A/N - Well, most of y'all asked for Tony singing, so I included some in this chapter just for you, for being such wonderful readers! Special hugs for the new readers, reviewers, and alerters who've joined this happy little group - welcome, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

DISCLAIMER: Nothing to or from anyone or anything.

WELL-SCHOOLED IN MURDER

Chapter 8

Tony walked back to the command center, trying to get himself in a good mood. He knew Gracie would be able to tell something was wrong, and she wouldn't give in until he told her, so his poker face had better be damned good. As he picked up the headset that would connect him to the elevator, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out sharply. 'Ok, I can do this,' he thought. Putting on the headset, he had to smile at what he heard.

"….mi, a name, I call myself. Fa, a long, long way to ru-u-u-un…." Tony just had to join in - who could not join in with the music from The Sound of Music? "So, a needle pulling thread. La, a note to follow so…." He had to laugh at the look on the sweet faces in the elevator - surprise, shock, and happy all at the same time. "…..a drink with jam and bread, that will bring us back to do! Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do! So do!" Adina and Kyle applauded and giggled at the thought of a special agent singing that song, and all of a sudden Tony's throat got tight, thinking about what was all around them outside the elevator that they had no clue about.

"Well whaddya' know, guys, Agent Tony did know one of our songs!" Gracie smiled.

Tony tried to keep it light. "Well, I am something of a movie aficionado," he chuckled when Gracie rolled her eyes. "and besides," he continued, "is there anyone in the world that hasn't seen The Sound of Music?"

Smiling, Gracie said, "somehow, that doesn't quite strike me as a 'Tony' kind of movie."

"If it's classic, it's my kind of movie." He saw Adina rubbing her eyes. He didn't know much about kids, but he knew that that meant she was getting sleepy. "How we all doin,' guys?" he asked the kids gently.

Adina pouted. "'Un'ry." Kyle nodded, too.

He winced. "I imagine you guys are hungry after all this time," he commiserated. "I'll work on that, ok?" He saw Kyle nod. Adina was determined to pout as long as it took. "Awww, c'mon now, Deeny-girl," Tony said in that smooth voice he used only with women. "You know I'd never let you starve, right? Not my best girl…."

Gracie had to hide her face to laugh when Adina rolled her eyes dramatically. "'Wee todder," the child grumbled under her breath and crossed her arms with a huff. (A/N - that's how Deeny says 'sweet talker' - see ch. 5)

Tony dropped his head onto his arms and laughed. He just couldn't help it. When he'd gotten himself back under control, he spoke again. "I think someone's been spending a li-iiiiiiiitle too much time with Miss Gracie."

"Oh sure, blame the teacher," Gracie said, still chuckling. She ran a gentle hand over Deeny's head. "Agent Tony is trying re-e-e-eal hard to fix things, Deen. Which would you rather, a pizza? Or getting out of this ucky elevator?"

Adina narrowed her eyes at her teacher, putting on her best aggravated face. "'E-tah."

Gracie laughed again. "Even Agent Tony can't compete with pizza! Sorry, Tony!"

"Hey, in any other situation, I'd be with Deeny on this one. Ain't nuthin' like a good pie!"

Pulling a few crayons out of her pocket, Gracie gave them to Kyle and Adina. "Here you go, guys. Why don't you color for a little while?"

Kyle looked confused. "No bayber…?"

Plastering on a sarcastic smile, Gracie said, "We don't need paper! We're going to decorate this elevator to make it more pretty. These ol' yellowy walls are kinda' boring. So you guys go ahead and write and draw al-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l over the walls, everywhere you can reach."

The two children looked at their crayons. Then at each other. Then at the walls. Then back to each other. And then to their teacher, eyebrows raised. She was telling them to draw on the walls?

"It's ok, guys, Miss Gracie is giving you permission to color the walls in here. I know we're not usually allowed to draw on walls and stuff, huh?" She saw them nod seriously. "But this is a special situation, and you will not get in trouble for it, ok?" The kids still hesitated. "I promise, guys. You will not get in trouble." With one last look at their teacher, Deeny and Kyle slowly began scribbling on the wall nearest them. When no one told them to stop, they got more enthusiastic about it, and were soon giggling and laughing.

