Welcome to Season 2! This is a tag for the first episode of Season 2 – "See No Evil."

Also, just want to address a couple of other things that have come up. There were some questions about the whole Senior Field Agent thing. While obviously Tony is the most "senior" in terms of seniority on the team for the duration of the entire series, I interpret "Senior Field Agent" to be a separate title that comes with increased responsibilities, including some level of authority over the other agents on the team in Gibbs' absence. I think Gibbs treats Kate and Tony pretty equally in that regard throughout Season 1, so my assumption for this fiction will be that Tony "officially" becomes SFA some time in Season 2. Now regarding the time frame in which Tony officially becomes Gibbs' Senior Field Agent – Gibbs' first reference to Tony using that title doesn't come until late in Season 2 in the episode "Red Cell." Given Tony's reaction to Ducky and Jimmy (where he says something along the lines of "Did you hear that? He called me his Senior Field Agent. Finally!"), I am going by the assumption that this is indeed the first time Gibbs ever acknowledges Tony as his SFA and that it is something Tony has been eagerly anticipating for quite some time. Which means at the beginning of Season 2, my poor Tony still has a ways to go in trying to "earn" himself that title on Gibbs' team – fun for me as a FF writer though!

Additionally, it was somewhat difficult for me to determine how much time is supposed to have passed between "Reveille" and "See No Evil." On one hand, Tony makes reference to the fact that he's been working out "all summer" and they make a point of how unbearably hot it is, so it seems like it could be July or August. But then Ducky says that the human jigsaw puzzle was found "last month," so I'm putting "See No Evil" around the end of June and assuming a little over a month has gone by in the interim.

Enjoy!

"One More Thing"

"Agent Gibbs, uh, Boss, I mean," McGee stammered, "thank you again so much for the opportunity. I can't wait to get started! Uh, I do have one question though."

Gibbs simply stared at the other man as his brand new agent stood awkwardly in front of his desk. The promotion of Agent McGee to full-time field agent on his team had happened somewhat more rapidly than any of them had anticipated. However, after the incredibly bright young man had helped saved the life of Officer Watson's wife with his quick-thinking and then tracked the money back to DC so that the true culprit behind the kidnapping could be identified, the Director had thought it both prudent and well-deserved to go ahead and ram through Agent McGee's official promotion to the MCRT.

It's gonna take a while to get used to that, McGee thought as he noted the piercing glare he received in response to his inquiry. Realizing no verbal response was forthcoming, the now Special Agent McGee continued. "I was just wondering when you actually wanted me to start. Cause, I'd love to start right away, but I do have some things to wrap up in Norfolk and I don't want to just leave things unfinished."

The request for additional time came as somewhat of a relief to the Lead Agent, since just a couple of days ago he'd expected a new agent on his team in a few months and was not anywhere close to being ready for him. "How much time do you need?"

"Uh, a couple of days? Maybe?"

"That a question, McGee?" Tony and Kate had been writing their reports on the Watson case, but both looked up in amusement. The case had been horribly stressful, as cases involving children always are, but their one relief had been taking turns hazing their new teammate-to-be. Well that does it, Tony said to himself, I've got to keep him from talking directly to Gibbs as much as possible or we're gonna have a dead Probie on our hands.

"No? I mean, yes, sir. Gibbs. Boss." Deep breath Tim. "Can I have a couple of days?"

Gibbs audibly sighed in relief that this conversation was at last coming to an end. "Yes, Agent McGee, take a few days, wrap things up in Norfolk. It's gonna take us a few days to get everything ready here, anyway."

McGee smiled in relief. "Thank you, Boss! I'll see you all in a few days!" In spite of being teased, threatened, simultaneously slapped in the head by both of his new teammates, and made to climb, or more accurately, "tumble" head-first out of a two-story window earlier in the day, McGee was looking forward to joining this team with every fiber of his being. Because Gibbs' team was the best-of-the-best, and everyone knew it.

"Hey, McGee!" Tony called, before his new teammate reached the elevator. "You have a place to stay?"

The younger man blushed just slightly. "I can stay with Abby, but I want to find an apartment as soon as possible."

"You need any help apartment hunting?" Tony offered, as Kate looked up in surprise.

"Oh, uh, no, thanks Tony. I'm sure Abby will help me. But thanks for offering. I'll see you guys soon!"

Tony hid it well, but felt a slight disappointment at having his offer of assistance rejected. Though being rejected in favor of a beautiful woman was completely understandable. Then he noticed Kate staring at him. "That was really kind of sweet of you, Tony. I didn't know you had it in you." He decided to simply answer his partner's sarcasm by making an equally sarcastic face and then returned to writing his report.

