From: Jennifer Shepard, Director, Naval Criminal Investigative Service

To: Team Leaders, United States Division

Subject: College Recruitment

To Team Leaders,

Once again, we have been allowed to enter college campuses across the United States to give talks on joining federal agencies. These talks are given to provide a broader overview of our roles than can be found in pamphlets or online. Please select volunteers from your teams to address local colleges and universities in your area. Fully rated agents only, do not send probationary or Journeyman agents.

Should there be more than one team at your location, such as an MCRT and a task force, you can pair up to give the students the best presentation of NCIS. While there are no official targets on student requests for further information, anyone who does not get a single sign-up will explain themselves to me.

Please inform your agents to the above. Should you, yourself, wish to give a talk, you are more than welcome to do so. Please, do not assign this to those agents uncomfortable in speaking to large groups, or agents who do not relate well to people of college attending age.

With thanks,

Jennifer Shepard,

Director,

Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Ricardo Balboa, Special Agent in Charge, CTOC read the email and out loud said, "Not a chance in hell am I doing this." His team of agents looked up at him, wondering what had caused the outburst from their leader. "Read your emails, I need at least two volunteers for this. Please respond via email." Sending the email out, he waited for the responses.

"I would rather put my Christian Louboutins through my feet than wear them instead of doing this." Amanda Ryan, straight to the point, so to speak.

"Do I have to?" Kei Wan, Ric knew if he went he may never get him back, probably because he'd be in jail for hitting some frat guy who got on his nerves. Ric read through the emails as they came through, all of them saying no, but in very colourful and different ways. Looking around the room, Ric noticed Tim wasn't there. He was in the Telesuite, the nickname for the multi screen room next door. The move to their new location had come with full funding from the Intelligence committee and NCIS. The new suite had four screens, with retractable doors, allowing the room to be divided into four, allowing multiple conferences at once, rather than having to wait for one to finish which had been their problem for their first two years here. Tim was the only agent not to have responded, meaning, by default, TIm was their volunteer. How he would respond, Ric didn't know. Last years recruitment drive had been passed to the MCRT as the CTOC was in the middle of moving at the time.

Ric saw Tim walking through the adjoining door, and caught the looks being given him, as the team wondered if he had read his email. Kei was the first to speak.

"Hows the NSA? DD Crandell her wonderful self?"

"Yes, Kei, she sends her love as well as a peach cobbler for you to enjoy." Tims reply was sarcastic to the extreme. Elizabeth Crandell was not a fan of the green eyed senior field agent as he tended to often bypass her to get NSA intelligence during preparation and takedown operations. Tim finally looked up from the report in his hands, and found the team looking at him. "What?" he asked, wondering why the team was all looking at him.

"Check your emails." Alexander Freeman offered, the teams newest "probie", knowing he was not allowed to volunteer as the Director wanted full agents giving the talk. The team watched as McGee sat at his computers, opening his emails. They knew he was reading the email as his eyes began getting wider. "Dear God, no" Tim whispered, gathering chuckles from the team. Tim realised everyone else had said no, leaving him the de facto representative. "Amanda, I will buy you new shoes if you do it?" Tim was not doing this, the attractive blonde agent shook her head, smirking as she did so. "Kei, I will buy herbal tea for a year if you volunteer."

"I love you like a brother, but I don't love you that much to do this." Tim knew he was doing it like it or not. "Ric, I will give you my car if you do this."

"Tim, not even five of your cars would get me onto a college campus willingly. Speak with MCRT, see who they are sending and co-ordinate. I'm sure it will be fine." The team all started giggling. "You speak to the chairman of the joint chiefs, director of homeland security, even POTUS himself, but this scares you?" Ric asked teasingly, enjoying the younger mans discomfort.

"Scary is a Red Flash, scary is you with a hangover, this is beyond terrifying."

"Tim, good luck." Tim felt like he was being punished, he just hoped he could convince Cassie to do this with him, he didn't really fancy spending a whole day with the one of the other members of the MCRT.

Opening his phone, he called Cassie, hoping she would say yes to his proposal.

"Hey Tim, u ok?" Cassie Yates was his best friend here in Jacksonville, even beating out Ric and Kei. He could talk to her about anything, including his previous life in Washington, without any worry. If anyone would help with this, it would be her.

"Yeah, I've been given an assignment that I'm hoping you can help me with."

