NCIS: Mens Rea - Guilty Mind

After an hour long ride through the darkness, dodging the road hogs, Gibbs dipped the headlights of the car. The Sun dipped below the horizon long time ago allowing the Moon and the stars to show off their night glamour.

The smell of concrete and tires; the smell of Washington D.C. occupied their nostrils.

"Dicing with death", DiNozzo mumbled through a cough.

Sitting on the passanger's seat, he was soaking up the luscious spirit of the city.

"Come again, DiNozzo?" Gibbs retorted, keeping an eye on the road.

"Boss, we'll have ourselves arrested for underspeeding. The minimum speed limit is 50 mph and you're driving barely 40 mph. I don't know why I have to fasten the seatb-"

"That's why, DiNozzo", he hackled stepping on the breaks.

"What just happened?" Two voices startled on the back seat, dashed for the answer.

"Ask DiNozzo", Gibbs said sprightly, gluing a smirk on his face.

All the energy Tim and Ziva stacked from dozing off on the back seat was lashed out at DiNozzo.

"Boss, make them stop! This crazy Mossad woman is a well trained slap soldier but McGeek slaps like a wimp", Tony said though the laugh.

The car was leaving the shadows on the buildings, making the sight appear as in a cartoon. Gibbs was enjoying one true moment of silence after DiNozzo's constant singing and babbling. Docile and thoughtful, he was absorbing the heat from the streets; the smiles from people's faces. Not for long.

"McFreak, it will never be Brokeback Mountain like, ever again", DiNozzo prodded McGee's snarl up state with the words sharp as an arrow. "Got it, Probie," he continued making Gibbs smile. Making everyone cast a smirk.

"But Tony, I love you", McGee retorted sarcastically.

"Hush, Probie, my feelings are hurt."

"Since you ditched Elflord, do you want me to lull you to sleep tonight, DiNozzo?" Gibbs joined the everlasting banter amongst Tony and McGee.

"Boss, you keep an eye on the road", DiNozzo said deliberately.

The sarcastic scene, the ongoing tease, shortened the time spent on the road. Laconically speaking, it's how they function. Each day. Besides the coffee, they live off teasing one another.

"Anybody for a singsong?" DiNozzo blurted out, humming a melody followed with the taps on his knees. "No?" He continued, "the moustache Gibbs would sing".

"DiNozzo?"

"Yes, Boss?" He answered.

"Shut up."

"Yes, Boss! I mean, I will. As of now. Now".

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted fastening Tony's seatbelt as tight as he could.

"You do need a cup of coffee, Boss. It's starting to show", the witty and charming, ex homicide detective stated, loosing the seatbelt.

DiNozzo was secretly scouting Gibbs; like the old shrinks do to profile their patients. That look, stuck on his face began to irk Gibbs but he remained silent. He didn't want to spoil the silence that took over. For the ones who indulge themselves by swallowing simple descriptions - it looked like a staring contest with only one person participating.

Along with the engine noise, the only audible sound coming from inside the car was DiNozzo's loud, annoying breathing.

"You really are the egg of society, Tony", Ziva exclaimed making Dinozzo pause his pastering behavior.

"THE EGG?" He retorted in surprise, trying to decipher Ziva's remark. "Humpty Dumpty?" He laughed.

The so called silence that Gibbs enjoyed for barely 5 minutes came to a halt. Screening behind his austere posture, he's thrown a hardly visible smile upon his face.

"The egg..." He thought.

"Um... I believe she meant the dregs of society...", McGee said quietly, grabbing Tony's seat with both hands.

"McGeek saved the day! Or the night!" Tony got back at him tauntingly. "Nobody asked for your Tesaurus knacks, Probie and get your hands off my seat", he continued, slapping his fingers.

The seemingly neverending vex was cut short by Ziva: "I've never been happier to see the Headquarters. If I were to spend one more minute with you in this car, Tony, I'd blow my brains out and haunt you like a Zombie in that Romario's movie".

She slammed the door shut and scrammed.

"It's Romero, Ziva, George A. Romero!" Tony shouted after her.

"Land of the Dead?" McGee asked.

For once his boastful posture has arisen. He felt unfaltering, thinking that he could finally be a fair sidekick to Tony's movie knowledge. He was eager to gain Tony's praise. And he did receive it.

"Well done, McGeek", Tony said casting a smile. "You're learning, Probie", he continued smacking him on the scruff of his neck.

"What did I do?" He asked.

That smart IT wiz instantly knew that he had fairly failed at being a fair Tony's movie sidekick.

"Probie, Probie, Probalicious..." Tony began. "...Land of the Dead is the fourth yet the worst film in Romero's Dead Series. If, let's say, Night of the Living Dead had popped into your computer head, I'd have kissed your cheek, McGee", Tony snorted.

Dancing on tiptoes in the elevator with a wide smile upon his face, Tony was waiting for McGee. As soon as he had scampered to the elevator, the doors closed. The heat dewed his face and sprayed ti light red yet dried up his lips. He didn't say a word only clenched his teeth. With a big smile glaring from his face, DiNozzo stepped out of the elevator and sprawled in his chair.

"Dinozzo, why didn't you let McGee in the elevator?" Gibbs passed by Tony's desk and smacked him on the head.

"Um...? How do you... How...?" DiNozzo was following Gibbs in small steps yet piercing Ziva with the savage look in his eyes.

"Boss, I... We're just goofing around... We...", Tony stammered. "BOSS!" He exclaimed feeling a hard smack on the back of his head. "It's like the 10th one in the past 2 hours, Boss. Have you had your cof-?"

"O, I'm just warming up", Gibbs mingled and whisked off upstairs, leaving an empty cup of coffee in DiNozzo's hand.

"I guess this one wasn't enough. You little dark bitter coffee, you need to enter Gibbs's nervous system", Tony said smiling at the cup.

A few minutes of his monologue was abruptly dashed by a perplexed kid, alternately staring at the cup and DiNozzo.

"Are you special agent Gibbs?" He asked.

Tony suddenly turned around supposing that Gibbs was lurking behind him. Not that it would be the first time. He was astonishingly gawping at the kid, speechless and with the wavering look in his eyes. Yet unsure of how to react - proudly or shamely.

"No, kiddo, I am not. I'm Tony. Special agent Gibbs is kinda old, with grey hair and wrinkles and someone who fits the description is standing right behind me, right?" Tony smiled wholeheartedly, and did what Gibbs would - he smacked himself.

Faster than a rabbit and quieter than a fly, he left the scene. His face was smeared red from blushing but his smile disguised a frown upon his face. Before rolling into the chair, he snorted the smell of coffee and chucked the cup away.

"Ziva!" Tony whispered. "Do you think it's Gibbs's son?" He continued. "That thing the kid's holding in his hand is probably a birth certificate", he said draping his legs on the desk. "But he looks like McGee, don't you think?" He completed the profiling.

All that he got in return was Ziva's poker face.

"Gibbs is coming, look busy," Tony suddenly got up, jabbing the chair under the desk. "Ha, poker face, take 2", he added.

Passing by DiNozzo on the way to his desk, Gibbs gave him a wild look as if he knew what he was telling to Ziva. He grabbed a dictaphone from his drawer and crammed a cassette into it. Unaware of what's going on, the three disciples were staring at him with surprise.

"Timmy, Timmy", the hoarse voice on the cassette began the tale. "Your dad told me a lot about you. Now it's my turn to tell you only one thing about your dad - he'll die at noon."