A/N: Thank You Shelbylou! Couldn't have done this one without you!
"I don't know why you did what you did yesterday, but you'd better be prepared to do it again."
Tony walked back to the squad room more quietly than what came naturally to him. He and Ziva had safely escorted Tim's dad to Security and had even stayed while he walked out. Watching him immediately pull out his cell phone and make a call, had set Tony's hair on end. Something was going on and what it looked like made Tony sick to his stomach. He needed to talk to the boss. Now. But, he couldn't. He had to finish what Gibbs had already assigned him to do. No, he needed to do both. Whipping out his phone, he hit the speed dial number he needed.
"Boss, we've got a problem. Senior McGee couldn't wait to make a phone call as soon he cleared the building. Right. On it." Tony snapped his phone shut and continued on his way, still not saying a word; his brain still caught up in trying to process all this craziness that was Probie's world at the moment; Probie's world inter-twined with that of the team now. It was a never before seen look into what Tim dealt with privately and it floored the Senior Field Agent speechless.
Ziva left Tony to his thoughts. It was obvious the man was upset about the events of the day, especially on behalf of his teammate. It wasn't a case of Ziva not being upset herself; but rather, that the need she felt to take a mental step back and observe to regain a sense of objectivity. With all that had happened in the last 48 hours and everyone's heart being nearly shredded by what Tim had gone through and why; it was easy to lose that objectivity and cases were lost easily when that happened. It was bad enough that Pike was already a free man. They didn't need to mess this up any worse. Ziva knew that Tony had seen the Commander make that phone call the minute he'd stepped outside. She also knew that none of them believed in coincidence. This did not bode well for Tim. She hoped he could handle it without losing everything he'd built up within himself; his self-esteem; his pride in who he was, his appearance, his accomplishments and his inherent belief that people were good until they proved they were bad. All of it helped make Tim McGee who he was and Ziva was gonna watch and make sure no one took any of that away from him; well, as much as he'd let her, anyway. As they reached the squad room, Ziva was surprised to find Tony continue on towards the direction he'd come from when they'd met up to go to the Director's Office earlier.
Tim came back from talking to the Agency Shrink to find an empty squad room. Having no sign of his team or his father, he chose to take the time to sit and think. The talk with the shrink had helped, although Tim had revealed nothing. There was no way in hell he wanted any of what had or what had not happened when Pike had knocked him out and taken him, to go in any permanent record associated with him. That wasn't happening. The road to get where he was on this job had been hard enough; the last thing he needed to do was shoot himself in the foot over this. It was bad enough he might have already done that with the incident with Abby being unreachable to the point that he'd started to panic. Seeing the fury on the boss' face when he'd finally told him what he'd been keeping silent about, wasn't something he was looking forward to getting the fall out for.
But he'd meant what he'd told his sister. Sarah. Yeah, that was another issue. No, Not gonna go there, Tim. Stop it! Get your head back in the game. Get back to work as if Gibbs was sitting here!
Giving himself a small headshake, Tim did just that, signing back in to his workstation and diving back into the cold case on his desk. The arrival of the elevator distracted him though and he couldn't help but watch as Ziva came back to her desk, while Tony continued on up the stairs toward the director's office, neither of them speaking. As Ziva sat down behind her desk and began to get busy with her own work, Tim vaulted to his feet, strode over to her desk and asked her quietly.
"Ziva?"
"McGee?" she asked him without stopping what she was doing.
"Is everything okay?"
That snapped her attention; she looked at him in amazement. "After everything you have just been through and with all that is still going on, you are asking me if I am alright?" she asked in amazement.
"Yeah."
"McGee, Thank you. But, I am fine."
"That's good. Really, But, I meant with you and Tony. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, McGee. We are fine. We are both very angry at what Pike did to you and also at your father for the way he treated you while he was here. Tell me, does he treat that way often?"