Gracie watched them enjoying themselves for a moment, happy to see them acting like children. Then she turned to the video screen. "The teacher will gladly take the blame for this one." Making sure neither child was paying her any attention, she put on her best teacher face. "What's going on, Tony," she ordered.

Tony gulped. "Uh, what do you mean? Seems like things are going pretty well, considering." He winced when Gracie increased the stare. He couldn't help but think how interesting it would be to put the Gibbs Glare up against the Gracie Glare, to see who blinked first. He jumped, startled, when she yelled his name in his ear. "Sorry! Wool-gathering."

"'Wool-gathering'?" she snarked. "Who are you, my great-granmaw? You were stalling, DiNozzo. What's. Going. On."

She'd startled him again, calling him 'DiNozzo' - just like Gibbs does. He shook his head. Not good to think of a beautiful woman in comparison with his boss. "Honest, Gracie. There's nothing new going on. If I can figure out a way, we'll get some food into you guys, all right?"

She thought about it for a minute, then shook her head. "Eh, nix the food, Tony." She cocked an eyebrow when he wondered why. "Cuz what goes in eventually needs to come out…." She rolled her eyes at the silence, knowing he didn't get it. Such a guy. "If we feed them, in about an hour they'll need the bathroom….?"

The light bulb went on over Tony's head. "Ah! Gotcha'! Ok, so ix-nay on the ood-fay. Well then, is there anything else I… I mean, we, can do for you guys?" He turned his head when he heard Gibbs call him.

"Other than getting us out of here? Nope." As Tony started to say he had to go, Gracie stopped him. "Wait! There is one thing…. Keep me in the loop, and don't lie to me, huh? Give it to me straight. And….and don't be gone too long. I… we," she stammered, "kinda' like… having someone out there to talk to. Ya' know?"

Tony hated to see such a sad look on that pretty face. "I'll be back as soon as I can, darlin.' And hopefully I'll have some news for you, ok?" He smiled when she nodded. "Ok. I'll be back soon. Hold down the fort."

"Don't think the fort's going anywhere, anytime soon." Gracie rolled her eyes. "We'll be right here when you get back," she gave him a sarcastic smile.

"Ah, there's the Gracie I know and love….." Tony caught himself. "Uh, yeah, so, um, I'll….I'll be back. Soon. Right back." He took off the headset with a wince and dropped it on the table with a thunk. Rubbing a hand through his hair, he smacked himself on the back of the head. "Idiot," he mumbled to himself, walking across the yard to where Gibbs and the rest of the crew were waiting.

Absently playing with the frayed end of her cut sleeve, Gracie was in a state of shock. He'd called her 'darlin.' And not in a generic, using-it-instead-of-your-name-to keep-you-calm kind of way. Like he really called her 'darlin.' She couldn't remember the last time someone called her that. Had anyone ever called her that? She didn't think so, not even the colonel, when they had….well….It was several more minutes of replaying the conversation in her mind when she realized Tony had also said, 'the Gracie I know and love.' She shouldn't read too much into that, she knew, but… first darlin'? And then….. Trouble was, she was kind of feeling the same way about him. And she hadn't even seen him yet. Looking at the artwork Kyle and Adina were still creating on the walls, Gracie shook her head. 'You've got it bad, girlfriend,' she told herself, pulling her knees up to her chin.

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When he saw the concern on everyone's face as he walked up, Tony got a bad feeling in his gut. "Boss?" He turned to Gibbs, who ran a tired hand over his face.

"There was a call, DiNozzo."

"And I'm guessing it's not good news."

Gibbs sighed. "Ziva is tracking the call now. Apparently it's the work of one guy, who insists he's not a terrorist, although he won't tell us his name. He even apologized about the children being in the elevator, said that wasn't supposed to happen, but since they're there….."

Tony closed his eyes in defeat. "Collateral damage." He looked around the group, Ziva with the SWAT team tracing the call, the principal pacing, Gracie's assistant wringing her hands nervously, trying hard not to cry. And the colonel, sitting alone on the back of the FBI truck, head in his hands. Tony might not be a parent, but his heart went out to the guy, hearing a whack-job call your disabled son 'collateral damage.' He turned back to Gibbs. "So what does this guy want? Money? Prisoner release?"

