A/N: This story arose out of a day when I was feeling vague feelings of dread. You know, when you feel as though something awful is going to happen but you know that there's nothing going on. In order to get rid of them, I wrote a oneshot using the NFA Random Pairing Generator: Leroy Jethro Gibbs / Timothy McGee / thunderstorm.
Baseless and Indescribable
by Enthusiastic Fish
There was another roll of thunder. Tim looked out the windows at the Yard. The storm would be there soon.
"What's the matter, Probie? Don't like the rain?"
"I like the rain fine, Tony. It just surprised me is all. There wasn't supposed to be a storm today."
Gibbs noticed, however, that Tim's expression said that there was something wrong.
"Forget your umbrella?"
"Yeah. I did."
"Too bad. Always be prepared. Isn't that the Boy Scout motto?"
"I was a WEBLOS," Tim said and refocused on his monitor.
Gibbs noticed that he took a short breath and then went back to work. Tony missed it, but something was bothering Tim even if he had no intention of admitting it.
"I love the rain," Ziva said. "It does not rain so much in Israel." Her voice turned wistful. "It was always a wonderful day when we got it."
Tim smiled sympathetically at her, glanced once more at the threatening clouds and then went back to work...with another quiet breath and that strange expression. It was almost one of dread. Still, he said nothing.
The rain started up about an hour later. The thunder continued, interspersed with flashes of lightning. Tim didn't seem afraid of the rain, nor of the thunder...but something was definitely bothering him.
Gibbs went up to give a report to Vance at the end of the day. The rain had not abated, not one bit. He knew that Tony and Ziva would likely be gone when he returned. Tim, however, he rather expected would stay until the storm stopped. For whatever reason.
Sure enough, when he returned, Tim was still sitting at his desk...but he wasn't working. He was just sitting there, taking a deep breath quickly and then letting it out slowly.
"McGee?"
Tim looked up sheepishly at Gibbs as he walked down the stairs.
"Yeah, Boss?"
"What's going on?"
Tim shrugged. "Nothing...nothing really."
"Then, what's wrong?"
"Wrong?"
"Yeah."
"Is it that obvious?"
"To me."
Tim smiled...and then shrugged again. "I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I just...I don't know. All day...I've had this feeling in my stomach. The kind of feeling you get when something bad is going to happen...only nothing bad is going to happen."
"Any reason for it?"
"No. That's the worst part. Just started up...and I feel like...like I need to get a breath, even though that's not the problem. I can breathe fine. It's just... a feeling of dread when there's no earthly reason why I should feel that way."
"Is it the storm?"
"No. I don't think so anyway. I'm not afraid of thunder, Boss," Tim said, slightly huffily. "Tony was just needling me."
"Are you worried about anything in particular?"
"Just normal stuff."
"Like what?" Gibbs sat down and noticed Tim's surprise. That made sense, he supposed. Tim and he didn't often have the heart-to-hearts. No one did really, but Tim less because, unlike his fellow teammates, Tim had a supportive family. That put him on the outside of a lot of things.
"Like what, McGee?"
"Things happen, Boss. Life."
Gibbs smiled. "That's specific."
Tim laughed. "It really is just life...but I can be specific if that's what you want."
Gibbs gestured.
"Okay... Ever since I stopped writing, I've had less money. I got used to living at a certain level and I've had to cut back a lot. Had some bad months. That could always happen again. There was a rash of break-ins around my neighborhood over the last few weeks. Police still haven't found who did it. Sarah's moving to California for grad school. She won't be nearby. She'll be really on her own for the first time. I'm her big brother. I worry about that. I had some car trouble last week. There was that guy on the news who just...just died of heart failure and they hadn't even known he had any heart defects. I keep hoping to find a girl and I strike out every time."
Gibbs raised his eyebrows. Tim shrugged again.
"It's just life, Boss. Sometimes...it gets a little overwhelming. Don't you ever feel that way?"
"Sure."
Tim took another deep breath and let it out. "How do you get rid of it? That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach saying that something is going to go wrong."
"You let it pass. It will eventually. ...or else something will go wrong and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're right."
"I think I'd rather be wrong."
Gibbs smiled. "Me, too."
Another roll of thunder and Gibbs noticed that Tim didn't even flinch. He rubbed at his chest and then smiled with a little embarrassment.
"I wish it would go away faster. I won't be able to sleep feeling like this."
"Don't worry about it so much and it will. The best thing to do is just let it pass."
Gibbs got up and headed for the elevator.
"Hey, Boss?"
Gibbs turned around.
"Yeah?"
Tim smiled.
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For asking what was wrong."
Gibbs just nodded and got on the elevator. As it descended, he made a mental note to check with Tim more often. Just because he had a stable family didn't mean he didn't get stressed out every so often.
When he reached the outside doors, he realized he'd forgotten his umbrella.
FINIS!