Warnings: Spoilers for "The Searchers".
A/N: This popped into my head because Tony and McGee seemed concerned when Ellie told the her score and after Ducky told her that the lower the score the more potential you have. I'm not bothering to put my two cents in about the whole reason Gibbs was easier on her. Just know that I enjoyed this episode a lot, but it wasn't my favorite this season. Enjoy this update!
"Stick Your Neck Out"
Gibbs was in the middle of a quiet, well cooked meatloaf dinner when the door to his favorite diner opened, the bell jingled, and two tall forms strode in. The NCIS agent swallowed the bite in his mouth and watched their progress towards his table.
"Boss?" Tony questioned, sounding a bit uncertain, "Can we sit down?"
"Sure. Hungry?" Gibbs replied, gesturing to the waitress to bring two more plates.
Tony didn't have the heart to tell Gibbs that he and Tim had just come from dinner at his apartment where Leah had cooked them pork chops and mashed potatoes. "We, um... Tim and I wanted to talk to you."
Gibbs nodded and continued eating, noticing the tension in his two agents' muscles. He would admit that it had been a long few days, which surprised him even more that Tony and Tim were not home spending this time off with their significant others. "Something about the case?"
Tim glanced at Tony, anxiously. "Yeah... sort of, boss."
"Sort of?" Gibbs asked between bites.
"It's about Ellie," Tony stated, softly, almost in a whisper. "We think she's better than an 82."
He didn't say anything for a moment. Gibbs knew that Tony and Tim were operating on the belief that the lower the score on their evaluation, the more potential the team leader thought they had. Tony and Tim were not aware that Gibbs had been trying something new. Smirking, he put down his fork. "Eighty-two is a pretty damn good score, DiNozzo."
Tony blinked and shook his head. "Yeah... for someone on anyone else's team... but yours? Come on, Gibbs. I know that she isn't the poster child of the agency here, but she's... trying and learning... and she wants to be here. You aren't going to find that many agents who are going to want to put up with your... kind of training, boss."
Gibbs looked at Tim for a second. "You feel this way too?"
"She's always asking us questions on how to get better. So... yeah."
"What we're saying is... boss... we don't want Ellie to leave, we can't handle another change."
"Who says she's leaving?"
"Boss... you gave her an eighty-two," Tony reminded him, as if he had become oblivious to that fact.
Gibbs chuckled as two more plates of meatloaf were put on the table, as Tony and Tim pretended to eat their food. "Gave her the eighty-two because I think she's done a damn good job, Tony. Not because I don't think she has any potential."
Tony and Tim stopped what they were doing, both had wide eyes and confused expressions. It was the senior field agent that spoke first, "So... what the hell with my fifty-eight, boss? I've been here the longest so I must have had some potential!"
"You did, Tony," Gibbs said. "On the old system I gave lower scores to those I found had potential."
"So, why the sudden change of heart, boss?" Tony asked honestly.
"Because... lost two agents on that desk."
"What?"
"I didn't want to lose another."
Tony shook his head, pushed his plate away from him and frowned. "Gibbs... you can't possibly blame yourself for those two agents leaving. First of all... Kate didn't leave... she was murdered. And second of all... Ziva made her own decision..."
Gibbs sighed and looked at the two agents sitting in front of him. Tony and Tim had stood by him through so much and never batted an eyelash. Surely they had to understand that he blamed himself for Kate's death... for the actions that had led Ziva to leave them... "I could have done things differently..."
His senior field agent glared. "We all could have done things differently, boss. And then maybe Kate would still be alive... maybe Ziva would have stayed. You shouldn't shoulder all the blame and you certainly shouldn't hold Ellie back because you're scared she'll leave."
Tim's eyes nervously darted between both Tony and Gibbs. The senior field agent had been a bit more confrontational with the boss, or so Tim had heard from Borin, and he wasn't sure how Gibbs was going to react. So, he decided to placate the situation by adding, "She just wants to be treated like the rest of us, boss."
"You know something... she's lucky to have the two of you," Gibbs replied. "Sticking your necks out for her. She was right.. you two are amazing."
"She said that?" Tony replied, a little bit surprised. "Really?"
"Yeah. She wants to be like the two of you," Gibbs pointed out. "Not a bad goal to have, boys. You're both great agents. And I don't say that enough."
Tony smiled, gently. "We're only great because you made us that way, boss. I mean... we were pretty good when we first got here... but you drove us to be better. I mean... look at McGee... he was a stuttering, probie mess when we first met him. And me... we both know I had trust issues."
Gibbs recalled those two men, how much potential they both had and how they really didn't know how to use it... or even had the confidence to use it. He told the waitress to wrap up their food and then smirked at Tony and Tim. "Better be getting home to your women. They aren't going to like it that you're hanging out at an old diner with me when you should be home."
"Well... we thought we were coming down here to convince you to keep our teammate around," Tony quipped.
"Guess... we didn't need to after all," Tim said with a shrug.
"Nope... but it was a nice gesture," Gibbs told them as their boxed up food was placed before them. He waved his hands in dismissal. "Now, get out of here. Go home. Enjoy your evening."
Tony and Tim gathered up their food, lumbered out of the booth and turned towards the door. TIm was halfway out of the diner before Tony turned and made his way back to Gibbs. "Hey boss," he said, softly.
Gibbs looked up at him. "Yeah, Tony?"
"You promise not to go too hard on her? She's a good kid but... I don't know how tough her skin is."
"She wants to be treated like the rest of you."
Tony winced. "Yeah... I really wasn't missing the head slaps, boss."
Gibbs chuckled. "Don't worry," he said before ushering Tony out of the diner, "I really wasn't missing them either."