Fic: La Belle Dame Sans Merci [11/13]
Title: La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15
Category: Drama, Angst, Action, Case-file, Romance, Friendship
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoilers: Mild for 'Child's Play', 'Hiatus', 'Rule 51'
Summary: When a friend is murdered, Abby will stop at nothing to get revenge.
****
The conference room was full. The NSA agents originally assigned to the case had been joined by Gibbs' team and several other NCIS agents Vance had drafted in at his senior agent's request. Catherine had looked, for a moment, as if she'd wanted to protest but a cold look from Abby had warned her against it.
The NSA, as far as her former agent was concerned, were as responsible for the situation as the terrorists behind it.
"NCIS have stepped in to put the survivors from the NSA safe houses into their own properties with guards they've used before. For obvious reasons, the details of these properties will not be released to anyone but myself, Director Vance, Agent Sciuto and Agent Gibbs." Catherine ignored the scowl she got from Abby as she debriefed the rest of the team. "Those injured are being treated under heavy security at various hospitals across the country. Helen and Rob Summers are unaccounted for. At this time, we don't know if they left of their own free will or if they were forced. Unfortunately, they're the only ones who could have given us any answers."
The update was grim to say the least. Most of the NSA Agents looked shocked and sickened by the news while the newly drafted in NCIS agents looked sympathetically at the forensic scientist they considered to be one of their own.
Only one person in the room didn't seem devastated by the turn of current events. The small smile quickly disappeared from Veronica's lips but not soon enough to escape Abby's notice. Before anyone could react, she had crossed the room and dragged the other woman up out of her chair, pressing her back to the wall with her gun pointed at her forehead while her other hand held Veronica in place by the throat. "Guess it won't be so hard to find the other mole after all."
Veronica attempted a surprised look for a matter of seconds, the expression disintegrating into an unpleasant smirk as Abby's grip tightened. "Well, well, well. Look who's back. I wondered what it would take to break you, Abby."
"Break me?" Abby's grip loosened a little but the cold fury in her gaze didn't ease. "This is a game to you?"
"Oh it's so much more than that but why shouldn't I have a little fun at the same time?" A small squeak escaped Veronica when Abby resumed the pressure to her throat.
"Let her go, Abby." Gibbs' voice was firm but quiet. She hadn't heard him get up but could tell without looking over her shoulder that he was standing just behind her. "She's not going anywhere."
After a tense moment, Abby did as he suggested. Veronica rubbed her throat and moved away, the smirk back in place on her lips even as Tony and Ziva moved to block the only door leading out of the room. "They've got you housebroken, I see."
Abby ignored her, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "Where's Isabelle?"
"You know, I thought it would be Annie's murder that got to you," Veronica continued as if the black-haired woman hadn't spoken, as if she wasn't bothered by the guns and venomous stares being aimed at her. "I even told her as much. I should have known better. You are supposedly the best, everyone keeps telling me. Distant, aloof. Cold."
A sound of disbelief came from somewhere behind her but Abby ignored it. Her heart quickened at Veronica's words and she took a step closer to the other woman, blocking out everything else apart from her rival. "You were there when Annie was killed."
"I did more than watch," Veronica taunted callously. She didn't have time to move before Abby's hand rose and struck her, the force of the blow causing her to cry out. "Careful, Abigail. Wouldn't want to show your NCIS friends what's really hiding behind your childlike smokescreen, would you?"
"Stop screwing around, Veronica. Tell me where Isabelle is or I swear to you..." Reluctantly, Abby stepped aside so Gibbs could fasten handcuffs around Veronica's wrists.
"You'll what?" Veronica rolled her eyes. "Hit me? Pull my hair like a girl? I don't know why Catherine and the others hold you in such high regard. You're spineless. Pathetic. You had the chance to be the best and you threw it away to play in some dingy underground lab..."
"Is that what this is about, Veronica?" Catherine's voice cut in before Abby could react. "You're tired of playing second fiddle to a colleague so you joined forces with a known terrorist to try and best her? If that's the case, I hate to tell you but Abby's not the one in this equation I'd call pathetic..."
