Work Text:
Set two months after ‘An Accidental Workplace Relationship’ (eight months after they met).
Tony smirked in satisfaction as Gibbs convinced their suspect to confess to the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
Case closed! Finally he would get a day off. This was the fifth case they had closed in two weeks and Gibb’s had promised them a long weekend if they managed to close the case before Friday.
Admittedly they were cutting it pretty close, it was eleven thirty on Thursday night.
“How’s it going?” McGee asked as he entered the observation room.
“He’s signing the confession.” Tony told him.
“Yes!” McGee grinned.
“Special plans, McGeek?” Tony asked with smirk. “A date with a special orc perhaps? Or have you moved on to an ogre.”
McGee glared at him. “No, my sister is coming to stay.”
“Ah.” Tony shot his co-worker an obviously fake sympathetic expression. “Too bad. I’m sure the ogre will be terribly disappointed.”
McGee stalked out of the room.
Tony laughed before raising his eyebrows in surprise when his phone rang. Who would be ringing him this late? He check the caller I.D, why would JJ be calling him this late?
“Dinozzo.” He answered the phone briskly for the benefit of the sound tech.
“Tony, something happened.” JJ sounded close to tears.
“What’s wrong?” Tony strode out of the observation room and towards the stairwell.
“It’s Penelope. She’s been shot.”
“What?” Tony asked automatically. “How?”
He had never met the FBI computer tech, but JJ talked about her a lot.
“We don’t know.” JJ admitted.
“How is she?” Tony asked gently.
“In surgery.” JJ told him with a gasp. “They don’t know if she’ll make it.”
Tony grimaced in concern as JJ began to cry.
“Is there anything I can do?” Tony asked.
“I don’t know.” JJ sobbed. “I don’t think so. I think we’ve got it covered. I just don’t know what to do. It’s Penelope!”
Tony ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He wanted to rush to the hospital to comfort JJ as she waited, but he couldn’t. It would break his cover.
“I know, sweetheart.”
“What if she dies?” JJ asked through her sobs. “I don’t think I could handle it.”
“Yes, you could.” Tony told her. “But there’s no point worrying about that right now.”
JJ sniffed. “I know, but…”
“No, buts.” Tony interrupted. “Take a deep breath.”
The sound of JJ taking shaky breaths travelled through the phone.
“Good. Now where’s your team?” He asked.
“They’re all in the waiting room.” JJ admitted. “I told them I needed some fresh air.”
“Do you want me to come?” Tony offered.
“But your cover.” JJ protested.
“Screw that. You’re more important.”
JJ was silent for a while. “You’re such a good man, Tony.”
“Is that a yes?” Tony didn’t know which answer he was hoping for. If she wanted him, he would go – and blow his cover. If she didn’t want him there, well that mean that he had to sit around, knowing that she was upset and not able to do anything about it.
“No.” JJ denied. “But thank you.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” Tony told her.
“I will.” JJ sniffed again. “Would you mind staying at my house this weekend? I don’t know when I’ll get home, but knowing that you were there…” She trailed off.
“Sure.” Tony agreed quickly. “Or you could come crash at my place. It’s closer to the hospital.”
“You only have a single bed.” JJ pointed out.
Tony smiled. “Actually, I bought a queen last week. I thought it was about time.”
“Wow.” JJ sounded as though she was smiling through her tears. “Then, yes, please. I don’t know when I’ll be there though.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tony told her. “I have the next three days off – so whenever works for you.”
“Okay. Thanks.” JJ sighed. “I should probably get back.”
“Let me know if I can do anything to help.” Tony instructed. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
4-4-4
Tony put his book down and stretched with a yawn before checking his phone again. It had been twenty four hours since JJ had rung him and, aside from a text to let him know that Penelope was expected to recover, he hadn’t heard from her since.
He wasn’t surprised. After all, he knew that if one of Gibb’s team had been shot, they probably wouldn’t be allowed to leave the office for weeks – or until the shooter was caught. But still, JJ had just gotten back from a case in Florida and she would be tired.
Tony sighed and stood up before moving to his kitchen area to make himself another hot drink. It was wonderful to have time off. To be able to read a book, drink something that wasn’t coffee, sleep.
He needed to go to bed soon, JJ or no JJ. There was no point in staying up all night just in case.
Tony took his hot drink back to his chair and picked up his book again. He had barely read half a page when he heard a key in his lock.
Grinning, there was only one person, other than his super, who had a key to his apartment, Tony went to hug JJ as she entered.
“Hey.” He murmured into her hair.
“Hey.” JJ melted in his hug and they stood there for a while.
After a few minutes Tony led her over to the couch. “Would you like a drink?”
