Madame Director Chapter Six
Chapter six of "Madam Director" in which we see Jen's point-of-view and Abby starts to realize something is hinky has been added.
This chapter of the Round Robin was contributed by ingenius_inc
Madam Director
Contributors: Iniq, ingenius_inc, YumYumPM, Willow, Ashleigh Anpilova and Periwinkle
Chapter One
Ducky sat at a table in Autopsy, caressing his scalpels lovingly. He picked one up and with the sharp point of it nicked the end of one finger just enough to draw a bead of blood. As he watched the blood trickle slowly down his finger, he imagined that it was flowing from the Director's carotid artery. However, after taking a moment to treasure the vision, he laid the medical instrument aside with regret, knowing that any body murdered by scalpel within the NCIS headquarters would immediately point suspicion directly at him.
Perhaps he could just set up a dartboard? For a moment, he visualized throwing scalpels at a photo of the Director. Back as a young boy in Scotland he'd been a whiz at pub darts. He wondered if he could still throw accurately enough to get both her eyes. And her mouth, her nose, and ... Ducky gave up the vision regretfully. He wouldn't want to do anything to dull his scalpels' sharp edges. In addition, it would be a real shame to waste them on that woman, that -- well, Ducky was a gentleman, so he couldn't say it, and besides it was unfair to female dogs. But if that woman interfered one more time, or came into Autopsy, or did anything to upset Gibbs, why he'd --
"Dr. Mallard?"
Ducky suddenly realized that Mr. Palmer was addressing him. From the look on Jimmy's face, he'd been trying to get the Medical Examiner's attention for several minutes. Now he was peering closely at Dr. Mallard, trying to read his expression. Ducky schooled his features into a neutral expression; Jimmy observed much more that people realized.
"Yes, Mr. Palmer?"
"Um, doctor? Is everything okay?" Jimmy asked, still looking a little worried and concerned.
Ducky closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them back up and addressed his assistant, "Yes, Mr. Palmer. It's all right; I was just lost in my thoughts."
Jimmy nodded. After a moment he said, "How about I get you a nice cup of tea and you can sit with it for a few minutes?"
Well, thought Ducky, there went any hope of believing that Jimmy hadn't noticed something. He smiled at Jimmy as he answered, "Yes, a cup of tea would be lovely."
Actually, Ducky realized, it might be a good idea to relax with a cup of tea. And a good reference book on poisons.
Chapter Two
Tony was pacing. He had just - hours earlier, in fact - decided that enough was enough. He'd been keeping all of this filth to himself, but he couldn't do that any longer. It probably wasn't healthy.
"Ducky, can I talk to you?" he murmured and on another turn, he added a 'please' to the sentence. He looked up at the camera in the corner and stuck his tongue out before doing another turn. "Ducky, please, can I talk to you? It's urgent."
Right, ‘urgent’ sounded good. 'Lend me your ears!' yelled the voice in his ear and he suppressed a giggle. That was a classic. Especially when all the ears had come flying. Mel Brooks was a genius.
He sighed and leaned against the wall before ducking inside the elevator. He pushed the button for the autopsy floor and tapped a little rhythm on the wall. "Ducky, I really need to talk to you. Please," he said and looked up briefly as if waiting for an okay from above. He sighed and the elevator dinged.
"Gibbs," he murmured when his boss entered.
"DiNozzo, what are you doing here?"
"Going to see Ducky," Tony replied and turned his head to look at Gibbs. Apparently that was enough of an answer, because Gibbs was sipping at his coffee instead of giving him one of his searching looks.
He let Gibbs leave the elevator car first and followed his boss through the doors to autopsy. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to say his rehearsed sentence when Gibbs beat him to it.
"Duck, I need to talk to you."
Tony shot Gibbs a surprised look. That had been his line. He had come down here to - to what. To whine about the unfairness? That she had gone and done it again? Done directorly stuff and was making his life hell and that he wanted - needed - to tell someone about it?
"Sure, Jethro," Ducky replied and wiped his hands on a paper towel. "Anthony, did you need something?"
