"So, Delilah's coming home tomorrow? Guess you'll want me to clear out today, right?"

Tim looked up from his computer screen, frowning. "I thought the repairs on your apartment weren't going to be finished before next week?"

"Well, they're not, but seriously, your girlfriend is coming home after being away for weeks and weeks. This isn't the time to have a buddy underfoot, even if that buddy is me." Tony was pretty sure he had the right blend of cocky and smirking on his face.

"It's a big house, Tony. We'll be fine. Delilah and I aren't living together and I'm not kicking you out."

Tony couldn't help it, the question just popped out. "Really?"

"Really. Besides, tonight's a movie night."

"You're right, it is. What are we watching tonight?"

"I have no idea. Ducky is in charge of the movie tonight."

Gibbs' western flick last week had been pretty good, but this... "He's bringing a documentary, isn't he?"

Tim glanced around, then leaned closer. "I've got a back-up, just in case."

-NCIS-

Tim bounced on his heels as he waited next to baggage claim. Delilah had said she could catch a cab, but he couldn't wait to see her. Finally he saw her through the crowd. It took a moment, but then she smiled and shook her head as she came closer.

"What are you doing here, Tim? I said I would get a cab."

"I couldn't wait." He kissed her cheek and took her carry-on bag as they walked over to where the baggage was arriving. "So, what do you want to do your first day back?"

Delilah gave a tired smile as she started pointing out her suitcases for Tim to grab. "Eight hours of sleep in my own bed, then a hot shower before getting my report ready. I hope you didn't make any plans that included me today."

He'd taken a day of vacation and there was a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator, but he plastered a smile on his face as he lifted another suitcase. "Nothing that won't keep. I had a hunch you might be busy."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Delilah raised up onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "Maybe tomorrow or the next day I can come and see your new house. Did you take pictures of that farmhouse? Those colors were so pretty."

Tim couldn't imagine his grand old Tudor filled with beige and cream with oak trim. "No, those colors really wouldn't have worked in this place."

"Really? That's too bad. Well, I'm sure we'll figure out something." Delilah headed toward the parking lot, leaving Tim with her carry-on and three suitcases. Luckily, the big one had wheels.

-NCIS-

"What are you doing here? I thought you and Delilah had plans? Tony gave a waggle of his eyebrows as good measure when Tim came in and sat down only a few minutes past the official start of the day.

McGee gave a shrug as he watched his computer boot up. "She just wants to sleep and get caught up today so I dropped her off at her place."

"Oh." Tony had ridden in with Gibbs this morning and planned on hanging out at his place to give the couple some privacy tonight. "So your plans are on hold until tonight?"

"Nah, tomorrow, if I'm lucky."

Tony glanced over at the rest of the team. Gibbs had a slight frown, but Ellie wasn't picking up on the tension as her head bobbed up and down. "I heard that she was running multiple operations while she was overseeing the construction. That is so cool."

"Yeah, cool."

A few hours later Ellie was getting lunches and Gibbs was hiding in Autopsy in case Diane showed up again, so Tony sat on the corner of McGee's desk. "You okay?

Tim hesitated for a minute before he sighed. "Yeah, we go through this every time she's out of town for the job. I guess she's just got to spend some time decompressing before she wants me around. We'll be fine by tomorrow. She had a lot of pressure and responsibility while she was in Utah."

"I guess so. Hey, now that she's back we should squeeze in one last movie night before the weather turns bad."

"Midweek movie night?"

"Sure. Now that the case is over and Emily is safe, we deserve a break – Gibbs, especially."

Tony looked around carefully to make sure they were still alone. "I half expect him to bring a sleeping bag and hide in your basement so Diane can't find him."

They both grinned at that image before there was a noise and Tony scurried back to his desk.

-NCIS-

"A movie? In your backyard?"