“Peppermint?” JJ asked, sinking into the chair and pushing off her shoes so she could tuck her feet under her.
“With lemon, or plain?” Tony asked as he moved to the kitchen area.
“Plain.” JJ called after him.
When he returned, hot drink in hand, JJ was looking at the book he had been reading.
“You’re reading about profiling?” She asked with a small smile.
Tony handed her the drink before sitting next to her. “I have been since watching your team in action. It’s similar to what I do, but slightly different at the same time. I’m considering writing a paper about the similarities and differences between undercover skills and behaviour profiling. I think we could learn from each other.”
“Cool.” JJ sipped at her tea.
“How’s Penelope?”
JJ shrugged. “They say she’ll be fine. Apparently if it had been one centimetre closer to her heart she would be dead.”
“And the case?” Tony asked in concern.
JJ frowned. “We’ve got nothing. It seems to be a random robbery.”
“That sucks.” Tony winced.
“Yeah.” JJ sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.
“You ready for some sleep?” Tony asked gently.
“Yeah.” JJ nodded. “I’m due back at the office in seven hours.”
“Definitely time for sleep then.” Tony said, taking her barely touched drink from her hands and standing up. “Come on, I put my electric blanket on earlier. The bed should be toasty warm.”
JJ smiled up at him. “You’re wonderful.”
“I know.” Tony winked at her before pulling her up. “I bought you some pyjamas, they’re on the bed. I’ll tidy up our cups and be through in a minute.”
JJ grabbed his hand to stop him moving away. “Thank you.”
Tony smiled gently. “You’re welcome.”
“I love you so much, Tony Dinozzo.” JJ kissed him gently. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Ditto.” Tony kissed her back before pushing her gently towards to bedroom. “Get some sleep, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Bossy.” JJ grinned at him, even as she moved towards the bedroom.
Tony laughed. “What else would you expect from a Marine major? It’s my job to be bossy.”
“Good thing you’re so good at it then.” JJ laughed.
4-4-4
JJ stared at the tarp covered body in the middle of their office and wished that Tony was there. She had shot someone. Killed someone.
It wasn’t that she regretted it. She had meant every word that she had said to Penelope – she had done it to protect her family. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t feeling overwhelmed.
“I need your gun.” Hotch interrupted her thoughts.
“I know.” JJ placed the gun on the desk beside her. It was procedure.
“You should get it back tomorrow.” Hotch told her. “There’s no question that you did the right thing.”
“I know.” JJ nodded.
“Are you alright?” Hotch sounded concerned.
JJ dragged her gaze away from Battle’s body to meet Hotch’s gaze. “I’m fine. I think I just need some time to process it.”
Hotch stared at her for a moment, obviously trying to profile her. “Do you need to take some time off?”
JJ considered it, before shaking her head. “No, but I might take an early lunch. I could use some fresh air.”
“Alright, take a few hours if you need.” Hotch told her.
“Thanks, Hotch.” JJ smiled at him before pushing herself off the desk she had been sitting on.
She was about to enter the elevator when she heard Rossi’s voice behind her.
“JJ.”
“Yeah?” JJ moved to stand between the doors of the elevator so it wouldn’t close on her.
“Are you okay?” Rossi looked just as concerned at Hotch had.
“I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “I just need some fresh air.”
Rossi looked unconvinced. “Alright, but if you need to talk…”
“Thanks.” JJ nodded gratefully before allowing the elevator doors to close.
She knew who she wanted to talk to – Tony. He always knew exactly what to say and it wasn’t as though he was unfamiliar with the subject. She just hoped he would have time.
JJ barely managed to wait until she was out of the building before dialling Tony’s number.
“Very Special Agent Tony Dinozzo speaking.” Tony answered, he was obviously around his colleagues.
“It’s JJ.” She told him as she began walking in the direction of the Navy Yard. “I shot him. The guy who shot Penelope. I shot him in the head.”
“Well,” Tony paused, “Uh, just a sec.” There was a pause. “Hey, boss. Can I take a break? Important phone call.”
JJ couldn’t hear what Gibb’s replied, but it was obviously an affirmative answer because the next thing she heard was Tony thanking his boss.
“How are you feeling?” Tony asked her a few seconds later.
“I don’t know.” JJ admitted. “Overwhelmed. I’ve never killed anyone before.”
“Completely understandable.” Tony told her and she could hear the elevator ping. “Are you at the office?”
“No, I told Hotch I need some fresh air.”
“How long do you have?” Tony asked.
“He said I could take a few hours.” JJ sighed.
“Meet you halfway?” Tony offered.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” JJ admitted. “I’ve already started walking in your direction.”
