Chapter twenty-four
Abby closed her drawer, locking the tiny coffin away, out of reach of prying eyes. She glanced at her watch, 11.15. Yeah, she could get away for an early lunch. She picked up her cell and sent a text, inviting Tony for lunch at a Thai restaurant they both liked. On her way out, she went by the bull pen, whispered something in McGee’s ear and got a crooked smile in return.
Tony had already ordered starters when she arrived. A plate of spring rolls sat on the table, and he was munching happily away.
“Sorry, Abs,” he said between mouthfuls, “Didn’t have the stomach for breakfast this morning, too starved to be polite,” he explained sheepishly.
“Never mind that, so, come on! Was she mean to you? Do you think Shepard had supplied her with any info? Oh, I’ve gotta tell ya what the Director did…”
Tony put a spring roll in her mouth, attempting to stop the flow of words spilling out of Abby.
“If you give me a minute I’ll tell you all about it. But, you’ve gotta give me a chance, Abby,” he smiled.
A waiter came by and took their orders. He got Abby her soda and left them in peace.
Abby dipped her spring roll in some chili sauce and waited for Tony to begin.
“I can’t be sure, but I think I did OK. I don’t think she knew the contents of the file, at least not all of it.”
“Listen, Abby, I need to thank you for doing this for me.” He leaned over for a kiss, and squeezed her hand gently.
He looked around, scanning his surroundings. The restaurant had barely opened and was nearly empty. They had a table by the window and he could see anyone coming or going. He slid over to the other side of the table, where he was sitting next to Abby.
“Abby, I want to tell you what was in the files, but you’ve gotta promise me you won’t do anything stupid, ok? And you can’t tell anyone else, not even McGee or Ziva. I wanna do that myself, ok?”
“Pinky swear?”
He held out his pinky, entwining it with Abby’s as she offered hers.
“My father gave Shepard information,” he began, “about something that happened to me a long time ago.” He took Abby’s hand, seeking comfort as he told the story of his father’s betrayal. Abby held him tight as he talked quietly about the shock he felt when he saw the images of that fateful night all those years ago and learning the role his father had played in giving Shepard the ammo she needed.
Afterwards she just sat silent, as he wiped the tears off her cheeks and murmured soothingly into her ear. She straightened up as their entrée was brought to the table. Tony just smiled at their waiter, letting him know everything was okay when he cast a worried glance in Abby’s direction.
“I’m gonna have to open the coffin again,” she sniffled, “put a couple more pins through her.”
“Huhn?” Even for Abby this was weird.
She looked at him defiantly, chin held high.
“I made a voodoo doll…and…and a coffin,” she admitted. “Which, by the way, is part of my big news today. My beautiful butterfly came through. That witch tried to pressure your psych-lady into fabricating a diagnosis. And yours truly have it on tape. Strike one! You passed, by the way, with flying colors.”
“I’m not just a pretty face, ya know,” he grinned, touching the side of his nose. “I kept my cool. Besides, remember Magnum, in that episode with the stolen paintings and the hot blonde? He was…umpf.”
This time it was Abby’s turn to stuff a shrimp in his mouth.
“Don’t!” she warned.
“Fine…,” he pouted. “Eat up. We need to get back soon. She’s probably pissed as hell.”
******
Jenny Shepard paced her study. She’d left her office early, unable to concentrate on her job. After heading for her home, she took a detour west, deciding to seek out Dr Lynley to try and persuade her to do as she wished, what was needed. “Damn her for growing a conscience,” she hissed, turning right as she trawled her way through traffic.
Parking her car outside Lynley’s office, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could use as leverage against her. The bloody head doctor had always stayed on the right side of the law. In her personal life on the other hand. She paused. There was that convention in Jersey Lynley’s husband didn’t know the full story about.
