A Rough Couple Days – Part One

Status:
  • Rough Draft
  • Work in Progress
Content Rating:
  • R
Fandom(s):
Criminal Minds, NCIS

Relationship(s):
Tony DiNozzo/Derek Morgan, Tony DiNozzo & Dave Rossi

Warning(s):
  • Character Bashing
  • Discussion - Murder
  • Homophobia
  • Violence - Canon-Level
Genre(s):
  • Alternate Universe
  • Episode Related
Word Count:
1,252

Author's Note:
Soulmate AU, Episode Related: Dead Air

Summary:
Everyone is having a rough couple days.


“Agent Rossi?” Anderson greets him just inside the glass doors of the BAU. “There’s a man waiting for you in your office.”

Unusual. “Has he been there long?”

“About an hour, sir. He said he had an urgent family matter to address with you.”

Curiouser and curiouser.

The team is standing around him. They are all just for back from a case in California so they’re all beat but now they are confused and worried too. They all know about Joy, she’s the only family he has, but why wouldn’t Joy call? Especially while they were in California? Why would she send a man to Virginia on her behalf?

Waving them off, he marches right up to his office and opens the door. Waiting for him on his couch is a blast from the past. There were only so many No Names in his age group on Long Island 35 years ago, even fewer that were Italian. In total two men including himself and about a half dozen women, all of them were memorable to him and besides he’d recognize that smug mug anywhere. It’s puzzling to see him though because Dave can also recognize the signs of chronic fatigue and shaky-handed muscle weakness that signal a devastating and likely terminal disease.

Anthony D. DiNozzo Senior is dying and he’s come to Dave on urgent family business? Dave smells a trap.

It springs before Dave can even shut the office door.

“I’m a serial killer.” DiNozzo tells him without even the courtesy of a hello. “And over 30 years ago, I stole your son.”

~*~

Aaron pushes his way into Dave’s office. After hearing that, he doesn’t even care that it’s rude and he’s more than a little grateful that JJ and Morgan who were going with him to his office follow right on his heels.

“What?” Dave asks weakly, sitting unsteadily back on his desk at the news.

“I have proof.” The bastard continues, heartlessly reveling in Dave’s distress. “But I’ll only give it to Junior.”

Hotch sets his suitcase down and pulls his recorder out without a word. He sets it to record and turns to Dave, “Rossi, you and JJ go and find this ‘junior’. Morgan and I will handle this.”

JJ herds Dave out toward the round table room and Hotch turns to the maybe serial killer.

“My name is Aaron Hotchner, I am the Unit Chief for the BAU Quick Response Team. I do need to advise you that you are not currently under arrest and are free to go anytime, Mister?”

“Anthony DiNozzo, Sr.”

“Mr. DiNozzo. You previously indicated you have committed several acts of murder and abducted the child of a federal agent, is that correct?”

“Yes.” The man all but hisses, viciously delighted.

“And you have agreed to provide us proof of these crimes.”

“I’ll give it to that fag that is not actually my son, yes. Including the death of his mother.” The man smirks sadistically, “Well, the woman that raised him anyway.”

“Why should we believe you? Why would you confess to this now?”

“Because it will hurt them both. And I’ll get away with it and that will hurt them more.”

~*~

Gibbs’ gut is churning.

He doesn’t like anything that’s happened today. Starting with a murder that was broadcasted live on the radio before his team even settled in is a good sign of a day he’s going to hate but he never could have expected this. Tony being a key witness in a case involving a serial killer? A case affecting an ex-Marine and Vietnam War hero in a way that had SecNav pulling out all the stops but for some reason not turning the case over to NCIS?

Something’s just not right.

He parks his NCIS sedan around the corner and a few houses down from Tony’s backup. He and Cassie Yates, Tony’s TAD replacement, climb out and wait for the FBI agents that will take Tony back to Quantico, Agents Morgan and Jareau, to join them.