Tim grinned as he handed her a coffee. She'd been back a few days but this was the first time they'd gotten to meet up. "We've been doing it at least once a week, it's great. Tonight's not our usual night so we probably won't have too many of the neighbors, just the team. It's Tony's turn to pick the movie and he promised me a romantic comedy."

"And you're grilling?

"Yep. Grilled and smoked tri-tip steak with corn on the cob."

"Well, okay. I'll see you tonight I guess."

After she left the coffee shop, Tim relaxed. They were back on track again. Now to see what she thought of the house.

-NCIS-

"So that's what those big eye hooks are for."

Gibbs looked up to see what Tony was talking about. McGee was hanging something on the backyard tower. It took a minute to see that it was a hammock, but it wasn't stretched out very far. Gibbs gave a grunt as he and Tony continued to shuck corn. If he'd known McGee had planned on hanging a hammock out there, he'd have suggested making the tower a little wider.

A few hours later he was thinking McGee was brilliant as Tim and Delilah were snuggled together as the fabric wrapped around them. Tony grinned at him, also recognizing the brilliance of the plan.

-NCIS-

"So, what do you think?"

The end credits were playing and Delilah was cozy and sleepy. "The movie was pretty good and you actually know what you're doing with a barbecue."

"Yeah?"

He sounded a little disappointed so she tried again. "You can give me the full tour of the house after everyone leaves tonight."

Tim leaned even closer. "Well, almost everybody. Tony's place is still getting repaired, so he's been staying here."

"Oh." Her first reaction was to climb out of the hammock, but she didn't want to cause a scene. "I thought we were going to spend some time together, just the two of us."

Tim didn't seem to be picking up on the problem, which made her even more annoyed. "It's a big house and he's upstairs."

"Oh, well, okay." She couldn't believe that he wasn't booting DiNozzo out now that she was back, but they could always go over to her place.

At least Tony did disappear upstairs when the movie night was over and Delilah got her first real look inside. It was elegant, at least the parts that were done, but still miles away from the look of the farmhouse. "Are the painted cabinets just until you can get new ones? Something more modern?"

"No, I love the detail on these. Look at the way the handmade glass pops against the black and the bright green. It really didn't even show up before."

"You're at least getting granite counter tops, right?" At the moment they were plywood, except for the one surrounding the sink. As soon as the granite was installed he would realize that she was right about the black cabinets.

Tim shook his head. "Nope. Everybody seems to do granite nowadays. It'll be stainless, just like in the utility room."

He looked pleased as he led her to the utility room. It did look like a show house, she'd grant him that, but it was dramatic in a way that she was sure she'd tire of instead of the neutrals she preferred. "This is such a big undertaking, Tim. Maybe you should be hiring a designer."

"Why?"

Delilah suppressed a sigh. If he ever asked her to move in with him, she'd have a lot of work to do. She was almost afraid to look at what he had in the bedroom, but a chirp from her phone saved her. "Duty calls." He looked sad, but didn't argue.

"Let me walk you out to your car."

-NCIS-

"So, are you buying candy yet?"

"What?" Tim was sorting through notes on their cold case, refreshing his memory before they interviewed the witness again.

They were at a stoplight so Tony pulled the file out of McGee's hand and dropped it down on the seat between them. They'd both reviewed it enough that they could quote the entire file and it was a long drive. "Halloween, McHomeowner. Aren't you going to have dozens of the little monsters ringing your doorbell this year?"

Tim glanced down at the file but when Tony glared at him, he didn't reach for it. "I don't know. Mrs. Olson said there usually aren't very many kids that come down our street. Even though..."

Tony recognized that tone and that expression. It usually preceded a new project that he and Gibbs would get roped into. "What?"

"I was thinking about really doing up the outside of the house. It might get a few more kids to come around."

"Turn the front yard into a cemetery?" He could imagine Abby getting involved in that.

Tim grinned, but shook his head. "Nah, I've actually got something else in mind, but I need to find one of those old style satellite dishes, you know, those really big ones."