With McGee's departure, the atmosphere in the room gradually became heavy as all three of the agents remaining began to relive the details of the case they'd just wrapped. While Kate was preoccupied with concern for Sandy Watson's future now that it was known that her own father was the one who had arranged her kidnapping, the case had brought to mind more personal demons for her two teammates. Gibbs saw the face of his beloved Kelly in place of Sandy Watson's and wondered how a man could value anything enough to put his own child in danger. Captain Watson most certainly did not realize how lucky he was to be alive and relatively unharmed after Gibbs had gotten his hands on him. Across the room, Tony was simply thinking about fathers - good ones, bad ones, and how much or how little difference lay between the two. As if she'd somehow read his mind, he was roused from his thoughts when Kate suddenly remembered an earlier conversation.

"Tony, did you really mean what you said earlier about not wanting any children? Or were you just pulling my leg?"

As usual, he debated giving a facetious answer, but since he was no longer in a joking mood he decided to just stick with the truth instead. "No, Kate, I was serious. I don't want to have children."

"Hmm." It wasn't that Kate saw her partner as the "fatherly" type, but she had difficulty understanding how a person could be so resolutely against having kids. Coming from a large family, it was a future she had assumed for herself for almost as long as she'd been alive.

Gibbs was pretending to be disinterested, but whenever a conversation between his two most senior agents veered into the personal, he had learned that it was best to remain alert in order to head off any problems. And, though he'd be reluctant to admit it, he too was interested in what Tony had to say on the matter. He'd always assumed that the younger man wanted a family someday, in spite of the playboy ways of his recent years. Had that simply changed after Wendy, or had they perhaps both agreed on not becoming parents? Or maybe they couldn't agree and that's why she didn't go through with it.

"Hmm, what, Kate? I know you want to say something else. Like how relieved you are to not have to worry about any little Anthony DiNozzos running around in the world, corrupting all those sweet little girls."

"Good point, but that wasn't it. I was just wondering why."

She fully expected to be told it was none of her business, but was caught off guard when Tony decided to answer her question with what she believed to be, for once, complete honesty from her partner.

"Not everyone should be a parent, Kate. And when people who shouldn't be parents have kids anyway, it's never good for the kids. Look what happened to that little girl. Watson should never have had children."

Puzzled by how that logic applied to Tony, Kate responded, "But you aren't comparing yourself to Watson are you? I mean, you wouldn't do something like that. Turn on your wife and child to make a few extra bucks. "

"Maybe not. But there are all kinds of bad parents. Kids still get screwed up, even with lousy parents who didn't mean to be lousy." Gibbs noted the uncharacteristic world-weariness that came across in the younger man's tone, thinking that Tony was far too young to be suddenly sounding so old. Sometimes he truly hated what this job did to people, though another thought cut in at the same time. It's not just the job talking. He knew that to be true. In Tony's mind, he was one of those screwed-up kids.

Kate's spidey-profiler senses were starting to tingle as well, but past experience in dealing with Tony told her she'd gotten as much out of him as he was willing to offer her. Deciding not to push her luck any further, Kate turned the discussion back to Sandy Watson. "At least Sandy still has her mother, who obviously loves her very much. They'll get through it. Sandy will be fine." Kate wasn't certain which of them she was trying to convince with the last statement.

"Let's hope so." Tony's tone made it clear that he was far from convinced himself.

"You done with that report yet, Agent Todd?" Gibbs interceded. While he was relieved to hear that Kate and Tony had finally learned to have a civil discussion, the tone of this one was taking a turn even he could no longer handle.

"Just finished, Gibbs."

"Then bring it over and go home. No point making this day any longer." Tony had just put the finishing touches on his report as well and was preparing to follow Kate's lead, but his boss stopped him. "Need you for just a minute, DiNozzo."

Tony watched Kate enter the elevator and the doors close behind her. "What's up, Boss?"

"I want you to get everything ready for Agent McGee. Get his desk ready, equipment, find out what HR needs."

Tony smiled. "You mean like I would do if I was your Senior Field Agent?" His eyes sparkled with just a hint of mischief, traces of his earlier despondence having completely disappeared. Once again, Gibbs marveled at the ability of DiNozzo to change his mood on a dime. Or at least according to outward appearances.

The younger man was persistent, Gibbs had to give him that. Tony brought it up at least once a week. But the older man needed to see how the team dynamics were going to change with McGee as a permanent addition before making that decision just yet. He knew Tony genuinely liked the junior agent, but what he didn't know was how well DiNozzo was going to be able to handle the obvious jealousy he felt towards the other man. Their rivalry could either make both of them better agents, or it could simply make the two men hate each other. And me want to murder them both.

