Warning: big spoilers for the season 7 episode 'Mother's Day'. Below is a reminder of the plot of the story – avoid if you don't want to know what happened in that episode!

This was the episode in which Gibbs had to investigate the murder of the fiancé of his former mother-in-law Joann Fielding. It turned out Joann murdered her fiancé because he had been involved with the drug cartel which killed Shannon and Kelly. She had also set up someone else to take the fall. Gibbs worked it out but then contrived to get her off the charge and let the other guy go to prison.

Special Agent Tony DiNozzo frowned when he arrived to work after the weekend and found that he was the first to arrive. Throughout the previous week he had managed to arrive about half an hour after Gibbs had started work. By that time, Gibbs was beginning to experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms and was almost grateful for Tony handing him a mug of coffee. Tony began to hope that this slight warming up could lead to a repair in their fractured relationship but now it seemed that Gibbs had realised that he was becoming predictable and so had changed his routine accordingly.

Tony sighed wearily as he looked round the office to see if there was anyone else he could tempt with a cup of extra strong coffee. He was surprised when he saw another coffee aficionado approaching.

"Deputy Director Craig," he said, "I didn't know you were in town."

"Special Agent DiNozzo," Craig acknowledged, "it's somewhat unexpected."

"Coffee?" asked Tony, holding the cup out to him, "I'm afraid it's not Kenyan Black Mamba Roast but it's hot and it's coffee."

"Thank you," said Craig as he accepted the drink.

"Got it for Gibbs," explained Tony, "so it's strong."

"Ah. Gibbs," said Craig pensively. "Ah."

Tony had become accustomed to the Deputy Director's idiosyncrasies so didn't respond but sat down at his desk and turned his computer on.

"Er, Special Agent DiNozzo," said Craig, "I need you to come with me. To the Director's office."

"Gibbs won't be happy if I'm not at my desk when he gets in," said Tony, hoping that the name of Gibbs would strike terror into the heart of the timid Deputy Director.

"I'm sure," said Craig, "but this can't wait. Come with me, please. Now." He started walking away.

Tony hurried after him, "You know, if this is about candy and snacks going missing from the vending machine … well, it's not me. I will admit that I may have carried out illegal … incursions in the past but I'm a reformed character. And it was always more about being aware of my surroundings, being in tune with my environment and ready for any contingency rather than the actual candy. Although I'm not saying that I didn't eat the candy but that wasn't the real motivation. So I …"

Craig turned and looked at him bleakly, "this isn't about the candy, Agent DiNozzo. I wish it was."

Tony followed him up the stairs trying to think what else he might have done to merit a summons to the Director's office. Craig paused outside the office and tapped on the door.

"Enter," came the command.

"Agent DiNozzo," said Craig as he entered the room with Tony.

Tony gasped when he saw who was sitting at the Director's desk.

"Agent DiNozzo," came the greeting.

"Director Morrow," said Tony, "I mean, Deputy Director."

Morrow gestured towards the chairs in front of the desk, "Sit down," he ordered, "you too, Jerome."

Tony hoped that his bemusement didn't show too much on his face. He hated being at a disadvantage, not 'being in the know' – a trait which had caused his co-workers endless irritation over the years. Craig perched on the edge of his seat in obvious anxiety. Morrow stared at Craig and Tony for a moment or two and then seemed to brace himself to speak,

"The Secretary of the Navy has asked me to resume the Directorship of NCIS."

"He has?" said Tony, "oh … well, congratulations, I guess."

"On a temporary basis," said Morrow. He glared at Craig, "Jerome did not feel that his particular gifts would be adequate to the task which now presents itself to the incumbent of this chair."

A dreadful thought came to Tony, "Er, Sir … you're not asking me to be Director, are you?"

For the first time since Tony had entered the office, something like a smile dawned on Tom's face, "No, Agent DiNozzo, I'm not asking you to do that. I think that particular position may be some years down the line for you."

Tony sighed a sigh of genuine relief, "then it's Gibbs," he said, "I don't know where he is. He'll be here soon. I can go phone him if you want?" Tony began to stand up in the hope of escape. Tom waved him back down.

"It's not Agent Gibbs," he said firmly.

