NCIS
Underlying Issues
"That's an order, Leon. I don't want to hear another word about this. I want all of Gibbs' team to participate," said the Secretary of the Navy sternly, "I don't care what Jethro likes. His team is going through some problems and I want them dealt with. This is not a request, nor a debate."
NCIS Director Leon Vance stood stiffly before the MTAC plasma screen, facing a very irate looking superior. The SEC-NAV had demanded his presence this morning. He was ordering a new member to Gibbs team without consulting him or Gibbs on the matter. The Secretary of the Navy claimed that she was a therapist. She was to accompany them on all their cases and schedule sessions with everyone on the team weekly to talk about what she observed. This was an order and one that they would get fired for if it was disobeyed. He was now trying to fight this order.
Leon Vance knew that Gibbs would not appreciate some newbie being added to the team without his knowledge. Gibbs liked to choose his own team members. Jethro prided himself on forming and creating his own team. He chose his own people based on his gut and nothing else was good enough. Adding a woman to the team that he hadn't met before hand or chosen himself was going to piss him off royally. The fact that she was a therapist would only make things worse. No member on team Gibbs talked openly about their past or their feelings. This was going to be rough.
Vance had tried to reason with the SEC-NAV about his concerns with this, but was turned down immediately. Though Leon had to admit, anything that pissed off Gibbs made his day a whole lot better. It annoyed him that Gibbs always got his way, but he couldn't complain about the results. He just didn't agree with Gibbs choices and decisions all the time. He still didn't understand his need to have Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo on his team. That was just one of many things he didn't agree with Gibbs on.
"I'll inform them immediately of her arrival and place on the team. When can we be expecting her?" Vance asked, trying to keep his voice even and free of annoyance.
"She should be there within the hour. Though I'll warn you, she has the habit of being early. Her name is Special Agent Jessica Keller."
"I thought you said she was a therapist?" Leon asked, surprised to hear her title.
"She is. She worked as a psychologist for the FBI for three years. She aided the other agents during interrogations with suspects. She is very good. Before that, she worked for a small practice in Norfolk. She was trained as a special agent a year ago. She has been through all the correct channels. She is to be given a NCIS badge and weapon. She will be part of the team until she feels that the issues surrounding Gibbs team are alleviated."
"Yes sir. I'll see that they follow this order to the letter."
"You are also to participate, Leon. I don't want to hear that you have been ducking out of session either. Understood?"
Leon let out a big sigh. He had not thought that he would be part of this. What issues did his superiors think he had?
"I understood, Sir."
The SEC-NAV made a kill motion and the connection died. He was left staring at a blank screen. Leon turned to thank the MTAC coordinator and left the room. He stood at the railing, looking down on the squad room below. He could see that Gibbs team had all arrived on time. He could see Special Agent Timothy McGee sitting at his desk. He looked busy, typing away at his keyboard. The young man was probably catching up on a case report or looking into a cold case until they had something more current to investigate.
Tim was his pride and joy of NCIS. He saw Tim's efficiency and initiative refreshing. Leon thought that all special agents should be like Timothy McGee. He was good with computers and well versed in most forms of technology. He was a good agent. He was obedient, unlike his counterpart Tony.
He turned his attention to the desk next to Tim's. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head and his feet up on his desk. His fingers were laced together and he was currently engaged in a childish banter with his partner, Ziva David. He smiled wide and laughed obnoxiously.
Tony was Director Vance's least favorite agent. In fact, Tony was Leon's least favorite person in all of NCIS. Vance found him annoying, disobedient, and he was lacking in technical prowess. He was insubordinate. He was a clown, a goof off, and he didn't have the drive that McGee did to go the extra mile. He was the least worthy of being a special agent in his eyes.
Vance watched as Probationary Agent Ziva David threw a pencil and then a stapler at Tony. He caught them both and acted as though neither act bothered him in the least. He simply laughed louder and made some childish comment that Vance couldn‘t hear from his current location.
Ziva was a good agent. She had a lot to learn, but she showed a great deal of potential. She was studying to become a citizen and then would be a full time Special Agent on team Gibbs. She was strong, powerful, and stealthy. As a former Mossad Operative, she is already well trained in combat. She didn’t need help in target practice or with hand to hand fighting. She wasn't as computer literate as McGee, but she was better with computers than DiNozzo. She at least attempted to work on her weaknesses.
He then watched as the last member of the team strode into the squad room. He had a cup of his ever present black coffee in his hand. He had probably just come from visiting Abby in her lab. She was always his first stop of the day.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs sat heavily in his desk chair and opened his email. The second he entered the squad room, the banter between Tony and Ziva stopped. They gave each other warning looks and then proceeded to look busy. He knew that Gibbs knew differently, but he said nothing.
Vance walked casually down the stairs and entered their domain. He didn't even glance at DiNozzo. He couldn't stand the kid. He gave David a kind glance and smiled kindly at McGee. He walked up to stand in front of Gibbs desk and cleared his throat to get his lead agent's attention.
Gibbs looked up at Director Vance and knew that whatever he wanted, Gibbs wasn't going to like it. Vance never brought good news to him. It was either something he was going to hate, or something he didn't want to do. The last couple of times Leon Vance came to him in person, he told him that his team was going to be split up. Then he was told that Tony was not to return from his duty as agent afloat. After that, their relationship was constantly strained and it only went downhill from there. He decided to keep things civil for the time being.
His facial expression was even and showed no kindness or respect. He simply asked, "What can I do for you, Director?"
Vance, annoyed by Gibbs complete lack of respect for him, pursed his lips in a unappreciative scowl. If Gibbs wasn't the best damn agent NCIS had, he would have let him go a long time ago when he first took up the position.
"I thought I would warn you that SEC-NAV is sending us a new agent. She is going to be joining you and your team for a while."
Vance waited for the explosion. When it came, he didn't flinch or take a step back. Even though Gibbs was his subordinate, he was still rather intimidating.
Gibbs did, indeed, explode. He stood up abruptly, came around his desk in a flash and forced his way into Vance's personal space. At first Gibbs fumed silently. He simply glared at Vance, his eyes screaming their indignation about the recent turn of events. It was his job to form his team. If he had felt that another member was needed, he would have seen to it. As it was, he didn't feel that adding another member to the team was necessary.
"What the hell for?" Gibbs demanded.
"Apparently, he is aware that there are a few problems with your team as of late. There are issues that he feels need to be dealt with. She will be joining us as an agent, but she is also a therapist. She is going to be observing your team. We are all to participate when she schedules her weekly sessions with us."
Gibbs said nothing, but he squinted his eyes at the last part. He hated therapy and the people who studied it. He didn't want to talk about his feelings or his past, and he didn't want to have to explain why he did things the way he did them.
"Yes, you heard me right, Gibbs. She is a therapist. We are all to participate. She is going to be observing your team, Abby, Dr. Mallard, Mr. Palmer, and myself. As much as I disagree with this, he said that this was an order. We don't have any choice in the matter."
Vance heard Tony huff and complain adamantly behind him. He watched as Gibbs eyes flicked briefly toward his Senior Field Agent with concern. He wasn't sure what that was about, but those small mysteries about Gibbs and his team were bound to come up soon anyhow.
Ziva made no noise on the subject and he knew that McGee would rise to the occasion regardless of how he felt about it. If it was an order, he could count on McGee to do exactly as he was told.
"When does she get here?" Gibbs asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose as the headache behind his eyes grew worse.
"She should be here shortly. I would ask all of you to be polite and don't make us look like fools. I expect you all to uphold the image of NCIS."
Gibbs cocked his head at this and returned to his seat. He took one last sip of his coffee and then dropped it into the trash can beside his desk. He slammed his fingers on his keyboard, bringing up the last cold case he was working on.
Before Director Vance had the opportunity to leave, they all heard the tell tale ding of the elevator. The group looked up to see several people exit and move on to their destinations. The last person coming out was a woman. She was average in height and well built from what they could tell. She was slim and had long blond hair. She took her time walking toward them, her boots clomping on the carpeted floor. She was clad in slim fitting jeans with a butterfly on the front pocket and a simple blue blouse. A small cross hung around her neck and swayed as she walked. She stopped just outside their work space and smiled warmly at them.
