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"Autopsy Gremlin, you need to rest," Tony says as he enters the autopsy room to find his friend, who appears exhausted, hard at work.
"Tony, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Paris right now. Was it safe for you to even fly here?"
"Jimbo, I know I'm supposed to be in Paris, but the borders have opened up, and I told Ziva that the moment they did, I was coming out here to see you."
“Why?”
"What do you mean, 'why'? You've just lost your wife. Brena was the love of your life, and I know what it's like to lose the love of your life," Tony replies, reflecting on the time he thought Ziva was dead as he responds.
"Well, I'm doing fine."
"Not from what Ellie B has told me, Jimbo," Tony informs his friend, referring to the multiple conversations he has had with Ellie, who also happened to be his last ever probie while working at NCIS and is like a little sister to him.
“"You've spoken to Bishop?" Jimmy inquires.
"Bishop, McGee, Duckman, and even the Boss called me, worried about you. They all said you've been working too much."
"Well, they didn't need to. I'm really okay."
"I can tell you aren't, but I'm not going to push you to talk right now. But tell me, how is my niece coping?" Tony asks Jimmy. Even though Tony and Jimmy weren’t blood brothers, they considered themselves brothers, and that meant Victoria was Tony’s niece and Tali was Jimmy’s.
“She’s doing okay taking it one day at a time.”
“Fair enough.”
"Have you seen McGee, Gibbs, or Bishop yet?" Jimmy queries.
“Not yet actually.”
"Well, before you came down here, I actually got something for them, so let's go to the squadroom," Jimmy suggests.
“Okay.” Tony replies and follows Jimmy to the elevator to go to the squadroom.
“Palmer you got something?” Gibbs asks Jimmy as he enters the squadroom and Tony stays at the elevator awaiting his cue from Jimmy to appear visible for the team to see him.
"Yeah, I do, but before I get to that, I have a surprise for you, McGee, and Bishop," Jimmy replies. Gibbs immediately looks at McGee and Bishop, who are sitting by McGee’s desk. They all look confused but intrigued by Jimmy’s surprise.
"A surprise?"Bishop repeats, her curiosity piqued.
"He would be talking about me, probie," Tony says, now appearing in sight of the team.
"Tony," Ellie says as Tony approaches her.
"Nice to see you, probie," Tony replies warmly.
"You too, Tony, but I'm not a probie anymore. Remember?" Ellie replies before the pair embrace each other in a hug.
"I know, but you were my last probie at NCIS, so you will always be a probie to me," Tony responds with a smile.
"You will be impressed with how far she's come, DiNozzo," Gibbs adds with pride.
"Yeah, boss is right about that," McGee adds in agreement.
"I'm not surprised at all. I mean, I always knew she would be a good agent someday, and it seems like I was right," Tony remarks proudly.
"Not too much has changed since you were here last, Tony."
"Actually, a little has, McVerySpecialAgentMcGee. I mean, there's a new face on the team now," Tony remarks, teasing McGee by using a mcnickname for old times sake.
"I don’t want to be rude, but introductions and reunions will have to wait. We have work to do. Palmer, you said you got something," Gibbs comments, redirecting the focus back to the task at hand.
"Things really haven’t changed. Boss is always onto solving the case at hand," Tony remarks, noting Gibbs's consistent dedication to their work.
"Kasie got the dog’s DNA test results back," Jimmy comments as Vance walks down the staircase and approaches the group.
“Well.” Gibbs inquires.
"They are going to have to wait, Agent Gibbs. I need a word. Agent DiNozzo, sorry, old habits. Tony, it’s nice to see you again," Vance interrupts, addressing both Tony and Gibbs.
“Do you guys have any idea what that is about?” Tony asks the group as Vance and Gibbs head to Vance’s office.
“A fair idea, yes.”
"Oh, I’m sorry, Tony. This is Special Agent Torres," Ellie says, introducing Tony to the guy who had just spoken because they hadn’t had time for formal introductions as of yet.
"Nice to meet you, Torres. I am Former Very Special Agent DiNozzo. I’ve heard lots of great things from Bishop, Gibbs, and McGee, and Ziva also mentioned you when she came to join Tali and me in Paris."
"It’s nice to meet you too," Torres responds with a friendly smile
"Jimmy, did you know he was coming?"
"No, Ellie, I didn't," Jimmy responds, shaking his head.
“"I wanted to surprise you all, but my main reason for coming was to check in on Autopsy Gremlin," Tony replies as Gibbs and Vance return to the squadroom, and the elevators open.
“Well you certainly did that Tony,” McGee responds.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but which one of you is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" a male investigator asks, walking over to the group with one of his associates.
"I am," Gibbs interjects, acknowledging his identity.
"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you are under arrest for aggravated assault. You don't have to do or say anything, but if you do, it may be used as evidence," the investigator declares, reciting Gibbs's rights.
"The only thing I want to say to the team is I want you to tell the truth," Gibbs says as he is taken away.
"Um, does somebody want to tell me what on earth that was all about?" Tony queries, very confused.
"Something happened on the case we are working on," McGee begins to tell Tony the story.
“What happened?”
