We're All Mad Here - Part 2

Bleary eyed and wearing the same clothes as the day before - creased from a night spent in her car - she opened her office door, the team (fresh as daisys from a night in their own beds and a proper breakfast) crowding about her and pouring into her tiny space before she even had a chance to take the key from the lock.

OK, well, that was rude.

Tim sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes. Despite having given her face a quick wash in the bathroom her eyes still felt gritty. It was going to be a long day.

Coffee and breakfast. Two things she needed as soon as she was given a task from Agent Gibbs.

It hadn't taken two minutes for one of the agents to connect with the doctor - Mallard, Donald, she would have to remember that - and the forensic expert.

She had been right. The marking was a tattoo. A tattoo that identified the corpse as a submariner. A submariner who had been bashed on the head before being stuffed in a drum of acid. Now that was a bad say if ever there was one.

At Gibbs request - if the man really requested anything - she shuffled through her files in search of the daily movement report ans ignored Agent DiNozzo's comment on her filing system. It was a little embarrassing, her office usually being organized better than this but as she hadn't been able to tidy up yesterday it was all a bit of a mess.

She could feel Agent Gibbs' eyes on her as she bent partially over him to reach her files. Not to mention the smug smile she knew must have accompanied Agent DiNozzo's comment.

"Got it," she whispered to herself.

Tim straightened and stepped back a bit further than was necessary and planting her foot directly on what she knew was Agent DiNozzo's foot. She stepped down only long enough for it to be seen as an accident but not moving it until she heard him hiss.

This accomplished she shuffled away with an apology as she focused on the paperwork in her hand.

She glanced up to read of the list of subs currently docked and met Gibbs' eye for a moment.

Was he smiling at her?

She gulped and told him what he needed to know.

Having left the team in her office and gone in search of the alpha rosters for the subs Tim used the time to her advantage, grabbing a coffee from the cafeteria - with enough sugar and milk in it for her to gulp it down in a oner - and a wrinkled apple from the bowl at the checkout.

She returned to her office, copies in hand and an apple core ready to bin, to find no one there.

Time sighed in annoyance and threw the apple core with a little more force than was needed into the trash can by her desk.

She slid into her chair and spread out the paperwork in front of her. If she was going to go running after Agent Gibbs and his team she was going to do so knowing what she was delivering.

She picked up the phone as she scanned through the papers and pressed the line to be put through to security.

"Security,"

"Hey, Marcus, this is Tim McGee," she out two of the now scanned sheets to the side and concentrated on the others, recognizing some of the names and even managing to put faces to them.

"Agent McGee, what can I do for you," the security guard asked cheerfully.

"Can you tell me where the three Agents from Washington are?" she was not running all over the base in search of them - she could be at it all day.

"Yeah, sure, give me a minute,"

"Thanks Marcus,"

In the time it took the guard to get back to her she had finished scanning through the documents.

Everyone present and accounted for.

Which meant that he was either from another crew…or someone was on one of the subs who shouldn't be…

Within a day Tim had decided that this was what she wanted to do. This was the team she wanted to be part of. Jack-ass work colleagues aside. That was where she wanted to be. Somewhere it mattered. Using the skills she knew she had to make a difference. Not just a - she winced at the words - paper pusher. So Tim tried to be as helpful as she could.

That was the right way to act, right?

Helpful was good.

Which was what she was trying to be when she told Agent Gibbs that he may want to give Captain Veitch a wide birth. She had met him once. Months ago whens she had first started work in her little office. When she had known even less than now about how to act around people…well…normal people. He was a sexist swine if ever there was one and he had enjoyed lavishing her with his own brand of intimidation.

Gibbs turned and stalked towards her.

He stood close, peering down at her as she stumbled out (no act this time, she was honest enough with herself to note - pushing back the gut reaction to knee him in the groin) her explanation. Really, was the fact that the Captain could be difficult the only thing she could think of to describe him?

They were going to think she was a spineless idiot. She was going to be stuck in Norfolk for the rest of her life. Unless she turned to that life of crime that was also open to her. You could do a lot of damage with her skill set and…connections.

Gibbs glared at her.

"And you don't think that I can be difficult?" he asked her.

Tim swallowed back the desire to giggle and was proud of her ability to keep her face straight.

"I'm sure you can, sir,"

She was aware of the other agents smirking at what they thought was her discomfort. And while she did feel out of her depth in this situation she wanted to wipe the grins from their faces…unlike someone she knew who would happily fix a permanent one to there lips.

She kept her eyes fixed on Gibbs for as long as he looked at her, and then he smiled at her - he had a nice smile -and nodded his head. Walking away from her.

She watched them go.

And couldn't stop the smile that came to her own lips as her heart rate settled again. Yes she was intimidated and out of her league but if Gibbs thought he was the most 'difficult' person she had ever come into contact with her was sadly mistaken.

Tim stood around the corner and listened to the woman - Kate? - complain loudly about the attitude of Captain Veitch. In all fairness she had warned them. She had! It wasn't her fault Gibbs had got all defensive about his oen level of difficult-ness.

So, was that how she was supposed to react when faced with that kind of situation? Back home she knew how to deal with men like the Captain. It usually involved a bat. But not here in the real world.

She listened as Kate continued to rant about her qualifications and shaving routine.

Tim wasn't sure about that response at all. She found it loud and abrasive. Even when the baseball bat option was open to her she never did tend to use it…

No. She would stick to her own reaction for the time being. It was more her anyway. The whole bat thing was more like her mom anyway. And as for the knee in the groin. Well, that was more reflex than anything else.

Hi guys!

You are all amazing! Thank you so much for the feedback on the first chapter. And congrats with the correct guesses. *whisper* Two-Face was the right answer.

So…Tim has a secret past that makes her unsure of how to act/react to things…dun dun dun. Stick with me and all will be revealed. ;)

As I have pointed out before, I was not a huge Kate fan and needless to say that has not changed in this collection.

Stay safe everyone and I hope your weekend had been a good one.

Tara :)

PS - I am going to try by best to stick to a daily posting routine - like with the first collection :)