Fic: Married (4/5)
Jun. 26th, 2011 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sinderella81Author: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cinderella81 and sarkywoman
Title: Married
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Gibbs/DiNozzo
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: We don't own NCIS or anything related to the show ... damn it! *wink*
Summary: A extra night in Vegas and a lot of drinks lead to an interesting development in the relationship of Gibbs and DiNozzo ... Can they make it work? Or will it all fall apart?
Kate and McGee were already there, as Gibbs had suspected, and they had decided to begin working the scene. Gibbs wasn't sure whether he was impressed by their prerogative or angry at their audacity. He settled for not yelling at them, just grunting and saying they should have waited. Kate smiled. "See McGee? I told you he wouldn't kill us. He's in a good mood, like I thought he would be, though I'm sure I don't know why."
Tony sent a wink over to Kate as he began dusting the room for prints.
“Kate? Go get the witness statements,” Gibbs said.
Kate shrugged and headed out to the front yard where there were a couple of people milling around, and began to get statements.
Gibbs wandered around the room, examining the body and the positioning of all the objects. There was a bullet hole in the petty officer's head and when Gibbs put the gloves on to take a look, he could see it had gone through into the mattress. He was shot in that position. "Hmm." After that he was mainly supervising Tony and McGee and trying desperately not to be distracted by DiNozzo waggling his ass suggestively when he was on his hands and knees and McGee was turned away.
“All right, Boss,” McGee said. “I’m going to take the petty officer’s laptop back and see what I can pull off it.”
“Take Tony with you,” Gibbs said.
Tony stood and looked at his boss/husband. “What?”
“You heard me,” Gibbs said, trying to maintain professionalism on the job. “Go start looking into the petty officer’s background, see what pops up.”
“But … “ Tony pouted.
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. “It’s not like I’m not going to see you … Kate and I will follow after Ducky and Palmer get the body.”
"Hmph," Tony pouted. "Fine. Come on, Tim." He grabbed the arm that McGee wasn't using to carry the laptop, then dragged him from the room, carrying the evidence that they had gathered in the other.
“At least you don’t have to sit in back with the equipment, Probie,” Tony said with a grin as he slid behind the wheel. “Now let’s get back and start working.
“In a productive mood today?” McGee asked.
“Sure,” Tony replied. No, he just knew that if he wanted to enjoy any alone time with his husband, they needed to solve the damn case. Sex was a wonderful motivator.
They drove in silence for a little while, then McGee cleared his throat. "So... are you Tony Gibbs now?"
Tony wrinkled his nose. "Nah. We're not switching names. I don't suit his and he doesn't suit mine."
"I..." McGee took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't ask you now. Does he treat you fairly?"
“Fairly?” Tony asked, keeping his eyes on the road. “Well, I did dust the whole house today for prints, so … “
McGee nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured.
Tony couldn't quite stop himself glancing at McGee a bit more before dragging his eyes back to the road. "You don't seem convinced."
"Well, I don't mean professionally," McGee said awkwardly. "I'm not Kate, I don't care whether Gibbs has favorites. I do my job as best as I can. Sometimes I'm rewarded, sometimes I'm not. That's life. I was just a bit worried that... well... you said you were drunk and I don't like to think of Gibbs taking advantage of you."
Tony smiled a bit. So, the Probie was looking out for him … it was kind of sweet. “Yeah, McGee, he treats me good,” he said. “I mean granted, we’ve only been married less than three days, but … it’s been great so far.”
McGee smiled tightly and nodded. "Good. As long as he's been nicer to you than usual. I mean, he's tough on us at work but that's to be expected. I'd want him to be gentler with his wife."
Tony almost slammed on the brakes, but managed to keep his composure as he drove. "Why does everyone automatically assume I'm the wife?!"
McGee coughed a bit and blushed. “Well … Gibbs just seems … more the type … I mean, more the husband type,” he said.
“More dominating, you mean,” Tony muttered under his breath. How did so many people see through his façade?
"Um...well...you are very eager to please him."
Tony huffed. "Why don't you just come right out with it and say 'slut'?"
McGee managed to choke, despite not eating anything. Eventually the red glow of his face faded a little and he shook his head. "Tony, I really didn't mean it like that."
“Sure seems like it, Probie,” Tony replied.
“Sorry, Tony,” McGee said. “I … I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just mean … “
“Mean what?” Tony asked.
“I knew you had feelings for Gibbs for a while,” McGee said. “It … it showed, Tony.”
"So what's your point, McGee?" Tony demanded.
"I never knew if Gibbs returned those feelings."
"Think it's pretty obvious from the ring on my finger," Tony said, waving said ring at McGee before gripping the steering wheel again. "To quote some ancient words of wisdom, 'If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it'. I have a ring, ergo, Gibbs likes it. Me."
“Right,” McGee said. “Sorry.” He looked down at his hands.
Tony sighed. “Sorry, Probie,” he said. “I just … I’m still getting used to it, you know? And everyone keeps thinking of me as the damn wife … “
"Well... he is still the boss, I guess," McGee said reasonably. "And it's kind of hard to imagine you, uh... you know. Being his boss...elsewhere."
Tony smirked. "But you can imagine him being my boss *elsewhere*, Probie? Do I want to know what little fantasy scenarios your filthy mind has been concocting?"
McGee blushed bright red. “N-n-no! Of course not!” he said.
Tony just laughed and nodded. “Sure, Probie,” he said as he pulled into the parking lot of NCIS.
"Believe me, Tony, I have *no* interest in hearing what you and Gibbs get up to when you're alone."
Tony widened his eyes. "Really? Well it's a good job you told me 'cause I was just about to waste a good five minutes telling you why we were late to the scene."
“That’s not necessary,” McGee said. “Really.” The second the car came to a stop, he climbed out and grabbed the laptop, hurrying into headquarters.
Tony just laughed and slid out of the truck. He grabbed the rest of the evidence and followed McGee at a more sedate pace, giving the Probie enough time to make a clean getaway.
"I do apologize," Ducky said as he entered the room, "Mr. Palmer had us lost again."
"That's okay Ducky," Kate said with a smile, "Gibbs and Tony managed to get delayed as well."
"Oh really?" Ducky asked, a twinkle in his eye as he grinned at Gibbs.
Gibbs just sighed and pointed to the body. “Care to make a guess on how the petty officer died?” he said, ignoring the comments.
Ducky just chuckled and motioned for Palmer to follow him over to the body.
"Well he wasn't shot," Jimmy said as he stood beside Doctor Mallard to observe with him.
Ducky seemed surprised, then slowly a smile appeared. "Well *done*, Mr Palmer. There may be hope for you yet."
"Wait, not shot?" Kate asked, "There's a bullet in his head!"
"Not sufficient blood loss and there are odd lacerations along the path of the projectile..." Ducky mused, touching the corpse's skull lightly with his plastic glove. "The man was killed, possibly by the making of this hole in his skull, then the bullet was pushed in. Of course we'll have to get him back before we can know cause of death for sure."
