A/N: Hello! Sorry it has been so long. I have been dealing with migraines and so my writing has been on the backburner until my head feels better. I took a look at what I had written for the last chapter and realized I had written 16 pages and was still only half done. Therefore, the last chapter has to be two chapters. Sorry. I am trying to work out the conflict of Gibbs taking on McGee as a life partner. My gut tells me that it would be a very complicated decision for him because of his own history with relationships and other things. I hope you have the patience to hang with me. Let me know what you are thinking. Sheila

P.S. Remember Wilson from the story Gibbs told McGee in Chapter 4?

The Mistaken Wolf

Chapter 11

The house was ridiculous. It was one of those architectural wonders that started on a hill and ended on a beautiful beach. Gibbs could see part of a pristine pool on one of the back decks. He felt as 'out of place as a whore in church'. He grinned a bit as he remembered Franks and his crude sayings.

The door opened and Joe Wilson broke into a grin. "Hey Gunny! I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Gibbs stepped forward and hugged him warmly. "It's been too long. My fault."

Wilson stepped away and regarded him. "You look good, Jethro."

"Nice lie, Joe. I look like a thousand miles of bad road."

"Well, I sure liked traveling that road, if you recall."

A man stood behind Joe, his arms folded. He was dark and handsome. "Joe?"

Joe turned. "Jethro, this is my husband, Lalit."

Gibbs extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Lalit shook his hand warily and turned to Joe. "He is as you said he would be."

Gibbs looked at the two men. "What am I missing?"

Wilson dropped a kiss on Lalit's cheek. "Go invent something new. We'll be fine."

The handsome man disappeared down the stairs.

Gibbs looked at Wilson. "Married?"

"Yes, Jethro, it's legal in some states. Don't you read newspapers?"

"I've never heard a man refer to another man as his husband before."

Wilson raised an eyebrow. "Clearly. You want some lunch?"

Gibbs shrugged.

"Anita," Wilson called. A beautiful young woman with long blonde hair appeared. "My friend, Jethro, and I would like lunch by the pool. Chicken with vegetables would be nice. Lalit will have sag paneer in his lab, as usual. Jethro likes a good steak so you better make sure we have some nice ribeyes for dinner this evening."

Gibbs followed him outside. It was California so it was impossibly sunny, but it was nice to look down on a beautiful beach and hear the surf roar. Gibbs took it all in. The house. The pool. The beach. He raised his arms. "How the hell, Joe? I mean it. How the hell? You're living like a rock star."

Joe grinned. "On my own, I'd be living in a one bedroom in South Central L.A. I happened to fall in love with a guy who's a software engineer. A real genius. Some times, I think all he does is print money down in his lab."

"On the phone you said you're running a community center."

Joe sat down at a glass table. "Yeah, I'm running a place about forty minutes from here. Real tough neighborhood. Lots of kids without dads. Some without parents of any kind. We try to provide an alternative to joining a gang. It's hard work, but I love it. Wouldn't leave it for the world. You're still with NCIS?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah. You know me. Who's better to hunt predators than another predator?"

"Yeah, you're a real bad guy, Jethro." Wilson squinted into the sun. "It's been almost twenty years. What brings you here?"

"I'm in trouble, Joe. Big trouble. And somehow I got it figured that if anyone can help me work it out, it's you."

Joe shook his head. "I can already see it. You fell in love, didn't you?"

"I don't know."

"It's not a woman. That wouldn't bring you here. Plus, I heard from friends that you've been subsidizing divorce lawyers on the East Coast for a number of years now."

Gibbs's mouth twitched and he looked out on the beach. "He's younger. Sweet. Loyal and as brave as they come. He's worked with me for 8 years. I'm his boss. It's all wrong, but I can't seem to…I'm a hostage to this thing."

Joe nodded at Anita as she brought two beautiful plates of food and set them down in front of them. "What does he say?"

Gibbs sighed. "He says he loves me."

Joe ate a piece of chicken. "Oh, I get it. You're here because you need a best man. I'll check my calendar. What are you thinking? Hawaii or Vermont?"

Gibbs slapped the table. "Dammit, Joe! I need help here. I don't know what to do!"

