A/N: Long chapter - not beta'ed! I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for the wait but work has been full on. Much thanks to the people who have taken the time to leave their thoughts. Because of you, this story has grown from what I intended. On second thoughts, not sure I should be thanking you ; D.
Serieux Part 2
Chapter 12 En prise
Tony leant over and murmured sotto voce in Harry's ear. "Now seems as good a time as any to test out Hermione's emotional amnesia charm, to see how good it is. Sit at my desk Harry – hopefully this won't take long." He paused long enough to perform the charm silently although he got a few strange looks at his hand motions.
Grinning widely at his co-workers, he wisecracked. "Muscular spasm. Must have slept on it wrong last night."
Harry looked like he wanted to argue about accompanying him into the elevator but in the end he nodded. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It will be fine." Tony gave Harry a thumbs up and a cheeky grin, making exaggerated arm movements and groaning – playing up the idea he was trying to work the kinks out of his muscles. He also stretched his spine and his vertebra popped noisily as Ellie winced.
"I said NOW, DiNozzo!" Gibbs bellowed.
Tony chuckled at that, "Well he's definitely pissed. Ideal testing conditions," he quipped, looking relaxed and confident. Striding towards the elevator he grinned. "Keep your pants on, Gibbs."
Entering the elevator car, he could feel the anger rolling off his former mentor. "You think this is a joke, DiNozzo? Abby's in hospital and it's your fault. How are you planning to fix this?"
Just as the elevator door closed, Harry slipped in, giving him an apologetic look before the boss glared at the unknown man, furnishing him with the infamous Gibbs' glare. The one guaranteed to render green probie agents impotent or require a change of trousers. "Oi you! Get out. Use the stairs. I need to talk to my agent."
Harry shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. I'm DiNozzo's protection detail and he's not getting into a lift with anyone unless I'm accompanying him."
"Hallo… he's not getting a lift – he's in an elevator." Gibbs' tone made it clear he thought he was dealing with the village idiot. "Not to mention, I'm his boss. If I want to talk to him privately – which is why I called him in here – I damn well will. And no jumped-up little minder will tell me how to run my team. So piss off!"
Harry stared at Gibbs, supremely unimpressed as he folded his arms. Tony figured staring down a dark lord who wouldn't stay dead was probably a lot more intimidating.
"Hey, if you think that some washed up bully is going to intimidate me and stop me doing my job then think again. So, sod off!"
Tony grinned hearing the, "Stupid git!" Harry muttered under his breath. Somehow, invectives delivered in an English accent sounded so much more insulting – he'd forgotten just how much.
Tony was beginning to think that Hermione's charm wasn't working and that perhaps testing it out in the lift/elevator with Gibbs wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. Nor was letting Harry get in there with him and the gunny – oh wait, he didn't let him in. He'd told him to stay put!
That's when he realised that Gibbs was about to get up and personal with Harry. His godson might be officially protecting him, but Tony couldn't help getting between the two men to shield his godson – it was instinctive. He did it with his teammates, would take a bullet for them, so how could he not with Harry?
He knew his godson would be pissed off at him, but it was second nature for Tony to protect others from Gibbs temper tantrums, telling him to stand down would be like telling him not to breathe. He'd always been protective by nature too but DiNozzo had intensified those qualities significantly. After all, not many teenagers would go running into a burning apartment block to rescue perfect strangers and then become consumed with guilt for saving one child and not being able to save another. So Gibbs threatening Harry – no brainer.
Yet when the former Marine physically grabbed hold of Tony's indigo lapel, his blue eyes became glassy and he immediately zoned out. His hand dropped from Tony's suit and he stepped away as Gibbs looked at him, confused.
"What were we talking about?" he demanded, off-balanced as he looked at Harry without recognition.
Tony heaved a sigh of relief – it worked, but had taken longer than expected. That or maybe it needed actual physical contact or close physical proximity to take effect.
Looking Gibbs in the eye, he replied. "You were about to tell me about the contraband search, yesterday."
Snorting in disgust, he revealed, "Oh yeah, that was a total bust. Twenty odd joints, a dozen ecstasy tabs, negligible amount of cocaine, plus ten cartons of Cuban cigars and the usual quantities of hooch that had been smuggled on board without paying tax. And a few minor antiquities that were obviously stolen but not terribly important or valuable – possibly taken on a dare. Broke up a couple of poker games and caught a few horny sailors but on a ship with 5000 odd Marines and sailors, that was a pretty inconsequential haul, as you know."
Tony nodded in agreement. "Too true! Maybe the anonymous informant got the wrong ship?"
Gibbs growled in agreement. "I guess. Waste of time and resources."
"Yeah – but maybe write it off as an excellent training opportunity." Tony suggested, expecting Gibbs to blow a gasket since he was become red-faced and he didn't think it was from embarrassment. He moved a few steps closer and then the senior supervisory agent went glassy-eyed again. Blinking owlishly, he stared at Tony then Harry.
