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"Choice & Consequences"
Chapter 6.

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

"Agent Abner. Agent Wilcox." Tony stood up and greeted the older men in front of him. "Please sit."

The newcomers nodded their greeting then sat down.

"I asked you to join me first because I have some ideas for this office," Tony began, "and I'd like to discuss them with you, since you're the most seasoned agents and the ones that have been here the longest." He grinned as he saw Wilcox's eyes widen. "Surprised?" he asked, having expected that reaction after meeting the former Team Leader.

"Yes," Abner answered while Wilcox just nodded and they both seemed to relax.

Tony shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out that all agents older than me didn't seem happy to have a younger man as Team Leader."

At these words, Abner and Wilcox looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, impressed by Tony's ability to read people.

"Don't think I don't understand it—it would bother me too if a younger man gave me orders, but Director Vance thinks I'm the right choice so we've got to deal with it," Tony added firmly. "In this office there are thirteen agents including me and I find it stupid, confusing and counterproductive that we all work on the same cases. So I'm going to create three sub-teams and you're going to be the team leaders of one of them."

Abner's eyes went impossibly wide while Wilcox took a deep breath. They'd been thinking the same for years and hearing a younger say it, made them feel hopeful for the future. They sat up straighter and Abner even adjusted his jacket, ready to listen to Tony.

"Really?" Wilcox asked.

Tony just nodded. "I'm going to meet all agents and choose my agents... 'ya know, I'm the boss so the first choice is mine," he joked and made Abner smile. "Then you will create your teams. You'll be both in charge of your own team and cases, but I want to be read in anything you do and you've got to report me every night or any time I ask you. Deal?"

"Deal, sir," Anber nodded.

"Don't call me sir, I wor—" Tony started to say but stopped and took a deep breath. I'm not Gibbs.

"Everything alright, Agent DiNozzo?" Wilcox asked in concern.

"Yeah, sorry," Tony replied, shaking away the flashback. "Please do not call me sir. It's DiNozzo or Boss. Okay?" he smiled and got a nod from the other men. "Good. Are these files about the current cases you're investigating?"

"Yes. Since Agent Lee wanted us all to work on the same cases, we gathered all our intel—you don't need to ask the other agents," Wilcox responded.

"Thank you so much. I'll study them tonight and tomorrow we'll discuss them. Is there anything urgent I need to know about?" Tony asked.

Both men in front of him shared a brief look that Tony didn't miss. "What?" he asked.

"We are investigating four cases. Two are about two young Marines who stole spirits from the base storage and got drunk watching a movie," Abner explained. All three men chuckled and shook their heads.

"The third case is very sad," Abner sighed. "Sergeant Pruitt was just 37. He had served two tours in Iraq. On his last mission, he was injured in an explosion and lost both of his legs. After rehabilitation, he was sent back here and given a desk in the basement."

"But he was a Marine and he couldn't ride a desk for the rest of his life," Wilcox added. "He tried for almost a year, but after his fiancè left him..."

Tony grimaced, already suspecting what he was going to hear next.

"He tried to kill himself but the paramedics arrived in time to save him," Abner added in a somber tone. "He tried again a few months later and this time he succeeded. But, as you know—"

"We investigate every death as if it were a murder," Tony finished and got two nods in response.

"And the fourth one?"

"That one's very complicated," Wilcox stated.

"Though Agent Lee thought otherwise," Abner barely hid his anger.

"What happened?" Tony asked, rubbing his face and taking a deep breath.


Washington DC.

For the first time in his career, Gibbs didn't know what to do.

He had spent the night watching and re-watching the video that Vance had showed him. Now he knew every single frame, word, whisper and look.

The Team Leader had considered many solutions, but none would work because they all always ended with "I want that woman off my team stat!"

Gibbs had tried to sleep so he'd be more relaxed and would think clearer, but, after only a few minutes, he had shot off of his beloved sofa and had started pacing his living room.

He was so angry, shocked and upset that even sanding his boat hadn't worked.

