Tap19
Gibbs had to admit, he was more than impressed with how Tim's team had scattered, carrying out his orders to the letter, in a timely and organized fashion. Within the hour, they had each person Tim had requested in the building, plus the requested agents in the SVCC. Tim scanned his retina to allow him access to the SVCC, and Stewart and Sawyer were coming online as they entered the secure room. Ziva and Gibbs whistled to themselves. They had never set foot in the FBI's SVCC before; it was twice the size of MTAC, and when Tim was in there, it seemed like he commanded the room. "Sawyer? Stewart? Sitrep?" Tim requested, as he stood in front of the camera, in his all-businesslike manner. Gibbs and Ziva sat down, wordlessly telling Tim they would listen.
Sawyer mentioned that they had eyes on Rico and that they had gone in last night and gotten out clean. Tim visibly released the breath that he had been holding onto. "You've hauled Lou and Daniela in," Stewart asked in a harsh whisper. "Are you crazy?"
"And I am about to read them the riot act, too. Another innocent bystander was killed in this war that the Camarillo's and Castillo's insist on having with each other. I am also going to deal with Daniella Figoni, myself." Tim steamed out loud. Gibbs was sure that if Tim was in a cartoon, that steam would be flying out of ears like it does to a teapot.
"Good luck, Chuck!" Sawyer laughed, joking with Tim. "Next check-in is at 2200 tonight."
Tim warned them, as he disconnected the call "Keep your heads down and watch your sixes." He turned to Gibbs and Ziva. "We can't bring anyone in from the Castiello family. It will interfere with another, unrelated mission and it would compromise an undercover operation. I've got a spare desk for Ziva," Tim told Gibbs as Tim led them back into their office area, a floor below the SVCC - Secure Video Conference Centre. "I'll get her to remote log in and background your Lance Corporal, double check that he has no ties to either of the crime families. You can use my desk. We need everything on him Ziva, the whole lot, including his socials."
Tim indicated to his desk that she could use, while Gibbs wordlessly followed Tim into Tobias' office and closed the door behind them. "Are you doing ok, Tim?" he asked, as he took a hard look at his former agent. "You look tired."
"I was hoping I would have a few more days before this particular mess reared its ugly head again." Tim rubbed his temples slightly at the luck that this had happened when he was in charge. "Plus, I got into it, on the phone with Diane this morning after I dropped Emily off at school." Tim explained, as he handed Gibbs the FBI file on the Casiello crime family to familiarize himself with all the players before they went into interrogation.
"Diane? As in my ex-wife, Diane?" Gibbs asked, thinking back that last he had heard, Tim had been dating the man, Pete, the Commander.
"Your ex-wife, Diane!" Tim snapped, before finishing off his cold coffee from this morning and tossing the paper cup in the trash can below his desk. "That Diane. I currently have Emily in my care while she is away for her work and Tobias is away too."
"No wonder you're having an awful day, Diane is cause enough to destroy anyone's mood." Gibbs quipped and Tim gave him a grin. "Are you still seeing that Commander of yours? How is he doing?"
"Pete's actually great, Gibbs." Tim told him truthfully. He had been surprised that Gibbs had asked about his boyfriend. "He and Emily don't know one another very well, yet. By the way, I listed you as an emergency contact at Emily's school, should I be unreachable. But I won't be. I will be keeping regular office hours and working from home outside of those hours. When I am not in the office, Agent Mac, my partner and second in command, will be in charge."
"I don't even know where you live, Tim." Gibbs grumbled lightly. "Isn't that something I should know on the off chance I have to take Emily home or get things for Emily?"
"If that's the case, then I will tell you. Otherwise, the location of my home is need to know." Tim retorted. He knew that he wasn't ready to trust Gibbs with his new address yet. Emily knew not to give his address to anyone, as did Pete. Gibbs studied Tim once again, looking at the man carefully ... Since he had seen Tim last, Tim had managed to bulk up his upper body muscles slightly more and he had slightly darker skin, like he had recently gotten some sun. Comparing him to the man he knew when Tim was his agent, he saw that Tim was more confident and more willing to take the lead. The agent that sat behind his friend's desk and had stepped into his long-time friend's shoes, wasn't the same man who had worked for him for all those years. This man had a boyfriend, a fresh scar on his temple, he had confidence, he was a strong leader, and he was more than capable of calling Gibbs out on his crap. "What?" Tim asked, getting unnerved by Gibbs staring at him.
