Title: That’s Miss Top Gun To You
Author: CJ aka WritinginCT
Fandom: NCIS/Stargate SG-1 crossover
Pairing: DiNozzo, OFC, friendship only
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Categories: Friendship, Drama
Feedback: Love it? Hate it? Want to offer me a book deal to write original fiction? Email me! Disclaimer: I don’t own the recognizable characters I’m just inspired by them. Hopefully they’ve had fun playing in my sandbox.
Summary: Tony meets a hot shot Navy pilot, and finds a friend. Through their adventures they meet General Jack O’Neill who makes her the offer of a lifetime. DiNozzo/OFC friendship Stargate SG-1 Crossover
Status: WIP as of 10/16/07

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Tony had stopped at this particular bar for a burger, a beer, and hopefully some basketball on the television. It was one of those neighborhood-type of bars with a couple pool tables and a jukebox that the songs hadn’t been changed in since the 80’s.

He walked in and saw basketball on the big screen and grinned. It was a good sign. There were a couple of small groups of people in the bar and the regular crowd on their normal stools.

He climbed up on a stool and ordered a beer and food and sat there enjoying the game and trying not to think too much. The past few weeks had been miserable. The fiasco with Jeanne still a raw bleeding wound on his heart. He just wanted a night to kick back and relax, and maybe forget for a while.

There was a group of eight playing pool, seven men and a woman. They were all very clean cut, and he could see dog tags hanging on most of their necks. They were having a good time, laughing and horsing around.

The woman with them caught his eye, a well built redhead with wild little curls flying in all directions she was cute. Not beautiful, but pretty and definitely cute. She was shooting pool and as she lined up her shot she looked up and met Tony’s eyes and smiled, then gave him a little wink and took her shot, efficiently sinking the eight ball. Tony immediately reassessed, she was beautiful when she smiled.

He watched the group for a while longer, enjoying their camaraderie and teasing. He almost spewed his beer on several occasions as the teasing turned sexual. There seemed to be a lot of comments being made about “stick handling” and somehow he didn’t think they were talking about pool cues. The redhead gave as good as she got, and on several occasions elicited howling laughter from the men. She was a hot ticket, no question.

She went over to the jukebox and dropped in some coins and was reading over selections when Tony noticed the thin ball chain on the back of her craned neck, she was military. But what branch he wondered, and what did she do that gave her such confidence?

Tony ate his burger and half-heartedly watched the game, but he his attention kept getting diverted over to her group.

One of her songs started playing and she was making some exaggerated rock and roll dance steps trying to get one of her buddies to dance with her. Buddies, Tony had decided after watching all of the for short time, there was obviously nothing going between her and any of the men she was with, they probably all served together and were just out for a night on the town.

He noticed that one blond haired man in her group was giving her odd looks when none of the others were looking. Tony had a hard time deciding if the man was interested in her or hated her. The looks he was throwing her went the full spectrum.

He turned his attention back to the game on television and ate his burger. He felt eyes on him though and wiping his mouth with a napkin he turned to see her watching him and she smiled again as their eyes met. But oddly, Tony realized, it wasn’t a come-on smile, it was just warm and friendly. He returned it and raised his glass to her.

His team scored and he found himself engrossed in the game again. He somehow wasn’t surprised a while later when a teasing voice beside him said, “They’re never going to win you know.”

Tony turned to see a pair of blue eyes twinkling with amusement, “You never know, they might get lucky.”

She climbed on the stool next to him, “Nobody’s that lucky.”

Tony knew this game, knew exactly what lines needed to be said next, the classic pickup approach ingrained in his brain. “Can never tell who’s going to get lucky.”

She reached over and stole a French fry from his basket and teased further, “Somehow I don’t see that as your biggest problem in life.”

He dipped another fry in some ketchup and fed it to her, “Yours either I bet.”

She chewed and licked the ketchup off her bottom lip, something that normally would have been a total turn on, but they were just playing and they both knew it. They just looked at each other for a moment and both of them laughed. And Tony had to admit, it felt good to laugh.

She extended her hand and introduced herself, “Isabel West.”

He shook it, noting the strong confident way that she did it and he was intrigued by her, “Tony DiNozzo. Can I buy you a drink, Isabel?”

She giggled, “I’d like that, Tony, but to warn you it will be boring.”
He waved to the bartender and teased her, “Somehow I doubt that you would ever be boring.”

She stole another fry and threw back at him, “Oh not me, but my drink will be.”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow as the bartender reached them, “I’ll have another beer and the lady will have…”

She grinned, “Virgin Madras please. Extra fruit.”

