This is my response to the March/April Challenge over at NCIS Special Ops (challenge words in bold).
It is set early-mid Season 2, not long after McGee joined Team Gibbs.
Ziva: I do not understand. If you want someone dead, you knock on their door, they answer, you shoot them. Easy.
McGee: For some.
S6 - Collateral Damage
There are some truly disturbing people in the world.
Exhibit A: their most recent collar, Daniel King. Walked right up to the front door of a Navy Lieutenant's home dressed as a postman and rang the bell, pistol and silencer in hand. For no apparent reason, he calmly walked from room to room, shooting everything that moved.
"Why? Because I could."
McGee had always envied how quickly Tony could bounce back from bad situations. Tony had been just as focused as the rest of them during the case, pulling long hours and living on take-out. But within hours of arresting King the clown was back in full force, joking and bickering with Kate and Abby about the best methods for curing hiccups. Like water off a duck's back.
So why was it so hard for him to let go?
Why?
McGee didn't understand. He'd seen a lot during his short stint on Team Gibbs, assault, robberies, abductions, murder, but never before had he seen something so… senseless. He wanted there to be reason why, because the thought of people who kill "just because" was terrifying.
So here he sits, shrouded in darkness, tired sleep-deprived eyes scanning through the case file, long after the others had left for the night.
There was a faint noise off to the right, the whisper-soft sound of footsteps on carpet. McGee started and spun around.
Nobody. Call him paranoid, but…
"How long have you been standing there?"
Quiet laughter echoed back at him.
"Very good, Probie."
DiNozzo stepped into the light and casually leant on the dividing wall next to McGee's desk.
"Nearly fifteen minutes, I borrowed some of Gibbs' creepy stealth-marine-sniper moves. Not half bad if I do say so myself."
McGee shrugged and refocused on the screen. He could practically feel Tony's eyes boring into the back of his head, but he refused to meet his gaze. He wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"You won't find what you're looking for in there."
McGee froze, hands poised over the keyboard.
He'd never heard him like this before. Tony's voice was normally warm and friendly, tinged with laughter. This was something else entirely… world-weary, barely more than a whisper.
"And what is it I'm looking for exactly?"
"Answers. You want to know why a seemingly normal young man marched into a stranger's home and slaughtered them. We all want the answers. That's what makes a good investigator."
"But even the best investigators need to know when to stop looking."
Tony came and sat on the edge of McGee's desk, leaning across to look him in the eye.
"You need to stop looking, Tim."
The desk lamp cast shadows across Tony's face, intense green eyes shimmered within dark sockets. McGee held his gaze for a long moment, and nodded.
Tony stood and headed for the elevator.
"Come on, I know a great 24-hour pizza parlour. My treat."
A soft smile appeared on McGee's face as he powered down his computer.
Maybe he wouldn't find understanding, but with a little help from a friend, he could have peace of mind.