They just round the corner when Gibbs’s gut kicks into high gear.

He can see Ziva and McGee’s car. The windows are open. He can see Ziva’s hair floating out the window but he can’t hear the audio stream from Tony’s wire. Ziva’s head is at a weird angle and he has to swallow his gorge. No, not his team, they can’t be-

At his signal, Cassie pulls her sidearm and slips around to McGee’s side of the vehicle. FBI Barbie moves to back him up while SWAT Ken ghosts up behind Yates.

He nods and together he and Cass confront the scene waiting in the front seat.

Ziva blinks sleepily up at him, eyes wide and confused.

She’s got a fucking book in her lap. That’s why her head was at a weird angle.

Cass opens the door on her side and McGee physically spills out, flailing what looks like a copy of Popular Mechanics for balance. Ignoring McGee, Yates reaches in and hits the power button on the car radio. They are immediately treated to a live stream of Tony doing his fucking job chatting with a boring sounding housewife about window treatments.

“Cuff these yahoos,” Gibbs orders, furious beyond all reckoning and pulling out his cell phone. He immediately hits Tony’s speed dial and hears it ring both in his ear and the car radio.

Tony excuses himself, claiming the boss is calling in a tone that equates ‘boss’ with ‘wife’ so he’s not at all surprised by the sunny “Hi, honey! Find anything you need me for?” That he gets.

“Yeah, I need you at the car. Now.”

“Awe, little Timmy’s still not feeling well, huh?”

“Something like that. Get here. They haven’t moved from first position.”

“Well, that’s not good. I’ll be right there, okay?”

Gibbs hangs up but he still listens as Tony makes his excuses and escapes his own personal corner of Lace Curtain Hell.

Cassie steps up to his side, “I called in two more TADs, they’re 20 minutes out.”

“You still want on the MCRT.” He asks gruffly. She looks heartily unamused. He can’t fucking blame her.

“You got two openings now.” She agrees.

One way or another, his team does have two openings now so he nods.

“Gibbs, what?” Ziva asks as she tries to give Jareau the slip. Her eyes are wide, seemingly innocent.

It’s a familiar look.

She gives it to him every time he confronts her after Tony tells him about something horrible she’s done. It gets her out of trouble every time. The manipulation and habit of it is so glaringly obvious right now that he gets even more furious.

“This is it, it’s over Ziva. You are off my team. Fired, and if he has so much as a bruise I will-” Gibbs reins himself in. She doesn’t deserve a warning. She’s gotten too many warnings, for years.

He looks up at SWAT Ken who has McGee sitting quietly pale and confused on the curb. “You got someone that can take them?” Because nothing will make Vance act more swiftly than trying to save face with the FBI.

“I’ve called Anderson.” As if Gibbs knows who that is. “He and Fornell are on the way. What exactly are we charging them with?”

“Attempted murder of a federal agent.” At least three counts for her if he’s remembering everything Tony’s told him correctly. He’s not sure that it’ll stick but considering what else Tony has hinted at. “And espionage.”

40 Comments

  1. Intriguing and quite lovely.

  2. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE oh my god this is sooooo good!! ??????

  3. FBI Barbie and SWAT Ken love it. Great start.

  4. Terrific! A method of unfucking the Dead Air fuck up that is completely new to me and very intriguing. I cheered out loud at the last bit. Thank you!

  5. I am mentally flailing and screeching “Yaaaaas!!!” (It’s still early where I am and I just woke up 5 minutes before I saw your post). Papa Bear!Gibbs finally rearing his grizzly head for Tony’s sake.

    Thank you so awesomely for sharing!

  6. Oh Shit, that was awesome! 😀

  7. This sounds awesome, Great start. Thanks for writing and sharing and stuff 🙂

  8. *squee*. That was an exciting bit of suspense!!!!!

  9. Wow, a completely new way (for me, at least) to solve Dead Air! Awesome! And such an intriguing beginning for Tony not being Sr’s son. Wonderful start. Thanks for sharing!