The bartender nodded and went off to get them their drinks, and she explained to Tony, “I don’t drink before I fly.”

He nodded as the bartender put their drinks down. One of her buddies shouted from the pool table, “Yo, Tink, you’re up.”

She rolled her eyes and waved him off and caught Tony’s amused expression, “Tink?”

“My call sign, you know Isabel, Tinkerbell. But its Tink to my friends.”

Tony stood and stretched across the bar to snag more napkins, his shirt riding up a bit and she caught sight of his badge clipped to his belt. “Are you a pilot?”

She teased, “Yeah. Just don’t let any of them tell you different.” She pointed a thumb back at her buddies.

“That’s cool.”

“So what about you?”

“Federal agent. I work for NCIS.”

“I didn’t do it, and you can’t prove a thing.” She just didn’t stop with the flirting and teasing and Tony somehow sensed that this was just who she was, and she reminded him of himself in a scary, surreal sort of way.

They talked and laughed through two more drinks and Tony was really enjoying her company. She managed to drag him off to dance and then she introduced him to her buddies. He found out that the group was comprised of fighter pilots and their RIO’s. He was shocked, she hadn’t said anything about being a fighter pilot, and he had assumed she was some sort of cargo jockey.

Tony fit in well with them; it really wasn’t all that much different than a fraternity. They were loud and bragging and trying to impress the girls in the bar. He found out that the blond haired man was Isabel’s RIO, Wayne Cranson. The man set off creep warnings in Tony, there was just something not quite right about him.

Isabel dragged Tony back off to dance again and when the song switched to a power ballad she took his hand and said quietly, “Wanna get out of here?”

His beer had made him feel loose, and her company made him feel light, and because it just felt good to feel again he nodded and let her lead him out of the bar with nothing but a little wave to her buddies.

He let her drive his car, being the completely sober one. And they ended up at his apartment. They went inside and hit the remote control for the stereo, filling the room with soothing sounds of Sinatra’s deep voice.

Neither of them spoke as he pulled her in to dance tight against him. And the first kiss they shared was soft and gentle like the music, and things were progressing nicely until the cd changed and the haunting sound of R.E.M. filtered out of the speakers. Tony just froze, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.

He felt her hands gently cup his cheeks and she asked quietly, “How long?”

He bit back the lump in his throat and replied, “Almost three weeks.”

She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs then placed her hand over his heart, “You don’t even have a scab over that hole here yet.”

He opened his eyes and saw nothing but compassion in them, no pity, no irritation, just understanding. He shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? C’mere.” She pulled him into a tight hug and when she felt his arms tighten around her she planted a kiss in his hair and said, “It gets better, I promise.”

It was what he needed to hear and somehow it lead to them ending up on the couch watching a James Bond mini-marathon and eating a half-gallon of ice cream right out of the carton instead of in his bed making love. And when they woke up in the morning spooned together on the couch it wasn’t awkward it just felt comfortable and right. Like something they had been doing for years.

As they had coffee she regarded him with an inquisitive eye and asked, “Do you have plans today?”

“Not really.”

“Good. You’re mine today.”

---------------

Tbc…feedback adored!

---------------

After they showered and she slipped into a borrowed NCIS t-shirt they headed out. They grabbed some coffee and bagels for the road and drove over an hour to a little airstrip in Virginia. There were several small garage buildings that Tony assumed held planes and the grassy area surrounding the airstrip itself was full of small planes in all shapes and sizes.

They parked and headed over to where a little red biplane sat waiting. There was a little old man in coveralls with his head stuck in the engine compartment working on something. When he heard them approach he closed the hatch and wiped his hands on a bandana hanging from his belt. He stepped away from the plane and walked slowly towards them in an old man shuffle, his snow white hair and unruly beard being blown gently in the breeze.

Tony had never seen anyone in his whole life smile like Isabel did seeing the old man. She gave the fragile looking man a bone crushing hug and teased, “What did you do to my bird, you old pterodactyl?”

“Just making sure she’s perfect for you, lass. And you’ll be minding your manners, you’re not to old to spank.” He had a slight brogue and Tony would be willing to bet that his hair had matched Isabel’s at some point when he was younger.

“Tony, this is my great Uncle Max. Uncle Max, this is my friend Tony.” Tony couldn’t help but smile as he extended his hand to him.

Max shook Tony’s hand in a surprisingly firm grip and said, “You must be a pretty special friend Tony, she never brings anyone up her to play with her toys.”

