Chapter 7

At the crime scene:

"Jethro, are you certain this experiment of Miss Keller's isn't going to upset the already strenuous balance?" Dr. Mallard asked his long time friend.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Duck." Gibbs said, scrubbing a hand over his face in exhaustion.

Ducky looked at his companion, his brow furrowed in concern, "You really don't. I thought that you agreed to this experiment."

"I did, but that doesn't mean I'm particularly happy with it. This has to stop, Duck. I've been so blind. I have a good team, good people to work with. Since I've been back, I've been working so hard to keep this family of ours together, I've been blind to the problems that have started to develop. If it's possible that this might work, we have to try." Gibbs explained.

"You're not blind, Jethro. You've just been preoccupied. First you had a new director to contend with, who you continue to contend with. Then you had the distrust your team had in you to repair…"

"Not DiNozzo." Gibbs said adamantly.

"No, not Anthony. He has always been very loyal to you. In fact, I believe he always knew deep down you would return, but watching the rest fall apart shook his faith, no doubt. But Jethro, you've been preoccupied. This is your family. When you're that close to people, you tend to miss the subtle problems that they usually work so hard to hide for your sake. I was not aware that things had gotten this bad either. No one on this team wants it to break up."

"They got a funny way of showing it."

"You really think this will work?"

"I don't know."

"This is wrong, if you ask me. This is already hurting Anthony. I can see how this is effecting him. He is questioning his abilities." Ducky informed him as they walked to the primary crime scene.

"It's only temporary. This experiment is only for the week. DiNozzo is my Senior Field Agent. I chose him for a reason…for many reasons. He will always be my Senior Field Agent. I know that I have favorites. Abby is like a daughter to me, always has been since I started working with her here at NCIS. Tony…DiNozzo is…"

"Anthony is the son you never had, Jethro. I know that is hard for you to admit. Abigail is easy to admit to. She's a woman and you feel obligated to protect her, very much like you protected Caitlynn. Anthony has grown on you since the day you met him. His uncanny, annoying, upbeat, spontaneous good nature and heart of gold has gotten under your skin and become a part of your everyday life. He's a good man. He has a big heart, good morals and works so hard to impress you, when he doesn't have to do anything. You protect him, because since you have met him, you can't think of a world without him in it. He is family."

"Yes, Ducky. He is family. As are Ziva and McGee…but DiNozzo is…"

"Different, yes I know, Jethro."

"I shouldn't do that. But I can't seem to help myself. I try not to pick favorites or treat anyone on my team differently. The others will never understand unless I explain, and I have no intention of explaining myself. This is my team. They are my agents."

"It's also Tony's team."

"Yes, this team would not be the same without him."

"I wonder if they understand how much he helped to shape them into the agents they are today?" Ducky asked.

"I doubt it. They broke rule eight. They have taken his presence here for granted far too long. They also broke rule one, never screw over your partner. I thought I had taught them better."

Tony walked past the pair, his mind clearly someplace else as he carried his equipment to the crime scene.

"And what do you intend to do about Anthony?"

"He's been spending more time with me. We've been working on the boat together these past couple months. Don't worry, I won't change our weekly after hours schedule. I'll make sure he is otherwise occupied."

"Wonderful. I would so like to make sure that this does not shake him of his confidence. Not only is young Anthony good for this team, but he is good for you, my dear friend."

"Can we get to work now, Duck?"

"Of course."

Ducky gave Gibbs his preliminary findings, informing him of time of death and his first glance cause of death. Gibbs then handed out assignments.

"Tony, sketch and shoot. McGee, bag and tag. Ziva, witness statements."

"On it, Boss." Tony responded immediately.

Tim moved without a word to do his task. Ziva complained.

"Why is it that I am always in charge of questioning the witnesses? I am quite capable of sketching and bagging evidence."

"I know. You haven't only questioned witnesses. In the years you have been here you have bagged evidence, sketched a scene, interrogated, chased suspects and taken photos."

Tony continued to work as though the conversation wasn't happening, which was odd. Usually he would have made a comment, or picked fun at Ziva. He just wasn't in the mood.

