Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.
A/N - I know that this last chapter has been a long time in coming. I can only apologize. I'm sure that you can all appreciate that RL sometimes throws you a few curve balls and can suck sometimes.
In this final chapter, I've also made reference to another of my characters from my story "Office Supplies".
I hope you enjoy the ending.
Jennifer Shepherd poured herself a well earned bourbon. After the first sip, she inhaled the liquid and let her breath out slowly. She allowed herself to grin in quiet satisfaction and checked her watch, before sitting down in her chair. Half an hour ago she had confronted the team and their pigheaded team leader about their treatment of Baxter Murray. She had won that battle, ensuring that they were in no doubt who was ultimately in charge. As she waited their arrival, she took another sip and replayed that tense five minutes,
Flashback
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
He had stood motionless, before she had ordered him to turn around. Slowly, and reluctantly he had eventually obeyed her order, his face clearly displaying his displeasure at being given demands in front of his team. Before he had even the nerve to respond with some sarcastic comment, she had unleashed an inner strength and, with hands on hips, and her heart beating like a drum, had exerted her authority.
"I decide when you are dismissed, Special Agent Gibbs!"
He had rolled his eyes at her once more, a gesture which was beginning to really irritate her and strengthen her desire to take her former boss down a peg or two.
"The case is your top priority! I want action and I want it fast. I also want an update briefing from each one of you, in here in one hour. At that time we will also discuss the consequences of your appalling behavior today."
She narrowed her eyes, and scowled, "Now, you are dismissed!"
Gibbs didn't waste any time and strode quickly to the door, nearly breaking the handle as he went. The others quickly followed him silently.
Shaking slightly, she had thrown herself down in her chair and closed her eyes, thinking about how to deal with the unruly band of miscreants. With the vision of Baxter Murray firmly in her mind, it had taken her just under five minutes to formulate their punishment in her mind.
She lifted the telephone, and began to put her plan into action.
End of Flashback
"Director Shepherd, Mr Murray is here," Cynthia had informed her through her intercom.
With the permission for him to enter, Jen had smiled as the younger man gingerly entered her office,
"Baxter, how are you?"
"I'm fine Director, really, I'm fine. Cynthia has been an absolute diamond! I've had a wonderful afternoon with her, she is such a darling!"
Jen led him towards the two small sofas and sat him down, taking a seat opposite him.
"Baxter, I want to apologize on behalf of the team. This was not the experience I intended you to have. I think you should be commended for your desire to learn more about NCIS and I admire your willingness to take yourself out of your comfort zone and experience new things."
Baxter held his head coyly, slightly embarrassed at Jen's feedback,
"Oh, honey, I simply have the learning bug, I'm always on the lookout for new challenges. I feel it expands me as human being. You know, for me, it's all about stretching my potential, seeing how far I can go!"
Jen smiled, hiding a chuckle, "I...understand, Baxter. I hope that you won't let your experience with Special Agent Gibbs and his team, put you off other development initiatives this Agency has to offer."
He pouted and shook his head vigorously, "It will take more than a few bumps and bruises to keep me down Director, don't you worry about that, although..."
Jen frowned inquisitively as Baxter's face drooped a little.
"Although what Baxter?"
He squirmed nervously in his chair, "I really don't think I could face Special Agent Gibbs or the rest of the team right now, and it might be a little while before I could happily accept them on another learning event, not after today, I'm still a little...raw."
Jen smiled sympathetically,
"It will be a while Baxter before I let them loose on you again. You have my word. Now, I felt it only right that I was able to put right your experience with us today. I've made a few phone calls, and I've managed to get you another shadowing opportunity with one of the instructors at FLETC. I think you will find that a more positive and less painful experience than you had today."
He exhaled deeply, his shoulders drooping. He placed a hand on his heart and closed his eyes.
"Oh, you don't know how much that means to me Director! It's a fabulous opportunity!"
She stood up, and taking Baxter's arm gently, led him towards the door.
"Cynthia has all the details. I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy it!"
Baxter Murray left NCIS a bruised, but happy man.
Twenty minutes later, to the minute, her door burst open. Gibbs took up position in front of her desk and the rest of the team stood sheepishly behind him.
"Well?" she asked calmly.
"Abby's running DNA, McGee's now following some leads after checking his phone records. Tony and Ziva are about to go visit his CO and Ducky is half way through the autopsy, preliminary COD is blunt force trauma to the skull."
She smiled at the frowning team leader.
"Good. It seems you have everything in hand. Once we've dealt with the Baxter Murray issue, I can let you get on with behaving like adults and solving this case."
Gibbs puffed loudly at her sarcasm.
She let the tense silence continue for a moment longer before she decided to put them out of their misery.
"I have dismissed Mr Murray for the remainder of the day. I have also assured him that it will be a long time before I subject him to this team again in the future."
"Well, I sure as hell won't argue with that decision!" Gibbs smirked.
"I have, by way of restitution, arranged an alternative shadowing opportunity for him at FLETC."
Tony and Tim sniggered loudly, both of them instantly imagining how Baxter could ever cope with the demands of the law enforcement course.
"I suppose you gentleman find it amusing that an individual could be so driven to expand his mind, his experience and stretch his own potential!"
"Oh I think he had enough stretching in the back of the truck this morning to last him a month of Sundays!" Gibbs added with a chuckle.
"That is enough!" Jen barked.
"Baxter Murray has to be commended for willingly putting himself out of his comfort zone to try and understand your jobs better so that he could use that experience for the benefit of this Agency! Something that I think that you all perhaps need, in order to understand just how much pressure you put him under today!"