"Just admiring the changes in you." Gibbs commented in a low voice. "They agree with you. You seem to have found yourself at the FBI, you're really coming into your own."
"I am happier here, Gibbs." Tim admitted, not shying away from the fact. He wanted to tell Gibbs not to screw him over, but he didn't because the truth be told, part of him was still expecting Gibbs to do just that. He knew Gibbs too well. "I am not constantly belittled, hazed, bullied and teased. It's amazing what that can do for your self-esteem."
Tim sent Gibbs and Ziva back to their offices just after 1600, reminding Gibbs and Ziva that this case was a marathon, not a sprint. To get some rest tonight because tomorrow it would really heat up. Tim quickly made plans with Gibbs, that he and his partner Mac would be at NCIS HQ at 0700 to brief them on Sawyer and Stewart's progress from overnight.
Pulling up at Emily's school, he was pleased to see that Emily was waiting for him. He had arrived at the promised time and reassured Emily that he had had a good day, but was tired.
They stopped at the market and had grabbed some food for dinner, some snacks for Emily for school, some fruit and vegetables, as well as some bread and cheese.
Pulling up in the driveway, Tim was surprised to see Ducky's Morgan parked out on the street. "Is that Doctor Mallard?" Emily asked, surprised too by the elderly Scottish man's appearance at Tim's home.
Tim unlocked, opened and disarmed the house, letting Emily go inside the house too. She had her book bag on her back and two bags of groceries in her arms. "Ducky?" Tim greeted him, letting his surprise colour his voice. "Is everything OK?"
"Forgive me for intruding, Timothy." Ducky began as Tim held the door open for him. Ducky had a warm casserole dish in his hands, cover in aluminium foil and wrapped in a tea towel. "Jethro told me that you had a young house guest when he stopped by autopsy for an update on his way home this afternoon. I thought that a hearty beef and vegetable casserole would be good for both of you."
"Thank you Ducky, you shouldn't have." Tim told him, taking the offered casserole. Tim held the door open, allowing Ducky to enter their home and follow him into the kitchen.
"Nonsense, my dear boy," Ducky argued with his young friend. "You've been run off your feet today. Jethro was rather impressed by the way you handled everything and led your team, today." He told Tim, as Emily re-emerged from her room, changed out of her school uniform, into some sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I was already cooking a rather large batch, too large for one person and I am more than happy to share it with you both."
Excusing herself from the conversation, Emily asked Tim if she could call her mom, as he had promised her earlier. Tim told her she could and that he and Ducky would be in his office if she needed them. "Don't open the front door to anyone, Em," he reminded her as Ducky followed him into his study.
"Only Pete?" she asked, and Tim shook his head no.
"Pete's working a double shift honey, we aren't expecting him, tonight." Tim explained to her. "No one, Emily. NO ONE!"
"Got it." She grinned at him, shooting him a thumbs up.
Once they were safely in Tim's study, Ducky handed him the completed autopsy reports, and Tim skimmed them, promising himself to go through them more thoroughly once Emily was in bed. He then put them in his biometrically locked desk drawer for safekeeping until he could read them more carefully.
"Are you going to be OK, tomorrow?" Ducky asked Tim, watching him skim the reports and commit the details he had read to his memory bank. "Coming onto the Navy Yard and setting foot back inside NCIS HQ."
"Of course, with the exception of the MCRT, minus you and Jimmy, I left the agency on good terms." Tim replied, he was sure that he would be OK. "Ziva has been a prickly with me, but I suspect it is because she is not used to seeing me in a position that outranks her."
"I am always here for you, if you need me." Ducky offered, preparing to take his leave. Tim thanked him again profusely for their unexpected dinner and Ducky sent him a wink and a wave, as he took his leave.