He had to bite back a laugh as Isabel rolled her eyes as she stood near her uncle. He gestured towards the plane, “So is this one of her toys?”

Max clapped Tony on the shoulder and proceeded to give him more information than he could have possibly ever needed on the subject of biplanes. But Max had a wonderful way of telling stories and Tony was enthralled. Isabel went off into the control office to file her flight plan and was not surprised to find Max still filling Tony’s head full of aviation history when she got back.

“Ready to go, Tony?”

“Where are we going?” All of this was a surprise; she hadn’t given him a clue as to what they would be doing on the drive up.

“Up, up and away.” She teased as she started her preflight routine. She new Max would have the plane perfect but she still had to check everything herself, it was engrained in her.

She got Tony situated in the front cockpit and gave him a pair of goggles and a radio headset then got into the cockpit behind him and fired up the engine.

Tony had never been in a biplane before and didn’t take him long to appreciate the rush the open cockpit gave. Isabel didn’t have to ask him if he were doing okay, she could hear him laughing on the headset. He was amazed at the skill in which she flew the plane. It was effortless and smooth. And when he teased her about being bored, she took the plane through its tricks. And she made Tony cry ‘mercy’ when she threatened to fly the rest of the trip inverted. The dives and the barrel rolls made him howl and by the time they landed on the airstrip he was disappointed to be getting out of the plane.

She parked the plane near one of the small hangers and they climbed out. Tony didn’t even think, he just threw his arm around her shoulder as they walked towards one of the buildings. He was on an endorphin high, he had never really understood fanatical pilots until now. All he wanted to do was get back up in the plane. And he was babbling to that effect when she teased, “We will, but we need fuel and lunch.” And as she opened the door to the little diner like restaurant that served the airstrip she said something that finally shut him up, “And then you’re gonna fly the plane.”

---------------

Jack O’Neill was tired. Tired and stressed and he desperately needed the few days he had managed to squirrel away at his cabin in Minnesota. Peace and quiet, beer and fishing, they were all he wanted. The two stars now sitting on his shoulders weighed heavy at times. And he just needed a break to recharge.

An old buddy of his now stationed at the Pentagon offered Jack the use of his Cessna if he wanted to fly himself out to Minnesota. Jack had debated that but decided flying was something he truly enjoyed, and he didn’t get to do it often enough these days, so he took his friend up on his offer. The plane was kept at a little airfield in Virginia and Jack found himself enjoying the drive through the countryside to get there. He was passing a large stretch of farm land and saw a red biplane doing some tricks in the open airspace. He smiled fondly and pulled over to the side of the road and got out and watched. It was nice to see someone fly for the pure enjoyment of it and whoever the pilot was, they were extremely skilled with a natural talent.

When the plane took off for parts unknown Jack got back in his SUV heading for the airstrip. He was met by a humorous old man named Max that showed him to the plane. Jack filed his flight plan, fueled the plane, and after doing his preflight finally got the bird off the ground heading for the northern mid-west. As he flew he thought about the pilot of the biplane and wondered if Max knew who it was. He would have to ask when he returned in a few days.

He settled into the pilot’s seat comfortably and relaxed, flying was like breathing to him. It just came naturally. And it was a rare treat to be able to fly without worrying about a death glider or a mothership looming in the vicinity. He laughed at that thought and then laughed even harder as he thought about the good old days when all he had to worry about was a MIG popping up to engage. The good old days, before the Gou’ald, before the Ori, and before the two stars had been foisted upon him.

---------------

Isabel and Tony did exactly what she had promised. After some hot dogs and a shared plate of fresh French fries they fueled the plane took off again, and she let Tony take the controls. Her hand a hair’s breath away from her own in case he needed her help. But he did well. And if he thought being a passenger was a rush, it didn’t compare to actually being the one in control of the plane.

They were sitting on a low stone wall near the hanger where her plane was stored, bottled waters in hand. Tony couldn’t remember the last time was that he had felt this good, this alive and although the flying and fresh air was certainly a part of it, the biggest reason was sitting right beside him.

“Thank you for this.” He gestured towards the plane in the hanger. “It was incredible.”

She smiled, “You’re very welcome, you really looked like you needed to have some fun and I’m glad you came with me.”

He thought about something that Max had said earlier and he asked, “So you really don’t bring your boyfriends up here?”

She laughed, “Nope.” Tony could sense that she wanted to say something else but didn’t and he wondered was it was, but he didn’t press.

