Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/12420918.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con,
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      NCIS, Criminal_Minds_(US_TV), NCIS/Criminal_Minds_crossover, NCIS_AU_-
      Fandom
  Relationship:
      Derek_Morgan/Anthony_DiNozzo
  Character:
      Jethro_Gibbs, Abby_Sciuto, Ducky_Mallard, Jimmy_Palmer, Timothy_McGee,
      Ziva_David, Anthony_DiNozzo, Derek_Morgan, Spencer_Reid, Penelope_Garcia,
      David_Rossi, Aaron_Hotchner, Jennifer_"JJ"_Jareau, Tom_Morrow, Leon
      Vance, Tobias_Fornell, OMC, OFC
  Additional Tags:
      Non-Consensual_Drug_Use, Past_Drug_Addiction, Explicit_Language, Human
      Trafficking, Ziva_David_Bashing, Abby_Sciuto_Bashing, Timothy_McGee
      Bashing, Redeemed_Timothy_McGee, Tony_DiNozzo_&_Jethro_Gibbs_Father-Son
      Relationship, Crossover, Crossover_Pairings, Explicit_Sexual_Content,
      Archive_warnings_apply
  Collections:
      2017_NCIS_Big_Bang
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-10-21 Chapters: 10/10 Words: 62535
****** When the past meets the present ******
by dont_hate_me01
Summary
     When NCIS uncovers a human trafficking ring, Tony's past comes back
     with a vengeance. Between the danger of the past and the threat of
     the present, Tony’s life hangs in the balance. Although he trusts
     Gibbs with his life, there is only one person who will understand and
     who will be able to help. It was time to call the BAU, and it was
     time for Derek Morgan to come to the rescue.
                                        
                       [https://i.imgur.com/Ku1HmF6.jpg]

Notes
     AN 1: This fic is dedicated to the amazing jesco0307 who became my
     soundboard on all things NCIS fiction related. She has been a pillar
     of strength and a fountain of inspiration for most of my NCIS
     stories. This is for you - THANK YOU!
     AN 2: To the wonderful artist, sexycazzy, thank you for picking this
     story to do the art for! Go and show your love for the art HERE!
     AN 3 To my beta, AmyH0127, once again, thank you! The next one is for
     you!
     AN 4: To each and every person who gave me advice, but more
     specifically to jane_x80 who became my soundboard for this story, I
     salute you. Without you cheering me on, this fic wouldn't have seen
     the light.
     AN 5: To our Mod, Jacie, thank you once again for leading us in this
     challenge, it's always an honor to take part.
     AN 6:The original idea came from NCIS season 13.13 - Déjà Vu, but
     I've made some major changes to it as well.
     AN 7: I've used different characters from all over the different
     seasons of NCIS and Criminal Minds. Please don't try and pack this
     story into one specific season, it will not work.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter 1
Navy Yard – NCIS
3 Days ago
    ‘The past is never where you think you left it.’ – Katherine Ann Porter
“Let’s go, people. Dead sailor found.” Gibbs tossed the keys to the van in his
second in command’s direction as he grabbed his pistol and credentials. He
didn’t look back as he made his way to the elevator. By the sounds behind him,
he knew his team was right on his heels.
“What do we know, Boss?” Tony asked as he took his position next to Gibbs. He
didn’t even glance at the two junior team members. Things were tense in the
bullpen and he was tired of their attitude.
“Body was found on private property. A security team doing patrols found the
site. They contacted the locals and the body was identified as one of ours.”
Gibbs repeated what he knew as they filed out of the elevator. He got into the
passenger seat of the van and closed the door behind him. It was a clear
indication to the two juniors that they should get into the back. He thought he
could hear McGee grumble, but he ignored it.
Tony started the van and pulled out. The two men sat in silence as Tony drove
in the direction of the address Gibbs supplied to him. He was surprised when
Gibbs spoke up next to him.
“I thought you’d come by this weekend for cowboy steaks?”
Tony shrugged. “I had some stuff to sort out. Don’t get me wrong, Boss, I
wanted to, but..,” Tony shrugged again.
Gibbs hummed in response. “Did you manage to sort things out?” He should’ve
known that after the last week, Tony would take time for himself. It was how
his second in command worked things out for himself. He still missed him.
Tony nodded. “Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you this morning, but then we got
the case. I’ll come by tonight if that’s all right with you and then we can
talk?”
“My door is always open, DiNozzo.” Gibbs raised his coffee cup in a salute.
“How did it go this morning?”
“They didn’t even look at the files I’ve placed on their desks. And we got this
case before I could talk to them. So, we’ll see what happens when we get back.
In the meantime, I’ll be doing my work, and hopefully they’ll do theirs.”
Gibbs nodded in agreement. He knew he’d dropped the ball, more than what Tony
did. He couldn’t help but to think back on the conversation they had before the
weekend. At least they’d managed to work out things between them. He’d found
Tony at his desk before he headed home. At that moment, he could see how tired
Tony was.
You do realize that it’s not your fault. I should’ve reacted to the situation
earlier.”
Tony shook his head. “We are both to blame, Gibbs. I just really thought that
they would realize that I’m not an airhead, instead they didn’t look past the
play boy image I portray on a regular basis to get information out of people.
They decided that that is indeed me and therefor I’m not capable of doing my
work.” Tony sighed. “I’m just grateful that you backed me up when it was
necessary, Gibbs. If you didn’t.” He became silent. “If you didn’t, I don’t
think I would’ve been able to continue working with you.”
Those words made Gibbs stumble back. He sat down heavily on the side of Tony’s
desk. “Fuck,” he dragged his hand over his face and then shook his head. “In
all the years that I’ve worked for NIS and then later NCIS you’re the only
person I actively recruited to work on my team, Tony. I know I’m a bastard, but
I will always have your six.”
Tony cocked his head. “I always knew that, Gibbs, but since Kate’s death and
now with Ziva and McGee, it felt like I was totally on my own. McGee’s finally
got some backbone and no longer tries to run when you just look at him, but
then Ziva came in and he became arrogant and you remained silent about it. I
know you’ve heard more than once the swipes they took at me. And don’t get me
wrong, I’m not saying it’s your fault, I should’ve said something, but just
maybe…” Tony lowered his head.
“I should’ve pulled them back, Tony. I dropped the ball.” Gibbs placed a
bracing hand on Tony’s shoulder and squeezed it hard.
Tony nodded. “As I said, we both did. But, Gibbs, I need to handle this. If I
don’t, they’re once again going to say I can’t do my job.”
Gibbs smiled. After the dressing down Tony gave the two junior agents the day
before, he had a feeling they were a bit wary of his second in command. “I
don’t think that will happen, DiNozzo, but I do agree you need to handle this.
You’ve got my backing one hundred percent. Don’t worry about Vance. I’ll handle
him if necessary.”
Tony smiled tiredly. “Thank you, Boss. He looked down at the paperwork before
him. “I still got some stuff to do, so you go on home, Gibbs. I’ll catch you
later.”
Gibbs looked at the documents before Tony and groaned. “You’re using a red
pen.”
“It’s one of many things I’m going to do differently from now on, Gibbs.
Including no longer coddling them and their reports. I had to learn the hard
way; it’s time they did as well.”
Gibbs grunted and nodded. “Good.” He slapped Tony on the back and left his
second in command to work. Ziva and McGee were going to get to know another
side of Tony, one they never expected. The wakeup call would do them good, and
if they didn’t shape up, they could ship out, but Tony would remain.
Gibbs was pulled out of his musings when Tony brought the van to a halt. He
placed his NCIS cap on his head and climbed out. With a no-nonsense voice, he
ordered his team to their jobs. He made sure to keep Tony close and let the
other two do the brunt of the hard work. It was time they pulled up their
socks.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony spoke to the security patrol and got the necessary statements and contact
details from them. He made his way over to where Gibbs stood next to Ducky. He
gave a friendly smile to Palmer.
“Cause of death, Duck?” Gibbs asked as he looked down at the half naked body of
the dead seaman identified as Alice Cooper.
“My dear, Jethro. You always ask that question before I have the chance to take
a proper look at our victim. Surely by now you do realize that I cannot give
you a cause of death by a mere look or two.” Ducky took a deep breath and
continued. “However, from what I can see it looks like she has been shot. If
that was the cause of death, that remains to be seen.”
“I think she might’ve been in a fight as well, Doctor Mallard.” Jimmy Palmer
lifted her hand and indicated to the skinned knuckles.
Ducky leaned in closer. “Make sure that we cover her hands properly, Mister
Palmer, we might get some evidence from them.”
“Will do, Doctor Mallard.” The young medical assistant rushed to their van to
get the gurney and the necessary bags.
Gibbs turned to Tony. “What do you have?”
“The property belongs to a private firm. It’s been earmarked for a housing
project, but there are rumors going around according to the security officers,
that it seems like there are lawsuits between different parties and therefore
nothing is happening. They patrol this area once or twice a week. The last time
they were in this specific area was two days ago. Nothing suspicious noted
then.” Tony flipped his notes closed. “I’ll follow up at the office on the
owners of the property and see if they had any connection with our dead
seaman.”
Gibbs nodded. “McGee, Ziva!” He indicated with his head to the van and managed
to hide a smile as they both scrambled for the van. For a moment Ziva headed
towards the passenger side, but he saw McGee mouthing something to her and she
made her way to the back. It seemed like at least McGee realized they were in
the doghouse. He could only hope that Ziva would come to the same conclusion
and soon. They both had the ability to become decent agents, but first they had
to work on their attitudes or he wouldn’t hesitate to kick them off his team.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Ducky looked up as Jethro entered autopsy a few hours later. He had concluded
the postmortem and Seaman Cooper indeed died of a gunshot wound. It was also
clear that she was not only beaten up fairly severely, but she was tortured. He
found her spleen ruptured with numerous tears in her liver. Her right lung was
heavily bruised and there were signs of internal bleeding. Both her legs were
broken. She did, however, put up a good fight. They’d collected different
samples from her hands, and it was now in Abigail’s hands to sort out. Mr.
Palmer also noticed something that they initially thought a rodent bite, but it
became something much more.
“You’ve got something for me, Ducky?” Gibbs walked in and came to a halt next
to Ducky’s table.
“Indeed, Jethro. And if it was not for Mr. Palmer’s keen eye, I would have
missed it completely.” He held out the small sample holder. He waited for Gibbs
to take it before he continued. “I had a look at it under the microscope. It
looks like a tiny microchip. I was about to take it up to Abigail to have a
look at when you came in.”
Gibbs frowned as he held the little glass bottle in his hand. “Where on the
body did you find it, Ducky?”
“It was embedded in the skin of her left armpit, Jethro. Due to the fact that
she was dumped in that empty piece of land, more than one scavenger had a taste
of her. The incision was so small that as I mentioned, initially it did seem to
be yet another bite mark. It was only when Mr. Palmer had a closer look and
pulled this from the wound that we realized what we have.”
“Why would she have a microchip implanted?” Gibbs wondered out loud and turned
as a voice spoke up behind him.
“Many owners get microchips for their pets, Agent Gibbs. It stores all of your
information and when the dog or cat get lost, picked up and scanned, the
information can help locate their owners. My mother has two small dogs and I
know for a fact they both have microchips.”
“She was not a dog, Palmer.” Gibbs snapped.
Jimmy gulped, his eyes grew large. But then he squared his shoulders and nodded
his head. “Yes, Agent Gibbs, indeed, she was not a dog, but someone tagged her
with that microchip. All that I’m saying is that microchip might have
information on whoever took her, or for what purpose she might have been taken
for.”
Gibbs stared at Palmer and then nodded his head. “Good work, Palmer.” He
reached for Ducky’s clipboard and signed for the sample holder to keep the
chain intact. “I’ll take it to Abby, Ducky.”
“Thank you, Jethro.” Ducky smiled and looked on as his old friend marched out.
He turned to the young man next to him. “Well done, Mr. Palmer, I am very proud
of you. You showed some backbone there and you kept a respective tone. That is
good.”
Jimmy blushed, but nodded. “Thank you, Doctor Mallard.” He smiled. He actually
said something to Agent Gibbs that made sense and he didn’t make a fool out of
himself. With a light heart he continued his other duties.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Gibbs cringed as the automatic doors to Abby’s lab opened and his ears were
assaulted with something that sounded like dustbins being banged against one
another. Abby was not in sight and he ventured in deeper. He found her in the
ballistics part of the lab. She was hunkered against the wall, Bart clutched to
her chest. “Abby!” He had to yell over the noise even as he lowered himself to
touch her on her shoulder.
Abby recoiled at the touch, but when she saw who it was, she flung herself onto
Gibbs and held on for dear life.
Gibbs had to brace himself at the impact and managed to get them both to their
feet. He peeled her off and instead of screaming again, he signed for her to
turn off the noise and to tell him what was wrong. For a moment, it looked like
she wasn’t going to listen to him, but then she turned away and with a flick of
her wrist and with the remote she brought silence to the lab. “What the hell,
Abby?”
“How dare he, Gibbs? We are a family and he’s ruining it. He’s making himself
to be high and mighty, but he’s not. He’s not the boss, you are the Bossman, so
just how dare he! You will tell him where to get off, won’t you, Gibbs? You
can’t let him get away with it.” Abby stamped her foot and pouted.
Gibbs frowned, he had no idea what Abby was referring to. “What are you talking
about, Abby?” He turned and exited the inner sanctum of her lab. He was aware
of the fact that she followed close behind him.
“See, I knew it. I knew he was doing this without you knowing, Gibbs. He’s
acting like a spoiled brat and you should slap him down for it. He has no right
to treat them like that. No right.” She ranted on and paced the floor.
“Abby,” Gibbs growled. He was losing his patience. “I don’t understand what you
are talking about. Who did what, when, to whom?”
Abby took a deep breath. “I’m talking about Tony, Bossman. He’s acting like you
died and he’s king. Did you know he ordered Tim and Ziva to redo all of their
reports for the last two weeks just because he has some bee in his bonnet?
There’s nothing wrong with their reports. And when they told him they wouldn’t
do it, he took out official reprimands. How could he!”
Gibbs saw red. Abby had a soft spot in his heart. She was like a child to him;
an older sister to Kelly, but she was overstepping her boundaries. “How do you
know Tim and Ziva’s reports were in order, Abby?” He tried to keep calm.
Abby shrugged. “They told me they were. They’ve been completing those kind of
report for years now, Gibbs, you know that. How can there be a problem with
them now? Tony’s just being an ass.”
Gibbs struggled to keep it together. “In the MCRT team, how does the chain of
command work?”
Abby frowned at the question. “I don’t understand.”
“If I’m not there, Abby, who’s in charge?” Gibbs voice was a mere whisper.
“No one, Gibbs. You’re the Bossman. If you’re not there, Tony, McGee and Ziva
are on equal footing, they need to work as a team. Something that is impossible
with Tony’s attitude by the way.”
“I’ve got news for you, Abby. Tony is my second in command. He is the senior
field agent. Something that neither McGee nor Ziva are at this stage in their
careers.” He held up his hand as Abby looked like she wanted to interrupt.
“Chain of command works from me to Tony. Both McGee and Ziva are well aware of
this, but they continued to ignore this. And then last week something happened.
Did those two tell you what had happened, Abby?” Gibbs closed the distance
between them, almost pressing her against the table at her back.
Abby’s eyes grew large. It was clear that Gibbs was pissed. But she had no idea
why he was pissed at her. “I don’t understand. Tony…”
Gibbs growled and snapped. “NO Abby! Tony, nothing!” He took a deep breath. “Do
you know what happened last week?”
Abby remained silent. She had a feeling that what Ziva and McGee told her was
not the truth. Tears gathered in her eyes.
“Well then, let me inform you.” Gibbs took her by the arm and pushed her down
in her chair. “Last week we received information on a cold case. The
information was good enough for us to know that if we acted quickly, we’ll be
able to arrest a killer. I sent them out to go and pick the guy up. At the
house, Tony gave McGee and Ziva orders. Instead of following his instructions,
they decided to argue about it with him. Right there on the scene. In front of
the local police. Tony tried to tell them that it wasn’t the time to argue
about it, and he tried to get them to take up their positions. They refused.
They told him his plan would not work. He pulled rank and told them to stand
down. Both of them decided that they were just fine with that and went to sit
and wait in the car. The local police helped Tony out and they managed to take
the guy in custody, Abby. After they got the guy back here Ziva wanted to do
the interrogation and Tony told her in no uncertain terms no. You know what she
did? She pushed him out of the way and went into the interrogation room. She
managed to get a confession out of him three hours later, something that Tony
would’ve done in a third of the time. Tony decided that he had enough and he
came and he reported their behavior to me. But you know what, Abby? By that
time, I already fielded three calls from the local police telling me about the
appalling behavior of two of my agents and the technician in the observation
room to interrogation also called me and told me what he’d personally witnessed
in the hallway. I listened to what Tony told me and I wanted to fire their
asses on the spot. He told me not to, that he would sort it out. That I should
give them a second chance. I confronted them. They tried to make excuses,
saying that they didn’t think Tony was serious. That I knew what a clown he
was. Not once did they say that they were in the wrong. They still feel that
Tony was the one who was at fault.” Gibbs closed his eyes. “Now you want to
come and tell me that Tony is acting like a child. I think it’s time you look
into a mirror, Abby, take a close look, because the only child you’ll see, is
the one staring back at you. I’m disappointed in you, Abby. I really am.” Gibbs
turned away and took the sample container and placed it next to her arm. “Let
me sign for this and see what you can get from that. I don’t want to hear
anything from you, unless it’s work related, Abby.” He waited for her until she
completed the chain of command form and he signed it. He left the lab without
looking back once.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
There was an annoying buzz in Tony’s ears. He could feel his vision going black
and he had to keep on taking deep breaths in an attempt not to hyperventilate.
He couldn’t believe what Gibbs said, but Gibbs didn’t know about what happened
in the past, he couldn’t be making a joke about it. He wouldn’t. His head
snapped up as Gibbs called out to him. “Boss?” He knew he missed something
important, but he had no idea what.
Gibbs closed the distance between his desk and Tony’s desk. There was something
wrong with Tony. The younger man was as white as a sheet, his pupils blown wide
open and his breathing very shallow. Even as Tony finally reacted to his name,
he could see that Tony wasn’t quite sure where he was. He stepped around Tony’s
desk and placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He could feel Tony shiver beneath
his hand. “Phone, Ducky. Tell him to get up here.” Gibbs looked down and cursed
as Tony’s eyes rolled back in his head and slumped forward. Luckily, he was
fast enough to prevent Tony from faceplanting right onto his desk. “Tony!”
“Gibbs?” Fornell spoke up right next to him.
“Help me lower him to the floor, Tobias.” Gibbs ordered tersely and with easy
movements the two men lowered Tony to the floor. By that time a ring of
spectators had gathered around, but before Gibbs could explode, Ducky was
there.
“I do assume that all of you have more important things to do than to stand
around here gaping at a colleague who is in need of medical attention, so move
along people.” Ducky didn’t give them any more notice but moved to Tony’s side.
They dispersed in silence, not wanting to feel Ducky’s wrath on them. “Gibbs?”
“Not sure, Ducky. It was as if he zoned out and then he started to
hyperventilate and then he passed out.” Gibbs explained, his voice laced with
worry.
Ducky hummed and as he was about to start his examination, Tony groaned and
opened his eyes. “You with us my, boy?” Ducky asked as he gently helped Tony to
sit up against his desk.
“Ducky?” Tony frowned and then bowed his head and groaned. “I passed out.” His
cheeks flushed red, but at the same time he tensed up. He remembered why he
passed out. He started to tremble slightly.
“It seems like you did, Anthony. When was the last time you had something to
eat?” Ducky frowned as he took Tony’s wrist in his hand and felt the tremble
pass through Tony’s body.
“Was a bit busy this morning, Ducky. I forgot.” Tony lowered his head. It was
the truth, but definitely not the reason for his collapse.
“Tsk-tsk, Anthony.” Ducky sighed. “Your blood sugar is a bit on the low side.”
He looked up and caught Jimmy’s eye who stood across from him. “Mr. Palmer,
please fetch some orange juice for Anthony. It will help with the low sugar and
then you can get something to eat.” He listened to Tony’s heart and then
nodded. “Let us get you up and in a chair, Anthony.” He stood to the side and
waited for Gibbs and Fornell to help the fallen agent to his feet. He frowned
when he noticed that although more than one agent was still keeping an eye on
what was going on, Timothy and Ziva were absent. He was sure he saw both of
them when he arrived, but now they’d disappeared. Ducky silently shrugged.
There was a possibility that Gibbs had sent them on an errand.
“You all right, Tony?” Gibbs kept his hand on Tony’s shoulder. The younger man
was still ash white.
Tony nodded carefully. “I’m fine, Gibbs. I should’ve taken a few moments to eat
something earlier. I fainted like a girl.” He tried to make a joke out of it.
But by the look on Gibbs’ face, he had a feeling his joke didn’t go down well.
He was saved by Jimmy when the young man appeared with orange juice and a
sandwich in his hands. He took it with a smile and managed to take a few sips
of the ice-cold juice. He knew he had to keep up an appearance. Gibbs would not
let him go if he found out Tony was trying to fool him.
“Palmer, take Tony home. Make sure he doesn’t faceplant again.” Gibbs ordered
and then lifted Tony’s chin with his hand. “Get some rest this afternoon. I
don’t want to see you back here until tomorrow afternoon. Is that understood?”
Tony wanted to object, but he knew the look in Gibbs’ eye. It would not help
him. “Understood, Boss. I’ll take it easy this afternoon and then tonight I’ll
see if I can find anything on that lead Jimmy found for us.” Tony couldn’t say
the words. He couldn’t think of the microchip that was now in Abby’s lab which
made him think of the pain he experienced; of the death he witnessed and of his
own humiliation. He pushed the thoughts away. He had to stay in the present.
Gibbs didn’t look convinced, but in the end, he nodded. “I’ll phone you
tonight. Make sure you answer, DiNozzo, unless you want me to come and kick
down your door.”
Tony managed to smile. “I’ll answer, Boss. I promise.”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony paced his apartment. He’d managed to keep it together and now he was
alone, he could fall apart. He had no idea what the odds were on someone else
planting a microchip into a young woman under the left armpit, unless it was
them. His legs buckled and he grabbed hold of the couch in an attempt to stay
on his feet. He had to focus. He had some digging to do. Tony closed his eyes
and prayed that he was wrong, but his gut told him he was right. The Concubine
ring was back. His past had come back and he had no idea what he was going to
do about it, but he knew he had to get help. He also knew he had to tell Gibbs;
something that he wanted to do for years, but never had the courage to do so.
But first things first, he had to make sure of his facts. It was going to
become long night, but he would sleep later. For now, he would stay awake. It
was the only way to keep the demons at bay that would come and visit him from
now on.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter 2
BAU – Quantico, Virginia
Present Day
Derek laughed at something that Spencer said and turned when the phone on his
desk started to ring. He frowned. It was a D.C. number. “Special Agent Morgan”,
he took the small stress ball in his hand and threw it in Spencer’s direction.
A scowl appeared on his face and he turned away from his friends, becoming
serious.
The call didn’t last long and when it ended, Derek got to his feet.
“Morgan?” Spencer asked in concern.
Derek looked over his shoulder. “Could you get the team together in the
boardroom please? I need to talk to Hotch.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but
made his way over to the stairs to get to the middle floor. He had his phone
against his ear and by the time he knocked on Hotch’s door, the call he made
was complete.
Derek knocked once and entered. “May I have a word?” He closed the door behind
him.
“It sounds serious.” Aaron closed the file he’d been reading and focused his
attention on the senior profiler standing in front of him. “Have a seat.”
Derek shook his head. “We need to take a case and I need you to back me up on
this one, Hotch.”
“That’s a bit cryptic, Derek. I need more.” Hotch frowned, his senior agent’s
whole body vibrated with tension.
Derek sighed. “I called the team together in the briefing room, please, I’ll
explain there.”
Hotch pinched his lips, but then nodded. “Let’s go.” He exited his office
first, Derek right on his heels. They found the rest of the team gathered
already. He took his seat and looked at Derek.
“Just waiting on Garcia,” Derek spoke up just as their technical analyst
hurried into the room.
“You haven’t given me much to work on, Handsome.” She gave him a small smile
before she picked up the remote and turned their plasma screen on.
“I know Baby Girl, I’m sorry.” Derek turned his attention to the screen.
“During the early nineties, a number of college girls disappeared around the
country. The group who took them worked very methodically. They never took more
than two girls from the same college and no more than six per state. They also
made sure that the girls who disappeared stayed in dormitories and that it
wasn’t near any long weekend or coming up to a semester break. That meant that
at least a week would go pass before the girl’s family would realize that she
was missing. They had the ability to gain entry into the dormitories and pack
the belongings of the missing girls, making it look like they left on their
own.”
“The Concubine Ring.” Spencer spoke up. “It was said to be the largest human
trafficking ring in the States at that time. In fact, it’s still seen as the
largest ring. More than twenty of those girls are still missing.”
“Has one of the girls been found?” Rossi leaned forward in his chair. He
remembered the case. It was right in the beginning when he and Gideon had
started building the BAU. Unfortunately, by the time they got involved, the
trafficking ring had been busted. If he remembered correctly, it was done by
the NSA.
Derek shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. There’s reason to believe that they
might be in operation again. He looked over at Garcia. “Could you get the
second part of what I asked for?”
Garcia rolled her eyes. “Am I not the goddess of all things technology? Do you
think a simple request of that nature would bury me?”
“Garcia,” Derek sighed, his shoulders slumped forward. The tension in the room
became tangible.
Derek?” Rossi asked, concerned.
“I’ll explain just now, David. Just give me a moment.” Derek looked at Garcia
and smiled. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
Garcia nodded and took the remote from Derek’s hand. “Both photos are there.”
She pressed the button and a photo of a boy appeared on the screen. She pressed
the remote again and a second image appeared next to the first.
Derek stared at the two images for a long time before he spoke up. “What few
people knew was that when this whole operation was brought to its knees, it was
done by a sixteen-year old who blew everything wide open.” Derek indicated to
the picture on the left. Meet Antioco Durante. At the age of fourteen he was
kidnapped by this same group. He didn’t fit the profile of any of the other
abducted victims, but he fit right in with what the ringleader wanted for
himself. So, instead of being sold into slavery, he was kept as a personal
slave to the leader of the group until he managed to escape two years later.
That is also the only photo available of him. It was taken a month after his
escape.” The boy in the photo looked more like a twelve-year old, than the
sixteen Derek claimed him to be. He didn’t smile, had mousy looking light blond
hair and a vacant look in his eyes.
“You know him.” Hotch spoke up for the first time.
Derek looked at his unit boss and nodded his head. “In 1994, I was a baby-faced
FBI agent when we were called in to assist with the mop up of the whole nasty
ordeal. As the newbie, I got the task of babysitting a possible witness. I was
dropped at the local hospital, showed to a room and told to stay there. At that
stage I don’t think anyone realized just what an important role this teenager
would play in the months to come.”
He looked at the photo again and a small smile graced his features. “Antioco,
AD, was malnourished, totally exhausted, physically and sexually abused,
mentally tortured, on the brink of breaking, but he held his head high, was
well behaved, but didn’t trust a soul. That included all medical personnel. I
was there when they had to sedate him just to take care of his injuries and to
conduct their initial examination.” Derek sighed. “Long story short, it took me
three days before he finally decided that I might not be a threat to him. In
that three days, he only took small sips of water and refused to eat anything.
What astounded me was the fact that it didn’t seem that the lack of food
bothered him. Months later he confided in me that he was only given food once a
week. For him, being without food for three days didn’t mean a thing.”
“Poor baby,” Garcia whispered, the emotion clearly audible in her voice.
Derek nodded. “When he was stable enough to be interviewed the head honchos
bombarded him with questions and he shut down. They thought they could
intimidate him, but after being kept as a slave for two years, being threatened
with mere words had no impact on him.” Derek smiled. “I’d seen him looking at
me more than once during these so-called interviews and knew there might be a
chance of him opening up towards me. I persuaded the seasoned agents to let me
have a go at it. By that time, they were desperate and gave me a chance. Two
days later and two weeks after AD escaped we knew exactly who were caught, who
were rescued, who died and who were sold. We also knew who the ringleaders were
and that the main person in custody was the second in command of the ring. Who
wasn’t caught was the ringleader – Markus Teel.”
“Orest Maslak, was sentenced to forty-years imprisonment. He was the second in
command.” Spencer looked at Derek for confirmation. “I remembered reading about
the case. I remembered how proud I felt when I read witness 0294’s testimony.
The defense crossed him for almost a week, but he stood his ground, he did not
falter once in his testimony.”
“And it’s the only case in history where we managed to keep a witness identity
sealed. Outside of his protection unit, the DA and the rest of the prosecution
team, only the judge knew what he looked like. His real name was never
revealed. Maslak’s defense team tried to get his evidence thrown out, tried to
play underhanded games, but nothing worked.” Derek’s shoulders dropped again.
“A day after he finished his testimony, and just over a year and a month since
he escaped, he was whisked away by the Marshals and I’ve never heard of him
again. They didn’t even want to tell me what his new name was.”
“If he was sixteen, what about his family?” JJ asked with a frown.
“AD was better off with Teel, than his own family.” Derek responded with a
growl. “Trust me, it wouldn’t take much, even today, to go and put a bullet in
the head of AD’s sperm donor. AD didn’t want anything to do with his father.
His mother died when he was eight. His father disowned him when he was twelve.
It was the boarding school who reported him missing and his father couldn’t
give a damn. I helped AD, together with the Marshals, to get himself
emancipated before he took on his new identity. The last time I heard AD’s
father was sentenced to twenty years for larceny.”
Hotch looked at the second photo. “What does Agent DiNozzo have to do with
this?” It was clear that Morgan didn’t know who the man in the second image
was, except that he might know his name if he asked Garcia for a photo.
Derek stared at Hotch. “You know him?”
Rossi snorted and even Hotch cracked a smile. “Yes. He’s the second in command
to NCIS’ Major case response team. The team leader is Leroy Jethro Gibbs.”
“And the second b in his name, makes him indeed a bastard.” Rossi piped up.
“But, in the same breath, he’s a brilliant investigator. And DiNozzo is even
better.”
“I remember”, JJ smiled. “We worked a case with them a year and a half back.”
She pointed at Garcia, Spencer and Morgan. Both of you were on leave at the
time, so you missed out. Garcia, you were down with the flu. Tony is a real
ladies man, but as Rossi said, one brilliant investigator. Although, he hides
behind too many masks.”
“And too many people fall for them, including some of his team members.” Rossi
shook his head.
“Gibbs sees through him.” Hotch remarked. “Agent DiNozzo will make a brilliant
profiler.”
Rossi nodded in agreement and Derek’s eyebrow shot up at the information. For
Hotch to say something like that meant Agent DiNozzo was something special.
Spencer got up and walked up close to the screen as his team discussed the
person in the second image. He leaned in closer and then stepped back. He
didn’t notice that Garcia disappeared from the room. He stared at the screen
for a long time. “Garcia”, he turned around and frowned when he saw their tech
was missing. “Where?” He stopped talking as she walked in again. She had what
looked like two photos in her hand.
“Here you go, Boy genius.” She handed him the photos with a smile.”
With a nod of thanks, Spencer placed the two photos next to one another on the
table and stared at them intensively. “Garcia, what do we know of this Agent
DiNozzo?”
“I haven’t had a lot of time to gather information on him since Derek also
asked. He attended Ohio State, obtained an initial degree in physical
education, played basketball and football. Both teams made it to something
called the final four, but then in a game against the Michigan Wolverines, his
leg got broken by… and I kid you not, Brad Pitt.” Garcia shook her head. “Not
Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt, but Brad Pitt, who studied at Michigan and who is a
Doctor at Bethesda Hospital in D.C. Agent DiNozzo has been with NCIS for the
past eight years. Before that, he was a cop in three different police
departments.”
“And prior to that?” Derek inquired.
Spencer shook his head. “Garcia won’t find much.” He looked at his team that
stared at him. “AD and this Agent DiNozzo are the same person. His hair is
colored. He has a good tan and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing colored
contacts, but it’s him. His bone structure is still the same. I’m about ninety-
eight percent sure it’s the same person.”
“Fuck,” Derek sat down heavily and ran his hand over his face.
“He’s the person that phoned you before you called us all together.” Spencer
stated the fact to his friend.
Derek grunted in response. He lowered his hand and looked at the team; his
family. “A person called and introduced himself as Special Agent Anthony
DiNozzo. He requested the BAU’s help in a matter which involved a human
trafficking ring. He said it was the same 90’s ring, Concubine. He ended the
call by asking for my help personally. He called me ‘Wildcat’. It was the same
nickname AD gave me after I told him I attended Northwestern University on a
football scholarship. No one else called me that, ever.”
The team remained silent. Finally, Hotch spoke up. “Did he send you any
information on the case?”
Derek shook his head, but then his Smartphone signaled an incoming email and he
reached for it. It was an email to his office account and it contained a
document with attachments. The note was short and he knew he would have to look
at it again. Instead, he sent the attachments to Garcia. “He just sent it
through.”
Garcia looked at the attachments and opened them up. They contained different
case notes as well as photos. All the photos were of young women between the
ages of nineteen and twenty-five. There were twelve photos. “It seems like they
all disappeared in the last four months. Once again, they were not linked
together due to the fact that they were taken from different states. But, it
seems like Agent DiNozzo is of the opinion that they are linked together as he
noted all the similarities between these disappearances and the old ones.”
Garcia opened another file. It contained two photos. “Seaman Alice Cooper’s
body was found dumped three days ago after she failed to report for duty a week
ago. The autopsy showed that she was restrained, beaten up and shot. A part of
what seemed to be a tracker chip was found under her left armpit. He underlined
this fact three times.” She put the typed note on the screen for the team to
see as well.
Derek got to his feet. “It’s the same group.” He turned to Hotch. “It was the
one thing we managed to keep out of the court proceedings. All of the missing
college girls were tagged with a tracking chip under the left armpit. The
chances of another ring doing the same thing are almost zero.”
“Zero point zero seven four percent to be exact.” Spencer supplied the
information. “We are all well aware that every gang, or serial killer out there
has his or their own signature. In this instance, the implant under the left
armpit is this group’s signature mark. If this was kept out of the media, and
it’s being used now again, I’m with Derek, it’s the same group.”
Hotch looked at Rossi. A silent conversation took place between them before he
nodded his head. He looked at his watch. It was well past eight at night.
“We’ll head out tomorrow morning at eight. I need to run this by Cruz in the
morning first, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem with us taking on this
matter.”
The team piled out of the briefing room while Spencer stayed back with Derek.
“There was something else in the email Agent DiNozzo sent you.”
Derek smiled. It didn’t surprise him one second that Spencer picked up on that.
“Yes. He said he was sorry to drag me into this mess again.” Derek took a deep
breath. “He also said he was proud of me. It seems like he followed my career
closely.”
“He went into law enforcement because of you.” Spencer smiled. “It also meant
that although he kept his new identity, he left the Witsec program. He took a
great risk.”
“I got to know him in that year, it was a difficult journey for him, but he
never gave up. Don’t get me wrong, he had his bad days and they were pretty
bad, but he kept his head and he plowed through them. If he decided that he
didn’t like you, there wasn’t a chance in hell that you would get to know the
real AD. And he was as stubborn as a mule. He didn’t get the opportunity to
complete high school and after what he’d been through he wouldn’t fit back into
the milieu again. For him to have gone to college meant he got his GED like he
said he would. Another thing he did all on his own.”
