AN – Pretty much picks up shortly after the performance eval drabble/ficlet.
POV – Tony
The new, white envelope sat atop the files in his inbox, ensuring it would be the first thing Tony saw as he walked in to the bullpen that morning. The 'to' and 'from' areas of the inter-office envelope oddly blank indicating that whoever had sent it had also most likely placed it in the top tray themselves.
When Tony entered the office the next morning, he walked over to his desk and placed his backpack against the rear wall. He sat down in his chair and reached for the items in the basket when the envelope caught his attention. Snatching it up, he glanced furtively over at the boss's desk, relieved to see no sign that Gibbs was already in the building. Quickly, he slit the side of the envelope and slid the folded paper out, unable to hide his smirk when he saw three folded sheets.
Hunching over his secret prize, Tony unfolded the first sheet – McGee's evaluation. He scanned the graded area, not at all surprised by the high marks, and flipped the sheet over to read the comments. Tony smirked at the scribbled succinct lines. Even written, his boss still used what Tony had christened as 'Gibbs-speak'. Pride filled him as he read the brief comments. His probie had done well and was coming into his own. Tony had never had a doubt about McGee's abilities and what his future could hold. He carefully refolded the paper and dropped it into his backpack before reaching for the next one, pausing to take a sip of his coffee.
Opening up the next paper, he glanced at the professional skills area and saw, as he expected, that Gibbs had given Ziva 'competent' ratings over most of the areas. Tony made a mental note of the areas Gibbs thought Ziva needed extra work and wondered how and who would help her. By all rights, she should technically be McGee's probie but Ziva's presence on the team and never been anything along the lines of normal or expected. Flipping the paper over, Tony reached for his coffee cup and nearly knocked it down as he looked in the surprise at the amount of remarks Gibbs had written. He scanned them quickly, strangely relieved to note that each comment was still written very much in 'Gibbs-speak'. He then carefully reread each comment, finding himself surprised that Gibbs had noticed and remembered as much as he did. Briefly Tony thought about speaking to the boss, perhaps taking some of the blame for several of a couple of the issues Gibbs had raised but ultimately he decided against it.
He refolded the paper and placed it in his backpack, knowing that both of them would be keepers for him. He'd never bring it up that he'd read them of course. His knowledge would remain his secret along with his source. But it was satisfying to see his probie recognized for the skills and ability Tony had noticed that first day in Norfolk. Ziva's evaluation was pleasurable in a completely different way and he wasn't going to pretend that he didn't feel an ego boost upon reading comments that proved Gibbs had seen some of the incidents they'd all tried to hide.
He was just unfolding his own evaluation when he heard the elevator ding and the faint voices of McGee and Ziva. Desperate to finish his snooping, Tony skipped the marks on the front side and flipped the paper over to the comments. He had no doubt that the marks were the same he had gotten for the last several years. Peering at the form in front of him, Tony couldn't comprehend the single remark Gibbs had written there. He sat at his desk, silent and still as if a small child who had been placed in the corner, oblivious to the noisy arrival of both of his teammates.