Authors Notes: This is the second part of the epilogue – thanks to everyone who stuck with this tale, right to the end. To the various people who have contributed to this piece over the years, namely Faldo, Trippies (Arress and Frakking Toasters) and more recently Aussiefan70 for assistance rendered, my heartfelt thanks. To people who commented and bookmarked this epic, thank you for so welcoming of Tia, Jessie, Luna and the meerkats, Mel, Megan, Tony and the rest of the gang into your hearts. Okay that's sounding a bit soppy, so I'll stop there and leave you to read the very last chapter of this story. Hope you enjoy it :)
Rising to the Bait
Epilogue Part II: Jessie and Tony
Lieutenant Jessie Lawless was due to start her shift in a couple of hours, but she'd decided to subject herself to a strenuous workout before showering and heading into the precinct. After a restless night's sleep due to a few issues weighing heavily on her mind, she reckoned it would help her to think. Changing into her workout gear she made her way down to the room they'd set aside with a treadmill, cycle and various other pieces of exercise equipment that would be useful for Mel when she was released from the hospital.
As she climbed on the treadmill after a series of stretches to warm up, Jess thought about the fact that Mel would be leaving the hospital to live with them in roughly a month and a half. Already Tia was beside herself with anticipation at having far greater access to her mother, even if she would still be spending at least six or seven hours, four times a week as an out-patient at the rehab hospital. Everyone was naturally thrilled about the progress Mel was making, although the medical team were trying to prepare them for the fact that Mel was going to have some level of permanent disability from the injury to her brain.
Frankly, she and Tony were already very much aware that her survival and regaining consciousness after so long in a coma was nothing short of a miracle. They knew it was unrealistic to believe everything would go back to normal, but they were both so glad that Mel was alive, and that Tia hadn't lost both of her parents. Neither were they under any illusion that there would be difficulties, tears, and tantrums ahead, but the alternative was not something they wanted to contemplate.
Mel's treatment plan basically involved a two-pronged approach – ameliorating the effects of her months-long coma on her body and simultaneously trying to retrain her brain's built-in neural redundancies to take over for areas which had been too extensively damaged to function adequately. Fortunately, all the exercises that they had done for her during her coma (with the awesome assistance of the volunteers which Jimmy had recruited) to maintain muscle mass and range of movement had paid off. According to the medical team, it had ameliorated some of the negative effects of being in a coma for almost six months, giving her a head start in her rehabilitation.
Brad had explained to Jessie that doctors and researchers' efforts to study the human brain still had a long way to go before they fully understood the intricately complex functioning of the brain in its entirety. But generally, they believed there was an optimum period of brain plasticity after an injury. To exploit that window of opportunity, rehab needed to commence as soon as possible and be intensive. Which was why it had been decided by everyone involved that living at home with her family would be beneficial to her recovery. They were hopeful that she'd continue to make progress but realistic about her ability to make a full recovery since they trusted Brad and Dr Gelfand's opinions.
Meanwhile, thanks to Tony's frat brother, Steve Adler who was a criminal lawyer, they'd secured the services of a top-notch personal injury attorney. His advice had been to launch an aggressive civil lawsuit against Reed O'Leary as soon as possible since Melissa would have lifelong disabilities because of his crimes. They all agreed that jail wasn't nearly enough of a punishment for the consequences of his actions for Mel and Tia.
Jessie wasn't sure if you could get blood out of a stone, but if O'Leary did have assets, Lawrence Tyne seemed determined to find them. Since the lawyer had offered his services pro bono, Lawless had to figure he thought he could get money somehow for Mel, plus a percentage for himself, obviously. He might be working without a retainer, but Tyne must sense that there was money to made somewhere since his reputation according to Steve, was a shark.
However, the civil suit was down the road a bit. There was still her deposition for the criminal trial to face first. Hopefully, Mel wouldn't be required to return to Tucson for the court case because she was in the middle of crucial therapy, but they had to acknowledge that it was a possibility and factor that in. Jessie wondered if she was being a Pollyanna when she hoped that Leary would realise that the case was cut and dried and plead guilty to save Mel and Tia further stress by having to relive the trauma.
At least her goddaughter didn't need to testify in Senior's trial or Hansie Rensberg because they were dead. The FBI were still no closer to charging anyone with conspiring to kill Anthony DiNozzo, Senior – well apart from Mike Franks but even though they were certain he had been involved, they had no proof. It seemed that the bastard had two prison guards willing to give him an alibi who had a reputation as being authoritarian and no friend of the inmates.
Nor were the Feds ready to declare that there wasn't anyone else running around free, even with Rensberg dead. It meant that even though they were relaxing their guard with Tia a bit, they were still determined to maintain a close watch on her until the FBI was satisfied she was safe from any of Senior's associates or the slim possibility that an attempt might be made by Prince Omar Ibn Alwaan.
The reality was though, everyone was more relaxed. Tia had been allowed to attend Emily's slumber party, even if Jessie and Megan had attended too. Still, it had been fun for her to spend the night with the girls from their ballet class. Plus, there'd been a couple of trips out to the cinema with her dad, too that had been very popular with the ten-year-old.
As planning for Mel's discharge from hospital stepped up a notch, Jess thought about the home visit from the occupational therapist, Corrine Payne yesterday. She'd come out to the house to check out the environment Mel would be coming home to and determine if there any modifications were required to make it practical for her to live there. Not surprisingly, it passed with flying colours. There were no structural modifications needed since it had been extensively remodelled as a residence for a wealthy industrialist with chronic heart failure so he could keep living in his home until his death.
To that end, he'd renovated extensively, installing a proper elevator (not a stairlift) so he could move between the ground floor and the upper level. He'd also built a disabled bathroom, converting a bedroom so it had a shower with disabled access and lower controls plus a massive sunken bath with spa jets for hydrotherapy and a hoist to make it easy to get in and out, although Mel would probably need the assistance of a caregiver, at least initially.
The occupational therapist had also given them names of several agencies she'd recommended, suggesting that Mel would probably be more comfortable with a professional to help her with personal care issues right now. She had a list of physical aides for dressing such as a long-handled reacher device to reach clothes or other objects which were out of reach, a sock aid and long-handled shoehorn to help with shoes and socks and also other personal care items to help make Mel as independent as possible. Corrine's recommendations had duly been ordered that same night online, including aides in the kitchen and everything would be in place and ready to use when she was discharged.