"Thank you, Ziva, but I really wish everyone would just let it go." Tim replied quietly as he turned and walked back to his desk and sat back down. Turning his attention back to his computer, he failed to hear or see her approach as she walked up behind him a short two minutes later to speak to him quietly.
"McGee."
Startled into a serious fright, Tim leaped up from his chair, nearly toppling his desk in the process. "What? Oh, God, Ziva, I'm sorry!"
Seeing the shocked look on her face as she stepped back away from him, he felt a wave of humiliation wash over him. Unable to think of anything to say or do that would fix what he'd just done, he bolted from the squad room, slipping into the men's room and locking himself in the stall futherest away from the bathroom door.
Rather than chase the harried young man down, Ziva returned to her desk, chagrined at what had just happened when she'd only intended on trying to reach out to Tim. In her haste to reach out to him, she'd broken one of her own rules. Never sneak up on anyone who has ever been taken against their will and held captive, as Tim had just been.
While she knew it seemed like a strange rule to live by; in Ziva's experience, she'd met enough such victims to have found this rule to be not only necessary, but prudent. Giving herself a small headshake, she turned her thoughts on what she might to do fix this mess. Feeling empty of possible answers, she forced herself to put her attention back on her work.
Gibbs frowned at the normally humorous moment, seeing the genuine fear that coursed through his agent as the young man jumped up when Ziva spoke to him at his ear. Enroute back to his desk, the Team Leader had stopped at his agent's yell of surprise mixed with fright. Witnessing Tim's ferverent attempt now to apologise to Ziva for something he couldn't have helped, didn't sit well with the boss, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do to combat Tim's ingrained manners. Watching the young man's flight from the squad room to the head, Gibbs let him go and turned his attention to his one remaining agent. Seeing her startled and beginning to look as though she was blaming herself for what had just happened, Gibbs was beginning to feel slightly out of his league with all this emotional overload going on at one time. The brief conversation from Tony a short time ago wasn't shedding any light on this either.
"Boss, we've got a problem. Senior McGee couldn't wait to make a phone call as soon he cleared the building.
"Damn it. Okay. I'll deal with it.
Right.
Go get those answers from Sarah."
"On it."
Having hung up from talking to Tony, Gibbs had immediately set Abby on tracing where Senior McGee had called and taken himself back here while he waited for the results.
"Jethro?" Ducky's unexpected, yet so much appreciated voice was heard questioning something yet to be explained as the elder man walked around the corner from the back elevator. "What's happened? I received a call that my presence was needed up here for your team. Has something else happened?"
"Not sure, Duck." Gibbs answered his friend calmly without taking his eyes off his agent.
Seeing where the Team Leader's attention was focused, Ducky was soon well aware that something had indeed happened. Hearing that Jethro was not aware of what that something was, did little to help the situation and so the M.E. did what came naturally; he took the bull by the horns and asked the pertinent questions.
"Ziva, it is plain to see that something has upset you, my dear. Come, tell us what has happened."
Rising up from her chair, she walked over to the two men so their conversation would not travel any further than necessary. "I did not mean to do it. I was merely attempting to talk quietly with him. I completely forgot…" Ziva stopped talking when she realized she was running her words together in her agitation.
"Ziva." Gibbs interrupted just forcefully enough to get her attention.
"Gibbs?" she looked at him quizzically.
"Just tell us what happened." The boss encouraged calmly.
"Nothing happened, Boss. Everything's fine. Ziva, I'm really sorry I yelled at you like that." Tim answered as he slipped past them and returned to his desk as stealthily as he'd arrived in the squad room.
Three sets of wide eyes and slack jaws stared at the young man who now steadfastly refused to look at them. It only took a couple of seconds before they all realized he was completely serious about not discussing anything and left him alone, all of them going back to work.
Tony dreaded going back to this task. He hadn't minded the assignment when Gibbs had given it to him earlier:
Tony, go talk to Sarah. Get her to talk: need to know about her relationship with her brother, with her father, and Pike. Need to know what the hell McGee Senior's problem is with his son, find out what she knows about that. Get her to tell you where their mother is."
