NCIS

Chapter 5

More than anyone

Abby started on taking the evidence Palmer brought up out of the box. She looked at Brooke and sighed softly. "Have you thought about what you are going to say to Tony?"

Brooke walked over to Abby's desk where she grabbed Burt the Hippo and hugged him to her chest. She leaned against the counter again near Abby. "That depends."

"Depends on what?" Abby wondered. She paused in her work and watched Brooke.

"On what his reaction to seeing that I'm alive is like." She muttered softly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What are you really worried about?" Abby asked as she looked at Brooke.

"He is going to hate me so much when he finds out that Shannon's not really dead either…I know he's never going to want to see me again when I tell him that we had to fake her death too." She explained.

"Brooke, listen to me, it'll be hard for him to hear and actually see but Tony loves you more than anything in this world and he may not understand what happened but we both know he'll try. We also know that he'll be happy that you're both alive."

Brooke smiled and nodded knowing that what Abby said was true.

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"She hasn't changed at all." McGee whispered in disbelief at the sight of someone he was so close to, whom he believed to be dead.

"She is as beautiful as ever." Gibbs agreed quietly.

Tony was the only one who was silent as he watched the woman he loved with every last fiber of his being talk to Abby with no idea that his eyes were on her.

"I must be dreaming." He thought to himself. There was no way this was possible not after the way she looked in autopsy that night.

"I have to see her." McGee took a step forward but was stopped when Gibbs pulled him back by his shoulder.

"Not so fast Tim, we don't know that it is safe for us to speak to her yet."

McGee turned around to face Gibbs. "I don't understand Boss." He confessed.

"Our victim lying on the slab in autopsy went after Brooke for witnessing a murder of his, something I'm sure you remember Tim, but she didn't die. Brooke was placed into the witness protection program and until she identifies the body as the one who attacked her we can't be in contact with her." Gibbs explained calmly.

He knew from the moment he saw his daughter that she was the one the witness was talking about.

"But she's talking to Abby." McGee replied defensively.

Gibbs nodded. "I can see that McGee, Abby knew all along."

"What, how do you know that?" McGee questioned.

Gibbs shrugged. "I'm just going with my gut."

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She sat at her desk with her feet propped up on the surface while she leaned back in her chair, a sketchbook balanced on her knees. The scratching of her pencil against the paper was the only sound other than her even breathing in the empty bullpen.

She sketched him as she last saw him, in the elevator staring at the picture of his wife and child. She continued to trace out the contours of his lips with her pencil, feeling as though she would never get the shape right if she never felt them press against hers. She felt guilty for wanting him that way when he still wasn't over it.

"Good morning Agent Todd." She was so startled by the sudden booming greeting that came from Fornell that she dropped the sketchbook under her desk. She leaned forward and hastily picked it up, flipping it closed before anyone could see the subject of her drawing. When she returned to sitting in her chair she noticed that Fornell was not alone.

"Who are you?" She asked the woman with bronze skin and dark curly hair that put both Kate's complexion and locks to shame.

"Ziva David, I'm here with Agent Fornell on confidential matters concerning Special Agent Gibbs." The woman answered in a thick Israeli accent.

"Gibbs is busy at the moment." Kate replied looking over at Fornell.

"Doing what Agent Todd?" Fornell wondered angrily.

Kate sighed. She hated how quickly Fornell became impatient with things that were out of anyone's control. That was Gibbs' territory.

"Does it look like I know the answer to that Fornell, I'm not with him I'm not his keeper." Kate bit back.

"Do you know where he is or don't you Agent Todd?" The woman named Ziva asked quickly and with force before Fornell could even open his mouth in response to Kate's attitude. He watched for Kate's reaction to Ziva instead.

"Last I knew he was in the conference room but it's been awhile since he went up there so he could be in Abby's lab or in autopsy with Ducky at this point." Kate answered looking from one to the other.

"What about DiNozzo and McGee?" Fornell asked.

