Pulling together 2/?
Not a spoiler, but an inside joke if you've seen "You'd Better Watch Out."
Twenty minutes later the team was in Vance's office while Ducky and Vance listened to the whole story. As Gibbs had suggested, they were both immediately supportive, even if they were surprised. Ducky, of course, had questions.
"Tell us, lad, when did you and Grace first meet?"
"In college." A smile ghosted across McGee's face as he thought back. "At state colleges, sixteen year old's were rare, but known. At MIT, I was the only one and that made me pretty isolated. Grace was a few years older, but as a female, black lesbian in the computer science program, she kind of stuck out, too. We looked out for each other."
Tony was still trying to piece the whole situation together in his head. "So you guys didn't actually 'date' date?"
Only McGee would blush at the suggestion that he didn't have sex. "Not like that. We were best friends, hung out together. When people assumed that we were having a relationship, we didn't argue. In her professional life, she wasn't out, so sometimes I'd pose as her date for a function, went to a few office Christmas parties over the years, stuff like that."
"Enough that none of her friends were suspicious when you claimed to be the baby's father?"
"Yes, sir." McGee nodded at the Director's question. "We didn't plan it that way, but it worked out." It was obvious that Ducky had more questions, so he turned back to the older man.
"What about Grace's family? Are they all right with you taking custody of the wee one?"
"Her mom knows the truth about Tia's biological background and has never been comfortable with Grace keeping the baby. Grace and Tiana moved back home when Grace became too ill to work, but her mom's made no secret of the fact that she wouldn't even consider raising her granddaughter."
Both Gibbs and Vance filed that tidbit away for later, but Vance had more pressing and practical concerns. "Have you started looking for a new home yet?"
"Some. I've decided to rent for now, so I can focus on pre-school, regular child care, emergency child care and getting everything else taken care of. Then I'll start looking at schools and decide what neighborhood I want to live in, long term." Elbows against the large table, McGee wearily rubbed his forehead. "There's so much I need to do, I'm not totally sure of where to start."
"This might be new to you, Tim, but some of us have been doing this for a while and HR is used to assisting families with relocating. Let us help." Vance smiled as he reached for his phone. "Have you ever met Margaret Hopkins? Her late husband was an Operational Manager for years and she's an unofficial grandmother to most of the kids around here. She opens her home when an agent gets called in the middle of the night or works extra late, so there's your emergency child care."
"And there's a child care with a pre-school program right here aboard the Yard." Tony shrugged at the shocked expressions that he even knew about the program. "I, umm, got taken to see it one day."
Having been summoned by Vance, one of the women from Human Resources followed Pamela into the room. Gibbs was quietly pleased with the support and help Vance was providing. The subtle spreading of the official version of McGee's new status as single father would make it easier in the long run.
Just how much easier became evident when less than an hour later, HR had McGee hooked up with a linguist transferring in from overseas that was happy to take over the lease on Tim's current apartment. At 11.00, Maggie Hopkins arrived with a plate of warm cookies and the information on a house for rent just a few blocks from her own home. Tim was immediately taken with the sweet woman who knew every child within the agency, so he and Gibbs followed her back to look at the house she'd suggested.
It was a cute little one story house with a covered porch and a tidy fenced yard. While Gibbs made sure everything worked and was safe, Tim checked out the layout. The master bedroom was a comfortable size, with its own bathroom and a walk-in closet. Two more bedrooms were close-by, one just directly down the hall, which would be perfect for Tiana and a second which would make a nice office. The rest of the house was an open concept, with an airy front room that opened into a compact but functional kitchen with a dining area off to the side. A set of stairs led to a basement. It wasn't quite finished enough to be considered additional living space, but it was well lit and insulated, a perfect spot for a play area. The final feature was a small laundry room that lead out to the garage.
Tim went out to the back yard, walking the fence line and checking that it would be enough for his aging but still agile dog. By the time he finished, Gibbs was finishing up a list of repairs and upgrades for the landlady.
"What do you think, McGee?"
