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"Look. If I have to be there, so do you Tobias," Gibbs demanded
"What? Gibbs. These aren't even people from my agency. Why should I go to an NCIS party?" Tobias protested.
"For the last time, it's not an NCIS party. It's just my team hanging out and exchanging gag gifts or something."
"Keyword there being your team. Not mine, Jethro."
"Come on, do you really have something better to be doing? I know it's not a weekend that you have Emily."
"How do you know that?" Fornell glared.
"Both Diane and Emily keep me up to date." Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Fornell.
"I'm not interested in your pity."
Gibbs rolled his eyes. "It's not pity. You'd be doing me a favor."
"Yeah? What's in it for me?"
"You get to watch my team poke fun at me."
"Please. They're too scared of you to do so." Tobias pointed out.
"Not anymore."
"What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it. Just come. Bring a friend if you want." With that Gibbs departed, leaving Fornell staring after him in confusion.
Gibbs had seemed oddly vulnerable. What was going on? Was Gibbs sick?
He'd originally planned to decline the offer, but now he wondered if he should go. He could bring a friend and he knew just the person to bring with him. There was exactly one person the MCRT hated more than Fornell. Trent Kort would serve as a great buffer at this part. The only question that remained was if he was playing right into Gibbs' hand.
He really hoped this wasn't some pity play. He could handle pretty much everything except that. After his dirty laundry had been aired all over thanks to his own stupidity, he found himself the recipient of a lot more pity than he'd ever had before and he hated it.
Still he did consider Gibbs a friend of sorts. If Gibbs needed his support, he'd be there. He messaged Kort and hoped that it wouldn't cost him a favor to get Kort to come with him.
Unlike most of the NCIS MCRT, Tobias considered Trent a friend of sorts. They weren't like best friends, the kind who knows every single secret of the other's, but they sometimes worked together in a professional capacity and occasionally hung out in their off time. He was hoping that he could just invite Trent to hang out with him and wouldn't have to use one of the favors that Kort owed him, but it was always a toss up which way Trent would go.
"Party next Friday. You in?" Fornell texted Kort.
"Where and why?"
"Gibbs' house. Christmas thing I think."
"Wait. You want me to be a distraction, don't you?"
Fuck. Fornell cringed. He was hoping Trent wouldn't realize that until he was at the party. Well there was no use in lying, Trent could easily find out the truth. "Maybe? What do you want in exchange?"
"CIA party. Tuesday after Gibbs' shindig. Be there."
Tobias raised an eyebrow at that. Kort didn't want one of the favors Fornell already owed him, but instead wanted him as a distraction at his own company party? Well it couldn't hurt, Tobias already had his share of enemies at the CIA. A few more wouldn't hurt, right? "Agreed," he replied.
He'd arranged to pick Trent up at one of the FBI safe houses, so that they could travel together. He knew the man had a permanent home address, but no one knew what it was and it was better if one didn't try to figure it out. Seriously, he'd heard stories about what happened to those who tried. So letting Kort work out transportation to the FBI safe house and then taking him the rest of the way to Gibbs was the best plan.
Normally he would just have Trent meet him at the party location itself, but he definitely didn't want to be there for any part of the event time without a buffer. He didn't dislike any of the MCRT, but he'd arrested DiNozzo enough that he knew the man held a grudge, not to mention the poor interactions that occurred with the rest of the MCRT anytime the FBI had to take over a case. It was safer all around if he didn't spend time alone with anyone other than Gibbs.
"So what's the plan?" Kort asked as he slid into the passenger seat.
"I have no idea. Gibbs requested backup."
Trent raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like Gibbs. Is he feeling ok?"
Tobias shrugged. "He mentioned something about his team not being afraid of him anymore."
"Well that's no surprise. He's basically a Papa bear when it comes to his team no matter how growly he is with other agencies."
Fornell huffed. "True. Still he looked vulnerable. It was weird and maybe a little creepy."
"Is that why you brought me in? For a second opinion?"
"Mostly as a distraction to avoid the MCRT sharks eating me alive," Tobias admitted. "But a second opinion wouldn't hurt."
Fornell pulled up to a stop at the curb outside of Gibbs' house, but neither he nor Trent made any move to get out of the car. He didn't want to be here and he was sure the other agent didn't either. He could only imagine what he would have to endure on Tuesday given Trent was still here.
"So who do you think Gibbs is going to have to kill for putting the giant Grinch on top of a tree in his yard?" Kort nodded his head at the tree in question.
Fornell craned his head to take a look at the decoration that Trent pointed out. He cackled once he saw what the bald man indicated. It really was a giant Grinch.
"Someone else used the lights in a non-family friendly way," Kort announced.
"Oh God." Tobias turned to look, but at the same time was afraid of what he would find out. Well it wasn't the penis display that he would expect of someone with DiNozzo's humor, but spelling out "Second B is for Bastard" wasn't much better.
They exchanged looks. "Maybe we can just leave?" Fornell wondered.
"I think you're too late for that." Kort looked remorseful as he stared at something over Fornell's shoulder.
Tobias slowly turned around and stared out the driver's side window to see Gibbs approaching their car. "Great. We should have run when we had the chance."
Fornell rolled down the window. "Gibbs, fancy meeting you here. Lovely lights and tree decorations you have there."
Gibbs crossed his arms and glared. "You can thank Tony and Abby for that."
"You let them put that up?"
"Like I said. They're not afraid of me anymore."
Tobias couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter.
"Yeah. Yeah. Laugh it up, schmuck. Now get out of the car and join the party."
"Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Kort stepped out of the car as well and Gibbs did a double take and then turned his glare on Fornell again. "Did you have to bring him?"
"Of course. You said I could bring a friend. Who did you expect me to bring?"
"I don't know. Sacks?"
"Nah. I wanted to survive the encounter with DiNozzo, not have to step between him and Sacks."
Gibbs huffed. "Fine. Just get inside, so I can go back to pretending the outside decor doesn't exist."
Tobias and Trent snickered as they followed Gibbs into the party. Neither one wanted to be there, but the outside lights and decorations did make up a little for the disaster that they would be subjected to now.