"What were we talking about?"
"That the search at Norfolk had been a bust," Tony replied, mentally congratulating Hermione for her brilliant charm work.
Exiting the elevators soon afterwards, Gibbs strode out and Tony followed behind him, only to find all of the occupants of the bull pen crowded around watching the two senior members of the MCRT emerge from 'Gibbs office.' Tony spied Bishop amongst the throng of agents and admin staff who seemed to have congregated – waiting anxiously for the carnage. Bishop had that frowny thing going on, plus she was biting her lip, keying him in that she'd been worried about what was going on inside the confined space of the elevator.
Tony noticed Harry had artfully re-joined joined the crowd, he shot a look at his godson, winking. Gibbs headed toward the MCRT area and his desk. Meanwhile, all the concerned employees expecting a bloodbath when Tony disappeared into the elevator with Gibbs due to Abby's brain snap, stood round with bemused expressions. Although they may have gathered due to altruistic motives, now that he seemed unharmed, they mostly looked like rubberneckers - wanting to view the accident by the side of the road.
Gibbs was about to sit down at his desk when he noticed that his SFA's desk was occupied by a stranger so he detoured, stomping over to Tony's desk and barked at Harry, "Who the hell are you? What are you doing at DiNozzo's desk?"
Obviously he had forgotten their meeting in the elevator.
Harry stood up and Tony approached, standing right up close beside his boss. "This is Agent Harry Potter, he is my protection detail."
Apparently the more exposure 'angry Gibbs' had to Tony, the more the forgetful effects of Hermione's charm exerted its effect. Gibbs looked bemused and squinted at Bishop for clues to what he'd been saying and Tony casually moved back a few paces, away from his boss.
She stepped in. "Are you okay, Gibbs?"
Not wanting to lose face, he nodded. "Fine." Looking at Harry he demanded, "Who are you?"
Harry reached out his hand, "Agent Harry Potter, and you must be Agent Gibbs."
Absently shaking Harry's hand, he corrected gruffly, Special Agent Gibbs."
Harry nodded, penitently, "My apologies."
He looked rather shocked when Tony and Bishop replied in unison with Gibbs, "Never apologise, it's a sign of weakness."
Harry started laughing uncontrollably, obviously thinking it was a joke and Gibbs glowered at him, definitely not impressed. Quickly realising his faux pas, the young wizard sobered quickly, adopting a serious face, inwardly very amused by the ridiculousness of the situation.
At that moment Fornell dashed into the bull pen from the elevator, eyeing Bishop and Gibbs nervously. "Morning. Is everything okay here?"
Tony smiled. "Hi Tobias, everything is fine. Bishop, meet my new protection officer, Agent Harry Potter. Harry meet Special Agent Eleanor Bishop." He emphasised the 'special' agent with a wicked gleam as Harry took Bishop's extended hand and instead of shaking it, he bowed over it, catching her by surprise.
"Pleased to meet you, SPECIAL Agent Bishop." Harry responded to an obviously charmed Ellie, who turned pink.
"Tony, can I speak to you in private?" The FBI agent requested urgently.
Moving over to the spot under the stairs where they went to find a modicum of privacy, provided voiced were lowered, Tony followed Fornell obediently. "Okay, what's up, Tobias?"
"Why the hell are Gibbs and Bishop here? They're supposed to be at Norfolk until late afternoon at the earliest." Tobias exploded.
"Gibbs said it was a bust. They came back early."
"So what happened, did he get nasty?"
"He was mad – ordered me into his office." They exchanged smirks – both of them were very accustomed to receive a summons to the elevator, slash Gibbs' office.
"And?"
"And what do you think? He was mad about Abby…demanded to know what I was going to do to fix it…grabbed my lapel and then he zoned out. Asked me what we were talking about. So I told him we were talking about the contraband search, he delivered a sitrep and we left the office. He got territorial about Harry sitting in my desk, so I wandered over and stood beside Gibbs and he had another vague out. It works – Hermione's brilliant!"
Looking up as Leon Vance traversed the mezzanine level to reach the stairs, the director yelled across the room. "Special Agent Gibbs, my office…now!"
~o0o~
"This is bullshit, Leon. I'm not about to let some shrink mess around inside my head. They're not happy unless they find some deep seated phobia or fear to fixate on." Gibbs wasn't about to let Vance know that in a moment of weakness, he'd caved to Cyril's pressure to see his therapist. It was none of his business or anyone else's.
"It's out of my hands, Gibbs. Some pencil pusher clued SecNav in that you hadn't undertaken you mandatory counselling after your shooting. Until you address that shortcoming she's ordered you benched." A blatant falsehood but a necessary one to protect Confalone.
Gibbs glared at him. "So fix it."
