A/N: This is not as depressing as it sounds, promise!! The summary is a bit of a teaser for things to come...

Also, this is an AU rewrite to 'Who Are We Now?' and AU!! (i.e. Tony's a woman). Erm...what else? Oh yes!!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!! This all belongs to whoever has the rights to NCIS (apart from the few OCs thrown into the mix, but they come from the same 'verse).

Summary: "What do we do now?" on of the team asked. The other agent looked at their leader, leaning against the wall. "We go back to the shadows," she told them. "Back to the watching. Back to the waiting. We go back to what we're good at."

Rated for language, but not sure what rating I should really give it.

It was late afternoon when the entrance to the club in the basement slammed open. NCIS Special Agents Jethro Gibbs and Kate Todd walked in. They walked over to where the club's manager was talking with one of her staff discussing arrangements for the night.

"It's Sapphire's night off right?" the employee was checking. The club manager nodded.

"Miss Antonia Caliento?" Gibbs asked. The Italian woman looked around.

"Who wants to know?" she challenged evenly.

Kate flipped her badge open. "I'm Special Agent Todd, this is Special Agent Gibbs, we're NCIS, investigating the murder of a Naval Captain."

"You better come up to my office then," Antonia decided. "This way."

She led them up a set of steps into the back and past a load of doors before finally reaching one at the end of the corridor. She opened the lock and gestured them inside.

"Take a seat," she offered as she took her own seat behind the desk and sorted through a few papers, she found something obviously important and frowned. She jotted a note down on a piece of paper before looking back at them, appraising them steadily. "What can I do for you?"

"Miss Caliento," the older man with grey hair spoke steadily, his manner screamed 'military' and 'marine'. "As we've said, we're here to investigate the murder of Captain Maria Reeves. What can you tell us about it?"

"Maria Reeves? Not ringing any bells I'm afraid…"

"She was seen coming into this club," the woman, a brunette who was probably ex-Secret Service told her.

"That doesn't mean I'll know her. Do you have a picture? I might know her face, I don't always get names when serving drinks. Sorry."

The woman produced a photo from a file and put it in front of her. Toni frowned.

"She might have been in here Friday…I think it was her, I'm fairly certain. Erm…she left with a guy…"

"Does this guy have an address?" the Marine leant forward.

"Sorry, that's another thing I don't make a habit of. Special Agent Gibbs, I run a bar and not a particularly exclusive one. We don't ask for addresses. I do know the guy's name is Grant Ryan, he's one of our regulars."

"Regulars? And you have no idea where he lives?"

Antonia rubbed her forehead, leaning one elbow on the bar. "Em…I think he mentioned something about being near the beach. That's all I remember. Sorry I can't be any more help."

"We may have more questions later," Agent Todd told her. She inclined her head.

"Well, you know where to find me, and if I'm not here one of the staff will be able to contact me." She rose as they rose and offered her hand. "I'm sorry about the Captain, my condolences to the family."

Kate's profiling instincts said that Antonia's condolences for the death of Captain Reeves were offered genuinely.

"Oh," as Gibbs left he turned back for a second. "Do you know anything about a drugs ring?"

Antonia's eyes widened slightly and her expression became outraged. "I know plenty, I keep calling the cops to move the dealers out of my club and off my doorstep, it's bad for business and I don't like people mixing drugs and drink, it's dangerous. Having people die inside your club isn't good. But aside from brush ins with those who dislike me having them moved on, I know nothing much else."

"Thank you for your time."

"Of course, it's the least I can do. Please, I have work to do, could you show yourselves out?"

"Of course Ms Caliento, we'll probably be in touch."

"Of course."

They left Antonia leant over her desk, eyes scanning paperwork.

"Well?" Gibbs asked Kate as they reached the car.

"I think she was telling the truth," Kate replied calmly. "She met our eyes with every line, seemed shocked about the Petty Officer's death, none of her lines sounded rehearsed, and she sounded truly sorry about not being able to help us."

"Some of the best liars in the world could do that."

"Chances of us finding one of them running a bar in a rough area of town?"

"Not improbable. Now come on, let's get back and see what the others have got us."

Toni's head hit the desk the minute the two Special Agents left. One hand reached for her cell, the other was blindly searching through the drawers of her desk for either a gun or alcohol, either sounded good.

"Toni?" a worried voice questioned on the other end of the line and Toni blinked.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, sitting back in her chair. "I just got some bad news."

"What?"

"Maria's dead."

"Fuck."

"You said it mate."

"What you going to do?"

"For now? Nothing, sit tight. They haven't connected her yet. They will eventually – and we have to be ready for when they do. They blow this open and we're all dead and you know it."

"Alright…I'm sure we can sort something out. Erm…how're you going to deal with them asking questions?"

"With my usual manner. They won't know anything's amiss. How can they?"

"You alright? I mean you and Maria were like sisters."

"I'll be fine. She was good, but we gotta deal without her now. I need to see you."

"You sure that's wise?"

"Nope, but it's got to happen anyway."

"Alright. When and where?"

"Tomorrow, the pier, usual time."

"I'll see you then."

"See you."

Toni hung up the phone and took a long pull from the bottle she'd found. Maria was dead – that was the only thought in her head. Maria was dead. She rubbed her forehead. It was getting harder every day to continue on with her life. The people she cared about just kept dying. Toni knew that she'd reach the end of her tether eventually and just snap. She was worried that that was going to be soon, if people kept dying, she was not going to be able to keep up her unbothered façade for much longer.

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