NCIS
Tim couldn't sleep. His heart continued to pound as he lay in wait for David to be sleeping deeply. It was 0100, and David showed no signs of consciousness for the last hour. Tim slipped out of bed as quietly as he could, then went out to the living room and shut the door. He quietly booted up his computer and searched online for a way to covertly size someone's finger for a ring. He printed out a small sizing strip and used a pen-knife to cut it out. He had to cut out a small slit in the paper so that he could thread the strip through and make a loop to fit around David's finger. The printed side would face outward and show him the size when it was tight enough. Now came the hard part.
Tim grabbed a small LED light from his desk drawer and slipped back into the bedroom. David was laying on his left side with his left arm laying out in the space between the blanket and the pillow. Not wanting to turn on the light just yet, Tim used the light coming in from outside to guide his way. He crept over to David's side of the bed, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he positioned the measuring paper near David's hand. His heart was thumping with anticipation. He started to slip the paper over David's finger. He made it most of the way up before David gave a soft hum and began to stir. Tim froze, and watched in horror as David unconsciously slid his hand underneath his pillow.
"Shit!"Tim swore under his breath. His heart was hammering so hard he thought for sure just the sound of it would wake David. He waited a few minutes to see if David would shift again, and after no activity he devised his next moves. He slowly moved pushed the pillow up, inch by inch, until he could just see David's hand. He pressed the tip of his finger over the LED so that when it lit up, the light would be dulled by his flesh and would not wake up David. He slowly crawled forward to get the light close enough to see the measurement. The paper was slightly loose, so he started to pull it to fit properly around David's finger. David hummed again, indicating another move was imminent. Tim stealthily backed away, and watched as David sleepily rolled onto his right side and positioned his hand on the pillow right next to his face.
Tim tiptoed his way over to the other side of the bed. He had to ease himself into bed so that David wouldn't notice and move again. Tim needed to move David's hand so that the light wouldn't get directly in his eyes, and he determined there was only one way this could work. He nuzzled his back against David, who hummed in pleasure and instinctively snaked his left arm over Tim's chest. With David's face successfully blocked and his hand isolated, Tim quickly shone the light to see the measurement, memorized it, and then slipped the paper off of David's finger. He needed to get rid of the evidence, which would require David relinquishing his hold.
He gently pulled away, David sleepily whined but Tim whispered, "Just going to the bathroom, baby. I'll be right back." Tim kissed David's hand and slipped out of bed. He crept out of the bedroom into the living room and kept the door closed behind him. He cleared his recent browsing history and locked the scrap paper from the site and the measuring paper in his writing desk where David would never look.
NCIS
David had booked an appointment with a realtor on Saturday to look at a few potential locations near Silver Spring for his new bakery. While he was gone, Tim made the call to the jeweler in Los Angeles to get the price for a ring in David's size. He had decided on platinum instead of gold because he wanted it to last the longest, and after his latest book sale he was able to afford the increased price tag to make sure David got the best ring possible. Tim then called his grandmother and his sister to meet him at the botanical gardens in DC to discuss the events of last night.
Penelope Langston was a lively woman, and even in her early 70's she was active in her volunteer work as a curator at the US Botanic Garden. She never liked to be called 'Grandmother,' so instead she was called 'Penny' by her grandchildren. She was about a foot shorter than Tim, had shoulder-length brown hair, and had narrow face with wrinkles only made by the smile she held over the years. Her free-spirit personality was radiant and welcoming.
When Tim arrived at the garden, Penny was using her hands to explain to Sarah the energy flowing through a bonsai tree. Sarah noticed Tim and was grateful for the interruption. She ran up and gave him a tight hug.
"Oh, it's so good to see you," she said. "How did everything go?"
"It's ok, we've got it mostly sorted out," Tim said.
"Timothy!" Penny said with excitement. Her voice was smooth and warm. She walked over and took both of Tim's hands and brought them together with a squeeze. "Sweetheart, how are you?"
"I'm doing ok, but there's been a lot going on. Let's walk."
