Secretary Davenport walked down into Jethro's basement. "Your wife let me in. That was definitely a surprise." The man continued to speak as he made his way down the stairs. "So, how'd you know what I like to drink, Gibbs? My older brother gave me my first bourbon before I was even a teenager. He liked to mess with my head."

"My grandfather had a still," he said, taking the bottle of bourbon that he'd given the SecNav earlier as prompted and starting the pour the both of them a drink. "It blew up once... and he ran back inside to rescue his sour mash."

"It is a living thing," SecNav replied. "It's safe to talk here?"

"Safer than your house," he quipped.

"It was a point of pride with my brother, though. I never hit you, he'd say. Preferred psychological warfare," SecNav said, causing Jethro to wonder exactly where this conversation of theirs was going. "You're an only child, aren't you, Gibbs?"

"The Corps," he said simply. "Strangers... become brothers in a foxhole."

"That why you've been digging dirt?" SecNav asked. "Trying to get closer to Leon?"

"No," he said, grabbing a file that he had in a drawer off to the side. Honestly, that had nothing to do with it. Jethro just couldn't seem to fully get past his trust issues with Leon Vance. After everything with La Grenouille and Vance's first act as the director being to split up his team... Jethro wanted to get a handle on the man. He placed the file in front of Secretary Davenport. "I never asked for this. Never opened it."

"Well... let's see what the CIA's got on Leon Vance," the man said, opening the file and giving it a quick once over. "I thought we shredded all these. How does this thing keep finding its way into the open? It's not even real. Lucky you didn't read this. Wouldn't give you the whole picture anyway."

He narrowed his eyes. "And you will?"

"Lot of black bars covering Leon's career," SecNav started to explain, surprising Jethro somewhat. "Man was born for counterintelligence." Apparently, Jethro's thoughts on the matter were showing on his face because of what the secretary said next. "You didn't peg him for a lifelong bureaucrat..."

"Nah," he said earnestly. "Figured he'd worn a few hats. Heard a whisper or two."

"There's not a second of his life I can't account for," SecNav assured him. "I might hit him with a stick every now and then, but, uh, I did not leave him out of that poker game because I don't trust him."

The pieces started to click into place for him. The directors of the FBI, CIA, and ICE had met at SecNav's home for a poker game that was really a security summit. NCIS had been called in to investigate when one of the ICE agents that were working the summit's security detail had been killed. When the truth about the poker game finally came out, however, Jethro hadn't understood why Vance had been deliberately kept out of the loop. "You were discussing how to use him."

"Yeah, I know. Since Director Shepard's death, you've been concerned with the danger in having the wrong person at the top," the man said, picking up the drink Jethro's poured for him and taking a seat. "Well, you're not alone. You're not the only one looking out for the integrity of NCIS." Jethro gave the secretary a look that said for him to elaborate on that. "Leon's going to be point man in a major operation."

"Who's the enemy?" he inquired, curiosity piqued.

The pair kept talking and Gibbs became more and more glad that his team hadn't been the one sent to Los Angeles. Especially with learning about Ziva's connection to Mossad operative Michael Rivkin who'd been causing issues with the Los Angeles case. She'd apparently been seeing him. Nothing serious but enough to cause some serious problems for her and Jethro didn't want that.

At least Lara Macy - even if he and Agent Macy had a rather messy history given the fact she'd investigated him for killing Hernández when she was a green Lieutenant stationed at Camp Pendleton with him - had gotten Rivkin sent home. The whole Macy thing was another reason Jethro was glad he didn't have to go to Los Angeles.

Jethro finally picked up his own glass of bourbon.

SecNav raised his glass. "Semper Fi."

They finished their drinks in silence and then the secretary moved to take his leave. Secretary Davenport was at the bottom of the stairs when he turned back to face him for a short moment. "You and Leon gotta play nice."

"You ordering me to trust him?" he asked curiously.

"Just to follow him," the older man stated before proceeding to give Jethro a rather pointed look. "We don't hit our brothers."

Jethro nodded, watching the man leave.

He stayed downstairs for a few minutes by himself, nursing another glass, just running through everything again in his mind.

Finally heading back upstairs, Jethro found his wife seated at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, a hot cup of coffee in front of her. His daughter had gone to the movies with Maddie Tyler that evening, trying to reconnect with her childhood friend.

He gave Shannon a quick peck on the cheek as he walked by, poured himself a coffee, and then took the seat directly across from her.

Putting the newspaper off to the side, his wife looked up at him with a warm smile. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"I'm thinking hardware store," he informed her.

"You mean they invented a tool you don't have in that basement of yours?" she said teasingly. She'd always been supportive of his hobby but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy playfully teasing him for buying every tool that he could get his hands on.

He shrugged, grinning. "I need supplies."

He did. He hadn't done much woodwork lately as he'd been busy with work and when he wasn't busy with work he was trying to reconnect with his girls.

He had missed so many of Kelly's formative years and was having to play catchup. Jethro, never being one to do anything halfway or to back down from a challenge, had thrown himself fully into it. He hated how much he had missed out on.

"Now, that's what I like to hear!" she said happily. "What do you have in mind?"

He gave a little hum. "I'm hoping the wood will tell me."

"Well," she stated, "I hope the wood says, 'Patio Swing.'"

He gave her an amused look. "Subtle, Shan. Real subtle."

She winked at him. "It's a talent."

He shook his head slightly, chuckling softly. Some things never change.