a/n - Normally I only post one story at a time, but I am working on two challenges that are due only a week apart. I'll be posting one chapter of a story every day, I might even post for both stories in one day. This story is being submitted to the Trust Challenge (What happened to make Vance trust McGee right from the beginning?) and also the Mag 7 Challenge (four members of the team +a Director + Fornell +OC agent). Enjoy!

Buried in the Past

Set early in Season Six

Leon Vance winced as the intercom on his desk crackled to life. Ever since he'd accidentally knocked it onto the floor last week, it had been making some odd noises. //Director Vance, there's an Agent Bidwell on line two for you.//

"Thank you, hold all my other calls." Bidwell was a name he hadn't heard in years, but still made him instantly sick to his stomach. "Harlan, it's been a long time, what can I do for you?"

~Straight to the point as always, Leon. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Mink is nosing around, trying to get his hands on the boy.~

"Why in the hell would he be trying to do that?" Vance sat up straight, already planning on how to cut Mink's access.

~The Kehoe case has become active again. He's the only living witness, Leon.~

Even more than Mink, Kehoe was one name Vance prayed he'd never hear again. "Kehoe is in prison, remember? One hundred and fifty year sentence is a long time. There's no way in hell he's getting out."

~Mink is convinced that one of his groupies is apparently following in his footsteps. I know how you feel about it, Leon, so I'm just giving you a heads-up off the record.~

"I appreciate the heads-up. I also expect you to keep Mink under control." After the call ended, Vance spent almost ten minutes willing his hands to stop shaking.

---NCIS---

Tony and Ziva arrived in the squad room, arguing over her refusal to stop for lunch on their way back from an interview. McGee was downstairs in the lab working to reconstruct a hard drive found at their crime scene, while Gibbs was already back at his desk.

"Come on, Ziva, how long would it have taken to stop at a burger joint? We could have gotten lunch for the Boss, too. You're hungry aren't you, Boss?"

Gibbs didn't even look up from the files he was reviewing. "Nope, can't say that I am, DiNozzo. Start cross-referencing those cell phone records McGee left on his desk."

DiNozzo opened the bottom desk drawer of McGee's desk and grabbed several energy bars out from under the spare shirt kept in there. He ripped the wrapper off of one of them and shoved half the bar in his mouth as he gathered the file folders McGee had left there.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing, DiNozzo?" Director Vance stood on the stairs, glaring at him.

Tony had too big of a mouthful to immediately swallow, so his voice was muffled. "Eating, sir."

"Stealing food from McGee's desk, you mean." Vance continued down the steps to stand in front of DiNozzo.

"He doesn't mind, honest." Tony had no idea why Vance was so mad at him. He risked a glance over at Gibbs who looked as baffled as he felt.

"Well, I mind and I'm pretty sure his doctor didn't prescribe those protein bars to keep you fed." Vance looked like he was going to say something else, but instead stormed back upstairs and into MTAC.

DiNozzo looked back and forth between Vance's retreating form, the food in his hand, and Gibbs. "Doctor, what doctor?" He turned to face Gibbs. "I didn't know, Boss, honest."

Gibbs had set down the files and was rubbing his chin. "That makes two of us." He looked over at Ziva who shook her head.

"I have no knowledge of any medical issues McGee may be having, either."

While the three of them were trying to decipher what was going on with McGee, the object of their concern came out of the back elevator, a stack of printouts in his hands. "Boss, I've managed to reconstruct enough to get a listing of all his wire transfers for the last month." When he didn't get a response, he looked up to find Gibbs, Ziva and DiNozzo staring at him. "What?"

Gibbs stood and jerked his head towards the main elevator. "Conference room, now!"

As soon as the metal door closed behind them, Tony was on the phone to Abby. "Did you know that McGee was sick?"

~He looked fine a few minutes ago, Tony.~

"No, something long term, maybe something that started while the team was split up. Whatever it is, Vance is really upset about it. Are you sure he hasn't confided in you? I thought he told you everything."