"And you thought I would? We haven't seen each other in almost twenty years. I'm not your best friend anymore. You're here because you can't live without him, and you're hoping I can help you figure out how to live with him."

"I don't know."

"So this is how we're going to play it. You're going to sit there and be a statue while I try to guess what you're thinking."

"Maybe, this wasn't such a good idea." Gibbs started to get up.

"Sit down! You owe me and you're not going anywhere. Here's what's going to happen. I'm shortstaffed at the center. You're coming to work with me this week and maybe next week too. The boys I work with need men they can look up to and you qualify."

Gibbs stared down at the table.

"At night, we'll come home and drink expensive beer and you can think about this sweet kid of yours. One of these nights you're going to realize you're relieved that he's not here or you're going to start to ache for him. It'll be in that moment that you'll know the right answer."

Gibbs scowled. "You're going to make me play basketball with kids?"

Joe smirked. "Or I could make you play jump rope with the girls. Your choice. Gunny."

McGee was pulling a t-shirt over his head as he walked into the kitchen when he spotted Tony sitting on his couch. He jerked back and cursed. "Dammit, Tony! What the hell were you thinking? You don't think I'm a little bit nervous two weeks after a kidnapping! If I were wearing my gun, you'd be dead! Knock for Chris'sakes."

Tony waited until he was done ranting. "I knock and you don't answer the door or you do and you don't let me in. Had to take things into my own hands. What are you up to, today?"

"Busy," he said, ducking into the kitchen to compose himself.

"Not too busy for a friend, are you?"

Tim came out finally, looking a little flushed. "I'm meeting with Fornell."

"Then I'm going with you."

McGee sighed. "I don't need you to do that. I'm just fine."

Tony sat forward. "Well, I'm not."

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do. I just need a little space."

"You've had space. You know Gibbs left town?"

McGee closed his eyes. "I figured."

"You know why?"

"Why does he ever do what he does?"

Tony stood up. "What the hell happened between the two of you? I saw this when I was in the hospital. You're angry with him. You're never angry with him. What the hell, Tim?"

McGee looked away.

"Hey, I'm your friend."

"I'm not sure you can understand, Tony. It's really complicated."

DiNozzo put his hands on his shoulders. "I'm not going to judge you."

Tim looked for a long moment. Then he nodded. "I fell in love with him, Tony. I fell in love with Gibbs."

Tony stepped back. "I don't understand."

"We were together intimately…a few times. He had an attraction to me, and I didn't know….but then Lobanoff happened, and…we acted on it."

Tony stared. "You and Boss? Seriously?"

McGee ran a hand through his hair and started pacing. "Oh boy, uh, I knew this wasn't going to go well. Listen Tony, you'll be happy to know it's not going to go anywhere. He rejected me. Left town."

"You sure he doesn't have feelings for you? Gibbs would not treat you like a one night stand."

"It doesn't matter what he feels because he's all wrapped up in the reasons why this can't happen: the rules, his past history with relationships, the fact that he's the boss."

"Those are pretty good reasons, Tim. I mean, it's Gibbs."

"Listen Tony, you should probably go. The secret's out. Mystery solved. I gotta' find Fornell. He's thinking of taking me on as an agent. He was waiting for Gibbs to weigh in, and I think by leaving town, the boss really made himself clear on the issue."

Tony shook his head slowly. "I'm not going anywhere, and you're not going to the FBI. Yes, I am…surprised but nothing's changed. You're my probie, and I'm not losing you to Fornell."

"Tony—"

"No! Get your skinny ass moving. I checked your fridge when I came in. You don't have a damn thing to eat in there. I'm taking you out to breakfast, and we're going to talk this thing out."

Gibbs leaned over the railing and looked out on the setting sun. He heard splashing in the pool and turned to see a kid cannonball into the water. There was a line of kids behind him waiting for their turn. Lalit stood at the edge and clapped after each effort. Gibbs smiled and shook his head. This entire week had been a series of dichotomous moments. He spent each day on the tension filled streets of South Central with kids who were both angry and eager for attention. Then he returned each night to a home of unimagined luxury. He ate meals with two men who came from completely different worlds, but shared a deep love and respect for one another. It was hard for him to reconcile all of these ideas especially when he found himself imagining how well McGee would fit into this picture.