"So, the case involves an accident caused by a dog to military personnel, and a missile fell out of the back, so we were called in. Anyhow, we went up to the owner of the dog's house and noticed her neighbor owned dogs too. Gibbs realized he was a fisherman, so he checked out the pond he was fishing in and found a cage that had a dead dog in it. This made Gibbs next level angry, and he went up to Luke, he’s the neighbor, in the RV and started punching him. He didn’t even try to arrest him, let alone reveal who he was," Ellie explains, continuing the story for McGee.
"That doesn’t sound like Gibbs at all," Tony comments, puzzled by Gibbs's uncharacteristic behavior.
"It doesn’t, but Agent Gibbs hasn’t been himself for a while," Jimmy reveals.
"Jimmy's right, he hasn’t," Torres comments, deciding to contribute to the conversation.
"When you say 'a while,' how long are you talking?" Tony asks, concerned for his former boss, who is also like a father to him.
"I honestly think it started after Jac left," McGee admits.
"Jac Sloane? Ziva mentioned her to me," Tony remarks, recalling the name.
"That's her and I agree, but I think Emily Fornell dying was just the tip of the iceberg," Ellie adds.
"Wait a minute!! What did you just say? Emily Fornell is dead?" Tony asks, shocked by the information that was just shared with him.
"Wait, you didn’t know? Gibbs didn’t tell you?" Ellie asks, surprised by Tony's reaction.
“No he didn’t.”
“She died of an overdose.” Jimmy informs him.
"Oh god. Like it’s not an excuse for what Gibbs did, but it does explain why he isn’t acting like himself," Tony acknowledges, understanding the context better now.
"We need to go and see him," Ellie tells the group decisively.
"We do, I agree, but we should wait in case they have questions for you guys," Tony comments, considering the situation carefully.
"And if they do, I know Gibbs said he wanted us to tell the truth, but we have to protect him. He would do the same for us," McGee advises the team, emphasizing loyalty to Gibbs.
"Are you sure that’s a good idea, McGee?" Tony asks, expressing doubt about the plan.
"It’s not McGee’s best idea, I agree, Tony, but he is right about one thing," Ellie chimes in.
“What’s that?” Torres questions.
"Gibbs would do the same if it were one of us," Ellie responds, affirming their loyalty to Gibbs.
"Yeah, he would. He proved it when he shot Sahar to free Ziva to come to Paris to be with Tali and me," Tony recalls, highlighting Gibbs's actions for the sake of their family.
"Sorry to interrupt," Vance says, approaching the team and Tony.
"It’s okay, Director," Tony replies courteously.
"What is it, Director?" Bishop asks, noticing the expression on Director Vance’s face.
"Do you have an update on Gibbs?" McGee asks, eager for information.
“I do.”
“Is he okay?” Jimmy queries.
"He’s being released on bail," Vance tells the group, eliciting sighs of relief from everyone.
"That’s great. So when is he coming back to work?" Torres inquires.
"Not for a while. I have suspended him pending the investigation," Vance informs the group.
“What?”
"It’s what I had to do, Doctor Palmer," Vance affirms.
“So who’s going to be Team Leader because I can’t right now? Between homeschooling the twins and being here as Senior Field Agent, I am exhausted,” McGee expresses his concerns.
"I am aware of that, Agent McGee, which is why I wasn’t going to ask you," Vance responds, acknowledging McGee's current workload.
“So you're going to ask Ellie B?” Tony questions.
"No, actually, I wasn’t. I was going to ask you. How would you feel about sticking around, DiNozzo? I know you aren’t an agent anymore, but I can get you temporarily reinstated. I mean, I know it’s a lot, and I know you have Ziva and Tali to consider," Vance proposes, offering Tony the opportunity to stay and help.
"Are you seriously asking a former agent?" Torres says angrily, questioning Vance's decision.
"Nick, I know you haven't worked with Tony personally, but he’s a good agent," Jimmy says, responding to Torres's statement.
“And a good team leader.” McGee adds.
“I am going to say yes, Director. And as for Ziva and Tali, I am sure Tali would love to spend time with her cousins and Pop Pop. As for Ziva, she would love to see everybody again, so I know they would be okay with this,” Tony responds, expressing his agreement and confidence in his family's support.
"Welcome back, Agent DiNozzo," Vance says as he and Tony shake hands.
“Thank you Director.”
"It will be nice to work with you again, Tony."
"Yeah, Bishop’s right. I’ve missed working with you," McGee acknowledges, expressing his sentiment.
“It’s good to have you back, Tony, but I best go and give Doctor Mallard a call and keep him in the loop,” Jimmy says, acknowledging Tony's return and his responsibility to update Ducky.
“Ok.” Tony says as Jimmy walks away.
“It will be nice to finally work with you. These two have raved about you for so long,” Torres comments, acknowledging the praise that Ellie and Tim had given their former colleague.
“You too. And we best get started, so campfire now,” Tony says, acknowledging the comment made by Torres and also instructing the team. McGee and Bishop gather around Tony, while Torres stands still, confused.
"What is a campfire?" Torres asks, confused having never experienced one.
“A campfire is Tony’s way of us analyzing the case. We basically all sit around each other and talk about the case. It’s always been Tony’s approach since he led the team last time,” McGee explains.
“Oh.”
“So now that you know, Torres, come and join the campfire, and you guys can bring me up to speed on the case,” Tony replies, directing Torres, Ellie, and Tim to join the discussion.