Four months later ….
Tim's whole team was in finally in place. Bishop, who was supposed to be Torres' Probie got reassigned to MCRT on Tim's recommendation. After two cases in, she had a frank discussion with Tim when she realised she wasn't cut out for the mind games and psychological details that the BSG dealt with, despite her background as an analyst at the NSA. However Knight, Sanchez, Torres, Bools and Peters were working out fine. Tim held a meeting in the conference room and gave a run down of the overview of the team and what he expected from the team. The team had gelled and meshed well together becoming a well oiled team, despite no one permanently in the SSAIC position.
The MCRT were working a series of homicides on the USS Roosevelt, that was docked at Norfolk for maintenance and they were working the case with Agent afloat Stan Burley. "I haven't missed these orange walls, Gibbs."
"Found ya sea legs yet?" Gibbs asked his former protégé as he took a long sip of the now cool coffee in his trademark white paper cup.
"I'll find them just in time to head back out." Stan retorted. "So, any leads yet?" Stan asked them, working from the spare workstation in the MCRT bullpen. The one next to Ziva's desk.
"Might be time to call in BSG." Gibbs conceded, they had been chasing their tails for three weeks now and the Borealis was due to go back into rotation from its 'unscheduled maintenance' in which SECNAV had ordered all of the personnel off the ship at Norfolk and dry docked it. Now SECNAV wants it back in the leet and all personnel back on board.
"I'll call the FBI and set it up." Burley told Gibbs, pulling out his cell to make the request.
"No need, NCIS has their own team." Gibbs told Stan, "Don't you read internal mail from this agency, while aboard ship?" Gibbs asked him, his tone of voice chastising him a little.
"I have been at sea a while." Stan commented dryly. "Not always an internet connection in the middle of the ocean."
"I'll make the call." Gibbs said, flipping open his cell and calling Tim.
The Bandium app had done its job and three phones had beeped, not the entire team. "Bools, Peters and Sanchez." Tim called out as he strode back into the bullpen from MTAC. "MCRT are working a series of homicides, I'm assigning you three to them. Report to Gibbs, asap. Knight, SITREP on the Easton case, when I return?" He watched as the trio grabbed their gear and followed Tim around the corner and into the MCRT bullpen.
"Timothy McGee, as I live and breathe." Stan greeted him, happy to see his colleague, shaking his hand hello.
"It's Timothy Fornell now." He told Stan politely with a smile. "Stan, let me introduce you to the part of my team who'll be working with MCRT. Agents Greg Bools, Mike Sanchez and Ethan Peters. Guys this is Special Agent afloat Stan Burley." A round of hello's were shared. "That's Agent Nick Torres and Probie Jess Knight." He said pointing to the divider at the remaining members of his team.
"You've definitely moved up in the world, Tim." Stan said in a friendly voice. "Meanwhile I'm stuck in a six by four office aboard ship."
"Connections, Stan." Tony supplied. "It's all in the name. Our little Probie here was supposed to be doing the SSAIC job temporarily, but almost four months in now and they still haven't found anyone to take the lead."
"Doctor Fornell is more than qualified," Ziva added cooly. The relationship between Ziva and Tim had eventually fizzled out and it had been frosty in the beginning on Ziva's side, especially after Tim ended it. Her jealousy had driven Tim crazy, even though there wasn't anyone else. She always greeted him by either his full name and title or by his full rank and name. "We appreciate the help, Agent Fornell." Her voice holding little emotion or warmth in it now.
"Pleasure is all mine." Tim smiled at her sweetly. Ziva knew the formal tone she had been taking with him had annoyed him, Tim had been killing her with warmth, kindness and politeness.
Tony and Ziva exchanged a look as Gibbs scrunched his hair with his left hand, looking at Tim and Tim rubbed his neck in return, looking at Gibbs. It was their new code. Gibbs was telling Gibbs that he had Tim's people's six, while assigned to him, they were apart of him and Tim was telling Gibbs they better come back unharmed. It wasn't the first time that Ziva, Tony and Ellie had seen that scene play out, they still didn't know what it meant, however Tony was determined to find out. It drove him crazy.
"So tell me quickly, DiNozzo. Tim's new name change?" Burley asked in a hurry while Ziva and Ellie briefed the BSG team, keeping his voice low.
"Tim found out the admiral wasn't his old man." Tony told Stan. "FBI Agent Fornell, Gibbs friend is his old man."