"He didn't say, DiNozzo. Said he'd call us back with his demands." Gibbs could tell his SFA wanted to hit kick, or throw something. "You ok with this, Tony? Don't make me pull you off…."

Tony shook his head. "I'm good, boss. Honest." He made himself look Gibbs in the eye without turning away. "What's the plan?"

"Wait 'til this guy calls again. Get him talking, hope to trip him up. Hope he'll tell us that all that artillery is all unarmed…."

Looking over to the command center, thinking that Gracie was all alone, Tony sighed. "That's a lot of hoping, boss."

Gibbs' look followed his senior agent's, knowing where Tony's mind was. "Well, that's all we got right now." He clapped him on the back. "So don't go giving it up." He walked back to the FBI truck, where Fornell was now talking to the colonel.

A frustrated Ziva came over to Tony. "We can not follow the trace. There are too many pings, dings…things," she gestured with her hands. "The signal is bouncing all over the place. We need McGee."

"Gibbs sent him to pick up the admiral." He looked at Ziva out of the corner of his eyes when she snorted. "Yeah, that was my thought, too. The admiral is gonna' serve poor McWimpy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With room left over for dessert."

Ziva stood next to Tony, looking toward the command center also. "Does she know…"

Tony shook his head sadly. "Boss told me not to tell her anything. But she knows something's up. I can tell."

She looked at him with new eyes. "You really feel something for this woman, yes?" she asked quietly.

He chuckled sarcastically. "Yeah. Why do my relationships always end up with someone getting dead?"

Ziva studied him, appraising the man. "I do not think you will let this one die, Tony. If she means that much, then you must do what you can to make this come out alright in the end." She put a comforting hand on his arm then walked away.

Groaning to himself, Tony began walking back over to the command center. "Sure, make it all come out ok in the end…. Easier said than done." AS he neared the truck, he made himself put on a relatively happy face, calling himself a hypocrite all the while.

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In the elevator….

Checking her watch, Gracie saw that it was nearing five hours that they'd been trapped in this elevator. She wasn't dumb. She knew that the presence of the bomb squad was not a good omen, and the fact that there had been no word since they'd left the building wasn't a good sign, either. She didn't believe Tony's bull about there being nothing new going on, and she'd give him a piece of her mind when he came back. She looked over at Kyle and Adina, both of whom were starting to get kinda' grumpy. Five hours is a long time to be so inactive. Kyle would never get fresh or pushy, but he would whine. Adina, on the other hand, could have a full-on tantrum. She decided to see if she could get them to take a nap.

As if she'd heard her teacher's thoughts, little Adina sighed tiredly and climbed into her lap, tears bright in her eyes. "Wan go 'ome," she whined softly, snuggling in when Miss Gracie hugged her.

Gracie kissed the little girl on the top of her head. "I know, baby. Soon, ok?" Her heart just about broke for the little girl. She'd had a rough life in her seven years.

The little girl sniffled. "Ti'a be ma' Deeny no 'ome."

Pulling the girl tighter into her arms, Gracie sighed to herself. "Tina will not be mad that you're not home on time, honey. The school has called her by now to tell her what's going on, so she knows there's a reason." As if this sweet girl would go off somewhere on her own, purposefully being late for dinner. More than once, Deeny had mentioned Tina - her foster mom - being mad at her. Gracie had yet to see any bruises on Deeny, but there was no doubt in her mind that there was verbal and mental abuse going on in that home. She'd called the girl's case worker a few times over the past two years, but that had gone nowhere. Feeling the little girl sob, she looked down to see Deeny with her thumb in her mouth.

"S'eepy, Mih Dayt-zee," she whimpered.

"Well then," Gracie said softly, "go ahead and fall asleep. I'll be right here, and I won't let anyone hurt you, ok?" She kissed Deeny on the head when she nodded sadly. "How 'bout you, Kyle? You did a lot of leg work today. You tired?" The boy nodded, embarrassed. "Ok then," she said, sliding on her butt a little to her left. "Can you scoot a bit towards me, and I'll help you the rest of the way?" Without a sound, the small boy slowly dragged himself a few inches closer to Gracie. She groaned to herself. Nowhere near close enough, but she knew he was in pain. She wiggled and skootched herself over closer to Kyle. "Ok! Made it!" Gracie raised her left arm, and the boy slid easily under it and cuddled into her side. She gave the top of his head a kiss, too.

