. "We have an eyewitness"
"What do you mean we have an eyewitness?" Meg asked.
"There was a 3rd American" Heather said. "But she wasn't targeted because she wasn't identified as one. She's US Army enlisted and Fort Bragg was her first call. Colonel Colleton transferred it to me so I could speak to her personally"
"Oh god" Meg said when she realized who Heather was describing.
"What?" the President turned to her.
"Staff Sergeant Liat Mariella DiNozzo" she said. "Rex's sister"
"That's correct" Heather confirmed.
"Is she ok?" Meg asked.
"No serious injuries" Heather said. "She and her boyfriend were out walking and…"
"And Sir, the INP think they've found traces of C4" Meg added.
"You think there's a Lebanese connection?" the President asked.
"Or even Iran" she said. "We'll know more once the FBI attaché gives a full forensics report"
"How long?"
"45 minutes, an hour tops" Heather said.
"Keep me informed" the President said as he got up. "And I'm gonna need some temperature cooling options"
"Yes Sir" Meg and Heather nodded.
"Speaking of which, let's keep this from DiNozzo" the President said. "As long as his daughter is safe, then the less he knows, the better" he said before walking out.
"Why keep it from DiNozzo?" someone asked.
"When Tony finds out someone tried to blow up his little girl, he's gonna wanna carpet bomb the West Bank" Meg said before stepping out herself.
When Meg got back upstairs to her office, Stephanie was waiting for her. "Have you been briefed?" Meg asked as she walked in.
"Yes" Stephanie nodded.
"Is it on the news yet?"
"Yeah" She confirmed.
"They were brothers" Meg told her.
"What were they doing there?"
"Soccer match"
"Can we say that they were intentionally targeted?"
"I'd rather not hop on the speculation bandwagon right now" Meg said as she took a seat behind her desk. "And no names" she added.
"The Levys just lost their sons, I don't mind letting the media throw tomatoes at me for a few hours" she nodded. "The President will call them?"
"Yeah" Meg nodded.
"Can I tell them that the President has been in touch with Prime Minister Sharon?"
"Yeah, but don't give em a read in either direction" Meg cautioned. "The death toll has risen to 3 dozen. The Israelis are gonna do what they're gonna do, so ratchet down expectations" Meg told her. As Steph left, Gabby and Jared came in.
"What's the latest?" Meg asked.
"We're down 4" Gabby said.
"I thought we were only down one? We're down one an hour ago"
"3 of our guys are on planes" Gabby said.
"They're exactly where they want to be" Tony said as he walked in. "Oh, and by the way, I just talked to Liat; so fuck you for not telling me" Tony said.
"She's ok?" Meg asked.
"She's fine" Tony confirmed. "I don't like that you kept this from me"
"President's orders" Meg said. "And I agreed with every word, and so would you if you were in my shoes"
"Where's Taylor?" Jared scowled.
"He's on his way" Gabby said. Jared left the office, his bowtie falling apart.
"Ellen" he said as he walked into the policy bullpen.
"Ok" she said as she yanked off the crumpled bowtie. "Sorry, no Tom Jones tonight" she said as she slipped on a clip-on.
"It's Tony Bennett" Jared corrected her.
"We're down?" she asked.
"4" Jared told her.
"Do you have time to talk?" Ellen asked. "It's personal"
"Can it wait; we got this plus the bombing in Tel-Aviv..."
"Yeah, don't worry about it" she told him.
2200 hours, 30 June 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
The President stepped out onto the colonnade, where Meg and Tony were waiting for him. "Who is that reporter that was hounding Stephanie during the briefing about releasing that names?" the President asked.
"Shelley Wexler, she's an entertainment reporter for the Post" Meg said.
"Why is an entertainment reporter covering this?" the President asked.
"She was here to cover the dinner" Meg said.
"I want her credentials pulled and she is never to set foot in this building again, and make sure her editor knows exactly why"
"Will is already working on it" Meg assured him.
"So, what do you have for me?"
"It was a Palestinian Splinter Group, the Palestine Freedom Front" Meg said.
"Agency and FBI concur?"
"Yes Sir" Meg nodded.
"Then we shouldn't be looking outside the box?"
"David talked to the Foreign Minister and the Interior Minister. This was an isolated incident"
"If that's the case, I wanna hear it from Arafat directly. A complete denunciation of violence"
"We wont get it" Meg said.
"Tony, you know these guys?" the President.
"Yes Sir" Tony replied as he lit a cigarette. "They're radicals, even by Palestinian standards"
"You think we can get the Israelis to hold fire tonight?" Meg asked.
