Filler and tag for "Red Cell." And, as Tony so eloquently says, "He called me his Senior Field Agent….finally."
"Senior Field Agent"
Jimmy Palmer had always been just slightly in awe of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and just plain terrified of DiNozzo's gruff and intense boss, Lead Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Perhaps it was that mysterious fascination with both men that had left him still thinking about the bizarre exchange between the two men that he'd just witnessed moments earlier.
They had been discussing an autopsy, specifically theorizing as to what had caused the broken neck that had led to the demise of Petty Officer Blake. When Doctor Mallard had suggested that they were dealing with a particularly strong killer who had broken the man's neck with his bare hands, he'd offered to demonstrate on Jimmy. The young assistant, of course, had no doubt that he'd be in safe hands with the kindly ME, but his stomach had lurched forward when Gibbs offered to demonstrate the technique instead. When the Lead Agent had clarified that he'd meant to demonstrate on Agent DiNozzo, Palmer had to restrain an audible sigh of relief.
Though Agent DiNozzo had expressed some reluctance, Jimmy watched in fascination as Gibbs grabbed the younger man and somehow impossibly both roughly and gently had lowered the younger man to the floor in a defenseless position. He'd have almost even called Gibbs' behavior playful. More interesting still had been the way Agent DiNozzo had simply allowed it, not even flinching or putting his hands up in a defensive position. He knew if he'd been in that position, he wouldn't have displayed the implicit trust in Gibbs that had been present on Tony's face in the moments just before the older man had made a show of snapping his neck.
But even more puzzling had been the conversation between the two men afterwards. Gibbs had reamed Tony, right there in autopsy in front of himself and Doctor Mallard, about not yet having found their hacker. Or, at least, that's what Jimmy had thought was happening. But when Tony had attempted to defend himself by explaining that Agent McGee was working on it, Gibbs had gotten right in his face and said, "I didn't ask McGee. I asked my Senior Field Agent."
Jimmy had felt highly uncomfortable after Agent Gibbs had stormed out of autopsy seconds later. He'd always felt reprimands should be handed out in private, but Gibbs it seemed had a unique way of dealing with issues on his team, often very openly. Which is why Tony's reaction had left him with his current expression of open-mouthed shock. He was happy. He was almost giddy with excitement. He'd grabbed Jimmy by the shoulders, making the Autopsy Gremlin feel like he was being taken into the other man's confidence, even though they barely knew each other. Apparently, whatever a "Senior Field Agent" was, versus a regular old run-of-the-mill Field Agent, the distinction was of the utmost importance, at least to Agent DiNozzo.
The whole thing had left Jimmy Palmer feeling as though a second, silent conversation had occurred in tandem with the one he'd heard with his ears. And he was clearly left out-of-the-loop. Either that, or Agent DiNozzo really was as strange as he'd heard in the idle chatter between agents not part of the MCRT.
The ringing of Ducky's phone jerked Palmer out of his wonderment. His mentor took a look at the ID on the phone, and then, before answering, handed a clipboard of paperwork to him and asked him to kindly "run this up to Ms. Sciuto."
The mention of Abby's name diverted his attention immediately, as he very enthusiastically responded, "Yes, Doctor Mallard," grabbing the clipboard with a broad smile and practically skipping out of autopsy towards the lab.
When Jimmy Palmer was safely outside of hearing range, Ducky finally answered his phone.
"Jethro, I was expecting your call," he answered, amused.
"Yeah, Duck? Took you long enough to answer," his friend teased.
"Yes, I do apologize, but I thought it wise to send Mr. Palmer out of the room. That is, provided you are calling me for the reason I suspect. You are looking for a detailed explanation of Anthony's reaction to your, uh, revelation, are you not?"
Gibbs knew it could be considered unconventional, and probably unprofessional, in some circles to inform an employee of a status change in such a manner. He also realized his relationship with DiNozzo was anything but conventional. The younger man had let him know in no uncertain terms that what he wanted, what he needed, was for Gibbs to show confidence in his abilities in a public way. Letting him know publicly, in front of his coworkers, that he'd finally attained what he'd aspired to for months had seemed fitting. And Ducky and Jimmy would be both supportive and non-threatening.
"You know me well. So? Out with it."
"Patience, Jethro," the ME chuckled. "I believe your comment had the desired effect. Anthony was quite pleased."
Still not enough, Gibbs demanded, "Define 'quite pleased.'"
Doctor Mallard grinned openly at the Lead Agent's need to hear all the details of his agent's reaction. "Well, he rather enthusiastically grabbed Mr. Palmer by the shoulders, asked him if he'd heard what you'd just said, and I believe his exact words were 'Did you hear that? He called me his Senior Field Agent. Finally.'"
