A/N: One of the things I miss from the show, especially the later seasons, was the friendship between Tim and Tony. Re-watching some of the early seasons really punctuated how much both characters changed and how they grew into good friends. So, just a little more introspection before we get back to the Dunnings.


"Ok," he said. "I think that this is going to work."

"You said that four hours ago," Tony replied curtly. "And all we got was some singed pieces of tarp."

"Yeah well, I'm making this up as I go Tony," he retorted as he worked. "It'd be a lot easier to MacGyver a solution if I had a Swiss army knife, a gum wrapper and some duct tape." Tony snorted, and he watched as Tony smiled, clearly in spite of himself. He smiled slightly too. But then again, it was easier to smile now that they were warm and dry. "Actually, I could really use a couple of fish hooks and some fishing line right about now."

"I think that ship has sailed, McGee," Tony said. "What are you trying to do?"

"Ok," he said. "So, we put the snow in here," he said pointing to a roughly bowl-shaped rock that was slightly propped up over the fire. "The idea is to suspend this piece of tarp above it so that when the snow boils away, the steam is caught. The then water condenses and drips down onto the piece of tarp and into the bottles."

"Makes sense," Tony said as he surveyed the rig that he was putting the finishing touches on. "Doesn't look too sturdy though."

"It isn't," he replied as he sat up. He reached outside and grabbed a couple handfuls of snow to test out his rig. "Be careful not to bump it."

"Right, I'll just move over to the sitting room and get out of the kitchen," Tony replied sarcastically.

He slid backwards away from the fire, wiping his hands on his jeans. Even at the rear of the cave, they would have to be careful, especially when they lay down to sleep.

"Nice job McGee," Tony said.

"I'm not so sure about that. We still need to see if it works," he replied. "At least it killed four hours. When we eat the tuna, we can boil the water in the cans directly. That'll be easier, but it'll still take a lot of time. Those cans won't hold a lot and we need to boil the water for a full two minutes. But we need to keep those water bottles filled. It's just as easy to dehydrate here as in the desert."

"And use a sizable pile of our wood," Tony replied.

He followed Tony's gaze. They had a decent pile of wood left, but it wouldn't last the night. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly ten o'clock. If he were to guess, they had enough wood to last at least four more hours if they were stingy. They had used more than he had expected to get a good base of coals, so they could burn wet wood.

"We can't let that fire go out," he said. "Unless you want to do some man cuddling?"

"McGee," Tony said. "Of all the people in the world to spend the night with…"

"I know," he said cutting Tony off knowing what he was going to say. He'd prefer some hot woman to cuddle with and he didn't blame his partner. He'd prefer a woman too. "I'm not high on the list."

"No," Tony said firmly. "You're at the top of the list. Ok so a really hot woman would be at the top of the list, but you are near the top of the list. You're my partner and together we can do almost anything." Tony let that sink in before he added, "Because we have 'pah.'"

He snorted.

"You know, I still don't know what that is," he said.

"Doesn't matter," Tony retorted. "We have it." Rolling his eyes, he didn't argue with Tony. "But that doesn't mean I want to spoon with you if I can help it."

"The feeling is mutual Tony," he said dryly even though he was touched by Tony's words.

"Can we safely go out for more wood?" Tony asked as he looked at the door.

"Well it's dark and we're in the middle of a blizzard," he said as he scooted forward to peer between the branches of their door. "But we have light from our cave to guide us. We just need to keep it in sight. We don't seem to have much of an alternative. Without a fire, this cave wouldn't be any warmer than out there."

Tony nodded. "Ok," Tony said as he pulled on his coat.

Their cave had warmed enough that they could shed their heavy winter coats and use them as additional padding. They had both dressed for the weather when they left Washington earlier that morning. He was wearing his field boots, thick socks, a pair of jeans, and a heavy sweater layered over a long-sleeved t-shirt. Tony was similarly attired but even with his winter coat, it wasn't enough for an extended time outside in this weather.

"The worst part is that I was finally warm and dry," Tony said sourly.

"I know," he replied as he pulled on his coat followed by his scarf and Kara's hat and gloves. "It'll be worth it later."

Tony nodded as he grabbed the small axe. Bracing themselves, they pushed open the door and stepped out into the snow. Luckily the light from the fire was bright enough for them to keep their cave in sight. He glanced around. The snow seemed to have eased a bit but it was still coming down heavily.

After some searching, they found another downed tree and worked to pry it loose from the frozen ground. After nearly ten minutes of heaving and prying, they got it loose and started to cut it up and bring it back to their temporary home. By the time they had finished restocking their supply, they were soaked, sweaty, and their cave had chilled.

He pulled their door over the cave mouth and sealed off the opening as best as he could while Tony stoked the fire. Then he checked to make sure that there were still several air vents.