"Hello. I'm looking for Director Vance." She said, addressing everyone in Gibbs‘ work sector.
Her voice was soft and pleasant to the ear. She had a pretty smile and a kind disposition. She tried not to appear like a threat. Most people hated therapists. It was one of the downsides to her job. She walked into a room and people tend to walk right out. It was almost like they flee from the room in fact.
Vance stepped forward. He didn't have to like it, but he was going to pretend to. He extended his hand to shake hers. She accepted it immediately, her smile still held in place. As she shook his hand, she made it a point to make eye contact with the other people in the room. These were most likely the people that she was to observe.
"I'm Director Vance."
"It's nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you." She said, her attention returning to the man in directly in front of her.
"Yes, as do we. Let me introduce you to the members of the team you‘ll be joining. This is Ziva David. This is Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee."
"Hello, it's nice to finally meet you all. I hope to learn a lot from you while I‘m here."
"I bet." Gibbs said quietly, but she heard him. She smirked at his remark and walked forward to greet him.
"You must be Agent Gibbs." She said, holding her hand out to shake his hand.
He looked at it for a moment. He was not going to make this easy for her. He then ignored her hand and looked back up at her.
"I didn't catch your name."
"I see you really don't like therapists, Agent Gibbs. That's alright," she withdrew her hand and smiled sweetly again. "Special Agent Jessica Keller."
Gibbs looked to Leon and the two shared a look of annoyance. It was one of the few times that Vance and Gibbs ever agreed on anything. There was silence and then Vance decided that they should all get on with their work.
"Well, I'll leave you to it. Make sure that she meets the good doctor and Abby. Agent Keller, I will expect an email when you have scheduled sessions. Have a good day."
She nodded in response and they all watched as the Director bailed on them. She turned back to look at her new team and sighed. She had been briefed by Agent Fornell all about this team. Their dynamic was usually carefree and good natured. Apparently in the past month or so, there seemed to be a rift between a few of the members and the team wasn't performing as well as it should. She would have to be quick. These individuals didn't take kindly to strangers in their midst.
"I'll just use one of the desks there at the end if that's alright with you, Agent Gibbs?" She made sure to form the sentence as a request. She had the feeling that he liked to dictate. He didn't like people making decisions without going through him first. She decided it was wise to give him that courtesy.
He simply nodded and kept his eyes on her as she moved. She heard a cell phone ring and stopped mid step. She watched as Gibbs answered with a curt 'Gibbs.' He listened intently and the others were already grabbing their bags and holstering their weapons.
"Grab your gear. We got a dead Petty Officer in Arlington Virginia. Tony, gas the truck. David, call Ducky. Let's go." Gibbs gave out his orders and then headed for the elevator.
The team moved swiftly she noticed. They were prepared for him. They had already anticipated his moves and orders. They were half way through their tasks before he even finished his sentence. The team was a well oiled machine. As far as their job was concerned, she didn't see a problem. There must be something deeper that the SEC-NAV wanted her to check into.
She followed them to the truck and found that there was not enough room for her. Gibbs caved with an over exaggerated huff and the pair of them took the sedan to the crime scene while the rest of his team drove there in the truck. She kept quiet throughout the entire ride there, sensing that he didn't like to engage in conversation while his mind was on a case. This would certainly prove to be a very educational assignment. She was looking forward to it.
Chapter 2
They arrived at the crime scene in record time, thanks to Agent Gibbs driving. If she hadn’t grown up around brothers that craved speed, she would have been sick by the end of their ride. She stepped out without much trouble at all much to Gibbs dismay. He had hoped to rattle her a little at least. The fact that it didn’t bugged him. Was she unshakable?
He walked away from her and toward the truck where the rest of his team were gathered. They were geared and ready for him. Gibbs walked around the body of the dead Petty Officer. He was crumpled against the trunk of a tree in his own front yard. He was clad in his dress whites, though his cover seemed to be missing. She could make out several rips and tears in the fabric, each stained with blood. They were minor lacerations from what she could see. The knife that had been used was protruding from his mid section. Most likely that was the cause of his death, but only the M.E. could make that call.
The second she thought about it, the M.E. and his assistant came up the scene and knelt down beside their newest charge.
“Sorry I’m late, Jethro. Mr. Palmer got us lost again. Hope I didn’t miss anything.”
The medical examiner had a Scottish lilt in his English accent. It was quite charming, she mused. He dug through his black bag and thanked when the younger man handed him what he had been looking for. Dr. Mallard inserted the liver probe into the dead Petty Officer.
For the first time since their arrival, Gibbs spoke, “What do we got, Duck?”
She stayed back, making sure she didn’t impede their work. She was very unfamiliar with the forensic part of an investigation. Her forte was interrogation and questioning witnesses. She focused on what they were doing so she could learn, however.
“Well, as I’ve only just arrived Jethro, I don’t know anything yet. Give me a minute.”
They waited patiently for the liver probe to do its job and at the beep, the older man spoke again. Agent Gibbs had waited by the body silently. His team were standing just behind him. Agents DiNozzo and McGee seemed to be in friendly conversation, while Agent David remained quiet and apart from the others. Jessica would have to look into that later.
“Time of death, Duck?” Gibbs asked, his notepad in hand and his pen hovered over it in anticipation.
Dr. Mallard pulled the liver probe from the body and read the digital read out. “I would say that our dear Petty Officer died approximately twelve hours ago. That would make time of death between 22:00 and 22:30 last night.”
“Cause of death?” Agent Gibbs said, moving on.
Jessica grinned. Gibbs was very narrow minded on the job. When there was a case, she was sure that he did little else till it was solved.
“At first glance I would venture to guess that large military knife sticking out of his gut was the primary cause of death. Though I’ll know much more when we get him home.”
Without having to be told, Palmer rose, “I’ll get the gurney Doctor.”
The young man left to carry out his task. The main team stepped forward only slightly, awaiting their orders. Gibbs turned and faced them.
“Tony, sketch and shoot. McGee, bag and tag. David, go talk to the witness that found him. Then canvass the neighborhood. Someone had to have seen something.”
They moved without a word to do what they were instructed. Gibbs looked at Agent Keller and then turned without saying a word to her, as though she weren’t really there. That didn’t surprise her. She had expected poor treatment and alienation. She was stranger to them and they were not welcomed. She was also there to observe them. That in itself made her an outcast. She simply stepped to the side giving Gibbs’ team room to work.
She spent her time watching them. She didn’t miss the way that Gibbs gave out assignments. He used Agent DiNozzo’s first name. They were obviously close. The other agents he used their surnames. There was nothing wrong with this of course, but it was interesting to see the difference in how he treated his teammates. There was room to explore there.
She noticed that Agent David kept to herself. She had been told much about this legendary team. They had a 97% solve record for the cases their team caught. Ziva had been a member of the team since the former Agent Todd died. She was accepted rather quickly. Now, it seemed that there was a rift between her and the senior field agent, Tony. This would need to be looked into further.
Agent McGee was very into his work, and any jokes or forms of conversation made by his colleagues usually were ignored for the most part. Agent DiNozzo makes it hard to do just that. McGee and him seem to get along for the most part, but when Tony called McGee ‘Probie’, McGee seemed to hold in his contempt. Jessica saw it as brotherly teasing, but she assumed that McGee didn’t see it that way. Perhaps that should be rectified. It was minor, but she could see it turning into something bigger along the way.
Jimmy Palmer didn’t seem to say much. He listened to Dr. Mallard’s stories of his youth with a smile, but she saw him steal glances at Tony once or twice. He even eyed Gibbs nervously a few times as though he wanted to talk or ask him something. He didn’t seem like a part of the team at all to the others. He looked like he really wanted to be though.
She also witnessed Gibbs eye his senior field agent warily when Tony sneezed. She was curious, but didn’t ask. It was something she would bring up at their sessions. At the moment, it wasn’t important.