There was silence, as the team held on to Jen's every word.
"Dr Mallard. I've signed you up to take over as on call first aider at OCS Quantico, next week Monday to Friday. In the interim, Jimmy will be working with a locum ME."
Ducky's mouth dropped, "You can't be serious my dear. A week in there is absolute boredom! And what about my lab? Mr Palmer cannot..."
"Perhaps you can use the time thinking about how you treated Baxter and reflect on how you could have made it a better learning experience for him!"
She turned to Abby, with a wry grin,
"Abby, I think a week of working with somewhat different compounds will also give you the time to reflect on your behavior."
"Huh?"
"You will report all next week to Mrs Cameron, Chief of Catering Services downstairs, to provide whatever help you are instructed to give at the NCIS Employee Cafeteria."
"Not with Scary Susan!" Abby gasped, "She once made me cry when I complained about the lack of 'B' in my BLT!"
Tony winced and whispered, "Jeez Abbs, I'd take Gibbs any day over Scary Susan."
"Agent DiNozzo, McGee and Officer David!"
Tony, Tim and Ziva gulped, dreading to hear what their fate would be from the Director.
"I commented on your behavior earlier being pretty similar to a bunch of schoolyard bullies. Well, I think perhaps having to expend your energy in a child related environment just might make you think about your more adult responsibilities."
Their eyes widened as Jen continued,
"All three of you will report to the NCIS crèche facility downstairs, I'm sure they will be glad of the extra help."
"I don't do children!" Ziva protested with a squeak.
"And I don't do harassment of NCIS employees, Ziva. You are going. Period!"
Tony glanced warily at Tim, not exactly relishing the prospect of spending a week with screaming, wriggling, leaking, smelly kids,
"Look at it this way, McNanny, I suppose they're just future, future, future Probies!"
Jen folded her arms, directing her eyes to her final victim.
"Special...Agent...Gibbs," she said slowly.
"I am well aware that as a Marine, you don't exactly subscribe to the concept of 'comfort zones', however, I have not forgotten that as team leader, you have to bear a greater responsibility for the behavior of your team, as well as your own, of course."
Gibbs gave his best steely glare and she almost wilted under its intensity. However, with her level of adrenalin as high as it was, she gained the confidence to stare him down.
"I've given your shadowing opportunity a lot of thought and I've got quite a program lined up for you."
"I'm all ears Jen," he said grinning sarcastically.
"Monday and Tuesday you will be my new Cynthia. You will be desk bound for the entire day and you will do what ever I ask you to do. Typing, filing, making coffee, lots and lots of paperwork! And let's see Wednesday I've arranged for you to work with Carla, the cleaner, you'll be doing all her work for the entire day. She's been given a full briefing on why you are there and is looking forward to discussing your behavior with you."
He grit his teeth and muttered a curse under his breath,
"Oh for crying out loud Jen, there is no way, I'm cleaning for two days!"
"You know Jethro, the SecNav did say that you might react in this way. That's probably why he agreed so readily for you to shadow him on Thursday and Friday."
"What the hell did you tell him for?" he snapped, sensing dangerous territory ahead.
"Come on Jethro, aside from Mike Franks, he's about the only other person who can reel you in when you cross the line! How was it he put it? Ah, yes, 'a little discipline can be a humbling and necessary experience, even for former marines who seem to have forgotten some of the subtleties of honor and duty'. He's damned well looking forward to having a full and frank discussion with you on your handling of Baxter Murray!"
Gibbs recognized his duty all right and realized with frustrated anger that there would not be a hope in hell's chance of changing Jen's mind when she'd managed to get the SecNav involved. He eyed each of his team in turn and then heaved a defeated sigh.
He let the tense silence linger for just a moment longer.
"Are we done?"
She smiled with sweet satisfaction at a job well done and her eyes couldn't help but glisten with victory.
"You and your team are dismissed."
He nodded his head and they all filed out of the room, heads bowed dejectedly, already contemplating the horrors of the week ahead of them. Gibbs checked over his shoulder as Ducky closed the door behind him, instinctively realizing that the discussions between the Director and Gibbs were not over just yet.
"Don't you have a case to solve Agent Gibbs?" Jen asked flippantly.
"Tell me you're not seriously expecting to split this team for a week to work on these ridiculous roles?"
"Oh, I'm deadly serious Jethro! I don't care how angry you get, you will take your punishment!" she snapped indignantly.
He frowned and sighed heavily once more, shaking his head from side to side disapprovingly as he headed towards the door.
"Hell Jen, it's not the punishment I'm angry about."
She reeled back, confused by his response until he clarified further,
"I'm pissed that I taught you how to be a bastard so damned well!"
He slammed the door behind him, leaving her smiling at his unspoken 'apology' and acknowledgement that he'd not exactly behaved like the team leader he was.
In the corridor the team were gathered, hoping that the additional conversation with Gibbs and the Director would have resulted in a change to their punishment.
"Boss, did you square it with the Director that we don't have to do baby drool duty next week?" Tony asked almost pleading.
"Suck it up DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped as he charged on, heading for the stairs.
He stopped abruptly before reaching the last few stairs and turned to the rest of the team and smiled,
"Whether or not you'll be sitting on your ass in Quantico, or scrubbing pots in the canteen, or changing diapers, just remember one thing."
"That we should behave more responsibily to people like Baxter Murray?" Abby said sheepishly.
He chuckled, "That it was worth every minute to never see that weasel again!"
Ducky watched as they all gathered back in the bullpen and thought nervously to himself,
"Never, say never Jethro, my boy. One can never tell when Baxter Murray will grace our presence again!"
THE END
