I don't own NCIS or any of the characters from the show. If I did…well then…Tony would get much better story lines, and I would actually give Gibbs a love-life (the man really needs one). I have been working through some of the worst writer's block which has been brought on by a lovely combination of job stress and my summer class schedule, so I hope this doesn't suck too much. Let me know, good or bad. Thanks for all of the reviews and comments. I read and appreciate every single one of them. Here is the next chapter in our journey…

Devils and Demons

My devil danced with his demon and the fiddler's tune is far from over – Dexter Morgan


This assignment was really going to suck. Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair as he listened to the SecNav give them their instructions. What was even more unbelievable was that Tony was even being included. Something seemed so wrong about being told to guard a man who had tried to kill him too many times to count. He was pissed off about the whole situation. To make things even worse he hadn't seen Eve in six weeks. She had gone to Langley to prep for her quals, and other than nightly phone calls, hadn't seen or spoken to her. She had been evasive when he asked what she was doing, and he was certain that they were preparing her for something dangerous.

Tomorrow morning he, Gibbs and Ziva were scheduled to meet up with Fornell's team and the pair of CIA agents who were accompanying Davis on this little excursion, and he just wanted the whole thing to be over and done with. Luckily, this briefing was the last meeting in a day filled with them, so he would be free to run home and pack a bag for what promised to be a long trip. Yeah, this was really going to suck…

Gibbs was not enthused about the idea of making this trip even if it meant that NCIS would be able to apprehend the naval officers who had been working as part of Davis' organization. What was even more hinky was the fact that the CIA and FBI had insisted on DiNozzo taking part in this assignment even though he had so much history with the prisoner. It didn't make any sense, but then again he had to remember who he was working with. The Company and the FBI generally had reasons for everything they planned and executed. He'd given his objections, but Director Maxwell and the SecNav had brushed them all aside when they had both instructed that the three of them pack and be ready to leave at 0600 tomorrow.


John Maxwell turned away from the now blank screen and turned to the agent who had been sitting out of the range of the camera.

"You know what you have to do right?"

"I've got it. Follow at a distance and take out each contact as Davis points them out. I'm to allow NCIS to take the naval officers into custody."

"What's our endgame?" Maxwell stared at the agent sitting across from him. The casual posture of his subordinate was irritating him to no end.

"Kill the terrorist who was going to ultimately purchase the software, and finally to take Davis out. The FBI is not to get any more information from him than they already have. I'll leave for the first location at 0500 tomorrow morning, and I'll report to you after the first target is taken out."

A smile slipped from the Director's lips as he responded, "I'm taking a big risk giving you this assignment. I want you to take Kort with you as back up."

A frown creased the face of the agent. "Kort, Sir? Are you certain he can help me with this mission?"

"He goes or you stay. This point is not negotiable."

Davis watched the agent's eyes narrow as the options were considered, finally there was a nod of acquiesce. "Okay. I agree. I appreciate your trust; you can count on me. Sir, I won't let you down."

Maxwell leaned back in his chair and watched his agent stand. "I know you won't. You're dismissed."

Eve Dupree gave her first real smile since she had returned to Langley. "Yes Sir. I'll see you when I return." She walked from the room and headed to her temporary quarters to pack and return home. She found Kort waiting for her in the hall.

"Hello, Eve. I see we're traveling together."

He received an unladylike snort in response. "Not my choice. Pick me up at 0430 at my apartment tomorrow. Pack light and bring only necessities. We'll be traveling light and often."

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?"

Another unladylike snort was his answer. "What the hell do you think I've been training for this last six weeks? I'm ready."

"I know you're physically ready. Are you emotionally ready to do this? After all the man did torture you."

"Trent, thanks for your concern. Davis is not my target until after we get the terrorist who wanted that software. Once we get him, well then, I get to turn my considerable attention span and my particularly gruesome imagination to Mr. Davis."

Trent released a put-upon sigh and shook his head. "Are you ready to see DiNozzo? He's going to be guarding Davis."

"I'm aware. They think that parading him in front of my rifle scope will stop me from doing something to Davis until it's time. The FBI has no idea what's coming and neither does NCIS. I'll deal with the fallout after this is over. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going home and sleep in my own bed for the first time in over a month. I'll see you in the morning."

She turned and walked down the hall, the only noise from the clicking of her heels as she headed towards her quarters. Before she could open the door she was confronted by her personal physician. Dr. Megan Callaway was leaning against the door waiting for her to come back.

Eve rolled her eyes in disgust. "Jesus! Can't I get out of here without it being made into a huge deal? What do you want, Megan?"

"I have your last lab results here and the results of your final physical and psychological evaluations. I wanted to go over them with you before you left."

A world weary sigh greeted that announcement and then, "Come on in."


Gibbs pulled up to the curb outside Tony's apartment and watched the younger man as he gathered his bag and prepared to exit the car. He stopped his second with a quick hand to his arm.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah…I suppose I am, Boss…as ready as I'll ever be. I've just got to throw a few things in my bag. I'll meet you here at 0500 tomorrow."

