Not beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies.
Science doesn't lie, Chapter 22 Emotion Commotion
"How is Agent Gibbs handling this?" Jimmy awkwardly blurted out, unable to keep his thoughts or questions to himself any longer. He had been thinking about this for the last few hours, ever since he realized what must have happened. To say he was worried, would definitely be an understatement.
"Handling what, Mr. Palmer?"
Jimmy looks at him beseechingly, "The situation with Agent McGee," he finally says after it became evident that he needed to say something.
"Mr. Palmer," Ducky began, his tone more formal than usual in an attempt to prevent any gossip from spreading. "I do not know what you believe is going on, but regardless, it is not your con-"
"Dr. Mallard," Jimmy interrupts, "Er, sorry to cut you off," he rushed to apologize, suspecting what was going through the older man's mind. "I'm not asking just to be nosy, or to spread gossip. I didn't want to say it outright, because, well, walls have ears, but I know. I don't know how and I don't need to," he rushed to add, "But I know that Agent McGee is…er, that is that Agent Gibbs is his f-"
"Yes, well," Ducky injected, preventing his assistant from finishing his sentence, "As you said, walls have ears. Let's not paraphrase Star Wars."
Jimmy nodded, wondering if he should repeat his earlier question or just let the subject drop.
"But why did you ask about Jethro?"
"Because I am worried," Jimmy bluntly replied. "Agent Gibbs doesn't deal or express his emotions at all, let alone in a healthy way. When you factor in that, events from his past, Abby's actions, and this shocking information," he pauses and shrugs. "It's bound to go-"
"Kerplunk," Ducky inserted with an agreeing nod.
Jimmy snorted, "Kerplooey," he corrected, the doctor's wording reminding him of a Christmas cartoon he had loved.
Ducky sighed. His assistant was right, but who would be able to help and how?
"Again, Gibbs?" Vance muttered without looking up, as his door opened, milliseconds after he finished talking with McGee.
"Er, not Gibbs," Tony cheerfully announced.
The director groaned. "Is McGee the only one on the MCRT that respects this office?" Vance growled as two members of that team barged into his office.
"I made sure that you were alone," Tony stated as a peace offering, "Gibbs wouldn't have done that."
"Alone, yes, but did you ever think that I was on a phone call?"
"Er, no," he sheepishly admitted.
"It is rather important," Ziva injected.
Vance rolled his eyes, "Everything is important to you guys."
Tony grinned and didn't deny that statement, "We get very involved in our work," he shared.
Ziva shook her head and jabbed Tony in the ribs.
"Er, right," he said, rubbing his side. "We have learned something that we think you should know."
Vance sighed, great, more people who either thought they knew how to run this agency or didn't think he knew what was going on here. Okay, so maybe he had been a bit out of the loop on Monday, but he had also been out of the building most of the day and shuttered in meetings for the rest of it.
"We came to you directly, instead of Gibbs because, well, he's involved," Tony confessed. "He and McGee."
Vance nodded, not really surprised that rumors regarding McGee and Gibbs are once more flying around the building. Part of him was wondering who learned the truth and had talked about it, before realizing that it would've become public knowledge sooner or later and really wouldn't be worth trying to track down. For all he knew, Gibbs or McGee might have inadvertently said something.
The Director sighed, "Just tell me what it is before someone else barges in here and interrupts."
Tony inclines his head towards Ziva, giving her the go ahead to present their case.
She quickly explained who Kelsey was-the twins' mother, and why they are looking into her background-possible relation to Gibbs. Ziva then explained what they found-someone else hacking systems to gather information on her, and showed him the proof she collected.
Vance listens and looks at the material in front of him. "But we don't know who's looking into her record," he asks, seeking confirmation.
"No, but," Ziva pauses for a moment, "We thought it might be Abby."
Vance sighs, not really surprised by that. "Why?"
"Why else would someone be looking into her right now?"
Leon inclines his head in agreement to Tony's statement, "It's not enough evidence to do something."
"No," Tony admitted, "But it warranted us sharing it with you. We don't know what's going on with Abby," he admitted. Scuttlebutt had actually been fairly quiet on this topic; other than her being escorted out of the building, no one know if her leave is temporary or permanent. "But after everything else she pulled this week, it's probably not a good thing if it's her."
