Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A.N.: Thank you Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, Pandora of Ithilien, black widow mistress, HesMines, ncis-csiNY, sn855850 and JenniferS. DNCIS for reviewing! Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys this story! *Edit, i had to put a space in the last reviewers name, it kept being deleted for some reason.*
The Sec-Nav's unconscious body fell to the ground and Gibbs shook his fist, more out of precaution than actual injury. The saying went 'never hit someone with a closed fist', but the guy deserved it and it had felt good. Gibbs shot a look at Kort, who casually walked over to him, trying not to show him any weakness. Trent hated him and the feeling was mutual, but he wasn't the one Trent was worried about. Jenny stood next to Gibbs, glaring at Kort murderously. She carried no weapons, Gibbs having disarmed her moments before they had infiltrated the area, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous to him. Gibbs hadn't wanted her to make the mistake of killing anyone in revenge and preventing them from getting a confession, but she could still do some serious damage fuelled only by hate, using her hands and feet.
"I guess we don't need your help Kort. In fact you needed ours." Tony called from the window, causing the CIA agent to roll his eyes irritably.
"A temporary situation that I could have gotten myself out of, without your help. I have been in tighter spots and survived." He called back. Tony scoffed and muttered something to Ziva, making her laugh. Kort narrowed his eyes and focussed on Gibbs. "Well, at least your timing is admirable." Kort said to him unpleasantly, confident that they needed his help so they wouldn't attack him. Jenny just scowled at him and then walked away, checking the area for possible witnesses. The last thing they needed was to be seen knocking out the Secretary of the Navy and dragging him into a building whilst armed.
"Help me get him inside." Gibbs gestured towards the Sec-Nav and Kort acquiesced, bending and lifting the man's shoulders, while Gibbs grabbed his legs. They carried the Sec-Nav inside the safe house while Jenny watched the streets for spectators or reporters. He was a high profile man after all; they usually gained an entourage wherever they went. She saw no one watching and then entered the building, closing and locking the door behind herself.
Tony and Ziva appeared from the staircase, bringing the gunmen down from the top floor. They lead the two men in front of them, their guns pointing at their backs while they fumed; probably annoyed at themselves for not realising someone was sneaking up on them. Tony and Ziva led them through to the kitchen area, where they cuffed them to chairs and put the kettle on for coffee. It might be a while before the Sec-Nav gave them the information they needed to know. Jenny left them to it and followed Gibbs to the living room, where he and Kort had bound the Sec-Nav to a chair.
"How are we going to do this?" She asked Jethro, pointing at the prone figure.
"Persuasion, threats, deals and then Ziva as a last resort, standard interrogation procedure." he kept his face completely straight as he said it and Jenny smiled in response to his attempt at making her laugh. They chuckled when they heard Tony's voice drift in from the kitchen.
"Did you hear that Ziva? It might be your playtime soon. Oh yeah, you guys don't know… well you are in the presence of a bona-fide assassin, proficient in many types of… torture." Ziva's laughter joined his and Kort shifted impatiently. They didn't have time for this; well, he didn't have time for this.
"We should just kill him now. My confession will be all the evidence you will need." He said to Gibbs, who shook his head immediately.
"No. We need to know who the asset in NCIS is, only he can tell us and for that he needs to be alive." He stated simply, and Kort knew that no amount of talk would change his mind.
"Fine, but you are making a mistake. You should have shot him when you had the chance, none of you will have the guts to do it later." He directed his gaze to Jenny this time and she bristled in anger. If she still had a weapon she would have shot him in a heartbeat and she found her cheeks flushing at the memory of how Jethro had gotten her gun from her. It had been much the same way she had taken his from him, back in his basement. He had taken her arm to stop her from proceeding and then suddenly leaned into her personal space. The moment his lips had touched hers she had thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him quite passionately, only for him to ease out of the kiss moments later and walk off with her gun in his hand. Damn that man, she fumed silently. Did that mean he felt the same? Or did he think she had lied and decided to get his own back? Why did he have to make such simple things so complicated?