"Wait Fornell? As in ex wife number one's husband." Stan asked, shocked.
"Ex wife number one's, ex husband number two. You've been at sea a long time now, Diane divorced Fornell and is married to Victor Sterling over at Homeland now."
"Yikes." Burley commented, before asking "and he's a Doctor?"
"Got a doctorate in J and C. Vance is pretty impressed by it." Tony explained, distain dripping on his voice in the last sentence.
"You sound jealous, Tony." Stan concluded.
"Nah, besides Probie was banging Ziva and when Ziva dumped him because he couldn't close the deal. Poor sap."
"I do not know what you heard Tony, but Timothy can close definitely close the deal. As far as our break up, it was a mutual decision, not that it's either of your business." Ziva interjected, as she held a paper clip out, menacingly.
"Which you ended, meaning you dumped his sorry ass." Tony supplied.
"If you must know, he dumped me." Ziva whispered and Tony immediately softened.
"He's a jerk then."
"Are you three done gossiping?" Gibbs asked head slapping each of the trio, including Ziva. "It's not high school ya know?"
A ding from the elevator stopped everyone on the floor in their tracks when AD Sweeney exited elevator. Gibbs stood up and took note, ignoring the team as he immediately made a beeline for Tim. "Agent Fornell," he greeted him formally. Tim's whole body let out a shudder. The AD was flanked by two FBI agent's from his security team and Keith from NCIS security. "I'm glad I caught you Tim. I expected to see you at the hospital earlier. Surely whatever is keeping you here isn't as important as your father and his health."
"What's happened to my father? Where is he?!" Tim demanded, grabbing his weapon and credentials from his desk drawer, preparing to leave as soon as he found out.
"Didn't anyone contact you?" AD Sweeney asked, looking at Sacks. "Oh, umm … your father was shot this morning. He took one in the thigh and one in the stomach."
"Why wasn't his son called?" Gibbs demanded, coming to stand beside Tim for emotional support.
"I was briefed that he was notified and couldn't attend." Sweeney defended himself.
"Who's the idiot who made that error?!" Gibbs demanded angrily.
"I … I'd rather not say. Let me handle it." He told Gibbs.
"Not good enough Sweeney!" Tim demanded, physically halting him, as the AD turned to head up to the Director's office. "Which hospital?"
"Georgetown University Medical." He answered.
"I'll drive." Gibbs offered, grabbing his own gear as he met Tim by the lifts. "Burley, you're on point."
"Torres, Knight, the Easton case, I'll want an update when I get back." Tim called out as he got in the lift.
"He'll be ok, Tim." Gibbs promised as the elevator took them down into the parking lot.
Tim arrived at the hospital to find Agent Sacks in the waiting room. "Sorry Gibbs, McGee you can't see him." Sacks said unapologetically. "How did you two even find out about Fornell?"
"I'm his son, you can't stop me from seeing him." Tim told him.
"You're not his son!" Sacks answered, grabbing McGee to prevent him from moving to the front desk for an update.
"Remove your hand from him, now!" Gibbs seethed in a low voice. Sacks reluctantly let go of Tim, but not before taking a swing at Tim.
"Go and get an update on your Dad, let me deal with him, Tim." Gibbs told him. "How do you think Tobias is going to react when he finds out that you assaulted his son? I can assure you Tobias won't be happy and Tim will be contacting the DoJ to file a complaint for not being notified of his fathers shooting. He is Tobias' next of kin."
"Seems they think your his son," Tim commented upon his return. "Since when are you his son?"
"I've been around for Fornell for a hell of a lot longer than you. You think you're going to walk in and make all his decisions now. You don't even know him." Ron Sacks seethed at Tim. "You're a two bit NCIS hack! Good for nothing, green Probie. You must have something on Fornell to make him list you as his son."
"You're jealous!" Tim accused and Gibbs agreed with him. "Luckily for you, the nurse didn't believe you and double checked the records. By the way, when you impersonated me, by attempting to use my identity at the desk before, you had my birthday wrong." Tim smiled a sardonic smile at Ron.
"Well?" Gibbs asked Tim, expecting Tim to explain Fornell's condition.
"I have to call Diane and Emily. I've requested that only the family listed, visit." Tim explained to his former boss. "That of course, extends to his 'brother-in-law', Jethro. Just the four of us, until I am satisfied he's doing better." Ron glared at Tim with pure hatred at Tim's decision and the weight it carried.
