Resilience
Rating: M (for the later parts)
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I do not own NCIS. There are, however, several characters in this fic that I have created.
Summary: Two murder cases force the team to go to extreme measures to solve them. Once it is over, will they ever be the same again?
Authors Note: This is my first fanfic ever, so I'd really appreciate some feedback. I would really like to take this opportunity to thank my editor, Anne Maree, and my ideas-machine, Loz. Your help and inspiration has been very much appreciated!
Part 1
"You know, I still don't know what you're tattoo is, Kate," Tony said, sitting at his desk in the bullpen.
"And it's going to stay that way, DiNozzo!" Kate quipped back.
"But I'm curious!"
"Well, you know what they say, Tony. Curiosity killed the cat."
"Are you saying I'm a tiger, Kate?" Tony said, winking at her and giving her a seductive look. Kate just rolled her eyes at Tony and shook her head in dismay. He gave a little roar and turned back to the game of solitaire on his computer.
Kate leaned forward in her chair and stared intently at the file in front of her for the one hundredth time since they received the case. It had been three weeks since Petty Officer Amanda Stone had been found murdered at Norfolk's naval base and they had reached a dead end. Another Petty Officer had found her body in a dark, unused room on the base. The Petty Officer was still in full uniform, her hands handcuffed behind her back, her throat had been slit and, according to Ducky's autopsy results, she had been raped quite violently as the wound on her neck bled out.
There had been no DNA or forensic evidence left at the scene and the team had spoken to almost every male officer on base at the time of her death, which Ducky had said was between 1800 and 1900 on the Thursday night. Petty Officer Stone worked under Commander Coleman in administration, so the Commander had been working closely with the team to try and solve the case, but it was to no avail.
"I am sick of this case, Tony!"
"I know what you mean. It's been three weeks and we don't have any concrete leads."
"Well you're obviously not working hard enough, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he walked in unannounced to the bullpen. Tony winced at being caught out. "I suggest we start back at the beginning." He took a seat at his desk and pulled out his copy of the file. He looked through the photos one by one, seeing if he had missed anything. "Right, let's talk about the victim and the way that she was positioned. Does that tell us anything about the attacker?" Gibbs looked over at Kate, seeing if her profiling expertise could help them.
"As Ducky said, the body wasn't moved after she died, so either the killer was interrupted or he just finished what he was doing and left."
"What is the more likely of the two, Kate?"
"I don't know," Kate said, sitting back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest in resignation. Frustration had set in. "We haven't found anything in her records to suggest she had a grudge against anyone or that anyone had a grudge against her. According to Coleman and every other person we've spoken to, Petty Officer Stone was a good officer, competent and enthusiastic."
"McGee, did you find anything at all in her phone records or bank accounts in the days leading up to her murder that suggests any foul play?"
"Uh, n-no," stuttered McGee, "there was no unusual activity regarding her bank account and her phone calls were just the usual ones."
"Tony!" Gibbs barked. Tony was sitting at his computer, continuing to play minesweeper, only half-listening to what was being said by his co-workers. "What have you found?" At the mention of his name, Tony took his eyes off his computer monitor and looked over at Kate, then to McGee, before letting his eyes meet the scary glare of his boss.
"Nothing, Boss. I have nothing! This Petty Officer is practically perfect." He winked at Kate before continuing to speak. "I mean, look at her. She's young, pretty, good body…"
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked again for the second time, interrupting Tony's evaluation of the physical attractiveness of the dead officer. "The fact that you find her attractive is not important. I'll ask you again. What have you found on Petty Officer Amanda Stone?"
"Ah, nothing, Boss," Tony said sheepishly. He looked over at Kate who was smirking at him. He glared at her, but she just continued to smirk at him. Gibbs growled in confusion.
"I need coffee," he said as he rose from his desk and strode out of the bullpen, leaving Kate, Tony and McGee staring at his back.
"If he's getting coffee, I'm getting food." Tony said as he stood up from his desk and put his jacket on.
"Is that all you think about?" Kate asked. Tony looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
"Kate, how well do you know me?"
"Too well," she replied, turning the page on the file. "Unfortunately," she added quietly, hoping that he didn't hear her.
