Title: Red Peril - 1/?
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action/hurt-comfort
Rating: T
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Notes: I'd started writing this before Hiatus aired, so I've pretty much ignored anything that was revealed in the latter end of the season.

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Red Peril [1]

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Harry Caffrey, Private Investigator for hire, puffed on his cigarette and looked around the deserted parking garage. He knew that for most people, this was their image of a P.I. Clandestine meetings after dark, hanging around in deserted locations, dealings with shady clients...but they couldn't have been more wrong. These days Caffrey met most of his clients in his office, which while not exactly high class, was still far from being the run down smoke stained office so beloved of pulp fiction novelists of yesteryear.

But every now and then, Caffrey had dealings with people who for one reason or another, didn't wish to seen to be having dealings with him. He liked these clients, because they usually paid cash...in advance. These clients rarely gave him their real names, or even the real reason they needed his services. But so long as the Ben Franklins they gave him checked out okay, Caffrey didn't care.

"You're late." The voice echoed around the parking garage as a figure stepped out from the shadows. With big sunglasses and a scarf wrapped snugly around her head, it was clear that she didn't intend to be recognized.

"Well hey there, Red," said Caffrey. He took another idle puff on his cigarette before throwing it to the ground and stepping on it. He grinned inwardly enjoying the way his client grimaced at the nickname he'd assigned her. But she couldn't complain, after all, she'd been the one insisting on secrecy, and he'd had to call her *something*. She'd been wearing red shoes the first time he met her in person, and it was as good a nickname as any. "Nice weather we've been having lately."

"Did you follow him?" Red snapped.

"Nah, I decided to take your money and make up a story to keep you happy." Caffrey rolled his eyes, "Of course I followed him. And you were right. He went to that address, just like you said he would." He slowly took out an envelope from his jacket pocket and pulled out some photos and fanned them out. "Subject entered the house at approximately eight p.m. About five minutes later all the lights in the house go out. Stays like that till about ten p.m. Then the lights come on, and about half an hour later the subject left. I followed him, but he went straight home. Same thing happened the other two nights. I took pictures with a night vision camera." He handed the photos to Red who took one, her mouth narrowing to a thin line. "Looks like you were right about him, Red. There's definitely a bit of hanky panky going on there."

"How can you be sure? Maybe...maybe they were just watching a game or a movie, and had the lights out."

Caffrey snorted derisively. "Trust me, Red. When a guy hangs out with another guy, there's only one reason they're gonna switch the light off. But if you want, I can have a buddy of mine wire that place for sound. Course it'll cost a pretty penny..."

"No...no, that won't be necessary. I've seen enough..." The photo crumpled in her hand.

Looking at Red's reaction, Caffrey hoped the guy he'd been hired to tail didn't have any pets. He'd seen some crazy chicks in his time, and this one looked like prime bunny boiler material. Ah well, not *his* problem. He just passed on the information he acquired...kept his hands strictly clean...unless of course the price was right.

As if Red had been reading Caffrey's mind, she spoke up, "Mr. Caffrey. The 'friend'...that recommended you to me. I was told that for a price...you sometimes take on...other types of assignments."

Caffrey sighed. He had a pretty good eye for his clients, and from the first meeting with Red, he'd known that she was likely to be one of those 'other types' of clients. "Depends. What sort of 'assignment' were you thinking of? A permanent one? Cause I don't do anything like *that*"

Red seemed to hesitate before replying. "No...no...not a permanent one. Killing him would be too easy. I want him in pain!" She almost spat the last sentence at him, what was visible of her face twisted in anger. "I don't care how much it costs, but I want him taught a lesson he'll never forget."

It took a bit of haggling, but a price was eventually agreed. "Half before the job, half on completion," Caffrey had said. "I'll call you when it's set."

"Okay." Red started to leave and then turned back to Caffrey. "Just one thing, Mr. Caffrey. When your 'associates' are giving their lesson...make sure they mark his face...I want him to scream the next time he looks in a mirror."

"Sure thing, Red."

A shiver went down Caffrey's spine as he watched her walk away. "Damn," he said to himself. "That bitch is cold." He was half tempted to cancel their arrangement, but he had bills coming due and he needed some cash pretty quickly. Plus, he didn't really fancy having Red's anger turned towards *him* instead. Looking down at the photos in his hand, he sighed regretfully. "Rather you than me, kid."

-----------------------

Red hurried back to her car, which she'd carefully parked a few levels away. She'd had her suspicions for a while now, but having them confirmed was like a slap in the face. It wasn't until she reached her parking space that she realized she was still holding the photo that Caffrey had given her. In a fit of rage she ripped it to shreds. "Bastard," she spat as she threw the pieces towards a nearby waste bin. "Bastard!"

----------------------------

Tony DiNozzo hesitated in the act of taking a picture, "Brrr," he said, shivering. "Feels like somebody just walked over my grave."

The swat on the back of his head made him yelp. "Get those photo's taken, or a grave will be the least of your worries."

"Ouch, on it, Boss."

--------------------------

To be continued

Red Peril

[2]

Even before he looked through the spy hole, McGee knew who was on the other side of the door. That particular pattern of knocks could only come from one Tony DiNozzo.

He'd been expecting this visit and he knew exactly why Tony was showing up.

Granted, this time there had been no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a 'good' shoot. The team had tracked down a suspect in some pretty heavy crimes. A real dirtbag by all accounts, who had killed more than once to cover his tracks. The team had cornered him in his house, and as luck would have it, McGee had been covering the exit the guy had tried to escape through. Armed with a shotgun, the suspect had clearly been willing to take down as many cops as he could, and nobody had faulted McGee for being the one to stop him in his tracks.

But that still didn't change the fact that Tim McGee had another death on his mind...and that was why he knew Tony would be showing up sooner or later.

Practically every time McGee had had a bad day or a crisis of faith in his abilities as a field agent, Tony managed to sense something and would show up at his apartment to try and drag him out of his gloom. "When the going gets tough, the tough go clubbing" was his motto, and while McGee didn't always let himself be persuaded to go out, he still always felt better after a visit from his friend.

"No Tony, I'm not going clubbing," said McGee as he opened his door. "But there's beer in the fridge if you want some."

-----------------------

An hour later, McGee finally managed to usher Tony out the door, having convinced him that yes he was feeling much better and would totally be able to sleep that night in spite of having shot the guy.

It wasn't until McGee had locked up after Tony that he noticed his friend had left his cell phone on the kitchen counter. He was sorely tempted to leave it there, but he knew that if the team were called in and Tony wasn't contactable, then he'd get in trouble. Not to mention the fact that if Tony noticed the phone was missing *after* he'd finished clubbing, he was just as likely to come to retrieve it. And McGee had no wish to be woken up by Tony banging on his door in the middle of the night...again.

So McGee grabbed his keys and the phone and headed for the door. It briefly occurred to him that maybe this was Tony's way of getting him out of the apartment and once he'd returned the phone, Tony would play the "well, since you're outside, you might as well come clubbing!" card. McGee had fallen for *that* one before. To be on the safe side, he left his wallet behind, figuring that if Tony *did* convince him to party this time, he'd at least have to pay for it.

-----------------------

By McGee's reckoning, he was only about five minutes behind Tony as he hurried out the front door of his apartment building. But those five minutes had been long enough for Tony to get himself into trouble.

McGee could hear the sound of a fight coming from around the corner of his apartment building. He reached instinctively for his gun, only to remember that he had handed it over to Abby for testing earlier that day. Not that there had been any doubt about what had gone down, but procedures had to be followed.

However, McGee wasn't unarmed. After seeing how many weapons Ziva carried, he'd gotten himself a second gun which he now carried in an ankle holster. He was still breaking it in though, and was wearing it most of the time he was off duty as well. Now he breathed a silent sigh of thanks as he reached down and retrieved his gun.

The noise of the fighting got even louder as McGee approached. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around the corner, his eyes opening wide at the sight of Tony being attacked by two men.

McGee didn't even think twice before stepping into the alley, gun raised, and yelling "Federal Agent, get away from him, *now*!"

Tony was on the ground by this stage, and even as McGee watched, one of the men raised an iron bar ready to smash it into his face. Without thinking, McGee fired, more in the hopes of distracting the attacker than anything else. To his surprise, he hit the man in the arm, making him drop the bar.

"I said get away from him!"

The second man threw his club in McGee's direction, forcing him to dodge out of the way, and then both attackers took off. McGee hurried to Tony's side and hesitated. If he stopped to help Tony then the attackers could get away, but if he chased the attackers instead of helping Tony, they could double back and hurt him further.

It didn't really take much thinking. McGee crouched down beside Tony who was huddled on the ground. "Oh God, Tony!" he gasped, seeing the blood that was streaming down his friend's face. For a few seconds he froze, unsure as to whether to try and stop the bleeding first or call for help and *then* try and stop the bleeding. A low moan from Tony decided him.

"It...it's okay, Tony...I...I'm gonna call for help!" He grabbed Tony's phone to dial 911, but his hands were shaking and he dropped it in the blood that was pooling beside Tony's body. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said quickly as he picked it up. He was just about press the buttons when he heard a woman scream behind him.

McGee span around to see a young woman standing there, but when she saw the gun in his hand, she screamed even louder.

"It's okay, I'm an N.C.I.S. agent," he said, in a vain attempt to calm her down. "I need to get help for my friend."

"Somebody help!" screamed the woman.

McGee could hear the sound of running footsteps approaching. A few seconds later, two police officers appeared behind the woman, guns drawn.

"Officers, thank God you're here, we need an ambulance."

One officer pulled the woman behind him, keeping his weapon aimed at McGee. "Sir, put your weapon down and step away from that man."

"Officer, you don't understand, I'm an N.C.I.S. agent." McGee took a step forward, only to stop as both officers trained their weapons on him.

"Sir, I won't ask you again, put your weapon *down*!"