"I like it. Nice size, quiet neighborhood, Tia can have space downstairs to dance and paint. I can have an office in the third bedroom. It looks like it's in pretty good shape." Tim peered down at the list in Gibbs' hand. Most of the items were small, a loose towel rack in one bathroom, a rubber washer needing to be replaced in the other. The biggest thing seemed to be the noisy exhaust fan in the kitchen. The landlady looked over the list also.
"My handyman is scheduled to come in next week to paint the bedrooms. If you want, he can do those repairs at the same time." She glanced at the list and then back down the hallway at the brightly colored bedrooms. "However, Mrs. Hopkins said that you needed the place almost immediately, so if you don't mind doing the painting and the repairs yourself, you can take it right now and I'll waive the security, cleaning and pet deposits."
Tim glanced at Gibbs, who gave a subtle nod, agreeing to do the repairs, saving him several thousands in the waived deposits. "That would be great, I'll take it. Do you have any color restrictions when we paint?"
She laughed as she remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on the almost neon blue and green the last tenants used in their children's bedrooms. "I don't think you could find colors worse than what's in there now. Do you have any ideas yet?"
"Tia's favorite color is pink, the color of ballet shoes. She loves to dance."
"That would be fine." She smiled at the bashful young father and made a mental note to thank Maggie for steering him to her rental.
---NCIS---
On the way back from the house, Gibbs pulled into a truck rental place. When McGee turned to him in surprise, Gibbs lightly cuffed him on the back of the head. "Don't think all your furniture is gonna fit in the back of my truck, Elflord. If we work it right, we can have you all moved in before you and Tiana get back Sunday night."
"Boss, I..." McGee watched the eyebrow go up and knew it was a lost battle already. "Thank you, this means a lot."
"We're family, McGee, it's what we do."
---NCIS---
"McGee, good, you are back." Ziva didn't even let him sit down before she started questioning him. "What bedroom furniture do you have for Tiana?"
Tim blinked at the question. "None, yet. Grace sold her toddler set when they moved. Right now they're sharing a bed."
Ziva tossed the remote to Abby. "Then tell us which set you prefer."
Abby caught the remote and brought up the first picture on the plasma. "This is your first choice, McGee." Six images were shown altogether, from punk to Dora the Explorer. When Abby finished cycling through them, she bounced on her toes. "So which one is it going to be?"
Tim shook his head. "Guys, I can't ask you..."
"Hey!" Tony's voice was sharp, but there was a supportive expression on his face. "You owe us this for all the birthdays and Christmases you made us miss, so pick a set, Probie."
In truth, one set had caught his eye, and McGee took the remote that Abby was holding out and pulled up the image of a classic white iron canopy bed. "This one - it looks like the bed in her favorite fairy tale book."
Abby looked just a tiny bit disappointed, but Ziva beamed at the choice, reminding McGee of various comments he'd heard from her over the years. He knew how much dancing had meant to Ziva as a child and suspected that she wasn't naturally the tomboy her father forced her to be. "After we get settled, would you help me find a good dance studio for her, Ziva?"
The smile on Ziva's face grew even wider. "It would be my pleasure, McGee."
"We might even get you out of here early, McGee." Gibbs was pleased with how the team had pulled together to make Tiana's joining of the family as seamless as possible. True to his word, Tim was ready to leave a few hours later. Vance called down from the catwalk just as he was shutting down his computer.
"Agent McGee, could I see you before you leave?"
"Of course, Director." Tim glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged slightly, before heading up the stairs to follow Vance into his office.
Vance sat at his desk, fingers steepled under his chin, waiting as Tim sat across from him. Just as McGee was getting nervous, he started to speak. "Racism is an interesting thing, Tim. It's never discussed in polite society, but it's often there, under the surface."
"Yes, sir." McGee wasn't quite sure where the Director was headed.
"As a white man, it's something that you've probably never had to face, at least not directed towards you, but things could be different now."
"Because my daughter is biracial."
"If that happens, I want you to come to me, don't think you have to handle it on your own." Vance held his hand up before McGee could say anything. "I know you'll go to Gibbs first, and I don't have a problem with that, but this is territory that he won't have experience in, either."