"Be that as it may, he will pay for his crimes regardless." She said, speaking up for the first time. She directed her words to the both of them, but her meaning she applied to Kort. He would get his comeuppance, and she only hoped she was at the other end of the gun barrel when he got it. She would see him dead for everything he had done to her father, to her and even to Benoit, whom she had shown mercy, only to be accused of his murder later. Kort stared at her, sensing her double meaning and weighing the mood in the room. If her relationship with Gibbs was strong he wouldn't let her kill him, he would stop her for her own good. He smirked at her and she clenched her fists.
"You know I can't help but think DiNozzo is right, if we get him to confess, we won't need you. Don't get too comfortable." Gibbs said to Kort, who glared at his retreating back and then shot a glare at Jenny, who was now grinning at him. Enjoy it while it lasts, Trent thought angrily.
Just then the Sec-Nav stirred, a low groan emitting from his mouth as he rolled his neck to relieve the strain that being punched and then tied upright in a chair, had put in it. Gibbs leaned over in front of him and waited for him to open his eyes. He did so moments later and immediately tried to pull his arms free. Upon finding himself stuck fast, he raised his head to look at Gibbs and scowled.
"Interesting that you are collaborating with the architect of your present situation." He stretched his mouth, his jaw aching from the impact of Gibbs fist hitting him earlier. "Oh and I hope you enjoyed the punch, you'll be regretting it later, I'll make sure of it." he sneered at Gibbs, who ignored his words, not letting his threats get to him. He didn't have any power here, so he couldn't follow through on anything. He wouldn't be leaving this building alive either.
"Who is the asset that you have in NCIS?" he asked, his voice hard and steady. The Sec-Nav smirked at him and settled further into his chair.
"Now why would I tell you that?" his question failed to make Gibbs angry, he just smiled back and towered over him.
"Because I asked." His voice was low and dangerous; making sure the Sec-Nav couldn't mistake his tone.
"There is nothing you can do that would make me give up my source." Sec-Nav looked around as he said it, his eyes taking in all present. Jenny became impatient and decided to join in the interrogation.
"Why? Do you really think you are getting out of here alive if you don't tell us? Surely this person isn't worth your life?" her voice was sweet, making her words seem reasonable. She advanced on the Sec-Nav from the other side of him that Gibbs was on, carefully making him feel boxed in. Psychological pressure would make him cave faster than unveiled threats. "How sensible are you being, if death is the price of your silence?" he took a moment to think over her words and then shrugged indifferently.
"Agent Nikki Jardine. She gave me all of the information I wanted, in return for something she wanted." His words were met with silent disbelief for a few moments.
"I don't believe you." Jenny said, losing the honey layer to her voice as she thought of how much trust she showed to her Agents, particularly Nikki, who had been suspected of treachery before by Gibbs. She had been innocent then, surely she wouldn't actually indulge in such a betrayal now?
"Do you think I care? You will never get away with this. I have more influential friends than you and yours still think you're dead. Who out of the two of us do you think will be cleared of all charges? Do what you want to me, it's just more evidence to condemn you." he grinned at them, closing his eyes and steeling himself for a blow but it never came. He opened his eyes to see Gibbs leading Jenny out of the room, Kort following, leaving him alone.
"You have to kill him. He is correct about his friends; he could have all of your evidence turned against you. You have no choice." Trent said the moment they were in the kitchen area. They obviously thought the justice system would prove them innocent, but some key people in that system were just as corrupt as the criminals. The Sec-Nav was friends with nearly all of them, they wouldn't get a fair hearing and they would all most likely get the death penalty so they couldn't speak out. He wasn't willing to just sit by while his future was decided by his enemy. If they didn't kill him, he would.