He knew what McGee was talking about, but he didn't have a clue what kind of Halloween decoration that could become, so Tony just grunted as he pulled onto the freeway.

-NCIS-

Three hours interviewing a witness and all they had to show for it was the possibility that the car she'd seen might have had two doors instead of four and it might have been more of a teal color instead of blue like she'd originally thought. The wheels were shiny, but she didn't know if that meant hubcaps or chrome wheels. Then she admitted that the last car she'd really paid attention to was the 1955 Buick her first husband had driven, which told them the trip had been pretty much a waste of time, except for giving an elderly lady some company.

Back on the freeway, Tony shook his head. "That was a waste of time."

"Yeah. She reminds me of Mrs. Olson a little bit."

Tony ran his tongue over his teeth, checking for chips. "Too bad she can't bake like Mrs. Olson."

"True." With a tilt of his head, Tim dug a roll of antacids out of his pocket and popped two in his mouth before offering the pack to Tony.

"Thanks, man."

They were about half way back to the Yard when Tony suddenly pulled over.

"What?"

Tony pointed at a garage sale. "Look." Tim turned his head and saw the satellite dish, marked with a large 'free' sign.

"Perfect."

Tony still didn't know what it was for, but he knew he'd be finding out.

-NCIS-

"What, exactly, are we helping McGee install tonight?" Gibbs wasn't sure what was going on, but it had both the boys cackling all week.

"It's going to be great, Boss, you'll see." Tony looked around, then grinned and leaned over his desk. "It'll be even better than when he dyed his lawn green."

"You heard about that?"

"Saw the pictures, too."

Judging from the grin on Tony's face, Gibbs was suspicious that he was the subject of the pictures Tony was talking about. "Uh huh, so is this going to be another one of his midnight projects?"

"Well, yeah. It's gotta be if he's going to surprise the neighbors with it."

"You got your go bag with you? If we're doing this in the dark, you'll want to be there to see the neighbors' reaction in the morning." Considering how much time DiNozzo spent at McGee's place Gibbs wasn't sure why he'd ever bothered to move back into his apartment.

In answer, Tony just held up his bag as he shut down his computer. "I need to ride with you, McGee's got to pick up some sod on his way home."

Sod, something they'd needed the truck to bring home and all the scraps of crime scene tape McGee had managed to salvage from the trash over the last few weeks. Gibbs didn't have a clue what they were doing. "You boys need any tools from my place?"

"Nope, got everything. Just need an extra pair of hands to set it up."

Well, that didn't give him any clues either. However, since McGee was picking up sod and a pizza, that meant that Gibbs and DiNozzo arrived at the house first. They both had keys and went straight on in. Today Gibbs continued on into the garage, suspecting that he'd find answers in there. He stared for a few minutes before he could even ask.

"Is that a space ship?"

"A flying saucer, actually. A crashed flying saucer to be precise."

Gibbs circled around the flying saucer, taking it all in. They'd started with one of the old style satellite dishes, the ones that were almost eight feet across. Some sort of broken Plexiglas bubble made up the 'crew compartment' where one 'dead alien' could be seen. Green gel was splattered along the broken side in a realistic pattern, obviously as alien blood. More green gel was smeared on the surface of the ship, probably to tie in with the second alien body that was off to the side. Now the crime scene tape and the extra grass made sense.

"So, the aliens invaded and crashed in his front yard?"

"Yep. Cool, right?"

Gibbs was already imagining George and Clara's reaction. "Very cool."

-NCIS-

"Halloween's in less than a week, George. Where are we going this year? Did you get reservations?"

"Not yet, Dear. I'll do it tomorrow." After a longing look at the coffee maker that was just beginning to brew, George Young shuffled to the front door. He knew why Clara hated holidays, but there really weren't enough kids knocking on their door to making leaving worthwhile any more.

Focused on getting his paper, George didn't notice anything unusual until a car slammed to a stop on the street. At first he thought Larry Miller's annoying dog was out of the yard again, but the occupants of the car were staring in his direction. Instinctively he checked to make sure his robe was tied securely around him, then he realized that they were laughing and pointing at the house next door. Turning, George found himself staring at a crashed UFO.

