Disclaimer: I do not own the characters you know.

Author's Note: Warning! This is a CHARACTER DEATH story. In fact, there is lots of death here. Please do not read if you do not like. It was written for the Death Of Challenge on NFA.

Tim sneaked in. He had no idea why he was doing this, risking angering the M.E, just to see a photo. But he had to know. And this was the only way to do this. So here he was risking the wrath just to see a photo of his grandparents and their family.

He found it in the top draw of the M.E's desk. Pulling it out, he quickly spotted his grandmother and grandfather. Smiling at their happy faces, he started to examine the faces of the other people in the photo.

He was so engrossed with this; he didn't notice the doors to autopsy open and the elderly M.E enter.

'Tim.' the M.E. said. 'What are you doing here? And what are you doing with that?'

'Dr Palmer!' Tim jumped. He turned around to face Palmer, slamming the photo down on the desk as he did.

'Well?' Palmer gave one Tim of his infamous 'Gibbs' glares.

'I…I…I just wanted to see them.'

'Who?'

'My grandparent's family.'

Palmer sighed. He should have known. He had been expecting this day to come ever since Tim had joined NCIS and had been taken on as the new MCRT team's Probie. Palmer slowly walked over to his desk, and sat down on his chair, grabbing the photo as he did.

'Pull up a chair and I'll tell you all about them.'

Tim did so, his eyes wide. 'Who's that?' he pointed to one of the younger men in the photo.

'That there is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Better known as Tony. He was…a kind man but that was often hidden behind a frat boy personality which he created. You could always rely on Tony for a joke when you didn't want it and backup when you needed it. He had a few close calls over the years but when we lost him…it was the beginning of the end.'

'How?'

Palmer started at Tim's voice. 'How what?'

'How did you lose him?'

'It all started as a perfectly normal day…'

Then

'Tony!' Ziva cried frustrated. 'If one more paper aeroplane hits me I will…'

'You will what?'

'I will show you why you call me a crazy Ninja chick.'

Tony flinched, and then smiled and nodded, realising he wasn't going to win this fight. So he turned to face Tim, and began to pick a fight with him.

'So Probie…'

'Not now Tony. I'm trying to find out who sent this email to Gibbs.'

Tony stood up and grabbed the plasma remote. He hit play and once again the team viewed the video file sent to Gibbs (via snail mail). All it consisted of were a series of photos of Gibbs all of which had a target on his head or heart.

Just then Gibbs strolled into the bullpen 'Report!' he barked out. As Tim and Ziva tried to delicately tell the Boss they had nothing, Tony randomly looked out the window.

Suddenly he saw a flash of light he recognised as gun fire. Without thinking he knocked Gibbs out of the way of the oncoming bullet.

Only to take it himself.

Gibbs had no idea what had happened. One moment he was listening to his team's lack of findings, the next he was falling to the ground. Looking around, his brain noticed two things- One: there was a bullet sized hole in the window of the bullpen and Two: there was a bullet sized hole in his Senior Field Agent

Drawing his gun he screamed 'Sniper! Everyone down.' He was both surprised and proud to see Tim and Ziva already had their guns out and were moving along the ground towards Tony.

Gibbs moved to help him as well and was surprised to see his eyes open and for them to suddenly turn and stare at Gibbs.

'Did…I…do…good?' he wheezed out.

'The best.' Gibbs replied. A faint smile spread over Tony's face before his eyes closed and his chest stilled.

Closing his own eyes, Gibbs suppressed his feelings of loss and guilt. He would deal with them later-Right now he had a killer to catch.

Opening his eyes again, Gibbs turned to his team. 'Ziva, go find where that shot was fired from. Tim, go get…Ducky.'

Now

Palmer had to pause then, the memories of that time period overwhelming him. Tim leaned forward, captivated by the tale and anxious to hear what came next.

'What happened then?'

Palmer started a bit, having forgotten that he was there. 'Revenge. Revenge was what happened next.'

Then

Gibbs sat in his chair, surveying the bullpen. Tim's desk was empty, there was no doubt in Gibbs' mind that he was down with Abby giving her the bad news and comforting her. Ziva was beside him, yelling down the phone in Hebrew, trying to find a way to get Tony's killer.

For they had found him, a man who had taken a dislike to Gibbs and had decided to kill him. Until Tony had taken the bullet.

But no matter how hard they searched they could not find enough evidence to hold him. So, as with Kate's death, they were being forced to drop it by the Director, who said they needed to work other major cases.

Gibbs suddenly stood up, grabbing his SIG. He fingered his badge, then walked over to Tim's desk and left it there just as Tim came back. Turning around Gibbs met Tim's eyes, smiled and nodded then left the bullpen.

It was time to get revenge.

It was an hour later that Tim got the call. He, along with Ziva and Ducky, had been searching for Gibbs without much success. They could track his phone, because it was off. So when he checked the caller I.D and he realised it was Gibbs calling Tim began to fear the worse.

'Boss.' He answered, putting the phone on speaker. Everyone crowded around, including Abby and Palmer, who had just entered the bullpen.

'Tim…' Gibbs choked out. 'I got him.'

