Intended for fun only; I don't own 'em, but I love 'em.
CHAPTER I: Changes in Store
"You wanted to see me, Jen?" NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs leaned through the doorway into the director's office.
Director Jen Shepard looked up from the papers on her desk. "Come in, and shut the door behind you, Special Agent Gibbs," she said.
Gibbs' eyebrows rose a couple of centimeters. So this was going to be a formal session. He wasn't aware that he'd broken any rules recently. What did she have up her sleeve?
He did as she ordered and sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.
"We're going to be discussing a couple of personnel issues," she explained, putting all but two folders into her desk drawer.
From the looks of it, one of those folders was his personnel jacket, thought Gibbs. As she pulled it toward her and opened it, his sharp eyes indeed caught his name on the tab. The director studied it for a moment, and then looked up at him.
"How long has it been since you took vacation time?" she asked.
"Well," he replied, "I've taken a few days here and there."
"More than a week at a time?"
"Uh, well, I guess it's been a while, and you're about to tell me, aren't you?" He smiled his most ingratiating smile.
"It has been far too long," Shepard stated.
"Are you going to order me to take some vacation time?" He tried to keep his tone even and pleasant, but he couldn't help feeling a tinge of irritation.
"I'll get to that in a minute," she replied. "Before that, there's something else I want to ask."
She closed his file and opened the second one.
"I want you to give me a candid assessment of Special Agent DiNozzo's abilities," she said.
Gibbs was surprised. "We just did his annual evaluation a couple of weeks ago, Jen. It's all in there. His behavior's sometimes a little immature, especially where women are concerned, but he's one of the best investigators I've ever worked with."
Director Shepard waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes," she said, "that's all in here. And I agree with you. He is a good investigator. He's also extraordinarily effective at putting together a synthesis of information and coming up with the right answers. What I want to know right now is whether he has leadership ability. Could he be a team leader? Is he ready for that?"
Gibbs' surprise grew. He liked the team he had now. The loss of Kate Todd had been almost unbearable, but the director, newly appointed to her post at the time of Kate's death, had immediately added Mossad Officer Ziva David to the team. She was not the person he would have chosen if he'd been given the choice, but David was learning from the best to be an investigator and not just a spy and a counter-terrorist. However, she was still a member of Mossad and might be recalled at any moment. Losing DiNozzo and David from the team at approximately the same time would mean rebuilding it again. On the other hand, DiNozzo was a talented investigator, was doing a good job, and deserved to be promoted.
Gibbs looked at the director for a long moment. "Yes," he said, "I think he's ready. I'll hate like hell to lose him, but he deserves a chance to advance in his career."
"Good," replied Shepard. "What I wanted to hear." She paused for a moment and glanced again at what was obviously DiNozzo's personnel file.
"SecNav and I have been discussing a request from the Secretary of Defense. As you know, part of the NCIS mission is to actively participate in the war on terrorism, which isn't going all that well right now. One problem is that it's very hard to get good intel on which member of which terrorist organization is going to strap on a bomb belt and where he—or she—is going to go with it."
"NCIS is not in the business of gathering intel," Gibbs pointed out.
"Of course we're not," Shepard said. "What we do is go in after the bomb blows and pick up the pieces to see if there are any answers that can be of assistance to the intel people. What the Pentagon wants to do now is to set up one or two new teams in each of the services that already has such teams-- NCIS plus the Army investigators plus the FBI¬¬—all the agencies." She went on. "All those teams would continue to work out of their own headquarters, but they would be doing investigations cooperatively. Each team would be deployable on, literally, an hour's notice, to go anywhere in the world where terrorist crimes are committed. The mission also will include considerably more work on gathering intelligence about terrorist organizations. There'd also be liaison with similar teams from our allies' military."
"Sort of a full court anti-terror press," murmured Gibbs.
"If that's the term you want to use."
She paused, looking down again at the folder in front of her.
"Getting back to the issue of your vacation, what I'd like you to do is to take a minimum of two weeks' time. During that period, DiNozzo will be in charge. If he proves up to the challenge, his name will be on the short list to head one of the new teams. It already is, but both SecNav and I want to be absolutely sure that we wouldn't be making a mistake by giving him this assignment."
