Warnings: Spoilers for Season 7

A/N: Here's another update! I will be taking a break for the rest of the weekend on posting, but should be back sometime next week :) and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Guest- glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Dis- you have perfectly summed up how I feel/felt about Ziva, by the time she left I was tired of snarkiness. You know you can joke and tease with your friends/co-workers, but some of the things she said that were meant to be funny...really weren't. They were mean and insulting and usually it was Tony that was at the opposite end of it.

NCIS Fan- well...she can't be perfect ALL the time now can she? :)

Gibbs leaned against the rail outside of MTAC and watched as his team worked. So far Tony had kept them safe and sound. Not that Gibbs had any doubt in his senior field agent, but it was nice to see his beliefs affirmed. Sipping his coffee he wished he could join them. Being trapped in MTAC now for little over a week was starting to drive him crazy. At least now they had the name of the freighter they were looking for, however locals were still giving Dunham a hard time.

Vance was reluctant to send anyone else out there to help. Right now Dunham could fly under the radar, appearing to be doing recon missions. If Vance sent another team out there to help that was going to send flags up and Eli David would be on to him. He might not fully trust the Israeli, but he wanted to stay in the man's good graces. As the team and NCIS had come to realize over the years he was not a man to be reckoned with. And Gibbs, well he tended to agree. Watching his team interact right now solidified his position that they were to remain in Washington.

Natalie was still a probie, still learning and while she had been a good cop, being a federal agent on foreign soil was entirely different. Plus…Gibbs didn't want to see any of them hurt by Mossad ever again.

"Boss," Tony's voice interrupted him and Gibbs realized the SFA had joined him. "Dispatch just called. Sailor was hit by a truck. Joining us?"

"Nope," Gibbs replied, sipping his coffee. "I trust you to handle it."

"So…nothing new on Ziva? Or Mossad?"

Gibbs glared at him slightly, wondering what he'd snooped and found out. "Nothing that you need to know, DiNozzo. It doesn't concern the team. Just protecting NCIS' six."

Tony shoved his hands into his pockets. "Protecting NCIS…sounds like that involves the team to me, boss. Listen…I know Abby broke the code on Tabal's laptop. I know that Rivkin was going to Africa to murder some terrorist. Is there a specific reason you and Vance have taken an interest in this?"

"We came dangerously close to having a repeat of Ari in May, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied, firmly. "What do you think would have happened if Rivkin hadn't been drunk?"

"I'd be dead," Tony responded. "Believe me, I'm very much aware that I probably shouldn't be alive."

"Staying on top of what Eli David is up to…lessens the chance of another episode like Ari…like Rivkin."

"So that's it then…you're just keeping an eye on him? You aren't going to pack us up to go after Ziva?"

Gibbs scoffed. "No. Is that what you think Vance and I are doing up here? Planning some kind of operation to get her back?"

Tony shrugged, green eyes hardening. "Not really. But Abby…seemed insistent that's what you were doing. I guess there was always the tiny chance you were doing just that. At least you've saved me the trouble of informing you that I'm out if that's the case."

"Really? Even if you were ordered?" Gibbs challenged with a slight smirk.

"Even if I was ordered," Tony said, tightly. "I'd have to be an idiot to go after someone that wanted me dead just a few months ago."

Gibbs pat him on the shoulder and turned to go. "Better get a move on, DiNozzo. You have a sailor that was run over by a truck to investigate and I have a scheming Mossad director to baby-sit."

Tony chuckled and with a grin jogged back down the steps towards the team. "Gear up, probies! Sailor was involved in a hit and run."

"Suspect or victim?" McGee questioned, holstering his weapon.

"Victim. He's being treated at Bethesda."

"Gibbs is still with Vance?"

Tony nodded his head and with Tim and Natalie in tow, the agents made their way to the elevator. They rode it down to the parking garage in silence, while Tony looked over the basics of the case file. "Guy is lucky to be alive," he said handing the file over to McGee.

Tim scoffed, while he read the details. "I'll say. He got run over by a truck."

"F-150 to be precise."

"Whatever."

