Author's Note: Bear with me here. We have one more chapter of back story before things start moving forward. The challenge of doing a story like this is that you have to do a lot of world building and back story exposition to set the stage. We've gotten more on Tim and Tony's backstory. Now it's time to get more information on Leroy Jethro Gibbs before we move on.

Chapter 4 – Pieces in Motion

Gibbs

He looked around the Navy Yard wistfully as he walked along the familiar sidewalks. It had been nine months since he had last stepped foot on base. Some days he missed it more than he had ever imagined. He had loved serving in the marines and the bases he had been stationed at had been a second home.

But the Great War had changed everything. He had lost more friends than he could count and his experiences in the war affected him more than he cared to admit. And with the changes in his personal life, he knew he couldn't remain in the marines. Losing Shannon and Kelly had changed everything.

For a time, he had worked as a private eye with a man he had employed to help track down the man who had been responsible for their deaths. Mike Franks had taught him everything about how to be an investigator. Mike did it for the pay. He did because he found a purpose in serving others. He had married again and with his job, he was almost happy.

But when Prohibition became law, Mike had been disgusted and left the country for Mexico. On one hand, he was angry at his friend for leaving him behind over booze but on the other hand, he knew it was for the best. Franks lived a hard life. He smoked a lot. He drank a lot. And he wasn't exactly a gentleman.

In hindsight, with Frank's influence, he had become a different man and he wasn't happy with who he had become. Evidently his wife hadn't been happy with them either because she had filed for divorce and left him, cleaning out his bank account as she went.

He was still working as a private eye, but he had lost his purpose. A tumultuous and ill-advised marriage later left him wondering what he was doing with his life until he crossed paths with an old friend from the war.

Thomas Morrow recruited him into a top-secret program under the banner of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He had been the first civilian recruited into a highly classified counter-intelligence program christened the Naval Secret Service. The intention was that he and his team, once it was formed, would be sent overseas to acquire intelligence on foreign navies.

Joining the program had helped him to find his purpose again but it wasn't until he crossed paths a young man by the name of Anthony DiNozzo that he felt his life had meaning. He saw DiNozzo's potential right from the start, but he knew it would take work to mold the young man whose personality had led him to drift from city to city, rarely staying long enough to put down roots. He recruited DiNozzo into the program and took it as a personal challenge to train him. He had been rewarded with one of the most promising undercover agents he had ever met.

But his team wasn't complete. They needed someone who could understand the technology that they found. This time Morrow came through. He knew of a young man, the son of an old Navy buddy. At sixteen, he had gone to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for electrical engineering and then Johns Hopkins for mechanical engineering. Morrow recruited the young man and their team was complete.

When he first met McGee, he knew he had another diamond in the rough – really rough. The nervous and stammering young man was often too smart for his own good but he didn't lack courage. It took some effort instill an investigative mindset into the young man but in the meantime, he had realized that Morrow had found one of the best puzzle solvers and cipher crackers in the business. When McGee was faced with a problem, he didn't back down until he had solved it.

Both young men had risen to the occasion and absorbed his lessons. They had started working undercover in port security, first in Norfolk then in Baltimore. They worked well together, and Morrow quickly realized they were ready for their mission. Four years ago, they had been sent overseas to collect intelligence on foreign naval technology.

And again, they had been successful. He and Tony worked undercover to collect the information and evidence. Then Tim would figure out what it was, how it worked, draw schematics and put it in terms that anyone could understand. Their good work had drawn the attention of the Secretary of the Navy, which in turn drew the attention of Hoover when he gone in search of unknown agents for a specific undercover mission.

He entered the ONI building and hurried up the stairs to his Tom's office. It was Saturday, so the building was largely empty, which was a blessing. He still knew enough people in the building that he was worried about busting his cover.

He reached the Tom's office and knocked, waiting only a moment before his was told to enter.

"Gibbs," Morrow said, greeting Gibbs from his desk.

"Admiral," he replied cordially after shutting the door. He didn't want to risk being overheard.

He watched as Tom stood and looked him over. There was a striking difference between the two men. Tom was dressed in his crisp Naval Uniform with the bars of a Rear Admiral. Gibbs, on the other hand, was still dressed the same denim pants, dusty work shirt, heavy outer jacket and his well-worn flat cap that he had been wearing yesterday. He also hadn't shaved yet. His nearly two day's growth lent to his rough appearance and further camouflaged his real identity from anyone in the Yard who might remember and recognize him.

"It's been a while since we spoke in person," Tom said.

"Not since you met us in Venice a year and a half ago," he replied as he set his toolbox down.

"That long?" Tom asked. He nodded.

Morrow had met them in Venice where they had been working and informed them of the mission. Because they had been overseas, they weren't known among local law enforcement agents, the Bureau of Investigation or the Prohibition Unit. They used their three-week journey on the steamer to form their plan.

It had been hard working apart from his team after working so closely with one another for years. But he found that it had advantages as well. They knew each other so well that often a look was all it took to convey a message. That unspoken communication had saved them on several occasions while they were still overseas.

