Tony is 10 minutes late when he rush from the elevator to the bullpen, stash his bag behind his desk, he glance to Tim's desk and see it still empty, feeling strange, he ask Bishop "Bishop, Tim's not come in yet?"
"Nope, he won't come in today, sick" Bishop answer him without even take her eyes off the screen, she's doing some background check on the victims, yesterday was kinda strange for all of them, of course, not everyday you found a victim that look very much a like of your teammates, so Gibbs dismiss them early yesterday, via telephone, seems like Tim's having a big shock because of this case and Gibbs had take him home and (maybe) trying to console him, at least that's what in the team's thought. Now Tony really feel worried about Tim, he called him couple times last night and he's not picked up even once, that and today he's calling sick off make his concern grow.
Gibbs come out of the elevator with coffee in his hands, working down to his desk, he start asking the team. "Speak to me" He says.
"Lieutenant Danny Walden, 36 yrs old, live in Bethesda, not married yet, just come back from his 3rd tour from Iraq 3 days ago, born September 13, 1978, his mother dr. Sydney Walden, M.D, as an Urologist in George Washington University Hospital" Ellie start his briefing.
"His CO says Lt. Danny Walden is a bright young man, he's smart and intelligent, but his team members told a bit hinky thing, they says, you don't want to get to his bad side, he can be very sly and stab you in the back without you even notice, he have his way to do that. Digging to his background, he had a juvenile record, possession of marijuana, abandoning a borrowed car of and Navy Admiral, but since that was his first, he got sentenced to joining Navy instead of imprisonment" Tony continue his explanation.
"Dinozzo, go get the mother" Gibbs bark to Tony.
After escorting dr. Sydney Walden to conference room 1, Tony go get Gibbs, on their way there he ask "Boss, you heard from McGee this morning?" Gibbs just nod.
"I'm worried about him, this case got him hard I guess, well, not everyday you see a corpse that look exactly like you, and he's not answering my phone calls last night, how if he fell down, knock his head and pass out? No one will be there to help him" Tony start his theories, he's really worried about his probie.
"He's fine Tony, just leave him alone for now, he need time, I'll go check on him tonight" Gibbs says.
He managed to ask Abby not to reveal the DNA match yet, so far only the 3 of them know about this.
And before Tony say anything he add "And I'll go alone, let me handle this, he will be ok" Tony just realized that lately Gibbs never called Tim as McGee anymore, not even on formal occasion, he would called him Dinozzo and Ellie as Bishop if it's case related thing, but he just called probie Tim. Tony can't help but wondering if something happen between Gibbs and Tim that he don't know about?.
They enter the conference room, dr. Sydney Walden is an attractive woman, with red hair, Tony smirk, Gibbs shake her hands and introduce himself and Tony.
"Can anyone tell me what's this about? why am I taken here?" Dr Walden ask Gibbs.
"We are very sorry to give you this bad news mam, but Lt. Danny Walden had been killed last night" Gibbs give her the bad news.
"But that's impossible, he just visited me 2 days ago" she says not believe anything Gibbs says
"He got what seems like a hit and run outside one of the bar in DC last night" Gibbs inform her, "But we will investigate it further, we will get the person who did this, Mam" Gibbs give her assurance.
"I'm sorry to ask about this, but do you know someone that hold a grudge against him?" Gibbs ask her
"Danny is a very good man, he always nice to anyone, I can't believe that anyone will hold a grudge against him" Dr Walden tell him,
"Dr. Walden, I'm going to ask something personal about Danny, did Danny adopted?" Gibbs ask her.
"That's ridiculous, Danny is my flesh and blood, he's not adopted, what kind of sick jokes is that? It was a high risk pregnancy, but we survived it" She got mad by that question.
"I'm sorry for asking about that, you see, we need to ask because we got DNA match of Lt. Danny Walden, actually we got 2 DNA match, one of them is with one of my team member, unfortunately he called for sick today, I think you will surprised to see him" Gibbs says
"May we get a DNA swab from you? so we can cross check Lt. Walden's DNA with yours? It will make sure that you are his mother" Gibbs persuade her.
"Sure, why not, I AM his mother, there's no doubt of that" she says confidently, Gibbs call Abby to get in and take her sample of DNA.
