Everyone continued talking, explaining, commenting and questioning for another two hours. By then, Jimmy had called NCIS, remarking that he was at home, secure from any threats. He didn't even ask about Tony, too afraid and paranoid to mention it. When asked to return to NCIS, he just hung up out of fear. Poor, poor Palmer.
The night was still young, and Tony was getting a little stressed at being questioned so much; he does still have the wolf's instincts inside him, he was very hungry, and he felt pressed for space in the crowded autopsy room.
Just as Ziva is asking Tony a question about his sense of smell, he interrupts. "Guys, I don't want to interrupt, but I am starving. Unless someone wants to become a steak rare, I need to eat something." He puts a hand to his stomach, and Gibbs nods.
"McGee, Abby. You two go out and get food for Tony. Tony, you're going with them. Stay out of sight. You're going only for protection."
"Boss, I don't need them to protect me-"
"Not you! You protect them, DiNozzo!" Gibbs stares at Tony, for his idiotic remark.
"Oh.. right, Boss." Tony pauses, looking around. "So.. how do I escape NCIS without being caught?"
"Leave that to me," Vance comments. "Ducky, body bag please. McGee, find a something we can roll that bag out of here on."
In about five minutes, they've managed to stick Tony inside a body bag-though his fur did get caught in the process several times-and once inside, he comments how much the bag smells of death.
"Quiet, Tony! You can't talk while you're in there," Abby says, wheeling him out with McGee's help. Before disappearing, she waves to everyone with a grin.
Tony gives a little grunt, remaining silent the entire way. Cramped, that's an understatement. He waits, patiently, as they move. Through the hall. Into the elevator. Exit into the parking lot. Unload him into the trunk of Tony's car. Tony feels the car start up and drive off, and he groans. "They didn't even let me out first.."
Ten minutes later, The car slows and stops, the trunk is popped, and the bag is unzipped. McGee jumps a little when Tony's head pops out; it'll take a long time for him to get used to a werewolf friend.
Tony grins at McGee's fright. "Whassamatter, McScaredy Cat?" Tony wriggles out of the bag and the trunk fully, landing on the pavement on all fours. He grunts at the restrictive suit and struggles to get the top off. "Unf, nngh, little help?"
McGee shakes his head and grabs one side while Abby grabs the other, the two getting off the grey jacket, then the brown shirt, leaving only the black tank top. "Oh man, thank you." He stretches his arms and back, cracking them slightly.
Tony's shirts are placed in the backseat. Tony hops in and sits in the middle, McGee taking the wheel again, Abby having shotgun.
"So! What are we talkin', drive-thru? Eat-in restaurant? Takeout?" He's actually starting to drool, and when McGee spots him, shudders visibly. "Relax, McPup, not gonna hurt you."
"Just like autopsy, Tony? Where you attacked me?" He pulls out and heads for town, wondering what would be the best dog chow.
"Hey, that's not my fault. Be glad Gibbs snapped me out of it."
"Yeah? Why, were you going to slap me?"
"I have to assert my dominance. I would've torn off your-"
"Tony!" Abby interrupts, McGee's face stark-white. "Tell Tim you were only joking!"
Tony snorts with a grin, then looks at Abby and sighs. "Sorry. No, I probably would've gone for your face." At the look from Abby, Tony raises his clawed hands in defense. "What? It's the truth!"
McGee groans. "Kill me now, save me the trouble of the terror.." He suddenly feels warm breath on his neck, and he pales again. "T-Tony?"
"Drive faster, McBurger," Tony murmurs, tongue sliding out to lick McGee's neck. At the feel of it-the surprise mixing with terror-McGee suddenly swerves, nearly hitting another car as he zooms into oncoming traffic and back out again.
"TONY! Don't DO that!"
"Careful with the car!" Tony says, and both humans hear a gurgle-growl in the backseat. "Just.. hurry, I'm really, really hungry." He groans.
"Tony, relax, you can't be that hungry. You ate dinner, didn't you?"