Gibbs sighed. This case had taken a strange turn, and Gibbs knew it would be a long few days working to solve it. This, of course, meant that any newlywed activities would have to wait. “Go ahead and load him up, Ducky,” he said. “We’re all done here anyway.”
In no time at all, Kate and Gibbs were climbing into his car, with Agent Todd giving him the run-down of what the locals had to say. The maid had found the petty officer and the poor woman seemed pretty shaken up. Nobody seemed to have heard or seen anything suspicious though. Eventually, Kate ran out of case-related talk and broached the subject he'd been dreading. "So. Expected you and Tony to get there first."
Gibbs grunted.
“But you didn’t,” Kate continued. “Yet you left before us … at breakneck speed, might I add.”
"Got lost," Gibbs said, knowing it was not a convincing lie but hoping Kate would see it was a subtle plea to change the subject.
"Oh please. You don't get lost and Tony rarely does. Just admit it. You both went off to a secret tryst, despite being on the clock. I can't believe you would do such an irresponsible, unprofessional thing."
“Agent Todd,” Gibbs said. “I am not having this discussion with you. It’s really not any of your business.”
“It’s my business when it starts impeding on your and Tony’s ability to work,” Kate said.
“Dammit Kate,” Gibbs said. “Drop it. Whatever did or did not happen is in the past.”
"By about an *hour*," Kate replied. "It's not like it's ancient history. Are you like this with all your wives? Or is Tony just a bad influence?"
He wanted to say 'yes, it's Tony, I don't know how it happened but suddenly we were coming'. But it wouldn't be fair to blame his lack of control on DiNozzo and it would hardly make Kate respect his leadership more.
“Kate,” Gibbs said. “I am asking you to leave this alone.”
Kate frowned at Gibbs. “Is this going to happen a lot? I mean, should McGee and I be prepared to start processing the scene without you and Tony? It would be nice to be prepared … “
Growling, Gibbs swung the car over to the side of the street and stopped suddenly. Kate looked scared and Gibbs felt ashamed that his mismanagement of the situation had led to having to handle it this way. "I have loved Tony for years. He has just admitted to feeling the same way about me. After a rushed and cheap wedding service, we are back at work. Do you really begrudge us half an hour's alone time here and there?"
Kate was quiet for a few minutes, processing the information. “You really love him?” she said.
“Yes, Kate,” Gibbs said. “I really do … have for years.”
“Okay,” Kate said. “Don’t lead him on or treat him like shit or I will shoot you.”
"You really don't think much of me, do you?" Gibbs asked. He was shocked - he had thought Kate respected him more than this.
"There's nobody I would rather have watching my back," Kate said sincerely. "You're an amazing agent, a talented boss and a good man. But with three marriages under your belt, you're hardly the ideal Romeo."
“Those marriages were horrible failures, I admit that,” Gibbs said. “But I would rather kill myself than hurt Tony.”
Kate laughed bitterly. "Oh, and you went into your previous marriages with the intention of hurting your significant others? Gibbs, I'm worried! Me and McGee were talking and while we want to be happy for you, the fact is that we don't think you realize just how much Tony adores you! If you step out of line you will break his heart in a way I don't know he's ever experienced."
“I have no intention of hurting Tony, Kate,” Gibbs said seriously. “Those previous three marriages? They were me trying to replace something … someone. Tony … he’s not a replacement for anyone … he’s … special. He’s … he’s what I’ve been waiting for.” This was the most he’d ever said to Kate, and the only time he’d ever opened up.
Kate bit her lip lightly. "Okay, fine. We should head back."
Gibbs nodded and started the car moving again. "And for what it's worth, the romantic interlude that made me and DiNozzo late will *not* be happening again in work hours."
“Good to know,” Kate said quietly.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence and Gibbs couldn’t have been more relieved when they reached headquarters.
"Hey boss," Tony called cheerily as his husband walked in. He had spent the past half-hour teasing McGee with intimate details regarding his relationship with Gibbs. Okay, so most of them were made up. Probie wasn't to know that.
Gibbs saw the look of relief that crossed McGee’s face and looked over at Tony. “Stop teasing McGee,” he said as he sat down at his computer.
Tony pouted for a minute, but nodded and buried his nose in paperwork. “Got it, Boss,” he said.
Kate sat down as well and looked between Tony and Gibbs, finally sighing and getting to work.
"The guy's got a squeaky clean background," Tony said, picking up a file and wandering over to Gibbs' desk with it. "From all the official records it's hard to find anyone with a grudge against him."
"All his neighbors were upset," Kate said, "he seemed really popular in the area."
"Really popular with his co-workers too," Tony said. "He was about to get a promotion and it was widely claimed to be well-deserved."
“Start looking into his coworkers,” Gibbs said. “Check and see if there was anyone who thought he didn’t deserve the promotion.”
“On it, Boss,” Tony said.
“McGee, what did you get off that laptop?” Gibbs asked.
“Nothing much, although there were a few threatening emails,” McGee said. At Gibb’s glare, he continued, “I’m working on tracking the IP addresses to get a viable address.”
"Like I said boss, I don't think I'm going to find much disharmony amongst his navy buddies," Tony said as he sat down at his desk to pull up some details on them. "Everyone seemed convinced he deserved it. Apparently he'd turned it down a few times to stay working with his buddies."
"Uh...maybe not just his buddies," McGee said, before Gibbs could speak. "Tony, is there a petty officer Benjamin Abbot amongst his group?"
Tony skimmed through the list of coworker and nodded. “Abbot, yeah,” he said. “Why, you got something?”
“Benjamin Abbot has sent our petty officer at least 10 threatening emails in the past three weeks,” McGee said.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Tony frowned. "According to the personal notes on the records, they're best friends."
McGee raised his eyebrows, gaze still fixed on the computer screen. "I'm accessing the deleted e-mails now. They were a lot more than friends." His eyes widened and he swallowed. "Wow. That's...graphic."
Tony rushed over and was reading over his shoulder in two seconds. A silly grin appeared on his face. "Wow. I gotta try that."
“DiNozzo!” Gibbs said. “The case?”
“Right,” Tony said. “I’ll go pick up this Abbot guy. These emails are enough to get us a warrant. He was seriously pissed.”
"What about?" Kate asked, her fingers poised over her computer keyboard.
Tony and McGee shared an awkward glance before Tony bravely stepped up to the task of explaining. "Our dead Petty Officer - Brian Green - was maybe a little too popular for his own good. This Abbot guy? He liked him a little more than was healthy."
“Obsessed? About Green?” Kate said.
Tony nodded. “Yeah, there’s tons of emails from Abbot here - some sweet, some threatening, some downright perverted,” he said. “He had it bad for Green, but Green was having none of it.”
"Kate, go with Tony. If this guy murdered an officer I'm sending more than one agent to pick him up." The two nodded and got ready to leave together. Gibbs looked over at McGee, who was clicking the mouse frantically. "This might be more cut and dry than expected," he said. "An obsessed stalker."