McGee swallowed hard as he quickly dropped the weapon. "Hands in the air!" He obeyed that order too.

"I'm telling you, I'm a federal agent," protested McGee as he was shoved up against the wall. "Please, that's my friend on the ground, he needs medical treatment, *now*!"

Face pressed up against the wall, McGee could just see the second officer crouching down beside Tony as he called for an ambulance.

"I don't see no Federal agent ID," said the first officer as he quickly searched McGee.

"I left my wallet behind me."

"But you remembered your gun, yeah?"

"I'm telling you the truth, I..." but before McGee could say anything else, the second officer came over and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. "Hey, what's going on!"

"What's going on, is we just got a report of a mugging at this location. An eye-witness called it in...and what do you know, they gave a perfect description of you."

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To be continued

Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 03
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.

------------------------
Previously on N.C.I.S.
A Private Detective was hired to beat up a member of Gibbs's team. Tony was attacked one evening after leaving McGee's apartment. McGee - who had followed Tony out - interrupted the attackers and managed to scare them off. But a few minutes later the police showed up and arrested *him* on suspicion of causing Tony's injuries.

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[3]

McGee sat in the back of the police car, watching the proceedings. In spite of his protests, or maybe even because of them, the cops had read him his rights and locked him in the car while they cleared the scene. McGee had been left to sit there worrying.

And he had a lot to be worried about. For starters, from what McGee had seen of him, Tony had looked to be in a bad way. Fortunately, a few minutes after the cops had locked him in the car, an ambulance had pulled up, and McGee had breathed a huge sigh of relief as he had watched the medic's load an unconscious Tony into the ambulance and drive off.

McGee was also worried about the real attackers. He knew that forensic analysis would be able to prove that he hadn't attacked Tony, but by then the trail to the people who *had* attacked him might have gone cold. McGee cursed himself again under his breath for not bringing his I.D. with him. If he'd been able to prove he was a Federal Agent, surely the cops would have listened to him. They'd certainly been interested enough when they'd found *Tony's* I.D.

And then of course there was the biggest worry on McGee's mind...what was Gibbs going to say when he found out that one of his agents had been injured and another arrested on suspicion of causing those injuries. McGee turned his head as he saw a familiar car pulling up. "Oh no," he groaned, sinking further down in his seat. "Gibbs is going to kill me!"

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Gibbs was certainly in a mood to kill somebody. Preferably whatever bastard had dared lay a hand on one of *his* team. But right now, his whole attention was focused on the police detective in front of him who was refusing him access to the crime scene.

"Sir, until I hear otherwise from my superior, this is a Washington P.D. investigation. Now you put in your calls and get this transferred over to N.C.S.I. if you want."

"N.C.I.S.," growled Gibbs.

"Whatever. This is my case and my crime scene, until I hear otherwise." Detective Norton managed to hold Gibbs's glare for only a few seconds before looking away. "Look, Agent Gibbs. One of your guys is hurt, and you want to catch the son of a bitch that did it. I can understand that, no problem. But there's procedures to be followed, and the last thing either of us wants is some dirtbag to go free because we didn't fill in the right papers. Now we got ourselves a suspect in custody," Norton waved towards the police cruiser. "Our guys are gonna bring him downtown and process him. As soon as I get the word, I'll turn him over to you and your team..." His voice trailed off, seeing the expression on Gibbs's face as he looked over at the police car. "Something wrong, Agent Gibbs?"

"Yeah...you just got one third of my team sitting in your police car."

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"I'm really sorry, Gibbs," said McGee for what seemed like the thousandth time. "I messed up...I should never have let that guy get away."

Gibbs was silent as they drove back to N.C.I.S. headquarters. It had taken some doing, but he had convinced Detective Norton that McGee was no threat and certainly no flight risk. Norton had taken McGee's statement and a description of the attackers and released him into Gibbs's custody. They'd stopped by McGee's apartment, accompanied by a C.S.I. tech who had collected McGee's clothing in order to examine it to confirm his story. Gibbs hadn't argued with the cops over that evidence, after all, he knew that McGee hadn't been the one to hurt Tony, so if the cops wanted to waste their time confirming it, that was their business. Gibbs had other plans. Plans which did not include listening to McGee beat himself up over what had happened.

"MCGEE!" Gibbs finally yelled in an effort to get through to him. "What have I told you about apologizing?"

"That it's a sign of weakness, Boss," replied McGee. "It won't happen again, I'm sor..." He cut his words short before Gibbs could glare at him again.

"Tell me what you did wrong."

"I should have followed those guys..." McGee started to process what had happened. "I should have taken them into custody."

"Both of them at once?"

"Well no, but one was injured...I could have caught up with him...stopped him..."

"And while you were busy catching up with *that* guy, the other one could have snuck back and finished what he started." Gibbs shook his head, "One of your team was down, there was nobody else to look out for him. You did what you had to do and don't let anybody tell you different."

"I...thanks Boss," said McGee. He buried his head in his hands and sighed, "I just keep thinking that maybe if I'd done something differently...if I'd followed after Tony a bit sooner, maybe I could have stopped him being hurt. If I'd been able to ID myself as N.C.I.S., then maybe the cops would have caught the other guys instead of arresting me."

"Rule number 22. Always carry ID. Especially if you're armed. And speaking of which, when exactly did *you* start carrying a backup gun?"

"Not long," said McGee. "Tony..." He swallowed hard, "When he found out I was carrying a spare, he...he said I needed to wear it 24/7 until I was used to it. He even said I should sleep wearing it..."

"Good for you, Tim," said Gibbs as they pulled into the NCIS parking lot. "Good for you."

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To be continued
Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 04/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Rating: T
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.

Previously on NCIS - A Private Detective was hired to have Tony beaten up. McGee managed to intervene and scare off the attackers, but was accused by the Police of being responsible for Tony's injuries. Gibbs persuaded the officers to release McGee into his custody and brought him back to NCIS.

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[4]

Abby and Ziva were waiting for them in the lab.

Abby ran to McGee and threw her arms around McGee as soon as she saw him. "McGee! What happened? Are you okay? How's Tony?" Letting go of McGee, she turned to Gibbs, "Gibbs, what's going on?"

"Tony got jumped in an alley," replied Gibbs. "Cops have McGee as their prime suspect. Tony...Tony's been brought to Bethesda. I sent Ducky over there to find out what he could."

"But why would anybody want to hurt Tony?" asked Abby.

"That's what we're going to find out," said Gibbs. "McGee, I want a photo fit of those guys you saw attacking Tony. Ziva, when he's done, you're to get it round to every hospitals, walk in clinics, animal hospitals in the area. Find out if anybody matching that picture has shown up with a bullet hole in their arm."

"But shouldn't I go with Ziva?" protested McGee. "I mean, photo fits can be pretty good, but I'll be able to ID them properly if we find them."

"Officially you're still a suspect in the attack. You don't leave the building until this gets sorted."

Ziva tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. Gibbs turned on her, "You find something amusing about this, Officer David?"

"I find it hard *not* to laugh at the thought that anybody could believe McGee capable of beating up Tony."

"Hey," said McGee, indignantly. "I could so take him on."

"Um, not to be siding with Ziva," said Abby, "But you really are a big puppy compared to Tony. He could have you on the floor, like that." She snapped her fingers.

"Well maybe I took him by surprise, snuck up behind him." McGee saw the look on Gibbs's face and added hastily, "I mean I *didn't*, Boss. I'd never do anything like that to Tony."

"Ya think, McGee?" said Gibbs. "But somebody sure as hell caught him off guard."

"Had he been drinking?" asked Ziva. "Perhaps his reactions were dulled by alcohol."

McGee shook his head; "He only had one beer at my place. He said he wanted to keep his head clear for the club. Last time he went there after drinking too much, he woke up the next morning with a real dog..." McGee saw Abby and Ziva both starting at him and added hastily, "His words, not mine!"

"Okay," said Gibbs, "Enough is enough. Abby, get the photo fit set up. Ziva, take McGee's full statement. I want to know everything that went down tonight. Every detail, no matter how small."

"What about you, Gibbs?" asked Abby. "What will you be doing?"

"Getting this case kicked back to N.C.I.S. where it belongs."

--------------------

Gibbs left his team in the lab and headed for the stairs. As soon as the door to the stairwell had shut behind him, he took his phone and punched in a number. It rang for almost a minute before it was picked up and a sleepy voice answered, "Shepherd."

"Jen," said Gibbs, "I need your help."

"Jethro? It's past midnight. What's happened? Has there been some sort of terrorist strike?"

"Worse," said Gibbs. "Tony was attacked a few hours ago, got badly beaten up. Local cops are on the case, but I want N.C.I.S. to take over."

"Slow down a minute. Tony was attacked? How badly was he injured?"

Gibbs slumped against the wall. "I don't know, Jen. Ducky's over at Bethesda now, seeing what he can find out. Making sure that any evidence is retrieved..." Gibbs swallowed hard.

"What can I do?"

"Do what you do best. Make some calls, rattle a few cages. The cops are claiming this case, but *I* want it."

There was silence on the other end of the line before Jenny spoke again, "Are you sure that's such a good idea, Jethro?" she asked gently. "I know that Tony is one of your team...but you're not exactly objective. Perhaps clearer heads in the Police Department might be better to work this case."

"Dammit Jen, of course I'm not objective. Tony is one of *my* team. The police are screwing around trying to pin the blame on McGee just because he was first on the scene. By the time they pull their finger out and realize he didn't do it, the real suspects will be long gone."

"Wait a minute, McGee was there as well? Was he injured?"

"What? No, no he got there too late to stop it. Managed to wing one of the bastards though." There was a note of pride in Gibbs's voice as he spoke. "Jen, I *want* this case. Whatever it takes."

"I understand, Jethro. I...I'll make some calls, get the Police Commissioner out of bed if I have to. You'll have jurisdiction as soon as I can arrange it. I'll make sure all the evidence is turned over to you first thing in the morning."