"What the..." George started laughing right along with them. At first glance it was pretty realistic, right down to the crime scene tape and the plowed up grass along the edge that had hit the ground first. It took a second, then he realized that the 'damage' was actually potting soil and sod. This was too good to keep to himself. "Clara? Clara, get out here."

It wasn't until he yelled for her that he noticed that he'd dropped the paper. He was bent down, picking up the various sections, when she rushed out, apparently thinking that he'd fallen.

"George, what's wrong?"

Trying not to laugh, he pointed and watched her reaction. Clara turned, jumped, and then stared at the elaborate display. Then she did something she hadn't done in years. She laughed.

-NCIS-

Inside the stately Tudor, three curious faces watched the neighborhood discover the new addition. Seeing Clara laugh for the first time since her son had run away from home, Gibbs reached up and squeezed their necks. "You boys did good. Now that this is the house to see for Halloween, what are you dressing up as?"

Tim just stared blankly at Gibbs, either he hadn't thought that far ahead or he was in shock that Gibbs would even think about costumes – Gibbs wasn't sure. Instead, Tony made the decision for them.

"Hey, there's aliens crashed in your front yard. We've got to be the Men in Black."

That finally shocked Tim out of his stupor. "We? You're coming over to help hand out candy? I thought you hated kids."

"Eh, I don't hate them. I might even get used to them eventually. Besides, to watch the reactions, it'll be worth it. So, Men in Black?"

Tim thought about it for a second. He had the perfect suit. He'd worn it to too many funerals in recent years, it would be nice to have some fun associated with it for a change. "Yeah, okay, Men in Black it is."

"Great." Tony wrapped one arm around Tim's shoulders. "Now, can you get me a noisy cricket?"

"How about one of those flashy-thingy?"

"A Neuralizer? That'll work."

-NCIS-

"Timothy, lad, a word if I might?"

"Sure, Ducky, what's up?"

The team's latest case hadn't involved a body so Ducky was getting a jump start on his planning. "Could I prevail on you to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving on that fancy grill of yours?"

"Probably." Tim uncertain tone and the immediate sound of the keyboard brought Ducky around the desk where Tim already had the grill company's web site up on his monitor. Ducky peered through his glasses as they skimmed the various recipes and Ducky pointed out the one that caught his eye.

"That one looks rather tasty. It's a different brine than I've used before, but combined with the smoking, I believe it would taste wonderful."

The mention of food brought Ellie Bishop over to check out what they were looking at. "Oh, if you want to make a practice run, I'll help try it out."

Ducky and Tim exchanged amused looks. Ducky in particular was amazed at the amount of food the petite woman could consume.

"Thanks, Bishop, I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I'll do a whole chicken like this tomorrow."

Ducky smiled and patted him on the hand. "Excellent, it's all settled." Now to tell Jethro he was hosting this year. They really needed to get Timothy inspired to decorate his dining room, or at least to furnish it.

-NCIS-

"It's Christmas morning, McGee. Why do you have your nose buried in a computer?" Tony smirked as Tim jumped. Apparently he hadn't heard Tony and Gibbs come in. Gibbs had the coffee cake from Bishop and continued on into the kitchen to start the coffee while Tony had detoured to rouse McGee from his office.

Tim blinked a few times before settling back into his chair. "All those sick kids, I didn't get food planned or ordered for New Year's Eve."

"Breakfast first, Tiny Tim. Gibbs is sharing Bishop's coffee cake." That got a grin and they headed for the kitchen, their grins growing wider as they found Gibbs staring at McGee's new coffee maker.

"McGee, why do you have to take something simple like making coffee and turn it into something so elaborate?"

Tony hadn't been with McGee when he bought the coffee maker – at least he assumed Tim had bought it – but he'd seen them on TV, so he leaned his hip against the counter and waited for the show.