"'Oo tea?" came Kyle's quiet voice.

Gracie smiled. "You want me to sing?" Both children nodded. "What would you like me to sing?" Kyle shrugged. He wasn't picky - any soft song would put him over the edge into sleep at this point.

Adina pulled her thumb out of her mouth long enough to answer, "Ayboo-die."

"So we're sticking with a Sound of Music theme today, huh?" Gracie joked. The girl in her lap put her thumb back in her mouth and nodded sleepily. "Ok, Edelweiss it is." She leaned back against the wall and got as comfortable as possible with eighty pounds in her lap and another 50 leaning on the left side of her chest. Snuggling both children as close to her as possible, Gracie began to sing.

"Edelweiss, Edelweiss. Every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright. You look happy to meet me….."

This was what Tony walked back into when he returned to the command center truck. Before putting on his headset, he took a moment to just look at Gracie and the kids. The three of them were all exhausted, that much was obvious, but like a trooper, Gracie put the kids above herself. He thought what an adorable picture they made, all cuddled together like that. As he put on the headset, he heard the refrain of Edelweiss. Gracie sounded like she was tiring - she must have been at it for a while. Without thought, his voice joined hers. "Bloom and grow forever. Edelweiss. Edelweiss. Bless my homeland forever…."

Gracie jumped a bit to hear the deep voice join hers in song, but she instantly felt not so alone. She fought tears. "Hey, welcome back," she said softly. She held her breath as Adina moaned and shifted, hoping the girl didn't wake. Phew! She didn't.

"Looks like things are quieting down in there, huh?"

She smiled. "Yeah. It was this or full-fledged tantrum. Thought this was the better choice." She shifted Kyle a bit. "So? What's the word? Are we getting out of here anytime soon?"

Tony cleared his throat. "Uh, there may be a little problem with that…"

Her head dropped back against the wall, and Gracie couldn't help the lone tear that tracked down her cheek. "How did I know you were going to say that?" She wiped her cheek the best she could on her shoulder. "There's a problem, isn't there?"

"Yeah, there's a problem." It broke his heart to see another tear and then another roll down her cheeks. "Listen to me, Gracie. You're not alone, ok? I'm right here, and I'm staying right here 'til they get all of you out of there, ok?" He winced when she nodded. She was too tired to argue.

Gracie turned those teary, midnight-blue eyes up to the video camera. "How bad?" When Tony paused for a little too long, she said, "Please, Tony. I'm not stupid. The bomb squad? And the silence? Just tell me. I think I deserve that much."

Tony swallowed through the tightness in his throat, dropping his head. She was right, she did deserve to know. But how did you tell someone they're surrounded by possibly live ammunition, with no foreseeable way of removing either the munitions or the people? "It's….bad, Gracie. We're working on a plan to get you guys out, but it may take a while longer." He saw her chin tremble and wanted to be there to hold her, like she held the children. "Hang with me, darlin.' Don't give up on me now." She nodded, but he still didn't feel good about it.

"Talk to me," Gracie sniffled softly, just wanting to hear another voice. That it was Tony's was just a bonus.

"About what?" he answered, just as quietly.

Gracie shook her head, sniffling. "Anything. I just…need to hear another voice….please?"

Tony squeezed his eyelids with his thumb and forefinger, hoping to stop his own tears. "Uhhh, ok." He thought for a moment. "I guess, as a teacher, you wouldn't want to hear about my checkered educational background, huh?"

She gave a watery laugh. "Actually yeah, I would," she teased, trying to make herself believe things were ok.

"Well, it started in kindergarten, with this teacher, Miss Cabbage…" He pretended to be offended when Gracie laughed. "What? That's what we all thought her name was….honestly! So anyway, we used to have morning meeting, where we'd sing songs and play games, so one day, Miss Cabbage is at the piano, playing some song, and me and another boy…what was his name…..you'd think you'd remember the name of the guy you got in so much trouble with…..anyway, he and I were in a silly mood, so we….. Billy Tatum! That's who it was! So good ol' Billy and I are sitting there, and we'd been in a silly mood all morning. So we decided to…."

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