Warnings: Spoilers for "Jet Lag"
A/N: Yes, I did use some of that Tiva dialog lol. Anyways, I've been away for a week so I'll keep my note short so you can get to the story! Enjoy!
Natalie wasn't sure where Tony had disappeared too once they had checked out from their hotel room. He had told her that there was something he needed to take care of before they went to the embassy to pick up Nora. She wondered if their flight being delayed had anything to do with it. She wouldn't put it past Tony to be out seeing some more sights before they had to leave. What she did find odd was that he had not asked her to come with him, and that he gave no indication on where he was going.
Burley had already called her once on Vance's orders wondering why the pair of agents had not checked in yet and if Tony did not reappear soon, well, they were going to miss their flight and the Director was not going to like that.
"I love this city," Tony said, plopping down across from her at the tiny table, suddenly appearing as if out of nowhere. "I get why artists love it here, there's just… something about this place."
"Where have you been?" Natalie asked, noticing the motor scooter parked next to their table.
"I decided to take a little drive the European way," Tony answered with a smile. "Finish up, beautiful, I'll take you for a spin."
Natalie looked at him, uncertainly. "We need to report to the Embassy and pick up our witness. I know at times it has felt like one but this really isn't a vacation."
Tony picked at the pastry on her plate, smiling at her, sweetly. "No. But it is a beautiful day."
"You're in a good mood."
"I slept well last night. Why? Didn't you? You certainly looked comfy enough."
Natalie smiled, shyly as she put her money down onto the table to cover her bill. Yes, she had been rather comfortable in his arms. "We really should be going. They're waiting for us at the embassy."
Tony held his hand out to her and helped her up from the table. He went to the scooter and climbed on, feeling her climb on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He grinned, slid his sunglasses down over the bridge of his nose and told her to hold on tight. "Next stop—United States Embassy."
It was cold out but the nurses had let Abby take Tim outside for a bit so he could get some fresh air. It felt wonderful to have something besides a sterile smell in his nose even if it was the smell of snow. Tim had been in the hospital for nearly two weeks now and he had another one to go before the doctors were even going to entertain the thought of letting him go home.
In the midst of his hospital stay he learned that Tony had requested Doctor Pitt take care of his partner. Abby said the senior field agent kept boasting that they now both had scarred lungs, although Tim's was a bit different than Tony's. Speaking of Tony… "Abs? Is everything okay with Tony? He… he hasn't been by in a while to see me."
Abby nodded and fixed his blanket covering his legs. "Vance sent him and Natalie on assignment to Paris. They've been gone for three days."
"Wow… bet Tony loved that assignment," Tim mumbled, with a shake of his head.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Abs, how many times do you think Natalie has heard his Humphrey Bogart impression… here's looking at you kid."
Abby giggled at his attempt to mimic the movie. It failed but she suspected that Tim was right. Natalie was probably going crazy with his movie references. Although, she was the most tolerable to them…even more than Abby herself at times. "Tony and Natalie aren't Rick and Ilsa… they aren't tragic or star-crossed… they're more… Han Solo and Princess Leia."
Tim chortled. He could only imagine what Tony would have to say about that. "Oh, please do explain."
"Han and Leia squabbled all the time but they really did love each other. And they would fly all over the galaxy to save one another."
"Tony would do anything to protect Natalie, like Han Solo."
"And Natalie would return the favor, like Princess Leia."
Tim paused and looked at her, seriously. "Who is Gibbs in all this?"
Abby shrugged. "Don't know. But…according to Stan he did not seem upset when Tony… very clearly had lipstick on the corner of his mouth."
"Gibbs? Leroy Jethro don't-break-rule-12-Gibbs?"
"Uh-huh. Stan said he even teased Tony a bit about it."
"I did more than puncture my lung in that accident, right? I hit my head and entered an alternative dimension, didn't I?"
She shook her head. "No. Seriously… he seems… he seems okay with it. I mean… he has to know right? We've all seen it… you know that… what was the word Tony used—pa."
He had to agree with her. There was a certain amount of chemistry, attraction—pa—between Tony and Natalie that was hard to ignore. With Gibbs so laid back about Rule 12, no wonder Tony had taken the chance. Even if the senior field agent hadn't yet come out and directly stated that he had taken the chance that he was seeing Natalie in a more than professional level. "Well, Tony always did have a thing for brunettes."
"Indeed he does. Sometimes, tha gets him in trouble."
"Women in general, Abby, tend to get Tony in trouble."
It was the truth and Abby often found herself wondering why that was the case. Was it that Tony more than likely hid his true self from those women? Or was it that his heart was too big and that he was giving it away too easily? Or was it a combination of both? Regardless, the fact that Tony had bonded with Natalie so quickly after Ziva had left was still puzzling to her.
A nurse came to tell them that Tim's time outside was up and that Abby had to take him back up to his hospital room. She reluctantly did so, believing that Tim needed more fresh air than he had been allowed and also wanting to continue their conversation about Tony and Natalie. The pair of agents were all the talk around the NCIS water cooler these days and the shock that one Leroy Jethro Gibbs was alright with it was a close second.
