a/n - Thanks all, your comments are very much appreciated.

"Have you been here all night?" It was just past daybreak when Leon Vance and his wife slipped through the door.

Gibbs sat up as he tried to wipe the grit out of his eyes. "Yeah, well with Kort hanging around I didn't think it was safe to leave him alone." He didn't wait for the question he knew was coming. "He is doing better; the last time he woke up he knew where he was."

"That's good, that's really good." Vance quietly moved to the side of the bed to check for himself. McGee's color was indeed better and his sleep wasn't as restless as it had been the last time Vance saw him.

"What's the third option?" Gibbs watched to see the reaction. Vance cursed under his breath and hung his head. Sure he was onto something, he pressed on. "McGee's sister was here last night. Apparently his father wanted him to choose the third option."

Jackie stepped in before Vance could answer. "This probably isn't the place for that conversation. Why don't you two take a break and I'll stay with Tim." When Gibbs started to object, she dropped a bombshell of her own. "From one handler to another, take a break Jethro, you need it."

Vance grinned at the stunned expression but didn't say anything until he had Gibbs out of the room and down the hall. "I'm not henpecked, I'm handled."

Once they had their coffee and had found a secluded bench, Gibbs repeated his question. "Tell me about the options, Leon."

"All right," Vance sighed and pointed over his shoulder at the hospital. "When the activation order came through, they were all given three choices. What McGee did was option one. He allowed the implant to be removed and signed himself over to the government. It's kind of like joining the military without an end date or a retirement clause." When his attempted joke fell flat, Vance kept going. "Option two was lifetime incarceration in a secure, energy shielded facility."

"Prison? For the crime of being Super?"

"Jethro, people are scared. What would happen if a couple of Supers were kidnapped and reactivated by a terrorist cell? The government decided it wasn't worth the risk."

Gibbs was discovering just how difficult of a position McGee had been in before he'd agreed to have the implant removed. "And the third option?"

"Voluntary termination."

"Voluntary… suicide? You're talking about suicide? The third option was to kill himself, and that's what his father wanted him to do?" At some point in his tirade, Gibbs tossed his coffee and started pacing back and forth. "His own father told him to kill himself, Leon. What kind of man does that?"

Vance leaned back against the bench with his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I never approved of the family they placed Tim with."

"And you didn't do anything about it?" Gibbs fell back into his seat. "Why the hell not?"

"All those years ago? I didn't have enough clout to do anything about it back then." Leon shoved a toothpick between his teeth before he shook his head. "Hawk and Star wanted me to be his godfather and when it came down to it, I couldn't do a damn thing to help their son."

Gibbs wanted to hit something. "So the McGee's were abusive?"

Understanding the anger, Vance chose his words carefully. "Not abusive, but rigid."

"Rigid?"

Vance struggled to find a way to explain what he still didn't agree with. "The children who were too young to remember were placed with families who were at least somewhat anti-Supers."

"Why in the hell would they do that?" Gibbs never claimed to understand politicians, but to him that was barbaric.

"The idea was that if the kids didn't know about their latent abilities they would have a better shot at growing up normal."

It seemed insane to hide such a basic fact from these children. "And in McGee's case?"

"Ian McGee was a little more than somewhat anti-Supers. Tim grew up hearing stories about how Supers could cause disasters because they couldn't control their powers."

"McGee already has enough confidence issues."

"Well you're going to have your work cut out for you, then. If he doesn't have the confidence to control his powers, they could kill him. That's why I was so glad he asked for you to be his handler."

Gibbs leaned his elbows on his knees, rubbing his jaw. "You think I can make him confident? Me?"

"You took an unbelievably green rookie and turned him into a damn good agent."

"McGee did that on his own."

Ever since his first steps up the bureaucratic ladder, Vance had been aware of how obtuse Gibbs could be at times, but now he didn't have the time to play the game. "Because he worships the ground you walk on, Gibbs. Because you were the first one to see him as more than just a geek. And because," he waited until Gibbs was looking at him, "your approval means a hell of a lot more to him than Ian McGee's ever did."

---NCIS---

"Agent David, could you sign this for me? We're trying to get all the women in the building to sign it before they bring it in." Ziva took the petition from Maggie Wheeler. She hardly knew the woman, only that she worked in building maintenance.

It took all of Ziva's willpower to keep her voice even as she spoke loud enough for Tony to hear the discussion. "A petition to have lead shielding installed in the women's restroom? I'm not sure I understand; are you expecting a radiation storm to hit DC?"

"No, I told you it was for when 'it' arrives." Wheeler was whispering, but Tony had picked up on the conversation as Ziva had hoped, and was now paying close attention. When Ziva didn't say anything, Wheeler continued. "You know, that Super you people are getting, well, we don't want it to be able to watch us in bathroom."