She turned when she heard footsteps approach, “Jethro has just informed me that we have a new team member. I am the medical examiner, my dear. I am Dr. Mallard.”
“Special Agent Jessica Keller. Ducky?” She asked bluntly.
“Ah, yes. It was a nickname that I was given in my youth. Most call me that. You are welcome to as well, Miss Keller.”
“Just call me Jess if you like, Ducky.”
They shook hands politely. He had a firm handshake. He was kind hearted and talkative. He smiled at her and then left to drive the body back to headquarters. She would have to formally meet Jimmy Palmer back at NCIS she supposed.
An hour later they were all on their way back to the Navy Yard. They returned to their desks after sending all the evidence from the crime scene to the forensics lab and giving their reports to Gibbs.
Agent Keller sat at her desk quietly and wrote her report, making notes on her laptop. She was writing up her questions to ask during their first session. She chose as date, next day at noon, and sent the email to each person on her list. She had a feeling that Gibbs was a more direct person. She stood and walked over to him. She waited patiently in front of him after the third cleared throat went ignored. She would wait until he acknowledged her.
Finally he looked up. “You have something to say, Agent Keller?”
“Yes, actually. I wanted your attention and you wouldn’t give it to me, Agent Gibbs. That’s fine. I have played this game with others before, including Agent Fornell.” She smiled when he looked up surprised, “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
He nodded, “Good to know. What do want?”
“I came over here to tell you that our first team session will be tomorrow at noon, Agent Gibbs. I would think it is okay to bring some lunch. The session should be about an hour long. I sent an email to the Director and all the other participating members.”
“Why didn’t you just send me an email?” He asked, feigning annoyance.
She grinned. “You demand that everything be brought to you directly, Agent Gibbs. I highly doubt you check your email for anything.”
Tony practically choked on his donut. McGee seemed genuinely surprised by her comment and Ziva simply grinned. It was very rare for someone to read Gibbs so well.
Agent Jessica Keller returned to her seat, but before sitting down she said, “If it’s possible, I’d like to formally meet Abby Scuito and Jimmy Palmer before our first session. I would hate for them to be unprepared. If it’s okay with you, perhaps you could introduce me to them this afternoon?” Again she formed the sentence as a request rather than a statement.
Gibbs nodded his head without looking at her. He was silent for some time while they all worked on their own things. He watched his team.
Over the last month he had noticed differences in his team. Ziva had been rescued and he thought that would mend the friendship between her and Tony. It apparently hadn’t. He even had to admit that he was still angry at her for trying to make him choose between her and his senior field agent. Tony had been with him the longest, even longer than Stan Burley. He couldn’t and wouldn’t choose her or anyone else over Tony. That was just the way it was. He did, however, appreciate her and her skills. She was a good agent, as was Tim.
This nonsense had to stop. He couldn’t take his team being split up again. What was he going to do? He needed time to think.
When he was finally fed up, he stood abruptly and started heading for the elevator.
“Going for coffee.”
Chapter 3
The next morning, Agent Gibbs was surprised to see Agent Keller waiting for him.
“Agent Gibbs. Good Morning.”
He didn’t say anything. He sipped his coffee and sat down at his desk. He looked over Tony, McGee and David’s reports before even looking at her. He hadn’t been down to see Abby since yesterday, it was time he made his way down.
He stood and started for the elevator. He looked back at her briefly and wiggled a finger at her, “Come on.”
She put down her laptop and followed quickly behind him. She almost didn’t make it before the elevator doors shut. They rode in complete silence and was taken by surprise when he slammed the stop button. This was completely unexpected.
“Why are you really here? Did Vance send for you?” Gibbs demanded.
She couldn’t speak. It was dark, the only light coming from the running lights at the handles on the wall. The walls seemed to be closing in all around her. It was one thing she couldn’t seem to get over no matter what she did. Claustrophobia had always been a problem for her. It was sad, she thought, considering she was a therapist. She should’ve been able to overcome her fear, but now it closed in on her. It was more than she could bear.
She tried to ignore the feeling of anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach. She faced him and tried to concentrate on his eyes.
“Sec-Nav called for me. He said that he has gotten reports from several people stating that there is a problem within your unit. I’m merely here to help you resolve the problems that are currently plaguing your team. Once I’m done, I’ll return to my team at the FBI.”
“You lying to me?”
“No, why?”
“Your sweating, Agent Keller?” Gibbs asked, noticing the perspiration on her forehead.
She wiped her sweat away and stood tall. It was a lot harder than she thought to hide her fear. They were in an elevator. She could have handled the ride down, but stopped in one like this unnerved her.
“Then what is it?” He said, stepping closer to her.
She started to hyperventilate and he suddenly understood. She was afraid of small spaces. He turned and started the elevator up again. He turned back to her and took her face in his hands. He turned her face to him and checked her eyes.
“You okay?”
“Uh…yeah. I’ll be fine. Thank you, Agent Gibbs. I appreciate you doing that. You are a very observant man.”
“It’s my job.”
“Yes it is.”
The elevator dinged as they reached the correct floor. The doors opened and they were pelted with loud, techno music. She grinned and composed herself before entering the forensic lab.
“Gibbs! What’s this about attending a therapy session? I don’t want to. Can’t you get me out of it?” Abby asked rather quickly, bouncing on her heels.
“Abs. We are all attending. If I can’t get out of it, you can’t get out of it.”
“Man, this therapist is probably going to give Vance all the ammo he needs to split our team up again. I can’t take that a second time, Gibbs. I’ll quit.” She assured him.
“I wouldn’t want that, Miss Scuito.” Jessica finally spoke up.
“Oh…um….who are you?”
“The therapist.”
“Oh….well, then I’ll tell you. If you try to split us all up, I’ll hunt you down. I’m one of the few people I in the world that can kill you and never leave a trace of evidence behind.”
“Do you threaten people often, Miss Scuito?” Jessica asked, not taking any offense to anything she was saying.
Abby suddenly looked ready to panic.
“Don’t worry, Miss Scuito. I’m not here to break up your team. There are just a few issues that need to be fixed and then I’ll be on my way.”
Abby seemed happy with that and then turned to walk away. Agent Keller stopped her.
“I have been most anxious to meet you, Abby. Mostly because I enjoy reading about your work. Agent Fornell has teased me with stories of your discoveries during cases. But, I also wanted to apologize.”
That got both Abby and Gibbs attention. “Apologize for what? I don’t even know you.”
Agent Keller sighed and took a deep breath, “I wanted to apologize for my brother, Charles Sterling.”
“Sterling. That psycho is your brother?!” Abby exclaimed.
Jessica stepped back slightly. She expected anger and maybe a little unreasonable blame on her part, but not the look of murder that she saw in Abby’s eyes.
“That creep almost got Tony locked away forever in jail. He almost killed me. You think that I’m going to talk to you about my feelings and my past?”
“Abs, calm down.” Gibbs said, holding onto his surrogate daughter.
“Calm down? Calm down? She shouldn’t even have been left in this building. What if she is just here to get revenge for her brother?”
“I assure you that I’m not. He let us all down. We never thought that he was capable of doing what he did. I have read all about your team. Tony doesn’t seem the type to commit murder. I wouldn’t have ever thought that. My brother was disturbed. I am very sorry for the pain and suffering my brother caused.”
“Gibbs.” Abby said, turning to look at him.
“I believe her Abby.”
“What?”
“Abby.” He warned with his eyes that this conversation was over.
“Okay. I’ll be at the session as scheduled. That doesn’t mean I have to talk to you now.” She said, and with that, she walked into her office.
“Well, that didn’t go at all like I thought it would.” Agent Keller said.
They made there way to autopsy. She had yet to formally meet Palmer. She was quiet. She felt so bad about what happened. She hadn’t wanted Abby to hate her. She had wanted her to accept an apology. Jessica really did mean well.
“Why did you only apologize to Abby?” Gibbs asked curiously.
