schtroumph_c | Catwalksalone made me do it :)

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Catwalksalone made me do it :)

The retcon about Shalom in Bounce (yes, still NCIS) appeared in her post, and I gave my theory about it. Because my brain thinks it comes with plot bunnies, I also have three scenarii to go with it.

Copypasta because I'm lazy like that.

McGee not being happy about Tony being the boss again.

I have a theory to ~~hand wave~~ explain that. After all, he agrees with Ziva, he just has a problem with the worst side of the Tonyess of Tony.

When Tony is in a bad mood, he tends to take it on McGee, or sometimes it's just for fun. And I think McGee hit the maximum level of tolerance. Plus he wants to be seen as more than the computer guy (explaining his insistence with boyscouting of body and deception when failing, and speaking of the not MIT degree) and a fully capable field agent.

But Tony didn't adapt to the new McGee (post Caged) and still treat him as a newbie, and scoff or laugh when McGee's given an important job. I'm practically sure his lower hits came just after Tony mocked him.

Even if Tony doesn't really mean it, maybe it's still hurt, and for extra angst, Tim begins to believe Tony doesn't trust him as agent and doesn't like him anymore, and Tim doesn't care. No really, he doesn't care, and it doesn't hurt, because he's got more bosses, like Vance, and Gibbs, so he doesn't need Tony's approbation. Really not. So there.

From that, 3 scenarii:

The nice one: Tony finally understand the situation and start to volunteer McGee for big jobs, even more if there's no computer involved and cut down the criticism. McGee rewards him with hug, kisses on the cheeks, and more if the mood strike.

The angsty one: They have a big fight and Tim accepts a proposition from Vance to work at Norfolk with a new team, or even his own, just to get away from Tony. Tony freaks out because they all always leaving and Tim promises it's only for two months and not Mexico or Israel, but he needs a time off before they both do or say something they won't be able to fix.

And Tony and Abby are really afraid Tim meet peoples he likes more than them, so Abby calls him every day. But Tony pretend he doesn't miss him at all, and if they go through three agents to replaced him, well it's because they don't have the strength to do the job, not because he treats them like McGee but they don't how to react or have his patience.

And Tim pretend he likes working at Norfolk, even if the doctor doesn't talk to the bodies, and the forensic guy is normal, and they all follow the rules, and doesn't ask him to hack, and no, he didn't subtly interrogate this woman by flirting with her and basically acting like Tony. He didn't.

And they always open their phone but doesn't do the call, Ziva pushes Tony to call because he clearly misses him, but he says she must has lost some ninja Mossad power because she's wrong. Tim is exactly the same, except it's Jethro watching him like if he's crazy, and one week before he'll go home, Tim decides to stop acting like a teenage girl and call Tony. Who doesn't answer because he had a long day at work and just watched the caller ID by reflex.

Then his brain catches up, and he calls Tim back, and they have a long conversation summarise by "I miss you, we're both wrong and right, we'll work on it and changes the bad habit, even have some DiNozzo/McGee rules of friendship. Or McGee/DiNozzo. McNozzo. DiGee. Some cool name they'll find later. Call you tomorrow."

Except Tim is hurt during his last mission and accused to have sabotaged it, so the team goes to Norfolk to defends him and they totally have a Abby Hug. And the real saboteur, and people who accused Tim (I mean, when he left us he was a good agent. Now he find his answers by hacking, or stealing, or glaring, by God, Gibbs, what did you teach to this kid?) will have to deal with Gibbs's anger, because his boy got hurt, and someone will have to pay.

Third scenario. McGee is late one morning and doesn't answer his phone. Tony kept calling him on the way to the body of the day, a whole list of nickname and jokes to tell when he have the answer machine, and stop when the body is McGee, beaten to death. Some agency, because he's somewhere he shouldn't have been, take the case, so they can't check DNA or prints themselves, everybody is sad and all.

