Perpetual Motion 3

"McGee" Tim answered his cell eight weeks later, he had just had the pin removed from his arm that week and had completed his final PT session. He was back at work full time, but not yet cleared for field duty though.

"Ah, it's Gibbs." The caller identified himself. "I need you in DC, your TAD to my team for the next six weeks." Gibbs wasn't sure this was a good idea. But Morrow had been insistent.

Kelly and Tim had continued to see one another when they could. She was about to graduate with her Master's degree and Gibbs knew that she'd been seeing Tim, when he came to DC. She was either at his place in Norfolk or he was at Gibbs' place in Alexandria.

After the weekend that McGee left and flew out after his bad moods, Gibbs and McGee had barely said two words to each other. Gibbs wasn't stupid though, the next time he was back in DC they'd slept in her room, giving up all pretenses of at least pretending to sleep in separate rooms. He wasn't naive either, he knew they were sleeping together in Norfolk too.

He'd been cleaning the upstairs bathroom cupboard a week or so back and found a packet of birth control pills prescribed to Kelly in there. 'At least they're practicing safe sex.' He mused, definitely knowing no one was ready for a baby.

"I'm not yet cleared for field duty yet." Tim advised him.

"I know." Gibbs admitted. He had been trying to put an effort in with Kelly, though and he'd been trying to get to know what kind of man he was. He'd been keeping tabs on him through Morrow, who unfortunately had read a copy of the traffic report from his MVA and who knew that Gibbs' daughter was the passenger. Which lead the Director of NCIS to have more questions than answers for him. The Director of NCIS had, had a huge chuckle at Gibbs' expense when he'd unknowingly requested an agent Timothy McGee to join his team, yet Tim had been dating his daughter. "NCIS will pay for a serviced apartment for you to stay in " Gibbs explained.

"What date and time do you need me up there, Gibbs?" Tim finally asked. It wasn't a demand, it was his next assignment. Tim knew he couldn't refuse, that Gibbs was simply beating the HR personnel reassignment order.

"Monday the fifteenth, 0700." Gibbs said and disconnected the phone.

Opening his work email, he found the request from Peterson in HR and found an email from Fitzgibbons that advised him if the lodging details for the next six weeks. His next call was to his doctor, who recommended that he let NCIS HQ's medical examiner take a look, as it's such a short assignment away and was almost fully healed. His boss in Norfolk told him, Ducky could sign the paperwork to clear him for field duty when he was ready, so that was a bonus.

Tim's next call was to Kelly, it automatically went to voicemail and he left a message to call him back. He knew she was sitting in on a very important meeting this morning, but figured at lunch she'd call him.

"I'm still not sure this is the right thing to do," Gibbs said hesitantly, after he disconnected the call from McGee.

"You requested him, so try it for six weeks. If it works, good. If not we return him to Norfolk." Morrow ordered. "I think you two will get along ok. You're both big on privacy. Gibbs, Agent McGee was quite a coup for our agency. He graduated from FLETC, top of his class with honours and with an offer of employment for every organisation in the alphabet soup and several private, top of the line enterprises. But he was only interested in us. We are lucky to have someone of his calibre on board. Please don't chase him away."

"Sir, I appreciate that. But please see it from my side." Gibbs pleaded. "He and my daughter are …" he made a together gesture, which made the Director laugh.

"It's hard to let go of your little girl, it's hard to go from being her number one. But that's the thing about parenthood." Morrow advised his agent. "If you do it right, they don't need you anymore." Gibbs let out an loud sigh at that.

He knew the Director was right.

Gibbs wasn't surprised to find a text from Kelly that she wouldn't be home this weekend. What did surprise him, was the suitcase she always used to go away for the weekend was in the closet still. Her electronics were missing, both her work cell and her personal one. That was an influence from McGee. He'd caught the end of a rant about how work situations can cross into personal situations without boundaries. Although Gibbs detested his cell phone, he'd thought it was actually sound advice and he wondered if the green agent followed his own advice.

"Hey Duck," Gibbs said as Ducky entered his home.

"Hello Jethro," Ducky greeted his friend jovially in return. "You seem pensive. Is everything ok?"

"Oh Duck, it's a mess." Jethro sighed. "Remember that case agent from Norfolk? I've been trying to get Morrow to reassign him to our team. But he was resisting. Apparently my Kelly met Agent McGee on the dance floor at some club in Norfolk and has began seeing him. Now Morrow pushed through the assignment and I'm forced into working with him for a six week trial." Ducky laughed at his friend's misery.

"Oh my," Ducky said between chuckles "that is a predicament. But you know you need to back off with Kelly. She's an adult now and although she lives under your roof, you're now at the point where you need to step back and let her make her own life for herself." Ducky advised his friend.

"I know Duck, I guess I'm just worried. I don't really know him. Just what I read in his 201 file." Gibbs admitted, Ducky could tell it weighed heavily on his friend's mind.

"Trust Kelly to make a decision, the right decision for her. She's not the five year old running around in pigtails anymore. She's an adult. You need to trust her judgment, just as she trusts you not to overstep your mark." He reminded him, again. Sometimes, when it's important, it bares repeating to Jethro.

