A/N Plz Review. It will few days until my next update, I am a little stuck. But don't worry. Disclaimer: Nothin belongs to me except Chelsea.
When the four agents came together in the bullpen, things were tense. But they reverted themselves into agent-mode, showing no sign of their current predicaments.
"What did you find out about Lt. Brenner, DiNozzo?" Gibbs barked, parking himself in the middle of the bull pen.
"She was a reformed gangster." Tony said, clicking at his computer, "She joined the Marines to avoid a jail sentence."
"It was documented that she had her tattoo removed at the tattoo parlor where she received it." Ziva added from her own computer.
"Homies Tattoo Cave, Boss." McGee said, jotting down notes, "Here's the address."
Gibbs grabbed the paper and nodded towards Ziva.
"Ziva," he said, "you're with me. DiNozzo search for family members. McGee, you follow up with Abby, then follow the Lt.'s paper trails."
After the chorus of 'on it boss', the team split to their duties quietly.
Entering the Homies Tattoo Cave caused Gibbs to frantically try to remember the last time he had a tetanus shot. Ziva was counting roaches and had reach 21 by the time they got to the front desk.
"This is disgusting." Ziva said under her breath, causing Gibbs to nod his head slightly in agreement.
"Yo, 'sup."
Ziva tried not to make gagging noises as a middle aged Latino walked up to them. He obviously did not know how to bathe, or do laundry, considering his white wife beater was yellow-gray. But it matched his teeth, or what was left of them.
"Special Agent Gibbs, David, NCIS." Gibbs said, stone faced as usual.
"NCIS?" the man said, confused, "Wait, you all ain't the health inspectors are ya?"
As much as Gibbs wanted to freak this dude out, he had more serious business. He pulled out a picture and put it in front of the alarmed man.
"You seen her before?" Gibbs asked him.
"Aww man," disgust filling the man's face, "You know she's dead in this picture right?"
Gibbs answered him with a glare.
"Well, yeah, that's Josie," he said, "but I ain't seen her since she come back here to get rid of a perfectly good tat."
"So you did her tattoo, mister-?" Ziva said.
"Charlie Hernandez." Charlie answered, "and no, I only work the high rollers."
"Who 'worked' Josie Brenner, Charlie?" Gibbs asked, his natural inpatients starting to show.
"That would've been Spinner, G." Charlie said after a moment.
"G?" Gibbs said menacingly.
"Er-Sir?" Charlie corrected.
"Is Spinner here?" Ziva asked, trying to turn them back to the topic.
"No, he's off tonight." Charlie said, visibly cowering under Gibbs' stare.
"Address." Gibbs growled.
Charlie quickly wrote it down on a piece of paper. He apparently wanted them out of there.
"I didn't tell you this." Charlie told them in a stage whisper.
Ziva and Gibbs just rolled their eyes and left the gaudy parlor quietly and quickly.
"Should we have Ducky check us out when we get back?" Ziva asked Gibbs lightly as she got in the passenger seat.
Gibbs gave a gruff bark of laughter in response.
Back at NCIS, Tony and McGee gathered into a 'campfire' with Abby.
"Lt. Brenner's only living relatives are a grandmother and a brother." Tony said with a sigh, "Grandma is ninety-nine and senile, and brother is spending twenty-nine to life at Rikers in NYC."
"I traced her money records." McGee added, "There was nothing out of the ordinary."
"I also spoke to some of the Lt.'s co-workers." Tony said.
"And?" Abby said, setting her chin on his shoulder.
"And.." Tony nudged Abby's pointy chin off his shoulder with a grin, "They all say that she was a good Marine and that she had left the gang stuff behind."
"They're sure?" McGee asked.
"Yep." Tony said.
McGee yawned long and hard, sucking in air loudly. He was really, really tired.
"Leave some oxygen for us McGee!" Abby chuckled.
"McVacume!" Tony added for good measure.
"I'm gonna go check on Chelsea." McGee responded with a slight smile.
Tony and Abby watched McGee head sleepily towards the elevator.
"He loves her." Abby said, throwing her arms around Tony's neck.
"Who!?" Tony said, startled.
"Chelsea. Duh!" Abby said, squeezing a relieved Tony.
"Hey Ducky." McGee greeted the doctor.
"She is stable, my dear boy," Ducky automatically assured him, gesturing towards the little cot set up beside his desk.
Chelsea was bundled up in a blanket on the cot with Bert the Farting Hippo as her pillow. The hippo made McGee smile.
"So, how are you?" Ducky asked.
"Oh, Ducky," McGee yawned, "I am so tired."
Ducky chuckled when McGee's eyes widened.
"Gibbs didn't hear me did he?" McGee said frantically looking around.
"Where are you and Ziva and Chelsea staying?" Ducky asked, ushering McGee into his desk chair.
"At my house." came a familiar bark from the autopsy entrance.
"Hello Jethro." Ducky greeted.
"Hey boss!" McGee said, jumping out of Ducky's chair.
"Sit, McGee." Gibbs said, "Don't want you passed out on the floor."
McGee sat back down in relief. "You three will stay in my basement for safety." Gibbs said.
"The basement?" Ducky questioned.
"Well I'm not just gonna toss 'em down there if that's what you think Duck." Gibbs said sarcastically.
Ducky merely chuckled. He went over to check on Chelsea again.
"What time is it?" McGee asked, having left his watch at home in the hurry to get to NCIS.
"Ten-thirty Timothy." Ducky answered.
"Let's go." Gibbs said, lifting Chelsea into his arms.
"Gladly." McGee said.
McGee was exhausted and was glad that Gibbs was acknowledging it. But he was worried about sharing closed quarters with Ziva.
"Did you find anything out at the tattoo parlor?" McGee asked as they entered the elevator.
"The address of the person who gave the Lt. the tattoo." Gibbs said, in a hushed tone, "You and Tony will check it out tomorrow."
McGee sighed in relief. He would much rather be paired with DiNozzo right now.
"Go get Ziva and meet me at her car." Gibbs said once the elevator opened to their level.
After practically shoving McGee out of the elevator, Gibbs quickly shut the doors.
"Ziva?" McGee said, mentally slapping himself for sounding so timid.
"Is it time to go McGee?" she asked, straightening up her desk.
Ziva wouldn't look at him and her tone was cool. As ice. It took everything in him not to shiver.
"Yes." McGee answered, then cleared his throat, "Gibbs is waiting at our- I mean- your car."
Tony sneezed from his desk. Only it was more like 'nice save' than 'achoo.'
"Bless you, Tony." Ziva said, brushing past McGee out of the bull pen.
This time McGee and Tony shivered.
"Good luck with the Ice Queen, McGee." Tony offered as McGee slowly walked towards the elevator.
McGee just banged his head on the wall as he waited for the elevator to arrive.
"Poor kid." Tony said.
"Who!?"
Tony cringed at the peppy voice that belonged to his favorite forensic scientist. She could get anything out of him. He knew he couldn't lie to her. Crap.
"Well, you see Abby…"
PHOOMPH!