Signing into the Navy Yard base, as a guest was a surreal experience and a strange one for Tim. Walt had been on the gate and had almost signed him in using his old NCIS employee ID number, on autopilot, before Tim handed him his FBI credentials. It had felt strange to Tim to park in the guest lot, but his stomach calmed when he looked in his rear-view mirror and had seen his partner, Mac coming through the security gate behind him.
Tim climbed out of the sporty, black Camaro that he had been renting, while he still waited for his prized Porsche to be repaired. Leaning against it, he waited for Agent Andrew "Mac" Mackenzie to pull in and park the FBI issued sedan in the space beside him. He had wanted and planned on walking in to the NCIS HQ as a united front with Mac, keeping his head held high.
Tobias had paired Mac and Tim up on Tim's first day because like Tim, Mac was technologically minded, and they had a lot in common. Mac had come across from CID, joining the FBI after a relationship in the workplace had turned serious. His now wife, was an investigator too and she had continued to be employed by CID until her pregnancy forced her to resign her commission.
Entering into the security desk at the foyer of building A, Keith stepped out from around the desk to greet Tim warmly with a handshake. Tim introduced his partner Mac to the aging man who had been their main sign in guard at the desk, since well before Tim was born. Keith was coming up on nearly forty years on the job for him. Keith signed them both in, giving Tim a heads up that the bullpen was full of agents this morning. "Even though you know where you're going, I do need to escort you up, Tim." Keith told him in a sigh.
"I know the rules." Tim sighed and rolled his eyes at Mac. It didn't matter which federal office building of the alphabet soup; the rules were all the same. Unless you worked for that agency, you got an escort. Taking the elevator and wearing the guest badge, was a new experience and Mac grinned at him, knowing that this must be stirring feelings in him. Mac was new to the FBI too and he had never been to the NCIS HQ, so he was excited to see it.
Stepping off the elevator and onto his old floor, Keith waved him goodbye, as Balboa looked up at him from their bullpen and smiled Tim's way. "Hey McGee." He called out and Carson looked up too.
Renee Carson almost flew from her desk, on the far side of Balboa's bullpen and into Tim's arms. "Hey hotshot." She teased him, with a hug and a kiss to the cheek. "We've miss you around these parts. Man, you're looking good. Stop by before you leave."
"Was that Agent Carson?" Mac asked Tim in a low voice, as they stepped towards Gibbs' bullpen. "The undercover extraordinaire out of FLETC?"
"The very same." Tim quipped with a grin. "This is the MCRT bullpen and see that empty desk, opposite Gibbs'? That was mine, I sat there for too many years to count." Gibbs and Ziva weren't in their bullpen, but Balboa was on the phone and had held up the one finger to them, meaning they were only a minute away. Tim's hand touching the edge of Ziva's desk, he smiled at Mac wistfully. "One of the greatest agent's that I have ever had the privilege to work with, sat at this desk for two years. Special Agent Caitlin Todd, formerly of the Secret Service. She was like a mentor and big sister all rolled into one, never hesitated to pull me into line when I needed it."
"What happened to her?" Mac asked and he wished the words hadn't of come out of his mouth without thinking. He could see the pain etched on his partner's face and he regretted his question instantly.
"She was killed in the line of duty, when I was just a probie." Tim murmured softly. "The terrorist that killed her, he tried to kill me first. He missed me and shot Kate next. She took one in the vest. Eventually, they cleared the area on a visual scan, she stood up and he shot her in the head at point blank range. I live with the guilt that he missed me, and she was hit, every day, Mac."
"Man, that sucks." Mac told him sympathetically, as Gibbs and Ziva rounded the corner, coming back from the back corridor where the break room was. Unfortunately, they all knew what it was like to have a teammate killed in the line of duty.
Morning pleasantries were exchanged, and Tim could feel a lot of eyeballs on him around the room as Ziva and Gibbs brought Tim and Mac up to date on what they had discovered about their Lance Corporal. He hadn't been as squeaky clean as he had appeared yesterday.