"Would you?" the President asked him. "Would you hold fire?"
"No" Tony shook his head.
While Will and Gabby were meeting with Congressman Gene Taylor, Democrat of Mississippi, Gabby realized that they were running out of time. She stepped out and motioned for Ellen. "Tell Jared we need more time" she said. Ellen nodded and hurried off to find her boss. She found him, near the dinning room, speaking with Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN).
"Excuse me, Senator" she said. "I need Jared for a minute" she said as she pulled him away. "Gabby says we need more time"
"Call Miller's office, tell him we need to stage an exhibition" he said.
"Will they know what that means?"
"There's a rule against exhibitions on the House floor; he'll have one of our members bring a poster or something onto the floor, another will object, meaning that the Chair will have to rule followed by a vote of the full house. That'll buy us 20 minutes at least" he said.
Meanwhile, Meg was rushed back down to the situation room. "KH-11 sees 12 Israeli F-15C Eagles on the flightline at Hatzerim Air Force Base" Heather told her.
"What's they're load out?"
"Sidewinders" Heather said. "They're kickin tires and lighting fires"
"They've also got 10 AH-64 Apache Longbows armed with hellfires airborne from Bezet" said the recently arrived Secretary of Defense, Jack Reed.
"Targets?" Meg asked.
"The Abu Snei Bab and al-Sheikh neighborhoods in Hebron, a police station in Ramallah and Al-Watan, the Hamas newspaper"
"The Arabs will go ballistic if the Israelis retaliate" said Undersecretary Wheeler.
"Fuck" Meg said under her breath. "Keep me informed" she said as she left, heading back to her office.
When she got there, she slipped off her heals and poured herself a drink as Will and Gabby stepped in.
"We've given him a one-year moratorium on grazing fees, White House support for an increase in production flexibility contracts, a promise not to lower agricultural export subsidies and a tougher FDA crackdown on the illegal use of antibiotics in milk" Will said as Jared joined them.
"We cant cave to this asshole, not on this" Jared said.
"Maybe we don't have to" Meg said. "Aside from the stupid milk thing, everything else is the same thing that a farm-district Republican would want" she said.
"Yeah, that's right" Jared agreed.
"You have someone in mind?" Will asked.
"I do" Meg smiled. "Moran"
"That could work" Gabby said. "He'd bring at least another 6 GOP votes with him, putting us back above water. One they see we're gonna win, Taylor and his cronies will come back to the fold, giving us an even larger win"
"And then STEPH gets to play up all the bipartisanship crap" Will said.
"Do it" Meg ordered. "Jared, buy us some more time" she added.
"Ellen!" Jared yelled as he moved back toward his office. "Ellen!" he yelled again.
"Yes" she appeared.
"We need more time; get back on the phone with Miller's office and tell him to have a Democrat call for a journal vote. If someone calls for a journal vote, the entire House has to approve the previous day's floor activity" he told her. "After that, have a member try to attach an amendment to the override vote"
"What kind of amendment?"
"Not important" Jared replied. "To qualify for the estate tax, the estates must have Astroturf" he said.
"And yet I still can't figure out what Congress can't get anything done" Ellen remarked as she walked away.
Meanwhile, Will and Gabby had made their way back to the Communications Bullpen. They stepped back into Will's Office, where Congressman Taylor was waiting. "And here I was thinkin y'all had forgotten about me" the Congressman smiled.
"Congressman, vote with us or done; either way, get the fuck out of this White House" Will told him. The Congressman fumed as he left. "Bonnie!" Will yelled. His assistant popped her head in the door.
"Yes, Mr. McAvoy"
"On the phone, we need Congressman Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas"
"Yes Sir" Bonnie nodded. Gabby let out a deep breath.
"Ok then, here we go" she said.
2245 hours, 30 June 2003, Roosevelt Room, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
"So let me get this straight, you're offering a one-year moratorium on grazing fees?"
"Yes"
"A backing of a GAO review for the need of a stronger farm safety net?"
"Yes"
"A promise not to lower agricultural export subsidies?"
"Yes"
"And a tougher FDA crackdown on what?"
"The illegal use of antibiotics in milk" Gabby replied. After a 5 minute phone conversation and a 10 minute car ride, Congressman Moran arrived.
"All that for my vote to sustain the veto?"
"And the 6 votes that come with you" Gabby added
"And this was the same deal you had with Taylor?"
"Yes Sir" Will nodded.
"And he was prepared to take it?"
