Preface: I recently saw NCIS Episode 185 "Swan Song" and felt it appropriate it to dedicate this chapter to Muse Watson who portrayed a great supporting character. Goodbye Mike, I'll miss you.

The Basterds of NCIS

Chapter Two: The New Job

Exiting the Director's Office, Gibbs immediately flipped open the folder and began peering at the file. He squinted and drew it closer to his face and then further away. Nope. Still the same. "This isn't the worth the paper it's printed on DiNozzo," he barked flipping the bulging folder towards Tony who managed to grab most of it, with just a few sheets falling onto the floor.

"I want his file! His complete file! Not that blacked out, redacted, sanitized piece of crap!" Gibbs ordered. DiNozzo began carefully reassembling the whole folder and then shrugged and scooped everything up and ran to catch up.

Gibbs came to a halt at the top of the stairs and glared down at the Bull Pen. He swiveled and gave a gimlet look at DiNozzo who tracked Gibbs' line of sight. "Oh yeah. Raine is here Boss," Tony reported helpfully and giving his best charming smile.

Gibbs raised an ironic eyebrow. "Gee, thanks for telling me DiNozzo, I would never have guessed," he said flatly, the charm sliding off his armor like water off the back of a duck.

Tony nodded contritely, "Sorry Boss."

Gibbs' hand came up and whacked him on the back on the back of the head as he stepped closer and hissed. "Never apologize, DiNozzo."

Tony winced at the rebuke more than the cuff. "Right. Rule 6. It's a sign of weakness," he recited automatically.

Gibbs turned and strode down the stairs, fuming. He was more angry at himself at being played by the Director and the Judge Advocate General. Damn, they must have seen me coming a mile away, he realized bitterly as Raine just 'happened' to be here right after they had briefed Gibbs about him. Bullcrap. They knew. They knew going in that he would cave and accept Raine.

Tony sighed and followed. Then he smirked gleefully. At least now Gibbs had a new target other than him!

"Why do you have that stupid grin on your face for DiNozzo?" Gibbs snarled, not even turning around.

Tony instantly wiped the smirk off his face. Before meeting Gibbs, he would have claimed that the rear position was the best in avoiding unwanted attention. Instead, he was now convinced that Gibbs had eyes on the back of his head. And could read minds, he thought very, very quietly hoping that the Gibbs-dar wasn't focused on him.

"Get me that file DiNozzo!"

OK, maybe not.

Vivian Blackadder was sitting at her desk, killing time by mainly shuffling papers around and stealing curious looks at the visitor loitering by Gibbs' desk. He had spent most of the time studying the Wanted Wall but apparently exhausted himself and was now looking over the desks of the Bull Pen.

She looked up as Gibbs strode into the Bull Pen and inwardly winced at the scowl on his face. He was in a Bad Mood. As Usual. She wondered if he went to bed with a grimace on his face.

She hoped that they didn't have another case. It would be unfortunate timing. "What." Gibbs said in a flat tone of voice glaring at her. She gulped, realizing that she had been holding her gaze at him for a touch too long.

"I wanted to give you my Resignation Letter," she stated, deciding to take the Gibbs by the horns as it were. She produced a typed letter to Gibbs. "And to thank you and tell you how much I appreciate the time and patience—" she began as Gibbs took the sheet and didn't even bother to glance at it as he threw it onto one of the piles on his desk.

"Fine," Gibbs said shortly.

She blinked and tried to regroup, "Uh … if you want, I can stay for 2 weeks until you can find a replacement—"

"Weren't you leaving?" Gibbs cut her off.

Blackadder shut her mouth and produced her NCIS identification card, the NCIS badge, and her regulation Sig Sauer before laying them on the desk before grabbing her purse.

Gibbs calmly accepted the items and placed them into a desk drawer, locking it. "Anything else?" he prompted.

Blackadder shook her head. She searched for the proper words to say before coming up blank and she gave Gibbs a respectful nod. "It's been an honor," she stated formally.

"You weren't too bad," Gibbs remarked blandly. Blackadder struggled not to fall dead from shock. That had almost been a compliment!

Of course Gibbs ruined that by adding, "For an FBI agent."

Blackadder rolled her eyes, chuckling at the jab and gave him an actual Marine Corps salute and departed.

Tony who had been busy on his phone, requesting Raine's files was left staring at the scene in surprise. Blackadder gave him a wave, "See you Tony."

"Bye Viv," DiNozzo said quietly as she left. DiNozzo lowered the phone receiver he had been talking into and jerked his head after Blackadder. "She's leaving Boss?" he asked.

