NCIS
Chapter One – Yankee White
In an apartment in Washington D.C in the United States a young woman was asleep. This woman was Gwenhwyer (Gwen to her friends) MacDhiarmaid. She was visiting a friend which is why she was in America instead of her home country of Scotland. She was happily dreaming until her friend in question called to her.
"Gwen" Kate called to her, "it's time to get up, we have to be at the airport soon to board the plane".
Gwen groaned before rolling over onto her back.
"I have no idea how you managed to talk your boss into allowing me onto Air Force One while you are working to protect the president" Gwen said to her friend, her Scottish accent ringing through the apartment.
"I just said that you are currently visiting me and as they know you from when we worked together a couple of years, they know you have been vetted" Kate explained. Gwen reluctantly emerged from the bed to get dressed for the day ahead. It was a little unreal to her. She was going to be flying on Air Force One with the president of the United States of America, something that not a lot of people get to do.
A couple of hours later the two of them were aboard the plane. Kate and Gwen stood by where a navy commander by the name of Ray Trapp was sat along with Kates boss from the secret service as the president came past them. He briefly spoke with the president before offering to share his lunch with him. Afterwards he approached Gwen.
"You must be agent Todd's friend from Scotland Yard" he said to her.
"Yes sir, it's an honour to be here" she replied back.
"I hope you enjoy your time aboard Air Force One" he said before walking off to his office. Kates boss followed after him.
A moment later Kate approached the commander.
"Lunch with the boss on your first day, your destined for stars on those shoulders commander" Kate said to him before sitting down. The commander sits down and holds on to the bag he is looking after, carrying the football. Gwen had no idea what that even meant but decided that it didn't matter and sat down in the empty chair next to him.
Lunchtime came around and Gwen took her lunchbox out of her backpack while Kate declined. Gwen was asked after but she simply said while holding her box "I think I'm good".
The Commander eventually returned from having lunch with the president and then fumbled with his briefcase before dropping it which immediately got Gwen thinking that something was wrong. She had been reading at the time but decided to set her book aside so that she could assist if something happened. The commander picked the briefcase up again and moved it back to by his seat.
"I fumbled in my first Army Navy game but I recovered the ball" he said as he did so. He and Kate then introduced themselves to each other all while Gwen simply observed him. His speech seemed to become a little unsteady as he kept talking to Kate. He sat back down but then started to have a fit and fell off his chair onto the floor. Kate quickly called for medical personnel to asses his condition. Her boss them returned, wanting to know what was happening but unfortunately neither Kate nor Gwen could give him an answer.
The medical personnel arrived and started trying to treat him before Kate then spoke.
"Doctor, he just had lunch with the president" she said which then prompted him and her boss to rush off and ensure that the president was not in any danger. The rest of the medics continued trying to help the collapsed commander. Kate and Gwen stayed behind.
Eventually the plane landed and the president transferred over to the back up plane. Kate and Gwen stayed behind. Gwen had a feeling that things were going to get interesting and she wasn't wrong when the FBI turned up to try to claim jurisdiction from the secret service. She decided that her best course of action was to stand in the corner and observe rather than getting involved, especially as she wasn't working at the time, even if she did have her ID with her. That was a force of habit though.
"If J. Edgar Hoover was alive, I'd tell him what I'm telling you. This body is in Wichita County and as County Coroner I have jurisdiction. No one moves it until the M.E. says they can", the coroner told everyone.
"Your jurisdiction doesn't supersede the FBI on Air Force One" Agent Fornell from the FBI countered.
"It's not Air Force One, Agent Fornell" Kate said before standing and moving over to the group, "when the president departed on the backup plane, it became Air Force One. This is now Alpha Foxtrot 2900".
"Don't get into this pissing contest, Agent Todd. As you pointed out, the president's gone – it's no longer a secret service problem".
"Except we don't know if his death is linked to a possible assassination attempt on the president. We currently don't know what caused his death, whether it was a natural death or a murder" Gwen pointed out from where she was stood in the corner.