"I told you, not possible. I was already on thin ice with SecNav over the fuckup with former agent Kip Klugman last October. This could easily be enough to tip her over the edge and fire me this time. I'm barely hanging on as it is - she wanted to know why I didn't force you to attend the sessions when you came off sick leave last year."
Jethro snorted. Like Leon could make him do anything he didn't want to! "Not my problem, Leon. I'm not going."
"If I go, then Secnav choses my replacement and they won't put up with your crap, ignoring NCIS rules and regs. They definitely won't tolerate your breaking the law or letting your friends, team and family break it either. If I go, you go too, Gibbs. If by some form of divine intervention or miracle, you get to keep your job then you'll have to play by the rules.
"Bottom line. You can't get out of seeing the agency counsellor – even if I go."
Gibbs stared at Vance's poker face, infuriated with his blandly impassive countenance. How he longed to slap it; he kind of understood Abby's impulse. The truth was that Leon had a point, unfortunately. And that pissed him off.
When Vance had first taken over the directorship, he'd been a permanent thorn in his side, always trying to piss higher up the wall than him, just to prove he was the alpha male. Getting a new director would be a giant pain in his ass – and they might not prove to be as easy to control as Leon.
Thinking that he could maybe talk Sarah Porter around – after all, she owed him for getting her daughter back again after the kidnapping - he capitulated. "Fine, Leon. I'll make an appointment to go see the shrink next week." That should give him the chance to play the 'you-owe- me- card, with the red headed Secretary of the Navy.
"Not good enough, Jethro. SecNav has already made an appointment for your first appointment today at 1130. Until you're cleared by Dr Carlisle, you're benched. Until the psychologist is satisfied you're fit for field work SecNav wants you training the latest batch of recruits from FLETC in advance firearms training while DiNozzo will assume temporary command of the MCRT."
Damn it! That didn't give him any room to manoeuvre – today anyway. But he was pretty adept at dealing with shrinks. If Carlisle was female, he would flash his blue eyes and his infamous half smile at her and she'd go weak at the knees and fall all over herself to clear him. If Carlisle was a guy, he'd just glare at the jerk and intimidate him to make him sign off on his psych clearance. Worst case scenario, if the doc demanded a second session, he'd drop by Sarah Porter's home tonight and remind her she wouldn't have her daughter if it weren't for him.
"Fine, but don't think this won't cost you, Leon. And I will collect!"
As he stormed out of the director's office, it occurred to him that he had intended to tear DiNozzo a new one for getting Abby into the mess she'd found herself in. He was going to demand he put it to rights. Damnit! DiNozzo must have diverted him somehow with his idiocy.
With a target fixation that would have put an obsessed fighter pilot to shame, Jethro vowed to confront him asap to insist that he fix the fubar mess he'd created. Meanwhile he tore down the stairs to the bull pen.
~o0o~
Tim had arrived after Gibbs had been summoned to the director's office, looking rough. Seeing the rest of the team had had beaten him in to work he scowled at Tony. "Before you get on my case, we didn't finish until 0115 this morning and then the boss insisted we drive back to DC instead of staying over. Maybe if you hadn't considered it beneath you now you're so important, we'd have gotten finished earlier if we'd had you to help. Or deflected Gibbs' anger since it was your fault he was in such a bad mood."
Tony went and got into Tim's face before replying. "The reason I didn't go to Norfolk with you had nothing to do with self-importance, McGee. I was following Vance's orders."
"Yeah sure…keep telling yourself that, while we have to suck it up and deal with Gibbs bad moods. Thanks for that." Tim muttered under his breath, in his most obnoxious passive aggressive fashion. He pushed past Tony, making physical contact with him as he dropped a report on Gibbs desk before noticing Harry. Making his way over to Tony's desk he extended his left hand, "Special Agent Timothy McGee and you are?"
Tony came up and stood close to him. "This is Agent Harry Potter, he will be my protection detail."
"Welcome to NCIS Harry. I guess you need multiple bodyguards now you're a bigshot," he snarked at Tony, cynically.
Tony exchanged glances with Harry. So obviously Hermione's forgetfulness charm didn't work on passive aggressiveness, only more overt types of aggression. Made sense – after all no one was ever physically harmed by, 'I was just having a joke' or 'can't you take a joke' put-downs. They were more insidious in nature and harmful - over the long term, so the forgetfulness charm probably didn't recognise them as a threat.
Harry shot McGee a look that would have melted a Death Eater. "Special Agent," he acknowledged, stiffly before turning to Tony. "Can I do anything for you, Director?" he enquired respectfully.
"Thanks, Potter, but I'm fine at the moment." Tony answered sitting down at his desk.
McGee and Bishop followed his lead and sat down and logged onto their computers, Ellie looking at Tim contemplatively – not pleased by his attitude. Tim, meanwhile, was reading his email, gulping and blanching as he read the 'invitation' from IA to report at 1400 hours for an interview into the attack on Special Agent DiNozzo. Slumping in his chair, he wondered how things had ended up in such a mess. Only a few weeks ago he had told Tony he was one of his best friends.
