His mobile rang again.
He didn`t need to see the caller ID to know who was calling again, and again, and again. The phone stopped ringing for a moment and then started up again.
It was the eleventh time it had started to ring, and without a single
look to any member of his team, all of them unsuccessfully trying desperately not to seem interested, Gibbs flung the damn thing away. The cell phone followed a perfect arch and landed in the waste basket at the side of Tony`s desk with a soundly clunk.
DiNozzo didn’t’ t believe his eyes. Gibbs throwing his mobile away, that was nothing rare, but throwing it in to his waste basket, well, that was something new.
Obviously, it was not surprising to them with his well know Marine Corps skills, that he could make it in to DiNozzo`s unsuspecting waste basket.
DiNozzo dared to risk a quick glance at his boss, receiving a intense glare in return.
¨Any problem if I use your trash can, Agent DiNozzo? ¨ Gibbs barked with a gruff, crisp voice. ¨This is a federal building and no on owns anything here, not even the waste baskets. I can use yours if I want. Got it?”
“ Got it, boss. I was just wondering….” Oh, the simple question gave Gibbs the opportunity he was waiting for to discharge his fury against someone, whoever he, she, or it, was.
“You were wondering what, DiNozzo!? “ Gibbs voice was booming, and the rest of his team raised their eyes up from their paperwork to look at the two men.
Kate frowned and McGee was becoming paler by the second,
his eyes widening. He knew from experience that Gibbs rage, once triggered, didn’t finish with whom it had initially been targeted at. The entire team knew that each member of it was going to suffer the lose ends of his fury. He had a gift with using past scruples to torture his team.
McGee racked his brain, looking for an opportunity to get away and find refuge in Abby´s lab and arms. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Gibbs attention was still focused on DiNozzo, who had enough guts to keep the conversation going.
˜Well, it surprised me boss… why did you do that, anyways. It isn’t
about to convince us that you are a skilled sniper. We know you always
hit the damned can! Also, I know your aiming skills. They saved my life
before, boss”. This statement reached its mark. Somehow, it calmed Gibbs fury, and yet, he kept his gazed locked on to his senior field agent.
“Okay, DiNozzo. I don’t want you losing sleep over wondering about the damn reason. I used your waste basket, not because it is yours, don’t be so obsessed, but because I want to keep that damn phone as far from me as I can. I used your waste basket because it is farther from me than mine is. Did I explain myself clear enough for you?”, he finished in his cold and calm voice. Then, he sat back in his chair and crossed his fingers over his stomach, still starring at DiNozzo, waiting for the acquiescence he wants, and gets.
“Absolutely, boss.” Tony murmured, knowing that Gibbs had not explained anything at all, he was just trying to diverge his attention and knew it would be better for his own health not to ask about his bizarre behavior again. So, DiNozzo followed the example of Kate, who looked concentrated on her work, and Mc Gee, who didn’t even raise his nose from the files he was checking.
There was no active case, and they were working on a cold case that Gibbs gave them a couple of days ago: a three year old unsolved murder that occurred out in Quantico.
Only a few minutes went by in complete silence before Gibbs stood and grabbed his brown coat from the rack, put it on, and grabbed his gun and badge from his drawer. “For a decent coffee” he announced, not looking at them, and striding his way to the exit. Three pairs of eyes followed him to the elevator and all them sighed in relief and relaxed their shoulders when the metallic doors close behind his bulk.
Mc Gee finally got his mouth closed, only to open it again: “Wow! what
was that?”.
“It’s the boss man, McGee. Don’t ask, just get used to it… probie “…
Everyone went back to their paperwork, throwing a joke around ever few
minutes to keep the mood light. About half an hour later, Gibbs still hadn’t
appeared again, and no one was missing his presence.
It was almost noon, and most people had gone for lunch. Six or seven
agents were still on the floor, including Gibbs team. The sky
loomed outside. Snow was inevitable. Everything inside and outside of the
building was silent. Kate yawned as she stretched in her chair. With no way to
go out for lunch, she was thinking of maybe calling for delivery. After
recalling her options, she opted to eat the two cereal bars she was carrying in
her purse and to finish her tea. An early dinner would compensate her, she
thought, while she moved the tea bag up and down in her cup, letting its fragrance invade her nostrils.
Only the murmur from the keyboards filled the air. Even DiNozzo was quiet, which meant one of two things. He was reading emails from his girls or snooping around his dirty web sites. At least those activities, although forbidden, kept him quiet. Kate wanted so badly for Gibbs to suddenly enter the office and see how DiNozzo so productively spends the agencies time.