"I'm not sure why your even here, you definitely don't have jurisdiction" Agent Fornell said to her.
"I'm not working" Gwen told him.
"Gwen was visiting me when I got called into work and she was allowed to accompany me on the flight" Kate explained. "And she's right, until we know if this is a natural death or not, it's my problem".
"Uh, I don't give a damn which of you is boss. You ain't moving this body until the M.E. says you can" the coroner explained to everyone present. It was at that moment that the M.E. Then arrived followed by to other gentlemen, one older and one younger. Gwen looked at the older gentleman and became curious about him. She didn't know why but she would certainly call him a handsome man. She then brushed those thoughts to the side as she figured she wouldn't see him after this situation was resolved. She got the feeling that the younger man might be a bit of a flirt, she wasn't sure why.
"You talking about me, Elmo?" The M.E. asked the coroner.
"Ducky. How'd you like those steaks I air-expressed you?" the coroner asked in return.
"Ah, Delicious" the M.E. relied. He removed his jacket and tossed it to the older man.
"They air-express steaks?" Gwen thought to herself. She felt herself becoming more confused the longer she spent in the United States. This obviously confused Fornell as well as Gwen heard him and Kate have a brief discussion about it. The coroner, Elmo then explained the situation to the newcomers.
"Uh, Agent Fornell here is FBI. Agent Todd is secret service. Not sure who the other lady is but apparently, she's not working so I don't think it matters. Ducky, these two have been fighting over this body like two hounds over a t-bone" he explained.
It was at that moment that the older gentleman, Special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked and spotted the lady in the corner. She was tall, if he had to make a guess, he would have said 5 foot 11 but then he spotted she was wearing heels. She was wearing trousers, shirt and a jacket along with a waistcoat and tie that he could see behind the jacket. Her dark red hair was tied back in a way that he couldn't see where it was.
"Well, it's our t-bone for the moment" the M.E., Ducky said while bent over the body of the commander so he could begin his examination.
"All these LEOs are contaminating the potential crime scene" agent Gibbs said.
"Oh yes, my assistant's right. Everyone who boarded in Wichita will have to evacuate the plane" Ducky said.
"I'm not going anywhere" agent Fornell declared.
"I flew in on it" Kate said.
"So did I" Gwen said, making Ducky look up at the familiarity of her accent.
"Very well, the three of you can stay. But everyone else must deplane" Ducky said. The coroner then began herding everyone else off the plane.
"Alright, you heard the M.E., lets move it boys. Ducky, what do you think?" Elmo asked Ducky. Ducky continued examining the body, trying to find a potential cause of death.
"No outward sign of trauma" Ducky answered after a few moments.
"He was stricken after having lunch with the president" Kate said, giving Ducky a brief description of what happened.
"Yeah, how is the president?" the younger man, special agent Tony Dinozzo asked.
"He's fine. His physician cleared him to fly on to L.A." Kate told him.
"What happened?" asked Gibbs. He looked at both Fornell and Kate for an answer but it was Gwen who spoke up from her spot in the corner.
"He came back from lunch, dropped his briefcase before picking it up and putting it by his chair. He then sat down and it looked as if he started having a fit. He slid off his seat onto the floor and was foaming at the mouth. The doctor said it was possible he had a stroke" Gwen explained.
"So, it was a sudden illness rather than it happening gradually, yes?" Ducky asked her. Gwen nodded.
"Kinda young for a brain fart" Tony said while he was taking notes.
"Brain fart?" Gwen thought, "there's no way he's a M.E.'s assistant using terms like that".
"Looks like a natural death to me, Elmo. They can leave with the body as long as the sign releases" Ducky concluded.
"Why the hell didn't you say that?" Fornell asked Elmo.
"Couldn't. Like I said, it's the M.E.'s decision. The release forms are in my car" Elmo explained to him.