~o0o~
Vance stared at the Honourable Hermione Granger, Minister of Cooperation, which he knew damned well was code for a super-secret organisation. One that he was getting unpleasantly visceral vibes that was probably part of military intelligence. His gut was telling him not to inquire too closely into who they were and to just keep them happy.
Outwardly, the young woman with the warm brown eyes and the chestnut locks of glossy long hair coiled into a French braid, looked like a fashion plate. Her charcoal business suit was expensive and impeccably cut, no doubt it was some designer label. She definitely didn't look old enough to have reached the lofty position that she had and yet, despite her youth there was an aura about her that shrieked danger.
Perhaps it was the self-assured air she'd projected that screamed she was confident in her ability to take care of herself. Even surrounded by her protection detail and her minions, she seemed to exude a confidence that screamed 'mess with me at your peril'. Plus, he was pretty sure that this woman was intellectually his equal, at least. Not something Leon was accustomed to encountering very often, especially in politicians. Usually they were cunning as sewer rats, had the morals of street pimps and the ambition of a Miss World contestant, but they weren't usually intellectual giants.
Then there was Agent Potter, who was hardly the most physically imposing of specimens and yet the man had an air about him too, that Vance was at pains to identify but failed. It was indefinable but everyone on the minister's staff seemed to defer to him, even the minister seemed to have a relationship which was one of equals rather than superior and a subordinate. Looking at the pair who sat in his office exchanging looks that spoke of an easy familiarity, he wondered if they were a couple. They both had an almost identical air of innate capability about them but unlike Gibbs or even the minister's own bodyguards, who exuded overt physicality and nonverbal cues that were intimidatory, their's were way subtler and therefore, to Vance at least, far more daunting.
Hell that silent communication thing that they were doing was seriously freaky. He was definitely getting thrown off his game with their ability to read each other so easily. Even if they weren't 'together,' they'd know each other a long, long time to have such an extraordinary level of trust and understanding. Perhaps they'd been partners and then she had been promoted or decided to go in for politics. Still, they were definitely an enigma - since as far as he could tell by making use of 'safe' forms of investigating Ms Granger, such as Debretts and the UK Who's Who, her DOB was 18th September 1979. Given that she'd completed degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge, that left very little time for such a meteoric rise up the ranks to her powerful position.
Yet he had the distinct impression that she was no mere figurehead, that she'd definitely earned her job and he felt rather intimidated. It wasn't often that he butted heads with someone who could match him intellectual but he had the feeling -albeit a rather uncomfortable one, that she was also more than capable of taking care of him physically, should he attempt to threaten her in any way. Even though she didn't scream assassin, unlike Ziva David had, making constant threats about paper clips that made you reluctant to turn you back on her, even when she was supposed to be on your side. No the minister's indefinable threat was far subtler than that. It made him feel distinctly uncomfortable.
Perhaps the most concerning thing for Leon was the fact that his own agents and ancillary staff had behaved both outrageously and unlawfully, putting him in a highly vulnerable and defensive position. To try to salvage the situation he needed to placate this dangerous ally or else could he kiss his job goodbye.
He was just relieved that SecNav had opted to leave him to face the music on his own. Typical politician, she was hoping to limit any fallout onto him. However, since she didn't know everything, it was easier to keep it compartmentalised and more chance to save his job than if she was physically peering over his shoulder and getting underfoot
He groaned when Minister Granger handed him a prepared agenda. Despite the rushed nature of the trip and their meeting, she was clearly well prepared and highly organised. Damn Gibbs and his team!
Hermione sipped her tea (how very British of her) while Potter opted for coffee and she drilled Leon with those warm brown eyes which suddenly had lost their geniality.
"I took the liberty of preparing an agenda in the interests of not wasting time, since we are both busy people. So I suggest that we start with item one, to wit, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I think in the spirit of cooperation," and here she paused, giving the NCIS director a very old-fashioned look before continuing. "We'll show our cards upfront and admit that we're aware that he's been trying to identify the agency which Tony DiNozzo will head up, in spite of being informed that it was classified information to which he was not entitled.
"So far, we know that he's reached out to sources inside NCIS who have sizable resources within the intelligence community, not to mention, reaching out to the CIA."
She paused and Leon gulped. This was not good – he didn't know about the CIA. If this was a game of chess she'd effectively just taken out his Queen in the opening moves.
"My colleagues in London have informed me that a Doctor Mallard has been making enquiries about our agency, particularly amongst the British military intelligence community. I understand that he was a part of it in the past, so he really should know better but apparently his loyalty lies with Gibbs these days rather that HRH."
Damn it, he did not know about Dr Mallard, either. She'd effectively just removed one of his rooks from the board, maybe two.