Kate shrugged. "They went with Gibbs, haven't seen them since."

"Well we need to see them, poncho." Ziva replied. Kate looked confused at the woman's choice of words.

Ziva noted this look of Kate's and looked at Fornell. "Did I make an idiomatic mistake?"

Fornell ignored his partner and addressed Kate. "She means pronto, we don't have a lot of time. Could you call Gibbs and get him up here?"

Kate smirked. "Sure, anything for you Fornell." Her words were laced with sarcasm but before he or Ziva could say anything else she picked up her receiver and dialed Gibbs' cell.

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He considered himself lucky that the phone was set to vibrate had it not been it would have given them away. Though it was true that the three of them were standing in plain sight near the doorway she had miraculously not seen them and it was his goal to keep it that way.

He took the phone from his pocket and answered quietly. "Yeah, Gibbs." He listened as Kate explained why she was calling him. "Alright, we'll be right up." He hung up the small phone and tucked it back into his pocket. "Come on, let's go."

McGee turned to Gibbs with confusion distorting his features. "Where are we going, Boss?"

"Back to the squad room, Fornell is waiting for us." Gibbs explained as he hit the button for the elevator and waited for the doors to open.

The elevator made the sound of its arrival and Gibbs stepped in followed by McGee.

"DiNozzo, move it." Gibbs growled bitterly while watching the agent.

Tony appeared to have not heard Gibbs and instead of turning around he took a step forward toward the lab.

"Hey, DiNozzo get back here!" Gibbs made to exit the elevator, to grab Tony and yank him into the elevator but he was stopped when the doors closed in his face.

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"Did you know that Abby was getting an assistant Doctor?" Palmer wondered as he helped Ducky examine the insides of the man from the clearing who lay cut open on the table.

Ducky chuckled. "After what happened with the last assistant assigned to Abby I find it hard to believe that Director Shepard would bring another into the lab."

"Well unlike Chuck this one seems nice and approachable."

Ducky smiled at Palmer "Would this have anything to do with the fact that Abby's new assistant is a woman?"

Palmer looked up from the body. "I thought you didn't know about her."

"I didn't Mr. Palmer but based on the look about you it is easy to determine that she is an attractive female."

Palmer smiled at how well Ducky could read him. "That she is."

"Did you get her name?" Ducky asked.

"Ziva, I thought it was odd too," Palmer went on to say without a reaction from Ducky. "With any luck Tony hasn't met her yet."

Ducky ignored the last part of Palmer's statement as he was consumed with his work. "Mr. Palmer, it appears as though our victim has suffered from more than just a fatal heart attack."

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"Damn it!" Gibbs smacked the doors of the elevator out of frustration.

McGee flinched unsure of whether or not he should say something. He decided not to and watched Gibbs stand there shaking his head.

"I'll kill him if he talks to her." Gibbs grumbled.

In a moment's time the doors reopened to reveal the squad room. Gibbs burst forth from the elevator with McGee at his heels like a loyal puppy.

"Agent Gibbs, Agent McGee." Fornell greeted them both with a curt nod.

Gibbs stopped in front of Fornell before Kate's desk where she sat and Ziva stood both watching the exchange occur. "Do you have a reason for being here Tobias?" Gibbs questioned while staring his opponent down.

"As a matter of fact I do, Jethro." Fornell answered back without wasting any time.

Gibbs was also quick with his reply. "Then what is it?"

"It would seem that the corpse you and your team came across this morning concerns an ongoing investigation of the FBI's." Fornell replied.

Gibbs shrugged. "Meaning what Fornell?"

"Meaning, Special Agent Gibbs, that you are hereby removed from this case until further notice along with Special Agents McGee and DiNozzo." A voice unmistakably belonging to Director Shepard answered from behind the group of mixed agents who all turned at her answer to Gibbs' question.

Gibbs simply stared at the Director. It did not take long for her to realize an agent she was speaking of was not present. "Where is Special Agent DiNozzo?"

