Author warning:
This is set after Hiatus but before season 4. It was not meant to be a spoiler for season 4 but inadvertently turned out a little in that direction.
I started writing this after Hiatus was screened in the US. I got a little un-nerved when the spoilers started rolling in and now I have seen the YouTube of the opening scene, I am getting really worried. This isn't finished yet, its just getting too AU given there was a new Probie and she was Asian so I wanted to get it out for comments.
Now I can't watch the YouTube scene without thinking, OK: McGee has gone casual, has more confidence and lost a whole lot of weight. Is there a woman (say one into healthy foods)? He wasn't even embarrassed when he realised she had heard him call her hot. They just exchanged a brief smile. NO!
I'm thinking off killing off my Female Asian Probie (FAP) really soon now because the characterisations are going to start to diverge. They are too close, yet too far.
Tony, McGee and Ziva slumped in the corner of the noisy hall, barely speaking. After a three day case which had encompassed the weekend plus a Monday, they were all ready for bed. Unfortunately, Madam Director had made it clear that attendance at the 'meet the new probationary officers', function was mandatory. It was a 'finger food and music event' which meant those who hadn't had a proper meal for three days, were going to starve. A spirit argument with Tony ensued and eventually the Director had relented somewhat: They could leave at 10 pm.
Tony checked his watch: It was 9 pm. His phone vibrated and he rose to take the call outside away from the noise. Ziva and McGee eyed him wearily but said nothing. He returned less than a minutes later with two boxes of pizza which he placed on the table they were sharing. McGee and Ziva's eyes opened wide.
"Oh, Tony", Ziva's voice was full of exhausted appreciation, "You are fantastic, this is better than sex." And she groaned expressively as she bit into a slice.
McGee frowned at her for a moment, "Really?"
"You're not doing it right", Tony informed her, taking a slice and savouring it slowly. "Oh, no", he moaned, "You're right"
No one else seemed to notice the elicit pizza and the thought that everyone else was suffering with finger food made it taste just that little bit better.
Revived somewhat, Tony surveyed the current crop. They were all starting to look like McGee. Once they were all ex-cops or hardened ex-military, now they were all young, eager, inexperienced and highly educated. He had to give Gibbs credit: he had seen the trend coming and had got the team its own fresh-faced geeky graduate before they became fashionable. Now they were like the latest accessory: every team had to have one.
He hadn't told Ziva and McGee that one of them was going to be theirs. He wouldn't know which until tomorrow. The Director had called him in to ask him two questions: did he have a particular skill missing from his team and was McGee far enough beyond the probationary stage that the team could handle a junior officer. He immediately noted the need for a profiler. It was a skill they lost with Kate and had missed on several occasions. He gave the McGee question a great deal of thought. Although he would always see him as a Probie, he had really gone way beyond that now. It was time for fresh blood. He hadn't told McGee yet. He wanted to see the look of appreciation on his face in the morning.
McGee yawned and stretched in his chair. "I'm going out for some fresh air", he said rising.
Tony tapped his watch, "it's not 10 pm yet"
"I know, "McGee shot him an annoyed look, "It's just so loud and crowded in here, I need a break."
McGee fought his way through the crowd to the door he could see led out to a small terrace. Abby danced her way into him and tried valiantly to drag him into the festivities but he declined: gently at first and then more firmly until she gave up, turned her back on him and kept dancing.
The cold air hit him like a refreshing spray as he walked through the door . He took a deep breath and sunk onto a nearby bench resting his head back against the wall.
"Hard day?"
The voice was so unexpected he jerked, nearly tumbling off the bench. He looked around in surprise to see a beautiful long haired Asian girl wearing a full length black dress. No wonder he didn't see her. She was wearing a tell-tale probationary officer name tag.
He relaxed and smiled at her politely, "Yeah, we've just done three days straight sleeping in office chairs and cars."
"That sounds dreadful", she sympathized.
"We got him", said McGee gruffly, "That's all that matters".
He leant back again and then suddenly straightened. "Oh, I'm sorry", he apologised, "I'm Tim, Tim McGee", and he held out his hand.
"Doris", she replied trying to shake it though her hand was so slight it barely fitted over his fingers.
"I know", she sighed reading McGee's quizzical expression, "My parents wanted me to fit into America so they watched lots of movies and named me after a famous film star."
"Doris Day?"
"You got it", her tone was almost resentful, "If I had been a boy, you would have been talking to Elvis right now".
McGee allowed himself a chuckle. "Parents: can't live with them, can't kill them."
