Shared Jurisdiction

It was already 11 am when Special Agents Ziva David and Timothy McGee of NCIS arrived at their workplace. Their boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, didn't like to see anyone being late. But today was an exception. McGee and Ziva had been on a secret observation mission till 3 am, so Gibbs allowed them to come in two hours later than usual. Ziva stepped out of the elevator, smiling, McGee followed her with a serious expression on his face. They each had a big coffee in their hands.

- C'mon McGee. Don't be so grumpy! Be happy we could get away at 3am. If we hadn't noticed that van and hadn't written down the plates, we would still be sitting there.

McGee didn't say a word, just sipped from his coffee. He was too tired to argue, even with Ziva. They both sat down at their desks, and put their guns into their desk's upper drawer.

- Where's Sarah? –Ziva asked looking around the squad room. Tony looked up from his papers.

- Having lunch. –he said stolidly, then, he started a search on his computer.

- Having lunch? Alone? –Ziva asked surprised.

- No, of course not alone. –Tony shook his head- With an FBI agent.

- With an FBI agent? –Ziva started to get confused. She hadn't known Sarah for long, the agent was assigned to their team from another team for her outstanding work.

- Yes. We have a joint investigation with them. –Tony nodded not even looking up from the screen.

- We arrive two hours later than usual, and we are so behind as if we never really worked here! –McGee added grunting. He drank all his coffee than turned to Tony- Can I help you with anything? Credit card records or something like that?

- Good idea, McGrumpy. –Tony said smiling- The victim is Corporal James Wayhne. We should gather every single bit of information on him, or at least as much as we can. I know the FBI's gathering too, but we should be able to tell something to Gibbs as soon as he's back from talking to Abby.

- Gibbs knows about the joint investigation? –Ziva asked as she typed the marine's name into the search engine on her computer.

- No. Not yet. Vance has been looking for him, but he's at Abby's lab, so I couldn't talk to him.

- Then let's work. –McGee said, he was a little happier that he had a job to do now. He typed James Wayhne's name into his newest search engine to collect all possible information about the corporal's electronic life.

Sarah Bryce parked the dark blue NCIS car in front of the Royal Dinner. As soon as she entered the restaurant, she noticed Seeley Booth at one of the tables in the back. She walked to the table, smiling, and sat down in front of the agent.

- Agent Booth, you got the files?

- That's right. –Booth nodded smiling, putting his left hand onto a pile of papers on the table- Around 20 pages.

- 20 pages? You just started the case.

- I guess Bones really added every single paper, even the ones that aren't usually needed.

- Bones? –Sarah asked smiling- You mean, Dr. Brennan?

- Yeah, she got the nickname from me, and I'm the only one who can call her Bones. –Booth nodded smiling.

- Look, Agent Booth. I'll be honest with you. I've read a lot about the two of you, and I really hope that we can solve this case. I should also mention that my boss is probably going to decapitate me for this cooperation…

- Don't worry about it, Bones and I can solve every case we get into.

Sarah nodded smiling, then they both ordered their meals. Sarah ordered salad and a small portion of french fries.

- Vegetarian? –Booth looked up from his plate. He ordered a steak with a bigger portion of fries.

- No, just my Monday usual. –Sarah smiled. She liked the guy, and she was sure that Booth liked her too.

Tony was looking at the 6th database when he found the corporal's file.

- Finally! –he said a bit louder than he wanted to, then he put out the marine's file into the plasma that was placed between McGee's and his desk, in the squad room. Ziva stepped next to him and started to read the file.

- Corporal James Wayhne, 25, graduated at MIT. He worked at Norfolk as a special decoder. No wife, no kids. –McGee put up newer information onto the screen.

- I got his bank records, at least from his navy account. Nothing suspicious.

- What do you mean McGee that you got his bank records at least from his navy account? –Tony asked surprised.

- The corporal has a personal bank account, and I haven't gained access to it yet. –McGee said simply.

- McGee! You hacked the FBI, even the CIA, and you are waiting for access to a simple bank account? –Ziva laughed, but Tim didn't reply.

Sarah decided to invite Booth and Brennan to the NCIS squad room, since Booth wanted to talk to both Gibbs and Director Vance about the case. After lunch, they agreed to Sarah going back to the office and Booth picking up Brennan at the Jeffersonian to bring her to the NCIS too.

Booth liked the lunch very much, not just the food, but the young NCIS agent too. But he was still struggling with the idea of hurting Brennan. He couldn't decide. Brennan or Bryce? Twenty minutes later he stepped onto the forensic platform of the Jeffersonian, right next to Dr. Saroyan.

- Cam, did you see Bones?

- She's in her office.

