Gibbs was relieved to have an active case and even more relieved that it didn't actually involve the death of someone; merely stolen goods from a Marine base and a missing Marine suspect. He was more than happy to keep things moving on an even, normal keel; as much as that was possible with two of his team members missing. And while the fact that both of those team members made up the technical greatness of his team; Gibbs still felt it easier to get through the day with something to do even if it meant having to constantly be reminded of Tim and Abby and their absences.

Every time Ziva or Tony would absentmindly talk of getting Abby or Tim to do something for the case, Gibbs wanted to reach out and head slap them, but knew he couldn't quite fault them for the way their minds worked automatically to include the others. Even so, by lunchtime, he was more than ready to break for some fresh air as he made a coffee run.

Damn, it was gonna be a long day.

Tony and Ziva felt as though they had lost the rest of the morning; it seemed to vanish in a haze of case work, lead chasing and electronic trail tracking that Tim would ordinarily do for them; he was the person who could find this information in half the time and the two agents soon found themselves feeling his absence in more ways than one. To make matters worse, if that was possible, the person that they would turn to; Tim's backup, wasn't there to do it for them either. They knew Abby was wrong in what she did, but the fact that both of their computer geeks were suspended meant they had to do the work themselves and neither had gotten very good at it . Vance had yet to send them Abby's replacement since there wasn't any legitimate forensic evidence to be run which added to the frustration they felt every time their missing teammate's names came up in talk of how to get this or that done for the case.

"Damn it, Prob…." Tony called out to Tim when his computer froze on him mid way through one of the searches. He had automatically swiveled in his chair to face his partner and stopped dead at the sight of the empty desk.

"Tony?"

"THIS SUCKS!"

"I know it does, but there is nothing we can do about it right now." Ziva was watching him with a look of sheer exasperation; it wasn't the first outburst from the Senior Field Agent, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last; she did however, hope that they could get through the day without taking out their frustrations on each other. They were lucky Gibbs hadn't head slapped them both yet.

"Ziva, we've been doing this for hours! HOURS! We've got nothing and the two people who could do this in half the damn time aren't here. I'm tired, thirsty and hungry…."

"Then go get some lunch, DiNozzo." Gibbs walked in between their desks carrying a cup coffee. He made his way over to his desk without a second glance at his team.

"I would, Boss but we're running something that McGee would usually do and my computer has just froze up and…"

Gibbs sat down heavily with a deep sigh at the sound of Tim's name. He knew how much of an impact his youngest agent's absence would cause, what he didn't know how to do was pacify his increasingly pissed off team.

"Call the geeks to fix it and go get lunch for us all. Ziva, go with him." He watched as Tony picked up the phone and then grabbed his bag before leaving with his team mate.

Gibbs sat back in his chair gazing at McGee's desk.

"Damn McGee, why can't you just tell us what the hell is going on in that head of yours?"


When he hadn't heard from Timothy by lunchtime, Ducky spent his lunch hour going home to see if the young man was alright. For some reason, he had a deep rooted feeling of worry that lingered in the pit of his stomach; something that he got a little relief from when he noticed the Porche sitting in the driveway as he pulled in. It soon gave way to alarm when he felt the hood and found it to be cool; clear evidence of the boxster being parked there for a while. He walked into the kitchen half expecting Tim to be sitting there with some lunch only to find it completely empty; the note that he'd left for Tim was gone and the coffee pot that he'd set to brew for the young man this morning had been drained and cleaned out. They were clear signs that Tim had at least gotten up out of bed this morning which was a relief, but he was still feeling nervous about the fact that he hadn't received the expected phone call from Tim. It wasn't like Tim not to do something Ducky asked of him. In fact, in all the years Ducky had known the young man, this was the first time that had happened and it did not settle well in the M.E.'s 'gut'.

