"Thanks, Agent David," Michelle said into the dial tone. She looked across the table at Jimmy. "Would it kill them to say goodbye?"
Jimmy made a face. "They picked it up from Gibbs. When do you need to be back?"
She smiled at him. Though conventional advice suggested dating a coworker was a bad idea, it was working well for her so far. Jimmy understood the time constraints of her job, and it was great to see him at work - and really nice that work provided a ready-made excuse to spend time with him. "Half-hour. It sounds like things got interesting. She didn't say much, but she sounded distracted." Michelle shrugged. They were all distracted today, herself perhaps least. But the tension the rest of her team felt was bleeding over, and her shoulders had been tightening up all day. She felt like a wind-up toy wound too far with the key held tight, keeping the spring in place. The whole team was like that today. Lunch with Jimmy had been a nice respite, the tension decreasing, though it never completely left their shoulders.
"Well then, shall we walk back?" Jimmy stood up and offered her his arm. "Dr. Mallard should be done with Agent Gibbs by now."
They paid their bill and walked out the door. It would take the better part of their half-hour to walk back, but it was a nice day, sunny, if a little breezy. They had only been walking a few moments when Michelle finally managed to spit out the question that had been bothering her all morning - and frankly, since she'd joined the MCRT as their probie. "Jimmy, what was Gibbs like? Before he left, I mean."
Jimmy grimaced, and then laughed a bit. "I was terrified of him. Dropped things, couldn't finish my sentences . . . Tough. No-nonsense. But he cared about the team; a blind person could see that. Gerald, he was Dr. Mallard's assistant before I came, he interviewed me, and gave me some pointers on dealing with the MCRT. Some of the things were basic - don't interrupt Gibbs in interrogation, don't get between a Marine and his coffee . . . other things took me longer to believe. Some of that was about Ducky and Gibbs' friendship. But he told me that if anyone on the team was in danger, I should steer clear unless I had immediate help I could offer; that the team was the closest thing Gibbs had to family and he'd move hell and high water for them, and for Tony, Gibbs would do almost anything. Well, anything, really - except tell him that he cared, but maybe he did. Ducky said one time that actions speak louder than words in Gibbs' case, and Gibbs when Tony was hurt was a force to be reckoned with . . ." Jimmy trailed off.
Michelle watched his face for a moment. She couldn't fit the Gibbs she'd seen this morning, and the gruff man she'd very briefly worked with on those two cases, with the man Jimmy spoke of. Despite the frustration that colored his words, she could tell that Jimmy was hopeful that Gibbs would step back up to the plate where her boss was concerned. Well, she admitted to herself, Tony did tend to inspire devotion - even if he was not aware of it. She was trying to figure out a way to get the Director out of that office, and she knew that Tony truly hadn't believed Ziva at the scene - and if he knew they were serious, he would do everything in his power to stop them. Not because he trusted the Director (Michelle was pretty sure he didn't) but because he 'wouldn't want you to risk your careers. It's fine. I'll be fine. Leave it alone,' and he'd give one of his rare direct orders to them. 'Leave it alone. That's an order,' he'd say, face deadly serious, showing that side that made him one of the best investigators at NCIS. (Michelle had investigated her team after she'd been assigned to them in the hopes of better understanding her unconventional team. It hadn't helped her understand McGee's geek speak and freak outs, Ziva's constant threats and terrible driving, or Tony's movie quotes and the frat boy persona she'd heard about but not really ever seen, but it had given her a deep appreciation for the three of them as a well-oiled machine, and of Tony as a top-notch investigator, under-cover agent, and interrogator.) Michelle was pretty sure that it was Tony's father who'd left him with some deep-seated insecurities, and Agent Gibbs' abrupt departure, and more abrupt return certainly hadn't helped matters. He didn't think he was worth it, never mind the fact that his whole team would do almost anything to keep him safe. And safe, in their eyes, meant whole physically as well as emotionally. She sighed gustily, and Jimmy squeezed her shoulders briefly as they walked.
She looked up at him, and he shrugged. "Tony has always been nice to me. I mean, he teased me horribly when I started, but one day I was in the break room, and I realized that he was only like that with the team - that to other people, he was friendly but didn't let them in. And it put the teasing in a whole different light. God forbid we do something so un-manly as to admit we like each other," Jimmy made a face, "but when he calls me 'Autopsy Gremlin', as cheesy as it sounds, I know that's what he's saying. And I don't know if you noticed - if you can read him well enough to know - but every time the team compared him negatively to Gibbs, it really bothered him - because he admires Gibbs, yes, but mostly because he doesn't want to be Gibbs, you know? He's Tony, and that ought to have been enough for them. Gibbs is scary, but Tony . . . sometimes I think he's more scary, because most of the time he makes you forget that he's been an investigator longer than anyone, including Gibbs, and that he's damn good at what he does. And Tony really cares about the cases, the victims - usually people like that have already burned out, but he manages to walk that line. But Tony is dangerous, too. Maybe even more so than Ziva, 'cause you look at her and you know she's dangerous, but Tony, you wouldn't see it until it was way too late." He wrinkled his nose, and Michelle tried hard not to think it was adorable. "Sorry. I'm rambling a bit. Gibbs just doesn't seem to be the same man he was. I'm wondering, and I think Ducky is too, if the damage hasn't healed all the way yet."