"Morning is too late. The trail will be cold by then," said Gibbs. "I want everything the Police Department has, on my desk in an hour."

--------------------------

In the end, it was nearly three hours before the Police Department files arrived.

By that time, Jimmy Palmer had arrived as well.
"Doctor Mallard asked me to meet him at Bethesda," he stammered in answer to Gibbs's glare. "He...he said he wanted to stay with Tony, but that this needed to get to you as soon as possible." Jimmy held out a large brown bag. "It's Tony's clothing and personal effects. Doctor Mallard said..." Jimmy frowned slightly as if trying to remember the exact words. "He said 'N.C.I.S. will get more information out of this in five minutes than those idiots in the Police Department will if they have it all night'...his words, not mine," Jimmy added hastily.

Gibbs looked at him. "You realize that when a case like this is in the hands of the Police Department, and evidence is removed, that could be considered Obstruction of Justice. That's a felony, Palmer."

Jimmy's face paled as he held Gibbs's gaze, "I...I know..." He swallowed hard and bit his lip before replying, "But...but if it's to help find who attacked Tony...then it...it's worth it."

Gibbs kept the glare on Palmer for a few seconds longer before finally smiling, "Good work Palmer," he said, clapping him on the shoulder and nearly making him drop the bag of evidence. "What's Tony's condition?" he asked.

"I don't know, Agent Gibbs. They were still working on him when Duc...Doctor Mallard gave me the bag to bring here, but..." Jimmy swallowed hard before continuing, "He said that Tony might have some internal bleeding but that they were waiting for tests to come back. He said he'd phone you as soon as he had more news." Jimmy looked around at the somber faces. "He...he hasn't phoned yet, has he?"

Gibbs shook his head, "No." He took the evidence bag from Jimmy and signed his name on the seal before breaking it and handing it to Abby. "Abby, get me anything you can off these. Those guys worked Tony over pretty good...there's got to be *something* of theirs on him."

"If there's so much as a speck of their D.N.A. here, I'll find it," promised Abby. She took the bag over to her desk.

Jimmy was still standing in the doorway when Gibbs said, "Well what are you waiting for, Palmer? Go help Abby."

"Yes, Boss," said Jimmy automatically as he hurried to Abby's side.

Gibbs had a half smile on his face as he added, "And Abby, *this* assistant is not for duct taping."

-------------------------

To be continued

Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 05/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.

Previously on NCIS: A Private Detective was hired to have Tony beaten up. McGee managed to intervene and scare off the attackers, but was accused by the Police of being responsible for Tony's injuries. Gibbs persuaded the officers to release McGee into his custody and brought him back to NCIS where together with Abby, Ziva, and Jimmy, they set to work on finding the people responsible.

------------------------

Gibbs had a half smile on his face as he added, "And Abby, *this* assistant is not for duct taping."

-------------------------

[5]

The smile had faded from Gibbs's face as he sat at his desk. Ziva had reported in an hour earlier to say that she had checked all the hospitals and found nobody matching the description McGee had given, showing up to be treated for a bullet wound. "Then why the hell are you phoning me, Officer David," Gibbs had asked, "Instead of trying the animal hospitals, all night chemists, walk in clinics. Anywhere in the city that sells so much as a band aid I want it checked out."

"That will take me the rest of the night," Ziva had said.

"Then you'd better get moving." Gibbs had hung up before she could reply.

Abby was down in her lab, processing Tony's clothing. She was also trying to sort through the evidence that the Police Department had collected and sent over with McGee and Jimmy assisting her in whatever way they could. Gibbs had thought of joining them, but he knew little or nothing of the methods and procedures Abby used to work her magic on evidence. Plus he knew that his presence would only serve to unsettle both McGee and Palmer, and the last thing anybody wanted was for mistakes to be made.

So Gibbs sat at his desk and went through copies of the reports that had been written up by the police officers and Detective who had been on the scene. There was something about the reports that was nagging at him. Gibbs was midway through reading the paperwork for the second time when his phone rang.

"Ducky," thought Gibbs as he saw the name on the display. His hands were uncharacteristically shaky as he answered. "How is he, Duck?"

The few seconds before Ducky answered, felt like an eternity to Gibbs.

"He's alive and stable," came Ducky's reassuring voice. "The poor boy has been put through the wringer all right. A concussion, several broken ribs, some deep lacerations and numerous bruises. He has a hairline fracture to his right collarbone and his right wrist is broken as well. The doctors even found a taser burn on his neck, not enough to have knocked him out, but certainly enough to incapacitate him while those bastards did their work."

"Bottom line Duck, will he live?"

"Well his doctors were concerned that there might be some internal bleeding to contend with, but at the moment it looks like he's just badly bruised. Naturally they'll be keeping him under close observation for the next twenty-four hours, but at this stage his injuries are not believed to be immediately life-threatening."

Now that Gibbs's main concern was taken care of, it was back to business as normal. "Was Tony able to tell you anything about what happened?"

"I'm afraid not, Jethro. He was barely conscious when they brought him in, and with the painkillers he's been administered, it's unlikely he'll be able to help much with your investigation for several hours, if not days."

"I understand, Ducky," said Gibbs. He was silent for a few seconds before continuing, "Ducky, will you do me a favor...stay at Bethesda with him."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere," came Ducky's reassuring tones. "If Tony *is* able to provide any information regarding his attack, I'll see that it gets to you immediately."

"That wasn't the only reason I was asking," admitted Gibbs. "I'd just rather he wasn't there alone..." And I have to work the case, he thought to himself.

"He'll be in safe hands, I promise you."

"Thanks Ducky," said Gibbs, and hung up.

He lay back in his chair and stretched, wincing as he heard his joints creak. "The only thing worse than having to write up a report," thought Gibbs, looking at the reports on his desk waiting for him, "is having to read other peoples." But it had to be done and Gibbs started plowing through them again. It wasn't until he'd read it for the second time, that something - to use Abby's favorite word - 'hinky', jumped out at him.

Gibbs grabbed the file and hurried down to Abby's lab.

----------------------

Abby's usual loud music was rocking the lab when Gibbs walked in. "Abby, report!" he yelled, trying to make himself heard but to no avail. Moving over to the stereo, he punched the 'off' button. "Abby, report," Gibbs repeated.

"Jimmy and I analyzed the blood on Tony's clothing," said Abby. "Most of it looks to have come from Tony." Her smile wavered slightly. "But there was some blood on one of his sleeves with a different spatter pattern, as if it had fallen from somebody standing over Tony."

"We think it's from the guy that I shot," said McGee. "It's a different blood type to Tony's. As soon as we have a D.N.A. profile we'll run it through all the databases, maybe get lucky."

"What about the iron bar the cops sent over? Get anything useful off of it?" asked Gibbs.

"The blood on it is a match for Tony's type," said Jimmy, "We'll need to wait for a D.N.A. analysis to be sure, but it looks...it looks like it was the weapon used to cause some of Tony's injuries." Jimmy swallowed hard. He'd only caught a glimpse of Tony when he'd met up with Doctor Mallard at Bethesda to retrieve the evidence. Jimmy knew that he should be used to dealing with the after effects of major trauma...he handled dead bodies for a living...but it was one thing dealing with an anonymous victim in the harsh sterility of the morgue...it was quite another thing when the victim was somebody he knew and worked with every day.

"What about prints?"

"We sort of struck out there, Gibbs," said Abby. "Guy must have been using gloves. Pretty much everything was smudged beyond recognition. I managed to snag a few partials, but A.F.I.S. doesn't do well with partials, so there's no guarantee we'll get a match."

"And if the guy's never been arrested, then his prints won't be on file," added McGee.

"Ya think?"

"Sorry Boss, I know you know that."

"Officer Blunt, the officer that detained you," said Gibbs. "He says in his report that dispatch informed him of a 911 call giving your description as the person committing an assault in that alley."

McGee nodded, "I assumed that somebody had seen me trying to help Tony and got the wrong idea."

"You *assumed*?"

"Um...well what else could it be...unless..." McGee's mind started working furiously. "But there was nobody else around, except for the woman who screamed at me...so the only person who could have seen me in that alley..."

"Was one of the dirtbags attacking Tony," finished Abby. "Gibbs, you're a genius! I'll get the 911 call details, see if we can trace the caller."

"I'll help," said McGee.

"No," said Gibbs. "I need a list drawn up of anybody who would want to harm Tony."

"You think this wasn't a random attack?" asked Jimmy.

"My gut is telling me it wasn't an ordinary mugging," said Gibbs. "Ducky says that Tony got tasered. Now if you're using a taser to knock somebody out and mug them...why stop to beat the crap out of them instead of getting the hell out of there. No," he shook his head, "This was a deliberate attack. Somebody out there has it in for Tony, and we need to find out who."

"Well we can probably strike Chip off that list," said McGee. "I mean, he's still in prison."

"So was Kyle Boone," snapped Gibbs, "And he still managed to organize a murder and kidnapping."

"Um, right Boss," said McGee, "I'm on it. I'll check his visitor log, see who he's been meeting with." He hurried out of the lab.

Gibbs looked around and saw Jimmy standing there, "Yes?"

"Um, well, it's just...."

"Spit it out, Palmer."

"Well the fingerprint search is running on auto," said Jimmy, "So is the D.N.A. typing. I don't know anything about tracing calls so I can't help Abby with that...so is there anything I can be doing to help?"

"Yeah," said Gibbs. "Go get me a fresh coffee." He walked out of the lab.

Jimmy shoulders slumped as he watched Gibbs leave, "I wanted to help," he said, almost to himself. "Be part of the team." He nearly jumped out of his skin when Abby punched him on the arm. "Ouch, what was *that* for?"

"Because," said Abby, "Keeping Gibbs supplied with coffee *is* a big help, believe me. And besides, you think Gibbs would trust somebody not on his team to get his coffee?"