"Then you would know that food is not the only thing I think about!" He winked at her again and blew her a small kiss. McGee watched the agents' animated conversation. "I think about a lot of things, Kate."
"Yeah, sex, women, fast cars and food."
"She's right, Tony," McGee piped up.
"Nobody asked for your input, Probie," Tony said, rolling his head to look at McGee. "But Kate," he said, turning his head back around to look at her, "I also think about…"
"Argh! I don't want to hear it, DiNozzo!" Kate said, interrupting him. "Weren't you leaving?"
"Only if you're coming with me!" He said, grinning at her from ear to ear.
"I'd rather swallow razor blades!" Kate retorted.
"Oh, come on, Kate! It's lunch time! I know you're as hungry as I am!"
"Your shout, DiNozzo."
"No way!"
"It wasn't a question, DiNozzo! Now hurry up!" She picked up her handbag and began walking towards the elevator.
"Tell Gibbs we've gone for lunch." Tony yelled over his shoulder to McGee as he ran to catch up with Kate.
They entered the elevator together and stood side by side. "So, where are you taking me for lunch?" Kate asked, turning to look at him.
"I was thinking we could go to the café around the corner. Great place! I met this hot chick there the other week."
"Tony!" Kate exclaimed. "I am not going to come to lunch with you if all you are going to do is talk about the latest 'love of your life'."
"Like I said before, Kate, I don't just think about food!"
"Ew! Tony! You are disgusting!"
"It's part of my charm!"
"You call that charm?" Kate said, raising her eyebrows at him. "That really just goes to show how clueless you are when it comes to women!" The elevator doors opened and they stepped outside together, making their way to the café.
While they waited for their meals to come, they talked about the current case that was fast becoming cold. "There has to be something that we're missing," Kate said, looking over at Tony.
"Yeah," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "but we don't really have much to go on, either. The killer was good. Professional, almost."
"You think it was another marine, or an outsider?" Tony shrugged his shoulders in response. "I think it was another marine," Kate continued. "I don't know why, but that's just my gut instinct."
"Gut instinct?" Tony asked Kate. "Since when have you had a gut instinct?"
"Since I began working with Gibbs."
"Yeah, his influence does kinda rub off on you, doesn't it."
"Won't be long until you're building a boat in your basement, DiNozzo!" Tony screwed his face up at the thought.
"Kate, I am not a boat man. I am a car man."
"Well build one of those, then!" Kate said, chuckling at the thought of Tony making a car.
Their lunch arrived soon after and they both began eating. They ate their lunch fairly quickly, both wanting to get back to the office before Gibbs.
Kate and Tony entered the bullpen bickering forty-five minutes later, breathing a sigh of relief when they noticed that Gibbs wasn't there.
"Before you ask, Gibbs is back. He's in MTAC talking with Commander Coleman." McGee said as they sat behind their desks.
"Then it's a good thing we didn't ask then, Probie, isn't it?" Tony said.
"Ignore him, McGee," Kate said as she typed her password into her computer. "What's he talking to Coleman about?"
"I don't know," McGee replied. "He got a call on his mobile, grumbled a bit and then went straight up to MTAC."
"What's this about me grumbling, Agent McGee?" Gibbs said as he strode into the bullpen unannounced for the second time that day.
"Ah, n-nothing, B-Boss," McGee stammered. This time, it was Tony who smirked at McGee. "I was just telling Kate and Tony w-where you were." Gibbs opened his draw to his desk and grabbed his gun. He clipped it on his holster and threw the keys at Tony.
"Grab your gear. We've got another dead body at Norfolk."
"Again?" Kate asked, collecting her things from her desk.
"Not you, Kate. You're staying here. DiNozzo, McGee, you're with me."
"But Gibbs…"
"Pull everything you can find on Petty Officer Maria Silverman. No arguments, Agent Todd." Kate just stood there in the middle of the bullpen and watched as they entered the elevator.
Gibbs was a bastard, that was a given, but what had she done to deserve staying back at the office, pulling files on a Petty Officer? She'd never done this before.
"Bastard." Kate muttered to herself as she sat down and began collecting all of the information she could on Maria Silverman.
So, that's the end of Part 1. I hope you liked it! I'll try and post the next part as soon as I can! But before I do that, I'd really love some feedback!