The Silent Season by Karie

[Karie]

Act 5

Gibbs and McGee sat at their desks and glanced at files while Tony typed up a report. None of them spoke for some time and the silence was deafening. Abby walked in to give her part of the paperwork and stared at her three guys sadly.

“Look, why don’t you just ask her to join us? I mean, I like her attitude and she would be a good fit!”

Gibbs looked up at her and stared. McGee watched Gibbs for a clue as to what he was thinking and Tony sat back with a glazed look in his eyes. Abby was right. Maggie would be a good fit with the team. The only thing was how to get her there.

Just then, Fornell walked in with a file in his hand. “Sylvia Card was once known as Sandra Cardigan.”

“Sandra Cardigan, sister of Amelia Cardigan. She was in the car with the two Agents before they were agents, and survived the car accident that killed her sister.” Gibbs stood up and tossed the keys to McGee. “You’re with me, McGee. Dinozzo, go get Sauer and meet us at the Card residence.”

“Right, Boss.”

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The four stood in front of Sylvia Card’s apartment building, discussing how they would go in. Gibbs and Sauer would go in through the front. They would knock like civilized human beings and ask her to turn herself in. But if she didn’t, they would have Dinozzo and McGee on the back fire escape.

Gibbs knocked on the door, but no one came. Then he and Sauer heard the dogs barking and yelling from the back of the apartment. Gibbs kicked in the door and Sauer rushed in, gun drawn. Sylvia was trying to get out the window, but Tony had a strong hold on her arms and wouldn’t let her loose. McGee helped him push her back inside to Gibbs’ waiting arms.

“Sandra Cardigan, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…” he continued reading the Miranda rights to her as he led her out of the apartment and downstairs to the police.

Dinozzo, McGee and Sauer all stood around in the apartment and grinned sheepishly.

“Do you mind if McGee here gives you a ride back to the station?” asked Dinozzo.

She shrugged and smiled at McGee.

“Good, I’ll see you back at the bullpen, McGee.” Dinozzo left the room and went down to talk to Gibbs.

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The motive for Sylvia’s attacking the two Agents was obvious. She had changed her name when she was younger, trying to restart her life after the death of her sister. It didn’t work, as she had gotten a job in the offices where Admiral Stacker worked. She didn’t know the Admiral personally, but when there had been a death threat to the Admiral, fate stepped in and placed the wrong Agents in the path of Sylvia. They, of course, didn’t recognize her, but she did recognize them. She got close to Masters with the intention of seeking revenge for her sister.

She caught them both after the ceremony. She had called Masters and asked him to meet her at the Golf Course. He waited for her there while she killed Rock. Then she went and met Masters, with a gun in one hand and the leash in the other. She used the same method on both men, holding the gun on each man, telling them to tie their hands and feet together so they couldn’t get away. She had claimed she only wanted to talk to them, but as they each did as she told them, she turned on them, wrapping the strap of the leash around their neck and then using her foot to gain strength to snap their necks. Rock was easier, as he remembered Sylvia and her sister. He had liked Amelia very much, and had felt bad about her death. His death was swift, but not fast enough to erase the look of total surprise off his face.

Masters had been more difficult. The moment he realized who she was, he had tried to roll over and crawl away; she simply caught up with him, snapped his neck as she had with Rick, and then kicked him down into the trap. He landed on his face, and that was the end of them both. She had dropped the leash into the Potomac before driving home, along with her shoes.

Gibbs and Dinozzo drove back to Head Quarters to put in their report. Neither of them spoke for some time. Gibbs was the one to break the silence.

“Do you think you can work with her?”

“I know I can’t lose her again.”

“What if she says ‘No’?”

“Then I will know.” Dinozzo looked out the window at the scenery without really seeing it. “But that doesn’t mean I am going to walk away from her. I know she’s nearby now.”

Gibbs looked over at the young Agent. He was proud of him, in a sense. The man showed promise. “I’ll think it over.”

Dinozzo nodded and stared out the window some more. After a few more minutes, he turned to the older Agent and grinned. “You already cleared it with the Director, didn’t you?”

“Now, why would you think a thing like that, Dinozzo?”

“Cause you like her, too. I bet you and McGee have been working over time to make sure she can’t go anywhere else.”

Gibbs rethought his earlier assessment of the young Agent. He was faster than he had once given him credit. He wondered just how quick the man beside him really was.