"It's still simple, Boss, see?" McGee picked up a round capsule and dropped it into the machine before turning the handle. A press of the button and the machine started to make noise.

"A k-cup machine? That's not exactly the kind of coffee I like."

"Not a k-cup."

By now the coffee was coming out of the nozzle and it did smell a lot better and stronger than any pod machine that Gibbs had ever seen. Tony knew that because it smelled better and stronger to him, too and he'd witnessed it when some poor fool tried to give Gibbs some of that weak coffee. Gibbs was peering down into the cup, looking both intrigued and worried, which made Tony laugh to himself.

"Why is it foamy?"

"That's crema, like on espresso."

"But it's a full cup of coffee?" The intrigue was winning out over the worry.

"Yep." The machine was done brewing so Tim used a spoon to fold the crema through the coffee before handing the cup to Gibbs. Tony leaned closer, waiting for the reaction.

Gibbs sniffed at it a few times before taking a tentative sip. His eyebrows went up and Tony relaxed. "Not bad, McGee. Not bad at all."

McGee opened the top of the machine again and the dark green capsule ejected and slid into the compartment on the side. Next, McGee held up a deep golden colored one. "Tony, hazelnut?"

"Oh, yeah. Does that thing put milk into it, too?"

In answer, McGee retrieved a carton of milk from the refrigerator and filled a separate silver pot. One button was pushed on that and by the time the coffee was done, there was steamed milk ready to be added.

Judging from the smirk on Gibbs' face, Tony's enjoyment was obvious. "Where did you get that?"

"Christmas present from my sister. Can I tell her that you guys approve?"

"Oh, yeah." Tony enjoyed another sip and even Gibbs gave a nod as he cut up the coffee cake and the three of them enjoyed a quiet Christmas together.

-NCIS-

Wearing a baggy coat, Ziva slid into the booth, her back to her target. He stiffened, but didn't acknowledge her arrival, waiting for her to speak first. "He is back on the radar, is he not?"

Malachi Ben-Gidon carefully set his cup on the table. "Let us handle it, Ziva."

"He is responsible for the bombing that killed Tali."

"He did not set off the bomb."

"No, but he financed it and much more. We both know that."

Malachi stood up, still not looking at her. "Leave it alone, Ziva."

Once she was alone, Ziva shook her head. "Like hell I will."

-NCIS-

Tim nodded to himself as he smoothed the sheet that was doubling as a tablecloth. He'd thought Gibbs was crazy when he suggested a table made out of plywood and sawhorses, but after a few decorative touches, it looked pretty good. Apparently that was how Shannon would feed dozens of Marines the week before a deployment and the trick still worked.

To make it even easier, Ducky had made the suggestion that everyone bring one dish so that there would be plenty of food. Even at that, Tim had several appetizers in the fridge, ready to go.

The front door rattled, then swung open. "You ready for tonight, Probie?"

"Hey, Tony, you got the champagne?"

"Well, of course." Tony struck a dramatic pose, leaning against the entry into the dining room. "I present to you Blanc de Noirs, an elegant sparkler with the essence of strawberries and black cherries along with a touch of citrus and a creamy finish."

"Sounds good."

Gibbs arrived next with a platter of egg rolls. "Looking good, McGee. Where do you want this?"

Tim checked, they were cold, but in an oven-safe, disposable pan. "Why don't I go ahead and stick them in the oven?" Although the kitchen cabinets had been finished weeks ago, Tim had waited for the after Christmas sales to buy his new appliances and they'd been installed just a few days ago. With the added wall cabinets he'd gained, Tim had sacrificed the drawer under the double wall ovens to add a warming drawer to the new set. He planned on using that to keep the extra food warm instead of trying to cram everything in the two ovens at the same time.

While he was taking care of the egg rolls he heard Tony answer the door and a few moments later Abby arrived with a platter of her own. "Hey, Abs, what ya' got?"

