Chapter 12. Almost Business as Usual
Abby and McGee had long ago moved away to the lab, the computer tables littered with empty Caff-Pow cups, one full one in front of Abby, and a half full one in front of McGee. Tony still sat at her desk, Ziva lightly rubbing his back and shoulders. To all appearances, Tony was asleep.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Ziva knew he wasn't asleep. Abby and McGee would occasionally catch her eye, and she would only shake her head at them, the unasked question answered in silence. Ziva had started out humming lullabies, but that had long ago changed to just soft humming. The jazz still played on the radio, Sinatra's dulcet tones lightly filling the room, contrasting nicely with Ziva's humming.
Tony adjusted his head, jerking his head up when he spotted something very unexpected. He grinned as he mumbled, "Hey, Bert. How a farting hippo can get within four inches of a trained Federal Agent is beyond me." He laid his head back down again.
Tony had been trying to sleep. He really had. Just a nap, that's all he wanted. Kort was still waiting, and Vance was pushing to close the case. But, to do it, he needed his mind clear.
Finally, he just let his mind wander where it would.
Sinatra's so damn soothing when he's singing. Not a bad actor either.
Did I leave the water running in the bathroom?
I'm in love with Ziva.
Who put Bert there?
Does the new types of long lasting chewing gum really lose it's flavor on the bedpost overnight?
I should tell McGee and Abby what a great job they're doing.
I can't believe she brought in popcorn.
I need to check with Palmer and see how Gibbs is doing.
God, please don't let me screw this up with Ziva.
Would checking the bullet match show up on Interpol's searches?
Why does that damn hippo have to fart? And why is it so funny?
If a woodchuck won't chuck wood, what would a woodchuck chuck?
That's even a tongue twister in my...
Interpol?
"Abby," DiNozzo yelled as his head shot up, dislodging Ziva's hand and making her jump slightly. Abby stuck her head around the computers to look at him. "Would you checking the bullets striations show up at other agencies?"
Both Abby and McGee's eyes shot open as both lunged to quickly shut down her comparison searches. Both DiNozzo and David heard her mutter, "How could I be so stupid?"
They also heard McGee's reply, not whispered quietly enough. "It's not stupid, Abby. None of us thought of it."
They chuckled when they heard Abby close down the conversation. "Tony did." She moved toward the office so she wouldn't have to yell. "It's down, Tony. I haven't gotten any hits on the comparison software, but I'm still going to go back and see if I can hack in and erase them before anyone notices."
"Don't worry about that, Abs," DiNozzo said. "Can you do it by eye," he asked.
"I can try, but it won't be one hundred percent." She smirked. "Especially since my eyes won't focus," she said as she crossed her eyes.
Tony laughed quietly and Ziva smiled at her young friend who was trying to keep up Tony's spirits. Ziva worried about him as he laid his head back down. It was bad enough to interrogate someone when there was no blood shed, she had learned it was actually harder and more exhausting to do so when the interrogation room didn't need copious amounts of bleach to clean off the blood.
And DiNozzo had gone through one basic, albeit bipolar, and another extraordinarily grueling interrogation back to back over the period of barely three hours. She wasn't standing there as his secret girlfriend, his friend, his confidant, she was there as his partner, trying to infuse as much strength into him as she could through a simple touch. Tim and Abby both had jobs to do, she could do this.
Her thoughts were distracted by the arrival of the elevator. A smile crossed her face when she saw the medical examiner enter. She tapped Tony to rouse him. He slapped her finger playfully, not raising his head. She smirked as she tapped the back of his head, causing him to head slap himself.
"Anthony," Ducky said, "Jethro would be extremely upset that you're head slapping yourself without his permission," he chuckled. Tony raised his head, a slight grin on his face. It didn't move much past his mouth. Ducky was almost put off by the bags under his bloodshot eyes, but didn't make any expression or draw attention to it.
"What's up, Ducky," Tony asked.
In response, Ducky simply held out a bottle of water and a sandwich. "You need to sop up some of that caffeine, Anthony. With the added stress, I don't want you on my table with a bleeding ulcer."
Tony took both items gratefully. The same couldn't be said for Ziva's response. "Ugh, Ducky, did you have to get him ham?"