Vance sighed and took the folder from Ziva. "You're right, on all accounts," he admits. "It was important and something I need to know. Thank you," he said, standing up to indicate that the meeting was over. As he ushered them towards the door, he dryly adds, "Though next time, I advise that you wait until my secretary admits you to my office instead of just barging in."
Before Tony or Ziva could reply, the Director's door opened and his intercom buzzed.
"Vance, we have a problem," Gibbs said, as he entered the office, only to pause as he saw half of his team already there.
"Gibbs," Vance stated, his voice filled with fake surprise. "Come on in," he sarcastically invited. "You too, Fornell," he added, catching sight of the FBI Agent standing behind the SSAIC.
Tony and Ziva nodded to their boss in acknowledgement before slipping out of the office, making sure the door closed behind them.
"What did they want?" Gibbs asked, demanding information.
"To talk to the Director," Vance replied, as he headed back towards his desk, "Which is why they were in my office."
"Dammit, Vance," Gibbs complained.
Leon shook his head, "Just tell me what has you barging into my office without knocking today," he ordered.
Gibbs blew out a frustrated breath before hissing a single word, "Abby."
Leon collapsed back into his chair, feeling a headache coming on. "What about her?"
Instead of answering himself, Gibbs turned to Fornell, "Tell him."
Tobias looked between the two men, completely confused about the situation. "What the hell is going on around here?"
"Just tell him what you told me about Abby," Gibbs repeated.
With a shrug, the FBI uttered, "She's putting out feelers for positions at other agencies."
Vance's eyebrow rose at that. Abby job searching sounded like good new to him. If she left, that would be one less headache he would have to worry about, though he wasn't sure why that warranted Gibbs barging into his office to share that information with him.
"Not that," Gibbs objected, "The lab thing."
Vance sat up at those words, trying to hold back from banging his head on his desk. That did not sound good.
With a sigh, Fornell looked at Vance as he responded. "She's contacted a few lab techs and asked them about rushed DNA tests." Fornell became even more confused at the look on the Director of NCIS's face when he shared that information.
"Tests she wanted them to run for her?" Vance asked, trying to seek some clarification on the situation.
Fornell looked back in bewilderment, "I don't think so. I think it was if they've done any recently," he explained. "But I'm not sure. Didn't really care about the particulars, so I was only half listening and didn't ask questions," he admitted, his gaze flitting between the two men. Something more was definitely going on around here.
"Hmm," Vance nodded thoughtfully. "Can I speak to the tech Abby talked with?"
"Of course," Fornell said, reaching for a pen and paper on the Director's desk. "Here's her name, she might know if Abby talked to anyone else about this as well."
"Thank you, Vance nodded. "Fornell, please wait outside for a moment, I have something I need to discuss with Agent Gibbs."
Vance waited until Fornell exited his office before turning to his agent. "Gibbs, I want you to take the rest of the day off."
"I don't need any time off," he protested.
"And I don't need the elevator tied up all day with one of your conferences," Vance dryly replied. "Fornell isn't going to let this go and he won't be appeased with only half the story."
"My team,"
"Has plenty of work to keep them busy for the day."
"But-"
Vance leaned forward, staring at the agent in front of him, "Do I need to make it an order?" he softly asked.
Gibbs glared at him.
"Perhaps suspend you while we deal with Abby? Given your past actions and recent events, this could be seen as a conflict of interest," he added.
"Don't," Gibbs growled, knowing when he's been beaten. "I'll take the damn day."
"Good," Vance nodded, smiling as he settled back in his chair. Hopefully Fornell would be able to beat some sense into the stubborn man.
"So, we know nothing," Ziva muttered, staring morosely at her desk. After leaving the Director's office they had continued with their quest of identifying Kelsey Gibson. They had no doubts that Gibbs would be after them for being in the Director's office and the best way to appease him would be to provide him with new and solid information. Surprisingly, after Gibbs left Vance's office, he also left for the day with Fornell. Ziva was curious about what was going on that would take precedence over uncovering the connection of his newly found family, but refrained from asking. Still, if she wanted tomorrow to be a relatively drama free day, it was best she and Tony discover some answers today.
