SUMMARY: Sequel to "The SecDef Cheats." Lt. Col Cassidy moves in to NCIS and this will mean for Abby in the long run. McAbby, Drama/Romance/Angst
RATING: T - Adult subject matter, rare mild language, killer smooching.
A/N: And now I have to decide if there are one or two more chapters to go... Just have to wait and see what happens.
REVIEWS: I am always trying to improve my writing, so all constructive criticism is welcome. I would also like to thank you in advance for any reviews you might wish to leave. They really are a great boon to a writer's ego and gives you a huge incentive to live up to your expectations.
Chapter 20
Lt. Tiner was busy making sure that everything was in place for Lt. Col. Cassidy's meeting that morning. She would be meeting with the SecDef and the COM on non-NCIS business and there was a whole new set of protocol in place for the meeting. He had to set up the room, make sure there was plenty of water and coffee for at least three hours of conference time, verify that the lockdown devices were in operation and that all other security measures were in place. Not to mention, he had to prepare dossiers for each person, a headset for each, place the appropriate chairs and set up the recommended snacks he had tracked down through the two men's personal assistants.
As Tiner looked around the room once more, he was suddenly very grateful for having been assigned to the Colonel. After talking to the SecDef's assistant, he knew how easy he had it. The only thing he ever had to do for Lt. Col. Cassidy was keep the water cooler filled and protein bars in her desk drawer. He never had to pick up dry cleaning, set up dinner reservations, gift shopping or any other errands of a personal nature. In general, he was beginning to wonder why the Colonel needed a personal secretary at all.
The Colonel entered the room and gave a sign of approval. "Well done, Jason… Now, the COM will be taking care of the outer security, so I need you to be an extra set of ears for the meeting." She walked past him and continued. "I had your clearance upgraded last week, and you wouldn't believe the paperwork involved in something like that. Anyway, you'll be taking notes, and I've got your microphone feeding straight into my headset only, so if you think there's something I should know, please speak up, but speak softly. I don't want any interruptions to the meeting itself, but I'm still looking for your input. This is a very delicate matter, and the international implications could be catastrophic if we can't pull it off without a hitch."
When the Colonel reached across her desk for her notepad she looked up to find Lt. Tiner with his mouth hanging open. "Is there a problem, Tiner?"
"Huh?... Um, well, ah…" Tiner sputtered through his words trying to find the right response. "Sir, no, Sir!"
Lt. Col. Cassidy smiled at the man's discomfort. "At ease, Lieutenant… Where's the trouble?"
"Well, Colonel, I wasn't really expecting anything like this, I guess… That's a lot of responsibility for somebody like me, Ma'am."
"Yes it is, and that's why I was very specific about the person taking on this position. I wasn't looking for a lackey, Tiner… I was looking for an assistant, someone who could assist me in dealing with the full spectrum of this office. You were hand picked, Jason, for all of the things you could provide with your knowledge and background, but also because I needed to be able to trust the person in this position beyond any doubt. My office goes well beyond that of my role at NCIS, and so the person assisting me would also need to fulfill that role as well. Your work with the Admiral left you with quite a reputation and it made it easy for me to up your clearance level for just such occasions."
While the Colonel explained the situation, Lt. Tiner began to understand exactly how much was expected of him in his new position and he suddenly felt a swelling pride with that knowledge. "Thank you, Ma'am… I promise that your faith in me and my abilities will not have been poorly placed, Ma'am." He made a quick click of the heels and a smart salute before continuing, "The room is ready and awaiting the arrival, Sir. Everything else will be ready before the security team is in place."
"Very good… Carry on, Lieutenant."