Ducky could practically hear the other man's nod and smile of satisfaction through the phone line.
"Thanks, Duck."
Gibbs knew his now "Senior Field Agent" had run out to get a Caf-Pow for his favorite forensic scientist, who was still trying to assist Agent McGee in finding their elusive hacker. Knowing that imitation is considered to be the sincerest form of flattery, he couldn't help the surge of pride mixed with the sense of honor that swelled in him whenever Tony did something to mimic him.
He couldn't revel in the feeling for long. Now that Tony knew he was officially the Senior Field Agent on the MCRT, it was time to let his teammates know as well, and sooner rather than later. He wanted to inform them of Tony's change in status without the younger man being present so he could try to head off any potential issues.
"Kate, you're with me."
"Where are we going?" Kate asked in obvious confusion.
"Down to Abby's lab. Need to talk to all of you for a minute."
"Without Tony?" she pressed curiously.
"Don't need to tell him. He already knows," Gibbs stated mysteriously, as Kate quickened her pace to follow him to the elevator.
He didn't miss the raised-eyebrow expression which was Agent Todd's only response to his vague answer, but he was uncertain what was written behind it. It was either intrigue or offense at what her partner could possibly already be aware of that she wasn't.
Whichever it was, he had a feeling he was soon about to find out.
Abby felt a tiny rush of anxiety when she saw her beloved silver-haired fox entering the doorway of her lab, not so much on behalf of herself, but more for McGee, who she knew was really not any closer to identifying their hacker than the last time Gibbs had asked.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, she tried warning McGee. "It's Gibbs."
McGee looked up in alarm at the arrival of his boss and teammate and immediately tried to defend himself. "B-boss. I, uh, I mean we are still working on finding the hacker…" It occurred to the Probie that Tony was suspiciously absent from the conversation, and the young agent began wishing for the other man's presence. Annoying as he could be, DiNozzo also provided a pretty effective buffer between himself and the grumpy Lead Agent with whom he often had what could be described as a "failure to communicate."
"Wasn't here to ask about that Agent McGee," Gibbs cut him off abruptly. However, seeing the obvious relief on his junior agent's face, he added, "Not this time. But I will be back."
McGee's eyes went wide, but Abby in contrast excitedly offered, "So what can I do for you, Gibbs?"
Gibbs smirked in spite of himself. "Nothing, Abs. Needed to tell all of you something." He turned so that he could now see all three of them. "Agent DiNozzo is now the Senior Field Agent of this team."
Abby was the first to speak, practically jumping up and down brimming with excitement for her friend. "Gibbs! That's just beyond awesome! Tony must be completely stoked."
The Lead Agent gave a curt nod of agreement to the statement, assuming that whatever "stoked" meant, it was probably akin to excitement.
McGee and Kate were still trying to figure out what this new information actually meant, but predictably it was Agent Todd who was the first of them to speak. "Wait a minute, Senior Field Agent, what does that mean exactly? Just that he has more seniority than we do?"
Looking Kate in the eye, the boss responded, "There's a little more to it than that. It means he's second-in-command on this team." And then he added the part he feared Agent Todd would have the most trouble with. "It won't change things drastically. But, it means when I'm not around, he's in charge."
Gibbs could see as the light of understanding went off in Agent McGee's mind, as the younger man nodded his acknowledgement and seemed accepting of the information. Their boss hadn't been all that concerned about the Probie agent's reaction. Aside from a few incidents, Tim was so new and inexperienced that he mostly looked to Tony for direction anyway, and that had been by design. From the moment Tim McGee had joined their team, Gibbs had turned over the bulk of his training to DiNozzo, not having the time himself necessary to spend teaching a probationary agent and also knowing if he did have the time, he'd likely still not have the patience.
Kate had been his main concern all along. She had come to them with just enough knowledge and experience to be dangerous. Dangerous in that, at times she had exhibited more confidence in her abilities than perhaps was warranted, though that had improved over time. Still, when it came to Tony, she had difficulty separating his two personas: the immature frat-boy and the smart quick-witted investigator with a special gift of thinking outside the box. He watched the different emotions play across Kate's face as she took in the full meaning behind his words. Then, what she said next surprised him.
"Good for him. I'm sure he's ecstatic."
Had he not been watching Kate so carefully to observe her reaction, he might have believed her words to be disingenuous. But he'd seen the careful consideration, and then the acceptance, in her features before she'd uttered the words.
Maybe they were all finally getting somewhere.