~Apparently not, what are we going to do? We can't lose him now that we've got you and Ziva back.~

"We're not going to lose him, Abs, I promise."

Ziva didn't say anything until he had hung up the phone. "You should not have promised her, Tony. We do not know what is wrong."

---NCIS---

In the elevator Gibbs shut it down and turned to his agent. "What the hell is wrong, McGee?"

McGee was baffled. "I don't know, I've been down in the lab with Abby since we got back from the crime scene."

"No, McGee, what's wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me you were sick? If it affects your ability out in the field, I need to know about it." Gibbs studied his face. He was thinner than before they had been split up, but he didn't look ill.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Boss." Tim tried to think back over the last few months. Other than Harvey running into his back with a cart of computer equipment and the resulting bruised kidney, his health had been totally normal since the team had been separated after Director Shepard's death.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. McGee had picked a fine time to start being secretive. "Vance, the food..." He started to get annoyed at McGee's continued blank look. "Vance told DiNozzo about the food your doctor requires you to have in your desk."

"Oh, that." McGee inwardly groaned. He couldn't believe that the Director would violate his privacy in such a manner.

"That?" Frustrated, Gibbs slammed his hand against the wall of the elevator, secretly pleased when McGee jumped. "Damn it, McGee, I expect the kind of crap from Tony, not you. I expect you to be honest about your health. I don't like hearing about something like this secondhand." His temper getting away from him, Gibbs ended his rant with McGee cornered. "You come to me first, not last, first."

The moment Gibbs questioned his honesty, McGee stiffened. "I have been honest, sir. I have passed every medical exam NCIS has required of me. When I was hired, Director Morrow received a recommendation to add extra requirements, including that I maintain a stash of emergency food items. Now that Vance is the Director, he's being... strict." That wasn't quite the word he wanted to use, but he settled for it. Wanting the conversation to be done, McGee reached out to flip the elevator back on as he announced his intentions. "I'll talk to Vance. He had no right to discuss this with DiNozzo."

The second he heard McGee refer to him as sir, Gibbs knew he'd been out of line with the younger man. He reached out and caught McGee's arm before he could touch the switch. "Hey, you're angry, I understand, but we're worried." His confession seemed to relax McGee.

The look on Gibbs' face was the same one of worry that Tim had seen in the mirror all the months the team was apart. "I'm fine, Boss. I wouldn't lie to you, especially about something that could put the rest of the team at risk." McGee hoped he could reassure his boss without telling him more, because he couldn't bring himself to talk about Vance's reasons.

Gibbs decided to back off and hope that Tim would come to him away from the office. "I know, McGee."

"You just needed a little reminder?" Gibbs snorted at McGee's words as the other man gave a short laugh.

"So, we're good?"

McGee relaxed now that Gibbs wasn't going to push him for answers. He knew that someday he'd have to tell Gibbs everything, but he wasn't ready. "Yeah, we're fine, Boss."

"If Vance is putting unfair restrictions on you, we can do something about it."

As good as it felt to have Gibbs ready to do battle for him, he didn't want the situation stirred up. "Nah, its okay."

Gibbs looked entirely unconvinced, but he allowed McGee to turn the elevator back on. "When you're ready, McGee, my door's open." He reached up and lightly tapped him on the back of the head. "I mean that, McGee."

"I know, Boss." When he stepped back into the squad room, McGee checked his watch. The weekly briefing was still going on, which meant that Vance would be in MTAC for at least another ten minutes, so he returned to his desk.

Tony was waiting, and the moment McGee sat down, he bounced up and moved to squat down next to Tim's chair. "I'm sorry, man, I didn't know."

"Tony..."

"We just got the team back together, you should have told us you were sick."

He hadn't seen this level of concern from DiNozzo since the Benedict shooting. "Really, I'm all right." He looked up and saw Vance leave MTAC for his office. McGee stood and stepped around Tony, headed for a showdown with the Director.

