TAP5 -


A call to a gruesome scene had Tim shiver for a reason unbeknown to his team. A homosexual sailor had been murdered in cold blood and the word FAG had been written on the wall in his own blood. One of his worst fears, and a contributing factor as to the reason he refused to go into the Navy. He wasn't gay, but he was bisexual and he knew that despite DADT being way over, that it didn't eradicate the homophobic tendencies that some members of the armed forces still held. Especially the personnel who were active prior to the repeal of the DADT laws.

Upon the completion of processing the scene, they left Tim and Ziva to return to the yard with the evidence, while Gibbs and Tony went to the Ensign's apartment, off base. Ziva disappeared so fast as soon as they arrived at the Navy Yard, so that Tim was forced to deliver the evidence to Abby, himself. Abby was her strange I love McGee like I love puppies mood and it irked him. It made him feel belittled and genuinely used. Like she would use him when she had nothing else good going on in her life. Tim didn't have the patience for her antics today and tried to escape her clutches as quickly as possible. As soon as he was free of her clutches he muttered to himself a sarcastic barb about the lack of teamwork between the MCRT team, lately.

By the time Tony and Gibbs had returned and updated Ziva and Tim on their findings, Tim had compiled a complete background check, scoured through his socials, phone and email usage and internet browsing history. Which had sent the team in the direction of Hump! A LGBTI underground club where the Navy Ensign frequented. Gibbs and Tony went to check it out, leaving Tim and Ziva with the order to keep digging into his personal life.

The two men had come back frustrated at their lack of information from both the patrons and club manager. That had sent Gibbs upstairs, looking for Vance, to get him to authorise an undercover operation, to gather intel, or the case was going to go cold. "Who are you thinking of sending under?" Vance asked, amused that Gibbs had sought permission to run an op like this. The team leader's usual M.O was to do it and seek forgiveness later, he even had a rule about it.

"It has to be McGee." Gibbs sighed, not liking the idea of sending their least experienced agent undercover. "They already know what Tony and I look like."

"He can do it?" Vance verbally asked. Not knowing if the MCRT had actually discussed it with their probationary agent or not yet.

"He will if he likes his job." Gibbs snapped, not wanting the case to slip through his fingers and go cold because of McGee's refusal to go under.

"You can't do that, Gibbs." Vance chastised him. He knew that Gibbs had a reputation of bulldozing his way through people, but that wasn't going to happen with him. Dealing with Gibbs, was like dealing with a toddler, you needed to pick your battles and this was one argument that Vance wasn't backing down from. "Call McGee up here now, before this goes any further. You are not to influence his decision in any way and you are not to make his life difficult, should he refuse. Am I clear?"

A quick call from Gibbs, had McGee scrambling up to the Director's office. As he arrived in the outer office, Pamela, Vance's P.A urged him to go on inside. "Come on in, McGee. Take a seat." Vance said in a friendly tone. That tone unnerved him a little because the last time he had been hauled into the Director's office alone, it had not ended well for him. He had been reamed out for DiNozzo's deceitful behaviour, by not volunteering to go to Iraq, on assignment. "Gibbs has a radical idea for gathering some intel on this case and you would be playing an essential part in the operation."

"I thought that Agent DiNozzo was the MCRT undercover, extraordinaire." Tim said, trying to curb his snarkiness. After the last time that they had been undercover, Tony had told Tim, within Gibbs' hearing range that Tim had been awful undercover. That a trained chimp could have done a better job and Gibbs had nodded his head along with the senior field agent's verbal assessment of his performance. "After all, the last time that I was undercover Agent Gibbs agreed with Agent DiNozzo's assessment of my skills. That a trained chimp could have done my job better."

"When did I agree to such a thing?!" Gibbs asked, feeling insulted. He prided himself on a good memory and he never remembered such conversation ever taking place.