"We're going to have to make sure the air vents don't get covered with snow through the night," he said as he took a seat next to Tony again. "We should probably take turns watching the fire."

Tony looked from their fire to their door and nodded.

"Your rig works," Tony said as he pointed to the small puddle of water on the floor of the cave.

"Good," he replied as he took a cautious sip of water. He then poured the remainder into the second bottle before he situated the empty bottle under the tarp and reloading the rig with snow. "We're going to need it," he said as Tony took a sip of water.

"Especially since we don't know how long we'll be here?" Tony asked.

He looked at his partner. "I didn't want to say it," he muttered.

"You didn't say it very loudly, Probie," Tony said. "We're going to have to ration that food too." He nodded in agreement. "And probably the amount of wood we use. We can't keep digging out trees that we can chop into firewood with a small axe."

"Agreed," he said as he grabbed more snow to replace what was already melting.

When he was done piling snow onto the rock, he wiped his hands on his jeans and pulled off his boots and socks. He set them next to Tony's to dry. He shivered. "At least the last time we were stuck together in the middle of nowhere, we were warm and dry."

"That was the desert, Tim," Tony retorted. "There wasn't any water let alone temperatures cold enough to make snow."

"I know that," he replied.

"So, why'd you bring it up?"

"I guess I'm just seeing some parallels," he said as he wiggled his toes. "We're out on our own, there are people that want to kill us and we're waiting for Gibbs to come to our rescue."

"Big difference is: last time we had been captured by terrorists," Tony retorted as he stacked up some of the wet wood around their fire to dry. "And I'm not planning on waiting on Gibbs. Not that I would turn down a rescue right about now."

"True," he conceded. "At least we're not being held captive by the Dunnings."

Tony rubbed his hands together in front of their fire. "If I'm forced between choosing being captured and warm or free and cold, I'll take the free and cold. Besides the Dunning clan has nothing on Saleem and his terrorist buddies. I'd rather take my chances with Pa Dunning."

He nodded in concession but it was mostly so he didn't start an argument. Jack Dunning had a lot of advantages over them. He probably was a hunter, had a superior weapon and he also knew the area. And it didn't hurt that he was probably going to wait out this storm someplace warm, dry and well stocked.

He glanced at Tony. He was looking at the fire but his thoughts were nine thousand miles away.

"I've been wondering," Tony said suddenly. He twitched slightly, startled at the sound of Tony's voice. "Why did you agree to go to Somalia?"

Trying to play nonchalant, he replied, "Well you banged down my door in the middle of the night and said we were going to Somalia."

"Yeah and you could have told me to go to hell," Tony replied seeing through him. He looked at his partner. Tony was thoughtful. "I banged down your door in the middle of the night to tell you I had volunteered you for a suicide mission. You should have told me to go to hell, Tim."

"Probably," he replied with a shrug. "It would have been nice if you had given me the opportunity to volunteer myself."

"Volunteer yourself? Given the choice, you would have gone anyway?" Tony asked incredulously.

"I chose to go, Tony," he replied as he looked at Tony so his friend knew he was telling the truth. "Even if you volunteered me in the first place, you're right, I could have told you I wasn't going to go. But the thought never crossed my mind. Seriously," he said honestly. Tony looked surprised. He returned his gaze to the fire. "Someone had to keep you out of trouble," he said with a half-smile as he glanced sideways at his partner.

Tony clearly didn't believe that. "Come on, McGee. We both know that wasn't the whole reason." He smiled at that. Tony didn't deny that he needed to be kept out of trouble. "Why would you risk your life on a long-shot chance to take out some terrorist halfway around the world?" He continued to gaze at the fire. He thought about his reasons. There had been more than one reason for him to go so he didn't respond right away. "Tim?" Tony asked, prompting him.

"For Sarah," he said softly as he watched the flames flicker.

"What?" Tony asked, surprised.

"For Sarah," he repeated as he turned to look at his partner. She had been his number one reason for going. But having his partner's back came in a close second.

Tony shook his head. Obviously, that wasn't the answer he had expected.

"I don't get it, McGee."

"Saleem Ulman was a dangerous man, Tony. I saw it firsthand when I went with Gibbs to Los Angeles. He had trained and sent a terrorist sleeper cell to L.A. That cell was working to obtain heavy weaponry and explosives and they were going to attack a target in L.A. What was to stop him from sending more people to attack another target?"

"Like Washington?" Tony asked.

He nodded. "If I could do something, anything, to prevent an attack, I had to do it. My sister might not have been harmed but someone's sister could have. Even if it was a half-crazy plan that could have and probably should have gotten us killed. Even if Saleem's men never would have attacked Washington, I still had to do something."

Tony looked at him. "That puts things into perspective," Tony said.