He carefully searched the house, making sure not to overlook any of the numerous rooms before Ducky made his way to the guest room Timothy had used last night. The door was closed, but not locked so out of courtesy, he quietly knocked on it but soon entered with concern when he received no answer. As he opened the door, he was startled to find the young man in bed sleeping with the covers all knotted up at his feet. He'd obviously showered and changed because he was wearing different clothes than the ones' he'd had on yesterday.

A fresh wave of concern had Ducky more interested in waking Tim up for some answers than letting him sleep.

"Timothy, Come, lad. Wake up." Ducky shook Tim's shoulder gently as he spoke. Tim stirred and opened his bleary eyes which made it difficult to focus until the last vestiges of sleep dissipated.

"Ah, good. Timothy, are you all right?"

"Ducky?" Tim's voice was thick with sleep and Tim couldn't seem to shake that initial confusion from waking up.

"Yes, dear boy. Tell me, are you all right?"

"Um, yeah. I guess so. Why? Is something wrong?" Tim asked as he sat up and lowered his feet to the floor.

"Well, Timothy it is after 12 in the afternoon and I have not heard from you all day. I do not believe it is normal for you to be sleeping at this time of day."

"Course not, Ducky. I'm usually at work, remember?" Tim rubbed heavily at his face and sighed.

Before Ducky could answer, his cell phone rang. He gave his young friend an apologetic look and answered the intrusive call.

"Dr. Mallard"

"Dr. Mallard. This is Pamela Cook… "


Abby finally rolled out of bed and into her kitchen to answer to the demands of her stomach. She had spent a leisurely morning in bed, snuggled into her favorite blanket and peacefully wrapped in a dreamless slumber. Having woken up slowly, she'd stretched to loosen the stiff muscles from where she hadn't moved in hours. She'd felt good and lay there feeling contented, with no thoughts of getting up or of anything that had happened recently. Somehow, her mind held onto the ability to seclude itself from all of that. Finally, a little before 12, her hunger demanded to be dealt with and now, as she fixed herself something to eat, she found herself beginning to filter thoughts of the last 48 hours and how she'd gotten through it.

There was one thing that her fact finding brought to mind, and that was exactly how much she missed her friends and their support; it was that little realization that made her momentarily regret her actions, but not for long enough to actually act upon them.


As Ducky stepped back from Tim to speak to the surprise caller, Tim's interest peaked.

"Yes, my dear, what can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering if you've heard from Tim. I spoke to him earlier and he said he spent the night at your house. I was worried about him trying to drive home after everything he'd been dealing with yesterday so suggested it. Sorry if it was a bit forward."

"Oh my dear, I agreed wholeheartedly with your suggestion and he did spend the night here. As a matter of fact, I am with him now, would you like to speak with him?"

"Actually, I can't. I'm at work and I'm pushing my luck with this phone call as it is. Neither one of us want any more complications with our jobs, if you know what I mean. I was just wondering if you knew how he was doing."

"Well, I believe he can best answer that for the both of us." Ducky put his phone on speaker and asked Tim again. "Are you all right, Timothy?"

Tim looked at Ducky and then at his phone before he answered. "I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night and it caught up with me this morning."

"I was worried about you. You sure you're alright Tim?" Tim smiled at Pam's worried voice and found himself wishing that she was there with him.

"I'm fine Honey. Better now that I've managed to sleep."

"I'm glad to hear that, Baby." Tim flushed at the use of her pet name in front of Ducky.

"Thanks. Are you still coming round tonight?"

"Sure am. I'll be round at about 6 if that's alright with Dr. Mallard."

"Of course it's alright, my dear. I'm sure Timothy would be glad of the company and I've already taken care of the menu. Now, I have to go back to work, I'm afraid." Ducky reached down for his phone and picked it up before pressing a button and handing it over to Tim. "I've taken it off speaker phone and I'll be back in a short while."

Tim sat looking at the phone for a moment and took it; he knew that Ducky was trying to give them a little bit of privacy and for that, he thanked him.