Shepard entered the lobby and took the elevator up to the third floor. Dr Lynley was a part of a larger practice, which shared office space and staff. The receptionist was a young woman, blond and tall. She had that chilly professional air about her that told Shepard she might be a challenge. Who cared of she didn’t have an appointment, this was a bloody emergency.
“I need to see Dr Lynley immediately. Please tell her Jenny Shepard is here to see her.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Ms Shepard.”
“Maybe you should let Dr Lynley be the judge of that. Please phone through, I’m sure she’ll see me.”
“Ms Shepard…”
“Just do as your told, Ms…” she glanced at her name tag, “Halversen, you’re wasting my time.” Shepard glared at her, as a mounting fury brewing inside her threatened to bubble over.
“Ms Shepard, if you’d just take a minute and listen to what I have to say, please.” The receptionist paused and looked at her, clearly exasperated.
“Dr Lynley is not in. It will not be possible to reach her for a couple of weeks, I’m afraid.”
“Where did she go? You can’t expect me to believe she’s just left like that. What about her patients?”
“Are you a patient of Dr Lynley?”
“Do I look like I need a head exam?!”
The receptionist lowered her head, but not before Shepard had a glimpse of a smile lurking around her lips.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
“It’s imperative I speak to Dr Lynley. Do you have a number where I can reach her?”
“I’m not at liberty to give out that information, I’m afraid,” the receptionist apologized, not looking in the least sorry. “If you’d like, I can give you an appointment with Dr Samuels, he’s covering for Dr Lynley while she’s away.”
“I’m a close, personal friend, Ms Halverson. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me knowing her whereabouts.”
“In that case, Ma’am, I’m certain she’ll contact you herself.” With that she turned away, picked up her phone and made a brief call.
A couple of moments later a security guard approached the reception, clearly assessing the situation as he came closer.
“Fine,” Shepard, exclaimed, swearing under her breath. “I’ll leave, but I assure you, Dr Lynley will not be pleased when she hears about this.”
“Have a nice day, Ma’am,” Ms Halverson smiled as she glanced down at her notepad. One name was written there. Jenny Shepard. The one person she under no circumstances should reveal her current location to. The receptionist smirked. She had no trouble understanding that order…
******
Tony planned to leave early. He was tired and wanted to get home to Gibbs. They’d not spoken all day, Tony fearing it would prove too much of a distraction on his first day back. Being away from Gibbs was hard enough. He hadn’t realized how used he had gotten to having him around, being able to steal a kiss whenever he’d like to. Tony shrugged; it wasn’t like he could do that anyway, no matter who he dated.
A faint ping on his email signaled incoming mail and he decided to check it before going home. He cursed silently when he saw who it was from. Not that it was unexpected. He still didn’t know why Shepard hadn’t called him to her office as soon as he was back from his appointment. The message was brief. He was to report at her office at 0800 tomorrow morning.
“Right. Fine,” he muttered.
Suddenly he smiled. He was ready, he was really ready to take her on. Tony straightened up, powered down his computer and scooped up his backpack. McGee was nowhere to be seen, and Ziva was busy cataloging evidence while Abby ran an errand. He slipped out quietly, making it down to his car without having to talk to anyone. He didn’t want to be held up, all he wanted to do was to get home, be close. Just a brief stop to get something for tonight.
An hour later he pulled up in front of the house, parking his car behind Gibbs’. He grabbed his bag and was walking towards the house when suddenly he realized something was off. The front door was open and he could hear shouting inside. “Shepard…shit, shit, shit!” he muttered, running through the open door.
They were in the living room, Shepard circling Gibbs like a predator stalking her prey. He looked perfectly calm, but Tony knew that was just on the outside. A small flexing muscle at his jaw revealed he was trying really hard to keep himself in check.
“You know, Jethro, I usually trust your judgment when it comes to who you want on our team.”
“That why you hired Ziva without letting me know?” Gibbs replied dryly.
“Yeah, well, in retrospect that might have been a mistake,” she retorted. “Although I should have known you’d turn her into one of your little minions.”