She tilted the plastic wrapped tray down so he could see it. "Shrimp and crab legs. You got room in your fridge until we're ready to eat?"

A new stainless steel, French door refrigerator was in the kitchen and the old one had been moved out to the garage so there was plenty of room. "Yeah, second shelf. In fact, let me grab the rest of the stuff that I need to put in the oven." The removal of three baking sheets left even more room.

While he worked, Tim watched Abby out of the corner of his eye as she explored the newly finished room. Finally he had to ask. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think I'm getting used to the McGee version of black and I love that sink. My grandmother used to have one almost like it – except hers was white porcelain."

The massive farmhouse style sink, made modern with stainless steel and no rounded corners had been the hardest part of the kitchen overhaul and a cruel reminder that not everyone was as precise with their measurements as McGee, but Gibbs had managed to shave off the sixteenth of an inch on the cabinets to make it fit. "Yeah, that's one of my favorite things, too."

"So, are you done in here?"

"Almost. The tile for the backsplash was back-ordered, but it's supposed to arrive at the store on the second."

She snagged a couple of the shrimp as she closed the refrigerator doors. "Wow, you mean you actually started this without everything already bought and stored in your garage?"

Tim chuckled and he heard more laughter as the rest of the team joined them in the kitchen, so he decided he'd better explain. "Yeah, well, we broke it down into stages. Besides, that tile was my favorite by far. It was worth the wait."

"Cool. What's it look like?"

He leaned close and took one of the shrimp from her hand. "Guess you'll have to come back when it's done."

More voices out in the hall brought McGee out of the kitchen. Jimmy and Breena Palmer arrived with veggies and dips, Ducky behind them with his own contribution of various appetizers. Another familiar car was pulling up so Tim waited.

"Delilah, hi, glad you got back in time. How are your folks?"

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "They're fine, wishing I could have stayed longer and wishing you had come with me."

They'd had this argument before. Flying across the country for just a few days didn't seem worth the effort or expense, especially when the team could have been called back into work at any time, but he just plastered on a smile. "Maybe next year."

She had a tray of something from the grocery store, so Tim took it as they walked into the kitchen where the rest of the team had gathered. The bottom oven had just beeped and Gibbs was pulling his pan of egg rolls out. More food went into the ovens and they all stood around the kitchen discussing recent cases.

-NCIS-

As usual, Delilah was mostly quiet around the group, but she did start a side conversation with Ellie about the upcoming gala.

"Tim still hasn't bought a tuxedo, and the gala is in less than two weeks."

"Doesn't he already have one? I'm pretty sure I heard Tony mentions something about that. Fred from accounting was arguing about his receipt for having it dry cleaned after a case a while back."

Delilah rolled her eyes. "Right, I really want him wearing some old tuxedo that he's used for undercover work when I'm being honored at the gala. It's like he refuses to understand how big of a deal this is for me."

"We've been pretty busy tracking Parsa. I'm sure he's just distracted."

"I hope so." The top oven was free again, so she walked over to warm up the ham and cheese puffs she'd bought at the store. That was the last thing to be warmed, apparently, as Ducky removed something from the bottom oven as she was working and no one moved in to use it next. By the time her appetizer was hot, everything else had been moved from the counter, the fridge and the warming drawer to the dining room table.

-NCIS-

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Happy New Year."

The champagne was popped open, there were hugs and kisses all around and for a few short minutes everything was right with the world.

-NCIS-

"The Conrad Gala, that's his target."

Gibbs was already on the move, Hollis Mann right at his heels. "Call McGee."

Tony grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial. It rang a few times before Tim's voice came over the line. Not surprisingly, he was expecting Tony to tease him, but Tony started shouting he heard Tim's voice. "The gala is Parsa's target. Get everyone out of there."

What?

The call was breaking up, Tony wondered if the frequency the drone was using was interfering with communications. If it was, it was close. "Tim, get out of there!"