"As I have told you before, I am not good with people, Gibbs."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and Agent Keller made a note of Gibbs absolute disregard for Ziva's admission in her notebook.

"How do you expect to get better at it, Agent David, if you do not practice. You have been with this team for four years. I know that you think you're not good with people, but you read people very well. You learn by doing, Agent David. Go."

At that, Jessica scratched off in her notebook. There was a method to his madness.

"As your Senior Field Agent…"

"One of…" McGee corrected her.

"Yes, one of your Senior Field Agents, I would like to request a new assignment."

"Did my tone sound suggestive in any…" Gibbs began, annoyed.

"I'll switch with you, Zee-va."

"Well, thank you, Tony."

"Sure. I already finished sketching and I got pictures of the body. The scene still needs to be photographed, so by all means finish up here."

"Thank you, Tony. I appreciate it. The witness is over with the officer who responded."

"Got it." Tony said.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs began, but Tony was already headed off.

"Going to question the witness, Boss."

He watched him go, hoping upon hope that he would be okay until the end of the week. Tony was being way too amicable and understanding considering he would normally have plenty to say about not being Gibbs SFA. It was in pure DiNozzo fashion to get jealous of anyone or anything that threatened his position. It was evident when Stan Burley got more of Gibbs praise and attention that Tony was very protective of his position as Gibbs second. It bothered him when Ziva first arrived and caught on quick. It was clear that he didn't like being sent off as agent afloat. It was very unlike Tony to not fight for his position.

Dr. Mallard was right. This whole thing was effecting Tony far more than he was letting on. His mask was clearly set in place to show everyone that he wasn't a child and could handle not being the best, could handle not being Gibbs second as long as he got to be on the team. He was working hard to show everyone, Gibbs included, that he could be a good sport, even though this was killing him inside.

The rest of the morning went off without another hitch. Everyone did their jobs without complaint, albeit it was more quiet than usual. Tony's usual upbeat chatter was absent this time. They all got back to the navy yard and got to work at their desks.

Tony watched as McGee processed the evidence and sent it down to Abby to be analyzed. He noticed that Ziva breezed through her report and the adjoining paperwork that followed along with the case. Both of them checked for background and financials on the victim and cross checked that with the few suspects they had. They watched in on Gibbs interrogation of the most likely suspect an hour after that. All in all, they were doing well so far.

Upon their return, Tony went about refilling the response vehicle of supplies. The shelves in the warehouse were getting empty on certain things as well. He took care of that sort of thing himself, it was a SFA's duty. Filling the truck was any agents job, whoever Gibbs assigned, but it was the SFA's job to make sure that the shelves in the warehouse were filled and stocked. He sent an email to McGee after refilling the truck, hoping that he would get the hint and send out the forms, but he really just wanted to do it himself. He knew that it was wrong to help out, but he didn't want to disappoint Gibbs, even if it was indirectly and even when he didn't get credit for it.

An hour after lunch, an agent from another team approached Tony. Gibbs and Agent Keller were rounding the corner when Gibbs stopped to watch.

"Something wrong, Agent Gibbs?"

"Nope." He said simply, then pointed to the bull pen where Ziva and McGee were watching the agent conversing with Tony.

"Heya, DiNozzo."

Tony looked up, "Agent Andrews. How are you?"

"Good. Listen, we just caught a new case a few days ago and it's really got us stumped. I mean, we're running in circles."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, well you know the boss. He hates to ask Gibbs for help. We really could use another opinion; another set of eyes. The evidence isn't making much sense. We would really appreciate your input."

Andrews looked so hopeful. Tony hated turning him down, but with the experiment and all, he had little choice. Maybe later, at night when he came back, he would look over it and send his findings to Andrews in an email.

"Sorry, Andrews. I wish I could help. McGee and Ziva are currently co-Senior Field Agents. I have been temporarily asked to step down. They'll have to…"

"Yeah, I heard about the experiment. But listen…"

"What's going on, Tony?" McGee asked, extremely intrigued.

Tim and Ziva both left their desks and gathered around Tony's.

