Title: Attempting to Prevent the Inevitable
Pairing: None
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Cat: Humor, possibly of the crack variety
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Summary: When Fornell enlists in the help of Vance and Gibbs' team to settle a personal issue, only trouble can come from it.
Author's Note: Written as a prize for ShelbyElizabeth for correctly guessing my Hangman puzzle. She requested Vance/Fornell/I've had it. And this is not my finest work, but the story was kinda getting away from me towards the end, lol. I had to end it before it turned out too long.
"I've had it!" Fornell fumed, slamming his fist down on Vance's desk. When he raised his hand, he opened it and threw it in the air in a fit of rage, while his other hand rested on his hip. He paced the area in front of Vance's desk. "I demand a change, Leon. This . . . this whole thing . . . It's ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous." He shook his head and finally stopped pacing, both his hands now on his hips, as he faced Vance head on. "Can't you do anything?"
Vance blew out a breath and pushed himself to his feet, now standing behind his desk. He walked around to the other side and rested against the front of the desk, crossing his ankles and lacing his hands loosely together in front of him. "You know this isn't my jurisdiction, Agent Fornell."
"Tobias," Fornell said softly, then shook his head again, resuming his pacing. "I just don't know why he thinks he can get away with this! I've tried to make him see reason time and time again, but to no avail."
"He is a rather stubborn man," Vance agreed.
Fornell stopped, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we need to think ahead, take the means away from him before he can strike again."
Vance quirked an eyebrow in interest. "Go on," he said.
Fornell's mouth tipped up in a sly smile. "Yeah . . . We'll catch him when his guard is down, first off. And I think I know of a few people who may be willing to help me in my endeavors." He looked back to Vance, a genuine smile on his face this time. "Thanks for your time, Director."
Vance returned the grin. "Leon." He stuck out a hand. "Anytime, Tobias. I'm eager to see this resolved myself."
Fornell returned the handshake and with that, exited the office. Things were about to change.
***
"Why are we doing this again?" McGee asked, looking over his shoulder.
Ziva didn't look up from what she was doing. "Because Agent Fornell asked us to."
"And since when have we ever done anything Fornell wanted us to?" McGee hissed back at her. She gave him a look. "I mean, aside from when Gibbs asked us to."
"You're over thinking this, Probie," Tony joined in the conversation, clapping the younger man on the shoulder. "Just relax. It's for everyone's own good."
McGee groaned. "Gibbs is not going to be happy with this . . ."
"It is not as though we will get into trouble, McGee," Ziva said, catching the sheet of paper that floated from her printer and holding it up for inspection. She smiled and turned the sheet around so the printout faced Tony and McGee. "What do you think?"
"Hmm," Tony said, resting his chin on his hand and tapping his cheek as he read over the paper. "If I didn't know any better, I would believe it, but this is Gibbs we're talking about. The man has powers I cannot begin to comprehend."
McGee rolled his eyes. "Have you been talking to Abby again?"
"No, McGee!" Tony insisted. "If we want to be successful here, we have to think like the man himself. And a sheet of paper," he grabbed the printout from Ziva's hand, much to her dismay, "is not going to stop him."
"Then what will, DiNutso?"
Tony turned as Fornell entered the bullpen, followed closely by an amused-looking Director Vance. He straightened and addressed the men. "Well, Agent Fornell, you know Gibbs better than probably all of us put together. Do you think this," he dangled the paper in Fornell's face, "is really going to keep Gibbs away?"
Fornell simply stared at Tony for a minute, then snatched the paper from him, growling slightly. "He has a point." Tony beamed. "Gibbs would just rip it off and continue on as if nothing happened. What we really need to do . . ."
"Is set up a barrier," Vance finished, and the trio of agents looked at him in surprise. His expression remained serious and he pointed across the room. "If there's something blocking his entry, he won't be able to use it."
Fornell nodded, turning back to the NCIS agents, who still looked shocked that Vance was in on this plan with Fornell. Ziva spoke first. "So, how do we go about setting up a barrier? And what do we use as our barrier?"
Fornell allowed a smile to crawl across his face. "I'm glad you asked, Officer David . . ."
***
Gibbs walked into the squad room, sipping on his coffee, and stopped short when he noticed his team missing . . . along with Ziva's desk. "What the hell . . ." he muttered, and continued walking, his eyes scanning the area and trying to figure out just what was going on.
Finally, he spotted Ziva - or more specifically, saw her curly head of hair - across the room . . . by the elevators. He swore under his breath and increased his pace, eager to see what was going on, what his team was doing to his precious elevator. When he arrived, he froze in place, too shocked to do anything else.
"What is going on?" he finally asked, after staring at the scene in front of him for a minute or two, trying to process everything.
What he had seen was Ziva sitting at her desk . . . which had been moved in front of the elevator. She was writing out a case report and looked up at Gibbs' question.
"Oh, Gibbs," she said, as though it was perfectly normal for her desk to be blocking the elevator doors. "We were doing some redecorating. It was not my idea. I believe you will want to discuss this with Agent Fornell." She nodded, pleased with her answer, and focused on her report again.
Gibbs fumed, metaphorical smoke billowing from his ears, and growled, "And just where might I find Agent Fornell?"
Ziva looked up again, her face screwed up in thought. "I believe he is up with Director Vance."
Gibbs gave her an incredulous look. "Vance was in on this?"
"Oh, yes," she said, looking satisfied. She smiled and folded her hands on her desk. "This office . . . renovation project was actually the Director's idea."
The imaginary smoke resumed, and Gibbs didn't say anything else, just stalked away from the elevator and to the Director's office. Ziva smirked and looked back down at her report, then when she was sure Gibbs was out of earshot, murmured, "You two can come out now."
Tony and McGee popped their heads up from over a cubicle wall. "Did it work?" McGee asked, nervous.
Ziva simply smiled at him in response. "I believe it did. With luck, our elevator conferences are now history."
Tony grinned, and clapped McGee on the back, causing him to smile shakily. "We did it," he said. "We took down Gibbs."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Elf Lord."
McGee straightened and his face went white as he slowly turned to face Gibbs. "Boss. I . . . I, uh, I didn't know you were there."
"Well, obviously," Gibbs said. "Come on. Help me move Ziva's desk back to where it's supposed to be. Can't hold a conference if I can't get in the elevator, now can I?"
McGee turned back to Tony and Ziva, looking as though he was ready to throw up, and said the only thing he could think to say: "Help."
THE END!