Tim was silent for a moment before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke very frankly. "I may not have any direct experience, but I sat with Grace, held her hand, when she gave her statement about what that animal did to her. How he told her he was going to rape her straight, but she'd always be a... nig..." Tim stumbled on the vile word that had never passed his lips. Vance nodded in understanding and Tim moved on. "I may never have been the target of a racist attack, but I'm very aware of what hatred and bigotry my daughter could face."
"She's a very lucky little girl, Tim. Now, go on and get out of here." Vance waited until he was alone in his office before he let the smile escape, heartened by the fierce determination to do the right thing he'd seen in the younger man.
---NCIS---
After a few slaps on the back, hugs and one kiss sandwich from Ziva and Abby, McGee was on the road and battle plans were laid out by Gibbs. "Abby, you and Palmer head over to McGee's apartment and start the packing. A couple of the guys from Cybercrimes will meet you there to help with the electronics and Tony will join you later. Ziva, you drive my truck and pick up the bed and whatever else we need for Tiana's bedroom."
Tony snorted at the image of Ziva driving Gibbs' pickup truck, but wisely changed the subject. "What do you want me to do, Boss?"
"You and Ducky are going to the paint store with me. Tiana's bedroom is going to be ballet pink, but you're choosing the colors for the rest of the house." A rare smile flashed across Gibbs' face. "My ex-wives tell me I'm color challenged."
"Really, I hadn't noticed." Tony knew his grin would save him, at least for now. "Since Ziva's already laid claim to Tia's bedroom, I'm going take charge of McDaddy's bedroom. The man is in need of a serious update."
"Okay." Gibbs took one look at Abby's face and decided to cut her off at the pass. She and McGee might be the best of friends, but their styles were miles apart. "Abby, playroom in the basement."
"Aye Aye, Bossman." Happy with that assignment, Abby went to gather the volunteers to start packing up McGee's apartment.
This entry was originally posted at http://emerald-green37.dreamwidth.org/4773.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Twenty minutes later the team was in Vance's office while Ducky and Vance listened to the whole story. As Gibbs had suggested, they were both immediately supportive, even if they were surprised. Ducky, of course, had questions.
"Tell us, lad, when did you and Grace first meet?"
"In college." A smile ghosted across McGee's face as he thought back. "At state colleges, sixteen year old's were rare, but known. At MIT, I was the only one and that made me pretty isolated. Grace was a few years older, but as a female, black lesbian in the computer science program, she kind of stuck out, too. We looked out for each other."
Tony was still trying to piece the whole situation together in his head. "So you guys didn't actually 'date' date?"
Only McGee would blush at the suggestion that he didn't have sex. "Not like that. We were best friends, hung out together. When people assumed that we were having a relationship, we didn't argue. In her professional life, she wasn't out, so sometimes I'd pose as her date for a function, went to a few office Christmas parties over the years, stuff like that."
"Enough that none of her friends were suspicious when you claimed to be the baby's father?"
"Yes, sir." McGee nodded at the Director's question. "We didn't plan it that way, but it worked out." It was obvious that Ducky had more questions, so he turned back to the older man.
"What about Grace's family? Are they all right with you taking custody of the wee one?"
"Her mom knows the truth about Tia's biological background and has never been comfortable with Grace keeping the baby. Grace and Tiana moved back home when Grace became too ill to work, but her mom's made no secret of the fact that she wouldn't even consider raising her granddaughter."
Both Gibbs and Vance filed that tidbit away for later, but Vance had more pressing and practical concerns. "Have you started looking for a new home yet?"
"Some. I've decided to rent for now, so I can focus on pre-school, regular child care, emergency child care and getting everything else taken care of. Then I'll start looking at schools and decide what neighborhood I want to live in, long term." Elbows against the large table, McGee wearily rubbed his forehead. "There's so much I need to do, I'm not totally sure of where to start."