"Suffice to say that NCIS needs to control these people," Hermione warned, remaining preternaturally calm.
Vance felt his testicles shrivel at her words, and although she'd opted not to sink to making melodramatic threats, somehow like the minister, it was far more menacing. The tacit 'or we will' was nonetheless expressed loud and clear.
"I have no doubt that they will have involved other agencies too and we have reason to believe that this attempt to gain access to highly classified information has placed Tony in imminent danger."
Oh shit!
"My sincere apologies for any peril he may be facing due to the actions of NCIS personnel. I'll arrange for a full protection detail to guard him."
"That won't be necessary, Director Vance. We take care of our own. Agent Potter will remain here in DC and accompany him until he flies out to London."
"One agent, 24/7 to protect him? I think you'll need more than just Agent Potter, not meaning to insult your abilities, Potter." Leon objected…thinking of the fallout if something should happen to DiNozzo. He couldn't survive anything else going wrong -he wasn't even confident he could survive what had already happened.
"Oh trust me, Harry is more than capable of defending his target and in this case, his target is also a highly trained, very capable federal agent." Hermione replied, chillingly.
"I'm not denigrating your agent's abilities in any way or Tony's but this is our mess and I'd like to help clean it up. Plus, Tony is one of our own and we look after our own, Minister Granger so let me help."
Leon noticed that Hermione had gone pale and she was chewing her bottom lip as she exchanged a silent but inscrutable communication with Agent Potter. If he'd known her better, he would have definitely feared for 'his boys' or even his nose since she was incandescent with rage.
"First off Director Vance, Anthony DiNozzo belongs to us now and we take much better care of our own than what you've managed to do, to and for Anthony DiNozzo." She replied, her consonants clipped, although her rather plumy upper middle-class accent remained well modulated, so for strangers it was unlikely they'd understand the depth of her anger or how close he came to being transfigured into a pile of steaming crap.
"He ceased to be one of yours a long time before I snaffled him up to head our agency. You've totally wasted his very considerable skills – which should be a crime by the way. You've forced him to play the class clown because an aging, has-been leader with massive delusions of grandeur, felt threatened by his talents.
"In my humble opinion, you'd have to replaced Tony with a top notch undercover expert AND someone who could train the other team members to do what came naturally to him. Then, you'd need to procure a very skilled investigator who had Tony's people skills, an extensive network of contacts in law enforcement and intelligence communities and the ability to think creatively. And even then you still wouldn't be able to replace him. Tony is also loyal, caring and self-sacrificing - he's irreplaceable."
Agent Potter had scowled fiercely during Hermione's recitation of Tony's attributes and he finally decided to contribute. "Yeah but I'm sure that Special Agent Gibbs would be much happier if he could replace him with three agents."
The two Brits exchanged enigmatic looks. "What makes you think that?" Hermione wanted to know, and Leon was glad she asked since he wondering where Potter was going with this. Gibbs hated working with people; having three new people on his team would be his ideal of the ninth circle of Hell, surely?
"Apart from his extensive array of skills – it stands to reason. Three agents fulfilling the role of Special Agent DiNozzo would be much less threatening to Gibbs than a single agent. Plus, any kudos they earned would be shared across the five agent team, rather than three agents, with the leader getting the lion's share, since five team members are more malleable." Harry reasoned out the hypothetical scenario.
"Additionally, with five agents to play off against each other to gain his favour, all of them fighting to establish a pecking order with him at the top, it would allow him to keep them under his thumb much easier. Not to mention with him getting older, the more team members there are to share his workload, the less obvious that would be to the team and outsiders." Harry observed, cynically.
"True, Harry - they'd be too busy fighting over assignment details. Like supporting actors on a television show, all jockeying to be granted a few precious minutes of screen time in a 44-minute episode. Far less chance that one of them might inadvertently or intentionally try to outshine him." Hermione mused contemplatively and Leon recalled that she had two degrees in psychology."
And it was easier to get rid of one of them if they got too big for their boots. He could hold their termination over their heads, since five agents beneath him would mean the loss of one could be easily absorbed by the rest, Leon reasoned. He hated to admit it but it was entirely plausible, plus, it was a breathtaking piece of profiling. Perhaps it might have been smart of him not simply to limited himself to the computer science courses he'd taken when he was at ASNA.
"However, the point is that Tony is one of us now and you can consider him on- loan while he works out his notice. Until he feels his obligations to NCIS and the victims and their families has been fulfilled." Granger stated, drawing Vance back to the present.
"All due respect Director, but an agency that left such a valuable resource languishing as second banana to Special Agent Gibbs, who's been a loose cannon for too many years, letting DiNozzo's potential stagnate, is clearly a second rate organisation. We'll look after our own, thanks all the same." Harry declared, doing little to hide his scorn.