“I will say my apologies to Tony in due time. I knew that Agent DiNozzo was content and I’m sure that he no longer thinks about that whole mess. I met Miss Scuito once at a forensic conference. She was so full of energy. She was happy and carries her feelings on her shoulders. I really and truly envied her. When I heard about what Charles had done, I thought of her immediately. I had no doubt that she would have taken that betrayal the worst. I just wanted her to know that our family did not condone what he did.”
Gibbs watched her in silence. There was more to this therapist than he originally thought. She wasn’t some perfect woman who fixed everyone else problems. She had demons of her own.
They got off at autopsy and entered to find Ducky and Palmer hovered over the body of the Petty Officer. This time the man was naked and more pale than the day before.
“Ah, Jethro. I was expecting you yesterday before you left. I see you brought Miss Keller with you. How are you, my dear?”
“Very good, Doctor. I came down to meet Mr. Palmer. We didn’t get to talk yesterday.” She smiled.
Jimmy looked up at the mention of his name. Not many people came to see him. They usually came to see Dr. Mallard or ask about a victim. He walked toward her, his hand outstretched. It was still gloved and bloody. He nervously pulled it off when he noticed the disgusted look on her face.
They shook, “Don’t get excited Mr. Palmer. I don’t mind. You were busy after all. I’m Agent Keller.”
“Oh, hi. It’s nice to meet you. You’re here to shrink us right?”
She giggled at the term and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Cool.”
“Cool?” Gibbs questioned incredulously.
“Yeah….well…see as a child…I um….I went to therapy for…” Palmer started to stutter at the hard look that Gibbs was impaling him with, “You know….I should probably get back to…”
Jimmy walked away and made himself busy with the body. Ducky smirked and returned to his desk, grabbed a folder and then returned.
“My results from the autopsy, Jethro. He was poisoned.”
“Poisoned? With what?”
“Mercury.”
“That cause of death?”
“Yes, the stab wound was done post mortem.”
Agent Keller listened vaguely to the autopsy report, but she was more interested in Jimmy. He was being left out. He was intimidated by Gibbs and worse, Dr. Mallard simply smiled. She wasn’t sure what to make of all that. She was sure and certain that Jimmy was hurting. He was hiding it very well, but there was a serious issue here that needed to be mended.
“Thank you for allowing me a rare glimpse into the world of autopsy. Agent Gibbs, I didn’t have much time to talk to your Director. I would like to get a read on him before our session today. I’ll see you in conference room three. You have work to do.”
Gibbs waved a hand at her as Dr. Mallard continued. She left and made her way up to Director Vance’s office. She certainly had her work cut out for her.
Chapter 4
Agent Keller waited in conference room three. They were late. It was half past noon. At 12:40, the eight of them came in and sat down. They were staring at her and they didn’t look happy. Vance didn’t seem to care. She read the hate in their eyes.
“I see Abby has told you about our conversation in the lab earlier today.”
Their glares intensified if that was even possible. This was not the way she wanted to start the session. Good grief.
“I’m sorry that my familiar relationship with him angers you all, but that is neither here nor there. We are not here to discuss me or my brother. I have been sent here to help you.”
"How? By learning our deepest and darkest secrets and using them against us?!” Abby voiced.
“No. Sec-Nav sent me here because this team has issues that must be addressed. I have seen many in the short time I have been here. In order for this team to remain as it is and work as it always has, those issues need to be dealt with. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to help you. When I’m done and satisfied with the results, I’ll be going back to the FBI.”
There was silence. She opened her laptop and opened the first file on her pile.
“I want to talk about you all. The way these sessions are going to work is simple. I will be asking you questions and we may even do a few exercises. I also want you to talk…not just to me, but to each other. It is the most effective way to address these issues. You may ask me or anyone else here questions as well. I want this to be a room of truth and understanding for the time during these sessions. Whatever you learn from this time, I hope you take with you and think on them.”
Silence again. Getting them to acknowledge or talk was going to be like pulling teeth.
“Agent Keller. We have all been briefed. Can we get on with this please?” Vance said.
She pulled his file and opened it on her lap. This was as good a place to start as any. “I have spoken to Sec-Nav. I was aware that you and only you were present during the briefing. You waited until the last minute to inform your Major Case Squad about me until just before my arrival. I could see it in their faces. Can you explain this?”
“I was only informed earlier that day, myself. It was all very last minute.”
“Director Vance, you were briefed early that morning. You called Sec-Nav to argue his ruling later that day. You only informed them of my addition to the team moments before I arrived. Why did you wait so long?”
Leon was quiet. He didn’t know how to explain himself. Did he dare admit that every time he got the jump on Gibbs it gave him some sort of satisfaction? He liked to see Gibbs squirm under pressure. He liked to anger him. But why?
“Do you often hold back important information regarding Gibbs and his team?” Keller asked, chewing on the end of her pen.
“Are you kidding? He jumps at the chance to throw us off our game.” Tony said, his distain heard loud and clear.
“Really? In what way, Agent DiNozzo?” She pressed him to elaborate.
“Yeah. In what way, Agent DiNozzo?” Vance asked, lacing his fingers together and glaring at the young agent.
“Director Vance, let me warn you. There will be no repercussions from telling the truth or voicing opinions in this room during these sessions. So please…stop trying to intimidate your agents.” She warned.
That surprised the group. No one ever caught on to how the new director tried to intimidate them and even Gibbs. He did everything possible to cause them trouble. No one ever saw him for the creep he really was. They all thought he was such a nice guy. And maybe he was to others.
“Go on, Agent DiNozzo.” She said.
“The first day he was here, he split us up. He claimed it was for a mission.”
Vance interrupted him, “It was. We were trying to find the mole in NCIS. I put the three most likely candidates with Gibbs. I knew he would be able to figure out which one it was. I had faith in him.”
“Yeah, but my being put on the USS Seahawk as Agent Afloat was not part of the mission. There was no real reason for me being there. You separated me from the team and you weren’t going to bring me back.” Tony said, raising his voice a bit, but remaining in his seat.
“He has a point, Director.” Gibbs said, “I asked you before if sending DiNozzo away was punishment. I thought then that you gave me a load of crap. You weren’t going to even tell me that you intended to make Tony stay there permanently. I had to fight to get him back. I would love to know the real reason you sent him away.”
“Is this true, Director?” Keller asked, horrified that the Director had gone to such lengths.
“Yes. I have my reasons.”
“Let’s hear them. Did Agent DiNozzo do something that demanded he be transferred? Was he not a good agent?”
“No, DiNozzo is a good agent in some ways.”
“Did he disobey an order or do something to disgrace NCIS?”
“No.”
“Then why, Director? For what reason did you feel the need to disband the team without even telling the team leader?”
All eyes were on Leon. He could lie, but he knew that a trained therapist and Gibbs would see right through it.
“It was a number of things. First of all he is a goof off. His attitude and juvenile personality is not becoming of an NCIS Special Agent.”
“Oh come on!” Tony exclaimed.
“DiNozzo.” Gibbs said sternly, causing the young man to sit.
“Shutting up, Boss.”
That caught Keller’s attention and she made note to come back to it later.
“As you can see, he is insubordinate. He talks back, he disobeys direct orders unless it comes from Gibbs. He has a problem doing as I ask. He has absolutely no computer skills and frankly, I think that he pulls the team down. I don’t think he is a credit to the team.”
“Anything else?” She pressed.
“I heard about what happened in Baltimore.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Gibbs said quietly.
“Look, what happened in Baltimore is none of your business!”
“None of my business, DiNozzo? Of course it’s my business. It tells me what kind of agent you are. It tells me a lot about what kind of man you are.”
“I’m a good cop, Director. I’m a good agent.” Tony said confidently.
Director Vance said nothing more. He and Agent DiNozzo just stared at each other. Agent Keller made a few more notes on her laptop and decided to move on.
“Ok, it seems that Director Vance does not trust his employees.” She began.
“I do. I just don’t particularly find Agent DiNozzo to be the finest agent here at NCIS like Gibbs claims he is. I would personally like him off my main team.”
“Director, how long have you been with this team?”
“It’s going on two years.”
“Have you ever spent time with them outside of work?”
