A/N: Another oneshot. It's vaguely melancholy and sort of related to the events presented in Finding a Way, but there's no reason why you have to read that one first (unless you want to, of course). It also makes use of my personal fanon for Tim's history, his parents are Sam and Naomi McGee. See my profile for details or you can read Only an Accident.

Tony discovers one of Tim's private traditions.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS and I'm making no money on this. Too bad.

Once There Was a Snowman
by Enthusiastic Fish

Tim was staring raptly at the falling snow when Tony arrived at the Yard that morning. Normally, this would be cause to engage in some teasing, i.e. hit him with a snowball, but there was something about Tim's expression that caught him off guard. He wasn't even sure how to describe it. So instead of throwing a snowball, he just walked on past Tim, leaving him to his contemplation.

Tim came inside a few minutes later but said nothing about his reverie. Instead, he got to work. If he was slightly withdrawn during that day, it wasn't enough to raise any red flags for the others. Only Tony seemed to notice a difference. Tim, for his part, made no mention. During the day, he traded jibes as usual, bantered with Ziva, visited with Abby. Everything seemed normal...except for that moment in the snow. They hadn't had much snow that year. In fact, this was the first real snowfall of the season. Everything before that had been either flurries or a really wet snow that had melted right as it hit the ground. The cooler temperatures had brought the first chance for the snow to stick.

When the day ended, Tim left without saying much. On a whim, Tony followed him as he got into his car and drove, not to his apartment, but to Rock Creek Park. Tim parked his car and got out into the snow and began to walk. There was no hurry to his pace, but he was obviously heading to a specific place. Tony watched him disappear into the trees, paused for a moment and then decided that he'd been this nosy, he could be a bit more. He continued his covert surveillance and tracked Tim through the trees.

...not that it was incredibly difficult. Tim wasn't being secretive.

"Hey, Tony."

Tony stopped in surprise. "How did you know it was me?"

Tim turned around and looked toward him. "You've been watching me all day long. I can tell when you won't be able to resist finding out what's going on. You never could stand being on the outside of anything."

Tony was ready to be defensive, but he finally noticed Tim's slight grin. He wasn't irritated. ...well, in normal circumstances, that would take all the fun out of being nosy, but in this case, he was more curious than anything else.

Tony stepped out of the trees and into the small clearing. "What's going on, Probie?"

Tim shrugged. "Nothing much...it's just something I do at the first snowfall...when I can, of course. Sometimes, I'm too busy."

"What?"

"I'm probably going to regret telling you this. You'll only give me grief for it...but I think you give me grief about everything anyway...what's one more?" Tim shrugged again...which told Tony that this was something important to him. "I always try to build a snowman on the first snowfall."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Does there have to be a reason?"

"With you, Probie? Yeah."

Tim laughed and nodded. "You're right. There is a reason." He knelt down in the snow and tested it. "Good packing snow. It hasn't been cold enough to leech all the moisture out of it."

"Why are you building a snowman, McGee?"

Tim stood up. "Do you really want to know or are you just trying to pass the time?"

"I really want to know."

"Okay. When I was little, my mom told my dad that he didn't spend enough time with me. He was in the Navy, you know, and was gone a lot. I didn't really think much of it. I didn't know things could be any other way...but Mom did. So I think I was maybe five years old. We were stationed somewhere where there was snow. The first big snowstorm, Dad came to me and said we were going to build a snowman." Tim smiled in recollection. "He even lifted me up so I could decorate the face. After that year, as long as we were in place where snow fell, we would build a snowman the first day we got a good snow. After the accident..." Another shrug. "...we didn't for a long time."

Tony nodded, catching the brief moment of regret Tim still carried for that event. For the first time, he found himself wondering if Tim would ever be able to let that last bit go. Certainly, it was better than when the team had found out about Tim's family history, but it was still there.

"One year, I came home from MIT for Christmas. For some reason, there hadn't been any snow in Ohio that year. It was strange but I came home to bare ground. While I was there, we got hit by a blizzard. It dropped about two feet of snow on us overnight. Mom commandeered me to shovel the walks. When I was almost done, Dad came out and suggested that we build a snowman." Tim bent over and picked up a handful, packing it tightly...the seed of the new snowman. "We did...but it was strange that first year. I had to put the head on because...because Dad couldn't reach it anymore. ...but we still did it. Since then, I've tried to make sure I keep building a snowman. Usually, I can't get home for it. It snows earlier in Ohio than it does here."

Tony wasn't sure what to say. He just watched as Tim crouched down and began the roll the snowball through the clearing, turning it into the beginnings of his snowman.

"So...that's why I'm building a snowman." Another of those shrugs that made it clear how much this meant to Tim.

"You...want any help?" Tony asked.

Tim straightened and stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for any sign of falsity. Tony had never felt so sincere in his life...which was strange considering it was a stupid snowman. Apparently, Tim saw nothing objectionable because he smiled again and nodded.