Fornell turned to Kate and said "Let's go. We can work out jurisdiction for Washington on the flight to Andrews". Kate nodded and moved to follow him.
Gibbs approached Gwen.
"And you are?" he asked her.
"Does it matter? I said earlier that I'm not working" she asked back. Kate heard her.
"Gwen!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Gwen asked to which Kate have her a look to answer the question before following Fornell off the plane. Gwen sighed and rubbed her hand down her face before digging into her jacket pocket and getting her ID out and handing it to Gibbs.
"Dr Gwenhwyer MacDhiarmaid, Scotland Yard" Gibbs read from her ID.
"Don't worry, I'm not getting involved in this pissing contest" Gwen said. Gibbs snorted at her terminology.
"No offense but you might pass as an M.E.'s assistant but he definitely doesn't" she continued while at Tony, "No competent M.E.'s assistant would call a stroke a brain fart".
"Why are you here?" he asked her.
"Kate's a friend of mine. We met while the president was visiting the UK and we were both assigned security jobs while he was meeting with the Queen. I was visiting her when she got called into work and she pulled some strings so I could be allowed to accompany her" Gwen explained to him.
"Tony, go hot. Show the pilot your credentials, get us the hellmouth of here" Gibbs said to Tony, who then started walking off in the wrong. Gwen whistled at him to get his attention.
"Cockpit's that way" Gwen told him while pointing in the correct direction. Tony then corrected the direction he was walking in.
Gibbs then knelt by the body so he could speak to Ducky.
"Did you enjoy playing my boss?" Gibbs asked Ducky.
"I did rather" Ducky answered him.
"What do you think happened, Duck?" Gibbs asked him.
"Good, God Gibbs. I barely met the deceased" Ducky exclaimed, clearly asking Gibbs to give him more time.
"I think Dinozzo's right. A naval aviator stroking at his age?" Gibbs asked. Gwen then decided to join the two of them, to see if you could at least be of some use.
"He could have a pre-existing condition and just not known about it" she told them.
"She's right. He could have been born with an aneurysm. They're time bombs in the body. I remember this young promising Basso profundo in London. He was only 27 when he keeled over in the middle of an Otello aria" Ducky said agreeing with Gwen.
It was at that point that Kate returned and it was obvious that she was not happy.
"Who the hell are you people? You're not M.E.'s assistant. And there's not a soft-shell crab within 1000 miles" Kate exclaimed.
"Sorry" Ducky said to Gibbs, apologising for the slip.
"NCIS" Gibbs said, answering Kate, "We flew down from Washington to take over the investigation". He showed Kate his badge. The answer clearly made Kate angrier than she already was.
"First the FBI tries to muscle in and now NCIS" Kate griped.
"Yeah, well I do believe this is a dead naval officer" Gibbs explained.
"He does have a point Kate" Gwen said agreeing with agent Gibbs. Kate glared at her friend who then put her hands up as if in surrender. She then turned back to Gibbs.
"Who died on Air Force One after having lunch with the President it's my job to protect" she told him.
"Okay, we can share jurisdiction. You can be on my team" Gibbs said to her.
"Your team? Why should you have the investigation?" Kate asked Gibbs.
"Have you ever worked a crime scene, Agent Todd?" Gibbs asked.
"I would like to point out that she is a secret service agent. Also, I spent 5 years working in forensics while I did my PHD" Gwen answered for Kate.
"I thought you said you weren't working" Gibbs said to Gwen.
Gwen simply replied "Just because I'm not working doesn't mean I can't be useful; I hate standing around doing nothing". This seemed to make Gibbs think for a moment before he turned back to Kate.
"I thought not" he said to her. This attitude clearly pissed Kate off more and she voiced this.
"Well, don't dismiss me like that. Okay, I earned my jock strap" she said.
"Yeah, does it ever give you that empty feeling?" Gibbs asked. This confused Kate for a moment.
"What?" she asked.
