Loads of thanks to my reviewers and followers. I appreciate all of you very much.

A while later in Autopsy -

Ducky lifted his head as the sliding glass door slid open.

"Ah, Jethro. You're just in time."

Approaching the metal autopsy table, Gibbs asked, "What do ya got, Duck?"

The ME gave his friend a small smile. "Mr. Palmer and I are close to finishing."

Jimmy smiled, but didn't say anything as he stood across from his boss.

"We need to wait for the toxicology screen and other tests, but we're fairly certain the general died from natural causes."

Gibbs was okay with that. He still needed to hear what Tony and Ziva had turned up, but the interviews with the wife and O'Neill hadn't raised any flags. At least not for him. McGee was a different story. Oh sure, it was easy to jump to infidelity or life insurance as a motive, but his gut told him it wasn't the case... in this case. Gibbs was on the side of no foul play, but had loads of questions about Wheeler and O'Neill and their assignments.

"Which natural cause killed him?"

"It appears he suffered from an aortic aneurysm." He knew Gibbs knew what it was so he continued. "There was initially a very small partial tear, which may have had no symptoms at all."

Ducky walked over to the light box where x-rays were displayed.

Gibbs followed him. "Witnesses said he was tired, but not in pain."

"Yes, Jethro, that could be consistent with a small, but continuous loss of blood. These types of things often result in shortness of breath which can masquerade as fatigue. If he didn't have pain, he probably thought he was coming down with something or perhaps didn't sleep well the night before and was just extremely tired."

Gibbs considered what his friend was telling him. "Can poisons or drugs cause aneurysms?"

Ducky looked thoughtful for a moment, turning his back and returning to the body. "Most go undiagnosed until they rupture. Certain medications can raise the blood pressure... only the blood tests can tell us if there are medications present that we don't know about from the man's history."

Remembering O"Neill talking about Wheeler, Gibbs asked, "Did he have a lot of health problems? Take a lot of medications?"

Jimmy jumped in. "No prescription drugs at all. Just daily low-dose aspirin and vitamins."

"Mr. Palmer is correct. Jethro. This man suffered from arthritis in his knees, back and left shoulder, but did not take medication for it on a regular schedule. He did have some small growths removed. You can see here..."

To Gibbs it sounded like O'Neill's information was correct and he knew Ducky would go on and on so he said, "Okay, Ducky. I guess we keep plugging along until you can say for certain what killed him."

Gibbs was already moving out the door and didn't hear the ME's last comment. "Patience, Jethro. It is a virtue."

Many seconds passed before Jimmy said, "Dr. Mallard?"

"What is it, Mr. Palmer?"

"Uh, Agent Gibbs didn't wait around for the rest of the preliminary report."

Duck chuckled. "No, he did not."

"Shouldn't y..we have told him about the incomplete record and the old wounds... or injuries... or whatever they are?"

"Ah yes." Ducky turned to face Jimmy. "Don't worry, we will."

Jimmy looked uncertain. "When?"

With certainty. "When he comes back, which will be in about two hours."

NCIS~SG~NCJS

Gibbs went to Abby's lab next where she berated him for being there. She was happy to get a Caf-Pow though. It was too soon for any blood test results and she didn't have any other evidence to go through so he made his way back to the squad room.

Ziva and Tony were in front of Tim's desk and he held back a minute to hear what they were talking about.

"We want another one, McGee."

"No." McGee pulled the box back against his chest.

"Hand the box over, NOW." Ziva wasn't one to take no for answer.

McGee kept hold of the box and propped it on his lap. "There's only one left and it's mine."

"Why should you get it, McStingy?"

McGee crowed, "Because they handed the box to me."

"Oh, come on, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Tony, I have shared with you, Ziva, Abby, Ducky and Jimmy."

Ziva perked up. "What about Gibbs?"

Tim admitted, "Gibbs had one at the Pentagon."

Tony wasn't buying Tim's reasoning and almost played the senior field agent card. Instead of that he said, "We should flip for it."

"Or that rock, paper, scissors thing," Ziva suggested.

"Everybody got some. The last one, and it's the smallest one, is mine. Now go away." Tim sounded like he expected that to be the end of it.

Gibbs was ready to round the corner and claim the darn sticky bun for himself when his phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs."

NCIS~SG~NCIS

Gibbs stood in front of the desk, waiting for Director Vance to finish his phone call. He didn't know why he was there; there was nothing to report. Oh he knew a few things, but did he want to tell Vance?

"You weren't at the Pentagon for very long."

Gibbs couldn't help a small shrug with a minute shake of his head.

"What did you find out about General Wheeler?"

"Not much... yet."

Vance eyed the supervisory agent critically. "I guess I can give you a little more time. It's been less than a day since he died."

Gibbs nodded once.

Vance reached for a fresh toothpick. "Dr. Mallard have a cause of death yet?"

"Preliminary is natural causes... aneurysm." He glanced out the window behind Vance.

"SecNav is pushing me. I'm pushing you. Find something about Wheeler and his Pentagon job."

NCIS~SG~NCIS

Gibbs stood at the plasma with Ziva and Tony, who had been told about O'Neill's interview. McGee was still at his desk, deeply engrossed in finding something, which is what Gibbs wanted him to be doing.

"Checked Wheeler's financials, boss." Tony looked proud.

Ziva added what she thought was obvious. "And those of his children and their spouses."

Gibbs looked at the former Mossad agent like she was nuts. They would have a hard time justifying Wheeler's financials, but the adult kids? Sheesh.

Tony wasn't about to not report what he'd found out. "Didn't find anything. boss. Dad, Mom, four kids and spouses all have regular income and normal expenses. " He clicked the remote. "Kids all go to public school in Kansas and Colorado. No evidence of hidden income anywhere."

Ziva added, "I looked at tax returns and found out that they all give very generously to charity."

Gibbs was speechless for all of two seconds. "Wheeler's service record?"

Tony and Ziva were silent until his glare got to them and they blurted at the same time. "McGee's working on it."

"So far no mistresses," Tony winked at Ziva, "no skeletons, no reasons for General Wheeler to be dead. Unless someone wanted him that way."

Ziva finished his sentence. "Like the wife or her lover."

Gibbs was not going there. "O'Neill's history and service record?"

"Not much, boss."

Gibbs remembered O'Neill's mention of a son just as Ziva took her turn.

"He owns a cabin near Silver Creek, Minnesota and a bungalow in Malibu, California."

DiNozzo sighed. "Malibu." Big smile. "Bikinis and beaches. How do you s'pose he affords that?"

Gibbs ignored DiNozzo. "He's stationed at the Pentagon." Blank looks from Tony and Ziva. "He doesn't commute from Minnesota or California. Find out where he lives around here." The two agents looked ready to bolt toward their desks. "And don't look at O'Neill's financials... until I tell you."

Jumping up from his chair, Tim announced, "I have something, boss."

Sarcastic retort from Tony. "Of course you do, McPentagon."

tbc

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***Pecan sticky bun allocation. O'Neill-1, Taylor-2, Gibbs-1, Tim-3, Abby-2, Ducky-1, Jimmy-2, Ziva-2, Tony-2.