- Thanks. –Booth turned around and went straight into Brennan's office. He didn't want to spend too much time at the lab, he wanted to be on the road to NCIS. He stepped into the office without knocking, as he always did.

- Bones! Come on, we are going to the NCIS. You can meet the medical examiner there and…

- Booth, I don't have time to chat with another medical examiner when we are in a middle of a case! We need to identify the fractures and marks on the bones and I could list you all the other things I should be doing right now…

- Bones, it's just a few hours. –Booth looked at her, trying to charm her somehow. It didn't always work with her.

- Booth, I'm not going to the other part of the city, so you can court that young NCIS agent. –Brennan added a bit harsher than she had wanted. She stabbed Booth right in the heart with that sentence. Neither of them spoke for a few moments then Booth started to smile.

- I think that DiNozzo guy liked you a bit too much, maybe… -Booth said smiling, but didn't finish his sentence. Another few awkward moments of silence passed by.

- I'm going to let you have a great day, Booth. –Brennan stood up from her desk- I'll be at the parking lot in 5 minutes, I'll gather my notes.

- Bones, it's not about me having a great day! –Booth shook his head, knowing Brennan misunderstood him a bit, but not totally- We have a case to solve and a killer out there.

Brennan didn't say a word. She did know what this whole visit was about, and she was jealous as hell inside, even if she didn't want to admit it. Booth turned around and went back to his car. He didn't want to hurt Brennan at all, but it seemed like he did a great job with that.

Temperance gathered her fresh notes regarding the bones and the newest reports too. The files included Hodgins' preliminary report and Angela's full reports on the identification, plus Cam's notes about the crime scene. She placed the files into a folder and picked up her coat. Then she left a small note to Angela, saying that she is with Booth and that she'll be at the NCIS office. She also left a note saying, that Angela should immediately notify her when she or anyone else finds anything. She put the notes on her desk, then went out to the parking lot and sat in Booth's SUV.

- We can go. –Brennan smiled lightly. When Booth drove out from the parking lot she looked at him.

- Booth, did you speak with their boss?

- No. Not yet, Bones. That's also why we are going there. I need to talk to Bryce and DiNozzo's boss and also to the director of the NCIS, so we can make the investigation official.

- What if the director disapproves the joint investigation? –Brennan asked calmly.

- I think Sarah will deal with that part and we'll have no problem.

- You are really confident. –Brennan noted- The FBI is not really the typical example of having joint cases with any other agency, I don't see why we expect the NCIS to share a case with us without any further discussion.

- Because, you and I are the best crime-solving team in America, Bones.

- That's right. –Brennan nodded, not saying another word through their little journey.

We live our lives by rules, we all know that. Others' rules, laws and the rules made up by us. We can't make the mistakes we made just go away, that's why we make up rules, to avoid those mistakes. Noone knows that better, than Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who made a lot of rules regarding his work and life style. He works hard every day to teach all these rules to his team, to the best NCIS agents. To Anthony DiNozzo, Sarah Bryce, Timothy McGee and Ziva David. He has a lot of rules, but the most important ones were imprinted into his team's mind forever.

Rule number two: Always wear gloves at a crime scene.

Rule number three: Don't believe what you are told. Double check.

Rule number six: Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness.

Rule number nine: Never go anywhere without a knife.

Rule number ten: Never get personally involved in a case.

Rule number twelve: Never date a co-worker.

Rule number thirteen: Never, ever involve lawyers.

These are just the most important ones, which Gibbs' agents will never forget. Of course they all make up their own rules, like rule number twenty-two: Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation. They made this up for their own sake. Gibbs hated to be interrupted during an interrogation. In the interrogation room, Gibbs turns into an actor. He can show a lot of sides of himself, confuse the suspect, and get a nice confession out of them. If you break this magic by interrupting him, you are technically a dead man. And we should not forget about the best forensic expert of NCIS. Abby Sciuto. Abby has an individual style, not just in dressing, but also in her life. She also has her own rules, as everybody else. The first and most important: Never lie to Abby. No one really breaks that rule.

Almost 15 minutes later they were standing in the squad room, being introduced to every team member. After the first meeting, Booth went up to Director Vance, while Sarah took Brennan down to meet Dr. Donald Mallard. Dr. Mallard was the medical examiner for NCIS.

- Dr. Temperance Brennan, if I'm not mistaken. –Dr. Mallard smiled as they shook hands.

- You are not. And you are…?

- Dr. Donald Mallard, but please, just call me Ducky, like everybody else. –Dr. Mallard smiled at her.

- All right, Ducky. –Brennan nodded nearly smiling.