"On it, Boss."
He hadn't gotten very far with that conversation before he'd been pulled to escort the Commander out of the building. But, it was what he'd seen; not what he'd heard, that had pulled at his heartstrings.
**Flashback**
Tony stood in the doorway of the conference room, silently so he could observe Sarah McGee without interfering with what she was doing or thinking. Sarah, for her part, stood at the window, leaning against it, letting it hold her up as her slumped shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. Almost instantly, the younger woman's words from the day before came back to haunt him now.
Oh, C'mon, Abby! Don't stand there and act like you've never been cruel to my brother! You've hurt him more times than I can count! Don't you dare pass judgment on me! You either, Tony! Don't think I don't know how crappy you treat Tim! All the mean things you've done to him; I mean, c'mon! You pretended to be woman online to lure my brother; purely out of your need to ridicule him; no matter how private or painful that part of his life has been for him, for cryin' out loud! Every single one of you has treated Tim like crap at least once so all of you, just stop judging me!"
She had been right. They all knew it. But, none of them had had time to address her valid points. Right now, it seemed, was Tony's chance to do just that. He needed to talk to her about what she'd said. She needed to see that the team really did love her brother and that what they did wasn't ever meant to hurt him. Hearing Sarah talk about Tim's pain at what Tony had done as a practical joke, twisted the knife he hadn't even realized had pierced his heart.
Seeing her like this, broken down in tears at everything that was going on around her, broke a piece of his heart off. She'd always garnered his attention; back when he'd first seen her photo on Tim's phone and even when he'd met her in person when she'd been framed for murder. Now, he found she was just as much of a spitfire; one, at this moment, who'd been trampled on and nearly destroyed by the looks of things. Hurting for her, Tony stepped up next to her and offered her a tissue that he'd pulled out of the box on the table for her.
"Thanks." She offered softly while she wiped at her tears and cleared her throat.
"You okay?"
"No. But that's not why you're in here. What do you want from me now?" she asked as she took a seat at the table.
"If you're up to it…we need some questions answered." Tony replied while taking his own chance to sit at the table, choosing a chair next to her so they didn't have to raise their voices.
"Okay."
"Personal Questions." He warned quietly. For some reason, he was no longer angry at her. Somehow, he couldn't believe she really had anything to do with what Pike had done to her brother.
"I figured.
"You were pretty upset just now. Wanna tell me about it?" Tony asked unexpectedly.
Sarah's shoulders slouched and her eyes found the table. "Heard some things I wasn't supposed to." The return of her tears as they slipped down her face shocked him.
**End Flashback**
Walking back into the room now, Tony wasn't surprised to find Sarah standing back at the window, crying once more.
"Hey, C'mon, tell me what you heard that has you so upset. But, first tell me how it was you overheard anything." Tony soothed carefully
"I followed Agent Gibbs when he went down to talk to Tim." Sarah answered through her sniffles as she put her emotions back under wraps once more.
"You followed him back to the squad room?"
"Far enough that I could hear what was said without being seen."
"Okay. Care to tell me what you heard?"
Sarah recounted everything she'd heard in the squad room, the emotional toll it had brought, evident in her tear-stained face.
"Wow, I'll bet that was pretty tough to hear." Tony tried to sympathize even as his brain tried to wrap itself around the fireworks he'd apparently missed while going looking for Abby.
"It was." Sarah cried softly. "I never knew Daddy treated Tim like that. They never talk about each other in front of me. How could I not know things were like that between them? Why would Daddy hate Tim so much?"
"Sarah, you had to have known something wasn't right between them." Tony pushed.
"I figured that out when I talked to Daddy yesterday morning." She admitted tearfully. "I wish I'd never called him about it!"
"What'd he say?"
"That Tim was a good for nothing and that he needed to be taken down a peg. He said Tim had no right to run that background check on Ed behind my back."