"Hey, Honey. Ducky's just gone to …I don't know where he's gone but it's just you and me now."

"Are you really Ok? I'm worried; you know, I'm due some time off so I could talk to Director Vance about having the afternoon off." Tim could hear the wavering note of concern in her voice and frowned; the last thing he wanted was for her to worry about him.

"You don't have to. Honestly I'm fine and you'll be here before you know it."

"I want to; you need someone right about now and the Director has got meetings all afternoon so it's not like he'll need me. Let me speak to him and I'll see what I can do."

Tim smiled at the thought of having her there with him. It was strange but for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he had truly found someone who made him happy and didn't want anything from him. He could just be himself.

"I'd like that Sweetheart. Let me know and I'll meet you somewhere if you can get the time off."

"I'll give you a call. I know we're probably not at this stage yet, but I think I'm fal….."

"Me too, Pam. I'll speak to you later and we'll talk then." Tim waited for her to say goodbye and flipped the phone shut with the hope that she was truly going to say, what he hoped she was.

Tim stood in the kitchen nursing a mug of coffee. He was deep in thought and almost missed his phone beeping to let him know he had received a text message; with a smile, he read the message and made his way back to the bedroom to get dressed and ready.

'I've got the rest of the day off. What do you want to do for the rest of the day? Love, Pam x x'

On the way back to the bedroom, he had dialed her number with a smile and a lighter heart than when he had woken up.

"Hi there, gorgeous. I'm all yours for the day."

"You sure are. You have any plans for the afternoon or shall we play it by ear." Tim wanted a relaxing afternoon with her but was the perfect gentleman and left the ball in her court.

"I need to stop off at George town park because I forgot my niece's birthday, but I thought we'd grab a coffee to go and go sit at the memorial. It's peaceful around there and we'll finally get the chance to chat."

"Sounds good, Baby. What time can you leave because I can meet you at the mall."

Tim loved the way she put thought into things; it was just another one of the quirks that he loved about her and realized at that moment, that he was falling head over heels for the woman. Once they'd set a time, Tim rushed to get dressed. He needed to stop by his apartment anyway to get changed, but knew he could be there inside of an hour.

Half hour later, and Tim was on his way to the mall to meet Pam. He had dressed in casual jeans and a soft pullover. He looked good and couldn't help the small spark of excitement as he made his way to meet his girlfriend. That excitement was short lived though as he turned a corner and saw something that made his heart drop. He felt a heavy wave of sadness as it settled down around his gut but found he couldn't take the eyes off of what he was approaching. Suddenly, he seemed to freeze, his foot hitting the break in shock as his eyes remained locked on what he'd happened upon.

In front of him, the road had been blocked off and parked to the side was the NCIS van. The sorrow that he had felt increased at the sight and all of a sudden he felt a huge void open in his heart; a void that had previously been filled by something that he loved and cherished…his job.


"Tony, where is the camera?" Ziva demanded in aggravation. She'd put up with his scattered brain all day and now was reaching the end of her tolerance, regardless of the fact that she understood what was going on with him. They still had a job to do.

"In the truck, I'll get it." Tony answered as he headed off to get the camera. As he approached the van, his spine tingled with something unclear and his eyes were drawn up off the ground and to a fixed point across the street. Focusing his eyes, his gut jolted when he realized what it was he was seeing; In front of him, at the roadblock, was Tim, sitting in his Porshe Boxster gazing ruefully at the scene. The sight hit Tony harshly and he felt lost as to what to do.

"DiNozzo, there a problem?" Gibbs demanded in his ear. Tony jumped slightly at the low, dangerous sounding voice in his ear.

"No Boss. Just….." He didn't hear Gibbs move but soon felt the familiar sting at the back of his head "Ow! Boss, what was that for?"

*Thwack*

"Come on, Boss!" Tony glanced at Gibbs and saw the familiar fire rouse in Gibbs' eyes "Sorry, on it, Boss." He tore he eyes away and looked over at Tim once again.

