Deputy Director Leon Vance sat at his desk on Camp Pendleton, rereading the temporary assignment completion report of Special Agent Timothy McGee. To say Leon thought of the man as modest was an understatement. The report was free of embellishment and gloating of the man, but full of praise for the Special Operations team. The report told of intelligence reviewed, takedowns accomplished, investigations launched but it was free of comparisons with the previous six months.

McGee made no mention of the increased productivity from the teams, or the increased job satisfaction. Luckily for Vance, each of these reports came with a report by the Deputy Director responsible for the area in question. SpecOps fell under Vance, along with the rest of Camp Pendleton, along with NCIS operations throughout the North West United States, and states from California to Colorado. Vance had several job openings in his territory, and wanted McGee for nearly all of them. However, Shepard wanted him back, and Craig had made it to plain to Vance that the assignment would not be extended, no matter what.

Vance began writing his report for McGees performance as head of SpecOps. As he did so, he was thinking back to the meeting with DiNozzo and McGee. He saw a side of McGee he wished he saw more often, a side he would need when he was Director of NCIS. Craig, Shepard and himself had all talked about it. It was not a case of if McGee would be NCIS Director, it was case of when.

Flashback

Vance was waiting in his office, watching as Tim McGee walked across the floor. He poured the man a coffee, milk, along with a spoonful of splenda, knowing the man kept to a low sugar diet, unless he was eating nutter butters. He had caught the man raiding the vending machine when he was stuck late in the office. He waved Tim in, setting his coffee down for him.

"Morning, Tim. You all set for this?" Vance was planning to get DiNozzo in and kick him out faster than any other dismissal he had ever done.

"Yes, Deputy Director." Vance smiled.

"Leon, Tim, you can call me Leon."

"Yes, sir." Came the response. Leon knew the man had been raised by a career naval officer, and the response of "Yes, sir" or "Yes, Ma'am" was practically ingrained on the man, but Vance would try to break him of this habit, even if he got called Leon just once.

"Tim, I've read your report, and listened to the recording. This is just a formality. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. If it wasn't for protocol, he wouldn't even be here today." Vance would have loved to have just sent the Agent his dismissal papers through the mail, but he had to give the man a chance to defend himself. "Here he comes now. At least he's on time."

Vance watched as the man approached his office, his swagger indicating confidence, almost arrogance. If he didn't know better, Vance would have sworn the man was coming in for a promotion rather than a dismissal. Like Tim, Vance waved the man in, wanting this over and done with.

"Good morning, Deputy Director, Tim." Vance couldn't believe the nerve of the man.

"That would be SAC McGee, not Tim, DiNozzo. Show your head of department more respect." Vance couldn't believe the nerve of the man. Time to get this over with.

"Agent DiNozzo, the reason you are here is to explain your actions, or lack thereof. Did you or did you not follow the orders of SAC McGee to investigate Lance Hardy, a journalist with the Arizona Star newspaper?"

"With respect, Deputy Director, no such order was given." DiNozzo looked Vance straight in the eye when lied. Vance was floored, wondering if the man thought he was a complete idiot.

"Then why does SAC McGee claim that you ignored his direct orders regarding the investigation?" Vance knew how this would go.

"SAC McGee made it clear from his first day with SpecOps that he would see me fired before he left. He got me into the office on the pretense of assisting with the investigation but he did no such thing." Tony just hoped this was believed. "He ranted about how it was so easy to end my career, to make it seem like I was a pathetic nobody. He then had Security called to remove me from the building and put into lock up." Vance had had enough.

"DiNozzo, previously in my career, I served on an MCRT for six years. I came across all sorts of liars, both male and female, navy, marine, army, air force, civilian, young, old. Even the worst liar I have ever met is better than you." Vance couldn't believe the nerve of the man. "SAC McGee kept a written record of his so called meetings with you. You accused him of being gay, you called the Director of this agency crazy, you attempted to bribe SAC McGee into providing you with help to return to an MCRT for your help in the investigation." VAnce watched as DiNozzo twitched in his chair. "SAC McGee tried to help you by including you in the investigation, claiming you were many things, but not a traitor. You threw his trust in you back in his face. You disobeyed your superior officer, not over something trivial, but over a matter of national security, over a critical investigation into a man with more connections to organized crime than the Mafia." Vance wanted this man gone. Now. " You are dismissed from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Any future application will be declined. You will receive for the prorated salary for your last month worked. You may contest this decision by going through the relevant unfair dismissal claim. Now, get out of my office and off this base. Security." Vance watched as the two security guards came into his office. "Please escort this civilian off the base. Ensure his security id and clearance is revoked, immediately. Thank you."

"This way," One of the security guards gestured. DiNozzo just had to get one last dig in.

"Well done, Probie. You got me fired, hope you are proud of yourself, God knows what Gibbs will say when I tell him." Tim did not take this sitting down, literally.

Exploding from the chair, McGee grabbed DiNozzo by his jacket, pulling him towards himself. McGee stepped inwards, half turning his body. As he pulled on DiNozzo, his stretched his right leg out, his hip jutting outward. He then pushed on DiNozzo, his right leg catching on DiNozzos right leg. This combination of movement was assisted very ably by gravity, resulting in DiNozzo having a "Bambi moment". This is referred to by iceskaters as the split second when you falling on the ice, your arms and legs are all pinwheeling, and you seem to freeze in mid air, before hitting the ice painfully. In DiNozzos case, instead of ice, he hit Vances office floor, instead of being on his own, he had Timothy McGee pinning him there. DiNozzo looked into Tims green eyes, and saw instead of the usual calmness, the eyes seemed to shine with green fire. The whole takedown took less than two seconds, from McGee getting up, to DiNozzo going down.