“Faster than I used to be, Boss. Much faster than I used to be.”

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Sauer walked into the station to give her report to the Captain. He waved her in.

“Come on in and have a seat, Detective Sauer,” he said with a smile. Maggie didn’t like this one bit. Something wasn’t right about this. His attitude was all wrong; he wasn’t supposed to be nice to her. No one at the station really liked her; they only tolerated her because she was such a good Detective.

She took his advice and sat down across the desk from him. He regarded her quietly for a moment. “It has come to my attention, Detective Sauer that you have had some difficulty fitting into this department. Is that true?”

“Well, I won’t lie to you, Captain. There are some in this department that aren’t used to my temperament or my approach to this work. Some have refused to work with me entirely. Not that I can blame them, I’m not an easy person to work with. I am sure they speak lowly of me in the locker room.”

“Ice Princess, I believe they call you.”

“That sounds about right.” Maggie was wondering where the Captain was going with this. Was she getting transferred again? This was not what she needed, that was for sure.

“Sauer, I believe that it would do the department a world of good, if you went to work somewhere else. It would be a good thing for you as well.”

There it was, just what she was dreading. The Captain was transferring her out of the department.

“If it would be best for the department, then I can understand. I’m afraid I don’t see how this is a good thing for me, though, sir.”

“Well, I have to tell you, I had you pawned off on me from another department, and I know from your record that this is not an unusual occurrence for you. But I have never had someone request you for their department. Until now.” He really smiled this time, and Maggie knew it wasn’t because he was getting rid of her. Someone else wanted her.

She waited patiently. Then she began to get antsy. Who would want her to join a team? Who would be that insane?

“I’ve been asked by Agent Gibbs and his department at NCIS to have you transferred to their little operation. The Director of operations there has already approved you transfer. In record time, I am told. You start Monday morning.”

She stared at him, stunned. Her mouth dropped an inch or two as she tried to comprehend what he was telling her. Gibbs and his department. That meant Gibbs, McGee and Dinozzo wanted her to come there. To join them in their job. She felt excitement at the prospect of working on something so big and helping people. She quaked a little at the thought of working so close to Dinozzo. What if that wasn’t such a good thing? But how was she going to get out of it?

She stood, thanked the Captain, and then left his office to gather her things. Her fellow detectives and officers watched her as she left. She knew that none of them were concerned for her leaving. Many of them would be relieved. She sighed inwardly, now what was she going to do?

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Dinozzo looked over at McGee. He threw a wade of paper at the younger Agent’s head and smirked when McGee tried to hit him back with it. It wasn’t the same as when Kate was there though. She really knew how to fight with paper snowballs. He sighed as he sat back again and stared at the empty desk.

“You miss her, don’t you?” asked McGee.

“Yeah, I hope she shows up soon,” answered Dinozzo without much thought to the question. McGee glanced at him with a bemused look on his face.

“I was talking about Kate,” clarified the younger Agent. “You were thinking about Detective Sauer.”

“No I wasn’t!” retorted Dinozzo. “I was… talking about Abby.”

“Why would you think Abby was coming up here? Admit it, you were thinking about…”

McGee trailed off and Dinozzo turned to look in the direction his friend was looking. There, at the end of the walk space, was Maggie Sauer. She looked fresh as a daisy in her black pants suit that she wore with a peach shell underneath. Her hair was pulled back into a sharp ponytail and gold studs sparkled from her ear lobes. Dinozzo hadn’t realized he was studying her in such detail until she spoke.

“Pull that tongue back in, Dinozzo. You act as if you haven’t seen a pretty Agent before.”

“Umm, well, not one as pretty as you,” Dinozzo tripped. He tried to catch himself by smiling back at her with that 100 watt grin of his. She turned a withering glance back at him.

“Well, it seems as if I can’t get rid of you, so that means we need to set a few ground rules.”

“OOOO can you wait until Gibbs gets here, he loves rules!” Dinozzo sat up like a proud puppy.

Sauer glared at him again. He was enjoying this too much. “Rule one: I don’t want to hear about your assorted dates and sexual encounters.”

Dinozzo looked shocked at her, but she ignored it and went on. “Rule two: you will start eating better, whether you like it or not.”

She wasn’t joking. He had realized this by now. She really didn’t know him at all!

McGee was choking back laughter as she continued. “Rule three: under no circumstances will you be allowed to go through my personal stuff, this includes PDA’s, phones, desk drawers or trash.”