They all understood that the more personal care that Mel was able to do for herself, the better it would be for her psychological recovery. Jessie was going to spend the weekend sorting through Mel's clothes which Dennis' sister Clare had kindly brought up with her a couple of weeks ago when she'd come for a visit. For now, Mel's jeans and button-down shirts and tailored dresses would be eschewed in favour of more comfortable clothing that she could get into without assistance. Yoga pants, sports bras, stretchy t-shirts, tank tops and hoodies would be the order of the day.
If she needed to wear some more formal attire, for example for court appearances, Corrine had recommended purchasing wraparound dresses, if she didn't already own them. Jess already knew from living with her that her best friend liked to wear sexy lingerie, not being an athletic type, so Jess figured at the least, she would need to purchase some sports bras and some panties that would be more comfortable that the thongs Mel apparently favoured these days. Plus, there was the shoe issue, no flip flops or shoes that might cause her to stumble when she was walking, although she spent most of her time in the wheelchair still. But Corrine suggested that shoes that were stretchy or had Velcro closures rather than laces would be better options for Mel to manage on her own.
It had been good having Clare visit since she had spent quite a lot of time with Dennis and Mel. While she was there, Jessie had interrogated her about the brands of cosmetics Mel used, finding that her friend's tastes had changed quite a bit from when they'd shared an apartment more than a decade ago. Mel's sister in law had only stayed for a week and Tia had cried when she left but Clare had promised to return soon. She said she'd come back for another visit after Mel was discharged and settled into her new routine.
So, Jess would need to hit the shops and do some shopping, which frankly, bored her to bits unless it was buying sports equipment, but she thought that they were already pretty-damned organised for Melissa's discharge. At last physically.
Emotionally…ah well, that was was another kettle of fish entirely. She rather suspected there would be quite a few teething problems when Mel was discharged.
As Jess continued to run on the treadmill, listening to Bon Jovi, she returned to an issue she'd been actively avoiding but she knew she would be forced to confront sooner or later. Mel would be home with her family in about six weeks which would push Jess into making some important decisions about her life. Choices which she'd been procrastinating about for some time now. Once Mel had settled into a new routine, Jess would have to figure out what she was going to do with her own life.
Should she stay on in DC and encounter her best friends, Tony and Mel on a regular basis or move back to Boston and resume the life she'd left behind her when Tony called her that fateful day months ago. It had been a good life in Boston – she had a job that she cared about (although she had resigned and would have to find a new position) plus she'd made some good friends there. Not best friends like Tony and Mel though, and she would miss being around Tia so much now that she'd met her and developed a strong relationship with her. They'd been through so much together and she loved that little girl so damned much.
But you aren't her mother, she told herself sternly. Should she really hang around and interfere in Tia's relationship with her parents. And Mel – it was clear by the way she'd reacted to the thought that Tony and Jess were sleeping together - that she still had feelings for him. If Mel wanted to get back together with T it would it be awkward and inappropriate for Jessie to be living with them. They would need their privacy to work things out between them.
Jessie noted almost automatically that she'd run five miles and so she started to wind down. More importantly, she decided not to procrastinate any longer. She had to stop longing for what could never be and get over it. Sometimes she wished Jimmy had let sleeping dogs lie. She'd start dating and when Mel had settled in, she would move out. She'd get an apartment somewhere in DC where she could continue to see her two best friends and still spend time with her goddaughter.
It was the right thing to do. For everyone!
Jess was under no illusions about how hard it would be on Tia initially if she moved out but the little girl deserved the chance to live with both her parents as a family. Only yesterday, she'd confided in Jess that maybe she might have a little sister or brother one day. Seeing how much Tony adored his daughter, she thought he'd probably be on board with that idea too – if Mel wanted or could even conceive another child.
Sighing, as she switched off the lights in the home gym, Jess made her way to her own bathroom for a quick shower before she went to work, she could hear Tia talking to her cat, and realised she'd miss the quirky relationship that Tia had with Luna. Maybe she should forget about finding a guy and get a cat instead. She was sure that Jarrett could find her one if she asked. At least, unlike his alpacas, a cat wouldn't spit at her if it happened to be pissed off.
Another trip which Tia had been allowed to go on, suitably guarded off course, they'd taken her back to Jarrett Jansen's permaculture hobby farm. She'd been fascinated by the herd of alpacas and the loyal Maremma sheepdog which guarded Jansen's flock. Of course, the mohair goats had proved a hit too and the timing of their visit had been quite fortuitous since Jarrett had just hatched some chicks and Tia had fallen madly, deeply in love with the baby chickens. There had also been a joyful reunion between herself and his dog Defer and the large orange tabby cat that Tia had named McGonigal or Mac for short.
Tony had been concerned that returning to Jarrett's farm might cause Tia to have flashbacks, but she seemed to focus on all the new animals she'd missed meeting the first time she'd been there. She'd confided to Jessie on their way home, that she was going an alpaca farmer when she grew up. Her godmother agreed they were cute animals but was less impressed by their proclivity to spit at people to express their disapproval. Jess thought cows were better mannered.
Meanwhile, Tony had used the opportunity to quiz the army veteran about his involvement if any in Senior's death. Jarrett had claimed to not to have any involvement but expressed regret that he hadn't thought of arranging it himself.
He'd said, "DiNozzo was scum, Tony and no loss to the world. That he could hurt that precious little girl of yours is proof enough of his innate evilness. I reckon that it's probably not the first child he's hurt either, he said looking at Tony penetratingly.
Usually, he would deflect a question that personal by making a joke, but he owed Jensen a lot, so he said, briefly, "No she's not."
The soldier merely nodded. "Well, then I'm doubly regretful that I didn't think of doing it, Son."
Later, Tony told Jess he believed that Jensen Hadn't involved which relieved her too. She'd grown fond of the old soldier and would hate to see him locked up for the rest of his life. After everything he'd been through, he deserved to live out his life on his little slice of paradise, plus, Tia would have been devastated. He'd become like a surrogate grandfather to her and she adored him. The feeling was undeniably mutual.
As she left home to head into work, Jess decided that with Tony and Mel reuniting as a family, it was time for her to look for someone to share her own life with, too. Relieved to finally made some decisions, Jess decided it was high time she stopped procrastinating and start dating again. As the security gate swung shut behind her, she decided resolutely to invite Tobias to go out to dinner with her later this week. When she'd first met him, there'd been a mutual attraction although neither of them had a chance to act on it to see if it grew into something serious. At this point, she wasn't sure if she still felt any sort of attraction to him but at least she could she go on a date and see what happened.
