Disclaimer - I do not own NCIS.

A/N - This is short chapter folks.

Ziva David wriggled her toes in her shoes as the plane approached the runway and then landed smoothly. She stared calmly out of the window and pondered the fact that the flight had passed quickly. Most journeys she had experienced seemed to drag along when she had been desperate to reach her destination. However, it was ironic that despite her desire to get home, she did not want to return that quickly to NCIS, knowing what was awaiting her and the rest of the team. She turned in her chair and smiled at Abby who was staring blankly into the headrest in front of her, he eyes fixed on the wisps of Gibbs silver hair clearly visible.

"I am sure it will be fine," she whispered with a smile.

Abby bit her bottom lip and reached over and flung her arms around Ziva's neck for the tenth time.

"Thank you Ziva!"

Ziva grimaced at the tight hug and then forced Abby's arms down,

"We should get our belongings Abby, we can go now."

Jethro Gibbs passed the bags along the seats to Tony and Tim, and then walked off the plane, striding quickly towards the exit. The team followed close behind him.

The air was thick with tension as the large NCIS car, transporting the team from the airport, arrived back at the Navy Yard.

"Special Agent Gibbs! Welcome back! Did you have a good trip in London?" Henry the burly security guard beamed.

"I had DiNozzo with me Henry. You can take a guess why we're all home a whole lot earlier than planned," Gibbs growled as he threw Tony a look.

Henry chuckled and shook his head from side to side, before frowning at the line of individuals he herded sheepishly towards the elevator.

Abby hugged him hard before she walked through the metal detector.

"Hi Henry I really, really missed you!" she said before planting a huge kiss on his cheek.

Even the elevator journey to the Director's office seemed to drag on. Gibbs led the way to the office, ignoring Cynthia, as always, and heading straight in.

"Well, well, well, am I glad to see you all back safe and sound," Jen said sarcastically, "at least this way, when I've got you in front of me, I can see for myself if you're playing hooky, harassing an armed soldier, participating in a drunken brawl, getting arrested or clearing out my budget!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. He had hoped, that after their long journey, that time would have calmed Jen down a little. Immediately, he went on the defensive.

"What do you mean, cleaning out your budget?"

Abby went wide eyed and gasped at Gibbs' line of line of questioning and Jen's last comment. She clung onto Tony's arm and whimpered.

Jen opened up a folder and withdrew the printed copy of the email and handed it to Gibbs.

"NCIS purchase number 506982, one mass spectrometer, ordered by Ms Abigail Scuito, approved by Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo!"

Tony stepped back in horror and squealed in protest,

"ABBY!! You never told me anything about putting my frickin' name to the thing!"

He quickly turned to Gibbs, "Boss! You gotta believe me! I knew nothing about this! I swear!"

Ziva immediately sprang to Tony's defense, "Tony did tell Abby to cancel the order. I distinctly remember him telling her to cancel it, with the man who twisted her ankle."

"You mean her arm, Ziva," Tim added before turning to Abby, "See! I told you what would happen if you ordered that stupid piece of equipment!"

"It's not stupid McGee, it's an entirely worthwhile piece of machinery! It'll speed up processing by over twenty percent. It's heaps shinier than the one I've got downstairs and it's got..."

"I don't care how damned shiny it is! The fact..." Jen barked,

"The fact is, I told you to cancel it, never mind, putting my name on the order! When you said in the airport you forgot to cancel it, didn't that little fact also enter your brain? I can't believe..." Tony butted in.

"I'm sorry Tony, don't shout at me!" Abby wailed as she wrung her hands.

Ziva put her hands on her hips, intent on her defense of Tony,

"He is only concerned because it looks like he approved, when he clearly did not, and that is why he is getti..."

"HEY!" Gibbs roared at the raised voices beginning to fall over one another.

There was immediate silence. Jen finally placed her hands on the desk and stood up, leaning over slightly,

"Abby, you are aware that you do not have the authority to make budgetary purchases of that amount without my express permission. You deliberately disobeyed that order. Thankfully you've got Accounting to stop the purchase in time before we were committed to the finance for it. Officer David, the American Embassy have given me a full report of your activities with Guardsman you encountered and the fact that you assaulted a police officer. I sure you'll agree that your behaviour was not only immature but highly unacceptable. What is also unacceptable is for agents under my command, wearing the badge, and sent to represent this Agency, thought that it was a better idea to play hooky, to network in the local coffee shop or participate in a bar brawl. Let me make this clear gentleman, I do not want to have to make another call to SecNav like that again."

Jen narrowed her eyes in anger as she mocked the conversation she'd had with SecNav,

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this Mr Secretary, but I need your assistance to sort out a potential international situation with three of my agents. What's the problem Director? Did they get kidnapped by terrorists? Were they the victims of a set up, framing them for something they didn't do, to embarrass this country or put themselves in a stronger bargaining position?"

She stood up and walked to the front of her desk,

"Oh, no, Mr Secretary, it's just that I have two agents, who walked into a bar, started a fight and then got themselves arrested. Where was the team leader Director? Oh, I'm sorry sir, you see the team leader, was sitting on his ass in a coffee shop at the time, but that's okay, because he went to bail the other two agents out, like a good little team leader. Well that's a relief isn't it Director. Well, not entirely sir, actually the team leader, the one who is supposed to be a lot more mature and wiser, also found himself in a cell for threatening to assault a senior police officer. Well, Director Shepherd, I'll bail you out again, on this occasion, however, I want your personal assurance that you will see to it that this never happens again. I don't have to tell you how badly it reflects on you when you can't manage your team!"

Jen folded her arms angrily across her chest, "You bet your ass I will. Mr Secretary!"

Jethro Gibbs had grown tired of Jen's tirade. When it was clear that she had finished, he sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets,

"I think we get the message Jen," he grumbled.

"What the hell do you have to say for yourselves?"

Ziva frowned, "Did you say, the team leader was in a coffee shop?"

"Can it Ziva!" Gibbs snapped.

Tony looked confused, "Wait a minute! Were you and Fornell 'networking' at Starbucks when you made us attend those stupid seminars?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, "I gave you all a direct order and you damned well disobeyed me, end of story!"

"Gibbs! That's not fair, if you and..."

"Enough Abby! You all screwed up and you knew what the consequences would be. Now get out of here and wait for me outside the conference room!"

"Gibbs!" Abby protested once more.

"NOW! Abby!" he barked loudly.

"Abby," Jen said as the team headed reluctantly towards the door.

The entire team stopped and turned to face the Director,

"Special Agent Gibbs is not the only one who is facing punishment, trust me."

She looked at him straight in the eye and glared, "You have one hour Jethro, and then I want you back in this office. Believe me, you still have a heck of a lot more reflecting to do about 'consequences', as you so eloquently put it!"

Gibbs sneered and made for the door, brushing past the team and heading quickly for the stairs,

"You four, conference room, now! I'm going to the head!"

To be continued...