Spencer picked up the printed file Garcia gave to him and read through the
information it obtained on the special agent. “He has three degrees, the one
she told us about, one in psychology and a master’s degree in criminology. He’s
busy with his master’s in forensic psychology.” Spencer cocked his head. “By
the look of things, he’s very well versed in undercover work as well. He took
down one of the major Mob families in Baltimore when he worked there. He’s
fluent in Italian and Spanish.” Spencer closed the file. “Are you going to
phone him? I see Garcia got hold of his cell phone number as well.”
Derek shrugged and then shook his head. “I’ll see him tomorrow. Tonight, I
think I need to sort things out in my head first.”
Spencer clapped his friend on the back and exited the room.
Derek stared at the file Spencer left behind. It was opened to the agent’s
photo. He never forgot that young boy, and it seemed like that young boy, who
now turned out to be a stunning man, never forgot about him too. He had a
feeling that tomorrow was going to be a long and hard day. Not only for him,
but more so for AD. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. The name fit the man in the
photo. As he looked at the photo, Derek could feel the protectiveness he felt
towards the young boy all those years ago, surge up inside of him. He would
make sure that this time around, AD came away less scarred than the first time
around. Even if it was the last thing he did.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter 3
Tony’s Apartment
Following morning
The scream died on Tony’s lips as he shot up in bed. He was covered in sweat,
his legs tangled in the sheets. His stomach turned and he just had enough time
to lean over the side of the bed before he heaved up the meager contents of his
stomach. Tony continued to be violently ill for a few minutes and then dry
heaved. After a couple of minutes, he managed to sag back against his pillows.
He shivered hard, his eyes were teary and his nose was blocked. He was still
breathing too fast and knew that if he didn’t get his breathing under control
he was going to pass out again. “Come on, Tony, get it together.” He whispered
hoarsely to himself and closed his eyes, focusing only on his breathing and
nothing more. It took him a long while, but finally he was no longer on the
verge of passing out and he sat back up. He groaned at the throbbing of his
head and glared at the alarm clock next to the bed. “Fuck,” he stumbled out of
bed, nearly stepping into the mess he made earlier and by a miracle he didn’t
land on his face as he tripped over the sheets that still held him captive in
his bed. He reached for his phone, but then decided against it. The moment
Gibbs heard his voice the older man would know something was wrong, and Tony
wasn’t able to deal with that. He’d promised to be back at work today. He would
rather take the head slap for being late than make Gibbs worry about him
further. He couldn’t be seen to be weak, not now.
It had been a long three days and yesterday evening he managed to make the
call. It was so much harder than he thought it would be. But, he had managed to
keep it together and tell the FBI agent what he knew. He called Derek, Wildcat.
It was the only way he could let Agent Morgan know that what he told him was
the truth. Tony couldn’t help and wonder how long it would take the BAU to come
knocking on NCIS’ door. They would, of that he was sure. How Gibbs dealt with
what he’d done, he had no idea. He only hoped that Gibbs didn’t see it as
betrayal. That is the one thing he’d never be able to do.
Tony leaned against the shower wall as the scalding water rained down on his
head and travelled down his chest and back. He shivered despite the heat. It
had been three days since he last felt warm. He knew it was all in his mind,
but he had no idea how to switch off the coldness inside of him. Tony wondered
if he would feel warm ever again. He sighed and his mind wandered to the
information he found. The information he didn’t want there to be, but the
moment he started looking he found it and there was no turning back.
He didn’t go to bed that first night, instead he stayed awake, combing through
missing persons reports. He concentrated on those areas surrounding large
colleges, knowing the ring would not target a small local college where most of
the students are known. They would use the larger college grounds to blend in.
To watch over their potential victims, to get to know their routines. To worm
themselves into their lives before they struck. Before another young college
student disappeared into nothingness. To be sold on the black market as a sex
slave, if they were lucky, they would end up dead. It was terrible to think
about it like that, but the alternative to death was worse. They would become
objects, have no rights, be violated to their inner core and would never be
heard of again. Death was easier.
The following morning, Tony phoned Gibbs and told him he must be coming down
with something. At least he sounded bad enough for the fib to be believed. On
Gibbs’ orders, he stayed home. He’d managed to avoid Ducky, saying he visited
his own physician and that he had the flu and was on bed rest. He duly answered
the phone each time, Ducky, Gibbs or Jimmy called. In a sense, their calls kept
him sane, at the same time it became harder for him not to break down.
Especially since he realized how long the Concubine ring had been back in the
States. He found sixteen missing students and he had a feeling there might be
even more. That second night the nightmares he’d suffered before came back with
a vengeance. Now, he could only sleep for a period of an hour, an hour and a
half at the most, before he would wake up screaming like he did this morning.
Tony finished in the shower and stepped out. He managed to shave without
looking into the mirror. He didn’t want to see himself. He didn’t want to see
the guilt he felt etched into his features. It was his fault that they were
back. He should’ve done more to stop them the first time. The mirror shattered
beneath his hand, the large shards of glass falling into the basin but he
didn’t care. He looked down at the shard that pierced his skin. Not a sound
escaped from his lips as he yanked the glass out. He washed the blood off and
wrapped it up in a towel. He needed to get dressed and then he would bind the
cut. It wasn’t that bad.
As he buttoned up his waistcoat, his laptop chimed up. With trepidation, Tony
tapped at the keyboard and the screen came to life. The search he’d run picked
up another thirteen missing young college students. The total now stood at
thirty. Tony’s legs gave way and he landed heavily on his couch. He could only
stare at the screen, his body needing comfort as he gently started rocking
himself. Tony had no idea how long he stayed like that before he became aware
of his surroundings. His hand throbbed and he looked down at it. Blood had
soaked through the bandage. He would have to change it before he headed out.
With difficulty, Tony got to his feet. He packed up his laptop with all the
notes he made, grabbed his keys and headed out of his apartment. Injured hand
forgotten, it was time to face the music. To confess that it was his fault.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Navy Yard – NCIS
Something told Gibbs to look up when the elevator dinged. The double doors slid
open and a group of people stepped out. He frowned. It wasn’t just a group of
people, it was a group of Feds. Normally it was only Fornell who trampled their
doorstep, so it was a strange sight. What made it even weirder was the fact
that it was the BAU team. Gibbs got to his feet.
He nodded his thanks to the security guard who escorted the group to the
bullpen. “SSA Hotchner,” Gibbs greeted the unit chief with another nod of the
head.
“Supervisory Agent Gibbs,” Hotch closed the distance between them and offered
his hand. The handshake they shared was brief but strong. Hotch looked around.
Agent DiNozzo was absent and the two junior agents were gaping at them with
twin frowns on their faces.
“What brings you to NCIS, Agent Hotchner?” Gibbs asked, his gut churned.
Something was up, but he had no idea what it could be.
“Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
Gibbs stared at the other man before he finally nodded. “This way.” He led them
towards the stairs. He would’ve loved to have this conversation in the
elevator, but it would be a tight fit for all of them. Instead, the conference
room would have to do.
“Where’s your second in command, Agent Gibbs?” Hotch asked as they started up
the stairs. A snicker from downstairs made him halt in his tracks.
“Anything you want to say, Ziva?” Gibbs snapped.
Ziva smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “It amuses me that every time the FBI
shows up Tony is in trouble. I can’t help but to wonder who he killed this
time.”
Before either Gibbs or Hotchner could say anything, JJ spoke up. “As far as I
know Agent DiNozzo has an exemplary record with more than one commendation and
has not been charged or convicted of killing anyone before, or even now.” She
kept her eyes locked on Ziva.
A quick smile appeared on Gibbs’ face, but it didn’t stay long. “Do your work,
Ziva.” His eyes landed on McGee. “Where’s my information, McGee? Get to it.” He
barked out the order and turned away from them. He ushered the group of agents
into the conference room and closed the door behind him. “If you’re here to
accuse Tony of any crime, you’ll have to get through me first.”
“Well, at least he seems to care for Agent DiNozzo.”
Gibbs’ head snapped up at the voice. “Tony is my second in command, and the
best young agent I’ve ever worked with. I will always have his six.”
Rossi held up his hand and then turned to Gibbs. “Good to see you again,
Gibbs.” He greeted the man with a firm handshake. He turned to Morgan. “This is
SSA Derek Morgan and that is Doctor Spencer Reid. They were both on leave the
last time our paths crossed.”
Gibbs nodded in Morgan’s direction and his eyebrow shot up when the doctor
waved at him. If it wasn’t for the large Smith & Wesson revolver at his side,
he wouldn’t have pegged him for an FBI agent.
“I do, however, have to ask again, Agent Gibbs, where is Agent DiNozzo?” Hotch
inquired again as he took a seat at the large table. His team followed his
example. He didn’t fail to notice that when Gibbs sat down, he took a seat so
that he faced the only door to the room. He could see that Gibbs was aware of
what was going on around him. Hotch couldn’t find fault with that.
Gibbs smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Not until you tell me why are you
looking for him.” He leaned back in his chair.
Hotch sighed and then nodded towards Derek. It seemed like they were going to
have to do things the hard way. He hoped that in the end Agent Gibbs would
understand.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Ziva waited for the last of the group to disappear into the conference room
before she turned her attention to McGee. “What is that about?”
McGee shrugged. “I don’t know, Ziva and by the look on Gibbs’ face, he didn’t
know either.” He stared at the door the group disappeared into.
“Then do something, McGee. Find out.” Ziva ordered and crossed her arms in
front of her. She hated being kept in the dark and she had a feeling that
something big was going to go down and that it would most likely involve
DiNozzo. “It has to be about Tony, what else can it be?” She voiced her
thoughts out loud. “Being off sick? Do you believe that, McGee for one second?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s off somewhere, doing something incompetent while
we’re stuck here doing all the work.” She huffed out of frustration.
“And what do you want me to do, Ziva?” McGee threw his arms in the air.
“You’re the genius, can’t you do something so that we can at least hear what is
being said in there?” She indicated to McGee’s computer and to the door of the
conference room.
“You want me to spy on, Gibbs?” McGee shook his head. “Are you crazy, Ziva? We
are already so far up shit’s creek that it’s going to take a lifetime to get
out of it and now you want me to hack into the comm system so that we can hear
what they are saying? No. I’m not doing it.” McGee indicated to the papers
strewn all over his desk. “We’ve got work to do.” He sat down behind his desk.
Ziva huffed and rolled her eyes. “You will always remain in DiNozzo’s shadow,
McGee.” She turned around and took a seat behind her own desk. She hated
Anthony DiNozzo and wished her father would give her the go ahead to take him
out. It was something that was supposed to have been done long ago. Instead,
they got rid of Todd. It didn’t’ get them anywhere, except that Ari lost his
life. Maybe it was time to go ahead with her own plans. She grinned. She would
apply Gibbs’ rule #18 – It’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. Her
father would praise her in the end. She would finally get the recognition from
him that she deserved.
Ziva’s words stung. McGee could feel the blush spread down his face and his
neck. She was right. He would always be inferior to Tony even if he was the
better agent. Hell, even the Director thought so. McGee made up his mind.
Without letting on that he was doing something illegal, he managed to hack into
the security system for the conference room and remotely turned the sound
system on in the room. As there was no way of playing it out loud in the
bullpen, he started to record it. He would find the time for himself and Ziva
to listen at the conversation later on. It was the best he could do.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
“Last night I was contacted by Agent DiNozzo in regards to a murder case you’re
investigating at the moment.” Derek spoke up. He took out a file and shifted it
towards Gibbs. He waited for the older man to pick it up before he continued.
“Agent DiNozzo asked the BAU to come in and assist with the investigation in
this matter.”
Gibbs took the file, but didn’t open it up. Instead, he kept his attention on
the agent as he continued to talk. “Tony would not do something like that,
would you like to try again, Agent Morgan?”
“Gibbs,” Rossi spoke up. “He did. Just listen to what we’ve got to tell you.
It’s important.”
Gibbs glared at the man to his right, but he finally nodded in agreement. He
stayed perched on the edge of his seat.
Derek opened up his own copy of the file. He did it more out of getting Gibbs
to open up his, than needing to read from it. He knew it word for word. He took
a deep breath. “In 1994 a human trafficking ring was exposed and some of the
top members were brought to justice.” He tapped on the photo of Orest Maslak.
“This man was the second in command and because of the testimony of a sixteen-
year old, he’s still serving hard time.” Morgan was not prepared to go through
the whole file with Gibbs. The man could read and if he was invested in Tony he
would make sure he got to know the contents of the file.
“The Concubine ring. I know about it.” Gibbs closed the file again.
“What you do not know, unless you were part of the inner circle of the
investigating team was that one important bit of information was kept out of
the trial and out of the media.”
Gibbs’ arched an eyebrow but remained quiet.
Derek looked at Hotch and then pushed on. “All of the kidnapped college girls
were tagged with a microchip. That chip was placed underneath the skin of the
left armpit.”
Gibbs frowned. “Are you saying our Seaman Cooper was taken by a trafficking
ring?” Another question burned at the back of his head. But, it wasn’t one he
could voice out loud.
“We’re saying it’s the same ring.”
“Are you not reaching a conclusion a bit premature?” Gibbs leaned back in his
chair. “She’s the only victim.”
Reid spoke up before Morgan could. “Since we’ve been contacted last night, our
technical analyst has been gathering info on missing college girls. As of
yesterday evening, a total of twenty missing college girls might be linked to
this ring. At this moment information is still coming in, but we are almost one
hundred percent sure the ring is back up and running. We’ve already contacted
all of the police departments where the girls have been reported missing and
we’re awaiting their files to be forwarded to us.”
Gibbs looked at the young man. He made him think of McGee, but with much more
confidence and experience. Also, a lot nerdier, but it worked for him. “Except
for the microchip connection what do you have that links our dead Seaman to
your missing college girls?”
Morgan pulled out a photo and showed it to Gibbs. “Seaman Cooper was last seen
at a nightclub here in D.C. This girl, Angie Franklin was also last seen at the
same nightclub. Seaman Cooper turned up dead, and she’s still missing. For us,
that is enough to link the two cases.”
Gibbs had to agree. There was a great possibility that the two cases might
indeed be connected. He looked at the faces around the table. They were all
staring at him, wanting him to make the next move. “I still don’t know why
DiNozzo called you in. We’re more than capable in handling this case.” He
wasn’t arrogant, he knew himself, he knew Tony. They were good enough to crack
this case. He knew with McGee’s and Ziva’s attitude, that he wouldn’t be able
to bring them in on this case. It would be counterproductive. He and Tony would
have to do all of the work themselves. It wouldn’t be the first time that they
worked as a two-man team, but he still had that nickeling feeling that he was
missing something. Something huge. The fact that his gut kept on turning, told
him he was right to worry.
Morgan closed his eyes. It was as if he could see the cogs turning in Gibbs’
mind. Unfortunately, he had no idea how the man would react when he finally fit
the pieces together.
“Tony,” Gibbs came to his feet. “Tony was sixteen in 1994.” So were millions of
other children all over the world. But, it was Agent Morgan’s words that were
stuck in his head. ‘The testimony of a sixteen-year old.’ “He knows I wouldn’t
be impartial if we take on this case on our own.” Gibbs legs gave way and he
sat down heavily on the chair. “How long?”
“Two years.” Rossi had risen to his feet and handed Gibbs a glass of water. He
had a feeling the other man would’ve appreciated something a bit stronger, but
it was all that he had.
Gibbs couldn’t keep the tremble from his hand as he took a sip of the offered
water. He always knew that Tony’s past was dark, but he never expected this. He
frowned. “I didn’t even know he knew you, Agent Morgan.”
“We knew one another a long time ago, but lost contact.” He would not tell
Gibbs how he knew Tony, that was Tony’s story to tell.
Gibbs knew that there was something Morgan wasn’t telling him, but he left it
alone. “I still want in.”
Hotch nodded. “We’re not here to take it over, it will be a joint operation.”
He looked around the room. “Are you now willing to tell us where Agent DiNozzo
is, Agent Gibbs?”
Gibbs cocked his head and then another puzzle piece slid in place. “You think
he’s still in danger.” He got to his feet and at the same time reached for his
phone. Tony should’ve been here almost an hour ago. Tony had never been late
without letting him know. His gut churned again.
“Yes, there is a possibility, but on the other hand, his new identity isn’t
known. For them to stumble across him, is highly unlikely.” Spencer spoke up.
Gibbs grunted in reply. He was not getting Tony on the phone. “So what else do
you want?”
“He’s got all the information on how the ring operates.” JJ responded quietly.
“You want to use him.” Gibbs snarled, he lifted his gaze from his phone to
stare at the FBI team in the room.
“I want to keep him safe.” Derek came to his feet. “I know what he went
through, I know what he must’ve felt when he realized what you were dealing
with. I will not let any harm come to him.
Gibbs stared at the team. “I will not let any of you harm, Tony.
“Not one of us will harm Agent DiNozzo, Agent Gibbs. On that I give you my
word.” Hotchner responded calmly.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony punched the up button in the elevator and wished the door closed. Two of
the security guards at the entrance asked if he was okay. He’d plastered a fake
smile on his face and hoped he’d fooled them. He had to make it to the bullpen
and get behind his desk then everything would be all right. For now, in any
case.
His hand throbbed as he exited the metallic box. Tony heaved his go-bag higher
up his back and shoved his sunglasses down his nose. He would take them off
once he was at his desk. It was just another way to ignore those who might
attempt to talk to him.
Tony made his way over to his desk. He could feel both McGee and Ziva’s stares
directed his way, but he tried to ignore them. He stowed his firearm and
credentials in the drawer and chucked his bag at the back of his desk. He
reached for the power switch on his desktop when Ziva spoke up.
“You’re late.”
Tony slowly removed his sunglasses and folded them up. He managed not to jerk
when he saw the bloodied bandage around his hand. He couldn’t believe that he
didn’t clean it up. If he wanted to remain in control of this situation he
would have to make sure that he stayed in the present. Drifting off and
forgetting stuff like a bleeding hand would not convince anyone that he was
fine. Tony placed his hand on the desk and leaned forward, shielding the arm
with his body. He would go and take care of the problem the minute he got Ziva
off his back. “I don’t report to you, Ziva. Whether I’m late or not, is not
your concern.” He kept his gaze focused on her. “Don’t you have work to do?” He
looked at the files that were scattered all over her desk.
Ziva snorted. “And I don’t report to you. Why are you late?” She got to her
feet and sauntered to his desk.
Tony wanted to roll his eyes, instead he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
“You seem to forget the little talk you had with Gibbs the other day, Ziva.
Wasn’t it made clear to you that I am second in command and you do report to
me.”
Ziva leaned back on her heels and laughed. “He was coddling you so that you
didn’t get your panties in a twist. He didn’t mean any of it, but Gibbs is so
tired of your moaning and bitching that he had to say something to make you to
shut up.” She leaned over the desk, getting right into Tony’s personal space.
McGee’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he heard Ziva’s words. “Ziva,” he
hissed, looking around to make sure no one saw her power display. For a moment,
he couldn’t believe his ears. Ziva was taking it way too far.
Ziva grinned and moved back. “Don’t worry, McGee, Tony won’t say anything. With
the FBI on his case again, I’m quite certain that this time around they’ll get
him fired and this team can start to work, without him being the class clown.”
Tony had to reign in his rage at Ziva’s words. It was as if the ex-Mossad
officer lost her head with her open hostility towards him. He was about to take
her on when her last words penetrated his tired brain. “What FBI?” He had to
grip the edge of his desk hard to remain upright.
Ziva sneered. She’d noticed the blood draining from Tony’s face. It was enough
in her mind to believe him to be guilty in whatever crime the FBI had him
linked to. “You didn’t know? They’re with Gibbs in the conference room. I have
a feeling your days as an agent is numbered, Tony.” She gave him a sweet smile.
“Want me to let Gibbs know you’re here?” She reached for the phone on Tony’s
desk. Her hand never reached the receiver.
She snarled and looked up. “Let me go.”
“I don’t think so, Ziva.” Jimmy Palmer visibly swallowed, but kept his eyes
locked on her. “I don’t know who you think you are, Ziva, but I will not let
you threaten or treat Tony in such a manner.” Jimmy tried to get a look at his
friend, but Tony stood there as if he was frozen in place. His color was ash
gray and he could clearly see how Tony trembled.
“And what are you going to do, Palmer? Stop me?” Ziva quickly pulled her hand
away, her other hand reaching for one of her knives in the same movement.
“He might not, but I will.” A cold voice spoke up behind them. “You never
figured out how Gibbs knows what is being said in the bullpen have you, Ziva?”
A grin appeared on his face. “The skylight,” he indicated to the ceiling. “They
create an acoustic tunnel which allows sound to be bounced around the bullpen.
You need to be standing at the right place at the right time, just as I was
standing right now. I heard every last word, David and I will not tolerate a
good agent, like DiNozzo being threatened by the likes of you. I might no
longer be the director of this office, but I’m high up enough in the food chain
to tell you, you’ve ended your career. The security will escort you off the
premises, I will personally take this up with Director Vance.” Tom Morrow
stepped back and two burly security guards stepped forward.
Ziva wanted to object, to fight, but the whole floor was staring at her. She
wouldn’t make a scene, but it wasn’t the end. With her head held high she
stormed off, her mind already racing on how to make sure she came out of this
as the victim.
“Agent DiNozzo, Tony?” Tom Morrow gently touched the younger man’s arm and held
up his hands to show he meant no trouble when Tony yanked his arm back. He had
an expression on his face that Tom could only described as pure panic. “You all
right, Tony?” He asked, but wasn’t surprised when he received no answer. He
stepped back when Tony moved forward, not wanting to make the man feel trapped.
“Tony?” Jimmy tried, but got no response. Instead, Tony seemed unsteady on his
feet as he moved around his desk. Jimmy frowned as he noticed the blood on
Tony’s desk for the first time. “You’re bleeding.” He tried to stop his friend,
but Tony ducked out of his reach and continued on walking. It was as if he
wasn’t aware of what was going on around him.
Tony moved up the stairs. He was too late. Gibbs was going to hate him. He
never wanted his mentor, the man he considered as a father figure to find out
about is sordid past like this. He wanted to explain, but he’d underestimated
the speed with which the BAU got here. He could hear Jimmy calling out to him,
but he couldn’t turn back and smile. He wasn’t able to turn around and tell his
young friend that everything was fine. It wasn’t fine. It would never be fine
again. Tony stumbled over his own feet as he stepped up to the last step. He
reached out with his hand to stop his fall and landed hard against the
conference door. Before he could right himself the door opened and he found
himself inside.
“DiNozzo, Tony? You all right?” Gibbs asked in concern and reached out to his
second in command.
Tony recoiled from him so fast that he once again tripped over his own feet and
stumbled against the door. He stopped himself with his injured hand, leaving a
bloody print on the door.
“You’re bleeding.” Gibbs slowed down his movements and this time managed to
take Tony by the arm and lead him to the nearest chair. “Tony?” He asked again
and lifted Tony’s chin with his hand. The expression on Tony’s face made his
own knees buckle. “Fuck,” Gibbs dragged his hand over his face and then placed
his hand at the back of Tony’s head, pulling him against his chest. “It’s going
to be all right. I promise you, Tony. It’s going to be all right.”
Tony sagged against Gibbs’ chest, the last of the energy he had in him, left
him rapidly. His eyes felt heavy and he wanted to sleep. “Sorry, Gibbs. I’m so
sorry. I wanted to tell you, I didn’t want you to find out like this. Please,
I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, please. I’m sorry.” He continued to mumble the
words even as someone took hold of his hand and applied pressure to the
bleeding limb. He was unaware of the movement around him, only concentrating on
the man right in front of him. The one that he needed to know wasn’t angry with
him. Wouldn’t judge him for what had happened in the past.
“Nothing to be sorry about, Tony. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Gibbs kept
Tony against him as Agent Morgan wrapped Tony’s hand in a towel and Palmer with
Tom Morrow on his heels entered the room. He saw another side of the timid
medical examiner’s assistant, as Jimmy gave orders and before he knew it
paramedics entered the room and Tony was placed on a gurney, ready to be pushed
out. Not once did he let go and not once did Tony stop asking for forgiveness.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Leon Vance stepped out of his office and looked on at the scene before him. A
team of paramedics had one of his agents on a gurney, and from what he could
see it looked like Agent DiNozzo. For a moment, he wondered what the fool of a
man had done, but then he saw the look on Agent Gibbs’ face and it made him
wonder. Never before in his life had he seen that expression on Gibbs’ face.
Leon wanted to speak up, to ask what was going on, but then someone stepped
into his line of sight and he frowned. “Tom?”
“Leon,” Tom greeted the man next to him as he looked on as the paramedics
disappeared around the corner. “I’ve had your ex-Mossad officer escorted from
the building.” He said as he stepped backwards, making it clear that he wanted
Leon to move back into his office.
“What?” Vance bristled with anger. “You’ve got no right to do that. You might
have been the director, but unless you’d forgotten, you no longer are.”
“Correct, but I am Deputy Director of Homeland Security and have high enough
clearance to remove a threat to one of your agents when I see it and that’s
what I have done.” He indicated to the conference table in Leon’s office. “I
think it’s time you and I had a chat, Leon.” He took a seat and smiled when
Leon bit the toothpick he had in his mouth into pieces.
Leon sighed. “Why do I have the feeling you’re about to make my life more
complicated.” He indicated to the different carafes on the shelf. “You want
one?”
“I’ll take one, and make sure you get yourself a double, Leon, you’re going to
need it.” Tom placed his briefcase on the table and opened it up. “This is
highly confidential, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I received a call from
my good friend David Rossi, and that you need to know about this now, I
wouldn’t have shared it with you.” He ignored the look the other man gave him.
He pulled out a file and placed it in front of the NCIS director and took the
tumbler held out to him.
“What is this?” Leon opened the file and stared at a photo of what looked like
a teenage boy that was clearly abused. He had no idea of knowing, but it was
the same photo, Gibbs saw a while earlier.
“That is Antiono Durante. Twenty years ago, he was responsible for bringing
down the biggest human trafficking ring here in the US – the Concubine ring.”
Tom tapped on the photo. “You know this young man.” He continued even as Leon
shook his head. “This is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.”
Leon blanched at the words and took a swig of his drink. “I guess you should
start at the beginning.”
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter 4
McGee looked on as security followed closely behind Ziva as she stormed from
the bullpen. His mind didn’t want to process what his eyes saw and what his
ears heard. Ziva had lost the plot. He could feel himself blush. He had lost
the plot. He stepped back and landed hard in his chair. It wasn’t supposed to
go this far. He wanted… McGee shook his head. That was the problem. He only
thought about himself. Shame filled him. For the first time in a long while he
looked inward and saw what he’d become. He was a disgrace. He looked up and
nearly gasped when he saw the blood on Tony’s desk. Tony was bleeding and he
didn’t even notice it. He should’ve noticed it immediately. Disgust filled him,
bile formed in his throat and he had to swallow hard not to lose it right
there. McGee lowered his head in his hands. “Fuck.”
“Looks like you’re finally coming to your senses, Agent McGee.”
McGee looked up, his eyes still large and he nodded. “I royally fucked up.”
“You did. You’ve got a long road ahead of you to make it right. That is now if
you want to.”
McGee nodded. “I have to.” He snorted. “She played me like a fool and I fell
for it. Hook, line and sinker.” He looked up to the level above him. “Tony.”
“Will be taken care off, you need to make sure your head is out of your ass and
get it together. The sooner the better.”
McGee nodded. “You’re right.”
Fornell smiled. “I usually am, just don’t tell Gibbs that.” He sighed. “Start
getting your ducks in a row, McGee. Be prepared to feel a ton of bricks hitting
you at a high velocity speed. Because that is going to happen. If you want to
stay part of this team, you’ll have to stand strong. Unfortunately for you,
McGee, it’s going to get worse before it can become better.”
McGee swallowed. “How did you know?” It wasn’t as if the man were in their
presence each and every day.
“A blind man could see the animosity you felt towards, Tony. You’ve been doing
it for so long that it didn’t even bother you that other people could see what
you were doing. Fix it.”
“I will.”
“Good.” Fornell closed the distance between them and pulled McGee by the shirt
to his chest. “If you don’t, Agent McGee, I will personally make your life a
living hell.” He stepped back and adjusted his tie. “Consider this as your only
warning.” Without waiting for a reply, Fornell turned around and made his way
up the stairs leaving a flustered McGee behind.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Bethesda Hospital
Derek sat on the hard chair in the waiting room. His legs stretched out before
him, a cup of coffee in his hands. He looked up as hurried footsteps entered
the room. He smiled when he saw it was his “Baby Girl”.
“You know I hate hospitals, Sugar. And yet, once again we found ourselves in
one.” Garcia shivered slightly before she took a seat next to Derek.
“Thanks for coming, Mama. Hopefully we won’t be here for too long.” He answered
as he placed his cup on the floor and swung an arm around her shoulders,
pulling her close.
Garcia nodded her head. “I found the information you wanted.”
“Is it that bad?”
Garcia sighed dramatically. “It’s worse. I can’t believe she’s an agent. After
all that happened with her around, I wouldn’t let her near any Federal Agency.
I’m not a profiler or a psychologist, but she’s not stable, Chocolate. To me,
she seems like a danger to society. A walking time bomb.”
Derek cringed. If Garcia felt that someone was unstable, it must be bad. She
always tried to see the good in another person. “Did you send the info to my
tablet?”
“Yes, and I sent copies to the rest of the team as well.” Garcia gave him a
small smile. “The fact that we’re here at the hospital makes me think you
didn’t even get an opportunity to talk to Agent DiNozzo. Do you know what
happened?”
Derek lowered his head. “It’s been a crazy morning, Garcia.” He quickly
described what had happened at the NCIS offices. “He looked so lost. He looked
like the first time I saw him all those years ago. That same emptiness in his
eyes. He was full of self-loathing. Begging Agent Gibbs for forgiveness, for
something that wasn’t his fault. Something that could never be his fault.”
Garcia hugged her best friend hard, but remained silent. Both of them looked up
when someone cleared their throat.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” A lanky young man with glasses entered the room.
“Not at all.” Derek released Garcia and smiled. “You’re the one who barked out
the orders so quickly earlier. I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.” Derek
reached out with a handshake. “I’m SSA Derek Morgan and this is the BAU’s own
technological genius, Penelope Garcia.”
“Jimmy Palmer, assistant to NCIS ME, Doctor Mallard.” Jimmy smiled brightly.
“And a good friend to AD.” Derek held up his hand when he saw the confused look
on the younger man’s face. “Sorry, I meant Tony.” He didn’t explain why he
called Tony another name.
Jimmy nodded. He let the strange name slide. He knew what a complicated man
Tony was, it was not his place to ask questions. “Tony is a terrific man. He
always takes the time out to ask how you are doing and never hesitates to give
assistance where needed. It’s an honor to call him my friend.”
Derek smiled, but then got serious again. “Do you know how Tony’s is doing?”
Jimmy’s shoulders sagged. “They’ve stitched up the wound and they’re keeping
him overnight. He’s lost a fair amount of blood and he’s extremely dehydrated.
Doctor Pitt also deemed it necessary to sedate Tony so that he can get some
proper rest.”
“Is that Doctor Brad Pitt?” Garcia asked with excitement. “It’s strange how
there is a Doctor Brad Pitt and an actor named Brad Pitt.”
Jimmy nodded in agreement. He wanted to ask her how she knew about Doctor Pitt
when Gibbs and the other man he learned to be Agent Hotchner stepped into the
waiting room.
“You did good, Palmer.” Gibbs spoke up first.
Jimmy shuffled around uncomfortably, although he couldn’t keep the smile off
his face. It wasn’t every day that the legendary Jethro Gibbs hand out
compliments. Finally, he found his voice. “Thank you, Agent Gibbs.”
“Garcia, you’re needed back at the office, Rossi is waiting for you
downstairs.” Hotch looked at his senior agent. “You staying?”
“Yes.” Morgan kept his gaze on Agent Gibbs almost urging him to challenge his
decision. There was something about the older man’s abrupt attitude that rubbed
him the wrong way.
Gibbs grunted. “Then we’ll both need some more coffee.” He indicated to the
empty cup Derek still had in his hand. “First round on me.” Without waiting for
a reply, he turned around and marched out.
Garcia snickered. “I have a feeling you’ve met your match when it comes to
drinking coffee.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then collected her bag.
“I’m available when you need me. Just pick up the phone. You know which number
to dial.” She gave a small wave and quickly walked away.
“Wow!” Jimmy exclaimed and then blushed a deep red. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it
like that. It’s just she is so vibrant. It’s scary.”
Derek laughed out loud and even Hotch managed to crack a smile.
“I need to go before Doctor Mallard starts looking for me and makes me mop the
floors.” Jimmy smiled at the two men. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I have
a feeling you’ll have Tony’s back and for that I’m grateful. He needs more
people in his corner.” With that, Jimmy also left the waiting room, leaving the
two FBI agents alone.
“You and Agent Gibbs will be here tonight, Morgan. We’ll make other
arrangements from tomorrow.” Hotch leaned against the pillar.
Morgan nodded. “I was thinking that I could stay on if we don’t pick up a case,
Hotch.”
“You need to reconnect with him.” Hotch stepped away from the pillar. “I can
understand that, but be careful, Morgan. Agent DiNozzo is definitely not the
same teenager you knew all those years ago.”
“I understand that, Hotch, but I also think that I’m the only one who’d have
some sort of inkling of what he’s going through. I want to be there for him.”
“It’s good. But if he pushes you away, Morgan, give him space. Don’t push him
back. I don’t think that will end well. That, and I do think that Agent Gibbs
might skin you alive.” Hotch ended with a smile.
Derek nodded seriously. “I will, Hotch.” He cocked his head. “What’s your take
on Agent Gibbs?”
Hotch shook his head. “That he is indeed a hardened Marine. An agent that
doesn’t take nonsense and uses the second B in his name far too much. But, he
seems to care for Agent DiNozzo. I think he’ll be the one to ground Agent
DiNozzo the most and in the long haul that would be the best.” He smiled. “In
short, Morgan, you should play nice, but be prepared for a Marine who might
also play dirty.”
“So true,” a voice spoke up behind him and both men turned to see the man they
were discussing standing at their backs. “I will not hesitate to play dirty
when I feel it’s in the best interest of DiNozzo, Agent Morgan. I don’t know
you, and you might have known Tony, but that was years ago and until I see, or
he tells me that he trusts you, I will be lurking. Tony is the son I never had
and I might give him a hard time when we work cases, but he means the world to
me and I will do everything in my power to protect him.”
“And that, is the most I’ve ever heard you talk, Gibbs.” Hotch shook his head.
“I’ll leave the two of you to hash things out. Just don’t kill one another.
Garcia will be updating you whenever she gets more information. My team will be
at your office tomorrow morning to fill you in on the rest of the cases we
think might be linked with yours.” Hotch then clapped Derek on the shoulder and
left.
Morgan took the coffee offered to him and sipped. Immediately he wanted to spit
it out again, but there was no way he would be giving the Marine across from
him the satisfaction of seeing how terrible the brew tasted. Instead, he
swallowed it quickly. The fact that it nearly burned his throat as it went down
and made his eyes tear up got ignored. “You’ve got some serious problems going
on in your team, Agent Gibbs.”
Gibbs eyed the agent. The man didn’t even know half of it. He still couldn’t
believe the information Tom Morrow told him. If he got hold of Ziva, he would
personally wring her neck. He was glad that it was Tom who witnessed that
scene. Not even Vance could now do anything about it. Not that he thought the
man would. He knew the relationship the Director had with Elli David had soured
the past year and he now longer held the Mossad Director in such high esteem.
It was time for Ziva to go back home. It was for the best.
Morgan leaned back in the hard chair. “Yes, I don’t have any reason to stick my
nose in your team’s business, but then on the other hand, if you want to catch
this ring, your team needs to bring their best to the table. And from what I
saw this morning, that’s not going to happen.”