"So next weekend?" Gibbs asked suddenly getting an idea in his head. "I was thinking I should invite this McGee over for dinner, so we can get to know him."

"I hope this isn't a ploy to scare him away Jethro." Ducky warned. "Or you might push Kelly away too."

"I was actually bein' sincere, Duck." Gibbs argued, seriously.

Kelly travelled down on the 1500 flight from DC to Norfolk. Tim met her at the airport and they immediately headed back to his apartment. Tim had an awards dinner at the base, that he was expected to attend and Kelly was to be his date. It was a formal event, requiring tux or dress uniform and Tim was representing the NCIS office at Norfolk.

Kelly had bought her beautiful black floor length dress that she wore to her graduation for her Bachelor of Arts degree. Her father had bought it, as a gift, sight unseen and nearly had a heart attack when he did see it. It was a floor length gown with an A Line skirt, covered lightly in black sequins. The bodice had a deep plush v neck and thin spaghetti straps that crisscrossed across her naked back. She'd curled her long golden auburn waist length locks and swept it all up into a messy pile of tendrils leaving two small locks to frame her face, showing off her beautiful gold and diamond studs that her Dad bought her for her sixteenth birthday.

"You look beautiful, gorgeous, stunning even." Tim complimented her as soon as he saw her emerge from his bedroom.

"You look so handsome." She gushed. A knock at the door and Jim, Tim's friend had let himself in. Stacey was working late, but he had orders to take some photos and send them to her friend.

"You guys look so elegant." Jim stated and took some photos of the two of them together. "Glad it wasn't me asked to represent the agency. You pull off the Geeky 007 look better than me, Tim. Kelly, wow! What a dress?! Tim's a lucky guy." He added with a flirtatious wink and smile.

"Hey hey." Tim warned. "Eyes up here." He teased his friend who was playfully staring at Kelly's dress.

"Hypocrisy at its finest Tim." He teased.

"On that note we're leaving." Tim said, "the agency is apparently sending us a car."

They locked up and made the short walk down the four flights of stairs to the foyer and sure enough there was a limo waiting to take them to the naval base. Tim had prepared the documents for security, tucked safely away in his breast pocket, the invitation, his NCIS credentials and Kelly's photo ID. Before they'd cleared two blocks, both their phones had simultaneously pinged indicating a message and sure enough Jim had sent through the photos he'd just snapped.

Kelly admired one of the photos in particular, as she debated whether or not to send it to her Dad in DC. Impulsively she sent it now before putting her phone on vibrate for the evening. She'd deal with any fallout tomorrow.

Fornell and Gibbs we're meeting for a late dinner at Elaine's diner when his phone pinged. He hadn't been expecting a text at all this weekend, especially since Kelly was away in Norfolk for the weekend. He rarely heard from her when she was with Tim. As he managed to get the little flip phone open and open the picture it was too small to view on his phone. "Damn it!" He swore. "Kelly sent me a photo and I can't see it on this bloody phone."

"Send it to me, I'll bring it up on my smartphone." Tobias offered his friend.

Gibbs forwarded the photo to him and Tobias immediately opened it before letting out an expletive. "Wow! She looks, wow!" He said in awe, the little girl he'd met when she was barely in pre-school was definitely grown up now and very elegant looking. His mind suddenly flashed to Kelly and his daughter Emily playing dress ups together when they were seven and pretending they'd dance with their prince. "Where is she off to and who's the new boyfriend?" He asked handing Gibbs his cellphone.

"That's Probationary Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS Norfolk base office." Refusing to acknowledge Tim as the boyfriend, just yet, but he knew that's what he is. "They must be representing the agency at the Norfolk Naval Gala Awards dinner." He stared at the image of his daughter and the agent standing beside her. He couldn't believe that the woman in this photo was the same girl that he held in his arms almost twenty two years ago. "She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Gibbs asked staring at the image of her on the screen, occasionally stroking the image unconsciously. "She looks a lot like Shan here." He whispered softly to his friend.

"She looks great, beautiful even. Definitely doesn't look like the better half of the terrible duo that snuck out of the house at sixteen to go to a nightclub…. How about I email this to you at NCIS and you can have Abby print it for you?" Tobias offered. "She's definitely changed since I saw her last." Thinking back to the last time he saw her, she was covered in overalls and paint after Emily's birthday party at the paint balling place last year.

"I think it's Agent McGee actually." Gibbs admitted. "He's changing her, for the better. He's big on privacy and security. She's more private now, she limits her social media now. She's become strict on not mixing business with pleasure. Has two cell phones, one for work and one for private use."

"Basically everything that you and I always tried to teach our girls and they did nothing but rolled their eyes at us." Fornell summed up.

"Exactly," Gibbs smiled.

"So is it serious with Agent McGee?" The FBI agent asked. "If it is …"

"Too early to tell. They met at a club, the following morning they were in a MVA. I'd actually met him for the first time at a crime scene only four days beforehand. Next thing I know, I'm looking down at him in a hospital bed and Kelly's barely harmed."