With an extra spring in his step, Tony stopped at his desk in the bullpen to deposit his sunglasses and keys before heading down to the lab with Abby's Caf-Pow in search of some good news regarding their hacker. He hadn't even noticed Kate sitting there until she spoke.
"Congratulations, Tony."
He looked over at his partner in surprise, searching for any evidence of mockery yet not finding it. "I guess Gibbs told you?" he asked carefully, wanting to be sure they were having the same conversation.
"About making you Senior Field Agent? Yes, Tony, he told us all just a few minutes ago in the lab. You must be thrilled. So, again, congratulations."
As the relief washed over him, he smiled one of those rare smiles. Not the 1000-watt version meant to throw people off, or the charming one used to get what he wants, or the flirty sexy one used to get the attention of a particularly attractive woman. This was the real one, soft and even slightly shy. "Thanks, Kate," he offered sincerely.
"You're welcome," she responded. "But you better get that Caf-Pow down to Abby quick, cause Gibbs is on the warpath about finding that hacker. McGee's gonna need all the help he can get. And by extension, so are you, since Gibbs seems to be holding you equally responsible."
The smile fell slightly from Tony's face. More was definitely going to be expected of him. More already had been expected of him the past few days, as Gibbs had been coming to him for answers more than to his teammates. The responsibility was almost intoxicating, but a little bit scary. He knew he could handle it, but he hadn't quite expected the added stress that came along with the fear he'd suddenly started to feel. Fear of letting Gibbs down, of somehow being a disappointment to the man who had done so much for him.
"Yeah, you're probably right." Thinking they might need all of their combined brainpower to nail down this hacker, he invited, "Wanna come along? Maybe we can come up with something if we put all our heads together."
Kate answered in the affirmative by standing up and moving away from her chair, but in a last-minute decision paused just long enough to let Tony take the lead on their way to the elevator. Watching him in front of her, she noted that he was even walking differently today, with an air of confidence and authority she didn't think she'd seen before.
And it occurred to her that it suited him.
"Thanks for letting me come along to pick up Frankel," McGee said from the passenger seat.
"No problem, McGee. It's only right. Guy's been giving you fits for days, but you finally caught him," Tony responded casually.
"I don't know if I can take credit for that. It was your idea to check the ROTC for computer geniuses. Like Kate said, it was a really good idea. Even Gibbs thought so."
Tony smiled warmly as he remembered his boss walking up just as Kate had been complimenting him. He hadn't had time to thank Gibbs yet, but he was sure the older man could see it on his face at that moment, unable to contain the smile of pride and satisfaction that came with knowing he'd done his boss proud. Gibbs, of course, had only offered a non-committal, "It's his job," in reply, but Tony could see in the other man's eyes that he was pleased with him. In spite of the snide remark afterwards about not keeping him around for his personality, which he was almost certain was said for Kate's benefit.
"Thanks, Probie. You know, if it works out, I'll even let you cuff the guy."
"Really?" McGee said excitedly. "I think I would enjoy that." Realizing how it sounded, the younger man quickly added, "I mean not enjoy exactly…"
"Know what you meant, Probie. The guy ticked you off. I get it, believe me."
"Hey, congratulations, by the way. On the Senior Field Agent thing and all. You know, I guess I always just assumed you were in charge when Gibbs wasn't there."
"Just because you did, doesn't mean everybody felt that way, Probie," he said absentmindedly.
"You mean Kate," McGee observed. "I noticed things were a little tense when the two of you got back from Paraguay. I'm guessing you guys had a fight?"
Tony really didn't want to share the details of his issues with Kate with the Probie, especially now that he was sincerely hoping it was water under the bridge. So, instead of being forthcoming, he answered, "There can be lots of different reasons for tension, Probie. What makes you think it wasn't something that isn't work-related?"
"What would that be? It's not like you two are – " Suddenly McGee gasped as a thought occurred to him. "Are you?"
"Kate's really not my type, McGee," he replied quickly, as much to himself as to the younger agent. Then he decided to have a little bit of fun. It was against his better judgment, but that hadn't often stopped him before. "But she'll get over it, I'm sure."
"W-wait, are you saying she….And you rejected her?" McGee asked in amazement.
Tony didn't exactly admit to it, but he didn't deny it either, allowing the Probie to incorrectly fill in the blanks on his own. "Look, McGee, let's just keep this between us, ok? No need to embarrass Agent Todd, right?"
"Right," Tim responded quietly, still in shock.
Smirking to himself, Tony thought, "The kid really is too gullible for his own good."
As the doors to autopsy swished open in front of him, Tony could just make out the words being said by the Medical Examiner.
"Jethro, it really has been quite some time since you've been…"roughed up" by a suspect. I must admit to being rather surprised when I first saw you."
