Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
“Jethro!“, I whispered and knelt down in front of him. “I didn’t want to show you anything. It was all about the case.”
“Sure!”, he answered in a low voice.
Without really knowing what I did I bent forward and pulled him into my arms. Much to my surprise he directly clung to me, laid his head on my neck and sighed deeply.
“I’m sorry to break in on you. But I wanted to know whether the rumours are true.”
Surprised I spun around when I suddenly heard Jens voice. With a somehow forced smile she came up to us.
“Hello Jen!”, I stated and reached my hand out to her.
“Hello Tony!”, she replied and took my hand.
Shortly after that, her eyes fell onto Gibbs. Immediately his gaze was petrified. Sure, he had always been good at hiding his feelings. But what I saw now almost terrified me. Because his eyes lacked of every emotion.
“So Ramirez was right when he told me that he had sent one of his best agents.”
“You spoke to my Director?”
“Yes! He informed me about the case and told me that he had sent his most capable man to investigate.”
“I only hope that he doesn’t expect too much of me.”, I answered shyly.
“You are a very good agent and team leader Tony.”
“Are you done now with your flummeries?”, Gibbs suddenly asked.
His voice was filled with heavy sarcasm. Shortly after that he got up and left the conference room. Jen sighed as she watched him.
“It really goes from bad to worse with him.”
“Abby told me that he changed over the last years.”
She only nodded.
“After his oppinion I led you to leave to take revenge on him.”
“I already had the apprehension that these next weeks wouldn’t be very easy.”
“I assumed that you would do that.”, Jen sighed.
“Do what?”, I wanted to know.
“Well, working with Gibbs and his team. I actually guessed it after I spoke to Ramirez. But if you want to I can ask agent Franklin to assist you. He would certainly be really happy to work with you.”
“Thanks Jen, I really appreciate that. But I owe it to them.”, I stated and left the conference room.
Slowly I walked down the stairs and into the office again. In the meantime all the others sat there. Only Zivas fiance had left.
“Where do we start?”, Tim wanted to know and smiled at me.
“Well, I would say...”, but before I could finish my sentence I was interrupted by Gibbs.
“You are still under my controll agent McGee!”
At that moment it struck me like a physical blow when I saw how Tim jumped after these words and starred embarrassed on his desk. Furiously Gibbs turned towards me.
“You as the super agent are for sure able to go it alone!”, he meant scornful.
Before I could answer something to this attack we were stopped.
“Agent Gibbs!”, Jens voice wasn’t loud but poignant, her anger was visible too. “You are going to work together with agent DiNozzo! And that wasn’t a request but an order! An order from me as Director of NCIS!”
For a moment I feared that Gibbs was going to attack Jen. Because his gaze alone was very hostile.
“If you say so Madame Director!”, he pressed out through gritted teeth and angrily looked at me again.
Only a few seconds after that Jen had gone back to her office. Between us fell a heavy silence in the next minutes. Because even for me it was something new that Gibbs had to be forced to crack a case.
“So you heard it, we are forced to work with you by the order of the Director. What do you ask for?”, Gibbs asked almost fretful.
“Tell me Tim, didn’t Abby want to give us a report on an analysis of a bullet from another case?”
Gibbs didn’t seem to notice but I realized immediately that she only searched for a reason to leave the office. At first Tim didn’t seem to understand it but then he nodded and got up.
“Yeah, you’re right.”, he finally answered in a low voice.
Shortly after that both of them took their things, went to the elevator and got in.
“Was it that what you wanted to do? Drive a wedge between my team?”
“What?”, confused I looked at him.
“Before you came here everything was all right! But now? Now you are about to destroy my team!”, he shouted.
“All right? Before I came here everything was all right?”, I asked rhetorically. “You don’t know a thing about your people!”
“I know my team!”
“You only believe that! Do you even know how everybody worries about you? Or do you see still see how you torture them with your behaviour?”
“Damn!”
“Just look at Ziva! I worked with her for several years. She always was such a strong person. Nobody and nothing was able to get her down, not even your dismissive behaviour. But now? She seemes like a small intimidated girl who is afraid of the dark. And I know too, that she was more than once shy of handing in her notice.”
“Abby!”, Gibbs only answered and rolled his eyes. “You talked to Abby!”
“So what? It doesn’t matter from whom I got this information. All I want is that my
friends feel well!”
After my words Gibbs laughed malicious.
“Over the last five years it didn’t matter to you how they were! How we all were! But now you act like the upholder of moral standards!”
“Whatever!”, I replied and went to the elevator, however in front of it I stopped and turned round again. “Did you know that I was in regular contact with everyone out of the team over the last five years?”
With a light feeling of triumph I realised that Gibbs looked after me spechless and visibly shocked when I entered the elevator...
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