Gibbs sat in his basement staring at the remaining part of his boat. He would have her finished soon and he didn’t know what he should do then. He had always thought that once he had finished her, he would quit and sail her. However he was still missing something, he still had something left to do here and quitting wasn’t an option before he had finished his business. Though he doubted that he would sail her if he finished his business sucessfully, at least not alone.
He heard the door upstairs close and footsteps through the hall and then the door to the basement opened. He watched the Italian leather shoes, then the expensive pair of suit pants, the matching jacket and dress shirt, and then finally the head of his second in command appearing on the stairs. Tony finished his way down and stepped off the stairs, and there he stopped.
„You wanted to talk to me?“ Tony asked, looking anxious despite his smile.
„Yeah, I did, I do...actually, I’m not allowed to talk about this but I won’t risk losing you by leaving you out of the loop again, not because of this,“ Gibbs said and took a sip of bourbon. Then he held out the bottle to Tony. The younger man frowned, took the bottle and took the empty mug Gibbs had placed on the work bench.
„So, you really did learn something, didn’t you?“ Tony’s light tone didn’t betray the fact that he was indeed glad that Gibbs had realized how close he came to losing Tony that time.
„I might be stubborn but I’m not stupid,“ Gibbs replied.
„So, what’s the super secret...em...thing, this time?“ Tony smirked as he took a sip but grimaced immidiately.
„Fornell wants to set up a trap for the Dark Avenger. No one’s in on it but him, me and our directors. Well, and the agents that built the case, but they’re liason agents from LA.“
„Does Fornell suspect that the Dark Avenger could be an Agent?“ Tony asked with a slight frown.
„At least he suspects that he has some intel. He knows too much about current cases,“ Gibbs answered. Suddenly he was happy that he took Tony in. This way he had someone to bounce ideas back and forth with, someone that wasn’t Fornell.
„What did the Avenger do to piss Fornell off that much anyway? They barely had any interest in him just a few days ago and suddenly he’s on the Most Wanted list. I don’t like the guy, but I think it’s overkill, excuse the pun.“ Tony raised an eyebrow at him.
„Have you heard about the note he left the FBI?“ Gibbs tried to swallow his grin.
„You mean that ridiculous poem-like thing?“
„Well, what the news didn’t say was that he addressed Fornell directly. He said that without Fornell, he would have solved the case two weeks earlier.“ His grin broke free and Tony chuckled slightly.
„Well, that explains the sudden interest. So, what’s the trap?“
Gibbs found himself retelling the plan in every detail and in the end Tony shook his head slightly. „I’m not sure that’s gonna work.“
„Why shouldn’t it?“ Gibbs questioned.
„Well, the Avenger usually doesn’t take action until it’s clear that the case won’t be solved or if someone’s in immediate danger. So, either they put up traces he can follow which we, coincidently don’t find, which is going to be difficult if McGee, Ziva and Abby aren’t in on it, or they put two agents undercover. And as much as I love undercover work, I wouldn’t want to be the bait for that guy.“ Tony stood up and paced the basement. „And how are you going to explain to Ducky that he won’t be doing the autopsy for the body? Or if do you take Ducky in, how do you explain to McGee and Ziva that we’re not working the scene? And don’t you think it’s a little obvious if a whole team from LA comes over here? I think the plan has too many flaws. The guy seems to be a pro.“
Gibbs nodded. Tony had a good point. Faking an investigation without the team knowing and at the same time letting the Avenger find the clues would be more than difficult. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
„I’m not convinced either, but it’s a direct order and you know how I feel about them,“ Gibbs said through another sigh. Tony nodded knowingly.
„Well, thanks for taking me in anyway, boss. I don’t think I would have stayed if you betrayed my trust like that again.“
„Yeah, Tony, I know. Trust works two ways.“
Tony nodded and put down the mug. „Well, thanks for the â€" drink“ he said with a grin and then walked to the stairs. Gibbs looked after him, biting his lips to stop himself from saying anything he’d regret.
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