She knew that things had changed a lot in the last several months but Abby never imagined that they were going to change this much.
Gibbs allowed himself a small smile when he heard the muted voices in the staff lounge, gossiping about his sudden mellowness surrounding his agents who were obviously in some kind of relationship.
It was true that he had mellowed about Rule 12, but that did not mean he wasn't going to have a little fun with it. Besides, letting Tony squirm would show the marine just how much the SFA cared for Natalie. He needed to know that he was not mellowing out if this was just some fling that Tony wanted to have. If he was going to let go of that rule for Tony and Natalie than the senior field agent better well be damn serious about her. Of course, Gibbs didn't see Tony wanting a fling with her... he saw how protective his second in command was of their probationary agent. However, he couldn't be worrying about rule 12 and the type of relationship his agents were entering.
Right now, Gibbs had to focus on getting his agents, and a witness, home from Paris alive.
"DiNozzo and Callahan's plane take off yet?" the former marine asked as he entered the bullpen.
"Should be in the air in about twenty minutes. Tony just called in a sit-rep," Stan replied.
Gibbs frowned and glared at Stan. "And?"
Stan shook his head to clear his thoughts, as if to remind himself how Gibbs operated. "They picked up the witness with no problems, checked in on their flight with no issues, and introduced themselves to the Air Marshall. I think Tony said the Marshall was a bit extensive, seems to think that he and Natalie can protect Nora well enough on their own."
He didn't doubt that, but Gibbs felt better knowing that there was someone on that flight that had Tony and Natalie's backs. Since the Reynosa cartel had come so close to taking Tim away from them, he wasn't sure he could handle Tony or Natalie getting injured or killed. "Tony will just have to deal. The marshall is there not just for Nora's protection."
"You really think someone on that flight might be out to kill her?"
"Always anticipate, Burley, remember?"
"Of course. How could I forget that lesson? You drilled that into me."
Gibbs smiled to himself. He took a sip of his coffee and found that it was gone. Time to go for another refill. Hopefully by the time he got back they would have more on who had killed their hit man and who was out to kill Nora.
Tony was too busy looking through his photographs of Paris to notice that Natalie had taken a phone call. They had been in the air for nearly two hours already and he was starting to get bored just sitting there, so the camera and showing off his photographs to their witness had been what kept him busy. Nora was leaning over his shoulder, looking at the sights she had seen over and over again living in Paris. She didn't show much interest in the ones of the buildings, but she certainly was interested in the series of shots that Tony had taken of Natalie on the Eiffel Tower.
Nora smiled at him, knowingly. "Well, we certainly figured out what your favorite subject is to film. And you two told me you weren't together."
"We're not," Tony deadpanned. "I just find it hard to resist photographing a beautiful woman. And well... just... she's very attractive."
"That's how Daniel and I met," Nora told him, sweetly. "On the job. Traveling for business."
"Rule number 12," Tony blurted, almost automatically.
"What's rule number 12?" Nora asked, confused.
Natalie had hung up from her phone and explained, "Our boss has set of rules. Rule number 12 is you should never date a coworker."
Tony looked at her slyly. "My understanding... it can't be done."
"Should not be done," Natalie countered with a bit of a smile. She looked at Nora thoughtfully. "How do you and Daniel make it work?"
"Are you two looking for advice?" Nora asked with a grin.
"What? No!" Tony said with a shake of his head.
Nora leaned back in her seat and continued to smile. They were not fooling her. Just by the way Tony looked at Natalie she knew that they were more than just partners. And the photographs of Natalie on Tony's camera only proved her point.
Tony was more than happy to move on from this conversation. It was hard enough lying to a complete stranger like Nora about his relationship with his partner, he was starting to dread having to lie to Gibbs. He looked at Natalie. "What was that phone call about?"
Natalie simply stated, "Gibbs and Stan are working on a case."
"So, why are they calling us? In the air?" he inquired, seeing the look in her gray eyes.
"Does it have to do with me?" Nora asked, looking at the two agents.
"No," Natalie lied with a shake of her head, "not anymore."
Tony knew immediately that she was lying, probably to keep Nora's mind at ease. But something was definitely up. Gibbs would not have had Burley call her mid-flight if they weren't worried about something. As their eyes made contact across the aisle, he was glad she had kept it from Nora. Having a panicky witness would not help matters. Although, he wasn't sure anything flustered Nora.
Natalie reached across the aisle then and slipped the napkin from her drink into his hand. Tony deftly opened it to see she had scribbled a note. Gibbs and Stan found out who hired the hit man to kill Nora. Holly Snow.
He knew that name. The popular D.C madam... so, why was she the one that had hired the hit man? Did she set it up between the actual person that wanted Nora dead and Parsons? Was she in the hired killer business as well as the escort business now? And he hated this feeling of being helpless, that there was nothing he could do until they were back on the ground. Gently he folded the napkin in his hand and shoved it in his pocket.
She had locked eyes with him again across the aisle and he knew she felt the same way.