"Which one Jen?" Gibbs asked giving away the fact that he knew she was in Abby's lab.

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The proposal

He had been trying for weeks now to ask her, playing it out over and over again in his head. It was driving him crazy but he wanted it to be perfect. She deserved to have everything perfect. Plus Abby was starting to get to him by pressuring him to just get it over with already.

He fiddled with the ring box in his pocket that he had help picking out from Abby and McGee. He would never forget the way Gibbs stared at him for what felt like forever when he asked for the man's permission to marry her. Now it all came down to when and how he was going to ask her.

Tony already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was the first and only woman to ever get through to him completely and let him in just as much.

Tony was too preoccupied with thinking that he didn't see her round the corner and creep up behind him. He didn't realize she was there until he felt her hands on his shoulders and her breath on his neck. He had flinched at the sudden and unexpected contact making her giggle softly in his ear.

"Working hard?" Brooke asked curiously as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Something like that." Tony replied softly while turning to look over his shoulder at her.

She moved around his chair and sat on the edge of his desk in front of him. She could tell that he was distracted and he knew it. She could always tell when something was on his mind. He loved that about her but there were times when it drove him crazy.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked curiously looking into his eyes with her green ones, the eyes he fell in love with.

"Same thing I'm always thinking about." Tony replied mysteriously.

"Sex?" She wondered with a playful smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Tony chuckled at the question. "Well now that you mention it…" He trailed off knowing that she would be able to tell what he was going to say.

"Oh I see how it is the idea wasn't in your head until I said it."

"Well actually it wasn't but you were. You're always in my head Brooke."

"I sure hope that's a good thing."

"It's a great thing." Tony smiled and took her hand, her left hand. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak again Gibbs walked around the corner followed closely by McGee.

"Grab your gear."

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair while Brooke rose from his desk and walked across the bullpen to grab her six and badge off her own desk.

Just as she turned to leave Tony took her hand again and turned her around to face him. Gibbs who was at his desk to get his own gun paused as did McGee. Both knew that the other man had been waiting for the right moment.

"Tony we have to…" Brooke lost her train of thought when Tony took a knee in front of her. "What are you doing?" She asked in surprise after struggling to find her voice.

"Brooke I love you-"

"Tony…" She whispered almost unable to even say that much.

"Let me finish. I love you Brooke, I never actually knew what love was until I met you even when I thought I did. I've never been so happy in my entire life. I'm lucky to have you and I promise I'm going to love you more than anyone. So, will you marry me?"

With trembling hands Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box. He opened it slowly to show her the diamond ring.

Brooke stood there even more frozen and speechless than when he took a knee and started talking. Her mouth fell open at the question and at the sight of the ring. She closed her jaw when she realized she couldn't speak.

"My leg is falling asleep here." Tony chuckled.

"Yes!" Brooke gasped after another long moment of silence.

After hearing her answer Tony put the ring on her finger and stood pulling her into a tight embrace. He had been trying for weeks to plan the perfect night to ask but he realized that it didn't matter where they were, all he needed was her.

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She froze when the doors to the lab made their usual whooshing sound as they were opening. The entirety of her body was tense with fear at who it might be standing so close behind her that she could feel their breath on the back of her neck.

She looked up frantically at Abby who leaned on the other side of the counter across from her but their eyes did not meet. Abby was preoccupied staring with apologetic eyes at the person behind her visitor.

"I'm…um…I'm going to go see if Gibbs needs me to…uh…to not be in here right now." Abby spoke quickly and before she could prevent the forensic scientist from leaving she was already gone.

She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of frustration, anger, and fear before opening them again. She tried to imagine that he was not behind her but his presence was weighing her down. She couldn't speak, she could feel her throat tightening, and she was slowly losing the ability to breathe evenly.

She cleared her throat though it did not help in the least and turned to face him. She looked up into his eye which gave her goose bumps.

"Hi Tony."