A short chapter that needed to be on its own
Monday Morning
Everyone at NCIS knew that Monday morning between 0730 and 0800 set the tone for the week. Director Vance was still shuttling between San Diego and DC while real estate was examined and schools were explored and his mood upon arrival back from San Diego was a carefully monitored event. This particular Monday was the NCIS equivalent of DefCon 5 and agents were noticeably busy with their work. Gibbs was already at his desk, waiting for the rest of his team to arrive. Tony strolled in, smiling, at 0740 while McGee entered the squad room only five minutes later.
Gibbs watched closely as McGee settled into his workday, never looking up. DiNozzo noticed Gibbs' focus and began his own observations, his interest peaking when Gibbs got up and walked to McGee's desk and leaned into his personal space. "Is it taken care of?"
McGee still didn't tilt his head up, but his eyes flashed up for a brief second to look at his boss. "Yeah, it's being taken care of."
"Problem, gentlemen?" Gibbs was the only one in the squad room that didn't jump at the director's booming voice and the room went deathly quiet for a good ten seconds before muted sounds resumed. Ziva's arrival delayed the inevitable questions as she stopped at DiNozzo's desk.
"She's outside, did you see her?"
"Really?"
In answer to his question she pointed to the window. "She's standing out there looking up at the window."
"Does she have the kid with her again?"
Tony got up and moved to the window to see for himself while Gibbs leaned even further into McGee's face. "I thought you said you took care of it."
Tim didn't answer, looking back and forth between the various expressions of anger, disappointment and amusement he saw on the faces of Vance, Gibbs, and DiNozzo. Ziva was the first one to verbally put the clues together and she burst out in laughter. "It's you, McGee? She's stalking you?"
__&__&__&__
It didn't take Vance long to get in McGee's face - even Gibbs wasn't quite sure how he had been muscled out of the way. In fury he pointed at the window. "Is that what a woman has to do? Stand out there with your child to get you to acknowledge them?"
"No, that's not…"
"What it is, you afraid that your royalty checks will get sucked up in the child support?" Vance grabbed his arm and dragged him to the window. The movement was noticeable from the ground because the woman in question pulled the boy in front of her and waved to her audience, smiling.
"No, you don't …" Rarely did Gibbs see such emotions build up in the usually mild-mannered McGee. In his reasonably short tenure, Vance certainly had never seen it and was not recognizing the warning signs as the young agent raised his voice to be heard over the shouting of the director.
"No one in my agency is ever going to abandon their own child..."
"No, he's not…"
"…because if you're not man enough to…"
"HE'S NOT MY SON." Instant silence enveloped the squad room as the rest of the occupants stopped pretending they weren't listening. "HE'S NOT MY SON BECAUSE…"
"BECAUSE WHY, MCGEE?"
McGee's voice dropped to a whisper as he hung his head. "Because Andrew was. Andrew was my son."