Every time he looked at all of those pieces of wood he heard Tony's voice, "How are you going to get it out of the basement, Boss?"

Gibbs shook his head. Boss...what a good Boss I was for you, Tony, he thought sarcastically.

At 5 am Gibbs took a quick shower and left his home. He drove around without aimlessly for about an hour and, without realizing it, ended up in front of Tony's building.

He parked his pickup and got out. After a brief internal debate, he crossed the road and entered the building with the keys he always kept in his pocket.

Gibbs opened Tony's door and turned on the light. Everything was still in its place as if Tony was going to come home any minute.

But you won't come home this night 'cause you're miles away from here... and it's all my fault.

The team leader entered Tony's bedroom and opened the wardrobe. All Tony's winter clothes were still hanging, along with the most of his suits and ties. Gibbs inhaled deeply and his nose was hit by Tony's cologne. Oh, DiNozzo!

He left the room and sat on the black sofa, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

I could really use one of our long talks in my basement right about now. You talk and I listen. When was the last time we did it?

Gibbs thought about it for a long time, but came up emptyhanded. He shook his head, ashamed of himself.

Never thought we'd end up in this way. Never.

How am I going to work with Ziva and McGee now? How am I going to deal with her and the mole hunt without my SFA?

"DiNozzo is not your SFA anymore. He's a Team Leader now." Vance's words echoed in his mind.

"Damn!" Gibbs growled as he stood up and left the building


When McGee exited the elevator at NCIS HQ, he found his boss already at his desk. Gibbs was so lost in his thoughts however, it was clear he hadn't heard the elevator dinging.

The new SFA had never seen his boss so sad and worried. But there was more. Gibbs looked defeated and this shocked Tim even more because, in his eyes, the older man was strong as a rock and nothing could break him.

This is going to suck, Tim groused as he sighed deeply.

He slowly walked over to his desk and sat down without so much as an acknowledgement from his boss. Because of this, he almost had a heart attack ten seconds later when Gibbs demanded, "McGee! We need to talk!"

"Y-yes, boss!" He sprang to his feet and followed Gibbs towards the elevator and down to the autopsy.

Once downstairs, the NCIS agents entered the dark and empty room.

"Where are Ducky and Palmer?" Tim asked, looking around.

"At a conference," Gibbs curtly answered as he turned on the light over an iron table and put his hands on it.

"Boss, what's going on?" Tim asked, really concerned. "Why are we here? And most important, why did Tony leave?"

Gibbs looked down and sighed.

"Boss, Tony'd never leave. All he wanted and worked for was becoming the leader of this team when you retired," Tim continued. "I'm so glad Vance gave him his own team, but it's so...it's not what Tony wanted."

Gibbs shook his head and finally looked at his agent.

"I'm not as good as you and Tony in reading people, but I know Tony and, though he looked proud of being a team leader, his eyes told another story. Tony was sad and disappointed... and...and angry. Boss…Gibbs?" Tim stepped around the table but stopped an arm's length away from the Team Leader.

"Did Tony tell you anything after we came back from Israel?" Gibbs asked, as if McGee hadn't spoken.

"Israel? When Ziva stayed back?"

Gibbs nodded.

"No. I mean, he said you left her there but he didn't explain why."

"He didn't know why I left her in Tel Aviv."

"So why did you?" McGee asked but Gibbs ignored him.

"Did Tony tell you anything else? About what happened at Mossad?"

Tim shook his head. "Boss, what's going on?" His concern was only increasing, especially as Gibbs continued to deflect his questions.

"I need your help for an investigation but you can't tell anyone and you must make sure that no one discovers what we are doing." The boss pierced McGee with his blue eyes and the younger man just nodded speechless.

Gibbs knew that he was violating Vance's orders but he didn't care. It wasn't the first time he'd bent rules to suit his actions and it wouldn't be the last.

He wanted to close this secret investigation as soon as possible so then he could fire Ziva and get Tony back because Gibbs was still sure that DiNozzo was going to come back.

TBC


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