McGee shook his head. "I think it's a bit more complicated than that boss," he mused. "I'm in Green's sent messages now and...well..." He read one out. "'Please stop the e-mails Ben, they'll find out about everything. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you.'"
“Ah shit,” Tony said. “This was more than just obsessed stalker … they *were* involved.”
“Bring him in anyway,” Gibbs said.
Kate and Tony went down to the car park and picked up one of the vehicles, Tony driving as usual. Kate sighed once they were on their way. "Is it just me, or do we bash our heads against 'don't ask, don't tell' a lot around here?"
Tony smiled. "Makes me glad I'm not Navy, I'll tell you that. Me and Gibbs knew you'd all find out so we came out of the closet with it, but it's a pleasant surprise to see how well everyone's taken it."
“No offense, Tony,” Kate said. “But … we all knew how you felt about Gibbs. You were trying to be subtle, but … we all could see it.”
“And I thought I was being covert,” Tony muttered.
“You hid it pretty well, Tony,” Kate admitted. “But … you certainly liked to watch him … and you were always trying so hard to make him happy.”
“There’s that ‘make him happy’ thing again,” Tony said.
Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"
"McGee asked if Gibbs was taking advantage of my need to please," Tony said in a positively venomous tone.
"Is he?" Kate asked, more to see Tony's reaction than anything. "You do follow him blindly. I can imagine you being rather docile in the bedroom."
“He’s not taking advantage of me,” Tony said shortly, annoyed. “We happen to love each other.”
“Gibbs isn’t known for showing emotion, Tony,” Kate said. “I’m … I’m just looking out for you.”
“I’m a big boy,” Tony said. “I can take care of myself … Gibbs isn’t using me.”
"Okay, fine. I know when to let something lie," Kate said. "Just promise me that if he hurts you, you'll tell me. Don't let him get away with anything."
Tony laughed. "Sure." If only Kate knew how easily he had Gibbs eating out of the palm of his hand that morning. Nobody was rushing to Gibbs' side to ask if that naughty DiNozzo was seducing him though!
They arrived at Benjamin Abbot’s place and Tony looked at Kate. “Let me talk to him, okay?” he said.
“Why you?” Kate asked. “Because you have something in common?”
“Yes,” Tony answered simply. He knocked on the door and waited. A tall man with thick blonde hair opened the door.
“Yes?” the man said.
“I’m Agent DiNozzo from NCIS,” Tony said.
"Agent Todd," Kate said, also showing her badge.
The man licked his lips nervously as he studied them. "Is this about Brian?" he asked.
"Why would you think that?" Tony asked suspiciously.
"He didn't come round this morning," Ben Abbot replied. "I was waiting and he never called. I tried to phone him, but he hardly ever answers anyway. I was just about to visit when you guys arrived."
“We need you to come down to NCIS headquarters with us,” Tony said.
“Is something wrong?” Ben asked. “Brian?”
“We’ll explain it all at the office,” Tony assured him.
Ben ran a hand back through his hair. "No, you don't understand," he said, visibly panicking. "If anything's happened to Brian I need to know now. Okay? Because Brian is... he's like my life! I can't wait to find out whether he's okay or not! I know you two probably don't get it, don't realize how one man can love another, but Brian means more to me than anything in the world!"
Tony sighed and looked at Brian. “I understand,” he said. “Trust me, I understand. But … we really need to go to headquarters, okay? We’ll wait for you to grab your coat and lock up.”
Ben nodded and went back into the house, Kate and Tony stepping in after him. "Nice place," Kate said, looking around.
"I share it with my sister," Ben said apathetically, going through a cupboard packed with coats. He pulled out a jacket and shot the two agents a dirty look. "In case you were wondering why it looked so *effeminate*."
Tony shrugged and looked around. “It looks great to me,” he said. “Wish my place looked this good … but, maybe I’ll get a chance to redecorate at my partner’s place.” He figured Abbot might be a little … gunshy about admitting his relationship with Green and knowing someone was in the same situation might help make Abbot a little more talkative.
Kate laughed. "Please. He'll never you decorate his house. Ever."
"Come on Kate," Tony said with a mega-watt grin, "You're underestimating my powers of persuasion."
Kate shuddered. "Don't. Just don't, DiNozzo."
“He?” Abbot asked Tony tentatively. “You live with a ‘he’?”
“Yep,” Tony said as they made their way to the car. “My partner. We just got hitched in Vegas a couple nights ago.”
Abbot gave Tony a tentative smile as they walked. “Congratulations,” he said.
"Thank you!" Tony said with enthusiasm before nudging Kate. "You see how easy that is for normal people, Kate?" She narrowed her eyes at him but made no comment, knowing that Tony was just forming a rapport with their suspect. "Like you said, Ben, not everybody gets the man-on-man thing."
"Could be worse," Ben said as he slid into the car. "You could be in the Navy."
“Don’t ask, don’t tell, right?” Tony said as he climbed behind the wheel. “It’s kind of that way everywhere I guess, but … me and my partner? We just decided, to hell with it.”
“Wish we could have done that,” Ben murmured.
"You and Brian been together long?" Tony asked as he drove.
"Almost three years," Ben said quietly. Tony felt his gut churn. Three years of togetherness before disaster struck. Assuming of course, Ben hadn't killed Brian himself. But Tony was seriously doubting someone so infatuated with someone else could kill them without following it with suicide.
Kate remained silent throughout the whole ride. She *knew* that Tony was using his relationship with Gibbs to establish a relationship, yet … it still irked her.
“What about you and your partner? How long have you two been together?” Ben asked.
“Oh … about three years,” Tony replied. “And then we just decided … why not make it official?”
"Funny how that always happens in Vegas," Ben quipped.
Tony laughed. "Yeah. Cheap cocktails do wonders for romance. Then with the marriage, we realized we might as well go the whole way and let everyone know. It's still taking people a while to get used to it."
Ben sighed. "I hear that. Brian didn't tell anyone. The few people I told didn't take it well."
“We’ve been lucky,” Tony said. “Very lucky. The few that we’ve told have been pretty accepting.” He pulled up in front of headquarters and waited for everyone to get out.
Kate noticed how close to Tony Ben was walking, and had to admit reluctantly that a rapport had been built.
"We're going to find a room for you," Tony was saying gently, "Then you'll just have to answer some questions for us. It probably won't be me or Agent Todd asking, but don't be too worried."
Ben nodded and allowed Tony to lead him to an interrogation room.
Tony went immediately back to the bullpen and found Gibbs. “Abbot’s in Interrogation One and … I don’t think he did it, Boss,” he said.
"Why not?" Gibbs asked, looking Tony over carefully.
"I just... I dunno. My gut?"
Gibbs smiled. "Tony, I'm not sure how experienced your gut is yet."
Tony sighed. "Boss, those e-mails, they were just from a recent rough patch, I'm sure. Ben would be a mess without Brian."
Gibbs considered it for a few minutes. “I still need to talk to him, DiNozzo,” he said.