"Not true," Tony replied, sounding much more cheerful than the situation warranted, in her opinion. "We definitively know that Kelsey Gibson was born Kelsey Lynne Gibson and is definitely not Kelly Gibbs. She is the daughter of Paul Dwight Gibson and Catherine Maureen Gibson, nee O'Connor-"
"None of which have any relation to Leroy Jethro Gibbs that we can find," Ziva injected. "And, as I was saying, we know nothing about how Gibbs is related to Timothy's children."
"We did what we could," Tony began dismissively, earning a scrutinizing look from Ziva over his lack of curiosity about the relationship between his two teammates.
"And it is a problem for another time," Vance injected, causing Ziva and Tony automatically turning towards his voice.
"I believe the two of you have spent enough time on this matter," he continued. "It will be up to Agents Gibbs and McGee to decide how to proceed. For now, I suggest the two of you head home for the day. Tomorrow is a new day, and I believe it is time for the MCRT to fully return to work and once more take their place in the rotation."
Ziva looked at her watch and frowned, "But it is-"
"Ziva," Tony said warningly. "Don't argue with the Director. If he says we go home, we go home."
Vance smirked, wondering if could record that first part about not arguing with him to play back at a time when the SFA would attempt to do that.
"But-"
"Ziva." Tony repeated, staring at her.
She sighed, "Yes, of course," she agreed, waiting a few minutes before beginning to straighten her desk and shutting down her computer. The Director watching them the entire time.
Soon afterwards, still under the watchful gaze of Leon Vance, Tony and Ziva were in the elevator. It didn't take long before Ziva was flipping the switch and halting their progress.
"Tony, what is going on?"
He shrugged, not meeting her eyes, "I do not know."
"You know something."
Still not looking at her, he replied, "Just that I'm glad we will no longer be on cold cases."
She gave a frustrated groan. "Why did the Director send us home early? By fully return to work do you think that means that Timothy will be in tomorrow? I cannot imagine one day is enough for him to deal with what has happened, especially since we still do not know how Gibbs is related to his children."
"I…"
"What?"
"Just that we might not know, but that does not mean that no one knows how they are related."
Ziva frowned as she thought about his words. "You mean Vance," she replied thoughtfully. "He dismissed us from working on that because he knows the truth. We'll return to the rotation because in his eyes, this case is solved, so to speak."
Tony eagerly nodded, "Yeah, exactly."
"He let us complete our work, probably because he suspected what we believed and didn't want us to have doubts," she continued.
"That definitely could be true," Tony admitted, since it was exactly how he had felt. When they discovered the truth about Kelsey, Tony had felt like the weight of the world had been taking off of his shoulders.
"But if he knew, why wouldn't he have told us?"
"Maybe 'cuz it's none of our business?" Tony offered.
Ziva sighed, "He could have told us that the connection was discovered, without telling us how."
"Would you have been able to let it go at that?"
"More than you would have," Ziva replied. "I can't believe that you taking this so calmly."
Tony shrugged, "This is just speculation about what is going on," he shared. "Besides, I'm sure McGee and Gibbs will tell us eventually."
Ziva stared at him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I am sure you are right," she reluctantly agreed. "Just as I am sure you have more information than what you are sharing," she pointedly added, her hand reaching to restart the elevator. Before her fingers could flip the switch, Tony reached out and stopped her.
"Remember, we made a promise not to tell anyone what we suspected regarding Kelsey. That especially includes Gibbs and McGee."
"I remember," Ziva replied, rolling her eyes, unable to believe that Tony thought she would need the reminder.
"Dr. Mallard," Vance warmly greeted, "Come in."
"Thank you, Director," Ducky called in greeting, "And thank you for seeing me today."
Vance snorted, "Thank you for calling for an appointment and not just barging in," he dryly replied. "Though I do apologize that this meeting did not occur earlier."
Ducky gave him a half smile, "I take it Gibbs has been by to see you?"
Rolling his eyes, Leon added, "With Fornell, and before that it was DiNozzo and David."
