In retrospect, Tim rationalized, he'd only actually lied the first two times. After that it was as though the lie had a life of its own. In fact, it was kind of like other people were doing the lying for him, so he couldn't really be blamed for it. Surely Gibbs would understand that.

The thought made Tim groan out loud, oblivious to the presence of other patrons of the coffee shop. Even in his imagination Tim couldn't picture a scenario in which Gibbs would buy that argument. He'd deceived his boss, a man to whom he was completely devoted. Everything he did at work was at least partially motivated by a desire to impress Gibbs. And now he'd betrayed that man's trust.

If it had been up to Tim, the whole fiasco would have disappeared after he used the excuse for being late. But Tony knew a good thing when he saw one, and this was entertainment he couldn't pass up. So a couple of days later Tony had waited until there was a lull in the office to bait Tim into a conversation within earshot of their superior.

"How's your aunt doing, McGee?"

Tim glared at Tony, but saw Gibbs look up over his computer and knew he had to respond.

"Much better, Tony. I think they're going to let her out soon."

"What was her name again?" Tony smirked as he asked the question.

"Esther," Tim replied curtly, thankful that he'd chosen the name of his elderly neighbor so it came quickly to his mind. "It's my Aunt Esther, on my mother's side," he added for good measure.

"And does she appreciate that her nephew Timmy comes to visit her every day?" Tony was relentless.

"Yes, Tony, she does." Tim didn't know why he felt the need to defend his fictional aunt, but it bugged him that Tony would mock her.

"Hey Boss," Tony called over to Gibbs. "I'm finished running the profiles of everyone who entered the base last Thursday. I don't think we can follow up with anyone till Abby's done with the samples, and she said it might take her 3 or 4 more hours."

"Your point, DiNozzo?" Gibbs wasn't one to fall for Tony's slacker tactics.

"I was just thinking that maybe not all of us needed to stick around the office all evening waiting for the lab results…"

"Fine. McGee, you're done. Go visit your aunt."

"No Boss, really, I'll stay. I should cross-reference Tony's data with what we got from the phone records…"

"Don't be ridiculous, McGee. Anyone can do that. Tell your Aunt Esther that DiNozzo wishes her a speedy recovery."

"Yes, Boss." Tim consented reluctantly. The guilt was eating him up, but he gathered up his stuff and left the office. He couldn't tell Gibbs the truth – that this had been a stupid prank which had gotten slightly out of hand. He just didn't think he could bear the look on Gibbs' face when the lie was revealed.

Actually, Tim hadn't thought that anything could be worse than facing that look. But today, without any prodding from Tony, Gibbs had once again shooed him out of the office early to make a hospital visit when the day's activities were winding down. Tim had left obediently, but he'd only gotten as far as the coffee shop across the street. He'd been sitting at a table for over two hours, his cup of coffee now cold and stale. Tim knew that he had to go back and tell Gibbs the truth. He felt physically ill at this prospect, but the thought of continuing the charade even one more day was worse. This had to end.

Tim slowly got up and made his way back to the NCIS building. Regular business hours were over so the hallways were quiet, but not dark. This wasn't a 9-to-5 place, and Tim had no doubt that Gibbs would still be at his desk. He just hoped that Tony and Ziva were gone for the day. As he entered their work area, he saw that indeed his partners had left, but that Gibbs was at his computer as expected. Tim took a deep breath and forced himself to approach the senior agent. Gibbs looked up, mildly surprised.

"McGee, when I said you could leave before, I meant for the day. There was no need to come back. Some things are more important than work." Gibbs smiled at him, and the kindness from his usually stoic boss increased Tim's anguish.

"No, Boss. I had to come back. There's, um, there's something I need to tell you. I mean, there's something you need to know. That I have to say." Tim stammered through his introduction.

"Is it about your aunt? Is something wrong?" Gibbs sounded concerned.

"No, she's OK," Tim absurdly felt like he needed to reassure Gibbs first. "I mean, she's not OK. But she's not my aunt. Well, actually, she's not anyone's aunt." Gibbs was starting to look confused and Tim didn't know how to gracefully dig himself out of this hole, so he just blurted it out. "I made her up."

The revelation hung in midair for several moments.

"I don't think I understand."

"I don't have an aunt. Well, I do have an aunt, but not this one. I actually have three aunts and…"

"McGee!" Gibbs cut into his babbling.

"Gibbs, I'm so sorry. It started as a joke – a dare, really. It wasn't meant to turn into a lie. It was just supposed to be that one day. But then it just kind of kept on going…"

"It just 'kind of kept on going,' McGee? Did you, or did you not, continue to lie about having a sick aunt, and use that lie to manipulate me for the past week?"

"I didn't mean to lie to you." Tim said miserably. "I hated that part of it. I just didn't know how to tell you without making you mad."

Gibbs stared at Tim for a minute before speaking. With a quiet voice he said, "You disappoint me, Tim."

Tim felt like he'd been stabbed in the chest. His throat tightened and he just barely was able to force words out of his mouth. "I know, Boss. I'm so sorry. It won't ever happen again."

"McGee, do you know how long it took me to trust you when you first started working here?"

"I don't know – a couple of months?"

"Five minutes." Gibbs let Tim absorb that fact before continuing. "And do you know how long it takes to regain my trust once it's been broken?"

Tim swallowed hard. "How long?"

"I don't know, McGee, but I guess we're going to find out." With that sober pronouncement, Gibbs turned his attention back to his computer.

"Please, Gibbs. What can I do to fix this?" Tim begged.

"Go home, Tim." Gibbs replied without looking up.

"Boss?" Tim wasn't sure if he was being fired.

Gibbs stopped typing. "It's late, and you have some thinking to do. Go home."

Realizing there was nothing left to say, Tim walked slowly from the office, feeling as though his insides had been hollowed out.

To Be Continued…