Not surprised that she wasn't exactly leaping over the moon with excitement, she reminded herself that she'd made the difficult decision to go, AND to start dating again, now she deserved a reward. She decided to spend an hour or two tomorrow morning cutting the grass on their awesome ride-on mower. That always put her into a good mood. When she moved out, she would offer to come back and cut the grass.
Truthfully, it was even better than a couple of hours at the shooting range, beating the pants off misogynistic cops who thought they were god's gift to policing only because they had a penis. And it never got old!
~oO0Oo~
Tony left the senior supervisors' briefing, eager to get back to the case that that the MCRT was currently working on. Over the span of a decade a series of young sailors - ensigns, a midshipman, and several petty officers - had gone missing from ships which had arrived back at Norfolk after deployments. Up until now, no one had twigged that the unsolved cases weren't separate but related incidence. That is until Ensign Lorna Savage went missing three days ago.
Tony's team caught the case and he'd recognised similarities to a cold case he'd reviewed last year that was disturbingly like Ensign Savage's disappearance. Eight years ago, Chris Pacci's team had initially caught the case of a young midshipman who disappeared 46 hours after docking at Norfolk. The similarities between that case which had become the cold case he'd reviewed last year had raised Tony's hackles, so he'd started looking for other similar cases. To his displeasure, he found another one that the MCRT had investigated while he was agent afloat which was almost identical to the current one and the cold case.
Seriously, in what weird-assed alternate universe would anyone claiming to have experience in law enforcement think breaking up the premier investigative team in DC and putting all the suspects onto a new MCRT with Gibbs and expect him to sniff out the mole WITHOUT EVEN TELLING him was a brilliant idea? What? His famous gut was supposed to pick up that one of them was selling them out. It was the most stupid thing he'd ever seen, and Tony had seen a lot of stupid over the years.
It was crazy – something not even a writer for shows like CSI would come up with such a lamebrained idea and everyone knew how much artistic license was taken on police procedural. Although maybe McGee might have tried it in one of his books. Nah, on second thoughts, not even Gemcity would be so dumb!
The fact that it had backfired, spectacularly, and an innocent agent had died should have seen Leon canned after that negligence. Not to mention the massive damage it had done to the agency and the subsequent try- to-fix-it debacle, which was DOMINO! Plus it still left a team of newbies investigating this case, which potentially hadn't been investigated adequately and turned into a serial murder investigation. Three new team members on any team, let alone a team which investigated, capital, complex or high-profile crimes was nothing short of sheer idiocy.
There was every chance that if the team hadn't been disbanded after Shepard's suicide by terrorists, they may have identified all these cases as being committed by a serial offender and potentially saved Ensign Savage from a similar fate. Tony was under little illusion that if these disappearances were connected as he believed they were, then the young missing sailors were probably all dead.
He honestly didn't understand what Leon had been thinking when he broke up the MCRT, but the odds were that he had some deeply political motive for doing something so bereft of common sense. Unfortunately, with Leon, he was always looking out for number one and how he could benefit from a situation rather than putting the needs and safety of the agents and those they served as his number one priority. Shame it had taken Jerome Craig's death to make TPTB realise that playing politics with other people's lives when you were in the top job was a dangerous and foolish game to be playing.
Which was probably why Tony had been extremely chary of accepting the position of Senior Supervisory Agent of the MCRT after Gibbs failed his physical. After working under two highly political and ultra-ambitious Directors in Jenny Shepard and Leon Vance, he was worried that TPTB would appoint someone equally as political and he had no tolerance for that. He still wanted to serve and protect Navy and Marine personnel and their families but had no desire to be sacrificed to further some bloviated political hack who was using the agency as a stepping-stone to a career in politics.
Tony had expressed his reservations to the new SecNav, former Judge Advocate General and ex-SEAL, Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden about taking over as Gibbs' replacement and he'd encouraged him to reconsider his stance. When Tom Morrow had turned up at NCIS out of the blue after work, taking him out for a beer he'd been surprised and highly suspicious. He'd smelt a rat.
After an exchange of pleasantries, Morrow had quickly gotten down to business. Tom said, "So, I hear you haven't said yes to the MCRT position, Tony. Any specific reason why?"
Tony looked at his former director, trying to decide if this as a genuine inquiry. Morrow had always been straight with him and as directors went, he was by far the most professional that he'd worked under. But... he had let Gibbs ride roughshod over him in his position as head of the agency, allowing Gibbs to do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted. That alone made him wary.
Tony was sick and tired of all the politics and people getting away with breaking their oaths to serve and protect. He was fed up with people getting away with breaking the laws which they hypocritically used to lock up other people because they were federal agents. No one should ever be above the law.
He stared at Tom stonily, and said, "I'm tired of directors who use the office for their own personal or political gain," he admitted, candidly as Morrow winced.
"I'm tired of Secretaries of the Navy who put NCIS and its agents' safety and integrity a very bad second to further their own political aspirations." He continued, honestly.
"And I'm fed up being a pawn," he concluded, consequences be damned! "I refuse to work somewhere where I have to worry that my director might throw me under the bus to save themselves or their precious career anymore. I have a daughter who I'm responsible for and I will always put her first," he vowed fiercely.
Morrow thought about what Tony had said, sipping his beer meditatively for several minutes and Tony was happy to remain silent. After all, he'd said really all he needed or wanted to. And the fact was that he had options - a standing job offer from the FBI director and several other agencies. Plus, he knew that he could always get a job in policing – they'd welcome him back into the fold with open arms.
Finally, Tom set his beer down on the table where they had found a quiet corner in the half-empty DC wine bar and nodded. "I can understand where you're coming from, Tony. I may not have used the office for my own personal or political aspirations – not in the way that Shepard or Vance have done so blatantly.
"Yet I cannot deny that I used the job to get the assistant director's job at DHS and though I rationalised that move because I wanted to do more to fight terrorism, I have still been guilty of turning a blind eye to the lawlessness going on at NCIS, either under the guise of plausible deniability or that the end justified the means."
He sighed deeply and Tony sensed that he was remorseful. "I shouldn't have done that! I can't help but wonder what might have been if I hadn't accepted the job." They were both silent as they contemplated that scenario and what it might have meant.
"You wouldn't have found yourself undercover on a totally unsanctioned mission for a psychologically compromised director. I would probably also have processed Jethro's resignation after the Cape Fear debacle because the truth be told, I would have welcomed it."