Dr. Mallard chuckled. "It was either that or an out of date tuna fish sandwich. I'm sorry, but the FBI and CIA got to the machine before I could." He paused, looking down at the younger man in surprise. "For heaven's sake, Anthony, at least remove the wrapper first."
All three chuckled as Tony ripped it own with his teeth, his face revealing a 'ta-da' look. He began to eat as Ziva moved to look in on Tim and Abby, no reason more than to get away from the smell of pork. Even years in America hadn't made it easier for her to smell it, and she had been too close to the source.
DiNozzo spoke to Ducky, mouth full of food. "Ducky, I need you to do some checking..."
"Into General Shepard's autopsy, as well as any deaths he claims to be responsible for around the world, where I can get access to them." DiNozzo swallowed and nodded as Ducky finished his thought.
"Shepard, being Army, probably was handled by CID, although the nature of his job may have made it FBI or CIA."
"I'll request it from both, but I may need Timothy's assistance if its the CIA, I doubt they'd willingly relinquish it. Reminds me of a few years before you came to NCIS where a woman was found to..."
Abby interrupted, for which DiNozzo was grateful beyond measure. "Tony, without the computer to do the match, it's not certain, but the bullets match. The striations line up perfectly to the bullet that killed Carmichael. I also previously matched that bullet to over twenty unsolved cases in Europe. I'm not saying that General Shepard killed them too, but that pistol did."
DiNozzo slumped down again as Ziva returned, sitting next to him on the edge of the desk. "Good work, Abs. I'm hugging you in my mind."
Abby looked at him seriously. "That's the best kind. It means you really mean it." She spun on her heel and moved back to her computer.
"Well, Anthony, I will begin making my inquiries. I may not have real answers for months, but at least it'll help to clear some of these up and perhaps give some closure to the families." Ducky made to leave, but not before adding his own physical support to DiNozzo's shoulder.
The elevator dinged, signaling that the car had arrived, and a distant quick conversation took place, heard only by McGee, who was closest to the door. He tensed as he realized who was about to enter.
"Agent DiNozzo," Vance's voice boomed from the doorway.
Abby saw him enter and quickly moved to intercept. "Director, would you like to hear what we have so far?"
"And what is that, Ms. Scuito?"
Abby was uncharacteristically at a loss for words. She couldn't tell of the bullet comparison because that would, indirectly, bring McGee into the firing line for not properly searching Shepard. Abby would protect Tony, but not at the expense of anyone except herself.
Vance stood only a moment as Abby was indecisive. "That's what I thought." He stepped around her and moved into the office, stopping between the door and the desk.
"Special Agent DiNozzo, wake up," Vance said, his voice more commanding than anyone had ever heard it before.
"I'm awake, Director," came the reply, muffled by the speaker's mouth being almost completely covered by his elbow.
"Then please do me the courtesy of looking at me when you speak to me." DiNozzo rolled his head to the side so he could see Vance. With the lab area's lights on, and the office lights off, Vance's face was cast in shadow, looking almost monstrous. "Care to tell me why there are two agents downstairs who almost pulled their weapons on me when I tried to see General Shepard?"
"I ordered them to not allow anyone without my permission, Director," DiNozzo said, turning his head back into his arms.
"And why is that, DiNozzo?"
As DiNozzo turned his head, Ziva simply tapped his shoulder, indicating that he should stay in place. She stood and moved to Vance. "You were an Agent once, right?"
Vance didn't blink. "One of the best."
Ziva didn't back down either. "Then you know how an Agent feels when Management," she said it as a curse word, "meddles in your case. It's insulting and degrading. And right now, he needs all the rest he can get. He just went through two grueling interrogations and has one left. You know as well as I do how much that takes out of a person."
"Hallelujah, sister," exclaimed Abby. When Vance turned, she rapidly ducked behind her computers, her face peeking out between them.
When Vance turned back, he saw that Ziva had stepped right into his personal space, her rising voice dripping with venom. "Now, let him rest. He is the Lead Agent in Charge of this investigation, and any decisions he makes as part of that investigation are his to make, and his alone."
Vance's voice was angry. "You're insubordinate, Officer David."
Ziva exploded. "And you are the Director of NCIS. Act like it. Defend your agents."