"Director Vance isn't ill, is he?" asked Tony. He had very mixed feelings about Vance but he was sorry for the Director's children who had already lost one parent and didn't deserve to lose another.

"No, he's in good health," said Morrow.

"Good. That's good," said Tony feeling that somehow his conversation wasn't quite up to his usual scintillating standards. He looked round the room to see if there was something which he could use as an icebreaker. Just as he was beginning to think about asking what the ex-Director thought of the changes in décor since he had sat in the office, Morrow coughed,

"Agent DiNozzo, do you remember the shooting of Captain Joseph Norton?"

"The name sounds familiar … do you want me to go look it up?" Tony tried once more to escape but was once more waved back.

"It was about six years ago," said Morrow, looking at a case file on his desk, "I'm not surprised you don't remember."

The Deputy Director spoke, "the Captain was the fiancé of Joann Fielding. Gibbs' ex mother-in-law."

"Or one of them," said Morrow drily.

"Oh, yeah," said Tony, "I remember. She seemed a nice lady. Real upset about the Captain. Turned out that the Captain had been involved with drug smuggling and that he'd double-crossed the navy lieutenant he'd been working with. For a while we thought Miss Fielding might have been involved but forensics showed that it was the navy lieutenant who'd shot him."

"Indeed," said Morrow, "do you remember anything else about the case?"

Tony frowned as he tried to recall the details, "not really. We … well me, were a bit buzzed that it was Gibbs' mother-in-law. That was exciting. Some of the evidence was a bit hinky. You know, things didn't quite add up. That's why we suspected her for a while but, like I said, forensics nailed the lieutenant. There are always loose ends and holes in cases, nothing unusual there. And Gibbs was satisfied. And the Director said that the ex wasn't a person of interest. We were glad to wrap it up. Driving up and down to Norfolk had been time consuming, not to mention flying off to Arizona as well."

"Very well, thank you, Agent DiNozzo," said Morrow.

Tony nodded and made to stand up again but somehow he wasn't surprised to be gestured back again. Behind a calm exterior he was desperately trying to think why he had been summoned to the Director's office and why Vance wasn't there. Morrow coughed again as a prelude to speaking,

"Joann Fielding contacted the FBI on Friday night," he said, somehow managing to look straight ahead but avoiding the eyes of Craig and Tony.

"Is she all right?" asked Tony.

"She is well," said Morrow, "she said that she had been wrestling with her conscience and could no longer live with the lies she had told."

"Lies?" asked Tony, "what lies?"

"She stated that she had shot Captain Norton and framed Lieutenant Shankton for the murder."

"What?" gasped Tony, "why?"

"She had discovered that the Captain was dealing drugs with the Reynosa cartel."

"The Reynosa cartel? Aren't they the ones responsible for …?"

"For the murder of Agent Gibbs' first wife and his daughter," supplied Morrow, "yes."

"So she killed her fiancé?" said Tony. "Wow. And framed someone for the murder? She's one scary lady."

"You could say that," agreed Morrow.

"Well," sighed Tony, "I guess we got that one wrong. Doesn't often happen on Gibbs' watch."

"There's more," said Craig.

"Dr Mallard's autopsy and Miss Scuito's forensic investigations showed evidence that Miss Fielding fired the fatal shot," said Morrow.

"Well, we know that now," said Tony.

"The hard copies of their reports are not with the case file," said Morrow.

"Oh," said Tony as he thought back, "I think Gibbs did the paperwork. He sent us home. Like I said, it had been a tiring case."

"We believe that Gibbs destroyed the hard copies and did not place them with the file," said Craig, "but the original reports are still recorded electronically."

"I guess Gibbs didn't think they were needed," suggested Tony, "as the other evidence implicated the lieutenant."

"There's more," said Morrow, "Miss Fielding says that Agent Gibbs worked out that she was the murderer …"

"But …" began Tony.

"And she admitted to him that she had killed Captain Norton."

"Gibbs knew?" said Tony.

"Yes."

"And he didn't arrest her?"

"He did arrest her," said Morrow.

"He didn't bring her back to the squad room," said Tony.

"He interrogated her without reading her her rights and then arrested her unlawfully," said Craig.

"How do we know that?" asked Tony hotly, "Gibbs is a professional. He wouldn't make a rookie mistake like that."

