AN. The dumpster scene in The Artful Dodger reminded me of the one in Broken Arrow and resulted in this fic.
"How are we going to handle this?"
Tim stops working and turns from his to desk to face his friend. "How are we going to handle what?"
"And you call yourself an investigator" Tony responds with a grin. "There's a big event coming up soon and I think we need to be prepared."
"Huh?"
"It's time for Ellie's probie eval."
"Oh, right. Can't believe it's been nine months already. Seems like only yesterday she arrived on that joint duty assignment and then..." McGee's voice trails off as he starts to remember all that has happened since that time.
"Yeah, it has gone fast."
"Since it's her eval why do we have to be prepared?"
"I..ah...that is..."
"What is it Tony?" Tim starts to look concerned at his friends uncharacteristic hesitation.
"I just have a feeling this might not go well."
"Because Ellie is a perfectionist who seems to take every failure to heart?"
"No. I've noticed she may get upset for a moment when she makes a mistake or something goes wrong on a case but have you noticed what she always does next?"
"She gets on with the job. Good attitude for an agent to have. Why are you worried?"
"I think Gibbs has being going easy on her."
"There's certainly been less barking at her than any other probie we've had before. I still have nightmares about the search for Ziva's replacement. That DEA agent he made cry..."
"Nightmares?"
"I was joking Tony. You know what I mean though."
DiNozzo nods. "I do."
"Do you think it's because she's a woman?"
"Nah. That's never stopped him before. I think it might have something to do Ziva not wanting to come back...maybe losing Kate too."
"That wasn't his fault."
"Boss has always been a 'the buck stops with me' type. You know. I'm in charge so what happens is my responsibility."
"Even when it's really not." The two share an understanding smile.
"We'll have to give her a warning. Let her know not to expect a high score."
"Manage her expectations."
"Exactly. I suspect after the first disappointment she'll be fine. Don't want to lose her. She's got so much potential to be a really great agent. Did I tell you what happened on the case with my dad?"
"No."
"She searched the dumpster without complaint and..."
"Showing a willingness to do whatever has to be done unlike Ziva when she was a probie. Remember she accused us of pulling rank on her?"
"Yep. Ellie even made a joke about the cockroach bringing back up. A sense of humor is essential in this job."
"She's keen to learn too. Jimmy told me that when she first came she read an entire book on autopsies. That memory of hers is amazing and her analytical skills are phenomenal. If she can survive Gibbs she'll be a great addition to our team."
"Let's have her six on that okay?"
"Okay." They resume typing on their keyboards.
"There's still one problem with having her join us."
"What's that?"
"Her junk food addiction. We'll have to get a vending machine just for her."
The End.