"Sure, Tony."

Tony grinned and began to roll another snowball around. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"So...McGee, what kind of snowman is this going to be?"

"What kind do you think, Tony? My dad's Navy...or he was."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It has to be a Navy snowman," Tim said and smiled.

"How are you going to show it's a Navy guy? Carve a uniform?"

"No. He'll be saluting and I'll add the finishing touches."

"You're the boss."

Tim laughed. "For once."

Tony laughed as well and focused on rolling the ball. Tim, having a head start, finished his first and rolled it to the center of the clearing.

"You done yet, Tony?"

"Just about there, McGee."

"Roll it over here. We have to be able to lift it, you know."

"You don't think you're strong enough for it, Probie?"

Tim grinned. "I was worried more about you."

Tony rolled the ball over beside Tim. "Have at it, tough guy."

"It's supposed to be a team effort."

"You thought you would be doing this by yourself."

"Yeah. If I had been by myself, I would have done it differently. Adapt to circumstances, Tony."

The snowball was as high as Tony's knees. He looked at it and then at Tim.

"You just don't want to lift this thing, huh."

"You don't want to lift the snowball you made."

They stared at each other, each one unwilling to concede any weakness. Finally, they both laughed and bent over together to lift the snowball.

"Balance it!" Tim ordered.

"What are you talking about, McGee?"

"Haven't you ever built a snowman before, Tony? You have to make sure the second sphere is securely placed. Otherwise the whole thing will fall over!"

As he took over holding the snowball in place, Tony caught glimpses of Tim intently packing more snow in the joints, making sure the whole thing would stay put. It crossed his mind that Tim would probably be this way about anything he considered important. No matter how silly it might be.

"Okay. I've got it. You can let go now."

"About time, McGee."

"You start on the head. I'll get the stuff we need for the Navy man."

Tony shook his head and did as instructed. He rolled a smaller snowball and lifted it to the top of the snowman before Tim got back. When he finished securing the head in place, he looked around.

"I got it all," Tim announced, his arms full of debris.

"All what?"

"The stuff we need!" He dumped it on the ground and began sorting through it. He handed Tony a bunch of rocks. "That's for the face. I'll do the arms."

"McGee...I think you might be a bit..."

"Just do it, Tony. I didn't force you to help."

Tony sighed and set to work on the face. Tim had been fairly unimaginative in his snowman. Calvin he definitely wasn't. Still...he picked out rocks of similar size and shape for the eyes and shoved them into the appropriate spots. While he did so, Tim was stripping a couple of branches. Then, he began to tie them together. By the time Tony had finished with the face, Tim was affixing the branches...condemning the snowman to stand forever at attention.

"Man, good thing he's not alive, McGee."

"Why?"

"His arm would really start to hurt."

Tim laughed and then began breaking up a bunch of twigs into smaller bits.

"Ah, McGee...what did that twig ever do to you?"

"This is what will make him a Navy man, Tony," Tim said.

"Pulverizing innocent branches?"

"No." Tim shook his head and started arranging them across the snowman's chest.

"What is that?"

"Did you know that the Navy has an unofficial motto?"

"I think so. I don't know what it is though."

"Non sibi, sed patriae."

"That sounds Latin."

"It is. It means...not self but country." He leaned back and looked at the blocky letters. "A true Navy man doesn't think of himself but of his country."

"Like your dad, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah. Like my dad." Tim took a deep breath and stood up. "That's it. I don't know how long he'll last but it's done."

Tony looked sideways at Tim, thinking that there was something running under this he didn't quite understand. Still, when Tim looked at him, he was smiling.

"Thanks for helping, Tony."

"It was...pretty fun, McGee. So what now?"

"Now? Nothing. I just go home."

"Oh, come on, McGee! You can't just go home. That's so boring!"

"I'm boring, Tony. That shouldn't be a surprise to you at this point."

Tony grinned and put an arm around Tim's shoulders. "This is your chance to break the cycle of dullness, Probie. Stick with me. I'll change your life."

Tim ducked under Tony's arm and shook his head. "I don't want my life changed that way, Tony, but thanks."

Tony was surprised to realize that he actually wanted to hang out with Tim for a while longer.

"Okay. How about a movie night?"

Tim considered for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. Sounds fun. What'll we watch?"

"I don't know. We'll think of something."

"Miracle on 34th Street?"

Tony guffawed. "No, McGee. We're tough guys! We don't watch sappy shows like that!"

"It's Christmas time, Tony!"

"It's not mushy time."

"Muppet's Christmas Carol?"

"Better. Not ideal...after all, there's no Bruce Willis in that, but that's tolerable."

As they headed away from the snowman, Tony looked back once more. It was a strangely forlorn scene.

Non sibi, sed patriae.

"Tony, are you coming?"

"Coming, McGee."

It had been an interesting evening.

FINIS!