Bit of a small filler chapter before leading up to the next big part.
Thanks for all your amazing reviews too.
A quick swim before meeting Ziva at the NCIS gym, saw Tim leaving his family home by 0500. He was surprised when he entered the gym that they weren't the only two people in there. His new Probie Jess was there, earbuds in and on the treadmill. DiNozzo was there too, as well as Gibbs. "Morning" Tim called out as he entered the locker area to stow his gear.
"Morning Probie." Tony greeted him as he and Ziva came over to greet him. "Who's the new chick?" Tony asked, tactlessly.
Gibbs head slapped Tony as he pulled Tony away from Ziva and Tim. "Two miles, go!" Gibbs ordered. Tony valued his life, so he took off, out the gym door and along the Potomac River. He turned and watched to watch as Ziva had Tim stretching and he observed them exchange smiles. Gibbs began stretching, ready for Tony in the boxing ring upon his return.
As Tony returned, Gibbs began loading up in the pads and threw the gloves to Tony. Tony noticed the smiles that Ziva and Tim were sharing and slightly snarled as he dutifully followed Gibbs over to the boxing ring. "What's with the Probie and Ziva?" He asked Gibbs and Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him in response. "They're all smiles today."
Gibbs shrugged his shoulders, indifferently. "Some people are just morning people."
He watched as Ziva and Tim both pulled up beside one another on the elliptical trainers before Ziva said "go". Gibbs thought maybe they were in a race, a challenge and wondered why Tim would be foolish enough to challenge Ziva.
"I won!" Gibbs heard Tim exclaim, before he lowered his voice to no volume at all. He silently called Tony to halt and they both watched on as Gibbs lip read what Tim had said to her. Gibbs eyebrows shot off his face and Tony was curious to know what his Probie had said to make the ninja blush like that.
"Are they?" DiNozzo asked. "I mean, they're not in the same team anymore and there's always been … a little something there."
"What's it look like to you?" Gibbs snapped, getting in his face.
"Looks like Probie's batting out of his league." Tony answered truthfully and winced when Gibbs shot him a scathing look.
"He isn't on our team anymore. Quit calling him Probie! He technically outranks you at the moment."
"How? He's a SFA now, same as me." Tony argued.
"He's acting SSAIC, Tony. That's my pay grade." Gibbs told him, slightly proud. He'd trained a former Director, but none of his other agents had climbed any further than him. He'd worked with Vance, but Vance never had worked for him. Jenny was his Probie, now Tim was currently leading a team. Gibbs wondered if Tim wouldn't end up being SSAIC permanently if he grew into the job.
"He's only in charge until Vance finds someone who can put up with his technobabble." Tony told him and walked away to the treadmill.
"Hi, I'm Tony." He introduced himself to Knight. "Special Agent Tony DiNozzo."
"Probationary Field Agent Jessica Knight." She said before shaking his hand and walking away.
"Wait up." Tony said, chasing Jess down. "You can call me, Tony. Want to have dinner tonight?"
"I don't date men who think they're god's gift to women and I don't date middle aged men who are balding." She told him, walking off towards Tim and Ziva. "Oh, Agent DiNozzo, if you ever hit on me again, I'm going to kick you in the balls. Have a great day." Ziva laughed as Tim waved goodbye to her and he and Jess left for a run together.
"You got shot down, I take it?" Ziva asked as Gibbs joined them, having finished their workouts.
"She'll say yes, once she realises that McGee's not a real man."
"His name is Fornell." Ziva and Gibbs corrected him.
"You both know what I mean." Tony retorted sullenly. "And what's with you, Miss Ninja? All smiles for the Probie this morning and a snarl for me and the boss."
"I tend to smile at real men." Ziva stated, teasing Tony further.
"Real men, please. He's not a man, he's a Probie."
"He has the right equipment, yes?" Ziva asked
"It's not whether or not you have it, it's how you use it, right boss?" Tony asked, hoping to drag Gibbs in to back him up.
"Can it, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, slapping him again, harder this time.
"I've seen you naked Tony, you should stop bragging." Ziva advised him and Gibbs gently head slapped her for keeping the argument going.
"Showers, let's go. Ducky should be finished the autopsy by now." Gibbs called an end as Tim and Jess arrived back and began gearing up for the boxing ring.
