A/N: Written for the NFA Burley's Back Challenge. That means that Stan Burley (High Seas) is the main character. This is set between Kill Ari, Part II and Mind Games. The whole team is there, but in a rare departure from my norm, I do not have Tim as the main character.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, real or fictional...but oh, I love the characters.

T.A.D.
by Enthusiastic Fish

Chapter 1

"Glad to be back, Agent Burley?" the captain asked.

Stan smiled as he watched Norfolk loom closer from the deck of the HST. "These decks are kind of my home now, Skipper. I think I've logged more hours on them than I have in my apartment."

"Well, it's been a pleasure having you aboard. If you're looking for another Agent Afloat assignment, you're welcome back here anytime."

"I have some leave time saved up, Skipper, but I'll certainly keep that in mind." Stan was coming off his fourth Agent Afloat assignment. He had taken some time off between each one, but it always called him back. It was as if he was secretly a sailor himself, although he'd never done more than steer a speed boat around the lake when he was young. Now, as the carrier slipped smoothly into dock, he looked around the flight deck with a mixture of excitement and sadness at leaving. The HST had been his favorite tour by far. The skipper was efficient and the crew pleasant...in a military sense. Stan just felt that he fit in with this group, even though he was the watchdog on the carrier and in that sense would always be somewhat of an outsider.

A few hours later, Stan had his bag slung over his back and he headed down the gangplank, waving to a few of the officers and enlisted men as he left. He'd miss this ship. As he stepped onto dry land again for about the first time in weeks, he saw Agent Alexis Downey, the lead agent at Norfolk, waiting. That was a surprise. With how often he was at sea, Stan never expected anyone to be waiting for him. His friends were his coworkers and the sailors he served. It didn't bother him at all. It was a lot better than the work he'd done as a senator's aide. That had been boring. Perhaps that's why he loved this job so much. No pushing papers around...at least not too many.

"Stan!"

"Downey! What's up? I can't believe that you missed me so much you couldn't wait for me to check in," Stan said, grinning.

Alexis smiled in return, but her eyes remained serious.

"What's up?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Stan asked.

"We lost an agent last week. Sniper."

"Who?" Stan felt his blood run cold. It was a given that people would die in this job. It happened far too often, but it was always something that had been hard for him to accept. He remembered Chris Pacchi. He hadn't ever been good friends with him, but they had known each other well and it had been a tragedy to lose him.

"Special Agent Caitlin Todd. A Mossad double agent killed her last week."

Instantly, Stan was thrown back nearly two years. He remembered Kate. They'd had far too little time to get to know each other, but he could still see her in his mind's eye. A member of Gibbs' team. He wouldn't have taken that well.

"Did they get him?"

"Yeah. He went after Agent Gibbs and Gibbs killed him."

That tracked. Gibbs wouldn't leave a job unfinished, no matter what. "What do you need from me?"

"What makes you think we need anything?"

"Because you're here telling me about something you could have said over the phone or when I checked in. You want something, Alex. Don't pretend that you don't."

"I know you've been at sea a long time, Stan. You've fully earned some time off, but..."

"You want me on TAD with Gibbs?"

Alexis nodded. "Yeah, Stan. Here's the official request, but it's completely voluntary," she said, handing him a folder. "You can say no."

Stan shook his head. "No, I can't. This is Gibbs. This is Gibbs' team. I can't say no to that."

"It's only for a week, but Agent Todd's funeral was only last week and the team is still reeling a bit, although none of them would ever admit it."

"And you know this...how?"

"The new director briefed me."

"New director?"

Alexis finally smiled. "Jeez, Stan. Do you live in a hole when you're on those ships? Yeah, Director Morrow is now Deputy Director of Homeland Security."

Stan whistled. "Wow. That's a step up. Who's his replacement?"

"Director Jenny Shephard."

"A woman?" The words were out before Stan could censor them.

"You have a problem with that, Stan? You think that–?"

"No, Alex. I don't. She'd be the first female director of NCIS, though, wouldn't she? That's a big role to fill...politically, not in terms of ability."

"Ever the soother, aren't you?"

"It keeps me from being decked by nice people like yourself," Stan replied, smiling again.

"Well, you're off the hook...for now. If you're accepting, then you can take tonight and get settled in. Report for duty tomorrow morning at NCIS Headquarters. Think of it as a trip down memory lane, Stan!" She shook his hand and walked off.

Stan stared after her speculatively for a few moments. Then, he shrugged and walked in the opposite direction. However, he stopped less than a minute later and shouted back.

"Hey, Alex!"

"What?" she shouted back.

"Does this count as reporting in?"

"I suppose so! You have been seen by your superior officer!"

"You're not an officer!"

"Count your lucky stars!"

"Every night!" Stan chuckled to himself and continued on his way, but his thoughts took a much more dramatic turn as he mulled over the information.

Kate...dead. He remembered when she had given him the cricket ball from Ducky. He still had that somewhere. His hand strayed back to his back and, at the very bottom, he felt a comforting spherical shape. He had liked her. She had been so determined not to ask for help...and she had not been the least bit intimidated at being one of the few women on board the Enterprise.

He drove to his apartment. When he got inside, he took a look around. The sublettor had cleared out a few days before and the apartment was clean. The mark of a good tenant. Too bad these were always only short-time deals.

Stan went through the motions of unpacking, hardly noticing what he did. He found himself wondering about Gibbs, his team. Was Tony still there? That brought a smile to his face as he remembered Tony's insecurity. Alexis was right. He was a soother. He had taken it upon himself to point out that Gibbs must like Tony because of the differences in how they had been treated. What would Gibbs be like now? How much would he be unnerved by all this? Kate wasn't just another murder victim. She was one of his people.

Stan himself had been on the receiving end of that kind of concern. Gibbs never got mushy, but he would go through anything for his team. It wasn't even necessarily friendship. It was simply the bond of being a part of something larger than themselves. That hadn't meant it had been easy. The thought of working under Gibbs again...for an entire week made Stan a bit nervous. He had run himself into the ground trying to do everything...until he realized (after nearly a year) that Gibbs didn't expect that of him. He expected everything that Stan could do...but not everything.

Last of all he unpacked, Stan drew out the cricket ball. It had come from Ducky, but somehow, now, he saw Kate. Dead. With a sigh, he set it beside his bed. He needed his sleep if he was going to survive a TAD with Gibbs.