"Really?" said Jimmy.

"Really," said Abby. "Now go, hurry. Decaffeinated Gibbs is *not* a pretty sight!"

----------------------------

To be continued

Title: Red Peril 06/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Website: n/a
Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Warnings:
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Notes:


------------------------
Previously on NCIS - A Private Detective was hired to have Tony beaten up. McGee managed to intervene and scare off the attackers, but was accused by the Police of being responsible for Tony's injuries. Gibbs persuaded the officers to release McGee into his custody and brought him back to NCIS where together with Abby, Ziva, and Jimmy, they set to work on finding the people responsible.


----------------------------

[6]

Decaffeinated Gibbs might not have been a pretty sight, but neither was pissed off Gibbs. In spite of the coffee that Jimmy had brought him, and the other cups he'd had during the night, he was still fuming. One of *his* people had been hurt...and not just anybody, but *Tony*. And all Gibbs could do was sit and wait. Gibbs didn't much like waiting while other people were doing all the work. He glanced over at Tony's empty desk. This wasn't right. Tony should be there, lounging in his chair, looking as if he was doing nothing more taxing than thinking about his latest girlfriend, but still having all the answers when Gibbs called upon him.

Gibbs had forgotten how much he relied on Tony's expertise as an agent. Oh sure, McGee was smart enough at picking up things, and even Ziva had learned a lot since she had joined the team, but Gibbs knew that there were any number of N.C.I.S. agents who were competent enough to take their places. Tony was different. Tony was irreplaceable as far as Gibbs was concerned.

Gibbs had phoned Bethesda, only to be informed that 'Agent DiNozzo was resting comfortably'. He'd arranged a guard on Tony's room 24/7. Not that he really believed that anybody would try to get past hospital security to finish what they'd started, but Gibbs wasn't about to take any chances.

"McGee," barked Gibbs, "What have you got on that list?"

"Uh, Boss," said McGee, looking up from his computer. "I've gotten a list of all Chip's visitors for the last six months and I'm trying to track them down."

"Start with his lawyer," said Gibbs. "Those meetings wouldn't be monitored."

"Which one?" asked McGee. "According to the records, he keeps firing them. At last count he'd had four assigned to work his case."

"All of them," snapped Gibbs. He was still annoyed when his phone rang. "If you're not calling to tell me you've found Tony's attackers, then you'd better be calling to hand in your resignation, Officer David," he snapped.

"That will not be necessary," replied Ziva. "I believe I may have something."

-----------------------

'Something', proved to be videotape from an in-store security camera.

"I checked all the hospitals and clinics in the immediate area," said Ziva, "But nobody matching the description McGee gave me had been treated. So I went and checked with every late night drugstore I could find, in case Tony's attackers had decided to treat the injury themselves, rather than go to a hospital."

"You get a name?" asked Gibbs.

"Unfortunately not," said Ziva. "The clerk identified the man in the photo fit, said he bought bandages and antiseptic cream, but he paid cash." She saw Gibbs's face and quickly continued, "But there was a security camera facing the parking lot in front of the building. We have the timestamp from the cash register..."

"If we look at any cars that left after that," interrupted McGee, "We may be able to get a number plate and trace them that way!" He almost snatched the tape from Ziva. "I'll get this to Abby, Boss," he said, hurrying towards the elevator.

"Good work, Ziva," said Gibbs.

Ziva shook her head; "It will only be good work if we can get a plate and a name."

-----------------------------

It took Abby and McGee several hours to clean up the tape sufficiently, but eventually they were able to get a clear shot of the number plate on the only car that had parked in front of the drugstore around the time the bandages had been purchased.

"Run it," ordered Gibbs as he left the lab. "I'll have a warrant ready, you just get me a name." He punched the call button on the elevator with satisfaction. Abby would get him a name, he and Ziva would pick the guy up, and Tony's attackers would be charged by quitting time. "And then I can go check on Tony," Gibbs told himself. He wanted nothing more than to head straight over to Bethesda and reassure himself that Tony was going to be okay. But work came first, as it always did. Gibbs had phoned Ducky again, only to be told that Tony was still pretty much out of it.

"He was awake for a short period an hour ago," Ducky had said.

"Why didn't you call me?" asked Gibbs.

"Because as I said, it was only for a short period, and he wasn't really up to being interrogated," replied Ducky. "Jethro, I know you want to find out what happened, but as I've already told you, it could be a considerable period of time before Tony is able to tell you about last night. He may never remember the period just before the trauma."

"I understand, Ducky," said Gibbs, stifling a sigh.

"It's not all bad news, Jethro. Tony was very groggy when he came to, but he was coherent enough to remember his name and he knew who I was. It should only be a matter of time before he's back to his old self."

"Keep me posted," said Gibbs. "Any change...if he wakes up again, you let me know, you hear?"

"Of course."

But Ducky hadn't called back again. Gibbs punched the call button for the elevator again, a little less happy this time. All this waiting around, he hated it. He wanted to be out there, doing something, finding the answers himself instead of waiting for his team to bring them to him. Gibbs was about to push the button again when the elevator doors opened. He stepped in, almost bumping into the occupant.

"Jethro," said Director Shepherd.

"Director," said Gibbs as he punched the button for his floor. "Didn't expect to see you down here."

"I came to see how the search for Agent DiNozzo's attackers is coming along. You weren't at your desk, so I guessed you'd be either in the lab or Autopsy. Have you any leads?"

"Some," said Gibbs. "Just waiting for Abby to give me a name and them I'm going to pick up the dirtbag responsible."

"Well keep me posted," said Jenny. "I want a full report on everything you find out, and I mean *everything*."

"Sure Jen," said Gibbs, "I'll be sure to take time out from investigating to send you a memo."

Jenny reached out and hit the emergency stop button. "Special Agent Gibbs," she said, in her most Directorish tone. "One of my agents has been deliberately attacked. I don't want some high priced lawyer getting the perpetrator off on a technicality because you cut corners when it came to gathering evidence. You do this by the book, get the warrant *before* you pick up the suspect...or I'll assign another team to the case. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," snapped Gibbs. He restarted the elevator.

"Good," said Jenny.

They rode the rest of the journey in silence.

---------------------
To be continued

Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Website: n/a
Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Warnings:
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Previously on NCIS. A private detective was hired to have Tony beaten up. McGee managed to scare off the attackers but the police suspected he was responsible. While Ducky watched over an injured Tony at Bethesda, Gibbs and the team worked to find the real assailants.


------------------------

[7]

Gibbs pulled to a halt in front of an apartment building. "We go in and we take him alive," he said to Ziva, who was sitting in the passenger seat. "That clear?"

"Of course," said Ziva, as she checked her weapon. "Alive yes...uninjured?"

Gibbs shrugged, "So long as he's able to make a full confession." Personally, he wasn't going to lose much sleep if the perp...no, if the *suspect* tried to resist arrest. The chance to dish out some payback for Tony's injuries...Gibbs would have been lying if he'd said he'd pass up the opportunity should it come up. But he'd told the Director that he'd follow procedure even if it killed him.

And having to wait while they'd scared up a judge to issue a warrant *had* damn near driven Gibbs to distraction. All the time he'd spent pacing up and down in the bullpen, certain that by the time he'd get the paperwork that it'd be too late. But finally it had come through and Gibbs had broken even his own record for reckless driving in order to get to the suspects home. Even Ziva was looking a little queasy by the time they arrived.

--------------------------------

In the end it was a bit of an anti-climax thought Gibbs. Sid Wilson had put his hands up the moment Gibbs and Ziva had burst though his door. Well, technically he'd only put one hand up...the other being somewhat immobilized by a makeshift bandage. Once brought to N.C.I.S., McGee had confirmed that Wilson was one of the men he'd seen attacking Tony.

Gibbs knew that once the D.N.A. from the blood on Tony's clothing was matched to Wilson, that would be it. Eyewitness testimony, plus D.N.A. evidence...no jury in the state would acquit him. But it wasn't enough for Gibbs. He knew that Wilson's accomplice was still out there and he still had no idea as to *why* they had targeted Tony. Wilson had denied any involvement and then shut up.

"I'm working as fast as I can, Gibbs," said Abby, "But D.N.A. typing takes time. You'll just have to wait."

"Boss, we'll get a D.N.A. match for sure," said McGee, "And once Wilson sees how much evidence there is against him, he's sure to squeal on his accomplice to get a better deal."

"The longer we wait, the more time the other perp has to get away and cover his tracks," said Gibbs. "Abby, let me know as soon as you get a result. I'll be having a chat with Wilson."

"Will you deal with him on your own?" asked Ziva.

Gibbs appeared to ponder the question for a few seconds before saying, "No...not this time." Ziva and McGee both moved towards the door, only to stop in their tracks as Gibbs said, "Palmer, you're with me!"

Ziva and McGee looked at each other in surprise. Jimmy's mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed to squeak, "Me, Boss? I...I mean, Sir...I mean Gibbs. But I...I don't know anything about interrogations!"

"Don't sweat it, Palmer," said Gibbs, "I'll brief you on the way. Come on." He walked out of the lab without a backwards glance.

Jimmy looked around at the others, a look of panic on his face.

"Go on, Jimmy," said Ziva, pushing him towards the door. "Better not keep Gibbs waiting!"

There was an audible gulp from Jimmy as he stumbled towards the exit.

---------------------------

Gibbs took a seat across from Wilson and smiled at him. "So, you want to tell me why exactly you beat up one of my agents last night?"

Wilson said nothing, but Gibbs noticed the way he'd tensed at the mention of Tony being an N.C.I.S. agent.

"Ah, that's right, you weren't anywhere near that alley. It's not your blood on Special Agent DiNozzo's shirt. You weren't shot by Special Agent McGee. It's just pure coincidence that you managed to cut yourself shaving last night." Still no response.

