PROLOGUE:
"What am I doing here, Lucy?" Gibbs asked, slightly frustrated. It was his first day off in nine days and the last place he wanted to be was here, even if it was for a good cause. His young friend, who was currently running a fundraiser for an organisation close to Gibbs heart that helped USMC vets get back on their feet after PTSD treatment.
"It's our biggest fundraiser of the year, you need to attend at least one function a year to remain on the board, Jethro." Lucy chastised him gently. She could see how tired he was.
"Besides that?" He asked, smiling brightly at the redhead.
"Besides, we have a sell out. Fingers crossed this will be our most profitable event yet." She promised.
Lucy Evans was a twenty eight year old who met Gibbs when she was five at her parents house, back when he was a MP at Camp Pendleton. Her parents had been murdered and they'd mounted a huge search and rescue effort for her, but a wise-ass, smart mouthed Gunnery Sergeant had found her hiding in the basement, In amongst some boxes.
She didn't meet him again until her boyfriend was kidnapped and murdered when she was fourteen, but she remembered him fondly, and he remembered her too.
At seventeen she'd tracked him down to get some advice about joining up but had been advised against talking to him by the NIS agent who'd taken her call. He'd not long lost his wife and daughter and he was in a vulnerable place. But at eighteen, she was determined and she bought a large black coffee and went to pay him an impromptu visit.
After talking to Gibbs for a long time, she'd decided she was better off going to school first and then enlisting. But in the meantime, her Grandfather had taken his own life and she took over from him as the head of his charity. She was twenty and still studying at MIT.
After her Grandfather's death, Gibbs had taken her under his wing a little - but from a distance. He always checked up on her, made sure she had food in her apartment and such. That's how Gibbs was roped into being on the board of this charity.
Timothy McGee already had a degree in Biomedical Engineering from John Hopkins and was in his third year of his Master's degree in Computer science and Forensics from MIT when he met Lucy Evans, in one of his mathematics class of all places. She was a bright, bubbly student, who his TA had asked him to tutor. She'd missed a bunch of classes and was attempting to catch up after the death of her Grandfather, her sole-surviving family member.
From the moment they met, they clicked and soon enough were inseparable. They weren't a couple and had absolutely no desire to be. Just simply good friends. Although the McGee family Christmas celebration. It wasn't much that first year, he did invite her to join him at Penny's home for Christmas. By the following year, it was the two of them celebrating Christmas together. Occasionally Sarah or Penny, or both would join them, but mostly it was just the two of them every. They'd shop and cook together. Eat together. With their MIT days behind them, the day after graduation, they loaded up their cars and headed for a new life together as roommates in Virginia.
That was how Timothy McGee had been roped into helping out with her Grandfather's foundation work. It was a good charity, very legitimate, a worthy cause and helped cement in Tim's mind that NCIS was where he needed to be after FLETC.
"Jethro, I am so excited you've decided to stay for the function, I know you're tired." Lucy gushed in his ear, handing him his precious bourbon drink she'd procured from the bar. "I have someone I want you to meet."
"Not a woman, is it?" Gibbs asked his young friend hesitantly. Afraid she might be trying to matchmake him to some rich widow, or worse, a man-eater.
"Not a woman," she confirmed. "it's my best friend and I think you'll enjoy talking to him. Maybe you could give him some pointers. He works in Law enforcement and his boss is a bit of a bastard to him." That perked Gibbs' ears up, Lucy's best friend was a man. 'Not totally to be unexpected in todays world,' he thought. 'Look at Abs and McGee or Tony and Abby.' Gibbs tried to think if he'd ever heard her mention his name, or a name of her friend's at all. She hadn't. Gibbs had been lost in his own thoughts and tiredness, he hadn't noticed Lucy disappear for a moment. "Jethro, I'd like you meet my best friend -"
"McGee?" Gibbs asked looking up, spying his youngest agent standing before him. They were both equally shocked to see each other standing there. Gibbs with his bourbon and McGee with a wine.
"You know him?!" she asked incredulously. "Course you do, all you law enforcement types do." Lucy surmised.
"He's my boss, Luce." Tim deadpanned. "Hey." Gibbs tilted his head upwards. McGee knew it was Gibbs-speak to explain. "Oh Luce and I met at MIT in a mathematics class. I tutored her to catch up after her Grandfather passed away."
