Note: this story has not been beta'd, any errors are mine (but then they would be anyway!)
Knowing
Reaching home after work the day Tony left the team, Tim changed out of his work clothes and did a little tidying up. He and Delilah had ignored the alarm this morning in favor of more pleasurable pursuits and subsequently had been in more than their usual hurry to avoid being late to work.
He was getting dinner ready when he heard the front door and knew Delilah was home. "Hey hon, I'm in the kitchen."
"Ok, be there in a few minutes."
He poured two glasses of wine and set them on the table along with some nibbles; their meal wouldn't be ready for another hour. His fiancée joined him a few minutes later and they exchanged a loving kiss. Having finally found a ring he felt worthy of Delilah, he'd popped the question the previous weekend. Her family, Penny, Sarah and his mom had been told and were delighted with the news, already planning a meeting of the two families and buzzing with ideas for The Wedding.
With all the drama aboard the Yard, he hadn't had a chance to share the news with anyone at work but Jimmy, who'd been happy and "relieved that he and Breena wouldn't be the only married couple in the group". Knowing Delilah had told her workmates, Tim figured he'd better tell the rest of his NCIS family soon before the DC grapevine did it for him. Not that he thought Gibbs or Ducky would pay attention to the gossip, but Abby and some of the others at the agency might.
Relaxing with their wine, the couple deliberately did not speak of the report of Ziva's death, the appearance of her young daughter or Tony's departure. It wasn't until after their dinner, as Delilah cleaned up and put their dishes in the dishwasher that the subjects were broached. The day Tony left, Tim had asked Delilah to see if she could find additional information, hopefully more details, of the fire at the farmhouse. He wasn't sure he trusted that Orli Elbaz had told them the truth and he was sure she hadn't told Vance or DiNozzo the entire truth.
She looked at him, "I have some information. I'm not done by any means but I do have something."
He nodded, "Figured if there was anything to find, you'd find it fast, before delving deeper."
Returning to the table, Delilah opened a large manila envelope, removing three 8" X 10" photographs.
He looked at them and then at her, "Do you need these back?"
She shook her head, "No, I know you'll want to show Gibbs and maybe Vance."
He nodded, "Yeah. Thanks sweetie. No trouble over these?"
"No, they're routine enough in our work no one will give me any hassles." She paused, "Tim…I know you're tired and it's been a heart wrenching couple of days, but do you think you should go to Gibbs tonight?"
He thought for a few seconds and then nodded. "Yeah, I do. Want to go with me?"
She shook her head. "No, I didn't know her well, only met her a few times before she left for Israel. And this feels like it belongs with your core NCIS family."
Agreeing, he kissed her softly as he rose from his chair, putting the photos back in the envelope. Gathering his jacket and keys, he kissed her again before leaving.
The drive was shorter from their new place; he parked on the street and headed inside. As he entered, he called out, "Boss?" and heard Gibbs' answer, "Basement."
Moving quickly down the stairs, Tim put the envelope on Gibbs' workbench, pulling the photos out. His boss leaned in from the side and took a quick look, then reached over to further study each one.
As his boss looked, Tim offered, "Timestamps of the original photos are on the back."
Gibbs continued studying, put his glasses on and looked again, examining every angle as well as the timestamps. Finally he removed his glasses, tucked the photos back in the envelope and in a gesture that shocked Timothy McGee to his core, reached over and pulled the younger man into an embrace. He whispered into his ear, "Thanks to you and Delilah…now we know."
The End
The ending was deliberately left vague. It can be news of Ziva's death or of her life continuing somewhere away from that destroyed farmhouse. I leave it up to you.
And really, does it matter whether we ever find out? I read a fairly recent interview with the actress and believe she has now burned her bridges with NCIS; in my opinion even if the character is found to be alive, we won't see her on the show again.
So while Tony will always have memories of Paris (or possibly living with Ziva in Paris if you so wish), Tim, Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, Abby and Vance will have memories of the 'Three Musketeers'. And we fans will have fan fiction for the 'what if's and what might have beens', including McGiva, and all the DVDs and 13 lovely seasons (plus what's to come) to re-watch for canon and what did actually happen, although of course much of that is also open to our own interpretations. Isn't fiction wonderful? And maddening?