Leon was furious and yet, it was hard to argue with anything they said. DiNozzo WAS a tremendous talent that had been squandered by Gibbs, who was a piss-poor team leader. He was far too obsessed with power and mind games and those traits became more and more pronounced with each passing year. Having the agency director over a barrel certainly hadn't help the situation any.
Still, it hurt to have outsiders criticising his agency - even when the denunciation was a fair one. Plus, he couldn't afford to piss them off, either. And somehow – being told to 'bite me,' in that British accent was way too effective to be pleasurable.
"If you are uncomfortable utilising NCIS personnel then I can organise with SecNav to have a platoon of Marines on standby to serve as his protection detail." Leon offered, desperate to placate these people and to avoid harm to DiNozzo, and not just for reasons of altruism.
Exchanging another inscrutable look with the minister, Harry responded. "Thank-you, but for the moment we'll decline your generous offer. However, should the situation escalate, we'll revisit the matter we need to reassess our director's protection plan."
Leon had no choice but to acquiesce, under the circumstances although he hoped like hell that DiNozzo didn't end up with so much as a broken cuticle should the 'situation escalate'.
"So now that we've dealt with Item 1.1 - let's move on to item 1.2 – the chances that Gibbs might assault Tony because he blames him for your forensic scientist attacking him. How worried should we be about him posing a physical threat to Tony?" Hermione stated brusquely.
Leon groaned. Should he disclose the full story in case Minister Granger already knew about Dr Confalone? While he assumed that the doctor, Porter and himself were the only three that knew about Confalone's concerns that he might try to harm DiNozzo, Granger's people may have an informant or be bugging their phones even though that sounded super paranoid and fairly unlikely. Best to stick to what was known, he decided.
"Gibbs certainly is protective of Ms Sciuto."
"I was under the impression she had a doctorate in forensic science?" Hermione corrected.
"Quite right, he is very protective of Dr Sciuto – some people believe that he sees her as a surrogate daughter."
"And considering he was not able to save his real daughter, his only child from collateral damage by a drug cartel, I'd say that if he regards her as a surrogate daughter, that is a real cause for concern." She frowned in contemplation. "He's already demonstrated that he views DiNozzo as challenging his position, so what mitigating procedures have you enacted to protect him from Gibbs?" Hermione demanded.
Leon was cagey with his reply. "For reasons that I'm not free to go into, SecNav has ordered Special Agent Gibbs to attend mandatory counselling and ordered I bench him from the MCRT. He will be temporarily deployed as a firearms instructor with our new recruits, graduates and probationary agents. We felt it was better to occupy him than have him at a loose end while he undergoing counselling."
He didn't mention that the reason why he had been removed was because of Dr Confalone's concerns or that they'd decided to protect her from Gibbs knowing she had divulged information. Not because it was privileged – it wasn't – not when the patient or someone else was deemed to be at risk. In that case the therapist had no choice but disclose.
No the truth was that if Gibbs was actually talking to someone, the last thing they wanted was to jeopardise that relationship, for his welfare and those under him, since it was well overdue that he sought some help. Twenty years overdue – give or take. So while they hadn't lied directly, they had left him with the impression that it was just a clerical issue, about him failing to receive the mandatory clearance to return to field status after being shot in the field.
Their rationale wasn't simply to protect the therapeutic relationship with his doctor either, but because they felt that it may well exacerbate any feelings of resentment that he was harbouring towards DiNozzo. Similarly, SecNav had chosen not to suspend him, because she thought he might blame DiNozzo for it, and then frankly, they'd have less chance of controlling his actions if he was left to his own devices. More than likely he would hole up in his basement drinking and growing angrier. Grace Confalone had agreed to the plan to keep him separated from DiNozzo, remove him from field work and keep him well occupied, which is what they'd managed to do.
Hermione sized him up, undoubted she was considering what he'd told her – and looked at him somewhat sceptically. "I'm getting the distinct impression that Gibbs isn't the only one with whom you've been economical with the truth. However, given the information I do have access to, I agree that suspending him might be counter-productive to Tony's welfare."
Harry nodded. "A loose cannon like that - I'd rather know where he is, at least during work hours. It's one less thing to have to factor in."
Hermione nodded. "Okay, we monitor the situation but I reserve the right to demand more draconian measures, should it prove necessary." Her use of the word draconian with her accent conjured up images of Gibbs chained up in a medieval dungeon and Vance felt that they would probably both derive some satisfaction from that. Maybe he should offer to share his doll… urm… cloth-representation- of-a- person with her – he'd bought spares!
Leon metaphorically wiped his brow. He still wasn't out of the woods, by any stretch of the imagination but perhaps he could weather the storm and survive this debacle, this game intact. He still had one rook, plus his bishops and knights.
"So let's move on to agenda point 1.3," Hermione specified, keen to move things along. "What action have you taken regarding Special Agent Gibbs attempts to circumvent the Classified Information Act - in spite of being specifically told that he didn't have the security clearance to know the identity of the agency who had hired his senior field agent. And as a corollary, point 1.4. What plans, if any, do you have regarding the fact that Dr Mallard, and others in NCIS ignored the Official Secrets Act, and potentially have been responsible for placing his life in jeopardy?"
