Chapter 2:
"No." Gibbs told both the director and Agent Fornell. 'Not just no, as in over my dead body no,' thought Gibbs to himself. Ignoring the curious look Tony was giving him, he stood up.
"Sit down, Jethro. We are not done. And it is not your decision to make," ordered Director Sheppard.
"He's my agent, on my team. I'd say I have more say than you," he argued.
"Gibbs, he is the best for the job. Do you really think I would be here if there were someone else I could use? If there is going to be shared jurisdiction on this, we need an NCIS agent in on this," said Fornell.
"But you don't want any other NCIS agents involved, just Dinozzo," I growled at Fornell. It was one thing to share jurisdiction, but what Fornell was asking was to 'borrow' Tony. I do not lend out agents for cases without having some sort of involvement myself, and he wasn't just asking for any agent. Nope, he was asking for Tony, my second-in-command, senior field agent. Jen really should know better, Director Morrow knew better than to ask me something like that.
"I am in no mood to get into a pissing contest with the director of the FBI, Jethro. They have been working this case for a while now and they are extending this invitation to us in light of interagency cooperation. Deal with it," Sheppard snapped back.
"Gibbs, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself," Dinozzo started.
"It's not a question of whether or not you can do the job, Dinozzo. It's a question of who you will have for back-up and whether or not they can do their job," I told him. The idea of sending Tony in on some undercover operation without really knowing who would be his back up was unsettling.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Fornell, his tone clearly indicating that he did not appreciate what I had said.
"What the hell do you think it means Fornell? I may trust you, but the rest of your so-called team? What gives me any reason to trust that anyone else on your team is competent enough to pull this off?" This was getting ridiculous. Jen used to be my partner, damn it! She should know better than to ask me to pass over an agent like a tool, Tony especially of all people. He's a magnet for trouble, not intentionally of course. The moment this conversation started, if that's what you wanted to call it, I had a gut feeling that something was gonna make me wish I had stopped for a refill of coffee before coming up.
Tony was wearing a curious expression on his face, and I couldn't blame him for it. I had gone from the snapping and slapping bastard towards him more than usual to a sort of over-protective paranoid, well something, preventing him from doing an undercover op. with the FBI. Hell, if I were in his position I would probably wonder what the hell was going on too. Course, Tony was probably thinking something along the lines of 'When the hell did the aliens get the chance to make a switch,' or something along those lines.
"Well, if you've got a suggestion, I'd be happy to take it under consideration," Fornell said, obviously resigned to the fact that the only way he would get Dinozzo was if I was satisfied. It's funny, Jen has known me longer and yet Fornell seems to be able to read me better. 'Guess being the director has gone to her head,' I think dryly.
"Well, you could start by placing me and my team as back-up. And I want to talk to your guy that you have in mind to send in with Tony as well," I answered.
"I can understand you wanting to be part of the back-up team, but I think my guy is fine, I don't need your stamp of approval," Fornell growled, clearly offended by the fact that I didn't trust his judgement.
"Yea, and when have you ever worked with Gibbs and not done something without his stamp of approval?" snickered Tony. By now it seemed that he was starting to become a bit amused by this whole thing. And if I weren't so busy arguing with Jen and Fornell, I probably would have had to laugh a bit myself. 'It's not every day the FBI walks in here asking for help, had to hurt,' I thought briefly to myself.
"So what are you gonna do if he doesn't meet your standards Gibbs? Go through every FBI agent that I have already passed over? That will waste too much time, time that we do not have. We need to have everything in place, this weekend may be our only shot for a while," questioned Fornell.
"Why do I get the feeling that you have already re-adjusted this operation to suit your liking in that stubborn head of yours, Gibbs?" said Sheppard.
"Gee, wonder what ever gave you that idea?" murmured Tony with a roll of his eyes. He got a glare from Jen and Fornell, and I had to hold in a smirk. He probably expected a slap on the head from me, but I figured I'd let it slide, after all, he did sort of have a point.
"Let an NCIS agent go in with Tony," I replied, noticing Tony's raised eyebrows out of the corner of my eye. From the grin he was trying to hide, it was clear that he had already guessed my line of thinking and was probably looking forward to seeing the reactions that would no doubt be priceless from Fornell and Sheppard.
"And who is it that you would recommend for this assignment?" questioned Sheppard.
"Me," I simply replied with a grin, and yes, both Tony and myself were treated to the most shocked expressions on their faces that we had ever seen and would undoubtedly soon forget.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.