When the team catches a break in their case, time slides past more slowly than Tony would care for. He barely comes up for air as the team work themselves to the bone. Being down a field agent is harder than Tony wants to admit, but it'll be worth it when Tim is finally reinstated. Tony calls Harris once, twice, okay maybe it's closer to five times, but each call rings until it hits voicemail. Whatever the FBI plans for Leon Vance, Tony and the team aren't privy to it.
Two—maybe three—days later, after a horrendous all-nighter, it happens when they're working in the bullpen. Tony thinks it might be lunchtime because other agents are slowly leaving the floor. Tony and his teammates shared a cold pizza a few hours ago. He didn't realize what he thought was lunch might actually have been breakfast.
At his desk, Tony works carefully on his report. Gibbs is at his own desk, glowering at a report that Brahe handed in. Sometime during Tony's reassignment, Gibbs unearthed a red pencil to correct their reports by hand. He is currently using it to murder Brahe's report. Thankfully, Brahe decided to visit Abby down in her lab, so she didn't have to witness it. Tim is absorbed in yet another retraining at his own desk.
Staring at his monitor, Tony ponders which then he should use. Or rather, maybe it's than. He never can keep the two straight and while Gibbs usually lets those small errors slide, Tony doesn't want to find himself on the wrong end of the red pencil. Gibbs might've quit the head slaps while he was gone, but Tony sure doesn't want to watch his poor report be massacred by their team leader.
The heck with it. Let Gibbs do his worst.
Tony bunches his lips up, sighing before writing, Than the team and I…
Tony is still hammering away at his keyboard when the elevators dings. The mundane activity wouldn't even catch his attention if it weren't for the way Gibbs half-rises from his chair. As though he is expecting someone. Tony stands for a better view and the sight sets his nerves on edge.
There is a slow procession of three agents—FBI based on the cut of their discount, off-the-rack suits—led by Tobias Fornell. Tony recognizes Ron Sacks, but not the other. The one pulling up the rear is hidden behind Sacks. They snake through the cubicles on their way to the stairs. Gone is the glib smile and the wisecracks, Fornell appears to be all business today. He stalks past the bullpen without even bothering to look at Gibbs, who returns to slaughtering Brahe's report.
"Boss?" Tony asks.
Gibbs might not acknowledge him, but Tim does. The junior agent stands, face folding into a question, as he scrambles towards Tony. They stand, shoulder to shoulder, as the FBI entourage moves towards the stairs that lead to the next landing.
To the director's office.
Oh my G-d, it's happening now.
Pulling up the rear, Tony notices Schuyler Harris' scarred face. His expression is grim and by the looks of it, he might've bought a new grey suit for the occasion. On his way past, Harris raises his chin at Tony.
Tim clears his throat. "Do you think they're here to arrest the director?"
"It sure looks like it," Tony says.
Tim opens his mouth. Closes it again. Tilts his head before settling on a quiet, "Oh..."
"I'll be right back," Tony says.
Then, he is darting out of the bullpen in a rush to join the FBI agents. Behind him, Gibbs barks, "DiNozzo!" He doesn't slow down. If anything, Tony moves double-time so Gibbs can't catch him. He nearly barrels into Harris when the FBI agents are talking to the director's secretary.
Tony joins the pack, trying to appear as though he has been there all along. Harris shoots him an unreadable look, but Tony ignores it. If this entire ordeal is about to be over, Tony will bear silent witness to it. He just wants to watch the whole thing end. He wants his normal life back.
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.
"What are you doing, Agent DiNozzo?" Harris hisses.
"Watching your six," Tony whispers. "You look like you could use the back up since it's just you and a bunch of Feebees. Why are you even here?"
Harris' expression darkens. "They needed me to sign them into the building. Agent Fornell is trying to keep the whole thing as quiet as possible."
"Welcome to being one of Fornell's best friends."
That earns him a humorless laugh.
The director's secretary, Marta, stands in Fornell's way with her hands outstretched like a running back. To her credit, she doesn't back down when Fornell flashes his badge. If anything, she seems to widen her stance as though she could actually prevent five agents from gaining entry into the director's office.
"You can't go in there," Marta is saying. "The director is on the phone."
"We can arrest you for obstruction of justice." Fornell waves his badge at her.
"For what?" Marta's eyes widen.
Fornell drops his voice to nearly a whisper. "We're here to arrest the director, ma'am."