Gibbs nodded almost imperceptibly towards the door, and a few minutes later Jimmy Palmer walked in. He was gloved and gowned as if ready to perform an autopsy, and carried a small cloth covered tray in front of him.

"Something you should probably know about the man that you 'didn't attack' last night," said Gibbs in a conversational tone of voice. "See, round about a year ago, he managed to come in contact with a pretty nasty disease. What was it called again?"

"Y-Pestis," said Jimmy, "Commonly known as the Black Death...or Plague."

"Yes," said Gibbs, "A rather nasty little bug. Specially designed to make it resistant to antibiotics. You get a dose of that and you've got maybe a thirty percent chance of survival. Agent DiNozzo was very lucky; see he was fit and healthy when he got infected. He hadn't any recent injuries...hadn't lost any blood from a gunshot wound. And he barely survived."
Gibbs noticed a bead of sweat appear on Wilson's forehead as he continued, "Agent DiNozzo recovered, but the thing about bugs like that, when you manage to fight them off, you're left with...what's the word?"

"Antibodies, Agent Gibbs," said Jimmy.

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer," said Gibbs. "So Agent DiNozzo has all these antibodies to the plague swirling around in his blood. They can't harm him because he's already had the plague...but if his blood was to get on somebody else...maybe get into an open wound...like say from a gunshot...you ever hear of Typhoid Mary?"

The bead of sweat had been joined by several others as Wilson swallowed hard.

"Of course, since you weren't anywhere near Agent DiNozzo when he got attacked," said Gibbs, "You wouldn't have gotten any of his blood on you because you weren't the one beating him with an iron bar. So there's no chance that you could be developing a case of Y-Pestis of your own...and no chance that you'd be needing an antidote." He turned to Jimmy, "Guess I won't be needing you after all, Mr. Palmer."

"No problem," said Jimmy as he turned and headed for the door. He only got two steps before Wilson said in a choked voice, "Wait!"

Gibbs had a carefully neutral expression on his face as he looked at Wilson, "Something on your mind?"

"That...that antidote..." stammered Wilson. "I...what if I need it?"

Gibbs shrugged, "If you weren't anywhere near Agent DiNozzo, then you've got nothing to worry about." He started counting silently to himself, reaching six before Wilson spoke.

"I...I was there, now please, give me the antidote...I...I don't want to die!"

"You think maybe Agent DiNozzo felt the same way when you were bashing his brains in with an iron bar?" Gibbs's voice was harsh as he leaned across the table.

In spite of himself, Jimmy took a step back against the wall, away from Gibbs and his barely controlled rage.

"We didn't...we weren't trying to kill him...we just, we were just paid to hurt him," stammered Wilson. "We...we were told to mark his face...but to leave him alive..."

"I want names," growled Gibbs, "Who paid you, and why?"

"I don't know! The guy calls us up when he needs a job doing. We don't ask questions, we just do what we're paid to do and then call him when it's done. I swear, I don't know why he wanted your guy hurt, I'll tell you everything I know, but please, just give me that antidote!"

"Antidote?" said Gibbs. "Don't know what you're talking about. Palmer here was just bringing me refreshments." He pulled the cloth off the tray to reveal a cup of coffee.

--------------------------

To be continued

Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 08
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Previously on NCIS
Some goons were hired to attack Tony. McGee managed to scare them off, shooting one of them, but the police suspected him of being involved. Gibbs and his team worked their hardest to find the people responsible and finally caught up with the man McGee had shot. Gibbs - although doing everything by the book - still managed to manipulate their suspect into admitting his culpability.

--------------------------

[8]

Harry Caffrey was not the type of guy to worry easily. A cop before he'd turned private detective, he'd been in his share of bad situations and usually managed to finagle his way out of them. But this situation was getting badder by the hour. Bad enough that the guy he'd been hired to 'take care of' had turned out to be a Federal Agent, bad enough that the guys he'd hired had ended up caught in the act, but now one of them was in custody and Harry knew it was only a matter of time before his own neck was on the block.

Harry had been listening to his Police Scanner the night of the attack. He always did on nights when he knew something was going down. The old adage, 'no news is good news' was well suited to nights like that. Unfortunately, that night, there had been plenty of news, and none of it good.

Wilson and Andrews had contacted him earlier that evening. They'd followed their target to an apartment block, but according to Andrews, "He wasn't dressed for staying inside". Harry had given them the nod to go head with their plan if their target emerged alone.

The next thing Harry knew, he was picking up a call on the scanner about shots being fired at that address, and he groaned inwardly at the thought that things had gone sour. "You weren't supposed to use guns," he swore under his breath. Things went from bad to worse when he'd heard an officer call in that he'd arrested a suspect, and when he added that the victim was an N.C.I.S. agent, Harry knew that he was going to have to do a lot of maneuvering to get himself out of *this* mess.

"I shoulda never taken that bitch as a client," he told himself, even as he tried to make contact with his men. "More trouble than she's worth."

Harry only calmed down somewhat when he realized that he had underestimated Wilson and Andrews and that neither of them had been caught.

"We called 911 and told them some other guy had done it," said Andrews, laughing as he sped through the streets. "By the time the cops figure out he's just some dumb schmuck trying to play hero, we'll be long gone." His voice had taken on a nasty tone. "Just as soon as we get the rest of our payment...and maybe a little extra, compensation for pain and suffering."

Harry had been tempted to tell them to go to hell; that they didn't deserve anything extra for screwing up like that. But pissing off people who's business was inflicting pain on other people, was not exactly sound business practice, so Harry held his tongue and promised them a little extra...on the condition that they got the hell out of the city until things had calmed down.

Unfortunately N.C.I.S. moved faster than Wilson did, and arrested him as he was packing up. Andrews had been on his way back with the cash when he'd seen a couple of agents drag Wilson away. He contacted Harry to update him on the situation, "Wilson won't talk," he told Harry. "But if they tracked him down, then you and me are next on the list and I ain't waiting around for that to happen."

Harry wasn't planning on it either. Only problem was, after paying off Wilson and Andrews, his cash flow situation was just a little stretched. Still, his guys weren't the only ones who could renegotiate their fees midway through a job.

Pulling out his cell phone, Harry placed a call. "Hello there...Red."

"Who...what...how did you get this number?"

Harry smiled to himself. When Red had first hired him, she'd insisted on absolute secrecy, refusing to give him her real name. The only way she allowed him to contact her was through a disposable cell phone that she'd given him the number to. But the number Harry had dialed was to her personal phone.

"I'm a Detective, sweetheart. Finding out things about people is what I do for a living. You should really have parked further away when you met me. It's amazing the things you can find out when you have a contact at the D.M.V. Things like a person's real name, Ms..."

"Shut up!" snapped Red. "What the hell do you want? Your *men* screwed things up completely."

"Well maybe you should have mentioned that Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had friends with guns. Hell, you should have told me he was a Federal Agent in the first place."

"Why? Would you have turned me down?"

"Maybe...maybe not...but I sure as hell would have charged double. And speaking of which..."

"You're not getting a cent more out of me," said Red, angrily. "I don't ever want to hear from you again."

"Well, now see, I think we may have a problem with that," said Harry, carefully. "See, I have a sneaking suspicion that Washington isn't going to be too healthy a place for me for the next few weeks or so. So I thought I might have myself a nice long vacation, where I can forget all the names of the clients who've hired me recently. Trouble is, those sort of vacations don't come cheap..."

"Bastard! This is blackmail!"

Harry shrugged, "Call it what you like, but it's better than being brought up on a charge of conspiracy to commit assault on a Fed. You give me the money you owe me...and the same again...and I go away and forget I ever met you, Ms..."

"Okay, fine, you win." There was a pause on the end of the line, "It'll take me time to get the money together."

"Don't take too long," said Harry. "Cause if the Feds catch up with me before you do, I'll sing like a canary if it gets them off my back!" He hung up and took a long nervous drag on his cigarette. Man, that bitch was cold. "The sooner I get my money and away from her, the happier I'll be," he told himself.

---------------------------------

Red hurried along the levels of the parking garage to the meeting point. As usual she'd parked a few levels away, not that there was much point in trying to hide...not now that that bastard Caffrey knew who she was. It had taken her most of the day to put together enough money to pay him off, and she only hoped that it would satisfy him. But just in case he had any ideas about blackmail, Red also had a loaded gun in her purse.

"You're late," said Caffrey as he stepped out from behind a pillar. "I was beginning to think you were gonna stand me up or something. Hell, I almost had a call in to the cops to tell them all about how you hired me to beat up on that DiNozzo character."

"I'm here now," snapped Red. "Look, just take the money and get the hell out of here. I never want to see you again in my life." She thrust the briefcase full of money at him.

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual." Caffrey took the briefcase and clicked it open. He quickly counted the money, nodding in approval once he knew he hadn't been short-changed. "Looks like you were smart enough not to stiff me, Red. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"It'll be the last time. If I ever hear from you again..."

"You'll what, hire some guy to do to me what my guys did to DiNozzo for you?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Well, it looks like our business has concluded," Caffrey snapped the briefcase shut as Red started to walk away. "Oh yeah, there's just one more thing."

Red turned back towards him, and was nearly blinded as a set of floodlights aimed at her were suddenly switched on. She blinked as she saw a man step out from behind a pillar.

"Just one more thing," said Gibbs. "Why'd you do it, Jen?"

------------------------

To be continued

Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 09/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Notes: Blame Matt from the NCISslash yahoo list for inspiring me to a rewrite on this part.
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.

Previously on NCIS
Some goons were hired to attack Tony. McGee managed to scare them off, shooting one of them, but the police suspected him of being involved. Gibbs and his team worked their hardest to find the people responsible and finally caught up with the man McGee had shot. Gibbs - although doing everything by the book - still managed to manipulate their suspect into admitting his culpability. Meanwhile, the private detective who had been hired to set up the attack was getting ready to leave town, but not before blackmailing his client into funding his escape.

