Proud
A/N: Inspired by the last seconds of 2x01 "See No Evil" and 2x06 "Terminal Leave", but there are countless similar scenes.
Proud
I watch them closely, each of them.
McGee. MIT geek. A good agent, even if DiNozzo keeps telling him otherwise. I know he's afraid of me, but hell, everyone was afraid of me at first. One day, he won't stutter anymore while reporting to me. He won't ask for permission or look for approval. He'll question witnesses on his own, without doubting his skills, without second guessing himself.
Ducky. My friend, my mentor. The one I confide everything to. I love his stories, but at work I simply have to stop his babbling, and he knows that. That's why he doesn't resent me for rudely cutting him off so often. And if he is told to, he can be very precise, especially when it comes to the medical aspect of our work.
Abby. Our brilliant forensic scientist. Without her, we wouldn't be able to solve a single case. Without her ability to prove and verify our assumptions, our whole work would be completely useless. She is like a daughter to me. And even if she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself, I have to protect her from any possible pain.
Kate. A tough agent, former Secret Service. Each day I am grateful for the day we met and everything that happened back then. Thanks to her profiler training, we can almost read the suspects' minds now, which clearly makes our work a lot easier. Her strength, determination and responsibility are enviable and many agents could take a leaf out of her book. Plus: She sleeps with a gun under her pillow.
Tony. The best agent I've ever had. But I'll never tell him that, it would inflate his ego to the size of a hot-air balloon. I show him instead. Okay, I admit it, not in the best way (head slapping isn't really nice), but I know he understands it. His absolute loyalty has stunned me more times than I can count; it outweighs all his childish jokes and annoying habits. His interrogation methods may be a little peculiar from time to time, but he's learning. And when he has finally grown up, he will be intimidating enough to stare at a suspect once and get a full confession immediately. He is the only one I would trust with the leadership of this team in case one day I won't be up for that task anymore. And I'm positive he would / will do a great job.
My agents.
They would give their lives for each other.
My family.
They are always there to support each other.
My team.
I smile as a surge of pride hits me.
FIN