A/N - thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you're - amused by my scenario.
Previously on One Good Turn...
"FBI," she said as she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Play along Agent McGee and we'll get away with this."
Fortunately he was quick on the uptake.
"It's all right, you're here now." He told her, nodding his head very slightly to indicate that he was willing to do as she asked. She couldn't help but notice that the two women at the table were looking just a little irritated and that both the other men were watching her avidly.
"Aren't you going to introduce us Tim?" One of the women said, as he tentatively placed a hand around her waist. She heard him suck in a breath as she moved just a little closer.
"Of course, everyone – this is,"
"Jenny, Jenny Shepard" she interrupted before he could reveal he had no idea what she was called. "I've been looking forward to meeting you all, Tim's told me so much about you."
***
Timothy McGee was having a very strange day. First of all his hopes for this reunion with a group of friends from MIT had faded fast when he realised just how different he was from them, how different the lives they lived now were. Things had got worse when it became clear they were making the same jokes and telling the same stories as they had when they had been students together – and that he was still the butt of most of them.
If anything it made him realise how different it was when Tony teased him, or Gibbs snapped – because at the end of the day the team trusted him with their lives. He hadn't thought much about how he'd changed over the last few years – but now he could see it and though he wished the people he'd been close to when he was younger could as well, he could live without their understanding.
He'd told himself that he was going to leave at the earliest possible opportunity – that he had better things to do with his time than listen to a group of people who weren't interested in finding out who he was these days.
But then his day got a lot more bizarre.
Jenny Shepard, a complete stranger, was currently curled into his side and entertaining herself by charming Aaron and Stephen, while simultaneously making Louisa and Ashley jealous. It was a jaw-droppingly impressive performance. And, if he looked a little stunned then they probably thought it was because he still couldn't quite believe his good fortune that this woman – beautiful, sexy and sophisticated was interested in him.
He'd noticed her before she joined them, even though she had been hidden in a corner of the café. The others had been sitting with their backs to her and fortunately hadn't seen her – or perhaps that was all part of her plan.
Her red hair had made him think of Gibbs and his history with red heads. Generally he tried not to think too much about the boss' personal life, unlike some of his colleagues who found it fascinating. Right now even Tony was avoiding the subject, as the rumour was that Gibbs' relationship with Lt Col Mann had ended. But then she had been a blonde.
When Jenny, if that actually was her name, had looked up and smiled at him across the café he had felt himself blush. If Tony had been here McGee was sure he would have been over there, introducing himself and generally turning on the DiNozzo charm. But McGee knew he wasn't like Tony; he wasn't used to beautiful strangers smiling at him across a room. So he'd done nothing – reluctantly dragging his attention back to the conversation going on around him. The next time he looked up she'd been gone and he'd assumed she'd left – until it became clear that she hadn't.
When she walked towards him, calling him 'darling' he'd started to panic. She hadn't looked crazy, but how was he supposed to know? He'd been trying to work out how he was going to get out of this situation when she'd given him a look so eerily similar to one of Gibbs', that his defences had crumbled.
She had whispered a magic set of initials into his ear as she'd kissed him, making him blush even harder and somehow he'd found himself going along with her charade.
And, if he was any judge of these things, they were going to get away with it. She'd already handled a question about how they'd met with consummate ease – implying she worked at the Department of Justice without ever actually saying so. For just a moment he wished Tony could be here to see this – and then he remembered that if Tony ever found out that a complete stranger was pretending to be his lover, he'd never let him live it down.
This wasn't the kind of thing that happened to him. He wasn't Tony or Ziva; he didn't do undercover - unless you counted playing a waiter at some function, watching other people reel in the target. He'd imagined himself in exotic situations, pretending to be someone different, envious at the opportunities that came the way of his team-mates. But now he realised that being convincing while pretending was more difficult than it looked. Although apparently it wasn't a problem for Jenny.
Was she really FBI? The thought that she might not be lingered, despite the fact that she'd known who he was. He'd never seen a FBI Agent who looked like her – which didn't mean much. He supposed they couldn't all look like Fornell or Sachs. But if she wasn't FBI then this could be a scam, he could be in danger. But why would she pretend to be involved with him? She could just have waited until he left the café if she wished him harm.
So, assuming for the moment that she was who she said she was, did that mean he had stumbled into the middle of a FBI operation? He almost winced – imagining Gibbs yelling and the Director expressing his displeasure at the interference with another agency's operation. He doubted that the fact that it hadn't been deliberate would save his neck. But if this was an undercover operation the lack of other customers in the café meant that the target was likely to be one of the people sitting at the table with them.
Which was ridiculous. His old college friends were annoying – but they weren't criminals.
As if she'd read his thoughts Jenny leaned close enough to murmur in his ear, "Do you want to get out of here?"
"I think that would be a good idea – then you can tell me what's going on." She quirked an eyebrow at him, almost seeming to imply that she didn't mind pushing things a little further. But their quiet conversation drew everyone's attention, not that they hadn't been watching anyway.
