Everything Changes
Written for the WEE 2011. Written for LadyTwyla1, using her 2nd prompt: Gen. McGee faces anguish that can break him when he has to work a case in deference to Team Gibbs and is ostracized for it.
Characters/Pairings: McGee, Vance, Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, the CCU team (mostly OCs); Tony/Abby, some hinted McGee/Ziva
Rating: FR-15, for some swearing.
Chapter One-
When newly-appointed Director of NCIS, Leon Vance, came walking into the sub-basement, Tim quickly excused himself, hurrying to the office assigned to him. He couldn't hide the resentment that he felt for their new Boss and was more than willing to avoid the man if possible.
Alas, the luck that had deserted him so long ago did not choose now to resurface and, within minutes, Vance was closing and locking Tim's office. "McGee." The Director gave him a short nod, taking the seat opposite of Tim's new desk without waiting for an invitation.
"Director." Tim quickly minimized the searches he was running, as only two of them were authorized. "I haven't got any new information for you, sir. I'm afraid I'm not that fast."
He couldn't help the apologetic tone that entered his voice, much as he wanted to. This man had split up their team, sending them all off as far as he could. He could keep going anytime he wanted to- Tim could be sent anywhere else in the world if he bothered the man. As Tim had never really understood why Gibbs had finally decided to bring him onto the MCRT, Tim wouldn't be surprised if he ended up back down in Norfolk before this was all said and done. If he was still at NCIS, that is.
"No, no," Vance said easily, his dark eyes watching the younger man carefully. "I know you've got work of your own to finish up before you get started on the mole hunt. Take your time- I don't want any mistakes."
Not that he actually expected any, no matter how rushed the young man was. He had, after all, thrived under Gibbs' harsh demands for the last five years. But, the confidant, slightly sarcastic man that Leon had seen the few times he'd interacted with McGee before becoming Director was gone. McGee alternated between looking terrified by Leon's presence and looking half-ready to punch Leon out. Leon sincerely hoped that the punch was only theoretical and wouldn't actually be coming. McGee had, after all, been trained by Gibbs and DiNozzo, two of the most unorthodox agents ever to grace NCIS with their presence.
"Yes, sir." The anger faded once again, back into barely-muted terror. "What can I do for you then?" Tim asked, holding back a sigh. He wanted to curse the man in silence, not to have casual conversations whenever the Director took the notion.
"Well, Tim, I want to be completely honest with you." Leon said, leaning forward in his seat. "I'm afraid there are many levels to this hunt. I'm almost certain now that bringing you here was the right answer."
And now the fear was showing in those bright green eyes. "You-you were g-going to send me somewhere e-else?" Tim asked, his words stuttering out of him. "W-where?"
If Vance had ever let himself slip into self-hatred, he most certainly would have done so now. Even as a child, very few people had been afraid of him and even then, it had only been after his reputation around the boxing ring grew. To see a full-grown, highly qualified field agent look at him with terror-filled eyes was just sad.
Still, he was not about to admit that he had, briefly, contemplated simply not reassigning Tim at all. That was a kick to the gut that the young man did not need at this time. "Several places where you could do the most good were considered," he instead said. "This was not a spur of the moment decision." Mostly.
"So, what do you need from me?" Tim asked, when it became obvious Vance wasn't going to elaborate any further.
"I have sent the three most likely candidates for the mole hunt up to Gibbs, as he will ferret out the truth like no one else I've ever known." Leon said. "I fully expect that situation to be wrapped up in a few months. But that situation has only recently come to light. Director Sheppard was leading an investigation into another mole that was still ongoing when she passed."
"And Gibbs can't take care of this one too?" Tim wondered. If Gibbs could take care of one, surely he could deal with the other as well.
"Director Sheppard was only recently able to locate the source of this mole. She had been aware of the leak for almost two years, but whoever is leaking information from CCU is extremely careful. After leaking something, it takes a month or two before any irregularities are noted again." Vance explained.
Tim was, in spite of everything, still an able investigator. "It's only taking place in CCU? The crew here isn't very large. Surely it's not hard to narrow down the search." He said, intrigued.