-----------------

Red turned back towards Harry, and was nearly blinded as a set of floodlights aimed at her were suddenly switched on. She blinked as she saw a man step out from behind a pillar.

"Just one more thing," said Gibbs. "Why'd you do it, Jen?"

------------------------

[9]

"Why'd you do it Jen?" Gibbs asked again as he sat across from her in the interrogation room. "What did Tony ever do to you to make you hire somebody to beat him up?"

"Really Jethro, I don't know what you're talking about," said Jenny, a forced smile on her face. "All this has been some sort of dreadful misunderstanding." She sat back in her chair, hoping that her smile masked the turmoil she was feeling. When the floodlights had gone on in the parking garage, Jenny had been sure that this was it. But she had almost breathed a sigh of relief when it had been Gibbs who had confronted her. The police might have been difficult, but Gibbs was different, and she was confident that she could talk her way out of any situation that he was in charge of. And of course she could do more than *talk* in an effort to convince him of her total innocence; that this was all a terrible misunderstanding. That was why she had refused Gibbs's offers of a lawyer. She didn't need anybody telling her what to do. She could get herself out of this situation...all she needed was a little time.

But time was the one thing that Gibbs wasn't going to allow Jenny Shepherd. Wilson had sung like a canary, confessing not only to the attack on Tony, but also to several other assaults and petty crimes over the previous few years. Not only had he named his accomplice in Tony's assault, but he'd given them the make and model of his car, as well as the full license plate. Gibbs had put a B.O.L.O. out immediately, but for now he was more interested in tracking down the man who'd set the whole thing up.

Abby had trawled through Wilson's phone records. She'd offered to hack into the phone company's database to make it easier trace the man who had phoned him to set up the attack, but Gibbs had stopped her.

"We're doing this by the book, Abby," he had said. "That means going through proper channels. No shortcuts. I don't want *any* mistakes."

"You got it Bossman."

And there had been no mistake. Most of the calls contacting Wilson and Andrews had been made from prepaid cell phones, impossible to trace. But there had been one call, perhaps the guy had forgotten which phone he was using, but he'd used a phone registered in his own name. Wilson had ID'ed the man, one Harry Caffrey, as the guy who'd hired him, and once the warrant came through, his ass was Gibbs's.

Gibbs had taken great pleasure in leading the interrogation. Only the thought of how it might damage the case against him prevented Gibbs from using his fist to wipe the smile off Caffrey's face.
"Don't know what you've got to smile about, Caffrey," Gibbs had growled. "We've got enough evidence to put you away for a long time." He paused only briefly before adding, "And you know what happens to ex-cops in jail."

Caffrey leaned back in his chair and smiled, "I guess right about now is where I cut a deal, hmm?"

Gibbs snorted in disbelief, "You expect me to make a deal with a scumbag like you?"

Caffrey shrugged, "That depends...on whether you want the person who set up this whole deal or not. Cause believe me, I know people, and this one...well lets just say that if you don't catch up with them...your Agent DiNozzo is gonna need to watch his back for a *very* long time."

It had gone against every instinct in Gibbs's gut to make a deal with the man, but there really wasn't any choice. Caffrey may have been scum, but he was hired scum, and the only way to assure Tony's safety - at least from *this* enemy - was to track them down.

So the deal had been made. Caffrey was guaranteed his jail time would be served in a minimum-security facility with low risk prisoners, and Gibbs got the name he'd been looking for.

"You have got to be kidding me," Gibbs had snapped when Caffrey had told him the name of his client. "You seriously expect me to believe that the Director of N.C.I.S. put a hit out on one of her own agents? Why the hell would she want to do that?"

Caffrey shrugged, "I don't ask too many questions. Figured she was an ex-girlfriend or something. I tell you, Fatal Attraction has a lot to answer for."

Gibbs still hadn't been convinced of Jen's guilt; sure that somebody was setting her up. He knew that she had sometimes worked outside of N.C.I.S. parameters, but this...this was impossible. There had to be another explanation.

But as he stood in the shadows in the parking garage and watched as Harry Caffrey confronted his client, Gibbs knew with a sinking sensation that it was no mistake...no set up...even with the scarf and glasses, he recognized Director Shepherd.

-----------------------

"Really Jethro, I don't know what you're talking about," said Jenny, a forced smile on her face. "All this has been some sort of dreadful misunderstanding."

Gibbs slammed his fist on the table, "Misunderstanding? You hired a private investigator to follow Tony, then you had him beaten half to death. So far things are crystal clear, Jen."

"Is that what that man told you, Jethro? I should have known he'd try to blame me for whatever crimes *he* committed. I must congratulate you though on finding the person responsible for Tony's attack."

"You expect me to believe that you know nothing about it? That your meeting him in the parking garage and paying him off was just a coincidence?" Gibbs had seen some barefaced liars in his time. He knew that Jenny was well capable of twisting truths to suit her own ends, but her sheer arrogance in denying everything when she'd been caught red-handed, almost stunned him to silence...almost. "Why were you paying him off?"

"Blackmail," said Jenny, allowing her voice to shake slightly as if in an effort to gain Gibbs's sympathy. "He...he found out some things...things that I'd prefer not to have known...and he was blackmailing me...I swear Jethro, I swear that I didn't know he was behind Tony's attack. I can only believe he was setting me up as a scapegoat in case he got caught."

"You really expect me to believe *that*?"

"I don't know Jethro...but maybe a jury will prefer to believe the word of a Director of a Federal Agency, over that of an ex-cop who'd say anything to get his charges reduced." Her voice was smug now, sure that she was going to get away with it...and then she saw Gibbs smile and a chill went through her heart.

"You know Jen, I'm not really sure which I'm more pissed off about right now. That you hired somebody to beat up Tony..." Gibbs pulled a mini tape recorder out of his pocket and slammed it on the table, making Jenny jump. "...or that you conspired to commit a crime with somebody and *didn't* check him for wires. I thought I'd taught you better than that."

Jenny stared at the tape recorder as if it was a poisonous snake. "He...he taped me..." She looked at Gibbs, her eyes wide with fear. "Gibbs, I swear...it's not what it sounds like...I never wanted Tony badly hurt...I just...I just wanted to teach him a lesson...I told Caffrey to make sure his men didn't kill him...I swear it, I just wanted him hurt! If Caffrey's told you anything else, it's a lie!"

"Then why did you do it Jen?"

"Because of you, Jethro. Because if it wasn't for him, you and I could get back together again..."

Gibbs wasn't often lost for words when dealing with suspects, but this...this was not what he had expected, "What?"

"I knew there had to be a reason you turned me down," said Jenny, "What we had together...you wouldn't have said no unless there was somebody else...and then I saw the way you and DiNozzo look at each other." She almost spat the name out. "So I had him followed...all the way to your house...I *know* what you've been up to, Jethro, you and *him*...every Tuesday night...the two of you...carrying on a secret affair." She laughed scornfully, "I guess rule twelve only applies when you want it to!"

Gibbs shook his head, "Tony and I are not having an affair," he said, carefully.

"Don't lie to me," snapped Jenny. "I know what I saw. And believe me, once word gets out, there'll be plenty of people thinking I did you a favor by getting that little slut out of your life!"

"We're not in a relationship," continued Gibbs, as if Jenny hadn't spoken. "Tony comes over once a week...I'm teaching him about boats. He hooked up with this chick in a marina, wants to be able to impress her. I'm just giving him lessons so he won't make a complete ass of himself. Dammit Jen, I can't believe you did all this just because you were *jealous*!" Gibbs shook his head in disbelief, "You say you didn't want Tony killed, but what the hell were you trying to accomplish by having him beaten up...if we *had* been together, you think that him being in hospital would change anything?"

"No," spat Jenny, "But maybe you'd think twice about fucking him if the sight of him turned your stomach. I know what you people are like, a pretty face, that's all you care about. Well if Caffrey's men were any good, then DiNozzo won't be so pretty any more!" She laughed scornfully.

For the second time that day Gibbs wanted to wipe the smile off a suspects face. Again he struggled to control himself. "If you could think me that shallow...then you don't know me at all Jen. Somehow, I don't think you ever did."

Gibbs stood up and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Stand up, Ms. Shepherd." He took a deep breath and continued, "I am arresting you for conspiracy to commit a felony assault on a Federal Agent. You have the right to remain silent..."

"What? But...it can't be...no, dammit Jethro, no!" Jenny started to panic as Gibbs came near her with the cuffs. "I'm the Director of N.C.I.S...you can't do this to me, I'm ordering you to release me at once!"

"Jen, you're already going to be charged with conspiracy...maybe even attempted murder," said Gibbs, as he snapped the cuffs on Jenny's wrists. "You want to add another felony to the list, be my guest."

"Just tell me why...why you turned me down, if it wasn't Tony...are you seeing somebody else? Please Jethro, you owe it to me...remember all the time we spent together?"

Gibbs glanced up at the two-way mirror on the wall. He knew that McGee and Ziva were watching, not to mention the sound tech guy. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in close to her.

--------------------

"What's he saying?" asked McGee. He turned to the tech and asked, "Can you raise the volume?"

"No," said Ziva, before the tech could do anything. "If Gibbs had wanted us to hear...he would have made sure that we could. His words are meant for the Director alone."

"Well she doesn't seem to like what she's hearing," observed McGee.
If Tony had been there, he would have probably commented on it being the understatement of the century. Gibbs would have glared, "Ya think?" Even as McGee and Ziva watched, Jenny started screaming wildly at Gibbs. In spite of the handcuffs, she launched herself at him, almost knocking him over.

It took Ziva and McGee to pull her away as she alternately cursed Gibbs and all his ancestors, and begged him to help her get out of this mess she was in. Finally they managed to subdue her.

