Chapter 1

Tony grinned as he bounced into the bullpen. In fact he had grinned the whole way to work.

"Good morning Ziva, McGee," he said happily.

"Hot date last night?" Ziva asked him as she fired up her computer.

"Yup," he said sitting down at his desk.

"Blonde?" McGee asked, knowing Tony's grin.

"Yup," came the reply.

"Yup what DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he came storming in, coffee in hand.

"Yup I'm happy to be here?" Tony tried tentatively, flinching for the expected head slap. He wasn't disappointed.

"Good," replied Gibbs, even though he knew his agent was lying, "Cause we got a case."

"What is it?" Ziva asked as the team geared up.

"Wife woke up and found her husband dead next to her," Gibbs answered tersely. Tony gave a low whistle.

"Ouch."

"Ya think, DiNozzo?" his boss called from the elevator.


Minutes later they arrived at the scene of the crime.

"Tony sketch, Ziva shoot, McGee bag ‘n tag," Gibbs ordered before going to speak to Carrie Johnson, the deceased's wife.
"John Johnson," said Ziva as she took the crime scene photographs, "What kind of name is John Johnson?"
"The kind given by very unoriginal parents," Tony replied laughing. Ducky walked in a moment later.
"What have we here?" he murmured to himself as he began to examine the body, "This reminds me of the time back in..." Everyone in the room rolled their eyes as Ducky began another of his long winded stories.


"Mrs. Johnson?" Gibbs asked as he entered the small suburban kitchen.

"Yes?" older woman looked up, eyes full of tears.

"Special Agent Gibbs," he introduced himself, "I need to ask you a few questions…" There was a commotion from the bedroom and Gibbs held up a hand before excusing himself.


"Miss, you can't go in there," a policeman called after her, but she ignored him. She ran into her parent's bedroom. When she caught sight of her father's body she sank to her knees, pretending not to notice the special agents or the elderly ME who had all frozen at the sudden arrival of the young woman.

"Uh… who are you?" Tony asked, breaking the shocked silence. He too had been surprised by the sudden arrival of the fairly attractive young woman. The woman appeared not to have heard him, but instead looked as though she was fighting back tears.

"What the hell's going on in here?" Gibbs asked angrily when he entered the room, seeing the woman and the team frozen. Tony was speechless under Gibbs' icy stare, but was saved by the mystery woman.

"I'm sorry," she said, standing up, holding out a hand, and introducing herself, "Melissa Johnson. That's my…father." Tony felt a twang of sympathy for the woman.

"We're sorry for your loss, Miss Johnson, but if you could please step behind the police ta-" Gibbs began, but the sudden appearance of Mrs. Johnson interrupted him.

"You! You bitch. You killed him," Melissa exploded at her mother, "How could you?" The taller woman quailed under her daughter's accusations. Gibbs intervened quickly, placing himself between the two women.

"Stop," he yelled over the screaming. They froze. "Tony go take Miss Johnson's statement, Mrs. Johnson stay here." Tony gestured for Melissa to follow him out of the room.

"Murder's a pretty big accusation," he asked once they were in the hallway and the door was closed, "What makes you say she did it?" He tried to keep his eyes off of her thin figure, but instead got lost in her bright blue eyes.

"Well Agent…" her discreet way of asking his name caught him off guard. He was falling for her, hard and fast.

"DiNozzo, Tony DiNozzo," God, that sounded so James Bond he thought embarrassed, but his well trained tongue continued without hesitation, "But call me Tony." That was a little better at least. Her eyes were so damn beautiful.

"Right, Tony, my father and I were close, really close, and after I moved out she's been doing everything to make my life miserable," she continued. He shot her a questioning look, trying his best to stay focused, but her hair, it was stunning.

"She wanted me to stay, to live with them and be their ‘caretakers'. She really just wanted a maid. So I moved out, went to Duke, became an architect, but she hated me for it. She cut me of financially, wouldn't let me see Dad, you know how it is," she explained looking sad.

"Yeah," he agreed forcefully, "I do." They already had something in common, inadequate parents, "So you think she did it, just to hurt you?"

"Yeah, that and cause she's a bitch," she replied tersely.

"Right." Hard and fast.

"I'll need your number," he said quickly before amending, "for the investigation, I mean." Wow, he thought, could he have messed that one up anymore? Probably not, but she took pity on him.

"Here," she said, after writing her name and number twice on a slip of paper and ripping it in half, "One for you, one for the investigation." She handed him both the pieces of paper.

"Uh...well...uh," he stuttered. She was so damn hot, and now he had her number. He couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

"Your welcome," she said laughing at him.

Chapter 2


"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah Boss?"

"What'd you get from Melissa Johnson? Other than her phone number?" Tony blushed. They were back in the bullpen, doing background checks on the three people involved in their case.

"Well…uh," he stammered, trying to ignore the looks that his teammates were giving him. Gibbs added his stare and Tony managed to pull himself together.

"She thinks that her mother, Mrs. Johnson, killed the Lieutenant to hurt her. She was, uh, disowned by her mom after she, uh graduated high school," he looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet Gibbs' eyes, lest Gibbs make the connection between Melissa's past and his own.