"Sounds like you're Daddy's Princess." Tony quietly reasoned out without commenting on the content of what she'd just told him.
"Yeah. I always have been. It's never been a secret. But, I don't want it anymore! I never wanted Tim to get hurt, by anyone! I can't believe our own father treats him like that!"
"Sarah, c'mon, you heard what he said when you talked to him on the phone. You did know it." Tony pushed, hating the denial she seemed caught up in. "Just like I knew I was being a jerk to Tim all this time, but I kept it up. He's fun to make fun of; play practical jokes on. But, you were right. It hurt him. We've all hurt him. And we all need to do what we can to make things right with him. One thing about your brother, though, Sarah, is he has a really big heart and he never holds a grudge.
"I know." She sniffed.
"And I was wrong: about what I said to you about him not forgiving you; for making fun of him on that personal level, forever hurting him at all; you were right. But, I've changed since the days when I sunk that low, Sarah. We all have."
"Maybe." She allowed. "Abby sure doesn't act like it though."
"Abby's her own breed, Sarah. Doesn't change the fact that she cares and she cares deeply."
"Humph. Won't convince me of that, but that's not what I'm worried about right now." She admitted, her voice going soft with genuine worry.
"What are you worried about?"
"Tim. I'm worried about him because of the rest of what I heard. Tony, he wanted me to call Ed and tell him to offer Tim to him if he let Abby go! Agent Gibbs was really pissed at him for it. And that was after Daddy demanded that Tim tell him where I was. Agent Gibbs took care of that too."
"Wow. You've had more than an earful of eavesdropping. Got more than you bargained for?"
"That wasn't even the worst of it."
"How much more worse can it get? "
"I followed Agent Gibbs to Director Vance's office."
"Wait, where the hell was the agent supposedly guarding your door?"
"Relieved of duty. I'm not in trouble anymore. Remember?"
"And where was the Director's Assistant?
"I told her I was waiting for Agent Gibbs. She believed me. She told me she needed to slip down to the copier for some stuff that needed taken care of."
So, what'd you hear?"
"It was awful, Tony."
"So first, he hides out all day because he's too much of a wuss to man up to his own arrogance and now he's hiding behind the badge and gun someone lets him play with? Thought you said he was missing, Agent Gibbs? Didn't I tell you he was just messing around? I don't understand why he still has a job; the nit-wit slacker!"
"Yeah. I'll bet that was really hard to hear. Especially if you were being honest when you said you never knew your father treated Tim like that before all of this came down. Any idea why he does?"
"No. Not a clue, but wait. Maybe…. No, he wouldn't because of that…." Her eyes grew wide with shock.
"Sarah, just tell me."
"I can't. Tim doesn't even know. I'm not supposed to know either."
"Okay. But you need to tell Gibbs. "
"What? Why?"
"Because we need to know exactly what we're dealing with and why."
"Oh, God! Okay, I'll tell you Tony, I can't talk to Agent Gibbs." Sarah objected firmly.
"Nope. If this is that personal and your brother doesn't even know about it, it's not my place to hear it. You need to tell Gibbs." Tony reinforced firmly as he pulled his phone out. "Hey, Boss. Need you up here for a sec." Closing his phone, he stood up and walked to the door. Turning back, he looked at Sarah and offered her a peace offering.
"Sarah. I promise, things'll be different for you brother from now on; maybe you should make yourself that same promise. He deserves that much, doesn't he?"
Not waiting for an answer, he stepped out of the room to wait for the boss.
"Problem, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growled when he appeared a few moments later.
"She says she thinks she knows the reason their old man treats Tim like crap. But, Boss. I gotta warn you, she followed you outta here earlier and overheard almost everything that went down not only in the squad room but in the Director's Office, too."
"Doesn't explain why I'm here doing what I told you to do, DiNozzo." The boss growled.