Veronica's eyes narrowed and her features twisted unpleasantly. "She's a former colleague, Catherine. When you and everyone else realise that, we'll all be better off. She's not coming back to the agency and even if she did, it would be a blow for us and not the gain you all keep saying it would be."
"Simon," Catherine realised with a sigh. "You mean Simon keeps saying she's a loss and you can't stand it, can you? He might be your lover but as your boss, he doesn't rate you when compared to her."
Before Veronica could argue again, Abby held up a hand. "I don't care why you did it. I don't care who said what or even what it is that made you the twisted, power-grabbing bitch you are. You'll pay for the murders you helped orchestrate, Annie's and all of the others, and if you value your pretty face, you'll tell me where my niece is. Now."
"Like you're going to hurt me," Veronica sneered. "You wouldn't dare step out of line..." Her arms were twisted behind her back and a knife she hadn't known Abby was carrying was at her throat before she could finish her insult. Veronica gasped, the movement forcing the blade more firmly against her flesh.
"Abby!"
"Abigail..."
"Ms. Sciuto!"
Abby ignored Gibbs, Catherine and Director Vance easily. She pressed the knife a little harder, satisfaction dawning in her darkened eyes when she saw a bead of blood appear against the pale skin of Veronica's throat.
"Do you know how deep a knife has to go to leave a scar that no surgery will make go away?" Abby murmured conversationally. "Try to get away and I'll kill you before anyone has a chance to fire a shot. Refuse to tell me what I want to know and I'll make sure no man or woman ever looks at you twice again." She dug the knife in again. "That'd be a real hit to your ego, wouldn't it? That's what you get off on, right? Being the best, looking the best, getting all of the credit and admiration and attention. If that was all taken away from you, you'd be nothing, would you?" Abby shrugged the shoulder of the arm that wasn't holding the knife. "Newsflash, Veronica, it's already gone. You think you're going to get out of this? That Simon or De Silvo will somehow save you from going down for what you've done?"
A glimmer of panic shone in the other woman's eyes. "You've got no proof."
"You just confessed to a room full of witnesses," Abby reminded her coolly. "So how about you try to help yourself by telling me where my niece is?"
Her lips drawn in a thin white line, Veronica tilted her head in a futile gesture at getting away from the knife digging into her throat. Her eyes searched the room wildly, looking for an ally and finding none. "I'm not going to help you."
"Then you're no use to me." Abby's smile was cold. "Just as you'll no use to De Silvo or Simon when you're in jail."
With a great deal of obvious reluctance, Abby dropped the knife she held at Veronica's throat. Sensing Abby's control was back in place but not sure how long it would last, Catherine looked to Director Vance for Guidance. At the Director's nod, two NCIS agents ushered the woman out of the conference room.
Still standing, her body beginning to tremble but holding on to her composure with sheer will power, Abby took a moment to steady herself before crossing to the table where Veronica had been sitting - to where her cell phone and notes on the case still lay.
"You should call Simon," Abby said quietly, aware she was giving an order to a superior agent but knowing Catherine was too stunned to think straight. "You need to find out how much he knows, whether he's involved. Double the efforts to find Helen and Rob, too. They'll probably end up in the Anacostia but there's a small chance they're still alive so you should try to find them before that happens."
"What are you going to do?" Catherine watched her warily, frowning as Abby picked up Veronica's phone and started looking through it. "Abby?"
Pressing dial, Abby held up a hand to silence Catherine's protests. She held the phone to her ear, waiting patiently as it started to ring.
"I thought I told you not to call me," an annoyed, accented voice greeted her. "I am trying to work."
"So am I." Abby paused, giving him a moment to realise he wasn't speaking to Veronica. "Hello, Tommy. Or should I call you Tomas?"
"Who are you? Where is Veronica?"
"Veronica's unavailable at the moment." Abby shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her and walked away from the group watching her every move. Standing at the window, looking out over the Navy Yard, she continued her conversation with a killer. "As for who I am, I'm the one you've apparently been looking for."