Seeing the shocked look on Tony's face, he clarified, "I inherited Gibbs from my predecessor, and I was told not to delve too deeply into his background or impose too many rules on him. To let him do his best (or worst) and if it went FUBAR that he was expendable."
"I was wrong to just accept that. I should have investigated him thoroughly – I should have had his psych evals done by professionals who he couldn't bullshit," he said regretfully.
"And I should never have ignored how his utter disregarded for the chain of command, above AND below him. With hindsight, I can see that Jethro is highly narcissistic and not psychologically fit to lead other agents. My apologies, Tony. I fucked up as director!"
At the beginning of Morrow's dialogue, Tony was feeling ambivalent because he was used to hearing bullshit but by the end, his eyes were practically bugging out of his head and he was quite sure he was catching flies. Assistant Director Morrow obviously did not adhere to Rule # six.
Noting DiNozzo's astonishment, Tom chuckled. "Wow, have I broken you, Tony?"
Shaking his head, trying to clear away his befuddlement, Tony chuckled briefly. "Not used to getting mea culpas, Director Morrow. But thanks, I appreciate it. For the record, I wasn't lumping you in with Shepard and Vance. I know you took the job at DHS for altruistic reasons."
"Yes, but I left the agency with Shepard."
"Did you recommend her as your replacement?" Tony probed, hoping Morrow hadn't had input into the appointment of his successor. Morrow would go down quite a few notches in his estimation if he had recommended Jenny.
"Good Lord, no!" Morrow exclaimed. "She would not have been my first choice. Jennifer Shepard had nowhere near enough experience but unfortunately, a lot of influence."
Tony heaved a mental sigh of relief that Morrow hadn't advocated for her. Thinking about Shepard's first year - her micromanaging of the MCRT and her alternate flirting versus her emasculating Gibbs had all been highly inappropriate and unprofessional. However annoying that had been though, it wasn't as bad as her sheer lunatic decision bringing a foreign agent into the agency as a liaison officer. By doing so Jenny had been able to bypass the necessity of Ziva David swearing an oath to uphold US laws or having to attend mandatory training for agents. It was a decision which had impacted significantly upon the whole agency and placed every case she'd had anything to do with into legal limbo.
Then, of course, there were the deleterious personal effects which Tony had endured by being sent into an unsanctioned long-term undercover mission, even though he hadn't know it at the time. The effects of which had deep and enduring repercussions for Tony. His profound distrust of superiors was only one consequence, yet it was a substantive one.
Tony decided that considering Director Morrow's honest and open response to his concerns, he might also be willing to be equally candid about the new director and SecNav. "So why did TPTB appoint Delario as director, Sir?"
Tom smiled. "I know what you are thinking. Captain Henry Delario has no background in law enforcement or as an investigator and that's true. But as you know, Delario was a prominent member of the JAG corps and he was a gifted jurist who believes emphatically that no one is above the law. He will not countenance the breaking of the law by any NCIS agent under his authority."
As if he sensed Tony scepticism, he said. "When I was Director of NCIS, he was the type of judge who was intractably scrupulous about throwing out evidence which hadn't been gathered lawfully. Even if that meant letting a guilty person walk free," and Tony nodded at the veracity of that statement.
In Tony's first month on the MCRT after his departure from the Baltimore PD, Henry Delario had ripped Gibbs a new one over his questionable method of obtaining search warrants. He'd accused Gibbs of exaggerating, if not telling outright falsehoods before he'd ruled the evidence collected during the illegal search to be inadmissible. Much to Gibb's fury, the case collapsed and ended up being dismissed.
Perhaps recognising that he'd gained some ground in the credibility stakes, Morrow pressed on.
"Not only is Delario a straight shooter when it comes to following the law, but Henry is not a political animal. He was happily retired and looking forward to spending time with his wife and grandkids – he was enticed back by A.J. Chegwidden, the new SecNav who had also retired and was looking forward to having some R&R and to get to know his daughter."
Curious despite his caution, Tony asked, "So why did either of them agree to come out of retirement then?"
Tom smiled, a grim smile and Tony recognised he was about to get sandbagged.
"Because both men have integrity, honour and courage. They were appalled after serving their country, navy and JAG for so many years, to see how much of a FUBAR agency that NCIS has become under directors and SECNAV's who haven't put the agency and it people before their own agendas." Morrow looked chagrined.
"They've both agreed to sign a limited three-year contract, which has the option of being extended for another 18 months, should it prove necessary to clean up the mess and bring about change, transparency, and accountability. They are determined to clean house and restore the good name of NCIS and then hand the baton over to younger candidates."
And WHAM! There it was.
How the hell could Tony not agree to get on board withsuch lofty goals? He was procrastinating because he didn't want to be the puppet of politicians and it looked as if these two men shared his desire. But after seeing the effect that power had to corrupt individuals, he still hesitated.
"Well, I admit that they sound like laudatory goals, goals that I can get excited about. BUT, how do I know that they will actually walk the talk?"
Tom while remaining grave, permitted himself the ghost of a smile. "Trust which has been broken is not easily mended. I get that you aren't a person who gives trust easily, but you also are loyal and have an expectation that your superiors have integrity, which is utterly reasonable and will put the agency and its stakeholders first and foremost. That didn't happen, so I can see why you would be sceptical."
When Tony nodded apologetically, and murmured, "Power corrupts," Morrow smiled at his former agent and nodded.
"You're right, yes it can! I'm going to say that the best advice I can offer rather than empty reassurances is for you to meet them yourself. Get to know them a little and express your concerns. Ask them questions and then trust your instincts. I think one of the reasons why you have been so successful undercover is your ability to read people."
Tony thought about what Morrow had said. "Okay, can you set it up for me please?"
Tom nodded. "So, what are you doing tonight?"
Looking startled, he answered, "Binge-watching Meerkat Manor with my daughter. What did you have in mind?"
Morrow looked roguishly at DiNozzo. "Well, Henry and A.J. are planning on having a working dinner in half an hour at an excellent little Italian bistro in the next block. I'm sure they won't mind us crashing their meal for a while so you can meet them."
Tony objected, "But I have met both of them, Sir."
"Obviously. But that was in a somewhat different setting. Talk to them, interview them." His former director leaned forward confidingly. "Did you know that in addition to your reputation as a brilliant investigator and undercover operative, you have an enviable standing as a professional who is incorruptible? They want you on their team, so take advantage of that and ask them hard questions. Then go and talk to your partner and friends."