Dinozzo nodded to her, his eyes beginning to look normal as he realized she was simply protecting herself from what she thought was the regular Tony Dinozzo. She had no idea that he had changed again. He half listened to her as she continued to tick off rule after rule. Many of them were directed at Dinozzo himself, but some of them went towards the department as a whole. He didn’t mind much about the rules. Rules were meant to be bent or broken. And he was sure that when she felt better about being around him and the others that the rules would fall by the wayside. There was one thing he was sure of, she was afraid of something. And she was afraid that someone would find out what that was. Dinozzo was excited to think she had a secret, and that maybe he could figure it out. Whatever it was, he was sure that once it was out in the open, everything would be better for their relationship.

In the mean time, he could handle these ‘rules’ and they wouldn’t bother him a bit.

“Rule twelve: you will never get into my bed. So don’t bother trying.”

Dinozzo gulped!

~fade out~


Ok, that was the first in a series of episodes that I am up to... I think I'm working number 6 on word, and 4 on FF.net? Rinkle? How is Lab Rat doing? Or should I put the one shot up first? And do you guys think I should continue this series here? Or should I do this in another form? I'm definatly going to make a website for these so I can keep them in one place. Feedback! I need Feedback!

Karie

[LJG_NCIS]

Great story. I think that you can post them here, but could put up a link to your own site if you want. It's totally up to you. Can't wait to read more!

[Karie]

How Are We Doing?

Act one:

“Thank you for coming Agent DiNozzo. Please sit down, won’t you?” The voice of the young Psychiatrist was smooth and sultry. It was a good quality to have in a woman’s voice. It would usually get a woman anything she wanted. Why she was using that voice in this way was beyond my reasoning. So I simply did as she asked, and sat down on the couch across from her nice soft chair.

She watches me closely, and then turns back to looking over her notes. “So, how are we doing today, Agent DiNozzo?”

I look at her sharply. What was it she wanted? I give her what I hoped is an easy smile before answering calmly. “Well, I’m doing well, and yourself?”

I am always doing that. I had begun to notice more that I tended to use jokes to break tension. And that meant if I was using jokes now, one of us felt tense. I doubted it was her, so that left me. No wonder Kate always thinks of me as immature. I bite my tongue at this thought. There I go again, thinking about Kate as if she were still around.

The woman notices and regards me with some small sympathy. I hate the look in her eyes as she smiles slightly before speaking to me. “The reason we are here, Agent DiNozzo, is to follow up on a one year evaluation of the team. You do understand there are going to be some uncomfortable questions that I will need to ask you.”

I nod slightly as she continues. Had it really been one year since the last evaluation? God, I didn’t realize. That meant that every member of the team was going to have to go through this as well as me. Damn, why can’t they stop asking this? This is going to make Abby start crying again. The woman starts talking again and I turn my attention to her. Let’s just get this over with.

“How have you been sleeping?”

That’s an easy question. “I haven’t until recently.”

“Indeed? Care to talk about it?”

“Not really. Just a lot of old dreams that didn’t want to go away.”

“You said ‘Until Recently’?”

“Well, recently I have been able to sleep more and more each night. I’m back up to 5 hours a night. I figure I’ll be back to the full 6 hours in a week or two.”

She nods, knowingly. Oh, come on! It’s not like that! I wanted to yell at her. But then I just hold my tongue. Let her think what she wants. It shouldn’t bother me. After all, this is what Kate and the others were always telling me. I’m immature; I chase anything in a skirt. I bed anything with a pulse. Dumb Tony, can’t keep his mind off of women. They don’t know me now. Let them wonder a little while longer. Soon, they will get the idea; I’m not the old Tony. Something new had been added to my life, and it was a good thing.

“Have you been eating?” she looks up from her notes to look me dead in the eyes. Yeah, I know what she sees in those notes. Cap'n Crunch cereal and Krispy Kreme donuts. I want to laugh at this, but something holds me back. Again, it’s that feeling of wanting to see the changes in me rather than trying to protest innocence.

“Have I been eating? Yes I have. Regular amounts of real food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner just like the Doctor ordered! I certainly wouldn’t want to die from clogged arteries, now would I?” I smirk at her now. That felt good, telling her something she didn’t expect to hear. She even sits back with her eyes wide in small wonder. This interview is going better than expected.