  10. BarbG/twilight_seeker3

    Awesommmeeeeeee.

  11. That’s one hell of an opening! Ok, you hooked me *throws out wrists for cuffing* I must now see where this goes. And if you post quickly, I can snuggle upnand read while I’m snowed in 🙂

    Thanks for sharing, this looks like it’s going to be a really interesting take on that whole episode. And it’s Tony/BAU which is my favorite. 😀

  12. Oh wow, what a beginning!

  13. “HOLY TWISTS & TURNS, BATMAN.” WOW!!! From start to finish that was just great! Thanks so much.

  14. Really, really good start.

  15. *INHUMAN sounds* *star eyes*

  16. Hell to the yeah!

  17. Fantastic start

  18. Jesus fuck!!! As if I needed any more reason to despise sr. And the despicable duo are still despicable! ARGH!!!!!!! This is off to a glorious start!!!

  19. Oooooh, new, different and exciting! Protective Gibbs…always awesome!

  20. Ha! Ziva and Tim caught red-handed in the act of no comms. With so many witnesses, Vance can’t sweep it under the rug and only give slaps on the wrist. Love it! Thank you for sharing.

  21. I’m loving this already. Nice to see Ziva and McGee face some consequences for their unprofessional behavior. 🙂

  22. Great start. About time Gibbs pulled his head out of his rear end and stopped sweeping it all under the rug because Ziva played you. Only this time Cassie Yates is there and so are two FBI agents from the BAU. You know that not even Vance would try and sweep this under the rug and make it go away.

  23. wooot! What a great ride!

  24. I love it!!

  25. And there at the end of the title my two new favourite words – part one!
    This is a brilliant new twist on Dead air and I love your acknowledging seniors total dickheadness. I hate the way the show has “redeemed” him and he is accepted by Gibbs and co despite the canon foulness of his previous treatment of Tony,

  26. I don’t know how I missed this when you first posted it. But it is LOVELY!!!! What a fantastic blending of the two fandoms and set up. It’s a really bad day for a lot of characters but a fantastic story! Thank you so much for sharing it!

  27. Even were you to end this right here, this would now be my very favorite tag to Dead Air. Magnificently played.

  28. So many different aspects to flail over! Senior the serial killer (really believable when you think about it), Papa!Rossi, Acting like a team leader (finally) Gibbs. So good, works as a one-shot or a beginning. Either way, continued good luck and energy with your writing

  29. Love this opening! Love the CM – NCIS crossovers, especially the Tony kind.

  30. greywolfthewanderer

    I cordially loathe Ziva, so this was greatly enjoyed!

  31. So intriguing – the possibilities seem endless in terms of how much (if at all) Senior can be trusted, and it’s always good to see Ziva get her comeuppance for her behaviour!

  32. What a beginning! I am so intrigued by the teaming up of the FBI and NCIS. The promise of Tony/Derek is a definite gift.

    thank you

  33. Awesome

  34. Way to get right into it! 0-60 in 3 seconds. Already so many intriguing hooks (serial killer? kidnapping? Rossi! Cassie! Turning the yahoos over to the FBI!)

  35. This is a great story.

  36. Wow! Don’t I wish Gibbs had shown in canon! The writer really screwed the pooch on that episode.

  37. And this is what we all wished for during the episode.

  38. Oof! Very nice!

    I just found this! What a cool take on Dead Air! The twists are brilliant! I love the premise and LOLed at SWAT Ken and FBI Barbie. Added bonus: I adore Cassie Yates and really wish she or Paula Cassidy were the one chosen to round out the team in Season 3.

    Hotch taking over is perfect. Senior should always at least have had an edge to him in the show, rather than the sanitized version they eventually gave us. I much prefer this slant you have chosen. And it is great to see Gibbs realize what an idiot he has been being played by ZD all this time.

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