"Accident on his side of the car?" Tobias surmised.

"No, hers. He flung his arm out to prevent her smashing into the airbag or going through the windscreen. Needed surgery to have pins in it."Gibbs explained, suddenly laughing. "The man's a freaking genius, I tried to get him assigned to my team. Morrow said no, now they're together he's TAD'd him for six weeks to me to see if it can work out. If he wasn't dating her, maybe it'd be easier."

The men continued their dinner, followed by some cherry pie and cream. "Can I ask you something Tobias?"

"Sure." He answered, wondering what in the world Gibbs would need to ask him.

"With Emily and Owen living together under your roof did you ever have to have the talk with them together?" He asked, rushing the words out. "Tim stayed with us for five days and I had him in the downstairs guest room. Kelly would sneak in there. But six weeks as a TAD agent, he won't be travelling to his home in Norfolk. If it becomes permanent, I was going to offer him to stay with us. But I don't want Kelly pregnant. She's just finished her Master's and her internship. She needs to start her career before settling down."

"Jethro, whatever happens, it's her decision. Have you had the talk with her? I know there hasn't been many serious boyfriends but …?" Tobias placated his friend.

"Yeah, I also know she's recently gone on the pill too. Around the same time she started seeing McGee." Gibbs admitted, somewhat uncomfortably. But he knew that Tobias, as a father of another young lady the same age, he'd understand the point he was trying to make.

"That's more than I wanted or needed to know." Tobias said firmly. "But it tells you that they're serious about each other. Maybe she even considers him to be boyfriend material."

"I don't know what to do." Gibbs sighed, feeling deflated. "I know I need to let go, I'm just not sure how."

"I know you crave the control, but it's time to step back." Tobias advised his friend. "Diane had to tell me when it was time, do I need her to tell you too?"

Tim had to mingle with some of the other agents, as well as the VIP's like the SecNav and Director Morrow, as well as Assistant Director's Vance, Granger and Vanetti. Kelly had mingled with a couple of the partners. She struck up a conversation with Jackie Vance and automatically felt at ease with the older black woman. "Kelly, this is Director Morrow" Tim introduced the Director.

"Miss Gibbs." The Director said, shaking her hand warmly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. From both Agent McGee and your father." He schmoozed. Tom Morrow noticed that his young agent stationed at Norfolk and Agent Gibbs' daughter did indeed make a lovely couple and they seemed very much in awe of each other. It almost made him feel bad for Jethro Gibbs, but then he reminded himself of every time he had given him a headache and laughed internally at the karma.

"Pleasures all mine." She smiled at him widely. "Dad's mentioned you a time or two. Got any stories to share about Dad that I can use to embarrass him with?" She asked conspiratorially.

"Sorry young lady, I value my life too much." Morrow joked. "Enjoy the evening."

As soon as the business portion of the evening was over and the band started playing, Tim guided Kelly onto the dance floor and drew her into his arms as they slow danced to the navy band. The dance floor was fairly busy, even Morrow and his wife Melissa were dancing. "It's almost over and we can head out." Tim promised, "sorry it's such a dull date. I was hoping to get out of it because of the TAD assignment, but no such luck."

"I'm actually having a great time." She admitted and she was. She'd struck up a conversation with Jackie Vance and it seemed like the two women actually had a lot in common. "Jackie Vance is a goldmine of information, she should write a book. I'd happily publish her. Such a formidable woman too." Kelly gushed.

They returned to the table where Jackie and Kelly picked up their conversation again, "Why don't we grab a drink together at our hotel?" Leon asked the young couple.

"Sure, we've got time." Tim agreed, looking to see it was ok with Kelly. "We have a late flight out tomorrow afternoon. Luckily, I'm all packed."

"Where are you off to?" Leon asked as the ladies headed off to the bathroom, before leaving for drinks.

"TAD assignment at the navy yard for six weeks." Tim said in reply. "I'll be working attached to Agent Gibbs' team."

"Gibbs is a good agent and a good man. He can teach you lots." Leon advised.

"It's going to be awkward, though." Tim said dejectedly. "Even though we've worked together before."

"Why's that?" Leon asked, genuinely curious. He'd worked a couple of assignments and ops with the infamous man and he'd always been professional.

"He's Kelly's Dad" Tim announced and saw Leon cringe.

"Ouch!" Leon answered the young man. "Yeah that's painful."

The ladies returned and they two couples took a cab to the hotel where the Vance's were staying, not far from the base. The women were chatting away about feminine literary heroes of the nineteenth century and debating Jane Austen against the Brontë sisters.

Vance began grilling Tim about his educational background and his skills and was amazed that he had accomplished so much in such a short time. Soon, the two men were discussing computer codes and computer programs and how Tim had just started writing computer codes, programs and apps to make an agent's life easier when looking for anomalies in electronic searches.

Before they knew it, it was nearly midnight and they said good night's, the ladies and gentlemen both exchanged numbers and emailed and agreed to meet up for dinner when Vance had to report to the Navy yard in three weeks time.