"I'll admit, I was surprised by your message that you wanted to meet in person," Morrow said as he sat down. "And unless you came to fix the leak in the bathroom, you must have something big."

"Yeah," he replied.

"You called me into the Yard at six in the morning, Gibbs," Morrow said when he didn't continue. "I really hope it wasn't to make me guess." Suddenly Morrow frowned. "Don't tell me you have bad news."

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

Morrow motioned to him. "You look like hell. I get that you're undercover, but you look like a hobo."

"I haven't been home to clean up," Gibbs replied. "And I haven't been to sleep yet," Gibbs replied. "Been up all night dealing with things."

"What things?" Morrow asked cautiously. "What has happened?"

He smiled wryly. "We're in."

Tom looked at him for a moment before he realized what Gibbs was saying. "We're in?" he asked.

He nodded. "McGee was hired last night. He's supposed to sign the contract to work for Napolitano this morning."

"Excellent," Tom replied. He was happy, but he didn't smile. He knew his agent was now in a far more dangerous position. "Our plans are finally playing off. How long do you think it'll be until McGee is in a position to get us some information on Napolitano's network?"

"Could be as early as Monday," he said as he removed his hat and rubbed his head.

"Monday?" Morrow asked. "How is a low-level accountant going to have information on our mole so fast?"

He looked at Morrow wryly. "McGee wasn't hired as a low-level accountant. He was hired to run the whole kit and caboodle."

Morrow stared at him as if he was trying to determine if Gibbs was pulling his leg.

"The whole thing?" Morrow asked finally. He nodded. "I'm sure you know that this seriously ups the stakes."

"Better than anyone," he replied.

Tom motioned for him to sit as well. When he had taken his seat, Tom asked, "Is McGee ready for this?"

"He's ready," he said firmly. He wouldn't have agreed to this mission if he hadn't thought that his team could handle it. He knew McGee was nervous, but he was confident that the young man wouldn't fail. And Tony was one of the best undercover. He'd help his partner as best as he could.

Morrow nodded. "I shouldn't have asked. You wouldn't have allowed it if you didn't think your team could handle this mission." He shook his head. "Forgive me; I'm a little slow at reading your unspoken cues. It's been a while." He smiled lightly. "I'm just concerned for McGee. He's in a precarious position and faces the largest risk. And he's never been undercover before."

"I know that," he replied. Normally, he wouldn't have considered allowing such a green agent take on a mission like this, but he had gotten to know McGee very well during their time overseas. And that same gut instinct that told him that the stuttering young man would make a fine investigator told him that Tim was more than capable of completing this assignment. "And McGee knows that as well. But his cover isn't that far from the truth."

"That helps," Tom replied. "And if anyone can crack Napolitano's codes, it'll be McGee." He nodded in agreement. "Our cryptologists can't make heads or tails out of the pages we found."

He stared at Tom. "You found pages of Napolitano's books?"

Tom looked up from his desk. "Oh," he said startled. "I suppose you didn't hear about that. You remember that poor soul found in Washington Circle last week?"

"It was Terry Spooner," he said curtly. "McGee's predecessor as Napolitano's accountant."

"Yes," Tom said, seemingly unsurprised that he knew the man's identity. "I suppose McGee told you that the body was Spooner's."

"McGee didn't need to," he replied. "The police might have had a hard time determining his identity, but it was an open secret within Napolitano's network that it was Spooner. He was killed after Naps found out Spooner was stealing from him."

"The Bureau of Investigation knew it was Spooner's body," Tom said. "They've had him under surveillance for months. After he turned up dead, the Bureau of Investigation searched his apartment. The place was clean as the day he moved in. Any and all personal belongings were gone. You'd had never known that someone had lived there only twenty-four hours prior."

"But you found Napolitano's ledgers?" he asked.

Tom shook his head. "No. We found a few pages hidden in a secret panel in his desk. They were months out of date and showed only a portion of Napolitano's network and of course they were encoded. Without more to go on, we have no hope of deciphering them, despite the attempt of every cryptographer on the eastern seaboard. But with access to all of Napolitano's books, McGee should be able to sort them out."

He nodded.

"I like McGee," Morrow said almost to himself. "And I know his father. I served with John McGee when he was a Commander aboard the USS Nicholson." He looked at Tom. He knew of Tom's love for the sea and shipboard life, but Tom had been forced to remain on land after an injury prevented him from serving aboard ship. "And I knew Timothy when he was just a boy."

He frowned. Admiral McGee was a sore point with him. He couldn't understand how a man could disown his own child over a matter of honor.

Tom mirrored his own frown. "I'd hate to see anything happen to Timothy before he can clear the air between them. They both deserve as much."

"He's taking every precaution," he said nodding. "And DiNozzo is his body guard. He'll take care of McGee," Gibbs added. Tom looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "It's Napolitano's policy to have a bodyguard for his money man. DiNozzo was assigned the position. He goes where McGee goes. They're even sharing an apartment. They'll move in today."