"DiNozzo, I swear that if you don't quit messing around …" Gibbs followed Tony's gaze and cut dead when he saw Tim sitting there watching them. He felt a pang of regret at the whole situation before placing his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Boss?" Tony asked quietly without breaking his eyes away from Tim's car. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Tim was staring back at him; but the expression on his Probie's face wasn't one of happiness to see them; more of angst that he was not an active part of them at the moment.

"C'mon, Tony. This isn't helping either of you." The boss chided with unusual compassion. "Get back to work."

Tony tried to send Probie a smile of encouragement as he turned away and got the camera out of the truck and went back to work.


Tim was pulled out of his reverie and just about noticed Tony smile at him before being pulled back to work by Gibbs. He reversed away from the road block and did a three point turn so he could take another route. He was feeling more dejected than ever and the familiar sight of Gibbs giving Tony a headslap twisted the knife deeper into his gut; Why did the Boss pull Tony away? Didn't he want to see him? What was that look on Gibbs' face? Contempt, care, anger?

Tim's thoughts took him to a dark place and he hadn't realized that he had been speeding down the road until he heard the sirens behind him. Groaning slightly, he pulled over and opened his window.

"License and registration please." Tim handed them over to the cop along with his NCIS ID badge; something he hadn't even noticed handing over until the traffic cop pulled him on it.

"NCIS? Huh, guess you guys are busy at the moment with that dead marine they just found."

"Sorry?" Tim was still distracted and felt oddly disconnected from the situation.

"One of my guys found him just off the road. It's a bad one. Listen, do me a favor and stick to the speed limit, I don't want to be hauling you out of a crash." The cop didn't have the heart to book Tim given the events surrounding the crime scene; he obviously didn't know that Tim wasn't working that scene and Tim didn't correct him.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, I get that. Just take it easy alright. Sweet ride by the way." He handed Tim his badge, license and registration documents back and watched as Tim absent mindedly placed them on the seat next to him.

"Thanks. I'd better be….."

"Sure, remember, next time I'm going to book you so stick to the speed limit."

"Will do." With that, Tim closed the window and waited for the cop to walk away before turning the engine on and puling away; it wasn't until he turned the corner when he realized that he'd used his position at NCIS to avoid a ticket; hell, he hadn't really heard half of what the guy had said. He thumped at the steering wheel.

"Damn it!"

Tim pulled into the parking lot at the mall feeling as though a shadow of guilt had come to join the party of sadness that welled up in the pit of is stomach. It had got the point where he could practically physically feel that knife twisting more and more but he knew damn well, that his game face façade needed to be slipped right into place; if anything, for Pam's sake as opposed to his own. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

"Hi honey, where are you?" Her sweet sounding voice managed to pacify his restless soul slightly and Tim felt himself starting to relax.

"Hey baby. I'm in the lot now, where can I meet you?"

"I'm just sitting outside 'Fire and Ice' waiting for you."

"I'll be there in five." He stepped out of the car and locked it up before turning and walking towards the mall. He didn't hang up the phone but kept talking to her on the way to the rendezvous point.

"Turn around." Tim saw her turn and grinned broadly at the sight. She looked, for lack of a better word, stunning in an ankle length, jade green maxi dress which was accented perfectly with a white jacket and a Jade necklace. Her black, soft curls sat on her shoulders and framed her beautiful, oriental face perfectly; something that Tim would never get tired of looking at.

"You look beautiful." Tim leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her soft, sweet lips.

"Why thank you, Mr. McGee. I must say you're looking mighty handsome yourself." She raked her eyes over his body and Tim couldn't help but chuckle at her comment. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a brief moment.

"You alright, honey?"

"Yeah. I just…..it doesn't matter. Where do you want to go first?" She pulled away at his comment and was currently gazing into his expressive eyes. They were far away and dull; a look that didn't really belong in that normally bright, energetic green sea that she so often got lost in.