"Ah…well, you see…" Tony said, then Gibbs interrupted.

"All SFA's are consults on all ongoing cases. As SFA's, the junior agents and probies look up to you and value your expert opinions."

"Oh, well….Agent Andrews was it?" Tim asked.

"They should also know the personnel, McGee." Gibbs pointed out.

"Oh please, Gibbs. You telling us that you know everyone that works here at NCIS by name?" Ziva challenged.

"No, not everyone. Just the agents, new and old."

"We'll learn, Boss." McGee said before Gibbs got angry for Ziva's comment. "But in all fairness, Gibbs, you can't tell me that you believe DiNozzo knows every agent here."

Tony looked hurt, but covered that reaction quickly. "You're right, McGee. What do I know?" His forced and obviously sarcastic smile annoyed Gibbs. Tony should be getting angry and he was letting them get away with a lot of crap. They certainly said what they thought about him, it only seemed fair that Tony speak up. But that just wasn't DiNozzo.

"Tony…you shouldn't be so modest. I mean, you know everyone here. You learned their names and titles the second week you started here. My boss told me so. He's very impressed with you. Told us that he tried to get you to join our team a while back. Said Gibbs wouldn't allow it. You knew who I was the day I joined the team. Hell, you know all the probies before the team they're joining does."

Ziva, McGee and Keller stared at him. Gibbs was impressed, that was something he had not known, but it didn't surprise him that Tony went the extra mile to know the people he worked with.

"Agent DiNozzo? Did you know about me before my arrival prior to your team being notified?" Jessica asked him.

Tony didn't get the chance to answer, Agent Andrews loved to boast about one of his heroes. Tony was exactly the kind of agent that he wanted to be. He was still a junior agent himself, but he hoped to be a Senior Field Agent as good as DiNozzo.

"Oh, he knew. He just never says anything and pretends to be clueless."

That did surprise Gibbs. Tony told him everything that pertained to work.

"That's impressive. I was under the impression that Director Vance waited until the last minute to inform you all. How did you know and why not tell your team or team leader?"

Tony laughed nervously, "Well, you see…" He sighed, "I make it my responsibility to know the people I work with, whether directly or indirectly. We've had too many bad eggs slip through the cracks lately."

"I understand the need for that now, but why in the beginning. He said you did that since the second week you worked here."

"I don't know. I'm a people person, Agent Keller. It's good to know who you can trust in this line of work. Getting to know them as they arrive is a good way to assess their worth and loyalties."

"I see, and how did you find out about me? How is it that you know about all the agents as they arrive to work here?"

"I know the lady in Human Resources. Gayle DeLong. Very nice lady. She's constantly cooking me food to take home for dinner cause she thinks I don't eat enough decent food. She knows I usually eat pizza on a daily basis. Anyhow, she has a brother that was deployed on a carrier and never gets to talk to him. He's the only family she has left. Both her parents are dead, she doesn't have any other siblings and she doesn't have any children. So we made a deal. She keeps me informed of any new agents, and I make sure that she gets to talk to her brother on the carrier every month."

"How?"

"I worked it out with Director Morrow a long time ago. I'll admit now, since we have been through Director Sheppard and now Vance, it's a bit more difficult, but I manage."

They were quiet. No one could say anything they were so astonished.

"I must say, Agent DiNozzo, you are resourceful…and very kind. Not everyone would do what you do for her."

Tony said nothing and put his head down, hiding his eyes. Tim and Ziva were annoyed. He was getting praise again. He was probably making it all up. There was an easy way to find out. Probably got this agent to say that for him just to make him look good. Tony was good, he was a nice guy, but he was just too lazy to do what he was saying he did.

"Just looking out for my team, Agent Keller. You never know when one of your own may turn on you. Agent Lee for example."

"Ha, yeah. For someone who claims they know people real well, you definitely didn't see that one coming." McGee taunted.

Tony glared at him, "Well, what can I say, McKnowItAll, she fooled me. She fooled us all. I'm not perfect."

"Though you certainly think you are, Tony. Do not deny it." Ziva added.

