A/N: This may end up being a frustrating read. I wanted to explore sacrifice and loyalty, but I didn't have a whole story. It's designed as a one shot. If I can find the rest of the story, who knows, but right now I am 30+ pages into another epic, and just trying to smooth out the kinks before I start posting. Love to hear from you, Sheila

Smug Bastard

Gibbs was surprised when he heard the creak in the stairs. It was 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning. He was sanding a new rocking chair for Leyla. He'd already finished it three times, but was reluctant to let it go. So he just kept doing the work over and over as he had no new projects on the horizon. He waited patiently for his guest to descend, and was surprised when the thin legs of Tim McGee appeared. McGee was not a regular visitor. He wasn't even an irregular. Gibbs could think of only two times he'd ever been to the house.

The young man slowly finished his descent and stepped onto the concrete floor. There was no greeting nor was there any of the stuttering that might accompany the fear that he was intruding. Instead, his youngest agent looked at him with the weariest eyes he'd ever seen. Gibbs stepped closer, hoping that the shadows in the dim lighting were to blame, but the closer he got, the more he could see the worry deeply etched into McGee's features.

Gibbs waited for him to speak but McGee was like a statue.

McGee was an interesting man. Gibbs could challenge his brilliant mind all day long and he never wavered. He absorbed Gibbs' impatience and short temper endlessly without ever losing faith in the man. But McGee had a breaking point. Gibbs saw it when his Grandmother, Penelope Langton, was involved in a case. When McGee dug his heels in, he could be as stubborn as Mike Franks. And despite the exhaustion on his face, it was clear from the resolve in step that his agent was going to do this on his own terms.

Gibbs grabbed a stool and sat, gesturing at the one next to McGee. McGee's eyes went where indicated, but the idea held no interest for him. He turned back to his boss. "Tony says you have bourbon down here. He says that sometimes you pour it in a dirty coffee mug for people."

Gibbs cocked his head. "Didn't think you liked bourbon."

"It's what I would imagine light fluid might taste like. Can I have some?"

Gibbs went over to his workbench, pulled down his bottle, grabbed the mug, dumped out the nails, and poured a finger's worth. He handed it to McGee who just stared at it for a few moments.

"Tim, something happened. I'm here to listen."

McGee shook the mug a little, and then threw his head back, dumping it all down his throat. His face settled into a grimace for a moment, and then he started gagging wildly. Gibbs got up, took the mug away, and led him to a stool. He disappeared up the stairs and returned with a bottled water. McGee took it and tried to wash the burn out of his throat.

"Feeling better?"

McGee looked up. "No. I don't think I ever will again."

Gibbs' impatience was starting to rise, and he had to temper himself to let McGee set the pace.

"Boss, I think someone is trying to hurt you. I think it's someone high up. Some one in DOD. Maybe someone in the Bureau or CIA. Or SecNav. Does SecNav dislike you?"

Gibbs kept his face impassive. Jarvis had been getting increasingly impatient by Gibbs' lack of deference for his position. It had been on more than one occasion that Gibbs had poked too close for the SecNav's comfort. He had the feeling that if he disappeared one day, Jarvis would receive the news with a wink and a nod. "What do you know, Tim?"

"Someone is trying to hurt people close to you. It's the only thing I can figure."

"I need details."

McGee chortled abruptly. "You're going to have to let me get this out my own way or it's not going to make any sense at all."

Gibbs saw that he clasped his hands tightly in his lap to control the trembling. "Okay. I'm listening."

"I don't hack, Boss. You don't like hacking, but I do penetrate firewalls to certain systems quite often during the course of an investigation. Sometimes, I forget that it's necessary to enter by the front door whenever possible. I like the challenge of a security system. Because I penetrate sensitive systems quite often, it has been necessary for me to write programs that cover my footsteps. I've also written programs that tell me when those sensitive systems have become aware of my unauthorized access. They tell me when those systems are snooping around my neighborhood."