"I know that tone," she said as they began walking. She linked her arm around Tim's, not for physical support for herself but for emotional support for him. "Your father?"
"Well, he plays a part in it, but it actually starts with someone else. I've been seeing someone for almost a year. His name's David."
"David?" she said the name curiously, then smiled. "Well it's about time. I wondered when you'd start trying to date men."
"I wasn't trying to date a guy," Tim said with a roll of his eyes, "we just sorta happened. I met him online playing this game, and we just got closer and closer. It's been really great, though."
Sarah also smiled and chimed in, "He's really sweet, Penny, even if deep down he is a dork like Tim."
Penny looked at Sarah with intrigued surprise. "You've met him already?" She then looked at Tim and gently swatted him on the arm. "Shame on you, Timothy, for making me the last to know! Well, I'm guessing the young Admiral found out too and threw a hissy-fit?"
"Yeah," Tim sighed and looked down. "Just last night. He said I was making a mistake and that I was ruining my life, and he kept saying all this horrible stuff about David."
"Oh dear." Penny pursed her lips in thought. "Are you alright, honey?"
"I'm ok," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm actually surprised David handled it as well as he did. I thought for sure David would punch him for the things he was saying. I know I didn't exactly restrain myself as well as I should have."
"David was there?" Sarah asked in a shocked tone.
"Yeah, he didn't want me to have to talk to him alone. He held his own against Dad pretty well, and even helped get Dad out from under my skin."
"Well? Do I have to guess how it ended?" Penny asked.
"I'm sure you could. Dad basically disowned me since I refused to stop seeing David. Well, I kinda disowned him first. Not really sure how that works, but eventually we left. I feel… I'm not sure. It's like I'm glad, but it still sucks. He wasn't much of a dad to me, but he was still Dad."
"You've still got us, Tim," Sarah said reassuringly.
"Absolutely," Penny agreed. "Your father's bark is worse than his bite. I wouldn't worry about it."
"Thanks. At first I felt a bit of relief, but I guess that was just for being out of the conversation. Once things cooled down, it all kind of hit me. I don't feel happy about it, but I guess it could've been worse and I'm glad it's not. Sarah, have you talked to Mom lately?"
"No. I think last time was around Christmas."
"I'll have to call her and tell her," Tim said with concern. "I'd rather she heard it from me than Dad."
"I'm sure that one will go over better," Penny said as she rubbed Tim's arm. "So, tell me about this David. I want all the details!"
Tim smiled thinking of certain intimate details he'd leave out. "He's 29, he lives in a small town in Pennsylvania – well at least used to," he caught himself, still familiarizing himself with them living together. "He owns and runs a bakery, and he's looking into selling it and buying a new one closer to home. Until then, it basically runs itself so he's only really involved in special projects and events."
"And his family?"
"Out of the picture, basically same reactions as Dad."
"That's unfortunate, but also common these days. And you two practice safe sex?"
"Penny!" Tim hissed. He looked at Sarah, who grimaced.
"What? It's important and it should be talked about!"
"We both got tested when it was getting serious, and we've been exclusive ever since."
"Ah," Penny smiled, "it is much better once you lose the ol' rubber, isn't it?"
Sarah gagged, and coughed out, "Ok, I did not need that mental image regarding my brother."
Tim smiled embarrassedly, and Penny gave him a nudge in the side.
"So when do I get to meet him?" Penny asked.
"Hopefully soon, since he lives with me now. Actually, there was something else I wanted to ask you about, Penny."
"Oh?"
"When you and Grandpa were getting married, how… did you know?"
"Well I think the white dress clued me in," Penny said smartly.
Tim rolled his eyes. "I mean, how'd you know you were ready?"
Penny clapped her hands over her mouth and her eyes widened. "Timothy McGee! You're not…"
Sarah stopped and stared in amazement. "No way! You're thinking of proposing?!"
Tim bit his lip, then smiled and nodded.
Penny and Sarah both squealed so loud that passersby stared at them for a moment. Penny gave Tim a hug while Sarah bounced up and down in excitement.