- I heard we have a joint case with the FBI, so I'm guessing you are working for the FBI…

- No, not really. –Brennan interrupted him- I'm not an official agent. I work at the Jeffersonian Institution as a forensic anthropologist. My partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth works at the FBI at the Major Crime Investigation division. We solve murder cases together, that usually wouldn't be solved by other teams.

- I see. –Ducky smiled- I guess those are your notes, right? –Dr. Mallard pointed to the folder in Brennan's hand.

- Yes. Booth said we should talk about our findings. I took my notes and our teams' reports about the bones and all the traumas we noted. I would like you to take a look at the files, however, I must say, I don't make mistakes.

- Of course. –Ducky nodded. He had to get used to Brennan's directness.

Booth went straight up to the director of the NCIS. Director Leon Vance. The director's own colleagues didn't really know the man, he acted differently in every situation, and sometimes he made surprising moves. They never knew what his next move was going to be. Booth quickly closed the door behind him as he entered the director's office. As he turned around he came face to face with Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Leon Vance. They all shook hands and introduced each other.

- To what do we owe your visit, Agent Booth? –Vance asked as he sat back down behind his desk.

- We found a body at the Rock Creek Park this morning. The scientists of the Jeffersonian Institution identified the deceased as Corporal James Wayhne. Since only the NCIS has jurisdiction in cases involving a marine's death, we are asking for a joint investigation.

- The FBI is asking for a joint investigation? What happened to Thobias? –Gibbs grunted. Special Agent Thobias Fornell was the liaison agent between NCIS and the FBI. Booth had already spoken to Fornell about the case, before he had come to talk to the director of the NCIS.

- Agent Fornell told me that the NCIS is really sympathetic, and that he saw no problem in a joint investigation.

- Agent Booth, if I'm not mistaken, your partner is Dr. Temperance Brennan. Is that correct? –Vance asked, not caring about Gibbs previous comment.

- Yes, Bones... I mean, Dr. Brennan is my partner. We solve cases together, mostly murder cases.

- I heard you have a great reputation. You solved cases that others couldn't.

- Yes, sir. –Booth nodded. He hoped the director was not about to bring up old cases for a chat.

- We have solved cold cases too, that doesn't authorize the FBI to hold back a case that belongs to us. –Gibbs interrupted angrily. Vance didn't take notice of this comment either.

- Welcome to our team, Agent Booth. I hope we close this investigation very soon and with success. –Vance said smiling, then shook hands with Booth. Gibbs didn't say a word but shook hands with the agent too, then left the room. Booth was about to leave too when the director stopped him.

- Agent Booth.

- Yes, sir? –Booth turned around to face Vance.

- Just a moment. I would like to give you some advice about Gibbs. He can be really stubborn sometimes, but he is truly one of our best agents.

- Of course, sir, and thank you. –Booth said and sat back on the chair he was previously sitting on, and then listened to Vance's little monologue.

Meanwhile Tony, Sarah and McGee continued to work on the case, gathering every detail. McGee was going through the corporal's e-mails, and tried to get into Wayhne's personal bank account. He didn't have any luck with that. The corporal had a pretty nicely coded system which couldn't be decoded easily without its access code. Gibbs came down from Vance's office quickly. He was really angry, and only the two agents noticed that. The two agents who wanted to run away as fast as they could, but couldn't do so.

- Bryce. I need to talk to you. –Gibbs said coldly and continued to walk towards the elevator. Sarah knew what was coming. It was one of Gibbs' habits to debate about certain things in the elevator, so that no one could run away from the conversation. Sarah only once had one of these "elevator-talks", when she had tried to help her friend without telling anyone. Sarah stood up and started to walk towards the elevator. She glanced back at Tony before she entered. Tony was usually partnered with Sarah during their investigations and he absolutely understood the situation. He had more "elevator-talks". As Sarah entered the elevator Gibbs pushed the down button, and then the red emergency stop button. The shining white light that was flowing in the elevator previously was replaced by a darker shade of blue light.

- Look, Gibbs... –Sarah started, trying to avoid the whole situation.

- No, Bryce. You made a mistake. How many times do I have to tell you guys, that we do NOT involve the FBI in our cases?

- They are the best crime-solving partners in the USA. Plus the body is a skeleton. Dr. Brennan is the best forensic anthropologist in the country.

- They can be the world's best crime-solving partners for all I care. When a marine dies, the NCIS investigates, not the FBI. There are more than 100 million people who commit crime in the USA, those can be the FBI's problem, but marine cases are ours.

- I know Gibbs, but...

- No buts, Bryce. You go back, say goodbye to your FBI friends and tell them that they have till 6pm to send the corpse to Ducky. –with that Gibbs tapped the emergency button, making the elevator move again, then pushed their floor's number. A few seconds later the elevator came to a stop and Sarah stepped out first. Gibbs didn't follow her, and as Sarah saw that, she went back to her desk. Booth was talking to DiNozzo, and thankfully they didn't notice her at first. She quickly grabbed her gun out of her desk's drawer and started to leave.