"None of us did, Abbs. We were working the case. And then I guess.. shifting.. takes a lot outta ya, because I'm frickin' starving."
"We're almost there, Tony."
"So where are we going?"
"Burgers and fries sound good?"
"Yeah, actually. Hmm.. Get me ten burgers, one order of fries, and a coke."
Abby blinks, turning to look at Tony. "Really, Tony? THAT much? Nobody needs that much!"
"I do," he groans. "I'm crazy hungry, Abby."
"We're here. Tony, duck down, don't let anyone see you."
"Yes momma," Tony nods, sitting on the floor behind the driver's seat, hunching down. [How humiliating.]
McGee places the order, including food for himself and Abby. As they pull up to the window, Tony speaks. "Hey McGee, get me a shake instead. Chocolate."
"Tony, be quiet," Abby mutters, and McGee shakes his head, asking to add a shake to the order.
"You must be hungry," the employee says with a smile. The smell wafts out from the window, and Tony lifts his head, nose filling with the intoxicating aroma of sizzling burgers. Unable to help himself, he growls, opening his mouth and licking his maw. At the sound, the woman blinks. "What.. was that?" She gives McGee his change, peering into the car curiously.
"Ah, my dog," McGee manages. "He likes burgers and he's kinda hungry, so if you could hurry.. please," he says, giving the woman a nice smile.
"Oh, you have a dog? What breed? can I see him?"
"Oh, he's.. an Italian wolfhound," McGee says. "He's kind of a mutt, half wolf actually. He actually needs a bath, so.."
"Hey! I don't look that bad!" Tony retorts, sitting up and leaning forward-now visible to the woman. She had given McGee and the drinks and was just handing the bags of food over, but upon seeing Tony, screams and drops them on McGee's lap.
Tony's ears flatten at the sheer volume of the screech. "Hey hey relax! It's just a werewolf, chill out!" He's shut up by a burger-thrown into his face, all wrapped up. "Ah, ah, geez.."
McGee throws a quick thank-you to the woman and peels out. "Tony you can be such a ijackassi! What were you thinking?"
"With you insulting me? I wanted to show her my.. wait, I'm not my good-looking self, am I?" He looks in the rear-view mirror and grins. "What am I sayin'? 'Course I am, I look great no matter what."
"Tony, we really need to shrink your ego," Abby says, shaking her head. "Here, eat your burgers, we're heading back to NCIS before you get into any more trouble."
Tony grunts, starting on his burgers. He's able to down a burger in one bite, and in fifteen minutes, has all eleven burgers, every fry, and the milkshake completely gone. He grins contentedly. "Perrrrrfect, that hit the spot." He licks his lips, relishing the mix of sweet and salty remaining.
Abby is drinking Tony's abandoned coke, having already finished her nuggets. Mm, chicken. McGee just ordered a burger and a shake, but as he reaches for the shake, he finds it missing. "Wh-where's my shake?"
Tony, in the back, grins and downs McGee's strawberry shake. "Delicious choice, Timmy."
"Wh-oh come on, Tony! You can't lay off for two minutes, can you?"
"Sorry, gotta feed my sweet tooth.." he trails off as his ears pick up the sound of gunshots, which, by the confused faces of McGee and Abby, Tony assumes they didn't hear. "Gunshots! Follow!" He opens the door, leaping out as they're driving, ducks and rolls, then runs off toward the sound.
"Wh-dammit!" McGee spins the wheel and follows Tony-up onto the curb, over the sidewalk, across the grass, towards the park.
"Ungf, pff, upf!" Abby grapples for something to hold onto as the car bounces up and down. "Tony needs better suspension!"
"Almost there," McGee says, flooring the car to catch up with Tony. "Traction is horrible on grass.."
"Well yeah, McGee. That's why there's roads." At the look McGee gives her, she smiles and turns her attention to Tony. "Sorry, Tim."
