A Mediocre Man

A/N: McGee is caught between who he is and who his father wants him to be. Hints of McAbby and a possible flirtation for Gibbs.

Chapter 1

"Hey, how you doing, buddy?"

McGee jerked his head around. The kid at the counter was thin, wearing a Megadeth t-shirt and ragged jeans. It was the same kid as last time. McGee nodded curtly. He put his key into the post office box and found a slip. He went up to the kid. "Package was too big for the box."

"Yup." The kid slowly rummaged through a table stacked with boxes. McGee glanced up at the clock. 1:34 a.m. He was going to be lucky if he got four hours of sleep.

"What's your box number again?"

"1036." McGee struggled to contain his impatience.

The kid finally held up a package. "Your name?"

McGee cleared his throat. "Tony Gibbs."

"Okay. Here you are."

McGee grabbed the box and headed out. The night was cool and as clear as the city's pollution allowed. He tore off the wrapping and opened the box. It was a bottle of 500 tablets. The last bottle of 300 had lasted less than two months, and just this week, he was taking up to 6 tabs a day. His doctor prescribed him 2 tabs. He shook two into his hand and threw them into the back of his mouth. Then he leaned against his car as he grimaced a dry swallow.

He was about to get into his car when he noticed the kid at the door to the store with his arms folded. The kid grinned at him and then disappeared. McGee's face got hot and he wanted to go back in there and tell the kid to mind his own damn business, but he didn't do that. However, McGee knew that indignation was only a tool allowed for the innocent.

….

He saw her while he was waiting in line for coffee. It was one of those wonderful mornings where the humidity was cut by a fresh breeze off the Anacostia. A mother with four children of varying ages was leaning over the railing staring down at barge on the river. The kids were pointing and waving at the sailors on the barge like they were superheroes. Gibbs smiled at their excitement. Pure delight was an emotion reserved for the very young.

The line was long this morning, but Gibbs waited patiently. This was his caffeine dealer of choice, and he found that as he aged, he didn't easily tolerate the exotic iterations that coffee came in. He wanted a dark roast, a breakfast blend, dressed with nothing but its own steam.

His eyes wandered as he waited, but not from impatience. He had plenty of time to get to his desk and act important while he waited for a callout. His eyes stopped on a woman sitting at a bench leafing through a book. She had hair the same red of his mother: almost a brown red with thick waves down her back. The woman wasn't young, but she wore a sleeveless shift, showing off strong, lean arms and legs. His mother used to wear thin, cotton dresses like that in the summer. Shannon, on the other hand, always preferred torn jeans and t-shirts.

"Agent Gibbs, here is your coffee."

He blinked, his reverie interrupted. "Thanks Darcy. Can, uh, you make it two? I'll take cream with the second one."

Gibbs maintained a certain air of impenetrability when he was at the yard, but it couldn't hurt to share a morning cup with a lovely woman. Darcy smiled when she handed him the second cup. She'd already spotted his conquest. He ignored the amusement in her eyes and took the two cups.

He stopped at the bench. "Is this seat taken?"

She looked up, shading her eyes with a hand. "Uh, no. Sit down."

He sat down, his eyes on the river.

"You're double-fisted with the coffee there."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a naturally shy man around women. They would forever simultaneously beguile and perplex him. He was a man of few words essentially because he could find only a few when he needed them. His blessing was his chiseled good looks. Women tended to forgive eloquence in favor of a handsome smile. He looked down at his coffee. "Well, I was hoping to share the bench, and it seemed prudent to bring a…gift."

"Oh, it's for me." She smiled broadly. He noted the pale freckles on her nose. Her eyes were hazel flecked with gold and green.

"I guessed the cream."

"You guessed correctly," she said reaching for her cup.

"What are you reading?"

She held up a book. "I went to the most wonderful art exhibit last night. Wood artists from around the country are in town for an exhibit at the National Gallery. I have a friend who is in the show, and this is why I went, but I was blown away by the level of craftsmanship and artistry throughout the exhibit."

He raised an eyebrow. "Furniture?"

"No, art made of wood that isn't necessarily functional. Some of it was. Let me show you." She put down her coffee and opened the book. She pointed at pictures of wood sculptures. "See how the artist doesn't carve a design; he merely honors the grain of the wood. It's quite striking, don't you think?"

"It is. That piece must be mahogany."

"Yes, it is. If you're a fan of furniture, they had a section on it. I think it's in the back of the book somewhere."

He chuckled. "I like wood. I mean…what I mean to say that I work with wood. I'm sort of a carpenter…sometimes a craftsman. Not to this extent. I make boats…and other stuff. It's what I like to do when I'm not working."

"Well, you should go see this exhibit. It's only going to be in D.C. another couple of weeks."

