Title: Wisdom Has Its Way

Author: Lizabeth S. Tucker

Rating: G/K/F

Pairing: None

Spoilers: Seadog

Archive: Yes, just let me know where.

Summary: DEA Agent Kent Fuller discusses his experience with NCIS with his sometime partner.

Disclaimer: The characters in the story are the sole property of everyone but me. No money is received.

DEA Special Agent Kent Fuller sighed in pleasure as he settled behind his desk. His sometime partner, Shantelle Morris, had a grin on her face as she looked at him. "What?"

"I heard you had to work with NCIS."

"I don't know if work 'with' is the right way to describe it, Shan."

"Let me guess. You had Gibbs' team."

Startled, Kent stared at the statuesque woman. "Yeah, how did you know?"

She leaned forward in her chair. "Because everyone who has had any contact with that man and his people comes back with the same gob smacked look."

"Have you worked with NCIS?" Kent asked.

"No, I haven't had that experience. Tell me about them."

"I don't know if I can. Not and do them justice."

"C'mon, I wanna know everything. Sooner or later it will be my turn to work with them and I might get Gibbs' team. I want to be prepared."

Kent agreed, marshalling his thoughts. "I guess I'll start with Gibbs. Special Agent Gibbs is, without a doubt, one of the most…inventive federal agents that I've ever met."

Shantelle cocked her head to one side, her deep brown eyes focused on Kent. "What do you mean?"

"You know the case was a drug-related shooting, right? Gibbs actually had me round up the rival drug lords and bring them to NCIS."

"I don't know what he expected to get from that? They certainly aren't going to talk to anyone in law enforcement."

"Exactly what I said. I just underestimated the man's devious ways." Kent shook his head in reluctant admiration. "He made them talk."

She frowned. "Are you saying he used physical force?"

"Nah, he threatened to send them to Guantanamo Bay."

Shantelle stared at Kent. "You're kidding me, right? We only send terrorists there."

"Yep. Gibbs told them both that they would be sent there under the Patriots' Act. Then he casually leaves them to think about it while he reads the sports page of the newspaper. Damndest thing I've ever seen."

"It worked?"

"Oh, yeah."

"What a bluff," she said admiringly.

"That's just what I said, but Gibbs said it was no bluff."

"Sounds like quite a guy."

"He's a bastard. You should see how he treats his people. I saw him smack his lead agent on the back of the head, make snarky remarks to him, generally acting like he barely considered him as competent."

"Ohhh, bet that guy is looking to get out."

"No," Kent said, puzzled. "This guy, Tony DiNozzo, couldn't be happier. It's really weird. He seems to…I don't know, thrive under that treatment. And he is a hell of an investigator on his own."

"Tony, like our drug dog?"

"Yeah," he snickered, before shaking his head in wonderment. "But he is good. I questioned this witnesses and thought I had gotten all the information they could provide. He goes back to speak to them and, wham, has more detailed information. Let me tell you, if you do ever work with this team, don't underestimate him."

"Any others?"

"Well, there's a woman on the team, Kate something. Todd, I think. Yeah, Kate Todd. I think she's new 'cause I've sure I heard there was a redhead with the team when Carson worked with them a year ago."

"I knew a Kate Todd who was with the Secret Service."

"Might be the same one. She had that uptight look. The only other person I met there was their medical examiner. Now that is a weird guy. His name is Mallard. They call him Ducky, if you can believe it. That guy is creepy. I swear he thinks the corpses can actually hear him. Talky kind of guy, reminds me of my Uncle Perry. Then there's this forensic chick. Talk about weird looking. She's got midnight black hair, wears this black clothing with skulls and things on them and has a spiky dog collar around her neck. She seems to be the princess of the group, they all treat her like a favored daughter. I didn't have much time with her, but she definitely can run circles around our labrats."

Shantelle shook her head, laughing as she turned her attention back to the computer on her desk. "Sounds like you have a wild time. Guess you won't want to work with them again."

Kent found himself thinking about that as he checked his own emails, surprised to find a cheery note from Tony DiNozzo with copies of the case report attached to it. "You know something, Shan? I wouldn't mind it at all. Unconventional they might be, but they are damn effective."

"They sound very dysfunctional to me."

"They are, but somehow it works for them." Shrugging his shoulders, Kent began his own case write-up.

April 2009