That makes her falter in her stance. Marta drops her arms as her eyes widen until they look wild. Fornell takes the momentary distraction to sidestep her. When she goes to move back into his way, Ron Sacks gently herds into the corner. They talk in hushed tones, but she doesn't stop trying to get past his outstretched arms. Once she is out of the way, Fornell shoves the door open to the director's office.
As they move past her, Marta stares at Tony and Harris with disbelief on her face.
"What did you do, Agent Harris?" Her voice becomes so furious.
"My job," Harris replies coldly.
At his desk, Leon Vance talks into his phone. When the agents head into the room, Vance looks over with a panicked expression on his face. As his eyes glide over the agents, his expression settles somewhere between resignation and acceptance. He hangs up the phone before he rises from his seat.
Vance plays for righteous indignation. "Agent Fornell, what is the meaning of the interruption? I expect that from Agent Gibbs, but not the FBI. I – "
"Tyler Owens," Fornell says flatly.
Vance flinches violently, the surprise ripples across his face like an aftershock of an earthquake. He steeples his hands against his chin, his eyes roving towards the ceiling. He takes a steadying breath.
Tony fully expects Vance to say that he doesn't know what Fornell is talking about, that he doesn't know what's going on here. He thinks Vance might try to call security on them. And he almost hopes Vance would put up a fight and Tony doesn't know why.
Vance shakes his head. "I haven't heard that name in a long time, Agent Fornell." Then, he sets his sights on Tony and Harris: "The two of you are responsible for this?"
"Your mother misses you," Harris says. "She never believed you were dead."
That makes Vance's face twist with rage. He opens his mouth, but Fornell clears his throat.
"You might want to keep your mouth shut, Director." Then, Fornell launches into Vance's Miranda rights in case Vance says anything else that could be considered incriminating. The charges aren't anything earth-shattering—falsifying documents in a federal agency and impersonating a federal agent—but it's enough to hold Leon Vance until they can unravel the likely murder case and possibly, espionage.
The entire scene feels like a movie, something new and exciting and thrilling that Tony will watch exactly once. It's like an impending train wreck where he doesn't want to glance away in case, he misses it. He wants to watch everything end right now. He never thought it could happen, that everything from Tim's assault would lead back to the arrest of their own director.
It's really happening. Fornell is arresting Vance right in front of us.
Tony tilts his head.
But this man isn't Vance, it's his evil twin, Tyler Owens. This is like the worst version of The Parent Trap I've ever seen. Somehow, it's even worse than the Lindsay Lohan version.
"So, this is it." Vance sighs. "After everything, I've done as director."
"After everything you've done?" Fornell's eyes widen. "You've done more than enough, Owens. Everything is broad word. You have no idea what kind of hell you put on your own people."
Vance remains quiet, but Tony shifts his weight and stares at the tops of his shoes. Harris tries to offer a comforting smile, but it comes off all wrong. In the end, he places a hand on Tony's shoulder. Harris might not consider them friends, but Tony would like to believe this is the closest he can come.
"It's time, Owens," Fornell says.
The other FBI agent makes a show to place himself between Vance and the door as if the director might try to make a run for it. He doesn't, seemingly accepting his fate with a set jaw and swift nod.
Fornell goes through the motions of placing the handcuffs on Vance in front of him. Then, they place Vance's coat over his cuffed hands to make it less obvious. Tony wonders whether it will even matter. He bets Marta will call everyone in the building before Vance and the FBI even hit the parking lot.
Fornell keeps a strong hand on Vance's upper arm as he leads the former director through the office.
Now, Tony and Harris are nothing more than an afterthought with the arrest done. The FBI agents swoop out of the room like a tornado to leave a mess in their wake.
Harris hangs back with Tony. "Are you alright, Agent DiNozzo?"
Tony squares his shoulders. "'Careful, Chief, dig up the past, all you'll get is dirty.'"
"After that, I need a nice, long shower." Harris' face pulls into some semblance of a smile. "But Minority Report, that's an interesting choice."
That makes Tony laugh. "Yeah, a thriller of precognition where people are arrested for thinking about their crimes. Sometimes, I wish it worked that way."
"I think it's best that it doesn't."
Tony tilts his head. "You're probably right. Though it would've made this arrest easier. Think of what we could've avoided..."
Harris doesn't reply. Instead, he jerks his chin towards the door. "We should probably leave the office. Nothing good will come from staying here after the director was arrested."