The ringing of Gibbs' desk line had Gibbs snatching the phone line up. A few grunts and he was hanging up. "Director wants us in MTAC, McGee." Gibbs said, leaving Mac at Tim's old desk with Ziva, to continue digging into their not so squeaky-clean Marine.
Entering MTAC felt like second nature to Tim, as he followed Gibbs into the Multiple Threats Assessment Centre, greeting Leon Vance warmly. Looking up on the screen, it somehow seemed smaller than it used to be to Tim. It was weird seeing his own agent, dialing in from the SVCC at the Hoover building. "McGee?" Baker garnered his attention. "I have been looking into Henry Castiello senior, it seems that he had an affair thirty years ago that resulted in a lovechild by the name of Eric Mathers. Does that name ring any bells, Tim?"
"You've got to be kidding me, right?!" Tim cursed and swore to himself, causing Leon Vance and Jethro Gibbs to exchange a look. The McGee they knew had never reacted that way to fresh intel, like that before. "Holy crap! You're positive, Baker?"
"Holy crap, indeed!" Baker replied, rubbing his face. "I have pinged Stewart and Sawyer to join us, but I am not getting a response from them. How do you want us to proceed, Boss?"
"Hold please!" Tim asked, MTAC Tech Agent Sam Waterson to place Baker on hold, while Tim pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number on his speed dial. "Coconut Banana Pancakes, eaten by Sam and made by Paul." Tim said into the phone line and both of the NCIS men were confused as a monkey being given a violin.
"What the hell was that McGee?" Gibbs barked at his former agent. Gibbs didn't understand half of what was happening, and it was frustrating him. He had felt like yanking the case out from underneath Tim, but he didn't know half of the players involved and although no one had said anything, he was almost positive that Tobias' was undercover, and his operation was related to this case.
"Resume please. Sam, can you ping the FBI Director of Operations, Rob Clarke online." Tim requested from Waterson. Tim waited and a large stocky man, he had only met once before graced them with his presence. "Activating Coconut Banana Pancakes, Agent number TM65489/A - acting SSAIC protocol D2635 regarding active cases A32456, through to A35647 and the current multi-agency with NCIS, case number A45986."
Vance pushed Gibbs into a seat behind them and muttered into his ear. "I think that their undercover operations, just muddied our joint case." and Gibbs nodded in agreement. Vance had been impressed with their former agent's mental recall of specific open case file numbers and FBI protocols after only working for them for such a short period of time.
"Hold for Director Thomasson." The stocky man who was the Director of Operations, ordered in a sigh. It was clear, both their days and the case were going down the toilet.
"Director Vance, we have a situation here." Director Thomasson of the FBI explained gently to Gibbs and Vance. "We are going to need a twenty-four-hour hold window, before proceeding with the current joint case, as the intel is effecting an ongoing case and the safety of several undercover operatives. Can we have twenty-four hours? I guarantee that no agent will be working the joint case in those twenty-four hours, if you can guarantee the same of your agents."
"In the interest of the safety of your undercover operatives, we grant you twenty-four hours." Vance agreed, ignoring the look of shock and disgust on Gibbs' face. It was better to play nice with the FBI. Acting SSAIC knew enough about the case and the new and improved Agent Timothy MCGee wouldn't hesitate to take the case out from underneath them.
"Thank you, Leon. I knew I could count on you." Thomasson smiled at Vance. "Twenty-four hours. McGee, you and Mackenzie, report straight into my office upon your return the Hoover Building."
Disconnecting the teleconference in MTAC, Vance turned to Tim and looked him straight in the eye. "Meet back here in twenty-four hours, McGee?"
Tim gave him a nod, before reminding Gibbs that the edict included him and Ziva, before he said his goodbyes. With only twenty-four hours to sort out this mess, he and Mac needed to get back to the Hoover building ASAP and get this under control. As Tim made his way down the stairs, from the mezzanine level up above, he called out to Mac to grab his gear, before the two men rushed off the floor, down the back staircase and out of the building to the parking lot.
