A/N: This is my entry in the NFA Sibling Challenge. We were supposed to give one of the NCIS characters a heretofore unknown sibling. I chose a foster sibling for Tim. Now, my disclaimer on this is that I know the foster care system isn't always bad, but my family's experience was extremely negative and I've seen firsthand what happens when the system fails the kids it's supposed to help. It's only three chapters and is set more or less in season 11, although without any references to episodes.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters. I'm not making money off this story.

Change My Attempt
by Enthusiastic Fish

Change my attempt good intentions
Should I, could I
Here we are with your obsession
Should I, could I

Crowned hopeless
The article read living wasteland
This time you've tried
All that you can turning you red
but I will not
Hide you through this
I want you to help

Change my attempt good intentions
Limbs tied, skin tight
Self inflicted his perdition
Should I, could I

Change my attempt good intentions
Should I, could I

"Wasteland" by 10 Years

Chapter 1

Tim was just waiting for his phone to ring. His parents had called him that morning, warning him. ...telling him that he couldn't keep doing the same thing he had done every time. They had tried to help, and they knew that they had to be firm, put their foot down. It wouldn't do any good to keep it up.

And he had the best of intentions, not to do what he had always done.

It was just that he couldn't.

He told himself that he wouldn't, that it wasn't really helping. He told himself...until the phone rang and he heard that voice asking him to help.

...and it was like he was back in high school, meeting him for the first time, excited about the prospect.

He just couldn't get rid of that, couldn't say no...even when he knew he should.

"Hey, McGee, what's up with you?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's got to be the millionth time you've checked your phone today. Big news?"

"Oh, I hope not," Tim said with a grimace.

"What kind of an answer is that?"

"An honest one," Tim said.

Tony furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about?"

Tim didn't really want to get into this with someone not in the family, but Tony had become strangely intent about listening and offering advice. So he had to say something.

"My mom called me this morning and she just wanted to give me some advice that I didn't need."

"Hint, hint?" Tony asked with a smile.

Tim grinned back, but then, his smile faded when his phone rang. He looked at it and didn't recognize the number. Not that it mattered. He looked around. Gibbs wasn't there. He looked at Tony once and then got up and walked away from his desk to a relatively -secluded place.

"Hello," he said.

"Tim! I knew you'd answer."

"Hi, Jake."

"Don't sound so happy to hear from me, Tim. It's been a while."

"I know it has," Tim said neutrally. "How are things going?"

"Oh, I know you're at work and can't talk long," Jake said blithely. "I'm in DC and I want to get together."

"I don't know, Jake."

"It won't be like last time, Tim. Promise."

Tim winced at the mentioned of last time. He'd lucked out last time, but it had been a near thing.

"You always say that, Jake."

"I know, but I mean it. Last time was different. Come on, please? I haven't seen you in forever. Not since last time."

And like he had every single time, Tim caved.

"Okay."

"Meet you at your place?"

Tim was smart enough not to do that. He'd learned his lesson, not last time, but right after he'd been hired by NCIS. Jake couldn't know where he lived.

"No. Call me this evening. We'll find a place to go."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you didn't want me to know where you live, Tim."

"I don't, Jake. And you know why."

"If you don't want to see me, just say so," Jake retorted, sounding resentful.

Tim knew it was just an act. Jake never called just to hang out. He wanted something; so he wouldn't just walk away.

"I won't tell you where I live, Jake."

"All right, all right. I'll call."

"If a case comes up, I won't be able to come. Remember that."

"I know, but we always luck out with that, don't we."

"Yeah, we do."

"Okay! See you tonight!"

"Bye, Jake."

Tim hung up and sighed. He had known that he wouldn't be able to say no.

"So...who's Jake?"

Tim jumped and turned around.

"Tony, were you listening?"

"Of course, I was!" Tony said with a smile. "Who's Jake? I didn't hear everything, but you didn't sound really happy about talking to him."

"I wish I could be," Tim said honestly. "I always go into it thinking it'll be different, but it never is."

"So...who is he?"

"My brother."

"Your...brother? But..." Tony looked a bit wigged out by the idea that Tim had managed to conceal a whole other sibling from him for more than a decade.

Tim smiled. "Foster brother. He lived with us for a couple of years when I was in high school...before the system decided that he would be better off with his drug-addicted, neglectful mother who would drag him around from boyfriend to boyfriend...or not, than in a stable, loving home with a family." He shook his head and then, laughed in reminiscence. "I got into more trouble with Jake during those two years than in the rest of my life all together. I loved having a brother."

"Trouble? I can't picture young Probie getting into trouble and laughing about it," Tony said.

"It wasn't serious stuff. Some of it was pretty stupid of us, but...gosh, we were inseparable," Tim said, laughing. "I still remember when Jake got the bright idea to make a recording of...oh, what was it? That thing about badges from Treasure of Sierra Madre and play it over the PA system at school. We both got detention for that. I was the one who rigged the system to repeat it over and over."

