Mit8
OVER THE LAST 10 WEEKS
"Dad, any news?" Kelly asked her father this evening, like she had every other night since Tim left.
"Sorry baby," Gibbs told him. "It's all silent, I'm sure he's fine. Jen would tell me if he wasn't." Gibbs comforted his daughter, just like every day for the last six weeks when she had asked him.
Kelly had ended up passing over the promotion in Manhattan and her boss had not really understood her reasoning. She applied for a couple of jobs in DC and a transfer at her company to the DC office, which had been denied. She needed to be near her Dad, especially while Tim was away on assignment. She asked her Dad to stop Tim's resignation but he explained to her it has to come from Tim, but he'd ask Jen to sit on it until he returned. She went with her father to check his mail and open up the apartment occasionally. It helped her cope with his absence and she couldn't believe it had only taken six days for her to fall back in love with her former boyfriend.
Tim was called away on his assignment, so Ziva never had them over for dinner in the end, but Ziva and Kelly had met up for drinks on numerous occasions. Kelly liked the little feisty Israeli woman. Just as much as Ziva liked her boss' daughter. She was surprised at that, because she'd never been one for female friends, especially given her male dominated career. Gibbs had been called by a bartender friend of his to get the girls on one particular occasion when they'd both had too much to drink. An NCIS agent had been killed undercover in Naples, Italy and word had spread like wildfire. Ziva hadn't believed it was Tim, but Kelly had heard about it in passing and was devastated. It had seemed that the timing of the killed agent's assignment had coincided with Tim's assignment and since none of them knew where he was. A few of them were worried. Finally, Jen discreetly passed word to him that it wasn't McGee.
Gibbs had dealt with Abby by taking her into the Director's office. She tried to deny that she never said it, until Director Shepard reminded Abby that all calls into this facility were recorded and could be accessed upon request. Eventually she caved, turning on the waterworks to garner some sympathy. When that didn't work, Jen asked Tony to tell the group the gist of what Abby had said before she finally confessed. Abby had been asked to take a leave of absence to deal with her alcohol abuse when it was discovered that she'd been drinking on the job. She also agreed to get psychological help for her, after being diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder.
Gibbs acknowledged that he had over-indulged her and that he had played a part in it too. He apologised to his team for his actions in regards to Abby, if he had hurt them. "It's McGee who you should be apologised to the most." Tony had told him, standing up to him and Gibbs lowered his chin to his chest in defeat and sighed out loud. "I know." He admitted quietly, but it was loud enough that Ducky, Jen, Tony and Ziva heard him.
Tim, when he landed and was met at the LAX airport by Vance, who's flight had landed only an hour prior to Tim's. Jen had given him some sealed documents to pass onto Vance. He had been shown a photo of Vance by Jen in the car and when he'd spotted the tall, dark agent, hidden partially by a nib wall and a large faux pot plant, he'd immediately asked for his credentials not identifying himself in the process, which garnered a belly laugh from the newly minted AD Vance. "You passed your first test, Agent McGee. Maintain your own cover at all costs and don't reveal your identity, well done."
The two men exchanged NCIS credentials to ensure that both of them had the right person. Once in the safety of a hire car, they drove for a few minutes before pulling up out the front of a run down, abandoned business and exchanged paperwork. Vance handed Tim a case file and Tim handed the sealed documents from the Director.
Tim studied the documents in the case file, from cover to cover and smiled to himself. 'Ziva's training had been so much easier.' He naively thought, before Vance began driving again.
Gibbs had called Callen, the day Tim left, on assignment, reminding Callen that Tim was one of 'his people.' Callen interrupted him and told Gibbs to relax, that it was a straightforward mission and he'd be safely back in DC, in a few short weeks, at the most.
At their HQ base, which was a non-descript building in the middle of the industrial park, they met with Callen and Sam. The agents briefed the incoming agents from San Diego and DC respectively. Before Callen and Sam briefed them on the specifics of the assignment. As soon as that was done, Callen and Vance went into Hetty's office to continue to discuss other business while Sam and Tim hit the gym for some more physical training. As Sam and Tim trained, they got to know each other better.
It was a month before Tim was physically trained up in all aspects that the OSP agents are trained to and the level that Sam and Callen's expected of their own people. He continued to eat better and bulk up a bit more, before he was taking his physical place in the assignment as a hack for hire. With his new bulkier frame he was looking bigger than the six foot two he actually was.
NOW...
Gibbs was working in his basement, it was rare night he had the house to himself. Ducky had taken pity on him and invited Kelly to the ballet to distract her from missing Tim. When his basement door opened and Jen wondered down, dressed in a floor length simple black gown, her hair swept off to the side, his curiosity piqued. "Whitehouse dinner?" He asked, giving her the once over, twice.
