What Really Happens: NCIS

Chapter Three

My legs can barely keep up with Ziva. She can tell I am lagging behind but doesn't slow down. Something tells me she doesn't wait up for anybody.

"How are you doing? Are you nervous? Excited?" Now I really have to keep up with her if I'm going to hold up a conversation.

"Both." Her eyes look me up and down again.

"You don't look nervous." She is lying. That response did not need that much thinking. Not only that but I can feel my face fading from red to a fresh pink. By looking at her, I think she can smell fear.

"I sent Gibbs an email confirming I was coming today. I didn't get anything back. If he is too busy today-" Her laugh interrupts me and her in our tracks.

"Gibbs doesn't use email. You either call him on his phone or you see him eye to eye." Eye to eye? Probably to profile me the way I have been profiling everybody here. They have been doing the same thing to me.

"Actually, the saying is face to face. You were doing much better before you went back to Israel." My confusion is saved by Tony. Tony joins us holding two cups of coffee. "Yes, it is 2009 and Gibbs hasn't checked his email, hell I don't even think he has logged on since he's had one."

We enter a room with a couch and an empty desk. The two doors in front of us fly open with two men walking through them. They aren't smiling at Tony or Ziva, just me. They are definitely intimidating but I hold my smile and head high.

"Melissa Peters, it is nice to finally meet you in person." His brown eyes stay in contact with mine. His handshake is firm and his black mustache goes well with his black hair, short. "I'm Leon Vance the Director of NCIS. Thank you for responding to my emails as fast as you did."

"Of course, it's nice to meet you too."

"This is Special Agent Gibbs. He is your boss when I am not around."

"Hi." My right arm twitches to go shake his hand. One of his hands is being occupied by grabbing the other cup of coffee from Tony. The way he looks at his coffee shows it is more important. After a long sip he finally speaks "Nice to meet you." He shows himself as distant. Not only from me but from his coworkers, even his boss.

"Now that we've met, you can go back to the lab. Abby has been waiting for this for a while, so have I." That felt more welcoming than his hand shake.

"DiNozzo, Ziva with me." They follow Gibbs leaving just enough room for him to not spill his coffee. I follow them out of the room. They take a turn for the stairs.

I guess I'm showing myself around the building. I won't have any problems. I can follow the music.