"Hey McGee, if the Bureau or the DOD caught you with your pants down, it's okay. We'll talk to Vance, write a letter, and clear the whole thing up."

McGee narrowed his eyes and shook his head. For the first time, Gibbs saw moisture on his cheeks. "This isn't a simple breach of protocol."

Gibbs involuntarily shivered. The kid was really starting to scare him.

"I run these programs on Fridays before I go home. It lets me know if I've left a loose end. I ran it at 5 p.m. just as Tony and Ziva were going out for Sushi. I told them I'd meet them there in half an hour. Then I started looking at the results, and it told me that there'd been quite a crowd of cyber activity centered around me and Abby's lab. The FBI trail was especially heavy. It was really focused on Abby's computer. It made me nervous. I didn't understand why they'd be interested in Abs."

Gibbs nodded slowly.

"I hacked her system. She'd beat the shit out of me if she ever found out, but I don't care. I got in and I did some fishing."

"What did you find?"

McGee stared at the floor for a long moment. "She had some very sensitive data hidden in a corner. Missile codes. Very top secret. Treasonous information."

Gibbs' breath caught for a moment. And then he stood. "Do you think the FBI found it?"

"No, but I think someone told them that there was something worth finding on her computer. There was a lot of activity on her firewalls. Scared me bad. I didn't know what to do. I knew Abby didn't…I knew…somebody did this to her."

Gibbs started pacing. "We got to get it off the hard drive. Got to keep the FBI away."

"I'm way ahead of you, Boss. I found all this out 24 hours ago."

"What? You just got here now! What is the hell is wrong with you!" Gibbs was an inch from McGee's face, but there was no fear in the boy's eyes. They stared back at him, dull and tired. Gibbs stepped back. "What did you do, McGee?"

"I needed to think. Wasn't sure how close the Bureau was. I was worried there wasn't time to consult with you. I hacked into the US Attorney's office. Tony had me do it once to see how close the Bureau was to making an arrest on a case. I found an arrest warrant for Abby and a search warrant for her lab, sitting in the system just waiting for a Monday morning judge. They know what they're looking for. It scared me bad."

Gibbs leaned against his workbench.

"I can't picture it, you know. Abby's tough, but she's got such a love and a belief in her work. I kept thinking about them walking in to her lab Monday morning, and handcuffing her in front of everyone. I think it would destroy her spirit to have that happen."

"What did you do?"

"I erased her hard drive, but first I made a copy on a disk in case we need it in the future."

"Good." Gibbs said as McGee handed it to him.

"I tried to think like they did. How would they hurt her the worst? I thought about money. Would they plant money so it looked like she sold the missile codes? I spent all yesterday looking for the money. I almost gave up, and then I thought they might try to think like her. I hacked her favorite charities, and I found a "$50,000 anonymous donation given to Habitat for Humanity on Friday afternoon. It took me all afternoon to trace the money backwards, but I finally found it in a Kentucky bank in an account under her brother's name. I deleted the donation off the Habitat account and emptied the bank account. I was able to get a cashier's check, which by the way, is no easy feat on a Saturday afternoon for the full amount. The forensics accountant won't be able to trace the money to her now."

He pulled out a blue check and handed it to Gibbs. The total amount was for $100,000. "It's not safe in a bank, Boss."

"We need to get to Abby before the FBI does."

"I called Ziva six hours ago, and told her to find Abby and get her out of town. I told her it was on your orders."

Gibbs glared at him. "You sure have been doing a lot of independent thinking, haven't you?"

"I had to. You see, I can't guarantee that I've plugged all the holes, and I don't know what the Bureau has been told. There's only one way left to protect Abby. If I had talked to you, I don't know if you would've let me go down that road."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Tim."

"The FBI comes on Monday, and they find her hard drive erased and her gone. What are they going to think?"

"I'll talk to Fornell."

"Abby would be a lousy fugitive. She loves the world too much to hide from it."

"Enough already! What did you do?"