"My, you have had the busy afternoon," he commented, eyes sparkling with merriment.
"Believe it or not," Vance replied, "that was the highlight of my day, the rest of it had me tied up with Legal and HR."
"Oh my," Ducky sympathized.
Nodding, Vance continued, "But you didn't come to hear about my day. What can I help you with? You mentioned that it was regarding an employee?"
"It will ultimately effect many of us in some way, perhaps even the whole building," Ducky alluded.
"A pandemic of sorts?" A much more attentive director queried.
"No, no, nothing contagious," Ducky reassured him, easing his fears.
"Good," a more relaxed Leon commented. "Perhaps you can tell me what this is about."
Ducky hesitated. "I do not want to betray any confidences. Trust is a very fragile thing, especially for those involved in recent events," he hinted.
Vance slowly nodded, the doctor's words replaying in his head. "This is about Agent McGee," he stated.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," came the reply, a bit more emphasis on the last word.
Vance thought for another moment, "Agent Gibbs, then."
"Perhaps, perhaps not," he repeated, this time the slight emphasis on the first word.
"Dr. Mallard, if we hope to accomplish anything, we will need to communicate clearly to make sure we are discussing the same situation," The Director firmly stated, meeting his companion's eyes.
"I know," Ducky sighed.
"That being said, be aware that I am aware of the most recent events that have gone on inside my agency," Vance informed him before he had a chance to continue.
"Very well," Ducky nodded, as he also realized that there is no reason to mention the results. There was also the fact that Gibbs might not ever discover that Ducky became involved and talked to the director regarding his mental health.
"I have learned a lot regarding the nature of human emotions. Shock, whether physical, mental, or emotional, goes through many stages, much like the stages of grief," Ducky informed him. He then went through each stage: Denial and disbelief; Anger; Depression; Bargaining; Acceptance. Explaining that there is no set course, sometimes the third and fourth stages are reversed, and each stage lasts a different amount of time for every individual.
Vance listened, even as part of him was wondering why the Medical Examiner was discussing this with him. It wasn't much longer before he had his answer.
"When Gibbs enters the depression stage, if he hasn't already," a somber Ducky began, "It might be impossible for him to get out of it, especially if he is trying to cope with recent events on his own." He explained why he felt that way, attributing much of it not only to how Gibbs reacted to past events, but his overall life and manner, which one might think represented a classic textbook case of depression: lack of sleep and appetite; focus on work; eliminating personal relationships; solitary activities.
Hearing those words had Vance sitting up, his focus completely on the man before him. "What are you saying? That he needs to be placed in custody for his own protection?"
"No, no, not at all," Ducky hastened to reassure the Director. "Just that if things linger past the weekend, that er, perhaps professional counseling could be of great value to him."
Vance snorted, "He wouldn't even take time off to deal with the situation. You think he'll willingly go to counseling?"
Ducky shot the director a cunning look, "Then perhaps it should be required before he is allowed to work back in the field."
Vance closes his eyes and gives a silent groan. "I made arrangements for the MCRT to rejoin the rotation tomorrow. They have already been informed of this."
"Oh. Oh dear," Ducky's face fell. He had so hoped that would be the way to help Jethro get through this. Looks like he would have to think of some other way to help.
4-3-2020
So, Kelsey is definitely NOT Kelly, for those that were still wondering. That would've taken this story in a completely different direction.
What is Vance going to do about Abby?
I am not making light of depression (Whether it be caused by a situation or an imbalance). I honestly don't believe that Gibbs mental health is stable. Of course, once you are exposed to various states of depression (BiPolar is hereditary in my family), you kinda think everyone has it. I think Jimmy might be a good one to point this out since he the one that hasn't known Gibbs the longest, not as close to him and less likely to say 'that's just Gibbs being Gibbs', and has a medical background. Naturally, he would share his concerns with his mentor, especially since the situation would have a deep impact on his newest friend, Tim.
Thanks for the reviews, love to hear from you guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter while in quarantine (And thank you to those of you who are essential workers: medical staff & suppliers; transportation; food, grocery, & pharmaceutical; and any others I missed).
Had trouble with a title for this chapter as well...