"Right," Gibbs didn't pry, knowing that Tony's past had been hard, "What about Carrie Johnson?"

"She's got a record of violence, bar fights, etc," Ziva reported in a slightly bored voice, "She seems capable of murder." Gibbs cast her a look, "I mean she is…probably," she tried to amend. McGee saved her by reporting what he'd found.

"Lieutenant John Johnson, honorable discharge a couple years back, completely clean. I mean not so much as a parking ticket. I can't find any reason that someone would want to kill him."

"Keep working." Gibbs left the room, heading for Abby's lab.


Abby's music was louder than usual. Maybe she's finally going deaf, Gibbs thought to himself. He yelled over it to her, asking if she'd turn it down, but she either ignored him, or didn't hear him. He turned it off himself.

"You finally going deaf Abs?" he joked, but the sounds of heavy machinery from outside the window nearly drowned him out. The city was working on the sidewalk there.

"What?" she yelled back.

"Sorry, construction," she signed, while thinking ‘Thank God for ASL.'

"What've you got?" he asked, taking her lead and continuing their conversation in sign language.

"Not much," she signed quickly, "Duck found some prints on the dead guy's neck. I'm running them now."

"Think they're the wives?" he signed.

"Maybe, but it'll go faster if I just have hers to compare them to."

"I'll send someone over for them," Gibbs signed back. He turned to leave, but she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she signed.

"Good work," he answered out loud, handing her the Caff-Pow he had forgotten he was holding.

"Thanks," she told him, before spinning around, back to her computer and continuing to work.


"DiNozzo, David, go get Carrie Johnson's prints for Abby," Gibbs ordered once he was back upstairs. Ziva said nothing as she grabbed her gun and jacket, but Tony had been distracted. He was still sitting at his desk, staring at the number Melissa had given him. He was lost in a daydream about her. He truly felt that he was actually in love with this one.

"Don't make me say it again, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled and Tony looked up surprised. He glanced quickly around the room for hints as to what his boss had asked him to do. He caught sight of Ziva, standing just behind Gibbs, gesturing towards the elevator.

"Right," he said, "Sorry Boss." He jumped to his feet, grabbing his coat and his gun. Gibbs rolled his eyes and shook his head disbelievingly, before turning around and smacking Ziva upside the head.

"Hey!" She said innocently, "What was that for?"

"Helping him," Gibbs replied. Ziva sighed and the moment he was in reach, smacked Tony upside the head.

"Hey," he yelped, then echoing her own question, "What was that for?" Ziva grinned.

"Getting me in trouble," she replied smirking.

Chapter 3


When they arrived, the house was quiet. The door was ajar, and they drew their weapons, senses on high alert. Immediately they flattened themselves against either side of the door. After a nod from Ziva, Tony kicked the door open, and quickly stepped into the house.

"Clear," he called in a low voice, and together they proceeded through the house.

"Oh, God," Tony sighed, when they entered the bedroom. Mrs. Johnson was laying spread eagled on the bed, a knife through her chest.

"Call Gibbs," he told Ziva, "We need the evidence van, and Ducky." She nodded, pulling out her phone and leaving the room.

"He stood there for another moment. She looked just like her daughter. Then he shook himself, slightly disturbed that he was comparing the woman he loved to her dead mother. He sighed and left the room.


Twenty minutes later, Gibbs, McGee, and Ducky arrived at the scene.

"Ziva sketch, McGee shoot, Tony bag ‘n tag," Gibbs ordered needlessly; the team had already begun their work. Ducky leaned over the body carefully.

"What can you tell me Duck?" Gibbs asked the ME.

"Well Jethro, it appears to be suicide, at first glance, but look at the angle of the knife," he pointed before continuing, "In usual suicides, the knife goes in at a downward angle, but this one entered at an upward slant. So whoever killed her was shorter than she was. I'll know more after the autopsy of course."

"Right, thanks Duck," he told his older friend, "Tony, bag ‘n tag the knife and get it to Abby ASAP."



After numerous complaints and after Ducky finally having a word with him, Gibbs relented and gave the team half an hour for lunch. Hearing this, Tony whipped out his cell, and headed for his car. His heart was beating loudly in his chest as he dialed the phone number that was pounded into his head.
Melissa's number: 555-5455

He tried to calm his nerves as it rang, once then twice, and on the third ring, just as he was beginning to wonder if she'd answer, she picked up.

"Hello?" Her voice was so calm, beautiful, and, unsurprisingly, sad.

"Hey, it's um…Tony," he said haltingly. He knew how hard he was falling, when he almost forgot his own name.

"Oh, hey! She said, sounding genuinely pleased to hear from him, "What's up?"

"Well, my boss gave me half an hour for lunch, and you probably don't want to, cause of what happened and all, but I was kind of hoping you'd want to…" God, he was rambling again.

"Lunch with you?" she suggested, thankfully interrupting him.

"Yeah," he said hopefully.

"I'd love to," she said, sounding as though she really meant it.