"The arrest was witnessed," said Morrow.

"Who by?"

"M Allison Hart."

"Might have known," said Tony bitterly, "Mallison was always lurking around!"

"The FBI have confirmed Miss Fielding's account with Miss Hart," said Morrow, "and I should say that it was not she who volunteered the information. She was acting in the best interests of her client."

"So, what happens now?" asked Tony, "Gibbs gets a rap on the knuckles for breaking protocol?"

"No," said Morrow, "like you said, it's uncharacteristic of Gibbs to make a mistake like that. We believe that he acted deliberately when he arrested Miss Fielding in order to ensure that she could not stand trial. He faces charges of obstruction of justice and interfering with a criminal investigation."

"And Director Vance?" asked Tony, "where is he?"

"Director Vance has been suspended," said Craig.

"You think he was in on it?" said Tony.

"That is not clear," said Morrow, "but he faces charges of acting improperly. Gibbs should never have been allowed to work the case of such a close relative. He saw the autopsy and forensic evidence which pointed to Miss Fielding's involvement but chose not to act on it. It was his decision to declare that she was no longer a person of interest. It appears that he may have allowed his judgement to be compromised by Gibbs' emotional involvement with the case. He admits that the lieutenant deserved to be in prison."

"Just not for murder," said Tony in a stunned voice.

"Indeed," said Morrow, "we can't just send people to jail because we don't approve of them. We need proof of their misdeeds."

"Where is Gibbs now?" asked Tony, "I'm guessing he's suspended too?"

"Agent Gibbs is facing criminal charges for his actions in this case," said Morrow, "he is in the custody of the FBI."

"He doesn't need to be detained, does he?" asked Tony, "Sure they're serious charges but …"

"The murder of Captain Norton is not the only crime in question," said Craig.

"Sir?" asked Tony.

"Miss Fielding alleges that, when she confessed her own crime, Gibbs confided in her that he had killed the man responsible for his wife and daughter," said Morrow.

"Oh," said Tony. There seemed nothing more to say. That Gibbs had probably killed his family's murderer was an open secret never spoken of – until that moment when it exploded into the open.

"The Mexican authorities are likely to press for Jethro's extradition," said Morrow, "although I think he will be able to fight it successfully. I hope so. I cannot imagine that his life would be worth much in a Mexican jail, always assuming he made it that far."

"I see, Sir," said Tony still trying to come to terms with what had happened, "what do you want the rest of us in Gibbs' team to do while he … while he is away."

"Ah," said Morrow, "I believe that it will be best, for the moment, to disband the MCRT."

"What?" exclaimed Tony. "Why? We can still work."

"Agent DiNozzo," said Craig, "the fact that Gibbs is being charged with obstruction of justice and concealment of evidence means all his cases will be subject to review to make sure that other evidence has not been twisted or the guilty let go free. The fallout could last for years."

"We can't risk your team working on any more cases together," said Morrow gently, "I'm sorry, Tony."

"Are we suspended too?" asked Tony.

"No," said Morrow firmly, "I am re-assigning Agent McGee to cybercrimes. I want his work to be closely supervised."

"But Sir," protested Tony, "McGee wouldn't tamper with evidence. He's the most honest person I know."

"Agent McGee sometimes treads a fine line with what is legal with his computer skills," said Morrow, "I want to make sure that he does not cross that line. Firm supervision will be good for him at this stage of his career. It is time for him to lose some bad habits. I fear his work will also be scrutinised when the MCRT cases are reviewed."

"And the rest of us?" asked Tony.

"I am sending Agent Bishop back to NSA on temporary assignment," said Morrow, "I think that will be best for her. Miss Scuito is on sick leave at the moment."

"What?" asked Tony, "what's wrong with her?"

"She became hysterical when she learned about Gibbs' arrest," said Craig ruefully, "and had to be restrained. She insisted that we were all wrong and that we were victimising Gibbs."

"She is lucky to have been placed on sick leave rather than being suspended without pay," said Morrow, "I trust that a period of reflection will bring about a calmer frame of mind."

Tony frowned at this. He wasn't sure that Abby would be placated without a direction from Gibbs.

