Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS

Authors note- thank you all for your reviews, they mean a lot as do your favourites and alerts. I hope you all like this chapter, it is a little bit more case orientated but it fits in well in my mind. Anyway, I will stop wittering and let you read.

"Take that rage, put it on a page, take the page to the stage , blow the roof off the place, I'm just tryin' to make you proud" – The script, if you could see me now. It fits with parts of this chapter and is just an amazing song – end of.

-A Life Behind Bars-

Friday, 10:30pm

It turned out that the crime scene they were called to, was in fact only a matter of minutes away from the bar in which they had been in only moments ago. Gibbs had finally managed to get his team into work mode and soon found himself stepping under the yellow tape that sectioned off the crime scene just five minutes' walk away from the edge of the Navy Yard. He looked around at the mayhem before him, they all did. The dark of night was lit up by spot lights and flashing blue and red lights off of the police cars. Officers swarmed around the scene like wasps to jam. Looking around Special Agent Gibbs saw a man who stood away from it all and oversaw everything. He made his way over, Tony and McGee following, whilst Abby trailed behind not knowing what exactly to do as she was not usually at the crime scene. Gibbs observed the man in front of him. He was plain clothes; bear bellied and had a receding hairline. He looked like the kind of Metro cop that usually thought he was the bees knees only to soon discover just how far down the food chain he actually was. "Are you Agent Gibbs?" Questioned the Metro cop.

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Detective Fallows." The other man stated holding out his hand as an offer to shake only to be turned down by Gibbs who ignored the gesture.

"What we got?" Gibbs asked, not impressed he had been called In on his evening off – especially when there was a very pretty red head back at the bar –yet apparently all other teams had two cases so he was back in work.

"Dead man: John Semmons. College student- according to his ID."

2So why we got it? You guys usually jump at murders seeming as you don't get out much."

"He's a reserve officer according to his fingerprint ID. Found by a teenager walking home from his mate's house. Poor lad's over there. He's all yours Gibbs." The cop said before signalling for his people to scatter. Gibbs watched all of a sudden the mayhem went and he was left with something a little more peaceful. Ducky arrived and went over to the body and all of a sudden this was his game.

"McGee, go over the young lad's statement then sketch the scene." Gibbs ordered as McGee ran off. "DiNozzo-"

"Bag and tag, and take photos. On it boss." Stated Tony as he ran off to get to work.

"Abs go help DiNozzo until Ducky's ready to take the body back then ride with him." She nodded and went off after Tony.

Gibbs then located where a squabbling Ducky and Palmer were and made his way over. The sky was clear that night, but it was not warm out due to the cold breeze that bit at his face and he was grateful he'd put on his NCIS jacket before coming out, even if he did try to pretend that the cold did not bother him. Now he looked around and noticed that there were no houses nearby in the area. It was a shortcut he knew, one that linked two of the large marine residential areas.

As Gibbs crouched down next to the ME he looked at the body. It was lying face down; there was no visible blood from the looks of it at this angle. "What we got ducky?"Gibbs questioned.

"Well if we can just turn him over Jethro I will tell you." And with that the body was turned to reveal a large stab wound to the chest. His eyes had gone black from being left open with reach of oxygen for twenty four hours. "The stab wound was pre-mortem, and from the looks of it COD. As for TOD I'll leave that to my assistant, Mr Palmer?"

"Erm . . ." The younger man stammered as he looked at the liver probe in front of him. "Doctor this can't be right."

"Why is that?"

"Because according to this he was killed around 20 hours ago. But wouldn't someone have noticed the body doctor?"

"You'd be amazed Mr. Palmer. Eye blackness, confirms it Jethro. He was killed between around 2300 and 0300 hours this morning."

"Thanks Duck." Said Gibbs as he went off. The ME and his assistant then went on to load the corpse onto the gurney, zip up the body bag and place it into the van before Abby joined them and they went on their way to return to NCIS Headquarters. Moving over to his head field agent Gibbs looked at the younger man awaiting answers.