Ziva and Tony go to his empty apartment to find something, Tony sit in front of the typewriter, eyes shiny but not crying, talking to Ziva of their recent difficulties and how he planned a pizza and movie night for both of them and talk, but always found a reason to push back.

Ziva is sad too, and McGee enter with Jethro, tired and slightly stressed, surprised at seeing them and starting to complain how they could at least wait a little more before checking on him, his sister can't always kill someone, and he was up all night because Jethro was sick, and he tried to find a veterinary, and he lost his phone, and he didn't find the time to call and warn, and then he realise their face and stop. And Ziva hugs him. And Abby will be practically welded to him. I have this image of McGee walking from the plasma to his desk with Abby hugging him and not letting go, like when he has his shoulder dislocated.

Later, he's totally destabilised by the photos of him, who is actually Danny Walden, from the Navy, and played by Sean in JAG.

Later, he needs to put Danny's uniform to scare the murderer and Abby and Tony are really not on for that. Abby doesn't hide that she's scared, but Tony doesn't say it and explain badly how he doesn't want Tim to do that, so badly Tim thinks Tony doesn't believe him able to do it and McGee almost shout all his problems with Tony's attitude and his lack of trust. Tony is all woobie face because it's not what he meant.

And the killer is caught, Tim has a little wound, because he took an unnecessary risk, absolutely not to impress Tony by the way, Ducky goes to take care of it but find an excuse to back off and ask Tony to do it, where ask mean better obey if Tony and Tim don't want to have big problems.

After this subtle encouragement, Tim feels a little down because he almost made a mistake and think Tony is going to comment/mock and that he's right. Tony is furious against himself because he doesn't know how make Tim understand he's not thinking that and clean the wound.

And he put his forehead against Tim's, eyes closed, before putting his head against his neck and hugging him, explaining how Tim was dead this morning when Tony wanted to show him this cool video, and then he was alive again, and Tim wanted to be alone with a murderer, passing for a guy so hated by his killer he was beaten, and there was blood, and he was scared, and it hurt, and he really doesn't want to feel like that again, and it's not keeping Tim away from the dangerous work, it's keeping Tim away from the risk of losing him again.

Tim digests the monologue and proposes to spend the night at Tony's with Jethro because McGee was hit on the head and someone has to watch him just in case, and they can take pizza on the road.

And Ducky watches, happy that he won't have to use the big guns. Ziva takes photos to send to Abby.

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I am taking the last image of Tony and Tim to bed with me tonight, see if I don't!

Also C&Ping from my lj for discussion purposes:

Your theory definitely fits with the Tim we know pre and post Caged and it does seem to be the overwhelming Tonyness he's got a problem with, both in Bounce (where he's worried that leadership will make him too Tony) and South by Southwest (where he's worried that it's money that will change him). Because of course in Broken Bird you get that whole wanting to be more than just a human search engine, so yes, he's trying so hard to be more than he was.

And, yeah, add to that the whole psych evaluation where Tim is mildly neurotic with a highly sensitive ego, no matter how much he knows Tony is mostly kidding around, when he doesn't recognise Tim's development that WOULD hurt him. And it's easier to deal with hurt by turning it into irritation or by pasting over it and pretending it didn't happen. So any arrogant behaviour towards Tony can be explained at least partly as a defence mechanism.

I love how his sensitive ego is so easily appeased by Abby's liking his fingersnaps.

*giggling helplessly*

soupytwist and I were on the phone for half an hour last night discussing how delightful it is that Tim has problems noticing that someone likes him. Once he's there he's fine, he has confidence in it, no problem. But he manages to be completely oblivious until it's made frickin' explicit, and is therefore able to ignore the neon sign that Tony is wearing.

Yes, absolutely. *nodnodnod* Which is why Tony has to do all the jumping up and down and pigtail-pulling because he needs Tim to understand and omg why doesn't he just get it already? Because if McGee makes him say words there are going to be serious consequences.