Tony gulped for air and was about to ask for his fifteen minutes of therapy, when he noticed Gibbs’ exasperated look. "No, Ducky, it's okay." He put on a smile and waved before retreating. His problems could wait... just a little longer. "It can wait a day."
* A/N: *the movie thing is from Robin Hood - Men in Tights, and the last line is supposed to play to what Pacci said before Dead Man Talking
Chapter Three
Ducky frowned as Tony left the room. He couldn’t help but wonder what was up with his friend’s protégé.
“It can wait another day.”
Famous last words. Gibbs was pacing the room, his mouth going a mile a moment, not showing any concern for whatever problem Tony might have. The last time Tony had consulted Ducky was when he and Kate had a disagreement over his eating half of her tuna sandwich. Tony seemed to feel that anything edible left out was fair game. A wicked smile flashed across Ducky’s face as he thought of leaving cup cakes out laced with EX-lax.
“Are you even listening to me?” Gibbs complained.
“Of course, Jethro,” Ducky assured him, only feeling a little guilty.
Gibbs started off on his tangent again. Something about Director Sheppard undermining his authority, insisting they attend sexual harassment seminars. “I ask you, Ducky, have I ever sexually harassed anyone?” Gibbs asked, looking affronted.
Ducky was taken aback. He knew of no less then seven occasions that he would classify as such. Two of which involved Tony. That couldn't be what Tony wanted to talk about, could it? Or was there something more sinister involved?
That started Ducky worrying again. Jenny had been pulling Tony off on some special project according to Ziva. He had never liked Jen, especially after what she had done to Gibbs and now she had her hooks into Tony. Tony had had so much thrown at him lately. Then there was possible repercussions from his bout with the plague; a fact that had been brought to his attention by Ziva.
Ducky couldn’t understand how Gibbs could be so insensitive to Anthony’s problems. There were times when Ducky felt like smacking Gibbs upside the head.
“You’re not listening, Dr. Mallard,” Gibbs accused.
Ducky sighed heavily as he settled into his chair, determined to concentrate on what Gibbs was saying, silently vowing to find Tony at the first opportune moment.
Chapter 4
Maybe it was time to get rid of Madam Director after two full years. Abby had always hated her with a passion, but she kept that to herself, as Jen Shepard was her boss after all. The name “Jen” with the word “boss” made her cringe. If Jen were her boss, what would Gibbs be? Second-in-command?
Jen had given her an assistant, Chip, who turned out to be evil. Abby didn’t want an assistant in the first place, but Jen hadn’t listened. Not even to Gibbs. Then, Jen made it clear that the Goth wasn’t allowed to work in comfortable clothes, and to dress up like… career-girl-Barbie; clothes that made Abby sick. But Gibbs was there to save the day.
Gibbs, the man who’d rather shoot people than reason with them. Gibbs, the ex-marine who used to have a fling with the Director (there wasn’t much that escaped Abby’s well-trained eyes), the man who wasn’t afraid of Jen, but jealous of his agent DiNozzo’s current working relationship with the redhead. Or maybe scared that Tony would make the same mistake as he had. Gibbs, the chauvinist, suddenly had to work with and answer to a woman. He said it didn’t matter, but it did.
Gibbs’ deadly aim and Abby’s knowledge of killing someone without leaving any trace of evidence would make a very toxic combination. They could kill Jen if they wanted to, needed to. However, Abby knew that their Medical Examiner Ducky hated Jen with a weird kind of perverse enthusiasm; he hated her for a whole different reason, as he, Gibbs and Jen had a past together. They used to be friends, and around others they still acted like they were, but they weren’t, even though Jen saved Gibbs' and Ducky’s butts in France after Ducky pushed the French cop off a cliff. Sort of.
The lab technician decided she was going to take Ducky to the library on their next lunch-break to read up on poisons. Killing someone with a 9 mm was messy. It left bullets, blood, and a lot more behind. Still, Abby knew that there were poisons around that didn’t leave a trace at all. All she had to do was find some lackey, probably Cynthia, Jen’s secretary, to slip it into the Director’s drinks. Cynthia was dumb enough to believe that it would be for medicinal purposes if Ducky would instruct her so and tell her not to tell Jen.