Tony sighed and decided to bite the bullet. The sooner he decided to stay on at NCIS or look for a job somewhere else, the better for everyone, especially Tia. Pulling out his phone he called Jess to let her know he would be home later than expected and then rang his daughter, letting her know that she should start watching without him and he would get there as soon as he could.
Looking at Tom, he said somewhat suspiciously," So, should we call them and let them know that we're crashing their dinner, or are they already expect us?"
Morrow frowned at the implication that he'd been set up. "I'm sorry that people including myself have manipulated you and broken your trust. But no, Henry and A.J. are not expecting us.
"We could call and tell them we are joining them if you want to, or we could just turn up and catch them off guard. Your choice, Tony. I might want you to accept the SSA promotion, but I will not manipulate you."
"But why do you want me to stay at NCIS?"
"Because I still care about the agency and I know how good you are. How good it will be for NCIS if you stay there and help rebuild what others have destroyed. But bottom line, you have to feel good about it or it won't work."
Tony had felt slightly embarrassed that he'd doubted Tom but recalling all the shit the two former directors had pulled, he wasn't inclined to beat himself up over his paranoia either.
~oO0Oo~
Now as he made his way down the stairs to the bullpen, eager to get back to his team and the investigation, he thought about the last couple of months. While he'd been filling in for Gibbs while he was off with his knee, other agents had been seconded at various points, depending upon what they were investigating. It had been weird having other agents, especially from other agencies and who were a lot higher up the food chain than he was, offering up their services to help out. While he appreciated all the good-will and assistance, Tony had to admit that once he'd signed on to the job permanently, being able to form a new team had felt damned good.
While he was given the final say on whether he could work with someone, there had been HR interviews for each of the three other spots on the team. Candidates were required to formally apply for the team, submit their resume and justify why they would be an asset to the team. He'd also been able to participate on the interviews which had been conducted by Director Delario, Chegwidden who, as the new SecNav, was taking a personal interest in everything that occurred at the agency, the newly appointed assistant director Owen Granger (who was also a former Spec Ops Marine ) and Delores Bromstead from HR.
It had been a particularly intimidating selection panel and Tony was sure they'd weeded out anyone who couldn't handle pressure but the SecNav wasn't leaving anything to chance. When it had come down to the final three candidates for each slot on the team, Chegwidden had insisted that they undergo extensive psych. evals before the final decision had been made.
Tony was pleased with the composition of his team and especially the way it had been created – following HR protocols rather than giving one individual (be they the director or team leader) carte blanche to hire who they damn well wanted. If the procedure had been in place earlier, it was almost impossible to imagine how Ziva David, trained assassin and spy would have been welcomed into their midst with open arms. Shepard and Vance had practically presented her with a gold-plated invitation to steal unauthorised classified information and send it back home to Israel.
That wasn't to say that he didn't feel sad that she was awaiting trial on multiple counts of espionage and being held in a secret DHS maximum security facility, deemed too dangerous to be held in a normal federal prison. He did! She'd taken the news of her father's death very poorly – according to Tom Morrow. She'd been so sure he would be her get out of jail free card and had been cavalier about her actions until it was too late. Now without his influence to save her, she'd decided that her only choice was to escape and had already made several abortive attempts. He didn't think it was going to end well, for her.
As much as he hated what she'd done, as a father, he mourned for the little girl who her father has so ruthlessly moulded into an assassin and spy. Still, the moment Ziva had stolen classified data from NCIS, she'd guaranteed that her life would be spent incarcerated at best, executed as a spy in the worst-case scenario. Even if she escaped the death penalty, by the time she served out her sentence she would never have the chance to have her own children.
Although, with Eli David as a role model perhaps it could be argued that it was a good thing.
He reluctantly recognised that although Ziva was a product of her environment, as an adult, she'd had other choices. She could have refused to do his bidding, could have emigrated to another country, even requested asylum in the USA but ultimately, she'd chosen to do his bidding, for whatever misguided sense of loyalty to told herself. There wasn't a thing Tony or anyone else could do to change what had happened; she'd chosen her path and now she had to face the consequences.
Tony forced himself to stop thinking about his former teammate's fate over which he had no control and focus instead on the present and future with his new team. He'd been honestly surprised at the sheer volume of applicants who had wanted to work on the MCRT and glad that it hadn't been left up to him to decide. Particularly because Tim McGee had automatically expected he'd be offered the role of the senior field agent and been pissed off that he had to apply, just like everyone else, saying it as a waste of time since obviously, he was the best-qualified candidate by far. McGee was totally blindsided by the interview panel's decision that he didn't meet the exemplary skills and performance to carry out the job.
Tony didn't want him back, but he was glad that it hadn't been left up to him to say yay or nay – so he'd gone so far as to recuse himself from the process during McGee's interview. The panel's unfavourable verdict was probably not all that surprising, given Balboa's complaints about his mindset and McGee's performance evals which under his current team leader were quite ordinary, reflecting his poor attitude to his being disciplined. The four-panel members had also zeroed in on Tim's inability to follow the chain-of-command, including his countless examples of insubordination and failure to listen to instructions, citing them as being major stumbling blocks to his future job prospects, let alone his chance of winning promotions.
Chegwidden, Delario and Granger had also alluded to his propensity to carry out illegal hacking as being extremely problematic, warning him it would no longer be tolerated under the new governance. They informed him that from now on, every computer search he or anyone else carried out on behalf of the agency must also have a lawfully obtained warrant if it violated the security, privacy or legal rights of organisations, individuals or corporations. That information did not sit well for him at all.
Then Granger had brought up writing crime novels and his violation of the confidentiality clause he'd signed when joining the agency which was not something they viewed favourably. The fact that he'd used his former teammates as the main characters in his books and done so without seeking their permission. He told him that it demonstrated a singular lack of respect for his colleagues or their rights. It exhibited unsuitability for holding supervisory responsibility for junior agents.
SECNAV Chegwidden, former JAG and navy SEAL was also scathing. He considered it to be the ultimate betrayal of his teammates' trust.
Tony did feel a little bit guilty about McGee's smackdown after working with him for so many years. He knew that Tim's failure to secure a spot on the MCRT, even as a junior agent had probably ended his ambition of attaining the directorship of the agency. Ric Balboa had given DiNozzo a metaphoric kick up the pants for his guilt.