He sneered when he thought of how Gibbs stayed his hand when the Sec-Nav had promised them he would have revenge. He'd have thought that Gibbs wouldn't have been afraid to kill when it was necessary, but it turned out he was just as much of a coward as Shepard. Trent watched as Gibbs casually wrapped an arm around Jenny's waist, her head turning to him sharply in shock, and he groaned in annoyance. What further use could the Sec-Nav be to them? Of course; they wanted a confession from him. If the Sec-Nav did confess, he would be superfluous to their freedom; they wouldn't need his testimony so he wouldn't be sent to the CIA. He needed to act; and fast.
"We have to do nothing, Kort. He is going to tell us everything we want to know, then we'll decide what we do with him." Gibbs replied, focussing back on Jenny, who seemed to soak up the attention. Kort rolled his eyes and leaned back on one of the kitchen counters. All he had to do was sneak away. Kort surreptitiously reached for his gun and made sure no one saw the movement. When Gibbs and his team were all occupied he slipped back into the living room where the Sec-Nav was wrestling with his bonds. He was almost free too. Well at least that gave him a reason. He moved so that he was standing before the wriggling man in the chair and then he raised his gun, the click of the hammer moving back making the Sec-Nav freeze. He looked up slowly into Kort's face and showed him true fear. He thought that Gibbs would keep him alive, but he knew that Kort would kill him.
Kort didn't hesitate any longer; he pulled the trigger, the shot echoed around the room as the bullet shot forth from the gun and hit the Sec-Nav in the head. His body jerked as the bullet tore its way through his head, blood and brain matter pouring from the holes in the front and back of him and he sagged limply in the chair. Mere seconds later Gibbs and DiNozzo appeared from the kitchen, their guns drawn, Ziva and Jenny appearing moments later, staring at the dead body in the middle of the room.
"Looks like you do need my confession after all." He said, putting his gun back in its holster.
McGee woke up in his bed, fully clothed with a headache. He squinted when the street-light filtering in from the window struck his sensitive eyes. He looked over at his bedside clock and nearly fell out of bed, his head swimming slightly. He couldn't remember getting home last night, what had happened to him? Had he drunk himself into a stupor and had to be taken home by Tony or Gibbs. He winced as he thought of the nicknames Tony would be giving him all day. Getting out of bed he dressed in clean clothes and washed his face before setting off for NCIS. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling Abby would be there.
The drive to work was fast; since it was dark the streets were still relatively clear and he pulled in to the car park within minutes. He went straight to Abby's lab, ignoring the strange mood that the building seemed to be in, you'd think they had all seen a ghost, the way they kept watching the entrance. He walked through the door to Abby's lab and she spun on the spot, a bright excited look on her face, which faded slightly when she realised he wasn't Jenny, but it was replaced by a happy smile meant only for him.
"Timmy! I wondered when you'd wake up." she grinned at him and the stricken look that passed over his face. Had they slept together last night? What did she mean?
"I'm sorry Abs, I don't remember anything from last night. I- er… the last thing I remember is… drinking with you and…" he trailed off when she suddenly hugged him, but it wasn't a fierce hug, it was a soft, affectionate hug. "Erm… did I miss something?"
"Yes, you missed so much." She started filling him in on the details of the case, telling him all about Jenny, but he could sense that she was keeping something from him. He put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length for a second, just looking at her face. Every now and then, a strange haunted expression appeared and it worried him. A lot had happened in one night and something was hurting her.
"Abby, what aren't you telling me?" he asked her gently. She bit her lip and looked away from him. Being strong for so long had been hard, but she really had felt safe while her family had been around her. They had left to meet with Kort though, Ducky had gone to see to his mother and she had been alone. The thoughts had crept up on her then, and she had found herself jumping at noises all around her, watching the people that dropped by more intensely than she usually would and waiting to see if they would attack her. She was a mess, but now McGee was here with her, and she was safe again. Filling him in on that subject would be harder.
"I'll tell you later Timmy, but now we have a job to do. Gibbs called me earlier. He told me to find Nikki Jardine; he wants a word with her."