"We think so" Gabby confirmed. "And now we're offering it to you"
"I don't want it" the Congressman told them.
"Congressman Moran, you've publicly been uneasy about this repeal from the get-go"
"Yes, I have" he replied. "Let me tell you something. The idea of repealing the estate tax makes me embarrassed to be a Republican. We used to be about the sensible center, about fiscal discipline. A tax break for billionaires, please" he scoffed. "This thing needed to be vetoed. It was a Republican named Oliver Wendell Holmes who said that "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"" he quoted. "When I drove up, I noticed a dark blue Mustang parked in the executive lot; I take it that Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo is here"
"Former Lieutenant Colonel" Gabby told.
"Pity" the Congressman said. "Do you know why I like Tony?"
"Because he gives you money every 2 years?"
"That" the Congressman confirmed. "I first met Tony back when I was first running for Congress in '96. He was a Captain then, and had dropped in on his way out to the West Coast to visit with Senator Dole in an effort to get the Senator to drop the idea of trickledown economics from his platform. He called it, "Voodoo Economics" if I recall correctly. He was unafraid to speak his mind, and told Dole that there were a lot of Republicans who couldn't support his tax plan, which by the way, also included repealing the estate tax" he paused. "I voted for President Clinton that year" he confessed.
"Congressman, what is it that you want?"
"Nothing" he replied with a shrug. "Tell the President that he has 7 new votes tonight" he smiled. They shook hands before he left to make his return to the Hill.
Meanwhile, Meg was in her office when Heather and Secretary Reed walked in. "You're never gonna believe this" Heather said.
"The Israelis are standing down" Jack told her.
"Just like that?" Meg asked.
"Wes confirmed it with his opposite number in Tel-Aviv" the Secretary told her.
"Field Marshall Mordechai Ben-Gidon passed up on the opportunity to drop bombs on Palestinians?" Meg asked. "How…" then she paused. "Never mind" she said. "I think I know. Keep an eye on the draw down; make sure it's for real"
"We'll keep you apprised" Heather told her.
At the same time, Jared walked back into the policy pen. "Ok, I got away with this for tonight, but you should really learn how to tie a bowtie" he told Ellen as he dropped the clip-on on her desk.
"Or you could" Ellen replied.
"Yeah, but that doesn't seem that likely, does it?" he smiled. "You can head home" he told her as he walked away.
"I'll stick around" she said as he moved to put away some files.
"You wanted to talk to me about something before" he said. "Something personal" he added.
"Yeah, listen. Ainsley fixed me up on a blind date a few nights ago, with a Republican"
"Ok…" Jared looked it at her with a confused look on his face.
"He was a lawyer, working for Ways and Means, but now it turns out that he was transferred to a different committee"
"Which one?"
"House Armed Services"
"You can't see him anymore" Jared told her
"I know"
"You can't see him anymore" he replied.
"I know"
"It was just that night?"
"Yes… No" she said. "We got together the next night" she confessed. "I know we shouldn't have"
"Yeah" Jared said as he loosed his collar.
"Look, the first time we got together, I just thought…"
"The he was with Ways and Means who I was fighting tooth and nail with over the Estate Tax. Did any reporters see you?"
"No"
"The 2nd night?"
"No" she told him, louder than she intended.
"Go home" Jared said.
0735 hours local time, 1 July 2003, Haifa Lee Breakwater Lighthouse, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
"Here" Liat said as she handed AJ a cup of coffee. They were both sitting on the edge of the dock that jutted out over into the Harbor. Liat took a seat next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.
"You ok?" he asked. Liat took a deep breath and sighed.
"I will be" she said. "It's not the first time I've seen an explosion up close, or even the first time that I caught up in one" she paused. "It's just the first time that I've…"
"Seen a suicide bomber in person?" AJ finished her sentence.
"Yes" Liat admitted.
"I wish I could say it gets easier" he said.
"You've seen them before?" she asked.
"A few times" he replied. "My work with 212 takes me into the West Bank and Gaza more than I wish it did"
"I take it you will be going back very soon?" she looked up at him, a sense of fear in her eyes.
"Aw hell, I don't know" he told her. "I thought for sure that we'd be heading back in this morning, in force; but alas, nothing" he said.
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you" Liat told him, looking through his eyes, into his soul. AJ slipped his arm around here shoulder and planted a kiss on her forehead as he pulled her in close.
"Well don't worry about, because you aren't losing me" he said, even if he knew deep down that that wasn't quite true.
0605 hours, 1 July 2003, Oval Office, West Wing, White House, Washington D.C.