"You can't do that!" He whined in a high pitched voice.
"Actually, I can." Tim told Sacks. "I am the next of kin and medical proxy. I also have Tobias' full medical and financial power of attorney, as well as custodial proxy of my sister Emily. You may leave, now. A formal complaint to the DoJ will be filed by our family lawyer for the non-notification of next of kin. Excuse me whilst I notify the rest of my family."
Ron Sacks left the waiting room in a huff only to run into AD Sweeney in the hallway. "Sacks, what's happened? I thought you said you notified Fornell's next of kin."
"I did. It was me, all of a sudden it's not me and I have no rights, anymore. What happened?"
"Tobias has a son, Ron. You aren't his next of kin. I have to suspend you for dereliction of duty." Sweeney told the disgraced FBI agent.
"That son of his has blocked all visitors from the FBI and has threatened us with a complaint to the DoJ and possible legal action."
"I'm afraid, he is well within his right to do so. You've opened a can of worms now. You will have to answer to an IA investigator as well. NCIS have made a formal complaint on his son's behalf."
Diane viciously shoved past the AD and Sacks, as she barrelled herself into the waiting room. "Tim!" She called out as she entered and pulled her ex-stepson into a comforting hug. "He'll be ok, he just has to be." She told him, comforting him.
"Where's Emily?" Gibbs asked, as he witnessed Diane physically comfort his former agent.
"She's at school, she's taking that big math test today." Diane explained, glaring at the FBI personnel in the waiting room doorway.
"I'll grab Em from school, when it lets out." Gibbs offered. "You two wait here for some news."
"Tim?" AD Sweeney began. "I am sorry, but you're a federal agent, you should understand..."
"That's not good enough!" Diane began ranting, cutting Sweeney off. "Tim should have been notified as soon as possible, not six hours after the incident. Nor should one of your agents claim to be his son or try to use Tobias' son's identity to gain privileged medical information! Our family lawyer will be in contact with the Bureau and we will be pursuing legal action. Since you aren't even being forthcoming with the details of how he was shot, we've decided that all contact and communication requests will also go through our family lawyer. He will be making a formal complaint to the DoJ on our behalf, also."
"Fornell family?" a doctor asked, entering the room. "I have an update."
"Let's speak in private." Tim told the doctor, ushering Gibbs and Diane along with him into the Dr's office.
"Tobias is in recovery. The extraction went very well. The bullet from the stomach missed all of the organs, lodging itself in the wall of the stomach muscle and the shoulder wound was a simple through and through, missing all arteries. We've debrided the wound and packed it open with cotton until the plastics team examine it." The doctor told them. "He is in the ICU and can have one visitor at a time. I understand he has a young daughter also."
"Our daughter is thirteen." Diane confirmed to the doctor.
"She may be accompanied by an adult to see her father." The doctor advised the trio.
"Thank you, Doctor." Tim said shaking the man's hand. "I'd like it reflected that there is to be no information sharing with the FBI and all requests from the FBI are to go through Wyatt Brown Senior, attorney at law from Brown, Brown and Edgecomb. Our family lawyers."
"Noted," the doctor said and Gibbs looked wide eyed at Tim and Diane.
"I thought you were bluffing with the FBI." Gibbs commented.
"I never bluff." Tim reminded Gibbs.
Tim sat with his father, while Diane went to find coffee for Tim and Gibbs went to fetch Emily from school. Tim had already called Wyatt Brown, his father's lawyer and explained what had happened to him, what the FBI had done, including Ron Sacks trying to assume Tim's identity to gain privileged medical information. Wyatt had agreed that Tim and Diane's idea to have all requests and communication to go through him was the correct course of action. He was going to get started on the formal complaint to the Department of Justice and he was going to CC the Attorney General into the complaint.
The fact that both Tim - his son, Jethro Gibbs - his pseudo Brother-in-law and Diane - his ex wife all answered to the DoJ in their line of work should sway their complaint to be taken seriously.
"Tim?" Emily whispered and buried in to her big brother's arms. "What did the doctor say?" She asked, trying to hold back her tears.
"He's going to be ok." Tim promised his sister. "Nothing vital was hit. He just needs some rest, recover and light rehab."
"Thank goodness." Emily said, pulling up her own seat beside Tim. "Maybe while Dad's off, recuperating we can take that trip to Indiana now."
"I'll talk to Dad, leave it to me Squirt!" Tim told his sister, kissing the crown of her head.