"April 16th, 2006. It was 1930 hours and the overhead lights had just switched off, in the bullpen." Tim answered him with a precise time, place and date. "It was at the conclusion of the Carter case and Tony made that comment, Ziva agreeing vocally and you nodded your head along with both of their assessments, giving me a disappointed look in the process. Never mind the fact that whilst I was undercover Director, it was my quick thinking that got Tony and Ziva the access they needed to the intel to solve the case. I believe you took Tony and Ziva out for a celebratory drink for a job well done, before rather pointedly reminding me that the MCRT truck needed restocking. I have an eidetic memory, Gibbs. Something that everyone seems to forget about me."

"Oh." Gibbs said sheepishly, he hadn't been aware that Tim had known about their trip to a bar to celebrate closing that particular case. At least Gibbs had the good graces to look embarrassed, in front of Vance. "Well, in this case. We need you. The club manager already knows that Tony and I are NCIS."

"You're talking about going under at the LGBTI club, right?" Tim asked, surmising what his boss had been thinking.

"This operation is on a strictly voluntary basis, Agent McGee." Vance reminded the junior agent. He had been shocked to hear what had transpired at the end of the Carter case. "No one is going to admonish you if you refuse."

"Whatever it takes for the case, right Gibbs?!" Tim asked, letting his snark return a fraction more than earlier. "I best go work up and ID with Abby, excuse me."

"That wasn't the McGee we usually see. The happy, carefree McGee, right?" Vance asked. He had always known the young man to be polite to a fault. He had never known the MCRT's junior field agent to be so snarky, sarcastic and borderline disrespectful to a superior. Even if he did put Gibbs back in his box, effectively and efficiently.

"McGee's just misunderstood something that Tony did. It will all blow over." Gibbs explained, not really wanting to want to get into what McGee's problem was with the Director. Gibbs wasn't so sure that the Director would be on Tony's side if the bought the Director up to speed on what annoyed his youngest agent. He had spoken to Tony and length about it but he may as well as have been talking to a brick wall.

"It better be, Gibbs because Agent McGee is a valuable asset to this agency." Vance knew when someone was pissing on his boots and telling him it was a rainstorm. Gibbs was the one pissing on his boots. As if that was what really ailed the young agent. "One we can not afford to lose. Dismissed."


Tim was in the lab with Abby, working up his ID and background with the lab teach. As much as he was over her and had been for a long time, she still didn't get it and insisted that his world still revolved around her. That particular day, she was being extra difficult and Tim was already short of patience. "Enough, Abby!" Tim snapped, after listening to her for the last twenty minutes as she prattled on that he wasn't a good enough agent and that he could never pull this off. That if he did this, his cover would get blown and he'd get himself killed. Then she'd have no one to escorts her to concerts.

"Touchy, touchy!" she admonished him. "Just because you're setting yourself up to fail, doesn't mean that you can snap at me. Just for that, I hope you blow your cover."

"Abigail!" Gibbs chastised harshly, from the door. "If McGee's cover is blown, it will be your fault. You are responsible for making it impossible to penetrate. Don't worry, the op will be over in plenty of time for McGee to take you where ever you want to go."

"What if I had plans?!" Tim snapped at the two of them. He was sick and tired of Abby thinking he was at her beck and call and frustrated that Gibbs didn't know that he wanted nothing to do with Abby outside the walls of NCIS.

"What could you possibly doing that's better than going to a concert with me?" She retorted, harshly. "Writing your next excuse of a novel. Please, you're going to take me to the concert at the Lichtenstein Centre."

"No, I'm not!" Tim argued, vehemently. Gibbs stood shocked, he couldn't think of a time when Tim had refused Abby like that, least of all so vehemently.

"Abs." Gibbs warned. He didn't know what had crawled up the ass of his junior field agent, but he had to admit to himself that his lab tech was out of line. Even if Tim's adamant vehemence had thrown them both. Selfishly though, he was relieved not to see that snarkiness solely pointed at him.