“No, Agent Keller, I have not. I don’t see the need to spend more time with them than necessary. I spend all day at work with them, my off time is reserved for my family.”
“I understand that. Family is important. Perhaps you would understand them more, if you took the time to learn more about them, and I don’t mean checking into their past. You have a solid family waiting for you when you get home. Most of your team feels that this is their family.”
Vance was silent once more.
“Just let me give you a glimpse into what I’m talking about. Gibbs lives alone. Tony lives alone. Abby lives alone and rarely sees her parents. McGee lives alone and usually only has contact with his sister. Ziva lives alone, seeing as her family lives in Tel Aviv. Dr. Mallard lives alone now that his mother has passed away. Jimmy lives alone as well. Are you seeing a pattern here?”
“What’s your point, Agent Keller?”
“Director, I understand that you are used to working a certain way. And it is of course your decision to form your Major Case Response Team the way that you want. But I have been reading about this team and it’s accomplishments. This team, is very close. They are a family. They would not work as efficiently as they do without each other there for support and backup.”
“That was why I agreed to put them back together.”
Jessica smiled. She could hear the unspoken threat under his tone. She knew that he was always waiting for some slipup that he didn’t approve of to give him a reason to separate them again, even if it just meant getting rid of his biggest annoyance. Tony.
“Alright, we’ll get back to this. Let’s move on.”
She closed Vance’s file and pulled the next one off the top. She opened it, skimmed the contents and then closed it again. She looked up, tapping her pen on the pad of paper on the table.
“Jimmy? How do you feel about the people in this room?”
“Me? Oh, geez…I love the people in this room. I’m good friends with Abby. Dr. Mallard is brilliant, I learn something new from him everyday. I look up to him. I hope that one day, I can be as good as he is.”
Dr. Mallard smiled at his assistant and patted his hand.
“And I really like Ziva and McGee. Tony is great. Agent Gibbs, well….he can be a little…uh…off putting sometimes, but I think that in my time here….I uh….”
“Palmer, spit it out.” Gibbs said.
“I can say with the utmost confidence that I think he is the best agent NCIS has to offer. I have learned so much about what the agents do and Agent Gibbs is just the best that I’ve seen.”
“Wow…that’s nice Palmer.” Tony said, complimenting the boy.
“It’s the truth, Tony.” Jimmy said. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed about what he had just divulged.
“That’s wonderful. I didn’t hear you mention the Director.”
“Oh…uh…well…I didn’t mean that I didn’t like the Director in any…uh…I mean, I don’t really…”
“Jimmy, you seem nervous.”
“Yeah, very nervous.” He confirmed.
“What are you nervous about?”
Jimmy kept his eyes low and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.
“Are you afraid to speak your mind, Jimmy?”
“A little.” He said meekly.
“Why? Has anyone here ever yelled at you for speaking your mind before?”
“No,” he answered quickly.
“Have you ever been formally reprimanded for speaking your mind?”
“No…now that you mention it. I haven’t.”
“Has Dr. Mallard ever told you that you can’t speak your mind?”
“No, of course not.” he said, looking at Ducky to emphasize his answer.
“Then tell me, Jimmy. Why are you afraid to talk about how you feel?”
Jimmy thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure that bringing something like this up here was a good idea. They just wanted this whole therapy thing to be over. Him admitting that there was a problem would only make this last longer. But he had to admit, it felt good to talk about it.
“The truth?”
“That would be nice, Jimmy.”
“I…I don’t always feel that I’m appreciated around here. I don’t feel like I’m really part of the team.”
“Palmer, what are you….” Tony began, but Agent Keller held up a hand to stop him.
“Now, Tony, let him speak. Go on, Jimmy. Why don’t you feel like part of the team?”
“Everyone here is great. I would never want to work anywhere else. I would miss everyone here way too much, but sometimes I wonder what they think of me.”
“I see. Continue, please.”
“Dr. Mallard is my mentor. He is probably the only one who has ever told me anything nice or even praised the work that I have done.”
“Of course, Mr. Palmer. Your work is near perfect. I couldn’t ask for a better assistant.” Ducky said.
“But that’s it. You only care about my work. You talk constantly about yourself and your younger days, which I love to hear about, but you never ask me about mine. And when I do start to tell you a little about myself, you either interrupt me, or tell me that it’s an inappropriate time. Did you know that you only called me by my first name once?”
“Oh dear. I didn’t know. I had no idea that you felt so strongly about this. Why didn’t you say something?” Dr. Mallard asked.
“I didn’t want to disappoint you…or Gibbs.”
“Gibbs? Why on earth would he be disappointed with you?” Ducky asked, astonished by that revelation.
“I don’t know. He always seems so annoyed with me. I start talking and he just glares or stares at me. It gets me to shut up and he moves on. He doesn’t ask my opinion, truthfully I don’t think he cares. He never tells me that I do a good job.”
“Let me interrupt you a minute. I understand why you would want praise from Dr. Mallard. Why is praise from Agent Gibbs so important to you?”
“Everyone here is a part of Gibbs team. He is like a father to most of us, with the exception of Dr. Mallard. I really look up to him. I know that I’m not a special agent. But, I have seen how he is with Tony and Abby, I see how he protects his team with everything he has. I hear when he tells them they did a good job. I have never once felt like I was a part of this special family.”
Everyone was quiet, “Look. I’m not looking for special treatment. I don’t even need to be told what a good job I’m doing, though once in a while would be nice. You know, make me feel needed or like I’m doing something right. I would just like them to ask how I’m doing once in a while. Take an interest in me or my life. I would like to be included when they do things outside of work, or maybe come to me with problems when something is bugging them.”
“Well its not that we don’t appreciate you, Palmer, but we’re agents. It’s not like we can come to you when we are stuck on a case.” McGee said.
“Tony does.”
That was a big shock to everyone. Gibbs didn’t seem to notice. He already knew about the growing friendship growing between Jimmy and Tony. He was happy that they were getting along. He just pretended not to know.
“Since when?” McGee asked.
“Since the time when Agent Gibbs temporarily retired. While Gibbs was away, Tony tried so hard to keep the team together. He would come to me when he was feeling down, or tired, or when his mind was just so fried and he needed another opinion. He would even talk to me about the current case he was working on and we would talk it out and figure it out together. It was nice.”
“You really helped me a lot then, Palmer.” Tony admitted.
“Anytime, Tony.”
“That’s another thing I want to discuss, we’ll come back to that. Now, Jimmy, what about the Director. You still haven’t mentioned him.”
“I don’t really know the Director that well. He very rarely comes down to autopsy and when he does, he is looking for Dr. Mallard. I have asked if I could help him in Dr. Mallard’s absence and he just says he’ll wait. I really can’t say what I think of him except that I think he needs to learn more about the team. I have overheard things and I don’t think he thinks very much of this team, except for McGee of course.”
“Interesting. Well, I think that it’s obvious here that you should all get to know Mr. Palmer more. Perhaps now that you have spoken your desires, you will be able to move forward. Now, it’s been an hour, and I promised you that I would keep our sessions within that hour. You all have work to do and I’m sure things to think about. I would like us to meet two days from now, Friday, same time, right here. Thank you for your participation.”
Agent Keller watched as they slowly stood and made their way out of the door. They gave each other wary looks and more than one darted toward the Director. Once they all left, she stayed behind to finish her notes and then made her way to her desk. She grabbed her coat and her bag when Gibbs called out to grab their gear. There was another body found in Arlington. Same M.O. They were off to the crime scene.
Chapter 5
Two days passed with little progress on the case they were working. There was yet another body found after the one in Arlington two days ago. The sick bastard that was killing these officers was getting away with more and more every day, and it was eating away at the team.
Agent Keller spent her time observing for the most part. She was allowed to help at the crime scenes by questioning the witnesses that found the bodies. She was allowed to write up reports, and search for financial records, but Gibbs wouldn’t let her handle physical evidence. She wasn’t truly part of the team and so she wasn’t at all offended.