"Are you an artist?"

She shook her wavy hair at the breeze. "The answer is no if you're asking if I make my living with art, but I do like to paint. I like to write poetry."

"What brought you to the Navy Yard?"

She smiled. "My son. I was in town to meet with someone, and it didn't go as planned, but my son is here, and I'm hoping to salvage the trip."

"A son shouldn't keep his mother waiting."

"I'm surprising him actually, which is unwise. Like his father, he hates surprises, and he is very regimented about work. I thought maybe I could catch him, and we could schedule for lunch." She shook her head. "It's a stupid idea, really."

"You're nervous."

She sighed. "His father and I are separated, and we had what he likes to call a summit to discuss the situation. I came expecting one thing and it turns out he has a girlfriend."

Gibbs blew out air. "Sorry."

She shrugged. "That's not the problem. I wasn't hoping to get him back. I can't be what he needs me to be anymore. It was just unexpected. Sort of signaled the end of an era…we'd been together for 36 years."

He watched her.

"And I bet you thought I would be a lot more fun than this." She said as she sipped her coffee.

"No expectations."

"There's an ease about telling this to a stranger."

He nodded. "I know what you mean."

She handed him her book. "So, are you going to go to the exhibit? I bet it will inspire your next project."

"It doesn't sound like my kind of event. I'm a pretty simple guy."

"You'd be surprised. There were lots of jeans and leather jackets there."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Maybe if I had a guide, but the only one I know has already gone."

She looked down at her hands. "Well, I could be persuaded. It was a wonderful show, but it all depends on my son's schedule."

"Hey, I don't know what I was thinking. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Special Agent Leroy—"

"Mom! Is that you?"

She dropped the book in Gibbs' lap and stood up, smiling. "Timothy! It's been too long!"

Gibbs blinked as McGee hugged the beautiful woman and kissed her on the cheek. "What are you doing here, Mom?"

She took a step back. "Oh, you are better looking every time I see you."

"Answer my question."

She put up her hand. "I was trying to visit your father. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I know you must be busy, but I'm staying at Penelope's while she's in Europe and I thought I would drop in on you."

"What happened?"

"Honey, not now. Just be happy to see your mom. Okay?"

He nodded and noticed Gibbs on the bench. "Hey, you got to meet the boss."

Gibbs shifted uncomfortably. "We hadn't really gotten to that point, Tim."

"Oh! Well, Mom, this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs," he said. "And Boss, this is Patricia McGee."

Gibbs got up and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. McGee."

She smiled. "Patty is good, Special Agent Gibbs."

"Ah, you can call me…Jethro."

"Beautiful biblical name."

Gibbs' face colored. "Well, actually, I was named after my father's friend and business partner."

She turned back to McGee. "Tim, I've always wanted to see your work space."

"Mom, it's in the middle of a work day. Besides, it's just a desk. Nothing else. And I have a huge report to finish by noon." He wiped at a sudden burst of perspiration.

"Of course, what was I thinking? I should know better than to show up unannounced."

Gibbs screwed up his face. "Are you kidding, McGee? This is no way to welcome your mother."

"The report, Boss."

"Well, you have a few minutes."

"Not really. Tony didn't email his data until midnight last night."

"Can someone else do the report?" Patricia looked from one to the other.

McGee snorted and Gibbs shook his head. "I'm afraid Tim is our resident magician when it comes to this particular skill set, but we're not going to let that slow us down. No reason why you can't come up and meet the rest of the team."

She grinned. "I've been waiting years to meet Tony."

McGee rolled his eyes. "Oh God, this is going to be annoying."

….

Tony glanced at McGee's empty desk. "He's such a McScrooge today."

Ziva scowled. "You didn't get him your data until midnight last night. What do you expect?"

Tony smiled. "He loves it when my data is late. He can fuss about how he has an impossible task and complain about how it's all my fault and then he puts that brain and those little magic fingers to work and he gets it done. Every single time. And then Gibbs acts all impressed. I got my data in late to put him in a better mood."

Ziva made a face. "That's seriously twisted, Tony."

Tony pondered the idea. "But brilliant, right?"

Ziva rolled her eyes. "He is not your toy to play with as you please."

"Oh, but he is, Ziva, and before you get too indignant, our little geekster isn't so clueless that he doesn't know what I'm up to. Our McMartyr loves the challenge and the ultimate salvation in defeating my inefficiency."

"It's not going to help him."

He grimaced. "I wish it would. What the hell is wrong with him? He's jittery, can't sit still. It's beyond his usual dose of nervous energy."

"Spending time with his father has been hard on him."

"How do you know? He won't talk about it with me."

She sighed. "You can tell. He looks so stressed after a visit. It's good that his father is getting his chemo at Bethesda, and I thought it would be good that McGee had such regular access to him, but…I don't know."