Tony smirked, then turned to Agent Andrews again, who had been watching the entire conversation. "You'll have to show your evidence to Agent David and Agent McGee."

"You know, maybe I should just ask Agent Morris from…"

"Give'em a chance, Andrews. They may surprise you. They're very good agents, I promise you.." Tony said.

"Okay, I guess. Would one of you mind coming with…"

"Lead the way, Agent Andrews." The overexcited pair chimed in unison.

Agent Andrews shook his head, gave one last sympathetic look at Tony and led them away to his unit. Tony immediately immersed himself in his email. Gibbs waited until they were around the corner and out of earshot before he spoke.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Good work."

"Thank you, Boss. Why are you being nice?"

Gibbs laughed and shook his head, "Go down and check with Ducky. See if he found anything else that might help us narrow down our dirt bag."

"On it."

12:00, Therapy Session:

"I'm told that you're very close to your killer. That's happy news. We're going to pick up on some of the issues we have already touched on and get into some new ones."

"How has the experiment been going today, Agent McGee? Agent David? Any problems with your new Senior Field Agent duties?" She began.

"No, I think we are doing very well." Ziva answered for the both of them.

"How are you both feeling right now?"

"I am very happy. I feel like I am finally being treated as I should be." Ziva said.

"Why is that, Agent David? Were you treated so horribly before?"

"Not horribly, but like a…like a…" She could not think of the word she was looking for.

"A newbie?" Gibbs suggested.

"Yes, a newbie. I have been here for four years. I know this job inside and out and I am very good at it. Yet Gibbs still treats me like I am yellow."

"Green, Ziva. The term is green." Tony corrected her.

"Whatever. Green then. Gibbs treats me as though I do not know my job. And Tony, he has absolutely no boundaries and zero respect for personal space. He is always in my stuff and he is constantly correcting my English."

"That would seem as a helpful thing to me, correcting your English. So is the lack of boundaries what annoys you so about Agent DiNozzo? Is that why you find yourself so angry with him?"

"No. Though those things are childish, that is not it precisely. It is that he is nothing but childish all the time that irritates me. If we were in Israel, in Mossad, his behavior would not be tolerated."

"Miss David has a point." Vance offered, agreeing with her.

"This is not Mossad, Agent David." Gibbs said.

"I am aware of that, but sometimes I think that you would all do well to take a few things from Mossad to run NCIS. You may have more valuable agents, less leaks and in house deaths if you did."

"If you like Mossad so much, Agent David, you're free to return to Israel and your father. You're not forced to stay here." Gibbs challenged, knowing full well that was not what she wanted.

Ziva looked hurt. Keller noticed and decided that now would be a good time for her real feelings to come out, "Why do you look as though you've just been slapped, Ziva?"

Ziva eyes were tearing. She didn't want to say it, but she could hardly hold in her anger and frustration. Keller could see her barriers falling and knew that in a few minutes the truth would come out.

"Agent David? This is the time to let out how you feel. If there is something that you need to say, need to get off your chest, now is the time to say it. There are no repercussions here." Keller assured her.

Ziva's defenses were down and she finally cracked. She would hate herself later. All her Mossad training down the drain. Ziva started crying.

"You…you trust him more than me. I am the better agent here, Gibbs. You knew that from the first day you met me. I saved your life. I trusted you and you trusted me. I have more skills than he does. I am a better shot, I can use more than one kind of weapon. I have been trained as an assassin. I have more skills that are useful to you than DiNozzo does."

"Are you finished?" Gibbs asked, seeming rather cold in Keller's opinion.

"NO! You have been more of a father to me than my own father. I left Israel for you. I did not want to stay there. I obey your orders. I do my job well. I am becoming a citizen in order to work here permanently. I learn more skills everyday to be an agent you can be proud of and you still chose him over me! Why?"

"I will need someone to explain to me what she's talking about. Chose Tony over you for what?" Keller asked. It was obvious that she was not informed of everything that transpired here.

Gibbs didn't really want to get into this conversation, but knew it was coming whether he liked it or not.