"Pack a bag, you're going under." She told Gibbs, firmly. He looked up at the clock and noticed it was early, too early for her to have left the bureaucratic dinner at the White House already.
"What's happened? Is he ok?" Gibbs asked worried, as they went back upstairs for Gibbs to grab his bag.
"As of an hour ago, it was reported that he was ok. He is still in position and from the reports that I have been reading, Agent Hanna has reported that he has the potential for permanent with OSP. He's been undercover for a month now. With the assignment almost completed, you're going under too. You will bring Agent McGee home with you at the end of the mission." She told him.
He tossed her his cell phone, "Message Duck and tell him to keep Kell safe." He told her as he ran upstairs to grab a few things from his bedroom.
Jen and her security detail escorted them into NCIS navy yard and he locked his cell phone in his desk drawer, along with both of Tim's. He left post it notes for Ziva and Tony with instructions and finally one on his own desk. 'McGee's - Rule 70'
When Gibbs landed in LA, it was bright, sunny and there was a warm breeze. He hoped it was a sign that soon the weather would be warming up. Agents Callen and Hanna met him at the airport. "Gibbs." Callen called out and Gibbs immediately came over to him, having no checked luggage to retrieve. "How the hell are you?" He asked, pulling Gibbs in for a half hug.
"Mostly I'm doing ok. Kelly's moving back to DC so it'll probably get a little better again." Gibbs told his friend truthfully and his friend shared a sad smile. "Tell me about McGee?"
Hanna immediately picked up the narrative, explaining that his job was so supposed to be an in and out one, but upon sneaking through his bank records he discovered that he'd been smuggling people into the country and selling them off. "He's good. We trained him a bit more, his undercover skills were rusty, but that's understandable when you're MCRT and rarely use them."
"He's only been undercover a few times and for very short periods of time, like a few minutes to a few hours. My fellow JFA is former Mossad and had been working with him."
"Well he's taken what he knew and his ran with it, we gave him some training and bulked him up some more, if tomorrow he wanted to transfer to OSP, we wouldn't say no." Callen said proudly to his fellow team leader.
Upon arrival at their HQ, Sam and Eric read Gibbs in on the case and the role he would play. "Tim's going to fight back," Eric told him in a conspiratorial tone. "Sam's taught him to fight back at all costs to protect his cover. We had an incident two years back, now it's S.O.P. In case you have to go back under in the future. Hope your ready. He's not the same Tim you sent here."
"It'll be fine." Gibbs told him, deep down he worried a little. He had the upper hand when it came to hand to hand, as he'd been a marine, but Hanna was former navy, as was the Admiral and Gibbs knew he'd had hand to hand training with Ziva, who was former Mossad. When Ziva had been visiting her father in Israel, Tony had privately reported in that although Tim had bested him twice, it had been more like five or six times. Tony had been impressed with the probie, but miffed too.
"It only hurts for a day or so," Callen told him. "Thank goodness he's only bested me once."
He got his first glance at on Tim on the surveillance that they'd been watching in the Operations Centre that afternoon and he had to admit, he likes the subtle change he could see. Tim was oozing self-confidence, 'although that could be his undercover persona.' Gibbs thought. He was definitely a bit bulkier, but it was subtle enough for him to notice. Vance had his back, just as Gibbs had promised him, posing as his hack for hire business partner. He could easily spot the agents known as Kensi and Hetty on screen too. It seemed Agent Deeks had already been pulled out earlier, before McGee had found the evidence of the people smuggling. Gibbs and Callen were posing as buyers and Hanna would pose as their security detail. The plan was, to bust it open and their meet was set for the following afternoon. Gibbs would take Tim, Hanna would take the guy selling people out and the two female agents would 'escape', Vance would oust himself as his alias, that worked for INS and allow himself to be captured. Tim would deny his knowledge of it any of it and fight to maintain his cover.
"Let's call it a night, G." Hanna told them, they'd been meticulously planning the role each of them would assume and they'd agreed that they should have some manpower backing them up and they organised the special ops tactical team. "We can meet back here at 0600 to go over the plan again before we head to the meet."
"Come on, Gibbs. You can stay with me." Callen told him, grabbing Gibbs' sea bag, giving him no choice but to follow.
When the two men were settled on Callen's sofa, hot pizza in the box on the coffee table. "Come on Gibbs, how the hell did your agent end up dating your daughter? Isn't there a rule about that?" Callen laughed, poking fun at the list of Gibbs' rules.
"Seems they met when they were at MIT together, apparently it was serious. Of course, you and I were in Russia, with Franks and Shepard and I had no idea. I came back just before it ended, or just after … I'm not really sure. Kelly was upset, as soon as I saw her." Gibbs told him as he reflected back in that time.