He shrugged. "I left my fingerprints everywhere. I'm talking cyper prints. They're going to find me all over that erased hard drive."

"You're not falling on your sword. If someone is trying to hurt me, then they can have me."

"I thought you would say that but it won't work that way. They won't be able to trace money to me. I made sure of that. They'll never be able to charge me with espionage. My story is that I got too cocky. Hacking became like a game to me. I'm going to say that I challenged myself to go farther and farther until one day, I pulled something top secret just to see if I could get away with it. I stored it on Abby's computer for my own safety. Then when I realized that the FBI was closing in, I knew I couldn't let her take the fall. We'll tell them that I'm in love with her. You'll say that you've been watching this reckless behavior escalate in me for months now. I've acted bored, disconnected to the team. I've been increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of appreciation I get for my efforts."

"Are you insane, McGee! We're not doing this." Gibbs turned away from him, his breathing ragged.

"I puzzled this through for two days, Boss. I could've let you handle it. Maybe you could've placated Jarvis. Maybe not. It's just that it's Abby. She can't be caged. I think it would destroy her."

"You spending your life in prison is the better compromise then?"

McGee looked at him for a long moment. "It's not what you want, but I think you can survive losing me a little easier."

"I need time to think."

"There isn't another endgame, Boss. I worked the angles all weekend. If they don't have someone new to chase, they're going after her. And they can't do that. What if I didn't find everything they planted? I have to lead them away from her. I have to take the hit on this one so she doesn't have to."

Gibbs' strong hands gripped the workbench and he shook it as hard as he could. Nails, wood, and tools flew everywhere. Then he dropped his head and let his chest heave.

"If you can figure out how to help me after I give myself up, that's good. But right now, I gotta' make this sacrifice. Once she is safely out of the line of fire, all bets are off. I'm not confessing to anything other than being a smug bastard and feeling unappreciated. They can do what they want with that. Maybe, it will buy you time."

Gibbs didn't respond.

"Boss, this is going to be real hard on my mom and dad. Please talk to them. Tell them some version of the truth so they don't blame themselves. Ziva will be upset. She's like my sister. But who I really worry about is Tony. He'll act out. He always does. Make sure he knows that it's not his fault. Make him understand that I never wanted to hurt him. Let Abby be mad at me. Let her think that I put her at risk. Her anger will keep her on her feet."

Gibbs rubbed at his face but he refused to face McGee.

"All that stuff about being unappreciated. It's not true. I don't feel that. I know I'm part of your family. You give me a little more space because you figure I already have great parents and 'cause I seem pretty level headed. I understand that. I know I can be a little annoying. I'm pasty and boring and…I'm not really your kind of agent…It's just that it's been such an honor…" McGee covered his mouth for a moment. "I've learned so much…You taught me about what it means to be a man…"

McGee let out a deep breath and stood up. "I don't want this to happen at work. I already called Fornell. My lawyer and I are meeting him at his office in a couple of hours. Don't be mad at me, Boss. There's going to be a long enough line as it is."

He turned and started up the stairs. He never heard Gibbs coming, but suddenly found himself pressed up against the basement wall. Gibbs was breathing hard in his face. "Listen to me, Tim. You were right to protect her. I understand it now. But let me illuminate you on a couple of other things. First thing, I can't stomach the idea of losing you any easier than I would Abby. Know that! Second, I promise that this will be temporary. I will find a way to fix this. That's a promise!"

McGee closed his eyes and his chin.

"I'm going with you to see Fornell. We're going with your story, but only for the time being. There is no endgame on this. You got it?"

McGee bit his lip.

He put a hand on McGee's face. "Marines don't leave their people behind. You hear me?"

"Thanks Boss."

"And I'm not going to let Abby be mad. I don't know what I'm going to tell her, but you'll need her."

"But that could compromise everything."

Gibbs shook his head. "You let me handle it. I don't want you to feel alone for a single minute."

"I got to do this now, Boss. I got to say good-bye to everything I love.

"I got your six, Tim. I'll bring you back home.

…