"Look, Tony. If McGee had sucked it up after getting caught hacking into the WITSEC database and knuckled under when he was on my team, things might have worked out a lot different for him. But the truth was he refused to listen to me or Annabelle, believing he was smarter and knew better than we did every time we tried to educate him. After all, he believes with his fancy degrees, he's a genius and he told me more than once that he'd been handpicked and trained by Leroy Jethro Gibbs to serve on the MCRT and we hadn't."
Ric shook his head, "He shouldn't have been at all surprised that neither of us gave him a glowing job reference – after all, both Crawley and I gave him scathing half-yearly performance evals. If he'd taken it as a wakeup call, got his shit together and taken on board our observations, he might have earned his position back again, but he was just too pig-headed... too arrogant.
"In his mind, Annabelle was just a former cop. He told people that he was a probie when he was recruited to serve on the premier investigative team, while I've never made it to the elite MCRT team and so I'm jealous of his abilities."
Tony snorted disparagingly and crossed his arms. "He has no idea you were senior field agent on the MCRT before Gibbs returned from Russia and his disastrous mission and affair with our former Madame Director, does he?"
"Doubtful," Balboa smirked at him.
"Okay, I'll stop with the sackcloth and ashes routine. McGee made his bed, now he has to lie in it," He promised Ric half-heartedly.
Now almost three months down the track, as he descended the stairs, DiNozzo's thoughts turned from memories of how the team had been recruited to a brief satisfaction as he studied his people, who were busy chasing down leads on the missing sailors. He noted with approval that Bella was keeping the junior agents focused and motivated. He was grateful that Annabelle Crawley, Ric's SFA had agreed to transfer over after none of the candidates who'd applied for the position had passed the rigorous psych. evals, including McGee.
Tony had made the suggestion to Delario about poaching someone who was already experienced, and she'd been his first pick. He was just exceedingly happy that Balboa was still speaking to him.
Dwayne Wilson had filled the probie slot, having successfully completed his FLETC training some time ago thanks to Gibbs recommendation overruling Vance's intellectual snobbery. He was proving to be quite gifted in computer technology even if he'd only gained a degree at a community college. Dwayne was attending George Washington University part-time to acquire additional training although he'd never be McGee.
Wilson was a former Marine and Tony thought having someone on the team who had a military background was helpful. There were times when dealing with certain witnesses and when questioning military suspects, it was extremely useful to have him on the team. Plus, there were the times when they needed a different perspective into the military mindset and Dwayne was a real asset. Plus, he respected the chain of command.
Finally, there was their junior agent, Meredith Brody, who'd been serving as an Agent Afloat on the USS Moultrie and had been struggling to deal with her assignment. While her aptitude test scores and her FLETC record indicated that she was highly intelligent, gifted and would ultimately make an excellent agent, there had also been a couple of red flags that should have been addressed. Instead, they had been ignored as Former Director Jenny Shepard had singled her out (along with a couple of other female agents) to fast track them up the ladder with an eye to having more women occupying managerial positions.
Since agent afloat positions required the candidate to have some supervisory experience and Brody had none, Shepard had her fill in for a senior field agent who was on sick leave. It was a TAD she filled for a paltry five weeks prior to her deployment aboard the USS Moultrie. Not exactly an adequate preparation for being the sole cop aboard a ship full of sailors and Marines, who viewed you as the enemy for having to police their behaviour, 24/7. Not adequate preparation in terms of her experience, skillset, and certainly not emotionally.
Luckily, Director Delario, in one of his first priorities when taking over as director, had ordered that agents must undergo psych evals asap. As Meredith Brody had already been identified by Captain Carmichael as struggling to cope with her assignment, she'd also been one of the first agents assessed by Dr Nate Getz, an NCIS operational psychologist, based on the west coast. Based purely on her previous psych evals and Captain Carmichael's reports, Getz recommended her immediate removal from the ship, rightly recognising that Agent Brody had neither the skills nor the experience to be deployed as an agent afloat. Director Delario had immediately arranged for a TAD to be dispatched to the Moultrie until someone qualified to serve could replace her permanently.
Luckily, the TAD agent who replaced Brody, Special Agent Cassie Yates was an extremely experienced agent, because literally days after joining the USS Moultrie she faced with a horrific situation. Petty Officer Third Class Jerry Hooper was wielding a suicide vest and threatening to blow up himself and five other personnel. When Yates confronted him, fortunately, she had been able to convince him that he needed help.
It was touch and go for a while and in the subsequent JAGMAN investigation it was concluded that without Special Agent Yates calm demeanour, her incredible focus, plus her extensive training and experience, there would have been six deaths and equally unthinkable, the USS Moultrie would have sustained significant damage. Cassie had received a commendation for her outstanding comportment under duress and the successful resolution of the episode.
To everyone involved, it was painfully obvious that Brody's timely removal had allowed the navy and NCIS (including Meredith Brody) to dodge a bullet. Brody was not experienced enough or adequately trained to have dealt with the situation, it was almost inevitable that it would have ended in tragedy for all concerned. Brody had initially been incredibly angry at her removal, seeing it as a humiliating failure, however, after hearing about the suicide attempt of Hooper and the six-hour operation by Cassie to talk him down, she had changed her tune. Brody readily admitted it would have been completely beyond her skill set, her experience in dealing with suicidal individuals had been entirely theoretically, occurring at FLETC. Later she admitted to Tony that if six people had died on her watch, she'd have lost it completely and Tony agreed she was probably correct.
At first, when she'd applied for the Senior Field agent slot, she'd been rejected almost immediately, not having the necessary investigative experience, despite Shepard fast-tracking her career. It was a systemic failure of Jenny's stated aim of fast-tracking female agents into more managerial roles but, there was really no point in pushing agents into a program if they weren't skilled and experienced enough to cope just because of the possession of a couple of sex chromosomes. Ultimately, fast-tracking agents who weren't ready just made it harder for the next crop of female agents who came along after them.
Then when Owen Granger and Delores Bromstead had first suggested Meredith Brody for the junior agent slot, mainly because of her high aptitude for investigative work and her FLETC grades and firearms scores, Tony had been extremely hesitant to have her on the team initially. Her jacket revealed a somewhat similar childhood to his own – indifferent parents bordering on neglectful, years attending boarding schools. Not that it fazed him since he'd mostly managed to overcome his deficiencies from his upbringing, so he wasn't about to hold that against anyone. Unless it proved to be a problem in them doing their job, of course, then all bets were off. But it was the death of her twin sister, Emily in what was apparently a car accident which gave him cause to doubt her suitability.
