I don't own NCIS
Timothy McGee Gibbs Knew his father loved him, of course he knew that. But sometimes. In the dark of night and in the blinding light of day he didn't believe it. Jethro Gibbs was a hard man to know, to understand. Even to his only son. He would say only child but that would be disrespectful to his sister. Tim thought of Kelly. Six years younger than him and the apple of their father's eye.
Kelly had always been a daddy's girl. Glued to his side whenever he was home. While Tim himself had been more of his mother's son. More quite more reserved but willing to show his temper when the time called for it. Yes Kelly was Jethro's and Tim was Shannon's. But then Shannon and Kelly had died, and Tim had lived and a part of Tim figured his father blamed him for that. For living where they didn't. Sometimes he'd look at his father and see the haunted look and wonder if he father wished it had been Kelly who had lived instead. Kelly who was standing in front of him.
He was 14 the year they died. He'd went away to school only a few years later graduating early and going straight from John Hopkins to MIT. He'd missed most of his father's failed marriages. Heck he wasn't even sure if wives three and four knew he existed. He'd only been around when they were out he'd never wanted anything to do with the women who were poor substitutes for his mother. The only one he thought his father may have loved was Jenny Shepard but he'd never meet her being to tied up in class work at the time to get to Paris.
Yes he knew his father loved him. Just as he loved his father but being around each other was too much was too many memories that neither man wanted to remember How was it then that he'd ended up back home. Or if not home then close to it Norfolk NCIS because as much as he wanted to run from his father from his past somehow he found himself following his father's footsteps into Law enforcement.
Going by McGee his middle name was just easier. No favoritism. And also no grief for who his father was. As far as he knew his father hadn't let his secret slip. As he stood outside his childhood home he thought of the memories made there. Of Kelly running down the stairs of the hours spent in the tree house out back and he shook himself out of the memories which were quickly turning dark. He pushed the door open and walked down the well-worn basement steps.
"Hey Dad." He watched from the bottom step as his dad worked on his newest boat.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked up at his son. "Tim how have you been son?"
"Okay." He nodded towards the unopen beer on the table. "Can I have one of those?"
"Sure help yourself."
Tim nodded and stood up grabbing a beer opening it and settling down on the steps. Taking a drink he looked around the basement letting memories of working on one of the boats with him.
"So how has you're cases been?" Tim tried to start some type of conversation with his father. He wished for the time when he was younger when Kelly and his mother were still alive when he knew how to be around his father. When his father knew how to be around him.
Average day." Gibbs shrugged.
"That's not saying much. Considering what you're day's are like." Tim snorted.
"True. I hired a new agent. An Agent Caitlin Todd."
"Hmm wonder how Agent DiNozzo will handle that." Tim thought of the things his father had told him about Agent DiNozzo
"Aw he'll get used to it." Gibbs said. "She's ex secret service will be nice to have on the team. Marrow agrees.
Jethro looked at his son. He loved the boy; he'd always loved the boy. His first born. His only living child. But looking at him was hard. He was so much like Shannon. So much like her that it was scary. Sure he looked more like him. But he had Shannon's smile. Shannon's eyes. He loved Tim but loving him was hard.
Tim looked at his father he wanted to say something but instead took another pull of his beer. It was easier to sit in silence then to bring up memories of times and people past. "Well I'm enjoying working in Norfolk. I wish I could be a field agent but I guess we'll see how everything goes.
Gibbs looked up from the piece he was working on. "You know I am proud of you Tim. You've made you're way on your own. I don't say it enough but I am."
"Thanks dad." Tim felt a lump in his throat it was rare to hear his father say anything praise worthy or emotional. He was used to his hard exacting father. The one who had built the wall around himself so high not even Tim could get through it most of the time.
Gibbs just nodded. Words not necessary in that moment. Unlike other moments when words just weren't said. Father and son sat in the silence of the basement. One contemplating the past and one the future. life was a complicated tangle of emotions and denial. But life was about to get even more complicated for the Gibbs men as their jobs brought them closer and closer to each other if only in proximity.
A/N so this will follow the series only with Tim as Gibb's son. Maybe episodes just with rewritten scenes. Maybe just rewritten scenes or added scenes I'm not sure yet.
