"C'mon Stevens. Just call her."
"No Wright. If you want to break up with the girl call her yourself."
"I'll give you ten bucks."
"No."
"You're my Probie you have to do what I say Stevens."
Harry Wright called after Michal Stevens as he stormed out of the bullpen.
"I'm not a Probie. I've been here for a year." he yelled back.
As he turned the corner he met the new assistant director of NCIS coming down the stairs. He grinned and made a follow me motion and turned to head back up the stairs. Michal groaned silently and sent eyeball daggers at his grinning partner.
"Hold any calls Erica." he called to his secretary as he motioned for the young agent to precede him into the room. He settled himself behind the desk and crossed his fingers laying the on the desk and leaning slightly on them. He just smiled at Michal.
"I'm not a Probie anymore. I've been here a year."
The director just smiled.
"It gets to me. He makes me do all the stupid stuff. He looks down on me and the Agent Bowler lets him."
The assistant director smiled again.
"Can I tell you a story?" he asked.
"Of course sir." the agent was confused not sure why he wasn't getting yelled at for screaming at his partner.
"There was a young computer nerd who, by some miracle made it onto an NCIS team. One of the best there's ever been. The team leader was a grumpy silent man with curiously silent shoes. The senior field agent was a stuck up loud obnoxious guy who made to many movie references, the wild card of the team. Then there was a scary stern cold Mossad agent. Then there was this computer nerd that kinda fit in. the loud obnoxious agent was always calling him Probie. Forever making up ridiculous variations. One day after he snapped at his partner his boss, the grumpy former marine took him aside and said. He's been an NCIS agent for 16 yeas. His first partner still calls him Probie."
"Sir?"
"He may tease and demean you but is their any doubt that he respects you? He does."
"How do you know?" he blurted without thinking.
"You still on the team. He is the senior field agent. Bowler is a good man. He wouldn't keep you on the team if you didn't fit and you weren't good at you job."
"What happened to that team, with the obnoxious agent?"
"He's he sir." Erica's voice flowed form the phone as the door burst open.
"Hello Probie, love the new office." another man said coming in and surveying the office without seeming to care about the agent already present and not caring he was speaking to the assistant director.
"Hello Tony."
"I came to say congrats on the new job. C'mon McGiggles let's go out and have a few drinks to celebrate."
"Your wife won't like that."
"She'll live."
"Think about it." Assistant Director McGee said to the young agent. The man called Tony smiled warmly and nodded to Stevens as the two left the office bickering about where to go drink and grinning with joy of life long friends the whole way.
Steven smiled to himself. Maybe Probie wasn't so bad after all.
A/N A story idea that just wouldn't leave my mind. I've got another chapter to come about another version of the conversation that will be up soon. Hope you liked it.