Before he leaves, Tony looks at the phone for a long moment. "You should probably check whomever Vance just called. Make sure it wasn't someone that he shouldn't be talking to."
"Like Eli David?"
With a clipped nod, Tony leaves the office with Harris in tow. Somehow, Harris manages to lock the door behind them without a key. No one will be able to get into it until later and maybe, that's for the best. The desk for the director's secretary is deserted. Tony isn't sure whether Marta was arrested for trying to bite an FBI agent or she's spreading the word that Vance was arrested.
"That's quite a collar for you, Harris," Tony says. "Do you think you'll get a promotion?"
"The FBI is taking credit for it." Harris should be angry, but surprisingly, he isn't. "As long as the case is closed, I don't care who gets the credit. I'll be able to add my own charges soon."
Tony smiles at that. "And the FBI's case?"
Harris' good eyebrow jumps. "The director of NCIS is, within a 99.95% accuracy, Tyler Owens. The man buried in Chicago was the real Leon Vance. His new autopsy is pending, but there is some suspicion as to how he died. Given everything, Fornell now thinks he may have been murdered."
"But the director was here at NCIS when that man died…"
"He doesn't have to pull the trigger to be responsible," Harris replies. "You, of all people, should be able to appreciate that."
That leaves Tony nodding.
And with that, Harris gestures over his shoulder. "Look Agent DiNozzo, I should be going. I want to be there when Agent Fornell has Tyler Owens booked at the Hoover Building."
Tony half-smiles. "Nice working with you, Schuyler."
Harris chuckles. "You too, Agent DiNozzo."
"We just arrested the director." He is grinning now. "I think you can call me Tony."
Harris licks his lips before he nods. "See you around, Tony."
And with that, he disappears into the NCIS building. Tony takes a long, deep breath. He gives himself a long moment to collect himself because he doesn't know what he is supposed to think or how he should feel. Deep down, he might be a mess, but the people who know him except him to be Tony DiNozzo. He affixes an easy, relaxed expression onto his face before he follows.
Once he leaves the office, Tony realizes Harris is already long gone. The Internal Affairs agent must have sprinted toward the stairs to catch Fornell before they left.
Tony takes the stairs slowly back to the bullpen. When he arrives, Tim is sitting at his own desk and trying to work on his remediation training. He might not be paying attention because he keeps fiddling with a button on his mouse. Gibbs is still murdering Brahe's report and even from the second level, Tony notices the red pencil all over the page.
Tim glances up. He is carefully watching Tony and he offers the younger man a bright smile. Once he's back in the bullpen, Tony pauses at Tim's desk.
Looking up, Tim sucks breath through his teeth. "I can't believe Fornell just arrested Director Vance."
"The man pretending to be Leon Vance," Tony clarifies.
Tim pulls a face. "This feels like one of your movies."
"You'd probably have trouble following it, Probie." Tony laughs. "Heck, McHansel, you couldn't follow a trail of breadcrumbs that you left behind."
The twitch in Tim's jaw shows that he's annoyed, but he rolls his eyes. Instead of tossing back a biting response, he grins at Tony. Then, he glances around the bullpen as though he can't believe he is still here. If Tony didn't know better, he might think Tim was happy to be harassed.
Tony opens his mouth, but Gibbs beats him to it.
"Breadcrumbs won't lead you back from where I'll drop you off," Gibbs says.
That leaves Tony rushing back to his computer. Tim bites back a laugh. When Tony settles back into his own desk, he can't shake the feeling of being watched. Across the bullpen, Gibbs glares over his reading glasses. That red pencil is held up, almost like he reloads the weapon in preparation for Tony's report. Despite himself, Tony has a flashback to his boarding school days.
My high school English teacher used to ask me if my favorite letter was F.
"Back to work, Boss." Tony clicks his tongue. "Hi, ho, hi, ho. It's off to work I go."
Gibbs is still glaring. "Less mistakes then last time, DiNozzo."
Tony is blinking at him. He says uncertainly: "On it, Boss."
"Than get back to work." Gibbs waggles the pencil.
Those words make Tony flinch as he skims his report, only to discover he mixed up his thens and thans again. Thankfully, he'll be spared the wrath of Gibbs' red pencil. He leaves a few typos for Gibbs to uncover because he wants to see if the boss is paying attention.
Who's problem is it anyway? Not mine.