It was all she could do to keep a straight face, especially with Tony's expression standing behind Wheeler. "You are worried that a Superhero is going to spy on you in the bathroom? With everything going on in the world, you honestly think that's his priority?"

Wheeler didn't pick up on Ziva's emphasis on the word 'his'. "Well, it has to have a handler, so obviously they don't trust…"

"Actually," Tony was going to let Ziva deal with the woman, but he'd reached his limit. "The reason he has a handler is because of the many women who want to have him. His handler's job is to screen the applicants." He gave his trademark grin. "I was hoping to get the leftovers, but he is super after all."

Ziva folded the petition and put it in her jacket pocket. "When he arrives, you will refer to our new Super by his designation, which is special agent. Oh, and I'll be sure to let the Director know about your concerns." She had no doubt as to the topic of the next mandatory sensitivity training session.

Ducky came up behind the group with an approving smile on his face as he added his own comments. "Goodness, my dear, you don't think this is the first Super we've gotten, do you? It's a little late worrying about such things now." Flustered and outnumbered, Wheeler ran out of the squad room.

Once she was gone, the two agents exchanged high fives. "Nobody messes with our Probie but us." Ducky smiled as Tony continued, "You were just messing with us right? About there being a Super already here."

Ducky continued to smile. "You've worked with him for quite some time."

"We have?"

"Really?"

The smile turned knowing as Ducky returned downstairs.

---NCIS---

"Good morning, Timothy, how are you feeling?"

"Mrs. Vance, what are you doing here?" McGee struggled to sit up until a sharp pain in his head forced him back down.

"Easy, lay still Tim. Is it all right for me to call you Tim?" She reached for the call button as he cautiously nodded. When a nurse responded, Jackie was very direct with her. "Agent McGee is suffering from a neural rebound migraine. Would you please bring the medications Dr. Weber authorized for him?"

An efficient nurse had the medications inserted in McGee's IV before he was even aware of her coming through the door. Cool fingers on his forehead reminded him of his grandmother when he was a child.

"Would you like me to call Jethro back for you?"

"No, he's been here the whole time, deserves a break." He didn't sound convincing, so she used the excuse her daughter always used that texts weren't the same as calls. Tim was quiet for a few more minutes before he spoke again.

"Do you regret it? Being a handler, I mean, do you regret agreeing to it?"

---NCIS---

Vance had actually convinced Gibbs to eat something when he received a text from his wife. The grimace when he read it prepared Gibbs for some bad news.

"What?"

"McGee's been hit by one of those migraines they warned us about."

Gibbs was instantly on his feet. "I need to get back."

Even as he argued, Vance was picking up the Styrofoam trays of food. At least hospital food was portable. "They've given him the pain meds and he's fine. Jackie's with him, remember?"

"He's my responsibility, Leon." Nothing more was said. When they reached the door to McGee's room, Vance grabbed Gibbs' arm to prevent him from opening it as they overheard Tim's question.

~Do you regret it? Being a handler, I mean, do you regret agreeing to it?~

---NCIS---

"Regret it? Why on earth would you think… are you worried that Jethro will regret it?" Jackie Vance had been around Superheroes for all of her adult life, but Tim's question floored her.

Tim restlessly picked at a speck of lint on his blanket. "Gibbs is such a private person and it's not like he was really given a choice."

She leaned down to make Tim look up at her, an effective method she'd perfected with her children. "I don't think anyone makes Jethro Gibbs do anything he doesn't want to do."

As hoped, that brought a chuckle, just for a moment. "He's never even read the manuals. Vance told him that Kort was on his way to take me if Gibbs didn't agree to be my handler."

Jackie immediately knew what the problem was. "You're afraid that when he realizes what he's gotten himself into, he'll resent it."

"I wouldn't blame him." Now he sounded like the lost little boy she had expected when Leon had told her a new Super was developing.

"You asked what my biggest regret is about being Leon's handler. It's that I can't be out there with him in the field. Oh, sure, it's better now that he spends most days in an office, but that fear is still there." Now that she had his attention, she kept going. "Gibbs strikes me as the kind of man who is the most passionate about protecting his country and his team. Am I right?"

"Yeah, but…" Anything else was swallowed up in a huge yawn.

"No buts," she kissed him on the top of the head as she pulled the covers up further. "When your powers develop, you're going to be amazed at what you can accomplish and he's going to be able to help you do it. Gibbs is exactly where he wants to be, even if he doesn't know it yet. Trust me, every pair finds their own way. The two of you will, too."