Thank you so much Gotta and Shelbylou!
Never fear, we are still plugging away at "Betrayal"
But this little bunny bit and wouldn't let go.

Six months after "Penlope Papers"
Without any other incidents with Tim's family - whatever they've been - having happened.
I haven't seen the season beyond Penelope Papers.

April , 2012

"Hey, McWorn out, you heading home or what?" Tony asked his teammate as he and Ziva both shouldered their gear bags in preparation for going home for the night. For some reason, Tim McGee remained sitting at his desk, reading through a file in front of him, even though the boss had just told them all to go home.

It had been a long, rough week and it was already going on 2300. Even having the weekend off was not enough of a pull to yank Tim away from his work, causing a stab of worry to course through the Senior Field Agent.

"Huh?" Tim McGee looked up from the document he'd been perusing, and looked over at his older teammate. "Oh, yeah, I'll be heading home soon. You two have a good night. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That leaves it wide open, McSquare." Tony quipped.

When Tim failed to reply or even crack a smile, Tony's own grin faded. Without a word, he took himself over to his teammate's desk. "Hey, Probie. What's goin' on with you?"

"Nothing, Tony." Tim refused to look the older man in the eye as he quickly closed the file he'd been reading and fed him what he hoped would pass for 'good enough'.

"McGee." Tony's voice grew quiet with complete seriousness while the older man planted himself on the corner of Tim's desk, determined to ferret out the truth.

Tim looked up at the Senior Field Agent. "Tony, I'm fine."

"I get that you don't want me to know, McStubborn. But, if I find out you didn't ask for help when you needed it…"

"Like you, you mean?" Tim asked quietly as he stared at him. "You're not really gonna try and play that card with me are you, Tony?"

"My point, McCranky, is that I'm here for you if you need to talk." Tony huffed out in aggravation. "A blind man can see something's been bothering you; you've been carrying whatever it is around with you for a month now."

Tim's surprise was written all over his face. He wasn't used to Tony acting like this.

"Yeah, didn't know you weren't so great at hidin' stuff like that, did ya, Probie?" Tony snarked as he stood up in preparation to leave. "You just remember what I said, McGee. I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks, Tony." Tim replied cautiously as the older man walked away.

"Night, Boss." The Senior Field Agent offered as he headed past his own desk on his way out.

"Good night, McGee, Gibbs." Ziva voiced before joining Tony in his trek to the elevator.

"Night." The Boss replied absently while keeping his attention on the file he'd been reading.

As the chatter died down and the two departing agents stepped onto the elevator, and disappeared from view, Gibbs set the file down and looked over at his youngest agent. It hadn't missed his attention that Tim had been more distracted than normal lately or that he'd seemed almost angry more so than laid back like he used to be. It didn't take a genius to see that something was bothering him; something he was trying to handle alone. Tony had been right about all of that.

Sighing out loud, the Team Leader stood up and headed out around his desk. He deliberately stopped in front of Tim's work space and waited for the young man to look up. He was rewarded with immediate attention as his agent quickly raised his head up and locked eyes with him as soon as he noticed the Team Leader standing right in front of him.

"Boss?"

"There a reason you're still here, McGee?" Gibbs asked, his tone quiet yet bordering on authoritative.

"Just tryin' to finish up."

"Reading a cold case isn't finishing up." The Boss reminded him. "Pack up and get outta here."

Tim sighed. He wasn't reading a cold case. In fact, the paperwork in front of him wasn't even work related, but it wasn't leading him anywhere either. It had been a month of looking and he still hadn't found anything. Sighing out loud yet again, he nodded and quietly answered the boss. "Okay."

Satisfied that his agent would do as he'd been instructed, Gibbs gave a slight nod in return. "Good. Better not be here when I get back."

Tim watched the older man head out, most likely in search of his next coffee. Shaking his head at the thought that brought just a touch of a smile to his face, Tim gathered up what he'd been his reading material, stowed it in his backpack, shut down his workstation, and headed out for the weekend. With still no answers in sight, it would be a long one, but maybe he would at least finally be able to catch up on his rest. Trying to find the answers to this mystery while staying on top of his game for work had really zapped his energy; luckily, he'd been able to hold it together.