"Get some rest, DiNozzo. This will be over soon enough."

"Night." Tony climbed out of the car and ambled over to the door to the building. Gibbs watched him until he disappeared behind the outer door of the building and then headed home himself to pack and sleep."

Tony unlocked his door and entered the apartment to find Eve standing in the kitchen with several bags of takeout and a bottle of tequila in hand. He dropped his bag in shock and walked into the kitchen area.

He was furious and didn't hold back when he demanded, "Where the hell have you been?"

She stared at him with wide, innocent eyes and poured two shots of the liquor. "Langley, where else?"

Tony gave her a disbelieving look and responded, "What have you been doing for the last six weeks?"

She sighed and threw back her shot before pouring another one. "Seeing my doctor and talking to the shrinks. Everything that happened…I just needed some time…you know…to deal with it. I thought you wanted me to talk to someone about what happened."

"I did…I do…I'm sorry." He backed down and grabbed his drink. He watched her as she began to set the bags out. There was something about her that made him uneasy, but she seemed so much better he decided to let it go. "So…what did you bring for dinner?"

She smiled and opened the bags. "Thai food tonight." She leaned across the counter and captured his lips in a kiss. "I missed you."

"You know I'm leaving in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, John told me. I wanted to see you before you left."

"What will you do while I'm gone?"

"Oh…I'm sure I'll be busy enough. I have a new training class starting tomorrow. I have to be back at Langley at 0500 tomorrow to meet them."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer, and grabbed two plates from the cabinet. "Let's eat."

She nodded and grabbed two beers from the refrigerator before following him to the table.


Tony sat beside Gibbs on the plane apparently lost in thought. Something was definitely off with her. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but there was something that was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, so he stared out the window replaying that morning's activities in his head as he tried to decide what it was.

They had spent the night getting reacquainted with each other, and had almost made each other late by spending too much time together in the shower. It had been their good bye that had seemed off…

"Be careful, Tony. Please don't take any chances."

"I will…I'll be home as soon as possible, I promise. I love you."

"I know you do."

She had kissed him and ran to the car waiting for her at the curb while he stood there and watched as the tail lights disappeared in the distance. A couple of minutes later, Gibbs had pulled up and they had left on their way to the airport.

"She didn't tell me that she loved me…"

His mumbled comment caught Gibbs' attention. "What was that, Tony?"

"This morning…she didn't tell me that she loved me before she left. There is definitely something going on."

Gibbs had shrugged noncommittally and turned back to his crossword puzzle. He was not getting in the middle of whatever drama was happening between DiNozzo and his live-in lover. His silence left Tony to his own thoughts as the plane climbed high into the sky and turned south towards Colombia.


Eve leaned back in her seat and tried to relax. Tony had kept her up far too late…no wait…they had kept each other up far too late making up for lost time. She hadn't told him she loved him when she left. She'd done it on purpose. Tony was sharp, and he would notice the omission right away. When John had told her he was going with Davis she had not been pleased. Putting him in harm's way was the Company's way of keeping her in line. There were also two of her brethren traveling with NCIS and the FBI. Those two goons were there solely to make sure that she didn't kill Davis too quickly.

She sighed and took a sip of the coffee that Trent passed to her. They hadn't really needed to do that. John had ensured that she would get to kill Jeff Davis eventually…She couldn't have set it up better herself if she had tried. She hadn't wanted to lie to Tony, but her part of the operation was classified…higher than classified. There were three people who actually knew what her mission was, and she and Kort were two of them. She had no intention of exposing Tony to that kind of black-op unless she had absolutely no choice. Knowing Davis, it was certain that the crew guarding him would run into an ambush before this little safari was over with.

They were heading Cartagena, Colombia…where her story with Tony had begun. The Seahawk was scheduled to dock in two days time, and according to Intel there was an officer onboard who had been working with Davis regarding the software. Too bad she couldn't kill him, but his Colombian contact was dead, he just didn't know it yet.


Ziva sat quietly beside the prisoner and tried to ignore his incessant chatter. He was trying to hit on her of all things. She rolled her eyes and finally turned to the man and said with a scowl, motioning to the pencil she held in her hand.

"Do you see this pencil?"

"Yes…"

"If you do not shut up I will take this pencil and do something to you that will be most unpleasant. Do you understand me?"

The man had stopped mid sentence and gulped. "Got it. No more conversation."

Ziva sighed, "Mr. Davis, conversation implies that two people are speaking to one another. I don't want to speak to you, so for the last time, shut up."

She turned her attention to the FBI Agent sitting next to her and motioned that she was moving towards her co workers for a bit. She settled across the aisle from Gibbs and Tony and leaned her head back to enjoy the blessed silence. Finally.

Gibbs glanced at her as she relaxed into the seat. "Prisoner giving you trouble, Ziver?"