With Tiner off getting himself ready for the meeting, Lt. Col. Cassidy made a few last minute notes as she waited for her superiors to arrive. It was a simple negotiation between the Defense Department and a foreign government for the release of a Marine from police custody in that country, the kind of thing that happens on a fairly regular basis, and rarely requires the attention of the Secretary of Defense or the Commandant of the Marine Corps, but this was no ordinary Marine. When the Marine has a couple stars on his collar it becomes a whole new ball game, and a simple drunk and disorderly quickly escalates into a full blown international incident. In this case, the Colonel has had personal dealings with the foreign authority and is acting at the request of Commandant May as an intervening authority and as a personal favor for an old family friend.
When she heard a ruckus brewing in her outer office she knew the time had come to get down to business. The Colonel started walking to the door when she was met by the beaming face of the COM. "Colonel! How are you this fine morning?"
"Just fine, Sir… Every day is a good day in the Marine Corps, Sir." They shook hands and enjoyed a good laugh between them.
"Oh, uniforms be damned, you might as well hug the girl, Cappy. You've known her since she was in diapers for cryin' out loud!" The SecDef arrived shortly behind the COM and was in his usual spirits for mischief.
"Just because her old man and I dug in the same dirt as boys doesn't mean I can stop bein' a Marine, Sir." Commandant May looked between the two and then added, "Besides, I had to promise her mother I wouldn't embarrass her in uniform, upon threat of banishment from Thanksgiving dinner."
"Oh, well, in that case, we better just get moving on this ridiculous mess." The SecDef looked at the two starched and polished Marine guards that had followed the COM into the office. "I see you brought the bulldogs."
"As ordered, Sir… Should we make this call?"
The Colonel looked over at Tiner who pulled the receiver away from his mouth for a moment. "Sir… I'll have that connection in under a minute, Colonel."
Lt. Col. Cassidy motioned for the gentlemen to move into her office and take their seats. With everyone sitting down, they only had to wait for Tiner to give the all clear.
The SecDef looked around the room and said, "Well done, Colonel… This is a fine looking office. Not too over the top, very tasteful. And I love the little picture wall." He got up from his seat and moved closer to the wall for a better look. "These aren't all your family, are they?"
"Not all of the family, but all of the pictures, yes, Sir."
"Fantastic! You have quite the family history here, Colonel. Amazing legacy to carry on." The SecDef shook his head as he rejoined the group in the center of the room just as Lt. Tiner entered the room.
"Call is coming in now, Sirs." Tiner quickly moved to his seat directly behind the Colonel when the lights began to flash on the conference call device.
"Buona mattina voi, ai signori ed al mio amico il colonnella bella." The voice from the speaker came through clearly and brought smiles to all surrounding it, once it had been translated for some of them.
The Colonel started right in without waiting for everyone else. "Il sig. Fiore, honored che se lo ricordate di affettuoso. Sono profondamente spiacente per le circostanze sotto cui siamo costretti a parlare oggi."
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As soon as the line was closed over the speaker the assembled people began to celebrate.
"This is gonna be the least PC thing you ever hear me say, but that danged spaghetti bender was beginning to seriously get under my skin with oily behavior and innuendo. If we'd have been in the same room, I'd have had to give him a few lessons in the proper etiquette of the Marine Corps." Commandant May was obviously irritated by the demeanor of the Italian diplomat.
"Now Sir, he's no different from any other person in his position, he just happens to do it while speaking Italian." The Colonel laughed at the older man's attempt at protecting her honor.
"Italian or not, he had us over a barrel if he'd have gone public with what that reprobate Hodges pulled." The SecDef felt it necessary to put in his thanks, "But you did a fine job, Colonel. And this little exercise has made my life infinitely better, as well as saved some serious face for the Corps."
"Thank you, Sir, but I think a little of that help came from Lt. Tiner here. I'm not as well versed in all the aspects of military law as it relates to international law, and the Lieutenant was able to feed me the details I needed to persuade our Italian friend." Lt. Tiner sat in silence behind the Colonel as she related his part in the conversation.
"Well done, son… Good to know we have quality people in your position, Lieutenant." The SecDef's praise left Tiner without the ability to breathe.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, there appeared to be some kind of trouble brewing in the outer office. The Colonel looked to Tiner and he immediately sprang into action.