As he walked to his car, he couldn't help but think back over the month he'd been struggling with this problem, this search that his gut was insisting he needed to do. Just as he'd gone all out for her before, he needed to do it again; even if she didn't want him to this time. Tim never enjoyed thinking back to those days when he'd laid his career on the line to protect Sarah, to get his team to help prove her innocence, when he'd gone so far as to lie to Gibbs. In fact, he hated remembering that last thought because it seemed to tear a piece of his soul from him every time he did.

Tim always felt sick when he thought about having lied to Gibbs during the case in which Sarah was framed for murder. Being an inherently honest person, he was uncomfortable with lying at any time and certainly to the one person he believed respected only his honesty and not much else. It had become evident to Tim over the years that honesty was the only thing Gibbs had found to respect in his junior agent, and Tim had never lost that feeling that he had strained that respect to the breaking point with Sarah's case. It left an ache deep down that had never completely gone away. He would NOT willingly do it again. It was little enough to be valued for as it was.

That was why he'd refused to put himself in that position this time. He needed the agency resources to do this research more thoroughly than he could do without those official avenues of digging, but he would not go there. With the crazy busy month they'd had at work, this was the first weekend they hadn't been working. He hoped he'd finally have time to devote to this; in fact, he was counting on it. His family was counting on it, even if they didn't know it.

***NCIS****

Tossing his keys down on the table just inside his door and locking his weapon away, Tim toed off his shoes and made a beeline for his couch, sinking down in with a sigh of bliss as the softness cushioned his drop. He was so tired, he wasn't even sure how he'd made it home in one piece. Even as he laid his head back, his mind zoomed in on the source of all his recent worry. He has had to shove this problem to the side to do his job, and now it won't leave him alone. He was running out of time to do anything about it and he couldn't help but frown as he found himself thinking back to the night this whole ordeal had begun, exactly one month ago.

**Flashback***

"You are still coming, right?" Sarah's voice demanded over the phone line as Tim held the phone tucked under his ear while unlocking his car door to get in.

"Yes, Sarah, I'm on my way, starting my car right now. But I have to tell you, I don't appreciate you forcing my hand like this when I just got home and I have to go to work in the morning. Really unfair of you."

After a crappy day at work, he was still doing his best to meet his obligations as her big brother. He couldn't help that he was supposed to have met her at the restaurant fifteen minutes ago. All he could do was hurry as fast as he could to try to make up the time.

"This is your fault, Tim! Not mine!" His little sister's never ending griping reminded him sharply that always looking out for her, no matter what she'd done – was seriously coming back to bite him now, just as he'd always feared it would.

"My fault? How the hell is this my fault?" he demanded angrily as he dropped down into the driver's seat.

"I'll explain it when you get here, I swear. Now just hurry up, will ya? I'm starving!"

"Told you I'm on my way already. Give me a break, will you? Not like I haven't been working on a case all day or anything, you know?" For once Tim didn't wait for a response, hitting the end button on his phone and tossing it onto the passenger seat of his car, as he frowned. He really hated it when his sister pulled this crap on him. Why was it she'd become so selfish and self-centered that all that mattered was what she wanted or what kind of day she'd had?

Shaking his head, he drove to the restaurant where she was waiting for him already. He really hoped this was as important as she swore it was. If it wasn't and she was dragging him out late on a work night just to listen to her go off on another litany of griping and complaining about her life, he might be inclined to issue her a seriously sharp Gibbs' style head slap.

Luck was with him on the drive to the less than trendy restaurant and he didn't get stuck in traffic, helping him make up a good ten minutes of the missing time. As he strolled into the place, his breathing finally calmed after all his rushing around, he spotted his sister right away, her flashy sweater that clashed with the much more subdued atmosphere, bathed in demure colors that didn't blind you when you glanced around the room.