"No he is not. He just wants to proposition me." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "…as if I would even look at scum like him…after what he did…" She wisely stopped before she could say more, and her gaze found her partner who was staring determinedly out the window, ignoring everything said around him. She locked eyes with Gibbs and motioned towards Tony as if to say "What's with him?"

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the crossword in front of him. Yeah, he really needed to learn how to stay out of his agents' domestic affairs.


Tony walked down the stairs from the plane and took a deep breath of familiar humid tropical air. He smiled as he filled his lungs, immediately making note of the various scents in the air. He caught a whiff of the wild jasmine that grew in the area and thought about Eve. He hoped that she was keeping busy with her new recruits.

The group managed to get themselves loaded into one vehicle headed for town and their first meeting before the ship docked. Tony smiled as he passed by familiar countryside that invoked some really vivid memories. He chucked quietly to himself and stared out the window as they headed to the city proper.

Gibbs found himself watching his Senior Field Agent with a concerned stare. Tony was definitely heading down memory lane the closer they got to town. He wondered if it had been a good idea to allow DiNozzo to decide where Davis would set the time and place for the first meeting with his Colombian connections. Although Tony was the most knowledgeable about the area and the people in it from his time as an Agent Afloat, Gibbs was still a little nervous that his agent wouldn't be able to separate his job from his personal vendetta against their prisoner. The first and only priority for NCIS was to take the sailors into custody and get them back to Washington for processing. The rest would just have to take care of itself.

The Banana Moon was still just as busy and crowded as he remembered. Tony led the way in and the owner, Hector, immediately raced to greet him.

"Tony! My friend, how are you doing?"

"I'm great Hector. It's nice to be back."

"Tell me, where is your lady?"

"Ah, she's in DC for this trip. This is strictly business. Have you got the tables set up in the back room like I asked?"

"Don't worry, my friend. I've set everything up just as you requested."

He led the group to the back room of the bar, and got them seated at the tables that had been set up. Tony found himself seated at the table with Davis and a CIA agent while the rest of the crew scattered themselves for surveillance purposes.

Davis leaned over to Tony to ask, "So tell me…how is Agent Dupree?"

Tony took a deep breath and concentrated on not losing his temper. He finally turned to the man sitting next to him and gave him his "Gibbs Stare", a stare guaranteed to turn a man to stone.

"What nothing to say, Agent DiNozzo? I'm sure that she misses…my attentions…"

Tony finally gritted his teeth and said in a low, harsh tone, "Davis, if you value what's left of your life then you'll shut up. Your contact will be here in a couple of minutes and we're supposed to look like we actually like each other and want to do business together."

The prisoner gave a smile and turned to face the door. He'd discovered a new way to torment his captors, and Agent DiNozzo couldn't do a damn thing to him to make it stop. He enjoyed his first pound of flesh and gave a barely noticeable wave to the tall man wearing a bright floral shirt who was approaching the table.

"Carlos, it's so good to see you my friend. I'd like to introduce you to a couple of friends of mine. This is Tony DiNozzo and Michael Thomaston. They are waiting for our Navy contacts to make port, and then we're going to do some business. I thought that you might like to make their acquaintance before the Lieutenant gets here."

"It would be my pleasure. Jeff, I have the briefcase that you left for me the last time you were in town. I assume you want to procure its contents before your Navy friends arrive tomorrow."

Davis inclined his head in the affirmative and motioned for the newcomer to take a seat.

The Colombian finally sat in the available chair but not before shaking hands with Davis, Tony and the CIA operative. They made small talk for a few minutes and the briefcase was handed over to Davis' possession.

They were heading out the door when the gunshot sounded and the blood began to spray.


Eve and Kort had ensconced themselves up on a rooftop several hundred yards away from the Banana Moon, and Eve was set up with her M40 sniper rifle and scope. They were just waiting for the green light to come for the hit. Kort's phone rang and he immediately answered it. He heard the voice on the other end of the line command,

"You have the green light. Your target is wearing the floral shirt, and will be exiting the building momentarily. His identification is Carlos Ayella. He has known ties to Al Qaeda in Central and South America. Take out the target."

He answered brusquely, "Understood. Hold the line for confirmation." He placed the call on hold and turned to Eve, "Love, you have the green light. The target is wearing the floral shirt and will be exiting in front of our people. Take him out as soon as you get the shot."

Eve took a deep breath to center herself and put her eye to the scope of her rifle. She gently rested her finger on the trigger and waited. As she saw the target exit the building she paused for a moment and let her scope rest on Tony. She let her eyes drink in the sight of him; he looked tired. Well this wasn't going to be a fun assignment, but at least she was able to make sure that he was unharmed through each step. Realizing she would lose her shot if she wasn't careful, Eve sighed and pulled herself back to business. She turned her scope to her target and sighted the center of his forehead. She took a deep breath, held it, and gently pulled the trigger. As she watched the target explode into a spray of crimson and gore she couldn't help but smile to herself. Stage two is now underway…