She nudged him with her shoulder, “We should probably get going we still have an hour drive home.”

The stood up and before she could walk away he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug, he had thought about kissing her but it somehow didn’t seem right, but the hug was good and they both sort of melted into it, just wanting the human contact.

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Tbc…feedback adored :)

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They decided to spend the rest of the weekend together and made a brief stop to the Navy base so she could grab some clothes. She was so much like him in personality that it was scary. But they were really enjoying each other’s company in a weird non-sexual way. Tony loved women, but other than co-workers he couldn’t ever remember having a female friend before, but yet he sensed that that was what Isabel was fast becoming.

She had confided in him over Mexican food and margarita’s that she didn’t have many close friends. There were her shipmates and her fellow pilots but they were just buddies to her, not really friends. And it was her doing not theirs; she didn’t want people to get close to her. And after her third margarita he found out why when she told him about Jason.

She and Jason had been high school sweethearts and best friends, inseparable. They had both grown up at the airfield and shared the addiction to flying, but while she flew planes, his passion was helicopters. They silently got engaged the summer after high school and she was soon off to Annapolis. Jason enlisted and was soon flying helos for the Marines, his natural skill shining through. They didn’t see each other often those four years but letters and phone calls kept their connection strong. And within weeks of her graduating they were married in a small ceremony. Dealing with two different deployments was often difficult but their marriage was happy. They had been married almost five years and had just started talking about starting a family when the situation in Kosovo came to a head and they both found themselves deployed as part of the NATO forces.

Her voice grew very quiet as she told Tony about the horrific day that she had been called into her CO’s office and was told that Jason had died on a mission. The details of the mission were classified and sealed and she never knew what really happened to him. She had taken him home and buried him in the small town they grew up in and accepted his folded flag and Silver Star and tried not to think about a future without him. She had known him her whole life and been in love with him for more than half of it.

“So after that I just buried myself in my work and flying and learned not to get too close to people. Pure self-defense mechanism.” She gave him a wane smile as she accepted a fresh margarita from their waiter.

“God, Isabel. I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry seems a little trite.”

She shrugged, “He was a solider, I’m a soldier. He knew the risks. Just like I know the risk every single time I climb into the cockpit. Something could go wrong, the mission could go to hell, or I could meet up with a bogey that’s better than me. Although…” she wagged her eyebrows and smirked, “those are few and far between.”

He smiled gently at her little joke, but said, “It sounds lonely.”

“It has its moments. So now that I’ve shared my sob story, what’s yours?”

The look on her face let him know that he wasn’t going to get away with not sharing so he told her what he could about Jeanne and the whole disastrous situation.

“So you haven’t heard from her since she left?” Isabel asked gently.

“No.” He fidgeted with his margarita glass nervously, deciding to tell her the important part. “She left me a note, saying she wasn’t coming back and that I had to make a choice. So I did. And here I am.” He toasted her with his glass.

“Aren’t we a pair?” she teased lightly as she clinked her glass to his.

---------------

She crashed on his couch and the next morning they went for a run in the morning sun. Swinging by the park they joined in a pickup basketball game and he found out that she was very competitive and always played to win. She could also trash talk better than a lot of the guys but her mouth never wrote checks her body couldn’t cash. They crashed in the grass after a couple of hours, sweaty, thirsty, and hungry. Isabel managed to say what Tony was thinking but couldn’t put into words, “This has been the best weekend I’ve had in I don’t know how long, Tony.”

“Yeah, it has been.” He answered with a grin.

---------------

That weekend cemented the foundation of a wild and crazy friendship. They spent time together when they could and phone calls and email kept their bond strong. The weeks and months went by quickly in their busy lives and Tony got a call from her out of the blue one day.

“So I have some leave coming up, any chance you can take some time off and we can escape somewhere fun?”

“I could be convinced. What do you have in mind?” he teased, somehow knowing that she had a plan already.

“I’m thinking sun, sand, a killer night life, and no grey paint to be found anywhere. How’s Miami sound?”

“So when are we leaving again?” Isabel and Miami could be a deadly combination, but he would be willing to bet that he would never enjoy a vacation more. She played as hard as he did but yet there were no expectations between them. They just had fun. It was what they needed from each other most.

They talked and planned a bit more and later that night Tony had the airline tickets and hotel booked, and dropped the vacation request form off on Gibbs desk.

---------------

Jack had his elbows on his desk and was pressing his temples roughly trying to get rid of what seemed to be the ever-present headache he had all the time. His administrative assistant knocked gently on the door and at his “enter” came in bearing a fresh coffee, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a stack of phone messages.

