So I decided to make a story that I will hopefully finish. It is based off the season finale, even though I started two months later. Now understand, I figured out this entire story without knowing about Cote de Pablo's contract (I was at camp). I guess this story could happen then. I have no idea how fast these chapters will come up. Honestly, it depends on how motivated I am. (P.S. Reviews and just views in general help :D) This does go back and forth so it may be a bit confusing at first.
If someone was asked if unemployment was fun, especially after working for their favorite job, there answer would be simple: No. Not at all. Sitting around all day, planning great things you really don't have the money for was boring, not to mention somewhat depressing. Not to mention the fact that time goes ten times slower than usual when you're bored. Alone. And maybe slightly hung over from last night's bout of minor depression of reality crashing down.
There is this huge problem with being unemployed: you can't get paid for sitting on your ass all day in your own house. It doesn't matter if you have thousands of hundreds of dollars in your savings to live on; you don't know how long you'll be unemployed for and can't just go around wasting money that you might need later. I mean, you can go out to eat a few times, maybe go to a carnival or two, but you can't go on that road trip through Europe that you've always wanted to go on. No matter how much better that seems.
Those are a few of the problems that former Special Agent Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo was facing as he sat on his couch to watch his fifth movie of the day. He'd been doing this just about every day since he resigned from his beloved job. To be fair, it had only been a bit over a week since he resigned with the other two members of his team. He had allowed his brain to just allow it to think that this week was his usual week off from work to catch up with sleep and relax. Once seven days passed and Tony realized that he was probably never going back to work, the aforementioned bout of reality check just about destroyed him the previous night.
His former male counterpart on the Major Case Response Team for NCIS, Timothy 'Tim' McGee, was having similar problems. Except instead of indulging himself in movies, it was in videogames. Mindless violence, playing the opposite of his job and killing innocent people left and right. Why? Because it was distracting and it gave him an excuse, albeit a bad one, to not get changed often, avoid people, and keep his mind in a depressed lull.
Tony kept telling himself that after this movie he would call up some friend, anyone, and go outside to see the sun again. But then he put in the next movie and just told himself the same thing. And he continued that for the day. He managed to make it through half of this movie of whatever it was. He didn't even care what he put in anymore, not like he paid much attention to it anyway. If he bothered to glance at the TV, then he could figure out what movie it was. It was his specialty anyway.
The most social interaction McGee had was the day after everything went down, when he, Abby, Ziva, and Tony had gone out for drinks. Although it really was that he and Abby went out for drinks and talked while Tony and Ziva sat next to each other, dead silent, and staring at their drinks. Eventually they managed to snap out of their trance and just left, separately, with quiet goodbyes.
Tony felt another reality check being dumped on him when he remembered what he had told Ziva after they left the bar.
Tony walked out of the thick-aired bar into the cool summer night behind his best friend and former partner, Ziva David. The two walked to their adjacent cars and looked at each other. For a minute, they just stared at each other, trying to read the other like they always could.
Ziva was the one to break the silence, "Tony…" Her infamous statement that never seemed to be completed.
Tony cocked his head to the side slightly, waiting for her to continue. He took a quick glance around them, hoping to everything ever that nothing interrupted her this time.
"See you soon." The three simple words were put together to be left in his interpretation. Either it was a statement, a promise, that they will see each other again. Or it was a question; Ziva was wondering if it was okay with him to see him again, even if it was only brief.
Tony's shoulders sagged as soon as he said that. Not out of disappointment, but out of relief that no one had interrupted them and it was a very complex statement. He took it as a question and nodded back. "Yeah, anytime."
Well, that anytime had still not come up. It was partly Tony's fault. He wasn't reaching out the same way she wasn't. And the way he left the conversation didn't leave one of them obligated to reach out to the other. Either one could do it without feeling desperate but they just didn't want to. They didn't want to face the reality that they wouldn't be able to see each other or work close with them anymore.
McGee was on his way to defeating the game, possibly for the third time this week, when he heard a knock at the door. His hand slipped when he started from the sudden noise and the simple move managed to get his person killed. He looked over at his door with a glare before he realized that a normal person would answer it.
A similar knock, just as delicate too, came from Tony's door. Tony groaned a little and got up. He didn't even bother pausing the movie. It's not like he was actually watching it. He slowly made his way to the door, shuffling his feet and feeling a little dizzy from the sudden movements. Sitting doing nothing for a week can really put a damper on your exercise routine. When Tony finally made it over to the door, it wasn't until it was almost fully opened that he remembered that he was only wearing sweatpants.
McGee sighed, looked himself over. He was wearing a stained MIT shirt and underwear. Pants would be good to put on. He thought and pulled on some nearby sweatpants before walking over to the door. He opened the door and was surprised to see who was there.
It's not like Tony has issues with showing off his torso, but he hadn't really looked down to see what beer and pizza had done to him. He guessed it wasn't that bad considering the lady standing behind his door looked over him, slowing on his bare chest. It was then that he realized he had no idea who was standing near him or why she were there. He opted to narrow his eyes at her questioningly until she finally started talking.
"Dorneget?" McGee exclaimed at the person standing in his doorway. "What are you doing here? And how did you get my address?" He just stared in shock and confusion at the young probationary agent that was standing across from him.
"Hi McGee. Uh, well, you are just a civilian now so your address really isn't top secret." Dorneget answered with a small, awkward shrug.
McGee could understand that answer. That didn't answer his first question though. "So why are you here?" He asked, adding a little accusatory tone to make sure Dorneget answered.
"I was sent here," was the other man's answer.
"Former Special Agent DiNozzo." She added a little nod after. The woman's greeting was so formal, it unnerved Tony a little. She took a moment to let him respond, but all he did was stare at her. "I am NCIS Special Agent Miranda Leerdan, here on request of Director Vance."
Tony figured he should speak eventually so he took his chance. "What does he want? I no longer work for him."
Dorneget was far less formal. He still didn't have the sense to complete the thought so McGee had to ask him a couple more questions to finally get a little bit of information. Finally after ten minutes, McGee summed up the news. "So, Director Vance wants me and Tony to come back and work with NCIS in the MCRT?"
Dorneget nodded curtly. "Yeah, pretty much. With me and another woman."
Tony got excited; a little fangirl was screaming her head off in his head. He got to go back to work? And lead the team? With no consequences? This couldn't get any better. That's when something that Miranda had said finally sunk in. "Wait a minute. I'm leading a team of you, McGee, and Dorneget? That's it? No one else?" He frowned a little.
Miranda didn't seem at all surprised that Tony asked this. She was even told by Director Vance to expect some backfire from him. 'He'll mention a Ziva David. Just tell him that under the circumstances of why everything happened, she cannot be rehired here.' Those were the very words of the director. Even though so many questions blazed through her mind, she just simply nodded and accepted her mission. As she relayed the message the very confused and now somewhat pissed off man in front of her, she wondered what exactly had happened.