Next Chappie

Enjoy

Alex opened his eyes and sat up. "Hey," He said as he noticed Gibbs watching him from across the room.

"You're awake." Gibbs commented.

Alex grinned and pivoted so that his feet were back on the ground. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Do you want to know what time it is?" Gibbs asked as he folded his newspaper and pulled his glasses off his noise.

"It's four thirty. I've been asleep since ten thirty." Alex said as he stood.

Gibbs raised and eyebrow questioningly. "And how would you know that?" He asked, his curiosity about the kid getting the better of him.

"I know I fell asleep at about ten thirty and I've long since trained my body to sleep for six hours and then wake up." Alex finished, not caring if Gibbs believe him or not.

"I see." Gibbs said as he watched Alex stretch out his arms, legs, and neck.

"You know, NCIS should invest in some new couches. This one sucks." Alex said and grinned before leaving the room.

"Hey, you need a ride back to your hotel room?" Gibbs called after Alex.

Alex stopped and turned around. "You know, that I know, that you know, I haven't been sleeping at the hotel... so why bother giving me a ride there?" Alex asked, hands on hips.

"I guess I thought that you'd prefer not wasting money for the taxi fair." Gibbs replied, folding his arms across his chest.

Alex smiled slightly and nodded. "Sure, why not. See you in a half an hour." The teenager called over his shoulder as he headed back to the bullpen until it was time for everyone to leave.

Gibbs watched the kid go, still plotting how to get him to a doctor without him realizing that was the intent and taking off for another week.

Gibbs dropped Alex off out front of the hotel and watched until he was inside before driving away. He'd called off all the agents whose job it was to try and follow Alex to wherever he was really staying.

"Why?" Gibbs remembered one of the newer agents asking him when he'd given the order.

"Because he's good enough to know when you're following him and smart enough to evade you. Might was well stop wasting government money." Gibbs had told the man.

"How can he be that good and that smart? He's just a kid! Right?" The man had asked Gibbs as if trying to catch him in a lie.

"We know nothing about Max. Not his real name. Not his real eye color. Not even exactly where he's from. We don't know where he was trained. Who trained him. Nothing. We know nothing about this kid. That's how he is so good and smart." Gibbs had gotten right in the young agents face and rubbed it in.

The young man had finally back down after several more moment of Gibbs' angry eyes capturing his in a deadly trap.

"Good boy." Gibbs whispered and dismissed all seven of the alternating agents he'd placed on Alex.

"Welcome back Mr. Jones." This time it was a young woman seated behind the counter as Alex entered the lobby of the motel.

"Night, Sarah." Alex had muttered without looking at the woman.

Unfortunately this had been the wrong thing to to because the woman actually swooned and fell out of her chair.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked as he helped her upright.

"You know my name!" The woman, who Alex realized was really nothing more than a girl, squealed in sheer delight.

"Um, I've got to go." Alex stammered and sprinted towards his room. "Give me twenty armed drug dealers and I'm cool as ice... give me a squealing girl that is exuberant that I even know her name and I'm as good as dead." Alex muttered as he stripped and showered before pulling on his boxers and climbing into bed for the night.

It was ten o'clock before sleep actually overcame Alex.

At four the next morning Alex woke and changed back into his disguise before jogging back to his hotel and showering again.

Finally he changed into his grey slacks, navy button up shirt with black tie, and grey jacket before calling a cab and having it pick him up to take him to NCIS.

"Lookin' good, Max. What's the occasion?" McGee asked Max as the teenager entered the bullpen and took a seat on the corner of Tony's desk.

"What?" Max asked as he glanced down at the suit.

"My, don't you look snaggy today." Ziva commented. When all three men gave her a blank look she sighed and described the work she wanted, "You know, classy... slick..." Ziva trailed off, desperatly trying to find the correct word.

Max snapped and pointed at Ziva. "Snazzy!" He guessed.

"Yes! Snazzy, you look snazzy in the getdown." Ziva said with a smile as Max and Tony high fived.

Once again she got blank looks but Max leaned back and whispered something to Tony that sent them both into great bellows of laughter.

"I bet you're right, Maxie." Tony said and went back to his email.

McGee noticed Max's frown and wondered what had put it there.

"I've never had a nickname before." Max said as he appeared out of thin air at McGee's shoulder.

"Oh." McGee said lamely, trying to act as if Max's little appearing act hadn't spooked him as much as it had.

Max grinned as if he knew exactly what McGee was thinking before retaking his seat on Tony's desk.

"Why don't you go sit at Gibbs' desk like you always do?" Tony grumbled half heartedly. Everyone in the bullpen froze and all eyes turned to Tony. "What?" He asked as soon as he realized that everyone was now staring at him.

"Do you not remember what happened last time?" McGee asked, clearly horrified Tony would even suggest such a thing.

Tony glanced between Max and Gibbs' desk before nodding. "Right. I'd forgotten." He said and rolled his shoulders uncomfortable.

"It's fine. I'll move." Max said after another minutes and lowered himself to the floor. Now all eyes were on him. "It's fine." Max said and everyone went back to work after a minute.

Gibbs entered the bullpen a few minutes later and looked around, his eyes landing on his empty desk chair. "Where's Max?" He asked.

Tony and Ziva both looked up at him before looking at each other and McGee's eyes drifted to a spot on the floor at the side of Tony's desk.

Gibbs walked around Tony's desk just in time to get a glimpse of Max on the floor before the boy sprang to his feet and grinned. "Hey, Gibbs!" He said cheerfully as if there was nothing wrong with sitting on the floor at work.

Gibbs opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.

Max continued to grin and his eyes twinkled unnaturally. The boy's eyes looked like freshly polished emeralds; deep green and marvelous in shine.