"But Gibbs..." she whined, but the look on the team leader's face stopped her cold in her tracks.

Silently, the three of them got to work creating Tim's cover and background. Gibbs suggested that Tim be a Petty Officer and Tim went down to the storage bins to source a uniform. While he was down there, he styled his hair in the men's room on the sub-basement level, to make him look like a Petty Officer to meet regulations. Gibbs called in a favour with a friend of his, who teed it up for Tim to pose as a shipping clerk as part of his cover, if need be.

When Tim returned, Abby was nowhere to be found, something that Tim was grateful for. "Ready McGee?" Gibbs asked the young man as soon as on as he returned. He had to admit that Tim could easily pass for a petty officer and he had it down pat. Something Gibbs put down to his naval father and grandfather. "Vance and I will be monitoring from MTAC, DiNozzo and Ziva in the van as back-up. Agents Donovan, Carson and Balboa will be scattered throughout the club for back up."

"Ready." Tim answered, handing Gibbs his personal cell and taking the offered burner. "If that rings, don't answer it." Tim warned his boss. He wasn't expecting a call yet, but he didn't want Gibbs prying into his private life, any more than they were about to.

Tim arrived at the club at 11, paid his cover and was let in. He slipped his glasses up his nose and activated the camera. His undercover persona wore glasses. Tim scouted out the best location and ordered himself a glass of cola and a shot of whiskey.

The club was packed for 2300 hours on a Friday night and it was barely standing room only. He could hear DiNozzo's running commentary in his ear, before Vance warned him to cool it. Tim took his drinks and moved off, discreetly spilling his whiskey into the floor grate under the bar. Leaving the empty shot glass on the bar, Tim left the barman a tip and scouted the dance floor, looking for their target. Someone who was a regular, knew the staff and the other regulars. "Hey." A tall black man with a dark shaved head said to him, as his eyes travelled the young agent up and down. "I'm Eric."

"Nathan." Tim supplied smoothly, as he turned to Eric and used his body to express his interest in the taller man before him. Making sure to use his undercover alias. Picking up men was a lot harder, when you were trying to be someone you aren't.

"What brings you here tonight?" he asked Tim, as he began touching his arm, attempting to begin the flirting ritual.

"A Navy buddy of mine, Chris said this was the place to be. I thought I'd check it out." Tim told him, casually. The man standing before him wouldn't peak his interest on a normal night, but he had peaked his persona's interest.

"Man, haven't seen Chris around in a couple of days." Eric said, as he moved half a step closer to Tim, in a flirtatious manner. "Are you and Chris buddies? Or buddy buddies?"

"Just buddies." Tim grinned at him, before Eric offered to buy him a drink.

Gibbs and Leon Vance watched on as Tim attracted half a dozen men or so, before finding one they could use. Both men had been surprised to see that Tim was actually really good, both at the undercover art and at attracting and picking up men. "Looks like McGee just needed a little push and he was good to go." Leon muttered and Gibbs sat back in silence and stared at the screen as his youngest agent, allowed their mark to buy him a beer.

"Looks like McGee might have done this before." Gibbs muttered, as Tim began pumping his mark for information in such a subtle way that he didn't know he was giving them the information they needed to find Ensign Chris Ryan's killer.

"Homophobe now, Gibbs?" Vance asked in amused tone. "I wouldn't have taken you for the type of man to be threatened by a gay man."

"Not threatened, just surprised." Gibbs explained to the Director, succinctly. Gibbs was positive that McGee and his lab tech had been getting together for at least a year, after he transferred McGee onto the MCRT. "Besides he's not gay. He and Abby had a thing, on and off for a while before he transferred to the yard and again during his first year, here."

"What ever he is, is not our business." Vance added. He was pretty sure that he had heard the same story and come to think of it, he had heard that the source of the story was DiNozzo. "I certainly hope that you've made it abundantly clear that there is to be no harassment from anyone, especially DiNozzo or Miss Sciuto towards Agent McGee for this operation. Heads will roll, Gibbs."


