Chapter Eight
Aza sat on the couch watching her favorite show, The Nanny. Tony found her voice appalling, but she thought it added to the comedy of the show. In this episode, Max was trying to, once again, avoid his feelings for Fran. It was understandable though, Aza thought to herself. The last woman he had loved had passed away, and he was afraid of loving and losing again. Sometimes, she had similar doubts.
Her late husband, Petty Officer John Patton had been her first and only love, and he had betrayed her. Thinking that he was helping their family, he had begun dealing drugs. He was then shot in a bad deal, and left his wife to clean up his mess. She had lost her car, and had almost lost her home, but most of all she had lost her dignity. After the investigation, Aza found that she couldn't look her neighbors in the eyes. Her co-workers at the studio always seemed to be whispering behind her back, and it seemed that fewer customers requested her for their shoots. She even had her brother pretend not to know her, seeing as how NCIS had investigated.
So, could she trust another with her life? Last time it had ended in disaster. But Tim was different than John. Tim would never have anything to do with drugs, and he would never purposefully hurt her. He was a guy worth taking a chance on. Smiling slightly, Aza knew that she would have to put her fears behind, and take a chance on him.
Reaching over beside her, she scratched Cringle's ear, who in turn rolled over on his back for a belly rub. Rolling her eyes, Aza complied with his demands. Cringle was so demanding, who knew if she would have room for another man in her life. She laughed and banished that thought. Cringle's kisses were nowhere near as good as Tim's.
Looking at the clock, Aza's forehead crinkled in worry. It was already eight o'clock at night and neither Tony nor Tim had dropped by to check. She had already eaten supper, showered, and dressed for bed, and she was now waiting in front of the TV. It was probably just an important case. Tony had told her that they often had to work late, sometimes even staying at NCIS overnight.
Picking up the newspaper, she looked at the yellow circled she had drawn on the page. Her heart pounded in excitement. She had been saving for years and she now finally had enough. Looking down again, she saw the corner building on 14th Street. The previous business had been shut down, and the owners were selling at a very low price. She could now open her own studio like she had dreamed since she was sixteen. She had already talked to the real estate agent, and she had a meeting in two days. Unfortunately, she would still have her cast on, so she needed Tony or Tim to ask Ziva, Abby, or Jenny if they could do her make up that day. She had discovered that morning that putting makeup on with one hand turned out to be disastrous.
The doorbell rang and Aza jumped off the couch and ran to the door. Peeping through the peep hole, she saw that Tim was waiting on her doorstep. She opened the door and smiled widely. "You're finally here!" She pulled him in quickly and then looked around. "Where's Tony?"
"Well, he had a date tonight and he didn't know that it was going to be so late when we finally got off tonight, so he went to his date. He told me to tell you he's sorry." Tim explained.
Her smile widened. "You mean we're alone? For the first time since we have begun dating!" She hugged him tightly, and giggled slightly. "Oh God, I feel like a teenager."
Tim returned her hug, and laughed. "So do I. I can't believe Tony trusts me."
"He trusts you more than you think, Tim." She smiled softly, then nudge his arm. "Besides, he knows there are worse guys out there, you know, like him." Both laughed and then settled onto the couch. Aza then picked up the newspaper, and began to fiddle with it. "Tim, what would you think if I wanted to open my own photography studio?"
He smiled at her. "I think it would be great, you have amazing talent."
She smiled back, shyly. "Thanks, and I'm glad you think so, because I'm going to do it."
Tim's eyes widened in shock. "Really? So have you already found a spot?" She nodded enthusiastically, and handed him the paper. "Wow, this is a really great spot! And it's not far from here or NCIS, so it'll be easy if we want to meet up for lunch. I think this is great!"
"And I've been saving for this for years, so I have enough money for the down payment and then some!" She told him excitedly.
He loved the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes when she got so excited. She was truly beautiful. "That's really great!"
"And by the time the paper works finished and the remodeling has been completed, I should be out of this damn cast, so I'll actually be able to take pictures!" Aza laughed.
Tim laughed with her. "I know it's bothering you, but you've to remember that you could have lost use of your arm if not for the surgery and this cast. And don't forget you'll have to do a couple of weeks of physical therapy."