“Ah, there you are. Congratulations, DiNozzo, I hear you won an Oscar today, best supporting actor.”
“What, just supporting actor?” Tony quipped. He couldn’t resist, although he knew very well she was goading him.
“Yeah, that’s all you are, Tony, Gibbs’ subordinate. His loyal little lap dog, wagging your tail every time he pets you.”
“Interesting analogy,” he muttered.
“What, you have something to say? I must admit, I’m nearly impressed with your performance today, DiNozzo, but then again, you’ve had plenty of practice, haven’t you.”
“Doing what, he asked, fooling psychologists?”
“No, deception.” She stood before him, now, walking around him, studying him intently, like a buyer assessing a horse.
“I’m used to working undercover, yes. Did that quite a few times back in Baltimore. Not so much in Peoria, that was more of a straight forward police…”
“Shut up,” she shouted.
Gibbs moved to get up, but Tony halted his movement with a mere look. This was his battle to fight, too.
He kept silent, waiting for her next move. Gibbs remained seated, but Tony knew he wouldn’t be able to keep quiet much longer.
Shepard’s face was flushed, her eyes shiny and large. She looked almost ill, he realized. She opened her bag and fished out a large white envelope, 12 by 9 inches.
“You know what this is, Gibbs? This is the truth about your golden boy there. You second in command? He’s been lying to you all these years. In fact, he’s lied to everyone he’s ever known.” A smile spread slowly across her face
“But there’s another side of you Gibbs doesn’t know about, isn’t there. That’s not all you want from him, is it. Don’t you understand, Jethro? He’s using you.” A quiet vehemence had crept into her voice. If looks could kill, Tony would be nothing more than a pile of ashes on Gibbs’ hard wood floors.
“For Christ’s sake, Jen, you got something to say? Then say it and get the hell out.” Gibbs exploded, unable to contain his rage any longer.
“You don’t just come into my house and harass a member of my team, a friend…”
“Friend? He’s your friend?”
“You value friendship, don’t you, Jethro? We were friends once, you valued my opinion as much as you value his now.”
“Are you jealous, Jenny?” Gibbs couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Something defiant appeared in her eyes, but was shut away.
“Of you?” She smiled. One of those icy smiles that could send shivers down Tony’s spine.
“A stubborn middle-aged man, who either buries himself in work or spends his free time in a filthy basement, working on yet another boat, reminiscing yet another failed marriage.”
“I’m not jealous of you, Jethro, I pity you,” she spat out.
“But my concern now isn’t you, it’s Tony. He’s too attached to you to do an acceptable job. A man who does anything to please his boss is no longer a reliable agent.”
“Are you accusing me of cutting corners, fabricating evidence, just to please my boss?” Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was too insane, even for a woman clearly headed for the coo-coo house.
“Maybe he would notice you, maybe he could appreciate you, maybe he could even love you, isn’t that what you hoped for, DiNozzo? Someone to love?”
He willed himself not to wince. She cut too close to the truth. Shepard studied him intently, like she’d noticed something, a subtle change he hadn’t been able to sensor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gibbs shifting, readying himself for what was about to come.
“You like older men, don’t you, Tony.” She was circling him again, high heels clicking against the hard wood floor every time she walked off the carpet by the door. “I’ve always thought your oh-so obvious admiration for Gibbs was a result of your own dear daddy ignoring you.”
“What, no answer? Not normally the quiet type, are ya, DiNozzo.” She smiled again, reminding him of a female Jack Nicholson in The Shining, right before he started typing ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ Well, there was certainly nothing dull about Shepard tonight.
He kept quiet, just held her gaze as she paced the living room, turning her attention to the envelope in her hand once more.
“You trust Tony, don’t you, Jethro.”
“Implicitly,” he replied calmly.
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but he’s been lying to you all these years. He’s not who you think, what you think.”
“So you keep saying, Jenny. Wanna elaborate?”