Dr. Mallard saw his hesitation and decided to speak up, "You see, Miss Keller. Last year, Tony killed Ziva's boyfriend, Michael Rivkin. He was a spy and a active Mossad operative. Ziva did not know what he had been sent here for. The shooting was in self defense of course, but Ziva was quite disbelieving of Tony's innocence. So much, in fact, that she wouldn't talk to him, and almost killed him for it in retaliation. Gibbs got her looking at it in a different perspective and so they all went to Tel-Aviv. Director David of Mossad questioned Tony and Anthony tricked him into admitting that he sent Rivkin here himself to cause trouble. On the way back, Ziva told Gibbs that she could no longer work with Tony, and told Gibbs to choose. She demanded that one of them needed to be transferred to a different team."

"Oh, I see."

"He left me there." Ziva said breathlessly.

"I did." Gibbs said quietly.

"How could you just leave me there? How could you choose this clown over me?"

"Ziva, I tried to get him to bring you back." Tony began, but she wasn't hearing it.

"Shut up! It's always you, DiNozzo!" She turned back to Gibbs, "Why? You just left me there, you didn't even look back."

"I did. I would do it again." Gibbs said honestly.

"He always will, Ziva." Abby said calmly and confidently from her seat across from her. She knew her boss man all too well.

"Why?" Ziva's voice shook with rage.

"Tony's special. Has been since the day he got here. Gibbs and Tony have a connection that is as strong as blood. He's family, Ziva."

"You are family, Abby. I understand choosing you…but…"

"I think that Gibbs would even choose Tony over me. It's hard to explain, Ziva."

"Tony is my son, for better or worse." Gibbs finally admitted aloud.

Tony looked up at Gibbs. His eyes were clouded and his mask was almost completely gone. It meant more to him than anyone at that table would ever know, that Gibbs admitted this. His own father was a bastard and Gibbs had taken up that title without so much as a word.

"He is not your son, Gibbs." Ziva said angrily.

"He is. He may not be my biological son, but for all intents and purposes, he is. He looks out for me, I look out for him. He isn't afraid to tell me how he feels and he isn't afraid to stand up to me. There are things that you just wouldn't understand. Tony and I have been through a lot. He was there for all my hurts and I for his. I can't help but feel the way that I do…but I can tell you…that my paternal feelings for him are not why I chose him as my Senior Field Agent."

"You are lying."

"No, I'm not. I may have mislead you once or twice. I may have withheld information, but I have never lied to you, Ziva. No matter what you may think, I have never lied to you. I have my reasons for making him Senior Field Agent."

"I want to know. I want to know exactly why you chose him over me. I want to know what makes him the better Senior Field Agent that you just cannot live without. I I need to know." Ziva demanded.

Gibbs sighed. This was exactly what he didn't want to have to do. This was all mushy stuff that he didn't want to talk about. Looks like he had little choice, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to avoid it.

"That is my business. I'm team leader, I make my Senior Field Agent whoever I deem worthy. DiNozzo fits the bill."

"I think that it would be a good idea to explain to her so that this issue is cleared. She will not be able to move on without an explanation. It may also shed some light in Director Vance's eyes, seeing as how he shares Ziva and McGee's concerns about your choice of Senior Field Agent."

Gibbs thought for a moment. How could he give an answer and still be able to keep his personal life to himself?

"Tony would never ask." He finally said.

"What?" Ziva asked incredulously.

"Tony would never ask me to choose. That in itself is reason enough for me."

"That is cow shit." Ziva yelled.

"Bull shit, Ziva." Tim corrected her.

She ignored him, "Tony did not need to ask, he already had the job. Why DiNozzo?"

Gibbs glared at her, and she sat back down. "I made DiNozzo the SFA the tenth month that he was here. I met him in Baltimore. I was paired with him in a case that we had to share jurisdiction. At first I thought he was nothing but a goof off, but after the case, I was proved very wrong in my first assessment of Detective DiNozzo."

"Go on, Agent Gibbs." Keller was scribbling frantically in her notebook.