Friday came quickly. They were running evidence tests now and the time for their next session had come. She waited patiently in the conference room. Some of them were on time. Abby, Tony and the Director were the only late comers. Tony had a valid excuse, as did Abby. The Director she assumed was using his power to do as he pleased.
“Alright. I know that we have a case and it is getting to the boiling point. As of now, there is little that we can do to really investigate further until the test results are in. It is those results that we are currently waiting for. So, we have about an hour to carry on our discussion from last time.” Agent Keller began.
“We do have a suspect to interrogate, Agent Keller.” McGee offered.
“I understand that, but it won’t hurt to let him sit and stew for an hour or so. Since I will be observing Gibbs interrogation, I would rather the suspect be nervous and paranoid. I like them better that way. It will also make it easier for Gibbs to get what he needs out of him.”
A chuckled interrupted McGee from responding. It was Ziva. All eyes were on her.
“Sorry. It is amazing how much you just sounded like Gibbs.”
Jessica gave her a faint smile and then turned her attention to her temporary supervisor, grinning. She then took up her notebook and skimmed through her notes.
“Okay, I had certain things that I wanted to touch on today, but we hit on a few more important points during our last session that takes precedence. So, we will start there today.”
She flipped back a few pages to check her notes from last session and tapped her pen on the first point to address.
“Alright, the first thing I would like to address is about Agent DiNozzo.”
“Figures.” McGee started nastily, completely unaware that he had said it out loud.
He had been in a fowl mood all day. DiNozzo was in a more annoying state today than he had been at the beginning of this case and it was working on his last nerve. Some days he understood Director Vance’s views on his coworker.
Tony shifted in his chair to look at his partner, “That’s not very nice, Probalicious.”
Keller would have laughed at his teasing, accept that McGee started yelling.
“That is what I’m talking about! He is absolutely impossible. He has been doing this to me for years. Today has been freaking horrible! I can’t take it anymore.”
“Grow up, McTattle. Be a man.” Tony countered with a wise ass smile on his face.
Tony felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and flinched. Gibbs had smacked the back of his head. He knew he deserved it. He was surprised that he hadn’t gotten it earlier.
“Can it, DiNozzo.” Gibbs said curtly.
“Canning it, Boss.” Tony immediately slouched back down comfortably in his chair.
Agent Keller was appalled by that action, but it seemed as though this was an everyday occurrence. No one else seemed surprised by the action and Tony didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed pleased with himself. Interesting.
“Gibbs, you should have done that like a dozen times today! You really let him get away with murder.” McGee said, sounding like a child complaining about how unfair Dad was.
Keller admitted that of the group, Gibbs seemed to be the Dad. The male agents being competing brothers and the completely adored Abby as the lively and energetic sister. Ziva and Palmer, although loved and appreciated were more outsiders. Ducky was obviously the uncle or grandfather. The Director played almost no part at all.
Gibbs didn’t say anything or explain himself to McGee. The younger agent remained silent like his boss.
“What I really wanted to talk about was the period of time that Agent DiNozzo was left in charge of the team. We will come back to your concerns Tim. I would like to discuss the four months that Tony was team leader in Gibbs absence. What was that like?”
“Oh my God, it was a complete nightmare!” Ziva exclaimed without provocation.
Agent Keller watched as Gibbs glared angrily at Ziva, Abby showing the same kind of contempt for the female agent. DiNozzo seemed to cower a bit in his chair. He looked immediately dejected.
“Do the rest of you agree?” Agent Keller asked, looking to the rest of the team.
“I’m with Ziva. Tony was horrible. He kept trying to act like Gibbs, when he is TOTALLY NOT! He was hard like Gibbs, stared like Gibbs, even went so far as to drink loads of coffee and take Caf-Pows to Abby.” McGee scoffed, with a nasty snicker underneath his anger.
Ziva added, “And he made us sit through these stupid campfires to discuss our cases. It was so stupid. I could not wait till Gibbs return. We did not even know if Gibbs would return. I liked Director Sheppard very much, but I think that it was a complete lapse in judgment to keep him on as team leader. I could not even believe that Gibbs would leave this nut bag in charge in the first place.”
“Nut case, Ziva.” McGee corrected her.
“Whatever. He is still clearly nuts, is he not?”
Tony seemed to shrink down even lower in his seat.
“That’s enough!” Gibbs barked, standing up.
“Quite right. Anthony did the best that he could in Jethro’s absence. He was rather good at keeping the team together. You two should have been more supportive.” Ducky added, standing as well.
Palmer, seething, followed suit, “That’s right. You don’t know what it was like for Tony. He had to keep you all together until Gibbs came back. He always knew that he would eventually. He did most of the work cuz you guys didn’t do like you were told. He was always tired, and even more so once Sheppard put him on that stupid undercover op. He did his work and her work. He was tired, and he missed Gibbs so much. He felt unappreciated all the time….you guys were horrible to him. Even Abby.”
She looked horrified at that. She was in agreement with how McGee and Ziva treated Tony, but she never did anything to hurt him. “What are you talking about, Jimmy?”
“You were constantly telling him how he wasn’t Gibbs and it didn’t help that you kept those pictures of Gibbs up on every computer and plasma screen in your lab. It only made him feel worse. Like you couldn’t just be happy you still had him and the rest of the team. Like Gibbs was the only one that mattered.” Palmer was shaking with anger now. Visibly.
“Jimmy….stop. Its okay.” Tony said quietly.
Jimmy stuttered to a stop, and gave the most sympathetic look she had ever seen. Tony was brushing it off to deal with alone later. That was no good. The look in Gibbs eyes were sharp and foreboding. He was pissed that his senior field agent was reduced to the almost childlike being before him.
“The hell it is, Tony.” He yelled, “Look at me.”
Tony looked up at him, his eyes somber and lost.
“You are a good agent. The best I have worked with. I wouldn’t want anyone else watching my six. You got that?”
“Sure, Boss.”
“I mean it, DiNozzo.” Gibbs smacked the back of his head, and he grinned when the faintest of smiles gripped the corners of Tony’s mouth.
“I gotcha, Boss.”
“Good. As for you two, you have explaining to do. Palmer, I want to know everything that went on while I was gone.”
“You always spoil him, Gibbs. He’s not your son!” Ziva and McGee almost said in unison.
Gibbs eyes flashed. He looked ready to dish out pain. It was more than apparent that he felt as though Tony was exactly that. This was getting out of hand. This was one of the major issues that needed to be addressed and she was glad they hit on it now.
“SIT!” Keller said, raising her voice over theirs.
They all stared at her and sat down cautiously.
“Jimmy. You seem to know a great deal more about this than your are letting on. I would like to hear everything about that time as well.”
Jimmy looked from Tony and Gibbs to the other agents. He was clearly afraid of reprisal. He started out slow and every word gained in passion.
“Tony was alone. Everyone was sad and heartbroken when Gibbs walked out. And I mean walked out. He handed his badge and gun to Tony and said that it was his team now.”
“You weren’t even there. How would you know?” Ziva asked, snapping at him.
“I was by the opposite elevator. I had come up, ready to leave for the night. I saw you all standing in the bullpen. I witnessed the whole thing. Of course, as usual, I wasn’t noticed or included. But that’s not important right now.”
“Continue, please, Jimmy.” Jessica urged him.
“He kissed Abby goodbye, without letting her speak or protest. She must have cried for weeks after he left. I never knew what to do to make her feel better. Tony did the best he could. He was the only one that could get close enough to her for a while. Gibbs shook hands with McGee, telling him that he was a fine agent. Made him feel good, but leaving behind a hole in his heart I’m sure. I wouldn’t know, he never talked about it.”
“Couldn’t, Palmer.”
“Yeah, I understand. Ziva didn’t look nearly as upset, though she had only been around for two years. Gibbs was not as important to her as he was to the others. She seemed more understanding of his reason to leave. But you could still see that she missed him a lot. Her own father is not the best man in the world.”
“What do you know about my father?” Ziva snapped.
“Enough. Again, not important right now. Dr. Mallard is well known for talking in excess. For at least a month, he hardly spoke. I was worried what might happen to the team. It was broken and hurting. But, Tony did everything to keep it together and I didn’t worry as much.”