A bottle of beer appeared in front of him and he took it. Wilson leaned over the railing beside him and sipped from his longneck. "I bet you thought it would be a quiet weekend. Two weekends a month, we take five kids from the center for the weekend. Lalit loves kids. It's how I met him. He came to the community center looking to tutor kids. I'd seen a thousand well-being people like him in the past. Figured he'd last one, maybe two weeks before disappearing, but he never stopped coming. It got so I'd watch the clock all day waiting for him to arrive. Nothing in our lives has been similar, but we each have a passion for making the world a better place."

Gibbs nodded. "It's been an amazing week."

"Do you miss him yet?"

He looked away. "I'm not sure that's enough."

"Tell me about him."

Gibbs was unable to suppress a smile. "He looks maybe 7, 8 years younger than he is. He's a genius too. I think he could teach a computer to tap dance if you asked him to. He could have a house like this with the talents he has, but it's not what he wants. He's an admiral's kid. Found that out before I hired him, and I was sure he was going to be some entitled little shit, but he was just the opposite. Worked as hard as anyone I've ever seen. He was so awkward in the field in the beginning, ut he just never gave up. He has such a deep sense of justice and he's loyal to everyone. I threw everything at him to try and break him, but he never cracked. One day, a few years after I hired him, we were on a stakeout and I realized that I was more interested in what he looked like naked than the subject we were watching. Very disconcerting. I really pulled away from him for a while. I was really angry at myself for allowing those feelings."

"What happened, Jethro?"

Gibbs shook his head. "It's a long story. The short version is that he kissed a man and got himself a stalker, and one night he was feeling bad, and me and half a bottle of bourbon started telling him about you. I wanted him to feel better. Then I was kissing him. Tried to set boundaries. The stalker started killing. Four people dead and four injured."

"I saw it on ZNN."

"I tried protecting him, but the attraction was so strong, and we got distracted by it."

"I remember seeing the picture of him on the news when he was kidnapped. Didn't realize it was your case. I thought it was an FBI operation."

"Joint operation. I let my guard down and he got taken. This psycho, Lobanoff, had him for two days. It was bad but he survived but just barely."

"How's he doing?"

"Angry…struggling. Every time I want to help, I get too close. If I let it happen again, it has to be forever. That's how deep this thing is. So I got scared and I ran."

"You left him alone?"

Gibbs blinked and looked at Wilson. "God no! My team- we're a family. The troops have been mobilized. They may not know what's going on, but McGee's going to be surrounded by more support than he's going to know what to do with."

"That's a pretty intense story, Jethro."

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you know why he loves you?"

The two of them were interrupted as one of the kids erupted in a wail after bumping his head on the side of the pool. Gibbs started toward him but Wilson pulled him back. "Watch."

Lalit waded in, fully clothed, and picked up the nine year-old boy, comforting him. The boy calmed while Lalit talked to him softly, and then jumped out of his arms and back into the fray.

"Now, you can see why I love Lalit. Now I'll tell you why McGee loves you."

Gibbs shifted against the railing. "Joe."

"I watched you all week. You're good with kids, but more than that you're a man of honor with loads of integrity. You never told one of these kids something that wasn't real or that you wouldn't follow through and do. They're used to being lied to, and they got a bullshit meter like you wouldn't believe. Every day we've gone, the crowd of kids looking for you grows. They know you were the real thing."

"I'm a son of a bitch."

"Believe me, I know that first hand, but you're also a good person- a man who gets things done, a man to be admired. You've saved lives and taken really bad guys off the streets. When you called, I had Lalit do some research on you. Your team is the best NCIS has to offer. Your people would follow you into the gates of hell. You've been given countless commendations, and have yet to show up for a single award ceremony."

Gibbs shook his head. "On paper, I'm that guy, but since Kelly and Shannon, I've screwed up every relationship I've had. I'm distant and cold. I push them away until they have no choice but to leave. I could put you in touch with my ex-wives and the women who never quite got that far. I don't doubt that they all have voodoo dolls with my name stitched on."

