Un-betaed

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Several weeks have passed since the ‘Stefan’ conversation and Margie and I have had very hectic schedules.  Many days we have only seen each other at our dinner get together because we have both had to work late every day for the past few weeks. Finally tonight we don’t have to work late but we will both attend a panel discussion of staff from the major intelligence gathering agencies in the capitol region.  Staff from NSA, CIA, FBI, DIA, Homeland, DEA and others would attend.  Director Vance and I will attend from NCIS.  Margie will participate as a panelist.  I am so proud of her.  She has worked in her field longer than most other and her Director requested her involvement.

As Leon and I waited in the hall before entering the ballroom he tapped my shoulder, leaned in and said, “Jethro, if I’m not mistaken that Dr. Psychologist who worked with you on the Dearing case is headed this way at your left and that Lt. Col, I forget her name, is headed this way on your right.  Isn’t Margie a panelist for this event?  I will leave you to handle this.”  Director Vance walked off to speak with the Homeland Security Director.

At the same time both women stopped in front of Jethro and said, “Hello, Jethro, I haven’t seen you in a long time.”  The women looked at each other and asked at the same time, “How do you know Jethro?  Did you work with him too?”  They then both turned and looked at Jethro.

“Hello ladies. I hope that you two have been well.  I am meeting someone here so I don’t have time to talk.  It was good seeing you again.  Take care of yourselves,”  Jethro said to the two women and then walked away.  Jethro did not want to appear rude but neither did he want to converse with either woman.  They were in his past and there was no revisiting those relationships. Margie is his present and future. Margie is not jealous by nature but I remember how I felt about her relationship with Stefan and I would not want to begin to explain my past relationships with either of these women to Margie.

As soon as I turn to walk away from the Lt. Col and the Dr., Margie enters the hall, sees me, walks over and kisses me on the cheek.  The two women walked up to Margie and me.   

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend Jethro?” they asked in unison.  

I looked at Margie and knew at once that she knew what was happening. I started to reply to them but she stopped me and said, “Hello ladies, allow me to introduce myself.  I am Agent Alexis Gibbs a panelist at this event.”  

When she said ‘Agent Alexis Gibbs’ both women looked at me then at Margie and asked, “Are you related to Jethro?”

Margie looked from the women to me and tilted her head to indicate that she wanted me to answer that question.  With a smile on my face and my chest puffed out with pride I said without hesitation, “Lt. Col. Mann and Dr. Ryan this is my wife Agent Alexis Marjorie McGregor Gibbs.”

With that introduction Margie succinctly added indicating the end to the conversation, “Ladies we’re all adults here so let us behave as such.  I don’t know what happened with you and my husband in the past but that’s it, it’s in the past.  I ask that you respect the present situation and behave accordingly. Now if you will excuse me we have other matters to address.  Have a good evening.”

With that Margie and I turned and walked over to Leon and spoke with him and the CIA Director.  Margie then took me aside and said, “Don’t bother trying to explain, I know, I’m not worried about those two.  They will probably try to gather information on me but they will find nothing.  Just don’t give them any reason to make them think that they have a chance with you and we will be fine.  Rest assured that the Dr one thinks that ‘she’s all that’ and will make excuses to contact you. Let her know if she contacts you again she will face harassment charges.  That should do it. The Lt. Col got the message. She’s military and knows ‘no’ as ‘no’.  But I don’t need to tell you this do I Jethro?  You know these women better than I do I’m sure,” Margie said looking me directly in the eye making certain that I understood the weight of her words. 

 I return her stare and say, “Vous et nul autre (You and no other – Fr.). Ja ponimaju (I understand – Rus.). Ja tebja ljublju (I love you – Rus.)

“Alright then, now that we’ve got that settled I need to prepare myself for this presentation.  I will see you later,” Margie said as she walked toward the front of the ballroom to the tables set up for the panelists.  

As I walked towards a seat next to Leon, Lt. Col Mann stopped me and apologized for the earlier encounter.  She said that she was glad that I found someone and wished me well.  I thanked her and continued to my seat. Before I reached it, Dr. Ryan also stopped and asked why did I change my mind about marriage.  I didn’t answer her question and surprisingly she said that she too was glad for me and that she wouldn’t bother me again. She wished me well too.  I thought to myself, Can this get any weirder?  But I was happy that I didn’t have to worry about past relationships harming my relationship with Margie, my marriage.  Glad that Margie was wrong about Dr. Ryan.  I made it to my seat and Leon asked if I was alright.  I said that everything was fine.  He smirked and said, “Can’t keep up with all your past associations Gibbs.  Don’t let them mess up the good thing that you have now.”  I responded, “Don’t worry Leon, I know, I know.”  That was the end of that conversation.

The organizers of this gathering wanted everyone to know that such a meeting had no precedence.  So many times the individual agencies kept their information to themselves when it could have assisted another partner agency.  This meeting is happening to start a sharing of information that will benefit our individual agencies and our country.  We are all working in the same purpose, ‘protect and serve’. The panelists represented a broad spectrum of expertise from the various agencies.  The discussion would start in fifteen minutes.

After I left Jethro in the hall to go to the panelist tables I noticed one of the workers of the facility going to a door in the far corner of the ballroom.  He looked around before opening the door and exited the room.  I followed.  When I made it to the door I saw that it led to a hallway and a rear exit.  I saw the man and asked him for directions to the ladies room.  He said that it was on the other side of the ballroom.  I asked him to assist me with my bracelet clasp.  As he did so I managed to attach a transmitter to his jacket.  He said that he had to leave and exited the building.  I used my phone to call my office and had one of my staff to monitor the transmitter that I attached to the man’s jacket.  As I turned to leave I noticed one of the hall doors ajar and looked inside.  Inside I saw a bomb with a countdown of thirty minutes.  It had enough explosives to demolish the entire building.  At that moment I entered in my phone the code for ‘red alert’ and another message to apprehend the person with the transmitter. I knew that the ‘red alert’ would go out to my Director, who was in the ballroom so I sent him a coded message of ‘bomb in building’.  I then called Jethro.

I looked to the front and didn’t see Margie.  Just then my phone rang. I answered it and heard Margie say, “Kroykah!  A bomb. Thirty minutes.  Evacuate.  Don’t know if I can disable it.  I love you.” The call ended.

After I spoke with Jethro I took the floss container from my purse.  It was actually a garrote and I wrapped it around the handle of the door that lead to the ballroom to make sure that no one from the ballroom entered this hall.  I then took a picture of the device and transmitted it to my office.  Just in case I couldn’t disable it I wanted evidence of what it was.  ‘Here goes nothing’, I thought.  ‘You’ve handled scenarios like this before Alexis.  Plan and execute.’  I realized then when I called myself Alexis instead of Margie that subconsciously I knew at that moment that this was a very dangerous time for me.