“I understand,” Tony said. “Just … don’t scare him?”
Gibbs looked away. "I'll do my best. You go get yourself a coffee. I'll let you know how it goes. Go through Abbot and Green's close acquaintances, friends, family, anyone who might have been angry at the pair of them enough to try and kill them."
“On it, Boss,” Tony said. On a whim, he pressed a kiss to Gibbs’ cheek before heading out to grab a coffee.
Gibbs watched him go then began to walk down to Interrogation. On the way he was joined by Kate, who seemed to perpetually have something on her mind. "He's over-identifying with Ben," she said.
Gibbs didn't have to ask who she meant. "What makes you say that?"
“Ben and Brian were together for three years,” Kate said. “And they kept it hidden. I think, in trying to establish a relationship with the suspect he … he went too far.”
"Well I'm gonna talk to Ben in exactly the same way I would have were he not Tony's new best friend. Anyway, I think you're underestimating DiNozzo. He's very good at being friendly without investing too much of himself in it. You could learn from that, Kate."
Kate frowned. “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the case this time,” she said.
Gibbs just shook his head and headed for Interrogation One.
Tony meanwhile, had grabbed himself a coffee and impulsively, one for McGee. Then he went back to see what the nerd was up to. "Still playing on his computer?"
"I'm trying to understand these e-mails. They're from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum."
Tony frowned. "I don't think so. He's in love with the guy and angry when he can't be with him. Seems pretty clear to me. Then they can be together again when they stop arguing and the e-mails go back to the mushy stuff. And the sexy stuff. Then Brian gets cold feet again and the whole angry cycle starts over. Poor Ben."
“It just doesn’t seem right,” McGee said. “I’d expect angry emails, but not threatening ones. These emails are almost … bipolar.”
“I can check into his medical background,” Tony said, sitting down at his computer.
McGee glanced over at him. "But you don't think I'm right, do you?"
"Nope."
"You seriously... I mean... this isn't normal."
"I've had girls behave worse to me over shorter relationships."
“Yeah, but that’s you,” McGee said with a bit of a grin.
“Hey,” Tony said. He worked quietly at his computer for a few minutes. “Hmm … there’s no history of bi-polar disorder … “
"But?"
"Why did you assume there was a 'but'?"
"Just the way you said it!" McGee said defensively.
"Well... he has been in and out of therapy. Nothing severe enough to threaten his career, but enough times that it seems suspicious."
“It just doesn’t jive,” McGee said, and began typing furiously.
Tony looked around a bit more into Abbot and Green’s family and friends. “Green doesn’t have any family, and Abbot’s only family is his sister … hmmm …”
“What?” McGee asked.
“Abbot’s sister,” Tony said.
"You think she might know something?" McGee asked.
"According to this, she got arrested for noise once, screaming obscenities at her brother in the middle of the night. He was found to not be at fault and he sprung for her release. Interesting..."
McGee shrugged. "Family fight."
Tony frowned and looked around for the list of Abbot’s neighbors. “Maybe it’s more than that,” he said.
“What are you doing?” McGee asked.
“Going to call some of Abbot’s neighbors and see if they remember the fight,” Tony said. “Maybe that’ll give us a lead.”
That was when Kate came rushing in. "Tony, Gibbs needs you down in interrogation."
Hearing the urgency of her tone, Tony left what he was doing immediately and hurried down there, with Kate at his heels. "He thinks you might be able to do something about Ben bawling his eyes out," she panted.
Tony sighed and nodded. He stepped into interrogation and looked at Abbot. “Ben,” he said gently.
The man continued to sob. "Brian," he choked out.
"Damn it, Petty Officer Abbot, get a hold of yourself!" Gibbs demanded, clearly irritated by the hysteria.
Tony put a hand on Gibbs' arm. "Boss, let me talk to him for a bit. Your turn to go get a coffee."
Gibbs eyed Ben, then looked at Tony. He nodded. "Be careful," he whispered before walking out and leaving the two alone.
Tony nodded before sitting down. “Ben,” he said.
Ben continued to sob. “Brian’s gone,” he cried.
“Shhh,” Tony murmured. “I know … it sucks. But, Agent Gibbs needs to ask you some very important questions. Do you think you can pull yourself together for a bit?”
“I … don’t … know,” Ben said.
“Listen,” Tony said. “Can I ask you some questions first?”
Ben nodded jerkily. "I... I'll try and answer them, Agent DiNozzo."
"Call me Tony," the agent said with a friendly smile. "Okay, so my first question comes from us finding Brian's computer. You sent him a lot of e-mails in varying tones. Tell me the story behind them."
Ben sniffed and looked up at Tony. “Varying tones? I don’t … what are you talking about? My sister took my laptop in to be worked on a few weeks ago,” he said. “I just got it back this morning.”
Gibbs and Kate, who were watching from behind the one way mirror, shared a look.
“You just got it back?” Tony asked. “You’re sure?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, it was running really slow, so I let my sister take it in to get fixed,” he said. “She knows more about computer stuff anyway.”
“When did you give it to her?” Tony prodded.
“Um … three weeks ago?” Brian said. “Yeah, three weeks ago.”
“Kate, find Ben Abbot’s sister,” Gibbs said. “Now.”
Kate nodded and headed up to the bullpen to get McGee to help her find Abbot’s sister.
“Ben,” Tony said. “We’re going to keep you here for a little while, okay?”
Ben’s eyes widened and he started hyperventilating. “But … but I didn’t do anything, I swear! I would never kill Brian!”
“I know,” Tony said. “We just have a few more things we want to talk to you about. I’m going to have someone bring you something to drink, okay? I have to go do a little digging into Brian’s … into what happened.”
Ben nodded, sitting down at the table. “O-okay,” he mumbled.
Tony squeezed Ben’s shoulder reassuringly before exiting the interrogation room, running into Gibbs in the hallway.
“I told you he didn’t do it,” Tony said quietly.
“I know you did,” Gibbs replied. He put a possessive hand on Tony’s back and led his partner to the elevator. “We still had to talk to him.”
“Kate and McGee finding his sister?” Tony asked. “Because my gut’s telling me that she’s our murderer.”
“Mine’s telling me the same thing,” Gibbs said as he nudged Tony into the elevator. He allowed his hand to rest on Tony’s lower back, rubbing gentle circles.
“Poor guy,” Tony murmured. “Together with someone for three years, and then he’s gone …”
Before Gibbs had a chance to respond, the elevator doors were open and both Kate and McGee were waiting for them.
“Boss, we found Grace Abbot,” Kate said, following Gibbs and Tony as they entered the bullpen.
“She works at a local karate studio,” McGee said, trailing after Kate.
“Bring her in,” Gibbs said.
“On it, Boss,” Kate said.
“Take DiNozzo with you,” Gibbs said. “McGee, go help Abby with the evidence.”
“On it,” McGee said.
Tony gave Gibbs a grateful smile as he followed Kate to the elevator.
