DISCLAIMER:I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!
~NCIS~
Gibbs cast a glace towards his green couch, assuring himself that his two guests were still conked out, before moving to look out his window. He felt even worse when he saw Tim still standing on his porch. His youngest looked so much like a little boy; confused, sad, hurt, and alone. So very, very alone. Gibbs absolutely loathed himself for turning his boy away. But what else could he have done? Tony and Ziva had showed up on his doorstep an hour ago, drunk, ranting and raving about Tim. He hadn't been able to determine exactly what was wrong before they passed out and Abby, who had been out with them, didn't know what was going on. She had only gotten bits and pieces out of them as they drunk themselves under the table, nothing making much sense. Gibbs knew that something had happened that afternoon. He had left to get coffee and when he came back to the bullpen, he had found his senior field agent silent—which in itself was strange enough—and with a thunderous expression on his face. His junior agent was quiet, also; sullen and morose, a hurt look in his expressive green eyes. And Ziva—well Ziva, had completely disappeared. No, Gibbs didn't know what was going on with his kids, but the churning in his gut told him it wasn't good.
Gibbs watched as Tim slowly made his way back to his car, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He had never, in all his years as team leader, turned one of his agents away from his door and had never considered that there would come a time that he would do so. He hated the fact that he had to start with Tim. Gibbs knew how insecure he was at times. He knew how uncertain Tim was of where he stood with Gibbs. He knew that Tim would take this to heart and he despised himself for hurting the man he considered his youngest son. Gibbs knew that Tim felt rejected by him right now. As he watched his youngest agents tail lights fade from sight, his gut told him he would be lucky if Tim came back later in the morning. He'd be lucky if Tim ever willingly darkened his doorstep again.
He turned and walked to his kitchen so he could start a pot of coffee, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he went. He had a feeling that he was going to need re-enforcements. "Hey, Duck..."
~NCIS~
Meg looked up from her spot on Tim's king-sized bed when Tim walked into his bedroom an hour later. "How did it go?" She asked.
Tim sighed. "It didn't." He said as he emptied his pockets on his dresser.
"Oh." She said, looking at his tense shoulders. "You didn't get around to talking about—"
"I didn't get to talk to him at all." Tim interrupted, trying to toe his shoe off. "Gibbs wouldn't even let me step foot inside his house." He said bitterly as he reached down to pull of his shoe when he couldn't get it off without untying it. "Told me to come back later when I asked if I could come in and shut the door in my face."
"Ouch."
Tim laughed harshly as he struggled to get his shoe off. "And if that wasn't enough to put me in my place..." He trailed off as he angrily jerked his shoe off and chucked it against the wall.
Meg jumped as the size 10 hit and bounced off the wall. "Tim!" She exclaimed, startled.
He clenched his hands into fists. "Then he locked the door." He said, breathing hard. "He locked the door, Meg!"
Meg looked at him with sad blue-green eyes. 'Talk about adding insult to injury.' She thought, shaking her head.
The energy left Tim and he slumped on the end of the bed, his back to her,shirt untucked, one shoe on. "He didn't have to do that, Meg." Tim said in barely a whisper, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have come in." His breath stuck in his chest for a minute. "I don't go where I'm not wanted." He said when he could breath again.
Tears stung her eyes as Meg pushed aside her work and came to her knees, scooting close so that she could snake her slender arms around his middle, pressing her body securely against his, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I know, Tim."
Tim covered her hands with his and leaned back into her a little, grateful for the contact. "He didn't have to lock the door on me." Tim said, swallowing thickly around the lump in his throat. "Why—"He cleared his throat. "Why did he have to do that, Meg?"
A tear ran down her cheek as she realized that was what had wounded him the most—not that closing the door in his face hadn't stung—but to actually lock the door on Tim... She tightened her arms around him and turned to press a soft kiss into his neck, right below his ear. "I'm sorry, Tim." She breathed softly into his ear. "I'm so very sorry."
Tim sniffed discretely. "He said his door was always open." Tim said, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat again and closed his lids against the stinging in his eyes that he couldn't blame on the wind this time. He hadn't needed this. Not today. Not after his fight with Tony. Not after finding out that his grandmother wasn't coming to his wedding. He had known that his parents wouldn't come and he had figured that his sister probably wouldn't come. But Tim had hoped that his grandmother would come, especially knowing that no one else would be there on his side of the family. And then if what happened with Gibbs wasn't enough to kick him when he was down, he had called Ducky before heading home and the good doctor had brushed him off. Tim didn't even know what he had done to make Ducky mad at him. He closed his eyes tighter as he felt moisture slip down his cheek, when his thoughts came back to Gibbs. "Everyone knows about Gibbs open door policy and they use." He hoped that Meg wouldn't think he was any less of a man for letting this affect him the way that it had.
But it wasn't open for me. Tim didn't say it but Meg heard it loud and clear, another tear welling up and falling down her cheek. Meg loosened her arms and pulled away. "Shh." She whispered when Tim made a noise of protest, not wanting her to leave him just yet. "It's alright." Meg moved to his side, turning to through a leg over his lap so that she straddled him, a knee on each side of his hips. Her slim, ivory arms slipped under his arms, hugging him to her. She made no protest when Tim's arms snaked around her waist tightly as he buried his head in her shoulder.
Tim was suddenly fiercely glad that he had went to Gibbs place tonight. Whatever doubts that had lingered were gone now. He would marry Meg. She would be his family now. He didn't need anyone else. He swallowed hard again and his mind shied away from thoughts of anyone else but the woman he held in his arms. He would be happy with her. They would be happy together. Tim would make sure of that.
~NCIS~
Jimmy Palmer knocked on the door even though he knew it was open, and waited nervously for Gibbs to tell him to come in. He hadn't been surprised by Doctor Mallard's call asking him to come here. He had been expecting this for months, ever since Meg and Tim had got together. He'd known sooner or later that the team would find out. He'd been surprised that it had taken as long as it had. For people who discovered secrets for a living, they could be quite clueless at times.
Jimmy took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked in when he heard Gibbs call to him, following the smell of fresh brewed of coffee to the kitchen. He had never been to Gibbs house and was pleasantly surprised by the open, somewhat cheery decor. He had imagined a minimalist, bachelor home and then wondered why when he remembered that Gibbs had been married four times. He stood hesitantly in the doorway of the kitchen, waiting for the M.E. or Team Leader to acknowledge him. He gulped when Gibbs turned where he sat at the table and his icy blue eyes leveled on him. "There something you want to tell us, Palmer?"
~NCIS~
Abby raised her hand and rapped at Tim's apartment door. She had thought a lot about what was going on with Tim and Ziva after taking Tony and Ziva to Gibbs as they had asked and enough was enough! She didn't know what happened between her two friends but she would fix it! She would make Tim see that Ziva loved him. She would make him see that they belonged together! It was time for him to get over what ever it was that he needed to get over and make up with Ziva. She wanted her family to be happy again! Abby stubbornly knocked again when Tim didn't answer. She knew he was here. His car was in his parking space. And she knew that he was up because she had drove by just thirty minutes earlier and he hadn't been there. She blew out a frustrated breath and was fixing to knock again when the door open to reveal a woman she didn't know.
~NCIS~