Chapter 8
McGee followed Gibbs into the elevator and waited. For what, he wasn't sure; but it couldn't be good. Gibbs pressed the button for the bottom floor, and then flipped the emergency stop switch as soon as the doors closed and it began to move.
"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Gibbs asked.
"Not particularly," McGee said softly.
"Let me rephrase," Gibbs said, his voice a little louder than before. "What's going on, McGee?" he asked.
"Umm… well, Boss…" he began. "I sort of stumbled upon some men assaulting a young woman last night. I intervened, not that she needed much help," he rambled in explanation. "Turned out she was in the process of taking some sensitive information to the FBI. She was afraid her attackers or the people who sent them would find her if I took her to the hospital or her hotel room…"
"And…?" Gibbs asked.
"So I took her home with me," he answered quickly and softly. Gibbs mouth quirked into a smile.
"Good call, Tim," he said proudly. The younger man smiled. He hadn't expected Gibbs to support his decision.
"She called Agent Fornell, who came to her assistance last night. His team is tracking the people who were after the information. I don't know much about the operation, but I've offered to assist in any way I can."
"Where is she now?" Gibbs asked.
"Well, that's the thing. Fornell asked me to keep her with me. Since there are no ties between us, they would have no reason to suspect she would be there."
"Did any of the guys get a good look at you?"
"Umm… I don't think so," he said, confused.
"If they have resources similar to ours, they may already have ID-ed you," Gibbs proposed.
McGee flipped the elevator back on. "I've got to go," he said.
"You think?" Gibbs replied. "Don't leave her side until this is over."
"Yes sir," he answered as the elevator doors opened and he quickly exited.
"Call if you need backup!" Gibbs called out behind him. Gibbs smiled as he pushed the button for the third floor. McGee had good instincts. He was becoming a top-notch field agent.
---
McGee phoned Fornell from the car. "I just filled Gibbs in on the situation."
"How'd it go?" he chuckled.
"He thinks if they got a good enough look at me they may have ID-ed me, and found Julie," McGee said nervously.
"She's fine right now – I just called her."
"Good. I'm on my way home now. Any luck with the investigation?"
"Some. We've identified them, and are in the process of tracking them down. I expect my team will apprehend them soon," Fornell informed him.
"Good," McGee commented. "Call me if you need me to do anything."
"Just get with Julie, and stay put," he said. "Don't let her talk you into taking her anywhere," Fornell warned just before disconnecting.
---
Tim had planned to knock on his door before entering, but the television was so loud that he doubted she would hear him anyway. He unlocked the door and pushed it open slowly.
"Julie?" he called out as he walked in. "Hello," he raised his voice louder and looked around the room. He breathed a sigh of relief – everything was still standing. "Julie!" he shouted, beginning to wonder if she was even here.
"Tim?" she responded, poking her head out from around the corner. "Hey!" she stepped out of his bedroom. "I didn't think you would be here so soon. I was just watching a movie." She went back into the bedroom to shut off the TV. He followed. "I am so glad you're here," Julie said with a heavy sigh. "I practically went mad with boredom."
McGee took a moment to look at her and smiled. She was wearing workout clothes; a sports bra and shorts. One half of her face was done up in dark makeup. On that side, her long auburn hair was hanging loose. The other half of her face had only a minimal amount of makeup, and that side of her hair was in a French braid that was resting on her left shoulder.
Noticing his smile and quizzical look, Julie burst into laugher. "I was bored," she explained simply. "Which look do you like better?" she asked seriously. "The sexy, sultry redhead," she asked, turning to show him only her right side and giving her best bedroom look. He gulped. "Or the girl next door?" she completed her question, turning to showcase her left side. He raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Tim, answer me," she begged.
He shook his head at the hilarity of the situation. "Umm… first one, then the other?" he suggested.
"Perfect answer," she replied with a laugh.
"Can I ask another question?" he asked.
"Shoot," she said, making her way to the mirror to fix herself. She pulled her hair down, and toned down the makeup on the right side to better match the left.
"You explained the hair and makeup, but what's up with the outfit?" he asked, watching her quickly transform back into the woman he met last night.
"Never trust a man to decide which items in a woman's closet are the important ones," she explained cryptically.
"Fornell?" Tim asked.
"Exactly," she confirmed. "He brought my underclothes, a gown, my bikini, this, and three skimpy dresses for going out on the town. No casual clothes," she shrugged. "This seemed most appropriate." She came back out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.
"I suppose," he agreed.
"I have an idea," Julie said excitedly.
"What's that?" Tim invited.
"Well, I was thinking it would be nice if we got to know each other better before we have sex. So I want to cook dinner for you. Since we can't go anywhere, we can have a date right here. What do you think?" Julie asked very quickly. She could rival Abby with her words per minute, and we weren't talking about typing.
"Ummm… well, uh… that sounds good," he stammered. "Did you say ‘have sex'?" he asked, blushing.
"Yeah," she said with a smile. Seeing his apparent confusion, she turned away from him in embarrassment. "I just thought after last night… and then this morning… I just assumed…" she stopped talking and walked around the corner and into the living room.
"Wait," Tim rushed to follow her. "I wasn't saying I didn't want to. I guess I just didn't expect you to be all out with it like that."
"I'm sorry, I'm a direct person," she explained, turning to face him.
"No apology necessary," Tim said with a smile. "I like direct." His fierce blush proved his words false, or at least uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to me," Julie said with a grin.
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