"We found a cigarette butt about a meter away from the body. There are a few blood drops which may be cast off from the weapon but there is no sign of it. Looks like the killer took it with him. Other than that and a bit of litter we can't see any of it. We're arranging for Metro cops to go around and ask if anyone saw or heard anything but this is DC Boss-"

"The town that sees nothing and hears even less."

"Exactly."

-A Life Behind Bars-

Saturday, 9am

Gibbs walked into the bull pen which considering ever team apparently had cases was remarkably empty. Tony and McGee sat at their desks looking slightly more awake. He'd sent them both home at midnight and told them to get back in for 0730 which for once they had, and remarkably that included Tony. Now they sat there working away. Gibbs walked over to his desk, drinking his coffee as he went. "What we got?" Gibbs questioned as he stood in front of the plasma.

"Okay, so our Vic is John Semmons, College student studying until he can join the corps full time – or so everyone says. According to his friends he was always a quiet lad up until about six months ago when he got in with a different crowd and started appearing distant. His tutors say it was around that time his grades started slipping as he stopped handing in assignments." Sated DiNozzo with a smug smirk.

"I went over his financials. Looked like for the last two and a half years he's been working at DC's Duke Pub where we were last night. However, something does not add up right. Every month he would spent around a grand, then over the rest of the month he brought in two grand more than he should have. That's been going on for the last six months." Sated McGee.

"Could be dealing." Tony suggested. It was funny how both always tried to outdo the other with the amount that they had managed to find out asi f it was a competition.

"We got the tox screen back?" Gibbs questioned.

"No, Abby says it will take another few hours until she had done." Stated McGee.

Gibbs then went over to his desk and pulled out his gin and jacket. "Guess we'd best pay the bar a visit then hadn't we. "McGee: help Abby. DiNozzo: with me." There was a chorus of 'on it boss' as Gibbs walked off leaving both in his wake and causing Tony to run to catch up with his boss. HE managed to just squeeze into the lift as the door closed.

As they drove to the bar neither Gibbs nor Tony spoke, it was strange how they never did. "You think the owner knows something?" questioned Tony looking at his boss.

"Dunno, but something doesn't quite add up and there is only one way to find out." Sated Gibbs before his speed suddenly doubled s he could get there quicker - which they did.

As the pair parked up outside the bar Tony smiled. "It looks a little different in daylight." Said the younger agent as he looked at the old building they were about to walk into. Inside all on the stools were in the process of being taken down from the tables where they had been placed whilst the floor had been washed. Gibbs watched as the same red head he had been talking to last night worked away. She looked more relaxed now that she wasn't officially working. She wore a pair of boot cut jean that fitted her perfectly and hugged all the right places. On her top half she wore an emerald green blouse which was tucked in and rolled up at the sleeves. On her feet were flat dolly shoes in the same green as he blouse. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail high on her head, and her makeup was none existent. She turned to the two men.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing either of you tow quite so soon." She said with a smile as she moved the last chair and grabbed a cloth and bucket of warm water and began to wash down the bar. "We don't open until eleven. You're a bit early." She added onto the end.

"NCIS Special Agent's: Gibbs and DiNozzo." Said Gibbs showing his badge which made the woman stop and look at the pair.

"And what can I do for NCIS?" She questioned.

"We found the body of an employee of yours, John semmons." Sated Gibbs.

"Former employee." Ali said as she walked in. Tony's eyes went on her immediately. She was in the process of tying up her red hair so that she could work. She wore a pair of bleached denim jean which were ripped to pieces, a navy t-shirt on which were the words 'Royal Navy' written on it and had belonged to her mother, with a pair of worn grey converse pumps.

"We need to speak to the owner." Said Gibbs.

"You're looking at her." Said Ali. "Me."

"You're the owner?"

"Don't look so shocked agent Gibbs. Age isn't everything. Now, I'll repeat my aunts question, what can I do for you?"

"You said he was your former employee, what did you mean?" Asked Tony.