If he's as good as we both agree he is, he shouldn't have to prove it," Gibbs protested.
"Not my call, Agent Gibbs," she replied. "This may well be the best opportunity he'll ever have to move upward and make a name for himself, and I would think he'd be eager to display his abilities."
"What if he doesn't want the opportunity?"
"I suspect he will, if for no other reason than to prove to you that he's just as good as you are."
Gibbs allowed himself a small, assenting smile.
"Then far be it from me to stand in the way of his opportunity, but I want it on the record that I think any kind of test is unnecessary, and maybe even a little insulting to Tony."
"So noted."
For the next few minutes, they discussed the details. Gibbs would begin his leave at 1700 the coming Friday. He would plan to leave town, maybe even the country, travel to someplace that no one else would suspect he'd go to, and leave behind his cell and all other means of contact. DiNozzo would be the acting team leader at 7:00 a.m. the following Monday, in full charge of any cases that came through the door for the next two weeks.
Shortly after leaving the director's office, Gibbs swept back into the bull pen, trailed by Dr. Mallard, Mallard's assistant, and Abby the labby, whom he'd picked up on his way back.
"Listen up, people. I have an announcement. As of Friday, I'll be on two weeks' leave. In my absence, DiNozzo will be in charge."
As Tony started to grin, Abby grabbed him in a big hug. "Neato, oh gorgeous one," she said with delight. Dr. Mallard patted him on the arm: "Well done, lad." David and McGee exchanged looks that said clearly they weren't sure exactly how to take the news that for two weeks DiNozzo would be their boss.
Their congratulations were short-lived, however, as Gibbs barked, "Everyone get back to work. We have reports to write and cold cases to solve before I leave."
He approached Tony's desk. "Conference room, DiNozzo."
The two men stepped into the elevator. Gibbs first pressed the "down" button, but as the cab began to move, he toggled the "stop" switch.
There was a long moment of silence, which DiNozzo broke by clearing his throat and starting to say "Thanks, boss."
"Don't thank me. The director suggested it."
"The director, boss? I don't understand." DiNozzo was clearly amazed that Director Shepard would have given any thought to him, let alone a positive thought.
"I wasn't told not to tell you this, but I figure you deserve to know what it's all about. She thinks, and I agree, that you're ready to be considered for promotion. This is by way of being a test."
"A test, boss?
Gibbs explained the new teams that were to be deployed and that DiNozzo was considered a prime candidate to lead one of them.
From the look of delight that spread across the younger man's face, Gibbs knew that he understood the implications of the new assignment and that he would be looking forward to, as the director had said, proving to Gibbs that he was just as good as the boss. Gibbs smiled at DiNozzo, grasping his arms and giving him a slight shake.
"I told the director no tests were necessary, that if you're good enough to consider, you should just be promoted. No screwing around. I also told her I think you're ready to move up. Although I'm going to hate like hell losing my best agent."
DiNozzo's grin grew. "You really think that, boss?"
"Congratulations, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, grinning broadly. "You deserve it. Just don't screw up and prove the director and me totally wrong."
"I won't, boss," breathed DiNozzo. "I won't."
Gibbs turned and snapped the "stop" toggle back to normal. "All right. Let's get back to work and clear up some of those cases littering our desks before I leave." He reached up and slapped the back of DiNozzo's head.
"Thank you, boss. On it, boss."
Story Notes:
1.In my NCIS, the squad room is the whole big room with all of the teams; the bull pen is where Gibbs' team lives. (2)Don't know DC area at all; if I've made any really bad errors, let me know.
3. This is my very first fanfic ever; feedback appreciated but please be kind.
Author's Chapter Notes:
DiNozzo solves a mystery the old-fashioned way.
Chapter End Notes:
1.In my NCIS, the squad room is the whole big room with all of the teams; the bull pen is where Gibbs' team lives. (2)Don't know DC area at all; if I've made any really bad errors, let me know.
3. This is my very first fanfic ever; feedback appreciated but please be kind.
3. This is my very first fanfic ever; feedback appreciated but please be kind.