/FLASHBACK/
"Hey, I'm home." Gibbs called out, dumping his luggage in alcove of the house before heading straight upstairs. He was exhausted, but he was done with Russia. He knew there was fallout that needed to be dealt with here. But that would come later. All he wanted to see, was his daughter. He knew Kelly had returned from school in Boston the previous day. Searching the top floor, he found nothing. Heading to the basement, he found it just as he'd last seen it when he'd been home last for his wedding to Stephanie. Finally, he put on a pot of coffee and noticed a light blinking on the answering machine. Pressing play heard a shy voice filter through. "Kel, it's me. Tim. Well I know you said goodbye and all at the apartment. But I do still love you. Please consider long distance, my heart's breaking and I'm not above begging."
Gibbs heart ached, he could hear the tears and raw emotion that man must be feeling. He sympathised with him, after all Stephanie had just left too. But he highly doubted that Kelly cheated on this Tim guy, like Stephanie had on him. He re-wound the tape and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Kelly had come into the house, noticing by her dad's bags at the door immediately found him on sofa in the living room. "Dad!" She cried out, flinging herself into his arms. She let her tears fall.
"Kelly," he consoled her. He knew all these tears weren't for him and he hugged her a little tighter. "There's a message for you on the answering machine too. Gibbs lead Kelly intro he kitchen and she hit play. As Tim's words echoed back to her, a new round of tears hit her. Her knees buckled slightly at his admission of love and she gripped the formica bench top tighter. When the message was played in full, she replayed it again before deleting it and through her tears, she took herself upstairs.
Gibbs headed to the basement to call Ducky. Ducky had been with her a lot while he had been living and working in Russia. "When did friend MIT Tim turn into lover Tim?" Gibbs had asked his friend.
"I am not sure lover is the right word Jethro." Ducky told him. "They are friends, one would surmise very good friends."
"Kelly's upstairs crying, there was a message here. He sounded a mess too."
"Matters of the heart are delicate, Jethro, you should know that." Ducky advised his friend. "You need to be patient, not overbearing and overprotective Dad. You need to be there for her, support her and you need to let her make her own mistakes."
"But she's hurting." Gibbs argued. "She's crying."
"This isn't her first broken heart Jethro. She's had at least one before that I am aware of."
"Last time, she went to a party and came home happy again. This time it seems more serious." Gibbs explained. "Maybe she was more serious about him."
"I think you might be right, Jethro." Ducky told the man.
"Do you think he and her … were that serious?" Gibbs asked his friend.
"I think that to them, they were serious." Ducky told him cryptically. "I think that you should focus on how to make Kelly better. Comfort food and quality time with her father. After all, she's only home a few weeks before she's off to Graduate school."
"Thanks Duck." Gibbs said, closing his cell phone.
"I thought they were just friends for all these years, I'd never met him before, so it made sense to me at the time." Gibbs told Callen. "Until the day after Rebecca died and Kelly came into the navy yard to meet me, before we headed off to the funeral home. I saw Kelly following me one minute and the next, she was wrapped around McGee. The McGee I saw from that moment on, wasn't the one I knew. He smiled a lot more, laughed more, his eyes were brighter too." Gibbs took a bite of his pizza that had been cooling on his plate. "I watched as the two of them fell right back in love with each other, right there in the bullpen, that afternoon."
"So you didn't pull your overprotective bullshit on McGee?" Callen asked with a laugh.
"Tried, but Kelly shut me down. That spoke volumes. She's never shut me down before, like that." Gibbs admitted. "It was definitely a wake up call that it was time, I had to let go of her. Dad's always been good at letting go, Mike's worse than me, but he likes Tim so that helps. Tobias … well, he'll get there."
"Ducky?" Callen enquired.
"That sly old fox knows more than he lets on, that's for sure. He redirects me and reflects questions that I've asked, that he thinks I really don't want to know the answer to. I suspect maybe he knew how serious they were in the beginning. He may even have played a hand in keeping me occupied for her, distracting me so I never noticed." Gibbs told him with a smile. "Kelly was barely home for that final time when I went home on furlough from Russia, before the op was over. She was physically home, but her head was definitely elsewhere."
Callen and Gibbs met Sam at their HQ at 0530, Sam had checked in with the night surveillance crew who had no new information to report. "What's your infamous telling you, Gibbs?" Callen asked and Sam rolled his eyebrows at his partner.
"It's all calm, no churning, no pinging." Callen just pat Gibbs back in response and Sam took that to mean that everything was good.
