Tim sat there trying not to look sullen. The transfer to the Cyber Crimes Unit had not been going to plan. Not that he had planned on coming here in the first place but still. He always tried to make the best of everything.

So far it had just been going terribly wrong.

When he was with Gibbs' team he was the computer expert. Gibbs didn't particularly care how he got the information he needed in fact often he didn't even want to know where it came from. Gibbs just wanted it now. So he had got in the habit of breaking the odd Federal law on occasion.

But it was always to assist with a case. Ok so occasionally to get theatre tickets.

He had worked hard to fit into Gibbs' team and become a good field agent, learning to pre-empt what might be needed of him and learning all the unspoken rules of the game. He even felt like he was getting the hang of being intimidating during interrogation.

But it seemed that none of the rules he had painstakingly learned seemed to be doing him any good at CCU.

He watched as his supervisor practically had a coronary continuing the tirade that had been going on for more than half an hour.

"And so you pulled a knife on him? What the hell were you doing with a knife in the first place? You discover and track and then you hand the information over to a field unit to pursue. You DO NOT burst through the door armed to the teeth and scare the hell out of a High School extra credit study class!"

McGee just rolled his eyes. Special credit his ass.

"And that was yesterday. What about this afternoon? You kicked someone through a plate glass window in front of a dozen diners? You shot his accomplice through the shoulder?"

McGee started to explain once again the danger of the situation and how he had in fact prevented the drop of five millions dollars going down and how there hadn't been time to call for backup as it was happening right in front of him. Mr Douglas just held up his hand for silence, glared at McGee and then continued his rant.

McGee decided he wasn't going to be given a fair trial and commiserated instead over the tears in his new suit. A long slit down the left sleeve from the guy's knife, one knee ripped through completely as they tumbled up against that statue and a thousand little loose threads from the shattered glass he had clambered through.

He had wanted to make a good impression and look sharp for this new team. Instead a tremendous amount of money had gone into expensive suits which seemed to last only a few days before they were ruined beyond repair.

"Look McGee. I had heard you were good and when Vance asked me if we could use you I said yes. Don't make me regret that. Because you are good, almost too good. You need to slow down and follow the rules. They are there for a reason. Get warrants before you hack into any servers not after. Don't rig private companies' security cameras on the off chance that the suspect might drive through. You are not a vigilante, you are representing the Government of the United States. Don't just go gallivanting off in that Porsche of yours following some obscure lead without verifying it through the chain of command. And if that takes time you don't have then so be it.

Understand?"

Tim nodded not caring if he looked sullen with his split swollen lip, messy hair and torn suit.

"Yes I understand"

"Yes I understand ……?"

"Sir"

"That's better. Now I'm glad we had this little chat and I hope I didn't scare you too much with my harsh ways. Now off you…"

Harsh ways? Please Tony was scarier when he forgot to pick up his dry cleaning let alone when Gibbs hadn't had his morning coffee yet. Tim walked out the room before Supervisor Douglas could finish.

Tim strode down the hallway, feeling resentment bubbling up inside of him. How about thank you McGee for having the highest take down rate the CCU's ever seen and you've only been here a few weeks. How about thank you McGee for all the extra hours you have been putting in helping some of the others in the unit? The others who aren't as good?

Tim suddenly walked into Debra as she rounded the corner.

"Ouch don't tell me the Bad Boy of the CCU's got into another fight?"

Tim shrugged and tried not to laugh at the idea that he was the equivalent in this quiet controlled buttoned up world of a bad boy.

Ok so maybe telling them all that he had been charged with accidental homicide just that once, Abby had handcuffed him down in Ballistics that time (technically true) they had had sex in her coffin (definately true) his stalker had killed two people trying to protect him, he had hacked the Pentagon trying to save that little girl and her mother and various other stories from his time with Gibbs hadn't helped.

"Perp smashed my new phone, pulled a knife on me so I kicked him through a plate glass window. Broke his collar bone, got his confession on the way to hospital. They were trying to access via Switzerland but we were able to shut him down just in time."

Debra, he couldn't help noticing was standing very close and was running her hand up his chest in a rather pleasant fashion.

"Really…. You didn't get hit in the head did you?"

"Ahh no. Everywhere else in the last 48 hours but not there. Why?"

"Well you might have concussion. And then you would need someone to watch out for you…. All… night… long" Debra finished this line in a breathy seductive voice with her mouth very close to his ear and he could hear her lick her lips.

Tim smiled at pretty Debra and her trim legs and long hair. There was one plus about not having Gibbs rules to live by anymore. He could date whatever coworker he liked.

"You know I do think I feel a headache coming on. Perhaps for the good of the unit you should keep an eye on me?"

Tim tried to look suave and dangerous and must have pulled it off as Debra smiled at him cheekily as she ran her thumb over his swollen bottom lip "You know Timothy I do believe you are catching on"

(Kind of just a long drabble again exploring the time away from Gibbs team as it has shaped them all in different ways. Look out world when they are all set loose. They will all come back together again I just hope McGee gets to do some cool stuff to tell Tony about when they get back!)