Aza crinkled her nose. "Yeah, I remember, but I just hate the idea!"
"I know, but you have to do it."
She nodded and let out a big sigh. "So, can you talk about what kept you all at work so late or is it a secret?" She asked coyly.
Crinkling his forehead, Tim thought a moment. "Well, I can tell you, but I just can't use names." Aza looked at him to continue. "At the moment, we don't know much about it, but apparently, it applies to a case we did a couple of years back; a case that I missed. Anyways, it seems that a petty officer has been smuggling drugs and selling them, and now that the deal's gone sour, he wants our protection so he doesn't end up like the last guy. Seems that they were working together a couple of years ago, but when his partner was shot, he played ignorant, and got away. And then when the buzz died down, he continued the business. Now, he's trying to say that if he didn't they were going to kill him, but we're going to re-open the case from two years ago, just to see how truthful he is." While he had been explaining, Aza face had paled considerably. "Aza? Are you ok?"
Her eyes began to fill with tears and her lip began to tremble. "No." She replied and began to cry. Tim looked to her in shock and gathered her in his arms. "Oh, Tim! I know that case! The man who was killed two years ago for the bad drug deal was my husband!" Tim looked down at Aza in shock, but continued to comfort her. Of all the things she could have said, that was not what he had expected.
Back at NCIS, Tony was facing off with Gibbs and Director Sheppard. "No, I will not allow you to question her!" He yelled. "She's been through so much already, and now you want to dig up the past. It took her so long to get over it the first time! And this was mainly because I was forced to sit back while you accused her of being in on it!"
"Special Agent DiNozzo! You will not undermine my authority or that of your team leader. If we need to talk to your sister to solve this case, then we will." The Director told him.
"You can't do this to her again." Tony said quietly. "With the first investigation, she lost everything! Her friends, her job, her reputation, and her dignity! It took her forever to build that back up! If another investigation is launched, she'll have to go through all that again. My sister is smart, yes, but to those she loves, she's blindsided. Even if he was doing things right under her nose, she would have never noticed because she loved him. It wasn't until after the investigation that she realized what he had done to her. Hell, he was putting the drug money in an account in her name and she didn't even know! She moved in with me when she was thirteen, but it took her until she was twenty to realize that our father didn't even give a shit about her. She's way to trusting of those she loves! She didn't know anything about the case, and she still doesn't. Don't do this to her."
"Look, DiNozzo, we have to question her. I know we didn't get anything from her the first time, but there's a possibility that she may be able to remember something, now that she's no longer upset over his death. You know, just as well as I do that people sometimes withhold information when they mourning the death of a loved one. In their mind, it's a way of respecting the dead." Gibbs told his senior agent. "This is out of your control, and if you cannot step aside and let us do all in our power to solve the case, then I will take you off the case."
Tony's eyes widened for a moment, and then he looked down in defeat. "Alright, Boss. You can question her, just don't take her into interrogation, and let me tell her what's going on."
"I don't think you have to, DiNozzo." He replied and pointed to the elevator.
Aza was standing next to Tim, obvious tears in her eyes. "I'll try to answer your questions, Special Agent Gibbs. And if you must, you can search my home again." She looked up. "But I will tell you one thing; Lt. Commander Michael Long is not as innocent as he likes to act. I know for a fact that he's the one who recruited John, and although we were both married, he tried to get me to sleep with him on several occasions. I also caught him putting something in my drink one night, and when I confronted John, he brushed it off, which would indicate that he was already controlling him by then."
Tony rushed to his sister's side. "You never told me these things."
She smiled sadly. "Remember Tony, I loved my husband at one point and I didn't want you kicking his ass. Besides, John convinced me that I must have been mistaken, so I just kept it to myself against my better judgment." She then looked back at Gibbs. "Also, Long is not just a dealer, he's a user. He came to my house one day after John had passed and he was obviously messed up on something. He tried to enter the house, and I hit him with a baseball bat."
Everyone's eyebrows rose at this. Then Gibbs looked at Aza with contemplation. "Aza, have you ever thought of going undercover?"
A/N: HAHAHA! CIFFY! :P I'm sorry but I had to do it :P I hope you enjoy! Please Review!
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