Part Five is here
cinderella81 and sarkywomanTitle: Married
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Gibbs/DiNozzo
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: We don't own NCIS or anything related to the show ... damn it! *wink*
Summary: A extra night in Vegas and a lot of drinks lead to an interesting development in the relationship of Gibbs and DiNozzo ... Can they make it work? Or will it all fall apart?
Kate and McGee were already there, as Gibbs had suspected, and they had decided to begin working the scene. Gibbs wasn't sure whether he was impressed by their prerogative or angry at their audacity. He settled for not yelling at them, just grunting and saying they should have waited. Kate smiled. "See McGee? I told you he wouldn't kill us. He's in a good mood, like I thought he would be, though I'm sure I don't know why."
Tony sent a wink over to Kate as he began dusting the room for prints.
“Kate? Go get the witness statements,” Gibbs said.
Kate shrugged and headed out to the front yard where there were a couple of people milling around, and began to get statements.
Gibbs wandered around the room, examining the body and the positioning of all the objects. There was a bullet hole in the petty officer's head and when Gibbs put the gloves on to take a look, he could see it had gone through into the mattress. He was shot in that position. "Hmm." After that he was mainly supervising Tony and McGee and trying desperately not to be distracted by DiNozzo waggling his ass suggestively when he was on his hands and knees and McGee was turned away.
“All right, Boss,” McGee said. “I’m going to take the petty officer’s laptop back and see what I can pull off it.”
“Take Tony with you,” Gibbs said.
Tony stood and looked at his boss/husband. “What?”
“You heard me,” Gibbs said, trying to maintain professionalism on the job. “Go start looking into the petty officer’s background, see what pops up.”
“But … “ Tony pouted.
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs said. “It’s not like I’m not going to see you … Kate and I will follow after Ducky and Palmer get the body.”
"Hmph," Tony pouted. "Fine. Come on, Tim." He grabbed the arm that McGee wasn't using to carry the laptop, then dragged him from the room, carrying the evidence that they had gathered in the other.
“At least you don’t have to sit in back with the equipment, Probie,” Tony said with a grin as he slid behind the wheel. “Now let’s get back and start working.
“In a productive mood today?” McGee asked.
“Sure,” Tony replied. No, he just knew that if he wanted to enjoy any alone time with his husband, they needed to solve the damn case. Sex was a wonderful motivator.
They drove in silence for a little while, then McGee cleared his throat. "So... are you Tony Gibbs now?"
Tony wrinkled his nose. "Nah. We're not switching names. I don't suit his and he doesn't suit mine."
"I..." McGee took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't ask you now. Does he treat you fairly?"
“Fairly?” Tony asked, keeping his eyes on the road. “Well, I did dust the whole house today for prints, so … “
McGee nodded. “Yeah,” he murmured.
Tony couldn't quite stop himself glancing at McGee a bit more before dragging his eyes back to the road. "You don't seem convinced."
"Well, I don't mean professionally," McGee said awkwardly. "I'm not Kate, I don't care whether Gibbs has favorites. I do my job as best as I can. Sometimes I'm rewarded, sometimes I'm not. That's life. I was just a bit worried that... well... you said you were drunk and I don't like to think of Gibbs taking advantage of you."
Tony smiled a bit. So, the Probie was looking out for him … it was kind of sweet. “Yeah, McGee, he treats me good,” he said. “I mean granted, we’ve only been married less than three days, but … it’s been great so far.”
McGee smiled tightly and nodded. "Good. As long as he's been nicer to you than usual. I mean, he's tough on us at work but that's to be expected. I'd want him to be gentler with his wife."
Tony almost slammed on the brakes, but managed to keep his composure as he drove. "Why does everyone automatically assume I'm the wife?!"
McGee coughed a bit and blushed. “Well … Gibbs just seems … more the type … I mean, more the husband type,” he said.
“More dominating, you mean,” Tony muttered under his breath. How did so many people see through his façade?
"Um...well...you are very eager to please him."
Tony huffed. "Why don't you just come right out with it and say 'slut'?"
McGee managed to choke, despite not eating anything. Eventually the red glow of his face faded a little and he shook his head. "Tony, I really didn't mean it like that."
“Sure seems like it, Probie,” Tony replied.
“Sorry, Tony,” McGee said. “I … I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just mean … “
“Mean what?” Tony asked.
“I knew you had feelings for Gibbs for a while,” McGee said. “It … it showed, Tony.”
"So what's your point, McGee?" Tony demanded.
"I never knew if Gibbs returned those feelings."
"Think it's pretty obvious from the ring on my finger," Tony said, waving said ring at McGee before gripping the steering wheel again. "To quote some ancient words of wisdom, 'If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it'. I have a ring, ergo, Gibbs likes it. Me."
“Right,” McGee said. “Sorry.” He looked down at his hands.
Tony sighed. “Sorry, Probie,” he said. “I just … I’m still getting used to it, you know? And everyone keeps thinking of me as the damn wife … “
"Well... he is still the boss, I guess," McGee said reasonably. "And it's kind of hard to imagine you, uh... you know. Being his boss...elsewhere."
Tony smirked. "But you can imagine him being my boss *elsewhere*, Probie? Do I want to know what little fantasy scenarios your filthy mind has been concocting?"
McGee blushed bright red. “N-n-no! Of course not!” he said.
Tony just laughed and nodded. “Sure, Probie,” he said as he pulled into the parking lot of NCIS.
"Believe me, Tony, I have *no* interest in hearing what you and Gibbs get up to when you're alone."
Tony widened his eyes. "Really? Well it's a good job you told me 'cause I was just about to waste a good five minutes telling you why we were late to the scene."
“That’s not necessary,” McGee said. “Really.” The second the car came to a stop, he climbed out and grabbed the laptop, hurrying into headquarters.
Tony just laughed and slid out of the truck. He grabbed the rest of the evidence and followed McGee at a more sedate pace, giving the Probie enough time to make a clean getaway.
"I do apologize," Ducky said as he entered the room, "Mr. Palmer had us lost again."
"That's okay Ducky," Kate said with a smile, "Gibbs and Tony managed to get delayed as well."
"Oh really?" Ducky asked, a twinkle in his eye as he grinned at Gibbs.
Gibbs just sighed and pointed to the body. “Care to make a guess on how the petty officer died?” he said, ignoring the comments.
Ducky just chuckled and motioned for Palmer to follow him over to the body.
"Well he wasn't shot," Jimmy said as he stood beside Doctor Mallard to observe with him.
Ducky seemed surprised, then slowly a smile appeared. "Well *done*, Mr Palmer. There may be hope for you yet."
"Wait, not shot?" Kate asked, "There's a bullet in his head!"
"Not sufficient blood loss and there are odd lacerations along the path of the projectile..." Ducky mused, touching the corpse's skull lightly with his plastic glove. "The man was killed, possibly by the making of this hole in his skull, then the bullet was pushed in. Of course we'll have to get him back before we can know cause of death for sure."