He accepted the first two gratefully and teased her, “Major Waverly, have I told you in the last hour how much I appreciate
you?”

The pretty major smiled and teased him back, “Yes sir, but it’s nice to hear anyway.”

He gestured to the stack of phone messages as he threw three pills in his mouth, “Anything important?”

“Two Senators, three Congressmen, one Joint Chief, and last but not least, one retired Air Force Colonel, Matthew Horton.”

Jack perked up at the name, “Horton called? Did he say what he wanted?” Horton had been a friend since Jack’s special op’s days and he hadn’t had a chance to catch up with him since he retired to Florida.

“He said something about turning an old flyboy into a sailor for a long weekend, sir.” Her eyes were flashing in humor as she relayed the message.

Jack had insisted that she be comfortable with him and their working relationship was very pleasant. Major Waverly was a bright young woman who in many ways reminded Jack of Sara and of Sam, very strong and independent with a wonderful sense of humor. Her husband was a former Marine that was disabled in Iraq and now worked for the Veteran’s Administration. They had met shortly after she accepted the posting as Jack’s assistant two years ago and had been married soon thereafter and she was now six months pregnant with their first child. As she turned to go back to her desk Jack realized he was going to miss her terribly when she went out on maternity leave in a couple of months. She helped to keep him out of trouble and somewhat sane here in Washington.

He took a big gulp of coffee and dialed Horton’s number.

When he burst out of his office after the phone call with his day planner in hand he was wearing a big grin on his face. He plunked the planner down on Waverly’s desk and pointed to a four day long weekend that he had boxed in red marker and told her that he was absolutely unavailable that weekend unless, you know, the fate of the universe hung in the balance or something.

He also had her book him a commercial flight to Miami where Horton would pick him up so they could spend the weekend deep sea fishing on Horton’s boat.

Major Waverly just shook her head and grinned at the sight of the two-star general practically skipping in glee back to his office.

---------------

Tbc….feedback always appreciated!

Tony was laughing at the reaction Isabel was getting from a group of teenage boys sitting near them as they waited for their flight. Her red curls flying every which way, she was decked out in a pair of painted on jeans and a tight white t-shirt with “NAVY” emblazoned across her chest. The teenagers were gawking openly at her and Tony would just bet that underneath her sunglasses that her eyes were full of humor. He was hoping that they weren't sitting near the pubescent horde or it would be an extremely long flight.

---------------

Jack looked around the terminal as he waited for his flight. He smirked as his attention fell to a group of boys laughing and oogling a pretty redhead wearing a NAVY t-shirt. Her eyes were hidden by her sunglasses but her body language let him know that she was well aware of the boys' attention. He noticed the familiar ball chain around her neck and assumed that she was in the Navy. The guy she was with was clean-cut, but Jack didn't get a military air from him. As he watched the man scan the crowd unconsciously for danger, Jack realized that the man had to be a Fed. Which branch he didn't know, but the man certainly had all the earmarks.

---------------

Tony sighed contently as he settled into his seat, he hadn't told Isabel that he had splurged and bought first class tickets. Now getting comfortable, he was glad he had. Isabel was in the window seat, studying the airline provided diagram of the 757 they were in as if she were going to be tested on it. Tony asked teasingly, “Ever fly one of these?”

She laughed, “No, but it's got wings how hard can it be?”

Tony just shook his head, she always dismissed her natural flying ability. But from what he had heard from some of her shipmates, she really was the best of the best. She could fly anything and almost take the aircraft beyond what it was supposed to be capable of doing. She had some sort of an instinct, or intuition that other aviators just didn't have; she knew exactly when to punch it and precisely when to pull it back. Flying was just part of who she was, and the plane just became an extension of her body.

Isabel put the diagram away and stretched lazily, “I want a mojito big enough to swim in.”

He leaned back and closed his eyes, “Mmmm, and a nice sunny beach.”

“And 3000 spf sunscreen,” she teased.

“And then we party till dawn and do it all again the next day.”

“Works for me.”

“Me too,” he turned a little and cracked an eye, “hey, by the way, one piece or two?”

“Huh?”

“Your bathing suit. One piece or two?”

She punched his arm playfully and teased, “Brat. You'll just have to wait and see.”

“Ah, so that'll be a two piece then. So are talking a string bikini or...”

