Wow! Thank you all so much. Honestly, this is the most response I have ever gotten about one chapter, and I can't wait to write more! At this rate, it will be about one to two chapters a week. Thanks, and here's chapter two!
Sixteen years later...
Tony banged his head against the soda machine one more time before calling it quits. He gazed up at the lone bottle of Diet Coke and pleaded, "Please? Please, just move to the right a few more inches..."
Ziva was across the room looking at him like he was a fool. "Tony, I know people are what they eat, but talking to food? This is new." He threw her an angry look from under his lashes and muttered, "I wasn't actually talking to my food, Ziva." And hit the machine one more time before grabbing a seat at the table with his teammate.
"Ya, Tony, you were." Gibbs retorted as he entered the small lunch room. Tony opened his mouth to explain, but thought better of it and slouched down. "One lousy soda..." he whined. Ziva huffed a deep breath and walked over to the vendor. One swift kick later and the soda rattled at the bottom of the dispenser tray, a triumphant look on Ziva's face. She walked over to Tony and dropped the plastic bottle on the table in front of him, his mouth set in a firm line. Gibbs unwrapped his sandwich with a chuckle and looked up at the younger man, who was mumbling to himself and opening the drink.
"McGoo!" Tony cried out with new found elation, "Seeing you brightens my day considerably." McGee looked at him warily, not knowing where Tony was going. "And why is that?" he asked slowly. Tony pretended to look hurt, playing it all up. "Oh, McGee. You are so funny. When I see you, it makes me realize how lucky I am." A wide grin splayed across Tony's face and McGee just rolled his eyes.
Instead of replying, he crossed the room to Gibb's, showing him the papers no one saw he was carrying. "Boss, a call just came in from the local Leo's. There's a house on the nearby Navy base that got a call about shots being fired and screams were heard. The director wants us to go check it out."
Gibbs sighed and put his sandwich down, looking up at his team. "Well, you're still here? Get your gear, we're heading out."
At the house, the flashy yellow tape was loosely hanging around the yard and keeping people out. The team rolled up in the standard blue vehicles, and got out to survey the scene. It was a sunny day, so Tony put his hat on.
Gibbs had said the case wasn't much to worry about; they were just there for reinforcement and to calm the local people. He hated cases like this, where he wasn't really important, and just for show. Sighing, he watched McGee get his camera out and ready for the routine shoot, and Ziva grabbed a clipboard out of the trunk of the car. Gibbs was on the phone with Vance getting the last of the details. Luckily, not too many people were mulling around the tape, which made their job a hell of a lot easier. Dealing with civilians could be trick, especially when guns were involved.
His thoughts were interrupted when Gibbs, still on the phone, yelled out, "What? He's still in the house?" Tony placed his hand on his gun and walked over to his boss, asking what he meant. "The guy who went gun crazy is still in the house, and no one decided to tell us. McGee, you get those people away from the house incase anything happens. Ziva, you and I will take the back. Tony, you get the front and McGee, follow once the civilians are gone." The team broke and ran to their places.
A series of three gunshots rang out of the house, and a loud scream followed it. The sound of the backdoor being broken open reached Tony, and he entered from the front. The first room he reached was the living room, a comfortable yellow shade with two couches and a TV. Well, it would have been nicer if not for the trail of blood leading to the kitchen.
Making sure the next few rooms were clear, he met up with Gibbs in the kitchen. Ziva was checking the upstairs when they heard the footsteps. A man rounded a corner and shot wildly at the fridge, causing something to break and leak onto the floor. "Drop your weapon!" Gibbs yelled at the man, who had started to shake extremely hard. Tony's eyes never left the barrel of the gun as it floated in between him and his boss. "Marine, put your gun on the floor!" he repeated, and Tony wondered how Gibbs knew who he was. "Now!"
But the man had other plans than listening to what Gibbs told him. Both he and Tony whipped their guns up to firing position, and Tony waited for the order to shoot. The Marine's hand raised the gun slowly to his own head and he recited something that Tony didn't recognize. "Meus vicis est perfectus. Permissum mihi invado pacis." before pulling the trigger. Gibbs lowered his gun, and Tony gaped at him. "You just let him kill himself! How, why..." but Gibbs just shook his head. The two lowered their guns and Gibbs headed over to the man lying on the floor. Tony now saw what he had obviously missed before; the man was wearing a Marine suit. His hat had fallen to cover up the massive hole in his head, which looked respectful.