It could work.
Chapter 5
Deciding that today was as good a time as any to get Ducky to help her, Abby grabbed her bag and coat, left her lab and headed for Autopsy.
Seeing Gibbs and Ducky deep in conversation, she paused for a moment outside the automatic doors and just watched them. They were her two favorite men and she loved both of them with a fierce passion; she would willingly fight for both of them. She also loved their intense, caring friendship, the kind that you might, if you were lucky, see once in a lifetime. In some ways they were complete opposites, in others very alike. On the face of it their friendship shouldn't work, but it did, and woe betide anyone who maligned, hurt or upset the other.
She was content to just watch them talk, when Gibbs's 'all seeing, all knowing' sense clicked in and he glanced up towards the door. Not wanting to let them know that she'd been standing there just watching them, she hurried into Autopsy.
"Hey, Gibbs. Hey, Ducky," she called, bouncing across to them.
"Abbs."
"Abigail, how lovely to see you." Ducky's eyes twinkled as he called her by the name he knew she hated. "What may I do for you?"
"I wondered if you were free for lunch. Oh, you too, Gibbs," she added swiftly. After all, surely Gibbs would be in favor of her plans for Madam Director. Wouldn't he? He hated her as much as everyone else. Didn’t he?
"That would be very pleasant, Abby. Sadly, however, Jethro, will not be able to join us. He has a previous engagement."
Abby turned to Gibbs. "What?" she demanded.
"Jenn," he said somewhat ambiguously, in a flat tone.
"You're having lunch with Madam Director?" Abby was stunned.
Gibbs shook his head. "Not if I have my way. No, she just scheduled a meeting. Another meeting," he added grimly. He did not seem happy. "In fact, I'd better go. See you later, Duck." He squeezed Ducky's shoulder, touched Abby's hand, before turning and striding out of Autopsy.
Ducky watched him go. "Therefore, my dear, I am afraid that you will have to put up with just me."
"There's no 'putting up', Duckman," Abby chided, slipping her arm through Ducky's and leading him to the door. She paused long enough to let him grab his hat and coat before she and Ducky left the room.
~~~~~~~
"Now, Abigail, tell me exactly why you wished to go to the library before we ate," Ducky said, as he unloaded his tray. He had been surprised when Abby had tried to drag him off to 'carry out some research', and had had to resort to somewhat sneakily bribing her with promise of large doses of chocolate and caffeine to go and eat first.
She unloaded her own tray, pulled her chair closer to his, looked around her, before whispering, "I want to look up poisons."
"Poisons?" he exclaimed, pausing with his fork halfway to his mouth.
"Ssh," she said. "Yes."
"But why on earth do you wish to look up poisons, Abby?" Then it dawned on him. "Ah, are you assisting Timothy with research for his next book? In that case, I believe that I will be able to help you without resorting to a trip to the library. During my travels, I came across many poisons, some of them," he chuckled to himself, "are quite untraceable. Unless one knows what one is looking for."
Abby shook her head. "No. That's not it. I'm," she broke off, looked around again, moved even nearer to him and hissed, "It's for the Director."
Ducky blinked. "What on earth does Jennifer need poison for?"
Abby shook her head again. "No, it's not for her. Well, it is. But not in that way. You see, Ducky, I want to give her the poison." She sat back in the chair and beamed at him.
Ducky blinked and shook his head, certain that he couldn't have heard Abby correctly. "You wish to poison the Director?"
Abby nodded, still beaming. "Yes."
"But, Abigail. Why? Oh, ignore me. The why does not matter. What matters is that you cannot do it."
"Why?"
"Abby."
"Ducky, I hate her. You hate her. Gibbs hates her. We all hate her. Well, obviously not Ziva, and I'm not even sure about Tony anymore. He seems to have gotten a lot closer to her since Gibbs . . . you know. But she makes our lives a misery. I just want her to die."
