Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A.N.: Thank you Mrs Elizabeth Gibbs, Multicolered Paperclips, sn855850 and HesMines for reviewing! Your words make me smile!
The parked car across the street from Gibbs' house was quiet; the person within staying very still, so he didn't give himself away by rocking the car. He was very experienced in stakeouts like these, so he knew what the acceptable methods of passing the time, without distracting himself from his task, were. In this case, he decided to mentally review everything he knew about Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Trent Kort watched the semi darkened house knowing his quarry was home, so there was no point checking. According to his Intel, Gibbs hardly ever used his full house, instead using the basement as his bedroom and workroom. Even though most of the lights had been turned off in the rest of the building shortly after he had parked up, he wasn't worried. Gibbs wasn't going anywhere, which gave him plenty of time to watch out for Jennifer, who had yet to appear, and that concerned him. If she had already been found and taken out by Gibbs' team, the Sec-Nav would have told him, but there had been no word yet. Most of Gibbs' team had gone back to NCIS already, his associate had been able to tell him that much, so she must be on her way here. Unless she stopped off at the safe house. If she had done that, then there was a great possibility she had seen Gregory, and that meant she would now be a liability and he would need to track her down himself. There was no room for maybes in this business. It was probable she wouldn't come here if she had seen Gregory though. So he would wait an hour. If she came, he would follow her in and make sure both she and Gibbs died. If she didn't, he would call his partner and have him use his greater influence to find her.
After a few minutes, one of the curtains on the ground floor twitched. He watched the window for any other signs of life but there were none. That meant Gibbs had more than likely seen him and was being careful not to disturb the curtain and alert him. He grinned, Gibbs was sneaky, but he was better. Being seen wouldn't stop him from completing his mission. He was a professional, and he always finished his assignment. He was now positive Jennifer had been to the safe house. It wouldn't take this long to get to Gibbs' house if she had been on her way to take him down. He would have to kill him himself. He checked his gun, sliding a full clip in and unfastened his seat belt, readying himself to sneak into the house, when suddenly someone knocked loudly on his window. He looked out, expecting to see a gun pointed at him, and saw instead a pizza delivery boy standing there, pizza box in hand, squinting to see inside the car's darkened interior. Kort hid his gun and wound down his window slightly, enough to talk, but not enough for the boy to see in the car.
"Can I help you?" he asked the boy, his English accent more pronounced in the hopes the kid would think he was a tourist, and decide to leave him alone.
"Yeah. The pizza is sixteen dollars and a four dollar delivery charge, so all in all that's twenty dollars." He held his hand out for the money and Kort shook his head at him, annoyed that the kid thought he could sell someone's unwanted pizza to him.
"I didn't order a pizza. Now run along. Some of us have real jobs to complete." The kid spluttered indignantly at his remark and gave his car a swift kick on the driver side door. Kort ignored him, he would go away soon, but his presence at the car would draw unwanted attention to him. Just then a car ignition started and Kort swung his head around to look at Gibbs' house. It was now completely dark and the car outside it turned its headlights on. Kort stared as the inside light switched on and the interior was lit up, showing Gibbs and his young Forensic scientist in the car. Gibbs smirked at him and the Goth waved. Kort lunged for his weapon but the car sped away, leaving him pointing his gun at thin air and cursing loudly. He started his own car and glared angrily at the delivery boy. He couldn't believe he had fallen for such a simple distraction, and the worst thing was he couldn't shoot the boy, because he wasn't in on Gibbs' plan. He did a U-turn in the street and sped off after the other car, hoping to catch up to him.
Gibbs was a damn fast driver. Kort slammed on the accelerator once he caught sight of him in the distance and attempted to shorten the distance between them. There were many angry drivers left in his wake, but he really didn't care. Once he was close enough to see the number plate, he wound down his window and pointed his gun out of it. He didn't have unlimited ammo, so he tried to line up the shot at the car's tyres before firing. Gibbs swerved and the bullet caught the bumper instead. Kort cursed and steadied his car, then lined up another shot, this time for the rear window and hopefully the windscreen. He pulled the trigger and Gibbs swerved again, this time around a sharp corner. The bullet still impacted the rear window and smashed it, the shards falling all over the road, but the windscreen had been saved. The bullet had exited the vehicle from the driver side, backseat passenger window. Kort was going too fast to take the same corner as Gibbs, so he slowed and took the next turn, but it was too late, Gibbs had disappeared. Trent sighed in frustration. He would be going to the navy yard and he wasn't going to follow him there. He would more than likely be shot on sight by Gibbs' team and possibly the Sec-Nav. He was, after all, the only person left besides Jennifer who could tie him to this mission. Kort wasn't stupid, if he wanted to stay alive now, he had to kill Gibbs and disappear.