He rested his head back against the wall and they sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the lights over the city.
"Lived here long?" McGee asked conversationally without looking at her.
"No, found a place this weekend", she answered, "Just moved in the essentials: a bed, a TV, one chair, one table and a huge vat of chocolate chip ice cream."
McGee rolled his head to look at her "Vanilla with chocolate chip or the chocolate with chocolate chip?"
"Vanilla."
"Oh yeah", he smiled closing his eyes to relive the taste, "That's the stuff."
"Where's your place?" he enquired.
"Sliver city"
"Hey, I live around there", he managed to muster some enthusiasm; "I might meet you on the bus sometime."
She looked at her watch. "Its 10 pm", she said rocking to her feet, "nice to meet you but the Director said we could go at 10 pm."
McGee leapt up with a new found energy, "Us too", he said, "I am so out of here."
He followed her through the door and the mass exodus was obvious, almost everyone save Abby and a few other party animals were heading gratefully for the door. They merged into the throng.
As McGee tramped his way to his car, he came across the same girl again standing alone at a bus stop. He stopped dead.
"You're planning on taking a bus home at this time of night in this district?" he asked incredulously.
"I… I don't have a car yet", she explained quietly.
"Come on", he said, "I'll give you a ride home. It's not good to get mugged the day before you start work."
"Thanks", she said gratefully.
"And you're freezing", he observed, removing his coat, "You'll need some warmer clothes if you're going to survive in this place".
She stood timidly while he draped his enormous jacket over her tiny frame.
"This way, madam", he said with a sweep of his hand and they headed off together towards his car.
As they pulled up outside her apartment block, McGee stopped the engine.
"What are you doing?" she asked almost fearfully.
It took him aback. He wasn't meaning to be threatening. "I w..w..was just going to see you to your door to make sure you were OK", he stammered.
"Oh", she looked down, ashamed.
"I'll just wait here until you're in safely, if you like", he suggested gently.
"No", she said confidently, "I'd like to share some chocolate-chip ice cream with you as a reward for your chivalry."
"Oh," he was startled again but for a whole new reason, "That's very kind of you but I haven't slept in days and I really ought to be getting home."
"Just for a moment", she looked up at him with large black pools, "I promise".
For an instant he was stunned, "Ahh.. OK…sure, I guess", he relented.
She hadn't exaggerated the furnishings; there was indeed one chair, one TV, one coffee table and nothing else in the living room.
"I'll just get the ice cream", she said hurriedly, heading for the kitchen. "Try out the chair, it's a recliner."
McGee eyed the chair suspiciously, it looked too comfortable.
Doris stuck her head around the corner, "Go on", she encouraged.
Sighing, McGee slid into the chair. My, it was comfortable.
When Doris came around the corner carrying two bowls of ice cream she stopped short. There was a large guy sound asleep on her only chair.
"Agent McGee?" she said quietly.
There was no response, only heavy breathing. She set the ice cream bowls down on the small coffee table considering her options. First thing to try was the recliner lever. He'd either wake up or be more comfortable, it was a win-win move. She pushed down on the lever with her foot. She almost had to come to a full stand but eventually she managed to extend the chair out. Did she imagine it or did he just start breathing more deeply?
She went to the door and flicked the lights on and off a few times. That didn't help. She sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table and ate her bowl of ice cream thoughtfully.
She was wondering what she was going to tell her parents: "And on my third night in my own place, I had some guy that I just met at a party sleep over". Hmm, not a good way to secure her inheritance: unless of course there were grandchildren involved. What was she thinking!
Oh great, now he was snoring. She looked down to find she had finished the second bowl of ice cream.
She looked up at the clock. It was nearly 11 pm and she had to get up bright and early for her new job. It wouldn't do to be tired and stressed out on her first day worrying about what some large stranger might do to her in the night.
She stood up and made an executive decision: She was going to ignore him, go to bed and in the morning, he would be gone. On her way to bed she noticed the temperature dropping. She hadn't had time to get a heater yet. She was still wearing his coat. Returning to the living room, she placed the coat over him. That probably wasn't going to be enough. She had exactly one quilt and one blanket to her name. She'd shout him the blanket but the quilt was all hers.
After she had laid the blanket over him she stood back to admire her placement. He still had his shoes on. Hmm, that couldn't be comfortable. She unlaced them and placed them neatly next to the chair. She wondered guiltily if his pants were uncomfortable too and then laughed at herself. It was getting late, she was getting tired. The chances were she would never see this guy again anyway.