"You'd think so." Vance smiled in spite of himself. "But I'm afraid our CCU is an interesting collection of people, most of who have been here for several years. Only four or five have been here less than two years. And Gibbs has been left out of this investigation because he generally ignores computer types and they ignore him. With the exception of you and Ms. Sciuto, as a matter of fact, they avoid him as if he were the Devil himself. They are terrified of his very presence and he is less than comfortable in theirs."
"Oh." Yeah, actually, Tim had to concede that point. "Okay. So, what does that have to do with me?"
Vance smiled. "You were trained by Gibbs himself." He said, folding his hands comfortably as he watched the other man. "You've survived longer than many Probies given to him- longer than any, technically. DiNozzo was certainly not a Probie, nor was Agent Todd. Obviously Officer David isn't. You did and not only did you survive, you've thrived. He's trained you well. Yet, you wouldn't scare these computer techs. On the contrary," he grinned. "They seem to be quite enthralled with you."
Tim winced. "Yeah." He laughed slightly. "That's one word for it. I spent the last five years being the butt of DiNozzo's jokes; it's quite a leap."
"They make you uncomfortable." Vance noted. Some people would love being given such a position of power. Tim, quite to the contrary, was highly uneasy being given such respect. Hopefully DiNozzo hadn't destroyed too much of his self-confidence.
"I- Gibbs is the Boss." Tim said, shrugging. "I'm no one's Boss."
"You might not want to be, but for the time being, you most certainly are. You are heading up this unit, Agent McGee." Vance pointed out.
"Yeah," Tim said. Since the subject was broached, however, he couldn't help but finally ask a question that had been plaguing him. "But…this is temporary, right? The team is going to be reinstated?" I'm going to become a Field Agent again?
Vance allowed himself a small smile. He'd known fear wouldn't paralyze the boy forever. "I have no doubts that Gibbs will be demanding both answers and his team back soon."
Tim brightened. "So, I'll be working with Gibbs again?" He asked, smiling.
Ah. Vance straightened, as they now came to the point of his visit. "As I've said, we are contending with two moles at once. I believe that Gibbs will soon be able to take care of the more overt one, with your help and the help of a few others, in the near future." He said. "I've already explained my suspicions about Langer, Keating and Lee. And you've already done exemplary work there. But, I want to speak to you about this CCU mole as well."
"Oh?" Tim looked confused now.
"Yes." Only a few days ago had Leon decided that Tim McGee was the man he could trust to begin investigating the three possible moles in NCIS. He'd come clean about his reason for dragging the man down to sub-basement and gave the young man his real assignment. Though he had quickly settled into life down here, managing the computer technicians down here with an ease that the last three Operators hadn't been able to do, it was obvious that the man was not happy. Leon didn't blame him- he remembered when he'd first moved from field work to a desk job- but for now the situation couldn't be changed. But he'd been pushed from his comfortable nest and now was the perfect time to give Tim his push. Despite what DiNozzo believed, they couldn't simply stay with Gibbs forever. "I want you to investigate the CCU's mole. Gibbs will be taking over the investigation on his new team soon, but this hunt requires someone who can both fit in and investigate down here. I need you, Tim, you're the only one even remotely qualified."
"Can Gibbs help on this as well? You know, I was only given the lead on a case once and it was less than successful." Tim's face grew solemn, as it always did when he thought about Erin. "I'm not exactly the right person to be conducting an investigation, let alone on my own."
"I have faith in you and in Gibbs' skills training you. The part that makes you perfect, you see, is that you are one of them." Vance pointed out. "The last three Operators were given their positions because of their managerial experience, not their computer expertise. They didn't respect the people working down here because they didn't understand the things happening down here. You have just as much experience with computers as anyone down here- more than some, even."
Tim blushed slightly, causing Vance to grin. He leaned forward, continuing, "I need you to consider this investigation as an undercover operation. It's going to take careful investigation and a lot of patience to catch this one. Whoever he or she is, they're dead clever. You need to gain their trust, all the while not letting on that there is an investigation. This can go no further than the two of us." He gestured between the two of them. "I know your first instinct is to go to the man you still consider your Boss, but you can't. I can't risk this mole getting nervous."