Gibbs picked up one of the waiting folders and flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages. "You must be a detective DiNozzo," Gibbs retorted.

DiNozzo simply stared after Blackadder. "I'll miss her," he remarked longingly.

Gibbs snorted, not even looking up. "You'll get over it. Now stop staring at her ass and get back to work."

DiNozzo tore his eyes away reluctantly.

Gibbs continued scanning the typed report for a minute before he heard someone clearing their throat. He slowly lowered the file to find Aldo Raine III gazing steadily at him. "What."

"Agent Gibbs?"

"Special Agent Gibbs," Gibbs corrected flatly.

"I was told to report to you today at 1000," Raine added with a slight Southern accent to Gibbs' ear. Not Texan, he decided, Tennessee maybe?

"Fine. You've reported," Gibbs agreed and promptly resumed ignoring him by lifting the file folder and continued to read.

"There's a chair over there if you want to sit," Tony called out gesturing toward Blackadder's now vacant desk and then suddenly realized that Gibbs had lowered the folder and was giving him the Gibbs Stare. "Or not. Definitely not. Oh, yeah, that particular chair's uh … reserved, off-limits, in a state of eternal dibs." DiNozzo corrected himself, shaking his head in a negative fashion.

Gibbs continued to give him a beady eyed look. "I'm working on the file Boss! They—they have me on hold!" he held up the phone receiver as proof. Gibbs continued to stare at him lizard-like. "Or—or I could go down to Records in person and get it myself. Great idea Boss!" Tony slammed the phone down and leaped up and ran towards the elevator.

A faint smirk crept up onto Gibbs' face as he raised the folder and resumed reading.

Aldo Raine was wondering if he glared hard enough, if he could ignite the folder that Gibbs was reading. He doubted that the contents of it was so damn fascinating or that important.

He barely had any contact with the man but from what little he had gleaned from his observations of his treatment of his subordinates; Gibbs favored the 'my way or no way' style of command and wasn't above petty intimidation and bullying to keep them cowed.

He had seen quite a bit of this style of leadership before and knew that this was all just a game. A game designed to frustrate and anger him. To show Aldo Raine III just who was in charge.

He further decided that he was not going to play Special Agent Gibbs' little game.

Gibbs flipped the folder closed and placed it onto the OUT tray and picked up the next one awaiting him. Then he realized that Raine wasn't standing nearby anymore. He surveyed the Bull Pen and then smirked slightly.

That was easier than he thought. Surprising though. He thought that a SEAL would have lasted for at least an hour before running out of patience. Guess they just don't make Squids like they used to, he thought to himself.

He leaned back in his chair and opened the folder when he heard a faint snore. He lowered the folder and gave the Bull Pen another look. Seeing nothing untoward, he then leaned over his desk and frowned when he noticed a pair of polished shoes sticking out in the empty cubicle across from him.

Getting up from his desk, he saw Aldo Raine III stretched out on the floor and snoring lightly. He scowled. Huh. Apparently, it wasn't going to be easy as he assumed.

Then he shrugged. Definite combat vet, knows to get his sleep when he can, he realized before he returned to his paperwork.

Gibbs heard DiNozzo's familiar voice echoing out of the elevator. "…just like Reverend Kane from Poltergeist 2."

He rolled his eyes at his subordinate's fondness for cinema and glanced at his watch. Almost an hour and a half … not bad, he admitted to himself. DiNozzo strolled up and tossed his bag onto his desk. "Hey Boss. Got Raine's file," he presented a bulging file folder which he presented to Gibbs as though it was made out of solid gold.

Gibbs accepted it, glanced at the tabs to ensure that it was the right file and gave a sharp nod of approval. "Good work DiNozzo."

"Well…" DiNozzo grinned with his best, aw shucks tone of voice.

"If you ever get fired as an NCIS agent, you have something to fall back on," finished Gibbs.

Gibbs cracked open the folder and began quickly scanning it, flipping pages. He didn't really care about the biographical stuff, although they would probably be interesting reading later, he quickly got to the real meat of the file. Raine's military service record.

He slowed down and began carefully reviewing it. He had a number of commendations. Almost as many disciplinary charges to boot. It seemed that the man never encountered a goal that he wouldn't exceed even if he had to bend, twist, and otherwise mangle military convention, discipline, or orders.

Gibbs reread a section of his SEAL instructor who seemed to be torn between trying to simultaneously berate Raine's participation in an exercise and keep his language from being too provocative.

Gibbs smirked slightly at the sometimes ambiguous and creative report. Reading between the lines, his instructor wanted Raine as a SEAL but was trying to keep his report from being too inflammatory to ruin his chances. Probably so he could foist Raine off on somebody more … deserving than him, Gibbs thought amused.

