Flashback 1994

Gibbs sat at his desk looking at the note Helen had left tucked into his keyboard. He crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash.

"Problem Probie?" Franks asked as he walked by Gibbs' desk.

"No Boss. Nothing I can't handle." Gibbs replied.

"Good. Find Helen and meet me out front." Franks walked away leaving a trail of cigarette smoke in his wake.

Gibbs realized his mistake the minute he made it. They were undercover as newlyweds while they waited for a Petty Officer who had gone missing after stealing money from a payroll office to show up. The newlywed cover had ben Helen's idea since the only room left at the resort was the Bridal Suite. He should have chosen to sleep on the couch, but he didn't. Too much whiskey and too many arguments on the phone with Diane made the decision to let things go too far with Helen happen. After it was over, he lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. His cell phone rang, Diane's number flashed across the screen. He ignored the call and slipped out of bed and out of the room.

"Ready Gibbs?" Helen asked as she walked to the desk. "Did you get my note?"

Gibbs picked up his pack and walked around his desk past Helen. "Franks is waiting."

While at the scene, Gibbs maintained a business as usual attitude; only addressing Helen when he needed to. Franks noticed the tension but left it to his agents to figure out. On the ride back to the office, Gibbs and Helen were alone in the car.

"You've been very quiet hon." Helen looked over at Gibbs who was driving. He suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned the car off. "Really Gibbs…here? In the middle of the day?" Helen moved closer to Gibbs.

Gibbs got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He walked to the back of the car and leaned against the trunk. He swore at himself mentally for a few minutes before getting back in the car. He looked over at Helen who was smiling at him.

"Listen Helen, I shouldn't let what happened happen. It was a mistake."

"Don't say that Jethro, it wasn't a mistake." Helen reached for his hand but he pulled it away.

"It was a mistake." Gibbs started the car and paused. "Diane and I are getting married this weekend."

Gibbs slowly came back from his dreams of Maggie and Franklin. He tried to open his eyes but they wouldn't cooperate. They felt swollen shut. He managed to open his right eye slightly he was able to see that he was in a small concrete room lying on his side, his hands tied behind his back and a weight on his ankle told him there was some kind of chain there. He closed his eyes again and put all his energy into pushing himself into a sitting position. Pain radiated from everywhere and he swore inwardly as he slowly made his way to an upright position. Once he was upright he took a deep breath and will the pain and nausea back down and assessed his situation.

He was in a small room made of concrete floors and cinderblock walls. There were small windows six feet off the ground and bright sun was shining through them. Gibbs closed his eyes and focused on listening to the sounds from outside trying to figure out where he was. The sound of waves came to him and when he took another deep breath he could smell the salt water. So he'd been moved to a new location. He tried to remember what had happened since the airport, but once he'd been thrown into the car, he was injected with a drug and was knocked out cold. He leaned his head back against the wall and waited to see what Helen Madison, or as she was now known – Madison Helene – was up to now.

Madison looked down at the folder in her lap. She took a sip of her champagne as she looked at the information about Gibbs' wife.

"Margaret "Maggie" DiNozzo Sullivan Gibbs. Age 48." Madison read out loud.

"Married to Detective James Sullivan (deceased 2003) 1993-2003"

"One child Lance Corporal James "Jamie" Sullivan aged 28"

"So Gibbs is a stepfather. Interesting." Madison took another sip of the champagne.

"Married L.J. Gibbs 2013; one child- Franklin Michael aged 3."

Madison stared at the last line. "Franklin Michael aged 3. – So he has a son of his own." Madison dropped the typed sheet and picked up the pictures Misic's men had taken when they were following Gibbs' family. Maggie was 10 years younger than Madison but looked even younger and this made Madison angry. Maggie had shoulder length red hair "Of course it's red, they all had red hair." Madison looked over how Maggie was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a short sleeved shirt. Madison had to admit that Maggie took good care of herself. But it was the picture of Gibbs' son that captured her attention. Franklin Gibbs had his father's blue eyes and dark hair. His haircut was cut very short, almost military like his father's. Madison smiled as she traced her fingers over the boy's face. He could have been their child. Should have been Madison thought angrily and threw the folder and its contents on the floor. She picked up her champagne glass and drained it in one sip as she walked over to the patio's low wall. She should have been Mrs. Gibbs. The Mrs. Gibbs. Not one of the 4 that followed. No one could have loved and taken care of Gibbs the way she could have. She would have made Gibbs forget his first wife and child, the one no one ever knew about, but she did. When she met Misic and saw the range of information she had at his fingertips, she used it to find out everything she could about Gibbs and his life. She kept tabs on him; waiting for the moment he would come back to her.

"And you have." Madison said out loud as she looked over the waves crashing on the beach in the moonlight. "And now I'll finally get to show you how wrong you were about me."

"I still do not think this will work." Ziva said quietly enough so the people around her wouldn't hear but that Tony and McGee could pick up where they were located. She walked through the restaurant and down to the beach.

"It will, have faith." Tony eyed the crowd at the restaurant. The Balcony was a four star restaurant in Georgetown that was reportedly Madison's favorite place to eat. Tony could see why. There were muslin curtains pulled back to let the sea breezes flow through the rooms. Couches were set up around a bar that only served drinks made with rare rums. Tony sipped his lime flavored seltzer water wishing it was a rum mojito as his eyes wandered over to the boat slips near the beach.