"This might be new to you, Tim, but some of us have been doing this for a while and HR is used to assisting families with relocating. Let us help." Vance smiled as he reached for his phone. "Have you ever met Margaret Hopkins? Her late husband was an Operational Manager for years and she's an unofficial grandmother to most of the kids around here. She opens her home when an agent gets called in the middle of the night or works extra late, so there's your emergency child care."
"And there's a child care with a pre-school program right here aboard the Yard." Tony shrugged at the shocked expressions that he even knew about the program. "I, umm, got taken to see it one day."
Having been summoned by Vance, one of the women from Human Resources followed Pamela into the room. Gibbs was quietly pleased with the support and help Vance was providing. The subtle spreading of the official version of McGee's new status as single father would make it easier in the long run.
Just how much easier became evident when less than an hour later, HR had McGee hooked up with a linguist transferring in from overseas that was happy to take over the lease on Tim's current apartment. At 11.00, Maggie Hopkins arrived with a plate of warm cookies and the information on a house for rent just a few blocks from her own home. Tim was immediately taken with the sweet woman who knew every child within the agency, so he and Gibbs followed her back to look at the house she'd suggested.
It was a cute little one story house with a covered porch and a tidy fenced yard. While Gibbs made sure everything worked and was safe, Tim checked out the layout. The master bedroom was a comfortable size, with its own bathroom and a walk-in closet. Two more bedrooms were close-by, one just directly down the hall, which would be perfect for Tiana and a second which would make a nice office. The rest of the house was an open concept, with an airy front room that opened into a compact but functional kitchen with a dining area off to the side. A set of stairs led to a basement. It wasn't quite finished enough to be considered additional living space, but it was well lit and insulated, a perfect spot for a play area. The final feature was a small laundry room that lead out to the garage.
Tim went out to the back yard, walking the fence line and checking that it would be enough for his aging but still agile dog. By the time he finished, Gibbs was finishing up a list of repairs and upgrades for the landlady.
"What do you think, McGee?"
"I like it. Nice size, quiet neighborhood, Tia can have space downstairs to dance and paint. I can have an office in the third bedroom. It looks like it's in pretty good shape." Tim peered down at the list in Gibbs' hand. Most of the items were small, a loose towel rack in one bathroom, a rubber washer needing to be replaced in the other. The biggest thing seemed to be the noisy exhaust fan in the kitchen. The landlady looked over the list also.
"My handyman is scheduled to come in next week to paint the bedrooms. If you want, he can do those repairs at the same time." She glanced at the list and then back down the hallway at the brightly colored bedrooms. "However, Mrs. Hopkins said that you needed the place almost immediately, so if you don't mind doing the painting and the repairs yourself, you can take it right now and I'll waive the security, cleaning and pet deposits."
Tim glanced at Gibbs, who gave a subtle nod, agreeing to do the repairs, saving him several thousands in the waived deposits. "That would be great, I'll take it. Do you have any color restrictions when we paint?"
She laughed as she remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on the almost neon blue and green the last tenants used in their children's bedrooms. "I don't think you could find colors worse than what's in there now. Do you have any ideas yet?"
"Tia's favorite color is pink, the color of ballet shoes. She loves to dance."
"That would be fine." She smiled at the bashful young father and made a mental note to thank Maggie for steering him to her rental.
---NCIS---
On the way back from the house, Gibbs pulled into a truck rental place. When McGee turned to him in surprise, Gibbs lightly cuffed him on the back of the head. "Don't think all your furniture is gonna fit in the back of my truck, Elflord. If we work it right, we can have you all moved in before you and Tiana get back Sunday night."
"Boss, I..." McGee watched the eyebrow go up and knew it was a lost battle already. "Thank you, this means a lot."
"We're family, McGee, it's what we do."
---NCIS---
"McGee, good, you are back." Ziva didn't even let him sit down before she started questioning him. "What bedroom furniture do you have for Tiana?"
Tim blinked at the question. "None, yet. Grace sold her toddler set when they moved. Right now they're sharing a bed."
Ziva tossed the remote to Abby. "Then tell us which set you prefer."