Tony was surprised to feet a pair of feet obstructing the way to his desk and discovered a slumbering Raine on the floor.

"Hey, wake—" DiNozzo used his foot to lightly prod the slumbering Raine. Raine's arm snapped out, grabbed the ankle and threw it with impressive force upward, causing DiNozzo's entire body to be thrown into the air. "—UHHHHHHUUUUPPP!" DiNozzo screeched as he landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Raine's hand snaked out and clamped hard on DiNozzo's windpipe and began to compress when Raine's eyes popped open and he realized who he was about to throttle. He released his grip, allowing the bug-eyed Tony to wheeze something as he reached up and massaged his neck. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized.

Gibbs was impressed. The whole thing had taken about two seconds. Maybe a second and a half. Laconically he remarked, "Never wake a sleeping soldier DiNozzo. You'll regret it."

Tony gasped out, "No—no kidding."

Gibbs snapped the folder closed, a deep frown forming a vertical crease on his forehead. His eyes snapped around and locked onto Aldo Raine.

"With me Raine!" Gibbs snapped, jerking his head towards the elevator.

Once inside, Gibbs flipped the switch causing the elevator to shut down and darkening the lights. He glared at the ex-SEAL and ramped up his aura of menace. This kid however didn't even twitch.

He was a bit disappointed but wasn't that surprised. Raine was a SEAL after all. And they didn't choose guys who couldn't piss standing up and his little stint in Iraq certainly proved he wasn't a coward or afraid to get his hands dirty. He gave him a point in his favor and lobbed the first shot.

"So what do you have on Chegwidden? The Judge Advocate General of the Navy does not go out and pull strings for nobodies."

Raine didn't even blink. "I didn't ask him to. But the Admiral felt obligated to. He served on the same SEAL team with my father during a tour in Vietnam."

Gibbs nodded slowly. That sort of fit in with the picture he was building. He circled the man who remained standing at attention. "The reports on you say you're a loose cannon. A maverick. Even in the SEALS, you had a real habit of playing cowboy. Why? Adrenaline junkie?"

"Because I saw an opportunity and I took it."

Gibbs reared back, feigning surprise. "You saw it? You saw it? Your years of experience and training told you that! So you ignored your superiors because: You. Saw. It."

"Yes."

"Why?" Gibbs hissed.

"Because they were wrong."

"And you are always right Lieutenant?" Gibbs barked, emphasizing his former rank to mock Raine and strike a nerve.

Raine gave a brief shoulder roll. "Never said that."

"Oh?"

Raine suddenly affixed Gibbs' gimlet gaze with one of his own and said calmly, "But I trust my gut over somebody else's judgment."

That rocked Gibbs back on his heels. Huh.

Mike Franks was glaring at him. "You know what's your biggest problem Probie? You think you're right all the damn time! Your second biggest problem is that you're usually are but you sure are a self righteous pain in the ass about it."

He angrily stubbed out his cigarette before continuing with a snarl and an accusing finger, "One day Probie, one day I sure do hope that you get stuck with a pain in the ass self righteous bastard—just like you!"

Gibbs leaned forward. "You're a soldier. And a damn fine one from your Service Record. But the question is can you be an NCIS Special Agent? Can you investigate crimes? Can you arrest people without blowing them away first?"

"If they surrender, then I have no problems with detaining them. Otherwise—" Raine gave him a smile that was somehow both very cold and very cruel, "—then they're fair game."

Gibbs nodded. Acceptable. He stepped right into Raine's face and was satisfied to see not even a flinch. "When you screw up and believe me, you will screw up, I will be there to tell you. And I expect that you don't ever do it again."

"Yes sir."

"Don't sir me, I work for a living!" Gibbs snarled.

"Very well … Gibbs."

"Better." Gibbs growled and flipped the elevator button causing the power to return and it rose back to the Bull Pen. "You're going to be a Probationary NCIS Field Agent. We are the premiere security, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, and law enforcement agency of the United States' Navy and Marine Corps. This is our job, our mission, our duty, and our responsibility. As part of the Major Case Response Team; we handle everything from investigating domestic murder cases, to international piracy, to tracking down foreign terrorist threats ashore or afloat. Your job is to listen and learn."

Gibbs stalked out and saw a ghostly image of Franks standing by his desk, a cigarette dangling in his mouth and gave him a cocky salute and a smug smirk. "Good luck Probie. I hope you have as much fun with him as I did with you."

Thanks Boss, Gibbs returned mentally. I probably will.