"McGee," Gibbs blinked and straightened up as he greeted the junior Agent, all traces of pain and fatigue melting away. The movement was instinctive and McGee was a little embarrassed to realise that the ex-marine was rather less comfortable with showing weakness in front of him than had obviously been the case with DiNozzo. Despite being wounded and dressed in nothing but a Hospital gown the ex-marine snapped out his demand as if they were in the bullpen. "What have you got for me?"
"Um," McGee thought fast as he slipped into report mode. "Ducky is doing Dowling's autopsy as we speak. His initial findings indicate that COD was the bullet to the forehead. Tony has surrendered his weapon pending the usual IA enquiry but Abby says all the forensic evidence suggests that it was a clean kill."
"DiNozzo might catch some heat for having a second back-up." Gibbs pointed out.
"Ziva and I have that covered, Boss," McGee reassured. "Given the gravity of the situation and the risk to the hostages we agreed that Tony would carry extra firepower in anticipated of Dowling's demand to disarm."
"That's good work, Tim," Gibbs nodded his satisfaction and McGee felt the usual small glow of pride at his team leader's praise. He didn't actually begrudge the fact that the use of his first name was more likely a reflection of Gibbs' satisfaction that his people had covered DiNozzo's six. They were a team after all, and Tony for all his annoying behaviour had always been there for him when it really counted.
"Tony did a good job," McGee watched Gibbs' expression carefully as he continued. "The Director offered him his own team."
"Its not the first time," Gibbs shrugged, as if it was unimportant. "But it has to be DiNozzo's decision."
"You don't think he should take it?" McGee knew that he was pushing it, but he needed to know. Surely, in his heart of hearts their Boss thought it was past time that Tony stepped up and took over a team of his own? "He's been your senior field Agent longer than anyone. Even Stan Burley moved on after five years."
"Been doing some checking, McGee?" Gibbs asked, raising a brow.
"I was just curious," McGee defended his actions. "Tony was one of the first in his Police Academy class to make Detective. He might have moved around a lot, but it was always for a promotion, then he lands up at NCIS and just sticks. You would think he would be bucking for a promotion if only for the bump up in pay grade."
"DiNozzo doesn't care about the money." Gibbs dismissed that.
"Oh come on, Boss, what about all the clothes, the cars,.." McGee protested.
"Oh, I never said he doesn't think he cares about it," A smile flickered hovered the edge of Gibbs' lips. "But in every important career decision he's ever made, money has never been a consideration. He knows all too well the things money can't buy."
"You have to admit he loves being the one in charge." McGee played his trump card. "Don't get me wrong, Boss. Tony is a great guy and a good Agent but he drives me nuts when he struts around the place like he is God's gift to crime prevention and puts super glue on my keyboard."
"He ever superglue your keyboard when he was in charge?" Gibbs asked, already sure of the answer.
"Actually, no," McGee admitted after a moment of reflection. "But he was arrogant, demanding, overbearing, a real pain in the ass."
"I trained him well," Gibbs shrugged. He knew there were some minor differences in the way that Tony chose to go about things, but that was just a question of style, DiNozzo knew how to step up and get the job done when it counted. Not giving McGee a chance to respond as he fixed the junior Agent with a steely gaze. "You miss having your own team, McGee, is that what all this is about?"
"Don't get me wrong, Boss," McGee was sincere. "I would choose being on your team over heading up a spot in Cybercrimes in a heart-beat. Its just that I feel I have the skills and experience to move on and its getting kinda frustrating having to play second fiddle to Tony all the time."
"If you wanted a shot another being a Senior Field Agent that bad all you had to do was put yourself for consideration when the opportunity opened up," Gibbs advised him, before continuing in a dangerously mild tone. "Kinda like that time with that posting to Iraq."
McGee bit his lip. It still rankled that Tony had hood-winked him into not requesting that assignment and then stepped up and secured the posting for himself. But if he was really honest the part that had truly grated was that even after all these years, he still hadn't been able to tell when DiNozzo was yanking his chain. And he knew that Gibbs had a point, but he couldn't help but feel that serving on any other team other the prestigious Major Crimes, although technically a promotion, would feel like a step down.
"To be honest, Boss, I'm hoping Tony will take the promotion." He admitted.
"You think you're ready to be my senior field Agent, Tim?"
"I like to think I did a good job for Tony when you were in Mexico," McGee nodded, reasonably sure of his ground. Gibbs had hand picked him from Norfolk and the ex-marine had told him he was a good Agent on more than one occasion. "And the Director was pleased enough with my work to give me that promotion to Cyber Crimes. I can do this, Boss."
"Uh huh," Gibbs considered that. "When you were with Cyber Crimes how many times did you leave the basement to go out into the field?"
"Well, you see the role wasn't really about that." McGee hedged.
"Fair enough, let's talk about your stint as senior field Agent to DiNozzo," Gibbs allowed. "You think you could have still pulled that off if you had only had a probie like Agent Lee as backup instead of knowing you had Ziva to watch your six?
McGee blinked at the question. He knew he had relied heavily on Ziva's experience. Technically she was the more senior Agent, even if the fact that she was only a liaison meant that she was not eligible for the promotion. But he still thought on balance that he had handled himself well. He wondered if Gibbs was asking because he wanted him to stand up and defend his record, or because he thought his performance hadn't been strong enough. If he was honest he knew he could have looked harder to find the money on the Renny Grant case that had been at least as much his screw up as Tony's.
"Alright, let me ask you something else," Gibbs' voice cut into his thoughts, before he had time to formulate an answer. "If that had been you, facing off against Dowling today, would you have made the shot?"
McGee hesitated. He knew that it was possible to put a bullet through one victim into another. He could draw you a diagram which showed exactly haw to do it with the minimum of trauma to the hostage. And his scores on the range proved that he was more than capable of making the shot. But putting a bullet through flesh and blood was different to shooting at a paper target and he hoped it always would be. He remembered how he had felt when he thought he had shot and killed an unarmed cop. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to shoot a man like Gibbs, who he knew and actually ..
"Not fast enough, McGee!" Gibbs hand slammed down hard on the tray table over his bed, causing the younger man to snap out of his thoughts and flinch back before meeting the piercing blue gaze, his eyes wide with surprise as the ex-marine continued to berate him. "While you're standing there thinking about it, Dowling is already half way out the building and I'm lying on the floor in a pool of my own blood."
"Boss, I ..," McGee swallowed hard as he belatedly realised what a tough call it would be and how much harder it must have been for Tony to look into Gibbs' eyes and still make that shot. He had known Gibbs longer, worked with him more closely, even stayed at his house. It was no secret that he had a better relationship with Gibbs than he did with his own father. Tim shook his head, feeling frustrated. "Tony makes it look so easy."
"It's a helluva thing," Gibbs acknowledged, with a soft, proud, smile.
"He's not going to take the promotion in San Diego, is he?" McGee realised.
"You know the most likely way Tony will get his own team, McGee?" Gibbs tipped his head on one side as he pinned the younger man with that piercing gaze. "He wants and deserves nothing less than Major Crimes in DC and he knows damned well that I didn't have my head on straight when I quit and went to Mexico. He always knew I'd come back. I'm the type to die in harness. Tony gets that. You still think he should be more ambitious?"
AN - One more I think, Tony and McGee have some loose ends to tie up and then I think this will be done.