"Do not interfere, Gibbs." Vance warned him. "McGee warned you and now I am warning you. No secret, dirty, underhanded tactics, or I will let McGee and Thomasson ream you out, then I will too. It is budget time, and I don't have to tell you how important it is that the FBI and NCIS are showing that that they can cooperate and coexist peacefully."
Tim was in his office; it had been a long and stressful morning and mid-afternoon. He was sitting at his desk and eating his ham and salad wrap that Mac had bought back with him from the lunch run when his desk line rang. Seeing the caller ID, he braced himself. It was Emily's school. Snatching up the phone from the cradle, Tim identified himself with his usual cheerful greeting.
It was the nurse from Emily's school, she was not feeling great, and he needed to come and collect her from school. He reassured the nurse that he would be right there, and he asked her to reassure Emily that he was on his way.
Sighing to himself after he disconnected the call, he called Mac to come into the office, as he briefed his second in command and packed his work bag. He was thankful that he, Mac, Thomasson and their team were at the end of that whole ordeal with the cases overlapping. Their undercover agents were now all secure again and their op could proceed as planned. "Go on, get out of here. Hope Emily is ok." Mac told him and Tim was grateful that Mac understood that with Tobias gone and Diane injured, he now had to drop everything for Emily.
Getting to Emily's school, he was weary of the principal's whereabouts after his last encounter with her. Finding the office brimming with staff, he was glad when the nurse promptly came out when informed that he had arrived. Emily had her book bag and everything ready to go home. Her face was tearstained, her cheeks and eyes red, and her eyes were watery.
In the car, he noticed that Emily put her sports jumper on the seat before she sat down. Tim chose to keep his mouth shut, he still didn't know exactly what was wrong with Emily, just that she had to be collected from school. Tim drove off the school grounds and pulled into the block of shops of the next street over. "Are you ok?" Tim finally asked, concerned. He couldn't take the silence from her for much longer, it was out of character for the normally chatting young woman. "Em honey, what's going on?"
"You're going to get mad at me and I can't take that. Not today, it hasn't been a good day." Emily immediately said and Tim couldn't fathom why the heck Emily would think that he would get mad because she was unwell. "I can't tell you, Uncle Tim."
"Oh Honey, you can always tell me anything, you know that." Tim reminded her, gently. "Now, come on, tell me. What's going on?"
"I got my first period today!" Emily rushed out, as she her words began to tumble, so did her tears. Tim didn't need a decoder key for that jumbled tumbling sentence; he caught what she meant immediately. When it had happened to his sister Sarah, he had been the one to deal with that back then too.
"Oh honey, it's okay," Tim murmured as he hugged her and held her tight. "It's okay. Did you and your dad have the talk yet?"
"No," Emily sobbed harder, almost hiccupping in distress. "I kept asking and Dad just kept telling me that mom wanted to do it." Emily sobbed harder, almost hiccupping in distress. "I know a little bit from health class. But the nurse had to give me a pad and called you. I am so embarrassed."
"Oh honey, it is ok. You're going to be ok." Tim comforted her by pulling her into a hug. Over the top of her head, he couldn't help but smile a little bit at Emily. Pulling back, he handed her a tissue from the side pocket of his work bag. "Ok, so first things first, we need to find a drug store and get you some supplies."
"I'm not going in there." Emily said, vehemently. "I can't. They will know what happened."
"Just relax, honey; it isn't a big deal," Tim reassured her, trying to set her mind at ease. "I can go in there with you, or I can go in there for you, if you're positive that you don't want to go in."
"I can't, Uncle Tim. I am scared." Emilly sobbed again and had now worked herself into a hiccupping state. He needed her to calm down. Tim had read the file that Tobias' lawyer had put together for him from cover to cover. He already knew that she was prone to panic attacks if she got too distressed and Tim didn't want her to have a panic attack, too. Tobias and Diane would never trust him with Emily again if that happened.
"Okay, honey. Just relax and take some deep breaths for me. In and out, that's it, in and out." Tim tried to calm her down and comfort her. He couldn't even imagine how scared she must be. He was disappointed with both of her parents that they hadn't prepared her better for this. But at the same time, Diane was her mother and he imagined that this would be just the kind of thing that a girl would talk to her mom about. "I'll go in for you, you can just wait in the car. Is there anything else you need? Tylenol? A heating pad?"