“Tony and myself are the best. You don’t have to worry about that.” Gibbs threw
his already emptied cup away and moved to the door.
“I didn’t take you for a fool, Agent Gibbs. Did you think for one moment that
Tony would be able to work this case?” As he got to his feet, he found himself
shoved against the wall. The older man right up against him.
“If you for one moment think that I’m a fool, SSA Morgan then I’ve got news for
you. You might have known Tony at the age of sixteen, but that was a long time
ago. I know Tony now, and I’m telling you, if you want him to go down the deep
end then you leave him out of this investigation. He will not make it if you
sideline him. I would rather have him right by my side where I can keep a close
eye on him than make him sit this one out.”
Morgan took a deep breath. “You might be right, but I still can’t get that
haunted look I saw in his eyes out of my mind. And this case, this case will
bring that back that look. Are you ready to let him relive his past as we go
through each crime scene, looking for leads, interviewing people? Possibly
making him having flashbacks? Because I am not.”
“And coddling him in cotton wool is not an option, Agent Morgan. It will give
him time to think, to ponder about nothing else but the past. He will go quiet,
and trust me a quiet Tony is never a good thing.” Gibbs stepped back. “I will
have his six on this. I will not let him be benched if I can use him. He’s the
best investigator that I know. We are going to use his skill, and yes, his
inside information to catch these bastards, but more important, it’s the way
I’m going to keep him safe.”
“And when they are brought to trial, then what? Do you think the DA or JAG
would be happy to know that we used a past victim to catch a bunch of crazy
fucks? The defense will apply for the case to be thrown out even before it
started.”
“I will make the call to pull him back when, and only when it becomes
necessary, Agent Morgan. Tony will know what I’m doing and he will understand.
He believes in the justice system and I will not let the system fail him.”
It was Morgan’s turn to keep quiet. He heard what Gibbs had to say. The man
knew Tony longer than him, he could not dispute that. There was going to be a
lot of work to be done in the coming days. They had no lead on the ring’s
whereabouts at the moment. Tony would be able to help. Finally, he nodded. “We
will have his six, Agent Gibbs. Not just you.”
Gibbs grunted. “Let’s get more coffee and go and see Tony. We’ve been away for
too long already.”
Morgan shuddered. “I’ll get the coffee, meet you in Tony’s room.” He would find
out from the hospital personnel where Tony was. The burst of laughter from
Gibbs made him well aware that Gibbs knew what he thought of the coffee the
other man brought.
“Just make sure it’s strong, Morgan and nothing fancy. Just plain coffee.”
Gibbs said over his shoulder as he walked away.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
A knock on the private room made Gibbs reach for his sidearm as he came to his
feet. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Agent Morgan had his weapon out
and held it next to his side. Gibbs opened the door slowly and a scowl appeared
on his face. “McGee?” He looked back and nodded his head, indicating to Morgan
that it is all right.
“Can we talk?” McGee asked in a whisper. It took him a long time to build up
the courage to make the visit.
“Make it quick, McGee.” Gibbs stepped out and closed the door behind him.
“How is Tony?” He had no clue what was going on. Even the rumor mill had no
idea. It frustrated him, but after a mental head slap he reined himself in. If
Gibbs and Tony wanted him to know, they would tell him. In the meantime, he had
to man up and become Tony’s friend again.
At first Gibbs didn’t want to reply, but he could see the concern on McGee’s
face. It seemed like the younger man was making an effort, maybe there might be
still a chance for him to change his ways. “He’s going to be all right, McGee.
They’ll release him tomorrow, he’s resting now.”
McGee shuffled around nervously.
“Spit it out, McGee.”
“I don’t deserve to be on your team, Gibbs.” He swallowed hard. “Up until this
morning before the BAU team came in I was under the impression that I was
better than Tony. That he was the class clown and nothing more. I showed him no
respect, and yet, he always respected me. Yes, he pulled pranks on me, but if
it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand here and tell you
what I mess I’ve made.”
“What changed your mind?” Gibbs managed to keep his temper intact.
“Ziva.” Tim shook his head. “It was as if I saw her for the first time. She
wouldn’t have hesitated to harm, Tony. It was as if she wanted to destroy him
with her bare hands. I realized she had gone off the deep end, and I had no
intention to follow.”
“So, are you saying the only reason you want to stop acting like an ass is
because you’re trying to save your own skin?” Gibbs hissed.
McGee stepped back, but then held his ground. “No, Gibbs. I’m not trying to
save my own skin. I don’t even expect to keep my job after this. You, but more
specifically, Tony gave me a chance and then a second one, and I kept on
blowing it. But, I had to say I’m sorry. Yes, I know you don’t believe in
saying sorry, I need to. I need to say it to you, more importantly, I need to
say it to Tony.”
“And then, what then, McGee? Or are you going to pack up and leave with your
tail between your legs or, are you going to set things right and show Tony that
he was right when he picked you for this team?”
“You are willing to let me stay?”
Gibbs shook his head. “That decision is not up to me, McGee. But are you going
to give up without a fight? Are you a coward? Man up, McGee, get your ass in
gear and become the agent Tony knew you could be.” Gibbs indicated with is
head. “Head out. Be at the office tomorrow at seven, sharp and then we’ll talk.
But, McGee, be certain of one thing. If Tony wants you gone, you are out. I
don’t give a damn what you say, or what Vance has to say. Is that clear?”
McGee nodded nervously. “Crystal, Boss.” He looked at the closed door behind
Gibbs and took a calming breath. “I’ll be there, Gibbs.”
Gibbs grunted and without a word turned back and entered the room again. He
closed the door shut and smiled when he saw Tony still resting peacefully.
“You think your agent McGee will get his head out of his ass?” Morgan asked
from his side of the bed.
Gibbs grunted. “If he doesn’t, he’s out. It’s his decision. Whichever one he
makes, he needs to live with it.”
“Wise words, Agent Gibbs.” Derek leaned back against the hardened chair. It was
time to get some shuteye. Tomorrow was going to be an intense day.
“Just Gibbs, you make me sound like a supervisor if you keep on calling me
Agent.” Gibbs leaned back in his own chair.
Derek grinned. “I can do that. You can call me Morgan. It’s what the team calls
me.” Gibbs grunted, but didn’t reply and Derek was satisfied with that. He had
a feeling that the two of them would butt heads more than once, but they both
had the same goal in mind and that was to keep AD safe. That was the most
important thing - they had no time for a pissing contest.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen
It was easier than it ought to have been. With a dull look and a grumbled
excuse, stating how unfair life was, especially so late at night she managed to
get into the building and right where she wanted to be. If it wasn’t for the
fact that the security was so lax and that she knew that the night team and the
day time were at odds, she wouldn’t have been able to come in without a better
excuse.
Ziva made her way over to her desk. For a moment, she looked around and then
headed straight to DiNozzo’s desk. She made sure that the office space was
clear before she sat down and tested the drawers. Of course, it was locked, but
she wasn’t Mossad for nothing and within seconds she had the drawers open. Ziva
searched carefully, a bit amazed at the fact that the drawers were clutter
free. She expected to find some creepy stuff, but everything was neat. There
were a few documents that meant nothing to her. A drawer filled with stationary
and the last drawer held box with Gibbs’ medals. Ziva sighed and turned her
attention to the large filing cabinet at her back. It was also locked, but
after opening it, she quickly scanned through the documents. It was filled with
old cold cases DiNozzo kept an eye on. Official looking documents that she knew
he only kept for show, because, he can’t even read properly, never mind filling
in forms. With a growl, she slammed the last drawer shut. It seemed like she
came in for nothing.
Ziva stood up and walked over to Gibbs’ desk. She knew she wouldn’t find
anything there, but at least she had to be thorough. The second search almost
took no time at all. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t find a thing that
would tell her what DiNozzo got himself into this time or something that she
could use against him. It seemed like she would have to go and have a look at
his apartment. He was so full of himself, and stupid enough to keep things
there for her to find.
Knowing she’d find nothing more and not being able to risk to go up to the
Director’s office, she decided it was time to leave. As she got up from Gibbs’
chair, her eye caught the light on McGee’s screen on his desk. Ziva frowned.
That was strange. McGee was obsessed in always shutting down his desktop at the
end of the day. She had another look around and then moved into McGee’s seat.
His computer was in sleep mode, but definitely still on. She moved the mouse
and the password screen appeared. Ziva smirked. McGee was so gullible. Yes, he
always had this long-winding passwords which he changed every twenty-eight
days, but he was careless and she made sure to be at his side at least once a
month to see what the new password was. This month it was
Nutter_Butter@NcisLeader007. She managed to laugh out loud. Putting your
favorite candy and wishing you where the lead agent of NCIS and a spy all in
one was pathetic. Ziva got serious when she noticed what popped up the moment
the password was accepted.
“Got you.” She went to her own desk and retrieved a small flash drive and made
a copy of what she found. It seemed like her night stroll finally paid off. She
locked the screen again. Made sure that everything was as she found it. She
grabbed an envelope pushing blank paper in it. Placed the tiny flash drive in
the hollowed-out heel of her shoe and made her way to the elevator. She
couldn’t wait to get home to have a proper look at what she found. Hopefully it
was something to finally rid the world of Anthony DiNozzo Junior.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Bethesda Hospital
Following Morning
Derek came to his feet and stretched out, trying to get rid of all the aches
and pains he picked up from being seated in the same chair through the night.
He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face a few times. He made sure
that AD still slept before he quickly moved towards the small bathroom attached
to Tony’s room, to take care of his morning routine. It had been a quiet night
after their last visitor. He and Gibbs took turns getting some shuteye. Gibbs
had left him in search for some coffee. Derek could only hope it would be
drinkable.
AD had a good night. Gibbs told him that his friend suffered from some frequent
nightmares and it was unusual for him to sleep through a night without waking
up once. It was still bad that he had to be sedated, but hopefully the
uninterrupted hours of sleep would help him in the strenuous days that lay
ahead of them.
Derek hummed to himself as he used the small towel to dry his face. A noise
from the room made him reach for his weapon which he placed next to the wash
basin. He stood completely still and listened again. There was indeed movement
coming from the room. With determination, Derek lifted his weapon and yanked
the bathroom door open.
“What the fuck, AD?” Derek snapped as he lowered the weapon and looked at the
man that stood before him. “I nearly shot you.” He placed the weapon to the
side and even before his friend could get a word in, he hugged him hard.
“Wildcat?” The voice against his collarbone asked uncertain and Derek stepped
back. “Yes, it’s me.” He smiled and shook his head. “I can’t believe you went
into law enforcement.” He started to chat but then remembered where they were.
“Shit, sorry. You want to use the facilities first?” Derek stepped to the side.
“A bit cramped, but sufficient. Your Agent Gibbs placed your toiletries in
there.” The confused look stayed on AD’s face and Derek gently pushed him
further into the bathroom. “Clean up first, I’ll wait for you here.” He wasn’t
surprised when he only received a nod before the door was closed in his face.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony tried to make sense of what happened, but his head was still filled with
fog and not very clear. He had woken up in what was clearly a hospital bed, but
had no recollection how he ended up in there. His body ached, and his hand
hurt. It took him a while to remember why it was throbbing. It was then the
memories flooded back. He wanted to have a meltdown when he heard someone
humming from what he believed to be the bathroom. With unsteady legs he managed
to get to his feet, but stubbed his toe against the one chair. The humming
stopped, but even before he could get himself in a position to attack, he had
SIG pointed at his head. At first the man standing before him was unknown, but
then he called him AD and he realized who it was.
The hug was unexpected, but not unwelcome, however, he was grateful for the
reprieve he got by being able to disappear into the tiny bathroom. Here, at
least, he’d get a chance to pull himself together. He reached for the shower
when a knock at the door made him stop. “Yes?” He didn’t turn to open the door.
“Don’t shower, you’re not supposed to get that hand wet.” The words came
through the closed door and Tony looked down at his hand again. “Okay,” he
answered.
Not being able to shower left him with little time to ponder his next move. He
quickly washed up and then tried to center himself. He still felt unbalanced as
he opened the door, but he could no longer stall.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Derek had stepped out of AD’s room the moment he disappeared behind the closed
door. He wanted to place a call to Gibbs when the man appeared behind him.
“AD’s awake.”
“Good, then I didn’t bring this for nothing,” Gibbs indicated to the third take
out cup he held in his hands.
Derek took his own offered cup and the third one. “Would you mind if I chatted
with him alone for a few minutes? It’s been years since we saw each other last.
I would like to touch base with him without anyone else present. I promise not
to harm him in any way, or let anyone else harm him for that matter.” He added
quickly as Gibbs frowned at him.
“DiNozzo is an expert with donning masks. He will try and fool you with
everything possible inside of him. Not because he’s deceiving, but because he’s
hurting. Take care of him. Phone me when you’re done. I’ll go and find his
doctor to see when Tony can be released, because trust me, that will be the
next thing he’ll want to do.”
Derek nodded. He didn’t like the way Gibbs described the other man, but at this
stage he had no choice but to listen. Gibbs seemed to be the expert on AD at
the moment. With that thought he turned back and opened the door to the room.
Tony opened the bathroom door at the same time Derek closed the room door. They
looked at one another for a moment before Tony slowly made his way back to the
bed. Derek followed and when the other man sat down, he handed him the coffee.
“Gibbs brought you this. I hope it’s better than what he brought me yesterday.”
Tony laughed. “Marine tar coffee?” He shook his head. “He does it with
everyone. If you drink it without making a scene you always score extra points
with him.” He took a sip of his own beverage and sighed. It was the way he
liked it. Sweet with hazelnut cream. Perfect.
“Well, then I did good. I think.” Derek responded with a shrug. “I drank it,
but made sure to make the coffee run thereafter.” He took the seat he vacated
earlier. He looked at the man across him and he could feel the tension seeping
in. It was time to nip it in the bud. “You kept the new name, but it’s clear
you didn’t stay in the program.”
“You helped me so much that first year, Wildcat, but then I was done testifying
and whisked away, and I found myself with no idea what to do. That first year,
I actually didn’t do anything. I was responsible for myself, due to you helping
me to get emancipated, but I was still a child.” Tony snorted. “A very screwed
up kid, to be exact.” He shook his head when he saw Derek wanted to interrupt.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Marshall service helped me so much. They got me set up
with a good psychologist, which unfortunately, at that stage I didn’t
appreciate. I stayed in my new apartment, barely going out, some days even
scared of my own shadow. It didn’t matter that I knew they were not in a
position to hurt me again. I mean, hell, I even testified against Maslak. I
couldn’t get settled. I wish I could tell you how many times I wanted to phone
you.” Tony stopped. “Let’s drop it and keep it short. I went into law
enforcement because of an incident in college. I then also realized that I
couldn’t stay in the program. I talked it out with the Marshalls and they made
sure all my documents were in order and off I went. It was only when I joined
NCIS that I realized I needed to come clean. At least the Marshalls listened to
me and helped me out. As far as I know only Tom Morrow knows that Anthony
DiNozzo is not my real name.”
“You kept your initials.”
Tony smiled. “I still wanted to be Italian and when I introduced myself to
people I told them my name was AD. I think it was a way to keep something
familiar about myself.” He took a breath and then smiled. “I followed your
career, Wildcat. You did good.”
The conversation changed so subtly that Derek almost didn’t notice that they
were no longer talking about AD, but about him. He had to give it to the man,
he was slick. “We need to address the elephant in the room, AD.”
Tony shook his head and his facial expression went blank. He got to his feet.
“I need to get dressed. I assume Gibbs brought my go-bag as well?” He indicated
to the bag that stood in the corner. He grabbed the bag and headed back to the
bathroom. He locked the door without looking back.
“Shit.” Derek wanted to punch a wall but managed to refrain. He had messed up.
He’d forgotten how quickly AD could clam up if he didn’t want to talk about
something. Hopefully Gibbs would be able to get through to him. They were going
to interview Tony as soon as possible and they couldn’t afford him shutting
down on them. Not when they had an active human trafficking ring running about.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Ziva smirked as she ended the call. It had been a productive morning. One, that
if she played her cards right, would take care of her DiNozzo problem once and
for all and get her back into her father’s good graces.
She still couldn’t believe what she found on McGee’s computer. Not all of it
made sense, but it seemed like poor Tony had been nothing but a sex slave for
two years and now the ring they supposedly shut down was back up and running.
It was the perfect way to end Tony’s life. They would never be able to pin his
death on anyone else.
Ziva looked at the phone in her hand again. It was one of several burner phones
she already used this morning. She only used each phone once. She took up the
large hammer that she used before and with glee she pounded the cell phone into
small pieces. She gathered it up and threw it in a refuse bag with all the
other pieces. She would dispose of it before the end of the day. Ziva placed
the bag back on the floor and reached for yet another phone. The time on her
watch showed that she still had a few minutes to go before the phone in her
hand would start ringing. It was to give them time to check out the information
she’d sent to them earlier. Ziva looked at the laptop that she had to use the
hammer on as well. She made sure to be extra creative with the hard drive and
knew that not even Abby would be able to put it back together again. It was
going to be a tricky conversation, but if it worked out, it would be worth her
while.
The phone rang twice in her hand before she answered. She didn’t wait for the
person on the other side to talk. “I’ve got something that belonged to you a
few years back, and thought I’d return it to you.” She kept the conversation
vague. Ziva nodded her head even though the person couldn’t see her. “I can get
you more proof.” She memorized the email address given to her and ended the
call. It seemed it was time to go and buy another laptop.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
“Do you trust her?”
“Of course not, but we can use her. I’ve already had our own people get
information on her. Just because she never gave us her name, doesn’t mean we
don’t know who she is. She would make a good play thing for you. A bit
dangerous at the beginning, until you finally tamed her, but you don’t squirm
away from a challenge.”
“If I get what I lost twenty years ago, I’ll gladly give her to you. You know
I’ve been looking for my pet for all these years. He was perfect then and I
think he might have matured into something even better.” He picked up a photo
sent to him and looked at the image. His slut puppy was all grown up. And,
although he liked them young, he was willing to make an exception this time
around.
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter 5
Gibbs residence: late afternoon
“What part of medical leave did you not understand, DiNozzo?” Gibbs closed his
eyes as his second in command moved away from him to pace the living room. He
was still irritated that Tony signed himself out AMA from the hospital. He had
yet to talk to the FBI agent, but something went wrong after he left them
earlier.
“There’s nothing wrong with me, Gibbs and you know it. Brad is being…” Tony
looked for the word.
“Concerned, putting your health first, being a good doctor?” Derek piped up
from the side.
“Overbearing was the actual word I was looking for.” Tony responded. He refused
to meet Derek’s gaze.
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs grumbled. “I’m not discussing this any further. Until Brad
clears you for duty, you’re not going to work.” He closed the distance between
them and placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I know it’s difficult, Tony.”
Tony shrugged the hand off. “You don’t know anything, Gibbs. Since when do you
follow doctor’s orders? So don’t tell me it’s difficult.” He brushed past the
older man and headed up the stairs. He needed time to think.
Gibbs cursed under his breath, but didn’t call after Tony. He turned to Morgan.
“What the hell happened? You said you only wanted to talk with him? Instead,
when I come back, he’s all closed off and so pissed that he actually left the
hospital?” Gibbs sighed. “I need coffee.” He wanted something stronger, but it
wasn’t an option. Not while he was still on duty.
Derek shook his head. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry, it’s a sign of weakness.”
“What? Since when? That’s bull.” He held up his hand when Gibbs wanted to
interrupt. “I’m not going to discuss that view of yours. Just know it’s my
fault that Tony signed out AMA.”
“Why?” Gibbs asked as he moved to the kitchen in search of the required
beverage.
“I pushed too hard. The moment I wanted to talk to him about the fact that he
called me and about the trafficking ring he shut down. I’d forgotten that you
don’t try and start a difficult conversation with AD, you wait patiently for
him to approach you. He’ll only talk when he’s good and ready and not a moment
before.”
Gibbs shook his head. “Told you to take it easy.” He shrugged. “It’s too late
now.” He looked up when the floorboard creaked at the bottom of the stairs.
Gibbs looked on as Tony entered the kitchen. His second in command looked tired
again. This case was going to take his toll on the younger man. He could only
hope that Tony would let him and Derek could help when he needed it.
“I called a cab, I need to get back to my apartment.”
“Why?”
Tony’s eyes were cold when he answered. “It’s got nothing to do with either of
you. Since I’m on medical leave, I don’t report to you, Gibbs.” He made to pass
the older man but stopped as a hand rested on his forearm. He looked at the
hand and then up at Gibbs’ face. “Let me go.”
“Don’t be rash, DiNozzo. Stay, get some more rest. We can go to your apartment
later and get what you need.” Gibbs removed his hand, but stayed close.
Tony snorted. “I’m not over hasty, Gibbs. It’s my decision to leave and you
cannot stop me.”
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs barked. He knew he was making things worse, but he didn’t have
time to deal with Tony’s stubbornness right now. Now, he wanted Tony to listen
to him and stay put.
“NO.” Tony stepped back. “I’m leaving.” He pushed Gibbs away and stepped past
him.
“Damn it, DiNozzo, stop being an ass.” Gibbs spat out the words, his own anger
clearly evident.
“What, Gibbs? Can’t take it that your loyal St. Bernard actually stands up
against you and does something on his own, more importantly, for himself?”
Derek, having remained silent during the vocal altercation between the two men
stepped forward. “Stop, both of you.”
“Keep out of it, Derek. It’s got nothing to do with you.” Tony snarled at the
other man.
“It’s got everything to do with me, AD. You’re the one who phoned the BAU; who
phoned me for help. And now that we’re here to help, you’re acting like a
spoiled kid.” Derek tried to argue.
“Me? A spoiled kid?” Tony snickered. “I wonder when that happened? When my
mother died, when that man called my father disowned me, or when I became
nothing but a fuck toy?” He made as if he thought hard about it. “You know, I
think it was then. I mean I was spoiled, all right. I could get any cock I want
up my ass or down my throat at any time. But wait, I didn’t ask for it or
FUCKING WANT it!” Tony stumbled away. “Fuck you, Derek.”
“AD, stop.” Derek had blanched at his friend’s words. “I’m sorry. It was wrong
of me to call you spoiled. Please, let’s sit down and talk this out.” He
indicated to Gibbs’ living room.
Tony shook his head. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m done talking.” Tony’s
voice was now deprived of any emotion. His breathing was shallow and he looked
blankly at the two men who stood before him.
“DiNozzo, Tony.” Gibbs spoke up again, but got no further as Tony interrupted
him.
“I’m done talking, Boss. I’m leaving.” This time he took a step towards the
front door.
Gibbs growled. “If you go out that door, don’t bother to come back to work.
I’ll make sure Vance receives your resignation as soon as possible.”
“Gibbs,” Derek sounded shocked.
Tony had become almost transparent at Gibbs’ words. “I’ll email it myself.”
Without a further word, he opened the front door and stepped out. The cab he
ordered pulled up at the same time and with no hesitation, Tony got in and
closed the door behind him.
Derek exploded. “What the fuck, Gibbs! What the hell? You really are a
bastard.” He reached for his phone. “Where does AD stay?”
“What?” Gibbs frowned at the question.
“Unless you’d forgotten, AD might still be in danger. And since we can’t keep
him safe here, we need someone else who can. I need to tell my team to keep an
eye out for him and hopefully he won’t bolt when he realizes we’ve got someone
watching him.”
Gibbs wanted to kick himself. He wasn’t thinking straight. He rattled off the
address and moved towards his safe box to retrieve his firearm and go after
Tony.
Derek ended the call he made to Hotch and addressed the other man. “It’s not a
good idea, Gibbs. You know that. Let’s give him some space to calm down and
calm down ourselves. Phone your Director, tell him not to accept the
resignation and tomorrow morning we’ll go and fix this mess we both created.
Hopefully, he’ll listen to us.”
Gibbs grunted as he put his weapon away and headed towards the side door of the
kitchen.
“Where are you going?”
“Basement. You can follow if you want. I need something stronger than coffee.”
Gibbs didn’t stop and stomped down the stairs.
Derek sighed. With AD storming off, neither of them were on duty any more.
Something stronger sound just like the thing that he needed. He wondered if
Gibbs drank bourbon or brandy. He had a feeling it would be bourbon. There was
only one way to find out.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony looked down as he sipped his drink. He had calmed down since he stormed
out of Gibbs’ house. He’d taken a long shower after removing the bandage from
his hand. The wound was neatly stitched. It was a bit swollen, but clean which
was a good sign. Now standing at his window, looking down at the street, he
could see the non-descript sedan parked across the street and knew it had to be
the FBI. He wanted to be angry that they assigned a watchdog to him, but he
didn’t have the energy. He was exhausted, and not physically. His hand throbbed
and in his haste to get away from Gibbs and Morgan he didn’t take his
medication with him. He had a few generic pain killers that he could use. Tony
shook his head. He didn’t need the other medication, definitely not now with
his current state of mind. He didn’t even need the generic ones. He had to
ignore the pain, it would go away.
He tried not to think about what transpired at Gibbs’ house. He’d said some
things that he never wanted to, but he also knew Gibbs. The man was at best a
functional mute, for him to have actually said so much, showed Tony how rattled
Gibbs actually was. It still felt strange, even after seven years, to know that
Gibbs cared about him - that anyone cared. Some days, it was hard to believe.
Gibbs spoke out of frustration. Frustration that Tony created. Tony shivered.
He hoped it was just frustration, maybe Gibbs was serious and that meant he was
now jobless. The thought of him being without a job, without doing what he
loved, nearly made his legs buckle beneath him and he grabbed hold of the wall
to stay upright. “Fuck,” he took a deep breath. “Cross the bridge when you get
there, Tony.” He mumbled to himself.
When his laptop pinged, Tony sighed and turned away from the window. He was
glad for the respite, although he feared what he would see when he opened up
the laptop. Tony made his way over to the kitchen where he’d set up and sat
down on one of the bar chairs. It seemed like the parameters he used to search
for possible linked cases found another three. Grand total now, stood at
thirty-three. He started working through the cases. It seemed like these three
might be the first ones as it happened more than a year and a half ago. From
the information loaded on the shared database, it seemed like when Janet
Summers went missing, there might have been a potential witness. The info was
sketchy and for a moment Tony contemplated on heading out to go and find the
witness. But, it was out of their jurisdiction. He snorted. Once again, he
might even be jobless. Technically, he was jobless. He only had to send the
email. He stared at the laptop for a long time; the cases he looked at
forgotten for a moment. He minimized the screen and opened up his email. Gibbs
was serious, he always was. With an ache in his heart, Tony started drafting
his resignation. Without a job he’d have more time to look for the missing
girls. He would find them, he didn’t need a badge to do that.
It took him longer than he thought it would, but finally he hit the send
button. He was jobless. Tony dragged his hand across his face and took a deep
breath. He maximized the previous screen and then stared at it. He just
resigned. The thought kept on turning over and over in his mind. He found
himself staring at the screen for a long time, and with a growl he leaped to
his feet. He needed a distraction. His first thought was sex, sex always took
his mind off his worries, but after today, and with his babysitters on the
outside, it wasn’t an option. It was time for something else.
Tony stopped at his piano. It’d been a while since he last played. They’d been
extremely busy, days running into one another. Some days he only had time to
grab a shower and a clean set of clothes. Now it seemed like he would have all
the time in the world. He took his seat and opened the lid. He let his fingers
rest on the ivory keys and closed his eyes. The music started flowing from
within. It was heavy, slow and sad. It reflected his mood like a mirror image.
The first piece of music became another and then the music changed. It was hard
and angry, the crescendo reaching its peak, staying there as he nearly hammered
the keys in frustration and anger. His mood fled before him, leaving him empty
and the music stopped. Silence settled in around him. Tony managed to stumble
to his feet. Like a drunkard, he found his way to his bedroom and collapsed on
the twin bed. His eyes closed on their own accord as the power of sleep pulled
him down.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
Ziva looked at the men that surrounded her and rolled her eyes. They all
thought they were so macho. They were no match for her. Her Mossad training
prepared her for situations like this. “If you’re done ogling me we can get
down to business.” She hated the fact that she was here, but in the end, she
had little choice.
“You work for NCIS.” A man spoke up, one that she didn’t notice before. The
gorilla types around her gave way. He was older than he sounded. Had gray eyes
with dull hair. Ordinary. One that you wouldn’t notice at first. Ziva didn’t
say a word, but she was impressed.
“I work where I am sent.”
“You are not loyal.”
“I am loyal to what matters to me.”
“And what is that? Mossad?” The man sighed. “Yet, you’ve given up your
citizenship just like that.” He clicked his fingers together.
Ziva remained silent. He knew about her.
“Nothing to say.” He came closer, invaded her personal space. A sneer appeared
on his face. “I don’t deal well with traitors.” He stepped back. “You can get
what I’ve lost.”
Ziva wouldn’t admit it, but the man intimidated her. There was something about
him that wanted to make her fall to her knees and whimper. If it wasn’t for the
fact that she had something to prove, she might’ve done just that. “I can.” She
was relieved to hear her voice sounded steady.
The man looked at her and then shook his head. “I have no respect for you, but,
from what I hear you are indeed able to deliver. I want everything on my pet.
Who is his best friend? His worst enemy? With whom does he sleep, what does he
have for dinner each night? I don’t want to hear anything from you until you’ve
got him.” He turned to leave but then stopped. Without turning back, he
addressed her again. “And I want him in a pristine condition. I do know he’ll
most likely put up a fight, but if he’s more injured than strictly necessary,
I’ll be disappointed. No one has the right to hurt what is mine. He is mine to
punish.” He didn’t wait for a reply, but stepped in between his men as they
gave way and then disappeared.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
BAU – Quantico, Virginia
09:00 the following morning
“Morgan?” JJ asked with concern as her friend entered their open plan office.
The chocolate colored man looked almost ash gray.
Derek shook his head and sat down heavily on the chair. “I royally fucked up,
JJ.” His shoulders sagged. He looked up to where his best friend was nearly
buried in stacks and stacks of files. “What’s Pretty boy, doing?”
“Not like you to change the subject so abruptly, Morgan.” JJ responded, but
then added. “An email came through from Agent DiNozzo and half an hour later a
courier arrived with all those files.” She looked at Morgan. “You going to tell
me what’s wrong, because saying you’ve royally fucked up, doesn’t quite cover
it.”
Derek looked at JJ and then at Reid. To bother Reid would not help, his genius
friend would immediately see there was something wrong and would stop reading.
He needed Reid to go through those files. They needed answers. He looked
around. Both Rossi and Hotch’s doors were still closed. It means they
personally took the task on to keep AD safe. He finally swung his chair around
so that he could face JJ. “You know where Rossi and Hotch are at the moment?”
JJ nodded. “Hotch phoned and told me. What happened?”
“I’d forgotten what a hothead AD can be. I pushed him, and I pushed too quickly
and too far and he bolted. Then Gibbs took it a bit further and now AD believes
that he’s out of a job, with no friends and a maniac, which we couldn’t catch
the first time, possibly on his tail.”
JJ frowned. “There are too many things that are not making sense. What I do
know is that you won’t leave things as is, so what are you doing here? Why
aren’t you at his place to set things right again?”
“AD needs time to calm down. He angers quickly, but takes time to get his
emotions back under control. If I try and talk to him now, he’ll explode again
and nothing good will come out of it.” Morgan looked over at Reid. “I also
wanted to take Boy genius with me. I think he and Tony will hit it off and
become good friends.”
“And you’re not going to use Spencer as a buffer between you and Agent
DiNozzo?”
Derek smiled and shook his head. “Neither of them will allow it. Reid would
know immediately if I tried to do something like that and AD, AD would kick my
ass solidly for trying to play him. I will not do it to either of them.” He
looked at the files Spencer was working through. “I can also do with an update
on what’s going on, any leads?”
Spencer looked up from the files he read. “I’ll go with you. I need to speak to
Agent DiNozzo in any case, at the same time I’ll update you as well. I also
think it’s time we relieve Rossi and Hotch.” Without waiting for a reply, he
picked up his shoulder bag and swung it over his head. “I’m ready.”
Derek shook his head. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Reid was aware of
what they were talking about. His friend could multitask with the best of them.
He shrugged and grinned at JJ and waved at her. He placed his arm around Reid’s
shoulders and gave him a quick squeeze before he let go. “You’re going to like
AD, Reid. He’s also a genius like you, but he hides it. He always has. It will
do him good to talk to you.”
Reid looked at his friend. “Have you asked Agent DiNozzo if it’s all right to
still call him, AD?” He continued quickly. “I know you mean well, and that’s
the name you know him by, but he’s a different person, Morgan. Maybe you
calling him AD are putting extra pressure on him?”
Derek lowered his head. “And I call myself a profiler,” he mumbled under his
breath. “Stupid mistake, Reid. Thank you. I’ll take it up with him.”
“He’ll know you didn’t mean it in a bad way, Morgan. He had to reinvent
himself, so there might be a possibility that with you calling him AD it keeps
on reminding him of the past. A past that’s now almost guaranteed to be the
present as well.”
“You’re way too good at this, kid.” Morgan accepted the advice as they exited
the building and headed over to their parked SUV.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Dupont Circle: Outside DiNozzo’s apartment
Rossi grinned as his best friend stifled yet another yawn. “Getting too old for
this duty, Hotch.”
Aaron hummed and nodded his head. “Next time remind me not to volunteer for
this, let’s send someone else, please.” He tried to stretch out in the cramped
space available to him. His phone chimed and he reached for it. “Finally,” a
smile appeared on his face. “Reid and Morgan are on their way.”
“Thank you,” Rossi sighed. “My backside would be grateful if it doesn’t have to
sit in this seat for at least the next seventy-two hours.” He wriggled a bit to
find another comfortable spot. They’d been on duty for more than sixteen hours
and could seriously do with a break. He looked on as a large SUV drove past
them. He used his side mirror to check it out until it disappeared around the
corner.
Hotchner smiled one of his rare smiles and nodded in agreement. “I’ll do
whatever I can to keep us out of the vehicle, Dave.” His smile turned into a
frown as another SUV passed them. “We’ve been here for a long time and we’ve
seen plenty of cars passing by, but what are the odds of two black 2015
Chevrolet SUVs like ours passing by in less than three minutes?” He turned and
looked through their own back window. “Trouble?”
“I want to say no, but the odds against this not being trouble are too slim.”
He reached for his firearm as he got ready to open his door. It was then that a
third SUV came from the front, but instead of driving past, it stopped right in
front of Tony’s building.
“Fuck,” Hotchner cursed and grabbed his own firearm. He looked on as five men
exited the vehicle and made their way to the lobby door of the apartment
complex.
“We need to stop them.” Rossi checked his weapon but stayed seated. It wouldn’t
help them, or Agent DiNozzo if they went in guns blazing. They needed a
strategy.
Hotchner wanted to respond, but then then a second and a third SUV came back,
parking on either side of the first, their engines still running. “There’s no
time.” He took his phone and pressed the call button on the newly saved number
on his phone. He had no idea if the man would answer.
“Get out of your apartment, now. You’ve got less than a minute.” Hotch barked
the order as he opened his door. “Get yourself to safety without leaving the
building. I’ll contact you when it’s safe to do so.” Hotch ended the call and
dialed another number. “Garcia, I need marked units to my coordinates and I
need them now! Sirens blazing. NOW!” He ended the call. As he crossed the
street with Rossi at his back he could hear the first sirens wailing in the
back. He kept his weapon trained on the first of the two occupied vehicles.
“FBI, switch off the engine and get your hands up where I can see them.” He
shouted the order. He could hear Rossi repeating the same order as the sirens
in the background become more audible.