“Are you still keeping up on your regular activities?”

There it is folks! The question I was waiting to hear! God, these people really didn’t understand me at all, did they? Always second guessing me! Come on; just answer the woman’s question.

“I am still running each morning, and going to the gym twice a week. I still work, and go out to the club every once in a while.”

“Do you still date?”

“Not so much.” She eyes me warily. It takes me a moment to realize, she is expecting me to ask her out! My GOD, she must be insane! Don’t get me wrong, she’s a beautiful woman! But I don’t have the slightest interest in her in that way.

“Can we get on to the next question?” I ask.

“Next question, do you still wish it had been you that had been shot, instead of Agent Todd?”

That one hits hard. I had forgotten about that little bit of information I had related in the last psych evaluation. I take a ragged breath before continuing. “No.”

It’s a shaky response, and she picks up on it. Her brows arch up inquiringly, but I don’t give anything else up.

“So, you are ready to take on the day, in spite of losing your partner and team mate?”

“No, I am ready to take on the day, because of Agent Caitlyn Todd. She was a good friend, partner and team mate. She showed me what a good agent was like, and I respected her for it.” I swallowed before going on. “She made me want to be a better person. I wouldn’t want to die. Not now, not ever.”

“Then what would you want to do?” The question is an innocent one, but it wasn’t meant to be. There is a line to this questioning that I recognize. I am not going to rise to the bait held dangling in front of me.

“I want to continue as I have been. I want to continue working at NCIS, I want to catch the bad guys and make the good guys feel safer. I want to hear Gibbs tell me what to do, so that I can learn to be more like him. That way, when he is really ready to resign, I can take over from him without him worrying about me and the team.”

“And what do you want to do about Ari Haswari?”

I think about this for a second. What could I say but the truth? “I want him to die a painfully slow death. And if I am there and get to witness it that would be that much better.”

She nods to this and I know I have said what they want to hear. I won’t go after the guy myself, I will still follow orders, but I am still angry about what happened to Kate. They expect this. It’s not unusual to feel the pain of losing a fellow agent. If I didn’t feel this way, they would worry about me. Gibbs would really worry about me. Well, I won’t let them worry about me. I can handle myself quite well, thank you.

I look at her expectantly. “Are we about done now?”

“Not yet, I have just a few more questions.” She smiles and the questions go back to regular subjects. Soon I tune her out and start answering them on auto pilot. These are the questions I can handle. Things like, when I dream, do I dream of anything in particular. And why haven’t I dated lately. I answer the questions with short answers. I really don’t want to reveal everything about myself to this woman. It’s not really any of her business. These are simply questions to fill the time. Finally, she stops asking questions and says I can leave.

“Thank you for your time Agent DiNozzo,” she says as warmly as possible, taking my elbow and ushering me out. I nod as I close the door behind me. Then I head back upstairs to my desk where I can get back to typing up my case files. I really didn’t have time for all this.

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Agent DiNozzo is doing quite well. He has adjusted to the loss of his team mate and is going on as if it were business as usual. I suspect that the changes to his diet and nightly activity have something to do with his deep seated feelings for Agent Todd before her untimely death. I would suspect that eventually he will fall back into his old habits once no one is paying him any attention. If he does not, I would be surprised, given the notes from his previous evaluation. On a more personal note, I was surprised that he did not ask for my phone number. Not once. This was something I was warned would happen, not once but several times. This could be quite unsettling.

[LJG_NCIS]

Great stuff Karie, keep it up!

[Karie]

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll update tomorrow, it's only a day away! ;D

[Aerie]

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll update tomorrow, it's only a day away

Oh no! I'm already singing the song and probably won't be able to stop for 3 days. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Karie]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Gibbsgirl]

Karie, finally got around to catching up on your series here. Wonderful stuff! Really. Looking forward to more of your work. Keep it up, girl!!

[Rinkle]

Karie, Lab Rat is getting there...honest! I'm betaing it...not right now though, going to bed... ;D

You'll get it by the end of the weekend, I swear!!!

[Karie]

you got time, I'm putting the one shot up today and I'll put Lab Rat up when you think it's ready. No rush hun, I'm still trying to work out the next ep. And remember, we are two eps ahead.

[Karie]

Act two:

“Welcome Ms Sciuto. Please sit down.”