"Great!" he answered and they chose a restaurant. Score, Tony thought hanging up, here I come.

Chapter 4


Five minutes later they were sitting together at a booth in a pizza parlor. Tony didn't eat much, but instead was watching her. God, he loved a girl who could eat. Those tiny blondes were entertaining, but they never ate anything. He loved the way her shoulder length hair fell into her face as she leaned over to snag another piece. Was she the one? And if she was would he be able to commit to a relationship> Yes, he decided, for her, he could.

Don't kid yourself Tony, he thought to himself, she would never go for you. You're just friends, for now at least. She was chatting away about school and he nodded, not really listening. He glanced at his watch.

"Crap, I have to go," he said, "Sorry." They both stood.


"I'll see you…around?" he hoped he didn't sound as awkward as he felt.

"Definitely," she replied, brushing his lips with her own in a soft kiss, before hurrying out of the restaurant.

"Definitely," he echoed to himself as he stood frozen on the spot.


Ten minutes later Tony was in Abby's lab. Because of his not knowing sign language their conversation was short and loud. A jackhammer was pounding on the cement next to them.

"PRINTS?" He asked yelling. She yelled back.

"PARTIAL!"

"RUNNING?"

"YEAH!"

"HITS?"

"NOT YET!"

"WHAT?"

"NOT Y-" tired of yelling; she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway, where it was much quieter.

"I'm running the prints as fast as I can nothing yet. I'll call you when I get something," she said, before ducking back into the lab as he continued towards the elevator. Before he had gone two steps Abby called after him.

"Tony," she said, "We got a hit. You still dating that Melissa chick?"

Chapter 5


She went to jail. Proving her guilty had been easy after they got her prints of off the knife. They had decided that it would be best if Tony made the arrest, to lull her into a false sense of security before snapping the cuffs on. He did so, without complaint, his eyes cold, hard, and sad. She had tried to resist, telling him that she was innocent, but when it all came down to it, she began to yell.

"You bastard," she cussed, "You f***ing bastard. You're making a huge mistake. I loved you, why'd you have to go ruin it all?" His reply was in a voice that matched his eyes.

"You killed your own parents. I could never date a murderer," well technically this wasn't true, his mind flitted back to Anita, but it had the right affect.

"They didn't love me, they never loved me. They deserved to be murdered. I deserved to kill them," she answered. After admitting this she froze, suddenly realizing what she had said.

"Crap."



But that was a couple of hours ago. Now it was ten, the office was dark, and Tony was still at his desk. He typed away tiredly at his report, occasionally glancing at his watch. Gibbs was gonna kill him if he didn't get this done, but he was so darn tired. He looked up as the elevator dinged. It was Abby. She came bouncing into the bullpen, and sat down on his desk flirtasciously.

"Hey Abs," he said tiredly, leaning back in his chair, "What are you doing here so late?" She moved from the desk to his lap.

"Looking for you," she said grinning, "You need some serious cheering up," after a moment she added, "And possibly a lesson in women, cause you've got some terrible taste."

"I'm not in the mood, Abs, too tired," he complained, but she leaned up against him, pressing a finger to his lips. Her low cut top was, well, hardly unnoticeable from this angle.

"I won't take no for an answer," she told him.

"My report…Gibbs'll kill me…" he protested feebly, but she stood up, pulling him to his feet.

"That's it. We're going." She grabbed his jacket and forced him into it.

"Where?" He asked, not quite resisting her touch.

"Like you always say, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough, go clubbing'!"

Chapter 6


At first he had thought she was just messing with him, acting flirty just to get him back to his usual outgoing, female chasing, self. Now he wasn't so sure, although at this point in their drinking escapade he wasn't so sure about anything. He, at least, was drunk, although he couldn't quite recall Abby actually drinking anything at all.

They were at a club, one that Abby had chosen. He vaguely remembered her dragging him in, sitting him down at the bar, and ordering him a beer, before going off and chatting up a couple of tall thin blondes. After that she had disappeared for a while, and the blondes, probably on Abby's orders had come over to chat. He shrugged off their questions and their attempts at flirtascious conversation. Soon they left, looking disappointed and huffy. Abby appeared suddenly by his side.

"You're not being any fun. They just wanted to flirt with you," she told him, before dragging him out and driving him to another club down the road.

"You're going to have fun at this one," she insisted. They walked inside. This club was a lot more crowded than the first. Abby got him another beer, before dragging him onto the dance floor. It was then that he began to loosen up. They danced, and danced and danced.

It felt so natural, the sparks of electricity that tingled up his spine when they touched. She'd laugh and plant a quick kiss, right on his lips. He didn't even register that it was love, until he kissed back. What made him notice? The beer? The music? Or maybe it was just his imagination, but whatever the reason, he did it, in between songs. He simply scooped her up into his arms, pulling her close against his body, and leaned in. The whole club froze to watch. They began to applaud as he finally pulled away. He looked down at her with a slightly embarrassed grin.

"Told you you'd have fun," she said laughing. They made their way out, through the crowd and somehow only one thought penetrated his dazed mind. In the morning he was gonna have one hell of a hang-over.