He knew they were in a vulnerable position. They had no real cover, especially
if the men that entered the building came out weapons blazing. When nothing
happened, he repeated the order. The SUV right in front of him was deprived of
any movement. With the darkened windows, it was difficult to see what was going
on inside.
Hotchner could feel the tension in the air, it became almost tangible. Then the
lobby doors opened up and he had to run for cover. The five men were back, all
of them firing rapidly. He managed to get his own shots off, as he scrambled
for better cover. He could hear the two engines revving before the back door of
the SUV in front opened up and what looked like with practiced ease the five
gunmen got into the vehicle. The moment the door closed behind them, Hotch was
out behind his cover and started shooting as the two SUVS sped off with burning
tires. He fired again, but it was useless. He looked on as they disappeared
from his view.
He lifted a hand to signal that he was okay, as he heard Rossi calling out to
him. He jogged towards the third SUV that now stood abandoned. He checked it
out quickly, finding it to be empty and then headed toward the lobby doors.
Hotch wasn’t surprised to find Dave right at his back.
A few people came to their feet as they stormed in. A woman screamed and she
fell to the floor, but his eyes swept over her, making sure the area was clean
of any danger before he moved on. When they reached the stairs, he pulled out
his phone and pressed the call button again. “Shit,” he cursed as the phone
remained unanswered. With Dave still at his back the two men made their way up
the stairs. They checked the first level and then the second, right up to
DiNozzo’s apartment. The door was kicked off its hinges and Hotch indicated to
Dave to stop. They had to proceed with extra care.
Hotch toed the door open and as he went in he called out loud. “Federal Agents,
come out with your hands in the air.” He received no reply and the two men
quickly swept the room and continued on with the rest of the apartment. Things
were tossed around, but there were no signs of anyone hiding.
“Well, it seemed like he managed to hide somewhere, because the bad guys didn’t
bring him out.” Dave spoke up for the first time. He looked over at the piano.
“Looks like our Agent DiNozzo has some hidden talents.” His fingers glided over
the keys.
“You can ask him about his playing ability later, now we’ve got to find him
first.” Hotch reached for his phone again. He growled when it remained
unanswered yet again. “I’m personally going to kill him when I find him.”
Rossi looked at his friend. “Let’s not be so hasty. You did tell him to get
himself somewhere safe. Maybe he’s still of the opinion that it’s still not
safe to come out.”
Aaron managed not to kill Rossi with a mere look. He reached for his phone and
at the same time brought up his firearm as someone stormed into the apartment.
“Federal Agents!” He screamed, the phone in his hand forgotten for the moment.
He lowered his weapon as he found himself staring at Morgan and Reid.
“You all right?” Morgan asked as he also lowered his weapon and took a look
around. “What the hell happened? Where’s AD?”
“Looking for him,” Hotch replied and then cursed as he remembered the phone in
his hand. “Gibbs?” He asked and could only hear static in his ear. The line was
still open, but he had a feeling the man he wanted to talk to was on his way
here. “Gibbs!” He shouted out loud, in an attempt for the NCIS agent to hear
him. He heard squealing tires outside and made his way over to the large
window. A government sedan came to a screeching stop and Hotch ended the call
as the man he tried to reach over the phone leaped out of the car. “Gibbs is on
his way.” He informed his team. He ended the call and tried Agent DiNozzo’s
phone again. Once again, it remained unanswered.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
When his phone rang, Gibbs wanted to yell. It’d been ringing nonstop the whole
morning. It seemed like the whole of Washington D.C. wanted him. He looked at
the screen and everything slowed down. It was SSA Hotchner’s number that
appeared on the screen. He answered it and growled as no one spoke to him, but
he heard the clear call out of federal agents. Without ending the call, he took
the stairs down three at a time, not bothering with the elevator. He found one
of his colleagues getting out of his car and with no hesitation, Gibbs leaped
in. He didn’t have time to explain as he sped off. He had to get to Tony’s
place. He tossed the phone on the seat next to him. Both hands gripped the
steering wheel hard, his knuckles white with tension. He gave no damn about any
traffic regulations as he sped through red intersections, not caring about
nearly causing several accidents. He only had one place to be.
When Tony’s apartment building came into sight, his heart pounded in his chest.
Several police vehicles stood around, blue lights flashing on top of the roofs.
He managed to stop halfway on the pavement and jumped out of the car. He had
his pistol in the one hand, his credentials in the other. He noticed the chunks
of concrete missing, and shell casings lying around and fear made itself known
in his heart. He ran out hard. Luckily, no one tried to stop him and with a
still racing heart he made it to the second floor.
Gibbs barged in. His own weapon at a ready. “What the hell happened here?” He
barked out the as he holstered his weapon when he detected no threat.
“Someone tried to grab Agent DiNozzo.” Rossi spoke up.
Gibbs looked around. “How the fuck did they know where he was? Or, for that
matter who he was? And where the hell is he?”
“He’s not returning my calls.” Hotch explained what transpired. He himself was
battling with the same questions Gibbs had asked. Something wasn’t right. They
had a leak, but he had no idea where or who, the leak was.
“Damn it, DiNozzo.” Gibbs dragged his hand across his face. “I’ll go and get
him. Stay here.”
“How do you know where he is?” Morgan asked even as he closed the distance
between them. He was not letting Gibbs go off on his own.
Gibbs looked at the younger agent. “I know.” It wouldn’t be the first time that
he had to bring Tony out from his hiding place. But, it wasn’t his story to
tell, and if Tony didn’t want the FBI to know about it, that would be the end.
He could do nothing as the FBI agent followed him. Gibbs took the stairs down
again, but instead of stepping out into the lobby, he opened a door to the
side. It had stairs leading down.
“DiNozzo!” Gibbs called out as he descended the stairs. “Coast is clear, Tony.”
He came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. He slowly raised his hands above
his head. He glared at Morgan until the man lifted his own hands. “Bad guys
left, Tony. Only the good ones are still here, and then the FBI, but they don’t
matter.”
Silence greeted them, but Gibbs remained unmoved. He kept his hands well away
from his body.
“You sure?” A faint voice sounded to their left.
“Positive.” Gibbs was happy with the fact that Morgan remained silent. He
sighed faintly as he spotted movement from his left and Tony came into view.
His surrogate son was as gray as a stormy day, his eyes large, but the grip he
had on his firearm steady. It had been more than a year since Tony last had
such an adverse reaction to this kind of situation. He thought that it might be
something of the past, but now he knew better. It also had nothing to do with
the rest of NCIS, that included the head shrinks they were always threatened
with.
“You going to lower that and give it to me?” Gibbs asked but kept his arms up.
Until Tony surrendered his weapon, he was not taking any chances.
“You not mad?” Tony sounded so insecure.
“Never at you, Tony.” Gibbs kept his eyes on Tony, his voice calm. “Put the
safety back on and place your weapon on the floor, Tony. I’ll pick it up and
then we can get out of here. This place makes my nose twitch.”
Tony looked at Gibbs and at Morgan. Finally, he nodded his head. He placed the
safety on his sidearm and then lowered the weapon to the floor. He moved three
steps backward and hung his head low.
Gibbs moved forward. He kicked Tony’s pistol in Morgan’s direction and pulled
Tony to his chest. “You’re all right, boy. You’re all right.” He repeated the
mantra until Tony’s arms came around his waist and hugged him tight. “We’ll
work this out, I promise.” He released Tony from the hug, but cupped his face.
“Let’s get out of here.” He smiled, his eyes filled with love for the younger
man.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen
Tony refused to meet anyone’s gaze. Instead, he focused on the file in front of
him. He wasn’t reading anything, but used it as a ruse in an attempt not to be
noticed.
“My office, DiNozzo,” Gibbs spoke softly in his ear and stood back, giving Tony
time to get to his feet. He didn’t doubt for one moment that Tony wouldn’t
follow him. He waited for Tony to move first before he followed on his heels.
He shook his head as Agent Morgan wanted to speak up. After they collected Tony
from the laundry room, Gibbs had no objection in handing Tony’s apartment over
to the FBI to investigate while he drove Tony back to their offices.
When the doors closed behind him, Gibbs pushed the emergency stop and turned to
Tony as he elevator jolted to a standstill. “You doing okay?” He asked and when
he received no reply, he pushed on. “I said some things yesterday afternoon,
that I shouldn’t have, Tony. I was terrified and took it out on you.” He lifted
Tony’s chin with his finger as the younger man continued to look down at his
feet. “You know that I see you as my son, Tony. I only want the best for you,
and sometimes my mouth runs away from me. I’ve already spoken to Vance, you are
not fired. I will never do that to you.”
Gibbs did his best not to sigh as Tony remained unresponsive. “You worried
about what the FBI will say about what happened at your apartment?”
“I’m not fit to be an agent, Gibbs.”
This time Gibbs didn’t suppress the sigh. He also moved further into Tony’s
space. “And why is that? Because you got yourself out of danger? There’s
nothing wrong with that.”
“I placed everyone else in danger.”
The head slap was hard. “As far as I understood from Agent Hotchner, you
followed orders. You got yourself to safety, stayed hidden until the coast was
clear and no one else was in danger and those in danger, were definitely not in
that position because of you. So, you want to try again?”
“I could’ve shot you.”
“And yet, you were calm when you responded to me. Followed my orders to the
letter, but most importantly, you never even placed your finger on the trigger.
Don’t bullshit me, Tony. You were not going to shoot me.”
“What about your report?”
Gibbs frowned. “What about my report? It states that you got yourself to safety
and when the coast was clear myself and SSA Morgan went down to collect you and
to make sure you were still safe. Nothing else.”
Tony finally lifted his head. “He was there.”
Gibbs frowned. “Who, Tony?”
Tony moved backwards and slid down the side of the elevator. He lowered his
head in his hands. “He makes me feel like a helpless little boy, Gibbs.” He
held out his hands which trembled hard. “Just thinking of him makes me shiver
with fear.”
Gibbs lowered himself next to Tony on the elevator floor. “You talking about
the man who took you twenty years ago?”
Tony stared at the floor for what seemed to be for a long time before he
finally nodded. “I still need to tell you how it happened, but I can’t. Not
now.”
“You don’t need to tell me, Tony. I understand.”
Tony cleared his throat and brought his hand to his mouth to start biting his
nails. His hand never reached his mouth, instead, Gibbs took hold of his hand
and squeezed it hard.
“Who did you see, Tony? Tell me.”
Tony shivered again, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned back so
that his head rested against the side of the metal box. “Teel, Markus Teel.”
Tony shifted restlessly. “He was the main man behind the trafficking ring. He
oversaw each and every purchase personally. He made sure he knew each detail of
the girl kidnapped. He made sure that each one of them knew he was the boss.”
Tony swallowed. “He is a sadist, Gibbs. He got off on inflicting pain on
others. The worse the pain, the better for him. Each time a new bunch of girls
were brought in, there would always be one who thought she could escape. He had
a knack of knowing who it would be. To him it was a game. He would
intentionally let the security go lax, give her ample opportunity to get out,
only to bring her back personally and then he would show her how wrong she was.
If he was in a bad mood, it was a single shot to the back of the head. He would
leave the body there with the other girls for days. It served as a reminder to
all of them of what would happen if they tried to run. If he was in a good
mood, he would draw it out. He would start by breaking each bone in their feet.
There are twenty-six bones in the foot, Gibbs. He’s able to name each one. He
knows how to apply enough pressure to the foot to break the bones and he broke
each one with a smile on his face. She would be placed in a cell across from
the others where the girls could see everything. Her door would be left open.
Each and every one tried to escape again. He would catch them again, and then
break the bones in their legs and shatter their kneecaps. He took time in
breaking their elbows and all the bones in their hands. If they wanted to get
out then, they had to slide across the floor like a snake.”
Tony closed his eyes. “Only then, the games started. He would bring her back
again, and string up her arms, her broken legs shackled to the floor to keep
her upright. He would then whip her.” Tony’s voice grew silent and he shook his
head. “I can’t get it out of my head. I can’t tell you everything, not now. But
I can tell you in the end he would then rape her – continuously. And when he
grew tired of his own games he would toss her out of whatever place we were at
in that moment in time and would let her die. They always died.”
Tony opened his eyes. They were filled with dread. “He made me his personal
pet. He called me his slut puppy, and he promised me that should I ever escape,
he would personally find me and he would make what he did to those girls look
like child play.”
Gibbs pulled Tony to his chest. “He will never find you, Tony. You are my son,
I will keep you safe.”
Tony shook his head. “You don’t understand, Gibbs. He knows where I live. He
knows my name. I heard him call out to me as I fled to hide. He told me that he
would find me. He specifically told me that my Boss, that Leroy Jethro Gibbs,
will not keep me safe. He knows everything about me, Gibbs. He knows everything
about you.”
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter 6
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C. – following day
Teel backhanded the man before him and noted with glee the droplet of blood
that pooled in the corner of his mouth. He looked over to where Isaak was
strung from the high beam, his arms above his head, his legs spread wide, and
shackled to the floor. It was a good look on the man. Teel technically knew it
wasn’t Isaak’s fault, but his own, but someone had to be punished and it
couldn’t be him, now could it?
“It was a dumb move on our part. You disappoint me, Isaak. As my second in
command, you should’ve told me we’re acting too hasty, that we should wait.
Just because that bitch gave us such wonderful pieces of information didn’t
mean we could go barging in.” This time he delivered a solid punch to the man’s
abdomen. “Now, they are on to us, and you know how much I hate the FBI, Isaak.”
In one fluid motion, he twirled around and lashed out, crushing Isaak’s kneecap
with the powerful kick. Isaak screamed, the first sound he made since Teel had
him strung up.
Teel stepped back. “But, I do think you’ve learned your lesson and I’ve learned
mine as well. You know I hate to punish those close to me, Isaak, but this time
it was necessary. I hope we won’t have to repeat this lesson again.” He
sneered. “I do now remember that I wanted our little snitching bitch to bring
my pet home, so this time we will not act hastily. She will bring him to us.”
He paced the room. “In the meantime, we’ll keep eyes on him ourselves. I want
daily updates on him, Isaak.” Teel looked around. He loved this place. It was
built like a mini coliseum. The large ring in the middle was where he paraded
his girls in front of their potential buyers, usually via large screens
connected via the internet, or in his case, the Darknet. Their cages all looked
to the inside, closing the ring. They stood all empty. The last girl in the
last batch was delivered earlier to her new owner. “Fill up my ring, Isaak, I
will not grow bored while waiting for my pet to be delivered.” Teel walked away
but then stopped. “Get me a Marine, as well. There’s a lot of them here in D.C.
It can’t be that difficult.” It's time his little slut puppy was taught a
lesson.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen
2 days later
“Boss?” McGee asked carefully as he stood next to Gibbs’ desk.
Gibbs raised an eyebrow and looked at the junior agent. McGee had signed a
written reprimand that was placed on his file and had to repeat some of the
FLETC courses over the next few months. He was also back on probation for the
next year. One wrong step and he would find himself out on the street.
“Do you think I can talk to Tony? I want to apologize, but I’m not sure if he’d
appreciate it if I approached him now.”
Gibbs leaned back in his chair. “What if he doesn’t accept your apology?”
“Then I’ll work harder to show him that I’ve changed and that I am truly sorry
for what I’ve done, Boss.” McGee held his head high. He wanted to do the right
thing.
Gibbs grunted in reply. “Don’t push him, McGee. He’s in the gym.”
McGee nodded and before Gibbs could change his mind, he headed off to the gym.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony kept his mind blank as he used the large training bag to practice his
boxing swings. He was light on his feet, his breathing hard but deep as he
concentrated on each blow. He let the power travel through his body, up into
his arm and straight out of his fist. Tony only became aware of the younger
agent when Tim grabbed the bag to hold it steady. He came to a halt and stared
at the man he wanted to call friend.
“Keep it steady,” Tony lifted his gloves to cover his face and then started
jabbing at the bag. His blows came fast, but he didn’t keep the power out of
it. If Tim hung on without landing on his ass, he would have some interesting
bruises the following day. Tony let go of his frustrations, of his fears and of
the doubt he felt within himself.
“Tony!” Tim called out as he kept the bag steady. He tried to get Tony’s
attention, but the older man was in some sort of a trance, not taking in things
around him. Tim grunted as the next blow sent him and the bag backwards.
Instead of stepping forward, he remained back and tried calling out to Tony
again. He looked at the red spots that decorated the bag. Tony’s wrapped hands
were bleeding badly and he needed him to stop. “Tony!” Tim yelled and moved the
bag out of the way so that when Tony’s movement brought him forward, he
stumbled. Tim let go of the bag and grabbed Tony’s arm to keep him steady. He
had to duck as a fist came flying his way. “Steady.” He kept Tony on his feet.
“You’re bleeding.” Tim indicated to Tony’s hand. For a moment it looked like
Tony wasn’t understanding what he was saying but then he looked down at his
hands.
“McGee?” Tony asked confused and continued to stare at his hand. “You all
right?” He asked when he finally lifted his head.
“I’m more worried about you.” Tim took Tony’s arm and guided him to one of the
benches and sat him down. “Let me take a look at that.” He gently took Tony’s
hand and started to unwrap the bloodied bindings. He hissed in sympathy as the
last binding fell away and revealed the damaged done. Nearly all of the
stitches were torn. His hand already started to swell. “You’ll need to have
Ducky take a look at that.” He took a towel and wrapped it around Tony’s hand.
He reached for Tony’s other hand.
“Why, McGee?” Tony asked quietly.
McGee’s hands stilled. He knew exactly what Tony asked.
“Because I was jealous.” He stated the bare fact and reached for Tony’s hand
again. He unwrapped the bindings and continued. “You’re perfect, Tony. You’ve
got the looks and the brains. You’re a badass investigator, an even more
awesome undercover agent and you’re respected by everyone, including all of
alphabet agencies. Everything comes so easy to you. I hated that. I hated that
you are well liked and that you know how to do your job. I wanted that, I
needed that. And at one stage it didn’t matter how I got it, as long as you
were brought down and looked incompetent. If you were destroyed by my actions,
then so be it, as long as I got to be the golden boy.”
“I’m sorry, Timothy.” Tony spoke up softly, his head bowed in shame.
“No,” Tim shook his head hard. “No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the
one here at fault and I’m sorry. I’m breaking Gibbs’ rule by apologizing, but I
have to, I need to. You deserve my loyalty. You were the one who brought me
onto the team and although I’m still a bit peeved at some of the pranks you
pulled on me, I understand why you did it. You made me stronger, made sure I
was able stand up to anyone, including Gibbs and the only thanks I gave in
return was to try and take you down another peg. You made me into a capable
federal agent, gave me skills that I didn’t have. I know I can’t be a suitable
federal agent if I don’t know how to do field work, being a genius with
computers, means nothing. I’m sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my
ass.”
“I have to ask, McGee.” Tony kept his head down. “Why now? Or are you feeling
sorry for me because of what’s happening now?”
Timothy frowned. “What? No.” He shook his head. “Listen, Tony. I’m not even
sure what is happening. I know the FBI is here, Gibbs still hasn’t told me why.
I assume it’s got something to do with our dead Seaman. I’m still trying to
find the information Gibbs wanted, without much success and with Abby moaning
in my ears about Ziva, I don’t know what’s going on.”
Tony looked up. McGee had a confused expression on his face. “I don’t know if I
can trust you again, McGee.” He looked down again. “I thought we were friends.”
“I screwed it up so bad.” McGee sighed. “I can understand that you don’t trust
me. I wouldn’t trust myself if I were in your shoes. But, I would like to gain
your trust again, Tony. I would like to become your friend.”
Tony sighed. “It will take time, McGee. I can’t tell you how long or if it will
ever happen.” He looked at the younger man. “You’ve got great potential, McGee.
I don’t want NCIS to lose that.” Tony wiggled his fingers, they were already
stiff. The wound looked closed enough. He’d get Jimmy to help him remove the
stitches. “I’m going to need some ice for this.” He got to his feet and gave a
small nod of thanks as he wobbled for a second and McGee steadied him. “Meet me
in the bullpen in about an hour. I’ll help you with the information Gibbs
wants.”
“Thank you, Tony.” McGee looked on as Tony made his way to the changing rooms
and the man disappeared from his sight. He took out his phone to make a call.
He kept it short and then made his way back to the bullpen to wait for Tony.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
“McGee is a real tattletale,” Tony grumbled as he got out of the dressing room
and found both Ducky and Gibbs waiting on him.
Ducky sighed and Gibbs huffed. “Let Ducky take a look at your hand, DiNozzo.”
Gibbs gently tapped his surrogate son on the back of his head. “You do realize
that when I sent you down here, it was for you to burn off that nervous energy
you had going on in your system, not to mess up your hand.” Gibbs frowned as he
looked at the damage Tony had done.
“It’s not that bad, Gibbs.” Tony hissed and tried to pull away as Ducky prodded
at the cut on his right hand.
Ducky looked up sharply. “Last time I looked, young Anthony, I was the one with
the medical degree, not you. So, please, let me be the judge on whether or not
this is ‘not so bad’.
Tony sighed, but relented in letting Ducky look at his hand. “McGee came to
apologize.”
“And that he should. I know the dear boy is still inexperienced, but his
actions, and those of Ziva went too far.” Ducky spoke up as he reached for his
bag.
Tony looked down at what Ducky was doing. “I would’ve asked Jimmy to remove
those for me. If it was on my left hand, I’d done it myself.”
“Mr. Palmer needs more experience in stitching things up, Anthony, not removing
stitches.” Ducky looked at the agent and smiled. “I assume he’s the one who
helped you keep it clean as well.”
“He’s a good friend.”
Gibbs commented, “The FBI still needs your statement, Tony.”
Tony sighed. “I know.” He looked at Gibbs. “You will be there with me?”
“No other place to be at, DiNozzo.”
“I need to tell you.” He stopped when Gibbs placed his arm on his shoulder.
“Only when you’re ready. I told you that before. You also don’t need to share
what you know with anyone else. It might be the same group, but this
investigation is about them, not you.”
“Thank you, Gibbs.” Tony looked at his hand. Ducky had removed the stitches and
covered it with a light bandage to keep it closed and clean. “Thank you,
Ducky.”
“Anytime my boy, anytime.” Ducky patted Tony’s shoulder, took his bag and left
the two men behind.
“Do you think I should trust McGee?”
“You know I can’t answer that question, Tony. Only you can. But, whatever
decision you reach, I’ll back you up one-hundred percent.”
Tony nodded. “You’re right.” He got to his feet. “Let’s go, Boss. We’ve got
some bad people to catch.”
Gibbs grinned, but couldn’t keep the worried look out of his eyes. They had
more than a bunch of bad people to catch. They had to catch the man who
kidnapped Tony all those years ago and ruined his life. The same man, which, by
the way things looked, was trying to get Tony back. He would not allow that.
Tony belonged here with them, where he was loved and no place else, especially
not as a sex slave.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
BAU – Quantico, Virginia
Morgan looked up as the doors to their floor opened. A smile appeared on his
face as he saw who it was. He got to his feet and closed the distance between
him and the three men that entered. “You all right?”
Tony nodded in agreement. He’s much calmer as what he thought he might be, and
he’s taking it as a good thing. “I’ve come to give you guys my statement.”
“You made good time,” Hotch spoke up behind them.
“You’ve never driven with Gibbs before,” Tony piped up and ducked even as Gibbs
attempted to swat him on the back of his head.
“Yes, I’ve heard that Agent Gibbs’ driving is as formidable as the man
himself.” Rossi stepped forward. “Why don’t we move into our briefing room?
it’s much more comfortable and I know we won’t need an interview room for
this.”
“Tony?” Gibbs asked as Tony stayed still. “You all right?”
Tony closed his eyes for a second and then nodded. “Let’s do this.” He turned
to McGee, who accompanied them. “I need you to be there as well, Tim, but
please, no questions.”
McGee nodded. He’d seen the way the other agents looked at him. None of them
looked impressed, he could understand that.
“Tony?” Morgan spoke up again. “May I talk to you for a moment?”
Tony nodded. “Sure.” He looked around. “Here?”
“I remember Agent Gibbs needs strong coffee, why don’t the two of you go and
make some. I think he’ll like it.” JJ pushed them in the direction of their
small kitchen.
Morgan nodded and before Tony could respond, he pulled him along. He ignored
the rest of the team.
“Derek?” Tony asked as they reached the small space. He looked down at their
intertwined fingers. It didn’t feel strange. There was something soothing about
Derek holding his hand.
Derek looked down and blushed. He let go of Tony’s hand fast. “Sorry, so
sorry.” He tried to hide behind his hand as he ran it over his face.
“Are you embarrassed?” Tony couldn’t help but to smile.
Derek groaned. “Fuck, I’m sorry. It was inappropriate of me.”
Tony gulped. “What if I didn’t mind?” He knew he was taking a huge leap and
there was a possibility that he might land flat on his face.
At first Tony’s question didn’t register and Derek looked dumbstruck. Then the
words became untangled in his mind and he grinned. “You sure?” He shook his
head. “Wait, we need to talk.” He took Tony’s hand as the other man blanched.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to scare you or anything, but I need to make sure we’re
on the same page.” He indicated to the counter. “Sorry, no table, but I know
it’s not that uncomfortable to sit on.” He pulled himself up.
Tony looked at the man next to him. Of all the people in his life, Derek Morgan
knew about him the longest. He couldn’t say that Derek knew him the best, as
for the past twenty years they had no contact, but still they had a connection
he didn’t share with anyone else. “You remember the first thing you said to
me?”
Derek smiled. “It’s all right to be scared of the dark, it shows you’re alive.”
“You were the first person in my life who told me it’s okay to be scared. That
it doesn’t make me weak. Thank you, Derek.”
Derek reached for Tony’s hand where it rested between them. “The thick bandages
are off.”
Tony lowered his head. “I’ve managed to mess it up a bit. But, Ducky took care
of me and it’s better now.”
“That explains the busted knuckles on the other hand. You okay?”
Tony nodded and then stopped. “Not really, but I will be.”
“We’re all rooting for you, AD” Derek groaned. “Sorry, it slipped out.”
Tony frowned. “You’ve always called me AD.”
“True, but you’re no longer a 16 year-old, you’ve grown. You’ve changed. I feel
like I am bringing up the past every time I call you that.”
Tony cocked his head. “You’ve got it wrong, Derek. You calling me AD reminds me
that I’m alive. That I got passed what happened. In a way it grounds me.”
“So you’re not freaking out internally when I call you AD?” Derek had to be
sure.
Tony smiled and shook his head. “No, it does not.” He looked down at their
hands. “I like this.”
It was Derek’s turn to smile. “Me too, but we’re going to take it slow.”
“I can do slow.” Tony pressed against Derek side and placed his head on the
other man’s shoulder.
“Good.” Derek placed a kiss on the top of Tony’s head. “I’m here for you, AD.
Always.” He squeezed Tony’s hand and then hopped off the counter. This time
when they exited the kitchenette, Derek made sure not to let go of Tony’s hand.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Ziva sat back and watched as the Goth marched across her living room. Abby was
seething with anger and although Ziva made sure to hide the fact that she was
ecstatic about it, she couldn’t help but to grin. Abby’s anger fit right into
her plans.
“Why don’t you calm down, Abby? It’s not going to help you to be so angry.”
Ziva sweetly spoke up and reached out to grab Abby by the forearm to bring her
to a halt. “What has gotten you so angry?” She asked curiously.
Abby screamed at the top of her voice, her face turned a deep red. “I hate him!
He’s ruining everything!” She stamped her foot. “He’s ruining our family.” She
swiped away a tear and huffed as she sat down. “Everything is his fault.”
“I’m sorry, Abby.” Ziva lowered her head and sniffled hard.
“No, no, Ziva, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s on him.”
Ziva shook her head. “I went too far, Abby. I was in the wrong. It is my fault
that your family is breaking up. I’ll do everything I can do to make it right.”
Abby frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Ziva used her acting talent to look guilty. “I didn’t want to disappoint you,
Abby. Please, you have to forgive me.” She grabbed hold of Abby’s hands and
enclosed them with hers.
“Ziva?” Abby looked worried.
Ziva looked down at her lap and then spoke softly. “There in the bullpen, I was
out of line, Abby. I forget where I was and I spoke my mind. Tony was so
condescending towards me, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Unfortunately,
Director Morrow from Homeland Security heard me and that’s why he got me
removed from the premises. I should’ve held my cool, Abby. I should’ve spoken
up and told Director Morrow what happened, but I felt so ashamed and Tony just
stood there, not a care in the world.”
Abby growled. “To think I thought of that man as my brother. I will never
forgive him for this. Tony has taken it too far this time.”
“NO!” Ziva leaped to her feet. “Sorry,” she sat down again. “Please, don’t you
see? This work is my life. You know I can’t go back to Israel, I belong here. I
don’t have a choice, I need to apologize so that I can come back to work, Abby.
I don’t know what else to do.”
Abby remained silent as she sat next to Ziva. She tried to think of another
plan, but nothing came to mind.
“Abby?” Ziva asked hesitantly. “I need a favor from you, please.”
“You can ask me anything, Ziva. You know that.”
Ziva smiled. “I need to talk to Tony. I’ve tried to call him on his cell phone,
but he’s not taking my calls. Every time I call the office, either McGee or
Gibbs answers. I don’t want to talk to them, not now. You’ve got to help me,
Abby. I need to talk to Tony, please.”
Abby wasn’t in any mood to talk to Tony, but if she could help Ziva keep her
job she would suck it up and do it. “Why don’t you go to his apartment?”
Ziva shook her head. “He doesn’t answer. I can hear him on the inside, and I
know he looks through the peephole, but then he ignores me and I can’t make a
scene. He’ll phone the police, you’ll know he’ll do that. I need to get him
somewhere else.”
Abby bit into her bottom lip, but then finally nodded. “I’ll help you out. What
do you want me to do?”
Ziva hugged her tight. “Thank you, Abby, thank you so much.” She sat back and
explained to Abby her plan.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony’s Apartment
Both federal agents got to their feet as someone entered Tony’s apartment. They
could hear the person walking around in the living room. Gibbs relaxed when the
voice spoke to Tony’s fish and he tucked his firearm away. He nodded to Morgan
that everything was in order and he stepped out of the kitchen. “What are you
doing here, Palmer?”
Jimmy spun around and nearly screamed as someone spoke up behind him. “Agent
Gibbs, I didn’t know you were here. What are you doing here?”
“I asked you the same question.” Gibbs leaned against the wall. He was aware
that Morgan was still at his back.
Jimmy held up the grocery bags he had with him. “Tony’s not been eating well,
I’m making sure that when he does eat, it’s something nutritious.” He looked
around. “Is he here?”
“He’s resting,” Derek responded as he stepped out of the kitchen. They’d been
back at Tony’s place for over two hours. At first, they tried to persuade Tony
to go to Gibbs’ home, but Tony refused and in the end, they came here. The team
Gibbs got to clean up Tony’s apartment did a great job and the new door looked
good. But, Tony’s statement took a lot out of him, and after some persuasion
Tony finally agreed to go and lay down. It didn’t even take him ten minutes
before he was fast asleep.
Jimmy jumped again. “The two of you are really trying to frighten me to death.”
He looked at the two men. “I’m actually glad you’re both here. It’s time we
talked.” Without waiting for them, Jimmy took a seat. When the two agents stood
gaping at him, he indicated to the long couch. “I won’t bite.” He grinned at
his own joke, but sobered up as Gibbs glared at him.
Morgan shrugged and took a seat, Gibbs followed him. “What do you want to talk
about?” Morgan asked.
Jimmy looked at both men. “You need to promise me, Agent Gibbs that you won’t
kill me. Or if you do kill me, just to wait until all of this is done before
you tell Tony, I won’t have him upset about anything else.”
Gibbs wanted to snap at the younger man until he realized that Palmer was quite
serious. He nodded.
“Good,” Jimmy relaxed. “I need the two of you to tell me what your intentions
are with Tony.” Jimmy hastily continued as the vein on the side of Gibbs’
temple started to pulse. Even Agent Morgan grumbled at him. “No, no, I don’t
mean it like that, although I sort of do.”
“Then what do you mean, Palmer?” Gibbs snapped.
“That’s what I mean, Gibbs. That, right there.” Jimmy pointed at Gibbs. When
Morgan frowned, he continued. “You’ve not worked with Agent Gibbs before, Agent
Morgan, but you’ve spent some time in his company this past few days. He’s
always grumpy, and sometimes he’s got reason to be so, but sometimes not and
most of the times he takes it out on Tony. And Tony, well, he takes it. He’s
always making sure that he protects everyone else from Gibbs’ wrath, but no one
takes care of Tony. That needs to stop. You need to rein your grumpiness in,
Gibbs. If you want to help him, you’ll need to be less grumpy.” Jimmy gulped.
Morgan burst out laughing. “Oh man, I can’t believe it. Kid, you’ve got balls.”
He laughed again, even as Gibbs tried to stare him to death.
“I don’t know what’s so funny,” Gibbs responded. “Palmer’s got something to say
to you too, Morgan.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” Derek grinned.
“Not yet, and you better not.” Jimmy glared at the other man. “Since this whole
business started, I’ve not had time to spend with Tony, but I made sure to
contact him each evening to chat. And each evening he would tell me something
about you, and you’ve got to be blind not to realize that he feels something
for you and I won’t have you come in and trample his heart to pieces and then
leave again. Tony doesn’t need that. He’s my best friend, and if you can’t give
him all of you, then, please, don’t even try. Tony deserves the best.”
It was Gibbs’ turn to laugh. Morgan was staring at the ME’s assistant like he’d
grown a second head. “And he doesn’t even know that you and DiNozzo held hands
this morning.”
Morgan groaned and Jimmy hissed. “You better not try any funny business, Agent
Morgan.” Jimmy got to his feet. He turned as a voice spoke up behind him.
“Thank you, Jimmy.” Tony stood in the doorway to his bedroom. He was dressed in
a T-shirt and loose-fitting sweatpants. His hair stood in every direction
possible. He closed the distance between them and hugged his friend hard. He’d
woken up with the voices in the living room and at first wanted to ignore them
and sleep further when he realized that one of them was Jimmy. He was about to
come out when he heard what they were talking about and he couldn’t help but to
stand and listen first. He agreed with Derek when he said Jimmy had balls to
talk to Gibbs like that, but it came even as a bigger surprise when Jimmy
called Derek out. He didn’t realize that Jimmy picked up on what he felt for
Derek. He wanted so badly to ignore it, but seeing Derek again made him smile
and holding the other man’s hand felt right. Tony finally released Jimmy from
the hug and stood back. “I don’t want Gibbs to change, I need him the way he
is, Jimmy. Just like you and Derek, he grounds me. All three of you do it in
different ways, but it’s still important. As for Derek, I like spending time
with him, I feel safe with him. More relaxed. I like holding hands with him.”
He blushed at the admission.
Jimmy smiled. “As long as both of them understand that they’ll be dealing with
me, I’m happy, Tony.”
Tony grinned. He decided not to point it out that both Gibbs and Derek would be
able to take Jimmy out without even breaking a sweat. He looked at the shopping
bags that stood to the side. He wasn’t hungry, but making food helped him
relax, and he could use the distraction. “Anyone hungry?” He picked up the bags
and made his way to the kitchen.