Ok, the first thing I think is God, he’s cute! He would be even cuter with a tatt of a motorcycle on his upper arm! But I realize I am in here to have an evaluation, so I think I’ll wait until after hours to start conversations like that. I sit down on his leather couch and he sits on the edge of his desk. After a moment of studying the notes of my last evaluation, he looks me in the eyes and starts off like any normal eval.

“How are you feeling these days?” It’s a good thing Tony warned me this was coming. I was able to hide in the closet and cry before coming up here. I also touched up my make-up so no one would notice. The only one who did was Tim, but he would never tell anyone. He’s cool like that.

“I’m ok, I guess,” I start out. I know he wants more, so I try to figure out the best way to continue. “I’ve been busy, so my mind has been occupied a lot lately.”

“Occupied with what, exactly?”

“Lots of case work, not something I can really talk about.”

“So, you are keeping yourself busy. Why?”

“No reason.”

“Is it to keep your mind off of the loss of your friend?”

I knew he would ask it, just not so soon. But Tony had warned me this was coming and I had an answer for pretty much everything he could ask. It helped that I had a degree in Psychology as well. “Well, not intentionally. At first it was because there was so much to do, then eventually things started to slow down. I think now, it’s just becoming normal for me to work, rather than dwell on what happened.”

He notices that I won’t mention her name. “Do you not like talking about Agent Todd?”

Ok, that was cold. “I don’t mind,” I lied. She had a name, you idiot. She wasn’t Agent Todd, she was Kate.

“So why don’t we?”

“Well, ok, if you want to.” I wasn’t being very smooth. He wanted to delve deeper into this, and I didn’t really feel up to it at the moment.

“You and Agent Todd were close friends?”

“Kate. Her name was Kate. And we were good friends.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any offence. I’m guessing that Kate’s death hit you pretty hard?”

“Yeah, maybe just a little. But it’s not something I can’t handle.”

“I understand. And what do you think about Ari Haswari?”

“That is not a question you want me to answer.” Tony was right, they were worried about what we thought when it came to that nice guy! Well, I’m not going to do or say anything to make them think we can’t handle anything that guy can dish out.

“I take it you still feel angry about him.”

“He took away my best friend, for the simple reason that he could. Yes, I’m angry. But I’m not stupid enough to do anything that could put me and the team into any kind of jeopardy. I know my place.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you would do anything foolish.”

“Sure, if you think so, keep thinking it.”

He decides to switch questioning. Again, Tony said this would happen. When they got the answer they could trust, they would go back to the more mundane things. The questions had nothing to do with Ari, and that was good, as I really didn’t want to talk about him anymore. And they weren’t about Kate, so I didn’t have to cry in front of the Doctor. He asked me about my eating habits and my sleeping habits. Same stuff they asked Tony. Sure, I can talk about those things. This is nothing new, really. He asked me if I had any new tattoos, and I showed him the butterfly on my left hip. I casually asked him if he had one, and he smiled, showing me a dragon on his left bicep. Nice!

When he asks me about my relationships, I smirk. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I say.

“Well, yes I would. We need it for the evaluation, of course.”

“Oh, yeah, of course you do.” I giggle. “Ok, I’m not dating around right now. I have decided to commit myself to one guy right now.”

“Anyone I know?”

“In other words, is it Tim? Yes. And before you ask, I am not telling you about our sex life, except to say that he has been learning quite well, thank you.”

He blushes at this statement, which was my intention in saying it. Let him put THAT in his report! He tries to steer away from the subject of sex. Not that it’s a subject I particularly want to talk about, but it is fun to use on the stiffs when they think they have the upper hand on you. I haven’t always been a Goth. I remember what it was like to be a normal girl. But I didn’t like myself as normal. That’s when the black came out and the bright colors disappeared all together. Kate understood me better than most, which is why she gave me the beautiful black onyx bracelet before she died.

Eventually, the doc goes on to talk about other things. Things like my parents, my habits, and my music. He wanted to talk about anything but Kate, and sex. I didn’t care anymore. I was so over and done with all this. I have other things to do with my life now than to dwell over the fact that some Al-Qaeda terrorist turned around and killed my best friend. I have a job to do, and I still have friends left on this earth who need me to get back in the game.

After some time, he gives up and thanks me for coming down. I smile before standing up and shuffling out the door. I have work to do and this guy just took up two hours of valuable time!

