TWENTY HOURS IN L.A.
By
Ashleigh Anpilova
Set during Legends
(which at the time of writing had not been aired).
Gibbs and McGee go to LA.
A Gibbs and McGee centric gen story.
Written: April 2009. Word count: 1,000.
HOUR ONE
As Gibbs drove at his usual speed from the airport to the Office of Special Projects to join forces with them, McGee pondered as to why Gibbs had brought him and not DiNozzo.
DiNozzo had been very put out when Gibbs had told McGee 'pack your bags'. He'd given McGee all kinds of 'advice' about what he shouldn't mention to Gibbs, as well as complaining it should have been him going with Gibbs, because he was the Senior Field Agent.
Tired of DiNozzo's moaning, McGee had finally suggested that maybe the reason he was going was because DiNozzo was Gibbs's Senior Field Agent. When DiNozzo had looked puzzled, McGee had explained it meant Gibbs trusted DiNozzo to look after things in DC, while he was in LA. It had worked, because DiNozzo had stopped bitching and instead smiled.
"That wasn't it, you know, McGee." Gibbs's voice cut into McGee's thoughts.
"Boss?"
"The reason I brought you instead of DiNozzo."
"Boss?"
Gibbs glanced at McGee while overtaking a slower moving sedan. "What you told DiNozzo isn't the reason. I brought you because you're the best man for this job. OSP has lots of 'cool toys'. You'll figure them out far faster and easier than DiNozzo or me. That's how I assign duties, Tim. The best person for the job."
McGee smiled. "Thanks, boss," he said. "I don't think I'll tell Tony that though."
Gibbs smiled. "Good idea, McGee."
HOURS TWO - EIGHTEEN
It didn't surprise McGee to discover Gibbs already knew two of the OSP Agents: Callen and Lara Macy. What did surprise him was that while Callen's involvement with Gibbs had been NCIS, Macy's involvement was not NCIS related.
As well as looking at, figuring out and 'playing' with OSP's 'cool toys' McGee spent quite a lot of his time watching Gibbs and his interaction with Callen and Macy.
Callen's relationship with Gibbs was straight-forward. He respected Gibbs, liked him, their shared history was the job. He was another person Gibbs had taught and saved the life of; McGee wondered how many NCIS Special Agents were alive today because of Gibbs. Callen treated Gibbs with the kind of 'you were once my boss but now I'm no longer under you' formal informality. In turn Gibbs respected Callen and seemed to like him well enough. It was easy to define the levels of their relationship.
Macy's relationship, on the other hand was not straight-forward. Gibbs tried to intimidate her; he failed. She tried to intimidate Gibbs; she failed. There seemed to be a distinct lack of respect and liking between them. Indeed, McGee overheard Callen saying to Gibbs, "You two would make a great couple if you didn't hate each other so much." That hadn't gone down well, and for the first time Gibbs'd glowered at Callen, and his body language said Callen had overstepped the mark.
Gibbs and Macy weren't comfortable around one another; they traded snipes. They played the kind of one-upmanship games that reminded McGee of the ones he, DiNozzo and Ziva played. However, with Gibbs and Macy there was an added level of intensity and even animosity. McGee wished he knew what their history was; had she been a red-head he would have guessed at an ex-lover. He dismissed the fact that Gibbs had dated Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann as an aberration.
"You could just ask, McGee," Gibbs said, before turning his attention back to trying to crack the case.
It was also clear to McGee that Gibbs didn't relish the fact he wasn't officially in charge. OSP might be an office specializing in undercover work, but McGee could see Gibbs felt he knew more about it than Macy did.
However, it was Macy who finally sent Callen undercover; Macy who he was answerable to. And that was another thing McGee knew: once you'd 'belonged' to Gibbs, he tended to see you as 'his' even when you weren't working for him any longer.
The longer Callen was undercover the less Gibbs liked it, and the more cutting the sniping between him and Macy became.
Finally, Gibbs seemed to have had enough. "With me, McGee," he growled, striding towards the door.
Macy jumped to her feet. "Stop right there, Agent Gibbs. You go out there now and you'll risk Callen's cover."
To McGee's surprise, Gibbs did stop. However, only so he could turn around and stalk back to Macy where, he quite deliberately, used his height to intimidate her. McGee had seen him do that with suspects, even occasionally with coworkers who'd pissed him off, but he'd never seen it quite like this. "And if I sit here on my ass, the least we'll have to worry about is Callen's cover being blown."
"I'm not going to let you go out there." In spite of the attempt at intimidation, Macy stood her ground.
"Oh, yeah? How you going to stop me, Macy? You're not an MP any longer and I'm not a Gunnery Sergeant. McGee, with me."
"Gibbs. I'll -"
But Gibbs had gone; McGee followed.
So that was the relationship; they knew one another from Gibbs's Marine days. And from what Gibbs had said about their roles back then, it implied maybe Gibbs hadn't been quite the clean-cut Marine McGee'd always thought he'd been.
As always Gibbs's gut had served him well. They saved Callen from certain death and solved the case to the satisfaction of Gibbs and Macy.
HOURS NINETEEN - TWENTY
"Good to have seen you again, Callen."
"You too, Gibbs."
"Macy."
"You're still a bastard, Gibbs."
"Sure am." And then Gibbs said, his tone softer, "You take care, Lara." And with that he turned and with McGee strode out of the OSP.
In the car on the way back to LA's airport, McGee glanced at Gibbs. Should he? Could he? Gibbs had told him to ask. DiNozzo would; Ziva might. But he wasn't either of them. He was him. He sighed to himself.
"You okay, McGee?"
"Yes, boss. Just - I'm fine."
"Yeah. Thought so." With that Gibbs again turned his full attention to driving.
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