Gibbs sighed. This case had taken a strange turn, and Gibbs knew it would be a long few days working to solve it. This, of course, meant that any newlywed activities would have to wait. “Go ahead and load him up, Ducky,” he said. “We’re all done here anyway.”
In no time at all, Kate and Gibbs were climbing into his car, with Agent Todd giving him the run-down of what the locals had to say. The maid had found the petty officer and the poor woman seemed pretty shaken up. Nobody seemed to have heard or seen anything suspicious though. Eventually, Kate ran out of case-related talk and broached the subject he'd been dreading. "So. Expected you and Tony to get there first."
Gibbs grunted.
“But you didn’t,” Kate continued. “Yet you left before us … at breakneck speed, might I add.”
"Got lost," Gibbs said, knowing it was not a convincing lie but hoping Kate would see it was a subtle plea to change the subject.
"Oh please. You don't get lost and Tony rarely does. Just admit it. You both went off to a secret tryst, despite being on the clock. I can't believe you would do such an irresponsible, unprofessional thing."
“Agent Todd,” Gibbs said. “I am not having this discussion with you. It’s really not any of your business.”
“It’s my business when it starts impeding on your and Tony’s ability to work,” Kate said.
“Dammit Kate,” Gibbs said. “Drop it. Whatever did or did not happen is in the past.”
"By about an *hour*," Kate replied. "It's not like it's ancient history. Are you like this with all your wives? Or is Tony just a bad influence?"
He wanted to say 'yes, it's Tony, I don't know how it happened but suddenly we were coming'. But it wouldn't be fair to blame his lack of control on DiNozzo and it would hardly make Kate respect his leadership more.
“Kate,” Gibbs said. “I am asking you to leave this alone.”
Kate frowned at Gibbs. “Is this going to happen a lot? I mean, should McGee and I be prepared to start processing the scene without you and Tony? It would be nice to be prepared … “
Growling, Gibbs swung the car over to the side of the street and stopped suddenly. Kate looked scared and Gibbs felt ashamed that his mismanagement of the situation had led to having to handle it this way. "I have loved Tony for years. He has just admitted to feeling the same way about me. After a rushed and cheap wedding service, we are back at work. Do you really begrudge us half an hour's alone time here and there?"
Kate was quiet for a few minutes, processing the information. “You really love him?” she said.
“Yes, Kate,” Gibbs said. “I really do … have for years.”
“Okay,” Kate said. “Don’t lead him on or treat him like shit or I will shoot you.”
"You really don't think much of me, do you?" Gibbs asked. He was shocked - he had thought Kate respected him more than this.
"There's nobody I would rather have watching my back," Kate said sincerely. "You're an amazing agent, a talented boss and a good man. But with three marriages under your belt, you're hardly the ideal Romeo."
“Those marriages were horrible failures, I admit that,” Gibbs said. “But I would rather kill myself than hurt Tony.”
Kate laughed bitterly. "Oh, and you went into your previous marriages with the intention of hurting your significant others? Gibbs, I'm worried! Me and McGee were talking and while we want to be happy for you, the fact is that we don't think you realize just how much Tony adores you! If you step out of line you will break his heart in a way I don't know he's ever experienced."
“I have no intention of hurting Tony, Kate,” Gibbs said seriously. “Those previous three marriages? They were me trying to replace something … someone. Tony … he’s not a replacement for anyone … he’s … special. He’s … he’s what I’ve been waiting for.” This was the most he’d ever said to Kate, and the only time he’d ever opened up.
Kate bit her lip lightly. "Okay, fine. We should head back."
Gibbs nodded and started the car moving again. "And for what it's worth, the romantic interlude that made me and DiNozzo late will *not* be happening again in work hours."
“Good to know,” Kate said quietly.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence and Gibbs couldn’t have been more relieved when they reached headquarters.
"Hey boss," Tony called cheerily as his husband walked in. He had spent the past half-hour teasing McGee with intimate details regarding his relationship with Gibbs. Okay, so most of them were made up. Probie wasn't to know that.
Gibbs saw the look of relief that crossed McGee’s face and looked over at Tony. “Stop teasing McGee,” he said as he sat down at his computer.
Tony pouted for a minute, but nodded and buried his nose in paperwork. “Got it, Boss,” he said.
Kate sat down as well and looked between Tony and Gibbs, finally sighing and getting to work.
"The guy's got a squeaky clean background," Tony said, picking up a file and wandering over to Gibbs' desk with it. "From all the official records it's hard to find anyone with a grudge against him."
"All his neighbors were upset," Kate said, "he seemed really popular in the area."
"Really popular with his co-workers too," Tony said. "He was about to get a promotion and it was widely claimed to be well-deserved."
“Start looking into his coworkers,” Gibbs said. “Check and see if there was anyone who thought he didn’t deserve the promotion.”
“On it, Boss,” Tony said.
“McGee, what did you get off that laptop?” Gibbs asked.
“Nothing much, although there were a few threatening emails,” McGee said. At Gibb’s glare, he continued, “I’m working on tracking the IP addresses to get a viable address.”
"Like I said boss, I don't think I'm going to find much disharmony amongst his navy buddies," Tony said as he sat down at his desk to pull up some details on them. "Everyone seemed convinced he deserved it. Apparently he'd turned it down a few times to stay working with his buddies."
"Uh...maybe not just his buddies," McGee said, before Gibbs could speak. "Tony, is there a petty officer Benjamin Abbot amongst his group?"
Tony skimmed through the list of coworker and nodded. “Abbot, yeah,” he said. “Why, you got something?”
“Benjamin Abbot has sent our petty officer at least 10 threatening emails in the past three weeks,” McGee said.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Tony frowned. "According to the personal notes on the records, they're best friends."
McGee raised his eyebrows, gaze still fixed on the computer screen. "I'm accessing the deleted e-mails now. They were a lot more than friends." His eyes widened and he swallowed. "Wow. That's...graphic."
Tony rushed over and was reading over his shoulder in two seconds. A silly grin appeared on his face. "Wow. I gotta try that."
“DiNozzo!” Gibbs said. “The case?”
“Right,” Tony said. “I’ll go pick up this Abbot guy. These emails are enough to get us a warrant. He was seriously pissed.”
"What about?" Kate asked, her fingers poised over her computer keyboard.
Tony and McGee shared an awkward glance before Tony bravely stepped up to the task of explaining. "Our dead Petty Officer - Brian Green - was maybe a little too popular for his own good. This Abbot guy? He liked him a little more than was healthy."
“Obsessed? About Green?” Kate said.
Tony nodded. “Yeah, there’s tons of emails from Abbot here - some sweet, some threatening, some downright perverted,” he said. “He had it bad for Green, but Green was having none of it.”
"Kate, go with Tony. If this guy murdered an officer I'm sending more than one agent to pick him up." The two nodded and got ready to leave together. Gibbs looked over at McGee, who was clicking the mouse frantically. "This might be more cut and dry than expected," he said. "An obsessed stalker."
