Inter-agency Nightmare 5/?
Keeping a blank look on his face, Gibbs looked up when the door opened again. Colonel O'Neill was standing there, but he didn't come into the room. Instead, he crooked a finger and turned, expecting Gibbs to follow him. Gibbs did, but looked down the corridor to the room where he believed McGee was being held in. O'Neill smirked, but didn't comment as Gibbs made sure they knew that he knew exactly where he was. Their little ring around the rosie hadn't tripped him up at all.
With two escorts, they entered the elevator, this time a different one that went further down into the mountain. Gibbs filed that away for later. It would take two different elevators to get back up to ground level, an extra security measure he hadn't counted on.
Gibbs remained quiet, following O'Neill as the elevator stopped and the group continued moving. It wasn't until he was led into a tidy room with two twin beds that he turned to look the Colonel in the eye.
Despite what he'd said in the General's office, Jack didn't loosen up at all. "It's late, rather than causing an inter-agency squabble, you'll be housed here for the night. However, don't think those guards won't shoot if you try anything funny."
"Where's McGee?"
"Don't worry, I'll be bringing him along shortly." Before Gibbs could ask anything else, Jack turned and left the room.
Gibbs heard the door lock from the outside, but he was already surveying the room. No windows, of course, but well designed lighting that gave the room a comfortable glow. Two beds, similar to many military installations. They were basic, but not overly comfortable. Gibbs had certainly slept in far worse, but the taller McGee would probably find them a bit cramped.
Folded up neatly at the foot of each bed were dark green BDU's with no unit patches on the shoulders and black t-shirts. Underneath those were boxers and socks while boots were tucked under the beds. Gibbs checked the adjoining bathroom and found a stack of towels and two fully stocked kits. Whatever was happening, it appeared that he and McGee would be the guests of the Air Force for the next few days at least.
While he was poking around the bathroom, looking for listening devices and cameras, he heard the door open again. He returned to the main room just in time to see the door closing behind an obviously exhausted McGee.
"Tim?"
"Hey, Boss."
Gibbs' eyes widened as McGee limped into the room. He moved quickly to the other man's side and wrapped a supporting arm around his waist, leading him to the bathroom.
"Boss?"
"Shh." Once they were in the tiny room, Gibbs turned on the fan and the shower, creating enough background noise to make it impossible for any omnidirectional mic to pick up on their conversation. "You're hurt, what did they do to you?"
Tim was almost embarrassed as he explained about the interview and how he'd hidden his fears by clamping down on his feet instead of anything visible, but Gibbs was proud of the way the younger man had kept his wits about him under the circumstances.
"You did fine, McGee. Take a hot shower, that'll help you relax, and then try to get a good night's sleep. Okay?"
"They're still looking at their computers, trying to figure out if I've been in them." Tim looked around at the fully stocked bathroom. "They're not going to let us go, are they?"
Gibbs cupped his cheek, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin. Even after more than a day, the facial hair on McGee's face was soft under his hand. "They haven't thrown us in the brig yet, that's a good sign. You've been on the other end of an interrogation, you know how the game is played."
"I know." Tim sighed as he thought about it. "I just get the feeling that there's more going on. It's like they're watching us, testing to see what we'll do."
"Whatever it is, we can't do any more about it tonight." Gibbs had a sneaking suspicion that McGee was right, but they were going to have to wait for more of the puzzle.
"You got fed, right?" Tim nodded and Gibbs continued. "Take your shower and then get some rest. We probably have an even longer day ahead of us tomorrow." He backed off and eventually left the room, but not before he managed to get a good look at McGee's backside in the mirror.
---NCIS---
The hot shower did help him relax, but walking across the cold floor caused his toes to cramp up again. By the time he'd walked to the bed, his toes were twisted up and he was once again limping. Grateful that Gibbs had already removed the stack of clothes and hung the BDU's for him, Tim stumbled to the bed and fell across it.
Gibbs moved to his side and helped him swing his legs up onto the bed before sitting down and lifting one of his feet. Before McGee could figure out what Gibbs had planned, the older man started to massage the tight muscles. Usually Tim's feet were very ticklish, but the firm pressure had him instantly melting. Gibbs chuckled, but didn't say a word as he worked the muscles in first Tim's left foot, then the right. Once the massage was finished, Tim was deeply asleep and Gibbs gently shifted him to get him under the blankets, brushing back his hair before retreating to his own bed.
---NCIS---
Hunched over the monitors in another room, Jack leaned back in his chair while Carter smiled. He looked up at her. "What?"
"When they're alone, Gibbs looks at McGee the same way you look at Daniel."
"What? We're careful. Aren't we?"
While Jack looked closer at the two men on the screen, she smiled and left the room, running into Daniel and Teal'c in the hallway. Daniel nodded and continued on in as Teal'c fell into step next to Carter.
"Teal'c."
"Samantha Carter." They walked around the corner before he brushed his hand against hers. "It is an interesting circumstance we find ourselves in."
"You watched McGee's interrogation, what did you think?"
Teal'c thought for a moment as they walked. "He appears to be an honorable man. He reminds me of Daniel Jackson. He was quite adamant in his defense of the one they call Gibbs. As I said, he reminds me of..."
"Daniel, when he's defending Jack?" They exchanged a smile and he followed her into her room.
---NCIS---
"Hey, you gonna watch them sleep all night?" Daniel wrapped his arms around Jack's waist and nuzzled his neck."
Jack didn't turn away from the screen, but he leaned back into Daniel. "Sam's figured out about us."
"Sam's known for months." Daniel nipped at Jack's ear. "You just figure that out?"
"Months? Does anyone else know?"
"I don't think Tullis down in research knows yet, but he hasn't even figured out Sam and Teal'c are together."
"Sam and Teal'c? When did that happen?"
"Come to bed and I'll tell you all about it." Smiling, Daniel led Jack out of the room, holding the door for the guard that would watch the cameras that night.
---NCIS---
"Go home, DiNozzo."
Stubbornly, Tony shook his head. "The Boss..."
Vance hitched his leg up on the edge of Tony's desk. "Gibbs and McGee are the guests of the Air Force for the next few days at least. If the Air Force decides to press charges the SecNav will put some pressure on them, but in the meantime, they're just going to have to sweat it out for a while."
"There's got to be something we can do."
"There is. Don't piss the Air Force off any more than Gibbs already has. Go home, and tell Ziva to leave her contacts alone, too. While you're at it, make sure Abby doesn't try anything with her friend at NASA either. We can't do anything to help Gibbs and McGee, but we can try to not make it any worse. Understood?"
"Understood." Of course, understanding and liking were two entirely different matters.
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