"That's wonderful!" Penny said.
"It's just that it's barely been a year," Tim said nervously, "and I don't want to go too far too fast. I keep getting this nagging feeling like I should, but I just don't know if it's the right time. It's not like I've ever done this before, but he has and I can't even ask him for advice without ruining the whole thing."
"He's been married?" Penny asked.
"David had a partner years back, but he died."
"At least he's good with commitment. Well let's think about it, if he's already been there before and he's moving in with you now, that's a pretty good indicator that he's taking the relationship in that direction," Penny advised.
"I agree," Sarah chimed in. "When we had dinner he seemed pretty serious. He was already looking into moving just so that you wouldn't have to leave DC."
"How do you feel about it, Tim?" Penny asked.
"I… feel nervous, anxious, excited, terrified, just everything," Tim said anxiously.
"Can you think of any reason that you shouldn't marry him?"
Tim thought long and hard. He kept having doubts about his work getting in the way of their lives, but David reassured him time and again that they could work through it. If he hadn't meant it, would he have worked so hard to move in with Tim? Would David even want to be married again after the death of his husband, or was moving in enough for him?
"If he was married once before, do you think he'll want to get married again?" Tim asked.
"Again, he's come this far for you. Most people who don't want to get married usually wear it on their sleeve," Penny said. "I like the idea of a relationship, but I doubt I'd necessarily get married again. Has David ever said anything like that?"
"No," Tim answered.
Sarah spoke up, "He worked his ass off to impress me when we met. I'd say he's willing to go pretty far, Tim."
"If you really want to marry him, then that's reason enough to ask, dear," Penny added
"I do. I even have a ring picked out but just wanted to talk it through before I ordered it."
"Well there you go!" Penny put her hands on Tim's cheeks. "Now that that's settled, how are you going to do it?"
Tim smiled. "I don't know. I had a couple of ideas but this has all happened so quickly, I haven't had time to really think about that part of it yet."
"When's your anniversary?" Sarah asked.
"Late May. Two and a half months."
"I say do it on the anniversary, same place you first met," Sarah said.
"Oooh, I like that," Penny said. "Where was it?"
"Actually not far from here at a café next to the Smithsonian. We had lunch at a table outside, then went to the Air and Space museum, and then went home." He didn't realize how the last bit sounded until after he said it.
"You took him home on the first date?" Penny said, astonished. "Why, Timothy! I never realized you moved so fast!"
"No, it wasn't like that-" Tim started to say, his face beginning to flush.
"Oh that's nothing," Sarah interrupted, "David told me he didn't even make it more than a few minutes before kissing him." She grinned at the chance to embarrass Tim.
"My, my, my!" Penny said with a smile of her own.
Tim tried to say something, but his mouth was frozen and his face was nearly purple, so all he managed to do was huff.
"Does David suspect?" Sarah asked.
"I don't think so. I almost let it slip during… well…"
"An indelicate moment?" Penny completed for him.
Sarah held up her hand and closed her eyes, again denying the mental image.
"Yeah, that." Tim said. "But I didn't want to do it like that."
"Oh good for you. So many men chicken out and do that instead. A mid-coitus proposal is so cliché," Penny said.
Sarah had her fingers in her ears and tried to think of anything but her brother having sex.
Tim chuckled, then tapped Sarah on the shoulder indicating the conversation would go back to safer territory.
"I like your idea, Sarah. I think re-visiting where we first met just gives it that symmetry. Where one part of our life ends and the next begins. I just hope taking him there won't give away what I'm planning."
Sarah smiled. "Just 'eighty-six' the Air and Space museum this time around. He might die of boredom before you propose if you take him through there a second time."
NCIS
After thoroughly planning several scenarios for a proposal, Tim went home to meet David for dinner. David was blasting music while on the computer. When David heard the door open, he dropped the music and stood up to greet him.
"Hey baby, welcome back," David said as he gave Tim a quick kiss. "Where were you?"
"I was out meeting Sarah and Penny. Just wanted to talk with them about last night."