"Honey, talk to me." Pam cupped his face with both her hands.

"Not here. Come on, we've got some shopping to do." He pulled her hands down and kissed her forehead gently. "we'll talk when we're done here, okay?"

"Okay. Can I go in Fire and Ice. I've seen these cool earrings that my niece would love."

"I'll take you anywhere you wanna go,Baby. You know that." Tim's accented his words with a loving circle on the back of her hand.

"I know you would and that's one of the many reason's I love you so much." Tim's eyes widened at her comment but she was too busy pulling him towards the shop to notice. It was at that moment when he knew for certain, that he had fallen in love with her and wanted to make her as happy as he possibly could.

Tim left Pam browsing the store and stood in front of one of the large display cabinets looking over the contents. One of the items jumped out at him and he couldn't help but grin at how perfect they would look on Pam; too soon? Have we reached this place in our relationship where she'd accept and not feel as though I was being too forward? Tim shook the thoughts out of him mind and glanced back at his girlfriend, she wasn't looking so he called over the clerk and bought her a gift that he hoped she would truly love.

Once he had the box secured in his pocket, he made his way over to Pam.

"You look like you can't decide." Tim wrapped his arms round her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What do you think of this? I like it but I'm not sure whether or not she will." Pam held up a yemenite art flower bracelet.

"I think it's pretty. If you like it, then she's bound too because you have similar taste."

Pam handed the bracelet back to the clerk with a smile.

"I'll take it. Oh, can you gift wrap it please?" The clerk grinned back and walked away to wrap the bracelet up.

"Where did you go?" Pam's hand rested on top of Tim's and he felt her fingers lace with his.

"Just over there looking. You still want to go and talk when we've done here?"

Pam turned in his arms and pulled his head down for a kiss.

"Of course I do. You've got things on your mind that you need to get out I want you to be happy; something you won't be until you lose that weight that's sitting on your shoulders. I'm here for you Tim and I want you to be able to talk to me when you need to."

Tim kissed her again and felt the bond of love travel up his spine and warm his heart.

"That goes both ways you know."

"I know, honey."

"Ur…Sorry, here." Tim pulled away and got his wallet out. Pam looked at him with confusion until she turned and saw the clerk standing there watching with a look of sheer amusement on her face.

"You put that away, Tim. I've got this." Pam tried to grab the credit card out of Tim's hand but was unsuccessful. He finally managed to hand over the card to pay and laughed softly.

"I've got it. You can buy the coffees." Pam chuckled slightly and hugged him close. She could hear his heart beating under her ear and almost melted into the touch.

"Thanks…" Tim took the small bag and rubbed at his girlfriend's back. "You ready?"

"Always."

Pam sat on one of the steps to the Washington monument sipping on her coffee. She had her head resting perfectly on Tim's shoulder as they sipped at their coffee.

"You know, it's really peaceful around here. And it being in the middle of the day, we shouldn't have to worry about being seen by anyone from work."

"You're right about that And it is beautiful, especially when you get nice weather like today." Pam agreed with a smile "You okay?"

"Yeah….No...….I don't know. I just feel lost at the moment and even though I know the suspension is temporary, I can't help but feel as though my job is gradually slipping away from me."

"It's not. They just want to know who and what you are protecting. I have to admit, I'm wondering the same thing." Pam grabbed his hand and held it loosely in her own.

"Is that what everyone thinks?" He felt Pam shrug against his shoulder.

"It's what I think. I can't speak for anyone else."

"I'm not protecting anyone, not really it's…I just don't know how to say what I need to say without hurting people." Tim's earnest answer got her attention and she found herself wanting to look at him whilst he told her what was on his mind. She sat up and moved so she was kneeling in front of him with both her hands resting on his thighs.

"Talk to me, Honey. Let me in. I know it's hard because I work for Director Vance, but I'll never betray your trust and go to him."