"I hear NCIS have their own BSG team." Sacks told Fornell and Sweeney taking his seat in the AD's office. "Lead by a Doctor Fornell. Can you believe that? What are the odds that NCIS score a doctor to lead their team. And Fornell, why didn't you tell us that you were related to a doctor?"
"Enough Sacks." AD Sweeney advised. "How is your son liking his new job?"
"You have a son?" Sacks asked, not sure if he liked this meeting now. He'd always thought he knew everything about his boss, his mentor.
"I do." Tobias answered, before turning to AD Sweeney. "Tim's enjoying it, but it's been two days. Yesterday was mostly going over his team and reading 201 files. The whole team hasn't even reported in yet."
"Let's get down to business." AD Sweeney replied and began explaining the purpose of the meeting.
Ron Sacks didn't like the way his mentor's face lit up with pride when discussing his son. 'Tim was the son's name.' He thought. 'Time to investigate the son. I've worked too hard to have a mystery son come in and destroy what I've built.'
"How come she gives you the time of day and not me?" Tony whined to Tim as he entered the mens room later that morning.
"She's on my team, that's it. We're just getting to know one another."
"You like her, that's it?" Tony accused him, playing Tony's favourite game of accuse.
"So, I'm not blind. But I can't comment either way" Tim answered, startling Tony by his answer. "She's my subordinate, Tony." He looked Tony dead in the eye like Tobias had taught him. "I'm seeing someone. Not Jess, someone else." Gibbs entered and Tim finished up his business.
"How's the case going, Gibbs?" He asked.
"Done. Paperwork." Gibbs grumbled.
"When can I bring Jess around to brief you on what we've found on the Skinner case?" He asked the team leader.
"Give me an hour." He requested, with a hopeful smile.
"I'll reserve the conference room." Tim replied.
"Can't we just do it in the bullpen?" Tony grumbled, not wanting to have a meeting in the conference room.
"Conference room!" Gibbs snapped at him, backing Tim. 'Obviously Tim's trying to set the tone for his dealings with the MCRT team from the get go.' Gibbs thought. 'Or what they found is highly classified.'
Tim and Jess had worked late that night, causing Ziva to keep looking over the divider at the man she was casually seeing and the woman who was his new probationary agent. Another agent had arrive late this morning. Which made them a team of three. He was supposed to be a JFA, however by Ziva's ears he was awfully green.
"Sanchez." He introduced himself to Gibbs, Ziva and Tony over the divider. The latter two waving at him and Gibbs muttered "Uh-ha" at him.
"Friendly bunch, aren't they?" He asked Tim.
"Actually they are, they just take a while to warm up to people." Tim replied with a grin. "That's my old team."
On the other side of the divider, Gibbs watched as Ziva once again, lost in thought glanced over. He got up and sat down on the edge of her desk. "Jealous?" He asked, with a wry smirk.
"No." She denied. "It's just …"
"She's smart and she understands the tech." Gibbs offered.
"She could be a threat, a threat to us." Ziva settled on and Gibbs caught Tim's eye as he walked the two of them through the high tech gizmos they have in their bullpen.
"Tim's not interested in her. She's his Probie, that's it." Gibbs explained confidently, praying he was reading the situation right. "Besides, Tim's at his desk and she and the other agent are talking."
"You slept with Jenny, she was your Probie." Ziva offered as an explanation.
"Different time, different place." Gibbs explained. "Tim's not me, either. He's loyal and faithful to his partners. Well I am too, but Tim's gah-gah over you. You have no reason to be jealous."
The tones of three phones dinged across the room and he heard Tim call out. "Ok guys, grab your gear. Let's go!" Gibbs watched as Tim geared up and two of his agents followed suit, each with their go bags on their shoulders and their weapons at the hips.
"It's weird hearing those words from Tim." Ziva commented, breaking the silence that enveloped his bullpen.
"Better get used of it." Tony retorted, "Gibbs reminded me this morning that he's in charge over there. Which is ludicrous if you ask me."
"Lucky for you, no one asked for your opinion." Vance commented dryly as he passed by the MCRT bullpen. "My office in five, Gibbs." He ordered on his way upstairs.
