"So, you and Bryn, huh?" Tim asked, wondering what had happened there.

"Yeah, almost three months, and trust me, now I know why Rule 12 was invented." Jimmy admitted, smiling when he said it.

"Rules are made to be broken?" Tim offered.

"You really believe that?" Jimmy countered, smiling, as he and Tim walked back to the yard. As they didn't see each other as much, the two men popped out for coffee at least twice a week to catch up. It also gave them both a break they normally needed. Jimmy was now in his transitional year, with only four months to go before he fully qualified as a Doctor, having completed his degree eight months earlier.

"Well, maybe not, but bend it, sure. Me and Cassie make it work, both NCIS, but don't work together. With a little effort, you can forget about work, and focus on life." Tim was may have been channelling his therapist, but, good advice is good advice.

"Yeah, but you and Cassie are in different buildings, I see her twice a day when we have a case. I just don't want to bring my personal life into work with me." Tim knew what he was getting at, he didn't want to take work home with him.

"So, create rules for work. Maybe, no first names, or no seeing each other outside of the case. And at home, no work talk, not even if it was an easy case. Keep NCIS away from your date nights." Tim was in the same boat, he and Cassie made the rule they could talk about actual work for no more than fifteen minutes each, but about work colleagues was unlimited.

"Easier said than done. I get to leave earlier than she does, and she still gets in before me. We barely have any time together, just weekends, when neither of us is on call, and I'm not studying." Jimmy thought Rule 12 wasn't invented to stop problems if a relationship turned sour, it was stop the pain that came with not being able to be with the person. The job just didn't leave enough time for the two of them to be themselves.

"Then make the time, find some way to get home early, or come in late, get food delivered or pick it up on the way home, but find a way. Trust me on this." Unlike Cassie, Tim could delegate to a lot more than two people and a cyber tech. He often delegated basic duties to less senior analysts, allowing the staff that had been there the longest to take on the more serious and complicated matters. Tim still did everything his job required and more, but he was also helping to delegate certain matters to allow the analysts to develop. "Tell Bryn, she's the SFA now, delegate, we have a night staff, use them, I do." Tim had developed a good relationship with Ellie Bishop at the NSA, a senior analyst on the night staff. She collated and sent over relevant info for immediate review, allowing the night staff to work fresh intel, rather than constantly going over old reports.

"She doesn't want to boss people around, her position is still only temporary."

"If she wants it to become permanent, she has to assert her authority. This is just doing her job, solving crimes, using all available resources to do it. If the night staff say no, tell her to go to Rick Hall, explain the situation, and get him to drag their asses in line. The next time she tells them to do something, they will."

"Yeah, that might work. How did you get so good at this, Tim?" Jimmy asked, proud of how his friend had turned out.

"Good at what?"

"Leading, giving advice, offering support. Not being rude or anything, but you didn't get it from Gibbs or DiNozzo, I saw the way they worked." Jimmy loved this new McGee, and wanted to know how he was created.

"They both could lead, they both gave advice and they both offered support. The problem they had was the way they showed it. They just did it in the only way they knew how. Thanks to the CTOC, I've had three probie agents, along with senior agents to develop into SFAs. What works with one, doesn't work with them all." Tim had learned that the hard way, when his approach with Flick didn't work as well as it had with Xander. "I've learnt to change the curriculum to suit the student. Talking of which, I have a class to teach in ten minutes."

"What? You got another job?"

"Sort of, Jen has asked me to give a talk on inter-agency cooperation. I prefer to call it "How not to hurt the FBI!"."

"Who's in the class?"

"Probationary agents and analysts, two years experience and under. The Director feels that my work with CTOC and SpecOps will be invaluable in showing, and I quote, "The necessity of being a willing partner in a mutually beneficial relationship." If you ask me, we don't need this class, the FBI does." Tim knew the FBI were too proud most times to ask for help. He'd seen that with both Gibbs and himself.

"Well, let me know if you need to put anyone in detention, Professor. They can come down and clean the beds." Jimmy was glad he and Tim were still friends, even after the events of six years ago.

"Well, anyone throwing paper planes or talking when I am, will end up with you after class." Tim and Jimmy walked into the Navy Yard, Tim checking his BlackBerry. "Yeah, I gotta teach." Tim was half hoping for something else to do.

"The way you were speaking, I thought you wanted to do this."

"I do, I quite like teaching, its different to anything else I do, but when I'm teaching probies they want to learn. Jen is sending me these guys whether they want to be there on not."

"Well, good luck to you, Professor McGee. See you at football practice." Jimmy raised his coffee in salute, before walking towards Autopsy.

"SSA McGee, could I have a word, please?" Tim stopped at these words, being confronted with a man who was being eyed up by some the some of the women walking into the building.

"Hello, can I help you?" With DeLa Tour still at large, McGee was very suspicious of strangers, even in the NCIS building.

"I certainly hope so, Sir." Tim may not know this guy, but he hated that last word, he even heard the capital S.

"McGee is fine, I have never been knighted to my knowledge. What's your name and what do you need?" Tim asked, indicating with his hand to keep walking.

"I'm Special Agent Brent Langer, with the FBI, formerly NCIS. I was hoping to discuss with you the possibility of transferring back to NCIS." McGee glanced at the man, and kept walking.

"Agent Langer, I'd be happy to help, but I'm not the guy to speak to."

"Both Director Shepard and Deputy Director Vance said you were."

This stopped McGee in his tracks. He felt like something was at play again.

"Why speak to me?" Tim asked, cautiously.

"With my special agent status, along with my experience and GL status, I outrank nearly everyone currently on MCRTs, the only people in the building I don't are the Director, Heads of Department and Heads of Sections."

"Well, that's great, but you are still making little sense." Tim was growing impatient, moving for the stairs.

"Director Shepard said to speak to you about openings in Intelligence and the CTOC." This once again stopped Tim.

"I'm in the middle of a thousand things right now, Agent Langer. Be here at 1800 hours, and we can discuss it further, OK?" Tim was on the move, the BlackBerry being tapped at, sending out emails on the go.

"Thank you, Sir." Agent Langer called out.

"Call me Sir at 1800 hours, and I tell you nothing about anything." Tim was climbing the stairs to the Intelligence Section, almost late for the lecture.

Flash Forward

"You need to take command there, we can't get anyone else to you right now."

"What do you need us to do?"

"Double and triple check everything. The city is in lockdown. Nothing in or out. Roadblocks are everywhere. They are here, find them, everything has to come through the Citadel."