Gibbs set Loki, Tony, and McGhee to work as soon as they entered the squad room. They were given the task of finding out as much about Clare Leopard as they possibly could.

Gibbs left them to it as he headed up to the second story of the NCIS building. Bishop and McGhee got right to work, dialing numbers and searching through files on their computers. DiNozzo, however, after spending a few moments tapping idly at his keyboard, leaned back in his chair and tossed a crumpled piece of paper up into the air lazily.

"So, about Lady Sif," he started.

"Oh, please," Loki sighed.

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

The corner of Loki's mouth quirked up into a grin. "Well, she has had a crush on my brother ever since we were children, if that answers your question."

Tony scowled. "Are they a thing?"

Loki considered the question. "No. Thor is in love with Jane Foster."

McGhee looked up from his computer. "The crazy astrophysicist who was looking for portals to other planets?"

"I don't know," Loki shrugged. "I believe so, yes."

"So..." Tony drawled. "Thor is with this Jane Foster. Which means – Sif is single."

Bishop sighed and looked up at DiNozzo. "Are you still going on about her? She is never going to date you, Tony."

"Never say never, Bishop," Tony advised. "Who knows, you might end up with Laufeyson here, someday."

McGhee snorted and Loki, failing to repress a grin, glanced over at Bishop. The female agent was scowling at DiNozzo.

But she was blushing.

"Shut up, Tony," she muttered. "I wouldn't date him if he was the last man on earth."

Tony sat up and looked over at Bishop. "Why not? He's a prince. You'd at least have money."

"Like money is enough to put up with him."

"Oh, stop it, DiNozzo," Loki said good-naturedly. "Stop teasing her. She's nowhere near good enough for me. My father wouldn't allow it. She's beneath me. She's a nice girl, but definitely beneath me. Asgardian princes don't marry mortal women."

McGhee buried his face in his arms, face red from suppressing his laughter. Tony just laughed outright. "I forgot about that, Laufeyson. With you being Asgardian and all, you have different standards."

"The same standards that would apply to you and Sif," Bishop snapped angrily.

Tony, however, wasn't paying any attention to Bishop. "Wait a minute," he said. "If old Odin wouldn't consent to you marrying Bishop –"

"Which would never happen!" Bishop exclaimed.

"– then why is Thor dating that Jane girl?"

Loki shrugged, glancing over at McGhee, who had gone back to work, biting his lip. "McGhee?" he hissed before answering Tony's question. "Nobody knows. In my opinion, it is a hopeless relationship."

As Tony chewed on this, Loki looked back at McGhee. "McGhee!" he said. But the computer nerd still ignored him.

Loki considered the items on his desk, wondering which one would make the best object to throw at McGhee to get his attention. After careful consideration – during which Bishop and Tony continued their argument about Asgardian/mortal marriages – he decided on the stapler and lifted it to hurl across the hallway at McGhee.

"Who's getting married?" Gibbs asked, suddenly entering the squad room.

"Loki and Bishop," DiNozzo responded quickly.

"We are not!" Loki and Bishop exclaimed simultaneously, Loki throwing the stapler away. With a yell of surprise, McGhee hurled himself off of his chair and hit the ground as the stapler sailed over his head and hit the backscreen behind him.

Gibbs looked from Bishop to Loki, and back again. He gritted his teeth as he tilted his head. "The wedding's on hold until after the case is solved."

Bishop groaned and placed her head in her hands as McGhee peeked up over the edge of his desk, his eyes wide. "You tried to kill me!"

"I did not," Loki insisted. "I was merely trying to attract your attention."

"By throwing a stapler?" McGhee exclaimed.

"Hey!" Gibbs snapped. "Update?"

The four agents snapped to attention and jumped up from their desks. Bishop snatched up the controller and pointed it at the screen as the rest of the team gathered in front of it.

"Clare Leopard," she said, clicking on the controller. A picture of the girl appeared on the screen, a girl with dark coffee skin, black hair tied into a short ponytail, and large brown eyes. She had stern, hard features that looked like they could still easily twitch into a bright smile.

"Early twenties," Bishop continued. "Lived in New York City up until about a year ago, when she moved down here to D.C."

Loki frowned. "She left after my attack on New York."

McGhee looked at him. "So?"

Loki looked at McGhee in exasperation. "Petty Officer Samson was killed with Chitauri dust. Where do you think Leopard got Chitauri dust? The local grocery? No, McGhee, Leopard clearly got the dust from New York. And since she had a sample of the dust, she must have been in New York at the time of the invasion."

"Why is that?" Gibbs asked.

"Because Chitauri dust dissipates after about an hour exposed," Loki explained. "It dissolves in the open air and becomes harmless. Chitauri keep it in a special container on their belts. But once they die, the dust is released from the container, to avoid fermenting with the dead body. She would have had to collect the dust shortly after a Chitauri died for her to have it at all!"

"So that places her in New York at the time of your invasion," Bishop continued. "But now she's based in D.C. She owns that plot of land in Virginia, and has an apartment here in the city."

Stepping over to his desk, McGhee grabbed a file and began to read. "Leopard majored in chemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering at NYU. Graduated top of her class. She works for the Lunar Project, some sort of an astro-chemical experiment located here in D.C. However, contrary to what Diaz said, she is not looking for a new job – in fact, when I called the Project, they said she was quite happy there."

Tony stepped in now, taking the controller from Bishop and flicking it at the screen. The picture changed from one of just Leopard to one of Samson and Leopard, the girl's arms draped around the Marine's neck.

"Leopard and Samson met in D.C. when he was on leave, soon after she moved here," Tony said, gesturing to the photo. "Samson grew up here, and this is where he comes whenever he has leave. I verified Diaz's story; they did meet through him."

"So why'd she want to kill him?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked at him. "We have no proof it was her, Boss. What makes you think that?"

"My gut," Gibbs said steadily. "She's guilty of something, and she's working with somebody. I have a feeling she killed our Marine. Or if anything, she knows who did."

"Diaz mentioned that Samson said she was acting strangely," Bishop reminded. "If she was planning on murdering him, that could attribute to her behavioral change."

"You think?" DiNozzo said.

"Where was Samson found dead?" Loki asked curiously.

"Behind a nightclub that he and Leopard were known to frequent," Gibbs told him. "And both of them were seen in there that night, but they were not recorded leaving. That's not a coincidence." He turned to the other agents. "Get me the addresses of the Lunar Project and Leopard's apartment. Quick!"

As the agents scattered to their desks, Gibbs' cell phone rang. Pulling the old phone out of his pocket, the former Marine flipped it open and answered. "Gibbs."

After a short conversation, Gibbs shoved the phone back into his pocket and gestured to his team. "Gear up. We got a body."

/***/

The plot thickens!

Thanks for reading! Please vote, and let me know what you think of the story! 

So, some very exciting news: Special Agent hit 1k reads this week! Finally! This is a big milestone for this book (and for me as a writer on Wattpad)! And it's all thanks to you, my amazing readers! Every time you comment and vote, it makes my day! I love reading your comments on what you think of my book! Heck, it's great seeing the number of reads go up without votes or comments (although the votes and comments are definitely nice :)).

I hope you continue to read and enjoy this Loki fanfiction - I know I'm sure enjoying writing it!

Have a fantastic day!

Skylar Wittenborn