"Your jock strap" Gibbs clarified.
"No. Like some species of frogs, I grow what I need" Kate replied sassily. This made Gwen snort and Gibbs smirked at her spunk. It was at this point that Tony returned from the cockpit.
"Gibbs, the pilot won't take off until the secret service chick gives us the thumbs up" he said, explaining why he was back. Ducky looked between Tony, Kate and Gibbs for a moment.
"I think that just made it my team" Kate said smugly.
"No, I think that just means I have to hijack Air Force One. Tony? Escort agent Todd off this aircraft and close the hatch" Gibbs said back.
"What about me?" Gwen asked.
"You can stay, you're not working" Gibbs answered her. He then started heading up the stairs to
The cockpit while Tony went to the door to Close it so they could take off. This startled Kate for a moment. She started following him up the stairs.
"You're not serious" she exclaimed, "Wait! Wait., okay! okay! Your team. But only because
I don't wanna delay us further having to shoot you". The two of them shook hands sealing the sharing of jurisdiction and headed up to the cockpit to tell the pilot to take off while Dinozzo shut the plane door in agent Fornell's face. This left Ducky alone with Gwen.
"So, I have a question, what does NCIS stand for?" Gwen asked.
"Naval Criminal Investigative Service, my dear. I must say it's nice to meet a fellow Scottish person" he answered her, "I'm Doctor Donald Mallard, Ducky to my friends".
"I figured that when Elmo called you Ducky. So, is it the Duck or the Steam train?" Gwen asked.
"I'm not actually sure. And you are?" Ducky Prompted.
"Dr Gwenhwyer MacDhiarmaid" she replied.
"You mentioned a PHD" he said.
"Aye, Criminal Psychology" she replied, "my thesis was comparing male and female serial killers".
"So, you were saying about the Bassoon player" Gwen said. This seemed to delight Ducky who then continued telling her the story he had started.
It was just after Ducky finished his story that Kate returned whilst he was using a liver probe on the victim.
"Are you starting the autopsy?" Kate asked him. Gwen snorted.
"I doubt it Kate, he's probably just double checking the time of death" Gwen replied.
"She's right, I'm just taking his liver temperature to corroborate the time of death" Ducky said.
"The president's physician declared him dead at 2032 zulu" Kate explained.
"Never hurts to check Kate, the physician was with the president for a short while before he came back" Gwen said. It was at that point that Agent Dinozzo appeared behind Kate.
"Excuse me, you'll need to stand clear so I can take measurements for my crime scene sketches. Thanks" he said to her. Kate looked at little surprised at this and voiced her opinion.
"Sketches? You've taken a dozen photos" she asked him.
"It does make sense Kate; technology is not always reliable" Gwen explained. Dinozzo then decided to show his immaturity by showing Kate the front of a magazine that had a female model on it.
"Tell me her measurements" he asked her.
"You're pathetic" Kate said to him, clearly not amused by his antics.
"No, I'm serious. Can you tell if she's 5'4" and a 34C or 5'7" and a 36D? You can't, not from a photo. That's why we do sketches and take measurements. Thanks." Dinozzo explained. Gwen then looked at the photo.
"I would like to pint out that you can't guess her height when she's not stood up straight. Dinozzo looked at her and then went back to what he was doing.
"I got 1915 zulu. That's more than an hour earlier" Ducky exclaimed.
"Well, then, you miscalculated" Kate stated. Gwen doubted that, she had a feeling that Ducky had been doing this job for many years now and so could easily calculate time of death accurately. It was at that point that Agent Gibbs came back down the stairs from where he was.
"What's the problem?" Gibbs asked the group.
"Disagreement about the time of death of the victim. Ducky's calculation puts it at more than an hour before the physicians time but she's forgotten that he spent roughly an hour with the president checking him over before coming back to check on the victim. Chances are he died during that time frame" Gwen answered, also pointing out a possible reason for the discrepancy. Ducky looked contemplative for a moment.