He smiled lightly. "There's another reason," he said. Tony looked at him inquisitively. "My partner was determined to go through with this crazy plan to take out a terrorist and he needed someone to watch his back." He looked at his partner. "And I wasn't going to leave that up to anyone else."

Tony put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks man. It means a lot to me that you'd do that for me."

"It's no different than what you've done for me, Tony," he replied sincerely.

"You better use some of these warm fuzzy bonding moments we're having here in your book, McGee. This is good stuff," Tony said breaking the serious tone.

He snorted. "Yeah well MacGregor and DeLuca aren't as far along in their friendship as we are."

"That's a good thing," Tony said. He must have looked confused because Tony added, "If this had been ten years ago, I'm not sure we could have survived each other let alone the weather and the Dunnings!"

"That's the truth," he replied.

While they had been partners to start, he would hardly say that they had been friends and they had butted heads on their methods more often than not. Tony had been brash and pompous at times and he had been assured of his superior intellect and ability to think through any problem.

But time and experience had changed them. They knew each other well enough to communicate without words. They trusted each other without question and worked well together. And they would do anything for each other. Maybe that's what Tony meant when he said that they had 'pah.'

Tony grinned. "Ok, I'll bite," Tony said. "So how far along are they?"

He thought about it for a moment. The exact moment came to mind and despite the bad memory, a slight smile crossed features.

"DeLuca is still hazing his Probie, trying to toughen him up," he said. "They're at the point where DeLuca comforts MacGregor after he feels like he's screwed up so badly that he doesn't deserve to be a Federal Agent with a gun. He convinces MacGregor that he's good at his job and that he shouldn't give up." Tony still didn't follow so he added, "Like I felt after I killed that cop and you came to my apartment to cheer me up." Tony looked touched. "They make some progress, but MacGregor has a ways to go yet before he feigns being unconscious in a shack in Somalia."

He tried to keep his tone light, but he had a feeling he had failed.

He wasn't sure why he brought up Somalia again. They had moved on from that topic. But he and Tony had never really discussed what had happened. Well they had discussed it, just not with each other. He had made his report to Gibbs and they had spoken to a psychologist for their psych eval but in the three years since, he and Tony hadn't talked about what happened in Somalia.

Tony glanced at him and opened his mouth, but he shut it without saying a word. He thought Tony looked like he was trying to figure out just what to say. But he knew what it was that Tony wanted to ask.

Finally, he spoke. "I'll understand if you don't want to talk about what happened, Tim," Tony said carefully. "But…"

"You want to know what happened before they dumped me on the floor of your room?" he asked astutely.

He had a feeling that Tony had wanted to ask him this question for a long time. Tony had made light of his condition in Somalia shortly after they had returned and before Ziva had been reinstated. He had been annoyed at the way Tony had so casually dismissed what had happened but he also knew that Tony used humor to avoid serious conversations.

"Yeah," Tony said, examining him with concern. "But I'll understand if you don't want to say anything. I mean, you didn't say anything when we got back. I thought maybe things were too…" Tony paused as he searched for the right words. "Hard to talk about? That's why I never asked."

"I didn't want to not talk about what happened," he said. "But I didn't feel like I needed to talk either."

Tony thought for a second as he worked that out.

"Does that mean you want to talk about it?" Tony asked hesitantly.

"Just ask, Tony," he said.

"Fine," Tony said. "What the hell happened?"

"You've wanted to ask this for years, haven't you?" he asked.

Tony snorted. "Before the truth serum, Saleem went for the psychological warfare. He told me that if I didn't answer his questions that you'd suffer the consequences."

He looked at Tony, startled. Just as he hadn't talked about his experience in Somalia, Tony hadn't said much either. He was only aware of what had happened after he had regained consciousness in Tony's room. He hadn't been aware that they had threatened him with harm if Tony didn't talk.

"They wanted me to tell why we had come looking for Saleem. They said they'd stop if I talked…" Tony spoke haltingly and wasn't looking at him. "I could hear…it wasn't loud. But I could hear."

"The terrorists beating me?" he asked supplying the words that Tony didn't seem to want to say. Tony looked startled. "What? You shouldn't be surprised Tony. You said you heard and you saw what I looked like afterwards. You had to have known what was happening."

"Yeah," Tony said. "I knew. But I didn't expect you to be so flippant about it. I mean, hell, Tim. You had terrorists beating the crap out of you, trying to get information on why we were looking for Saleem Ulman by name. And it was my fault. I couldn't say anything and I knew that wasn't helping you. I'm sorry, man."

"It's ok Tony," he said sincerely. "They weren't trying to injure me, just cause some pain and scare me into talking. Besides, it wasn't your fault. You know, that right?"

"It felt like it was though because I could have stopped it sooner," he said with a sigh. "If I had just said something."