"We will keep in touch with you for the result" Gibbs tell her.
"May I look at the body? I won't believe it's him if I haven't see it with my own eyes" She insist to see the body. Gibbs lead her to the autopsy room while Tony called down to have Ducky prepare the body.
In the morgue, she stood beside the covered body, unable to make herself to open the cloth that cover the face.
"May I?' Ducky asks, she just nodded, Ducky open the cloth, revealing the face behind it, and her cried broken
"Nooooooooo, it can't be, Danny, open your eyes, tell me this is just a joke" she mopped, shaking his body, hoping he will wake and tell her it's all just a joke, then she just hug his body and cry in his cold chest.
Gibbs just stand there, he know the pain, and even though he not know Lt. Danny Walden, he too feel the same pain, he is his son too, that is one thing he sure of, and he determined to find the SOB that did this to him.
Tim just got back from grocery store, his refrigerator empty and want it or not, it need to be refilled if he want to have something to eat, and he need to get out, get some fresh air to clear his head, he made a lot of thinking last night, about the whole situation, about Gibbs, his mom, their affair and the body lay in the morgue, he feel bad for skipping job today, let his team to solve the murder of his maybe twin brother. He open the door to his apartment, step in to put his grocery bag to the table when he see a travel bag below the table, he reach his weapon in his holster, searching his house for the intruder, hear the water sound in his bathroom, he open the door to find a beautiful woman in there, washing her face, then she smile to him and say "Hi Tim"
"Zeez, Ziva, I could have shot you" he put his gun back to his holster.
"Why are you not in office? it's school day" she ask him. "When do you come back and how do you get in here?" he ask, avoid answering her question.
"I always have my way" she wave him her lock pick tools. "Now, you have not answer me yet, why aren't you at office? she ask again.
"Why you not tell me you come back to US, I can go pick you up" Tim says, still insist to avoid answering that, knowing he's avoid that, she approach him, helping him putting up the grocery
"I know my friends is in need, so I flew here with the earliest flight I can get, I'm sorry I can't get here sooner Tim" she told him, and pull him in a hug.
Needed the hug, he hug her back and suddenly he start to sobs, crying out his burden in her shoulder, she let him cry his heart out, caressing his back and says" shush...it's all gonna be ok now" and they stand there like that for a couple minutes. Then sitting in his couch, Tim tell her the whole story.
"I just don't know how to take this all, after 36 years, suddenly someone told you that your whole life is a lie, your dad is not your real dad, your mom cheat on your dad, and your real dad turn out to be your boss you've working together for 10 years, and there's a body in the morgue that maybe is your twin brother, my whole life suddenly turn to be a big mess, I don't even know how to face Gibbs" Tim put out his frustration to Ziva
Being as straight mind as her usual self, she just say out her opinion, " From your story, I think we can't blame Gibbs, not that I'm defend him or what, He don't know that your mom was pregnant, and knowing him, I think if he did know your mom was pregnant that time, he won't let her go easily, he's not the type of man who will give up easily for what he loved, and we know how he feel of having a child, how devastated he got when he lost Shannon and Kelly" Ziva says.
"You know, how much I want to hate him, I can't, I know it's not Gibbs fault, and in this 10 years, he already like a father to me, even more than my own dad when we not reconcile yet, he gave me the confidence that I lost because of my dad always defy my choice of career, he teach me so much on how to become a man, despite I'm not his real son, well, at least at that time, we don't know this yet, so, I can't hate him for that" Tim says
"I just don't know how I should have act after all this, it'll be awkward for both of us, don't we?" he adds, then they hear a soft knock on the door, Tim look at his watch, it's already 6.30 PM, wondering who will that be this time, he ignore to knock, then he heard a voice.
"Tim, open up, we need to talk" it's Gibbs sound. seeing Tim not move a muscle, Ziva take the initiative to open the door. Gibbs surprised to find her opening Tim's door.
"Ziva? When you got here?" He ask her, and before she even answer him, he add, "Is Tim home?" Widely opening the door, she nod and Gibbs step in, saw Tim sits in his couch with his head face the floor
He take his seat beside him, Tim not move away, "that's a good sign" Gibbs POV.
"Ziva, may you give us a time?" Gibbs says to Ziva.