"Not what I meant McGee," Gibbs smirked. "How are you not asleep on your feet? That was a huge case we closed and you did the bulk of the work on that one."
"If I touched that bourbon, I'd be sleeping like a baby." Tim joked and for a second was worried, because he'd insulted Gibbs' drink.
"No, that's me and your wine, McGee." he jested right back and they shared an awkward laugh. "Seriously?"
"Couldn't say no." Tim admitted sheepishly and Gibbs laughed. He knew the feeling, after all it was how he found himself here too.
"So I'm a bastard, huh?" Gibbs asked teasing them both. Lucy had joined them as the silent auction got under way. Gibbs had already spied a few things he wanted to bid on, making conversation until the crowd thinned out a little and he could place his bids.
"I never said that!" Tim defended himself proudly, turning to chastise Lucy.
"Ya didn't need to." Lucy said, straight up, fussing over his youngest agent. "Jethro, you're a slave driver. My Tim barely sleeps a wink." Gibbs raised his eyebrows at the confession his young friend had made. "What?" she defended herself. "Tim, we both know it's true. You toss and turn, the light goes on, light goes off. You pace, you try to read, you play your games and your constantly exhausted. You're either working on cold cases, or writing in your study. It's hard to get any sleep, I tell ya."
"You're sleeping together?!" Gibbs demanded to know. The demand was out of his mouth before he could think. He really didn't actually want to know the answer it the question he asked.
"Pfft, she wishes." Tim teased automatically, and Gibbs smiled. He liked this side of his probationary field agent. He didn't think that Abby, Ziva and Tony knew this side of McGee existed and it amused him greatly to see Tim relax around him.
"Oh Yeah, you finally gonna give it to me?" Lucy begged, making Tim turn bright red before kissing his cheek. "Ooh, gotta go. Mega bucks just walked in." she scattered off.
"I don't know why I'm friends with you, Luce." He muttered and Gibbs just gave him his trademark smirk.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" Lucy said as she stepped up to the podium and everyone took their assigned seats. "The auction has officially ended. We will read off the winners names in alphabetical order." She droned on, reading off her list. Before she read the next item on the list and the winner, inside her head, she had a laugh. 'Interesting Times ahead' she thought. "Next up, we have the Gemcity experience. This includes the first edition copies of his entire collection 'Mental As Anything', a pre-release personally signed copy of his newest book 'Deep Six' and a dining experience for two with Mr Gemcity himself. Congratulations to the winner, Leroy Jethro Gibbs for $5000."
As the room applauded, Tim bowed his head in humiliation. 'Could this night get any worse?' he thought. He was going to have strong words with Lyndi Crenshaw, his publisher for agreeing to donate this without his knowledge. He knew it'd be good publicity for his new book, but he was hoping to avoid the dinner part.
"Sorry McGee," Gibbs whispered to him, mistaking his actions as devastation for missing out on such a prize. "I'm a huge fan of Gemcity's work. If ya nice to me, I might invite ya along." which caused McGee to groan internally.
"Are you happy with your win, Jethro?" Lucy asked with a chuckle, as she found her way back to him after schmoozing one of her biggest patrons out of nearly $100,000.
"Poor McGee, he like Gemcity or something?" Gibbs asked their mutual friend. "He looked devastated."
"I can't spoil the surprise. You'll see tomorrow night."
Tomorrow night found he, and surprisingly Ducky in a pre-arranged limo as part of the deal on their way to meet Gemcity for dinner at Dc's most exclusive steakhouse, of all places. "Can't believe McGee didn't want to come Duck." Gibbs said to his long time friend. "He looked devastated he didn't win. I thought he'd jump at the opportunity to come." Ducky wisely said nothing. He had found the entire thing entirely too hilarious and it made him chuckle, which made Jethro's face squirm.
"Welcome to Squire's gentleman. Mr Gemcity has selected an assortment of the world's finest scotch, bourbons and brandy for you try. Or alternatively we have all of the usual wines and beers, both imported and local." The waiter offered after they'd been ushered through the main dining room into the exclusive, private dining room. Gibbs immediately went for his beloved bourbon, before Ducky took a scotch for himself. "Mr Gemcity will be here momentarily, he is just speaking with the head chef. He apologises for the delay."