"The Lady Hellene just docked, focus everyone." Tony told Ziva and McGee

The Lady Hellene was a 75' Speed Cruiser with her name written in silver across the black stern. The boat was listed to Javor Misic, who obviously named it after Madison. In the documents that McGee was able to locate – with some 'illegal' hacking on his part – Madison Hellene name was on the house on Grand Cayman, the boat, several cars, jewelry and property in Miami.

McGee sat at the opposite side of the bar from Tony, Ziva joined him and they pretended to be a couple on vacation. Tony still smarted over the pairing of the two of them, but he knew now wasn't the time to be petty. Ziva and McGee were only pretending, he had nothing to worry about. Madison Hellene was helped off the boat by one of her body guards and walked gracefully down the dock to the beach. Her walk was practiced, Tony thought as he watched her; she wanted to be noticed and noticed she was.

"I'd like a Seven Fathoms." Madison told the bartender when she sat down next to Tony at the bar.

"Interesting choice of drinks." Tony commented when the rare rum drink was put down in front of her.

Madison turned her head and smiled at Tony.

"Agent DiNozzo, I believe we've never met."

Tony kept the smile on his face. Vance had warned him that sneaking up on Madison would be next to impossible. Madison had kept tabs on Gibbs and most likely would know who was working for him.

"No, but I've heard so much about you." Tony turned his head away from Madison and he sipped his drink. "Like how you are holding Gibbs here on the island."

Madison tipped her head back and laughed.

"I suppose you've come here to rescue him?"

"Or maybe see that he stays gone." Tony lied effortlessly.

"Really? And why would that be Agent DiNozzo….or may I call you Tony?"

Tony turned back to face Madison, the smile on his face was the one he used when he wanted to charm a woman into bed with him.

"You can call me whatever you like."

Ziva groaned at Tony's line. "Does that really work?"

"What?" McGee asked Ziva. "That line? Only for guys like Tony."

"Well Tony, tell me; why do you want Gibbs 'gone'? He is married to your sister."

Tony made a dismissive gesture with his hands.

"My sister is a pain in the ass. She ruined everything when she came to DC. Married Gibbs and made him soft. She even got him to retire."

Madison made a disgusted face. "Jethro can't retire, he is too good of an agent. There aren't any other agents like him."

"You've never worked with me."

Madison brought her focus back to Tony. "Well what if I offer you an exchange?"

"What kind of exchange?"

Madison slid gracefully off the stool and kissed Tony on the lips.

"I'll be in touch." Madison sashayed out of the bar and back to her boat.

"Some things never change Helen." Gibbs commented when the door opened and Madison stepped into the cell he was in.

The mousy woman who he had worked with all those years ago, the one who stuck a knife in his side and left him to die, was no longer there. The woman sitting beside him had hair bleached blonde by a hairdresser and days in the sun, her skin tanned and toned, barely a wrinkle on her face thanks to a plastic surgeon and one who did work in a few other places that were now bigger. But one thing remained the same; the look in her amber eyes, there was no light in those eyes.

Madison motioned for a chair to be brought into the room and she sat down far enough away from Gibbs so that he couldn't reach her. Not she needed to worry, Gibbs' hands were still tied behind him.

"You aren't happy to see me Jethro?"

"Nope." Gibbs replied. "Never happy to see a nut job."

"Didn't think I was a nut job that night we were undercover. No, I think you thought I was a warm body to lose yourself in."

"Nope, didn't think you were a nut job then, not until you stuck a knife in my side and left me to die."

Madison felt the sting of his words. Even in his current battered and confined state he could still hurt her.

"Didn't die." Gibbs said looking directly into her eyes.

"No, you didn't. You went on to make sure I was ruined in the agency."

"Did that all on your own. Look at who you moved on to when you left."

"You jealous that I went from you to your worst enemy? The only man you couldn't catch?"

"You really made me jealous Helen; you teamed up with a real gentleman. How'd you manage to convince him to kidnap me? Does he know what you really want?"

Madison had looked at Gibbs when he was unconscious and down at his hand and saw the simple gold ring on his left hand.

"I don't know Jethro, maybe he liked what he saw in your wife number 5. What was her name..Ah yes, Maggie. Such a cute name."

Gibbs held his emotions in check.

"No comment lover?" Madison smiled at Gibbs. "Well then, maybe your agent was right."

Gibbs looked at Madison.

"Yes, Agent DiNozzo is here and he says he wants you to stay gone. Doesn't think to highly of his sister, I believe he thinks she is a bitch. Yes he called her a bitch. Well maybe I can manage to kill two birds with one stone."

Madison got up and left Gibbs sitting alone in the dark.

Madison walked out onto the balcony of her bedroom; the sun was just coming up. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She never grew tired of the salty air smell.

"You seem content with yourself."

Madison turned to the male voice coming from the table and chair on her balcony.

"I am. After all this time, I will finally get my way." Madison walked over to the table and picked up a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I wouldn't count my chickens yet luv."

Madison looked down at the bald man with the heavy five o'clock shadow sitting at the table. She plucked the newspaper he was reading off his lap and sat down in its place. She traced her fingers along the contours of his head and along the fine black elastic that held the eye patch over his missing eye.