Michelle sighed, and slipped her arm around Jimmy's waist in a brief hug. They walked in silence a bit further, having detoured to walk along the Potomac. Tony had showed her this spot early on in her time with the team; he'd recommended it as a good place to sit and think. She didn't come down to the benches often, but she and Jimmy did try to schedule a 'coffee break' out here at least once a week. She looked toward her favorite bench, jaw dropping as she noted Tobias Fornell striding away, and Agent - what should she call him? - Gibbs sitting, staring at his coffee cup like it might hold the answers of the universe inside. "Jimmy," she hissed, "there's Gibbs. Lets go behind the bench - it doesn't look like he wants to be disturbed, and I don't want another confrontation with him."
Jimmy nodded, and they meandered around behind the bench, headed back to NCIS. Several seconds later, Gibbs rushed past them, not seeming to notice them as he slowed to a brisk walk and entered the building. Exchanging a bemused look, she and Jimmy headed inside as well, and split up, Jimmy taking the stairs down to Autopsy and Michelle walking up to the bull-pen, which seemed as good a place as any to meet the team.
She had been sitting at her desk, debating trying Abby's lab, for less than a minute when her team (and she still got a thrill thinking that – Michelle Lee, legal aid extraordinaire, on a team. Of Agents.) returned, probably from Abby's lab, given the state of McGee's shirt, and the way Tony's shirt was rumpled.
"Lee and Ziva, you go together to pick up Ms. Simons. Ziva, fill Michelle in on the case as you go. Try not to break any traffic laws, please - especially with Ms. Simons in the car," Tony said to both of them, as they grabbed go-bags and Ziva grabbed keys. "McGee, I want you to work on those old police and court reports, as well as the file when it comes in. I'm going to Quantico to speak with the CO and anyone else I can get my hands on."
Ziva hunched her shoulders a bit at that, and Michelle agreed. The idea of Tony, who attracted trouble like no other, going off on his own to chat with a bunch of marines when they had NO idea what had happened to their vic, was more than a little disconcerting. "Ah, boss?" McGee. Bless him. "Boss, most of those files will take a while to get here, and I can access the ones online from my laptop in the car. Maybe I should come with you?"
Tony closed his eyes briefly, and sighed. "The rest of you want McGee with me as well, don't you."
Ziva nodded. "Yes. Tony, you attract trouble like honey attracts . . . whatever it attracts. McGee doesn't. Maybe if you are together, it will lessen the amount of trouble coming your way?"
Michelle grinned a bit at that. "Plus, Boss, Agent McGee pretty much declared his undying wish to watch your six earlier. Could you really deprive him of that?"
They all gaped at her for a moment, before Tony chuckled, slightly ruefully. "I'm beginning to think we might regret the day we helped you find that spine. Okay. McGee will be coming with me to Quantico. McGee, grab your ge - "
"On it, Boss," McGee grinned. "And my lap-top."
As they all piled into the elevator, Tony's phone shrilled. Muttering something about "the damn thing never shutting up," he pulled it out of his pocket and stared at the name on the screen before snapping it open. "Fornell," he greeted. "This is unquestionably not a FBI case. What the hell do you want?"
There was silence while they all tried to pretend they weren't staring at Tony in confusion. His face cycled through a few emotions so quickly Michelle couldn't identify them, and then he pursed his lips and made a considering noise in the back of his throat. He started to say something, and fell silent again, presumably listening to Fornell again. The elevator door opened, and they all stepped out, Tony still on the phone, listening to what sounded like a fairly long rant.
"Right," he finally said as they parted ways. "I'll be bringing McGee."
Ziva's head snapped back in alarm, and she and McGee exchanged a quick glance that Michelle was pretty sure went like this "You need me to go all ninja-chick?" "No, I think I got it covered. Why's Fornell calling him for a meet?" "No idea." They both looked at her, and she shrugged. "Don't know."
"Okay, thanks." Tony hung up, and looked startled to see them all still there. "Go on! Ziva, I promise it's not dangerous. Lee, you'll still have a team lead at the end of the day. McGee, you're with me all day long. I may have a project for you all when we get back, once we solve the case."
Grudgingly, she and Ziva moved off to pick up their sedan. Michelle took quick stock of the tension in Ziva's frame and the way she was moving like a predator again, and decided to buckle up and stay silent. Maybe pray. It was going to be a long car ride.