Outside Tobias' room Diane handed Gibbs a cup of black coffee, just the way he preferred it. "You should be proud of them." Gibbs told Diane, taking the cup from her. "The way they're sticking by each other."
"Tobias was at his lawyers last month. If something happens to him, Tim gets custodial proxy of Emily. Tim now has full medical and financial power of attorney too." Diane told him. "I'm supposed to be moving to Seattle with Victor. He's been reassigned. Emily will be staying with Tim and Tobias."
"You're a good woman," Gibbs told her. "Sometimes." Kissing her cheek. Gibbs knew how hard it would be for Diane to leave Emily behind. Deep down, he thought he'd miss Diane a little too.
"I am proud of Tobias, too." She told Gibbs. "He stepped up to the plate with Tim long before they knew they shared DNA. That takes courage."
"I was jealous." Gibbs admitted in a small voice. "Tim was my agent and I couldn't break through his tough, concrete barriers. Tobias came along and managed to bulldoze his way through, like a knife sliding through butter."
"Leroy, on a subconscious level, perhaps they knew they were father and son." Dianne suggested. "After all, once you know and can see the similarities, they can't be unseen."
"True." Gibbs agreed.
"Take care of them, for me. Emily and Tim are all I have left in this world." She whispered. "Tim might not be my biological son, but his my son, in my heart."
Gibbs returned to NCIS in time for his team, along side Tim's team to be finalising their reports. "As soon as I have your reports, you can all go." Gibbs said, breezing into the bullpen. "Knight and Torres. Tim said to dismiss you both for the evening!"
"How is Fornell?" Ziva asked, curious. She was the last one left in the bullpen as Peters, Bools and Sanchez had already submitted their reports and left for the evening. Stan and DiNozzo were long done, as was Bishop who was showering in the gym to make her meeting with her husband.
"He still hadn't woken up when I left." Gibbs answered truthfully. "Tim was in with Emily."
"How was Timothy holding up?" She asked him and Gibbs studied the Israeli. "What Gibbs? I do care, despite our break up."
"He was hanging in there." Gibbs said. "Emily and Diane were with him."
"Do you think he and Emily would want some dinner dropped off to them at the hospital?" She offered, kindly.
"I think they'd like that." Gibbs told her with a smirk. "Maybe you should think about the way you speak about Tim in the bullpen. It's obvious, that you still care deeply for him."
"I admit, I have been pickley . That is my flaw, Gibbs"
"Prickly, Ziva." He corrected. "Maybe remind Tim how you're not good with feelings and how you express them."
"I'll try." She promised as she bug Gibbs a 'good night.'
"Playing matchmaker is not a good idea Gibbs." Vance told him from the mezzanine. "How is Fornell Senior?"
"Hanging in there. Tim is waiting patiently for him to wake up." Gibbs told the Director.
"Drop his laptop off to him at the hospital, he can work from there tomorrow. I wish I could spare him the day off, but he is preparing a brief for the DEA and FBI taskforce 'code name push' and it's been an all hands on deck assignment." Vance told him. "Tell Fornell we're are all thinking of him here. I'll manage his staff until he's back aboard the yard."
"Leon?" Gibbs called out, with a raised eyebrow. "Have you found an SSAIC yet for BSG?"
"I have it narrowed down to two people. Why?" He asked Gibbs.
"Tim is doing a great job and has been so far. Hope he's in the running." Gibbs told him.
"He is." Vance confirmed as he walked away.
Ziva had been to the hospital and delivered both Tim and Emily a nutritious dinner of vegetables and steak casserole with rice, which had been appreciated. Ziva and Tim had called a truce to their arguing and agreed that they needed to co-exist for the good of the agency, before Emily manipulated Ziva into taking her to get coffee. While Emily and Ziva were looking for coffee, Emily explained to her that if she was looking to hurt Tim, she should just walk away now. That their break up, as much as it had been Tim's idea, had hurt him immensely. Ziva had assured the young teen that she and Tim were just friends and she would be sure to consult her feelings before entering into anything with Tim. Emily also reminded Ziva that as much as she may have ninja skills, her mother loved Tim like her own son and was the world's biggest bitch and could easily take her out.
"Son!" Tobias rasped out, his voice scratchy and his throat dry.
"Dad!" He exclaimed, sitting up and beginning to fuss. "Just rest Dad, we're ok." He whispered.
Gibbs watched from the window as the relief left Tim's body in spades.