Jessica looked at the team. The silence was deafening. Abby looked close to tears just at the mention of that fateful day. Tony was quiet, almost resigned. Gibbs was listening intently. Director Vance had not known them during this time. He was interested in what happened before his arrival.
“Tony was hurting as much as Abby, if not more. There are things that people don’t really know about Tony. Gibbs might. I know Dr. Mallard does. Gibbs is a father figure for Tony. You can see it in the way they interact. The head slaps, the kind eyes that he only shares with Tony and Abby. The fact that it’s usually Tony watching his six, and Tony who he trusts with undercover ops. He trusts Tony indefinitely.”
“You are very observant, Mr. Palmer. Jethro has been changing everyday since young Anthony joined us. I’m glad that you caught on.” Ducky said, quietly.
“Thank you. Anyway. When Gibbs left, he was so lost. He didn’t know what to do at first. I found him one day standing outside of autopsy, talking to himself. That was when our relationship first took off. Our friendship only grew from there. I was the only on who seemed to care enough to listen. Abby was crying more often than not and Dr. Mallard was scarce for a while.”
“I understand.” Keller nodded.
“He thought about quitting at first. He didn’t think that he could work at NCIS without Gibbs. He was so used to the dynamic that the team had, continuing without Gibbs seemed like a betrayal to him. The thought to quit came and went a dozen times before Gibbs returned.”
Gibbs looked at his senior field agent. Tony was staring at the table. His eyes were glazed over and his features were tight. He was trying so hard to hold in his feelings. Gibbs would have thought it would be easy for Tony to cry if he had to. But then he remembered when Kate died. Tony hadn’t shed a tear. He had been strong for him and the team.
Gibbs gripped his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Tony didn’t look up, and his silence worried Gibbs. He left his hand on his shoulder, if only to confirm that he was okay.
“We talked about it, and I convinced him to stay. He did the only thing that he could think of to keep the team together. He tried to maintain a sense of normalcy. Acting like Gibbs was supposed to make the rest of the team feel more at home. Like nothing had changed even though it had. He tried to continue on with Agent Gibbs glares and stares and head slaps to continue to train and shape McGee and Ziva. He started going to Abby’s lab with her favorite Caf-Pows just like Gibbs did. He asked her ‘what do ya got, Abs’ just like Gibbs did. He started sneaking around, trying to do everything to make them feel like nothing had changed. All that got him was more pain. They took every opportunity to tell him he wasn’t anywhere near good enough to replace Gibbs. They banter was no longer kind and sibling like. It got nasty and vindictive over the months.”
“Is this true?” Gibbs demanded of them.
They kept their heads low and that was answer enough for him. He shook his head in disgust.
“Go on, Jimmy.” Agent Keller said, adding more notes to her laptop.
“He had his new team leader work to do, he had cases to solve, and because he didn’t want McGee to be overwhelmed with all the work a senior field agent was tasked with doing, he picked up the extra duties that he always did when he was Gibbs number one. He also helped out Agent Lee, the newbie on the team. She was a former legal agent. Never been in the field. Then on top of that, he stayed three hours late every night to finish up both Ziva and McGee’s reports because you both took your sweet time getting them done. He wanted them done for the Director the next day and you two didn’t do your work on time. He was tasked with doing yours on top of that.”
Gibbs looked ready to attack. He remained in his seat, astounded that his team had fallen apart like this. He thought he had shaped them right. It was abundantly clear that only DiNozzo learned a damn thing from him.
“Then, in the second month, Director Sheppard had him embark on an undercover op. He would have told Ziva and McGee, but they were so nasty and uncaring by then that he didn’t think they would give a shit. He dealt with all that undercover crap alone. He came to see me more regularly and we started talking about cases. I felt like I had a relationship similar to how Gibbs and Dr. Mallard have. He continued to do all this, and his undercover op, his own work and still tried to make time to cheer up Dr. Mallard and Abby. He hardly slept. He hardly ate. You guys did nothing to help him.”
There was silence. Director Vance was the first to speak.
“Agent DiNozzo.” Tony looked up at him, “You are a fine agent. I’m sorry that I didn’t realize just how seriously you take this job and just how committed to NCIS and this team you are. After hearing this…I have a newfound respect for you. I don’t think that even in my best days, that I could keep up with the work load you did during Gibbs hiatus. I’m sorry.”
Tony looked stunned and so did Gibbs. The others were surprised. Vance never acknowledged Tony for anything he did.
“This is a big issue. If these things can not be dealt with, it will be hard for the team to continue working as well as it has in the past. Does anyone have anything to say or add?” She asked looking around the room.
“I do.” Abby said. “Tony, I’m so sorry that I didn’t see how much you were hurting. I was so caught up in my own morbid pain and I was selfish. You came down everyday and spent so many nights with me just holding me till I was able to fall asleep. I should have seen that you were just as upset with Gibbs leaving as I was. Gibbs has been like your father for years. I should have seen what his leaving was doing to you. Can you ever forgive me?”
Tony nodded and she leapt out of her chair and ran to him. She plopped in his lap and hugged him tightly. She was crying and he was holding her tightly against him. He felt his mask slipping and was close to tears, but he didn’t want Gibbs to see him when he was so weak. He didn’t want to disappoint him. Not now. He felt Gibbs squeeze his shoulder again and relaxed even more.
“It’s okay, Abs. I forgive you. I was never mad at you to begin with. I knew how much Gibbs meant to you.”
She cried louder and just clung to him more tightly.
“Anthony, my boy. I should have spent more time with you. Without Gibbs here, I was the closest thing to family next to Abby. It would have been even less hurtful for me if I had come to you in the first place. I apologize.”
“It’s alright, Duck.”
“What about you two? You got anything to say…like maybe an apology?” Gibbs demanded, glaring at his other two agents.
There was silence. This was obviously something that would take more time. Keller looked at the clock on the wall. It was well over an hour. This would have to be picked up later, when emotions weren’t running so high.
“We will have to end this here, I’m afraid. I’ll reschedule this for…”
“Tomorrow.” Gibbs barked.
“Very well, tomorrow. Get some rest. The case will no doubt be mentally draining until it’s wrapped up. I’ll see you all here tomorrow, same time.”
Chapter 6
The next morning was one to dread. After their session, Gibbs spent the remainder of the day working on the case alone with Tony. He went to interview witnesses, taking Tony with him. He had Tony join him during every trip to Abby’s lab and autopsy. McGee and Ziva were both left behind to complete paperwork at their desks.
Whenever Gibbs needed to see Director Vance or answer a call in MTAC, he instructed Tony to go and wait for him with Palmer.
Gibbs absolutely refused to allow him to stay in the bullpen alone. He also would not allow Ziva and McGee to corner him so he could redirect Gibbs anger as he routinely did.
Now, the day after, the bullpen was dead quiet. It was seven a.m. and most of the agents were sitting at their desks. Tim and Ziva met in the parking garage. Turned out, both of them wanted to make sure that they were a few minutes early. They wanted to do anything to ward off Gibbs wrath.
As they stepped off the elevator, they noticed a sea of eyes staring at them the second they stepped out. Quite put on the spot and feeling way too uncomfortable in their own skin, they lowered their heads and moved on. They walked quickly toward their desks only to find Abby standing in the entrance to their unit with her arms crossed.
Ziva saw her glare of death and shivered. Even though she had been trained to be an assassin, she was still frightened slightly by Abby.
The pair glanced behind her to find the cubicles empty. Agent Keller stood and came toward them, her notebooks and laptop in hand.
Attempting to be pleasant, Tim greeted Abby with a nervous smile.
“Uh…hey..Abby. Having a good morning?” He squeaked.
Ziva was about to express her greeting when Abby finally spoke. Yelled was more like it.
“Good…McGee? Am I having a GOOD morning? No, McGee, I would say I am having a BAD morning! A very BAD, disgusted, disturbed, and disappointing morning!!”