Tony chuckled as they climbed into the car. He started it up and began the trek to the Naval Hospital. He felt better knowing for certain now that Gibbs was not planning on sending them over to Africa to find Ziva. Yes, it was disconcerting that she had not contacted Abby or McGee, but she was not a member of their team now and it would be suicide to go over there to find her. Besides, she was trained to disappear. They would just be wasting resources going looking for her.

Tim tossed the case file in the backseat, so Natalie could read it, pulling Tony from his thoughts. "We'll have to have Abby look through the traffic cameras. I think there are some at the intersection that our victim was struck at."

"Might give us a license plate. Witnesses got the color of the truck but not the plate," Tony mused. "Nice thinking, McGee."

"Wow, you're in a really good mood," Tim pointed out. "What did you do to my desk?"

"What?" Tony asked innocently, then he frowned. "Nothing. You were in before me."

Tim scowled. "You could have done it last night."

Tony rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything to your desk. Promise."

"I've heard that before," Tim snapped.

"He didn't do anything to your desk, McGee," Natalie said from the back, reading over the case file. "He left with me last night."

McGee shot Tony a funny look and Tony glared. "Not what you're thinking so get your head out of the McGutter," he grumbled underneath his breath just for McGee to hear. "But…Natalie's right…I didn't do anything to your desk. So, why don't you get on the phone with Abby and have her look at the traffic cameras McParanoid," Tony retorted, tossing his cell phone at the younger agent.

Tim, still not convinced that he was not going to find something super glued to his desk when he returned to work, dialed Abby's cell phone and waited for her to answer. While he explained his idea to her, he studied Tony's face while they drove. He seemed more relaxed than he had in a while. Gibbs' secretive nature was not helping matters either. McGee wondered if Tony knew something that he didn't but decided against pressing matters though after he hung up with Abby. It might make Tony cranky and a cranky Tony was an even more difficult man to deal with than when he was in a good mood.

So, they rode the rest of the way to the hospital in silence, something else that was unusual for Tony. It was a well-known fact that the senior field agent hated silence, it was probably one of the reasons that he never shut up. Tim was actually beginning to get concerned that Tony wasn't fine and he was putting up an act.

Tony was the one to lead the way into the hospital and to greet the Navy doctor. He flashed his credentials at her. "Hi, I'm Agent DiNozzo, this is Agents McGee and Callahan. We're here to talk to Petty Officer Peters."

"He's heavily sedated. I don't know how much help he's going to be," the doctor said with a smile. "But if you leave your number, I'd be happy to call you when he's less sedated and more capable of answering your questions."

Oh boy, Tim thought noticing her flirty look at Tony. Here we go.

"We still need to speak to him, Doctor," Tony said, firmly. "What room is he in?"

"210," the doctor replied with a frown when she realized he wasn't going to flirt back with her.

Tony thanked her and began to walk towards the room. Tim, still confused as to why Tony rejected her advances, jogged to catch up. "Tony, that Navy doctor was totally hitting on you."

"Was she?" Tony retorted, stepping into room 210. "Didn't really notice."

"Didn't notice?" Tim gasped. What the hell was going on? Tony never passed the advances of an attractive woman, except when he'd been in the relationship with Jeanne Benoit. He left with me last night, Natalie's words broke through. Was it possible? Had they really broken rule 12 with Natalie only being on the team a month? Well…sure it was possible…but…gosh this was so unlike Tony, not to be flirting, that McGee didn't know what to think as the trio entered the hospital room.

Tony closed the door to the room and looked down at the petty officer peering at him through drugged eyes. "Petty Officer Peters. We're here to ask a few questions."

Peters smiled, groggy. "Was wondering when NCIS was going to show up."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"I was hit by a speeding truck."

Tony resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah. We got that much, Petty Officer. What do you remember before you were hit?"

Peters closed his eyes for a moment. "I remember hearing the sound of a car revving up, like they were getting ready to drag race or something. And then I saw the headlights, heard a few people scream to look out and then I was flying. Everything went back after that, sir."

Tim watched as Tony made note of the Petty Officer's answer and then they made eye contact, while Natalie asked, "Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt you?"

His eyes flew open and Peters laughed. "Me? No! Well, maybe a jilted ex-girlfriend, but I don't think she'd run me over. Plus, she doesn't own a truck."

"Could she have borrowed one?" Tony asked, a little sarcastically.