With the surveillance van in place, Tim and vance were in position, exactly as the trio had planned. Kensi and Hetty were in position too, Eric had gotten word to them via the secret code the women had been communicating with him in and all were in position. As soon as Gibbs saw Tim, he was surprised at how much bigger he actually was. It was still subtle, but was bigger than the surveillance had made him look. 'Looks like the physical training with Sam, Callen and Vance paid off.' Gibbs thought. He was surprised that when Tim saw him, he didn't even react. Gibbs was impressed with it. As Sam went for the people smuggler, Gibbs went for Tim and Callen took on Vance, who barely fought back.
Tim gave chase, luring Gibbs down a labyrinth of hallways and dead ends, Gibbs kept up, obviously there was a reason why Tim was leading him down this way. Gibbs pounced on Tim, tackling him tot he ground and a swift punch to the ribs and Tim was gone again. Gibbs was back in his feet in an instant, still pursuing him. Finally Gibbs caught him and tackled him to the ground a second time, with Tim throwing a punch or two, one of which connected with Gibbs jaw. His jaw hurt like hell and Gibbs decided he'd maintained his cover enough and body slammed him down, before cuffing him. "Come on, Showoff. Let's go!" Gibbs grumbled. His jaw hurt and Gibbs was surprised that Tim had been holding back a little.
Once he had Tim on his feet, he looked up and saw Kensi and Hetty, they were tied to each other. Gibbs reached over to Tim's waist and pulled out his beloved knife that Ziva had given him. It sliced through the natural fibre rope like butter and Gibbs was impressed with it. He pocketed the knife, before helping the ladies to their feet. Out by the cars, he could see Lawrence Taylor, the people smuggler in the back of one car and Vance handcuffed in the back of the other. He shoved Tim gently towards Hanna and Hanna put him in the car with Vance as the Marine Special Ops Colonel drove Taylor to the boat house for interrogation. Callen drove the vehicle, that escorted Hetty and Kensi to the "hospital" but the real destination was their HQ. Gibbs took the keys to the vehicle that held Vance and McGee in it.
They were a good ten minutes away from the scene before Gibbs spoke, "Damn McGee, why did ya have punch me so hard?" Gibbs grumbled, rubbing his jaw with his hand.
"Why'd ya have to tackle me so hard?" Tim retorted with a smile.
Back at HQ, Callen removed Vance and Tim's handcuffs and Gibbs pulled Tim in for a manly hug. "You look good." Gibbs said, motioning to the slightly bulked up muscles. "Not sure what Kell is gonna think about them, though." Gibbs grumbled in a lower voice. Tim just grinned at him in return.
"How is she?" Tim asked, dying to know. Gibbs took in the look on Tim's eager face. "I've missed her like crazy. Can't wait to see her."
"She's been worrying about you and missing you. But it's finally over." Gibbs told him. "You're coming home."
"Well done Tim." Callen told him. "You can come back and play with us at OSP anytime." Shaking his hand.
"Thanks G, but I left a beautiful woman waiting for me back in Virginia." Callen smiled at Tim. Callen knew all about Tim and Kelly and their relationship, courtesy of Gibbs the night before.
"Yeah ya did, as soon as your reports are done. You and Gibbs can hit the tarmac back to DC." Callen told him enthusiastically, giving him a pat on the back, before heading over to the boathouse to help Sam interrogate their suspect.
"Agent Gibbs," Hetty summoned in her deep voice. "A word in my office please."
Gibbs dutifully headed upstairs to Hetty's office, closing the door behind him. "I must tell you, I am very impressed with Mr McGee. When he went under and discovered the trafficking, he promised Ms Bligh that no matter what happened, he'd protect us both at all costs from those men. Mr Taylor was planning to auction Ms Bligh off and Mr McGee managed to redirect his attention away from it. If Ms Bligh had of been sold, there'd have been no way to trace her. He is a rare gentleman." Gibbs nodded his head at the short statured woman.
"He is a fine man." Gibbs agreed, proudly.
"He is always welcome to join us out here, with a little more fine-tuning he'd make an excellent OSP agent. You'd definitely be mistaken for thinking this was his first time on a long term undercover op. Any other JFA would have bailed as soon as the job was done. When Mr McGee saw he was trafficking humans on the side - which was unrelated to our original mission, he didn't let it slide. He steered the investigation that way without losing sight of the original mission. I was thoroughly impressed with that, I shall be placing a letter of recommendation in his 201 personnel file from myself and on behalf of this whole office."
"Thank you, Hetty." Gibbs told her and offered her his hand. "It personally means a lot to me that you and your team had his back. Tim means a lot to me, too."
"I imagine he does. After all, if the scuttlebutt is to be believed, Mr McGee is sweet on your daughter." Hetty informed him, raising her eyebrow at him.
"He is well on his way to becoming my son in law." Gibbs told her proudly. "On the flip side, this was, most likely, our last time working together. When he returns to DC, he will be taking up a position with the FBI or reassigned to another team."
"Sometimes life surprises you, Mr Gibbs." Hetty advised him.