"If you had said something, they might have just killed us instead," he replied bluntly. That got Tony's attention. "But because I held out and because you held out, Saleem changed tactics. He put us in the same room and he tried the truth serum. Maybe because of that, we're both alive and maybe because of that, we were able to rescue Ziva. Did you think of that?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Tony replied. "I knew we were only valuable to them if we withheld why we were there. But it doesn't mean that I didn't feel guilty for what was happening to you. I know people underestimate you all the time McGee. Let's face it; you don't look as tough as you really are."

He smiled. As strange as it was, that was actually a compliment from Tony.

"But all I could think of was my Probie, my friend, the guy I was supposed to be protecting, my partner." Tony emphasized those two words, which brought a smile to his face. "Was being beaten by terrorists and I couldn't stop it."

"Strangely there isn't much difference between a terrorist beating you up for information and a football jock roughing you up because you're smarter than him," he said thoughtfully.

Tony stared at him slack jawed for a second. He grinned at his friend. Tony shook his head and smiled at him. "I bet you never thought high school bullying would do you good later in life."

"No, I didn't," he replied honestly. "But really, it wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?" Tony asked incredulously. "Tim. I heard. It didn't sound like it wasn't that bad. What really happened to you?"

He frowned as he was transported back to the shack in Africa. Even after all these years, the memories were still fresh. "I wasn't conscious the whole time," he replied. "When I woke up my hands were bound but my feet were free. I paced for a while before I sat down. I guess I fell asleep because I woke up with three guys trying to pick me up. In the scuffle, I managed to knock one out and knock down a second before the third clocked me."

"Respectable, especially with your hands tied," Tony said. He smiled in appreciation. "I'd have been more impressed if your hands were tied behind your back."

He pulled a face at his partner causing Tony to grin. "Anyway," he said returning to his story. "You probably heard some of that and thought it was me on the receiving end." Tony nodded. "When I woke up again, Saleem was in the room and with the three goons. He started to ask me the same questions he asked you."

"But you didn't answer," Tony replied.

He shook his head. "And when I didn't…"

"They took it out on you," Tony finished.

"Yeah," he replied. Suddenly he shrugged. "Like I said, they weren't trying to do permanent damage. They wanted answers and they couldn't get it if they killed me. And as long as I was alive, they'd have leverage over you. Anyway, I passed out a couple of times. When I woke up the third time I was in the room with you."

"When they brought you in, I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or terrified," Tony said. He watched the various emotions play across his friend's face. It was one of those rare times that Tony allowed himself to show his emotions instead of hiding them behind his humor. "On one hand, I was glad to see you still alive. I had half expected to hear a gunshot ending it all."

He snorted. "Yeah, me too," he replied.

"On the other hand," Tony continued. "You were out cold and didn't answer me. I had no idea how badly you were hurt or if they had just tossed you in my cell so they could shoot you. Or if maybe they were going to continue with their torture in front of me…"

"Hey," he said stopping Tony from continuing.

Tony smiled ruefully. "Right. Well. I was worried."

"I can see that," he replied. "Thanks. Believe me, I was worried about you too. You heard them beating me, but they told me you were dead because you refused to talk, and they told me I would be too if I didn't tell them what they wanted to know." Tony looked surprised. "I wasn't going to believe them until I saw it with my own eyes."

"Rule number three," they said simultaneously.

"Don't believe what you're told," Tony said softly. "Double check."

"Yeah," he replied. "It was really good to hear your voice when I woke up on that floor."

Tony nodded. "So, were you really awake the whole time?" Tony asked. "I mean, you looked pretty unconscious when they dumped you in the room. And you didn't react when Saleem kicked you after he shot me up with the truth serum."

He closed his eyes and strained his memory. Some bits were still fuzzy. He remembered waking up to the sounds of two men talking. He didn't know who was talking but he quickly realized that they weren't talking to him.

Eventually he had identified one of the voices as Tony's and while he wasn't unconscious, he knew he wasn't fully conscious either. That changed after Saleem kicked him onto his back. For some reason, the change in position brought him close enough to consciousness that he knew he should continue to play possum.

"I was awake but I can't say that I could tell what you were saying," he replied. "I really didn't fully come to until Saleem kicked me onto my back. I heard you talking but it was like you were speaking another language. Most of it didn't make sense. Effects of the concussion, I guess."

"Oh, so you didn't hear my assessment of the team," Tony said. He sounded disappointed.

He strained his memory. "Small muscles, big brain, heart of a lion," he said without thinking. He glanced at Tony, who was grinning. "You really think that?"

"Yeah," Tony replied. "I thought you couldn't tell what we were saying."

He looked at Tony. "For some reason, those words stuck in my brain." Suddenly he grinned. "That and 'coffee aficionado and functional mute.'" Tony grinned. "That is the best description I've ever heard of Gibbs."