"I want her processed immediately," snapped Gibbs. "Have legal send down somebody to get her confession drawn up and signed. No short cuts, I want everything done properly." He looked Jen square in the eye, "By the book, Director Shepherd...we don't want the perp getting off on a technicality now, do we?"

------------------------

To be continued
Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 10/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Website: n/a
Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Warnings:
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Notes:

"I want her processed immediately," snapped Gibbs. "Have legal send down somebody to get her confession drawn up and signed. No short cuts, I want everything done properly." He looked Jen square in the eye, "By the book, Director Shepherd...we don't want the perp getting off on a technicality now, do we?"

---------------------------------

[10]

Even though Gibbs would never have admitted it to anybody, he was somewhat shaken by the incident in Interrogation. When Jenny Shepherd had shown up as the new Director of N.C.I.S., Gibbs had wondered if she'd want to pick up where they'd left off. He'd hoped not, and a part of him had been secretly relieved when she'd pulled the 'on the job it's Director Shepherd or Ma'am...there is no off the job' crap on him. Of course he should have known it was too good to be true. Sure it had been a nice little stunt to pull, out in the open for everybody to see, the new Director, marking her territory and putting Gibbs in his place. Gibbs had completely approved. It was just a pity she hadn't followed through and kept the barriers in place between them.

It had started with little things. Her not correcting him when he used her first name. Coming out on a stakeout with him that very first night. Oh sure, he should have known better...should have realized that working together with her would only remind her of their previous stakeouts...and what they'd usually ended up doing after going off duty together. But he had fallen for her act and let it lull him into a false sense of security.

It was only a few months later when she made her first overt move, dropping hints about the Marine's birthday ball. Gibbs had deliberately ignored all her comments about how the next best thing to having a Marine escort her was having an ex-marine. He'd hoped that she'd take the hint, but instead she'd taken Ducky. Ah well, Gibbs had thought. Ducky was old enough to look after himself, and maybe Jen would find somebody else to play with at the ball.

But it hadn't worked like that. A few weeks later, Jenny had abandoned all pretence at subtlety and had invited Gibbs to accompany her to a Law Enforcement seminar. She'd been invited to speak on a panel and had suggested to Gibbs that it would benefit his career to attend as her guest. The way she'd patted her hair in its godawful cut, the way she'd said 'Jethro'...Gibbs just knew that she had an ulterior motive. And the way he told her that he had a prior engagement that weekend, he hoped he'd made it clear that he would have 'prior engagements' any and every time she'd try that stunt again.

Gibbs had honestly thought that she'd got the message, because she'd stopped with the glances and the attempts to see him outside of the office. But he had obviously misjudged her...she'd just been biding her time, and now Tony had paid the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Gibbs sighed heavily as he approached Tony's hospital room. He flashed his badge to the guard standing outside, and then pushed open the door.

Ducky was sitting in a chair beside the bed; his head slumped to his chest. But even as Gibbs approached him, his hand moved surreptitiously to his jacket pocket.

"At ease, Ducky," said Gibbs, softly. "It's just me." He nodded towards the bed where Tony appeared to be sleeping or unconscious. Gibbs couldn't really tell the difference. "How's he doing?"

Ducky stood up and stretched. "Really Jethro, you know you shouldn't sneak up on people like that." His hand moved away from the jacket, but not before Gibbs was able to see a stun gun tucked safely away.

"How's Tony?" repeated Gibbs.

Ducky glanced over at the bed. "Well as you can see, he's resting comfortably enough at the moment. That's what he needs most of all now. His bones will heal, his bruises will fade. He should make a full recovery from his injuries."

"There'll be no...permanent damage?"

"You mean his face?" Ducky shook his head, "I know it looks bad, but once the swelling's gone down and the sutures removed, he'll be preening himself in the mirror in no time."
Ducky glanced at Gibbs as he spoke, "I take it that the fiend responsible has been safely tucked away, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Once Caffrey had named Director Shepherd as his employer, Gibbs had immediately phoned Ducky at the hospital. Ducky had been just as skeptical as Gibbs had been. "Really Jethro, you can't be serious. The man has to be lying to try and save his own skin."

"Maybe he is, Duck," Gibbs had said, "But I'm not taking any chances. If Jen shows up at the hospital, do what you have to do to keep her away from Tony. If she's not involved then she'll understand why we had to be careful...and if she *is* involved..."

"I understand," Ducky had said, although he hadn't really. He was convinced that it was all a terrible mistake, that Jenny was being used as a scapegoat, being framed somehow. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened to an N.C.I.S. agent, and he really couldn't conceive of any reason why she would be guilty of such a terrible crime. But the evidence was compelling, and she *had* been caught red-handed. Gibbs had contacted him again after Jenny had been caught paying off Caffrey, but that was the last he'd heard until Gibbs showed up in the hospital.

"She confessed to everything," said Gibbs, not taking his eyes off Tony. Even as he watched, Tony moved restlessly on the bed, pulling at the sling that was immobilizing his right arm, and muttering incoherently in his sleep. "Went a little nuts near the end." He shook his head; "She's probably setting herself up for a psych defense. A few years in a nice comfortable facility and then she'll be back on the streets as if nothing had happened."

"It's not all that easy to plead mental defect," said Ducky. "Without any prior history, a jury may not be easily swayed."

"That's assuming it gets to a trial," said Gibbs, anger clear on his face. "I've already had SecNav on my back dropping hints about the bad press a trial would bring. They just want to sweep things under the mat, make it all go away nice and quietly. I tell you Ducky, I won't stand for it. Tony's lying there with the crap beaten out of him and I'm not gonna tell him that the person behind it all is going to get away with it. I'll be damned if I'm part of any sort of cover up."

"Gibbs, I know you're not a political animal, but you need to pick your battles." Most people would have faltered under the glare Gibbs turned on him, but Ducky was made of sterner stuff. "I'm sure that nobody is suggesting a cover up."

"SecNav as much as told me that it would be better for all concerned if Jen received 'appropriate treatment' rather than serving time. They'll lock her up until the fuss has died down and then they'll quietly let her go. Hell, she'll probably even get her N.C.I.S. pension. And what does Tony get? Another stay in hospital, stuck on desk duty until his bones heal up, physiotherapy, psych evaluations...all because some crazy bitch couldn't take no for an answer." Gibbs saw the look of surprise on Ducky's face and sighed inwardly. "I'll tell you all about it later, Ducky. Right now...right now I think you should go home. You've been here over twenty four hours straight, you look like hell."

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately, Jethro?" asked Ducky. "Frankly I think Tony looks in better shape than you do at the moment."

"Go home, Ducky," said Gibbs, "I'll stay with Tony for a bit." He glanced over at Tony again, asking, "Has he been awake at all?"

"Oh yes," said Ducky. "He's had intermittent periods of consciousness during the last few hours. He wasn't really up to much conversation, but he was coherent enough, given the circumstances." Ducky paused briefly before continuing, "He seemed to have no recollection of the attack, but I decided it wasn't in his best interests to force the issue. I also felt it unwise to tell him who was behind it...at least not until there was incontrovertible proof."

Gibbs nodded, "You did right, Ducky. I...it's my responsibility...I'll tell him why this happened to him."

Ducky sighed as he pulled on his coat. "I still can't believe that Director Shepherd was behind all this. And for her to confess it all so easily. But I suppose with taped evidence...you're lucky she was sloppy enough not to check for wires."

"I'm even luckier she didn't ask to hear the evidence first," said Gibbs.

"You don't mean..."

A wry smile came over Gibbs's face, "Yeah, the tapes were blank. Apart from when we hooked him up, Caffrey never had a wire on him." He laughed hollowly, "First rule when you're being questioned. Don't confess to anything until you find out exactly what evidence they've got on you."

"Ah, this would be something you learned in your training, I take it."

"Close," said Gibbs, "From one too many sessions in detention!"

-----------------

Ducky paused at the door on his way out and looked back at Gibbs, "This wasn't your fault Jethro. Whatever Jenny might have said, you are not responsible for any action she may have taken. Try to remember that."

But by the look on Gibbs's face, Ducky could tell that he didn't believe him.

-------------------------

To be concluded
Ceindreadh

Title: Red Peril 11/11
Author: Ceindreadh
Email: Ceindreadh@eircom.net
Website: n/a
Permission to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.
Fandom(s): NCIS
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : slash/action
Rating: T
Warnings:
Disclaimer. I don't own the NCIS characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Notes - The case has been solved and Gibbs can be with Tony, but there's a few loose ends to sort out.

------------------------

Ducky paused at the door on his way out and looked back at Gibbs, "This wasn't your fault Jethro. Whatever Jenny might have said, you are not responsible for any action she may have taken. Try to remember that."

But by the look on Gibbs's face, Ducky could tell that he didn't believe him.

-------------------------

[11]

------------------------

Gibbs settled himself in on the chair beside Tony's bed. Tony's doctor had assured him that he should make a full recovery. "He was somewhat disoriented initially when he came round," the Doctor had said, "But his condition has improved during the day. He will need physiotherapy once his bones have healed, but there should be little or no scarring from the cuts on his face. All in all he's been most fortunate."

Gibbs would have disagreed with the doctor on that point if he hadn't been so anxious about Tony. He didn't really think there was anything fortunate about Tony being beaten up by hired goons all over a misunderstanding.

During the next few hours, Gibbs had plenty of time to think over what had happened and his role in it. The more he thought about the SecNav's not so subtle hints about the most suitable outcome, the less certain he was about his own feelings on the matter. On the one hand, Jen deserved to feel the full extent of the law for what she had done...but on the other hand...perhaps a trial was not in everybody's best interests...not just Jen's, but his and Tony's as well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Just tell me why...why you turned me down, if it wasn't Tony...are you seeing somebody else? Please Jethro, you owe it to me...remember all the time we spent together?"