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Ms. Abby Sciuto appears to be adjusting well to the loss of Agent Todd. Being a Goth makes it somewhat easier for her to accept death. She is a very healthy young woman with a vicious attitude. I would not wish to be trapped in a closet with Ms Sciuto when she was angry. I might not survive. Her attitude towards Ari Haswari is normal in that she, like anyone else in the department, wishes the man dead. She should do just well. No further sessions are needed.

[Karie]

Ok, me bad girl, no update. Hang on a second, I'll fix that! And I know that some of these may be a bit OOC but I am stil learning about them...

[Karie]

Act three:

He’s sitting there with his notebook and a pencil in his hands. He won’t speak to me, which makes me a little nervous. I know that he wants to talk about Agent Todd… Kate… And I’m not sure I can do that. I’m still trying to live through it. Tony says I’m doing better, and not to talk about it if I don’t want to. Special Agent Gibbs said that if I was in there one second more than I wanted to be, I was to tell him. He would have this guy for lunch. But I think I can handle this. I just need to remember to keep my temper in check.

I have never been one to blow my temper. This is something that Tony teases me about most of the time. Kate used to tell him to stop, and he would just grin. Maybe I should tell him that I took that picture of Kate at the ’94 spring break, the one that he tried to blackmail her with. I put it away, because I knew he would want to keep it around. But we don’t want it coming to light in front of Gibbs. That would be embarrassing, and would mar the beauty that was Kate Todd. Abby says I have an old soul. I don’t know about that, but I do know that life should be remembered with reverence.

“Agent McGee!” he said suddenly, breaking me out of my reserve. I was distracted and didn’t notice that he has moved to sit next to me.

“Oh, sorry, did you say something?” I didn’t mean to daydream.

“I was asking you how you are feeling.” He sat forward.

“I’m ok, I guess.” I’m not sure what he wants me to say.

“Have you been able to adjust to working at NCIS?”

“Pretty well, yes, I’ve been busy, as have Agents Dinozzo and Gibbs.”

“How have you been coping with Agent Todd’s replacement?”

The woman from Interpol! Well she wasn’t really Kate’s replacement. So that makes this a loaded question. We hadn’t actually been coping. It’s more like we had been surviving. None of us were sure what to make of her. She was certainly not Kate. And I think she had a thing for Tony. I didn’t like that at all. Tony needed someone stronger to deal with him. Abby hated her, she thought that the woman was to overbearing and didn’t understand love. Not like Kate had understood it.

“She was doing well, for the work she had to do.” That’s all I can say on that subject. I didn’t like the woman and now she was gone. And now… there was Detective Sauer

“I hear you are spending time with Ms. Sciuto again.”

Subject change! Nice timing too, at least we can stop talking about Kate for a bit. And that other woman, I can’t even remember her name. She was never a member of our team, she was an intrusion. But do I want to talk about Abby? Yeah, sure why not.
“Yes, we started seeing each other regularly about a year ago.”

“Really, why is that?”

I hesitate for a moment. “Call it, mutual realization.”

“You both miss Agent Todd and you have turned to each other for comfort?”

“If that is how you want to look at it. I like to think of it as two friends finally admitting their feelings for each other, which just happened to come up because of the untimely death of a close friend and team mate.”

He nods at this. Looks like I gave him something to think about. At least we didn’t have to talk about sex. I know Abby would have loved it, but I’m not that comfortable.

“Have you been eating well?” I want to laugh now. All I ever do is eat well. Next to Kate, I was the healthiest person on the team. But according to everything Abby said I know that the truth of the matter is that people who lose good friends don’t eat very well for some time afterwards.

“Well enough. I’ve also been getting my fair share of sleep now.” That was the other thing that sometimes happens. You don’t sleep much because you are haunted by dreams of the one you lose.

“So, in the year since Agent Todd was killed by Ari Haswari, you have come to terms with the loss?” Is that what he wanted to know? Was it all about Haswari all this time? I could answer his questions regarding Haswari. Just ask me because I’m not afraid.

“Yes, I have come to terms with it. I’m not happy about it. I do wish him dead. But I’m not alone in those thoughts.”

“Yes, I am aware of the feelings of the other Agents in your department. You are correct; they feel much the same as you. We are not concerned with your feelings about Haswari. We are concerned with how you are keeping yourself.”

“I’m keeping myself very well. I don’t have any problems with anyone right now.” I was getting angry. I don’t like people asking me if I can take care of myself. I know I can take care of myself. I have my friends who can take care of me. I don’t need some shrink telling me how to take care of myself.

