Long after the kids had gone to bed and Jackie had retired to their bedroom, Leon remained downstairs in the darkened living room reliving the events of the day. His mind remained stuck on a single conversation – a brief exchange with Gibbs at the start of this current mess. Gibbs had been so certain of the need for Leon to recuse himself from the investigation. A humorless laugh bubbled inside as he recalled all the previous cases involving family members that no one on the team had ever sat out for.
McGee's sister for one. The young agent had not only spearheaded the investigation but he'd harbored his sister in his home as well. That alone should have been cause for a reprimand but there was nothing in his permanent record about the incident.
Then there was Ziva David – whose entire NCIS career was based on smoke, mirrors and a spy's definition of honesty. True, she'd been benched as they investigated the death of the suspect in NCIS's elevator when she was still with Mossad but Leon was certain there was more to the story of Michael Rivkin. He'd never pushed then and wasn't willing to reopen an international can of worms now. He just hoped she understood that her spy friends were not the best sources for information and aid now that she was a citizen and a full-fledged agent.
The one agent that had been benched when a relative was accused of a crime had been Tony and that had just happened recently. Gibbs's action had shocked him considering the man's own record. It had also confused him and blatantly highlighted the difference in the way Gibbs treated his team members. Not for the first time, the incident had caused him to wonder why Tony still wanted to be a member of Team Gibbs. Despite, or maybe because of, the benching, it was still Dinozzo working unofficially who had managed to clear his father of murder.
Yet the biggest offender was still Gibbs himself – the man who had suggested that Leon recuse himself had done anything but whenever an investigation leaned towards Gibbs being personally involved. Leon had never been sure if it was a character trait of the main himself or something he'd picked up from Mike Franks. But he did know that after the disaster with Gibbs's former mother-in-law, he was definitely going to keep a closer eye on the man.
Leon rose and checked to make sure the front door was secured for the night. He turned towards the stairs to join Jackie and sighed, making an effort to put leave the work worries and family issues behind for the night. He knew they'd be waiting for him in the morning.