One moment to add at the list, just at the beginning of Caged, after Tony said Tim wasn't tough enough, when they leave for the lift, Tim hit him with his backpack, and Tony doesn't understand why.

You have better seduction's techniques, Tony, you know this one doesn't work after the kindergarten. Unless he actually thinks Tim is flirting back. They love arguing, after all.

Someone need to take them into the lift and not allow them to leave until they make up. No matter how *whistles innocently*. Just for the image of someone going to Gibbs to tell him they kinda need the lift, and it's stuck for hours now, so maybe he could call them and tell them to get... no? No, okay, well, I'll take the stairs, some exercising can't hurt.

Hee. I wonder who'd be fool enough to ask Gibbs to get the lift started.

Huh, the backpack hitting. Yes. And Tony has NO CLUE. Why is he so clueless? WHY? (He makes up for it later with the blowing on McGee and the clothes adjusting.)

Yesyesyesyesyes! Tony's insanity is way more obvious, but Tim is JUST as weird (if not MORE SO; me and

villainny were going on the other day about how Tim is a giant geek, but he seems to have convictions about stuff he should get once he has lots of money, in a way most people wouldn't, and how this results in him being a giant dork in a Porche Boxter and a fancy leather jacket that CLEARLY don't go with anything else in his life... except maybe Tony *g*) and surprisingly easily hurt, even once he's got better at hiding that. And he is not a fold-y-uppy-wussy person, either; if he feels needled or threatened or whatever, he snaps back.

And that can end up going further than he intends. But once he knows he went a bit far, he does try to apologise!

Aww, TIM. I love how he's really quite complex. They could easily have drawn him as the bumbly, geeky one and they did for a while, but they let him grow. They even let him TALK about growth. So while I may not always agree with where they take him (I do not like it when he's snide, I don't think it fits) I do appreciate the fact that they are aiming to provide some character development.

I love you so much. These are all great, and I can really see the plausibility of the first one. It was only a matter of time before McGee "snapped," so to speak. (If it were up to me, I'd resolve it in Season 7 with a lot of yelling, and Tony slamming McGee up against a wall. With his whole body. So that they could look deeply into each others eyes.)

I just kind of wish that my (non-slashy) theory had been able to play out, especially considering the vibes McGee was giving off in the beginning of the season. (Kay, I'm going to launch into my Big Damn Theory.)

First, I'd like to pose this question: where the hell was Gibbs during the summer before S6? When he comes to see McGee in the basement, McGee leaps out of his chair with the happiest look on his face that I've ever seen. Which means that Gibbs never even took the time to visit him. Ever. Which means that the only contact McGee would reasonably have from the team would be the occasional hello from Ducky and Palmer (since they would be constantly busy, Gibbs can't be the only team leader they serve) and lunch with Abby. And all Abby would be able to talk about is how everything is terrible now that they're broken up, and despite everything Tim is still a good friend, so he wouldn't stop her from getting it out of her system. Which means that every week he was subjected to Abby's fears, which incidentally mirror his own.

So not only was McGee trying to assauge Abby's fears as well as his own, ALL BY HIMSELF, he also didn't have any outside support -- except for Vance who obviously came by regularily. Which meant he had McGee all to himself, and completely under his thumb.

I'll leave you with that; I need to go to bed. I'll finish this theory tommorrow.

Much love troumph-chan. <3333

Tony slamming McGee up against a wall. With his whole body. So that they could look deeply into each others eyes.

Dear Santa...

I never thought at that about Gibbs and Vance. I just saw a Geek solidarity. I think McGee was happy to have a boss with who he doesn't need to explain technobabble, or talk about it with someone else than Abby.

But that would put an interesting spin on the scene in Dagger when Vance learn Tim downloaded Domino. Sorry Vance, even Gibbs doesn't have his 100% loyalty. After all, he lied to him to hide Sarah and Abby (in Legend). And he tried to protect Tony, but he didn't hold long in Aliyah.