---NCIS---

"Ducky, why didn't you tell me Timmy was sick? " Abby charged into autopsy, demanding to know why this secret was kept from her.

Elbow deep in a cadaver, Ducky looked up in surprise. "Abigail? What on Earth are you talking about? Timothy was fine the last time I saw him."

Abby blinked back tears as she shook her head. "No, Tony said that the Director knows about it, that it's been going on for a long time."

"A chronic illness?" Ducky handed his instruments to Palmer and pulled off his gloves before setting Abby down on a nearby stool. "I have no idea what is going on, but even if I did, I could not discuss it, my dear. That would be highly unethical. If the Director is aware of it, and he's still allowed out in the field, then it can't be too serious. He will tell us when he's ready."

---NCIS---

After a brief knock, McGee let himself into Vance's office, only his innate manners preventing him from slamming the door. Vance knew why he was there and immediately started to apologize. McGee didn't even let him get started.

"You had no right to discuss my medical limitations and concerns with anyone without my permission."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Vance's quick apology seemed to deflate McGee's anger slightly and he continued to explain. "Agent Bidwell called me this morning."

McGee's face lost all color and he staggered at the remembered name. "No, no, no." Vance grabbed his arm and shoved him into a chair, pressing his head down between his knees.

"I know, kid, I know. I got off the phone and went down to warn you, saw DiNozzo stuffing his face and I lost it." Vance let Tim sit up, but continued to rub his back as he told him more. "Mink is back with the FBI."

"What? No." McGee laid his head in his hands as he faced the inevitable. "When's he coming for me?"

"Not today." Vance hooked the leg of another chair and pulled it close to sit opposite the other man. "I've got a call in to their director. I want the full story and I'm gonna lay down some ground rules for them. In the meantime, I want you to stay here at headquarters, just to be safe."

Tim didn't say a word to his team mates as he returned to his desk and started working on the pile of paperwork sitting in his inbox. The rest of his team watched him as they also continued to track down leads. After about twenty minutes, Tony stood up.

"How about lunch, my treat? We could all use some fresh air." He grabbed his coat as he watched Ziva do the same. Even Gibbs was pushing back his chair.

Tim was the only one not moving. "No thanks." Tony came over and sat on the corner of his desk.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No, I was never mad at you, Tony."

Ziva stepped up to stand behind Tony as Gibbs watched. "Then why do you not wish to have lunch with us, McGee?"

He really didn't want to talk about it yet. "I just can't, Ziva. Director Vance doesn't want me to leave the building."

"Are you in trouble because of me?" Tony didn't have a clue what he seemed to have stirred up, but he did feel guilty about it.

"No, that's not it." Tim rubbed his forehead as he felt his chest tightening. His trembling hand stunned the rest of them.

Gibbs took immediate charge. "You two go, bring lunch back here." Ziva understood and pushed Tony out of the squad room in front of her. As soon as they left, Gibbs took Tony's place on the corner of McGee's desk "I thought you were okay."

"Me too."

Gibbs hopes that McGee could confide in him. Vance came back down the stairs, dashing his hopes. "It's time for some direct negotiations." He studied the young man. "Don't worry, Tim. Worse case scenario, we'll put you on a transport to one of the overseas offices tonight. He's not getting his hands on you." Vance clapped Tim on the back, then turned and left.

"Tim?"

"I thought it was over, Boss, I really thought it was over."

Gibbs has seen McGee develop from a timid, green rookie to a seasoned agent, watched him struggle with loosing a witness and stand up to protect his baby sister, but he'd never seen him look as frail as he did at that moment. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it. Now, can you tell me, or do you want to wait until they get back?"

"I think... I think I can only explain it once, Boss."

Gibbs laid his hand on McGee's back, where Vance had clapped him only moments earlier. "Then we wait."