It was almost 0300 and Gibbs couldn't believe the man's stamina. He was still mingling and partying like he had just arrived. The club hadn't emptied out one bit, in fact, it had gotten busier. Tim has spoken with just about every man in the club, danced with about half of them and flirted with them. He had no more than nine phone numbers in his pocket.

But it was Vance who called it a night, over the earpiece. Tim made a show of being tired. He knew they could have moved on what Kendall had to say, alone. But Tim wanted to make sure that he didn't have to go back under. Only three minutes before Vance called time, he'd seen an ex-partner of his, Andy, enter the club. He really didn't want anyone to witness that reunion. Especially anyone he worked with. Andy would blow his cover, just to be spiteful.

Climbing into the back of the van, the first thing Gibbs did was have Ziva breath test McGee. They need his alcohol levels for their reports. It needed to be documented if he had consumed any alcohol in the course of the evening. He blew 0.0 and Gibbs wondered how, when he had seen the young man make it look like he had drunk beer after beer.

As soon as Tony had the report that Donovan, Carson and Balboa were clear of the club, Tony started the truck and took them back to the yard. When Tim, Ziva and Tony arrived in the bullpen, Carson, Balboa, Donovan, Vance and Gibbs were clapping, although the latter still seemed slightly off kilter, not clapping but not clapping. He was half-smiling though. "Well done, Agent McGee." Vance praised the young man. Even if he had thought, privately, that Agent McGee had been too good at his undercover task.

"Great work tonight, McGoo." DiNozzo praised him too and he was shocked. But as Tim expected, Tony continued. "You just have been copying me a little too hard, though. You seemed desperate. I could have certainly done better."

"Don't listen to DiNozzo, he's just jealous." Carson told Tim. Renee Carson was an undercover legend at NCIS and had taught classes at FLETC on the subject. So praise coming from her meant a lot. "You did good work. It's not easy being undercover so far out of your element and with something as delicate at that."

"Here, McGee." Gibbs said, thrusting his phone at him. "It rang twelve times. I didn't answer it, as promised."

"Ooh Boss, did you see the caller ID? I thought Probie didn't have friends." Tony asked gleefully and Gibbs head slapped him. He turned to Ziva and muttered. "It was probably his sister."

"No, I didn't, DiNozzo and I don't care who called." Gibbs had snapped. But he had looked at the phone once when it rang. It had been a woman named Penny. Clearly DiNozzo was off his game. "Let's pack it in for the night. We will see you all here at 1300 this afternoon."

Gibbs ushered everyone out of the bullpen, leaving Tim alone to get changed and check his phone. Four missed calls from his Penny, one from his neighbour, two from Sarah, three from Tobias, two from from Pete. Pete was a man he'd bumped into at the market last week. He was a Naval cryptographer, a Commander attached to the Pentagon. Previously Tim had met him, in the course of an investigation, when Pete was working out of Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Tim had been checking out new apartments in the area and had called into the market to grab something for dinner on his way home, when he had met Pete.


"OK, Gibbs what's crawled up your ass?" Tobias asked his friend, as soon as his ass hit the seat of the booth with a thud. He was not in the moos to put up with Gibbs' crap today. It had been the day from hell and all Tobias wanted to do was lay down and relax.

"McGee." he barked, as he glared at the menu even though he knew what he wanted to order. He always ordered the same thing from Elaine's. A club sandwich, no egg and no lettuce. "Had McGee undercover two nights ago, just finished wrapping up the case. It was at one of those same sex clubs. Never seen McGee like that before. He was confident, debonair, suave, sophisticated. He was attracting men by the dozen. Tobias, I've never seen that side of him before. He's worked for me for six years, already."