"What? Pam, that is one thing that will never be in question, baby. I know you won't do anything like that. It's just hard, you know? I don't want to put you in a bad position with him."

"I know, but you need to talk, otherwise it's going to consume you and I've seen it happen a couple of times, where you have closed off to people. You don't have to do that now."

Tim smiled and glanced down at her hands; he loved the closeness that they shared and knew that it just somehow felt right having her in his life.

"Thank you. Have I told you how much I love spending time with you…how much I love you?" There it was; the declaration that he wanted to make so desperately but didn't want it to ruin something so precious.

"I love you too, Tim. I have for a while but didn't know how to say it." Tim glanced up at her with a look of surprise in his eyes.

"We make a pretty pair don't we. We've both been feeling the same way for ages and haven't told each other how we feel." Tim was cut off by Pam rising on her knees and kissing him deeply. He had no idea how long they stayed there for, but the kiss turned into something beautifully right and he felt a pang of regret when she pulled away.

"So, Special Agent McGee. How about you tell me what's on your mind." Her eyes were playful, but there was a hint of sincerity there that made Tim want to bare his naked soul to her.

"It's silly, I guess. It's just that…when we were in Mexico, Abbs started acting weird."

"That I do know. What I don't know is what it is that is driving you crazy."

"Gibbs." Tim's one word answer confused his girlfriend.

"Gibbs? You said he was her champion. Is that what yo're talking about?"

"Yeah. Abby's always been his favorite; in his eyes she can do no wrong. Who am I to throw a spanner in the works by complaining about what she did? " Tim's expression darkened as the memories of what happened in Mexico filtered in.

"That's what you are keeping out of your report? I had no idea it was this serious!""

"Yeah. It is. This isn't the first time I've had to pay the piper on her account. How do I tell them that the reason why I didn't tell them was because I didn't think anyone would believe me? She's his golden girl which makes it difficult to say anything bad about her."

"Oh baby. That's not fair and you know it, you should be able to turn to your boss when you need too. You have to say something because it's going to go on your record otherwise."

"I can't, Pam. I just can't. It's bad enough that they found out but now they're not gonna care that I was too worried about Gibbs blaming me for Abby's shenanigans getting out of control down there to call him about what happened or report it at all. But, that's it in a nutshell."

"Oh, Honey."

"Trying to that to Vance without making Gibbs look bad is not something I know how to do. I refuse to tarnish Gibbs' name by getting Vance on his tail for that favoritism." The hurt in Tim's voice was palpable. "I don't know how to fix this except to just take what Vance has doled out."

"You can find a way to fix this that doesn't include sacrificing your good name like this! You have too! Please baby, don't let this get you down like this, at least promise you'll continue to talk to me when you need too. I can't help you if you bottle it up. Promise me you won't do that anymore."

"I promise and I'm sorry. I know it's not easy being in the position you are in and I appreciate you listening to me." The look on Tim's face brought tears to her eyes, there was still something lurking in the depths of his soul that he just wasn't ready to talk about; something that she would respect and wait patiently until he finally, truly ready.

"I'm always here and I know that there is something else that you are not ready to talk about playing on your mind. Whatever it is, I'm ready to listen when you want to talk."

"Thanks. Oh, er….I bought you something back at the mall. I hope you like them." Tim pulled the small box out of his jacket and handed it over. He watched her expression as she opened the box to reveal the white gold, diamond hoop earrings he had bought for her. He remembered standing in the store looking at them and judging by the look on her face, it was money well spent.

"Tim...Oh, honey! They're gorgeous! You shouldn't have spentt…" Tim cut her off with a kiss and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're worth it. Thank you." Pam pulled away and looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"What for?"

"For just being you; for accepting me for who I am; for loving me. There are so many things I want to thank you for but we'd be here all night if I tried to list them all." He chuckled slightly and pulled his girlfriend close to him once again. "I love you, Pamela Cook."