"He worked here for two and a half years, since I opened. Then my aunt came to me and told me she thought that he was dealing. She'd seen money exchanging hands that didn't go in the till; being a former cop she knew something wasn't right. Then I see him stuffing two kilo packets of white stuff in his locker. You don't need to be a genius to work out what was going on. I confronted him, ten minutes later he'd packed his stuff and he was fired. Simple as."

"And when was this?" Gibbs questioned.

"Thursday night, around 10pm. He left, and I went back into the bar with my aunt - stayed there 'til we closed up at gone 1am. After that I went to bed, left the tidying for in the morning. I haven't seen him since. You can look in his locker if you think it would help. I mean I haven't touched it yet."

"Dinozzo." Gibbs nodded and watched the two go out the back and disappear from sight.

Gibbs then turned back to the other red head that had gone back to cleaning the bar. She looked over after feeling his eyes on her. "Yes?"

"You used to be a cop?"

"Yeah, PD for nearly twenty years."

"Why'd you leave?" He questioned. She looked at him and left her work before walking over to a booth and sitting down. HE followed her lead and sat opposite her.

"I didn't leave out of choice. I was on a raid in DC, not where I usually was but had gotten a lead. The suspect shot me. I killed him but the damage was already done. He'd shot me, meaning that even when I was fully recovered I would lose control of my hands or get shakes. I was deemed unfit for service, and so I was out. Stupid thing is if I went now and signed up, I'd beet half the younger ones hands down."

"How did you end up here?"

"You have a lot of questions agent Gibbs." She said with a smirk. "Ali is my niece. She moved over from the UK after dropping out of law school. She was doing this place up when I left hospital. I helped her out and with no one else who needed me I stayed on. Three years later and I'm glad I did."

"You must be proud."

"Prouder than I have ever been. I never had my own children, I always chose my career. It's ironic that I ended up being fired in no better terms. Ali's parents are marines, haven't spoken in years. She would come to me for summer holidays, we grew close." She looked up at Gibbs. "Why NCIS?"

"Honourably discharged from the corps, then I ended up at NCIS."

"You've lost someone. There's a part of you that you don't open up." Neither said anything else, because both knew it wasn't her nosing, just an observation. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this. You'll want my alibi as well. I was in the bar with Ali time 1am, then his bed. We have a flat above we sleep in most night. We both have houses but most of the time we're too tired to make it home in all honestly."

"Can any-"

"About fifty people agent Gibbs. We had some buskers in 'til half twelve. Don't ask me their names, they just come in." said Jenny.

"What's you name." Gibbs asked softly.

"Jenny, Jenny Shepard."

"Hey boss! So I ran a substance test in our Vic.'s locker and it came up with cocaine. Other than that there was nothing much of interest, got it all in a bag." Said DiNozzo. Gibbs turned from Jenny's gaze to his younger agent who was standing slightly closer to Ali than was needed.

Gibbs turned to Jenny. "Here's my card, if you think of anything you want to tell me then just ring the number on there." He then handed her the card before leaving. Tony following after saying the same to Ali. Once the two men had left both of the two red heads that were left there burst out laughing.

"You think they meant that applied after the case is over too?" questioned Jenny.

"Jen!" Said her niece making a disgusted face. She then grabbed the sharpie pen from behind the bar and walked over to the bar where punters could write their messages. And with it she wrote her own:

RIP John, we all make mistakes xx

Because even if he had let her down in the end, at the beginning he had been a good lad. He'd worked hard and had honest dreams and ambitions. There was a part of Ali that felt responsible, because if it wasn't for her and the bar he may never had met the people who he ended up getting mixed up in, and he may have still been alive. But for now she put that though out of her mind as she looked out of the window in the door as the black sedan drove off into the daytime. She had not a doubt in her mind that both her and her aunt would be seeing Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo again in the very near future. Neither however knew the reason for which that would be, and it was a good job. Because if they did, then they may just decided that some things were more important – like their safety.

Authors note 2- Please review