Tony laughed softly. “So how did your team catch the guy?”
It took most of the walk to tell Tony the story. About how they had realised that it was a targeted hit and not a random robbery. About the new things they had learnt about Penelope and how that had led them to Jason Clark Battle, but not in time to prevent him entering the FBI building. How the serial killer had held a gun to the head of an FBI agent and how Hotch and Rossi had distracted him long enough to JJ to get in position and take the shot.
“You must be a pretty decent shot.” Tony commented. “I’m impressed.”
JJ laughed lightly, amazed at how much better she felt already. “I’m a damn good shot, thank you very much.”
“I stand corrected.” Tony’s grin was audible. “I can see you now.”
JJ looked up, quickly searching for Tony’s face. When she found it she hung up the phone and ran towards him.
“Hey.” Tony hugged her tightly, kissing her head.
“Hey.” JJ thought she could stay like this all afternoon. She always felt so safe and comfortable in Tony’s arms.
“How are you feeling?” Tony repeated the question he had asked at the beginning of their conversation.
“Much better.” JJ told him. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, sweetheart.” Tony told her sincerely. “Any particular café you want to go to for lunch?”
JJ shook her head against Tony’s chest. “No.”
It took JJ a few minutes to feel willing to leave Tony’s embrace, and even then she was glad when he reached for her hand.
“So, lunch?” Tony asked.
“Uh,” JJ looked around. “How about that place? Turkish sounds good.”
“Alright.” Tony smiled at her.
Once they had given their orders to the waitress, JJ ran a hand through her hair. “Thanks for this.”
“Anytime.” Tony told her seriously. “I know how rough it can be.”
“When was your first time?” JJ asked.
“I was just a kid.” Tony told her. “It was my first year in active service and I was undercover in Colombia. My assignment was to work my way up the hierarchy of one of the local drug gangs.”
“What happened?” JJ asked.
Tony shrugged. “You don’t move up in that kind of environment by baking the boss some cookies. Two weeks after I had managed to join one of the gangs they caught a member of one of their competitors sneaking around and decided it would be a good test for me.”
“They made you shoot him?”
Tony laughed without humour. “No, they gave me a knife and told me to have at it. I couldn’t refuse, they would have killed me too. Besides, I needed to get their attention.”
“What did you do?” JJ asked in concern.
“Let’s just say that I impressed them.” Tony said quietly. “The worst part was that I was still undercover. I didn’t get extracted for another three months so I didn’t really get the chance to grieve. By the time I was extracted, I had done a lot worse.”
“Oh.” JJ stared at Tony. “That sounds awful. How did you cope?”
Tony shrugged. “I dug myself into the character. My job was to be that guy and I was doing it to protect my country. Then I came home, spent a couple of months in therapy working everything through, and then got sent to Iraq.”
JJ sighed. “How did you deal with it?”
Tony shrugged. “As I said, it was my job and I knew I was protecting people. Just like your job was to shoot Battle today. It was your job and you were protecting people.”
“Right.” JJ nodded slowly. “Is it bad that I wish I hadn’t had to do it?”
“No.” Tony smiled. “That’s what makes you different from him or any of the other people that your team catch. I still hate it every time I have to kill someone. I hate it when I’m put in that position and I hate doing it.”
JJ nodded again and then smiled in thanks as the waitress brought them their lunch. “That makes sense.”
“I’m sorry you had to do it though.” Tony told her seriously.
4-4-4
It was just on one when JJ returned to the office and she headed for Hotch’s office.
“JJ.” Morgan called from his desk, stopping her.
“Hey.” JJ walked over to his desk. “How’s Penelope?”
Morgan grinned. “Frustrated to be back in hospital, but glad it’s over.”
“Yeah.” JJ understood that. “Me too.”
“You okay?” Morgan asked.
“Yeah.” JJ answered, much more truthfully than she had Hotch and Rossi earlier that day. “I’m fine.”
“Good shot, by the way.”
“Thanks.” JJ grinned. “I’m heading up to see Hotch, let him know I’m back.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Morgan told her seriously.
“Me too.” JJ smiled.
Hotch was in his office and smiled when he saw JJ. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” JJ told him seriously. “I just needed time to process.”
“You did the right thing.” Hotch told her.
“I know.” JJ smiled at him. “It was just a bit of a shock.”
Hotch studied her. “Alright. I left some forms on your desk that you’ll need to fill out.”
“Thanks.” JJ moved to leave the room.
“JJ.” Hotch stopped her.
“Yes?”
“If you ever need to talk about it, I’m available.” Hotch told her sincerely.
“Thanks, Hotch.” JJ nodded at him, before heading back to her office.