Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This is my explanation chapter as to why the team members are where they are, I hope it is at least partially believable.

Chapter 2

Up in the bullpen, McGee and Zeva were shocked out of their own thoughts by the voice of Gibbs, "Where the hell is DiNozzo?" Both of the agents stared at their former team leader blankly. Gibbs was standing in front of Tony's desk his gaze taking in the lack of clutter and the wastebasket next to it full of the trash of 7 years spent at a desk by one Tony DiNozzo.

Ziva was, of course, the first to shake herself back to the present. "I believe he is down with Abby, Gibbs," she told him as she started to rise out of her chair. "I will go and get him, if you want."

"No, I'll get him myself," Gibbs overrode her and turned to go to the back elevator, just to be brought up short by a nearly hysterical Abby running toward him.

Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs," she breathlessly called to him. "What was Tony talking about? Why do I have to tell Ziva and McGee not to pack yet? What's going on?" The last question was partially muffled as she threw her arms around Gibbs and buried her face in his shoulder. Bert the hippo gave a little fart as he was caught between them. Abby looked up at Gibbs and repeated in a small voice, "What's going on?"

"Oh, Abs," Gibbs placed a gentle kiss on her head. "Vance has disbanded my team, Ziva's position as a liaison officer has been terminated, Tim has been moved to cyber crimes, and Tony is the new Agent afloat on the USS Ronald Reagan."

Abby just stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Her face paler than normal. She clutched Gibbs tighter, burying her face in his chest, "No, no, no." Her denial came out weak and thready.

"Shhh, Shhhh," Jethro stroked her hair, trying to console her.

Abby suddenly pulled back from him and turned to run to Ziva. She bent down and enveloped the seated Mossad Officer in her arms. "You can't leave, you just can't."

Ziva looked at Gibbs and McGee over Abby's shoulder with a help me expression on her face, as she awkwardly patted her on the shoulder with her free hand.

Gibbs came over and began prying Abby off of Ziva, "Let her breathe, Abs. C'mon let go." The last was said with a bit of force to go with the increased tugging to disengage the Goth.

"Abby," McGee speaks up to distract her, "Where is Tony, did you leave him in your lab?"

"Yes, McGee," Abby answers him with an impatient tone, as she lat Gibbs pull her away and back to the center of the bullpen. "He said he had to make a phone call; and, then he said that you and Ziva shouldn't bother packing." Abby turned to Gibbs as she felt him stiffen in shock as she talked. "Gibbs?" she questioned, looking into his blue eyes as they were widened by shock. "Do you know who he called?"

Gibbs gave himself a shake and settled from shock to a grim smirk, "I have an idea, and if it is who I think it is, I think the team will be back together faster than Vance thinks."

"Boss," McGee questions, some of his frustration spilling over into his tone. "What are you talking about."

Gibbs' smirk widened slightly. "Figure it out McGee, who could Tony call that could put the team back together?"

McGee just looked blankly at his boss for a few seconds until a small noise from across the bullpen him turn to Ziva with a questioning look. Ziva had gone as pale as Abby as she turned to Gibbs for confirmation. "His father?" she asked in a small voice.

McGee still looked at the other team members with no comprehension. "I know Tony's family is loaded, but what can they do?" Abby nodded her head to his comment, as she had no idea what Ziva meant either.

"His father," Ziva repeated, in a stronger voice. "His father's college roommate and best friend is Senator Don Abernathy from New York." She continued as if she was summarizing a case, "The senator is the chairman of the Senate committee on the armed forces, he also sits on the committee for Homeland Security. If Tony could convince his father to call Senator Abernathy for a favor the Senator could call the Secretary of the Navy who would call Director Vance." Ziva continued, speeding up, her words tripping over themselves, "But, I do not see how this can help me. My position has been terminated."

"That is why they call politics the art of the possible," Tony's voice interrupted her. The team looked over at Tony leaning over the partition next to Ziva's desk. He flashed them the patented DiNozzo smile, even though it didn't quite make it to his eyes. He sauntered around the partition into the bullpen and perched himself on the edge of Ziva's desk. "Don't you know, it's not what you know. It's who you know, and how much they owe you." He stopped to pick a piece of nonexistent lint off the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"Tony," Abby began as she went to go to him, only to be stopped by Gibbs not letting her go.

"What are you leaving out, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked him. A brief look of pain flitted across Tony's face as he got up from the desk and turned to go to his own desk.

"Don't worry about it Gibbs, like I said. It's the art of the possible." He sat at his desk with a wry smile. "Some things just aren't possible." Tony's cell began to ring, and he pulled it from his belt to check the caller ID. "Sorry, I have to take this. You know, Dad's calling back."

Tony flips the phone open with a, "Hello Father, how did it go?"

"OK…OK… yes sir…Thank you, sir"

As he continued his conversation, McGee walked over to Ziva's desk and asked her in an undertone, "When did you find all of that out about Tony's family?"

Ziva stopped her staring at Tony to flick her eyes to McGee for a second before returning them to her partner. "When I first came here as Ari Haswari's control officer I compiled dossiers on all of Gibbs' team, with background into your families. Now shut up McGee, I am trying to listen."

