A/N Hey, this is my first Fanfic story, NCIS or otherwise, so let me know what you think! Updates may be sporadic due to my schedule, but I promise when they are written they will be posted.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OF NCIS! So don't sue me, I am a poor university student anyway, it wouldn't be worth it.

The Director of NCIS sighed as he set down his pen and reclined back in the chair in his office. He was the last person left in the building. Even the keenest and most ambitious Agents and analysts' had gone home to enjoy their weekend, which was not surprising, it had been a long week.

Too long, the Director thought.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to try to relieve some of his tension. But luck was not on his side.

When he opened his eyes, he was still stressed, still feeling the effects from his week. And what a terrible week it had been. He knew, of course, when he accepted this job that there would be weeks that he would not enjoy, weeks that would be bad, maybe even hell. And in his eight years as Director, there had been many of those weeks. But he never thought there would ever be a week that was this bad. Four major cases, only one solved, one analyst resignation, 2 field agent injuries and...he sighed again as he thought about it...one agent death. Of course, he had lost agents before, both as a Special Agent and as Director, but he could have never guessed that he would lose this agent. Never his Senior Field Agent, it just didn't seem possible, the man could survive anything.

The Director quickly swivelled his chair around and looked out the back windows in his office. He gazed upon the Navy Yard to try and push the images from his mind. As he peered out, he noticed that it was peaceful in the Yard, finally. Most of the cars were gone from the parking lot and there were no Navy or NCIS personnel wandering the grounds. As he looked out across the Yard, his eyes slowly drifted lower, and finally they landed on his cabinets along the wall, on top of which stood a group of framed photos.

Him and his wife, smiling happily, standing together on a beach in Mexico, another showing him and the Secretary of the Navy standing together as he was sworn in as Director of NCIS.

And finally, him and his best friend, both with smiles on their faces and beers in their hands, reclined back in chairs on the deck of the cottage that they had purchased together. That had been the first of many trips, sixteen years ago. Both of them younger, more energized versions of themselves now. Everything had been so simple then, take orders, do the work, catch the bad guys.

But how things had changed.

As the Director stared at the picture he began to slowly crumble. Looking into the face of his best friend and knowing that he would never see those carefree eyes again. He would never his voice loudly busting the chops of a junior agent, never really being mad at them, just letting them now that he was disappointed and he knew they could be better, that they should be better. Not for him, but for themselves.

And finally what the Director would miss the most. They would never again square off in his office, intensely arguing the best ways to pursue a case. Or even as two friends, arguing about who was the best shortstop of all-time.

Never again, it hit the Director like a ton of bricks. That was how serious this was. He had of course known this, but because he was the Director and his job was never finished, he never had time to stop and think about it. Now that he had a minute, he realized the gravity of the situation. His Senior Field Agent, his best friend was..not..coming...back. And there was nothing he, or anybody else could do to change that.

Nothing, the phrase kept repeating over in his mind, nothing, nothing, nothing...

No matter what he did, the guilt would not leave, he assigned the case to the team, knowing, that his best friend, his best Agent would do as he always did, solve it. And solve it he did, unfortunately, the solution came at the cost of his life. The guilt nagged at the Director, it gnawed away at his insides, and he knew that it would never leave, if it wasn't for him, his friend would be alive.

As he stared into the eyes of his best friends in the photo, one thought rang out through his head louder than the others, and he whispered it sadly:

"I'm sorry Tony, I'm so, so sorry."

And with that, Timothy McGee, Director of NCIS, held his head in his hands and for the first and final time, wept for his friend.

GIVE ME REVIEWS!