Tim steeled himself briefly, before entering the private dining room. "Gentleman, may I present Mr, Thom E Gemcity." The waiter introduced them before he discreetly left the three men in their pre-drinks.
"Surprise!" McGee jested to them, but both were too shocked to react.
"McGee," Gibbs recovered first. "twice in two days." he exclaimed. You could have knocked Gibbs over with a feather.
"Timothy?" Ducky asked, a bit slower to recover. "Pray tell is Ziva and Anthony around the corner. Is this one of Tony's mischievous pranks?" Which caused Gibbs to laugh, not just chuckle, or giggle. But a full bellied laugh, the kind that makes the bourbon you'd just swallowed, snort out your nose in laughter. The kind of bourbon that costs a month's wage.
"Huh, I get it." Gibbs clicked. "Thom E Gemcity, nice anagram." Ducky looked at him cluelessly and Tim was surprised that Gibbs had gotten it before Ducky. "Thom E Gemcity, rearrange the letters and you get Timothy McGee." Turning to Tim, "This is why you couldn't make it, why you looked so devastated last night."
"No one at NCIS knows, who I am. I'd like to have kept it that way, but I hope can trust you both?" Tim asked. "I know Ziva is a huge fan too, boss."
"Secrets safe with us."
The debacle of a Tony and Ziva finding out about the book was a disaster, but he knew he had Gibbs support and it meant a lot to him. Gibbs had even taken McGee to lunch when it officially hit the shelves to celebrate. Gibbs had read the book and was hooked on the story. He'd been pulling some old casefiles, for McGee to use as inspiration for his next book. McGee even let him read a couple of chapters of the next book and help with the character development.
SEASON 9, EPISODE 16 - PSYCH OUT
Gibbs watched from up above as Tony stepped off the elevator into their bullpen. Ziva was already settling in for the day at her desk. "Good morning Tony, why are you so preppy?" she asked.
"Well, it was probably coz I went to boarding school, but I think you mean peppy." he replied pointing at her. "and that's because its L.E.S day" he finished in a sing-song voice which always annoyed Gibbs.
"Les?" Ziva asked, not quite knowing what Tony meant.
"L.E.S Leave and Earnings statements" Tony explained.
"Oh, you mean payday." Ziva shrugged.
"That's another way of putting it." Tony quipped. "Wait a second, this isn't right." he screwed his face up looking at the statement. "This isn't my L.E.S, its McMoneyBags, somehow he makes more money than me?" he asked, unbelieving his eyes.
"Maybe they pay people what they're actually worth." Ziva says bitingly and Tony laughs a "haha" in a brittle tone.
Gibbs watched below, as McGee sauntered into the bullpen, go bag on shoulder. "Morning, Ziva, Tony."
"How much do you make, Tim?" Tony asked, holding up Tim's LES statement for him to see.
"What are you doing with my L.E.S?" Tim asked suspiciously.
"It was on my desk" Tony argued.
"Addressed to me, its a federal offence." Tim countered back, taking the offered statement and Gibbs was proud that Tim had learnt to stand up to Tony's antics after all this time.
"You know what I find offensive, and more than a little strange." Tony began and Gibbs made his way down the stairs and lingered by waiting for the perfect moment to annoy Tony. " is that somehow you make $253 a week more than me."
"It's all about withholding." Tim smirks and makes his way to his own desk.
"Yeah, what exactly are you withholding?" Tony asks, "Yeah you're with holding something, alright. You're too smart to hack into the system and try to give yourself a weekly bump." Tony picks up his desk phone and puts it to his ear. "Or should I call Fred Seymour in accounting and find out."
"Hang up, DiNozzo, time is money." Gibbs ordered, strolling into the bullpen, ever present coffee cup in hand. "We've got a dead navy reservist at Arlington." He went to his desk to grab his weapon and his bag.
"Boss, did you know that McGee makes more money than Ziva and me?" Tony asked, seriously.
"Keep me out of this." Ziva argued, grabbing her own gear.
"I know he gives a lot to charity and you should too." Gibbs chastises him as he walks past Tony's desk, headed for the elevator.
"The DiNozzo's are great humanitarians, you know that?" Tony asked.
"We got a dead hu-man." Gibbs punned, laughing internally, keeping a straight, all business face. "Let's go"
"Was that a pun?" Tony asked Ziva and behind them McGee smiled.