It was only a few nights earlier that Ella had come bounding into their bedroom in the apartment they shared. He'd coaxed her into leaving hers and moving in with him, since they managed to spend every moment of free time together anyway. Tim had laughed at the way she bounced into the room, wearing the shirt he'd worn to work.

"Giddy, are we?" He asked, leaning back against the headboard, the sheets pulled up around his waist.

"Maybe," she said softly, smirking, "Maybe I'm just excited that you had my favorite flavor of ice cream in your freezer."

"I might have planned that."

She laughed. How he loved her laugh. He reached up and brushed a wavy strand of dark hair from her eyes. She smiled at him and leaned in to give him a gentle kiss. Her lips were always sweet, beautiful and pink. They matched the shape of her face, both reminding him of the way a child would draw a heart. She had long dark locks and eyes to match, hidden beneath long, sultry lashes. Lying on her side, she dipped the spoon into the ice cream and lifted a bite of the strawberry confection to Timothy's lips.

Leaning down, he took a bite of the ice cream and smiled, letting it melt in his mouth before he swallowed the bite. He shifted onto his side as well and watched her as she took her own bite.

"How did I get so lucky?" He asked her with a smile.

Ella laughed, "As usual, my answer to that is…I'm the lucky one."

He smirked and nodded, sliding an arm around her waist. Her build was petite but with gentle curves, which he loved. "Well, I'm also lucky, then."

"Mm. Open wide," she said, dipping another bite for him, "Should I make choo-choo noises?"

"I prefer the airplane," he teased.

Making an exaggerated propeller plane noise, she moved the spoon towards Tim's mouth with a few turns on the way, laughing softly.

He laughed as well, opening his mouth to take the bite. After swallowing, he grinned. "You're good at that."

"Comes from years of babysitting," she took another bite, licking her lips. She cleared her throat. "Do you think you'll ever want to have kids?"

"With you? Of course," his answer came without hesitation. "As long as they ended up looking like you, of course."

"I'd want my children to look like you," she blushed as she said it, "Or else you might have suspicions."

Tim laughed and shook his head, "None. Although…stay away from Tony DiNozzo. You're his type. He'd call you a 'ten'. Whereas I'm more like a 'four'."

Reaching aside, she put the bowl down and turned back to Tim with a smile. "You are hardly a 'four', Tim." Sliding a hand beneath the covers, she waited for his reaction to her touch, her eyes on his.

McGee's jaw dropped slightly before he bit down on his lower lip. "Ell…"

Ella giggled softly. "You're definitely a firm 'eight'."

-

"McGee."

Tim lifted his forehead from the table and looked across it. He saw the familiar one-sided mirror, but he'd never been sitting on this side of it before, with this purpose.

"Did you hear me, McGee? I need you to give me a detailed recap of your morning," Gibbs said quietly.

"Tell me what's going on, first. I have a right to know."

Gibbs sighed, "Metro P.D. called with a request to bring you in under suspicion of the murder of Ella Mason in your residence this morning."

McGee's stomach turned. "She's…she's dead?"

"I sent Tony and Ziva to deal with the scene. I know you, McGee. Just explain to me what happened and we'll sort it all out."

Tim was dizzy. He couldn't see straight. Standing, he paced back and forth for a moment. Looking around, he spotted a trash can.

Gibbs sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Tim lost his breakfast into the trash can. Opening his eyes again after the coughing and hacking had stopped, he watched his colleague sink to the floor beside the waste bin, his back to the wall. He just shook his head.

"No, she…she was alive. I left her sleeping."

"Sleeping, Tim? Are you sure?"

He nodded and beat the back of his head against the wall. "Yes, sleeping. She woke up for a minute just before I left. Gave me a kiss goodbye. She was fine."

"Give me the rundown of your morning."

McGee shook his head slowly, resisting the urge to wretch again. "I…I woke up at five with the alarm. I had a cup of coffee, then showered. I ate a bowl of cereal."

"Where was Ella?" Gibbs was watching McGee closely, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sleeping. She was in bed, where I left her. Before I left, I went into the bedroom to grab my badge. She woke up and asked for a kiss goodbye. I kissed her. I left." It was hard to breathe for Tim McGee. He hated to do it in front of Gibbs, but he couldn't hold back. Burying his face in his arms, he sobbed quietly.

Gibbs stood as his phone rang. He listened as Ziva spoke, nodding. "Thanks, Ziva." Looking down at McGee, he sighs. "Legal got Metro P.D. to back off. We're claiming jurisdiction."

"I need to see her. I need to know…what happened. Who did this to her," McGee said, looking up. He pushed at the tears on his face.

"As of right now…there isn't a body." Gibbs stood, "Just…a lot of blood."