“Elaborate? She pulled out a stack of pictures and threw them in Gibbs’ lap. “That elaboration enough for you?” she smirked.
“This is your big reveal? DiNozzo crying in a locker room?” Gibbs threw the pictures on the floor and got up.
“Look at them!” she yelled. “He’s having sex with a man, an older man and a young guy in the showers.”
“I never had sex with Coach,” Tony said quietly. “And anyway, why’s this even relevant now? We’re a civilian agency, not military.”
“I’m not talking about your sexuality per se,” Shepard retorted. “I’m talking about the deceit, the lies, that way you’ve played us all, not in the least Gibbs.”
“Enough.” Gibbs stood in front of Shepard, rage radiating from him like heat waves. He took her by the arm and dragged her to the front door before pushing her outside. She stumbled and twisted her foot as her high-healed shoes slipped on the porch.
“We’re not done,” he promised, slamming the door shut in her face. From inside his hall he could see her limping towards her car, speeding off as she got in.
“Tony, please,” Gibbs groaned as he slumped against the door. His leg was in agony from dragging Shepard out of his house. He shouldn’t have put so much weight on his injured leg, but in the heat of the moment he didn’t care.
Tony was by his side, supporting him back into the living room and helping him onto the couch.
“Holy shit,” he muttered
“Ya think, DiNozzo?!”
“Abby left just before she arrived,“ he sighed. “Lucky break. I think she would have gone for the jugular had she been here.”
“This was Abby’s errand? What was she doing here?”
“She dropped off some flowers and a cuddly bear for you. They’re over on the bookshelf there, where she put them.”
Tony went over and looked more closely at the toy. Then he snorted. “That’s not a cuddly bear, that’s a nanny cam!” He roared with laughter, leaving Gibbs looking more and more puzzled.
“What? C’mon, Tony, what’s so funny?” He walked up to him, looking more closely at the little toy.
“I can’t be sure, but she either rigged this in case Shepard came by, or she was hoping to catch us in flagrante delicto.”
“Which is it, Abs,” he grinned, looking into the camera before kissing Gibbs passionately. He winked at the nanny cam again, and went into the kitchen. They both needed to a beer to cool off, and something to eat. Tony rummaged through the freezer and pulled out some leftover stew. He left it on the counter to defrost a bit. They would heat it up later when they were ready. Opening the bottles, he sat back down on the couch, taking a long swig.
“You know what this means, don’t you? We have the Wicked Witch if the West on tape,
threatening me. Strike two!”
Suddenly drained, he lay down on the couch with Gibbs resting his head on Tony’s chest. The gentle ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner calmed them both down, slowly easing the tension away.
An hour later the doorbell rang and a sheepish looking Abby stood on Gibbs’ porch, clutching what seemed to be a movie. Tony invited her in, asking if she wanted something to drink. The French doors were opened up into the garden, letting in a cool breeze. Abby looked at them questioningly.
“Foul air,” Gibbs explained.
“Ah, yes,” she replied, handing Gibbs a DVD, blushing lightly before she tried to explain.
“You know, she was sounding so desperate when she realized the psychologist wouldn’t help her, that I was afraid she would come here, do something stupid. And if she did, well, then we should be prepared.”
“And you know, she grinned mischievously, if I happened to get some of the good stuff on tape? Well, what’s a girl to do?” she giggled.
“That kiss was soo hot, by the way.”
Gibbs didn’t know whether to slap her over the head or give her a kiss. He settled for a hug, holding her close.
“There’s enough food for all of us,” he said, “Tony’s heating up some of that stew I made the other night.”
They moved to go into the dining room when Gibbs suddenly stopped, looking at her quizzically.
“Now, Abigail. I’m not gonna find any teddy bears in our bedroom, am I?”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Jenny goes head to head with Tony and Gibbs.
Chapter End Notes:
Almost done now, will return the boys unscathed :)
Thank you all for reading :)
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Thank you all for reading :)
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