It had been documented by several psychologists that she still had unresolved grief issues and he had no intention of having another agent on the major case response team with unresolved grief. At times, it had been a real nightmare working with Gibbs when he was triggered, and Tony refused to repeat the experience. But then Nate Getz had ridden to her rescue and suggested that they make her place on the team contingent on her seeking therapy to deal with the death of her twin. She had instantly agreed to the stipulation, perhaps shaken up by what could have happened if she'd still been aboard the USS Moultrie.
Nine weeks after joining the team, she was attending weekly sessions with a grief counsellor and seemed to be trying to process her loss – something Gibbs had never been willing to do. So, he had some degree of optimism that her placement would be a success, that said, Tony kept a close eye on Meredith, as did his trusted SFA. Hopefully, she could deal with what he readily admitted must have been a devastating loss, although as an only child (a very lonely child) he could only imagine what she'd gone through.
As he entered the bullpen, he smiled grimly at the team... at his team. "Okay people, FYI, there is a heightened terrorist threat in DC this weekend. All leave has been cancelled, although, since we were rostered on and we already have this case which Director Delario had ruled as our immediate priority, it doesn't affect us at this time. That may change if the threat proves credible." He informed them.
Looking around the bullpen, he grinned at them encouragingly, "So, before we take a break, do you want to update me on anything you have or even what you have managed to rule out? Anyone?"
As his team took turns in filling him in on what they'd been working on, he exchanged a satisfied smile with Bella. They were working well for a team that had been totally rebuilt from scratch and only together for a few short weeks. Sure, they still had a way to go but it felt right.
DiNozzo was happy with his decision to stay on at NCIS and accept the promotion to senior supervisory agent, at least while Chegwidden was SecNav and the by-the-book former judge, Director Delario was at the helm. They were doing a sterling job cleaning up the mess and corruption brought about by the last two directors and their secret agendas.
That night as he drove home, he thought back to the day Fornell had called him with the awful news that Dennis Cooper was dead, and Mel and Tia had been injured. He'd gone barrelling out of NCIS, not caring in the slightest if he lost the job that he considered to be his whole life, so long as he got to Mel and Tia. They were the most important people in his life even if he didn't get to see them or speak to them – they were still his family.
He recalled with a smile how he'd called Jessie, his ex-partner and his best friend and she had dropped everything to go to Arizona with him. Jess was family too, not because they shared blood or had a child together but because she loved him unconditionally and would do anything for him.
Which she did. She not only went with him to Tucson, but she also came back to DC, quit her job, and helped him raise his daughter without him even asking her too. That was family. She hadn't bailed on either of them or on Mel either, not even when Tia was having horrific nightmares and waking numerous times in the night. A few times she'd wet the bed in terror and been mortified but Jess had been steadfast in her support, handling even a wet bed without batting an eye. Jess had become Tia's rock and he truly didn't know how he would have made it through all the dramas without her.
Now ten months later, they had made it through some truly horrific times and had begun to emerge into the light. Mel was going to be discharged in a few weeks and when she came home, that would present with a new set of challenges, as they all had to learn how to live together again. As much as he was thrilled that she had made it this far, he knew that it wasn't going to be a case of picking up where they'd all left off in Philadelphia, more than ten years ago.
Not only was there Tia to factor in, but Jess, Mel and himself were all ten years older. All of them were different people now.
Mel had changed a lot. She had been married to Dennis, had given birth to Tia and lived in witness protection. She'd also been forced to change careers. Then she'd suffered a life-threatening head injury and lost her husband, who she'd obviously adored. Tony knew this because he'd seen all the photos of her and Dennis, proudly displayed around the house and from all the stories Tia had shared about their lives together before the car crash had taken him away.
Then there were the head injuries that Mel had sustained. Right from the start, he'd been warned that if (and at that point, it had been a big if) she recovered, the extent of her injuries could result in changes in personality. Apparently, it wasn't that uncommon a phenomenon in brain injury but what remained unknown was to what extent if any, those changes might occur. While he noticed changes in her, it wasn't clear if they were the natural changes that occur due to time or they were more sudden changes in personality, due to the injury.
The truth was that Tia and her Aunt Clare were the two best placed to notice any changes, although Tia right now was just too excited to have her mother back again. Clare had given Mel some weird looks a few times when she'd come to see her. He guessed she picked up on some changes, but they hadn't discussed them.
He was happy that Mel's sister-in-law was coming back to stay for a couple of weeks once Mel was discharged. He thought it would help, particularly Mel and Tia. He wasn't under any illusions that there would be a few tears and tantrums to navigate but it would be worth it.
A few months ago, the outlook was bleak and now Tia had her mother back again. Whatever difficulties lay ahead, and he was pragmatic enough to know there would be some, they would find a way to deal with them because the alternative – that Tia wouldn't have her mother – was too awful to contemplate. He knew better than anyone how difficult it was to grow up without a mother, even one who wasn't fully functional. As an adult, he was able to tell that his own mother had been sick for a long time before her death when he was an eight-year-old.
Aside from cancer that took her away from him when he was still a little child, she had been addicted to booze and antidepressants. It was not normal for mothers to mistake their kid's sea monkeys for a mint julep and drink them. And yet, despite her obvious mental problems, Tony still would have given the world to have still been able to have her alive during his childhood and adolescence. So, he was eternally grateful that Tia wouldn't experience the difficulties he'd faced of not having a loving mother to help him grow up.
He thought about the last few weeks with Tia, how they had relaxed the restrictions a little which had been in place ever since Senior had tried to kidnap her, but like the FBI, Tony wasn't convinced that it was safe yet. Maybe due to his job, he tended towards being slightly paranoid but with situations such as Chip Sterling, it wasn't exactly groundless. Then there was the undeniable fact that he and his daughter were related to Senior by blood, even if they hadn't been in his life.
The truth was that his sperm donor had probably made lots of enemies over the years by conning people out of their life savings. Even if they didn't have anything to do with him or condone his actions, people with a grudge would possibly still blame them. It was probable that they would always need to be extra cautious when it came to Tia's safety.
So while Tony had taken her out to the movies a couple of times and they had plans to go back to the zoo and also have a sleepover there too, he'd been armed to the teeth and unable to fully relax, although Tia had enjoyed herself. So, he supposed that was the most important thing.