But, it was too late, Tony had already snapped his phone closed and leaned back in his seat. "Wait for it," he said, looking at his watch. "Just wait for it."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs began again, this time his voice was lower with a dangerous warning tone that would not take any more diversions. "This is the last time I am going to ask you. What aren't you telling us."

"Well, you see, Gibbs…" Tony began only to be cut off by the appearance of Cynthia on the upper railing calling down to the bullpen.

"Special Agent Gibbs," she called, raising her voice to be heard over Tony. "Director Vance wants you in his office now, sir." She emphasized the now.

When Gibbs looked up to the balcony he could hear the muffled voice of Vance yelling from his office, " Now means At once!"

Gibbs looked from the shocked faces of Ziva, McGee and Abby to the smugly superior grin of Tony and growled to them, "No one do anything until I get back."

He turned and hurried up the stairs to the Director's office to the sound of McGee's, "Yes, Boss" and Ziva, Abby, and Tony adding, "Yes, Gibbs." Gibbs paused on the landing to look down at the back of Tony's head for a moment, before shaking his own head and continuing up the stairs.

Tony's silly grin lasted until the door to the director's office closed and then dropped from his face like it was never there. "Probie, you're with me. I need to get something out of my car." Tony barked, causing McGee to jump slightly. "Now, McGee." from Tony shook him into action as he got up to follow.

"Tony, stop right now." Ziva's command was almost shouted at him. "You are not going anywhere until you explain yourself. What did you do, and why do you need to go to your car now, of all times."

An easy smile came to Tony's face as he walked over to Ziva's desk and leaned down into her space. "I have presents for you, and I want McPackhorse's help carrying them. Now you two, just wait here, and the good girls will get their presents in a moment." With a jerk of his head Tony indicated McGee should precede him to the elevator.

"Presents?" Ziva repeated half to herself as Abby said "Presents" in a much more confused tone.

As the doors to the elevator closed, McGee turned to Tony and tried to hand him the keys to his desk, saying, "Here you go, I guess you can have your keys back."

Tony just smiled faintly back at him and replied, "Why don't you hold on to them for a while, Tim."

As the two agents ride the elevator down to street level, Abby began to think about what had just happened, and she was drawing a very upsetting conclusion.

Ziva watched as Abby began pacing back and forth, only two steps, turn and another two steps and turn, occasionally squeezing Bert for emphasis as she talked to herself in a tone just low enough that Ziva could not hear her. Suddenly she straightened up and stopped cold as an idea occurred to her. "No, no, no," She muttered as she bounced in place.

"What is wrong, Abby?" Ziva asked her gently as she was dancing from foot to foot, highly agitated.

"Hey Ziva, why did Tony call Gibbs, Gibbs? I mean I can see you or I calling him Gibbs; but, to Tony, Gibbs is always Boss, just like Tim calls him."

Ziva paused and reflected a moment, "Perhaps it is because Tony has solved our problem, maybe he is changing the dynamic of their relationship.

"No, Ziva," Abby asserted. "Tony has never directly referred to Gibbs as anything other than Boss."

"My point exactly," Ziva interrupted her. "This shows how Tony has grown."

"Not grown, Ziva." Abby replied shaking her head, "I think Tony has gone."

Both girls turned their eyes to the elevator as I dinged and the doors opened. They both found themselves holding their breath, waiting as they saw McGee come off the elevator with a cardboard box in his arms. He looked at the two girls and shook his head slightly. "He said his staying was impossible, but he could insure the rest of his team was safe." McGee gave a little smile, "He even did actually have presents for the two of you." As he set the box on Ziva's desk, he could not continue to meet their shocked gazes.

Ziva sprang up to go to the elevator, and pulled up abruptly as McGee moved to block her way.

"Move McGee," her voice came out low and dangerous, causing Tim to blanch slightly, but he stood his ground, swallowing before he replied.

"He asked me to tell you he doesn't want a friend right now. He figures a year or so on the Ronald Reagan will do him some good, and that that was his penance given to him by his father. He also said open your damn present first."

Ziva looked at McGee levelly and said in the same low tone, "I have listened, now get out of my way." As McGee moved aside, Ziva brushed past him, stifling the impulse to hurt him in some slight way on her way to the elevator. Ziva pulled out her phone and called Tony as she waited for the elevator.

"He said to tell you, you would not find him," McGee called after her as he reached into the box and pulled out Tony's phone as it began to ring.

Ziva made an exasperated huff and hung up the phone. "That does not mean I am not going to look." She looked at Abby, "Abby, please put a BOLO out on his car."

Abby started to nod, and turned to go back to her lab when she was froze in place by the voice of Gibbs from the balcony. "Abs, do not do that, and Officer David stay where you are." As Gibbs saw the determination in the Israeli's face he added, "We know where he is going, we can find him there tomorrow. Please, give him some space."

"But Gibbs, he is my partner," her reply came out almost as a plea.

"Not anymore, officer David," the voice of Director Vance answered her as he stepped up next to Jethro at the railing.