Agent Keller flinched, knowing full well where this was all going. She wanted to stop her, but feared for her own safety if she interfered.
McGee was frozen in place. His eyes grew to saucers in the face of Abby’s wrath. Ziva nudged him aside to try and get to her desk, but Abby blocked her path.
“Abby, may I please get to my desk? I have a lot of work to do.” Ziva tried to say it sweetly, her mouth twitching with the effort.
“No! You may not, Agent David! I’m not finished telling you two about the morning I’ve had. Come,” She said, grabbing them both by their arms and drug them to the middle of the room. Two office chairs were sitting in the middle. “Sit down, won’t you?”
“I would rather sit at my…”
“Abby, we really need to….
“SIT!”
The pair sat. They looked around and saw the eyes again. This was all very embarrassing. They looked to Agent Keller for help, but she merely waited with sympathetic eyes. She didn’t condone what they did, but every action one takes is driven by reason. It was her job to discover these reasons and mend the situation before things got out of hand.
“Yesterday, I did some serious thinking. I realized that I made mistakes. Mistakes that hurt Tony, mistakes I can never take back. I’m sorry for the way I behaved while our fearless leader was away in sunny Mexico. I will do everything to make that up to him.”
“We know Abby,” Ziva started.
“Hush!” She said, thrusting her spike studded wrists at her. She meant business.
“I was always in my lab before. So, I never saw the things that Jimmy accused you both of. I couldn’t believe that.”
She picked up a remote, spun their chairs to face the plasma and pressed play. Tim froze when he read the date in the corner. These were security tapes from the time while Gibbs ‘quit’.
“As you can see, I did a little snooping. I pulled the security tapes from the months Gibbs was on his sabbatical. Every day you two left early, came in late, belittled him, put him down and left him out of everything. Jimmy was right.”
“Abby…” they began.
“No! No excuses! You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves!”
With that, she tossed the remote onto Tony’s desk, which she had buried under her favorite black roses and teddy bears, and stormed out of the room.
Complete silence. Ziva and Tim stared at the screen that continued to play clips of their misdeeds.
After a few minutes, Agent Keller cleared her throat. The pair looked up at her.
“You here to ruin our careers further?” Ziva asked.
“I am not ruining anything. These issues already existed. Now they are out in the open and need fixing. That is all I’m here for. I would like to see this team run as efficiently as it has in the past. That is all I’m after, Agent David.”
“Yeah right.” McGee said nastily, “What do you want anyway?”
“Now McGee…you should not be angry with Agent Keller. It was time our thoughts and concerns came out into the open. You are upset and angry with Tony and with Gibbs for allowing Tony’s behavior.”
“That’s true, Miss David. However, your anger is misplaced.”
“You can’t tell us how to feel!” Tim shouted. He was standing now.
“McGee!” Came a growl from behind.
They all turned to the stairs leading to MTAC. Gibbs, followed by the director, Dr. Mallard and Tony were descending the last platform.
Jessica Keller let them reach the cubicles before addressing him.
“That wasn’t necessary, Agent Gibbs. Agent McGee simply got excited. I do not and did not feel in any way threatened.”
Tim felt slightly annoyed by that statement, even though he had no intention of hitting her. The severe look on Gibbs face held his tongue.
“I thought that once…now I’m not so sure I know him at all.”
Ziva’s eyes widened and she turned to see the hurt look on Tim’s face. Angry, she rounded on Gibbs.
“We also thought we knew you better, Sir.” Gibbs eyes flashed, making her grin triumphantly, “I…we were not aware that you were the kind of team leader that blatantly chose favorites!”
“That’s enough!” Both Tim and Ziva intended to protest and Gibbs was going to retaliate, but Vance stopped them, “I don’t want to hear another word.”
Director Vance narrowed his eyes. Gibbs walked around them to his desk, pushing Tony along. Ducky followed. Gibbs sat Tony down in his chair and stood beside him. Ducky pulled a chair over.
“Now, Agent Keller came to me with an exercise that I think may be helpful. Today’s session will proceed as scheduled. The rest of your day, well, this week, will be centered around a new experiment.”
“What kind of experiment?” Ziva asked.
“I’m going to let Miss Keller explain. Just be advised. This experiment has been given my approval and personal endorsement. Everyone in this building has been notified,” he turned to Agent Keller, “I leave the rest to you. I’ll see you at noon. Good luck.”
“Alright, this is what is going to happen. Pay attention.”
All eyes were on her.
“Our last session brought up a big issue. You two do not trust your Senior Field Agent, Agent DiNozzo. This issue, I’m sure, is one of the reasons this teams has slowly been deteriorating. I still believe there is another that awaits my attention, but for now, we will work on fixing this one.”
“What experiment are you going to perform on us?” Tim asked, fearing it was something painfully physical.
Ignoring his question, Keller continued, “Tim, you seem to have a deep, emotional issue. When I first met this team, I assumed that you and Tony were good friends. You acted like brothers competing for fatherly affection, attention from others, girls, and praise. I sense, though, that there is something deeper that you have yet to voice.”
“I just can’t stand how he always….”
“Not now. Later. I am just making an observation. Ziva, you are very used to being the best. You had special training at Mossad and you learned your responsibilities here very quickly. There are certain things, I believe, that bother you that you also don’t tell anyone about. This must change, people.”
“He is just so….”
Keller held up a hand, “So, this is what we’re doing. Tony is going to step down, temporarily, from his role as Senior Field Agent. The two of you are going to fill that position for the entire week.”
Tim and Ziva’s eyes lit up.
“Really?!” Tim’s voice squeaked.
Ziva and him turned to grin at Tony gleefully. Tony just smiled back at them, if only to prove that this didn’t bother him in the slightest. Gibbs looked annoyed and Ducky seemed concerned.
“You’ll see, Boss. I have read the manual over and over. I know everything that a PROPER Senior Field Agent is supposed to be like. We won’t let you down, Boss.”
“Yes, Gibbs. You will understand how much better suited we both are for the job.”
“You really do believe that, don’t you?” Gibbs asked.
“Yes,” They said.
Tony shifted in his seat. Maybe they would be better than he was. Tim would have no trouble breezing through the paperwork and computer duties. Ziva could more than adequately handle covering Gibbs’ six. Neither one of them goofed around on duty like he did. His shoulders slumped with each realization.
He felt an old, steady hand clasp his forearm. Ducky was trying to reassure him. He had two of the most important people in his life on his side, supporting him. He realized then, that was all he needed.
“Don’t get all excited yet. You haven’t heard everything.”
They turned their attention to her once more. They tried to look professional, but they couldn’t hide their elation. They could not wait to show up DiNozzo.
“Agent DiNozzo has been a Senior Field Agent for almost nine years. He has been doing this alone. This week, you two will be sharing the responsibilities of Senior Field Agent. Keep that in mind as the week progresses.”
“I am sure that we can handle it, Agent Keller.” Ziva said confidently.
“Yeah. Tony spends most of his day goofing off, making jokes and eating pizza. I think that, if he can do the job while doing nothing for half the time, then together, Ziva and I can do it.”
Keller nodded, “This is the most recent list of duties a Senior Field Agent is tasked with doing. Though, please understand, this list is not current. Anything that is missing from that list, the others will have to teach you along the way.”
She handed them a handout, “Tony is not to help you in any way. If you have questions, you must ask your team leader or the director. You will be treated by everyone here at NCIS as Senior Field Agents. The same expectations that Tony upheld, you will be expected to do the same.”
“And you will answer to me when you do not perform to the best of your ability. This is to be taken seriously.” Gibbs added, even as he was answering his cell.
“Then good luck to you both. I will be observing.”
“Thank you for this…”
“Grab your gear…another body was found in Arlington.”
Gibbs was already at the elevator with Tony. His team followed. As the doors were closing, Agent Keller thought about the lesson Tim and Ziva were about to learn. She grinned, thinking about the possible success of this experiment. She just hoped it didn’t blow up in her face.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sec Nav demands the addition of a new member to team Gibbs. She is a therapist from the FBI sent to fix the team before their issues destroy what they have.