Sarah saw him and smiled at him, but she failed to do anything more than that, which in itself was rare, giving Tim reason to think something was going on here. Already, her pushiness to have this dinner tonight and unwillingness to move it to any other night, had sent up a red flag for him but he promised himself he'd see this through to the end before he said anything about it. Looking more closely at her, he could see she was stressed about this, a lot more than she'd been letting on. Straightening his backbone, he mentally pulled himself together, knowing his years as an investigator would serve him well tonight. He just hoped that watching and learning from Gibbs' ability to read people all these years would also not let him down now.

"Hey, Tim. Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me. I wanted you to meet Tom. Tom, this is my big brother, Tim." Sarah made the introductions short, obviously hoping to be able to move things along before anything became tangled up in difficult between the two men in her life.

Tim, however, wasn't about to let her off the hook. She'd set herself on it and she was darn well going to stay there until he was satisfied this guy was okay and not a crook or a criminal or worse. Turning his full attention on to the just under six foot, ordinary looking, blonde haired slim but not exactly skinny guy Sarah had pointed to, Tim felt his jaw go slack. This was the man Sarah wanted him to meet? Was she serious? Just meeting his eyes, gave Tim the chills. He couldn't explain it but his gut was screaming at him that this guy was bad news.

"Do you have a little brother too?" Tom attempted to joke, although it fell flat and only served to highlight the tension in the air. He flashed a dazzling smile in Sarah's direction as he shook Tim's offered hand with little enthusiasm, "Nice to meet you, Tim."

Tim offered no smile in return as he could barely stomach the man's handshake. Seeing Sarah light up like a Christmas tree nauseated him even more. He did manage to force himself to say the polite words he knew he should be expressing. "Likewise. Although I'm surprised Sarah hasn't introduced us sooner, maybe even a night when I haven't been working all day or at least on one that I don't have to go to work in the morning." Tim pushed his point with an aggrieved look in his sister's direction.

"Tim!" Sarah bit out sharply. "Enough! Alright? Jeez! You're gonna ruin everything!"

"What exactly am I going to ruin, Sarah?" Tim asked as he sat down across from the couple.

"You told me I couldn't take any guy I was dating home to Mom and Dad until you'd first met him and checked him out." Sarah reminded him with more than a touch of sarcasm.

The haughtiness rubbed Tim the wrong way. Still, he kept his temper in check doing his utmost to remain calm and cool headed. He had a job to do here and letting his anger get away from him wouldn't get the job done.

"Mmm. Hmm. Meant it, too." Tim's tone left no doubt he wasn't apologizing for his stipulation. He was, after all a Federal Agent and there was no way he was going to let his sister take anyone home to his parents who had not been thoroughly 'vetted' and approved. He couldn't be there to protect his family so this was the only way he was willing to compromise.

"Okay? So, we're doing this your way." Sarah stated with something akin to an accusation, as if by doing things his way, she was being greatly inconvenienced. "You've met him, now you can check him out and tomorrow I'm taking him to meet Mom and Dad."

"Thought you said you were hungry?" Tim used his fingers to slide the menu closer to her. Even though her words sparked worry and unease in his gut, he refused to show it. At the same time, he wasn't backing down. She may now be over the age of 21, but that didn't lessen his role as her big brother - whether she liked it or not. He huffed to himself, it didn't' even matter if Tim liked it or not. The role was permanently his and he intended to continue filling do it to the best of his abilities. In this case, that meant thoroughly grilling this guy, a man she'd just admitted she cared enough about to take him home to meet their parents. It wasn't his problem if Sarah didn't see it that way.

"Not hungry now." Sarah insisted.

"Wouldn't be because you're worried, would it?" Tim smirked, unable to help himself.

"You think this is funny, don't you?" She accused him.

"Sarah, I'm tired. It's been a very long day, an even longer week and I have to be at work by 6:30 in the morning. I didn't pick the day to do this or the time, you did and you insisted on discounting my request to change the date. And you've deliberately refused to tell me what this was about until I got here so, as a matter of fact, I don't think this is funny. What I do think, is that it's serious. Just because I'm tired or because you've decided to manipulate this does not mean I'm not going to do my job as your big brother. And yes, Sarah, you know you planned this so there would not be enough time, between me meeting Tom here and the time you leave to take him home to Mom and Dad, for me to find out anything about him beyond what you two might tell me tonight. That doesn't lessen my responsibility to look out for you – or for Mom and Dad - whether you like it or not."