"I can't tell Gibbs!" Tim's heart was beating faster than it had the first time Gibbs had caught him drinking his coffee. "I-I-I don't think I can do this. Not on my own."
"McGee, you are a damn fine investigator. In spite of what DiNozzo may have you believing, you haven't been a Probie in quite some time. If any of your team accepted promotions like they were supposed to, you'd probably be someone's Senior Field Agent by now, if not running your own team. You are more than capable of running this investigation and you will be. I will allow you to help out Gibbs as necessary with his three, but I need this gap closed up before anything truly important is leaked. Do you understand."
It was not a question; there was a stern undertone to Vance's otherwise genial tone. The two stared at one another, trying to get a read on the other.
"Fine, sir." Tim finally conceded. "I will run the investigation. They certainly trust me down here. But, does this mean I'm never going back to Gibbs' team?" He had to ask.
Vance smiled at him, though inwardly swearing, once again, at the loyalty Gibbs inspired in his team. "I'm not going to lie to you, Tim, I'd much prefer you stay down here long term. This may not seem like much of an advancement, but you are at a managerial position now and could be a good move for your career."
"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not even thirty. I just want to learn right now, I'm not particularly interested in promotions." Tim interrupted.
"I understand that." Vance said. "But there comes a time when you can't stagnate any longer. This is a small step to see how you'll do without Gibbs and DiNozzo watching over you. When Gibbs works out his mole, I've no doubt he'll scheme a way to get DiNozzo back and possibly even David. But your investigation is going to keep you down here longer than they'll be away. More than that, you're going to have to at least pretend that you're where you want to be. No one down here can suspect your true reason for being down here. Afterwards, however, if you still wish to go back to Gibbs' team, I promise you I will transfer you."
"But I can't tell Gibbs? Or Abby even?" Tim asked.
"I can't see that turning out well." Vance was firm on the subject. "These people may seem amazed by you, but they aren't stupid. They know you aren't exactly thrilled by being down here. When you stay down here even after Gibbs' team reforms, if Gibbs or Ms. Scuito's reactions aren't what our mole expects, we may be in danger of scaring them off."
Tim hesitated, biting his lip. "But, what if Gibbs isn't willing to wait that long?" He hated to even contemplate the situation, but knew it was a possibility. Gibbs couldn't afford to be a man down, especially with someone claiming not to want the position. "Especially for me." His secret fear. Gibbs hadn't even come to see him once since he'd been sent down. Maybe, given time to reflect, he would see no reason to want Tim back on his team.
The younger man's insecurities played out on his face and Vance had to smother a smile. He knew Gibbs wasn't nearly as close to this computer geek as to the others on his team, but he was in Vance's office protesting McGee's reassignment every bit as loudly as he protested the others.
"Gibbs had no problem with Agent DiNozzo's undercover work for Director Sheppard," he pointed out instead.
"Yeah, but," Tim shrugged, unsure of how to explain it. "But that was Tony. Tony and Gibbs have been together even longer than Gibbs and Franks. Gibbs trusts Tony more than anyone. I'm just the computer guy. The Probie."
He really believed that too, Vance saw easily. Maybe he should record the next few conversations with Gibbs and send a recording to McGee. "At the very least, I know Gibbs won't let anyone join his team anytime soon. When Blackadder left him, it was just DiNozzo for almost a year until Gibbs decided to take on Agent Todd. I'll explain everything to him. When it's over."
Tim sighed. "I suppose that's the best I can ask for." He said.
"I know that you can do this, Tim." Vance said, standing. Tim followed suit, walking around the desk to open the door for the Director. "I wouldn't ask you to do this if I could avoid it. But the truth is, you're the only one in house who can investigate this properly. I don't want to send this to the FBI, if I can at all avoid it."
"I suppose I should be glad that someone has faith in me." Tim said, forcing a smile. "Sometimes I don't think I should be here at all. I won't let you down, sir."
Vance clapped Tim on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have you here if I didn't have faith in you. You'll make me proud."