1615 – Nick as a mentor

note: I loved this episode especially the head to head between Jack and Nick. we don't see that very often. enjoy

Pre last scene in the bullpen

Vance's office

Vance is sitting in his office, catching up on the latest paperwork when his door is basically ripped open. He is expecting it to be Gibbs since it is usually Gibbs's style when he is upset about something involving lawyers or politicians, but… to Vance's big surprise, it is Jack Sloane.

"what were you thinking, Leon?" Jack asks, clearly furious about something.

"and good morning to you too, Jack," Leon says hesitant and gets up from his seat.

"quit it, Leon. Assigning Nick as a mentor?"

Vance now understands the reason for Jack's anger.

"Jack. Nick is a great agent and spoke with Gibbs about it. Agent Torres needed that assignment to train his more interpersonal side."

"so this was some teaching exercise?" Jack asks with a raised eyebrow. Clearly, that explanation didn't work.

"Miss Cook, could you ask Gibbs to come to my office?" Vance asks his secretary over the communication device.

"I told you to step lightly, Jack," Leon says as he walks over to his coffee machine to brew a cup of coffee for Jack to calm her down.

"I am not the issue here. I found Max down in autopsy yesterday, and I was talking with him about his father, and he is angry. Max is angry at the world, Leon." Leon nods in understanding. "He is trying to find answers to why he is alive and not his father." Jack is nearly yelling. "Nick… the way Nick was talking to him. I don't even know where to begin." She is furious just thinking about last night's events in autopsy with Agent Torres and Max.

"Jack, calm down. What happened?"

"What happened? Calling a mentee for an ungrateful punk, a good place to start?" Jack asks, furious as she looks directly at Vance. He seems shocked. Jack takes a moment to breathe and look out the window as she calms down a bit so she can actually explain to Leon what happened. Vance walks over to her as she is standing near the desk, looking out the window. He hands her the cup of coffee he just made for her. She takes a sit to calm down before she starts talking in a much calmer voice now.

"I was talking with Max last night. He was opening to me about how he was trying to cope with what happened. He is still in a grieving process and coming here as a mentee was a part of his healing process. Agent Torres didn't even bother to read Max's essay. Nick starts yelling at him and telling him this isn't a daycare and tells him he has been a pain in the ass for the past 2 days. And he told Max that he isn't showing any respect. I don't think it was Max who wasn't showing any respect, Leon."

It knocks on the door, and Gibbs enters.

"Gibbs, come on in." Leon greets. Gibbs looks a bit confused as to why Leon almost sounds like this is a casual, friendly meeting while Jack looks furious. "let's have a seat, shall we?" Leon tries. Jack doesn't seem to be in the mood for a friendly chat.

"what is going on?" Gibbs asks.

"have you spoken with Agent Torres about his mentees?" Leon starts.

"yes, I had a talk with him yesterday. It didn't go so well." Gibbs admits honestly.

"not so well?" Jack asks, almost yelling, and it shocks Gibbs. "he called a grieving kid for an ungrateful punk?"

"Gibbs, you requested I put Torres on the mentor-assignment?" Leon asks. Gibbs nods.

"yes. I thought it would be beneficial for Torres."

"and what about Max? Did you even read his essay?"

"yes, Jack," Gibbs says in the same snappy raised voice as Jack. "I was here that day 6 years ago. I was at Agent Girard's funeral. I saw that kid grieve over his father. I saw him being carried out of the building that day."

"so you thought 'hey let's use him as a training exercise for Agent Torres,'" Jack yells, and it makes Gibbs even more furious.

"No! What do you think of me?" Gibbs yells.

"right now, I am not so sure."

"ENOUGH!" Leon yells to get his two agents to calm down. "Gibbs, please explain yourself.

"Agent Torres lost his father when he was you, just like max. They are both searching for answers to why. An answer they will probably never find. Nick gets scared and holds back on something that is not familiar. I thought he would grow by getting to know Max and Max's story."

"he never even bothered to read Max's essay, Gibbs," Jack yells and throws her hands up in the air in frustration.

"where is agent Torres now?" Leon asks.

"he is taking a personal day," Gibbs explains.

"great. To avoid trouble." Jack says, irritated.

"no," Gibbs says, and Jack looks up to meet his eyes. She is still furious.

