"Todd, what on earth possessed you? You just wait until your father sees that." Timothy McGee heard his wife yelling at his oldest son, and despaired. Todd was nothing if not trying, and he tried his mothers patience at least once a week, twice when he was bored. "You better think about your plans for the next week, because you are grounded." Tim heard his son stomping through the house, knowing he would come into his study, and say very little. Tim continued reading through his papers, knowing his son would speak to him when he was ready. Unlike his wife, Tim rarely shouted at any of his three children, unless they did something really dangerous, stupid or both.
"Hi, Dad." Tim looked up at his seventeen year old son, noticing the bleach blonde hair he had gone to school with, the bright blue t-shirt with black skull, the dark purple jeans with supposed stylish tears in them, and he also noticed the very new eyebrow piercing.
"Grounded, huh?" Tim asked, both of them knowing they had heard the voice of NCIS Director Cassandra Yates McGee.
"Yeah, one week, which means no computer, no cellphone, no tablet, no technology of any kind," Todd William McGee had been through this before.
"You were well aware when you left the house this morning that your mother told you not to get any kind of body piercing," Tim said, seeing his son nod in acknowledgement. "Yet you went and got your eyebrow pierced, now you live with the consequences."
"And what punishment have you devised for me?" Tim rarely punished his children, but when he did, they learnt from it.
"Not sure, but trust me, the next time your mom or I say no, we mean it." Tim knew Todd hated Washington, DC. After having lived in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris for the first fifteen years of his life, Todd could barely think of himself as an American, as it was always the country he visited, the country his mom and dad served, the country he had been born in, but had no actual memories of it.
"Dad, when are we going back to Europe?" Todd almost whispered this sentence, knowing the answer was going to be don't know or not sure yet.
"For me and your mom, probably on vacation, for you?" Tim hoped his son was happy with the next sentence. "How about college?" Tim watched his sons face light up, the smile brightening up the room.
"What?"
"Look, when we lived in Europe you never dyed your hair, or got piercings, or answered back, or been a right pain in the ass you have been the last two years," Tim knew his son hated living here, and was determined to make his son happy again. "So, apply to colleges in France and Germany, and if you get in, you can go with my blessing."
"But, mom said I had to apply to US colleges only, because of the security concerns," Todd hated his diplomatic security agents.
"The security agents go where you go, and if you go to Europe, so do they, got it, Sailor?"
"Yes, Dad." Todd McGee really loved his father, and his mother, but he hated the fact that they had to move back here because his mom got promoted.
"Can you believe him? An eyebrow piercing? What are we going to do with him, Tim?" Cassie questioned her husband, one of the most powerful men in the United States Government, and the world.
"Send him to Germany with our love," Tim told her, looking over his reading glasses at the woman he had been married to for nearly twenty years.
"Tim, trust me, if I could ship him there tomorrow, I would. I love him with all my heart, but he is really trying my patience, right now," Cassie confessed. She had struggled over the years with her career and her family, and both Tim and she had nearly resigned more than once, but with the help of nannies and their families, they had managed it.
"Cass, he never wanted to leave Paris, he screamed the house down when we left Berlin, so I told him to apply for European colleges, and if he gets in, he can get his college degree in France or Germany," Tim told her, keeping his voice calm when speaking.
"No, Tim! No! Absolutely not! That will cause so many problems with the DS agents!" Cassie almost shouted.
"I could give a damn!" Tim exploded, his voice louder than his wifes. "We've uprooted our children three times in their lives, Todds four if you count the move to Brussels before he had even turned one! They have had to be escorted everywhere for most of their lives, from school trips to birthday parties, to out shopping with their friends! Yeah, Todd has grumbled the most about it, but he has always gone along with it, even when we have had to say no to him." Tim was trying to quieten his voice down. "But now it's his time not to do something he doesn't like. He is dying to move back to France or Germany, so I say we let him." Tim would support his son on his choice of college, and fight his wife every day if he had to.
"Tim, he would be alone over there," Cassie said, her eyes filling with tears.
"Cass, he would be there without his family, but he would never be alone. He has kept in touch with every friend he has made over the last seventeen years, and he makes a new friend every day he leaves the house. Our son will never be alone" Tim opened his arms for his wife, which Cassie almost ran into, neither of them liking it when they shouted at each other.