"You too look as though you want to be alone." Stephen commented and McGee decided it was far too good an opening to let pass.
"Well actually…" He clasped her hand in his, "we er…"
"We have plans." She finished for him.
Her smirk prompted knowing glances among the others and what might have been a murmur of, "lucky bastard," from Aaron. McGee was far too busy getting them both out of there to respond, but he suspected it was a comment that the men in her life heard frequently.
***
When they stepped out of the café he made sure they were safely out of ear shot before letting go of her hand and stepping away from her. "What's going on?" He demanded. "Are you really with the FBI?" He tensed as she reached into her purse and then relaxed fractionally as she pulled out her identification.
Jenny handed over her badge, glad that it proclaimed only that she was an Agent; she didn't particularly want to admit to being an Assistant Director right now. "Are you investigating one of my friends?" He asked, handing her back the badge.
"This isn't an investigation – I was having a quiet coffee and I overheard your friends. I know it's none of my business, but your job and mine shouldn't be a subject for mockery."
"So you decided to play my, lover, because they were teasing me for being a Fed? Did you check that I really was a Federal Agent?" OK – so he was sharp, she should have expected that and by the way his expression darkened she could tell he had replayed the conversation in his head and come to an accurate conclusion about what had really prompted her to come to his aid.
"I'd seen your car earlier – got a friend to run the plates." She held her hand up as though to fend off whatever he was going to say next. "I know I shouldn't have interfered."
"But you did." His outrage was justified, of course. She'd hate it if someone came to her rescue like that. She hadn't intended to make him feel humiliated and suddenly she wished she'd left him alone.
"I'm sorry," she offered, "I just didn't like the way they were talking to you."
He certainly felt embarrassed, like a little boy who had needed one of the older kids to defend him from schoolyard bullies. Maybe he should have been suspicious about her motives, but no one had ever done anything remotely like that for him – and she was a complete stranger.
"I should have shut them up," he conceded, "but I don't care what they think of me." As he said it he realised just how true it was, knew that was why he hadn't told them about his books, or given them more than a few sketchy details about his job. It was the only reason his pride, while stinging, wasn't so hurt that he couldn't see the generosity of her action.
"Then what's so terrible with having a little fun at their expense? You do know how to have fun Agent McGee?" He nodded slowly, smiling as he thought about their expressions and the way she'd given the impression of intimacy without really doing or saying very much. Maybe if he asked she'd explain how she'd done it. "You played along very well, once you got past the initial shock."
"Having a beautiful woman pretend to be involved with me made playing along easy."
"Thank you." It had taken her a long time to learn to accept compliments and this one was so genuine, so sincerely given that she couldn't help but smile back at him. He was charming in a quiet and unassuming way – and there weren't that many charming people in her life.
"If it makes you feel better that was the most fun I've had in - well, a while." The joy and amusement in her expression was gone and at his questioning look she added soberly, "don't let this job swallow you up Agent McGee." He hadn't expected the hint of vulnerability in her eyes – or that she was strong enough to let him see it.
"So, do you know Agent Fornell?" He asked – wondering why she rolled her eyes.
"I've worked with Tobias a couple of times, I don't know anyone who knows him well."McGee was sure she was right – though if anyone knew Fornell he thought it was probably Gibbs.
"He once had a colleague of mine arrested." He offered, thinking about Tony temporarily behind bars.
"Interesting life you lead at NCIS," she commented and he couldn't help but think that she didn't know the half of it. "So, Agent McGee…"
"Tim," he said, holding out his hand.
"Jenny," she responded – taking his hand and shaking it, her touch warm and soft.
Normally he was, reserved around women – certainly not as confidant as DiNozzo and some of the other agents. His sister was different of course, as her big brother it was his job to look after her. Abby had simply side-stepped his shyness as though it wasn't there, making him confident around her just by her faith in him. Kate had become someone he trusted and cared about and he thought he might feel the same way about Ziva, though he was still just a little scared of her.
But he was curious about this woman and not just because she was beautiful. There was an aura of command about her, which reminded him a little of Gibbs. Though she was far more approachable than Gibbs – or maybe that was just because he didn't work for her.
He wanted to know more about her, he wanted to talk to her – to hear what it was like to be a FBI agent, to compare notes about their jobs. He didn't know anyone who was in the same line of work, but with a different agency. And he wanted to understand what she meant when she said that this job could swallow you up - because that had sounded a lot like the voice of experience.
"Would you like to have dinner?" He asked, already preparing himself to hear her polite demur; after all she surely had far more interesting things to do on a Sunday than have dinner with him.
"That would be lovely," she smiled at him as she looped her arm through his. "We are supposed to be having a torrid affair," she pointed out as they started to wander along the street together. He looked over at her, just a little worried at what she might be implying and at his expression her laughter rang out. "Don't look so scared Tim," she said, her voice laced with humour, "I don't bite."
"That's a shame," he responded, hoping to shock her with his daring response. But his DiNozzo impersonation only made her laugh again. Clearly she found him hilarious – and actually he didn't mind at all.
TBC