First, I'd like to pose this question: where the hell was Gibbs during the summer before S6? When he comes to see McGee in the basement, McGee leaps out of his chair with the happiest look on his face that I've ever seen. Which means that Gibbs never even took the time to visit him. Ever. Which means that the only contact McGee would reasonably have from the team would be the occasional hello from Ducky and Palmer (since they would be constantly busy, Gibbs can't be the only team leader they serve) and lunch with Abby. And all Abby would be able to talk about is how everything is terrible now that they're broken up, and despite everything Tim is still a good friend, so he wouldn't stop her from getting it out of her system. Which means that every week he was subjected to Abby's fears, which incidentally mirror his own.

So not only was McGee trying to assuage Abby's fears as well as his own, ALL BY HIMSELF, he also didn't have any outside support -- except for Vance who obviously came by regularly. Which meant he had McGee all to himself, and completely under his thumb.

It also seems to me that McGee hadn't had any contact with Ziva or Tony. Ziva was off doing her Mossad thing; Tony only mentioned postcards to Abby. While I don't like it, I do actually find it scarily plausible that nearly everyone literally forgot about McGee. That left Vance room to maneuver and manipulate Tim.

So here's what I was thinking:
1) Gibbs doesn't bother to even say hello to McGee for the entire summer. Tony and Ziva don't make contact. Ducky and Palmer don't really have time for anything except a meal or two; while I love them with all my heart (and McGee does too) they're not the ones that Tim was missing and needing.

2) This isolation left McGee completely alone, and unprotected. While McGee can take care of himself, it takes longer for him to get his engine started than his teammates, especially after the tragedy of Director Shepard's death. Plenty of fans didn't like her, but she was still a powerful figure in the NCIS universe. Thinking that her death had no impact on McGee (especially considering her connection to Gibbs, and how she used Tony for her own ends) would be thoughtless.

Thus, McGee is left in a vulnerable state, desperately trying to get his bearings. It's the perfect time for someone with an agenda to start moving in.

Vance notices that Gibbs is avoiding McGee. Knowing McGee as a top-of-the-line computer expert, Vance already knows who he's going to go for help in cracking his little code. But seeing the "weakest" member of Gibbs team in such a state...well, what politician could resist such delicious bait?

So Vance decides to go the scenic route. Comes to McGee with this "little encryption problem," no need to mention it to Gibbs, boy, you don't have to run to the boss with everything, do you? He wouldn't even understand it if you tried to explain it to him, none of your friends would -- except for Miss Scuito of course, but even I know how special she is. Do you miss them that much? I'm sorry, but I didn't have any choice -- did you really think that things would stay that way forever? That only happens on the TV, Agent McGee, you should know better that that. Sorry that I have to drop that bombshell on you -- here, you look tired. I was a bachelor myself once you know, I know what it's like to live on your own, and have none of your friends or family visit.

A sister, eh? Well no wonder you look so tired, if you're giving her free meals and tutoring every week along with just your day job, you must be stretched out like a tanning belt, especially with Jenny dying and having to fix up Cyber Crimes. I never would've chosen you for that job if you couldn't do it -- you know that, right Agent McGee? I always thought that you were the best man for the job. Here, let me treat you to dinner, you've earned it.

And so on.

3) Number 2 continues for a month or so. McGee responds positively to the encouragement and praise, which he never really got in abundance with Gibbs. It doesn't become a regular thing, per se, but Vance does treat him to a free meal now and again. McGee starts wondering about the Director -- maybe he really is an alright guy, and he's just a hardass like Gibbs. AFter all, it took a long time for McGee to get used to Gibbs, even longer before he started liking the man. Maybe this is the same.

So McGee begins letting his guard down, just a little. He likes Vance, despite everything. And Vance doesn't discount him, doesn't degrade him with insults about his manhood (or lack thereof). Vance might even rely on him just a little (which the Director is quick to confirm).