“Starving,” both Morgan and Jimmy replied, while Gibbs grumbled something about
coffee. Tony pointed to the coffee pot. “Help yourself, Gibbs, while I get
dinner ready.” It didn’t surprise him when Jimmy started to help him
immediately and he couldn’t help but to smile as Derek also started to help. It
was good to be surrounded by friends.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen
3 Nights later
McGee tapped a pencil against the side of his desk. He’d been staring at his
computer screen for the past hour. He was sure he was missing something,
something important, but he couldn’t remember what it was. They’d been working
the case of the missing girls almost 24-7, with no luck. He was seeing double
of everything and wanted to go home, except that whatever he’d forgotten
wouldn’t let him settle down. He wanted to kick himself, but knew it wouldn’t
help. He looked at the time, it was almost midnight again and it was time to
head home. He yawned hard and grabbed his go-bag. He had a few things he needed
to check out early in the morning, and he would be able to do that at his
apartment. He grabbed the notes he made and reached for the flash drive he
always keeps on his desk. Timothy frowned when he found it wasn’t there. He
always kept it in the same place. He looked around, but couldn’t find it
anywhere. He started opening his desk drawers and the frown on his face
reappeared when he finally found it. It was in the bottom drawer, tucked right
in the front left corner. It was nearly impossible for the flash drive to be
there. He used that drawer, almost never. He can’t even remember the last time
he opened it. McGee yawned again and shrugged. He was too tired to think about
it now. He’d figure out the mystery in the morning.
McGee shut off the computer and got to his feet. He stretched hard as he tried
to get his tense muscles to loosen that bit for him not to move like a stick
figure. McGee made his way over to the elevator and pressed the button to go
down. His mind was still occupied by the flash drive as he tried to figure it
out when he placed it there. As the doors opened and he stepped into the
elevator, his knees buckled. McGee couldn’t stop himself from stumbling and he
landed hard on his knees. The pain shot through his limbs and palms, but it
didn’t matter. He remembered. He groaned as he stayed on his knees as a wave of
nausea nearly overpowered him. He’d hacked into the security system for the
conference room and recorded the conversation Gibbs had with the BAU team. He’d
forgotten about it after Tony arrived and Ziva went crazy. He can’t remember
stopping the recording, so technically it still had to be running, but it’d
been almost a week and he’d used his computer each day. There was no recording
on it, not one that he had to stop. Timothy broke into a cold sweat. Someone
was at his computer. Someone had seen what he’d done. That’s how they found out
about Tony’s real identity. It must’ve been discussed in the conference room
and the person who took the flash drive listened to the recording, heard that.
“Fuck!” Timothy groaned as he managed to get to his feet. He managed to get the
door of the elevator open again and stumbled back into the large open planned
office. He had no choice; he had to find out what happened to that recording
and then he had to tell Gibbs what he’d done. His life as an agent was over.
For this, he would be fired, maybe even criminally charged. He’s the one who
placed Tony in danger. Now, Tony would never trust him again.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen
Following morning
“McGee?” Gibbs asked as he entered their working area and found his
probationary agent asleep at his desk. He received no answer, and he couldn’t
help it but slammed his hand hard down on the desk next to the sleeping man. He
managed to hide the smile as McGee nearly tumbled from his chair. “Time to wake
up, McGee.” He turned away and headed to his own desk. He didn’t see McGee
blanch at the sight of him.
“Boss?” Timothy’s voice was scratchy and he had to clear his throat. “Boss?” He
tried for a second time. He found himself staying behind his desk, not being
able to step closer to Gibbs.
“What is it, McGee? Why didn’t you go home last night?” Gibbs inquired as he
looked through the various of reports placed on his desk by different agents.
“Boss, we need to talk.” McGee finally found his voice. He had wrecked his
brain in trying to find answers, but found nothing. He had no idea who stopped
the recording and what happened to it. He couldn’t find it on his computer and
as it was something he’d done illegally, he didn’t make a backup of the
recording.
“Talk, McGee and make it fast. I need coffee.” Gibbs threw the empty cup he
still held in his hand into the trash can.
“I’m sorry.” McGee stumbled over the words and it was enough for Gibbs’ head to
snap up. “For what?” He frowned, but before he could get an answer his desk
phone rang. “Gibbs,” he answered as he picked it up. He grunted and then placed
the receiver back. “We’ll have to talk later, McGee.” Gibbs reached for the
truck’s keys and threw it to the junior agent. “Dead sailor, McGee, duty
calls.”
McGee wanted to scream out of frustration, but it wouldn’t help. Gibbs was
already on his feet and on his way to the elevator. McGee grabbed his go-bag
and jogged to catch up. He could only hope that they get done quickly at the
scene. He couldn’t keep this quiet. “Where’s Tony?” He’d not seen Gibbs’ second
in command for the last two days.
“Still liaising with the FBI.” Gibbs explained. He didn’t add that it was more
for Tony’s own safety that he was still there more than anything else.
McGee nodded. Maybe it was better this way. With Tony not being present, it
would be easier to get out what he had done without seeing the devastation that
would be visible in Tony’s eyes when he learned of his betrayal.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
They found the body dumped in a public park. It was of a young female,
identified as Private Margaret Burrow. She was 23 years of age. She would’ve
turned 24 in two days’ time.
Gibbs reached the body first as McGee got the gear from the back. He’d taken
the camera himself and started taking the necessary photos. She was lying on
her stomach, the top half of her body covered mostly by a large bush. They
would turn her around, after Ducky had a look. Gibbs looked up when he heard
the ME’s voice sounding nearby. A small smile graced his face for a few seconds
watching Palmer struggle under the weight of everything he had to carry.
“Ducky,” he greeted his friend.
Ducky shoulders sagged as he took in the scene. “So young.” He hunkered down
next to her and took a closer look. “I cannot see too clearly, Jethro, the bush
is in the way. We will have to move her before I can tell you anything of
note.” He got up and indicated to Palmer to help. Between the two men they
moved the body from beneath the bush. The hole in the back of her head made his
gut turn. He didn’t say a word as he took more photos. Finally, Ducky seemed
satisfied with his own observations and they turned her over. Unless something
else unknown killed her, Gibbs had his money on the GSW in the middle of her
forehead. He closed his eyes for a second. “Ducky,” Gibbs looked at this
friend. “Check her left armpit.” He wanted to hold his breath, but he knew it
wouldn’t change a thing.
Ducky’s eyes grew huge at Jethro’s request. He gently lifted the arm away from
the body and lowered his head. The small incision was clearly visible to the
naked eye. They had another victim on their hands and they were still not a
step closer in finding the group than they were the first time around.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Hotchner leaned against his office door and looked down below to where his team
was working. Never before had he’d seen such chaos than these few days since
Agent DiNozzo, Tony, joined them. The man was a sight to behold. His way of
thinking differed from what he, or anyone else on the team were used to.
Currently, they were all gathered in a large circle, doing something Tony
called holding a camp fire. He wasn’t sure what it all entailed except to say
that it seemed to deliver results. They had finally found a possible connection
between all of the victims and it was through Tony that they did that. All of
the victims visited a club on the night of their disappearance. It was never
the same club, but Tony had gone through all of the autopsy reports, all of the
case notes on the different missing women and then made the connection. An
ultraviolet light was used on all of the bodies to detect foreign specimens,
not only semen. They also found that they all had a stamp either on a hand or
wrist that was done with UV ink. That got Tony thinking and he found out that
all of the clubs from where the women went missing used the same company to
supply the ink. They were now sifting through all of the information to find
the person or persons connected to all of the clubs. That person or persons
would have a connection with the trafficking ring. Not even Garcia’s magic
could find it. Hotch indicated with his head for Morgan to come up when his
agent looked up and caught him staring at them. He moved away from the door and
entered the office. He didn’t have to wait long for Morgan to join him.
“You want us to steal him away from NCIS, Hotch?” Morgan asked with a grin.
Hotch had to smile. Seeing Morgan happy made him happy. The fact that they were
working such a horrific case and were still able to smile was something that
never happened before. “And let the wrath of Agent Gibbs loose on us? I don’t
think so.”
Morgan took a seat. “Maybe you’re right. Pretty boy and AD had a four-hour long
discussion on chess, and not about the history or the world’s greatest players,
but over the pieces, more exact over the pawns.” He shook his head. “Even Rossi
said it was too much for him.”
“Morgan,” Hotch took a deep breath.
“They found another body.” Morgan closed his eyes as he spoke up before his
supervisor could.
“How did you know?”
“AD.” Morgan leaned back in the chair and brushed his hand over his head. He
opened his eyes again. “He doesn’t sleep well. It takes a lot of growls and
threats from Gibbs, myself and AD’s friend Jimmy to get him to rest. He doesn’t
sleep more than two hours a night. Even the almighty Gibbs gets four hours a
night. Trust me I know. Since we finally convinced AD that it would be better
for him at Gibbs’ place, I got to experience their nocturnal ritual first
hand.” Morgan raised his hands. “Sorry, that’s beside the point. He knows,
because he knows Teel. He knows that Teel would be angry at the fact that he
didn’t get what he wanted. Teel’s operation turns girls over within five days
at the most. Longer if it’s a special order. Since Alice Cooper’s body was
found almost ten days ago, it was a sure bet that a new group was targeted and
taken. He also said that the next victim will most likely have a Navy or Marine
connection.”
“Taunting the investigators,” Hotch replied. A voice at his door made him look
up.
“Yes, but that’s not the main reason.” Tony stood in the door. His eyes were
shadowed. He crossed his hands over his chest. “Teel is always right, it
doesn’t matter if a decision he made was the wrong one. It purely meant that
whoever was supposed to handle that situation didn’t catch the mistake, and it
is then that person who is at fault.”
“So it’s your fault that there’s another victim.” Morgan stood up and reached
out, and pulled the man he cared for into the chair next to him.
Tony nodded his head. “Yes. The number of victims we found suggest that he’s
been in the area for far longer than before. He’s not moving on because of me.
I can remember that we never stayed in the same area for more than a month.
He’s been in the D.C. area alone, for almost six weeks.”
“You know it’s not your fault, AD.” Morgan didn’t hesitate as he took Tony’s
hand in his.
Tony snorted but nodded. “I know it’s not, but I can’t help feeling that it
is.” He suddenly got to his feet. “We need to go to the crime scene.”
“No,” Hotchner spoke up. He remained seated behind his desk. “You’re not going
anywhere near that scene. He indicated to the open plan office below. “My team
will go and we’ll liaise with Agent Gibbs again.” He looked at Morgan. “We’re
leaving in five minutes.” He stood up and exited his office.
Tony made a move to follow, but stopped as Morgan grabbed hold of his arm. “Let
go, please.”
“No, because I have a feeling that should I do that, you’ll bolt and that’s not
a good idea.”
“So, what? You want me to stay here, sit on my ass and do nothing? I’m no
longer 16 years old, Derek. I am a trained Federal Agent, just like you. I know
how to protect myself.”
Derek didn’t remove his arm, but pulled Tony close. “True, but tell me this.
What do you think will happen there at the scene? Do you think we’ll be able to
concentrate on our jobs, letting you walk about with a crazy man after you? We
will not be able to concentrate on what we do. We will make mistakes and in the
same instance, our attention will be divided, meaning we will let our guard
down, and they could attempt to grab you again. You’ve seen what fire power
they brought to your apartment. It will even be bigger at the scene, because
Teel will know we’ll all be there and we will all have our firearms with us. It
will end up in a large bloody battle. No, AD, I agree with Hotch, you cannot go
there. If not then for your own safety, then for my team’s safety, and for
Gibbs and the rest of your team’s safety.”
“Fuck, I hate this!” Tony lowered his head against Derek’s chest. “Go, I’ll
stay and coordinate things from here with Garcia.”
Derek pressed his lips against the top of Tony’s head. “Keep safe.” He let go
and walked to the door.
“Those are supposed to be my words.” Tony managed to smile.
“Leaving you alone with my Baby Girl? Hot stuff, that’s a dangerous mission on
its own. Trust me, you’ll need to make sure you’re safe.”
Tony laughed as he exited Hotch’s office. “I’m telling, Garcia!” He called out
as Derek used the stairs to join his team that stood waiting for him.
“Tell me what, Honey?” Garcia spoke up next to Tony.
“Shit,” Tony nearly jumped out of his skin. As Derek laughed at him, he gave
him the middle finger and shook his head. “Just joking, nothing to tell.”
Garcia looked over her orange framed spectacles at him and hummed. “Well, then
come along, we’ve got work to do.” She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards
her office where she knew she’d be able to keep him safe. The way her office
was built was like a mini war room and should something happen while the team
was out, she’d made sure to keep Tony safe.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony looked down at his phone again. He didn’t want to ignore the texts that
kept on buzzing through, he loved her like a sister and she kicked him to the
side, without even taking a minute to hear his side of the story.
“It can’t be that all bad.” Garcia spoke up next to him.
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know, I don’t have the courage to read them. What
if…” His voice trailed off.
“What if it’s something good and you are missing out on it if you don’t read
it?” Garcia turned her chair around so that she could face him. “I don’t know
from whom those texts are, but if it brings you so much heartache by looking at
them, you’ve got one of two choices. Take a look, take that chance, or delete
them. But to keep wondering, is not going to change anything.”
Tony smiled, not the guarded smile that was part of his well donned mask, but a
real smile. “Thank you, Garcia. You’re an angel.”
Garcia blushed. “No wonder my handsome stud is so taken with you, you’ve got
such an amazing smile.” She gently reached out and squeezed his hand. “Now,
it’s time we kick some ass. While we’re waiting for the team to need us, we
still have to see if we can find some sign of our creepy bad guys. I still
can’t believe we can’t get anywhere they might be. In today’s day and age, it’s
almost impossible. I mean, if we can find their hidey hole, we’ve got them.”
Garcia moved back to her workstation, her fingers already moving over the
keyboard.
Garcia’s voice faded into the back as Tony realized what she’d said. Hidey
hole. That was where they were running their business. He bit hard into his lip
as he tried not to groan out loud. There was a way to find out where they were
hiding out and it was right in front of them the whole time. Tony took a deep
breath. He could do it, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. Not if they wanted to
rescue those girls. He looked at Garcia. If he wanted to do this, he had to do
it as quickly as possible. If anyone found out what he was going to do, they
would want to stop him and that wouldn’t work.
“Do you have any snacks in here, Garcia?” Tony asked as he looked around.
Garcia shook her head. “Still need to replace them. It’s been a hectic few
days, and I’ve been snacking so fast that they didn’t last as long as it used
to. Sorry.” She looked around. “I’ve got some water, if you want.”
Tony smiled and shook his head. “It’s all right, I’ll survive.” He sat back and
reached for one of the files he brought with him. He continued to study the
file, but not taking in the words. He was formulating his own plan. The longer
he thought about it, he knew he was making the right choice. Derek and Gibbs
would be pissed, but once he had the information, they’d understand. His phone
buzzed in his pocket again and he took it out. It was another text from Abby.
Thinking of Garcia’s words, he opened it.
Tony, please. I’m sorry, I really want to tell you this in person. You’ve been
my big brother for so long, please let me tell you how sorry I am.
Tony stared at the text. He had no idea what to make of it. He knew Ziva showed
up at his apartment, luckily neither Gibbs nor Derek was present when that
happened, and he ignored her calls and deleted her text messages without
looking at them. He didn’t need to read them to know she’d be spewing fire and
blaming him for everything. But, with Abby, things were different. He cared for
her, he trusted her, and yet, with a snap of her fingers she turned on him and
now she wanted to say she was sorry. He couldn’t help but to wonder if she was
sorry or if she was trying to cover her own back. Tony looked up as Garcia
hummed. She was such a bright patch of color, nothing got her down. She was one
of the few people that believed in giving someone a second chance. He was
willing to give McGee a second chance, so why not Abby? Something inside of him
still screamed that it might be a bad idea, that she might hurt him again. But,
he missed her and maybe, maybe they could patch things up.
Let me think about it. He fired off the text and closed his phone. First things
first. They needed to know where Teel was and when they had the ringleader and
his associates in custody, he’d be able to patch things up with Abby. Now, it
was time to put his plan into action.
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter 7
NCIS: Bullpen – same afternoon
“Gibbs, Boss, I need to talk to you.” McGee tried not to tremble. The moment
they got back from the crime scene, he started another search and found
something that left him dead on the inside.
“Unless it’s about the case, it can wait, McGee.” Gibbs fiddled with his phone.
He tried to call Tony again, but the other man’s phone kept on going straight
to the voice mail.
“No, Gibbs, it can’t.” McGee wanted to snap, but knew it wouldn’t help. He was
already so far up shit creek that it would not help him to yell at Gibbs. “It’s
important.” He took a breath. “It’s about Tony.”
Gibbs’ head snapped back. He took a good look at the junior agent. McGee looked
like a racoon. He was sweating and looked as if he would hurl any moment. His
gut churned. “My office,” he stood up.
McGee shook his head. “Think it would be better if the Director heard this as
well, Gibbs.” He looked over to where the SSA Hotchner and Rossi stood
together. The rest of their team was still at the last crime scene. “I also
think it’s something Agent Hotchner should hear.”
Gibbs wanted to object, but the look on McGee’s face told him that it was more
serious than what he might believe. He nodded. “Let’s go.” He indicated to the
two senior FBI agents to follow them as well.
McGee let go of the breath he didn’t even realized he held and picked up the
single sheet of paper from his desk. It was his resignation. He wouldn’t put up
a fight. For a moment, he looked over at Tony’s desk before he headed up the
stairs. Gibbs was standing at Director Vance’s door. When he reached them,
Gibbs nodded and headed in. McGee went in last and closed the door behind him.
“Gentlemen?” Leon looked up from his paperwork.
Gibbs indicated to McGee.
“Agent McGee?” Leon asked as the junior agent remained quiet.
McGee opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He had no idea where to
start. He never meant for things to happen this way. He opened his mouth again
and groaned. He was so ashamed.
A glass of water appeared in his hand, McGee startled, but still managed to
take the glass without spilling too much of the cold liquid. “Thank you, Agent
Rossi.” He took a sip of the water with his eyes closed. When he opened them,
he started to speak.
“The morning when Agent Hotchner and his team arrived, we - Ziva and I - wanted
to know what was going on. With Gibbs not saying anything, and we not being
invited, we had no idea what was going on.” McGee turned to Gibbs. “Ziva said
something, that at that time I believed to be true.” He lowered his head.
“Spit it out, McGee.” Gibbs ordered impatiently.
“Gibbs,” McGee shook his head. “I promise you, I didn’t know.”
“Damn it, McGee, didn’t know what? What did you do?” Gibbs closed the distance
between them, stepping right into McGee’s personal space.
“I hacked into the security system and recorded the conversation between you
and the FBI.”
“YOU DID WHAT?!” Gibbs shoved McGee against the wall in a rage.
“Gibbs! Stand down,” Vance walked around his desk and pulled the senior agent
from the younger man. “Calm down.” He ordered, although he himself felt
anything but calm. “Go on,” he ordered.
McGee didn’t move, but stayed pressed against the wall. He had to continue, he
had to tell them what he knew. “I hacked into the security system and recorded
the conversation. But then Tony came in, Ziva went bat shit crazy and I forgot
about it. We were so busy with the case, that I didn’t think of that recording
again.”
“You didn’t listen to it?” Hotchner spoke up. He could see by the agent’s body
language that he was saddled with guilt.
McGee shook his head. “No, SSA Hotchner.” He looked down at his feet, but then
squared his shoulders. “Yesterday evening I wanted to take work home and I was
looking for the flash drive I always use. It’s always on my desk, right of my
stapler. It wasn’t there. It wasn’t anywhere on my desk. I looked for it, I
found it in one of my drawers. A drawer that I rarely use. It was then that I
remembered the recording. I didn’t stop it, so it was supposed to be still
running. I checked my computer, there was nothing. Not even the original
recording that I started.”
“Are you saying someone else got hold of that recording, stole it from you
after you recorded it illegally?” Gibbs’ voice was a whisper.
“Yes.” McGee nodded. “I started looking through all of the security footage of
that night.” He sighed. “Ziva came in after two in the morning. She went
through all of our desks, and then she sat down at mine. She must’ve seen the
recording. She went back to her desk, retrieved something there and then went
back to mine. A few minutes there after she straightens everything on my desk
and then she leaves.”
Gibbs looked at McGee if he’d grown a second head and then he exploded. Before
any of the other men could stop him, he punched McGee once. It was enough as
the young man sank to the floor, unconscious.
“And that solved all our problems.” Vance hunkered down to check on McGee.
“What do you want to do?”
“Kill him. Kill Ziva. Kill both of them in no particular order.” Gibbs rumbled.
“She was escorted from the premises by security, how the hell did she manage to
get back in? They were supposed to stop her!”
“I’ll look into that.” Vance tried to remain calm.
“You do that.” Gibbs snapped back. “I want a warrant for Ziva.”
“For what?” Vance helped McGee sit up against the wall when he finally opened
his eyes.
“For what do you think, Leon! There’s no chance that it was pure coincidence
that they not only found out who he was but where he stayed. They even knew
about me. And don’t try and say they could’ve known before then. That’s
bullshit, if they knew Tony’s identity they would’ve taken him long ago. She
sold him out, Leon. She sold out a fellow NCIS agent without blinking an eye.”
Gibbs pulled his shoulders back. “And you better hope you get her before I do,
Leon.” He looked down at McGee whose eyes were still a bit unfocused. “As for
him, he’s off my team, Leon. I don’t want him near Tony, or near this
investigation. There better be formal charges laid against him, Leon. I will
not let this be hushed up in any way because you see him as a sort of future
super-agent.”
“And what about your behavior, Gibbs?” Vance got to his feet.
“Write me up, do whatever you want to, Leon, but you will not stop me from
doing my job.” Gibbs turned away from the director and moved towards the door.
“I’m going to find, Tony. With David tangled up in this mess, he’s in even more
danger than we initially thought.” He slammed the door shut behind him.
Vance looked at Hotchner and Rossi. “You want him, SSA Hotchner? You can have
him on a silver plate.” He sighed and helped McGee to his feet.
Rossi chuckled and shook his head as Hotch’s phone rang. He looked on as Hotch
answered the phone and the moment his friend’s shoulders went ramrod straight,
he knew something was wrong. “What is it?” He asked as Aaron ended the call.
“Agent DiNozzo is missing.”
“What?” Vance sat down heavily on the side of his desk.
“He told Garcia he was going to the vending machine to buy some snacks and he
didn’t come back. She got so busy helping us out that she only just realized
that he was missing.”
“How long?” Rossi looked at the door through which Gibbs disappeared and
wondered if there was another way out of the building.
“More than an hour and a half.”
“Was he taken?” Rossi frowned. Their building was highly secured, he didn’t
think something like that could happen there.
Hotch shook his head. “No. Garcia accessed the cameras in the building. He
walked out on his own, but she lost him in the foot traffic.”
Rossi frowned. “What about his phone? Did she try calling him?”
“Left it on Morgan’s desk.”
“What’s he doing?”
“I don’t know.” Hotch responded. He had no idea what agent DiNozzo was
thinking, or the reason for his disappearance. “What I do know is that he
didn’t want to be stopped.”
“Stop from doing what?” Vance sighed. “Damn DiNozzo and Gibbs. If it wasn’t for
the fact that they are the best of this Agency, I would’ve fired both of them
long ago. They love making my life unbearable.” He reached for one of his
toothpicks, but threw it to the side with disgust. “Gibbs is going to tear this
place apart.” He looked at the two FBI agents.
“I’m not telling, Gibbs.” Rossi raised his hands in surrender.
Aaron shook his head. “I’ve got my own agent that I need to tell. Sorry,
Director Vance, this one is yours.”
“I hate this job.” He reached for his phone. Hell was about to descend on his
office for the second time in less than ten minutes. He should’ve stayed at
home this morning.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Stateville Correctional Center, Crest Hill, Illinois: 4 days later
He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. He was bone tired and
these past four days were no walk in the park. If it wasn’t for several favors
owed to him, he wouldn’t have been able to pull it off. Especially not in this
short period of time. But, he did and now, there was only one thing left to do.
He knew he had to be patient, look bored, even though everything inside of him
was coiled into a tight knot, waiting to snap.
Finally, a name was called and it took him a second or two to realize it was
his name that was called. He came to his feet, combed his fingers through his
extremely short blond hair and strutted towards the officer who called out his
name. With a nod of the head, but no smile, he didn’t want to appear too
friendly he handed over his visitation slip. He looked on as the guard used his
shoulder radio to call through the visit. He heard the static over the radio
and then the guard barked a number at him. For a moment he was confused, but
then he saw the numbers and followed them. His was the last cubicle on the far
left. He sat down and waited.
“I don’t know who the hell you are…” The man on the other side spoke the moment
he picked up the receiver and the monitors connected. He could see the surprise
on the man’s face before it morphed into a leering gaze. “Well, I’ll be fucking
damned.” He looked around nervously. “What do you want?” He shook his head.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.” He got to his feet.
“Your first parole hearing is in three months.”
It got the man’s attention and he sat down again. “I repeat, what do you want?”
He leered and leaned closer to the screen. “How I do wish these screens were
bigger, or at least that I could see you face to face.” He cocked his head.
“When was the last time someone fucked you properly, boy? You always had the
tightest hole, it didn’t matter how many times we used it, it never stretched
out. And your throat.” The man’s hand disappeared from view and he moved
stiffly in his chair. “You make me ache from looking at you.” He leaned back
again and then snorted. “But, I can’t think you’re here to talk about the good
old days, what do you want, slut puppy?”
He looked at the man on the screen with disgust. “You don’t even remember my
name, do you?”
The man laughed. “You only had one name, and you know that. Seems like you’ve
forgotten that lesson.
“And yet, I’m on the outside and you’re rotting in there.”
The man seethed, but then spoke up. “Antioco Durante, a.k.a. Slut puppy. The
main man’s fuck toy, generally shared among all of us whenever we wanted.” He
cocked his head. “All grown up, but still with the silver-gray eyes and baby
blond hair. We gave you a taste of life and I’ve got a feeling you’re enjoying
it out there. So, whose slut are you now, puppy, hmm?”
He ignored the remark. “I’m willing to ignore the parole board’s call if you
tell me what I want to know.”
“And what would that be?”
“Where’s Teel’s hideaway in D.C.?”
The man snarled and came to his feet. The hand around the receiver was white
with pressure. “Do I look like a fucking snitch to you?!”
“Sit down,” he snapped out the words and continued even as they both remained
standing. “You’re upset because I asked where the hideaway is, yet, you don’t
seem surprised to know he’s back and yet?” He grinned. “We both know he
could’ve gotten you out at any time. He had the means to do so, but he left you
behind. Why? Do you for one moment think he gave a damn about you, Maslak? Or
gives a damn about you now? You were his so-called second in command, but he
gave up on you without a fight. He fled the country and made sure that no one
could trace you back to him. And you’re still loyal to him. You’re even fucking
dumber than I told you all those years ago.” He sat down heavily on the chair.
He could see the guard sauntering in his direction. They had only about eight
minutes left. He had to get the information. He wouldn’t have gone there for
nothing.
“Tell me what I want to know.”
“Go to hell.” The man yelled. Spit landed on the screen.
“Been there, done that. Received no T-shirt, but have all the memories.” He
leaned back in his chair. “Tell me what I want to know, and I will not let it
be known that you’ve been in contact with a wanted man. That, would not go down
well with the parole board, now would it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He sneered. “I’m sitting here before you. My name is on your approved list of
visitors. What else do you think I can do?”
“You can’t do that!
“And why not? Because it’s against the law?” He shook his head. “I’ve got bad
news for you, Maslak, I don’t care about the fucking law. I’ve been waiting for
my chance - for twenty years and now it has finally arrived. I want revenge,
and you’re going to help me get it.”
Maslak glared at him and it seemed like time stood still. “Fine.”
He leaned in and soaked up the information given to him. He nodded his head and
replaced the receiver ending their connection. He had two minutes left. He
pulled down the bare thread T-shirt and swaggered past the guard who was still
eyeing him and made his way out of the room and then out of the building. He
didn’t take a breath until he finally got back into the bright sunlight. His
hands shook and he pushed them down the jeans’ pockets. He was nauseous and
swallowed hard, he couldn’t afford to lose it now. Without looking right or
left, he made his way through all of the security points and finally headed
towards the space where he parked the car. It was time to go become himself
again and go home.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
He had to take a third look at the man coming from the front before he realized
it was him. It made him realize how true the comments were on the AD’s
undercover ability. But, there was something about the way he walked which told
Derek that AD was nearing his end. He stepped away from the car and closed the
distance between them.
“You know Gibbs is planning on killing you with his bare hands, and I’m not far
behind him.”
“Not now,” without a further word Tony stepped around him and continued to
unlock the vehicle. He wasn’t surprised to find Derek waiting for him. He knew
they would figure it out eventually.
“AD,” Derek made to reach for him, but stopped when Tony recoiled from his
touch. He lifted up his hands in a non-threatening way. “Easy.”
Tony shook his head. “Just leave me alone, Derek, please.” His shoulders were
hunched, but he stayed with his back to the other man.
“I’ll give you space, but I’m not leaving you alone, AD.” Derek leaned back
against the adjacent car. He kept his stance relaxed even if Tony couldn’t see
him.
Tony nodded. “Phone Gibbs, before he kills you as well.” He stated softly and
then got in the car and closed the door. He leaned forward and rested his arms
on the steering wheel.
Derek hated the fact that he couldn’t do anything, but still reached for his
phone.
“You found him?” Gibbs’ voice sounded through the phone.
“Yeah, I found him.” He didn’t need to say where. After three days of searching
and finally finding a lead in the late hours of the previous night, they found
him. Derek had convinced Gibbs that he would go and fetch Tony and bring him
back. The fact that he had access to the BAU’s jet made things easier.
“How does he look?”
“Like death.” Derek sighed. “He changed his whole appearance Gibbs. He’s blond,
removed his color contacts and I’ve seen Marines with longer hair than his.” He
could hear the man curse on the other side.
“Did you try to touch him?”
“Yes, but he moved away. Told me not to touch him.”
“Good, don’t. Get him three bottles of water, make sure he drinks at least one
of them. Be prepared, he might hurl the one he drinks initially. That’s why
there’s a second. Get him some graham crackers and then stay within his sight,
but leave him be. He needs to get out of the headspace he placed himself in. If
he’s not talking to you in an hour, phone me.”
Derek wanted to reply, but Gibbs already ended the call. He pocketed his phone
and stepped away from the car. He moved towards the other vehicle. He spoke up
so that Tony could hear him through the closed window. “Going to get you some
water, I’ll be back soon. Open the window so that you don’t fry out in that
heat.” Having an idea that he wasn’t going to get any response, Derek left Tony
there and headed towards the visitation building. There should be some sort of
vending machine there where he could get water from.
It didn’t take him long to find water and to return to the car. Tony was seated
in the same way as when he left him, but at least the window was opened.
“Here,” he passed the water and the packet of crackers. When Tony took the last
item, Derek spoke up again. “I’m here, if you need me, AD.” Derek was grateful
for the fact that Tony parked in the front row and that a few feet away there
was a tree. He made himself comfortable underneath it and waited. It was all
that he could do.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
“How long till you deliver what you owe me, David?” Teel asked impatiently.
“You were so confident in delivering what belongs to me, but now? Now, I’m
still empty handed.” He closed the distance between them. “If you do not
deliver him to me before the end of the night, I will take you in his place.
I’m not into women, but you’ll do nicely.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her
ear. “And I will find you, David. Trust me.”
“He disappeared for four days, he only came back this afternoon. He changed his
look. I don’t know why. I will deliver him tonight.” Ziva spoke in clipped
tones. She was angry with herself. It should’ve been a walk in the park to get
DiNozzo and remove him from her life forever.
Teel shook his head. “I don’t do well with excuses, David. Do your job.”
“Job?” She snorted. “It’s not a job, I’m doing you a favor.” She gasped out in
pain as Teel backhanded her hard. She stumbled, but remained standing.
“A favor?” Teel laughed humorlessly. “You want him out of your life. You’re the
one who walked in here. Did you for one moment think, that I would let you go
like that? What do you take me for, a fucking fool?” He roared. “Deliver him,
or take his place!”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen – late evening
Gibbs frowned as Morgan with a blond guy stepped out of the elevator. There was
something familiar about the guy’s walk. He did a double take when he realized
it was DiNozzo. Over the past seven years, he’d seen Tony in different
undercover roles, but this one was something different.
“He’s never shown you that side of him.” Rossi spoke up next to him.
“You think. I didn’t think he knew he was able to.” Gibbs ended his sentence
abruptly.
“I don’t think he ever wanted you to see that side of him,” Rossi folded his
arms across his chest. “Will you be able to handle that new side of him?”
Gibbs’ gaze bored into the other man. “Tony is like my surrogate son. I will
support him in any way.”
Rossi smiled. It was the answer he wanted to hear. He changed the subject.
“When did you realize he would go to Stateville?”
“When I sat my ass down and thought like he did. It’s the one lead we didn’t
think of pursuing. Of course, that would be what he would do.” Gibbs looked on
as DiNozzo slowly walked towards them. He could see the vulnerability in Tony’s
eyes, his shoulders slumped forward in an attempt not to noticed by anyone.
But, the moment he noticed that someone was looking, he swayed, his strides
filled with confidence, it could even be labeled as being cocky. He oozed
sexuality and it made Gibbs realized, that at this time, Tony was a walking
contradiction. His second in command was deflecting heavily, he didn’t want to
be seen, but knew people around him would look. He was on the verge of
breaking. Gibbs closed the distance between them. “My office,” he spoke the
words loud enough for Tony to hear and stepped back, not at all surprised when
Tony immediately turned to follow him. He was aware that Morgan tried to follow
too, but then Rossi’s voice sounded up behind him and Morgan turned away. He
owed Rossi a bottle of the good stuff and would make sure the other agent got
it as soon as possible.
Gibbs waited until the doors closed behind them before he turned to Tony and
pressed the emergency brake, sending the elevator into darkness. He thought
about slapping Tony on the back of the head, but didn’t. Instead, he pulled
Tony towards him and pressed his head down so that it rested on his shoulder.
He kept his hand at the back of Tony’s head. And waited.
He didn’t have to wait long before Tony’s body shuddered and the first sob
broke free. Gibbs held his second in command tight. When Tony’s knees buckled,
he managed to get them both on the floor, without letting go. He could feel the
wetness on his shirt spread, but it didn’t matter, what mattered now was Tony.
After a while the sobs became less and the only sound that remained was Tony’s
heavy breathing. He pulled away to pull a handkerchief from his trousers.
Wordlessly, he handed it over. “Better?” He asked as Tony wiped his face clean.
Tony nodded, but kept his eyes lowered. “I’m sorry.”
Gibbs tapped him on the back of the head. “None of that. Look at me.” He smiled
as Tony lifted his face. “You took a great risk.”
Tony nodded again.
“But you’d do it again in a heartbeat.” Gibbs sighed. “I always thought you
were great undercover, but I only now realized how great. This is the first
time I’ve seen you – the real you.”
Tony snorted, it sounded weird with his nose blocked. “I’m fucked up, Gibbs.”
The second slap to the back of his head was much harder. “Don’t talk about
yourself in that manner. You’re not fucked up.” Gibbs couldn’t keep the growl
out of his voice.
Tony’s head snapped back. “It’s time we faced the truth, Gibbs. I am fucked up.
I’ve been fucked up for a long time, and it’s not going to get any better, now
is it?”
Gibbs wanted to rip Tony a new one, but he realized what Tony was doing and he
took a deep breath. “Not going to work, DiNozzo. You’re not going to get rid of
me so easily. You’re stuck with me. You’re my son and I’m sticking with you.
So, suck it up, DiNozzo.” He pulled Tony to his chest again. He realized that
he wasn’t acting like the growly bear he normally was, but Tony needed this
side of him now. “You’re not fucked up. You’ve been dealt a shitty deal, even
more shitty than I initially thought, but you proved everyone around you wrong.
You got up, a bit dented, definitely not fucked up and you showed them. More
importantly, you showed yourself, you’re one of the most amazing people I know,
Tony and don’t you ever forget that. I’ve got a feeling you know exactly where
to get hold of Teel and bring his operation down and even though I’m still
angry that you took such a high risk to yourself, I understand why and I’m
proud of you. I will always be proud of you.”