The flirting thing wasn't anything new to them, and there was a sexual attraction between them that promised to be incredible if they ever decided to cross the line between friends and lovers, but that was all it would ever be. Neither willing to risk their friendship for sex, because for both of them, finding a willing bed partner was easy enough, finding someone to trust and care about was something entirely more difficult.

---------------

Jack was across the aisle from them and smiled at their playful antics. He was a little confused though, they made a really striking couple, but he didn't think they were. Their body language was all wrong, more of a buddy thing if he had to name it, yet there did seem to be an attraction between them. Whatever it was, it was nice to see, one of those little moments that Jack mentally cataloged as reason number 99,999 for him to keep up the fight to keep Earth safe.

He watched with amusement as she mimicked flying the plane through take off to amuse her friend and he realized that she was making all the same movements and motions as he was in his head, neither of which exactly matched the actual pilot's actions. It was like they both anticipated exactly what the plane would do and compensated for it before it happened. He had spoken with Sam about that at one point, the way that those with the Ancient gene seemed to be such natural pilots, and she agreed. Looking at the woman's red hair and freckles he felt safe in assuming she had Celtic roots and he would be willing to bet if they sat her in a puddlejumper that it would do handstands for her, same as him. He decided to find out her name once they reached cruising altitude and what she actually did for the Navy. Because if she did have the Ancient gene, new worlds of opportunity just opened up for her.

---------------

By the time they had reached cruising altitude the only other passenger in first class, a portly business man with a newborn at home, was already fast asleep. Jack unfastened his seat belt and stood and stretched. Then he went across aisle to the seats in front of Tony and Isabel and asked her lightly, “I watched your take off maneuvers, a little aggressive weren't they?”

Tony was eying the silver haired man in front of them. He had had seen him in the terminal, and noted that although he seemed to be relaxed and friendly, that the man had been watching everything, assessing everything. He had to be military of some flavor, and now given the way he was teasing Isabel, Tony surmised he must have some flying experience.

Isabel's eyes flashed and she beamed a wicked little grin at Jack, “Oh, I don't know, sometimes aggressive gets the job done.”

Jack chuckled, he knew exactly how she felt, “Yeah, I guess it does. Jack O'Neill.” He extended his hand and received a confident hand shake in return.

“Isabel West.”

Jack turned his attention to Tony who had been watching the exchange and offered his hand. Tony shook it and said, “Tony DiNozzo. Are you a pilot too?” Jack's ears twitched at the “too”, she was a pilot, and her name was ringing a bell for some reason he just couldn't remember why.

Isabel piped up before Jack could answer, “My money's on the Air Force.”

Jack looked at Tony, “Remind me never to bet with her.”

Tony laughed, “I could have told you that.”

When Jack clarified that it was General Jack O'Neill, it was almost comic to watch Isabel try and get out of her seat and not clock her head on the overhead compartment as she went to attention.

“At ease already, West. I'm on vacation.”

“Yes, sir. And just for the record, sir, it's Lieutenant Commander Isabel West, United States Navy, currently stationed on board the USS Teddy Roosevelt.”

“And just what do you do in our Uncle Sam's Navy out there on the Big Stick?”

She chuckled at his good humor, “I fly F/A-18's and blow stuff up, sir.”

Bingo. Give that man a cigar, Jack thought to himself. And then it hit him, he remembered where he knew her name from, “Your reputation proceeds you.”

“A girl's reputation is everything, sir.” she teased in reply, trying to down play what she knew he was about to bring up, something she hadn't told Tony.

And sure enough, Tony asked, “What reputation?”

“You mean you don't know? What kind of a Fed are you?'”

Tony didn't bother to question how he knew he was a Fed, he just answered automatically, “An NCIS Special Agent, General... sir. And what is it that I don't know?”

Jack looked between them, “Your Commander West here happens to be the number one female pilot in...” Isabel was silently praying he wouldn't actually say it out loud, because she would never hear the end of it from Tony, but her luck wasn't that good as Jack continued, “...Top Gun history. And exactly how many hours have you logged over enemy airspace?”

She held her index finger up to Tony, silencing him, and she addressed Jack, “I'm flattered that you have heard of me, sir. But really, I just do what the Navy pays me to do. It's nothing special. I'm just part of a great team.”

Tony finally couldn't keep it in any longer and Jack couldn't help but laugh as Tony rambled on, “You went to Top Gun? Did you buzz the tower? Tell me you buzzed the tower. Is your name on that plaque? I can hear you now, “No, boys. There's two l's in Tinkerbell”. Did you go to that bar, I'll be highly disappointed if you didn't...”