"I'll get over it," Gibbs growled. "All this is completely unnecessary."
In a rare role-reversal, Tony had immediately called Doctor Mallard when they had returned to the Navy Yard, informing the older man of the beating his boss had sustained, even though his boss had still ended up being the one left standing by the end. Tony realized Gibbs would laugh him off if he ordered him to go see Ducky, in spite of the fact that he also knew from experience that if it had been him on the receiving end, there would have been no question in the matter. However, Ducky wasn't Gibbs' subordinate, and could really be rather stern and demanding when he wanted to be. He was one of the very few people who enjoyed the occasional privilege of ordering Leroy Jethro Gibbs around.
"Well, how is he Ducky? Behaving?" Tony teased, but still with a slight touch of concern.
"DiNozzo…" Gibbs warned.
Chuckling, Ducky answered his question. "Surprisingly well in spite of a wee bit of complaining. There does not appear to be any serious damage, but I'm afraid Jethro here is going to be quite sore tomorrow. I've applied antibiotic and bandages to the deeper wounds. I've also advised him to take ibuprofen, but I'm afraid he has thus far refused my advice."
"I'm fine. You can both stop fussing."
Tony didn't actually remember doing any fussing. Perhaps some hovering and a tiny bit of eavesdropping, but most certainly not fussing. Changing the subject, he informed his surly superior, "I went ahead and sent Kate home, Boss." Then feeling a brief flash of insecurity that perhaps he'd already overstepped his bounds, he added in a much more uncertain tone, "I hope that was okay…."
"There anything else she could do tonight, DiNozzo?"
"No…" Tony said, making his response sound almost like a question.
"Then you did exactly what I expect you to do," Gibbs reassured. The Lead Agent hopped off the table just a bit too quickly, grabbing on to the edge as he tried to regain his balance and quiet the intense pounding in his head. He hoped his companions hadn't noticed, but he'd have no such luck.
"You know, Boss, maybe I should drive you home tonight. I can pick you up and bring you back in to work tomorrow. " Seeing the glare he was currently receiving, he tried a new tactic. "If it was me, you'd make me let you drive me home. I know that cause it has been me. And I'm thinking it's kind of my duty now as your Senior Field Agent to make sure you don't endanger all of DC just because you're too stubborn and pigheaded to accept help when it's needed." The last statement had him believing he had most definitely overstepped his bounds this time.
Gibbs wobbled over to him and Tony tensed, expecting either a mild headslap, or worse a true dressing-down. Instead, his boss surprisingly acquiesced. "Fine, DiNozzo, but remember I get here early. If you're volunteering to pick me up, you're agreeing to get here early, too."
"I know that. I have work I can catch up on."
Too tired and in too much pain to argue anymore, Gibbs very carefully began heading towards the double doors, tossing a grunted, "Thanks, Duck" over his shoulder.
"Nice work, Anthony," the doctor offered with a smirk as Tony momentarily lingered. "Perhaps you can get him to take his medicine as well?"
As Tony was skeptically considering this, he heard an impatient, "You coming some time tonight, DiNozzo?"
Turning back to the ME, he replied, "I think I'd better not push it, Ducky. His bite might really be worse than his bark when he's in pain." With that the younger man practically jogged out of autopsy to catch up with the older man, leaving the doctor laughing softly behind him.
"Boss, I'll be by at 0600 in the morning. Is that early enough? I know you like to stop and get coffee on the way," Tony inquired as he walked through the doorway of Gibbs' house, following a man who was proceeding unusually gingerly.
"0600's fine."
The younger man could tell Gibbs was exhausted and in pain, but still lingered in the doorway contemplating the things he wanted to say to the other man now that he finally had the first opportunity of the day to speak with him privately.
Reading his mind as always, his boss broke the silence. "What's on your mind, Tony?"
"Nothing bad, Boss. I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for making it official." Coughing awkwardly around the sudden lump in his throat, Tony explained, "It really means a lot to me that you think I can do it."
The slightly emotional display from the younger man didn't go unnoticed, but Gibbs chose not to openly acknowledge it in order to save them both the discomfort. "You earned it, Tony. And I expect you to keep earning it."
Taking it for the encouragement and show of confidence that it was intended to be, Tony promised with more assurance than he actually felt, "I know, Boss. I won't let you down and you won't regret it. I'll make you proud of me."
The last promise was what Tony wanted more than just about anything else in the world. Though it would be years before he would actually hear those words from the other man, had he been able to read Gibbs' mind at that moment, he'd have been saved from the multitude of doubts and insecurities on the matter that would plague his future.
I already am, Tony. I already am.