Warming: Some chapters contain child abuse.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters and I earn no money of this story of fiction.
Written inspired by the NFA challenge No More DADT
Gibbs was coming down the stairs from the Director's Office when he heard the conversation between his agents and of course, it was Tony who took the lead.
"Don't ask don't tell is history then…. Hm what do you think, Probie?"
"I don't." Tim didn't even look up from his computer screen as he gave the muffled vague response which didn't really answer the question posed.
"You don't what?" Ziva asked.
"I don't have an opinion. Or rather I have one but want to keep to myself, if that's alright with you." The answer to her question was absent as Tim tried to finish the work that he was doing.
Gibbs was not sure what to think about that particular answer. When he was young, times were different. They were brought up to think differently and unless someone was indeed homosexual or attracted to both sexes, they tended to stay out of conversations of the kind. Then there were those who could go as far as attack, brutally more often than not, and call homosexuals sick, if not worse. Tim had never done that in the past and Gibbs had caught both Tim and Tony verbally fooling around about that situation, but this time, Tim seemed to be feeling bad about the conversation and for whatever reason, wanted to step back from it.
He didn't have the time to think more about the young man's reaction when Tony saw him.
"How about you, Boss?"
"What DiNozzo?"
"What do you think about gays in the Army?"
"Some are fine good fighters DiNozzo." Green eyes looked at him and he could see the confusion that reined in them. Once again, he couldn't follow through his musings because his mobile rang and disrupted his thoughts.
"Grab your gear." He said as he hung up and shook his head slightly. This case was really close to the conversation they had just had and he thought it was a weird coincidence that it had come up now.
And it was apparently because some people had taken the new law even worse than Timothy McGee had. Gibbs cynically wondered how many men were used in order to beat to death and more or less to brutalize two tall, well built and fit men like their victims were.
He glanced at Jimmy who was standing behind Ducky, clearly not certain if he should stay and watch or go and throw up. Seeing someone as used to death as he was looking green, brought home how severe this really was. Despite this, Mr. Palmer remained stoically behind his supervisor as one of his men left the crime scene quickly. His fast footsteps echoing loudly as he went.
Gibbs barked orders to the remaining members of his team and followed McGee outside, only to almost stumble upon him as he was on his way back looking dreadfully pale, but more composed than before.
"Take photos McGee!' He said instead of asking what was wrong or demanding an explanation.
'Right away Boss." Tim mumbled and left him standing in the doorway alone thinking about the crime scene. Gibbs didn't like where this was heading. Some strong red-necked/hot headed idiots made martyrs of the gay community. Human rights activists, the whole community and those who were seeing homosexuality in the same way as heterosexuality would find a cause to fight back and they would have a good point to. Hell, he was ready to talk about basic human rights himself.
Tony stood behind him, more or less the same way Jimmy had hovered behind Ducky earlier.
"What DiNozzo?" Gibbs stated firmly as he turned round.
"We found some tapes…" His agent said quietly.
"Send them to evidence. One of you will be watching them later. Any particular reason you're telling me that?"
"Well yeah Boss. Probie doesn't look so good."
"And you care about it because…?" Tony took a step back scratching his head while looking Gibbs in the eyes.
"Just telling you Boss."
Tony didn't know when he had started worrying about taking his teasing too far with McGee but sometimes he felt Gibbs' glare burning holes in his head and immediately stopped. In a sense, it was weird and it drove him crazy because he couldn't put his finger on the reason why.
Still, he had his Boss' approval to torment his Probie this time. With a smirk that really shouldn't be there considering the state they had found their victims, Tony returned to the crime scene only to find Tim gone.
"Where's McGoofy?" He asked as he looked around before turning back to Ziva who looked up at him from where she was sitting.
"Ducky and Jimmy left and Ducky wanted McGee's assistance with something. Why?"
Tony kneeled down next to her and leaned in so he could talk more privately. 'Did you notice anything strange with him?'
"No!"
"Ziva…" Her hand covered his and he found himself thankful that it was clean and there was no blood covering it.
"Tony, sometimes you just have to know when to shut up and if you behave, there will be a reward." Tony cocked his head and narrowed his eyes suspiciously but all he gleamed from Ziva, was a tight smirk before she turned and went about processing the crime scene.
Three hours later, they were back at their desks and the atmosphere in their small section of the office was surreal. Tony and Ziva sharing glances with Gibbs glaring at all of them. Tim was checking his notes and watching the photos on the big plasma wondering if they missed anything of importance that would help them crack this case wide open. With a sigh, Gibbs stood up and left them on their own so he could head down to the autopsy lab.