- Agent Bryce. –she heard from a distance. It was Booth's voice. She stopped in front of the elevator, looked back once into the man's chocolate brown eyes then stepped into the elevator and went out straight to the parking lot. She jumped into her black SUV. She was the only one, who came to work in her own car. She only used the NCIS car when they had to go out to a crime scene. In other cases, she drove her own black Chevrolet Orlando. She got it from her uncle a few months ago for her birthday. First she thought that the car was a bit big for her, but she decided to keep it anyway.

Bryce got home quickly, keeping off the main streets to avoid traffic. She stepped into her house. Bryce came from a rich family, not just a simply rich family. She had enough money to live without having to work at all. But she loved her work. It was her dream to become an NCIS agent and she had become one. It was like she was living her dream, every single day. And now that dream was about to end. With allowing the FBI to work with them, she was on a good and possibly quick path towards losing her job. She didn't want that.

Booth didn't understand why Sarah took off so quickly. Maybe it was something about what DiNozzo was talking about. Gibbs, their boss, talked to Sarah and she was clearly angry. Booth wanted to go after her, but as soon as he heard the elevator doors closing, he knew he couldn't do more. He couldn't leave Brennan here. Bones didn't even want to come here in the first place. They came because of him and he screwed it up.

- Dr. Brennan. You are an absolute genius. –Booth heard a female voice behind him. He turned around and saw a strangely dressed woman next to Bones. DiNozzo stood next to him.

- Abby Sciuto. Our forensic expert. –DiNozzo whispered to him and Booth nodded.

- You are an expert of many fields Ms. Sciuto. I understand you must be a huge help here, and that 75% of the cases would be unsolved without you.

- I don't agree with that. Agent Gibbs, he is very unique. His gut feelings are rarely wrong, and he only needs evidence to support them. And I help him with that. –Abby said smiling as they were getting closer to Tony and Booth.

- It is a big mistake to judge upon someone's gut feelings without having any evidence. –Brennan added. Abby didn't answer her since they had stopped in front of the two agents.

- Abby Sciuto, forensic expert. –Abby said smiling shaking hands with Booth.

- Seeley Booth, FBI. –Booth answered smiling and then turned to Brennan- Bones, you discussed everything?

- Bones? That's cute. –Abby said smiling, pulling Tony back to his desk, leaving Brennan and Booth alone. Brennan smiled and then looked up into Booth's eyes. The agent was lost in his partner's blue eyes.

- Are you done with your romantic stuff, Booth?

That question shook Booth back into reality.

- Romantic stuff? Bones, I told you, we are here because of the case. –Booth tried to explain himself, but it didn't really work. Sometimes Brennan could read him like an open book, and this was one of those moments. And sadly, most of the time, she didn't jump to the right conclusion.

- Booth, you should get me back to the lab, there are a number of other examinations I still need to do. –before Booth could say anything Brennan's phone rang and she picked it up immediately.

- Brennan.

- It's me, Angela. I've got some good news for you, Bren. I scanned the surface of the vertebra and I was able to identify the bullet from the striping left on the bone.

- So you can tell us the type of gun that was used to shoot the corporal, Ange? –Brennan asked as she looked back up at Booth who was still staring down at her.

- Yes. It's a .45, but I'm not sure you are going to like the rest of it.

- Why? What's the rest?

- Smith and Wesson M&P45. –Brennan nodded and repeated the name to Booth slightly holding the phone away from her ear.

- Damn it. That's a navy issued gun. –Booth sighed.

- Ange, can you make a list of all the Smith and Wesson's sold in Washington?

- I could try. –Angela said calmly as she opened her search engine on her computer- But, sweetie, you know this is the type of gun they give you at the navy, right?

- I know.

- Great. I'll give you the list when you come back.

- I'll stay here for a bit longer and Abby will help me get a list of the marines stationed at D.C. and it's vicinity. We'll see what type of gun they were issued.

They said goodbye and Brennan put her phone away, then looked at Booth.

- So... I assume, you are staying. –Booth said carefully.

- Yes. I have some work to do with Abby.

- Great. I'll visit a friend of mine till you're done here. –Booth said quickly and he was already on his way to the elevator. Brennan just nodded, but didn't say a word. Booth could have sworn on his life that he saw a bit of disappointment in Brennan's eyes, but he had to find Sarah now. He had to talk to her. Inside the elevator, he called the NCIS' central number and asked for Sarah's address. After a small debate, Booth was on his way to Sarah's. Brennan was on her way to the NCIS lab with Abby, to compile the list of possible suspects.