In answer, he heard a roar, then a massive explosion before the line went dead.

"Tim? Tim!"

-NCIS-

"Oh, God." Tony stared at the smoking shell of the hotel. Firefighters streamed past him, making sure the hot spots were out as paramedics dealt with the lesser injured victims. He found someone who looked to be in charge and went to her, badge held high. "I'm looking for two people. NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee and DoD Analysist Delilah Fielding."

"I'm sorry, we've been taking survivors to the hospitals as fast as we could get the ambulances here. You can check in with the triage team over there. If their injuries were minor, they might be there." Someone else came up to her and she turned away.

Tony jogged over to where she'd pointed. Tim had looked sharp in his new tux, but everyone was now crumpled, dirty and bloody. He dismissed the men in uniform as he frantically looked for the two people he cared about. Finally, he heard a familiar voice.

"No, I need to get to the hospital. I have to find Delilah."

He followed his partner's voice and found him sitting on a broken planter while a medic was trying to get an oxygen mask back on him. "Tim? Oh, thank God. Are you all right?"

"Tony? They already took Delilah to the hospital. It's bad."

Tony nodded as he grasped Tim's face, taking in every detail. The burn on his cheek, the wound on his forehead, the raspiness of his voice. "We'll get you there, but we need to get you taken care of first." He turned to the medic. "Well?"

"Keep that mask on him for a few minutes, will you? He's not too badly hurt, considering, but he breathed in a lot of that crap digging people out."

Tony nodded, shifting his hands so that he had his thumbs over the edge of the mask on each side. "I got him." He leaned close, so that their foreheads were almost touching, and began to breathe loudly, hoping that McGee would eventually sync with him. It worked and by the time the medic returned Tim's breathing had calmed.

The medic looked pleased. "That's better. We'll get you on the list for transport, unless..." He turned and looked at Tony, who nodded.

"I'll take him. Do you know which hospital his girlfriend was taken to?"

"Sorry, dispatch was handling that and they went by how many trauma patients each hospital could handle.

"If it helps, they started with the closest hospitals that could handle level 1 trauma and went out from there and I think she was one of the first ones to be transported. I'll warn you though, he'll get his own injuries treated quicker at one of the hospitals that didn't get slammed so hard, one that isn't geared up for major trauma."

"Thanks." Over Tim's head Tony looked at the other man carefully, trying not to wince when he shook his head at the unasked question. Whatever happened to Delilah, it wasn't good.

Making a guess and crossing his fingers, Tony picked the most likely hospital. Tim was immediately taken off to the side to have his injuries assessed and Tony went to the desk. "Delilah Fielding?"

"Family?"

He fudged, knowing that Tim wouldn't be offended under the circumstances. "I'm her brother-in-law. She and Tim were in separate ambulances, but they were supposed to bring them to the same hospital."

The blend of worry and hope, neither of which were faked, seemed to do the trick as the nurse pulled up the information on her computer. "She's in surgery to remove shrapnel right now. It'll probably be a few hours, I'm afraid."

"Okay, thanks."

The walking wounded were being treated in a temporary facility set up in the waiting room to keep the chaos controlled in the ER. Tony wandered around for a few minutes before he found McGee sitting stoically as his face was poked and prodded. "Tony, is she here?"

He hated seeing his Probie so scared. "Yeah, she's already in surgery. That's good, right? It means she made it this far."

-NCIS-

"You've got to get back, don't you?"

"I'm sorry."

Tim shook his head. He was grateful beyond words that Tony had come for him in the middle of a case. "It's okay. Parsa's still out there."

"You going to be all right, here by yourself?"

Not really, but neither of them had a choice. "Sure. I'll be able to go upstairs and see Delilah pretty soon."

Tony hugged him for a moment and Tim soaked up the support for a moment before Tony patted his back and pulled away. "Call if you need anything."

"I will."

An hour later Tim watched Delilah being rushed back into surgery and remembered that his phone was in pieces back at the hotel.