"he called me this morning. Saying he had a talk with Max last night and with you, Jack."

"yeah, where he didn't even want to listen to me."

"he is taking a day off today to be a real mentor for the kids, which he should have done from the start." He has learned from this, jack."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope that it hasn't caused more damage to Max," Jack says irritated and leaves the office, and she doesn't even bother to close the door behind her.

"Keep me updated, Gibbs," Leon says before Gibbs leaves the office too.

Post episode - The next day in the diner

It is early at around 7.30 when Jack enters the diner. Nick of all people texted her to meet her for breakfast at the diner. Nick is sitting at the booth in the corner and waves Jack over as she enters. She is a little hesitant to sit down.

"morning Jack." Nick greets with a smile. Jack is just looking at him, waiting for him to explain himself. She isn't going to let him butter her up with diner-breakfast.

"have a seat," Nick says, and Jacks reluctantly sits down across from him.

"What is this about, Nick?" She asks with her arms crossed over her chest. Nick waits to answer her until the waitress has poured a cup of coffee for her.

"I want to thank you," he says honestly. Jack looks surprised at him.

"for what? Yelling at you?" she asks and takes a sip of her coffee.

"no… for giving me a wakeup call. I failed as a mentor for the kids. Gibbs tested me, and I failed miserably. But thanks to you, I learned my lesson."

"and you took a grieving child down in the process."

"actually… I think Max learned something too. I spoke with him last night about maybe pursuing a career in NCIS, and he actually considers it. I had a chat with him about his father. I didn't know Ed Girard, but I am sure he would want his son to live his life and make peace with what happened to his father."

Jack nods in agreement, but her body-language still tells Nick that she still isn't happy with him.

"I know I didn't go around this whole mentor-thing the way I should have, but…

"mentor-thing? Nick?" Jack says, raising her voice a bit.

"okay. Okay." Nick says, trying to calm her down. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, okay. I should have read his essay."

"Nick, you don't get it. This isn't about Max or his essay. It is about you. Like Max said, you treated him and the other mentees as an inconvenience like it were beneath you to mentor them. Training the future generation of Agents is a part of being a good agent. Being an agent isn't about being the best, the strongest, or the fastest. It about teaches what you know to the next agent." Nick nods. he knows Jack is right. "I thought you would have learned that from Gibbs by now." Jack takes a sip of her coffee. Nick looks down, embarrassed. His main goal since he joined the Gibbs team has been to live up to Gibbs's expectations of him. And over the past few days, he has failed.

"I used to think to be an agent was all about solving cases," Nick admits.

"It is way more than that. It isn't just about cases." Jack says.

Nick nods. "I know. Max said to me that his father used to say: in a world filled with problems. Be the solution."

"exactly, Nick. Remember that." Jack says and smiles at him for the first time since she entered the diner. The waitress comes over to their table again. She has a plate with blueberries pancakes that she places in front of Jack along with a side of bacon.

"I didn't order pancakes," Jack says.

"I did… for you," Nick says with a smile, and the waitress places the pancakes in front of Jack.

"you are trying to butter me up, aren't you?" Jack jokes.

"Nah. I am just cleaning up the mess I created. I cleaned up with Max and the other mentees." Nick says with a twinkle in his eye that Jack can't really resist.

"apology accepted Nick," Jack says and starts cutting her pancakes. Then the doorbell rings, and Gibbs and Bishop enter the diner. The walk straight over to the table where Jack and Nick are seated. Gibbs scoots in next to Jack while Bishop sits down next to Nick.

"Are you guys starting without us?" Ellie asks indignantly to Nick.

"only Jack," Nick says and smiles at Jack, who is eating her pancake.

"Uhm Bacon," Ellie says and reaches over to snatch one of the pieces of Bacon on Jack's plate.

"hey. Hands off." Jack says and puffs Bishop's hand away before she can grab a slice of bacon.

"Gibbs grabbed one," Ellie says, and Jack looks over at Gibbs, who is chewing on a piece of bacon that he secretly snatched from Jack's plate, while he has a big satisfied smile on his face. Jack playfully pushes Gibbs's shoulder, and everyone starts laughing.

Nothing creates solutions in a world filled with problems lake a plate of pancakes and bacon shared with good friends.