Leon sighed. "So let's deal with point 1.4 first. We will be launching an internal investigation into the possibility that a number of our people have knowing tried to breach classified information. Our Legal Department will be determining what, if any charges may be laid, including charges of espionage. As for Gibbs, obviously he will obviously be subject to the IA investigation too and if it can be proved that his actions have led to DiNozzo life being put in danger then I'll ask Legal to investigate if he can be charged with reckless endangerment."
"Of course, charging them with espionage or reckless endangerment may not be in your best interests. Not if it results in further publicity, which is counter-productive to your purposes – both organisationally and regarding DiNozzo's safety. I suggest that we confer on the best course of action once the internal investigation into the breeches has run its course, and of course, we will be guided by your recommendations."
The meeting was interrupted by Hermione's cell phone ringing, with the theme song from Charmed blaring out, causing Vance to look askance at her. The Honourable Minister for Cooperation didn't strike him as the type to go in for such a frivolous television show – although, perhaps her daughter had chosen it.
Kayla had discovered that blasted show a few years ago and while he thought it was tripe, Jackie had overruled him, saying that they presented strong female role models and that they portrayed strong sisterly love. He thought they showed too much boobs and flesh but Kayla adored them. In his humble opinion, witchcraft and the supernatural – the refuge of the feeble minded.
As to Granger's family, the little intel. he'd managed to glean about Granger was that she was a widow, and had two children attending a prestigious Scottish boarding school. One she'd also attended. She was certainly young to be a widowed single mother, and he'd felt a sense of simpatico with her – having to be both mother and father to two teenage kids and work full time was no easy thing.
She looked at Potter with an indecipherable expression when the phone rang before accepting the call, listening before responding, "Understood. I'll send him down."
Hanging up, she looked at the two men. "That was Creevey. The MCRT got a call from dispatch. Something about a hostage situation, so they are heading out."
Harry stood up. "Fine …well I guess that's my cue to be going, then. Apologies for having to leave prematurely… Director Vance. I'll no doubt see you around. Minister, I'll talk to you later," he told Hermione as he left the director's office hastily.
Hermione watched him go and then turned her attention back to Vance. "So let's deal with the fluffy pink elephant in the room, shall we? Point 2 – Dr Sciuto and her attack on Anthony DiNozzo. What is her status and what is NCIS going to do about her assaulting my director?"
Leon sighed, wondering about Granger's dogged use of Sciuto's professional honorific. Was it a reminder that she wasn't some unsophisticated young woman but a mature – well biologically – female with cognitive training in reasoning and logic, who should have been capable of dealing with issues without resorting to assault. Not some emotional despot who knew that she was Gibbs' favourite and could, therefore, behave as outrageously as she wanted and get away with it. Ironic that a young, highly intelligent woman would be the one to demand Abby be made responsible for her actions.
"Dr Sciuto has been admitted to the psychiatric wing of Walter Reed for 30 days assessment after Dr Mallard and the ER doctor made a tentative diagnosis of her suffering a psychotic break. If she is deemed to be correctly diagnosed, then we will ensure she gets effective treatment," Vance reported.
"So what are you saying – that she gets away with breaking the law?"
"Well it would be a gross violation of her rights to hold her legally responsible for her actions if she was not in her right mind."
"Of course not. But what proof do you have that she wasn't in her right mind when she decided to attack Tony. My understanding is that this isn't the first time she's done something like this. How do you know that the psychotic break – if she actually had one, wasn't caused because you shoved her in a holding cell and Gibbs didn't come rushing to rescue her? It could simply be that she was so out of control that finally being forced to face consequences for her actions for the first time in years was what tipped her over the edge."
"I guess we don't know, and maybe we never will." The director admitted reluctantly.
"So she gets away with it," Hermione stated baldly.
"Hardly. She'll lose her job and that is a huge consequence for her, believe me."
"I don't understand. If you can't charge her with assault because she wasn't in her right mind, then how can you fire her for assault?"
"Because we wouldn't be firing her for assault. Having someone with a diagnosed mental health issue would make her ineligible to work in such a sensitive job, dealing with critical evidence and attending court to testify. The defence would question every statement she made on the stand. She would be let go because she could no longer fulfil her brief as a forensic scientist.
"Actually, if she is charged and found guilty of assault she'll lose her job too, because again, she would not be considered to be of suitable moral character to work with sensitive evidence. The defence would make mincemeat out her in court. Her presence would make it nigh near impossible to get convictions."
Hermione frowned. "So the only way she retains her job is if she's faking the psychotic break and is charged with assault but found not guilty?"