"I understand completely, Tim" Tom was quick to offer despite the fact that no one had been talking directly to him.

Tim's eyes snapped over to the younger man. "If that were true – you would have talked some sense into her and you would have both handled this a hell of a lot different than this. But now that we have that out in the open, let's order. Some of us need to get home and get some sleep tonight."

Five short minutes later, they'd ordered the appetizers and Tim got down to business. "How long have you known my sister?"

"Look, let's just cut right to the chase, here, all

right? I know what you really want to know is my life story. You wanna know that I'm not the next Ted Bundy, nice guy on the outside but a serial killer on the inside, just waiting for the right time to kill her."

"That's not even funny!" Sarah barked out angrily. "Tom would never hurt me!"

"Then why doesn't one of you just answer the question?" Tim asked tiredly as he sat back and sipped his ice water as he got a double team response without hesitation.

"Three months." Tom answered, smiling at Sarah.
"Three months." Sarah answered, smiling at Tom.

"Three months?" Tim echoed in disbelief as he set his glass down before he dropped it in his lap. "That's it?"

"Why don't you just relax and let Tom tell you what we both know you want to know, Tim?" Sarah demanded impatiently. "Save us all the hassle of playing 20 questions."

"Okay. I'm listening."

The unreadable expression on Tom's face set up an immediate red flag for Tim. Still, he held his own expression in neutral and kept quiet while Tom began telling his tale.

According to the seemingly unflappable newcomer, he was already thirty years old, had come from a perfectly normal childhood with two loving normal parents, had never gotten in trouble and studied hard enough that he had always been a straight 'B' student even in college where he'd earned his Bachelor's Degree in both English and English Literature. The guy had never married and even claimed he could count on one hand, the number of women he'd slept with.

By the time Tom had finished telling Tim everything he thought his girlfriend's brother was fishing for, their dinners were sitting in front of them and Tim had lost his appetite. Since Sarah had also earned her degrees in the exact same fields, she was a prime candidate to have just the right interests to attract this man to her. With enough red flags raised to permanently stop a NASCAR race, Tim couldn't help but feel the weight of his sister's safety on his shoulders. Then in one final stroke of storytelling, Tom announced that he'd never been as serious about a woman as he was about Sarah.

Throughout the man's monologue, Tim had said nothing and even now, he kept his opinions to himself, choosing instead to sit back and watch his little sister's reactions and behaviors around this man she claimed to love. There was something missing. Tim couldn't put his finger on it, but he could feel it. There seemed to be much this guy wasn't saying and all Tim could think was that he was looking at a wolf in sheep's clothing. Now he just had to prove it.

Sarah's attitude and her unwillingness to change the date and time of this meet and greet did nothing to ease Tim's gut feeling that this guy wasn't the stand-up guy he presented himself to be. Still, there was nothing he could yet do about it. With his gut churning, Tim couldn't stomach any of his dinner, and fought hard with himself to stay through the mindless flirting and whispering going on between his sister and this 'Tom' now that the guy's life story had been told; or at least as much as he was willing to be forthcoming about. Finally, having had enough and more than ready to let off steam, Tim stood. "I have to go. As I said, I have to work tomorrow."

Walking away, he stopped short as a sudden thought occurred to him. Turning back around, he asked, "By the way, do Mom and Dad know you're coming?"

"Of course they do. Why do you think we had to do this tonight?" Sarah boasted airily.

Her big brother frowned as complete comprehension came to him. He knew exactly what game she was playing now. Apparently having Daddy's approval to bring a date home was paramount to being saved from any interrogations when they got there.

Tim swallowed his anger and disappointment at his father's blasé' attitude regarding Sarah's safety and well-being. It was bad enough the man didn't give a damn what happened to Tim, but there was no excuse for being so lax about his daughter. He really hated to have to do this but this meant it was time to call home.