McGee shook his head. "I think it's a bit more complicated than that boss," he mused. "I'm in Green's sent messages now and...well..." He read one out. "'Please stop the e-mails Ben, they'll find out about everything. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you.'"
“Ah shit,” Tony said. “This was more than just obsessed stalker … they *were* involved.”
“Bring him in anyway,” Gibbs said.
Kate and Tony went down to the car park and picked up one of the vehicles, Tony driving as usual. Kate sighed once they were on their way. "Is it just me, or do we bash our heads against 'don't ask, don't tell' a lot around here?"
Tony smiled. "Makes me glad I'm not Navy, I'll tell you that. Me and Gibbs knew you'd all find out so we came out of the closet with it, but it's a pleasant surprise to see how well everyone's taken it."
“No offense, Tony,” Kate said. “But … we all knew how you felt about Gibbs. You were trying to be subtle, but … we all could see it.”
“And I thought I was being covert,” Tony muttered.
“You hid it pretty well, Tony,” Kate admitted. “But … you certainly liked to watch him … and you were always trying so hard to make him happy.”
“There’s that ‘make him happy’ thing again,” Tony said.
Kate frowned. "What do you mean?"
"McGee asked if Gibbs was taking advantage of my need to please," Tony said in a positively venomous tone.
"Is he?" Kate asked, more to see Tony's reaction than anything. "You do follow him blindly. I can imagine you being rather docile in the bedroom."
“He’s not taking advantage of me,” Tony said shortly, annoyed. “We happen to love each other.”
“Gibbs isn’t known for showing emotion, Tony,” Kate said. “I’m … I’m just looking out for you.”
“I’m a big boy,” Tony said. “I can take care of myself … Gibbs isn’t using me.”
"Okay, fine. I know when to let something lie," Kate said. "Just promise me that if he hurts you, you'll tell me. Don't let him get away with anything."
Tony laughed. "Sure." If only Kate knew how easily he had Gibbs eating out of the palm of his hand that morning. Nobody was rushing to Gibbs' side to ask if that naughty DiNozzo was seducing him though!
They arrived at Benjamin Abbot’s place and Tony looked at Kate. “Let me talk to him, okay?” he said.
“Why you?” Kate asked. “Because you have something in common?”
“Yes,” Tony answered simply. He knocked on the door and waited. A tall man with thick blonde hair opened the door.
“Yes?” the man said.
“I’m Agent DiNozzo from NCIS,” Tony said.
"Agent Todd," Kate said, also showing her badge.
The man licked his lips nervously as he studied them. "Is this about Brian?" he asked.
"Why would you think that?" Tony asked suspiciously.
"He didn't come round this morning," Ben Abbot replied. "I was waiting and he never called. I tried to phone him, but he hardly ever answers anyway. I was just about to visit when you guys arrived."
“We need you to come down to NCIS headquarters with us,” Tony said.
“Is something wrong?” Ben asked. “Brian?”
“We’ll explain it all at the office,” Tony assured him.
Ben ran a hand back through his hair. "No, you don't understand," he said, visibly panicking. "If anything's happened to Brian I need to know now. Okay? Because Brian is... he's like my life! I can't wait to find out whether he's okay or not! I know you two probably don't get it, don't realize how one man can love another, but Brian means more to me than anything in the world!"
Tony sighed and looked at Brian. “I understand,” he said. “Trust me, I understand. But … we really need to go to headquarters, okay? We’ll wait for you to grab your coat and lock up.”
Ben nodded and went back into the house, Kate and Tony stepping in after him. "Nice place," Kate said, looking around.
"I share it with my sister," Ben said apathetically, going through a cupboard packed with coats. He pulled out a jacket and shot the two agents a dirty look. "In case you were wondering why it looked so *effeminate*."
Tony shrugged and looked around. “It looks great to me,” he said. “Wish my place looked this good … but, maybe I’ll get a chance to redecorate at my partner’s place.” He figured Abbot might be a little … gunshy about admitting his relationship with Green and knowing someone was in the same situation might help make Abbot a little more talkative.
Kate laughed. "Please. He'll never you decorate his house. Ever."
"Come on Kate," Tony said with a mega-watt grin, "You're underestimating my powers of persuasion."
Kate shuddered. "Don't. Just don't, DiNozzo."
“He?” Abbot asked Tony tentatively. “You live with a ‘he’?”
“Yep,” Tony said as they made their way to the car. “My partner. We just got hitched in Vegas a couple nights ago.”
Abbot gave Tony a tentative smile as they walked. “Congratulations,” he said.
"Thank you!" Tony said with enthusiasm before nudging Kate. "You see how easy that is for normal people, Kate?" She narrowed her eyes at him but made no comment, knowing that Tony was just forming a rapport with their suspect. "Like you said, Ben, not everybody gets the man-on-man thing."
"Could be worse," Ben said as he slid into the car. "You could be in the Navy."
“Don’t ask, don’t tell, right?” Tony said as he climbed behind the wheel. “It’s kind of that way everywhere I guess, but … me and my partner? We just decided, to hell with it.”
“Wish we could have done that,” Ben murmured.
"You and Brian been together long?" Tony asked as he drove.
"Almost three years," Ben said quietly. Tony felt his gut churn. Three years of togetherness before disaster struck. Assuming of course, Ben hadn't killed Brian himself. But Tony was seriously doubting someone so infatuated with someone else could kill them without following it with suicide.
Kate remained silent throughout the whole ride. She *knew* that Tony was using his relationship with Gibbs to establish a relationship, yet … it still irked her.
“What about you and your partner? How long have you two been together?” Ben asked.
“Oh … about three years,” Tony replied. “And then we just decided … why not make it official?”
"Funny how that always happens in Vegas," Ben quipped.
Tony laughed. "Yeah. Cheap cocktails do wonders for romance. Then with the marriage, we realized we might as well go the whole way and let everyone know. It's still taking people a while to get used to it."
Ben sighed. "I hear that. Brian didn't tell anyone. The few people I told didn't take it well."
“We’ve been lucky,” Tony said. “Very lucky. The few that we’ve told have been pretty accepting.” He pulled up in front of headquarters and waited for everyone to get out.
Kate noticed how close to Tony Ben was walking, and had to admit reluctantly that a rapport had been built.
"We're going to find a room for you," Tony was saying gently, "Then you'll just have to answer some questions for us. It probably won't be me or Agent Todd asking, but don't be too worried."
Ben nodded and allowed Tony to lead him to an interrogation room.
Tony went immediately back to the bullpen and found Gibbs. “Abbot’s in Interrogation One and … I don’t think he did it, Boss,” he said.
"Why not?" Gibbs asked, looking Tony over carefully.
"I just... I dunno. My gut?"
Gibbs smiled. "Tony, I'm not sure how experienced your gut is yet."
Tony sighed. "Boss, those e-mails, they were just from a recent rough patch, I'm sure. Ben would be a mess without Brian."
Gibbs considered it for a few minutes. “I still need to talk to him, DiNozzo,” he said.