"Yeah, but the chances of that happening are slim with the amount of people who witnessed her do it. While a couple of individuals may testify on her behalf, many others will want to see her get her just desserts. She's shoved the 'I'm the favourite bratty daughter card in peoples' faces' a few dozen times too many, I'm afraid.
"However, SecNav has a proposal she wanted me to present to you that she hopes you'll consider. Although it's true that it is very unlikely that Dr Sciuto could get off scot-free, if she is deemed to be fit to stand trial, it isn't a done deal – not unless the doctor pleads guilty. If she were to be found not guilty then she could get off with no consequences. With your permission we could offer to drop the assault charges, in exchange for her agreeing to resign from NCIS."
Hermione considered this proposal, stony-faced. "Why would you want me to accede to this scheme. What's in it for you?"
Vance regarded her with reluctant admiration. He'd deliberately presented the situation so that Hermione would see that being charged with assault was the one scenario that may allow Sciuto to get away with assault and retain her job. As remote a possibility though it may be. Yet instead of exploding with righteous indignation about her not facing adequate consequences for her actions, like he'd expected, Granger had seen straight through his proposal. He'd rightly adjudged her to be a highly intelligent adversary who had immediately seen that they had an agenda in not charging the forensic scientist. As he was considering how to reply to her pointed question, she shocked him by answering it herself.
"You don't want her charged because that could create havoc with appeals against convictions in every case she's worked on, over what, 16 or 17 years?" she questioned him shrewdly.
Seeing his astonished expression Hermione glowered at him. "What? Hardly rocket science, Director to figure out what was your real impetus was – and it wasn't my director, either. I'll want to discuss this with my team before I decide – particularly Tony; although I think I know what he'll say. He won't want to see criminals freed on appeal because Dr Sciuto was too foolish to control herself. But I do have one stipulation if you want me to seriously consider your request."
The minister and the director locked gazes as they acknowledged that Hermione was in an advantageous position to have her proviso agreed to. NCIS had more riding on keeping the situation with Abby on the down low than Granger did in seeing that she was made to pay for her actions.
"And what might that stipulation be?" Leon inquired, trying to pretend that he wasn't going to agree to whatever it was she demanded. Even if he didn't fool her, at least he could engage in some self -deception couldn't he? Truth to tell, he was getting pretty fed up with feeling so damned impotent. For someone as well-endowed as he was, it was a very uncomfortable feeling.
"I want to see Dr Sciuto and talk to her," Hermione stated simply.
Wow – I didn't see that one coming. There go my two bishops.
"As you know, Dr Sciuto is undergoing psychological evaluation and will be for the next 28 days. She isn't permitted visitors."
"I have two degrees in psychology - as I'm sure you know, Director Vance. I'm not going there for a social visit. I want to see for myself if she is trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I'm sure that the Secretary of the Navy will be able to arrange for me to assess Dr Sciuto, seeing she'd in Walter Reed. It might be more…problematic was she in a civilian hospital."
Leon admitted mentally that she had a damned good point. To keep Granger onside, SecNav would probably agree to a lot more unreasonable requests than talking to Sciuto, right down to selling her first born or offering his balls up on a silver platter. He could feel himself being boxed quite effectively into a corner. With just a few pawns and his knights left, he might as well surrender his king since she was in an unbeatable position.
Sighing deeply, he acceded. "True. But I'll need to talk to Secretary Porter about this, obviously. Would you like for me to arrange for your group to take a tour of NCIS while I confer with SecNav about your request? Or alternatively, I could organise a tour of the naval base for you or perhaps arrange to have you driven back to your hotel?"
Hermione considered her options before electing to take a tour of the agency. As he escorted her out of his office he noticed that her entourage was waiting for her in the outer office. Two burly agents, her press secretary and her personal assistant all stood deferentially as they walked together. Not that he should be surprised, for all her unassuming manner she was a cabinet minister. What was more surprising was that Delores Bromstead from HR was waiting in the outer-office as well.
"Delores, were you wanting to talk to me? I have to make some urgent phone calls. Can we talk later, perhaps we could schedule a meeting this afternoon?"
"Actually, Director, I was hoping to snatch a few minutes to talk to Minister Granger. I have Special Agent DiNozzo's medical records downstairs. I thought the minister could take them back with her."
Leon considered her statement. He was going to see who was at a loose end in the bull pen then order them to give Granger a tour of the building, but he had a better idea. "I need someone to show the minister around while I make a couple of phone calls. Perhaps you could that that, Delores?" After all she was head of Human Resources.
The somewhat dour woman looked delighted to be asked which was surprising. "I'd be honoured, Director Vance. If you and your people would like to come with me, I'd love to show you around the agency," the head of the Human Resources department invited the group shyly, as she led them out of the director's office.
As he watched them depart, it occurred to him to wonder how Delores had known that Minister Granger was in the building, since, for security reasons they hadn't announced her arrival. Plus, how the hell did she know that Granger was DiNozzo's new boss?