Definitely NOT Gibbs
Epilogue
After such a demanding case, the whole team, minus its newest member, were having a drink in their favorite bar. The same one where Tim met Joy the first time. McGee looks around the bar and then stares at the bar counter, remembering their encounter and being surprised at how fast things had changed between them, from strangers to lovers, then from acquaintances who would never see each other again to partners on the job.
Tony notices the distracted air in his younger partner, and takes the chance of digging some of the dirt on the two probies.
"So Probie, tell us what happened when you met Probette."
"Stop calling me that, and stop calling her that," says McGee, annoyed, "she is still very angry with you about this."
"Ah, come on McGee. Give us all the dirty details."
"You met her before, McGee?" Abby wants to know in a jealous tone of voice. Gibbs is just watching his junior agent, sipping his bourbon.
"I just bought her a drink," retorts McGee.
"If it was only a drink, why do you blush, every single time we mention it?" Ziva wants to know.
"Ziva," McGee struggles with words, not really wanting to reveal what happened that night but knowing that, if he doesn't say anything, they won't let him alone. The team keeps pushing him for details, Gibbs just waits for him to fold to peer pressure.
Finally he looks at Ziva and, with a very serious expression on his face, asks "Ziva, how did you feel after Somalia?"
"What does it have to do with Agent Buchanan?"
"Everything, just answer my question."
"I don't like talking about that time."
McGee nods. "Neither does Buchanan." Everyone around the table, including Gibbs is paying attention to him now.
"Imagine how you felt after we rescued you in Somalia, multiply it by 10 and you will know how she felt on the night I met her," he adds seriously.
"I had no idea," whispers Ziva, with new understanding in her eyes.
"That vodka on ice was the only drink she had that night because if she started drinking, really drinking," he looks at his own drink, "I don't think she probably would have stopped any time soon."
Tony for once has a somber air about him. "Sorry dude, I had no idea."
"You've seen her, she's not really open to people. Maybe that's why she opened to me, she was counting on never seeing me again."
"Yet now she is your partner," interrupts Gibbs. "Will that bring problems to you later on?"
McGee frowns. "I don't know. On one side, it is good because we started working as if we were in synch, we knew each other, you see. In others, there are times when she is profiling or thinking that she simply looks just…"
"Aloof," says Tony.
"Lost," says Ziva.
"No, damaged," says McGee. He finishes his drink and stands up, "I gotta get another drink," and goes to the counter.
Gibbs follows him and sits by his side.
"Boss, I can explain."
"How damaged?"
"How…. I don't know if I can explain it."
"I need to know if she is a good addition to the team or if she will be a hindrance."
"Boss, you've seen her working with the team, she is good, she…"
"I've seen her working with you, McGee. Only you. She is not really a team player," That shuts him up. "And I've seen you guys. "
"Seen where?"
"Interrogation room number four," says Gibbs, and he can literally see the wheels turning in his agent's head.
McGee starts to panic.
"You did?"
"Yes,"
"Boss I can explain…"
"She was giving you a lesson on profiling 101."
McGee furiously reviews the conversation on his mind, and visibly relaxes when he doesn't remember anything revealing.
You are so busted, Tim, thinks Gibbs.
"So is she?" McGee looks confused at the question.
"Damaged," clarifies Gibbs. McGee looks down at his drink, and sighs. "A wise person once told me that," he looks at Gibbs, "we are all damaged, some are just better in hiding it than others."
Gibbs nods. "I will be watching her." McGee nods. "I will be watching you." McGee looks at Gibbs with a guarded expression. "Don't disappoint me." He stands up to return to the table, but stops when McGee calls him up. "Boss," he turns back "when… Ah… before…" "McGee, spill," asks Gibbs impatiently.
McGee looks with a sincere and tormented look in his eyes, "she needed me, Boss, she needed someone to fall back on," "I know," he sips his drink looking at his agent, "and I am happy she found you when she needed it most."
He turns his back and starts walking.
"That's it?" McGee wants to know, astonished. Gibbs stops and looks at his agent.
"No preaching, no lectures on rule number 12?"
"No."
McGee looks at Gibbs in a confused manner. He smirks back at his younger agent.
"You both are two consenting adults, McGee." McGee still looks confused. "Would my lecturing stop you?"
McGee looks at Gibbs, thinking fiercely about it. Gibbs smirks at him and returns to the team's table.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
The team disbanded a little before midnight. McGee went home, got changed intocomfortable clothes and was getting ready to walk Jetro when he heard a soft knock on the door.