"Ducky, what have you got for me?" He declared as he walked through the pressurised doors.
"Hm if these young men were killed for their sexual preferences, I have to admit their killers had a strange way of showing their adversity to their way of living… and loving." The Doctor was angry and looked tired.
Gibbs moved over to where Gibbs was standing, both looking at the victims and their broken bodies. He glanced at Ducky's sad eyes and then back seeing exactly what had made his usually stoic ME lose all colour…
"Find them Jethro."
Gibbs' foul mood was obvious as he stormed back into the squad room.
"Anything new on the case? Which one of you watched the tapes?" The three members of the MRCT sat there and stared briefly at the other without answering the question. Gibbs glared at his team as they all sat there dumbstruck.
"DiNozzo, you're with me. McGee go to one of the conference rooms and watch the tapes…"
"But Boss…" Tim tried to argue but was cut off by his boss' barked command.
"Now McGee! Ziva, call the neighbours see what you can find." Gibbs was surprised that Tim didn't actually follow his orders and followed him out to corner him in the hall. He threw the keys to Tony and looked his senior agent dead in the eyes.
"Take the stairs." He pulled Tim to the elevator and hit the stop button, noticing how hard Tim was breathing.
"McGee I don't know what's wrong with you, but you'll watch these tapes and see if you can find anything of importance." Tim looked down trying to conceal what Gibbs took as embarrassment. The big surprise would be that Tim proved him wrong and it was in fact anger that radiated from the young man.
"But Boss, what's there of importance?" He intoned the last word just like Gibbs had done.
"That's for you to find McGee!" He re started the elevator without waiting for an answer.
"Why don't you ask Abby to do it?" It wasn't like McGee to question his orders but Gibbs had no time to investigate what was going on inside the young man's head.
"Because I'm asking you McGee!"
"But there're two men recording their…" Gibbs once again stopped the lift and turned sharply to face Tim.
"Private times? Yes McGee I know, but maybe you'll see something more; Something else besides two people having sex." At his Boss' last words, the green eyes turned away and looked everywhere except at Gibbs. "Is it really that difficult McGee?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"… it's wrong!" Tim admitted and huffed.
"What's wrong?"
"What these men do… did." Gibbs had the first good look on his agent and his stare turned angry at Tim's words.
"Do you think they deserved to die because they were sleeping together McGee?" He had started his question angrily but the last words tapered off so that they were said more quietly. He wanted to understand and Tim's wide, open look of wariness didn't help.
"What? No, Boss of course not! But this doesn't make it any better… or right!" He finally said an indignant look on the youthful face.
'Ok McGee. Do your job… don't make me ask again.' Gibbs didn't even want to grace that statement with an answer and so decided to order his Agent to do what he should already be doing...his job.
"Yes Boss" The elevator doors opened and Tim both men walked out Gibbs walking towards the car, while the younger man took the stairs back up so he could clear his head.
Tim closed and locked the door behind him as he walked into the conference room. Why was he the one to do this? Why had his Boss asked him? Abby would love to do it, that was something he was certain of. Her open mindedness was one of the reasons they hadn't stayed together. Tim was traditional but Abby wasn't! Tim wanted her for himself, just for himself. Abby didn't really care about sharing, didn't really believe they could make it happen.
He sighed. Gibbs should have asked Abby to watch these tapes.
He turned the dvd player on and sat down with his notepad to watch the films from the dead couple in autopsy.
…
Gibbs tried to enter the conference room and frowned when he found the door locked. They'd got back a short while ago and he had been surprised to hear that Tim hadn't surfaced from the job that he'd been given.
"McGee open up!"
"Right away Boss." Came the uneasy reply and seconds later he heard the lock turning before coming face to face with a blushing McGee.
"Did you find anything?"
"Not yet." Gibbs saw the tapes on top of the table and the TV frozen.
"How many have you watched?" he asked warily as he looked over Tim's shoulder.
"Just this one!"
Gibbs was furious. "McGee I told you to be quick and efficient. What exactly didn't you understand? Soon every organization for homosexual's rights will be on us and we'll have nothing to show them!"
"Well, Boss then maybe you should have ordered someone else to watch these!"
McGee said and stormed out of the room, Gibbs' gaze locked onto the screen that showed the two victims kissing naked on their bed sheets. He took out his cell phone and hit speed dial.
