The Manipulator
By: I Feel Possessed
Dusk fell over Los Angeles as the NCIS team from the Office of Special Projects made themselves at home at the karaoke bar on the edge of Venice. The bar was becoming busier by the minute, and the waitress had struggled to manoeuvre their tray of drinks through the crowd without spilling too much.
“Gentlemen,” Hetty said, holding her glass of whisky high and proud in front of her. “And of course, lady…”
Kensi raised her own bottle of beer and tilted her head to one side, acknowledging her boss with a smile and glancing surreptitiously at her male colleagues.
“What are we toasting?” Nate asked with a slight slur. He knew he hadn’t had any more to drink than the rest of the team, but he had a sneaky suspicion that Callen had been furtively spiking his drinks.
“I propose a toast to the best darn NCIS team we have,” Hetty smiled at her audience of five. She was extremely proud of the team she had assembled, having hand-picked them over the past three years. She may have relinquished the running of the team to Lara Macy (may she rest in peace), but patience had indeed been a virtue and she was now reaping the rewards. On occasion she had made incorrect choices, but her established team could usually mete out those particular individuals. She was still unsure about Dom, but the mere fact the team had not yet edged him out, made her optimistic that he had potential within the tight knit group.
“Amen to that!” Sam said as he tapped his glass against those of his colleagues.
“Agreed,” Callen added. “Although it would be better if the whole team was here.”
“Quite true Mr Callen. Kensi, did you manage to reach Dom?” Hetty asked.
Kensi waved her cell around and replied, “I’ve left another message but no luck yet.”
“Must’ve had a better offer,” Nate said as he picked up his second glass from his line of three.
“What better offer could there possibly be than quality time spent in the company of good friends?” Hetty asked.
“Maybe he’s not a fan of karaoke,” Sam suggested with a broad smile.
“But I thought Dom was the one who booked it?” Callen questioned as he looked between Sam and Hetty.
“He booked it upon my instructions and he certainly seemed keen earlier,” Hetty replied. “Now who has the song list? We need to get this party started!”
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