“I was so scared.” Tony’s words were so soft that if it wasn’t for the
stillness of the elevator, Gibbs might not have heard him.
Gibbs remained silent. He had a feeling there was more to come.
Tony lifted his hand and placed his finger on his eyelid. “I don’t even look at
myself in the mirror when I put my colored lenses in, Gibbs. I don’t want to
see the color of my eyes. They, always said it changed color, the more
frightened I was the deeper the color. They made me look, I hated it. I hated
my blond hair. Teel would always make sure my hair was clean. He said that the
blond color made me look younger. Made me look like a toddler.” Tony swallowed.
“A toddler with large eyes, fuckable lips and an ass that needed to be filled
24-7.” He shuddered. “I color my hair every four weeks, Gibbs. If I can’t get
to my stylist, I do it myself. I don’t want it to be blond.” He shivered hard.
“It was the first thing I did after they’d placed me in the WITSEC program. I
didn’t want to be me.” He got silent. When he spoke up again, his voice broke.
“I hated myself. I still do.”
Tony’s words made him cringe. Just thinking about Abby, Tim and Ziva’s attitude
towards Tony made him realize how strong Tony was, even if he didn’t believe in
himself. It made his blood boil if he thought how they betrayed Tony. Gibbs
knew he was being harsh on Timothy, tossing him into the same basket as the two
women, but he did betray Tony. He didn’t even want to know how Tony was going
to react when he heard about the latest fuck up. He’d asked Morgan not to say a
word, he personally wanted to broach that subject with Tony. He finally found
his voice. “There is nothing about you to hate, Tony. Even if I have to tell
that to you each day, I will. You’re special, Tony and I’m forever grateful
that you’re on my team, but more importantly in my life.”
Tony couldn’t hide the blush that appeared on his cheeks. He never got used to
anyone telling him he was important. He didn’t understand why they thought so.
He wasn’t special. He was a fuckup. He hissed as the slap landed against his
head. He rubbed the back of his head hard.
“And before you ask what was that for, that was for you thinking negatively
about yourself. You are worth it, Tony. I promise.”
Tony lowered his head. “I’ve never heard you talk so much, Boss.” He tried to
lighten the mood.
“I will always talk when it’s important, Tony. You are important to me.” Gibbs
responded as he came to his feet and pulled Tony up. “Now, we need to get back
to work. We’ve got some bad guys to catch.”
Tony nodded. He didn’t have the words to say thank you. He ran his hand over
his hair. He wished he could dye it back to the rich brown color he always
used, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d make sure that
he was himself again, even if it was only in appearance. “Let me hit the
restroom, Gibbs. I’ll meet up with you in the bullpen.”
Gibbs nodded. “Meet us up in MTAC.” He released the emergency brake and stepped
out of the elevator. He looked on as Tony disappeared in the opposite direction
before he made his way up the stairs. He knew the rest of the team would be in
MTAC already.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony took his time in the restroom. He splashed water on his face and neck,
kept his eyes closed even as he did that and reached blindly for the paper
dispenser, knocking his hand hard against the side, but only opening his eyes
when he faced the wall. With sure strokes, he wiped himself dry and then took a
deep breath. He had to hold it together, it was bad enough that Gibbs saw his
mini breakdown in the elevator. He couldn’t afford another. “Almost over, Tony,
almost.” He spoke softly to himself before he straightened his shoulders and
opened the bathroom door.
Tony turned to the left, and then changed his mind. He needed something to
drink. He’d manage to stay away from any caffeine the last four days in an
attempt to be able to get some sleep, but now he needed the boost. He knew
Gibbs would always appreciate a mug of the dark sludge he loved so much. Tony
changed direction and headed towards the elevator to go outside. He took out
his phone to fire off a quick text to tell the Boss where he’d be.
The elevator doors closed behind him and he realized he wasn’t alone in the
metal box. “You?” He sounded surprised. His eyes grew large as the pistol was
shoved into his side. “You will not try any tricks, or I will blow you to
pieces.” Ziva hissed.
“And how do you think you’ll get out of here alive if you do that?” Tony asked,
but remained calm.
“The security here are a bunch of idiots, they will not stop me.” She replied
with confidence and jabbed him hard in the ribs. My car is parked out in front,
don’t try any tricks.”
Tony bit down on his lip. He knew Ziva; she never made idle threats. “Tell me
something,” he started speaking up as he tried to ignore the weapon pressed to
his side. “Why was it necessary for you to act as if you struggled with your
English so much?”
Ziva sighed. “You were all so easily fooled. You can’t deny it, DiNozzo, all of
you, including Gibbs lowered your guard towards me the moment I stumbled over
an idiom or two. I mean, how much of a serious threat could I be if I couldn’t
even keep all of the American sayings in order. You were all a bunch of fools.”
She jabbed him hard with the barrel of the pistol. The doors opened up on the
ground floor and she nudged him forward. “No tricks, DiNozzo.” She leaned
against him, and smiled as they passed by the guards. Not for a second did she
release the pressure she kept on the trigger. “You’re driving.” She smirked and
then nudge him towards the trunk of the car. “Open it up, there’s something I
want to show you first.”
Tony frowned, but moved towards the back of the car. With a nudge in the ribs,
he opened the trunk up. He couldn’t help but to gasp. “What have you done?” He
tried to reach out to touch the figure, but Ziva poked him in the ribs and he
removed his hand.
“Shut it.” Ziva demanded and then pulled him from the back. “Get in and drive,
and if you try anything stupid I’ll make sure you’re not the first one to die.”
Tony had no choice but to obey. He could only hope that Gibbs and the rest of
the team realized he was missing. In the meantime, it would be up to him to
play for time and pray that they did find him; sooner rather than later.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Morgan looked up as the doors to MTAC opened and Gibbs stepped inside. He
frowned as the door shut behind the older agent without AD at his back.
“Where’s AD?” He asked as Gibbs joined them in front.
“Restroom,” Gibbs answered curtly, but not unfriendly. He turned to where Rossi
and Hotch stood together with the Director. “Tony found out where Teel’s
running his operation here in D.C. We need to put our teams together. The
sooner we take them down, the better.”
Hotch nodded at the information. “He didn’t tell Morgan where, but he made a
deal with Maslak.”
“What deal?” Gibbs frowned. He didn’t like where this was going. He was going
to kick DiNozzo’s ass if he did something stupid.
“He told Maslak he would ignore the call when the parole board phoned.” Derek
joined the three older agents.
Before Gibbs could respond Spencer spoke up. “It’s become a worldwide
phenomenon for people to say one thing, but to mean another. For example, if
someone tells you, maybe, it in all likelihood means, never. Or if they tell
you they are fine, in most instances, they are anything but fine. We all have
to do more than just listen in any conversation. I’ve noted that it is the same
with Tony. He says one thing, but in most instances, he means another.” Spencer
shrugged as the men stared at him. “I’m saying that in this instance, Tony
might well ignore them calling him, but he will not let Maslak get out of
prison on parole. Even if he doesn’t do it for himself, he would definitely do
it for every other victim that suffered at Maslak’s hands.”
Gibbs grinned. “Sounds like Tony. He will not go back on his word, but he will
find a way to work around them.”
“That’s one of the reasons he’s such a talented agent,” Hotchner gave the
praise. He looked at Gibbs. “I can tell you now, Agent Gibbs, that if there’s
any chance of us stealing him away from you, we will do it.”
It was Director Vance, who took the wind out of Gibbs’ sails. He looked on as
the man spoke and wanted to pinch himself to make sure he was indeed awake.
“Agent DiNozzo will be the next director of NCIS, Agent Hothcner, you can’t
poach him from us. He’s our best and we’re going to hang on to him.” Vance said
with pride. After Morrow had spoken to him when this whole issue erupted, he
had another look at DiNozzo’s file. He wanted to kick himself for not doing it
earlier. Now, he knew better and there was no way he was going to lose their
finest against the likes of the FBI.
Rossi laughed and slapped Hotch on the shoulder. “Told you.” He looked at is
watch. “Are you sure he’s all right?” He directed the question at Gibbs.
Gibbs frowned and looked at his watch. It had been more than fifteen minutes.
Tony should’ve joined them by now. Without a word, he ran back up the ramp. He
had to find his second in command.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
“You’re fired! You’re all fucking fired!” Gibbs didn’t give a damn that Vance
stood next to him. He couldn’t believe what they learned. Ziva had walked in
right past them without anyone of them stopping her. They’d already looked at
the video footage available. Tony had walked off with her. The way she walked
right next to him, and a bit at his back, made Gibbs well aware of the fact
that she had a weapon pointed at him.
“What’s in the trunk?” Spencer moved closer to the large screen. He’d returned
to MTAC the moment they realized that Tony was no longer at the Navy yard.
“Garcia,” he spoke to their technician who was on speaker. “Can you get a
better angle on Agent DiNozzo’s watch and blow that up for us, please?”
“No problem, boy genius. Just give me a moment.” Garcia walked in silence and
Spencer could hear her fingers typing away. An ‘oh my’ was followed up with a
larger image, although it was somewhat distorted. “Is that a person in the
trunk?” Garcia’s voice sounded through the speaker.
“Seems like it, Baby girl.” Morgan walked up to the large screen. “It’s too
distorted. “Garcia, can you clean it up a bit more?”
“I’m sorry, no. Because we’re only working from a reflection. That’s the best
it’s going to get.”
Morgan had no words. He looked around in the room. Each and every agent had a
scowl etched on their faces. “Is it someone that AD knows or a stranger?” He
asked the question out loud.
“Someone he knows,” Gibbs answered, his back turned to the screen. “Tony rarely
initiates physical contact with someone he doesn’t know. He tried to reach out
and touch the person in the trunk before she stopped him.”
Morgan looked around the room. “Where’s Doctor Mallard and Jimmy?”
“Out on a scene with one of our other teams.” Vance responded to the question.
“McGee?” Gibbs surprised himself as he inquired about the junior agent.
Vance sighed. “Up in my office. He’s with his lawyer.”
Gibbs grunted at the information. After stewing about what McGee did, he’d
calmed down a great deal, but was still firm on the point that he wouldn’t be
able to work with the kid anymore. And of course, they had no idea how Tony
would feel about the younger man once he found out what McGee had done.
“What about the Goth? Abigail?” Rossi looked around the room for confirmation.
Gibbs reached for his phone. He’d forgotten about Abby. He was still angry with
her, and she’d been keeping a low profile, but he still didn’t want her to get
hurt. He held his breath as her phone rang. When it went over to the message
service, he headed towards the door. “I’m going to check up on her.” He spoke
as he took the stairs three at a time.
Vance reached for the phone on the desk and called down to the labs. He frowned
when the phone remained unanswered. He knew that there was a possibility that
she might be doing her work with that music of hers blasting loudly and
therefore not hearing the phone. Gibbs’ option to go in person, was the better
call.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
The moment Gibbs entered Abby’s lab, he knew she wasn’t there. It didn’t even
look like she came in that morning. Most of her apparatus was still shut down,
even her beloved Major Mass Spec. There was not a single Caf-Pow cup in sight.
He cursed silently and reached for his phone again. He needed a team to head
over to her apartment and also to check in with the Sisters to see if they knew
where Abby might be.
He knew that if Ziva indeed had Abby, Tony would do anything in his power to
keep the dark headed Goth safe. It didn’t matter how badly Abby treated Tony,
Tony cared about her. He could only hope that after this mess, that Abby would
finally realize that.
“She took Abby,” Gibbs reported even as he exited the lab to go back to MTAC.
He didn’t say anything else, but ended the call. Gibbs wanted to kick himself,
he should’ve known better. He should’ve called Abby the moment McGee revealed
what he’d done. But it was too late now to think about what he should’ve, or
could’ve done. Gibbs trampled hard on the little voice that asked if it
would’ve made a difference in Abby’s attitude towards Tony. He couldn’t think
about that now. Now, he had to find Abby and Tony before it was too late.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
Ziva didn’t even raise an eyebrow when one of the goons picked Abby up like a
sack of potatoes and dumped her on the concrete floor. She turned her head as
Tony shouted out in anger before a well-aimed butt of a pistol brought him down
to his knees.
As Tony slumped forward Ziva focused her attention to the cells around them.
They were back in the large arena with the different cells, or a better
description would be – stalls – around them. This time, they were all filled.
She could see several women staring at them through the narrow bars. All of
them looked terrified. Several were shivering, one or two of them outright
crying.
“Well, well, it seems like you’re actually capable of keeping your word,
David.” Teel stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in tight leather pants,
with high boots and had what seemed to be a riding crop in his right hand. He
tapped it lightly against his thigh. At the sight of him more of the women
started crying. He grinned. “They’ve only been here for a couple of days and
they already fear me. It’s wonderful!” He exclaimed as he spun around. He
giggled and then slowly made his way over to where Tony was on his hands and
knees. A well-placed boot to his back prevented him from getting up.
“I thought you’d at least try and get rid of some of your anger you have in
you, David, but you’ve got some amazing control over your emotions. I
appreciate that in a woman.” Teel walked around Tony. His eyes fastened on
Ziva.
Ziva cocked her head. “You wanted him in a good condition.” She barely managed
to keep the disdain out of her voice.
Teel ignored her and walked around Tony again. The man that had Tony pinned
with his boot, moved away. “You’ve grown so much since I’ve last seen you my,
slut puppy. I have to say, you at least kept yourself into shape.” He brought
the crop up and hit Tony across the back. “You do seem to have forgotten one of
my most important rules, slut. You are dressed. Surely, you remember that I
hate seeing you wearing any clothes.” A second stroke landed on Tony’s back.
Ziva was impressed. Although Tony’s wrists buckled when the crop hit his back
and he wobbled on his knees, he showed no sign of being hurt. The second hit
had ripped Tony’s shirt and she could see the angry mark that decorated Tony’s
back. He made no attempt to move from his position, nor did he make any attempt
to rid himself of his clothes.
“Tsk, tsk. As stubborn as always I see.” Teel actually smiled. “I broke you
once, I’ll do it again.” A third stroke landed on Tony’s back. This one drew
blood. Teel ignored Tony and walked towards the unconscious woman. “Who is
this?” He used his boot to push her over so that she lay on her back.
“Leverage,” Ziva responded.
Teel nodded. “Clever. Using something he cares about to get him under control.
Worked well all those years ago as well.” He kneeled next to Abby and touched
the collar around her neck. “Trained?”
“A wannabe Goth.”
“Mm,” Teel cupped her face. “Good bone structure. She’ll fetch a fair price.”
He reached for her breasts, but a snarl from Tony made him pull away. “Ah, it
seems my puppy still has some spark in him. “What? Don’t you like it when I
touch her?” He squeezed Abby’s breast hard.
Tony growled, and before anyone could move, he jumped to his feet and tackled
Teel to the floor. It was then that Ziva realized that Tony wasn’t as out of as
she thought; he had been biding his time. She moved backwards as Tony got in
one good hit after the other. From where she stood, she could hear the moment
Tony crushed Teel’s nose; blood sprayed everywhere. She could see that Teel
tried to fight back, but the years of Tony training with Gibbs made him a good
fighter and he held on. That was until the same burly goon from before, pistol
whipped him again. This time even harder and with a groan Tony slumped forward,
unconscious.
“Took you fucking long enough!” Teel yelled as he got to his feet. “He broke my
fucking nose!” He kicked at Tony, while at the same time he used the riding
crop on anybody that was near enough to feel its sting. He spat to the side,
blood and spit landed on the hardened floor. His hair was disheveled and he was
unsteady on his feet. “Throw her in with the rest and take him to my room.
Ready him for punishment.” He turned to Ziva. “Unless you want to join her, I
would say it’s time you left.”
Ziva nodded her head and turned without a word. She never saw Teel taking the
pistol from the goon next to him. When the shot rang out, she knew she’d made
the biggest mistake of her life, but by then it was already too late.
“Stupid bitch. Did she now for one moment think, I’d let her go free? I’m no
fucking fool!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “Get rid of that.” He turned
around and looked at the faces that stared at him through the bars of the
different cells. “Welcome to my world, girls. Welcome!” He giggled as he walked
away.
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter 8
Tony awoke to a world of confusion, which gave way to immense pain. He gasped
for air as the waves of agony rolled over him, not giving him a second of
respite. He breathed through his nose, in an attempt to protect his body from
exploding as he tried to suck in the air that he needed to breathe. At the same
time, he tried to remember what had happened, but he kept on coming up with
nothing. He couldn’t even remember the last thing he remembered.
A noise at his back made him realize that he wasn’t alone and he stilled his
movements. His breathing was still uneven, but the trembles that wrecked him,
ebbed away. He cocked his head, and even though his head was throbbing, he
concentrated on listening. The small movements gave the person away. Tony had
no idea how much time he had and what would happen to him next; he had to try
and sort out his thoughts. He had to remember. He bit hard on his tongue as a
groan threatened to escape. Until he had a clue what was going on it was better
to play possum. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.
It was the sound of leather against leather that brought every memory right
back to where they belonged. It was also that sound which made him gasp and
shiver. He had no control over his body as he realized where he was and how he
ended up there. It also explained the fact that he was stark naked.
“Finally! I thought you’d never wake up.” Teel spoke out behind him and Tony
gasped. He struggled weakly against the shackles that kept him bound. He had to
get away; he couldn’t be here. He closed his eyes and shook his head as images
of his past threatened to overtake him. He couldn’t think about that, it wasn’t
him. He whimpered softly.
Tony had no idea when he opened his eyes, but he noticed the boots in front of
him at the same time his hair was grabbed and his head was forced back. For the
first time in twenty years he looked at the face of Markus Teel again.
“I never thought I would say these words, boy, but, I’ve fucking missed you so
much.” Teel kept the hold he had on Tony’s hair and pulled him forward. He
smashed their mouths together, biting hard making Tony gasp and then forcing
his tongue into Tony’s mouth.
Tony gagged and tried to pull away, but the grip on his head was too strong. He
closed his eyes. He didn’t want to be there. All of the walls he’d build around
him to keep this nightmare away, came tumbling down. He wanted to sob, but
something shifted inside of him. He was no longer that terrified teen. He was a
trained federal agent. One who’d managed to survive Leroy Jethro Gibbs on a
daily basis. Tony did something that was beaten out of him by the same monster
that stood before him now. He bit down hard and it had the required effect as
Teel pulled away. The blow to his face made his ears ring, but it was expected.
Teel could beat him to death, but this time he would not give in.
“Fucking, whore!” Teel spit out the blood and blotted his tongue on his shirt.
It came away red. He swallowed and could taste the blood as it travelled down
his throat. “You’ll fucking pay for that, slut!” He backhanded Tony again. He
stepped away with a gleam in his eyes. “Seems like you’ve forgotten what
happened to those who bite. But, don’t worry, I’m happy to repeat that lesson
again.”
Tony lifted his head and grinned. “You hit like a girl, Teel.” Tony managed to
sneer, even though it felt to him as if his heart was ready to jump out of his
throat. “Take my advice. Unless you want to permanently get rid of your tongue,
or even your prick, I would strongly suggest that you don’t stick it down my
throat. I’m no longer scared of you, Teel.” Tony tested the bindings around his
wrists. “You better make sure this is secure, because, I promise you, Teel,
when I get free, I will kill you.” Tony spat in the man’s face and groaned as
the hit snapped his head back. He turned his head and smiled. “Yep, like a
girl.”
Teel saw red and he brought the riding crop he had in is hand up and he swung
it hard. The first stroke landed diagonally over Tony’s left cheekbone. The
force behind it strong enough to split the skin and sprayed both men in blood.
The smell spurred Teel on and he brought the crop down over and over again.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Stateville Correctional Center, Crest Hill, Illinois: 8 hours later
Rossi knew the look on his best friend’s face well. It was the one of pure
determination. Aaron Hotchner was on the warpath, and it didn’t bode well for
anyone who attempted to stand in his way. “I think Agent Gibbs is rubbing off
on you.” He spoke up to ease the building tension in the room.
Hotch lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t respond. Instead, he turned the page of the
file he was reading. It was the first real chance he’d gotten to read up on the
man they were about to see. Orest Maslak. Teel’s second in command. On paper
only, it was clear that they were dealing with a monster. One that needed to be
removed from society, permanently. It bothered him that he would be eligible
for parole in a few months’ time. He would make sure that the parole board had
his insight on the matter as soon as possible.
Rossi straightened from the wall and Hotch closed the file as they heard the
sounds of shuffling feet and rattling chains coming their way. Hotch leaned
back against the chair and waited. Both men turned their heads as the door
opened and the guard brought in the prisoner. Neither one uttered a word as
Maslak was shackled to the floor and desk. Hotch nodded his head at the guard
and remained quiet as the man left the room and closed the door behind him. He
focused his whole attention on Maslak. The room remained silent.
Maslak tried to stare the man down who sat across from him, but found it
unnerving as the man didn’t blink. Finally, he gave in and blinked first. “What
do you want?”
Rossi took out his badge with credentials. “SSA Rossi and Hotchner. We’re from
the BAU.”
Maslak frowned. “What the fuck is the BAU?”
“Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Hotch’s soft voice supplied the information.
Maslak grinned. “Have I been a bad boy? Did you come to correct my behavior?”
He laughed at his own joke.
Hotch only stared, not even interested in delivering a reply. They were here to
get Maslak to talk and nothing more. He waited until Maslak began squirming in
his seat before he spoke up. “Antioco Durante.” He only said the name and
picked up the way Maslak’s shoulders tensed up at the name.
“I don’t know him.”
“You sure?” Rossi pushed himself away from the wall and made his way over to
the table.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Maslak leaned back.
Hotch opened the file and took out the photo of Tony taken after he was
admitted to hospital. He looked on as Maslak licked his lips.
“Is that him?” Maslak’s eyes stayed glued to the photo.
“You tell us.”
Maslak shrugged and remained quiet.
Hotch removed a second photo. “Maybe this will jog your memory.”
Immediately Maslak looked away.
Rossi leaned in, while Hotch remained still. “Now, you remember him?”
Maslak straightened and shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t.”
Hotch slapped the table hard. It made Maslak jump, his chains rattled. “You
want to try that again? He visited you less than thirty-six hours ago.”
Maslak shook his head. “No, he didn’t.”
“You’re really going to play stupid.” Rossi shook his head. “He’s on your
approved visitors list. He spent twenty-seven of his allotted thirty minutes
with you. It’s clear on the video footage that you had a heated argument. He
was here. You know him. He’s the reason why you’re behind bars.” Rossi pulled
the chair out so that the chair legs dragged over the floor. He sat down
heavily.
Maslak looked between the two men. He knew it wouldn’t help if he denied
putting the slut on his visitors list. “What do you want?”
“What you told him.” Hotch spoke up again.
Maslak laughed. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Because we’re asking you.” Hotch responded.
“Yeah? And what’s in it for me?”
Hotch smiled. He opened the file again and took out several crime scene photos.
He laid them out in front of Maslak. “Now, I know you haven’t seen these
before. And here I’m talking about the photos, not what’s going on in the
photos, because for that, you were there.”
“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Just like you had no idea who Antioco Durante was?” Rossi sighed. “This is
getting boring, Hotch. Let’s do this my way. It will be so much more
interesting.”
Hotch held up his hand in a calming manner. “Let’s not get over excited, Rossi.
We have to give Mr. Maslak the opportunity to help us out.”
“It’s not going to work, Hotch. It’s clear he’s not willing to talk. We’re
wasting our time.”
Hotch looked as if he thought things over. “You’re right. He’s not going to
help.” Hotch got to his feet and gathered the different photos and placed them
back in the file. He turned to leave, Rossi right on his heels. He turned to
face Maslak again. “Do you know Patrick Saint Clare? He’s serving twenty life
sentences.”
“He’s one mean son of a bitch. Or, so I’ve heard. I don’t know him personally.”
Hotch shrugged. “That’s no problem.” He walked to the door and placed his hand
on the handle. “Those photos I showed you? They were taken twenty-three years
ago. They’re from an unsolved murder. A family of five was executed. There was
only one survivor. Saint Clare himself. He was thirteen at the time. His whole
family was eliminated. He lost everything he had in life in that thirty minutes
it took for his family to die. That’s what shoved him over the edge. That’s the
reason why he killed all of his victims. He made one thing clear, that he would
hunt for the person or persons responsible for killing his family until the day
he dies.” Hotch smiled. “And to think you’re now in the same prison.”
Maslak paled at the words. “What are you talking about?”
Hotch shrugged. “I’m just saying. Both of you are guilty of some hideous
crimes, the motivation behind the crimes are different, it’s strange how
people’s backgrounds can differ so much, and yet in the end they both end up in
the same system.” He took another step forward. “You’ve been behind bars for so
long, you don’t know about half of the technology that’s available out there.
On the medical side of things alone, the ability to detect DNA and to analyze
it has grown beyond your imagination. They were finally able to identify the
Saint Clare family murderer. To everyone’s surprise, the murderer is here in
this prison. The DA got in touch with Saint Clare’s lawyer. They will be
telling him as soon as possible who the killer is and then they will affect the
arrest. It might be too late to save Patrick himself, but at least it will give
him some closure.”
Maslak looked around, his pupils blown, sweat covered his face. “What are you
offering me?”
Rossi turned back first. “What are you talking about?”
“If I tell you what I told, slut puppy, I mean, Antioco Durante, I want
protection, I want to be transferred to another facility.”
Hotch frowned. “Why?”
“Fuck, you know why!” Maslak slammed his fists into the table and tried to get
to his feet. The shortened chains on his legs made it impossible for him to
stretch out to his full height.
Hotch held up his hand to stop the guards from entering the room. “Start
talking.”
“NO! NO! Promise me, promise me you’ll get me out of here.”
Hotch walked around the table. “Start talking.” He leaned into Maslak’s
personal space. His eyes as cold as ice.
Maslak started to talk and told them everything. In less than two minutes they
had what they were looking for. Hotch nodded his head. “You’ll get your
transfer.” Without looking back, he finally opened the door and walked out.
Rossi smiled. “I thought Saint Clare was transferred out of here this morning?”
He didn’t even comment that the DNA results were still inconclusive, or for the
fact that Maslak confessed for all intents and purposes to the murder of a
family that remained unsolved for twenty-three years.
Hotch smiled. “And Maslak’s transfer will be approved by the end of the day. I
wonder if they will end up being bunk buddies at their new home?”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
Abby woke up moaning. Something was tapping her cheek lightly. It was
irritating and she swatted the thing away and opened her eyes. Abby frowned.
She had no idea where she was. She groaned as the aches in her body made
themselves known. With a frown on her face, she looked around.
“Where am I?” She cleared her throat as her voice sounded gruff. She noticed
four other women with her. Their hair and clothes were not clean, one of them
clearly cried; the tear streaks still visible on her face.
“We don’t know.” A woman to her right spoke up. She looked about twenty-two.
“I’m Sonya.” She introduced herself and turned to the others. “That’s Nelda,
India and Cara.”
Abby looked around as she was introduced to the others. She then noticed the
room they were in and the heavy door that seemed to be the only exit. “Human
trafficking.” Abby groaned as she realized what she said out loud. The four
women with her all started babbling at the same time. Abby tried to get them to
quiet down, but their volume rose and Cara started crying again. Abby whistled
hard. The others hissed in pain, but finally quieted down. “I’m sorry. But
you’re making me crazy and I know I’m not one to talk, because I can talk and
talk and talk, but now, now’s not a time to talk, now I’ve got to concentrate.”
Abby crossed her legs, ignored the women around her and closed her eyes. She
had no idea how she ended up being here. Abby wished for a Caf-Pow, but knew
now was not the time to think about drinks, even if it made her think better.
She didn’t need to check her pockets to know she didn’t have her phone, because
phoning Gibbs would be the first thing she would’ve done. It was the thought of
Gibbs that brought all of her misplaced memories swarming back in her head.
“Ziva!” Abby shoulders sagged as she remembered what had happened. Ziva
betrayed her. The woman she thought of as a friend, even a sister had come to
her apartment. Abby knew they were talking, drinking tea. But then things
became fuzzy. Ziva drugged her. She remembered being unstable on her feet. She
tried to fight Ziva, but the ex-Mossad officer had no problem in overpowering
her. The last thing Abby remembered was the sneer on Ziva’s face before she
blacked out.
She became aware of her own sobs when someone sat down next to her and pulled
her close. “Shh, it’s all right.” The voice tried to sooth her down. Abby shook
her head. She knew it wasn’t all right. The team, Gibbs, had no idea where the
women were kept and Ziva was part of this. Ziva had betrayed them all. Thinking
of Ziva made Abby angry and she pulled her shoulders back and wiped away her
tears. She had to think clearly if she wanted to get out of this mess. She
couldn’t wait to face Ziva and punch her right in the face. Abby made a fist
and kept it clenched. She had to remain angry, if not, her tears would start
flowing again. She took a deep breath. “How long have I been here?”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: Bullpen – 24 hours later
Morgan looked up when a shadow landed over the file he was working on. He
frowned when he saw who it was. “What are you doing here?”
“I know I’m suspended and most likely fired, but I need you to listen to what
I’ve got and help me to convince Gibbs that I can help.
Morgan cocked his head. He looked over to where JJ was seated at David’s desk.
Spencer was at the man’s desk and stood in front of him. Gibbs, together with
Rossi and Hotch were up in the Director’s office. They were discussing the
information gathered from Maslak. A raid was organized at the site Maslak
indicated Teel was, but it was found to be empty. It seemed like Teel had found
another place and that they were back to square one. His hand still stung where
he slammed his fist against the wall after that failed attempt. It was also the
main reason he was downstairs seated with Reid and JJ rather than being in the
Director’s office. He and Gibbs had growled at one another one time too many.
If it wasn’t for Rossi’s quick action, the two men would’ve traded blows.
“Please,” McGee was ready to go on his knees to beg.
“Give him a chance, Derek. Agent McGee could’ve stayed quiet about that
recording and we would’ve been none the wiser.” Spencer voiced his opinion.
Morgan looked over at JJ. When the agent nodded her head, he spoke up. “What do
you have, Agent McGee?”
McGee’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I believe I found a way in which to trace
the microchips implanted in the missing women to a possible location.”
“How?” Morgan leaned forward while both JJ and Spencer came to their feet.
McGee took a deep breath and started to explain. “We discovered that the last
microchip we found was stolen out of a laboratory here in D.C. I contacted the
lab and found out that a set of fifteen microchips were stolen. The lab
provided us with the serial numbers of the microchips. I can run a trace on
those serial numbers to see if any of those microchips are active. With the
satellites in orbit, we should be able to get a trace on it and track it to the
location through GPS pings.”
Morgan caught JJ and Spencer’s eyes and held their gaze. He had a feeling that
McGee was right, they indeed had a way of tracking the missing women. He nodded
his head. “Let’s go.” He pushed to his feet.
“What about Gibbs?” McGee asked nervously.
Morgan frowned. “I don’t think he’ll kill you when he hears what you have to
say, Agent McGee. I do however think that this idea of yours will help in not
only finding the missing women, but also Tony and your friend Abby.”
McGee bit down on his bottom lip but then nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I came
here to help, even if Gibbs wants to kill me, he’ll at least wait until I’ve
explained.”
“Good, let’s go.” Morgan led the way. He looked back where Spencer and JJ
stayed put. “Will you call the cavalry together, I have a feeling we’ll need
them soon.” Although it was a joint operation, the BAU still took the lead and
it would be their response team that would go in with them to retrieve the
missing women.
“I’ll let Captain Myers know to come in. MTAC is big enough to coordinate the
operation from here.” JJ assured her teammate and friend.
Morgan nodded and then took the stairs two at a time. Hopefully they’d get Tony
back even before the day came to an end.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Undisclosed address: Washington D.C.
After a long hard night, Abby had finally managed to get her emotions under
control and started to think more rationally. She needed information, as much
as possible, especially if she wanted to get out of there. Last night she
couldn’t think straight, didn’t ask the questions she had to. But now, she had
to find out what happened to Ziva. Just thinking about the other woman made her
bristle with anger. She could gouge Ziva’s eyes out without a second thought.
She turned to Sonya. “Who brought me in? Was there a woman with long dark
hair?” She was unconscious longer than she initially thought, still shocked
that she had been there more than a day. A look passed between the different
woman and Abby frowned. “What are you not telling me?”
Sonya first shook her head, but then she sighed. “Fine,” she flicked her hair
back so that it was out of her face. “You were brought here by a man and a
woman. At first, we thought the man was the bad guy, but it turned out to be
the woman.” Sonya looked at the others in the cell. “The man was upset when
they dumped you on the floor and he tried to intervene, but they hit him with a
pistol over the head.” Sonya started to explain. She explained how the man who
was holding them captive touched Abby’s breasts and how the man attacked him.
By that time most of the women were crying. Sonya took a deep breath. “This man
was severely beaten and then taken away. The woman was told to leave, but
then…” She shuddered and closed her eyes. “But then he shot her.” Her voice
trailed off. “I’m sorry.” She hugged Abby close as she saw the look of utter
shock on the dark-haired girl’s face.
Abby had no idea what to say. She couldn’t believe what they’re telling her.
She looked up. “Is she dead?”
Sonya nodded. She swallowed hard. “He shot her in the back of the head.”
Someone retched behind her and Abby found herself feeling sick to the stomach
as well. “Ziva is dead.” She uttered the words out loud to no one in
particular. She wanted to feel happy, but there was a numbness inside of her.
She shuddered and then started to sob again. The tears didn’t want to stop. She
was pulled close again, but it didn’t help. Abby was lost in her anger and
frustration, but also in her grief. She wanted to ask about the man, but she
couldn’t get herself to talk, instead she could only cry.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony awoke yet again in a world of hurt. His whole body, including his face
throbbed. He found himself shackled to a beam, his arms stretched above his
head, his feet chained to the floor. He could not see out of his left eye, and
the right one was blurry. Tony looked around. It was definitely not the same
room he found himself in the last time. This room was barren, the walls and
floor dirty and cold.
Tony knew he had to take stock of himself. He needed to know if he had any
broken bones or any injury that might be life threatening. Not that he was in a
position to do anything about it, but it was better to be aware. He looked down
his body, he was still naked and blood coated his skin. He could see the
lacerations left behind by the crop. Some of them were still oozing blood and
he had a feeling that they were deep enough to require sutures. There wasn’t an
inch of skin that wasn’t bruised. He tried to take a deep breath, but decided
it was not a good idea as his ribs complained at that simple act. Tony knew he
had to try to keep on taking deep breaths, but with the pain that travelled
through his body, he couldn’t help but to keep his breathing shallow. No bones
were sticking out of his skin, so it didn’t appear that any had been broken.
Tony lifted his head and a red flickering light in the corner made him aware
that he was being watched. It also meant that any escape attempt wouldn’t go
unnoticed. Tony twisted his wrists and hissed. Seemed like they were raw
underneath the steel bindings. Without the camera present, he would’ve
continued to rub his wrists, hoping that the blood would make them slippery and
give him an opportunity to slip free of them. Now, he didn’t have that option,
but it didn’t mean he would accept his fate. He would get free, Teel would not
keep him captive again. If he couldn’t escape, he would find a way to kill
himself. They were the only two choices he had left.
The door to the room opened and Teel swaggered in. On his heels, three men
followed. Tony managed to glare at them.
“My slut puppy is finally awake,” Teel came to a halt in front of Tony and
traced the various marks on Tony’s body with his finger. The three men with him
took their places against the wall. “Your skin always looked so much better
with a few marks on it. Unblemished skin is not a good look on you.” Teel
brought his hand up and twisted Tony’s nipple hard.
Tony groaned and tried to twist away, but couldn’t manage. “Fuck off, Teel.”
Tony growled and hissed as the man in front of him twisted the nipple again.