But McGee is a smart guy. He isn't going to be fooled for very long. So when Vance asks him to do "just one little thing more," the alarm bells go off in McGee's head. Tim might not know what "one little thing" means, but Ma and Pa McGee didn't raise idiots, so he just smiles pleasantly (the smile that Tony made him practice in front of a mirror for hours, just in case) and politely declines, deciding not to let on that he's getting wise to Vance's little scheme.

Vance knows then that somehow, he's tipped his hand. He curses silently and backs off.

4) But what about Gibbs? He may be a hardass, but he does care about his team. Why wouldn't he go to see McGee, if only to stand there and shift from foot to foot while McGee looked at him imploringly to do something.

Well, Vance would have to maximize his chances with McGee, wouldn't he?

"Why are you going down there Gibbs? McGee doesn't want to see you.

Don't you get it? He's doing his best not to hate you right now. Just you looking at him will cause him more pain. He doesn't wany anything to do with you. The best thing you can do is to leave him alone for a while."

5) Meanwhile, McGee is putting some of the pieces together. And he doesn't like what he's seeing.

Vance is planning something big, he can tell. Something terrible and dangerous. And McGee was almost roped into it.

After he finishes freaking out, he reviews his situation, and realizes that he is totally on his own in this. No one else knows, and the only people he could tell are either ignoring him, (Gibbs, Tony, Ziva) or too vulnerable (Ducky, Palmer, Abby). It's all up to me...

So instead of accepting Vance's next offer of dinner, McGee asks for a chess game.

Did you like the Big Damn Theory? :D

you know, after reading the theories up there ^ on Vance's manipulation, I got a plot bunny. What if Vance was also manipulating McGee in another way? Having seen McGee's admiration for older men, and suspecting/knowing of McGee's potential bisexualism, starts manipulating him that way. Showing an interest in him as more than just a fellow geek. (Yes, I know Vance has a wife, but Law and Order had an episode where a married African American had a male lover on the "down low" so why can't NCIS?)

Anyway, Vance does his best to make sure McGee is isolated and lonely, to the point where Tim will begin to yearn/need/seek an older man's help/approval/guidance and takes the manipulation a step further. By the time Tony comes back, he finds the guy he LIKES but never admitted to LIKING that way responding to the new director in ways he doesn't like. Realizes/suspects there's something bigger going on and begins his campaign to rescue HIS probie from a potentially bad situation.

Sadly my writing muse has abandoned me so it may be a while before I am inspired enough to try writing this.

Ahahaha, neat! I like it!

Oooh, I like a smart McGee. And this theory make Vance's anger when betrayed by McGee really interesting.

(Just one little point, Ziva sent a email every week until she went undercover for three weeks.)

Holy crap I forgot all about that. Okay then, Tony can really be a dick. D:

This theory was also my reasoning for why McGee was being so bitchy and snarky all season. His snarkiness tied in to just how tired Sean has been looking (completely understandable, considering he has a two-year old to take look after) led me to think that McGee was working desperately hard to combat Vance in their metaphysical chess game, and was getting really pissed off with Tony because Tony didn't know how desperate McGee was to protect him from Vance and kept treating McGee like he always had, and yeah, that can wear on someone.

You know, I hadn't thought about Basement!Tim in that way. Huh. That does put a whole new spin on things, doesn't it? Unless it is SO bad in the basement that seeing Gibbs even once a week is the highlight of Tim's day...

Wall-slamming. GUH.

Wall-slamming is great.

Damn, now my Tony/McGee zombie_AU has a plot bunny! :D

You have good mental images.

♥

Heee, thanks! ~~I have more!~~

THAT ICON IS TERRIFYING. Just so you know.

(Also, your mental images above are very pretty. :D)

I love that someone watch Blink and thought, "Hmmm, how can I make the Weeping Angel less scary? I know, I'll add a smile!"

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Catwalksalone made me do it :)

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