Tom's eyebrows arched upward. "That's strange," Tom replied. "I know you don't believe in coincidences."

"I don't," Gibbs replied. "But I don't think that this is a coincidence, Tom. Tony has been under cover for over a year now. He's made a reputation for himself within Napolitano's organization. He worked his way up to this position. McGee has been under cover for eight months. Napolitano has no way to connect the two of them. McGee was hired and DiNozzo was promoted. It just happens that they know each other."

"So, their covers are still intact?"

"Yes," Gibbs replied without hesitation.

"Good," Morrow replied. "Because after what happened to Terry Spooner..." Tom looked at him gravely. "That's a new low for Napolitano. As I said, I know Admiral McGee and I don't want to see something like what happened to Terry happen to his boy."

He frowned. "They're aware of the risks."

"I know that they are," Tom replied. "But doesn't mean I want them to get themselves killed on a case that isn't really ours. We're doing Hoover a personal favor on this one. Until their leak is found, they can't hope to take down Napolitano."

"They aren't taking any exceptional risks," Gibbs replied. "If they were, they know I'd slap them into next week."

Tom allowed a smile to creep onto his face. "I know you would."

"Are there any leads into Spooner's murder?" Gibbs asked.

"It isn't our case," Morrow replied.

Gibbs smiled wryly. "And you haven't heard a thing?" he asked.

Tom chuckled. "Nothing official, of course."

"Of course," Gibbs replied. "But as the Navy's liaison to the Bureau of Prohibition, you hear things."

"Scuttlebutt says that it was Napolitano's hatchet man Kyle Boone," Morrow replied. Gibbs felt his smile disappear. He had suspected that it was Boone's handy work, but he had hoped he was wrong. "He's a loose cannon and crazy son of a bitch to boot."

"I know," Gibbs replied. "I've been trying to catch him for years."

"This is personal to you," Morrow said.

"Damn straight it's personal!" Gibbs retorted. He took a breath to calm himself. "He killed a woman. My ex-wife's childhood friend."

"I know," Morrow replied. "I found out while looking into Boone. You traced the murder to Boone but because they never found the body, he walked." Gibbs nodded. "It led to your divorce to your fourth…"

"Third wife," Gibbs corrected softly. "Stephanie Flynn."

Joining ONI had brought him the stability that he had been looking for. And that had allowed him to develop a relationship with Stephanie to a point that they had gotten married. It wasn't the same as what he had with Shannon, but it had been good. At least it had been good until Boone had killed Stephanie's childhood friend, a Navy nurse, Desiree Rivera.

The brutal nature of her murder had led him to try to find the monster responsible. He had been obsessive and identifying Boone as the killer hadn't been enough. He spent every moment he wasn't working trying to find the evidence the police would need to arrest Boone.

It had led to the demise of their marriage and ultimately it had been for the best. She needed a better man than himself. He cared enough about her to see that he couldn't be the man she needed him to be.

He might still be trying to take down Boone if their team hadn't been sent overseas. And looking at Morrow, he was pretty sure that Tom had arranged the assignment to get him away from Boone.

"Spooner's death is not our concern," Morrow said strongly. "Don't concern yourself with bringing Boone to justice."

"He's a murderer, Tom," he retorted.

"And you're undercover to take down the head of a criminal empire," Tom replied sternly. "I get that you want to take Boone off the streets and I agree that we'd all be better for it if you did. But you can't endanger your mission just to take one criminal down. Remember, we take down Napolitano and we put a lot of criminals out of work. You need to focus on protecting your people."

He frowned but nodded. Then he said forcefully, "It still won't stop me from taking Boone down if I have the opportunity."

Tom nodded. "I wouldn't expect any less from you Gibbs. Just be careful." He nodded. "Since he was connected to this case, I've done my own digging into Kyle Boone. He's been connected to several other murders – men and women – but nothing has stuck. It seems Napolitano is protecting Boone from the law. But I think that it is only a matter of time before Boone is behind bars. Either we'll get Napolitano or Napolitano will stop protecting Boone and we'll get him that way."

"You think Napolitano is protecting Boone out of fear?" he asked.

Tom snorted involuntarily. "Yes. I do. Do you really think Napolitano wants to be on the receiving end of Boone's wrath? You saw what he did to Spooner and that was just for fun. If Boone turned on Napolitano, I can guarantee that Napolitano's fate would be ten times worse." He nodded in agreement. "We'll get him," Tom continued. "Just tell your people to watch themselves. I don't want to find their bodies on the National Mall courtesy of James Napolitano."

"We'll continue to do our job," Gibbs said as he picked up his tools. "And we'll pull the plug if things get hairy." He walked towards the door.

"Gibbs," called Tom. He stopped and turned around. Tom smiled and said, "Might as well give you a good reason to be here. Would you mind looking at a leaky sink in the men's room?"

Gibbs smiled wryly as he left the office, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary and with no intention of looking at yet another men's room sink.