Down in the Basement
by Precious Pup
rated FR13

Barbara pushed up her glasses and sighed once more at the empty chair. It had been two weeks and he still hadn't come back.

When she had first heard he was being sent back 'upstairs' she held out hope that something would happen and Director Vance would realize just how crucial he was to Cyber Crimes and he would be returned.

So far nothing.

It was so unfair. She hadn't realized how empty her life was before he came and now that he was gone after four glorious months she felt like a hole had been ripped out of her heart.

And it wasn't just her that thought he was the best thing that the Cyber Crimes Unit had ever seen. No NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee was special. So special that Director Vance came down to see him. No one came down to Cyber Crimes. They were always sent for and they would ascend blinking into the light, stuttering and stumbling through their presentations or explanations.

But not The Boss, not Timothy. Director Vance came down regularly to talk with him privately and even Agent Gibbs came down! Agent Gibbs was the man that ruined computers just by looking at them but he still held the Boss in high regard.

Superiors came and searched him out for his opinion. He drove a Porsche and smelt like no man she had ever worked with. He was witty and wrote books and poetry. He was a trained Field Agent. He carried a gun…or well he could……. not that he would in CCU because Bryant would probably trip over and pour coffee over it or something.

The Boss could quote Star Wars AND Robert Frost. He didn't have food stains on his clothes or wear torn Scooby Doo t-shirts. The Boss didn't live with his parents…and yes no matter what Howard said even though he was in the basement he still was living with his parents.

Agent McGee positively loomed over everyone else at six foot one. Privately Barbara thought it was like he was a rare hot house plant that reached for the sky….while the rest of the inhabitants of CCU were more like a sort of necessary fungus that liked the dark cave like environment of the Sub Basement.

She had been happy with her life before he came with his broad shoulders and puppy dog eyes and fierce intelligence. He was perfect. He was smart, cute AND nice. It was an extraordinarily rare combination. Like a million billion to one or even one in a googolplex!

Barbara had known her heart was lost the moment she struggled through the elevator doors carrying the entire data upgrade of the South Wing proposal in her tired arms and managed to drop the sliding immense stack of papers to the floor.

Suddenly there were large long fingered manicured masculine hands helping her to collect up the papers, she looked up and there he was. She was lost. She knew she was smiling like an idiot but she didn't particularly care.

He smiled back at her and helped stack up her papers and even carried them to her desk before with another smile he returned to his work.
Later that month for the very first time she got her hair streaked. Her mousy brown hair now had honey and blonde highlights in it.

When he had noticed and complimented her on how nice it looked she knew she wanted more.

Maybe, just perhaps he could find himself attracted to someone who was gentle and smart even if she was a little quiet and clumsy? What if she wasn't so plain? She wasn't ugly just unremarkable. So unremarkable she had been known to go in and out of a room without anyone noticing.

After four years of working at NCIS there were still people who didn't know her name. And not just 'upstairs' people but sub basement dwellers like herself. There were the bold geeks with Jedi light sabers that glowed in the dark and who had costume parties and raucous on line gaming competitions. Even some of them didn't know her name as she slipped quietly amongst the glowing computers with her head down and her long hair covering her face.

After hours of lip biting combinations in front of the mirror the next month she had plucked up the courage to wear a skirt to work. It wasn't really very short but after years of basic boring trousers she felt freakishly exposed. And pale.

Wayans gave her her very first wolf whistle that day and she had blushed until she felt like she was going to burn up. She had wanted to run home and change as she didn't know if she could last the day.

Still a couple of hours sitting at her desk had made her feel bolder so after a few deep breathes she pushed herself away from her desk and took a walk. There wasn't a point to all this stress if he didn't actually see her in her skirt was there?

When she wandered casually past Timothy's desk to get …well something, borrow a stapler perhaps and heard that he had gone to lunch with Abby, the forensic expert she found a well of determination that surprised her.

Abby, the tartan tiny skirt wearing gargantuan wasn't going to steal him away. She had years with him to make him her own. She might be tall, smart, and bold and flash plenty of thigh but Barbara wasn't going to give up just yet.

Barbara went out after work and brought herself every woman's fashion magazine she could find. Then she started a plan.

Slowly as she gathered the courage and the funds she got herself a slight fake tan so at least when she did wear a skirt she didn't glow in the dark. She had her teeth whitened and had her buckled front tooth corrected. She brought herself some very low heels and would practice wearing them at home so she wouldn't have to worry about falling over when he smiled at her. And everyday she made sure she found some reason to speak to him and say hello.

Barbara became to feel that she could understand him better and she knew he was a bit frustrated and sad. He missed his friends and he missed being a field agent. But Barbara was proud of the fact that he didn't complain. He simply went about his work diligently and showed them all how it should be done.

Barbara wanted to give him a hug and pat and soothe his broad back or maybe wrap her small arms around his shoulders and give him a kiss on the neck.

Barbara went to one of the big shiny department stores and instead of buying on line asked to be shown how to apply some make up. She thought the cosmetics counter lady might be mean or rude to her but instead she had smiled and been kind and didn't treat her like an idiot even when she asked stupid whole experience was both a lot more enjoyable and more difficult than she had imagined.

It was difficult to gauge how much was too much and where to stop and start and how much to shade and blend. She had dismissed talking about such things as a ridiculous waste of time but now she realized that it was actually a bit of a skill.

And then finally clothes. She had slowly started to experiment a bit more. A short funky jacket here and a cute little blouse there. She found she was getting up an hour earlier just so she could play with her hair or would have time to re do her makeup if she needed before work.

She had seen Jennings looking at her and she knew that he knew her secret. That she was head over heels in love with Timothy McGee.

And then the day had come when she had come to work complete with rosy sheer lip gloss and cute bowtie sling back heels and knee length skirt. She felt fantastic.

And he was gone.

She had actually felt faint. She had sat at her desk and mourned the future she might have had. She couldn't make up enough excuses to go upstairs to see him regularly. She almost shed a tear in frustration. She hadn't had enough time! If only he could stay just a bit longer he might have asked her out or …or something.

Now two weeks had gone by and Barbara found that new determination again. Something was up. An Agent Langer had been killed and there were whispers. Betrayal, a mole, deception, espionage. Something bigger was going on here and when Timothy made his way back down to Cyber Crimes and needed help looking for the mole or to search out information he needed on a case she would be there. In the meantime she would triple check everything and even look over his work so when the time came she would be ready!

Barbara smiled and flicked her honey golden hair over her shoulder and dove into her work.

Jennings walked towards Barbara's desk and then at the last minute swerved away again. He had to do it. If only he could pluck up the courage to ask her out! She was so smart and clever and beautiful. She had always been pretty but just lately she seemed even more so to him. Jennings sat at his desk and sighed. Tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day she would look at him and smile and he would be ready.