"Abs, room seven. Now!" he barked before hanging up. Abby turned up 5 minutes later with a bounce in her step and listened as Gibbs told her what he wanted her to do. He left her with his other two agents to watch and keep notes while he headed down to Ducky. He already had an idea about who their culprits were after talking to the immediate subordinates of their victims, but he needed evidence because without that, it wouldn't hold up in court.
Ducky looked up from his computer sensing Gibbs coming in.
"Jethro, to what do I owe the honour of having you here? There isn't a new case is there?"
"No!" Gibbs said walking back and forth in the large room while his older friend was watching him waiting for an indication of what had agitated Gibbs.
"Anything you want to share?" Ducky asked as he watched Gibbs pace.
"Did you notice anything wrong?"
"As a matter of fact Mr. Palmer is looking a bit under the weather lately. I wonder when was the last time he took some days off. That young man needs a little rest."
"I'm not talking about Palmer, Duck." Gibbs snapped out.
"And how could I know that if you don't say Jethro?"
"It's about McGee." Ducky said nothing. "There's something I just don't get about the kid." Ducky stayed where he was listening to Gibbs and decided that staying silent while his friend got everything off his chest was the best course of action.
"He behaves weirdly during the investigation… are you listening?"
"Yes, I am and… you're probably right but I just can't say." Ducky admitted as he took off his glasses and cleaned them on his handkerchief.
"You can't say? So you know…"
"I know more than you… apparently, but it's really not what you want to know.' The M.E replaced his glasses and sighed heavily knowing that he'd said too much and that his friend would want to know.
'How do you know?" Gibbs asked the question that Ducky knew was coming and Ducky couldn't help but shake his head as he answered.
"The doctor- patient confidentiality, Jethro. I won't break it even for you and your worries."
"I don't worry. It's just…"
"You can't even admit you're worried about Timothy and at the same time you expect him to tell you everything." Ducky interrupted, cutting Gibbs dead mid speech.
"My team cannot work otherwise Ducky." Gibbs' familiar stance of attack and defence was in place though the glare didn't touch Ducky anymore and he barely flinched.
"If your team, not to mention you, can only work that way, then you all work hypocritically, you all keep something inside and one day it's going to blow in your faces. If today's the day, then so be it. Otherwise, despite your good results, I'm not sure it's worthy." The vehemence in Ducky's voice was a rare thing and even Gibbs found it hard not to be slightly taken back by it.
"What do you mean Ducky? McGee couldn't do his work today and we lost valuable time because…" Ducky's blue eyes threw daggers at his friend as he interrupted him.
"What was his work?" The M.E. spat out.
"Watch the video tapes." The ME rolled his eyes at Gibbs answer.
"I think he had told you he couldn't do it and still you pushed it on to him."
"It's not the lottery Duck, so they don't get to choose their numbers. Our job saves innocents. Lives depend on how fast or slow we are. It's not that he couldn't do it; he didn't want to."
"Apparently he couldn't and I don't understand it Jethro. There's a story running around in the bullpen about a team leader climbing up a ladder to take photos because his agent was afraid of heights." He looked sharply at the younger man. "There's something else that bothers you and it has nothing to do with Timothy not doing his job but not doing this particularly job." Gibbs sighed and Ducky took a sip from his tea enjoying the strong, subtle taste of it.
"McGee's homophobic." Ducky spluttered the tea all over them. He gave Gibbs paper towels to dry himself off, offering his apologies as he took a couple for himself. Jimmy appeared in the doorway.
"Ummm… hello Agent Gibbs, I didn't know you were here. Dr Mallard I'm leaving now. See you later. Agent Gibbs." Gibbs nodded not paying attention to the young man.
"Bye Mr. Palmer." Ducky poured hot water inside a clean cup and dropped the tea back watching the water changing colour. "So, you say Timothy's homophobic…" He said conversationally after making sure the door was properly closed.
"Yes."
"Does the fact compromise his job?"
"No! No I don't think so. Except for today…"
"Then what's the problem?" Ducky went closer to Gibbs. "You need to clear your own f… hm what is your problem Jethro and why you're really angry with Timothy…" Gibbs denied being angry but Ducky cut him off.
"And then you have a talk with him about him and his life." Gibbs knew when there was nothing more to say so he turned around to live when Ducky spoke.
"And despite Timothy's many phobias I don't think he's homophobic per se."