Tony and Ziva rushed through the doors to NCIS, looking around for anyone who could tell them where Jenny had gone. Henry, the security guard called them over and explained the situation, and his phone conversation with Gibbs, to them. Tony sighed and Ziva passed the tray of coffee to Henry. No one had seen where she had gone after she had slipped into the stairwell.
"I have an idea of where she might be, come with me Tony." Ziva started walking towards the stairwell and then stopped when she realised Tony wasn't following. She turned around and saw him drinking as much of his coffee as he could. "Tony!"
"Mmmm!" he said, motioning with his hand that she should stop shouting at him. He swallowed and then tried again. "I'm just so sick of abandoning my fresh coffee at the drop of a hat, so I'm having as much of this one as I can." She rolled her eyes at him and then rushed back over to drink some of hers. He was right though wasn't he? The only person who usually gets to take his coffee with him was Gibbs, and even then it sometimes got spilt.
"When you're ready, guys." Henry said, still holding the tray and watching in amusement as the two Agents savoured their beverages. Ziva put hers back in the holder first, looking and feeling more alert. They had all been up for two days, having processed McGee's crime scene throughout last night and then had their 'Vance has been arrested' celebration tonight. The coffee was a very welcome kick start to their systems. She pulled Tony's cup from his hands and then put it back in the holder, before taking her lover's hand and dragging him to the stairwell and cautiously opening the door.
"Ok, Ok. You're right. We need to find Jenny. I'm just so worn-out." Tony complained quietly, not really wanting Ziva to tell him off again, but still wanting to make his feelings known. Besides, it was Jenny. His mind just couldn't accept the thought that she was trying to kill someone in NCIS, despite the attempt on McGee and Ziva. She wouldn't really do that, would she? Maybe she had been trying to help them, alert them to a real threat. It was possible wasn't it? She hadn't shot McGee when he had climbed the fire escape to confront her and she could have killed him so easily then. He checked his gun and readied it regardless. He wasn't going into a potentially hostile situation without his gun ready. Ziva did the same beside him. "So, where do you think she'll be?"
"Abby's lab. It is where we left Ducky, and she may be trying to finish off Abby." Tony looked up from his gun and stared at her quizzically.
"Finish her off?" he asked quietly, watching as Ziva sighed and turned to look in his eyes.
"I found her bag next to where Abby was attacked. That shows she was present when Abby was being attacked." She admitted and Tony nodded and gave her a half smile.
"So Jenny killed that sex beast and saved Abby. It wouldn't have taken two seconds to fire another round, and she would still have gotten away." Ziva agreed, but part of her wanted to err on the side of caution.
"Maybe. We will know soon enough." She started down the stairs to the next floor, where Abby's lab was located, Tony bringing up the rear and watched their six, while she walked up to the door. She turned the handle and nodded to him, throwing the door open and allowing him to pass her, straight out into the corridor. Ziva looked around the stairwell cautiously before following him out. He crept up to the lab door and she followed him, checking the corridor for any threats, in front of them and behind. She and Jenny used to specialise in lulling their enemies into a false sense of security and then jumping out behind them. She wasn't going to be caught out by the same trick. Tony gestured to the doorway and she nodded, she would go in first and then he would cover her. She rolled past the doorway and stood next to the opening, waiting for the telltale sounds of a gun cocking or footsteps. Even if Ducky was the only one inside, they should have heard something. Ziva looked worriedly at Tony and then ducked through the doorway, pointing her gun into the room, Tony spinning round the doorframe next. The room was completely empty.
"She's not here. Ducky's not here, either." Tony said quietly, worried now for Ducky's safety. Why would Ducky be away from the lab? He was supposed to be waiting for the chemical analysis of that liquid from in the syringe Ziva had found in Jenny's bag. Tony walked over to the machine Ducky had been using and saw a printout hanging out of it. "The analysis has finished."
"What does it say?" Ziva asked, after checking Abby's office. Tony stared at the paper and turned it upside down.
"I have no idea. It's in 'Geek Speak'." He handed the paper to her and she put her gun away, and then looked at it confused. She couldn't make heads or tails of it either.
"Perhaps he went down to autopsy." She said squinting at the paper in the hopes it would make more sense. Tony clicked his fingers and grinned at her.
"Well there actually is a way for us to check that, isn't there?" he said smugly, pointing at the little video phone device on Abby's computer desk that connected to autopsy. Ziva nodded and walked over to it, switching it on. It blinked on and they could see two figures in the distance. She quickly turned it off again, hoping that Jenny wouldn't have noticed it turn on. Ziva turned grimly to Tony and pulled her weapon back out.