"Log yours" Gibbs told him, "Enough sketches, Tony. Agent Todd's gonna give you a floor plan" Gibbs continued while walking away. Kate chased after him while defiantly saying that she wouldn't.
Ducky turned to Dinozzo to talk about his evaluation of the swimsuit model which Gwen tuned out as she sat down for a few minutes.
It was a short while later that Kate and Gibbs returned to Gwen, Ducky and Dinozzo.
"I believe Gwen is right in that the reason for the time of death discrepancy is because the physician didn't declare the time of death of the victim until after he had made sure the president wasn't in medical danger. Yes, I'm sure the autopsy will show that Commander Trapp expired almost immediately" Ducky explained.
"I owe you an apology, Doctor" Kate said to him.
"Please, it's Ducky to my associates. I'm just relieved we straightened it out. It's inconsistencies like this that start conspiracy theories. It reminds me of a case once in New Orleans. A jealous husband shot his wife off a Mardi Gras float right under the clock at the corner of Basin street and..." Ducky was saying before Gibbs interrupted him.
"Come on, Duck, give it a rest. She's got work to do" Gibbs said. Kate smiled at Ducky before she stood up and followed Gibbs who was leaving.
"I'll tell you the rest later" Ducky said to Kate as she was leaving.
"You know you would get along really well with my grandad; he likes to tell stories too" Gwen said before following Gibbs and Kate. She caught up with them as Kate was asking about crocheting something on pillows. This confused Gwen so she asked what they were talking about.
"Crochet what on pillows?" she asked.
"A list of rules he keeps giving me so I remember them" Kate told her.
"Well, that is one way to remember them. You could also write them down in a notebook. I would if weren't going home in a few days' time" Gwen said. Gibbs looked at her before he continued walking. They got the room with the president's desk to find Dinozzo sat at it which annoyed Kate.
"Oh, no. I draw the line at him sitting in the president's chair" Kate stated.
"He's not using it" Dinozzo said defending himself. Kate turned to Gibbs and said his name.
"Fine. If you're finished taking pictures start bagging and tagging" Gibbs said to Dinozzo.
"Just waiting for you boss" Dinozzo said back.
"Oh, bagging and tagging what?" Kate asked.
"Well, to start with, everything. The president was sitting here?" Gibbs answered and then asked.
"I'm assuming so as it's his desk" Gwen replied. Gibbs then explained what he was doing as he was doing it before Kate then ran off after covering her mouth, to stop herself from throwing up before she got to a toilet. Gibbs followed her with an open evidence bag. Dinozzo followed a few moments later and then Gwen decided to check on Kate after a couple of minutes. She arrived to see Kate glare at Gibbs before going into a toilet and Gibbs telling Dinozzo to go find Ducky.
"You think she's got what killed the commander?" Dinozzo asked but Gibbs just looked at him. Dinozzo left and Gibbs sat down and looked out the window. Gwen sat in seat next to him and did the same.
A short while later Kate was lying on a couch whilst Ducky took her temperature with Gwen sat nearby. Gibbs was also sat nearby.
"No temperature" Ducky said after reading the thermometer, "I think it's a stomach virus".
"I know it is" Kate said, "Did you use that thermometer on cadavers?" she then asked Ducky.
"Would you rather I use the liver probe?" Ducky asked back.
"Why are you so sure it was the flu?" Gibbs asked her. Kate sighed and then explained.
"It's the same symptoms Major Kerry had" she told them.
"Well, did you work together recently?" Ducky asked.
"No" Kate answered.
"They've been dating for a few months" Gwen explained further.
"Gwen" Kate exclaimed.
"What? It's not like it's against the law to date a co-worker" Gwen said. Kate then looked at Ducky.
"Did you think I was a virgin?" Kate asked him.
"I'd hoped not" Ducky replied. Gwen rubbed her hand down her face.