"Andrew, L.J, Todd, we are leaving in fifteen minutes, get your gear together," Tim shouted across the landing and up the stairs. Andrew McGee, thirteen years old, and a wannabe NCIS agent in training, popped his head out of his bedroom, smiling at his father.
"Dad, is mom working tomorrow?" Andrew was hoping to go into NCIS HQ again this weekend.
"Not if I can help it, why?" Tim knew his son wanted to go and sit in the bullpen with the MCRT team.
"No reason," Andrew muttered.
"Uncle Jimmy is on call tomorrow, and so is Aunty Bryn, if they get called in, and they don't mind, I'm sure they will come and tell you all about it on Sunday," The McGee and Palmer families always dined together on Sundays since Tim, Cassie and their children had moved back to the States.
"Cool!" With that, the youngest McGee carried on getting ready for school, his bedroom on the same floor as his parents.
"Don't forget, I have the chess competitions after school, then I'm off to the soup kitchen, then down to the shelter, I'll be home about nine," the middle McGee child said, coming down the stairs. Leon Jerome McGee was the middle child, fifteen almost sixteen, and a political activist in the making. L.J.s room was on the second floor, the same as his older brother.
"It's all written down on the calendar, but I'll remind your mom later today." L.J. had gotten his name when Jerome Craig and Leon Vance had been killed by ISIS terrorists three weeks before his birth. Director Craig and Deputy Director Vance had been present at the opening of the Jennifer Shepard Building, the new complex at FLETC that would oversee all of the NCIS training for its newest agents, analysts, technicians and employees. The terrorists had waited until the two men were leaving the FLETC grounds, before launching shoulder mounted missiles at their cars. The two men, Tanya Craig, Jackie Vance, sixteen NCIS Protection agents, and thirty three others died that day, all within minutes of each other. The eight terrorists had all been killed moments later, when other NCIS and federal agents opened fire on them, taking them down in a hail of bullets.
"And remind her, she promised the whole family would eat at least one vegetarian meal once a week, not including breakfast," L.J continued, "This hasn't happened in three weeks." Tim knew his son wasn't a vegetarian, but he also did not want to eat meat with every meal.
"OK, then you make it," Tim offered. "I'll help, but you have to get the recipe, and help me shop for the ingredients, deal?"
"Deal!" Tim and L.J. shook hands. "Tomorrow?" L.J knew Saturday nights were the one night of the week the whole family was present for food.
"Sure, but we are up and out shopping by ten in the morning, Airman!"
"Yes!" L.J. took his victory, and continued downstairs, having his stuff ready for school, and for after school, too.
"Todd, you coming down?" Tim called up the stairs.
"Yeah, be there soon," Todd shouted.
"OK, meet you by the door," Tim shouted back. Cassie had been out of the house by six thirty, leaving Tim on the school run. Tim would drop Todd and L.J. at the Anna Elliott High School, before dropping Andrew at Candlewell Preparatory School. Andrew had chosen the school himself, after seeing the science and athletic programs, choosing his school on what would help him become the best NCIS agent there ever was.
Tim hoped his youngest son became an NCIS agent, at least there would be another generation of McGees in the agency. Tim knew his son would have a hard road ahead of him, his mother was the current director of the agency, his father had been head of Intelligence, and his godfather, Jim Nelson, was one of three Deputy Directors. Instead of putting him off, the successes of his family spurred him on. L.J., Tim guessed, would be fighting for the weakest people in society, those whose voices went unheard, and Tim knew he would be proud of him. Todd had been like his youngest brother, a future law enforcement officer, but with Interpol. The move to the USA had changed the then fifteen year old, and Tim wondered what his eldest son would do with his life now. He hoped his son found his future back in Europe, otherwise he would be very worried about his oldest child.
Tim picked up his travel mug, along with his briefcase and laptop bag, put an apple and banana in his bag, before looking around the kitchen. He spotted Andrews sports bag on the table, picking it up, as well as headphones, putting them in his bag to give to his children in the security agent driven blacked out SUV. As Tim left the kitchen, he entered a different world. Andrew was telling L.J. about some new level on a MMORPG, but doing so in German, while L.J. answered in French. Tim was very proud of his children, all of whom spoke German, French and Dutch as fluently as they did English.