Who could it be at this time? He goes to his safe, collects his gun and slowly approaches the door.
"Who is it?"
No answer.
He gets the chain loose and opens the door, looks around and sees a figure walking down the corridor.
"Hey," he calls. The figure turns. It is Buchanan. She must have gone home to change, as she is in a comfortable white hippie skirt and a tie-dye top under a blue mid season jacket.
"Hi"
"Hi. I'm sorry for coming so late, I thought you were already asleep so I was leaving."
"No, no, I was just going down with Jetro." They look at each other nervously in the corridor.
"Expecting someone?" She points at the gun in his hand. He looks down at his service weapon.
"No, no," Tim pauses, "please come in."
"You are busy, I will see you tomorrow in the office, it can wait," says Buchanan nervously.
"No, you came all the way here, please," he says pleading at her.
After some seconds of indecision she walks up to the door and enters the small apartment. Jetro is excited to see her again, and she kneels to greet him, rubbing his tummy.
"Who is a good boy?" she is muttering under her breath.
You are pathetic, Tim, thinks McGee, you are jealous of your own dog.
"So, would you like something to drink?" He looks around his kitchen. "Water, tea," he pauses, "I don't have vodka but I think I still have some beers from the last time DiNozzo came over." She smiles.
"No, I'm fine." They stand uncomfortably before each other, as if the room has too many memories for them.
"So…"
"Well, I just wanted to thank you for what you did today."
"I did nothing; you did most of the work."
"The unsub almost bashed my head in with a baseball bat, McGee."
"But you saved me as well." She nods.
"It was a team effort, and we had good results."
"Yes," he smiles, "we make a pretty good team, don't we?"
"Yeah," she smiles at him. Another pause filled with unspoken things.
"That's all, I think. See you in the office then."
"See you in the office." Neither one moves.
"Is there anything…" he pauses "else you wanted to say?"
"No, that's really all."
"Ok," he says without hiding the disappointment in his eyes and his voice.
She looks at him for a second, shakes her head, "I gotta go." She turns to the door and starts opening it.
McGee feels almost like he is having an out-of-body experience. He feels his legs moving as he stands behind Buchanan and forcefully closes the door. His right arm is a little over Buchanan's shoulders, supported against the door and his chest is only a couple of inches away from her back. He looks down at her, and she is frozen in place, with her hand on the doorknob. And she is shaking.
He takes a deep breath, and his nostrils are filled with the faint scent of soap mixed with … he leans over and sniffs again "peaches" he mutters under his breath.
"My skin cream and shampoo have peaches aroma," whispers Buchanan in a soft voice without turning around. They stay silent. Only their breathing can be heard. He silently moves her curls out of his way with his left hand and slowly slides his callused fingers against the skin in her neck. He can feel her goose bumps and her speeding pulse under the skin.
He feels his blood going south and groans when his mind is assaulted by memories of their previous encounter. He slowly, very slowly, slides his left hand down her body, moves it to the front of her body and once it is over her tummy, slowly pulls her against his twitching member, not bothering to hide his state of arousal.
Buchanan feels her insides turning to mush, as she had been in a vague state of arousal since she was downstairs in the car fighting to decide if she should come up or not. She moans when she feels his erection pressing urgently against her lower back, and can't help the reflex of rubbing herself against what her body remembers was the source of unimaginable pleasure.
"This is wrong on soooo many levels," he whispers.
"Why?" she turns in his arms to look at him.
"Gibbs' rule number twelve." She looks at him, confused.
"Uhm?"
"Never date a coworker," he explains. They are in each other's arms studying each other.
"I'm not Gibbs, Tim." He lowers his head until their foreheads touch, their breaths mixing in the air, "and neither are you." She whispers, and looks up at his face, softly studying its features with her eyes.
He looks at her with a fierce frown of concentration on his face. After some seconds, he apparently makes up his mind and leans over and kisses her ravenously. He raises one of his legs and settles it between her legs, and his hands slide to her hips and move her body against his leg, creating a delicious pressure that makes Buchanan moan against his mouth.
"Lose the shoes," he says between kisses, "Uhm?" "Your shoes. Off. Now" He demands fiercely. She kicks them off, he then surprises the hell out of her, grabbing her caveman style over his shoulder and taking her to his room.
"McGee!" she shouts.
He closes the bedroom door.
THE END
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Just for you guys to keep track of the series:
A Geek walks into a Bar
Entertaning angels unaware
Intermezzo
Honor Bound
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