Chapter 6
He was sitting at his desk looking at the 4 x 6 photos in his collection. Frowning, he put them back in the box. They were all wrong. In the past two months he had selected 7 couples and none of them fit his profile. Disgusted with his screening process he stood and walked to the window overlooking his perfectly manicured lawn. Time was ticking away. He had to find another couple soon. Closing his eyes, he brought the images up from his last home visit. Smiling, as he remembered the smell of fear from the husband and wife and the scent of their blood as it drained from their bodies. This next couple wouldn't be as sweet. They weren't as tough as his last one, but they would have to do. That was the reason for his discontent with his current choices. Turning towards the doorway, he went to the kitchen to fix himself a nice sandwich. No bother, he'd just choose another couple.
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Drew was restless. She hated vacations almost as much as she hated being without a partner when Emma had been on medical leave. Shaking her head at the volume of noise coming from the living room of her parent's house, she walked out the back door. The night sky was clear of clouds and full of stars. The moon was half full. She sat on the steps and thought back to the day Emma strutted herself back into the office.
Flashback
"Jordan! What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie shouted at the agent from across the room.
"Getting back to work," was Emma's reply. She raised her eyebrows when another agent took control of her desk chair and pushed her into Charlie's office.
Charlie shut the door and Drew could still hear him. "Four weeks! You've been out four weeks and you come waltzing back in here like you're 100%. What is going on in your head?"
Emma's reply was muffled but Drew read her lips. "I'm going crazy at home. Other than PT I have nothing to do. You won't even let Drew bring me paperwork to look over. If I hadn't come back today, I would have been bonkers by the time I was released. At least here I can do desk work."
"The doctor said twelve weeks, Emma. Twelve, not four. And even then he isn't sure if you'll be back at 100%."
"We'll see in other eight weeks won't we?" Emma said and stood, taking her chair with her back to her desk.
End flashback
Drew smiled at the sky. Just like that, Emma was back. Not in the field, but back. At her desk every day, running down leads for their current cases and going over other agents cold cases finding things they had overlooked or not thought significant. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Dialing the number, she waited as the rings counted off then she left a brief message.
"I'm bored as hell. Family's great but I've been here three days. If you've got something, save me."
Closing her phone she turned to see her father standing behind her. He grinned at her. "I won't say a word to your mother about this." He too had been an agent with the FBI, retired just last year. He knew what it was like. She hugged him and went back inside to gush appropriately over her sister's dessert.
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Emma sat at the desk on the other side of Agent McGee. She had a feeling she was lucky she even had a desk. Listening to her voice mail she quickly dialed a number even as she looked over her plan of what would happen the next day.
"Emma? Tell me you need my help." Drew's voice was hushed and Emma heard her family in the background.
"Glad to hear you're enjoying your vacation. How's the weather there?" Emma asked. She heard the small intake of breath on Drew's end of the line.
"The weather's been fine here. And on your end?"
"Fine here too. The vacation is going great."
"Oh really? That's a shame to hear." Drew said and Emma heard her say, "Be right there Mom!" Emma laughed quietly when Drew whispered, "I'm on the first flight there!"
"See you after the vacation is over." Emma told her and hung up the phone. She turned to put the cell back in her purse and found Gibbs staring at her from his desk. Showing the phone, she told him, "My partner was just checking in."
Not impressed, he asked, "He thinks you're on vacation?"
Emma nodded. "Yes, she does."
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Gibbs walked to the helicopter and nodded to the pilot. Climbing on board he looked back at DiNozzo only to find him grinning like an idiot. Putting his bag down at his feet, he strapped in and motioned that he was good to go.
Author's Chapter Notes:
a glimpse here and there