He wished he wasn't feeling so antsy – the fact that Rensberg and Senior were dead should have made him feel a lot more secure. However, just like he'd had a feeling of imminent danger before the first kidnapping had taken place in the park, he couldn't shake the feeling that all was not well. He couldn't explain why he was still on edge, but at this point, he was learning to trust his feelings as a parent when it came to Tia's welfare. He may have only a few months of hands-on experience as Tia's dad, but he had nearly fourteen years as an agent and a cop.
He acknowledged that not knowing who'd ordered the hit on his sperm donor was fuelling his unease. He'd talked to Jarrett Jensen and was satisfied he wasn't behind it, nor was Gibbs. Not that Gibbs wouldn't have done it, but he wouldn't have been dumb enough to visit Mike Franks days before it was done. It didn't make sense that Prince Al had organised it either once he thought about it a little bit more – if he had done it because of losing face, then he'd have also taken out Jonathon Stevenson too.
Speaking of the Dr Welby lookalike, when Tony had had to attend a law enforcement conference in NYC, he's snuck up to Dorset to confront Dr Stevenson. If anyone had a motive for arranging Senior's death, it was him. He hadn't told Jess or Fornell what he was planning to do because they would have fussed or wanted to go in his place. While he appreciated their concern for him, he needed to be the one to confront that no-good quack and to interrogate him about arranging Senior's death. He needed to look him in the eye to see if he was lying or not, but he'd also needed to face him and tell him how much he despised him for his complicity and hypocrisy in the abuse he'd endured as a kid.
So much for his Hippocratic Oath of first do no harm!
He'd really hoped that he was the one to order the hit on Senior but unfortunately, Tony didn't believe that he had anything to do with it. Mostly because Stevenson had seemed convinced that he could be the next target and begged Tony to protect him. He'd told him that he should hire a bodyguard if he was scared and reminded him that he'd been terrified of his father as a child, and Dr Stevenson, instead of helping him, had threatened him so he wouldn't tell anyone. He'd left the doctor, who as a kid used to figure in his nightmares a snivelling wreck as he drove away from Dorset.
While he was glad that he'd stared down one of his childhood abusers, he was unhappy that he was still feeling so antsy. Could there be someone out there who'd ordered Senior's death? Hopefully, it was someone who hated Senior and realised that Tony and Tia had nothing to do with the piece of shit. But his worst fear was that there remained a shadowy figure who'd been involved in the kidnapping plot that they didn't know about. That would mean that Tia was at risk. It was unfortunate, but until he knew otherwise, Tony would remain wary, while trying to let her have more freedoms.
Right now, the most important happening was that Mel was coming home from the hospital and would need a lot of support from them all. At some point in the future, there was the trip he'd promised his daughter to the UK, visiting his English cousins, and going to see where Harry Potter had been filmed. But at least for the next few months, Mel would need all their help, especially Tia's to settle in and continue her recovery from the crash.
Tony knew that the next few months would not be easy on any of them, despite the progress that had been made. It was not their happily ever after, not by a long shot. That was still a long way off in the distant future when Mel had finished her rehab and they knew more about what her new normal would look like. Their happily ever after would be reached when Tia was further along in her own treatment with Dr Prue and she could sleep in her own bed without terrible nightmares. When every time Jessie, Megan or himself was late home, she didn't immediately imagine something bad had happened to them.
Just over a year ago, he had been reunited with Jess in Philly under challenging circumstances, but it had felt so right for them to be back together again. Neither one of them could have predicted back then that this day would come where he would get to have his daughter and his two best friends back together in his life, even though they were all very different people now.
So, no, it wasn't their happily ever after… not yet. At the very least though, this milestone would mark an important step along the road to achieving it. For now, it was enough that they were all together, and Tony had been the chance to finally get to know his daughter. It was more than he'd dared to dream of and something he would always cherish.
~ finis ~
End Notes: Wow, finally it's done! I can't believe that I have taken such a long time to finish this story. There have been numerous factors at play here – I broke one of my rules and didn't stick to my story outline. First off, deciding to explore what this different incarnation of Tony, who had the loving support of Tia and Jessie which had given him a sense of purpose and confidence that his team never had, would handle the whole Rivkin/ Aliyah debacle. Big mistake! The second issue was pressure to pair Tony with Jess which had never been on my agenda and complicated things enormously lol. Then there were the numerous cases of writer's block I encountered over the course of writing this – caused in part by issues one and two already mentioned but also due to losing a number of family members. I almost lost one of my siblings plus there were health-crises of another close members of my family, resulting in care-giving duties that left little time for creative pursuits and then there were natural disasters (floods, bushfires, a mini cyclone) and even a pandemic.
As is always the case when I finish a long running story, I'm experiencing a sense of euphoria for completing it, of course. It's also tinged with a large dose of melancholy over saying goodbye to these characters and their universe, particularly my OCs, Jess and Tia in particular. That said, when I began this series, I had the idea for another story, although nothing of the magnitude of this one. Time will tell if I get return to Tia, Jessie, Tony and Mel's story. I have other sequels that I need to address first, but I remain open to the possibility. How's that for definitely vague, lol?
As is my custom as I finish up a story, I usually mention my plans. It is always interesting to visit them a year or so later to see if I managed to achieve them or not. Cough *big fail* more often than I'd like.
In the immediate offing, I have a tag for There's Always Tom Morrow – The Good Wives Club that I will post soon. I have a firm story outline for the next tag, ep 3 – Vanished and hope to start writing it next week. I think I'll be concentrating on tags for the TATM series for a while as they are less complicated, and I need a bit of a break. I've just finished off a long complex story for the 2020 Quantum Bang roughly 112,000 words – of which 100,000 were written within a four-month period. I am feeling a little empty in terms of writing at the moment although my story, Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone, is a story I have wanted to write for a long time. Check it out on the QB site, I'm interested in people's thoughts.
In addition to the TATM tags, I'm considering migrating some of my older stories over to the A03 site because I discovered by accident when reading someone else's older story posted on have littered them with advertising between the text of chapters, not just above or below the chapter which I wouldn't have minded. So, I checked and sure enough, my stories have been affected too (stamps foot ala Abby Sciuto). Aside from that project, long term, I have several sequels that I should begin to work on…or even just one! Plus, I have a plot bunny that I have been mulling over for a few years now but have been resisting the temptation to run with while I had unfinished business (stories).
Until the next story…