"So, what's the problem?" Tobias asked, taking a long sip of his tea. He didn't like tea, he liked coffee, but he was planning on going home to bed. He didn't want the caffeine keeping him awake all night. He wasn't like Gibbs or Tim. His body had a reaction to too much caffeine and it kept him up at nights. "You sent him undercover, he completed the op satisfactorily. You got your killer and McGee got a chance to show you that he does know how to do his job."

Tobias knew that Tim knew how to do his job. He wasn't the green, shy, bumbling little probie that Gibbs first met six, almost seven years ago now. No, he was well trained and highly skilled. Tobias had personally taken the young man under his wing and taught him, shared his wisdom. In turn, Tim had taught him some things on the computer and installed some programs on his computer, that made his job a lot easier. He and Tim had even taken a trip down to Baltimore one weekend, when he didn't have Emily and the two of them had played tourist, with a twist. They had backstories and whole new identities. They practiced and practiced. When McGee screwed up, they tried and tried again. Until McGee had it down pat, a second nature. Gibbs had always told Tobias that McGee couldn't lie and for the most part, in his day to day life, that was true. It was in his DNA to be honest. But he could lie when he wanted to and he could do it flawlessly. He had even heard the man lie to his own Grandmother and sister one time, when they had called him and begged him to take a trip. He had lied and told them that he was swamped at work, when in fact Tony was in New York visiting his father, Gibbs was away somewhere, doing something and Ziva was visiting with her father in Israel. Tim had just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet in his bullpen. To enjoy the silence and get some work done without any of his team, hovering over him or annoying him with juvenile games.

"It's not that." Gibbs denied, as Elaine bought their food out to them. "It's just ... I know McGee. He can't lie. If someone could get an A in honesty, it's McGee every time. I'm not a homophobe, either. But I think perhaps, the man has been lying to us all these years. Maybe, he really does ... swing that way."

Tobias couldn't believe Gibbs. He used to think that Gibbs didn't have prejudice bone in his body. Despite his vehement denial. "Even if he does, so what?!" Tobias snapped. "One, you shouldn't be gossiping about him behind his back, especially about something so private as someone's sexuality. Two, it's not your place to care whom he sees in a romantic manner. Three, why do you even care? It's not like he is hurting anyone if he is that way inclined. His sexuality holds no frame of reference for his job, it doesn't impact his security clearance or hinder his ability to do his job."

Gibbs was taken aback at his friend's abrupt message. He thought that Tobias was old school enough, like him to get the bigger picture. "I don't care if McGee is gay, or bi or any other letter of the alphabet, I just don't like being lied to, Tobias."

"What exactly did he lie about?" Tobias said, angrily. "You didn't ask him and he didn't tell. All you have is speculation and a possible theory."

"It doesn't matter." Gibbs sighed, in defeat. "It's McGee, he has as much luck with finding a partner, as we do with women." Bitching to Fornell in usual manner tonight, had definitely backfired on him.


Knocking on his friend's apartment door on Monday afternoon was a change of pace for Tobias, but he knew that Tim was off work. He wished he had of called first, but he had been speaking to an informant nearby. He was officially off the clock and thought he would stop by. "Coming." A male voice called out, but he knew it wasn't his friend's voice.

A man he didn't recognise opened his friend's door. "Hey" he greeted him. The man was tall, taller than Tim, by a few inches. He had a tawny coloured hair, similar to his friend's and it was slicked back. Much like his friend did when he was uber-relaxed in his sweats. He was built more solid than Tim and much more bulky in the muscles department. "Can I help you?"

"Is Tim here?" Tobias asked, looking over the man who he'd stumbled upon in his friend's apartment. The shirtless man, wearing running sweats and cross trainers.

"Laundry room." His friend supplied. "I'm Pete. Pete Kennedy, no relation to JFK. You must be Tobias or Gibbs."

"Tobias." He supplied, as he made his way to the kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee. "You are ...?"