Both stared at each other, determined to not be the first to break away. Therefore, neither saw the looks of total surprise on the faces of DiNozzo, McGee, or Abby. They all knew how hard it was to make Ziva actually lose her composure, and they had rarely seen it. They had seen her angry, but never to the point where she blew her top in such a manner. When they did, it was a sight to behold.
The beeping of McGee's computer drew his attention, and he rapidly caught the attention of everyone. "Boss...I mean, Tony, the money's all here, just like he said it was. Looks like he's got a couple hundred thousand left, spread over four banks in three countries, all in separate names. There may be more, but these look like the ones holding the most of it."
Both Vance and Ziva looked away at the same time, both focusing their attention on McGee, who shrunk visibly at the glares he was receiving. Vance took the chance to step away, trying to regain his composure as he did. As he stepped from the room, he spoke over his shoulder. "Ms. Scuito, no popcorn in Observation." As his back was to them, no one could see the smile on his face as he walked away.
Abby barely registered the comment, her focus momentarily broken, now fixated back on Ziva, who was breathing heavily as if she'd just run twenty miles. She released a shuddering breath, working to put her barriers back up before turning to Tony again, who was looking at her in awe.
As she moved to sit next to Tony again, she heard Tim speak to Abby, almost quiet enough for her and Tony not to hear. "We may have to call her Zivab, with a 'B' on the end," he chuckled.
Ziva called out to him over her shoulder. "Would that be for 'bitch' or 'bastard,' Tim?" Chagrined, Tim wisely turned back to his computer, still grinning.
Tony pillowed his arms again, laying his head down. His thoughts wandered, settling on Gibbs. He took out his phone for an update from Palmer. Hearing no change in his prognosis, he hung up and laid his head back down.
He laid his head there for almost another half hour, not moving. Finally, realizing that he wouldn't get any sleep, he turned his head away from Tim and Abby, settling his face on Ziva's."
"Ani O'hev O'Tach, Zi," he whispered.
Ziva looked at him with all the adoration she could muster. "Ti amo, Tony."
Next to him, Tim heard Abby gasp. He turned to her, just as the results from the fingerprints and DNA came onto her computer. Abby yelled into the office. "Tony, the prints and DNA match Jasper Shepard. Unless someone from the Armed Forces DNA Registry got hacked, it really is him."
Tony smiled at Ziva, taking her hand and kissing it lightly, out of sight of the other two, before taking a large breath and standing. He moved into the lab area and stood behind the computer expert and lab technician, staring at the computer screen. "Good work, both of you." He kissed Abby on the cheek and chuckled when Tim presented his cheek, as if he wanted a kiss too, his face lit up in a grin. Only Ziva saw it didn't quite make his eyes. Tony kissed Abby's cheek again. "Pass that on to Probie, Abs."
"WIth pleasure, Tony," she said gleefully, completely missing his cheek and kissing him full on the lips. "Thanks, Tony. I needed that," she said when she came up for air.
"Thanks, Boss." All three stared at Tim, his gaze unwavering, giving no doubt that he meant what he said. A smile crossed both women's faces, while DiNozzo simply nodded in acknowledgment, clapping the younger man on the shoulder.
"Tim, call Cassie Yates in Norfolk. Find out if her team can cover for us for a couple of days. Once this is over, we're headed to the hospital until Gibbs wakes up. If Vance makes a fuss, I'll just sic Ziva on him. Ziva, get me a sandwich and some water." He turned and moved toward the door. "I need coffee, I need some fresh air, and I need to pee, not necessarily in that order. Meet me outside of Observation in twenty minutes."
The elevator chimed as all three yelled, in unison, in his direction, "On it, Boss."
As the doors closed, all three broke into laughter. Tim was the first to bring himself together. "I've got Cassie's phone number at my desk. See you guys up there," he said as he gathered his things to leave.
Once Abby heard Tim move up the stairs and out of earshot, she spun on the Israeli. "C'mon, spill it." Abby was literally bouncing in excitement.
Ziva's face showed her confusion. "Spill what, Abby?"
Abby grinned as she calmed slightly, a glint in her eye. "You guys forget, I can read lips."
Ziva's only reaction was to draw in a sharp breath.