Isabel just dropped her face in her hands and groaned. She looked up to see Jack smirking, “Thank you, sir, really. Tony here is a movie buff, and I'm now never, ever going to hear the end of the Top Gun quotes.”

She slapped her hand playfully over Tony's mouth when he started, “I feel the need, the need for...”

Jack watched their teasing interaction with a little envy, SG-1 had had that same camaraderie and it was something he missed terribly being stationed in Washington. He asked, “How long are you two in Miami?”

“Five days, sir.”

“Good. When you get back to D.C. I want to see you in my office at the Pentagon, I may have an interesting opportunity for you. I'll clear you missing your report in with your C.O..”

Isabel was confused, “Sir?”

“Let's just say, I oversee a project that I think you might be a good fit for, Commander.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. I will be there.”

“Now if you two will excuse me, I'm going to go take a nap and rest up for my four days of deep-sea fishing out in the middle of no where.”

Jack chuckled to himself as he settled in his seat when he heard Tony tease her, “You really went to Top Gun and didn't tell me...”

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tbc...

Little did they know as they were talking and teasing that there was drama unfolding in the cockpit. Behind the pilot and co-pilot, the navigator had surreptitiously pulled out the telescoping handle of his carry on and removed the two hypodermic pens hidden inside. Before either of the other two men could react, he swiftly pressed the pens to their necks and injected them. The effect was instantaneous as both men collapsed. He jerked them out of their seats and dropped them to the floor in a lump as he took over pilot's seat. The plane shuddered a little during his maneuvers but he soon had it smoothed out, hoping that the passengers would believe it to just be turbulence.

The odd shuddering did not go unnoticed by Isabel. She felt it and her brow furrowed for a moment until the plane settled down. Tony stopped teasing her for a second when he saw the look on her face and asked, "That was normal turbulence right?"

She answered him honestly, "I don't know. I don't think so."

She looked over to Jack and he just shrugged, but he had felt it too. But since the ride smoothed out they just let it go. But there was something giving her goosebumps and Tony dug her sweat jacket out of the overhead compartment for her. She just had a nagging feeling something wasn't right, little did she know, Jack had that same gut feeling. He was about to ask a flight attendant to just do a quick check on the pilots when all hell broke loose.

There was a muffled gun shot and a scream from the coach compartment, but before Jack or Tony could even react, a man with a submachine gun stuffed in the spine of the terrified flight attendant burst into first class. He beat on the door of the cockpit and shouted, "It's done." Then he turned and shoved the flight attendant into an empty seat pointed the weapon at each of the in turn, warning them not to try anything.

There was crying and the sound of near hysterical passengers as they realized they had been hijacked. Jack could make out at least two men shouting at the coach passengers to sit down and shut up.

The hijacker in first class's attention was drawn to someone speaking to him from the cracked cockpit door, Jack couldn't make out everything they were saying, but he caught bits of Arabic. While the man's attention wasn't fully fixed on them, Jack's eyes flashed to Tony's, both men assessing the situation. Jack subtly pointed to Tony then made a "gun" with his hand and Tony nodded once. He hadn't flown anywhere since 9/11 without a weapon. And although the .38 revolver strapped to his ankle wasn't his normal service weapon, it would get the job done. Jack also had a snub-nosed revolver on his ankle, in his particular position, being unarmed had the potential to be unhealthy, even on vacation.

Jack was willing to bet that the shot they had heard had been the hijackers eliminating the air marshal. He was trying to ignore the part of his mind that was screaming at him that this sort of thing wasn't supposed to be able to happen anymore and focus on what to do. Obviously the cockpit was compromised, but was it one or all three of the men in it? And how many hijackers were actually in the coach section. The only upside that Jack could see at the moment was that he knew for a fact that had at least two people he could count on.

Isabel was also assessing the situation. She knew Tony and General O'Neill would act, and she was ready. But she also thought ahead a little, and pretending to be cold and afraid to not draw attention to herself, she zipped up her jacket the rest of the way, hiding the Navy logo,. She also subtly managed to unhook her dog tags and slip them off as she pretended to scratch her neck. She wasn't hiding her military status out of fear, knowing that terrorists like to target American soldiers, but rather as a tactical advantage, if they thought she was just an average tourist they would underestimate her.

Jack saw her do it and almost had to keep from smirking once he realized why, she was good.

A moment later another of the hijackers came through the curtain from the coach section. He paused and looked around, fixing the faces of each of the four passengers in first class in his mind. He waved his gun at Jack and demanded, "Tell me your name and why you are going to Miami."