There was another moment of silence, and then he spoke again, excitement creeping into his voice. "Agent Abigail Sciuto."
"The one and only. I think it's time to stop playing games and meet in person. You have something I want, after all."
"Ah, yes. Dear little Isabelle." The way he said her niece's name made her shudder. "She will be pleased to see you, no doubt, but only if you come alone. Bring anyone with you and the child will die."
"I'll come alone," Abby said evenly, meeting Gibbs' gaze in the reflection of the window as he came up behind her. "You have my word on that if I have yours that Isabelle is alive."
"I can give you more than my word, Agent Sciuto." There was another pause and she heard him bark an order that was muffled by his hand over the receiver. A few seconds more and another voice came over the line.
"Aunt Abby?" She was obviously tired and more than a little scared but Isabelle Sciuto's voice had never sounded sweeter to her aunt. "I wanna go home."
"I know you do, honey. I'm gonna come and get you, okay? You just need to be brave for a little bit longer." Abby closed her eyes. "Can you do that for me, Izzy?"
"Uh-huh. I'll try." The words were punctuated by a sniffle, a sound that broke Abby's heart even as it added to her resolve to make the bastard responsible pay. "Love you, Aunt Abby."
"I love you, too, baby girl. And I'll see you soon." Her voice cracked despite her attempts to the contrary.
"Touching. Your niece obviously has a lot of faith in you." Tomas De Silvo interrupted the moment, signalling he had control of the telephone once more. "I will send an address to Veronica's phone since it is in your possession. Be there in one hour, alone, and the child will live. I look forward to finally meeting you in person, Agent Sciuto. We have much to discuss."
The line went dead. Abby closed the phone and stared at the screen expectantly. Within minutes, the phone beeped and the screen lit up with a new message. Opening it, she memorised the address before deftly deleting the message and turning to hand the phone to Gibbs.
"Evidence," was all she said, brushing by him after making sure he had a good grip on it.
She left the room swiftly and no one tried to stop her.
****
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15
Category: Drama, Angst, Action, Case-file, Romance, Friendship
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoilers: Mild for 'Child's Play', 'Hiatus', 'Rule 51'
Summary: When a friend is murdered, Abby will stop at nothing to get revenge.
****
The conference room was full. The NSA agents originally assigned to the case had been joined by Gibbs' team and several other NCIS agents Vance had drafted in at his senior agent's request. Catherine had looked, for a moment, as if she'd wanted to protest but a cold look from Abby had warned her against it.
The NSA, as far as her former agent was concerned, were as responsible for the situation as the terrorists behind it.
"NCIS have stepped in to put the survivors from the NSA safe houses into their own properties with guards they've used before. For obvious reasons, the details of these properties will not be released to anyone but myself, Director Vance, Agent Sciuto and Agent Gibbs." Catherine ignored the scowl she got from Abby as she debriefed the rest of the team. "Those injured are being treated under heavy security at various hospitals across the country. Helen and Rob Summers are unaccounted for. At this time, we don't know if they left of their own free will or if they were forced. Unfortunately, they're the only ones who could have given us any answers."
The update was grim to say the least. Most of the NSA Agents looked shocked and sickened by the news while the newly drafted in NCIS agents looked sympathetically at the forensic scientist they considered to be one of their own.
Only one person in the room didn't seem devastated by the turn of current events. The small smile quickly disappeared from Veronica's lips but not soon enough to escape Abby's notice. Before anyone could react, she had crossed the room and dragged the other woman up out of her chair, pressing her back to the wall with her gun pointed at her forehead while her other hand held Veronica in place by the throat. "Guess it won't be so hard to find the other mole after all."
Veronica attempted a surprised look for a matter of seconds, the expression disintegrating into an unpleasant smirk as Abby's grip tightened. "Well, well, well. Look who's back. I wondered what it would take to break you, Abby."
"Break me?" Abby's grip loosened a little but the cold fury in her gaze didn't ease. "This is a game to you?"