“Good. So, has Agent Dinozzo been giving you a hard time lately?”

“No, he’s actually been a good friend this last year. I think he stopped calling me Probie the day ‘it’ happened. And he has not been short on advice about work and life. I think we have become good friends.” All of that is true. I’m not one to lie about anyone. Tony and I have become fast friends. He will see it as another survival mechanism, but what does that matter? As long as Tony and I can work together as a team, that’s all that matters.

“And how are you feeling, working with Agent Gibbs?”

“Just fine, thank you for asking.”

He looks up at me as if asking me to elaborate. I don’t feel like it today. The relationships between my co-workers and me are none of their business, really. He doesn’t press me and we go on. I’m looking at my watch, wondering just how many more questions he can ask without repeating himself and still staying on the subject.

He asks me about my family. I mumble answers about how proud they are of me. He asks about my schooling. I mumble something about passing all my classes and that I am still studying. He seems to like the answers and we keep going. Suddenly, the two hours are up and he is ushering me towards the door.

I breathe a sigh of relief and head out, but instead of going back to my desk, I run down to the lab and hold Abby. She’s crying after her session, those bastards. Why can’t they let us do our job without interruptions like this? I guess Kate was the lucky one. She doesn’t have to go through all this every year. I hope this year goes better than last year. I’m sick of it all.

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Agent McGee is moving along quite nicely. He would rather not talk about the incident with Agent Todd. He looks to be a reasonably healthy young male with a good head on his shoulders. His record is virtually clean, and one wonders if perhaps he didn’t doctor it himself at one time. Of course, with his expertise, it would be difficult to prove. All in all, a very good interview.

[LJG_NCIS]

Good stuff, Karie, good stuff. Can't wait to read more!!!

[Karie]

Act four:

“This is the taped interview of Dr Donald Mallard, Chief Medical Examiner and respected physician at NCIS.”

This young man would give anyone reason to pause. He is very fidgety. Perhaps he is nervous around me. I think I’ll try to take on a more relaxed pose.

“Dr. Mallard, how are you this afternoon?”

“Well, I have been better, my good man. But considering the nature of this visit, I am doing well.”

“Good. So, would you care to tell me what you have been doing? Say today, for instance?”

“Today? Well, let’s see I woke up, took a shower and got dressed. I ate, fed mother, and cleaned the kitchen. I brushed my teeth, shaved and prepared to come in to work. I looked over the case files for the day, saw nothing of importance, and then was told that I had an appointment with you this afternoon.”

He nods. I do not like when young people nod at me as if they are wise. I have been on this earth quite a bit longer than they and I do know a thing or two. I am reminded of an old story… but I catch myself. If there is one thing I have learned from Jethro, it’s that my stories have a time and place. Right now was not the time to launch into a story. He continues his questions.

“How has business been?”

“Business has been normal. Dead bodies all around, lots of blood and gore. Nothing I haven’t seen before. Take this newest case, the young Lieutenant was going home when he was met by a bullet to the gut from a long range rifle…”

“Yes, Dr. Mallard, I see. Now, how is your relationship with Agent Gibbs?”

“The same as usual, he works, I work. It’s a normal process that we are both aware of.”

“Do you still have the occasional dinner with him?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact we just had dinner last night. And you know that, or else you wouldn’t have asked.”

“And what did you talk about during your dinner?”

“We talk about the normal things, his ex-wives, the team, and his health as well.”

“Is he still sleeping fitfully?”

“You will have to ask him. We have a Dr/ Patient confidentiality that I would never break.”

This young man should know better than to ask me such questions. He must be very young indeed to not realize that I would never betray a friend’s trust. I wonder why he is still asking regular questions. According to Anthony, these people wanted to know about our feelings where Agent Todd’s death is concerned. I am wondering when those questions are going to come up. And that’s when he asks me.

“How have you been sleeping? Have you had any unusual dreams about Agent Todd?”

“I have been sleeping quite soundly. Thank you for asking.”

He waits for me to continue, but I’m not really in the mood to do so. I sleep well, I have always done so, and the death of such a young and beautiful agent as Caitlyn does not deter my sleeping in the least. After all, it’s not as if I have never seen death before.

“Is it true that you performed the autopsy on Agent Todd?”

“Again, that is classified information.”