For a moment Ducky was speechless, and against his will his mind returned to his own enjoyable thoughts of taking a sharp scalpel and sticking it into Jennifer, or using her as target practice. It had been such a lovely daydream, but a daydream is all it had been. No matter what the woman did, she was a human being, and as such deserved to live. It was just that when she upset Jethro, as she was wont to do quite often, his own hackles rose and he tended to slip into 'defend and avenge Jethro' mode, hence his pleasant dreams. However . . .
Pulling himself from his reverie he put one hand over Abby's, and then using two fingers from his other hand, tilted her chin back until she was looking at him. Speaking in his firm, authoritative voice, the one with which even Jethro did not argue, he said, "I am sorry, Abigail, but you cannot kill the Director."
"But, please, Ducky, I -"
"No," he said firmly. "You cannot. You must not," he corrected himself, knowing full well that if Abby put her mind to it, she could.
"Oh, Ducky. That's not fair." She pouted. "You do hate her, don't you?"
He sighed. He didn't wish to lie to Abby, but . . . "Jennifer Shepard is not my favorite person, Abby."
"Gibbs hates her."
Ducky sighed again. "I think that hate might be too strong a term, my dear. Jethro -"
"What did happen in Paris, Ducky?" Abby suddenly asked.
Ducky paused for a moment, as more memories flooded into his mind. "Let us just say," he spoke quietly, "that none of us behaved exactly like the adults we were meant to be. Now, Abby, eat your lunch and forget all about poisons and killings. Will you please promise me that you will?"
Abby stared at him. "Ducky, I -"
"Abigail."
Her eyes widened at the sternness of his tone, and she seemed to turn paler under her already pale makeup. "But she upsets people, you, and especially Gibbs."
"I know she does. But, Abby, think how much more upset Jethro and I would be if you did go through with your plan, and ended up getting caught. Jethro would never forgive himself, or me," he added.
"But I wouldn't get caught. You just said that you knew . . ." She trailed off as he continued to stare at her. "Okay, Ducky. I promise," she said, still pouting.
"Good girl," Ducky said, patting her hand. Then added, once again using his gentle voice, "Now how about that hot chocolate fudge cake I promised you."
~~~~~~~
"Hey, Duck. Good lunch?"
Ducky was surprised to see Jethro once again in Autopsy when he returned from his lunch with Abby. He let Jethro help him off with his coat, and said, "Yes, thank you, Jethro. But more importantly, how was your meeting with Jennifer? What did she want to discuss with you; assuming, of course you are able to tell me."
"I'd tell you anyway, no matter what she said. It was about DiNozzo."
"What has Anthony done now?" Ducky moved across the room and sat down at his desk. Gibbs followed him and perched on the edge.
"Nothing, as far as I can tell. She was just pointing out that she is the Director; therefore we are all her staff, for her to direct. 'And that, Agent Gibbs, includes your team. And your team includes Tony'." Gibbs managed a pretty good impersonation of Jennifer. "And yes, she did call him 'Tony' and me ‘Agent Gibbs’."
For a fleeting second, Ducky wondered if he had been a little too quick to dismiss Abby's suggestion that . . . He pushed the thought away, angry at himself; more angry at Jennifer. Why could she not just leave Jethro to run his team as he always had done? Things had run much more smoothly under Tom Morrow. Had he been Director at the time Jethro had been blown up, everything would have been much different. Maybe Jethro might not even have resigned.
"Duck." Jethro snapped the name in his fondly exasperated tone. However, this time there was an edge to it; it was more 'exasperated' and less 'fond' than usual.
"I am sorry, my dear Jethro," Ducky said, touching Jethro's hand as he swiftly pulled his attention back to his friend. "I am listening to you. Really I am."
"Oh, yeah? What did I just say?"
"That you were concerned as to how close Anthony and Jennifer might have become, and you were wondering if -"
"All right, all right. So you were listening. Do you think they're up to something?"
"Most certainly. However, what that 'something' is, I am not entirely certain. I know that Jennifer is not your favorite person, Jethro, but -"
"Not yours either." Jethro cut into his words.
"Indeed. However, she is intelligent, and as much as I find her morals not always, shall we say, as good as they might be, I do not believe that she would embark on an affair with someone who is her junior."
"She tried to get me back into her bed, more than once."