Up in his office, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a tension headache coming on. "Gibbs, have a seat." He instructed. "Files for Agent Fornell's replacement." He handed Gibbs seven 201 files. "His chair can't remain vacant forever. He's not coming back."
"I know." Gibbs sulked. "Didn't think it'd be so hard to hear Tim utter the words 'grab your gear' and know it wasn't my team he was speaking to."
"Do you want a transfer to BSG? Is that it?" Vance asked. "He's been in the role for three days and so far, he's doing a great job. Agent Knights sings his praises, as does Commander Riley. He's the REACT team commander. He's been watching Tim amp up her physical training. Agent Knight has undertaken the additional training for REACT. She answers to Riley when required. The Regional Enforcement Action Capabilities Team. She's a trained hostage negotiator."
"She's just a Probie to BSG though."
"Exactly why I paired her with Tim. He's going to mentor her. Remember when I said, agent's like him are the future of this agency? I meant it, she's good, like him."
"Alone at last." Ziva cooed in his ear, as she snuck around to the other side of the bullpen, into Tim's bullpen, siddling up to his desk, putting her arms around him. His team were out of the bullpen and she was on her way home.
"Hey Zee," Tim greeted her as he locked his workstation and pulled her into his lap. His case was higher than her security clearance, so it was classified. "Everything ok?"
"I've missed you." She whispered, wriggling in his lap, enjoying the feel of him through her slacks.
"You're killing me here, Zee. We're at work." Tim reminded her in a strangled voice. He was trying to remain professional. Sanchez or Knight could come back from their dinner break at any moment. He didn't want Ziva on his lap if that happened.
"You off in the morning?" She asked, placing hot kisses along his jaw, whispering in his ear.
"Yes and so are you. We're meeting for breakfast, remember?" He asked trying to stop Ziva's physical attention in the middle of the bullpen.
"Where's your team?" She asked, her voice tinged green with envy.
"Working." Tim told her. "What I should be doing."
"Thought you were going home, Agent David." Gibbs said, standing behind his desk, leaning over the partition.
"I am." She kissed Tim sensually on the lips. "Night Gibbs, bye Tim."
"Ziva!" Gibbs called out. She stopped and turned to face him, not ten feet away. "Jealousy isn't a good look on anyone."
"Agent Fornell, what a surprise?" His son greeted him as he stepped into the BSG bullpen.
"Hey Doc." He replied, smiling at Tim. Seeing Tim sitting behind a desk, his Probie opposite him, another agent next to her. "Dinner delivery for the new team." He said cheekily, brandishing a bag with three hot trays of lasagna that Tobias had made the night before. He hadn't seen Tim in three days, despite being under the same roof as him.
"Meet the team?" Tim offered and his father nodded. "Agent Mike Sanchez, formerly of the Carolina's office, one of our JFA's and this is Jess Knights, one of our Probie's." Both agents looked up at the older man, seated in front of their boss' desk.
"Agent Tobias Fornell, FBI." He smiled and offered each of them his hand, before turning to back to Tim. "She's your Probie?" Tim nodded the affirmative. "Don't giver her too much of a hard time, kiddo. Remember you were a Probie once, too."
"How could I forget?" Tim deadpanned.
"Nice to meet you," Jess said as she approached Tim with her report. "Let me guess, father and son?"
"Hole in one." Gibbs said cheerfully from over the divider. "Hey, where's my dinner?" Gibbs asked, smelling Tobias' infamous beef and red wine lasagna.
"At Diane's." Tobias replied snarkily at his friend. "Be nice to me, I just spent two hours with our ex-wife." He told Gibbs as he ruffled Tim's hair on the way to meet Gibbs by the elevator.
"Yeah? She mention my name?" Gibbs jested, enjoying their friendly banter.
"Not for years." Tobias retorted as they got on the elevator.
"Come and get it, Sanchez." Tim offered a tray and some disposable cutlery. "Otherwise, it's going to the waste."
"They share an ex-wife?" Mike asked Tim, surprised by the older men's banter with one another.
"We don't talk about it." Tim advised him with a groan at their behaviour. They really could be quite childish at times. "But yes they do, if she's ever here, you'll know who she is by the way everyone scatters." Tim told them, remembering how they used to hide in the lab when Diane would visit.