"You don't get it, DiNozzo!" McGee was more angry with DiNozzo than he ever had been. "I don't care what you think of me. I don't care what you say about me. All that has come out of your mouth today has been lies. All of your opinions of me are just that opinions. Random thoughts you keep saying, none of them true." Tim decided to clear some things up. "As you can see, I'm not as soft as you think. I can outrun sailors on the track and beat them in the ring. I can't run a marathon, but I can run three miles in less than twenty minutes. Thats better than new recruits for the marines. Also, I told Cassie Yates about your comments. The next time she sees you, she says you better have good reason for calling her boyfriend gay." Tim was done with him, pulling him enough and letting go when he got him upright.

DiNozzo stumbled into the arms of the security men, who had done nothing to stop SAC McGee, partly out of surprise of the actions of the man, the other part by Vances shake of the head when he saw what was happening. Even after what had just happened to him, DiNozzo still couldn't see anything other than his out of shape Probie,

"What the hell does Cassie see in you, McTubby?" DiNozzo had been turned by the beautiful more than once.

"Probably not the six pack, the Porsche, the designer suits, or the nice book advance I got, but the fact I treat her like a person, not a trophy I carry around on my arm. I talk with her rather than try to impress her with film quotes. Yeah, she told me she knocked you back three times." McGee couldn't help rub DiNozzos nose in it. It wasn't that McGee had a narcissistic personality, but that DiNozzo wouldn't get it unless Tim really hammered it home. "I'm not you or Gibbs, Tony. I'm me. I don't do things the way you do. That doesn't make it wrong, just different."

"Nothing wrong with different, Tim. Hell, being different is what makes you a better agent than DiNozzo." Vance spoke for the first time in several minutes. "Get him out of here." Vance knew Tim trained with Navy and Marine personnel, but his takedown was textbook, it was a flawless technique. "You practice much with the marines, Tim?" Vance wondered how much they had taught him.

"As much as I can. I know what you are thinking, but its not how it looks. I only know a few moves, thats as much as I can learn in the time I get. So rather than teach me new things, they make sure what I know is ingrained, that takedown was pure muscle memory, no thinking involved." Tim was glad he had learned those techniques.

"Glad to see you take care of yourself, Tim. Most agents stick with martial arts or boxing, ignoring the military classes available on base. With that display, you are case in point of being of different, and why that makes you a better agent." Vance wished he could keep this man here, but it was not to be. "I'll right up the report of what happened here today. Might not include the physical takedown though." Vance smiled at the man. "Carry on Tim, see you on Monday for Agent Cassidys arrival."

"Yes, sir, thank you." Tim left the office, hoping the treadmill was free at the gym. He needed to burn off this anger.

Vance watched the prodigal agent leave. Timothy McGee did not realise what other people saw. He hadn't yet reached his limits, or tapped into his potential. Vance knew Shepard had a plan for that. Vance wondered if Tim would follow where Jen was trying to lead him.

End Flashback

Vance began reading through his email to Jen, Jerome and SecNav. This email would be seen only by these three, the actual report being downloaded and filed, the body of the email not forming part of the evaluation but Vance decided to inform them of the Tim McGee he saw, the one that didn't fit into any NCIS report.

From: Leon Vance, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Deputy Director

To: Phillip DAvenport, Secretary of the Navy, Jennifer Shepard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Director

CC: Jerome Craig, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Deputy Director

Subject: Acting SAC Timothy McGee

In his seven weeks as acting head of Special Operations, SAC McGee has been an invaluable asset to the department. Taking over from a fellow agent is always a hard task, doing it due to the agents death is another thing entirely. SAC McGee was a credit to Special Operations, providing a firm hand during a very difficult time. He provided sympathy and comfort to his staff, as well as guidance and reassurance.

My full official report is attached, but let me tell you the unofficial side of it. Tim came in early and stayed late on the day of SAC Powells funeral, allowing more of the team time off to attend. He had coffee and muffins brought in for the late shift when they stayed three hours over to go over conflicting intelligence. He provided the younger agents with development plans to help them improve, along with more senior agents in order to better themselves.

He kept his personal physical training and marksmanship qualifications up to exceptional standard on his own time, often after a shift. God only knows what his scores would have been if he had done it on a day off, probably had set a new record.

Jen, this man has all the qualities to be Director one day, I'm just not sure if he wants it. Also, this is a heads up. He has someone special in Florida. Before you start transferring him, better ask him about it. Before you ask, she is NCIS. The rest is up to you to find out. If he can keep his investigative skills up to scratch, so can you.

Jerome, I will be fighting to get this man back, better get ready for it.

Mr Secretary, it is my personal opinion that SAC McGee should be promoted at the earliest opportunity. He will help develop any agent under his command, and will be an invaluable asset to any team leader he is assigned to.

Leon Vance

Deputy Director

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Jennifer Shepard read the email from Leon with pride. Tim was shining, she thought. He was showing everyone what kind of agent he was. She just wondered who Tim was seeing, she hoped that her next set of transfers made the man happy, otherwise she would have some very unhappy people at her door.

She downloaded the report, sending it to Cynthia for printing and filing. She then added to the email itself to a folder in her Inbox. This folder was labelled Wishlist, in her mind she called it the "Am I a genie?" folder. In it were emails from her three deputy directors, team leaders and sister agency personnel, all clamouring for NCIS agents. One day, she wondered if Timothy McGee would have a folder like this when he sat in her chair. She knew it was just time that McGee lacked. But the years had a way of providing that.

She was proof of that herself.