NCIS BREAK ROOM

Sam took her packet of sandwiches, packet of chips and can of soda to a table. She sank down onto one of the hard chairs with a weary sigh. Her bandaged wrist made opening the soda can awkward. She swore softly. Someone took the can out of her hand, opened it and placed it back on the table. Sam looked up. Roslyn smiled briefly and dropped into the chair opposite her.

Sam took a sip of cola and looked at her friend. Ros looked back. "You want to tell me why Gibbs is protecting you?"

Sam kept her face expressionless. "Protecting me?"

Ros snorted. "I'll believe you two are an item when I see a formation flypast of pigs! I was there last night Sam, remember? I saw your face when Amaia brought Kepa Urkullu into the kitchen. You recognized him."

Sam shook her head.

"It was there," Ros insisted. "For a split second only, but I saw it. You know Urkullu from somewhere."

Sam's tone was flat. "I had never set eyes on Kepa Urkullu before last night." I have seen photos of Eneko Mentxaka. But he wasn't known as Kepa Urkullu then. So I'm not strictly lieing to Ros.

Ros narrowed her eyes. "I don't think you are being truthful with me. I know what I saw."

"What you imagined you saw," Sam corrected her. She picked up one of her sandwiches and took a bite. Chewing slowly, she watched Ros across the table.

Ros was silent for a moment. "This is what I think," she said softly. "I think you know of Kepa Urkullu from somewhere. Gibbs knows about him too, hence this morning's elaborate charade. You two were creating a cover story. You've been very secretive since the night at Franklins Bar. Somehow Kepa Urkullu is connected to that night, and possibly to the meetings you and Gibbs and Vance have been having with the FBI." Ros looked thoughtfully at her friend. "I think I'll do a little digging around. I think this is something I should know about."

Panic shot across Sam's face. She dropped her sandwich and reached out with her good hand to grab Roslyn's wrist. "No! Promise me, Ros, that you will not get involved. Promise me!"

Ros looked down at the hand grasping her wrist. Reluctantly, Sam let her go and sat back. Her eyes were anxious and fear filled as she looked at her friend. Roslyn looked at her for a long moment, absorbing the worried look on Sam's face. "All right," she said at last. "I promise." Sorry Sam, but that is one promise I have no intention of keeping.

Relief showed on Sam's face. She nodded and picked up her sandwich again. Ros left the break room. Sam continued to eat. She looked up as someone else slid into the seat Ros had vacated.

Sam looked sourly at Amaia who sat opposite her. Amaia's eyes were cold. "Kepa meant no harm."

It was Sam's turn to snort. "Oh really? He just likes attempting to break wrists for fun?"

"You should not have resisted him."

"Oh. So my injured wrist is my own fault now, is it?"

"You should not have...."

Sam cut across her. "You listen to me, Amaia Bengoa. That was my home. I was free to come and go as I pleased without interference by you or by any jumped up little cretin you happen to be sleeping with. You do NOT tell me what I should or should not do. There are two people I take orders from, and you're not one of them."

Amaia flushed with fury. She opened her mouth to respond.

"Well said, Samantha." Both women looked at Director Vance, who had entered the break room unseen by both of them.

Leon Vance's dark eyes bored into Amaia Bengoa. His expression was cold. "Miss Wallace works firstly with Gibbs as leader of your team, Miss Bengoa. You would do well to remember that you answer to her as well as to Gibbs and myself. If you chose not to remember that, your recall to Spain can be easily arranged."

Amaia muttered something that neither Sam or Vance could hear. She got up from her seat and flounced towards the door. "Miss Bengoa," Vance's voice was sharp. Amaia froze. "If anything at all should happen to Miss Wallace. No matter how small and petty, I will know the source and react appropriately. Consider yourself warned." Amaia nodded without speaking and rapidly exited the break room.

Sam watched her go, then spoke softly. "Was that wise, sir? You've marked yourself out as her enemy."

Vance smiled wryly. "I have had plenty of enemies before, Samantha, one more won't make any difference. Miss Bengoa needed to realize that an attack against you was an attack against NCIS. Now, if you've finished you might like to return to the squad room. Gibbs is suffering from separation anxiety."

"Sir?"

Vance chuckled softly. "He's been watching for your return since the moment you went on break."

Sam laughed softly, grabbed up her soda and chips and followed Vance out of the room.

LATER - OUTSIDE THE GIRLS' HOUSE

Ziva parked her car across the street from the house. As she exited the car and walked across the road, a tall shape emerged from the shadows near the streetlight and joined her.