"That is different, my dear. You were, at one time, her boss. In some ways, ways I am certain that Jennifer would not wish to admit, I believe that she still feels that she is under you."
"I doubt that, Duck. Never was her favorite -"
"Jethro!"
"Sorry." Jethro had the grace to look slightly abashed. "So if you don't think they're sleeping together, what do you think they're up to?"
Ducky opened his mouth, but at that moment Jethro's cell phone began to burble. "Shit." Jethro tugged it out. "Yeah, Gibbs? Okay, DiNozzo. I'm on my way." He snapped it closed again. "Sorry, Duck. It'll have to keep for another time."
"That's all right, Jethro. I shall be here until quite late tonight. Mother has the Ladies' Circle coming round."
"Catch you later then." He squeezed Ducky's shoulder, stood up and began to stride towards the door. Suddenly he stopped, turned around and moved back towards Ducky. "Why did Abby suddenly want to go out to lunch with you?"
Ducky stood up, began to remove his jacket before putting his white coat on and meeting Jethro's gaze. "Oh, she simply wished me to suggest an untraceable poison."
"A poison? Who does Abby want to kill?"
Ducky smiled. "Jennifer," he said calmly and waited. As Jethro's mouth fell open, he added, serenely, "But do not worry. I made her promise to forget all about it. I told her that no matter how we felt about the Director, we could not, indeed we must not, kill her." Once again he pushed the beautiful image of razor sharp scalpels sliding into Jennifer's body from his mind.
"We couldn't?" Jethro asked, after a moment.
"Jethro, really," Ducky said. "I am surprised at you. Of course we cannot. Now, my dear, haven't you somewhere else you need to be?"
Jethro sighed. "Yeah. Guess we can't. Oh, well. I'll see you later, Duck," and with a half wave he again turned and left Autopsy.
As he watched his closest friend depart, Ducky made a mental note that he still needed to ascertain what it was DiNozzo had wished to see him about. Maybe with a little careful questioning or rambling stories, he might even find out just what DiNozzo and Jennifer were embroiled in.
Chapter 6
Contrary to all the office gossip, Jenny Sheppard isn’t completely oblivious to what’s going on around her.
She sees the little gleam in Abby’s eyes every time she drops by the lab (but that’s not going to stop her because Jenny believes in making herself an active part of her employees’ environment-at least that’s what they taught her in management school), or Ducky’s awkward I’m-Only-Telling-This-Story-To-Get-Rid-Of-You-So-Please-GO in autopsy. She knows that Gibbs thinks she’s trying to either get back into bed with him, or somehow use the fact that they used to get into bed with each other to control him and that Tony’s so desperate for approval and acknowledgement, he’s willing to take on extra assignments just to get recognised (and in this, Jenny thinks that Gibbs is a real bastard because he must have used Tony too, in his own way and then left him, which Jenny won’t do).
She even sees the way Gibbs brushes up against Tony, hand on his shoulder or fingers against his wrists, so casual and comfortable that Tony doesn’t even flinch from it the way he seems to all other forms of physical contact.
They’re her people now, her responsibility and she’ll take care of them, even if they don’t want to be taken care of.
*
Thing is, Abby’s usually a pretty reasonable person (but the concept of reason being a little too difficult to pin down, Abby figures it gives her a little leeway to be odd too and blame it on caffeine), so she can’t quite come to terms with her almost homicidal rage against the Director. She’s never actually wanted to kill anyone before (okay, that’s a lie, but she’s never discussed wanting to kill someone with someone else before, mainly, because she’s not stupid and knows better than to implicate herself in a crime) so she’s a little concerned that she suddenly very much needs to.
Even Ducky’s stern warning hadn’t been enough to deter her. She’s sitting in her lab analysing evidence and thinking about the best way to hide the Director’s body after the fact.
It’s not until the third time she has to run the samples through again that Abby figures something is wrong. Like maybe someone’s messing with her head, sending her subliminal messages or poisoning her Caff Pow (which is not cool) with psychotropic drugs.
Considering where she works, Abby doesn’t think it too far fetched an idea to consider.