"You make it sound like being a virgin is a bad thing" Gwen said. Ducky then stood and walked off, leaving Kate and Gwen with Gibbs. They sat in silence for a few moments.
"You gonna lecture me about sleeping with people you work with?" Kate asked Gibbs.
"Nope" Gibbs replied. A voice comes over the intercom.
"Agent Todd, Agent Baer's on the secure line for you" the voice said. Kate then sat up, knowing she would have to take this call.
"Sounds like the boss wants you" Gwen said to Kate.
"Want me to take that call for you?" Gibbs asked Kate. Kate looked at him.
"I'd have to be dead" Kate answered him, very serious. She then stood up from the sofa and left to take the call. Gibbs then sat for a moment before smirking and chuckling to himself. He then turned to Gwen who was sat on a chair behind where Kate had just been lying down.
"So, you're a virgin" he said to her.
"What about it?" she asked.
"I just find it hard to believe that you don't have a partner" Gibbs said, explaining his disbelief.
"I've been focusing on my career rather than dating. Doesn't mean my family haven't tried getting involved though. I've had aunts set me up on dates that have turned out to be disastrous. Thankfully my parents don't mind my lack of love life" Gwen told him.
"They not been bugging you about giving them grandchildren?" Gibbs asked.
"I have four older brothers. Between them I have a dozen nieces and nephews" Gwen replied. Gibbs looked shocked for a moment.
"Wow, that's a lot grandchildren" he said.
"I know, it certainly makes Christmas fun, tyring to come up with gifts for all of them" Gwen stated. The two of them then sat in silence whilst Gibbs processed what he had just learned about Gwen. He had no idea why he wanted to learn about her, he had a partner but there was just something about her that intrigued him.
A short while later Gibbs eventually got and up left Gwen on her own. She guessed he was going to co-ordinate with Dinozzo and Ducky about moving the body so that they could take it to where ever their headquarters were. Her hunch was proved right when Kate returned from chatting to Agent Baer and Gibbs returned from where he had gone to. Gibbs returned first and sat down with a cup of what Gwen guessed to be coffee.
"Where's the body?" Kate asked him.
"I don't know" Gibbs replied. The two of them chuckled.
"You move it to the aft ramp for a fast getaway?" Kate asked him. Gibbs simply smirked, not denying what she said.
"It won't work Gibbs. I've been ordered to turn the body over to the FBI at Andrews" Kate said. As she said this she put her jacket back on and sat down by where Gibbs and Gwen were.
"He gave you a direct order, didn't he?" Gwen asked Kate. The look on Kate's face told her everything she needed to know.
"Hey, you could stall them until we get off" Gibbs suggested.
"She can't, not unless she wants to lose her job" Gwen said.
"I'm sorry, Gibbs" Kate said.
"Never say your sorry" Gibbs said to her. Kate didn't know what to say to that. Gibbs chuckled nervously after he said that.
"You don't have to crochet that one" he continued. Just then the pilot's voice came over the intercom.
"Folks, please fasten your seat belts. We're beginning our descent into Andrews at this time" the pilot said. After landing Gwen and Kate returned to Kate's apartment for the night.
The next morning Gwen was asked to join the meeting Kate had with NCIS and the FBI. She didn't know why they had asked her to be there, as she had kept telling them, she wasn't working. Ducky was explaining what he had found from the autopsy of commander Trapp.
"My neuropathology exam indicates that our victim succumbed to a cerebral embolism here in the parietal lobe" he explained whilst indicating an area on a scan of commander Trapp's brain, "I also found a number of clots, most of them centered in the renal artery".
"Isn't that unusual?" Kate asked.
"Oh, not at all. In most cases of arterial thrombosis, clots will develop over a period of minutes or hours, spread to the rest of the body" Ducky explained.
"But what caused them to develop in a healthy young aviator?" Gibbs said, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Abby?" Ducky said, indicating for her to explain what her tests had found.
"Well, I did a fribrinogen test. The procoagulant numbers were high, but they weren't off the charts" Abby explained.