“I understand,” Tony said. “Just … don’t scare him?”
Gibbs looked away. "I'll do my best. You go get yourself a coffee. I'll let you know how it goes. Go through Abbot and Green's close acquaintances, friends, family, anyone who might have been angry at the pair of them enough to try and kill them."
“On it, Boss,” Tony said. On a whim, he pressed a kiss to Gibbs’ cheek before heading out to grab a coffee.
Gibbs watched him go then began to walk down to Interrogation. On the way he was joined by Kate, who seemed to perpetually have something on her mind. "He's over-identifying with Ben," she said.
Gibbs didn't have to ask who she meant. "What makes you say that?"
“Ben and Brian were together for three years,” Kate said. “And they kept it hidden. I think, in trying to establish a relationship with the suspect he … he went too far.”
"Well I'm gonna talk to Ben in exactly the same way I would have were he not Tony's new best friend. Anyway, I think you're underestimating DiNozzo. He's very good at being friendly without investing too much of himself in it. You could learn from that, Kate."
Kate frowned. “Maybe, but I don’t think that’s the case this time,” she said.
Gibbs just shook his head and headed for Interrogation One.
Tony meanwhile, had grabbed himself a coffee and impulsively, one for McGee. Then he went back to see what the nerd was up to. "Still playing on his computer?"
"I'm trying to understand these e-mails. They're from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum."
Tony frowned. "I don't think so. He's in love with the guy and angry when he can't be with him. Seems pretty clear to me. Then they can be together again when they stop arguing and the e-mails go back to the mushy stuff. And the sexy stuff. Then Brian gets cold feet again and the whole angry cycle starts over. Poor Ben."
“It just doesn’t seem right,” McGee said. “I’d expect angry emails, but not threatening ones. These emails are almost … bipolar.”
“I can check into his medical background,” Tony said, sitting down at his computer.
McGee glanced over at him. "But you don't think I'm right, do you?"
"Nope."
"You seriously... I mean... this isn't normal."
"I've had girls behave worse to me over shorter relationships."
“Yeah, but that’s you,” McGee said with a bit of a grin.
“Hey,” Tony said. He worked quietly at his computer for a few minutes. “Hmm … there’s no history of bi-polar disorder … “
"But?"
"Why did you assume there was a 'but'?"
"Just the way you said it!" McGee said defensively.
"Well... he has been in and out of therapy. Nothing severe enough to threaten his career, but enough times that it seems suspicious."
“It just doesn’t jive,” McGee said, and began typing furiously.
Tony looked around a bit more into Abbot and Green’s family and friends. “Green doesn’t have any family, and Abbot’s only family is his sister … hmmm …”
“What?” McGee asked.
“Abbot’s sister,” Tony said.
"You think she might know something?" McGee asked.
"According to this, she got arrested for noise once, screaming obscenities at her brother in the middle of the night. He was found to not be at fault and he sprung for her release. Interesting..."
McGee shrugged. "Family fight."
Tony frowned and looked around for the list of Abbot’s neighbors. “Maybe it’s more than that,” he said.
“What are you doing?” McGee asked.
“Going to call some of Abbot’s neighbors and see if they remember the fight,” Tony said. “Maybe that’ll give us a lead.”
That was when Kate came rushing in. "Tony, Gibbs needs you down in interrogation."
Hearing the urgency of her tone, Tony left what he was doing immediately and hurried down there, with Kate at his heels. "He thinks you might be able to do something about Ben bawling his eyes out," she panted.
Tony sighed and nodded. He stepped into interrogation and looked at Abbot. “Ben,” he said gently.
The man continued to sob. "Brian," he choked out.
"Damn it, Petty Officer Abbot, get a hold of yourself!" Gibbs demanded, clearly irritated by the hysteria.
Tony put a hand on Gibbs' arm. "Boss, let me talk to him for a bit. Your turn to go get a coffee."
Gibbs eyed Ben, then looked at Tony. He nodded. "Be careful," he whispered before walking out and leaving the two alone.
Tony nodded before sitting down. “Ben,” he said.
Ben continued to sob. “Brian’s gone,” he cried.
“Shhh,” Tony murmured. “I know … it sucks. But, Agent Gibbs needs to ask you some very important questions. Do you think you can pull yourself together for a bit?”
“I … don’t … know,” Ben said.
“Listen,” Tony said. “Can I ask you some questions first?”
Ben nodded jerkily. "I... I'll try and answer them, Agent DiNozzo."
"Call me Tony," the agent said with a friendly smile. "Okay, so my first question comes from us finding Brian's computer. You sent him a lot of e-mails in varying tones. Tell me the story behind them."
Ben sniffed and looked up at Tony. “Varying tones? I don’t … what are you talking about? My sister took my laptop in to be worked on a few weeks ago,” he said. “I just got it back this morning.”
Gibbs and Kate, who were watching from behind the one way mirror, shared a look.
“You just got it back?” Tony asked. “You’re sure?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, it was running really slow, so I let my sister take it in to get fixed,” he said. “She knows more about computer stuff anyway.”
“When did you give it to her?” Tony prodded.
“Um … three weeks ago?” Brian said. “Yeah, three weeks ago.”
“Kate, find Ben Abbot’s sister,” Gibbs said. “Now.”
Kate nodded and headed up to the bullpen to get McGee to help her find Abbot’s sister.
“Ben,” Tony said. “We’re going to keep you here for a little while, okay?”
Ben’s eyes widened and he started hyperventilating. “But … but I didn’t do anything, I swear! I would never kill Brian!”
“I know,” Tony said. “We just have a few more things we want to talk to you about. I’m going to have someone bring you something to drink, okay? I have to go do a little digging into Brian’s … into what happened.”
Ben nodded, sitting down at the table. “O-okay,” he mumbled.
Tony squeezed Ben’s shoulder reassuringly before exiting the interrogation room, running into Gibbs in the hallway.
“I told you he didn’t do it,” Tony said quietly.
“I know you did,” Gibbs replied. He put a possessive hand on Tony’s back and led his partner to the elevator. “We still had to talk to him.”
“Kate and McGee finding his sister?” Tony asked. “Because my gut’s telling me that she’s our murderer.”
“Mine’s telling me the same thing,” Gibbs said as he nudged Tony into the elevator. He allowed his hand to rest on Tony’s lower back, rubbing gentle circles.
“Poor guy,” Tony murmured. “Together with someone for three years, and then he’s gone …”
Before Gibbs had a chance to respond, the elevator doors were open and both Kate and McGee were waiting for them.
“Boss, we found Grace Abbot,” Kate said, following Gibbs and Tony as they entered the bullpen.
“She works at a local karate studio,” McGee said, trailing after Kate.
“Bring her in,” Gibbs said.
“On it, Boss,” Kate said.
“Take DiNozzo with you,” Gibbs said. “McGee, go help Abby with the evidence.”
“On it,” McGee said.
Tony gave Gibbs a grateful smile as he followed Kate to the elevator.
Part Five is here