"Why would I need those?" Emily asked, flippantly, and Tim smothered a groan at how quickly her body was processing her moods. It was definitely going to be a tough time when she turned those mood swings on him. One he was prepared for because unlike her parents, Tim was prepared for the mood swings that came with the territory. He had raised Sarah and she was the moodiest female he knew. Tim just prayed that Emily remembered that he was her treasured Uncle and she loved him, unlike Sarah, who didn't love and respect her big brother.
"Oh honey, I think that you and I are going to have a long talk about a lot of things, tonight," Tim sighed as he started the car. He would go to the drugstore near his home; he had become friendly with one of the saleswomen there after the attack on him. He had helped her out with her abusive ex-husband and helped her get the right services to get herself out of the relationship.
"You're not going to ... tell people, are you?" Emily asked, feeling mortified that Tim might tell someone what was happening to her. She was so embarrassed about the whole situation. "Can't it just be our little secret?"
"Honey, some people do need to know, but no one more than absolutely necessary." Tim felt way out of his league, he didn't know why Tobias hadn't tried to give her the talk on his own before now, even if Diane had wanted to be the one to do it. Tim's nerves were shot, he could only imagine how his friend would be handling this, if he were here right now. "We need to tell your parents, when they return. Your doctor will need to know, too. It is important that those people know. But as far as telling anyone else, no one else needs to know. Not even Pete. It's our secret. But honey, we do need to tell your mom and dad. Maybe you'd like to video call your mom tonight and the two of you can talk about it."
"Mom's going to be so mad." Emily shook her head no and Tim smirked at her. He and Emily might be different generations, just, but he remembered being almost thirteen and thinking that his dad and Lori would be so mad at him about something to do with puberty as well. He remembered not being able to talk to his parents about anything like that. His dad was always at sea and his stepmom was always off doing her own thing, leaving him to tend and to raise Sarah. Sometimes Penny would take control to give him a break, but most of the other times, it would be just him. Tim always being the boss because there was no other parental figure around, built up so much anger and resentment between him and Sarah that now she hates her big brother. Truly hates him.
"No, she won't be, honey." Tim argued as they pulled up at the strip mall by his house. "What if I video called her first and your mom and I have a little chat? Then, maybe you and your mom have a little chat too and whatever the two of you don't cover, we will talk about."
"Can't we just video call her and tell her? Then you give me the talk." Emily offered frustrated and upset. "I love my mom, but she barely gives me any information at all. She tells me that I should be figuring things out for myself, not relying on her all the time. If dad was here, then at least he would try. Yeah, he would be awkward, and it would be uncomfortable, but at least dad tries to talk to me about things, when mom doesn't overrule him. But Uncle Tim, you have a degree in biology, you know all about this stuff. You're going to tell me the truth, not lie to me, or leave me to figure this out on my own."
"What if I video called your mom and the three of us talk together for a bit. Then when we're finished chatting with your mom, you and I have a chat about it, too." Tim offered, trying to compromise with her. He knew how unpredictable Sarah's moods would be and he was trying to keep the peace within their little home. He knew that Diane being available, but not consulted would hurt her and he didn't want to risk Victor taking Emily from him by force, on Diane's orders.
"What about Pete?" Emily asked Tim. She knew that they had plans, that the three of them were going to watch a movie together with popcorn and soda. "He is supposed to be coming over tonight. You two promised me a movie."
"Easy, I'll tell him not tonight." Tim replied with a warm smile, looking her straight in the eye to show her that he was serious. "I won't even tell Pete why. I promise we can do it another night."
"Tell Pete, I am sorry, but I really need just the two of us tonight and I expect a do-over." Emily grinned at her beloved Uncle. She didn't want the relationship that her uncle was building with Pete to be impacted by what happened to her. But if she didn't want to talk to her mother about it, she sure as hell wasn't going to talk about it with Pete.