Gibbs glanced up at the two-way mirror on the wall. He knew that McGee and Ziva were watching, not to mention the sound tech guy. "You want to know why I didn't want to get back together with you?" Taking a deep breath, he leaned in close to Jenny, and spoke in a voice too low to be picked up by the microphones. "You were right about one thing Jen...Tony *was* the reason I didn't want to pick up where we left off."

A look of triumph shot over Jenny's face, only to fade away as Gibbs continued.

"You see Jen, Tony and I aren't in a relationship...not now anyway. Sure, we had a thing a few years back, but it didn't work out...we both realized it was a bad idea and we parted on good terms. But Tony...the time I spent with him...it made me see what a real relationship was like...and that what *we* had was poison. You were a good agent in the field Jen...but toxic out of it, and after Tony...I could never have gone back to you."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gibbs mentally kicked himself for saying those words to Jen and only in part because of her extreme reaction. But now Jen knew for a fact that he and Tony had been involved. Her actions had been serious enough when she had only suspected...but who knew what she was capable of now she knew for sure. Still, it was always possible that any attempts by Jen to use this news to harm Tony's career would be simply put down to the same mental breakdown that had led her to order the attack on him in the first place.

"Maybe SecNav was right," thought Gibbs. "Maybe this whole mess should be swept under the carpet as quickly as possible." But then, it wasn't really *his* decision to make, nor the SecNav's. Tony was the one who had suffered because of Jen's obsession...he was the victim here. If he wanted his day in court, then by God Gibbs was going to see that he got it.

"I'm on your six, Tony," said Gibbs, softly as he stood by the bed looking down at the injured agent. "Whatever you decide...I've got your back."

"You...you always have...Boss..." Tony's eyes flickered open and he smiled weakly. His eyes closed again for a few seconds before opening again and focusing on Gibbs. "You...you look like hell...what...what happened?"

It was on the tip of Gibbs's tongue to point out that he wasn't the *only* one looking like hell.
Gibbs had barely been able to stop himself from cursing Jen's name when he had seen the damage her goons had done to Tony.

So Gibbs bit back his first comment and instead asked, "What do you remember, Tony?"

Tony's eyes closed again and Gibbs thought he'd lapsed back into his restless sleep, but then he opened them again and looked at Gibbs. "Probie," he mumbled, "Was at McGee's...McGee's place...what...did I call him Probie once too often?" Tony started to laugh, but must have seen the expression on Gibbs's face. A look of concern came over his own and he asked, "McGee, is he okay? He...he didn't get hurt as well? Gibbs, tell me damnit!" Tony made as if to sit up, but gasped in pain and went even paler than he had been. "Gibbs?"

"Easy there Tony," said Gibbs reassuringly, even as he guided Tony back down to the mattress. "McGee is fine. He wasn't hurt. Managed to wing one of the bastards that took you down. He's fine, and you're going to be fine as well. As for what happened..."

Gibbs took a deep breath before he filled Tony in on the events of the previous twenty-four hours, all the way from Tony's attack in the alley, up to the scene in the parking garage. "She admitted everything, Tony," said Gibbs. "She hired Caffrey, had his goons beat you up. The only reason she pulled the strings to get the case assigned to N.C.I.S. was so that she'd know exactly where we were with it. Probably thought she could slow the investigation down by choking us with paperwork."

There was a look of confusion on Tony's face. "Director...Director Shepherd did this...had this done? But...but why?" His face was wracked with pain as he continued, almost gasping out the words, "I don't...don't understand...what...what did I do, Gibbs? What...what did I do to piss her off?" His uninjured hand reached out towards Gibbs. "I...I messed up Boss...must...must a done something...messed up bad..."

Gibbs grabbed Tony's hand and squeezed it firmly. "You have done *nothing* wrong, DiNozzo," he practically growled. "Do you hear me? Anything that Jen did...you were *not* responsible for the actions she took. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was *not* your fault. Do you understand?" He kept hold of Tony's hand, squeezing it reassuringly until the younger man had calmed down somewhat. "Tony, if anybody's done anything wrong here, it's me. I should have made it clearer to Jen that there were no circumstances under which we'd be getting back together. If I'd sat down and talked things through with her, instead of just ignoring her and hoping she'd take the hint..." Gibbs sighed heavily, "Then maybe you wouldn't be lying here, all because you wanted boat lessons to impress a girl."

Tony's hand pulled free from Gibbs and he looked away. He mumbled something Gibbs couldn't quite catch.
"What was that?"

Tony looked back at Gibbs, his face downcast, "I said...there is no girl...there's no boat in the marina...I...I lied..."

For one of the few times in his life, Gibbs was at a loss for words. Finally he managed to ask, "Why?"

"I just...I just wanted an excuse to spend time with you...these last few months...since Kate died. Seems like all you do is sleep and work...I just...I just wanted to be with you when it wasn't...wasn't part of a case. You know...the way...the way we used...used to be..."
Gibbs started to say something but Tony didn't let him interrupt. "I know...know you think we can't...can't be together like...like we used to...but I...I figured...friends...friends was better than...better than nothing..." He lay back against the pillows, exhausted from the long speech.

"Ah Tony...you should have said something."

"How...how could I? I never...never wanted us to split up in the first place. I know...I know you said you didn't want to get involved with somebody...somebody you worked with...not long term...not serious...not...not somebody who could get hurt..."

"Not somebody who might get killed or seriously injured on the job...on *my* watch," said Gibbs, softly. He'd never admitted it to Tony, or indeed to anyone. Tony had been so accident prone when on the job. It seemed like every month or so he'd gotten attacked or knocked out or drugged or kidnapped. Hell, he'd even been pushed out of an airplane. And every time it happened, Gibbs had died inside a little. He'd had to break up with Tony for both their sakes. Either that or have him so wrapped up in cotton wool that Tony couldn't do his job. Gibbs had told himself that it was for the best. He'd told Tony that it just wasn't a good idea to be together while they were on the same team. He should have known that Tony would see right through him.

"Just tell me...tell me one thing...Gibbs. And...and I want an honest...honest answer..." Tony seemed to summon the last of his strength, as he looked Gibbs straight in the eye. "Seeing me...seeing me like this...does...does it hurt any less when...when we're not fucking each other?" He slumped back against the bed, eyes closed.

"No," said Gibbs finally, and so softly that he wasn't sure Tony would be able to hear him. "No, it doesn't hurt any less."

Tony remained still and silent for so long that Gibbs thought for certain he'd fallen unconscious or asleep again. Finally just as Gibbs was about to sit down again, Tony spoke. He sounded somewhat calmer than he had been before, "So...if it's not working...us being apart...maybe...maybe we might as well be together?"

"I can't believe you're saying that," said Gibbs. "You've just had the crap beaten out of you because one of my exes *thought* we were together...now you want to make it true. You got a death wish or something, DiNozzo?"

"Depends...you got any more crazy exes out there?" Tony smiled, and then grimaced in pain as he stretched the stitches in his cheek. His face was serious as he continued, "I mean it, Gibbs. We...we were good together...we could be good together..." He managed another smile as he added, "And...and I promise...if you turn me down...I won't go stalking your next redhead..."

"We'll talk when you're feeling better," Gibbs said firmly.

"Promise?" asked Tony tiredly.

"I promise," said Gibbs.

Tony nodded weakly, and this time when he closed his eyes, Gibbs could see him visibly relax into a restful sleep.

-------------------------

[Epilogue]

As promised, Gibbs did talk to Tony about their relationship once Tony was feeling better. Well not so much talk, as listen while Tony listed out all the reasons why their being together was a good thing. Any potential objection that Gibbs could have considered, Tony brought up and dismissed, hardly letting Gibbs get a word in edgeways. In the end though, it hadn't really taken much argument for Gibbs to agree to give things another go. Seeing Tony lying there in that hospital bed, Gibbs had come to the conclusion that whatever pain there might be in store down the road if something happened to Tony, it would be nothing to the pain he would feel if something happened and Gibbs had wasted the opportunity to be with him.

Of course he'd let Tony believe that it was his arguments that had persuaded him to resume their relationship.

Tony *had* been the one to persuade Gibbs not to fight SecNav over Jenny Shepherd's plea bargain. As predicted by Gibbs, Jenny's lawyers were offered what he felt was an overly sweet deal that would see her serve her time in a minimum security facility while receiving appropriate counseling. Gibbs had hurled his coffee mug at the wall when he'd heard about it, furious with SecNav for trying to sweep the matter under the carpet.

To his surprise, it was a convalescing Tony who had persuaded him to hold his tongue. "There's some battles you're never gonna win, Jethro," he had said from his couch as he watched Gibbs pacing up and down in anger. "The deal's been made, there's nothing we can do about it. We kick up a fuss, then next thing you know one of us gets transferred to the Antarctic or somewhere. Best thing we can do is just let it go...and make sure that both SecNav and the new Director know that we're doing them a favor by not rocking the boat. Then if they ever give us grief about being together...well let's just say that they owe us one."

Gibbs stopped pacing and glared at Tony, "How can you say that? You're owed a hell of a lot more. Dammit Tony, you could have been killed."

"But I wasn't."

"But you could have been, and Jen's getting off with barely a slap on the wrist. How can you think that's fair?"

"I never said I thought it was fair," said Tony, as he reached out and took Gibbs's hand. "But she's in prison, she'll have a criminal record when she gets out, she'll never work in law enforcement again...and I...I have you, and if she hadn't had me beaten up, we might never have gotten back together again." He pulled Gibbs down beside him, pulling him close with his good arm, "So all in all, I think I've been pretty well compensated." He kissed Gibbs softly on the lips.

When Gibbs finally pulled away he said, "I still think you're too forgiving," he said, in a mock growl. "She deserves a harsher punishment than what she's getting."

"Oh I totally agree," said Tony, an uncharacteristically evil grin passing across his face. "So how much of a punishment do you think it'll be when she finds out that she was the one responsible for getting us back together again?"

"It'll certainly be a start!"

-----------------------

The End

Ceindreadh