Joe nodded. "Put them in touch with me. I'd love to show them my doll."

"I'm tired of hurting people, Joe. The thought of breaking his heart any more deeply than I already have…terrifies me."

Joe sighed and took the empty beer bottle from him. "You're going to need another week here at least."

…..

McGee looked up from his computer to see Ziva letting herself in. "Ziva! What are you doing?"

She came in wearing tights, running shoes, and an old sweatshirt. "It's time for your run."

"What? Why didn't you knock?"

"Tony says you're being obst-acle, obst-ained, obstetric—"

"Obstinate!"

She turned on her heel and pointed a finger. "Yes! You are being difficult, and so we are as he said, 'forced to forgo niceties'."

"Ziva, you shouldn't intrude on a friend's privacy."

She dropped onto his couch. "It is what has to happen to get your attention these days."

"I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind."

"I know. You went through a lot and this is why you need friends. I also know that there is more going on than just your trauma."

McGee froze.

She nodded. "Yes, I can see that it's there. Don't worry. I don't know what it is. Tony knows, but he will not share it with me. I believe it has to do with Gibbs, and I do not understand why he has left town. This whole thing is very exacerbating!"

"You mean, exasperating."

She sat up, waving her arms. "Do you see? I am so frustrated my English has left me."

He went over and sat beside her. "It's hard to talk about what happened."

She slid her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I would do anything for you."

He took a deep breath. "I would like to keep it a secret, but it's going to effect you too. You might as well know."

"Yes, tell me."

"I fell in love with the boss, and uh, it didn't work out. He left town to get his head together, and I have to figure out if it's possible for us to work together or if I have to find a new place to work."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You're not leaving us. We won't allow it. Gibbs won't allow it either. I know him."

"But I don't know if I can handle it. I just feel so empty right now."

She patted his cheek. "Oh McGee, you're breaking my heart."

"Tony was so shocked by all this, but you don't seem surprised."

She shrugged. "Love has nothing to do with gender. There is so much to love about both of you. It isn't only women that can see that."

He sighed. "Ziva, I don't know what to do."

"You have to let us help us."

"By running? You're going to help me by running with me?"

"Yes, we need you strong again. We're not a team without you, McGee. Don't worry. We'll fix this."

He pulled away. "Do you think this is easy? Do you think all I need is a few pats on the cheek? I'm not simple, sweet McGee anymore. I'm not your little brother or Tony's geek or Abby's chew toy. I'm a man and I've been destroyed…twice in as many weeks."

"McGee?"

He backed away from her. "None of you is listening to me! It's all so simple to you. McGee's got a little crush. He'll get over it. You don't understand. I wake up 5-6 times a night in tears. Half the time, I've been dreaming about Lobanoff and the other half, I'm dreaming about Gibbs. Sometimes, the sadness in my chest is so heavy, I can't breathe. I can't concentrate. I can't work. I can't do anything. So don't tell me to not worry. Don't tell me you can fix this, Ziva."

She got up slowly. "You're right and I'm so sorry. Sometimes, when you love someone, you feel their pain, and you hope for an easy solution. I should've been more sensitive."

He looked down. "And I shouldn't have gone off on one of my best friends…especially when she was trying to help."

She walked over and wrapped her arms around his middle. "Today, we'll just walk. You're right. Your chest is too heavy for running. We'll walk and if you choose to talk, I'll just listen."

"I was feeling sorry for myself."

She shook her head. "You were being honest."

He sighed. "I give up. I'll go get some sweatpants and a t-shirt."

…..

He traced his fingers lightly down McGee's face from his forehead to his chin. Eyelids opened and he found himself staring into those beautiful green eyes. "Good morning, you."

The kid smiled at him, and Gibbs felt his heart swell. "It feels so good to wake up with someone."

"Just anyone?"

"No," he chuckled. "Not anyone. Just you."

"Glad you figured things out, Boss. I missed you."

"Me too." Gibbs slid his fingers down Tim's throat and held it.

"It's forever, you know. It has to be."

"I know." Gibbs massaged his neck deeply.

