Author's note: I came up with this idea when the capture of bin Laden was announced, but for some reason I never wrote it.
Happy Independence Day to my American friends.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS etc etc...
It started out as an ordinary workday. The MCRT worked one of its usual complement of cases, surrounded by a myriad of agents working a myriad of smaller cases.
Today brought a particularly tricky embezzlement case. A Navy Captain had managed to siphon off hundreds of thousands of dollars from a number of Pentagon credit cards, routing the money through multiple banks in as many countries. McGee was downstairs in the lab with Abby where he'd been most of the day, trying to track the money trail. Tony and Ziva were in the bullpen with Gibbs, searching for any hint of accomplices.
No one knew where the rumour started. Someone brought the news back from lunch, and soon it was the talk of the building. The President would be making an announcement that afternoon, and it was big. The most important announcement in almost a decade. Soon the rumour was confirmed; the President would be addressing the nation soon, and it was something that shouldn't be missed.
At first the crowd around the TV in the bullpen was small- just Gibbs' team, with the addition of Abby, Ducky and Palmer- but as the time grew closer, the crowd got larger until people were jostling one another to try and see the screen.
Silence fell as the President began to speak. "My fellow Americans..."
...
After the first, brief moment of shock and awe, McGee looked around at the people who'd become his surrogate family. Beside him, Abby's green eyes were wide with excitement. Tony was grinning hugely, as was Palmer next to him. Ziva clutched her Star of David pendant while she murmured something in Hebrew. Ducky wore a look of relief, and even Gibbs had let his usual impassive expression slide and wasn't bothering to hide his smile.
No one seemed to want to be the first to move after the announcement had finished. It was as if moving would break the spell, and the incredible news that they'd just heard would be found to be a dream. After a long moment, the Director moved from his position on the mezzanine, passing through the crowd that split before him and stopping in front of the Wall. The Wall had 10 photos of NCIS's most wanted criminals; some had been killed, some had been captured, but it was every agent's dream to see every face on that Wall crossed out.
Carefully, making sure the tape was perfectly aligned, Vance slowly stuck the red strip across the photo in the number one spot.
From somewhere in the back of the crowd came a clap. It was followed by another, and then another, until the whole crowd was applauding. As he joined in, McGee took another look at his colleagues. They were realists, for the most part, and they knew that this wasn't going to be a simple solution to the war on terror. Another person would step up and take on the role of the head of the most hated terrorist organisation on the planet. But it was a symbol, and right now only one thing mattered.
The good guys were winning.