Ziva raised an eyebrow. "I do not need a bodyguard, Tony."

Tony smiled. "I wanted to be here just in case Amaia's boyfriend is here. I would like to have a few words with him."

"Something short, perhaps? Along the lines of sit, stay?"

Tony gave a dry chuckle. "Something like that."

As they mounted the front steps of the house the door opened. Ros motioned them inside. Tony looked around the hallway. Ros half smiled, guessing who he was looking for. "Neither Amaia or her boyfriend are here. When we got home from work, Amaia immediately turned around and went out." She gestured down the hall. "Sam's bedroom is along here."

Tony looked around the small bedroom. A door to a small bathroom lead off to the left. Next to the single bed stood a bedside table, against one wall was a small bookcase. There were no obvious personal effects like photographs or ornaments on display. Interesting. Sam must have taken anything like that with her last night. Hmmmmm.

Opening the wardrobe next to the bathroom door, Ziva hunted around until she found a suitcase. Placing it on the bed, she opened it, then returned to the wardrobe and began removing clothes.

Tony squatted down in front of the bookcase. You can tell a lot about a person by the books they read. He began to remove the volumes and stack them in piles on the floor. "Hmmm. Interesting reading matter. 'Deep Six' by one Thom E. Gemcity. Wonder if she knows his real identity? Assorted other thrillers. Westerns. Some romances. Romances? Sam reads romances? True crime. Hey!" Tony's voice was excited.

Ziva and Ros turned to look at him. He waved a book at them. "Sam's got a copy of 'The Deliberate Stranger'. Warner Brothers made that into a tele movie in the 1980s. The actor who played Ted Bundy was brilliant. He was so good that for years afterwards people mistook his photo for that of the real Bundy. Awesome movie."

Ziva and Ros looked at each other. Shaking their heads they returned to packing Sam's clothes into the suitcase.

It took a very short space of time to transfer Sam's belongs into the suitcase and several plastic bags. Tony looked at everything. "Sam travels light," he observed. It's almost as if she only lived in this room of the house.

Ziva shrugged. "Best way to be. Possessions can hold us back."

"Possessions can also define who we are, Ziva." They also make profiling a heck of a lot easier.

"Do they? Or do they just define us as greedy?"

Ros butted in. "I hate to interrupt this meeting of the NCIS Philosophical Society, but I am pretty sure that Sam would like to get her things tonight."

Tony hefted the suitcase off the bed, leaving Ziva and Ros to collect the few bags. Together they took everything out to the cars. Ziva raised her eyebrows as Tony put the suitcase into the trunk of his car. He slammed it shut and looked at her. "I'm coming with you." Ziva shrugged and walked to her car. Tony waited until she had got in and began to drive off, before he followed suit.

GIBBS' HOUSE

Tony and Ziva carried Sam's possessions up to the front door. Tony went to open the door. It wouldn't budge. Confused, he looked at Ziva.

She rolled her eyes. "It is called a door lock, Tony." She reached around him and rang the doorbell.

They heard footsteps and then Gibbs opened the door.

"Since when have you started locking your door, boss?"

"When you have something precious in your house, DiNozzo, you want to protect it."

"You bought a plasma televison? Owwwwwwwww." He looked around at Ziva who had head slapped him.

Ziva glared at him. "Gibbs meant Samantha, Tony."

Tony rubbed his head and looked hurt. "I knew that!"

Ziva looked past him to where Sam had joined Gibbs. "We have brought your things."

Sam smiled, "Thank you Ziva."

"Put 'em in the living room," Gibbs said. "Sam can sort out where she wants things later." I don't want you two knowing that Sam is sleeping in the guest room.

Tony carried the suitcase into the living room and placed it on the floor. Ziva placed the plastic bags beside it. She looked at Sam. "You will be pleased to know that Tony did not help pack your clothes. There will be no need for you to launder your clothes before wearing them." Sam laughed and suddenly hugged Ziva.

Savory smells were drifting down the hallway and into the living room. Tony's stomach rumbled. That smells so good. Sam noticed his expression. "Would the two of you like to stay for dinner? I'm doing a pasta." She looked quickly at Gibbs to see if this was all right. He nodded gently.

Tony accepted for both of them. "We'd love to." Ziva nodded her agreement.

"You get to do the dishes, DiNozzo," Gibbs told him, as Sam headed back to the kitchen.

"Don't you have a dishwasher, boss?"

"Yup. You."