"It's getting hard to breathe," McGee said.

"That's what forever means with a man like me." Gibbs' grip tightened around his throat.

Then Gibbs looked into his eyes again, but they didn't open. "Tim?"

He put his hand on McGee's cheek again, but this time it was cold. "Tim? Tim! Tim!"

Gibbs sat up in bed, breathing hard. He reached up, scrubbing at his face; trying to rid himself of the nightmare. When his breathing calmed, he looked at the clock and it showed 3:30 a.m. He climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone. He walked through the through the large, dark house, and slid open the door to the deck. The only sound was the roar of the tide. The Pacific Ocean had a majesty to it that Gibbs appreciated. Most of his off time was spent leaning over the railing, staring into its depths. He hit numbers and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Duck, it's me."

"Jethro! How is your retreat going?"

"Fine. How's McGee?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He's been through a great deal as you well know. Recovery takes time."

"In other words, he's struggling."

"What else would you expect? One of the key persons to his recovery isn't present."

"Duck, I just dreamt that I strangled him to death. You really think I ougta' be there!"

"I suspect your dream was less about your feelings for him and more about your feelings about yourself."

"Whatever!"

"It is always so stimulating to have intellectual discourse with you."

"You wanna' retract your fangs, Duck. I need help here."

"We're all spending time with him. He's opened up enough to share with his team about his feelings for you. I know how private you are, but he needs to be honest with them."

"I don't give a flying crap about my privacy. He can say whatever he wants to whomever he wants as long as it helps him."

"You would do anything for him, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I would. Who do you think I am?"

"I think you're a man who deserves some happiness."

"Ducky."

"Just tell me you don't love him and I'll stop."

"I'll hurt him."

"You'll love him. Stop being such a stubborn fool."

"You call me if he needs me, Duck."

"Oh, call yourself!" The phone clicked in his ear, and Gibbs yelled curses into the surf.

"Jethro!"

He turned to find Joe and Lalit standing there on the deck in nothing but boxer shorts. Joe winced. "What the hell are you doing up so early in the morning?"

The wind whipped at his hair as Gibbs pointed at his cell. "There is a Scottish born medical examiner back in D.C. nursing a death wish!"

Then he stomped past his bewildered hosts and into the house. Lalit looked at Joe. "Is it normal for Marines to refer to their friends as Ducks?"

…..

Fornell saw him step out of the elevator in the FBI building and came toward him. "You don't have to be here, you know."

McGee nodded. "I want to see what he has to say."

"He and his lawyer out back in the conference room."

"I thought he was still in the hospital."

"He is, but they shot him full of steroids so he could get out for this meeting."

Over Fornell's shoulder, McGee saw Tony standing outside the conference room. "What's he doing here?"

He shrugged. "Jethro's out of town. I'm not letting you in there without backup. Who knows what's on that asshole's mind?"

McGee pursed his lips and ignored Tony as he waved to him.

"Speaking of your boss, what have you heard from him?"

"Nothing." McGee brushed past Fornell. He tried to evade Tony at the door but the older agent grabbed his arm and whispered urgently in his ear. McGee finally relaxed and nodded at his friend.

Inside, Lobanoff sat with his lawyer. He'd lost weight and there were deep circles under his eyes. When he saw McGee, he nodded and smirked. McGee ignored him and sat down, letting Fornell take ownership of this meeting.

Fornell chose not to dispense any pleasantries. He focused on the lawyer and gave him a simple shrug. The lawyer sighed. "We have a proposal for you that will save you a lot of time and the taxpayers a lot of money."

Fornell cocked his head. "I'm disappointed. I was looking forward to a jury trial. So your client is ready to plead guilty to all charges 'cause that's the only deal I'm taking to the U.S. Attorney."

"My client has received some very disturbing news that changes the whole outlook of our defense. Yesterday, his doctor informed him that he tested positive for Hepatitis C. A liver transplant is no longer an option. In his current condition, my client has approximately 2-3 months to live."

Fornell slammed the table. "That's the best news I've heard all week! McGee, DiNozzo, I'm taking both of you out for the biggest steak in town."

Lobanoff shook his head. "Now who's the asshole in the room?"