'Boss, where are you? I'll send help.' He signalled for Ziva to run a search for the phone's location.

'Don't…bother. Too…late…for…me'

'Boss…'

'I'm not…your Boss…anymore…Tim. I'm…so…proud of…you. Look after…them for…me…, Boss.'

Tim sat down heavily on his chair, shock all over his face.

'Gibbs!' Ziva called.

'Ziva…' Gibbs replied. 'I…always trusted you. I…would have…been…proud to…call you…daughter.'

'As I am proud to call you father.' She discontinued the search for Gibbs, knowing there was no hope.

Abby saw this and burst into tears. 'Gibbs! You promised you wouldn't leave me…'

'I'm…sorry…Abs…but I don't…have a choice. Forget…rule 12…and be…happy…daughter.'

By now everyone had realised that this was Gibbs final goodbye.

'Jethro.' Ducky said, moving closer to the phone. 'You were the best friend I ever had.'

'And…you…were the…best…friend…I…ever…had…too…Duck.'

Suddenly Gibbs took in a deep breath, and the team stilled, thinking it was the end.

'Kelly…' Gibbs sighed out. Tears were flowing down everyone's faces as they realised Gibbs could see his little girl.

In a deserted warehouse across town, Gibbs lay, surrounded by the bodies of Tony's killer and bodyguards. Looking up he saw his little girl, surrounded by white light, reaching out for him. Next to her, his hand on her shoulder was Tony and behind them he could see Shannon, both also glowing.

'Daddy.' Kelly called. 'You have to come with us.'

Without thinking he followed then into the beyond.

On the other side of the phone the team somehow knew he was gone. Suddenly Tim spoke, breaking the silence.

'Greater love hath no man than he that lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13.'

'Fitting.' Said Ducky. 'For both of them.'

Now

'Which one is Gibbs?' Tim asked, examining the photo.

'That one.' Palmer said, pointing to the silver haired man on the edge of the photo.

'Did they find him?'

'Local LEOs did. He took out three armed men including Tony's killer, before he died.'

'So, then what happened?'

'We buried them and tried to move on. Went though three team leaders before the Director endorsed Mc…Tim's promotion. Then we went though Probies instead.' Palmer smiled at the memories of those slightly happy days where he had found himself more and more a member of team Gibbs…McGee.

Tim just examined the photo, unaware of Palmer's thoughts. 'This is Ziva?' he asked pointing to the unfamiliar female in the photo.

'Yes that's Ziva. She was the warmest cold person I've ever met. She was distant, yet loving. Heartless and compassionate. Plus she could kill you with any item you could think of. Her loss was…' Palmer broke off, unable to continue.

'How did she…umm…' Tim stammered.

Palmer took pity on him. 'A year passed and we tried to keep it together, to keep going. It wasn't much of a surprise when Mc...Tim and Abby got together. Dr Mallard didn't do well, he became ill, almost continuously, and we all prepared to lose him.

We weren't prepared to lose Ziva first.'

Then

'What's the situation?' Tim demanded of the lead LEO as he marched onto the scene. Ziva was close behind him, along with the Probie of the week, Sally was it?

'One confirmed gunman, two hostages. Rumours of a bomb in the room. Gunman is a Petty Officer, so we're handing it over to you. However, SWAT is standing by to enter on your command.' The LEO reported.

Tim nodded, and then turned to his team. 'Ziva go check out the SWAT team. Be ready to lead them in on my command. Susan, go set up over there.' He ignored the wince at her name. If he wanted to get it right, he would.

Two hours passed and Tim was unable to talk the gunman down. Regretfully, he gave Ziva the signal to move out.

Cat like, Ziva crept though the hallways, the SWAT team behind her. She could hear them clearing the other rooms but she only had eyes for her target.

One SWAT team member put their hand on the door and began to count down. Preparing to enter, she found herself wondering what movie Tony would have compared this to. Shaking her head she entered the room. The gunman turned, surprised and she took her chance to shoot him. The SWAT team behind her quickly removed the hostages.

Ziva didn't relax. Instead she searched the room. Noticing a suitcase that was slightly open, she moved towards it. Lifting the lid, she was confronted with a bomb. The timer read ten seconds.

She knew that her options were limited. She knew that she couldn't throw the bomb out the window or clear the room in time. So she took the next best option. Quickly she seized the suitcase and headed for the empty bathroom, attached to the room.

Slamming the door, she threw the bomb as far away as possible from the door, hoping to save the lives of the SWAT team.

Looking up she saw her sister Tali standing before her. Two men stood either side of Tali and she gasped when she realised they were Tony and Gibbs. And behind them was Ari, or at least, the Ari of her childhood.

She was so glad to see them, she didn't even feel the bomb when it detonated.

Now

'Are you sure she was in there?' Tim asked.

'Yes. We were.' Palmer answered. 'DNA confirmed her identity.' By now, Palmer had tears running down his face. Tim was also getting a bit teary eyed. Tim blinked away the tears.

He pointed to the elderly man in the photo. 'That's Dr Mallard…Duck, right?' he waited for Palmer's nod before he continued. 'What was he like?'