"Todd! Come on, we're waiting for you!" Tim shouted in Dutch, just to add to the language contest being held in the McGee household that Friday morning. Tim heard a door slam, followed by heavy footsteps, indicating Todd was on his way. He passed Andrew his sports bag and L.J. his headphones, knowing his second son loved his music. "Andrew, Aunty Sarah is picking you up after soccer practice, and either me or mom will pick you up from her place. L.J., use the Stonewall Attack in the final game only. Do not use it in the first round. Todd, no more piercings, please?" Tim asked, his other sons smirking at their older brother. "Or tattoos, or any kind of body art, modification or decoration. Understood?" Tim knew Todd could find loopholes in straight lines.
"Understood," Todd muttered.
"If your body has changed in anyway between now and when I get home, your college choices will shrink to nothing," Tim threatened.
"Got it," Todd knew his dad would carry out his threat.
"Right, everyone got everything they need for the day?" Tim asked, knowing one of his sons would have forgotten something.
"No! My Germany report! Hang on!" L.J. ran back up the stairs, having forgotten his report on his former country of residence. "I left it out last night to check it over," He shouted down the stairs.
"We'll read it in the car," Tim shouted back. "Todd, remember, L.J. is at the soup kitchen and the shelter tonight, so you will be here on your own until your mom or I get home first."
"I know. I'll get started on my homework, and make a start on dinner," Todd McGee had learnt how to cook from his father, being the only household chore he actually enjoyed.
"Good man, don't forget, look up colleges at school, your punishment only includes the house and your friends," Tim reminded him. "Andrew, no investigating at school, observational skills only." Tim and Cassie had been called in over Andrews "interrogation" of a "suspect", when their youngest son had carried out an investigation into a missing pen, and the thief burst into tears when confronted with "Agent Andrew Bradbury McGee, NCIS".
"Great, another boring day of school." Tim knew Andrew wanted to be at work with his mom than at school with kids his own age, but until he turned eighteen, he went to school.
"Todd, I want you to look at advanced placement classes for colleges. French, German and Dutch should be a breeze for you, as will the math and computer science classes. See what's being offered, ok?" Todd had almost eighteen months before college, but Tim wanted him to have a head start, if possible.
"Yeah, no problems, Dad." Tim noticed every time they spoke at college, Todds mood improved, and Tim made a note to discuss college options with him every day.
"Just go to MIT like Dad," Andrew said. "I'm off to Johns Hopkins to study Computer Science, then to MIT for my Masters in Computer Forensics." Andrew had been telling everyone for the past two years of his college plans, and they had not changed once.
"Yeah, well, Marine boy, some of us want to do something other than computers," Todd told his littlest brother.
"Like what?" Andrew shot back.
"I'm not sure yet, but trust me, it won't involve me writing computer code for four years." Todd was very good with computers, both him and his brothers had watched and learned from their father, being able to create firewalls for their own computers from the age of nine.
"Got it!" L.J. jumped the last three stairs, landing with a dull thud on both feet. "Ready, for sure this time."
"Right, let's go," Tim watched Andrew opening the front door, as the security agents opened the other front door, the one that had been installed when the family moved in.
"Morning, Chris," Andrew said he walked to the car.
"Morning, Andrew, L.J, Todd, Mr Secretary." Chris Drury had requested the assignment upon Secretary McGees confirmation, knowing the assignment would be one that most agents would turn down, having three children to keep safe was an assignment most agents hated.
"Morning, Chris, how's Molly and Jemma?" TIm always asked his head of Protection about his family.
"They're doing fine, Sir." This was the most Chris spoke about his family, always trying to keep his focus on the McGee family when at work, rather than the Drury family.
"Good to hear. L.J and Todd first, then Andrew, then me," Tim told him the plan for the morning.
"Understood, Sir." As Tim climbed into the car, he heard Chris giving orders through the almost invisible face mic worn by all agents, rather than the old style where they were on the jacket lapel, or wrist cuff.
"L.J., want me to read the report?" Tim knew the report would be outstanding, unlike all of his classmates, L.J had firsthand experience of Germany, and nearly all his classmates couldn't even speak the language, to any degree.