"Oh it's so much more than that but why shouldn't I have a little fun at the same time?" A small squeak escaped Veronica when Abby resumed the pressure to her throat.
"Let her go, Abby." Gibbs' voice was firm but quiet. She hadn't heard him get up but could tell without looking over her shoulder that he was standing just behind her. "She's not going anywhere."
After a tense moment, Abby did as he suggested. Veronica rubbed her throat and moved away, the smirk back in place on her lips even as Tony and Ziva moved to block the only door leading out of the room. "They've got you housebroken, I see."
Abby ignored her, her hands clenching into fists at her side. "Where's Isabelle?"
"You know, I thought it would be Annie's murder that got to you," Veronica continued as if the black-haired woman hadn't spoken, as if she wasn't bothered by the guns and venomous stares being aimed at her. "I even told her as much. I should have known better. You are supposedly the best, everyone keeps telling me. Distant, aloof. Cold."
A sound of disbelief came from somewhere behind her but Abby ignored it. Her heart quickened at Veronica's words and she took a step closer to the other woman, blocking out everything else apart from her rival. "You were there when Annie was killed."
"I did more than watch," Veronica taunted callously. She didn't have time to move before Abby's hand rose and struck her, the force of the blow causing her to cry out. "Careful, Abigail. Wouldn't want to show your NCIS friends what's really hiding behind your childlike smokescreen, would you?"
"Stop screwing around, Veronica. Tell me where Isabelle is or I swear to you..." Reluctantly, Abby stepped aside so Gibbs could fasten handcuffs around Veronica's wrists.
"You'll what?" Veronica rolled her eyes. "Hit me? Pull my hair like a girl? I don't know why Catherine and the others hold you in such high regard. You're spineless. Pathetic. You had the chance to be the best and you threw it away to play in some dingy underground lab..."
"Is that what this is about, Veronica?" Catherine's voice cut in before Abby could react. "You're tired of playing second fiddle to a colleague so you joined forces with a known terrorist to try and best her? If that's the case, I hate to tell you but Abby's not the one in this equation I'd call pathetic..."
Veronica's eyes narrowed and her features twisted unpleasantly. "She's a former colleague, Catherine. When you and everyone else realise that, we'll all be better off. She's not coming back to the agency and even if she did, it would be a blow for us and not the gain you all keep saying it would be."
"Simon," Catherine realised with a sigh. "You mean Simon keeps saying she's a loss and you can't stand it, can you? He might be your lover but as your boss, he doesn't rate you when compared to her."
Before Veronica could argue again, Abby held up a hand. "I don't care why you did it. I don't care who said what or even what it is that made you the twisted, power-grabbing bitch you are. You'll pay for the murders you helped orchestrate, Annie's and all of the others, and if you value your pretty face, you'll tell me where my niece is. Now."
"Like you're going to hurt me," Veronica sneered. "You wouldn't dare step out of line..." Her arms were twisted behind her back and a knife she hadn't known Abby was carrying was at her throat before she could finish her insult. Veronica gasped, the movement forcing the blade more firmly against her flesh.
"Abby!"
"Abigail..."
"Ms. Sciuto!"
Abby ignored Gibbs, Catherine and Director Vance easily. She pressed the knife a little harder, satisfaction dawning in her darkened eyes when she saw a bead of blood appear against the pale skin of Veronica's throat.
"Do you know how deep a knife has to go to leave a scar that no surgery will make go away?" Abby murmured conversationally. "Try to get away and I'll kill you before anyone has a chance to fire a shot. Refuse to tell me what I want to know and I'll make sure no man or woman ever looks at you twice again." She dug the knife in again. "That'd be a real hit to your ego, wouldn't it? That's what you get off on, right? Being the best, looking the best, getting all of the credit and admiration and attention. If that was all taken away from you, you'd be nothing, would you?" Abby shrugged the shoulder of the arm that wasn't holding the knife. "Newsflash, Veronica, it's already gone. You think you're going to get out of this? That Simon or De Silvo will somehow save you from going down for what you've done?"