“It’s a simple question, Dr. Mallard.”

“It is one that I prefer not to answer, young man. Now shall we go on?”

He stared at me a moment and I returned his gaze with ease. No one can stare me down, Gibbs has tried but he has always failed. The young man was not afraid to stare, but he soon knew he couldn’t beat me in this contest and he gives in. He moves on to new questions and different topics.

“I take it you are still on your previous diet?”

“Yes, I still eat. Thank you for asking. I also still exercise and read and do all the other mundane things I did before Agent Todd’s death. Now, is there something else you wish to discuss? I do have paperwork to get back to.” This ‘beating around the bush’ that he is doing is getting on my nerves. He is dancing around the real reason for having me in for this evaluation. I like to get down to the meat of a problem. Comes from being a coroner, I suppose. He realizes that I am not interested in this game, so he comes right out and asks me the question that I have been half hoping and half dreading that he would ask.

“What are your thoughts on Ari Haswari?”

“Same as many other’s here.” I look at him pointedly, yet my thoughts return to the first time I had my brush with the terrorist. I want that nice guy on my table, Jethro, I said to him. I know Ducky, me too. But I don’t like to say how much Jethro and I are truly angry about that man and what he did to our team. Our team. That sounds rather hollow now, since our team seems to change with each passing year. It is more like a family, where I am the kindly old uncle. A position I take on with much pride. The young doctor is waiting for me to elaborate on my answer. I try to oblige him.

“He is a menace and should be captured. And I know for a fact that if the FBI or CIA, or whoever is hiding the scoundrel would let Agent Gibbs know where he is, then this would all be over and we wouldn’t have to be talking about this.”

Oh drat! There I had gone and let it all out. This was not something I wanted to talk about, and here the young man had stalled me to the point of anger. So now I end up blurting out the very thing I did not wish to say. The Doctor looks at me with a knowing glance and I return it, reluctantly. I don’t know what to say now. I have let the proverbial cat out of the bag. Saying things I did not wish to, all the while knowing them to be the correct things to say at this moment.

“You want the man dead.” It isn’t a question, it’s a statement. He already knows my state of mind, so there is no need to disagree.

“I want him dead, and I want to be the one to process his rotting carcass. That way I can be entirely certain that he could never hurt my family again.”

He nods with a slow smile spreading on his face. This is what they wanted to know, but I’m not sure what it will do to the evaluation. After all, I have just admitted to wishing harm on another human being. This goes against my Hippocratic oath, the one that says ‘First do no harm.’ And if I am not careful, I could be taken from the team entirely. This does not bode well.

“So, you have met the new Agent… Sauer, I take it?”

“Indeed, an intriguing woman, to be sure.”

“Do you feel she is a good match for the team?”

Now I am on more solid footing. I can talk about the members of my team all day long. And this new Agent is very interesting, to be sure. I wonder what she has on Anthony that he is so quiet around her. Now that is a question I would not mind asking. And her real name, that is another one. Anthony swore he would never tell, and Gibbs can not seem to find it.

“Do you think she could be better than the last agent to take Agent Todd’s place?”

“No one can take Agent Todd’s place. The last agent realized that a bit too late, and it was Gibbs’ great pleasure to explain it to her before tossing her out. Now we have a new agent to break in. I think she will be better than the last one.”
This relaxes him a bit. Well, at least one of us can relax. I for one am wound tighter than a top. And I would like very much to leave now and go back to work. He notices that I am showing exhaustion and so he thanks me quietly, saying that I may leave now. I nod back to him, stand up and shuffle out. I have so much work to do, and I am not as young as I used to be. Ah well, at least there are others who can run around to do the ‘leg work’ as it were. I, on the other hand, am quite content to work in my cold autopsy room on the dead. They at least don’t keep me on my toes asking questions about my life. Usually it was the other way around, and although they couldn’t answer, I usually found the answers despite them.

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Dr. Mallard has shown that he is doing quite well for a man his age. If I live to be half as viral by his age, I should hope to be so lucky. He has a healthy attitude towards Ari Haswari in that he feels like many of the other agents that have been interviewed since the death of Agent Todd. I do not believe he would be as foolish as to attempt to go after the terrorist himself. But it is my opinion that, should the body of Ari Haswari be found then he should have the opportunity to do what he greatly wishes. Process the body himself and set it up for burial. That way there is no mistaking that the monster they all fear is dead and gone.