Mentally pulling himself together, Tim stuck to his guns. "Nice meeting you, Tom. Just remember, treat my sister right and don't hurt her or you'll be answering to me." Tim offered Sarah a faux half salute and a seriously angered look before he silently turned on his heel and headed out.

***NCIS***

Out in his car, Tim yanked out his cell phone and called home for the first time in more years than he could count. The one time Penny had urged him to do it no longer counted in his book, since it hadbeen less than pleasant and had failed to produce any positive results.

"Timothy?" His mother's voice rang out cheerfully through the phone line.

"Hi. Mom. Is Dad around? I really need to talk to him."

"Oh, Honey, that's wonderful! I always knew you'd be the one to take the first step to fix this terrible mess between the two of you."

"I'm not calling about me or Dad, Mom. Can I talk to Dad, please?"

"Sure, Hon. Let me get him for you. What do you mean you're not calling about you or your father?"

"That Timothy?"His father's voice bellowed from the background on his mother's end of the call, loudly enough that Tim had no trouble hearing every word the Commander let loose.

"Yes, Arthur, it's your son. He says he needs to talk to you."

"I have nothing to say to him. Why in the hell is he calling me?

"Mom, tell him I have to talk to him about Sarah."

"Timothy says he is calling to talk to you about Sarah."

"What about her? She'll be here tomorrow. He can talk to her when she gets back to D.C. Sunday night! He needs to leave her alone while she's here. Isn't it this weekend she's bringing her boyfriend with her?"

"Yes, Arthur."

"Mom!"

"What dear?"

"Please tell Dad I have to talk to him about Sarah's boyfriend!"

"I heard him! Give me the damn phone! You listen to me, Timothy and listen good! We don't need you sticking your nose in your sister's business! She's happy. Leave her be!"

"I don't trust him, Dad." Tim threw in before his father could completely shut him down.

"What the hell do you know? You don't even know the man!"

"Dad, I just had dinner with them! I listened to his whole life story! Please, listen to me, there's something about him…I just….Dad, it doesn't feel right!"

"Blah! That's enough! Don't call here just to cause trouble for your sister. Matter of fact, don't call here anymore at all!"

Tim dropped his phone down to his lap after hearing the bitter sound of his father abruptly hanging up the phone.

That had certainly gone well.

***End Flashback***

Tim sighed heavily as his thoughts returned to the present. He seriously needed those resources now. Clamoring to his feet, he stuffed his feet back into his shoes, geared himself up to head out and scooped his keys back up before leaving his apartment, making sure to lock up as he closed the door. Time to face the music and ask the man outright for help.

*****NCIS*****

Reaching his destination with a knot in his stomach, Tim reached out and turned off the engine of his car. With his breathing as calm as he could keep it, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Sitting here, parked in the boss' driveway, he had to remind himself how things had come to this point. In all the years he'd been on this man's team, he'd never done this, not once.

It wasn't that there hadn't been boatloads of times that he had wanted to. God knows, Tim could not even count the number of times he'd wanted to come here and confide in the man; even ask him for advice. Unfortunately, given the state of his less than warm relationship with the boss, he had never had the slightest inkling that he'd be welcomed, that he'd be able to find the words or even that the man would want to help, so he'd never attempted it. Many a night had passed with Tim feeling so alone and lost with no one to turn to, especially on those nights that Penny had been unavailable to talk. Somehow, he'd made it through them all, even the nights he'd had to step up as big brother.

Sarah's continued attendance at a local college had been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, Tim was readily available to help her or at least let her crash at his apartment or use the laundry facilities in his apartment building. On the other hand, this had sometimes stretched Tim's energy and his sanity to the limits of his endurance, but he'd managed to make it through that, too.

He couldn't help it if Sarah had chosen to flaunt his advice and do things her own way. This now included choosing someone she knew Tim wouldn't have approved of, as well as deliberately waiting until the last minute like this, before letting Tim even meet the guy. He hated to admit it, but he was powerless to affect her life choices.