A glimmer of panic shone in the other woman's eyes. "You've got no proof."
"You just confessed to a room full of witnesses," Abby reminded her coolly. "So how about you try to help yourself by telling me where my niece is?"
Her lips drawn in a thin white line, Veronica tilted her head in a futile gesture at getting away from the knife digging into her throat. Her eyes searched the room wildly, looking for an ally and finding none. "I'm not going to help you."
"Then you're no use to me." Abby's smile was cold. "Just as you'll no use to De Silvo or Simon when you're in jail."
With a great deal of obvious reluctance, Abby dropped the knife she held at Veronica's throat. Sensing Abby's control was back in place but not sure how long it would last, Catherine looked to Director Vance for Guidance. At the Director's nod, two NCIS agents ushered the woman out of the conference room.
Still standing, her body beginning to tremble but holding on to her composure with sheer will power, Abby took a moment to steady herself before crossing to the table where Veronica had been sitting - to where her cell phone and notes on the case still lay.
"You should call Simon," Abby said quietly, aware she was giving an order to a superior agent but knowing Catherine was too stunned to think straight. "You need to find out how much he knows, whether he's involved. Double the efforts to find Helen and Rob, too. They'll probably end up in the Anacostia but there's a small chance they're still alive so you should try to find them before that happens."
"What are you going to do?" Catherine watched her warily, frowning as Abby picked up Veronica's phone and started looking through it. "Abby?"
Pressing dial, Abby held up a hand to silence Catherine's protests. She held the phone to her ear, waiting patiently as it started to ring.
"I thought I told you not to call me," an annoyed, accented voice greeted her. "I am trying to work."
"So am I." Abby paused, giving him a moment to realise he wasn't speaking to Veronica. "Hello, Tommy. Or should I call you Tomas?"
"Who are you? Where is Veronica?"
"Veronica's unavailable at the moment." Abby shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her and walked away from the group watching her every move. Standing at the window, looking out over the Navy Yard, she continued her conversation with a killer. "As for who I am, I'm the one you've apparently been looking for."
There was another moment of silence, and then he spoke again, excitement creeping into his voice. "Agent Abigail Sciuto."
"The one and only. I think it's time to stop playing games and meet in person. You have something I want, after all."
"Ah, yes. Dear little Isabelle." The way he said her niece's name made her shudder. "She will be pleased to see you, no doubt, but only if you come alone. Bring anyone with you and the child will die."
"I'll come alone," Abby said evenly, meeting Gibbs' gaze in the reflection of the window as he came up behind her. "You have my word on that if I have yours that Isabelle is alive."
"I can give you more than my word, Agent Sciuto." There was another pause and she heard him bark an order that was muffled by his hand over the receiver. A few seconds more and another voice came over the line.
"Aunt Abby?" She was obviously tired and more than a little scared but Isabelle Sciuto's voice had never sounded sweeter to her aunt. "I wanna go home."
"I know you do, honey. I'm gonna come and get you, okay? You just need to be brave for a little bit longer." Abby closed her eyes. "Can you do that for me, Izzy?"
"Uh-huh. I'll try." The words were punctuated by a sniffle, a sound that broke Abby's heart even as it added to her resolve to make the bastard responsible pay. "Love you, Aunt Abby."
"I love you, too, baby girl. And I'll see you soon." Her voice cracked despite her attempts to the contrary.
"Touching. Your niece obviously has a lot of faith in you." Tomas De Silvo interrupted the moment, signalling he had control of the telephone once more. "I will send an address to Veronica's phone since it is in your possession. Be there in one hour, alone, and the child will live. I look forward to finally meeting you in person, Agent Sciuto. We have much to discuss."
The line went dead. Abby closed the phone and stared at the screen expectantly. Within minutes, the phone beeped and the screen lit up with a new message. Opening it, she memorised the address before deftly deleting the message and turning to hand the phone to Gibbs.
"Evidence," was all she said, brushing by him after making sure he had a good grip on it.
She left the room swiftly and no one tried to stop her.
****