don't be dull, be fannish

"Boss," McGee said, "shouldn't it be me?"

Gibbs put the phone back on the hook and stared at him, and Tony sat back to watch McGee dig himself a hole.

"I, uh, I mean…" McGee stammered, "I thought somebody a little closer to Tony's age…" He seemed to realize that he was on increasingly shaky ground, and trailed off.

Gibbs sat back in his desk chair. "Okay, McGee, go over there and kiss DiNozzo."

Tony is Gibbs' senior field agent, and therefore in charge of things like booking hotel rooms. Actually, he's not entirely sure that his seniority has anything to do with that particular duty, as he's been doing it since he first got to NCIS. The only instructions Gibbs ever issued on the matter were, "Bed. Plumbing. If you break our budget, the director will break you. Why are you still standing there, DiNozzo?"

"So you washed your hands of Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Like I said, you wouldn't understand. You're not a father," the old man growled at him.

"I had a daughter. She was killed when she was eight," Gibbs said quietly. "If I could have her back I wouldn't give a damn who she slept with or what the hell job she did – I'd just tell her how much I love her and how proud of her I am."