Footsteps echoed from down the hall as Ziva flew down the stairs. "Clear!" she barked as she ran into the kitchen. She took one glance at the Marine, then at Gibbs, before saying; "There is no one upstairs, but I heard the gunshot and thought..."she trailed off.
"Well, this doesn't explain who was screaming, though." Tony covered for her. "We had reports of hearing a female in the house, so this doesn't add up. He is obviously a man, unless his range can reach much high than mine." Ziva shot Tony a look for making jokes at a crime scene, but that's just what Tony did. He made himself laugh so he wouldn't be so uptight. He never liked that part of authority, but he most definitely liked the perks that came with it, like the backstage access, the respecting looks, and the women who worked there.
McGee burst in through the back door, out of breath and the camera swinging wildly around his neck. "I heard the gun shots, and..."
"Already called that line, Tim" Ziva said with a worried smile.
Tony explained what had happened with the Marine as McGee took pictures of the man. They pulled the bullet from the fridge, and saw that it had struck a jug of milk.
Tony stood, gazing into the food box, as Gibbs called out, "Hey, DiNozzo, you getting a snack, or retrieving evidence?" But Tony hadn't heard him. He was staring at a strange sight. Tim popped his head over the door and said, "That's funny, she puts her celery inside of the peanut butter to store it."
"She?" Tony asked, finally pulled out of his reprieve. "Ya, I was asking the neighbors about who owned the house while getting them to leave, and they said the ladies name was-"
"Ziva!" Gibbs yelled. The woman had stepped on the Marine's sleeve, and had caused the body to shift. "Ah! Sorry, boss." She replied quickly and stepped back, taking over the pictures for Tim.
Everyone turned away, but Tony grabbed McGee by the sleeve of his arm as he shut the refrigerator door and said, "McGee, the name. What was the woman's name who owns this house?"
The younger man looked at the other quizzically, and questioned, "Why so interested? Wondering if she has an older daughter?"
"McGee! This isn't funny." Tony spoke through his teeth. His eyes were strangely bright and wild, his pulse racing, and his breath coming in short intakes. He had backed McGee into the counter, his hand still clutching his sleeve. Ziva had stopped taking pictures and was staring at the two men while Gibbs was about to intervene.
"Jeez, Tony. Ok. The name was -"
As soon as Tony heard the name, Tim's coat slipped through his fingers. He took a step back to give himself some space while he took in the kitchen. Now, he recognized the style of the room.
Ignoring the calls of the rest of his team, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He picked up one of the books crowding the shelf and looked at the name label. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block out the memories that came to mind. He dropped the book on the couch and stalked up the stairs. Pictures hung on the hallway, and unable to hide the reality anymore, he took a glance at them.
One had a taller woman with dark curls covering her face, and she was laughing at something the photographer had said.
Another was of a graduation day, a familiar face wedged between her parents.
Tony reached the second and top floor and walked into the bedroom. The clothes were strewn all over the floor in a lazy pattern, the day's clothes flung to the left and pajama's thrown to the right. A mile high stack of books laid by the bedside, next to two additional pictures.
The first was Anna. It showed her in her Marine's uniform, smiling and waving to the other person.
The last had a little girl who was looking at the camera. She had no smile on her face and was looking off in the distance, but had a hard set to the eyes. Eyes that didn't resemble her mother's at all. In fact, they were a very familiar shade of green.
A shade Tony saw everyday when he looked in the mirror.
This, Tony thought with difficulty, might be an issue.
Hey guys! Because you are all amazing, I will put up another chapter really quickly. I like this one. Lots of drama and realizations, which is what I was aiming for. I was planning on originally having Tony find out Anna had a daughter later on, but I figured now was as good a time as any. Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts ( I had 17 for this story! In one day!) so keep it up and more chapters will come quickly! Any suggestions or comments, please review! Thank you again!
P.S. – Ok, this is already too long, but whatever. I found a picture of what I want Anna's daughter to look like (you'll find out her name later) and posted it on my profile right before the list of stories. I don't think I can, but I'll try to put it here, too
Thanks!
ZIVA ZIVA ZIVA!!! Omg I am soooo sorry! I have been spelling it wrong! I promise no more errors, lol my computer thinks it has an "e."
Thank you to all of you who pointed it out. I owe you something cool :)