Tony stops next to a downed kid, around the age of 20. A quick sniff tells him what he needs to know. Shot, bleeding but not too much; alive, and won't die. A stray bullet or bad aim. He looks up as McGee and Abby run out. "Abby, call for an ambulance. He should be fine until they arrive." He pulls out the gun from around his waist. "Take my gun, just in case." He looks at McGee. "Follow me, we're going after the attacker.
"How? We don't even know where they went."
"I do, McFail." Tony sniffs the air, picking up a scent of another man who was here moments ago-the smell of a recently-fired gun lingers in the air. "This way." He runs off, following the scent, pausing every few seconds, to make sure he still has the scent, as well as to make sure McGee is keeping up. Poor Tim, he's huffing as he follows the very fast Tony.
"S..low down, Tony..!" McGee has his gun in his hand as he runs after Tony, just in case. However, just as Tony starts to slow, several more gunshots are heard.
McGee yells out and goes down, hit in the shoulder hard enough to do a 180.
Tony's head snaps to face him and he growls, whipping back around. A quick sniff and he charges into the darkness, quickly tackling the offender to the ground. "I would tear your throat out right now, but I'm gonna leave you for my boss," Tony growls, and soon smells urine. He grins at the scent. "Damn right." He lets out a loud, long howl through instinct, gets up, dragging the terrified shooter after him, and checks on McGee, who is awake and fine, save for bleeding from his left shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yes Tony, I am doing wonderful. I wasn't shot at all." He groans and pulls out his cell phone with his bloody right hand, calling Abby to have the ambulance pick him up too. "Yeah Abby, me. No, it's not that bad. Gunshot. Shoulder. Yes, Abby. Yeah, Tony caught him. No, he's alive." McGee groans and holds the phone up for Tony.
"Tony Tony Tony! Tony are you there?"
"Yeah Abbs."
"You caught him? You didn't hurt him?"
"Scared him so bad he pissed himself, but no, I'm saving him for Gibbs." He grins and tightens his grip on the shooter, who has fainted out of fear.
"Wow, that's so awesome! I would love to be a werewolf just to do that."
"Ah.. no. Talk later, I hear sirens, and I don't think anybody else should see me."
"Good boy! Bye Tony!"
Tony looks up at McGee. "Gotta run, see you back at NCIS in the morning. I'm going home for the night." He turns and runs off, leaving McGee alone and bleeding. Sadface McGee.
Before Tony can arrive home, he spots an attempted rape in progress, behind a shed behind someone's house. The man has the woman gagged, and Tony spots a knife glinting in the moonlight, held at her neck. His ears pick up the man's speech, threatening to kill her if she doesn't cooperate. With a deep-throated growl, Tony returns to all fours, racing towards them. He remains silent until he's right on the man, whipping him away from the girl, being careful to not let the knife cut her on accident. Throwing the knife to the ground, Tony steps back, snarling as he stands to his full height.
"What the f-" Facing Tony, the man's jaw drops, his eyes widen to the point of bugging, and his face gains a look of horror. Tony almost laughs, for how this reminds him of a horror movie. "N..no.. no..! Please, d-don't kill me!"
Tony leans down and grins in the man's face. "No.. I know a more appropriate punishment." He leans over, lifts the knife, and grins sadistically. "Bend over, rapist."
The woman who was being brutally attacked watches in horror as the man struggles before, finally-Tony shoves the knife in. Tony, unfortunately, isn't a sadist himself, and had shoved the handle in, instead of the blade.
"I catch you doing one more illegal thing.. even littering.. I will sniff you out, shove my claws up your ass, rip out your intestines and strangle you with them." He growls again, the man completely paralyzed with fear, laying on his side and staring at Tony. He's crying fiercely.
Tony stands, arches his back, lifts up his head and howls loudly. Tony grins and turns to check on the woman, see if she's all right; but sees her stumbling off, down the street. He runs across the backs of the yards, watching her, making sure she's safe-and relaxes as she stops at the police station, heading inside. [Perfect. Home now.] He turns, finally getting a chance to run off home and relax.