Authors Notes

Thank you so much for all your reviews, alerts and favourites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

With regard to the use of the phrase "physical assault", yes in the context of this story, I do specifically mean those headslaps. As far as I am concerned, each and every headslap is a physical assault.

Chapter 3

Back downstairs, Gibbs told Tony to follow him as they both disappeared down to the Cybercrimes unit to find a new tech. Vance then came downstairs and requested Tim and Ziva to follow him back upstairs.

A few minutes later, Abby came bustling into the bullpen yelling at the top of her voice, "Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" She stopped. It was most unusual to find no-one from the Gibbs team in the bullpen, and what was that smashed computer doing on the floor?

Abby stopped a passing agent and asked, "What happened here, do you know? And where are Gibbs and his team?" The agent told Abby that Gibbs had picked up the monitor and thrown it on to the floor, and the last he knew of, Gibbs was upstairs with Vance. He had no idea where the rest of the team was.

Abby shook her head, vehemently, her pigtails flying. "Gibbs may not be comfortable with computers, but he would never throw a computer onto the floor. He knows how much we need them. I don't believe you."

The agent shrugged. "That's your loss, Ms Sciuto, but you might be interested to know that there is a rumour going around that Gibbs has fired Agents McGee and David."

Abby was shocked. Her Timmy fired from the team? No way. Gibbs' team was the best team in all of the NCIS and McGee was an integral part of it. There was no way he would ever be fired. The agent must have made a mistake. Timmy loved this job.

Abby turned and headed for Ducky and the Autopsy Room. She bustled in, yelling as usual. "Ducky! Ducky! Ducky! Tell me it isn't true. Please say it is not true!"

Dr Donald Mallard, known as Ducky to the team, lifted his head. "What's not true?"

"They are saying that Timmy was fired from Gibb's team. That can't be true. It can't be. Gibbs would never fire Timmy. Never. He knows how important Timmy is to the team. Why won't anyone tell me what is going on? Where is Timmy going to go? He can't leave us. We need him. And where is Gibbs? And Tony and Ziva. I can't find them anywhere."

Ducky sighed. Oh yes, that. Well he had been there when Gibbs had fired Tim and Ziva from the team.

"Timothy made a decision that his personal health was more important than Jethro's dead marine, and he was quite right. Unfortunately Agent Gibbs did not agree with him, and Timothy and Ziva are both now off the team. Jethro and Tony are probably looking for new replacements. I do not know what will happen to Timothy or Ziva. How did you find out?"

Abby's head and pigtails flew even faster as she shook her head. "I was told that Gibbs smashed Timmy's computer upstairs. There is no-one in the bullpen, I can't find anyone from the team to tell me what is going on."

Ducky sighed again.

"Be that as it may, Abby, the fact is that Gibbs did fire Timothy and Ziva from his team. I heard him say so myself. I do not know what will happen now. Now if you will excuse me, I do have a body that wishes to speak to me."

Once he was back in his office, Vance sat at his desk, and bade the two agents to also sit. He looked at Tim with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Agent McGee, How long have you been at this agency?"

Seven years, Director. Six of them on Agent Gibbs' team."

Vance nodded. "Do you feel you have learnt enough in that time, especially while you have been on Gibbs' team?"

"Yes, Director, I have learnt so much about criminal investigation." Tim nodded. He began to feel hopeful that perhaps he might at last get a promotion to SFA status.

"I think its long past time for you to get your own team. Would you be interested?" Vance dropped his bombshell. A huge smile such as Vance had never seen before, spread across Tim's face.

"Yes, Sir. Absolutely. I would be extremely interested."

"And who would you choose to be your SFA?" Vance looked steadily at Tim, without looking at Ziva. He did not wish to influence Tim's decision at all.

Tim looked at Ziva, "Agent David, if she is interested."

Vance looked at Ziva with a raised eyebrow. "Are you interested in being Tim's Senior Field Agent, Agent David?" he asked.

Ziva also smiled. "Yes, Director, I would be very interested in being Agent McGee's Senior Field Agent."

Vance nodded. "Good. Then it is settled. You will have to find two more field agents with skills that complement with your own. Your team will also start with some cold cases and whatever overflow that Gibb's team cannot handle. You will have to build your way up to being back on the MCRT roster, but I don't expect that you will take too long. I'd say less than a year should do it. Now let's see about finding your team a new home out in the bullpen. Do you have any questions?"

Tim indicated that he did. Vance sighed.

"Yes, Agent McGee. what is it?"

"Have you heard back from the HAZMAT team?" he asked.

"Oh yes, I have. They cleared out the stagnant water. The body is now downstairs in the morgue. That case is currently still with Gibbs."

Tim spoke up again. "Director, sorry to be a pain, but would I be able to take some advanced courses at FLETC? I think it would help me, if I had some more training." Ziva nodded her head at this.

"Of course. I will arrange it. And for Agent David, if she wishes to do some as well. Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Tim was making the most of this opportunity. "I would like my team to be assigned to a forensic lab that is NOT run by Abby Sciuto."

Vance nodded. That was not a big surprise. Abby was not much of a team player. She preferred to work alone, and while she had to work for several teams, she frequently and often gave preference to her favourite team - that led by Agent Gibbs. "Agreed. Anything else?"

Tim and Ziva shook their heads. Vance stood up to signal the meeting was over and he led the way back out of his office to find his new team their new home.

AN - Please send me reviews. I LOVE getting reviews.