Rule 28: when you need help, ask.

FRIDAY 17TH JULY 8:17 AM DC TIME

"Who's this?" I asked leaning against DiNozzo's desk and pointing at the picture frame
He picked it up and said, "This was Kate, she was Ziva before Ziva was Ziva."
I threw him a questioning look
"She sat where Ziva sits, before when Ziva was still with Mossad," Tim explained- he is much simpler than DiNozzo who I'm sure is trying to confuse me-  though I was still slightly confused "Did you know her?" I asked McGee
"Yeah we crossed over, she was like a sister to me, but I was still at FLETC when Tony and Gibbs met her," Tim explained his mind wandering
"Tell me about her," I return my attention to Tony sensing his want to talk, I knew that feeling
"She was a secret service agent," He explained as I wriggled into a small gap on the edge of the cabinet behind DiNozzo's desk "We got a call, there was a body on Air Force One."
"What?! Did you kill a president?"
"What? No! It was a Naval commander who had died. How old do you think I am?"
"Government cover-up. The British, well MI6, have done worse. Anyway, back to Kate." I circle the conversation
"She could stand up for herself, when we arrived Fornell was there with about 10 other people." DiNozzo smiled down at the picture in his hands it was him and Kate it looked like it was somewhere hot, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
"Fornell?"
"Our favourite FBI Agent," Ziva interjected with a laugh
"We had to pretend to work for Ducky, he told everyone who had gotten on when they landed to get off. Kate just said to this man, that she didn't know and had jurisdiction, that she had flown in on it so she wouldn't be leaving. Then she argued with Fornell, even Ziva wouldn't dream of arguing with Fornell."
"She's brave, she could stand up for herself. Why was she interested in you DiNozzo?" I mocked him- he needed a pick-me-up
"She was like my sister. she was brilliant, and smart too. She figured out that we weren't Duck Man's assistants easily, especially since she wasn't a trained investigator. She said Gibbs 'dismissed' her at first because she was secret service and hadn't worked a crime scene."
"Makes sense," McGee said, he had listened in and now stood next to me.
"Yeah but then she said it was her job to protect the president," he laughed and continued," She said 'I've earned my jock strap.' Gibbs asked her if it felt empty she said 'No like some species of frogs I grow what I need'. From then on I admired her, I may have teased her but I admired her"
"So do I," I tell him
"She did then threaten to shoot Gibbs."
"I love her even more." I laugh

"She had a lot to learn about crime scene investigating, sketches, TOD calculations, Gibbs' rules. But she learned quickly I used the model's analogy to prove why we need sketches and photos, she called me pathetic." Tony continued- I had to laugh.
"Then she argued with Gibbs,"
"She really could stand up for herself," I said shocked- even I wouldn't dream of standing up to Gibbs
"Kate did not argue with me she simply tried to read me the riot act."
"Sorry Boss, shutting up," Tony said as Gibbs entered the bullpen
"No Tony, tell Alex," Gibbs replied as he sat down
"What did she quote, unquote argue with Gibbs about?" I asked
"Gibbs wanted her to give me air-force-one floor plans, but she said she couldn't. Gibbs said he saw it in a Harrison Ford movie which I'm honestly surprised you saw boss." Tony spoke the last part to Gibbs
"I do watch movies DiNozzo," Gibbs replied from his desk not looking up
"Black and white ones sure," McGee whispered to me
"What was that McGee?" Gibbs asked
"Nothing, Boss."
"Anyway, she said that was just Hollywood speculation but this was the real thing." DiNozzo moved on
"She's not wrong."
"Gibbs said she could shoot me," DiNozzo mused with a small smile
"Gibbs you really do love your team don't you." Gibbs nodded
"She said that she thought she was destined to shoot Gibbs!" DiNozzo said laughing and I had to giggle while McGee smiled fondly "Then they just spoke about the case. The guy that died... Trapp. Kate had only met him that day he'd just got his clearance and the guy that was supposed to be on Air Force One... Major Kerry, I think his name was, he had the flu."
"Trapp died after having lunch with the president," Gibbs added to Tony's explanation
"Gibbs was trying to convince her that the plane was the same one used in the movie. To be fair she did know enough to hold the 3 stewards that made the lunch. But she broke rule 1." Tony finished holding one finger in the air
"Never screw over your partner." I filled in, I knew that one
"No the other rule one," DiNozzo told me
"Gibbs having 2 of the same rule defeats the object of numbering them," I told the Special agent in charge getting off of my perch
"Tell Mike Franks that." He said not looking up from his computer
"Mike Franks?" I questioned standing in front of Gibbs' desk but facing Tony
"Gibbs' boss years ago, he retired to Mexico where Gibbs quit- sorry retired to a few years ago." Tony filled in
"Let me guess he got bored?" I said as I turned back to face the Special Agent in Charge
"Something like that."
"I know guys like you Gibbs they work til they drop then keep going. Anyway the other rule 1?" I asked
"Never let suspects stay together," Tim told me as I grabbed a Post-it and pen adding this rule to my collection
"She was so sarcastic, she would say things like 'I may not know the finer points of investigating like measuring swimsuit models or sticking needles in livers but I do know enough to hold the stewards who made the president's lunch'."DiNozzo continued as I brought my stuff back and got back on my perch
"It sounds like Kate and Alex would have gotten on like a drowned house."
"Do you mean house on fire?" McGee pieced together what Ziva meant
"That's it." she pointed at McGee
"The other bit was drowned rat when someone is wet," I explained loving her idiom issues 
"You would have gotten on with Kate too Ziva, anyway she held the stewardesses but they didn't know anything, no one knows they are buying for Air Force one. Randomly selected places and no way to be traced back to Air Force One. Normally they prepare the president's food but he was having ribs from a smokehouse in San Antonio."