"I know what all that jitteriness reminds me of."

She shot him a hard look. "Don't say it."

"Okay, we'll just say that Probie is worried because the old man is sick," Tony drawled and then his attention was stolen by Gibbs coming off the elevator. "Oh my God! Is that who I think it is?"

Ziva stood. "She's beautiful."

Tony grinned. "That's my new mom!"

Ziva turned and frowned at him, but Tony walked past her with a big smile. "Patty!"

"Tony!" The red-headed woman said. She came forward and let him envelop her in a hug. McGee looked at the ceiling.

Tony pulled away and cocked his head. "I didn't know you were going to be in town."

Gibbs gave him a strange look as he passed them and went to his desk.

"Well, it wasn't advertised. I went to see John."

Tony winced. "Oh, how did that go?"

McGee took his mother's arm, pulling her away from DiNozzo.

"Come on, McGee. You can share. She always wanted a second son."

Tim ignored him as he led her to Ziva. "Ziva, this is my mother, Patricia McGee."

Ziva impulsively hugged her. "I've heard so much about you."

"And I have about you, my dear Ziva. You are gorgeous! Those eyes! You're a modern day Mona Lisa!"

Ziva blushed. "You are the beautiful one. And I have been waiting years to meet my dear friend and partner's mother. Will you be here for a while?"

Patricia looked at Tim. "I think I might be. I'm staying at Penny's house right now. She's in Europe, and I literally have nothing pressing to return to in California."

"Good!" Tony said. "We'll hang out."

"Get your own mom, Tony."

He sighed and turned to McGee. "I can't. She died when I was ten."

Everyone got silent for a moment. McGee looked down at his feet. "I know. I'm an idiot. It's just weird with you being so familiar with her."

"Yeah, DiNozzo, how did that happen?" Gibbs raised a brow.

Patricia jumped in. "It's my fault really. Tim is like his father. He internalizes his stress. I ask him how he is and I get nothing back other than, 'I'm fine, Mom'. One day when I called, Tony answered, and I will admit that he did a great job of letting me know how Tim really was doing. So we exchanged numbers."

Tony shrugged. "Sometimes I call her for advice. It's not a bad thing."

McGee deflated. "It's weird."

"Do you want me to stop talking to Tony?"

"No," he said crossly. "I know I shut down when things are stressful. I'm glad you have someone who helps you feel better informed as long as he doesn't scare with stuff you don't need to know."

"Tony is very circumspect."

"Well, that's not the Tony I know, but I guess I'm glad the two of you can be friends. I'm just getting used to it is all." Tim was still talking to his feet and Gibbs thought about how people so easily revert to their childhood behaviors in front of their parents.

"Can I have a tour?" Patty said clasping her hands.

"I have a report to finish. Remember?"

Tony stepped up. "That's what your big brother is here for, Tim. Allow me."

Gibbs shook his head. "Plant that considerable behind in your chair, DiNozzo. You're doing all the DD-5's for the week."

"What!?"

"Consequence of getting your data in late."

"I was trying…I was trying to help the probie."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Sit down and get started. I had Dorneget bring up a pile this morning. Mrs. McGee, I would be happy to give that tour now."

"Only if you call me Patty." She smiled and offered him her elbow.

…..

"He's everything Penny said and more," she said as they walked toward Abby's lab. "That Scottish accent and those manners!"

Gibbs smiled. "Ducky is a pretty remarkable guy. He's been an extraordinary friend and a brilliant medical examiner."

She took his arm. "I'll admit that I have been waiting to meet Abby for a very long time. Tim has talked about her most of all."

"She's very special and more than a little…eccentric. Expect the unexpected," Gibbs said as he ran into the lab door. His reflexes saved him any real embarrassment and he stood back and frowned. "She doesn't usually lock this door. Hold on."

He knocked on the door and got no answer. Then he hit her number on his phone and waited, "Abbs!...Okay…okay…one minute."

He sighed. "Uh, apparently she's working on a big case. I'm going to have you sit in this conference room while I check on her."

He got her settled and then banged on the lab door. "Abby!"

A long arm reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him inside. Abby shut the door behind him, locking it securely.

"What was that all about?"

She paced back and forth in front of him. "I can't believe he didn't tell me she was coming! He is in so much trouble!"

"McGee? He is as surprised as the rest of us."

"That's what he says."

"No Abbs, I was there. He was surprised."

"Really? I yelled at him when he told me she was on her way down."

"Then I guess you better apologize. I think he already getting plenty of criticism these days."

"His eyes are funny, Gibbs. Watch his eyes."

"I know."

"What is she doing here?"

"She wants to see her son and meet his friends. She's very nice, Abby."

