A continuation from Past meets Present. This is a WIP so I don't know how often I'll update! Thank you for your patience!

Decisions

Chapter 1

He stopped typing, rubbed his eyelids trying to send the slight ache away knowing perfectly well the only way to clear his head was sleeping. Sleep was not keeping him much company the last couple of months though since his life and family had become very complicated. In the beginning, he had thought it could work but after the first month he was certain he had been wrong.

The first couple of days back at work after his injury were refreshing. Gibbs was showing his affection in his professional style when in the same time he treated everyone in his team the same. Soon, when Tim returned to field duty, that serenity was lost and Gibbs' attitude had changed. There were moments Tim wanted the Boss from before to return. It was as if all that tenderness showing to his son was transformed into tantrum against his subordinate. And the young agent had enough of it.

Earlier that day

The sudden shooting of two Navy Officers and the instant killing of one of them had brought NCIS team out in that cold January day. The younger male agent was ordered not too gently to search for evidence and return to HQ when, and only when, he would have something to bring back. Unfortunately, the situation wasn't something new; the last couple of months two more Officers had fallen dead under unknown guns and shooters. Agent Gibbs' not so legendary resolve was starting to crack and his team was paying for it dearly. A bit difficult for the other members to understand the reason Tim was the one to take the biggest part of the boss' aggravation.

The hard pavement was beneath his knees once again and the not so thick cloth of his trousers wasn't actually keeping him as warm as it supposed to do. The cold from the icy ground was penetrating him to his bones. He really missed his long coat that moment, the same coat he had wrapped around Ziva's shoulders when her own jacket had been all wet by the sudden rain.

So, here he was on his hands and knees trying to find non existent evidence under the command of his Boss, while all others had returned to the warmth of their office a long time ago. His mobile's ringing interrupted his thoughts and DiNozzo's annoying voice made this situation he had found himself in even worse. And it was only a moment ago he had thought that that predicament was impossible.

'McSlow, bring yourself and whatever you found back here! And make it quickly because Boss needs is and he's pretty pissed off you're late…'

'Late? Tony, are you kidding me? I am not late…' unfortunately Tim wasn't given the chance to finish his sentence as he was interrupted by another familiar voice.

'Here, McGee! Now!' And nothing else. Gibbs hadn't even listened to him. His Boss was angry but quite frankly Tim had enough of this and he couldn't bring himself to care. He was dirty, wet, frozen, as the rain had been replaced by snow about half an hour ago, and the last thing he needed right now was a clean, dry, warm Gibbs to shout at him.

As he entered the bullpen all eyes were on him so he didn't managed to go the bathroom before hearing a very groggy voice calling him.

'MCGee! Search for these accounts!'

'Can I go change first, Boss?' Tim was shivering and he really needed to wash his hands and face and put on some dry clothes to feel human again. But his Boss was beyond caring apparently.

'No McGee. While you were fooling around we were on a dead end.' A few months ago these words would have cause great pain to the hard working agent. Right now, it only brought to the surface the stubbornness he didn't know until a little time ago he had inherited by his father.

'Fooling around? I wasn't…'

'Do your job, McGee. Now!' Gibbs didn't even look up to look at him.

Tim knew it would be fruitless to protest while Gibbs was in that mood, but that didn't make it any easier. He sat on his desk and started checking accounts, names and financial information. He only used another cleenex to try and clean his hands. His mind was otherwise occupied.

An hour later Ducky walked into the bullpen to give Gibbs his latest discoveries about the last victim. His eyes fell immediately at Tim whose stance spoken volumes about his current situation and had the doctor instantly worried. Tim was trying t keep his typing as fast as usual but he couldn't succeed with his trembling fingers. Jethro saw Ducky approaching and waited for the ME to head to his desk so he was surprised when the older man didn't and he in fact went and stood to in front of his son, who didn't seem to not having a clue about Ducky's presence.

'Timothy?' Startled green eyes looked up to see Ducky worried eyes on him. 'What's wrong, lad?' For a moment there he thought the best was to admit the truth that he was feeling abnormally cold and he had a bad headache.

'Nothing, Ducky.' He said instead after looking briefly at the steely blue gaze behind the ME.

'Ducky, do you have anything to share with us, by any chance?' Tim felt his blood boil once again by Gibbs' indifference; he tightly curled his fingers and said nothing. Two hours later dropped whatever he had found at Gibb's desk, took his coat and left NCIS without saying anything.

That was the final straw in an already bad situation. His initial thought that both he and his father could make this work had proven all wrong. So, he thought, under the spray of hot water in his tiny bathroom, it wasn't so difficult to take a decision. He had to choose between finding the strength to love his biological father or despise his, well respected until a while ago, Boss. All in all a not so hard decision. But truth was he loved his job and it would cause him great pain to leave it, especially now. But, as long as Gibbs couldn't realize what he was doing, he had no other solution. After the hot shower and the hours of typing nonsense, everything was set in his mind.

tbc