"Sure, Tim, anything, always willing to help you, you know that." Cassie and Tim had helped each other out on assignments over the past three years Tim had spent in Jacksonville, from MCRT murder cases, to providing an extra set of eyes and ears during takedowns. Tim didn't know how willing she would be for this.

"I need a second person to join me to give a recruitment talk at the University of North Florida."

"Tim, you have just found the limits of our relationship. You're dumped." Tim just laughed, carrying on their joke of them being married. He knew they were not dating, and never would. They were the best of friends, and nothing, Tim thought, would ever change that. Their relationship was completely platonic, Tim knew, but if he was ever going to break Rule 12, it would be for Cassie Yates.

"This is what does it for us, Cassie?" Tim kept his tone light, knowing he could convince her to do this. "We've taken down drug lords, people traffickers, even murderers together, and talking to college kids is what ruins us." Even Tim realised the way he was talking made them sound married. "What will it cost me to get you do this?"

"Tim, this kind of thing is hard to put a price on. I'll think about it. Don't expect much help from me though."

"Great. Tell O'Donnell he has his volunteer, we can do this between the two teams. I'll start work on the presentation, you can wing it. You'll be great."

"Tim, I'm driving us there. In your car. Say no, and find another victim." Tim knew this was a small price to pay. Looking up at Ric, Tim smirked.

"Cassie, of course you can drive my car, there and back." Ric looked shocked, not expecting Tim to pay such a price to get help on this. "Afterwards, I'll treat you to Bistro Aix." This was Cassies favourite restaurant, Tim had taken her there for her birthday,

"Tim, you're on. I might even make an effort for you. Gotta go though, email me everything." With that Cassie hung up. Tim looked around the team, seeing some shocked looks and a smirk from Amanda and Kei.

"Tim, if you had pitched it like that to me, I'd've said yes," Amanda offered, knowing Tim would be the perfect gentleman on a date. She wondered if he realised he was in love with Cassie Yates, and that the feeling was mutual. Having seen them out together, she knew they fitted together perfectly. Cassie was four years older than Tim, but you could never tell. Amanda knew the two of them had known each other in Washington, and had renewed their friendship upon Tims arrival in Florida. Cassie was an unofficial member of the CTOC, being drafted in by Ric to help with drug cases, normally helping Kei organize undercover work and takedowns.

Amanda first knew Tim loved Cassie after they had worked a Saturday on a drugs cases. After the case had been sorted, Tim offered to take Cassie out for an early dinner, and invited the whole team. At a restaurant close to the base, Tim acted what everyone else thought of as what a gentleman should act like. He held out her chair, let Cassie order first, made sure she was never left out. Amanda pointed this out to the team when Cassie and Tim had left, with Ric and Kei saying this was just Tim, the way he was. The ladies of the group cottoned on quickly, knowing what Amanda was saying.

Yes, Tim was always courteous, polite, held doors open, but with Cassie, it was different. The way he stood when she did, always waited for her to finish her drink before ordering himself another. Nikki, Lucille and Sunaina, along with Amanda, had all had a crush on Tim McGee at one time, what woman hadn't. But they all knew that Tims heart belonged to Cassie Yates. The women had bets on how long it would take for them to realise they were in love with each other.

Tim sat on his balcony, his laptop open to the presentation he had devised for the college recruitment talks he and Cassie were giving this weekend. They would spend all day at the University of North Florida, from 10am Saturday, through to 5pm. Tim had started this assignment full of dread, knowing how hard it was to keep the interest of college students, and he had four separate talks scheduled. He and Cassie have a lot of experience together, and so decided to give the students a sort of year in the life of an agent, talking through murder investigations, fraud, money laundering, drug and people smuggling, before ending the day with cybercrimes and counter-terrorism, the subjects they knew the most about. Tim had even got the training package from FLETC to give them real life situations as examples.

Tim looked at his phone, the clock showing 10:28pm. Knowing he had to pick Cassie up at 9.15am, he decided to go to bed now. Tim was looking forward tomorrow, feeling much more confident in the lectures than he did two weeks ago. The talks were planned, the table at Bistro Aix was booked, his suit had been dry cleaned, the taxi service booked to pick Cassie up at 7.30pm from her apartment to take her to the restaurant. Cassie had been a big help preparing for this talk, helping him prepare written materials to be given out, as well as the powerpoint presentation to be used. He intended to give a night out to rival the one he had given her for her birthday.

In twenty four hours, Tim would look back at this night as the last night of his life.