"Any drugs that might have induced clotting?" Agent Fornell asked. He was there representing the FBI.
"Well, yeah. But none of those popped up. I only isoed the epinephrine that was injected when he got juled and juiced on the plane" Abby answered Fornell.
"No vitamins, herbals?" Dinozzo asked, thinking about all the things he brought back from commander Trapp's apartment.
"Well, the guy was an organic freak. I mean he probably whizzed green. Bur none of that will cottage cheese your blood" she told them.
"Did you test the food he ingested on Airforce One?" Kate asked her.
"Everything that was bagged and tagged. It was ribs, coleslaw, barby sauce, it was all negative for toxins. I mean that stuff will kill you, but it'll take, like, 30 years. Do you dudes in the secret service ever think about throwing yourselves in front of the president's diet?" Abby said and asked Kate at the end. Gwen snorted as well as getting a small chuckle out of Gibbs.
"Abby, I don't think that's the sort of protection the secret service is meant to do" she said.
"So, you're both saying he wasn't murdered?" Fornell asked.
"No, however freakish and tragic, it was apparently a natural death" Ducky replied.
"I want my people to check your results" Fornell said to Ducky.
"Of course, you and Agent Todd will be receiving copies of all our tests" Ducky said back to Fornell.
"Does it for me" Fornell says before walking away from the group. As he passes Dinozzo's desk he stops of a moment to address him.
"How's your butt?" he asked Dinozzo, referring to earlier when he was in a body bag.
"It's still bouncing on the beltway" Dinozzo replied. Fornell then left.
Gibbs called Kate over to his desk after she started leaving after Fornell, offering her a bit of gum in the process.
"When's the president returning?" he asked her. Gwen had a feeling he was up to something.
"Tomorrow, noon. I'm flying back tonight to rejoin the detail" Kate told him.
"Mind if I tag along?" he asked. Kate did not seem to like the idea, "Please?" he continued. Kate smirked at him.
"You can, your sig Sauer can't. We have a rule. No weapons aboard Air Force One unless you're secret service" Kate replied. Gibbs then took his gun out of the holster and ejected the cartridge before putting it in his desk drawer and locking it. He stood up, grabbed his jacket and made to follow Kate to the lift. Gwen grabbed his arm as he walked past her.
"I have a question. Why am I here?" she asked him. Gibbs stopped for a moment.
"I was hoping you would assist Abby in trying to find a cause the clots that commander Trapp developed" he explained. Abby did not look happy at this idea.
"So, it's not just me that thinks this isn't over yet then" Gwen said. Gibbs nodded his head in agreement at her statement.
"C'mon Gibbs, you know I prefer to work alone" Abby complained. Gwen thought for a moment and after quickly observing Abby, came up with a solution.
"Abby, I propose a deal. You let me help and I will show you some of my Tattoos" Gwen proposed. This made Abby look intrigued. Gwen had spotted that Abby had a few tattoos on her and figured this might me the best way to come to a compromise. Abby thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Follow me, Dr MacDhiarmaid" Abby said before the two of them walked off together. Introductions had been done before Ducky had given his autopsy results. Gibbs heard Gwen tell Abby to call her Gwen. He turned to Ducky.
"I certainly wouldn't have expected her to have tattoos" Ducky said to Gibbs. Gibbs made a noise in agreement before he followed Kate.
In the lab Gwen rolled up the sleeves of her shirt after taking off her jacket. On her right forearm was a war plane with the words 'My Little Spitfire' written in cursive.
"My little spitfire" Abby said after a few moments of looking.
"Aye, it's what my dad calls me. I've also got the names and dates of births of my nieces and nephews on my legs" Gwen said. She pulled the bottom of her right trouser leg up a little to reveal a vine with a name, date of birth and a small picture.
"How many do you have?" Abby asked her.
"Twelve, from four brothers" Gwen replied. Abby looked shocked for a moment.