"Jenny has Ducky down in autopsy."
Jenny watched as Ducky pulled out the analysis of her bourbon and then looked at it. He walked quickly over to her and pointed out the bits that he had highlighted. All of those parts showed that there were drugs in the liquid, and quite a large amount. She sighed and cursed her drinking habits. If only she had drunk more coffee instead. She had turned to the bourbon when she had felt Jethro becoming more distant with her; it had been the only thing that could remind her of the good times with him. Then everything had taken a turn for the worst in her life and she had needed more, those precious memories of their time together the only joy in her existence. She couldn't believe that her connection to Jethro had been poisoned, and they still didn't know who by, though the evidence was pointing towards the Sec-Nav. Maybe Cynthia would remember something.
Just then Jenny realised she had the distinct feeling she was being watched. She swiftly pulled Ducky down behind one of the autopsy tables and swivelled on the spot as she crouched with him, pulling her gun out simultaneously and pointing it at the doors to autopsy as they opened. She found herself looking at two gun barrels, both Tony and Ziva taking cover behind the doors, their weapons trained on her.
"Drop the weapon and release Ducky!" Tony shouted to her and she had to smile. They thought she was still under Kort's influence, they were just being cautious.
"Put your weapons down! Then we'll come out." she shouted out, her voice echoed around autopsy but the only sound in response was Tony scoffing at the thought of giving up his gun. Ducky shook his head and groaned, annoyed that he hadn't thought to tell them where he was and that Jennifer wasn't a threat to them. Unfortunately they mistook the groan for one of pain. Ziva rolled across the floor and tried to flank Jenny, while Tony tried to distract her.
"Just send Ducky over to us so we can get him some medical attention and we won't hurt you." Tony shouted and Jenny sighed, rolling her eyes and Ducky decided he had heard enough.
"Enough Anthony! I'm fine, you just scared us. Jennifer is not here to hurt me or you. Now put your weapons down, all of you!" no one wanted to be the first one to lower their weapon, so they continued to aim at each other. "I said now!" Ducky shouted angrily, and as one all three put their guns on the ground. Ducky then walked over and picked them all up. "Guns have no place in my autopsy room." he placed them all on his desk and kept himself between them and the three people that stood staring at each other. "Is that the chemical analysis?" he snatched the paper from Ziva's hand when she made no move to give it to him and then looked it over. "Ah, yes. Of course! Jennifer, please come here, I want to show you all something." Jenny walked confidently between the two suspicious agents and stood next to Ducky. He then rolled up her sleeve to reveal a few needle marks.
"What is in the syringe then, Ducky? Why is she not a threat when she clearly attempted to kill McGee?" Ziva asked, watching the tightly reigned in emotions play across Jenny's face at her words.
"This chemical analysis is from the substance found in a syringe in your bag. Were you injecting yourself with this substance?" Ducky asked Jenny gently and she shrugged her shoulders.
"No, Gregory administered it to me. Kort didn't trust me enough to do it by myself. He said it would help me fight off an infection that my wounds had given me." Both Tony and Ziva's attention snapped to her when she said Kort and they both opened their mouths to ask questions, but Ducky waved them off, instead focussing on telling Jenny about the drug.
"It's a memory suppressant. It's not strong enough to suppress all of your memories though. Were you hit on the head at any point?" he enquired, keeping an eye on the two confused agents.
"I had a large bruise on my head about here for a while; they said I hit it when I was shot." She touched her head and Ducky looked at the spot, calculating in his head what part of the brain that would have injured. Ah yes, the memory centre, perfect. He then turned to the baffled agents standing before him.
"Jennifer was given amnesia and then this substance to suppress the subsequent memories that tried to present themselves. Kort spoke to her when she awoke and told her a lot of lies, but with no memories to prove his words false, she believed him." Ziva narrowed her eyes and glanced between him and Jenny.
"So why shoot at us? And why is she not a threat now?" Ziva asked, watching Jenny take a deep breath to reply herself.
"Kort said you were terrorists and I was your executioner. I stopped taking the drug and started to remember things. I remember everything now. I'm not going to hurt you now anymore than I would have before LA." She said gently and Ziva nodded, a hesitant smile gracing her lips.
"Not very comforting for me, Jenny." Tony said dryly.
"I guess I deserve that one, Tony." Jenny smiled at him and he shrugged.
"Water under the bridge, huh? What about Gibbs?" Jenny smirked and then elegantly raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sure he's already on his way here."