"I know," she said. "She's the best. He let me talk to her on the phone once and she was amazing, but I can't meet her like this."

"Why not?"

"Look at me!" Abby held out her "Punk Rock Rules" t-shirt.

Gibbs stood back and surveyed her. "You look like you."

"I know! It's my dog collar day and look at the cute skulls I stamped on my black nail polish. I look way too much like me."

"I don't get it."

"I want to make a good first impression, Gibbs."

He snorted. "Well, it's not like she's going to be your mother-in-law or anything."

Abby bit her lip and looked at the floor.

He blinked. "Okay, that's the second time today I've said something incredibly stupid."

"Just tell me that today is not my only chance to meet her."

"She wants to take all of us out tomorrow night to dinner."

Tomorrow night? I can do that!" She smiled brightly. "I'll shop. I'll be sophisticated Abby. It'll be great!"

"Okay, well until "sophisticated" Abby gets here, do you think "punk rock "Abby could allow the rest of the agency access to her lab?"

She smirked. "Just as long as "foot in mouth" Gibbs can keep Patty McGee away for a day."

"Will do."

"Oh, and Gibbs, tell her…how excited I am to meet her."

…..

Patty looked up when he came in. "Abby's busy?"

"Yeah. Sorry. But she is very much looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night." Gibbs sat down across from her.

"Is this part of the tour?"

"Earlier today, I didn't recognize you, and I…acted…what I'm trying to say is that I apologize if I came off as—"

"Apologize? I thought it was your rule never to apologize."

"He's told you a lot. I made that rule as a young man, and I have found that its one rule that hasn't always stood the test of time."

"It's not an issue, Gibbs. We were both enjoying the summer sun and the possibility of something new. There's no harm in that."

"I'm Jethro."

She smiled and he liked how the crinkles at the corner of her eyes turned up. "Good. Maybe, we can be friends."

"You really here to see the admiral?"

She sighed. "He was my first stop, but I think we both know that I'm here because something is wrong with my son."

"You think the admiral has something to do with it?"

She bit her lip. "John is a good man underneath all the arrogance. He loves Tim with all of his heart. It has meant a lot for Tim to be around during this time, but…I know you've met him, I just don't know how much you've seen."

"I saw enough. I never saw him get past the arrogance. He was really hard on Tim."

She blinked and he could see the moisture gathering in her eyes. "Right now, he's angry, frustrated, and helpless. Imagine a bear caught in a trap."

"You went to see him. Did he agree to back off on Tim?"

She shook her head. "I wounded him badly when I left last year. You say you didn't recognize me and yet there is a picture of me on Tim's desk."

"That was a blonde woman in a suit."

"It turns out the wives in the admiralty wear uniforms too. He liked my hair blonde and straight with enough makeup to cover my freckles. I wore silk, linen, or wool and high heels at all times. I was a good wife for a very long time."

"He doesn't like the real Patty."

"I was Tricia when I left, but I grew up Patty. That's who I went to find. Now, he says I look like a farm wife, but it doesn't matter. I feel free."

"He didn't want to hear you about Tim, did he?"

"No. Not at all. According to him, our son is coming to terms with the bad choices he's made career wise."

Gibbs looked away. "The man doesn't respect his son's choices. Hard for me to equate that with love."

"I'm struggling with it too right now."

"You can't help him if you make excuses for your husband. That man is selfish."

"Wow! You don't pull any punches, do you?"

"You had to run away to find yourself. That should tell you everything you need to know." Gibbs got up. "Take a few minutes. Your son should be ready to go to lunch in half an hour."

She sighed deeply and dropped her head in her hands as he closed the door behind him.

…..

Pamela came down the stairs fast and her eyes swept the bullpen. Tony looked up at her. "Looking for terrorists?"

"Where's McGee?"

Ziva looked up. "Lunch. His mom is in town. Gibbs gave him the afternoon off."

"No! Get him back here!"

Tony stood. "What's going on?"

"There's been a mistake!" She was speaking in a harsh whisper as she leaned over the railing.

"Get down here!" Tony said firmly.

She trotted down the rest of the steps and then looked around to see if anyone was listening. "The report is a mess. I found two mistakes in the first page alone."

Ziva frowned. "That's not like McGee."

"I have to get that report to the GAO by tomorrow morning. If the director finds out…it is not going to be pretty."

"Email me the report. Ziva and I will work on it."

She gave him a strange look. "I thought McGee was the numbers guy."

"Well, Pamela, today the Israeli and I are the numbers guys."

"When is the latest time you'll take it?" Ziva asked.

"I'm going to be at my desk until 7 p.m. Wouldn't it just be easier to call McGee back in?"

Tony looked at Ziva. "Not this time."

TBC