Abby caught the remote and brought up the first picture on the plasma. "This is your first choice, McGee." Six images were shown altogether, from punk to Dora the Explorer. When Abby finished cycling through them, she bounced on her toes. "So which one is it going to be?"
Tim shook his head. "Guys, I can't ask you..."
"Hey!" Tony's voice was sharp, but there was a supportive expression on his face. "You owe us this for all the birthdays and Christmases you made us miss, so pick a set, Probie."
In truth, one set had caught his eye, and McGee took the remote that Abby was holding out and pulled up the image of a classic white iron canopy bed. "This one - it looks like the bed in her favorite fairy tale book."
Abby looked just a tiny bit disappointed, but Ziva beamed at the choice, reminding McGee of various comments he'd heard from her over the years. He knew how much dancing had meant to Ziva as a child and suspected that she wasn't naturally the tomboy her father forced her to be. "After we get settled, would you help me find a good dance studio for her, Ziva?"
The smile on Ziva's face grew even wider. "It would be my pleasure, McGee."
"We might even get you out of here early, McGee." Gibbs was pleased with how the team had pulled together to make Tiana's joining of the family as seamless as possible. True to his word, Tim was ready to leave a few hours later. Vance called down from the catwalk just as he was shutting down his computer.
"Agent McGee, could I see you before you leave?"
"Of course, Director." Tim glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged slightly, before heading up the stairs to follow Vance into his office.
Vance sat at his desk, fingers steepled under his chin, waiting as Tim sat across from him. Just as McGee was getting nervous, he started to speak. "Racism is an interesting thing, Tim. It's never discussed in polite society, but it's often there, under the surface."
"Yes, sir." McGee wasn't quite sure where the Director was headed.
"As a white man, it's something that you've probably never had to face, at least not directed towards you, but things could be different now."
"Because my daughter is biracial."
"If that happens, I want you to come to me, don't think you have to handle it on your own." Vance held his hand up before McGee could say anything. "I know you'll go to Gibbs first, and I don't have a problem with that, but this is territory that he won't have experience in, either."
Tim was silent for a moment before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke very frankly. "I may not have any direct experience, but I sat with Grace, held her hand, when she gave her statement about what that animal did to her. How he told her he was going to rape her straight, but she'd always be a... nig..." Tim stumbled on the vile word that had never passed his lips. Vance nodded in understanding and Tim moved on. "I may never have been the target of a racist attack, but I'm very aware of what hatred and bigotry my daughter could face."
"She's a very lucky little girl, Tim. Now, go on and get out of here." Vance waited until he was alone in his office before he let the smile escape, heartened by the fierce determination to do the right thing he'd seen in the younger man.
---NCIS---
After a few slaps on the back, hugs and one kiss sandwich from Ziva and Abby, McGee was on the road and battle plans were laid out by Gibbs. "Abby, you and Palmer head over to McGee's apartment and start the packing. A couple of the guys from Cybercrimes will meet you there to help with the electronics and Tony will join you later. Ziva, you drive my truck and pick up the bed and whatever else we need for Tiana's bedroom."
Tony snorted at the image of Ziva driving Gibbs' pickup truck, but wisely changed the subject. "What do you want me to do, Boss?"
"You and Ducky are going to the paint store with me. Tiana's bedroom is going to be ballet pink, but you're choosing the colors for the rest of the house." A rare smile flashed across Gibbs' face. "My ex-wives tell me I'm color challenged."
"Really, I hadn't noticed." Tony knew his grin would save him, at least for now. "Since Ziva's already laid claim to Tia's bedroom, I'm going take charge of McDaddy's bedroom. The man is in need of a serious update."
"Okay." Gibbs took one look at Abby's face and decided to cut her off at the pass. She and McGee might be the best of friends, but their styles were miles apart. "Abby, playroom in the basement."
"Aye Aye, Bossman." Happy with that assignment, Abby went to gather the volunteers to start packing up McGee's apartment.
This entry was originally posted at http://emerald-green37.dreamwidth.org/4773.html. Please comment there using OpenID.