The nip hardened, but Tony felt no pleasure.
“Tsk, tsk, such foul language, puppy. You’ve certainly forgotten your manners.
Do you remember how sweetly you could beg for me? You begged for more and more.
It was as if you couldn’t get enough.” Teel walked circled Tony’s body. “I’ve
decided to hold a party in your honor. We’ve got an auction going live in under
two hours, and I’ve made sure to let all of the potential buyers know that
there would be a surprise for them before they can bet on the latest
merchandise.”
Tony closed his eyes. He didn’t want to remember. It took him years to rid
himself of the nightmares and night terrors that plagued his sleep, robbing him
of his rest at night. He knew Teel was right, at one stage he did beg. But he
did it to survive, not because he wanted it. If he begged, Teel didn’t get
creative, things would be over with so much quicker, and Teel didn’t share him
with anyone else. He was still raped, still assaulted, but only by one monster
and not by a group of monsters who would take their time and turns with him,
making him gag and bleed, wishing for death to come and take him away. He
opened his eyes. “I will not beg.”
Teel smirked. “But I know you will.” He laughed out loud. “So many things have
changed, puppy. Including drugs. You will beg, and you’ll be sporting an
impressive hard on because that is what I want. You belong to me and no one
else. You will do as I say and you will enjoy every moment of it.” He palmed
himself through his trousers. “Just thinking of having you beneath me, makes me
hard.” He circled Tony and came to a halt at his back. “You remembered what I
wanted to do on your back, slut? You remembered how you begged me to do it, but
then you escaped and you ruined all my plans!” Teel shouted and hit Tony on his
lower back, right over his kidneys.
Tony had no warning and screamed in pain as the fist connected with his body.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he was hanging from his arms, his legs would’ve
given way and he would’ve collapsed in a heap. Before he could get his breath
back, a second hit followed, right on the same spot. Tears leaked from Tony’s
eyes, he bit into his lip, and refused to give in to the pain.
Teel hit him another few times before he circled him again. He was grinning
from ear to ear. “I’m going to properly mark you as mine, pup and then I’m
going to take you over and over in front of the camera and by that time, I can
promise you, you will beg for more.
Tony wanted to respond, but he had no breath left in him. Black spots formed in
front of the only eye he could see through, but he managed to lift his head and
stare at Teel. Finally, he shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “Never,” the
black spot grew larger and Tony gave into the darkness that teased him. His
eyes closed and his body sagged forward, giving him a brief respite of the pain
that he experienced.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
NCIS: MTAC
Gibbs took another swig of his cold coffee. He grimaced at the taste and for a
moment he thought of spitting it out, but then swallowed. It had been a long
night and it didn’t look like the end was in sight. When Agent Morgan entered
MTAC with McGee in tow, he personally wanted to shoot both men. Fortunately,
Rossi managed to convince him to listen and finally it seemed like they had a
way to find Tony, Abby and the missing woman. The BOLO for Ziva had yielded no
results as yet. Vance had gone so far as to put a unit in front of the Israeli
Embassy to see if Ziva showed up there, but so far nothing.
On Doctor Reid’s suggestion they tested McGee’s theory by placing a microchip
in Vance’s pocket and were able to track his movements throughout the building.
Now McGee was busy scanning for the microchips that were stolen to see if he
could pick up something. It had been over five hours and he was starting to
lose his patience. Gibbs was about to bark out to McGee when the screen McGee
was seated at, lit up and it emanated high pitch sounds like an alarm going
off. It was as if someone pressed the restart button in the room as each and
every technical analyst and agent came to their feet and started scrambling
around.
“What do you have, McGee?” Gibbs closed the distance between them and looked
over McGee’s shoulder at the screen. It didn’t make much sense, except that
there was a green dot that kept on flashing.
McGee didn’t respond to Gibbs’ question, instead, he let his fingers fly over
the keyboard, sending out commands to the different satellites in orbit. He
looked up at the large screen when it flashed from standby to life. He typed in
more commands, adjusting the lighting and then they could make out what
appeared to be a large warehouse. They had a visual of where the pinged
microchip was, and hopefully it meant that the woman, Abby and Tony would be
there.
“Where’s that, McGee?”
McGee entered another set of commands and heat signals came up. The place
filled with life. He did a quick headcount and reached twenty-eight. “The old
fairgrounds, Gibbs.” He’d heard about the place, and knew that there were horse
races held in the 1880’s, but had never been there. He knew that a fire broke
out that destroyed the clubhouse and many of the other structures. It was an
industrial part of the city and in the past couple of years some renovation of
the area had taken place. As far as he knew a part of the stables were still
standing. The fairgrounds were out of the way and mostly inhabited by the
homeless and junkies.
Never in a million years would he have thought of looking there. It was perfect
for an operation like Teel’s. “Get me any and all information as well as plans
of the area and possible blue prints on the buildings.” Gibbs ordered and
turned on his heels. He had his phone in his hand, already calling Vance to
come back in. He met Rossi, Hotch and Morgan at the door. They were all heading
in the same direction. The conference room was set up as a secondary control
center as MTAC itself was still an off-limits area to most people. It was time
to bring Tony and Abby home.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Old fairgrounds
Never before in her life did she feel so bone tired than right at that moment.
It was as if all of her energy was forcefully drained from her body. Abby knew
it was because of the stressful situation she found herself in, but also from
the fact that she was suffering from caffeine withdrawal. For the first time in
more than a decade, she didn’t have any Caf-Pow in her system. She felt jittery
and irritated. More than once she wanted to snap at the women around her and
then in the same breath she wanted to burst out crying yet again. She hated the
fact that her emotions were all over the place. Abby moved away from the door.
She had realized that the room they were kept in were real stalls. Like in
horse stalls. They were enlarged, with brand new doors, but if she looked at
the walls she could see that the building itself was old, almost ancient. Abby
had tried to listen to the noises around them. She could hear traffic noises,
but they wer faint. Once or twice she heard the whistle of a train, but other
than that, it was dead quiet. Almost as if they were no longer in the city
itself.
A man walked past the door, he gave the stall a cursory look and then walked
on. He didn’t try to interact with any of the women and neither did they. Abby
could hear the keys he held rattling against his side and she shivered. She
hated that sound, it was as if she was in prison with no way to escape. Abby
huffed. She turned to face the four women. “How many guards are there?”
“I know of five.” Sonya replied. “Why?”
“Because we need to get out of here. I for one am not planning to be kept here
forever to be sold to one or other bat crazy old coot who can’t get his willy
up, but wants to use me as a sex slave.” Abby flapped her arms in annoyance.
“And don’t you think, we’ve all tried before?” India pushed herself up from
where she was seated on the floor. “I’ve seen what happened to a girl who tried
to escape. She was brought back and tortured.” India hissed and crossed her
arms over her chest. “He threw her back in here and I sat with her until he
came back. She knew she was going to die. I made her a promise. A promise I
know I will not be able to keep. But, if I can, I will do it. I will go and
tell her family that she loves them. That she never gave up.” India wiped
angrily at a stray tear. “She was in the navy. She was trained for battle, she
was strong and he broke her apart. And then he came back and he shot her. He
executed her right in front of us all. He didn’t even look back when her body
fell to the floor.”
“Alice Cooper,” Abby wiped away her own tears. She looked at the shocked faces
around her. “My name is Abby Sciuto, I’m the forensic specialist at NCIS, the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We are investigating the disappearance
and killing of Seaman Alice Cooper and all the other missing women. And that
includes all of you.”
“And how are you going to find us if you’re stuck here with us?”
Abby smiled. “Because my Silver Fox is the best and he will find us. All of us.
I’m not useless. I’ll get a way out of this place.”
Cara laughed, but there was nothing humorous in her laugh. “Nothing can stop
these bastards. What do you think happened to the guy who tried to protect you
when you were brought in? Do you for one moment think he’s still alive?”
Abby lowered her head. She’d forgotten that they told her about the guy who
tried to stop her from getting groped. “Do you know who he is? Have you seen
him here before?”
Nelda, who was the quiet one spoke up. “He was driving the car from where you
were lifted out of the trunk. That’s why we all thought he was in on it. That
was until we realized that he was here because he meant something to Teel. That
bastard referred to him as Slut puppy and you were used as bait to get him
here.”
Abby frowned. She had no idea who the person could be. It had to be someone she
and Ziva knew. “Kyle,” she whispered the name. She started trembling. “Black
hair, tattooed, skinny with several piercings?”
“No,” Nelda shook her head. “We didn’t get a good look at him, but he had blond
hair, tall, well built.” A small smile appeared on his face. “He’d managed to
tackle that bastard full on. I saw him break that bastard’s nose before he was
hit over the head and then severely kicked. In the end they dragged him away,
he was still breathing, but unconscious the last time we saw him.”
Abby went still. She knew exactly who was responsible for trying to keep her
out of harm’s way, even if the blond hair didn’t make sense. The one person she
treated terribly. “Tony,” she whispered the words. She had no idea why this
band of human traffickers would have any connection with Tony. According to
her, he was the reason why the FBI was brought into this case, taking away the
matter from Gibbs. He felt that Gibbs and the rest of the team didn’t have the
skills to deal with this case. She felt he was a traitor, another reason why
she hated him. He was the reason Gibbs was angry with her. He was the one who
got Ziva kicked from the team. But then, Ziva was the one who betrayed her –
the team, and not Tony. Could she have been mistaken? Was there something more
going on? She’d heard the scuttlebutt around the office that he wasn’t who he
said he was and that he might know more about the trafficking ring than what he
admitted to, but she ignored that information, to her it was Tony looking for
more attention to feed his narcissistic tendencies. Nothing else.
“So, you do know him?” Sonya inquired.
Abby nodded silently. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words refused to
form. She’d been a total fool, worse than that, she was a bad friend. What had
she done? She lowered her head. “He’s the best agent I’ve ever met. He’s
resilient and will never give up without a fight. He’s like my brother.” Her
own words brought her to tears. She didn’t deserve Tony’s friendship, not after
what she’d done. Abby made a silent vow, that when they got out of this mess
she would do anything in her power to win Tony’s friendship back and she would
make sure that Tony realized how sorry she was for her hurtful actions towards
him. But, first, she needed to get out of there.
Abby took a deep breath and calmed herself. Tears would not get her or any of
the other women out of this place. “Except for the guards, are there any
cameras here?”
The women looked at one another and shook their heads. “I haven’t seen any, but
it’s not as if we have the ability to walk around freely to have a closer
look.” India spoke up.
Abby nodded at the information. She made her way back to the door and looked
outside. She was grateful for the fact that she still had on her high platform
boots, it made it so much easier to see through the bars of their tiny cell.
She looked around, but couldn’t spot any cameras. “It seems like it’s clear.”
She talked more to herself than to the other woman in the cell with her. Abby
stepped back and sat down on the ground. It was time to see if they could get
out of this hell hole. She started to untie her boot and then indicated to
Sonya to help. “I need this off,” Abby held her leg up.
“Why?” Sonya asked perplexed even as she stepped closer to help with pulling of
the boot.
“Rule 9,” Abby responded with a smile. “Never go anywhere without a knife.”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony had no idea how much time passed since he lost consciousness and waking up
again. Teel was no longer in the room with him, but the three guys from before
were there. He’d started to fight the moment one of them pulled the syringe
out. It took all three of them to pin him down for the drugs to be injected
into his system. Now it felt to Tony as if something was alive under his skin.
They crawled deep within him. They used his muscles as slides and glided down
his body. The million little creatures made his skin ripple and he could hear
the buzzing in his ears as they ran around within him. Tony was lying on his
front, with his ankles tied together. His lower legs were bent at the knees and
tied off around his waist. His arms were bent backwards, elbows straight out
and tied with another piece of rope to his feet. He was precariously balanced
on his chest and he had no way of moving, not even to rub against the floor in
an attempt to get the itch he felt under control. Another groan threatened to
escape and he held his breath. He would not make a noise. He found out that the
moment he made any kind of noise, the creatures under his skin went berserk.
Weaving in and out of reality, Tony no longer had any idea where he was, or how
he even ended up being there. Nothing that he saw made any sense. He couldn’t
understand why the hell everything was lime green, even the sheep that grazed
around him were lime green in color. They smelled like apples, and for every
five steps they took they laid a shiny golden egg. One of those eggs landed
right next to him and it made him scream as it touched his skin and burned him.
He gagged at the smell of burned flesh.
Tony shivered and blinked rapidly. There was no grazing sheep around him, no
golden eggs. He was hallucinating and it was becoming more difficult to
differentiate between what was real and what was not. He shook his head in an
attempt to clear his mind, but the buzzing increased and for a moment he
thought the creatures inside of him were real. He wanted to scream, but the
ring gag made it impossible for him to do anything else except to drool
extensively. His world lurched as he was picked up and dumped unceremoniously
on a softer surface. Something touched him and he tried to squirm away, but a
fist to the side of his face got him to settle down.
He was released from his bindings and pulled upright so that he found himself
in a kneeling position. A pair of dark trousers appeared in front of him and he
frowned. He had no idea how the pants managed to walk on their own. The pants
started talking and he frowned. A hand gripped his hair and his head got pulled
back. A face without eyes and three mouths stared at him. The mouth in the
middle spoke, but the words were all scrambled up. Tony tried to explain that
he didn’t understand, but with the ring gag he could not form words and it
didn’t look like the face wanted to listen. Instead, something was pushed into
his mouth, it was thick, hot, squishy but hard. It tasted like grilled socks
and he tried to use his tongue to push it back out, but the face grew arms
which held his head and the thing in his mouth moved in and out. It pushed
against the back of his throat, robbing him of his oxygen and he convulsed. A
punch connected to the side of his head and the thing slid down his throat. It
grew in size as it went deeper. It filled his mouth, his throat and it felt as
if it wormed its way right into his stomach. The thing twisted as it pulled
back and a foul-tasting substance squirted from the tip. Tony didn’t want to
swallow, but the thing pushed back down his throat and it left him with no
other option. Finally, the thing retreated and it left him gasping for air.
Unfortunately, the respite didn’t last long before the second thing forced
itself into his mouth and down his throat.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Abby turned her head away as one of the guards reached to touch her hair. She
couldn’t believe that when she nearly had the first hinge of the door loose,
the guards showed up and started gathering all of the women. She had to work
fast to conceal the knife in the false bottom of her boot again before the
guards reach their stall and ordered them out. Her cheek throbbed where the one
back handed her as she apparently walked too slowly. She received another slap
when she inquired where they were being taken. After the second hit, she was
pulled from the group by two of the large men and almost dragged away. She’d
tried to kick and pull away, but they were at least two times her own size and
pure muscle. She’d met Sonya’s eyes as she was led away and the woman mouthed
to her to settle down. She didn’t want to. They had no right to treat her in
this fashion. They had no right to treat any of the women like garbage.
Now, they stood on what looked like a raised platform, all facing forward.
Their guards walked up and down, handing out snide remarks, groping the woman,
hitting them when they would try and move away from the unwanted touches. Abby
groaned as the man grabbed her by the hair and pulled it backwards, making her
arch her neck. She shivered as he leaned in and sniffed at her exposed throat
before licking her from her collarbone to her chin. Tears threatened to spill
over and she swallowed hard. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing
her cry.
A trembling hand grabbed hers and without looking Abby knew it was India who
stood next to her. She knew she had to be quiet, to let it be, but she
couldn’t, it wasn’t who she was. Abby squeezed the hand and then looked the
guard in the eyes. “I’ve always wanted to be licked by a lizard, and now I know
how it feels.” She snorted and even managed to roll her eyes. A fist connected
with her cheekbone, the skin split open and she staggered back, nearly landing
on her behind, but Abby managed to keep to her feet. Tears flooded her eyes and
she wiped them away angrily. Now was not the time to give in to her emotions.
Before the guard could come closer a man spoke up, his cold voice sent shivers
down Abby’s spine. She turned towards the voice and her knees buckled at the
sight.
Tony was on his knees, next to the man that spoke. He was stark naked. His body
was covered in what looked like blood and other substances. Abby could see
several bruises, some of them looked painful. His hands were cuffed behind him,
some sort of gag filled his mouth, with his head bowed down. What shock her the
most, was to see how hard Tony was. He was moving his hips back and forth in an
attempt to get some friction. It made her blush as the first word she could
think of was slut. Then the man spoke up, he was clearly agitated as he grabbed
Tony’s hair and pulled his head back. She jumped as the man screamed out in
rage.
“Stop fucking ignoring me, slut! You’re mine, mine, and you’ll do what I tell
you to do! Lift your fucking head and look, look!” He shook Tony hard and
twisted his head so that he looked right at Abby.
Abby could see the moment Tony recognized her. It was as if all the fight he
had in him evaporated into nothingness. His whole body sagged forward and the
man with him smiled. “What? No longer interested in fighting me, slut? Finally
realized that I’m your Master, like I told you all those years ago?” The man
laughed. Abby tried to remember his name. Sonya told her she’d overheard one of
the guards referring to their boss as Teel. She looked on as Tony shifted on
his knees and then lowered his head so that it touched the floor. He stayed in
that position. The man laughed again.
“What, slut? What do you want to say? You want to beg? You want to tell me how
good a Master I am?” He walked around Tony, his attention fixed on Abby. “I’m
in a good mood, so let’s hear what you want to say.” He leaned in and undid the
clasp at the back of Tony’s head. “Speak, beg.”
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
The drugs in his system had finally ebbed away, and Tony was more aware of what
was going on around him. He still had a raging hard on and wanted nothing more
than to be given the opportunity to rub one out, but knew he would never be
given permission. He swallowed hard, but winced as his throat throbbed from the
abuse it went through earlier. Although things were hazy, he had a good idea of
what had happened while he was nearly drugged out of his mind. He had no choice
but to walk behind Teel, the leash around his neck made it impossible to be
more than two steps behind the cruel man. When they entered the large room, he
nearly tripped over his feet. He saw the different cameras and the woman on the
raised platform and knew they were going to be sold off. If that happened, they
would disappear into nothingness. Tony was forced to heel when Teel halted. The
man said something, but he ignored it. He’d gotten fairly good at ignoring
Teel. It was a thing he did in the past, and he was going to do it again. Teel
got furious, as suspected, but Tony got his own surprise when he finally looked
to what Teel showed him. ‘Abby’. The sight of her shocked him. He’d forgotten
about her. He didn’t mean to, but the drugs were messing him up so badly. She
wasn’t supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be up on that platform, not
with all those lights and cameras. Teel meant to have her sold. Sold as a mere
object. It couldn’t be allowed.
Without giving it a second thought, he lowered himself to the floor. It was one
position he never wanted to find himself in, but he had no choice. He had to
get her out of here. It didn’t matter what she did to him, no one deserved what
would happen to them. Tony wished he was able to beg on behalf of all of them,
but he knew that would never be possible, but maybe, maybe, he’d be able to
save one. To save Abby and give her back to Gibbs and the rest of the NCIS
family.
“Please, Master, please. Let her go, she doesn’t belong here. I’ll do anything
you want from me. I will be your Slut Puppy, Master, I will worship you in any
way possible. Please, let her go. Please. She doesn’t know anything, she can be
blindfolded and dropped somewhere. I know her, she will not talk.” Tony
shuffled forward, until he reached Teel’s feet and then started to lick at the
boots, cleaning them from the tip of the toes, all the way up. He moved his
head and placed his mouth on the erection beneath the trousers. He nuzzled Teel
with his mouth, and sucked the cock that lay hidden beneath the material.
Tony could feel Teel shudder beneath his touches, and he increased the suction
he had going on the man. Teel went from semi hard to rock hard in mere seconds.
He managed to unzip Teel’s trousers and with his mouth alone, he freed Teel’s
cock and took it in his mouth. He angled his head and the cock slid down his
throat and he swallowed, making Teel shudder. A hand gripped him at the back of
the head and he was forced to take the cock deeper into his mouth. He was
forced to relax his throat muscles as Teel jammed his cock down his throat.
Tony was glad that his hands were cuffed at his back as Teel pushed his cock
down his throat, robbing him of his oxygen and then kept it there. Time came to
a standstill. Black spots formed in front of his eyes and he struggled weakly.
His eyes rolled over in his head and faintly he heard Teel give an order for
the girl to be taken away. For Tony, that was enough and he gave in, letting
the darkness swallow him whole.
***** Chapter 9 *****
Chapter 9
Old fairgrounds
They rolled in silently. After McGee and Morgan counted all of the heat
signatures illuminated with the aid of satellite images, the rescue team had to
be increased. Two SWAT teams accompanied Leon and himself along with Hotch and
his team. Gibbs was surprised when Leon indicated that he was coming along. For
him to get into the action was a good indication how much Vance thought DiNozzo
was worth.
Gibbs checked his weapon and his backup as they exited the different vehicles.
He placed the small coms in his ear and waited for everyone to get ready before
he gave the order. Since McGee was on suspension he stayed behind, and although
he couldn’t be their official eyes using the satellite images to their
advantage, he was in MTAC, with Garcia from the BAU and Gibbs knew they would
make sure that the technicians provided the correct information. Gibbs made
contact and listened as the information came through. They took down three
hostiles without a single shot being fired and moved in deeper onto the
terrain.
Several vehicles, including some eighteen-wheelers were parked to the side.
Gibbs indicated for some of the agents to check them out as they moved towards
the building. What felt like a lifetime, but was only a few minutes saw them
reaching the building where the heat signatures were identified. The SWAT teams
readied themselves and Gibbs gave the order. Chaos erupted as the guards placed
on sentinel duty became aware of their presence the moment they entered the
door. The armed guards didn’t even hesitate - they all started firing. Gunshots
echoed through the closed space and Gibbs ducked for cover as they tried to
take the hostiles down. An open doorway to his left made him move in that
direction the moment the gunfire lessened.
Gibbs found himself in a large room, it had the feel of an old office. Several
filing cabinets stood around, some even on the ground. The air smelt stuffy,
with a coppery hint of blood. Gibbs slowly moved deeper into the room. He had
his pistol at a ready and a small flashlight in his hand. He checked out the
room and moved in closer when the light of his flashlight landed on an unmoving
object. Gibbs squinted, it looked like a body and he moved closer.
What he found took his breath away and he lowered his weapon. “Ziva,” Gibbs
whispered and knelt down. Even with the damage he could see, he felt for a
pulse. The body was still and cold, rigor mortis already set in. “Be at peace,”
his voice was still soft as he uttered the words in Hebrew and got to his feet.
He would make sure Ziva’s body was retrieved and sent back to Israel. He had no
idea why she changed, but she was still a human and deserved to be treated like
one.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Spencer made his way through several rooms, so far all of them had been empty.
Most looked like sleeping quarters. He presumed the guards used them when they
were not on duty. In the background, he could hear people shouting, women
screaming and shots fired. For a moment, he worried about the safety of his
team, but the com in his ear remained silent, an indication that they were all
still well, each one doing their own job. Spencer came to a halt when a noise
reached his ears. He stood still and listened intently. It sounded as if
someone was crying and it came from one of the rooms in front of him. Knowing
that he couldn’t rush forward, he continued on. He cleared all the other rooms,
leaving the one he could hear the sounds from for last. He could clearly hear
the sobbing from inside.
Spencer readied his weapon and placed his hand on the door handle. “FBI, move
away from the door, hands in the air.” He ordered as he pushed the handle down.
It was locked. Spencer frowned. It was the first one locked. The sobbing from
the inside continued, it was as if the person inside didn’t even hear when he
called out. He knocked on the door. “FBI, can you hear me?” He waited for an
answer. The sobbing stopped. Spencer called out again.
“I’m shackled to a bed.” A nasal sounding voice, belonging to a woman sounded
through the closed door. “They locked the door when they left.” She hiccupped
and sniffed loudly.
Spencer looked at the door. It was a normal door, he’d be able to kick the door
down himself. Derek spent hours with him training that skill. “What’s your
name?”
The sniffing stopped. “How do I know you’re FBI?” The counter question came
quickly.
Spencer heard her gasp as another volley of gunshots sounded through the
building. “I’m FBI agent Spencer Reid. I’m from the Behavioral Analysis Unit.”
The woman moved, he could hear the shackles as she did.
“Doctor Spencer Reid?”
Spencer nodded his head. “Yes, that’s me. Are you willing to tell me your
name?” He had a feeling he knew who it was and felt relieved that at least one
of the people they were looking for was still alive.
“Abigail Sciuto.”
“You’re the forensic scientist at NCIS.” Spencer supplied the information. He
wanted her to know he knew who she was. Hopefully it would put her at ease.
“Have you found Tony?”
Spencer heard the angst and worry in her voice. “We’re still looking for him,
but we will find him.” He knew Derek and Agent Gibbs would not leave this place
without the missing man. He stepped back and holstered his gun. “I’m going to
kick the door down. How far away are you from it?”
“I’m on the other end of the room, it’s clear.” Abby’s voice sounded steadier.
Spencer took a step back and used the technique Derek showed him and slammed
his booted foot into the door. All of his power went into the assault. The door
stayed steady and Spencer repeated the action. On the third try the lock gave
way and on the fourth attempt, it broke and swung inwards. Spencer’s kick was
hard enough so that the door slammed against the wall. He had to use his hand
to stop it as it swung close again. A single light bulb illuminated the room.
He found her on the bed, she was crying softly. He made his way over to her
after he made sure that the rest of the room was empty.
“It’s going to be all right.” He tried to calm her as he sat down next to her.
He was surprised when she flung herself at him and held him tight. She sobbed
in earnest. After a brief hesitation, Spencer placed his arm across her
shoulder and kept it there. He was supposed to check in with the team, to
inform them what he found, but he wanted to give her a moment to compose
herself before he did that. From what he could see it looked like she’d been
assaulted. Her body and face was bruised, and he had a feeling that she was
going to be in agony once the adrenaline in her body faded away.
“Tony,” Abby hiccupped again. “You must find Tony.” She finally released her
hold over the man and sat back. “Please,” she tried to get up, but stumbled as
the chains that held her to the bed made her trip.
“Easy,” Spencer guided her back to the bed. He kneeled down and had a look at
the lock. He wouldn’t be able to get it open. Picking locks were never his
strong point. Hopefully, SWAT would be able to assist. “We are looking for him
and we will find him, I promise.” Spencer made her lean back against the wall.
“Let me get SWAT here so that they can get you out of those things.”
Abby nodded. “Is Gibbs here?” Her voice sounded small.
“Agent Gibbs is here, and your Director as well.” Spencer replied.
Abby looked down at her hands. “I’m a terrible person.”
“I don’t know you well, Miss Sciuto, but I don’t think you’re terrible.”
Abby shook her head. “You don’t understand. I did some bad things.” She lowered
her head. “I treated someone that loved me like a sister, like he was scum.
Once upon a time he was my best friend. I didn’t give a damn that he never did
anything to hurt me, I had to get in another jab, something to take him down
another peg. All because of me being selfish. I hurt him so much and now, now
he might be dead and I, I…” Abby broke down again.
“I assume you’re talking about Agent DiNozzo?” At her nodding, Spencer
continued. “The good thing about family and friends is that they are always
willing to listen, to talk and to forgive. I have a feeling you’d be able to
heal your friendship with him again. It might take some time, but I think you
know it would be worth the while.” He pressed the com against his ear and spoke
into the small mike. He reported who he had found and requested assistance. He
leaned back against the wall himself. “SWAT is on the way.”
“Thank you,” Abby closed her eyes and waited.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Derek knew the moment the first shot rang out they would have chaos. And chaos
they found. They made their way into the building until they reached a large
open room that resembled an arena. Several women were lying on what looked like
a raised stage while shots rang out around them. He could only hope that none
of them would be hit as the fire fight continued between the bad guys and the
rest of them. He raised his own weapon and took the shot. The perp stumbled
back one step and then landed on the hard ground. He would never get up again.
A spray of gun fire hit the three large screens that were set up to the side.
It seemed like they made it in time before the women had been sold off in an
auction.
Derek looked around, he saw no sign of AD and couldn’t spot Teel either. For a
moment, he wondered if they were too late - if Teel had taken AD and gotten
away. But, it couldn’t be. From the moment they left MTAC, to the time they
stopped here, they were in contact with the technicians and would’ve been
informed if any vehicle left the place. He pushed the thought down that
suggested that AD might not even have been here at all. AD was here, and he was
here. Movement to his left side made him swirl around. He only had enough time
to take note of the automatic rifle pointed at him, before he squeezed his own
weapon’s trigger repeatedly. The gunman fell down and Derek moved forward. He
removed the rifle, secured it and placed it over his shoulder. He could hear
the gunshots dying down at his back, as he moved away from the area. He had to
find AD.
A door in front of him, took him into a long, narrow passage that was dimly
lit. He slowed his pace, and moved forward with caution. Derek tried to listen
for any possible noise that could give him an indication of life, but it was
quiet around him. He made his way down the passage. At the end, it split. The
left passage was dark, but the right was once again dimly lit. Without
hesitating, Derek turned right. He pulled the com from his ear; the chatter
made it difficult to concentrate and to focus on where he was going. A shadow
danced across the wall, but the figure moved away from him and Derek followed
quickly. He managed to gain ground and took the guard by surprise. He used a
stranglehold on him and choked the man until his knees buckled and he went
limp. Derek lowered him to the floor, took out his cuffs and cuffed the man’s
hands behind his back. He used a set of black ties to secure the man’s feet and
to make it even more difficult should he come too and decide to hop off, he
lifted the man’s feet and hogged tied him with another pair of ties to his
hands. Derek looked for a secure place to hide the man’s weapon, as well as the
first rifle he took away. He saw a crate to the side and after checking it out,
he hid both the weapons behind the crate. Making sure that the man was still
out, Derek moved away and headed down the hall. It started to get lighter and
the hallway itself became larger.
The much larger passage split again, and Derek kept going right. He wished he
knew where he was going to, but felt like the time to get to AD was running
out. It was as if something was spurring him on to get to the missing agent and
to get there fast. A door appeared to his left, and as he reached for the
handle, a scream of pure terror sounded from inside. Derek used his shoulder
and the door splintered beneath his arm. The forced entry was enough to startle
the man and Derek took the shot. The man stumbled backwards and Derek moved
into the room.
“AD!” Derek sprinted forward. His friend was kneeling in the middle of the
floor. A large knife protruded from his left shoulder and Derek knew that was
the reason for the scream he heard seconds before. He holstered his weapon and
kneeled in front of the other man. He was worried, except for the scream, AD
didn’t even react to the gunshot, nor did he give any indication that he knew
what was going on around him. Derek took AD’s hand face in his hands. “AD?”
Derek asked in concern. His friend’s skin was clammy to the touch, but hot at
the same time. He could see how fast AD was breathing, but the breaths he took
were shallow. His pupils were the size of pinpricks and unfocused and he looked
confused.
“AD, Tony,” Derek tried again. “Come on man, look at me, look at me, AD.” Derek
pleaded. He tapped his friend lightly on the cheek, but it was as if the other
man had no idea that he was there. “I need to take a look at this,” Derek’s
hands travelled down to the injured shoulder. He was surprised that AD hadn’t
tried to pull the blade free. The knife had a serrated edge, and Derek was
grateful that AD indeed didn’t try to pull it out. He had to get something to
keep the blade secure, and at the same time stem the bleeding, he didn’t dare
to remove the blade. His eyes caught the marks on AD’s arms. “Fuck,” he could
clearly see that they were track marks. The clammy feel to AD’s skin and the
tiny pupils now fit in. AD was drugged up and he had no idea with what. “We’ll
get you sorted out, I promise, hold on for me.” He managed to get AD to lay on
his right side. He got to his feet, he looked back at the man he shot. It was
Teel. Derek paid him no further attention as he looked for something to stop
the bleeding. He spotted what looked like a sheet bundled up in a corner and he
grabbed it. It wasn’t clean, but at this stage a mere infection would be the
least of AD’s problems. Derek made his way back to his friend. “Okay, let’s get
this thing a bit more stable and get this blood flow down.” Derek managed to
lift AD so that he was half sitting half lying down. “Let’s get this done.”
Derek managed to get hold of his knife and cut a broad strip of the sheet off.
He folded it into some sort of a sling and with shaking hands managed to tie it
around AD’s shoulder. The whole time he kept on talking to his friend, making
sure AD knew each step of the way what he was doing. Derek tried not to jolt
AD’s shoulder too much, but once or twice his grip slipped due to the blood and
although AD gave no indication of feeling anything, he knew it had to hurt.
“Done,” Derek cupped AD’s face. “Let’s get you out of here.” He reached for his
com to let the rest of the team know that he had found AD and that they needed
to send the paramedics. Something tugged at his side and he looked down. “What
the fuck?” He asked as AD had managed to pull his weapon free of the holster.
“Easy there, buddy.” Derek stood still, he wasn’t about to move away, but he
also couldn’t let his friend shoot him. “I know you’re confused right now, but
I promise you, everything will be all right. Just hand me my weapon, AD. You’re
safe, I promise you.” He hated the fact that AD hadn’t made any eye contact
with him, it was as if he was staring out into nothingness. He reached for the
weapon, he kept his movements slow, and his body low, but before he could reach
the weapon, the shot rang out.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
He became aware of sounds and smells around him. He could smell sweat, sex and
blood, mostly blood. He was aware of the fact that someone was with him. The
voice sounded familiar, it made him feel safe, but his eyes refused to focus,
everything stayed blurry and his mind refused to make sense of what was going
on around him.
The voice continued to talk to him, to tell him that he was safe, to tell him
that everything would be fine. The voice moved away, and he wanted to object,
but then the voice returned and he could feel his body being moved. He must’ve
blinked because he could see clearer now. He still had no idea where he was,
but the man in front of him looked familiar, but he still couldn’t remember his
name. A name popped into his mind, but something told him it wasn’t the right
name. This man didn’t look like a Gibbs, not that he had any idea how a Gibbs
was supposed to look. Movement at the man’s back caught his attention. He
wanted to whimper, to tell the man to look out, to get away, there was danger,
but his voice refused to work. His hand pressed against something, something
familiar. He pulled it free.
The weight felt familiar, but yet unfamiliar at the same time, but he couldn’t
think about that now. The man in front of him, the not Gibbs, was talking to
him. He looked frantic, but the words were all scrambled up and he couldn’t get
his own words to work, so he could do the only thing he knew would work. He
curled his finger around the trigger and squeezed it down. The noise hurt his
ears and he dropped the thing that was familiar. It landed hard on the floor.
The nightmare behind the man who made him feel safe fell as well. At the same
time, the world around him tilted on its axis and he found himself closing his
eyes. It was then that the man’s name popped into his head. ‘Derek.’
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Bethesda Hospital – 6 hours later
Morgan found himself in the same chair as the first time when they brought Tony
in after his collapse at NCIS. This time he wasn’t alone. His whole team was
there, except Spencer, but they were joined by Jimmy. McGee phoned JJ every
hour to hear about any news. Gibbs and Ducky were not present. They were in
conference with Doctor Pitt. He couldn’t help but to smile when the doctor was
introduced to them and Garcia took them all by surprise and made sure the
doctor knew how special Tony was to all of them and that he had to make sure
that Tony got the best care possible. The fact that Doctor Pitt took it all in
stride made him realize he was used to this kind of thing. He wondered who
threatened the doctor before. His money was on Jimmy.
Derek made the mistake and looked down at his hands, he’d washed them about
five times now, and still they had a red tint to them. AD’s blood. Morgan
closed his eyes. He still couldn’t believe that Tony had killed Teel. He’d made
a rookie mistake not to make sure that the threat was indeed eliminated,
instead he checked Tony out and Teel used the time to either play possum or
regain consciousness. He’d ignored the man as he tried to stop his friend from
bleeding out. He was amazed at the fact that although Tony was almost
completely out of it, he’d not only managed to get to Derek’s firearm, but also
managed to get off a clean head shot that took Teel out of the picture forever.