The room had a quit calm to it as everyone sat around the coffee table in the middle of the room. The President in his usual arm chair, Meg on the couch next to him. The door from the outer office opened and Tony walked in. "Rex said you wanted to see me" Tony said.
"Take a seat, Colonel" the President waived him to the couch on the other side of the coffee table.
"Sir, you do know that I'm not in the Army anymore, right?" Tony smiled.
"Believe it to not, Mr. DiNozzo, not much escapes my notice" the President told him. "Such as the fact that your Probational Agent is asleep on the couch in Meg's office" he pointed out.
"Is she really?" Tony turned to the closed door that led to the Chief of Staff's office. "I would have thought she would have bailed by 0200 or so"
"Something tells me that she has a lot to prove" Meg added. "I know that Morrow saddled you with her, but there is no way that you would have taken her on if you didn't see something in her"
"Last week, she asked me if I was Harry Truman's grandson" Tony told them. "So I corrected her and told her that the rumor was that I was his Great-Grandson"
"That rumor just won't die, will it" the President spoke.
"Evidently not" Tony said. The door to the outer office opened and Rex came in carrying a pot of coffee and some mugs.
"What's the latest?" the President asked as Rex poured them their coffee.
"Nothing out of the West Bank or Gaza" he said. "Alls quiet in the Middle East"
"Oh shit, I totally forgot" Meg said. "With everything happening last night, I forgot to look in on the override vote"
"Veto has been upheld by 14 votes" Rex told them. "For right now, the Estate Tax remain a viable source of income for the Federal Government"
"All thanks to Congressman Jerry Moran" Tony smiled.
"How much did you have to promise to donate to his campaign?" Meg asked.
"Just the usual $2700" Tony said.
"Frankly, I'm still shocked he voted with us" POTUS admitted.
"He's just hedging his bets" Tony said. "The Republican candidates who've already declared aren't exactly the A-team, so Moran wants to cover his ass just incase it suddenly becomes unpopular to be a Republican"
"In the Kansas 1st?" the President asked.
"Rex, what did Gore take in in the Kansas 1st?" he asked his son.
"Just under 40" he replied.
"Just enough to scare someone like Moran into a little bipartisanship" Tony said. "As down as the White House is now, the GOP knows that one Baghdad falls, you'll skyrocket in the polls"
"I'm just glad that we did it" Meg admitted.
"Amen to that" Tony agreed. He turned back to Rex. "Did you call your sister?" he asked.
"Not yet" Rex replied.
"Do it please" Tony told him.
"I will Sir, first chance I get" he assured his father.
"And go wake up Agent Summerskill; she's asleep on the couch in your Aunt's office. Rex nodded and moved towards the door.
"Liat's ok?" the President inquired
"Yes Sir" Tony nodded. "Some cuts and abrasions, but nothing that can't be fixed from a basic first aid kit"
"Ya know, it's amazing how the Israelis just suddenly stood down" Meg said, pausing with a grin. "What did you say to Field Marshall Ben-Gidon?" she asked.
"What are you implying?" Tony returned her grin.
"That there was only one person in the building last night who could have gotten through to the Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Defense Force in such a short amount of time" she said.
"I admit to nothing" Tony said, sipping his coffee. "But maybe, just maybe, someone pointed out that dropping more bombs on civilians wasn't going to do anything in terms of de-escalation"
"Tony, when you get the chance, please pass along my profound thanks to your daughter. The intelligence she provided last night was crucial to the decisions made down stairs"
"Thank you Sir, I will" Tony nodded.
"T, how long have you been awake?" Meg asked. Tony looked at his watch.
"Just over 26 hours" Tony said. "Which I'm guessing is about one hour more than you" he returned the favor.
"How right you are" Meg replied, taking a big sip of coffee.
"Speaking of the time, wont Director Morrow be expecting you at the office at the top of the hour?" the President asked.
"Actually, I'm usually in the office right now. So actually, I'm already late" he chuckled. Meg got up from the couch and walked over to the window.
"Huh" she said as she looked out. "I can't see them" she commented.
"See what?" POTUS asked.
"The pigs" she replied. "The sky is clear; I should be able to see them" she said, walking back to her seat.
"Meg, what the hell are you talking about?" Tony asked her as she took her seat once again.
"Tony DiNozzo is late for something, so today must be the day that pigs fly" she grinned. Tony rolled his eyes.
"That's not even close to being funny" he told her. "But not the less, she is right, I am late. Sir, I'm afraid I must take my leave" he said as he stood up, tugging his bow tie loose so that it hung around his neck. He and the President shook hands and he moved to give Meg a hug.