Tim suddenly says "It's Ok, Ziva can stay, whatever you want to say, you can tell us both" He look up to Ziva and motioned her to take seat beside him.
Gibbs can't help but wondering what's Tim and Ziva relationship are.
Unable to find a word to say to Tim, Gibbs spend a couple of minutes thinking hard, then he start by updating Tim about their case, telling him about their meeting with dr. Sydney Walden, their background check on Lt. Danny Walden, and about dr. Walden's statement that Danny is really his son, grateful of the diversions, Tim updating Gibbs too about his own research on Lt. Danny Walden, found out they born at the same day, in the same hospital, and from what Gibbs told him about what dr. Walden told Gibbs, they both born C-Sected, they look at each other, finding the unspoken understanding, this all is just too much of coincidence.
Breaking their eye contact, Gibbs says "Look Tim, I don't ask you to accept me just like that, I know it's too much for you to take all these matter at once, I just ask you to give me a chance, I regret every single minutes I've missed in your life, I've missed the moments of your life, when you grow your first teeth, when you start your first step, when you first call Daddy, when you first learn to ride a bike, I missed every single birthdays for 36 years, please give me a chance to be there in the future, that's the only thing I ask from you, please"
"You might not realized it Gibbs, but these last 10 years I'm in your team, you always be there for me, and for that I'm really grateful, I just don't know how will this affect us in the future, I don't know how to act around you, and how the other will take this news" Tim says his fear.
"You can just become yourself as usual Tim, I promised nothing will change in the office, I can promised you that much, about the others, we will take time to tell them, together" Gibbs look up to Tim, smile, Tim look up too, and smile back
"So, we are peace now?" Gibbs ask him.
"We never at war" Tim answer.
Looking at the two of them like this, Ziva can't help realize how much alike those two are, the way they look at people, the way they have war in their head when they are thinking, the way they raised their eyebrow and even the way they draw their lips when they feel disappoint
"So, you will come to work tomorrow? I don't think I can hold Tony much longer, he's worry sick about you, and I don't think Abby's search result can be hidden much longer too, the way this case develop and above all, we need to tell Vance about this before we got a wrath of his rage of holding back evidence" Gibbs told him.
"You haven't told Vance yet?" Tim asks
"Nope, I have to make sure you are Ok first, I ask Abby to hold that back for now" Gibbs told him, Tim can't help but feel touched by his action.
"Thanks Boss" Tim says, then correct it "Thanks Gibbs"
Smiling, Gibbs says "You can still call me boss in office". Tim smile on that. Gibbs stay for dinner, Ziva's cooking, she's giving them time to adjust with each other. After dinner, Gibbs bid them goodbye, and walk away to his car with peace in his mind. He just so glad things got sorted out with Tim.
Ziva washing the eatery while Tim tidying up the table, after all cleaned up, Tim look at the clock, it's 11 PM already, so he turn to Ziva, "Ziva, it's late, you have someplace to crash for the night?" he ask her.
"Nope, I hope I can crash here tonight and look for a hotel tomorrow if you don't mind" she told him.
"Of course I don't mind, you can take the bed, I'll take the couch" Tim told her.
"We can share the bed Tim, we are adults and I believe you won't take advantage of me, and don't worry, I don't bite, except if you want me too" she flirting with him.
Tim just rolled his eyes, "Ok then, and if you just want a place to stay for sometime, no need to spend more on hotels, you are always welcome here" he continue.
"So, you want me to share your bed with you every night, Tim?" she says teasing him and watch him blush from tip of his ears to his face.
Later in the bedroom, Tim turn to Ziva's side of the bed, saying "Ziva, thank you for being here for me".
Ziva turn to him too, looking to his green eyes and says "It should be me who thank you Tim, you always be there for me, even at my darkest time, and you don't know how much that means for me, this is just a small favor comparing to that".
"You don't owe me anything Ziva, it's what friends do" he smile.
'You still not see me as a woman, will I always just a friend for you Tim?' Ziva POV, and return the smile, a glint of sadness there
Tim see the glint of sadness there, and ask, "Hey, what's wrong? do I say something wrong?" the care in his voice touch her heart and suddenly, she snuggle closer to Tim, and Tim in reflect take her in his arm, hold her close, caressing her back, and they ended up sleeping that way.