"Sure! Maybe she rented it!" the Petty Officer snapped back.

"What's her name, wise guy?"

"Shelby Kincaid."

Tony jotted the name down. Peters glared at him. "Are we done?"

"Yeah," the senior field agent said, putting his notepad in his pocket, "for now. Don't travel too far okay."

"Don't worry," Peters snapped as the agents left, "I'm kinda tied up at the moment, sir. I won't be going anywhere."

Tony, armed with a Caf Pow, ventured down to the lab with Natalie after lunch. Abby had given up calling Natalie Agent Callahan all the time and she wasn't as icy towards the new agent, but she wasn't exactly buddy-buddy with her either.

"Brought something for you, Abs," Tony said, with a tight smile. "Did you find anything on those traffic cams?"

"Timmy has very good instincts," Abby said, sucking on her drink. "The cameras picked up the whole thing. I managed to get a plate number on the F-150 that hit Peters."

Natalie moved towards the big screen that Abby had projected the image of the truck on. "Doesn't look like a rental," she deadpanned.

Tony laughed and joined her in front of the screen. "What does it look like?" he asked, letting his elbow brush up against her arm.

"Like it was in an accident recently. And not the hit and run," Natalie said, pointing towards the back fender. "Abby can you zoom on the back fender?"

"Of course," Abby said a bit snarky as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

Tony watched as the back fender became bigger than life on the screen. It was obvious that it had been hit from behind, probably by another truck…meaning there had to be police records on the accident. "Nice catch, Nat," he said. "We can get in touch with local LEO's and ask if any F-150's were in any fender benders in the last month or so."

Natalie paused for a moment, "Nat?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Tony said, flashing one of his charming smiles, "You work with us you need a nickname…I mean Abby has Abs and Palmer the Autopsy Gremlin…and McGee…I've lost track of how many he has. I do have my favorites though…"

"I hate it," Natalie told him.

"Good," Tony shot back playfully. "You're not supposed to like it!"

Abby let out an annoyed huff. "Don't you guys have a case to solve?"

Tony squared his shoulders and turned to face her, giving her a warning glare. Abby pursed her lips together and spun on her heel, heading into the back of her lab, muttering that she was going to go do some maintenance work on her computer.

Natalie tried not to show a disheartened look in her eyes, but it was useless. And Tony picked up on it right away. He didn't say anything until they were in the elevator and on their way back to the squad room. "Don't let her get to you, Natalie," he said, gently. "Believe it or not…she didn't like me right away either. In fact…the only one that I saw her take too quickly was Kate—unless you count McGee—but I wouldn't…because they were dating."

"McGee dated Abby?" Natalie inquired, blinking in disbelief.

"Oh yeah. Even has a tattoo because of her."

"McGee got inked?"

Tony grinned as the doors opened and dropped them off on their floor. As Natalie launched into a series of questions directed at McGee about his relationship with Abby and his tattoo, the look on McGee's face was enough reward for Tony and plenty of payback for his partner spilling the beans about the Derby last year. Two really could play this game and right now, Tony was winning.

"Director, Agent Dunham would like to speak to you," the technician cited.

Vance had been in the middle of reading another report when she spoke and glumly nodded his head. Soon Chad Dunham's bearded face filled the larger than life screen in MTAC. "God, I hope you have something for me, Dunham."

Dunham nodded. "I think I do, sir. Finally found someone that did business with our freighter captain. He says that this is highly unusual for him to be gone this long."

"When was the last time he spoke to the captain?"

"May. Captain told him that he was transporting a group of Israelis for a lot of money."

Finally, we're getting somewhere, Vance thought. He stood and tugged on his suit coat. "Did your informant have any idea where the freighter is now?"

Dunham frowned. "Yes and no, Director. According to what he told me, the ship left port just a head of a hurricane. He doesn't have any concrete evidence but he believes that the Damocles went down, sir—with no survivors."

Vance felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A seasoned captain, taking his ship out into the middle of a storm—that just rang suspicious. And he had a sick, sneaky feeling he knew exactly what happened to that crew. They didn't die in a shipwreck. They had become the next victims in a long path of death that Eli David carved. Now, he just had to make sure that NCIS never got on that path again.