"A friend of Tim's." Pete supplied, sizing the older man up. Tim had told him all about Tobias and Gibbs, as well as his team. He didn't know if Tim was out with his friend's, or his team, but he suspected not. Just like himself, they were both shy men.

The two men hadn't labelled what they were, as such. Tim had bought him up here after the two men had got soaked, running in the park. His apartment being the closer one. Even if he usually had a rule about letting his dates know where he lived. But it had been different with Pete. One, Tim was about to move. His apartment all but packed up and ready for the movers. Two, Pete was Navy and worked as a cryptologist. His security clearance was higher than Tim's

"Hey, I'm back." Tim called out, letting himself into the apartment, carrying a basket of clean laundry. "Tobias." Tim greeted the FBI Agent surprised. He hadn't been expecting his friend's arrival.

"Yeah, hope you don't mind." Tobias said, rubbing the back of his neck. It had been clear that he had walked into something that was unexpected. "Can we talk?"

Tim handed Pete his tee and the muscular man, threw it on quickly. "I've got to get a move on, Tim." He said, as he joined Tim by the door. Tobias moved in to the kitchen, under the pretense for more coffee, to give the two men some privacy. But it was a small apartment and he could still hear the two men speaking. "Call me about dinner?"

Tobias watched as Tim's new friend leant down and kissed his cheek, before Tim closed the door behind Pete and smiled to himself. Tobias could have sworn that he saw the man blush a little, too. "Pete seems nice." Tobias said from the doorway to the kitchen, startling him from his reverie.

"He is." Tim smiled at him after a moment. "what brings you by? Not that you're not welcome to just pop by and say hi. But I know that you're supposed to be working, so what's up?"

"First up, right off the bat. I want to be honest with you, I am ok with whatever that is." Tobias said because he truly was. Unlike Gibbs who kept claiming he was, but kept having an issue with it. "Whatever your sexuality, I am ok?"

"But why the change? You thought I only liked women?" Tim asked with a small grin. "You've only seen me with women. But I am bi, Tobias. Is that ok?"

Tim flinched as he asked his question, albeit, asked in a sarcastic tone. But Tobias couldn't believe it, the man had flinched. "I am ok with it, as long as you're not harbouring anything for me?"

"God, no!" Tim laughed at his friend's panicked tone. "No, not like that. we're just friends. You're not my type."

"I could see that." Tobias chuckled, before taking a serious look at his friend. "I take it that very few people know about this." The older man was positive, if Gibbs didn't know, the man his team claimed was all-knowing, then it had to be a very closely guarded secret, that Tim had been keeping.

"Besides my previous partners, only one other person knows. He was not supportive." Tim answered sadly, as he rubbed a scar over his left eyebrow. It was on the tip of Tobias' tongue to ask if that man was his father, but Tim continued and he decided he'd learn more if he just shut up and listened. "His name was Justin. We were twenty. he was my best friend. He took deep offence to my lifestyle and knocked me out, cold. By the time I came to, he was packed up and in a new dorm."

"Well, you have my unwavering support and friendship." Tobias reminded his friend, placing his hand on Tim's arm in support. "Just promise me three things?"

"Anything." Tim smiled at him. He couldn't believe how liberating it felt to know that someone else knew about his sexuality. That the someone he had confided in didn't care. That he continued to support him, no matter who he loved. "Name it."

"One, you never tell me about your sex life." Tobias chuckled at the younger man. "Two, promise me you will be careful and wear protection. No matter what. An STD is no laughing matter. Three, and perhaps the most important thing. Anyone and I mean anyone, gives you a hard time about this. If they hit you, hurt you or threaten you, in any way. That includes your family and your team, ok. You come to me. If any partner lays a hand on you, you come to me. Anyone forces you into doing something that you're not comfortable with, you come to me. Got it? I don't want to see you hurt."

"Thanks, Tobias." Tim said, genuinely thankful that he had a friend that cared about him the way that Tobias did.