"He showed very good instincts and a kind and sympathetic heart while questioning witnesses. He was resourceful, alert, skilled in many areas of interrogation and follow-up. He was quick on his feet, imaginative when it came to figuring out who done it and why. For all his goofing off, sarcastic remarks and jokes, he was a damn good investigator."

"Indeed," Ducky chimed in, "Anthony had quite a reputation with the Baltimore PD and made a great impression on Jethro. He even saved Jethro's life during that sting, even though he was very wounded himself."

"So you made him your number one because he saved your life?" Ziva asked, annoyed.

"No, if that were the reason, you would also be a SFA. You have saved my life on several occasions. That's not why I made him SFA."

"Then why?"

"For all the reasons that you both are good candidates for the position and he doesn't take the credit."

"What?"

"He has several awards and commendations, most of which the two of you probably don't even know about. And not just from NCIS, but Baltimore PD, Peoria PD, and Philly PD. But when he filled out his application, he did not add them, and when he was here those first few months, he did not take credit for anything he did that was deserving of praise."

"That does not make sense. He is always yearning for your praise." Ziva countered.

"From me yes, but not in the grand scheme of things."

"That means very little."

"It means that he doesn't believe in receiving rewards for doing his job. He doesn't question why I make my decisions and he would never ask me to choose him over another member of the team he sees so much as family. That's why."

Ziva was stunned. She had nothing to say to this. It was clear that no matter what she said, she would lose the argument. Tony was the golden boy.

"Tony? Are you okay?" Keller asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at Gibbs, "Thanks, Boss."

"No thanks needed, DiNozzo. You earned it."

"Okay, let's move on. McGee? You said that you had concerns about Tony's special treatment as well."

"I…well, it was kind of answered more or less. I just don't understand why Tony feels the need to tease me and haze me like he does."

"You really hate it, Probie?"

"Yeah, I do, DiNozzo."

"McGee. Do you remember what you were like when you first joined the team?"

"Yeah, pathetic. I've grown so much since then though, Boss."

"I know, McGee. You think that was all my doing?"

"I know it was, Boss."

"No, Tony was on you all the time about everything. He would pick at you, tease you, mess around with you. You couldn't handle it then, but you can now. In fact, you have pretty good comebacks lately. You don't stutter as you used to, you have a more firm grasp on your interrogation techniques. That wasn't all my doing."

McGee thought about this and realized what Gibbs was trying to tell him, "Tony was helping me."

"That's right, McGeek. You got a backbone now. You're not afraid of every little thing. You could even stand up to Gibbs if you had a little more confidence in yourself. You're interrogation skills have improved tenfold. You don't sweat under pressure anymore."

"DiNozzo helped to shape you, McGee. You would not be the agent or man you are now if not for Tony," Gibbs finished.

McGee thought about this and as annoyed as that fact made him, he nodded.

"I know that Tony's a good agent, Boss, but I still think that I'm more qualified for SFA than he is. He has little computer skills and frankly, his health is slipping, what with the plague and all. He shouldn't even be on active duty with the way his lungs are."

"Timothy! That was four years ago. He has been keeping very healthy. He has passed all his fitness exams and if I'm not mistaken, beats you in every relay race. That was cruel." Abby scolded.

"Alright, let's move on. You said that Tony had plague?"

"Yes, y-pestis to be precise. Anthony was very sick, but he pulled through at Jethro's order to live." Dr. Mallard smiled.

"That explains your concerned looks when he sniffs or sneezes. That, coupled with your earlier admission, now I understand. Okay, we can skip over that. The only thing that I wanted to touch on is about Agent Gibbs."

"Great." he snorted.

"You are very focused, Agent Gibbs. You are very into your work, and you rarely take the time to smile or laugh with your co-workers. You say this is your family, which leads me to believe that you lack contact with your real family. Why is it you're personal life is non-existent?" Keller asked.

"Jessica…" Tony began.

"This session is over." Gibbs said abruptly and stood. He left without so much as another word.

"What did I say?"

The others just sat and stared at her, sympathetic. They knew, but no one was going to tell her. They knew better. They stood and left as well, knowing that after Gibbs sudden departure, there would be nothing more discussed until the next time.