It had been a month since she'd pulled that stunt and the email he'd received earlier today, and had barely had time to read, only sharpened the awful feeling he had in his gut that he was running out of time. However he was smart enough to know he couldn't do anything about this on his own. He needed help. That was what had brought him here, to the boss. This time, he wasn't worried that the man wouldn't want to help. This was different because this was not about Tim.

Straightening his shoulders, he withdrew the key from the ignition and got out of the car. Making sure he locked it up tight, he took himself to the front door, his footsteps nearly shuffling and heavy. Somehow, even now the man's 'door's always open' policy failed to ease Tim's unease about approaching him like this. That less than comfortable feeling led him to want to knock on the door, instead of just walking in uninvited. Hating to do it, Tim did just that.

***NCIS****

"Hey, Boss." Tim's quiet greeting sounded nervous even to his own ears, bringing a grimace of dissatisfaction to his features. He hated that he was still nervous around the man - especially when it was just the two of them in the room.

Lowering the book he'd been reading while enjoying the solitude of his basement, the Team Leader watched his youngest agent slowly descend the stairs, his face a study in worry and nervousness tied together.

"Something wrong Tim?" Gibbs asked with all the seriousness due the first visit of his own volition his youngest agent had ever made to his home in all the years he'd known him. It had brought out the use of the young man's first name without conscious thought.

Tim's grip on the handrail tightened as he stopped mid-step and looked over at the man. It was disconcerting to hear that tone from him, not to mention his given name. Taking a breath and slowly letting it out, Tim nodded as he sat down on the step above where his feet had stopped. "I, ah… I think I need your help, Boss."

"Okay." Gibbs kept his tone calm since the young man had never before approached him like this; never before admitted needing the boss' help away from work before; hell, had never admitted needing help before; period.

Knowing the boss' tone also meant to get to the point, Tim swallowed hard and did just that. "Sarah's getting married."

Gibbs smirked. He knew Tim took being the big brother with complete seriousness. Hell, they all knew it. "McGee. Hate to break it to ya, but she's not gonna stay your baby sister forever." While he found it strange that Tim would come to him over feeling displaced in his sister's life, the Team Leader had a nagging feeling this visit wasn't quite so easily explained away.

"He's bad news, Boss." Tim admission came with such conviction and seriousness that all thoughts of this just being a case of the young man feeling out of place in his changing world flew right out the window.

"What makes you say that, McGee?" Gibbs asked, not even considering taking Tim lightly.

"He's one of those people that just leave you with that feeling."

"I'm guessing your parents don't believe you."

"How...? Never mind. Of course, you know, you're..."

"You wouldn't be here if they did, Tim."

"Oh. Right. It was a waste of time trying to talk to them. Guess this wa… I should just…Sorry. I'll go..." Tim got up and turned to go.

"You got any proof besides him giving you that feelin'?"

Tim turned back around and looked the older man straight on. "My gut." Having said that and hearing the demand for more information within the man's tone, Tim sat back down with a sigh of frustration.

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "Background check?"

"Clean – at least as far as I could dig without agency resources."

"McGee! Family is everything – why would you let that stop you?" Gibbs asked angrily.

"Because! I skirted the rules for her once before and it almost cost me everything. You asked me then why I hadn't come to you – so I'm coming to you now." Tim defended himself as he rose back to his feet angrily. "Sorry. Won't happen again." He took himself up the stairs as quickly as he could, nearly making it through the basement door before Gibbs could utter a sound. Tim's thoughts whirled faster than he could process them, he had no one to go to now, he hated having been right about his boss not wanting to… he should have found a way to get his father … what to do now… he knew something was off …

Gibbs watched in dismay as his youngest turned and angrily headed up the staircase. Damn it, the first time he ever comes to me for help and I scare him off. What's got him so jumpy and defensive? Why didn't his parents listen to him, he's an investigator for God's sake. I thought things were better between them…Ah shit, need to fix this now. Need to stop him…"McGee!"

Stopping at the door, Tim sighed and turned back to face the music.

Without saying a word for a minute, the boss climbed the stairs and stopped next to his agent; his apology in his sympathetic look and his soothing, calmer tone as he spoke once more. "C'mon, let's get some coffee and you can tell me everything, starting at the beginning."