Palmer smiled at the memory of his old mentor. 'He was the best man I've ever met. He knew everything about everything and he had no qualms about telling you it, even if you didn't want to know. He listened to you, gave him advice and rarely raised his voice.'

'Sounds like you admired him.'

'He was like a father to me. His death was one of the worst moments of my life.'

'What happened?'

'Well…'

Then

Ducky and Palmer were sitting at the desks in Autopsy when the doors slid open. Tim walked in, holding a crying Abby.

'What's wrong, my dear?' Ducky moved to stand up but couldn't, still a little weak from his latest illness.

'The Director is sending Timmy to L.A.!'

'Why?' Palmer asked.

'Because that's the only position available for me according to the Director.'

'What about Abby? And the baby?' Ducky asked, revealing to Palmer Abby's pregnancy.

'We're not married, so it doesn't count.' Tim answered bitterly. Abby's cries became louder and her breathing irregular. Palmer and Tim quickly grabbed her shoulders and started to move her back to her lab.

No one noticed Ducky get up behind them. Suddenly, he clutched his chest.

Ducky felt his left arm go numb, followed by a pain in his chest. Recognising the symptoms, he let himself collapse, the darkness already surrounding him. But as he fell, he could have sworn he felt a pair of ghostly arms catching him.

Tim entered Autopsy on the pretence of searching for his badge. In reality, he wanted to talk to Ducky, to see if he would watch over Abby if Tim was forced to transfer. He was shocked, however, to see Ducky's body lying on the floor.

And to see Gibbs kneeling over it. Looking up at the sound of the doors he nodded and stood up, with Ducky's spirit appearing beside him.

'You're doing good, Tim.' He said, then disappeared, leaving Tim alone with Ducky's body.

Now

'Wow! So did he really see Gibbs ghost?'

'He swore that he did, and I'm not in a position to disbelieve him.'

'It's nice to think that Granddad got to see his old mentor one more time before he died.'

Palmer nodded. 'It is. It might have even been a warning.' He noted.

'A warning?' Tim looked confused.

'It was only six months later when the accident occurred that killed your grandparents.'

'A car crash.' Tim spat bitterly. He had heard this story of a drunk driver's stupidity many times before. The idiot had robbed his father, and thus him, of the chance to know Abby and Tim. 'Killed them instantly.'

'Not quite.' Palmer said. 'Your grandfather did die instantly, having turned the car so he took the brunt of it in a vain attempt to protect Abby. But your grandmother…she lived for another week, until your father was born.'

'Did she die of her injuries then?' Tim had never heard this part of the story before and was unsure of the ending.

'No. They weren't that serious. She would have made it.'

'Then how…'

'I'm not sure. The cause was never determined. I believe that without her friends…family to support her though Tim's death she just lost the will to live. Even if she had had them, I'm not sure if she would have made it. Every time we lost somebody it seemed to destroy a part of Abby too. Tim was the biggest part, I guess.'

Tim noticed the slight bitterness in Palmer's voice. 'Dr Palmer, did you…I mean…'

'No, I wasn't in love with her. But she and Tim helped me though Dr Mallard's death. We got very close. To lose them so suddenly and so close together…' Palmer realised how much he was revealing of himself to Tim.

Just then Tim's phone rang. Picking it up, he winced at the sound of his team leader on the other end.

'I've got it. I'm on my way back up.' He replied. Hanging up he asked, 'Do you have a copy of the file…' he stopped talking as Palmer handed him the file he had come down for. He turned and headed for the lift.

But he paused in the doorway. 'Dr Palmer? Are you in the photo?'

Palmer smiled and nodded. 'I'm the one next to Ducky. Here,' he said, offering it to Tim, 'keep it.'

Tim crossed back over to Palmer and accepted the photo. 'Really? Thanks Uncle Jimmy.' He left, not noticing that he had used his childhood nickname for Palmer.

Palmer just smiled at his godson, who had been named for his paternal grandfather and who shared so many similarities with that he could have been Tim McGee's twin. Well he is Tim McGee… Palmer stopped that line of thought before his head started to hurt.

Reaching into his desk he pulled out the other photo there, this one of Jethro Anthony McGee. His existence had been the only reason Palmer had survived the depression he had suffered after Abby's death. Losing nearly everyone he had cared about, some more then others, in the space of two years had nearly pushed Palmer to suicide. It would have too, if Sarah McGee hadn't pointed out that only he could pass on the memory of Tim's NCIS family to his son and keep the ones he cared so much about alive.

Suddenly, Palmer felt his old age. He leaned back in his chair and spun around to face the autopsy tables. I'll only close my eyes for a minute… he thought.

It was Tim who found him, two hours later when he came back down to return the photo, having made a copy of his own. At first, he thought the old doctor was sleeping until he couldn't find a pulse. Shock over came him as he realised that Palmer was dead. He quickly turned and headed to the lift to get back up but paused in the doorway.

'Rest in peace, Black Lung.'

And he would, for he was now with his family.

Author's Note: I have no idea where this came from. I am sorry if I offend anyone but it wouldn't leave me alone.