"Dr Mallard is most distressed at the outcome," said Morrow, "he feels uneasy that he didn't publicise his findings more vigorously but I have assured him that it is not his responsibility to decide on charges. He did his duty although he found it painful to alert Gibbs to the possibility of what his mother-in-law had done. He is, however, considering his future."

"And me, Sir?" asked Tony.

"I am going to reassign you as well," said Morrow. "I think it will be best for you to be out of the DC office."

"Not Agent Afloat?" said Tony with dread.

"No," said Morrow, "you have already done that and there are, in any case, no immediate vacancies. No, I'm going to assign you to Hawaii."

"Hawaii?"

"Yes. There is a vacancy for a Senior Field Agent in the Pearl Harbour Office. I regret that I can only offer you a sideways move, Agent DiNozzo. You are more than ready for your own team and I confess I don't know why you haven't been offered one by Director Vance. You will understand, however, that in view of the investigation, it would not be appropriate to offer you a team lead at the moment. I trust that the Pearl Harbour posting will be a stepping stone for you. The agency does not want to lose you."

"Thank you, Sir. Hawaii will be fine," he managed a weak smile, "Magnum country at last!"

Morrow stood up to indicate that the interview was over.

"I'm sorry that this has happened, Tony and that you are caught up in it. Good luck in Hawaii. Here are your orders." He handed the shaken Tony a file and nodded in dismissal.

Once Tony had left the room, Morrow sighed, "Jethro was a thorn in my side during my tenure of this office but I never expected him to cause so much havoc. This could bring down the agency, you know."

"What did you think of Miss Fielding?" asked Craig, "did you believe her account?"

"I wish I didn't," said Morrow, "I hoped to find some deluded bitter old woman but I didn't. That's not quite accurate, she is bitter but she's not deluded."

"And you believe her?"

"The suppressed forensic evidence supports her claim," said Morrow, "Miss Hart's account of what happened ties in with what her client says. Miss Fielding may look like a frail old woman but she's got a mind like a steel trap. I don't mind admitting that she gave me the creeps, Jerome."

"In what way, Sir?"

"We'll never be able to prove it," said Morrow lowering his voice a little, "but I think she planned it all."

"She's already admitted to killing Norton and setting up the lieutenant," Craig pointed out.

"I think it was more than that. She knew Gibbs would be involved with the investigation. I don't think she would have cared if she had been charged with the murder but she saw an opportunity. An opportunity to make Gibbs break the law on her behalf. That would have been enough to end his career in law enforcement but when he confessed to her that he had killed Pedro Hernandez she knew she had him."

"Why wait so long?" asked Jerome.

"She was storing it up," said Morrow, "she spent those years brooding over it, relishing what she could do. She hates Gibbs and she liked the idea that he was living his life oblivious to the fact that she had him in her power."

"If you're right, she is one scary lady as Agent DiNozzo said," said Craig.

"I'm not a profiler," admitted Morrow, "but I think my theory holds water. Women have always been Jethro's downfall."

"Sir?"

"Married four times. That suggests to me that he can't say no to women. From what I hear, he's always been tougher on the men in his team than the women. He's a male chauvinist who at heart still thinks that women are helpless. Joann Fielding is an arch manipulator – look how she ensnared Norton. Gibbs didn't stand a chance when you take into account that he's never got over the death of his wife and daughter."

"It just seems extraordinary. Gibbs is the toughest, most uncompromising person I know. He seems to be able to intimidate people into doing what he wants and yet he's about to be destroyed by an old woman."

"I think he was destroyed years ago when his family were killed," said Morrow sadly, "that was a tragedy that is still stalking him."

"Can he survive this?" asked Craig.

"He's the great escape artist," mused Morrow, "but I don't see how he can get out of this. And I'm not sure that I care too much, he's on his own as far as I'm concerned. He's let his team down, he's let this agency down and he's let down law enforcement agencies everywhere. My priority is to save NCIS and to protect his team from the fallout of his arrogance."

"It's such a waste," said Craig sadly.

"I'm not going to waste any more time worrying about Jethro Gibbs," said Morrow sternly, showing the steel that made him the right person to sort out the mess. "Let's get to work on the important things like making sure that the guilty people get caught and punished."

AN: I keep intending to stop writing NCIS but this story popped into my head. I quite liked Jerome Craig so it was good to bring him into a story but, obviously, I don't own the characters.