"Be safe" she said as they kissed each others cheek.
"You too" he said as he walked through the door to Meg's office. Paris was waiting there, sipping her coffee. "We're leaving" Tony said as he closed the door behind him.
"Yes Sir" she quickly slipped on her heels and got to her feet. The walk outside was a quiet one. Once they were out in the fresh morning air, Tony stopped to light a cigarette.
"I assume you have a change of clothes?" Tony asked.
"Yes Sir, in the go bag in my car back at the Navy Yard.
"Good" Tony said, blowing smoke through his nose. "You stayed the night"
"So did you" she replied.
"Why?" Tony turned to her.
"Because you were here" she said.
"You're learning" Tony said as they started walking towards the lot. "Step-Great Grandfather" he said out of nowhere.
"What?" she asked as she opened the passenger door of Tony's Mustang.
"I'm Harry Truman's step-Great Grandson" he said as he got in. "My Grandfather married Margaret Truman in 1955, 5 years after my grandmother was killed in Korea" he told her. "My Aunt Courtney is a Truman, as is my cousin Loren"
"Then why do you let the rumor persist?" she asked.
"Because who cares" Tony said as he started the engine. Paris left it at that.
0715 hours, 1 July 2003, Men's Locker Room, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
Towel wrapped around his waist, Tony walked out of the showers and headed towards his locker. As he dropped the towel, he caught sight of someone leaning up against the row of lockers. "Like what ya see?" Tony said as he grabbed his boxers. The young woman remained silent, slumped against the lockers. Tony slipped on his undershirt and walked over to her. "Abby!" he yelled, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Abby!" he yelled again. Abby slowly lifted her head and stared at up at Tony.
"Oh hey" she smiled weakly. "What are you doing here?" she asked
"Abby, this is the men's locker room; you know that right?"
"Huh?" Abby looked up at him. Tony just shook his head and moved back to his locker, pulling on his jeans and boots. "I'll be fine" Abby said. "I just need a little pick me up" she said as she slid down against the row of lockers, all the way to the floor. Tony chose to ignore her. Tony threw on his holster and black leather jacket and went on his way.
When he got up to the main bullpen, he walked over to Gibbs' desk. "Hey Gunny" he said as he walked up. Gibbs looked up from the paperwork on his desk. "I just found Dr. Scuito passed out in the men's locker room. You wanna fill me in on anything?" he asked. Gibbs only shrugged and shook his head.
"She just needs a little caffeine to get going in the morning." He explained.
"Yeah, sure" Tony replied, not believing a single word he was just told. But whatever Abby's problem was, he didn't really care at the moment. He walked out of the bullpen and back towards his office. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Paris walked in, dressed in street clothes like he was. Before either one of them could say anything, Tony's cellphone rang. "DiNozzo" he answered. "Got it" he said, snapping the phone shut. "Dead Marine, Southeast DC" he said as he got up, slipping his Beretta into his shoulder holster.
"Let's Roll" Paris said confidently as they headed out.
PLEASE REVIEW!
(Zander's Voice)- Next time on "28 Seconds: Blood & Iron"-
Following a shooting at a church in North Carolina, the President and Vice President clash over the Administrations gun policy. Meanwhile, Ellen Swatello's indiscretions put the White House in further jeopardy after she inadvertently lies under oath, leaving Jared and Rex to scramble to cover for her. In Iraq, Three's TAD to the Rangers ends as CDS Coalition Forces begin to prepare for the final assault of Baghdad. Finally, Tony and Paris travel to Naples to search for a sailor who may be a serial killer.
A/N- Ok, so I have some serious splaning to do. First off, I would like to apologize for the nearly 8 month gap in-between updates. I do have a very good reason for this, but not the lease, for my small cadre of loyal readers I am sorry. The reason for my absence started over a year ago, when I took a job as a speechwriter for a Congressional Candidate. After we won the primary (in spectacular come-from-behind I might add), life became very busy for me, working at my day job as well as for the campaign. And wouldn't ya know it; we actually won (coming from behind once again). So now, I work for a Congressman. And as we all saw this past week, that sometimes means that my life will be more hectic than ever before. But hopefully as things calm down, I will have more and more time to write (hopefully).
As always, I love hearing from you guys and love all of the reviews. And while I know that I don't really deserve it, I would love if someone could give a really in-depth review of the story. But as I said, I'll take what I can get.
With any luck, I should have another update before the end of April. Thanks again for reading, good luck and good night. Harry Truman