"Sure, but it's boring," L.J. told his father, putting his headphones in. Andrew was talking to Chris and Arianna Hay, their driver for the morning. Todd was looking out of the window, his tablet and laptop in his bag, and his phone in Tims pocket. Tim and Cassie knew their son would use them for non school purposes at school, but they couldn't catch him at it. Cassie hated the fact, while Tim was impressed with his computer programming abilities.
Ten minutes later, L.J. and Todd were heading into school, L.J. holding the report that would get him an 'A', and probably be first in the class for the report. Andrew was still talking with the agents, and so Tim got started on his emails for work, knowing to interrupt his youngest would put him on the end of one of his death glares.
A further ten minutes, and Andrew was waving his dad goodbye, while Tim waved back. Once the car turned the corner, Tim took a breath, dismissing his 'Dad' persona, and putting on his 'Secretary' face on. Tim knew when he accepted the nomination, that it might cause some problems. His wife was the Director of NCIS, the first African American woman to be appointed as an agency Director, his father was a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, his godfather had been the Secretary of the Navy, Tim, himself, had been the US Ambassador to the European Union for five years, to Germany for eight years, and to France for a further three years. Tim had enjoyed the positions he had held, uprooting his family and his wife due to his job. When Cassie was offered the position of Director, Tim had told her to take it. Tims post in France was coming to an end, due to the election of Jeffrey MacIntosh, a Democrat, who won the election with three hundred and seventy three electoral votes, and the biggest popular vote in American history.
When the President began putting his cabinet together, Timothy McGee was approached on the day after the election, to consider the nomination for his job. He and Cassie had talked about it for the rest of the week, before talking to their children about it. They all knew it would change their lives even more than they had been, but the family all agreed to Tims job, and Tim had accepted the nomination. His history of public service, his time as an Ambassador, his successes with NCIS Intelligence, the CTOC, and his time as a member of the MCRT Washington, DC, all became front page news, and his books, all nine of them, returned to the New York Times bestsellers list, with Deep Six hitting the number one spot, and staying there for three weeks. Tims confirmation with the Senate was the quickest in history, and Tim secured a one hundred confirmation, with not one Senator opposing his nomination. Tim was the only cabinet member to receive this blessing from the Senate. Tim had been in the job for two years, and had managed some successes with his role, some were made public, most were kept quiet, in order to avoid embarrassment for other countries, and sometimes, the good ol' US of A itself.
Unlike most of his fellow secretaries, Tim had no political ambition, and made it no secret that he would not be seeking the Presidency or Vice Presidency at the end of his term. The Democratic Party had been trying to get his support for various Senators and senior Congressmen and women, as Tims approval rating was still in the high seventies, higher than the President himself. Tim never bothered with the polls, knowing most foreign leaders never cared what his approval rating was, or which Senators and Congressmen and women he supported.
"Mr. Secretary, we're two minutes out," Chris said from the front of the SUV.
"Thank you," Tim had asked for this warning ever since he was given a Protection detail, knowing the protectee was most vulnerable in a stationary car, and so Tim was always ready when the car stopped, jumping out and following the lead agent into a building, and rarely stopping to sign autographs or pose for selfies, unless his agents had given him the go ahead.
When Tim stepped out of the car, he walked straight into the building, his briefcase in one hand, and his laptop bag hanging over his shoulder. Tim was stopped by Carole Johnson, his media secretary.
"Good morning, Sir," Carole was well aware of Tims preference for good manners before all else.
"Morning, Carole, how are you today?" Tim smiled at the woman, knowing Carole rarely met him at the front door.
"Worried, Sir. Your sons eyebrow piercing has been photographed and liked almost one million times worldwide," Carole told her boss.
"Well, one of those likes does not belong to Mrs McGee, I can tell you that," Tim told her.
"I've had more than ten requests for your feelings on childrens self mutilation, as well as on body art, Sir." Carole had wanted to cry that morning, knowing Todd McGee was taking the mantle of 'problem child' to a whole new level.
"Great, all the problems in the world, countries suffering from child hunger, child illiteracy and the biggest number of children with AIDS in the world in history, and my sons piercing is the news of the day. Tell them he did it without his parents permission, has been grounded and has been told no more, but like any parent knows, children don't always do as they are told." Tim rarely sugarcoated the truth to the public, and he would not do so now. "Any other issues I need to be made aware of?" the seventy third Secretary of State asked.