"How'd it go?"
"It went great. Penny really wants to meet you, so we'll be setting that up soon. How did things go with the realtor?"
"Well the first place was ok as far as buildings go, but something about it just gave me the creeps. The other places were either in weird locations or just not right for a bakery. I've been doing some more research but I'm not used to it. I was gonna ask if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand."
"Sure, I'd love to. Do we want to get dinner first?" Tim asked as they sat down on the couch.
"I'm craving Thai food for some weird reason. If we have it delivered we'll be able to have it here while we look around online."
"Sounds good. Let me get into something comfortable," Tim said as he tried to stand up.
David pulled him back down and straddled his lap. "Allow me to help…"
He cupped the back of Tim's head with his hand and gave him a deep kiss. He continued tonguing him while he slid his other hand up Tim's chest and over his shoulders to ease his jacket off. Tim moaned in approval and ran his hands up David's thighs. David started unbuttoning Tim's shirt slowly and kissed his way down Tim's cheek to his neck.
"You should help me get changed more often," Tim said seductively.
"You know me, always lending a helping hand." David emphasized the word by squeezing Tim's growing erection.
Tim moaned again, but the moment was ruined by the audible growling of his stomach. Tim and David softly laughed.
"I think we'd best continue this after dinner?" Tim said.
"I'll be sure to take you up on that." David reached down and kissed Tim again, and then stood up to go order the food.
Once the food arrived, they sat at the desk with Tim on David's lap. With Tim's help, they eliminated certain areas that either had too many similar shops in close proximity or where historically shops had only lasted a few years before closing. They also looked into property taxes as well as ease of delivery for materials. They finally narrowed it down to seven locations near Silver Spring, and three locations in the heart of DC. David occasionally had a hard time focusing, especially when Tim would shift his balance over David's crotch and start David stiffening up. Having Tim in such close contact was distracting David enough without what Tim swore was him "just getting comfortable." David booked appointments over the next two weeks with his realtor to see the sites. Once their research was completed, they sat back on the couch and continued with their dinner.
"So, how are you doing after everything?" David asked.
"Better. It was nice to talk it out with Sarah and Penny."
"Have you decided whether or not to email Ziva?"
"Yeah, I will. Regardless of how she left, I still am hoping she'll change her mind and come back. I want her to know we want her to come back."
"Good. Maybe she'll even have some advice about things with your father."
"Maybe. I just want things to be as normal as they can be, you know?"
"Yeah."
"I think it's probably a good idea for me to call my mom, too. She should know what's going on. Would you mind if I did that now? You've been dealing with a lot of this with me, so you don't have to do this too."
David gave him a confused look. "Baby, all of this is huge, and we're dealing with it as a couple. I'm here for whatever you need me to do."
"Thanks," Tim said before kissing him. He then picked up his phone, dialed his mother's number and put the call on speaker.
"Hi Timothy, I wondered when you'd call," his mother's soft voice said.
"Hi, Mom. I take it this means you've heard from Dad?"
"I almost think I could've heard him without the phone call."
"Yeah, he was about the same way when I talked to him. I'm sorry to cause all this trouble."
"Sweetheart don't apologize. Just tell me, was he right? Are you seeing another man?"
"Yes, his name is David."
"And are you at a bad job, getting nowhere in life?"
"No, Mom. NCIS has been really great for me, and my life is going great minus Dad flipping out."
"So you're safe and you're happy?"
"Yes, I am. I didn't realize that I wasn't happy until David showed up," Tim smiled and squeezed David's hand.
"Then I'm happy for you, honey. I just wish I didn't have to hear it from your father, and that you'd call more!"
"I'll try to call more. Work's been busy but I'll make the time."
"Good. I'd love to come up and meet the lucky man sometime. Maybe for Thanksgiving this year?"
"Sounds perfect. I'll let Sarah know you're coming. I have to go, but I just wanted to call."
"Thanks sweetie. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom," Tim said and hung up the call.
Tim leaned forward into David's embrace.
"Better?" David asked.
"Much better."