As soon as the door was opened, it became readily apparent what the trouble was when they heard the voice of Director Sheppard berating the stoic Marine guards. Lt. Tiner tried to calm the woman, but she was not going to be dismissed.
"I don't give a damn what you have to say Lieutenant… I will get in there regardless of these Neanderthal's or you!"
The COM and the SecDef shared exasperated glares and then the COM shouted. "Sergeant!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!" Came the perfectly cadenced response.
"Stand aside." As the COM gave the order, both he and the SecDef stood to face the door and the Colonel immediately followed their lead.
Director Sheppard stormed into the room and planted her hands on her hips when she stopped to stand her ground. "I am sick and tired of being jerked around on this deal and I demand to know what in the hell you have cooked up now!"
The SecDef stood tall and then said, "First off, you've got no business making any demands on me, ever. I sign your paychecks and approve your budgets, so I suggest you monitor your tone from here on out."
They watched as she chewed back some of her anger and chose her next words carefully. "I am getting the distinct impression that you are doing your best to push me out of NCIS; appointing your lackey, splitting up the agency and holding secret meetings without my input or knowledge."
The two men looked at each other with confusion. Commandant May was the first to speak, "I'm not sure what secret meetings you might be referring to, but the Colonel and I have weekly briefings with the Joint Chiefs on matters unrelated to her work with NCIS, most of which are conducted in my office. Any other time I might spend with Lt. Col. Cassidy is my business, seeing as she is my goddaughter."
"And this is first I've stepped foot in NCIS since the Colonel's appointment. So, I'm not sure where you're getting your intell, but it's obviously from a seriously flawed source." The SecDef joined the COM in expressing his confusion.
"So what are you doing here now?"
"That would be of no concern to you, as it is not something for which we are at liberty to discuss at this time." The Colonel decided to add her two cents to the discussion with her remarks.
"Don't even stand there and give me the party line. I will not be handled by some tin soldier!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The booming voice came from the doors of the outer office and everyone turned to find one Jethro Gibbs with his face fueled with all the fury that came out in his voice.
"Jethro, this is not the ti-"
"No, it's not… It's long overdue." Gibbs walked right past her and stood in the center of the fray. "You need to stop acting like a spoiled child forced to share her toys, and…" Gibbs eyed the two old men in the room and said, "You two need quit stirring the pot to keep people off balance and just tell them the truth!"
"Gibbs this is none of y-"
The COM was immediately cut off by Gibbs, "It's all about my business, because you two and the Joint Chiefs didn't want to play nice with the DOJ, so you used the Colonel's labor study and mental fitness report to support your plans with the rest of the cabinet and even got the DOJ to think it was a fantastic idea in the process. But I will be damned if I'm going to let you ruin this agency in the process and I'm certainly not going to let you continue to keep these two at each other's throats for your own damn amusement!"
The Colonel stood firm, gestured for Commandant May to hold off, and then said, "Agent Gibbs, I can assure you, no animosity has existed on my part, and I went into this assignment with full knowledge of the repercussions of the actions of both the SecDef in appointing me, as well as the report which I chaired and co-authored. I was the one who made the recommendation for a member of the military to be used for this position, in order to prevent any skirmishes making it into the public eye, because that person would be under the direct order of either the COM or the SecNav." Gibbs regarded her with a look of absolute shock. "It was also understood that it would take a great deal of patience and stamina to withstand the torrents the creation of this new division would invoke. That included the wrath of Director Sheppard, which I believe I have dealt with effectively up until this little incursion." Seeing everyone's expressions, the Colonel sat back down in her chair with military precision before adding, "And by my calculations, the only things left to do are finalize the budget and get this place into proper military order so we can go back to solving crimes, halting terrorism and protecting our Sailors and Marines the way they deserve."
Everyone in the room except for the Colonel and Commandant May were staring blankly at one another. The COM simply smiled and said, "See, I told you there wasn't anyone better for this job, Sir."