Tony laughed. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah. He was a blast. I always had a friend as long as he was there. He stuck with me. It nearly killed me when Mom and Dad told us that he was going back to his mom. He didn't want to go, and I didn't want him to leave. Mom and Dad didn't, either, but the courts didn't care about that. His mom had momentarily cleaned herself up enough to demand him back and the courts just handed him over to his mom. He ran away once, made his way back to us, but he couldn't stay."

"What happened, then?" Tony asked.

"I didn't hear from Jake for years after that. We tried writing letters, but...Jake was dragged around to so many places that my letters never made it to him, and I only got a letter here and there from him. Then, my last year at MIT, I got a call from him. We met up..."

"And?"

"And you two are supposed to be working," Gibbs said, striding into the bullpen.

"On it, Boss," Tony said with a look at Tim.

Tim just smiled. He was happy to stop reminiscing before the memories got bitter. ...and he could hope that a case would keep them at NCIS and he would be able to beg off creating another bitter memory. He had little doubt that it would be anything but sweet.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

At around six-thirty, Tim's phone rang again. He had just been getting up to leave, thinking that maybe Jake had decided not to call back.

Alas.

It was a different number.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey! How's it going, Tim?"

Tim smiled at Tony a little and walked to the elevator.

"I'm just on my way out, Jake."

"Great! Where do you want to meet up?"

"How about on the Mall? We can walk to a lot of places from there," Tim said.

"No car?"

"There's never any place to park around DC," Tim said.

"All right, all right. The Jefferson Memorial?"

"Sure. I'll see you there as soon as I can get there."

Tim hung up, hesitated and then, called his parents.

"Hey, Mom," he said.

"Jake called you?"

"Yeah."

"And you're getting together."

"Yeah."

"Tim..."

"I can't...say no, Mom. I just can't."

"I know you can't, but you should. The last time..."

"I know...but there's a good guy in there, still."

"He's buried too deep, Tim. Jake has to be willing to make a lot of sacrifices and fight some big battles in order to bring that good man out. If he's willing to fight, we'll be behind him all the way, but we can't keep letting him..."

"I know."

"Be careful, Tim. Please."

"I will."

"And call to let me know that you're all right."

"I will."

"Okay. We love him, too, Tim. We always will, but we can't fight his battles for him."

"I know."

"And I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom."

Tim hung up and steeled himself to go. He started walking to the exit.

"Hey, McGee!"

Tim turned around. There was Tony running out of the building.

"What, Tony? Gibbs change his mind about letting us go?"

"No. I was wondering if your brother was here."

Tim shook his head.

"No. He'd never risk coming to a place like this."

"Risk?"

"He's an ex-con, Tony...and probably should still be in jail, but he didn't get caught."

Tony's eyes widened.

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"No, but I can't say no to him. Never could. Whether it's goofing off in high school or getting together now, I can't say no to my brother." Tim shrugged. "I learned not to let him know where I live. I'm not taking my car. So..."

"...man, Tim...if that's what you have to do..."

"He's my brother. He needs someone to believe in him because he doesn't believe in himself. If I don't...no one will, and someday, maybe he'll...change."

"If you need any help, Tim, call me, okay?"

Tim smiled.

"I will."

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will."

Tim smiled one more time and then headed off. Deep down, he knew what was going to happen tonight, at least to some degree. It was going to disappoint him, hurt him and Jake would disappear for a few more years.

But he still couldn't help hoping for things to be different.

He walked to the Metro and rode to the Mall and then walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. He looked around. There were a few people there, but only one was being avoided by most of them. He stifled a sigh and walked over to the man wearing ragged clothes, with stringy hair, and a cynical smile on his face.

"Hi, Jake," he said.

Jake turned to him and the cynical smile changed to a genuine one. He shouted even though Tim was right there.

"Tim! You haven't changed!"

He ran over and gave Tim a vigorous thump on the back and then a hug. Tim smiled and hugged Jake back, trying to ignore the looks they were getting. Jake liked the attention (negative or otherwise), but Tim didn't.

"You look ready for dinner," Tim said.

And he did. Jake was almost gaunt.

"I could eat a horse," Jake said loudly. "Well, maybe not a literal horse, but I'm starved."

"All right. Let's go."

"It's good to see you, Tim," Jake said, slinging his arm around Tim's shoulders.

"You, too, Jake," Tim said. And it was...for now.

"Let's eat. You buying?"

"Of course."

"Excellent."

They walked away from the memorial and toward an area where they could get something to eat.

"I want to hear all the exciting stories about what you're doing, Tim," Jake said. "It's too bad we can't get together more often."

"Yeah, it is."

The reason they couldn't wasn't brought up.

Somehow, Jake could completely ignore what he did every time he showed up in Tim's life...and Tim let him.

Still, the beginning of the evening was a nice meal together, talking and laughing about the good times.

But all good things had to come to an end. They always did.