"That's a lot" Abby said.
"I know and I love all of them to pieces. So, what shall we test first?" Gwen asked before the two of them got to work trying to figure out what caused the clots to form.
Several hours later Abby, Gwen and Ducky were standing in Abby's lab after finishing their testing.
"Ducky I have tested everything. Mineral acids, organic acids, alkaloids, bacterial poisons" Abby said to Ducky. Ducky looked at Abby and Gwen.
"You know, Abby, nature always appears to be a far more illusive and powerful killer than man" Ducky said to them. Ducky then left. This got Gwen thinking and from the look on Abby's face she was also thinking.
Gwen turned to Abby and said "I've got an idea" before she moved to the computer and started searching for animal poisons, toxins and venoms. Abby then joined her and they continued testing, working together as a team with Gwen researching what could cause the clots that had formed rapidly in Commander Trapp and Abby testing Gwen's possible cause. Test after test the two of them kept working to find a result. Gwen could see that the lack of results was getting to Abby but they persevered. Eventually a positive result came through, making Abby so happy that she jumped up from her seat, jumped up and down a few times before whispering "thank you" as if accepting an award. Gwen smiled and hugged Abby when she was done.
"I knew we'd get there eventually" she said.
Unfortunately during the time that Abby and Gwen were testing, Major Kerry, Kate's ex-boyfriend had been found dead in his car. This was the day after and Dinozzo had called Gibbs whilst he was on the plane after being at the crime scene. He passed him over to Ducky who was in autopsy.
"Another stroke, Duck?" Gibbs asked him, looking at a small screen of autopsy.
"I'm afraid so, Gibbs. But this time there are multiple embolic infacrtions. The major must have received a heavier dose than the commander" Ducky explained. The screen then split to show Abby's lab which contained Abby and Gwen.
"Dose of what, Abby?" Gibbs asked her.
"It's venom from a Coastal Taipan. It's a highly toxic Aussie snake. Well, this junk zaps the nervous system and it clots the blood. You convulse and then you stroke." Abby explained.
"The toxin is almost impossible to detect" Ducky added on. Dinozzo then came into the chat.
"The truth is Abby would have detected it if I hadn't interrupted her while she was A-L-S-ing the uniform" Dinozzo confessed.
"The venom was in the uniform?" Gibbs asked.
"Aye, we found traces of DMSO in the collars and cuffs of the shirt he was wearing. We think it was mixed with the venom to make it absorb through the skin." Gwen answered.
"Major Kerry was the intended target, but he came down with the flu. Didn't put on his uniform until yesterday" Dinozzo explained.
"How did the terrorists get the Venom into the uniform?" Gibbs asked. Abby explained about the drycleaner tags on both sets of uniforms before the contact between the lab and the plane was shut off.
After the crisis was averted, Gwen returned to Kate's apartment where she was. The two of them were having drinks and discussing Kate's change in jobs.
"So you resigned your job at the secret service only to be offered one at NCIS. Wow that's the shortest time being unemployed I've ever heard" Gwen said. Kate snorted whilst agreeing with her.
"So, when do you return home?" Kate asked Gwen.
"A couple more days, then it's back to London" Gwen answered. Just then Gwen's phone rang. This confused her as she had not idea who it could be. What followed was a very strange conversation with her boss. After she was finished Gwen sat down and was silent for a few minutes.
"Who was that?" Kate asked her.
"My boss, apparently I've been asked to be a liason officer between NCIS and Scotland Yard. So I'm going to need to find somewhere to live and have some things sent from home. This is not how I imagined my holiday ending up" Gwen explained.
"You could stay with me until you find somewhere else" Kate offered.
"You sure?" Gwen asked.
"Of course, you've been living with me for the last two weeks anyway. It won't be a problem for you to be here for a little longer" Kate said.
"Thanks Kate" Gwen said. She then finished her drink and headed to bed, contemplating how her life could change so much in such a short space of time.