"I mean like you would do if I told you to, because I'm your boss." The words may have indicated a threat, but the tone conveyed just enough amusement to render them harmless.

"Right, Boss. Consider it done. Anything else?" He hadn't expected the ploy to work, but he wasn't going to let Gibbs forget either. Tony knew he could be very convincing when he set his mind to something. He'd even gotten a rare "good job" out of his boss on this case. Two if you count the one that came with the suggestion that I pursue a second career as a delivery boy. But backhanded compliments don't count anymore. I want the real ones.

"Yeah, one more thing." Tony looked eager to follow his boss' next directive, but Gibbs was uncertain he would be so amenable when he heard the one more thing he had to say. "Having lousy parents doesn't mean you're going to be one."

Gibbs' blunt statement seemed to come out of nowhere and struck Tony hard. First, he hadn't realized that the other man had even been paying attention to his earlier conversation with Kate, though it now occurred to him that perhaps he should have known. Gibbs hears everything. Second, he was taken aback by how quickly Gibbs could blur the lines between the professional and the personal. Correction. He only mixes the two when it involves my personal issues. And finally, he was most shaken by the simple fact that Gibbs could see right through him. How could I possibly be a good parent when I have no clue what one looks like? And how does Gibbs know what I'm thinking?

In a flash of anger, the memory of a hushed conversation in Gibbs' basement when he had been at his most vulnerable sprung to mind, and Tony accused, "You promised not to bring that up again."

"You think that one story's the only clue you've ever given me that you had a crappy childhood?" Gibbs thought it best that he refrain from also explaining that it had, however, been the one to illuminate the meaning of all the other ambiguous and bizarre stories and references Tony had offered up over the past two years.

For some reason unknown even to himself, Tony made a feeble attempt to defend his parents. "It wasn't that bad. My father never had me kidnapped. I didn't go hungry. I got an education. I always had what I needed."

Not everything you needed, Tony. Surprisingly, Gibbs held up his hands in mock surrender, knowing it would be much easier to make his point to a Tony who wasn't on the defensive against him. "Ok, Tony. Just trying to tell you not to assume you'd be a bad father. I don't."

Tony responded with far less anger this time, offering simply an exasperated sigh. "Gibbs, I'm awful with kids. You've seen me. I have no idea how to even talk to them."

"You weren't so bad with Sandy. "

"She was different. She's a sweet kid. Probably likes everybody. Every other kid hates me, I promise you." The unwelcome image of the kid he'd rescued in Baltimore, pure hatred and blame in his eyes, appeared in a flash, but then he was gone. "I'm not like you – great with children and awful with everybody else."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at the comment. When it came to uncomfortable truths, Tony gave as good as he got.

"Oh, gosh, Boss." Now DiNozzo sounded truly contrite. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that."

"Yeah you did, DiNozzo. And it's the truth. I'm much better with kids than adults."

Noticeably more at ease, the younger man countered with, "But you didn't have any of your own. Kids, I mean. And it's worked out fine for you."

Kelly appeared once again. No, Tony, nothing's turned out fine for me. Still, he knew there was nothing in this world he would trade for those eight years with his daughter. He hated the idea that Tony would choose to miss out on that kind of love based solely on an unreasonable fear. "Don't be like me."

"I wasn't planning on it. For your information, I don't intend to get divorced three times. For one thing, I'd have to get married to get divorced, and I'm not planning to ever try that again, eith-" Suddenly realizing he'd said far too much, once again, he cut himself off. "You know, I don't know how you do that."

"Do what?"

"Get me to say stuff. You're a very sneaky man, Gibbs. I almost feel sorry for our suspects. "

"Wasn't trying to interrogate you, Tony," Gibbs replied with a knowing smirk. "Just making a point."

"Which is?"

"Not to close doors you may wish later you'd left open." Tony found himself wondering what kinds of doors his boss may have left closed. Or if the other man perhaps now regretted not having had any children. Gibbs would have been a good father. In a quiet, slightly scary sort of way.

"That have something to do with why you leave your front door unlocked, Boss? Have I told you how weird that is, by the way?"

Tony's way of telling me I'm not getting anything else out of him tonight. "Do I hear someone asking for a head slap?"

"Ah, that's my cue to leave. Night, Gibbs." As Tony was heading for the elevator, he impulsively stopped and added his own "one more thing," rapidly and careful not to make eye contact with the older man.

"And thanks for caring, Boss."