"I'm looking at him," DiNozzo growled.

Lobanoff narrowed his eyes at McGee. "You're going to be a murderer now just like me, but when I die, nobody is going to put any charges on you. It's too bad 'cause I'm suffering more than any of my supposed victims did."

Tony put a hand on his arm, but McGee just shook his head in disgust.

The lawyer put up his hand. "We're not finished. Mr. Lobanoff will need hospice care and the prison ward doesn't have a humane option for him. He wouldn't get appropriate and he would suffer tremendously. We know of a program outside of D.C. offer good care and has been used for Federal prisoners in the past."

"That was for prisoners who turned state's evidence. Lobanoff has nothing to offer us, and therefore, I have nothing to give him. The thought of him suffering only makes me smile."

"I could take your blatant disregard for prisoner care to the media."

Fornell shrugged. "Knock yourself out. He's a serial murderer. We'll respond with the pictures and stories of his slain victims. Nobody's going to care, Counselor."

The lawyer looked at Lobanoff. "The truth is that we have something far more substantial to offer. Mr. Lobanoff is able to give testimony to two missing person cases that have happened in the D.C. area in the last fifteen years. He can provide you with confessions as well as the location of the victim's bodies."

Everything in the room stopped.

McGee narrowed his eyes at Lobanoff. You were killing before I met you."

Lobanoff smiled. "You weren't my first pussyboy, McGee."

Something in McGee snaped and he scrambled over the table at him, but DiNozzo grabbed him by the pants and held on. "Easy, Tim. Easy. All this asshole has left is his meanness. Don't fall for it."

Fornell glared at the lawyer. "So, let me get this straight. Lobanoff provides proof that he's even a bigger savage than we knew, and you want us to reward that with a resort setting for his final days."

"He's dying, Agent. What more do you want? He wants to leave this world with a clean slate. It's a win for everyone. Think of the families who've spent years looked for their loved ones. He can bring closure to their struggles."

"He can bring closure- shut up! He murdered people and you're talking about him like he's performing a public service by- God! Both of you make me wanna' puke. Come on McGee, DiNozzo. Let's get out of here."

"Agent Fornell, before you go, how about something to wet your appetite. One was a female in FLETC who disappeared a week before graduation. Another one was a male who left behind a wife and a baby girl."

Fornell shook his head. "You make me sick!"

He let the two NCIS agents out and slammed the door to the conference room. Then he herded them into his office. "Damn! I didn't see that coming."

Tony paced the office. "Give me an hour with that asshole, and I'll have a confession for you."

Fornell ignored him. "I know who he's talking in regards to FLETC. A 24 year old woman named Joanna Gorman disappeared before graduation. One of my people came to me a week ago with a schedule that showed that George Duggar's team including Lobanoff gave a presentation at FLETC a week before she disappeared. I got agents in the field right now trying to ascertain whether or not there was a meet and greet afterwards."

McGee looked at Fornell. "I remember presentations where we went out to eat with the agents afterwards."

"So you gather evidence and we chock that one up as Lobanoff's. We give him no deal."

"The body," McGee sighed. "Lobanoff can give us the location of the remains. It would be closure for the family."

"The answer is no! We don't give in to him." Tony's anger filled the room.

McGee glared at him. "I don't care. There is a long list of things I don't care about right now, and this is at the top. I don't care if he dies in prison or at Ritz-Carlton. If we can give closure to people, let's do it."

Fornell frowned. "McGee."

Tim shook his head. "I'm serious. I don't factor into this. Do what you want. I don't even want to know what the outcome is. Just do the right thing and leave me out of it."

Tony put a hand on his shoulder, but McGee shrugged him off. "I mean it. Leave me alone."

McGee was out the door and moving toward the elevator before either man could say another word.

Fornell turned to DiNozzo. "You think he really meant that?"

Tony shrugged. "He's exhausted. I can see it in his face. Plus, he's got some trouble with the boss."

"I know all about his trouble. You get on the phone with Gibbs and tell him to get his raggedy ass back here. McGee needs him."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "If you only knew what that meant."

"I know more than you think I do, Tony."

….