The “ding” from the elevator made everyone almost jump from their seats, thinking Gibbs could finally be back. Yet, this was not Gibbs.
A tall, perfectly curved silhouette approached them in a hurried motion. She was wrapped in an expensive ivory colour coat, and her purse, Kate noted, would cost at least one month of her own salary. Maybe in her early forties, the lady’s beauty was still and stunning, almost heart stopping. Her green eyes were big and elongated, giving her face a feline appearance, and her mouth, although curved in a nasty grin, was full and sexy.
She stood in front of DiNozzo’s desk, her long, perfect legs briefly parted like she needed to affirm herself on the ground over her tall elegant heels. The NCIS visitors badge was clipped on her coat. Evidently, DiNozzo knew who she was. He kept looking up at her with his most charming smile, one hand under his chin, while biting the nail of his ring finger.
Kate could have sworn his eyes were shinning as they laughed at the situation.
The visitor tousled the long curls of her intense red hair back over
her shoulders with a sharp, impatient motion, and aiming to the empty desk
with her cell phone, asked DiNozzo: ˜Where in the hell is this bastard son
of a bitch…. buried ?”.
Kate and McGee, as well as the other two agents who were in the bullpen and within ear shot were frozen, their mouths dropped in shock. Kate wondered who she was and why DiNozzo’s face was showing this weird half amused half alert look. She knew that there was something he knew that they did not.
“Don’t know, maâm. He is supposed to be out of town. We are running a complicated case and he had to …”
The green eyes darkened dangerously over DiNozzo. “Don’t you even try to kid me, DiNozzo. Remember, I am a well trained attorney. I can see that little green light from here. His screen, it is on, and none of you have the guts to dare use his computer…. besides, his entire team is here. The bastard went for coffee, I bet, I’m sure he is around… well, I’ll just wait here until he decides to show up… He is not going to escape from me this time!
Despite her officious tone, her voice had a lightly slurring quality , this and her furry, not to mention the alcoholic smell assaulting DiNozzo’s nostrils, now that she had gotten close to him, confirmed his suspicion.
DiNozzo guessed she was drunk again, and that she had gotten every anniversary in the rounds of shots. He should have known better, apparent that boss bad mood was a direct reflection of this, ending with Gibbs cell phone in the waste basket.
“Oh, I don’t think he is going to be back any time soon. But you could give me a message and I could…”
The long lashes went down over the feline green eyes a couple of times and
suddenly she laughed, opened her Prada purse, and he long fingers began digging for something inside, emerging in seconds with a pale blue envelope.
“On second though, DiNozzo, I can’t afford myself to spend my time on stupid things. After all, these days I’m to damn busy, with getting ready for my wedding and all. I need the money that your bastard of a boss owes me…. so, tell him…” she started as her tongue got tied, “…tell him that I’ll collect each cent before my wedding. I swear I will!”
DiNozzo opened his mouth to reply, but his answer was cut by a sharp, amazed exclamation coming from the desk across from him. Apparently, It wasn’t until that moment that Kate realized who the pretty, drunk red head was.
The sound from Kate made the red head turn sharply around, facing the
petite brunette, who straightened up in her chair, saying nothing. Their eyes
locked, the green ones slid down Kate’s slender body, at least, the parts visible from behind her desk, with a malicious shine. She forgot about the preceding contest with DiNozzo, who remained still, sitting, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be.
The red head points to Kate with her long index finger, perfectly manicured. “You…” she said “ you must be Jethro’s new acquisition. A bitch coming from the Secret Service….”
Kate jumped slightly because of the adjective used to describe her, but said nothing. Attacking an attorney wouldn’t have been the best for her career, even when the lady in question was drunk and insulted her with no provocation, Kate thought to herself, trying to look unaffected.
The red head laughed again.
“Okay, pretty thing, let me tell you something that will be very useful for you, and your future”..
She paused briefly, seizing her. Kate knew she was profiling her, and enjoying
whatever she was going to say. When she finally spoke, what she said overpasses
every possibility that she could have considered.
" Don´t let the bastard fuck you..."
TBC....
Special special THANKS to Terin, who did a fast and wonderful job betaing this.....
Story Notes:
Well... we are facing the last two days of 2007... these days that people uses to wonder about recent past and future...
Nothing was going to change very soon in their co workers relationship... but an unexpected visitor will change this.....
Author's Chapter Notes:
Every anniversary it has been the same..´till now.
Chapter End Notes:
Well... we are facing the last two days of 2007... these days that people uses to wonder about recent past and future...
Nothing was going to change very soon in their co workers relationship... but an unexpected visitor will change this.....
Nothing was going to change very soon in their co workers relationship... but an unexpected visitor will change this.....