Jack answered calmly, "Jack O'Neill. And I'm just going fishing on a buddy's boat down in the Keys."

"What do you do in Washington?"

"Middle management for a conglomerate. I push a lot of paper."

That seemed to satisfy the hijacker and he turned his attention to Tony and Isabel. "What about you two?"

Isabel plastered a nervous and frightened expression on her face and said, "Tony and Isabel DiNozzo. We're on our honeymoon."

The hijacker's eyes flashed to their hands, and said, "You are not wearing wedding rings."

Before Isabel could reply Tony did with an exaggerated sigh, "The jeweler lost them. We had to borrow rings for the ceremony. Between that and wrong cake being delivered, she cried for hours yesterday."

Isabel muttered under her breath, "Had to use your cousin as a wedding planner..." And Tony added a sigh to lend more credibility to the story.

The hijacker seemed to buy it and asked, "What do you do in Washington?"

The next lie came too easily to Tony, having lived it so long, "I teach film study at an online university."

Isabel's answer was almost as creative, "I work for my uncle, he's into boats."

The hijacker nodded and went on to interrogate the portly businessman, who turned out to be in textiles. The poor flight attendant was almost catatonic with fear. The hijacker glared at all of them one final time and went back through the curtain to the coach section, leaving them alone with just the one hijacker near the cockpit.

It was subtle, but Jack and Isabel both felt it the moment it happened, the plane was banking gently, changing course. And they were both aware of what that meant, and sure enough, five minutes later jets were being scrambled to intercept the airliner as those on the ground realized that it was no longer under friendly control.

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The hijacker near the cockpit barked at the flight attendant, "You. Go get me a coffee."

When she couldn't move, still frozen in fear, he leveled his weapon at her and Isabel piped up, "I'll get you your coffee."

He nodded once and she stood and made her way past Tony, but when she went to go to the forward galley he wouldn't let her near it, not willing to chance anyone coming that close to the cockpit, "Use the middle kitchen."

She held her hands up submissively and went through the curtain. Jack and Tony could hear her tell the other hijackers that she was just getting coffee for the other one. A minute later she came back through with a steaming cup in hand.

Jack and Tony tensed, both ready to move knowing that Isabel was up to something. And sure enough, when she reached him and he took the cup from her both of her hands moved at lightening speed, one crushing his windpipe with a chop and the other grabbing his weapon which she then proceeded to clock him upside the head with, knocking him out completely with a minimal amount of scuffle or noise. Jack and Tony were out of their seats a heartbeat later. In short order he was secured and gagged.

Isabel whispered that there were two in the coach section, plus the cockpit to worry about.

Jack really wanted to get into the cockpit. They needed to let the ground know about the situation, preferably before they were shot out of the sky by the scrambled fighter jets.

Seeing the overturned coffee cup on the ground gave him an idea. With Tony watching the curtain to coach for activity with his weapon drawn Jack and Isabel took up positions on either side of the cockpit door. Jack knocked and doing his best to impersonate the other hijacker asked the cockpit accomplice in Arabic if he wanted a coffee. When he cracked the door to get the supposed coffee Jack caught a glimpse of the other two men on the floor and he didn't hesitate to quickly put a bullet in the navigator's forehead.

Isabel quickly climbed over the navigator and sat at the controls while Jack and Tony in what was a picture perfect scenario, with one high and one low, flicked open the curtain and took out both remaining hijacker's before they could get a shot off.

Jack left Tony to deal with the situation in coach and ran back to the cockpit. He arrived to hear Isabel broadcast, "Control this is Flight 219 broadcasting on all open frequencies. This is Lieutenant Commander Isabel West of the United States Navy, I have the stick. Friendlies now have control of the aircraft, repeat, friendlies now have control of the aircraft."

There were whoops of relief in control towers up and down the east coast, and Dulles control took point, "Flight 219 what is your situation?"

Jack slid in the seat next to her and grabbed the other headset, "Control, this is Major General Jack O'Neill, U.S. Air Force. Three hijackers have been eliminated one of which was the flight navigator, the fourth is incapacitated. The pilot, co-pilot, and the air marshall are all dead. Be advised that West and I both wear wings and we are assessing the status of the aircraft now."

Isabel was checking instruments, the plane was on autopilot, which she couldn't get to disengage. Feeling something tickling her leg she looked down and groaned, the hijacker had wired a block of C-4 into the autopilot system. Jack heard her, "Son of a..." and looked down.

Jack let out a deep breath, "Control, we have a little issue..."

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tbc...