Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, or any of their characters.

The Importance of Respect

Tim walked into Director Vance's office one morning.

"Can I help you, Agent McGee?" Vance asked.

"I hope so, Director. I wanna be transferred," Tim said. He'd finally had enough. He just couldn't deal with the abuse anymore. He couldn't deal with Tony's cruel comments and not so funny jokes. He couldn't deal with Abby taking advantage of him time and time again and he couldn't deal with Gibbs doing absolutely nothing to stop any of it. He'd reached the end of his rope. He loved his job, but he was beginning to dislike the people he worked with.

Vance wished he could say he was surprised by the request, but he wasn't. In the short time he'd been director, he'd seen how Team Gibbs treated the kid. It was like he was nothing more than a whipping boy to them. They used him when it was convenient for them and then either ignored him or knocked him down. The second was more frequent. So, no, Vance wasn't surprised. In fact, what surprised him was that it took McGee this long to ask for a transfer. "Okay."

"O...Okay? You're not going to ask why?" Tim asked in surprise. He thought for sure Vance would want to probe into the reason for his request. He was also sure that once he knew the reason, he would tell him to suck it up or something like Gibbs would.

"Nope. Your reasons are obvious. The fact that you waited this long actually says a lot for your tolerance level. I'm assuming you want out of the DC office completely, correct?" Vance asked. He knew Gibbs and his team very well. They would make McGee feel like a traitor for leaving the team. His only real option was to be transferred to a new location.

"Yes sir. Just leaving the team won't be enough. I can already hear the things they'd say. I need a clean break. A chance to start over," Tim said.

Vance nodded. "Understandable. There's an open position down at the LA office for a junior field agent."

"Agent Callen's team," Tim commented. He remembered them. They'd worked a case with their team not too long ago. They were a nice group of people. The only thing was they were an undercover team and Tim had done very little undercover work.

"That's right. Hetty supervises it. So what do you say?" Vance asked.

"Well, it's a great opportunity, but they specialize in undercover assignments. It's not exactly my forte," Tim said.

"From what I've been told, neither was field work when you first started. You learn, McGee. That's the only way anyone gets anywhere," Vance said.

"Yeah, if someone's willing to teach," Tim said under his breath as he thought about his present team. They had taught him a lot about being a field agent, but they'd also neglected to do so in a lot of areas. Gibbs would just have him do the computer stuff most of the time and have Tony and Ziva do the rest. It was like he was saying that Tim wasn't capable of doing a lot of the field work.

Vance heard him and had to admit he agreed with. Gibbs was a good agent in all, but he had a lot to learn too, especially when it came to training. "I think you'll find the LA team much different than Gibbs'. Don't get me wrong, they may be hard on you at first to teach you, but I've seen each and every one of them in gear. I handpicked each of them. They're good and they know the meaning of professionalism. Well, most of the time."

Tim chuckled. "Okay, Director. I gladly accept. When do I start?"

"Give me a couple of weeks to get things together. I have to process the transfer and I also have to apprise Hetty of the situation. This will also give you a chance to settle anything you have to here," Vance explained.

"What about Gibbs? He's not going to be happy when he finds out," Tim said. He could just imagine how the older man would react when he found out. The next couple of weeks would be hell if Gibbs found out.

"Agent Gibbs will be informed of your transfer once you've left for LA," Vance said, realizing exactly what the young agent was worried about.

McGee smiled. "Thanks, Director."

"I suggest you start getting everything together," Vance said.

"Yes sir," Tim said before leaving the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Special Agent G Callen sat at his desk with a very large fried chicken sandwich for lunch.

"I can't believe you eat that crap every day," Sam said.

"I can't believe you say that every day," Callen retorted.

"I can't believe I have to listen to the two of you every day," Kensi commented in bored voice.

"Whatever, G, it's your funeral," Sam said.

"Oh yeah, I chase terrorists for a living, but I'm going to get killed by a chicken sandwich," Callen said sarcastically.

"Very astute, Mr. Callen," Hetty said as she came into the squad room carrying a folder.

"New case, Hetty?" Callen asked.

"New agent," Hetty corrected.

"We don't need a new agent," Sam said stiffly. They were all still reeling from the loss of Dom. Needless to say they weren't really thrilled about someone taking his place.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid Director Vance disagrees with you. As I was saying, we will be getting a new agent. He's joining us from Headquarters in Washington DC. I believe you've all met him actually. His name is Timothy McGee."

"That name sounds vaguely familiar," Callen said.

"It should. I believe he came down with Agent Gibbs to help with a case when Macy was still here," Kensi said.

"Oh, yeah, I think he handled a lot of tech work with Eric," Sam said.

"Why's he transferring?" Callen wondered. Usually there was a reason for people to just up and transfer, especially if they worked in MCRT. That was a dream job.

"The Director has not said, which means that it is none of our business," Hetty said.

"When does he get here?" Kensi asked.

"Two weeks from today."

"Great," Sam said before getting up and walking away. He was clearly not happy about any of this.