But, in that moment, he didn’t realize it. Only when he heard the thud behind
him did he realize what happened. Teel was on the floor behind him. His pistol
in his hand. It was only then that he saw there was no blood on Teel’s shirt
where he shot him. There were two holes in the shirt, but no blood. Teel had
worn a Kevlar vest and both of them could’ve died if it wasn’t for Tony. Derek
shook his head. He couldn’t let his thoughts go there now. Not if he wanted to
get through everything.
He turned to the man next to him. “Did you threaten Doctor Pitt?” He knew the
young ME assistant would know what he was talking about.
Jimmy smiled. “I did.” He nodded, “and I would do it again, but Garcia was a
bit faster than I thought.”
Derek laughed. “Yes, looks can be deceiving.” He stretched his legs. “Did it
work?” A shake of the head gave him the answer.
“Gibbs got to him first, so by the time I got to threaten him, it was too
late.” Jimmy looked up when someone entered the room and he got to his feet.
“Doctor Reid, Spencer?” He sounded nervous.
Derek looked on as his best friend gently placed an arm across the younger
man’s shoulder and gave him an awkward hug. It didn’t seem to bother either
man.
Spencer looked at the group gathered in the waiting room. “Miss Sciuto will
make a full recovery. She’s dehydrated, suffers from a slight concussion and
will have a sore body for the next few days with all the bruises she’d
sustained, but other than that, she will be all right.”
Derek saw how Jimmy’s shoulders sagged in relief. It was difficult for the
young man. Tony was his friend, but so was Abby, and her actions made it hard
for him to forgive her, although he still cared a lot. “Is she awake?” Derek
asked. He knew they still needed to take down her statement. Hotch had
indicated that depending on what she told them, she might face some criminal
charges herself.
Spencer shook his head. “The medical staff gave her something to help her rest.
Her doctor indicated that they will keep her for observation for at least the
next twenty-four hours.”
Jimmy looked at Spencer and then at Derek. “Do you think it will be all right
if I go and sit with her for a few minutes? I promise I won’t wake her up.”
Derek and Spencer both nodded. Derek knew Jimmy had to make sure that his
friend was all right. “Go, I will text you the moment we hear something about
AD.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Spencer smiled and waited patiently for Jimmy to grab his
bag before the two of them left the waiting room together.
“Well, well. Looks like our Boy genius is interested in Jimmy Palmer.” Garcia
got to her feet. “I need to find out everything about him. He seems nice, and I
know he works for one of our sister agencies, but one can never be too
careful.” Garcia tried to scramble pass Derek on her high heels, but he caught
her arm and pulled her down to sit down next to him. “Relax, Mama, our Pretty
boy will be all right.”
Garcia bit down on her bottom lip. “You sure, Handsome?”
“He’s sure,” JJ spoke up from the other side. “We both ran a search on him
already. He’s a good person, Penelope. If things progress they will be good for
one another.”
Garcia frowned and then smiled. “Good, that’s good.” She leaned against Derek’s
shoulder. “Now we can concentrate on Tony and getting him better.” She grabbed
Derek’s hand and squeezed it hard. “He will be all right, Derek. I know he
will.”
Derek had no words, but squeezed her hand back hard and hoped that her words
carried the truth.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Bethesda Hospital: Private room – 18 hours later
Gibbs placed the wet cloth back on Tony’s forehead and stroke his hair softly.
He looked up when the door opened and smiled tiredly at the mug of coffee
offered to him. “Thank you.” He took his seat and waited for Morgan to take his
seat as well.
“You still wallowing in self-pity?”
“He could’ve died, Gibbs, because of me.”
Gibbs snorted. “You’re both alive because of him. That’s more important.” He
took a sip. “You made a rookie mistake and I can promise, you won’t do it
again. Now, we both know why they don’t let married couples, or life partners
work together. It’s too dangerous. But, berating yourself over it, is not going
to change anything, Morgan. Don’t let it eat you up. You’re going to start
doubting yourself, and in our line of work, that’s not an option. Put it behind
you, concentrate on the future.”
Derek sighed, but didn’t utter a word. Both Dave and Aaron had told him almost
the same thing, but it still happened. It was hard to forget. He looked up at
Tony’s prone figure and looked at the monitor next to his head. “His fever is
holding steady.”
Gibbs nodded. “He’s still not responding to the fever reducer like he’s
supposed to, but at least it’s no longer climbing.” Tony’s fever had risen to a
104.8 and it threatened to go up even higher, but now it was sitting at a 103.5
for the past two hours. They’d been placing a cool cloth on his forehead and
wiped his chest, arms and hands to give him a bit of relief.
“What about the drugs?” He had to go into the office to file his paperwork and
missed the last check in with Doctor Pitt.
“Last tox screen came back relatively clean. Seems like the opioids will take a
bit longer to clear, but Brad is not too worried about that. He will have to
undergo various screens over the coming months from the agency to make sure
he’s clean, but there should be no lasting effects.”
“Derek nodded. “When we found him the first time, he was a complete drug
addict. Not that he wanted to, but it was one way in which that monster
controlled him. AD went cold turkey. He was only sixteen years old, but for the
first time in two years he had a say in what happened to his body. He was so
sick, Gibbs. For a day or two, I was afraid that he wouldn’t make it, but he
did. He pulled through. Unfortunately, he was still in severe pain from
everything else that happened to him, but he refused to take anything. He was
so scared that he would get hooked on something. It took me at least two and a
half days before I finally convinced him to take either Advil or Tylenol. It
was the strongest he would take.”
Gibbs nodded in return. “It’s going to be difficult, for both of you. For all
of us. He’s going to withdraw from you, Morgan.” He looked up at the younger
man. “I don’t know if he’s going to bounce back this time around.” He stood up
to pace the small room. “Being a sex slave for two years and then becoming one
of the best agents in the business is no small feat. But now? Being violated in
such a way – again?” Gibbs closed his eyes, but then squared his shoulders. “I
won’t give up on him.”
Morgan got to his feet as well. “Not one of us is going to give up on him.
You’ve met my team, Gibbs, they’ve adopted AD already and they will do anything
in their power to help him.” Derek picked up the cloth and rinsed it out. He
gave Tony another wipe down and smiled when his friend slightly leaned into his
touch. “He’s also going to blame himself for David’s death and Miss Sciuto’s
injuries.”
Gibbs walked around to stand at the window. “Yes, and it’s not going to help to
tell him it’s not his fault, he will still feel he’s to blame. But, it also
means I’m going to keep on saying it.” A small smile appeared on Gibbs’ face.
“I swear he’s going to make me use up my whole allotted word count for the
year.”
Derek grinned. “I think you’ve surpassed that already, Gibbs.” He got serious
again. “At least this time there won’t be a trial.”
“Except that I wish there were one. It would’ve meant he had to talk about what
happened. Now, he’s going to act as if everything is fine.”
Derek pinched his lips together. “I’ll get him to talk.”
Gibbs turned away from the window. “How? You know how bullheaded he can be.”
Derek looked down at his sleeping friend. “AD and I had a lot of time on our
hands. He told us everything he knew about the traffic ring. He told the DA
everything that happened to him, but he told it in such a way that it might’ve
happened to someone else, instead of himself. The DA didn’t care, they had what
they needed, but I did care. He wasn’t coping. I could see he was barreling
towards a head on collision with himself and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
After he got released from hospital and we ended up in the first safe house,
the first of many, by the way. I managed to get him to open up, but I pushed
too hard and he shut down. Thereafter, I tried everything I could think of, but
nothing worked. So, I told him about myself.” Derek looked up. “I was abused as
a child by someone I thought was my friend. The man became my mentor after my
father died in the line of duty. I didn’t say a word about the abuse, not to
anyone. I told AD about it and although I didn’t go through the horrors he went
through, he finally realized that he wasn’t alone and he opened up. He started
talking, emotions flew from him, but he finally told me everything. After that
he tried to distance himself from me, he felt ashamed, but I made sure to stick
close and in the end, it worked. He healed and I healed. This time he knows my
story, but he’s got new horrors to tell, and I’m not going to let him forget
that I stood by him the first time and I’m not going to let go the second
time.”
“I’m also not letting go.” Gibbs replied with conviction. He changed the cool
cloth again and both men settled down to keep vigil over a friend and a
surrogate son until Tony was in again a position to stand on his own two feet.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony opened his eyes and squinted, the light was brighter than he thought it
would be and he frowned. He looked around, nothing looked familiar. The pinch
in the crook of his arm made him aware of the IV line he was hooked to. The
beeping in his ears was enough to seal the deal. He was in hospital, but he had
no idea on how he ended up in there.
He closed his eyes again, he had to figure out what had happened. The last
thing he remembered was being with Teel. His breath hitched as he thought about
the man and his eyes snapped open. He had no idea who brought him in. He didn’t
know where Teel was. Was he safe? Should he try to escape? His breathing sped
up, the monitor at his head started wining out a warning, but he didn’t even
hear it. Something heavy settled over his chest and he placed his hand over it
as if to push it away, but there was nothing. Tony became aware of his own
breathing, it sounded hard and forced. His eyes stung and the room started to
spin. The door to his right opened, someone stepped in and he needed to get
away, but he was trapped and he panicked.
The figure moved closer and he was pressed down onto the bed. He struggled
harder and managed to punch the figure in the face and it stumbled away.
Ignoring the tightening of his chest, and the fact that it felt as if he was
breathing under water, Tony ripped the IV from his arm and made his way to the
door. He had to blink a few times, it seemed like the door kept on moving, but
finally he made it and stumbled out. Figures came at him out of different
directions, none of them looked familiar. The noises they emanated made his
ears hurt, he placed his hand over his ears to stifle the noise and lost his
footing. The floor rushed up and he pushed his hands out to stop his descent.
Tony landed awkwardly, managed to get to his feet, but one of the figures was
right in front of him. It reached out to him, and Tony started to scream. He
could hear himself, he didn’t sound human, but he didn’t care. They were
touching him, making noises he didn’t understand. He tried to push them away,
but they covered his body and pinned him down. He sobbed out of desperation and
tried one more time to get away. A sharp pinch in the side of his neck made him
turn his head, but things became blurry. He blinked, the figures features
became clear. “Wildcat?” He slurred and then darkness claimed him again.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
His head hurt and it was the thumping on the inside of his skull that brought
him back to consciousness. He hissed when the light made the headache worse as
he opened his eyes.
“Let me get the lights.” Someone spoke up in a soft voice and Tony could hear
the person moving around.
“Try again, I’ve switched it off.”
Slowly Tony opened his eyes again. The first thing that came into focus was
Derek staring at him. “Hey,” he managed to speak up, although his throat was a
bit scratchy.
“Hey, yourself.” Derek smiled. “How are you feeling?”
Tony frowned. “Like I’ve been run over by a truck. You found me.” He looked
around. “How long?” The memories of what happened threatened to overpower him
and he closed his eyes. He balled his fists. He jerked away as a hand was
placed on his. “Sorry.” Tony tried to relax.
Derek removed his hand. “Nothing to be sorry about, I shouldn’t have done
that.”
Tony shook his head and cleared his throat.
“Here,” Derek took a plastic cup and held it to Tony’s lips. He smiled as Tony
sighed after he took a few sips.
“Thank you,” Tony licked his lips. “What happened? Did you get the women?
Abby?” He tried to push himself up from the bed.
Derek pushed him back gently and locked eyes with the man in the bed. “Lean
back, you’re not going anywhere. We got all of the women, including Abby. You
don’t remember?”
Tony looked at the man seated before him and shook his head. “What did I do,
what happened?” It felt as if Derek was keeping something from him.
“You saved my ass.” Derek swallowed hard. “You still need to be debriefed and
your statement taken down, so I can’t tell you much, but everyone is safe.”
Tony groaned, his head was killing him. “Fuck,” he pressed his fingers against
his temples.
“Easy,” Derek took Tony’s one hand in his. “I’ve pressed the call button; the
nurse will be here soon.”
Tony squeezed Derek’s hand and moaned. The thumping became worse and the nausea
overpowered him. “Sick,” he managed to mumble, but even before he could turn
his head, he violently threw up all over himself and the bed. His body shook in
agony.
Derek, pushed the call button again. He couldn’t understand what took the nurse
so long. He managed to get Tony to turn to his side to make sure the man didn’t
choke on his own sick. He could feel the tremors going through Tony’s body.
Just as the man in his arms heaved again, the door opened and the nurse came
in. She took one look at the scene and shook her head. Without a word, she
headed back out again, but not even a minute later she was back again, a vile
and syringe in hand. Derek looked on as she pushed the syringe into the IV
line.
“Doctor Pitt was afraid of something like this happening. This will help with
the nausea and the pain.” She kept her voice low. “I’ve asked my colleague to
page him, let’s get Agent DiNozzo cleaned up in the meantime.”
With practiced efficiency she changed the patient and the bedding and Derek
smiled as the man in the bed sighed as he leaned back against the cool clean
bedding. He squeezed the hand still clutched in his. “Get some rest.” He used
the cloth to wipe the sweaty brow down again. Derek didn’t need to look at the
monitor to know Tony’s fever was back up again.
Tony tried to keep his eyes open, but he was fighting a losing battle. There
were so many questions that he still needed answers to. He wanted to know about
Teel, the rest of the trafficking ring, and about Ziva. He turned his head
towards Derek. “Teel?” He managed to get the question.
Derek placed his hand on top of Tony’s head and stroked his hair. “He will
never bother you again.” He smiled as Tony’s eyes slid closed and the tired man
forced them open again. “Get some rest, you’ve earned it.” He couldn’t help but
to lean in and kissed Tony on the forehead. He looked on as Tony’s eyes closed
again and this time they remained closed. He sat back in his chair and waited
for the doctor and Gibbs to arrive.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Bethesda Medical Offices: 3 weeks later
Tony stared in front of him. He ignored the man seated across from him. He
didn’t want to be here, and he wasn’t going to talk. He couldn’t believe that
he had to attend this shit. He scratched at his skin and when he noticed that
the head shrink noticed it as well, he stopped immediately and crossed his
legs. He remained silent.
“You are aware of the fact, Mr. DiNozzo that you will not be allowed to go back
to work if you do not cooperate with me.” The man’s nasal voice sounded through
the quiet office.
“It’s Agent DiNozzo, as I told you before and the only thing required of me is
to attend five compulsory sessions with a head shrink. That is what I’m doing.
I don’t need to cooperate with you in any other way.” He couldn’t stand the
doctor. The man kept on looking at him as if he was something that the cat
dragged in. He also refused to call Tony by his proper title, going so far as
to make sure to call him Mr. DiNozzo at every possible opportunity.
“Mr. DiNozzo, being derogatory towards me, will not do at all. You leave me no
other choice but to document this. I will also make the recommendation that you
are not mentally fit for duty.” He mumbled something under his breath as he
scribbled notes on the file he had with him.
Tony came to his feet. His body shook in anger and he scratched at his arm
again. “Make whatever recommendation you want, but I’ve had it with you. I’m
leaving.” He grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. The so-called doctor
spoke up behind him, but Tony paid him no attention. He made sure to slam the
door shut extra hard. He didn’t even acknowledge the receptionist as he stormed
out.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Derek looked up and frowned. It’d been more than an hour and a half already,
and there was still no sign of the man he was waiting for. He took out his
phone, but found no text from the other man to say that he was running late.
Derek got out of the truck and made his way over to the building that housed
medical offices including the psychologist AD had to see. He knew AD had
disliked the man from the moment they met, and he had to agree there was
something off about the man, but the doctor was well known in the different
alphabet agencies for helping agents and cops alike getting past trauma in
their lives, including those who suffered from PTSD, something that Tony was
definitely suffering from, even though he denied it.
He opened the door to the practice and looked around. The waiting room was
deprived of life. Derek made his way to the receptionist and smiled warmly at
her. “Excuse me, is Agent DiNozzo still in?” He indicated to the closed door
behind him.
The receptionist shook her head. “I’m sorry, he left more than an hour ago.”
Derek frowned. “Thank you.” He knew asking more questions wouldn’t help. The
fact that AD left more than an hour ago without letting him know meant that he
wanted to be alone. It didn’t mean that he would stop worrying until he found
out where he was. Derek took out his phone.
“Mama,” he greeted is best friend as she answered the phone. “Without asking
any questions right now, I want you to please trace AD’s phone for me.” Derek
stood with his truck keys in his hand. Derek frowned as she supplied him the
information he sought. “You sure?” He held up a hand in apology even though she
couldn’t see it. “Sorry Mama, I know you’re sure, I shouldn’t have doubted
you.” He ended the call quickly and placed his keys back into his pocket and
walked around the building. Few people were aware of the fact that the building
had a large park at the back. It was beautifully maintained, but normally
empty. He found the man he was looking for seated on one of the many of the
benches that decorated the area. Without a word, he sat down next to the man he
grew closer to day by day and waited patiently. Finally, AD spoke up.
“He’s a fucking ass,” Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Derek remained quiet. Now was not the time to say anything, he had to listen.
“He kept on calling me Mr., instead of on my title. When I told him to call me
Tony, he snuffed at me. Snuffed! Like I insulted him or something. I don’t talk
to head shrinks, they always pick away at stuff that has got nothing to do with
them. They make you doubt yourself in everything you do or say.” He scratched
angrily at his arm, but stilled as a hand curled around his. Tony looked down.
“Sorry.”
Derek squeezed his hand and then without letting go pulled the hand to his lap.
“We need to clean that up when we get home.” He looked at the bloodied angry
red blotches that decorated AD’s skin. It was one of the withdrawal symptoms AD
suffered from, and one that was treated with a special ointment since AD
refused to take any prescribed drug to fight off the itchiness.
“He’s not signing me off for work,” Tony sounded lost.
Derek pulled AD closer to him. “I have a feeling that you’ve been able to talk
around all of the other psychologists you had to see before, but not this
time.” He quickly continued when AD became stiff in his arms. “I’m not blaming
you, AD. I hate it too - talking to them. And I know you didn’t like this guy
and from what you’ve told me, I think that feeling was mutual. You do however
know that Director Vance will not let you back on duty without a psychologist’s
report. I also know you won’t go back in there, so what if I set you up with
someone I know?” When the man next to him remained silent, Derek took it as a
sign to press on. “Her name is Doctor Tara Lewis. She’s a forensic
psychologist, but more important, she’s an FBI agent. We’ve worked with her
before, and she’s good. For one thing, being an FBI agent will make her
understand where you come from, and I think that alone will make things easier
for you to talk to her.”
Tony remained quiet for a long time, but finally nodded his head. “Is she
beautiful?”
Derek snorted. “What? Already tired of me?” He gave his friend a hug and placed
a kiss on his temple. Both of them had been staying at Gibbs’ place since AD
was discharged. At first, AD slept alone in the guest room, but after the first
three nights of constant nightmares, he’d moved himself into the guest room
with AD and into the same bed. That first night they slept together, the
nightmares still plagued AD’s sleep, but it only happened three times
throughout the night. Now, the nightmares were down to one or two a night and
if he moved quickly enough and pulled AD to his chest and kept him close, AD
would settle down without actually waking up from the persistent bad dreams.
Tony shook his head. “Don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of you, Wildcat.” He
moved so that he sat up straight, but leaned back against the other man as
Derek pulled him back into his embrace again. “I need to talk to them.” He
mumbled the words. He had been putting it off for far too long. There were so
many things going through his head. He might be angry with the fucking shrink,
but he also knew that he wasn’t fit for duty, not even desk duty. He took a
deep breath and closed his eyes. Derek’s scent made him feel like he belonged.
He still couldn’t believe that the other man stayed with him. He wasn’t sure if
he would’ve been able to stay with himself. He owed Derek a conversation as
well.
Derek hummed. “You’re thinking too loud, AD.” He squeezed his friend’s hand. “I
told you I’m not going anywhere and neither is Gibbs. As for the others, if
they are your friends, they will understand. If not, I can promise you I won’t
hesitate one second to tell them where to get off. You don’t owe them anything,
AD, and that’s something you’ve got to remember.” He knew that Abby had tried
to get in contact with AD for about a week and a half now, but that Gibbs
continued to block her. Tim phoned him nearly on a daily basis, but he seemed
to realize that he had to be patient. Both conversations were going to be
difficult for the man next to him.
“Will you get in touch with the Doctor?” Tony finally got to his feet and
pulled Derek up with him.
I will phone her tonight.” Derek leaned in and kissed the man before him
lightly on the mouth. They’d done nothing else but kiss. Both men knew it was
going to take a long time before they’d even be able to think about sex and
Derek was fine with that. As long as he had AD next to him, he could make
things work.
“Thank you.” Tony kissed him back and then rested his head on Derek’s shoulder.
He trembled slightly. The aftermath of the drugs in his system still caused him
problems, more so than what Brad initially thought. His body always reacted
strangely to drugs, this time around it was no different. He hated it, but at
least it seemed that both Derek and Gibbs dealt with it in their strides. They
dealt with the trembling, itchy body and mood swings as it occurred, never
getting irritated with him, giving him the space when it was clear he needed it
and always there to help when it was necessary. He owed them both so much.
Derek’s phone rang out and he smiled as he took it out and looked at the
screen. “Papa bear is getting anxious.” He showed AD the screen and then
answered the call. Already both men started walking back to where Derek’s truck
was parked. “We’re on our way, Gibbs. We’ll see you soon.” He took AD’s hand in
his when it sneaked up to scratch at his arm again and squeezed it hard. “Let’s
go home.”
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter 10
‘We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain the future now’
                               – John F. Kennedy
Gibbs residence: 3 days later
Tony scratched at his arm. He was nervous and was grateful that both Gibbs and
Derek agreed that he could meet with McGee alone. Gibbs dragged Derek to one or
other wood store and he had the house to himself for the next few hours.
He jerked at the knock on the front door and had to take a deep breath before
he could respond. “It’s open, McGee,” he called out, but didn’t get up from the
couch. He looked on as McGee entered the living room. McGee looked nervous.
It’d been a while since he last saw him this insecure and Tony knew that he’d
already forgiven the younger man for what he’d done. “There’s beer in the
kitchen, get yourself one.”
McGee nodded and without even offering a greeting he trotted to the kitchen and
came back with two beers. “I brought you one as well.”
Tony took the bottle and placed it on the low coffee table in the middle of the
room. He wasn’t going to drink it, but he wasn’t going to tell McGee that fact.
“Thanks, McGee.” He indicated to the chair and waited with patience for McGee
to sit.
McGee swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” He blurted out and came to his feet. “It’s
my fault. It was petty and I shouldn’t have done it, but saying those words,
won’t make it better. You got kidnapped, tortured and abused all because of me.
You forgave me and all that I managed to do was to nearly get you killed.”
Tony interrupted him before he could go on. “What happened at your disciplinary
hearing?” Gibbs refused to talk to him about it. Said McGee had to tell him.
McGee sat down and lowered his head. “My probationary period was extended by
another year. My security clearance got revoked and I’m on the cold case team
for the foreseeable future. I’m not allowed to use any computer without direct
supervision for the next year. I’m not allowed into the office after hours or
to work after hours, without a senior agent being present. There will be a
permanent mark on my record and I will not come into consideration for any
promotion for the next five years.”
“What was the other option?”
McGee’s head snapped up and he blushed. “I could resign with full benefits, but
it was guaranteed that I would never get another job in law enforcement again.”
“And what will happen in three years’ time when you’re fed up and take it out
on me or another agent?” Tony knew he was being harsh, but he had to know. He
could see his question hit McGee hard.
“I won’t.” McGee got to his feet. “I can’t be so petty to do something like
that to you again, Tony. You’re my friend. I need to respect you and I need to
have your six, like you always have mine.”
Tony looked at the younger man for a long time and then nodded his head. “Thank
you.”
McGee frowned. “For what?”
“For saving my life, McClueless. If it wasn’t for you, myself and Abby…” Tony
couldn’t complete his sentence. His hands shook and he curled them into fists.
McGee nodded. “I will not hesitate one second to do it again, Tony.” He took a
deep breath. “I know it will be a long time before you’ll call me your friend
again, or trust me, but I promise to do anything in my power to earn your trust
and friendship again.”
Tony could only nod his head. He looked on as McGee drained the last of his
beer. He stayed seated as McGee got to his feet.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Tony.” He pushed his hands into his
jeans pockets and turned to exit the house.
“Tim,” Tony called him back. “There’s a game that starts in ten minutes, you
want to watch it with me?”
McGee looked dumbstruck but managed to nod and then grin. “Sounds fantastic.”
He took his seat again and soon the two men talked about the stats of the game
and their favorite players. McGee knew this was only the first step, but he for
one wasn’t going to mess it up.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Gibbs frowned when he parked his truck in the driveway and saw McGee’s vehicle
still parked in front of his house. “Didn’t think he’d still be here.”
Derek looked to where Gibbs indicated to. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
Gibbs grinned. “Right in the beginning before everything went FUBAR, the two of
them were good friends. They could stay and visit one another straight through
the night. Seeing this, means it’s going good. Or, bad.” He shrugged. “Tony
might’ve killed McGee and is waiting for us to get rid of the body.”
Derek shook his head. “Let’s hope for the first one.” He took the bags from the
back of the truck and made his way over to the house. It was his turn to cook
and he was planning to pull out all the stops to show Tony that he’s not the
only one that can cook.
The two men made their way into the house and Gibbs came to a halt in the
hallway. “You can stand down, McGee it’s just us.”
“Sorry, Boss.” McGee blushed as he lowered his weapon and placed it back on the
coffee table. On the couch, across from him, Tony was fast asleep.
Derek walked around Gibbs, looked at the service pistol on the table and then
at the younger agent. “It’s a step in the right direction, Agent McGee.” He
looked at the man sleeping. “How long has he been out?”
“Didn’t even make half time,” McGee supplied the information as he got to his
feet. “I need to get going. I’ll see you at work on Monday, Boss.”
Gibbs nodded his head and started to carry the bags through to the kitchen.
Derek watched McGee take up his coat. “You can stay for dinner if you want. I
think AD will appreciate it.”
“Thank you, Agent Morgan, McGee looked over at Gibbs and when the older man
nodded his head he smiled. “Something I can help with?”
“Plenty,” Derek took the light blanket that was placed over the back of the
couch and folded it over Tony’s body. He leaned in and kissed him on the
forehead. He looked up and saw McGee staring at them. “Is there going to be a
problem, Agent McGee?”
McGee shook his head. “No, not at all. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just I’ve
never seen him so quiet before. You’re good for him. I’m glad.” He squared his
shoulders. “And if you ever hurt him, I will hunt you down.”
Gibbs’ laughed sounded through the house. “You’ll have to wait your turn,
McGee. Morgan knows I will get to him first.”
McGee’s eyes grew large and Morgan grinned. “That will never happen, Gibbs. I
will rather hurt myself than hurt AD.”
The simultaneous “good” from both NCIS agents made all three men grin. They had
Tony’s back and they would keep him safe.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony’s apartment: 2 days later
Tony paced his own living room. Where he was nervous in meeting McGee, he was
downright scared to meet with Abby. It was also the reason why he decided to
meet her at his apartment. He needed the home advantage. He was also not alone.
Both Gibbs and Derek wanted to be there, but he’d managed to convince them that
one of them was enough. Derek was in his bedroom and would stay there, unless
Tony needed him.
The knock on his door was softer than what he was used to when Abby knocked to
gain entry. It was almost subdued. Tony took a deep breath and closed his eyes
for a few seconds in an attempt to center himself. He squared his shoulders and
then closed the distance from where he stood to the front door with easy
strides. He opened the door wide.
Abby was dressed in boots that came up above her knees and were decorated with
skulls. She had a red and black checkered mini skirt on with a white lacy top.
Her hair was pulled back and tied in a single pony tail. A thin bright red
collar fit snug across her throat. She didn’t have any makeup on and he could
still see the bruises that marked her unblemished skin.
“Abby,” Tony spoke softly and stood to the side so that she could enter the
apartment.
Abby shook her head and stayed where she was. She stared at him for a long
time. He looked different with his hair still blond and the gray eyes staring
at her instead of the usual green ones she was used to.
“Abby?” Doubt crept into Tony’s voice.
Abby reached out and grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard. “I’m sorry.” She
finally spoke up. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t.” She shook her head.
“And don’t get me wrong, it’s not about me being here and asking for
forgiveness, or finally getting a good look at you making sure that you’re
indeed all right, especially after you’ve saved my life. It’s about the fact
that I let you down in so many ways and that I can’t let you say you forgive
me, if I myself am having problems in forgiving myself for the wrong I’ve done
to you. I need to sort things out in my head. I’ve done you such a great
injustice that being here is not enough. It can’t be enough, not now.” She
shrugged. “Maybe never.” She let go of his hand and clasped her own hands
together. “I’m going home for a while. I’ve already cleared it with the
Director. It’s been a number of years since I’ve last been in New Orleans, it’s
time to go back to my roots. I need time to clear my head, to forgive myself
for what I’ve done.” Abby leaned forward and kissed the stunned man on the
cheek. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me Tony, I will never be able
to repay you in kind. You are the greatest brother a girl can ask for, and an
even greater friend. I hope that one day I’ll be worthy enough to be called
your friend again.” She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and kissed him again.
Without waiting for Tony to reply, she turned around and hobbled off back in
the direction from which she came.
Tony stood motionless in the door. He could only look on as she disappeared
down the passage from his view and couldn’t find it in himself to close the
door behind her. He looked over his shoulder as a warm hand landed on his.
“I don’t think any one of us expected that to happen, but I do think she’s
right. She needs the time to sort out her head. And you need the time to do the
same.” Derek pulled the younger man away from the door and shut it behind them.
“Let’s see what’s for dinner.” He didn’t give AD the time to object, but
steered the silent man to the kitchen and made him sit down.
“AD?” He asked when the man across from him continued to stare out in front of
him. Derek smiled as his friend looked at him. “She’s all right, you saw it
with your own eyes and you’ll also be all right. Let it go for now, don’t dwell
on that which you can’t change. It will only drive you up the wall.” He leaned
in and kissed AD hard. “Dinner first and then we’ll chat. Ok?”
Tony finally nodded his head. “Ok.” He leaned back in the high chair and looked
on as Derek started preparing them dinner. He concentrated on what the other
man was doing and made himself not dwell on what had happened at his front door
mere seconds ago. Abby was right and Derek too. They both needed the time to
sort things out. It was going to be all right, he had to give it time.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony’s apartment: 1 month later
AD arched underneath his touch and Derek grinned against his skin. He’d been
taking the other man slowly apart for almost an hour and still he refused to
offer AD any release. Their relationship had grown in leaps and bounds, but it
was only the last week that they’d become more intimate. Hugs and cuddles had
given way to long kisses that threatened to rob him of his breath every single
time. Touches became more intense, the accidental brush over a straining hard
on now more purposeful.
Tonight they’d showered together and for the first time AD didn’t tense up when
Derek lapped at his skin, or when he took his hardened cock in his hand and
stroked at it lazily. He didn’t give AD the chance to dry off, but pulled him
by the hand to the bed and made him lay down. He used his hands and his mouth
to wipe and suck the droplets of water away, making sure he covered every inch
of AD’s body.
“Please,” Tony gasped and shivered.
Derek looked up and smiled. AD’s head lolled from side to side. His pupils
blown wide, his breathing harsh. His skin was flushed and he continued to move,
not keeping still for even a mere second. Derek licked his own palm, and then
took AD’s shaft in his hand again and tugged at it gently. It had the required
effect as AD’s hips lifted off the bed and he moaned long. “Want to hear you,
AD. Want to remember each sound you make as I bring you to completion.” Derek
whispered the words in his lover’s ear and tugged at the cock again. He swiped
over the sensitive head with his thumb and grinned as AD groaned and shuddered.
“So beautiful,” he murmured the words against the inside of AD’s thigh before
he nipped at the skin and lapped the sting away as the younger man hissed.
“Derek,” Tony moaned and fisted the sheets as Derek’s mouth covered his
dripping cock. He had no idea how long he’d be able to last, it felt as if his
whole body was on fire. “Fuck,” he bucked up and shivered when Derek pushed him
down onto the mattress and kept him there. “Please,” he gasped for air as Derek
used his tongue to lap at the tiny slit at the top. His balls ached and he
quivered with need.
Derek lifted his upper body and leaned on his left elbow as he snaked his right
hand between their bodies and wrapped his hand around the pulsating cock. “Look
at me,” he whispered and as AD’s gray eyes locked with his he started to move
his hand up and down the whole shaft. He gave it a twist or two, used his thumb
to rub over the sensitive tip on every other up stroke. AD shivered again, his
legs shook beneath him and he knew that AD was on the brink of no return. “Let
go, show me, AD, cum.”
Tony gasped one more time for air and tumbled over the edge. He could hear
himself scream as his orgasm slammed into him, but it didn’t matter, he felt
only ecstasy as his vision turned white. He was aware of the fact that his hips
continued to buck up from the bed and he could feel Derek’s hand over his cock,
milking him hard and he didn’t want it to end. He sobbed as the tension in his
body ebbed away. His muscles turned to jelly and the world stopped spinning.
Tony groaned as Derek tugged again at his over sensitive cock. “Fuck,” he knew
he sounded like a broken record, but he had a feeling that Derek did break him,
but in a good way. It was going to take a while to put him together again.
“Mm,” Derek smiled. “If you’re still able to talk, I’ve not succeeded in taking
you apart completely. Maybe I should try again.” He leaned in and captured
Tony’s mouth in a searing kiss.
Tony smiled and shook his head. “I can promise you, I’ve been totally taken
apart.” He tried to lift his head, but had no energy left. He smiled again as
Derek laughed at him. “See, I’m broken.”
Derek shook his head and dragged his hand through AD’s blond hair. Not only did
he stop coloring it, but he kept it a bit longer as well so it curled just over
his collar. In a way, it made him look even younger and with those gray eyes of
him, he looked a bit mischievous. “Don’t worry, I’ll put you together again.”
He laughed as AD squirmed beneath him and he leaned in for another kiss. They
still had a whole night ahead of them and he was going to use every second of
it to put AD back together again and then pull him apart. It was going to be a
wonderful night.
                              ~*~NCIS BB 2017~*~
Tony’s apartment: 2 months later
Derek grabbed the phone next to the bed and squinted at the screen. He raised
an eyebrow and gently got out of bed, making sure to cover his lover up with
the sheet before he stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
He made his way to the living room and dialed a now familiar number.
“I thought you don’t know how to text?” He asked as Gibbs answered the phone on
the second ring.
“And I thought you’d be sleeping instead of phoning me back.” Gibbs replied.
“I’m a light sleeper.” Derek yawned. “Are you sure about the information?”
“If I knew how, I would’ve sent you the photos of the body. I’m sure it’s him.”
“Did he suffer?”
“Not nearly enough, but he won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”
“And now AD can put this whole ordeal behind him. Both Teel and Maslak are now
finally in hell. It’s good enough for me.” Derek turned as the bedroom door
opened up behind him. He was not surprised to see AD standing behind him. “I’ve
got to go. Thanks for the information, Gibbs. We’ll see you tomorrow.” He ended
the call.
“Maslak dead?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest.
Derek nodded and closed the distance between them. He tossed his phone on the
couch. “He is.” He lifted his lover’s, chin. “And you’ve got no reason to feel
guilty about it.”
Tony nodded. He knew Derek was right. There was no reason for him to feel
guilty about anything. After more than twenty years of hell, it was finally
over. He leaned in and kissed Derek on the lips. “Let’s go back to bed.”
“Now there’s an idea.” Derek grinned from ear to ear as he took the other man’s
hand and dragged him back to the bedroom. It’s time that he reminded AD again
how much he loved him. They could finally forget about the past and concentrate
on their future.
The End
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