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Author's Chapter Notes:
A case story looking at a chief petty officer being killed. The team investigate while McGee tries to find a loophole for DiNozzo in Gibbs' rules.
A manly talk.

I hate doing this, I can’t believe I’m about to ask the probie for help. There must be some sort of other way to do this. These were the thoughts running through my head as I slowly entered the crew room. Nope I’m going to have to do it this way. Great, let’s just hope he won’t suspect anything. Oh well here goes nothing.

Walking slowly up to probie I kept thinking up possibilities and instantly dismissing them- they were all things I had thought of before. I really had exhausted everything before it boiled down to this point. I was about to ask probie something that I hoped he would help me with. Otherwise I might just have to leave and join another crew. That would be after I’d convinced him not to say anything, and I meant anything, of course. To be honest with myself I couldn’t believe it had taken me this long to think of asking him. I mean he was a bit of a whiz with his brain and I expected him to be able to come up with a simple solution to my problem fairly quickly.

“Tony?” came the question from in front of me.

Looking up I realised I had come to McGee’s desk a bit too quickly for my liking. Slowly sighing I started to sink back in to my thoughts quickly looking for any other possible way to do this.

Nope, still none.

“Hey probie,” I said in reply.

“You alright? You look a bit lost,”

“No, no. I’m fine” Well here it goes. “Looking for your help actually.”

At that probie started a bit before carefully looking around him. I kept looking at the really interesting bit of plastic in front of me. If I squinted a bit the lines formed a pattern, a familiar one. Damn it. I was doing it again. Why couldn’t I get her off my mind? Even for a minute.

“Okay.” That made me jump. Looking around wildly I realised that I hadn’t just imagined myself asking probie for help and that was his answer.

“You’ll do it? Brilliant.” I was grinning like a maniac at this point.
“On one condition.” Great, what would that be?

“Name it.”

“Stop calling me probie.”

“Anything but that?”

“Tell me everything, and I mean everything, to do with this.”

“Sure” I could always get out of it later couldn’t I?

“What do you need?”

“I need you to look in to one of Gibbs’ rules.”

“You’re joking right? One of his rules! Which one?”

“Rule 12.” Well that was a risk. I seriously can’t believe I just told McGee I want him to see how I could date a co-worker. Standing there I realised I knew exactly what the next question would be. Sure enough…

“Who?”

“Not important.”

“You have to tell me why or I won’t help you. You agreed remember?”
Thinking back I saw I had indeed said I would tell him anything related to this stupid request. Gibbs’ rules are probably as impossible to fool as the man himself. Foolishly I told McGee who it was that I needed his help to get. Not that she wouldn’t fall for the DiNozzo charm of course. She would fall for it just the same as any other woman. Only she wasn’t any other woman.

“Ziva, McGee. Now just tell me if you think you can do it.”

“You called me McGee?”

“Well it is your name isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“Good. And I took your first request into some serious consideration okay? Now tell me if you think you can do it.”

“Ziva? You do realise she is probably the least likely person to ever fall for you.”

“She won’t manage to resist the DiNozzo charm, don’t you worry. Just find me a loophole.” I was already turning to go as I said this. I had plenty of other things to worry about. Like why I had just told probie I was crushing on Ziva for instance.

“This is Ziva we’re talking about right? As in Ziva, the woman who has worked with men forever and is in no way intimidated by you, let alone going to fall for you?”

Like he knows what he’s talking about. “Just find me that loophole McGee.” I was by the elevator at this point.

“I’ll try, but I’m making no promises.”

Snorting, I stepped inside the elevator wanting to take a trip down to Abby’s. Looking back through the conversation in my head I realised I had forgotten to tell McGee something important. Like the fact that no-one was to know. Swearing under my breath I threw myself at the control panel meaning to open the doors before we moved off.

“Someone is in a hurry to get somewhere,” came a voice from behind me. Looking round I realised that I wasn’t alone. In fact I was in an elevator with the last person that I wanted to see right now. Ziva David. The bane of my very existence.

“Not at all. Just realised that I have forgotten to tell something important to McGee.”

“Well we’re moving now. It can wait.”

Not really, I thought. Glancing up from my shoes I realised that Ziva was still looking at me with a puzzled look on her face. What now.
“You called him McGee?”

“He asked me to.”

“Do I want to know why you agreed?”

“No” well that was the end of that conversation.

“Tell me.” Or not.

Just then the elevator binged that it had reached a new floor. Abby’s lab. I stood waiting for Ziva to get off as I knew I had to go back and talk to McGee. There was no way I was going up the stairs after all. Slowly I waited as Ziva went past purposely brushing against my shoulder. If she only knew how that made me feel. I watched her retreating back as her clothing flattered her body. Mentally I shook myself; this was not the way to be thinking Tony. Slowly pressing the button to go back up to the crew room I mentally prepared myself for what was sure to be an onslaught of questions from McGee. I just needed to say one thing to him and that was all I would say I told myself. Exiting the elevator I saw the very man I was looking for just sitting back down at his desk. Unprepared to make this last any longer than it needed to I rushed towards him.

“McGee don’t tell anyone about earlier.”

“Does anyone include Abby?”

“You didn’t.”

“I sort of enlisted her help.”

What a great start to the day.
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