"Boss, she said McGee doesn't even know what she knows. Didn't really think it was appropriate that I be the one to hear what she has to say." Tony said pointedly.
Gibbs blinked. "Good work. Go take a break." Going into the room, he shut the door.
Tony took himself back down to his desk, walking into a squad room that felt ripe with undealt with tension. Maybe it was his own conscience screaming to be heard, but the Senior Field Agent wasn't finding it very easy to just slide into his desk chair and get to work. Somehow, he felt something needed to be said.
"Probie."
"Yeah, Tony." Tim offered as he stopped what he was doing and looked at his teammate.
"Just wanna say, I'm sorry, Man."
"For what?" Tim asked with genuine puzzlement.
"All the crap I've pulled on you over the years; especially the really crappy stuff."
Tim blinked owlishly. "Okay. Well, that's great, Tony. I really appreciate it, but can we get back to the way things normally are between us, please?"
"Maybe." Tony answered as he finally took a seat in his chair and turned his attention to his work.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tim asked with a touch of worry as he turned in his seat to look at his suddenly serious teammate. Looking across the room, Tim couldn't help but notice Ziva listening avidly to the exchange between them.
"Nothin', Probie. Just that normal wasn't exactly right and maybe normal is in for some changes." Tony offered with a rare show of sincerity.
"Nothing too drastic, I hope." Tim muttered as he returned to his work.
"What's THAT supposed to mean, Probie?" Tony asked angrily.
"Tony. " Tim breathed out on a sigh of frustration. Getting up from his chair, he walked over to Tony's desk and perched himself on the edge of it by Tony's elbow. "Look. It's not that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do here." He offered quietly. "Really, I do. But, This… It…What happened….I can't be the reason you make changes in how you act or how things are handled around here." Tim looked down at the floor, almost ashamed of taking this hard line about this. He'd waited so long for Tony to get it and now that the Senior Field Agent had gotten it, Tim was fighting against the unnatural feel of it all. Still, he had to make sure this was real and not just because Tony felt guilty. Tim wasn't trying to be a hard-ass or mean-spirited, just honest; heart-wrenchingly honest.
"If you wanna make those changes, great; but, please do them because you want to for you; not to make anyone else feel better."
"Look, McGee. I'm doing this because I want to. I couldn't give a rat's ass about everyone else right now." Tony replied seriously and just as quietly. This semi-private conversation was just too damn important to broadcast or trample on.
Tim looked at Tony and frowned at the hurt look on his friend's face. He'd put that there and at that moment, he saw the genuine apology lurking deep in the senior agent's eyes. He nodded and gazed back down at the floor with a heavy heart.
"I'm sorry, Tony."
Tony shrugged. "It's okay. To be honest, I didn't expect you to accept my apology to begin with. I know I've been a pain in the ass on my good days. But, I need to grow up a bit anyway. I'm not gettin' any younger and can't carry on like some co-ed on spring break. And you're not the team scape-goat and I can't keep treating you like you are."
"No. You can't, Tony, there are some things that don't need changing. And some stuff just needs a little adjustment." Tim replied quietly, bringing a frown to Tony's face.
"What are you talking about? In what way?"
Tim offered a small smile. "I'm talking about you being yourself, Tony. In the way that when we have a case that can really knock us on our backsides, you manage to give us that little bit of light relief. Sure, sometimes you take it too far, but the majority of the time it makes us realize that there is more to the death and destruction we deal with everyday. How about a compromise? Just tone it down a little, listen to us when we say enough's enough and stay out of our personal lives unless we let you in, fair enough?."
"Sure thing, Probie. Hey, how about a brotherly hug to seal the deal?" Tony grinned and held out his arms.
Tim couldn't help but laugh at the goofball antics and shook his head as he stood up and walked back to his own desk. "Don't push it, DiNozzo!"
No sooner had Tim returned to his seat than Tony's cell phone rang.
"Agent DiNozzo." Tony answered.
"Get back up here."
"On it, Boss." Tony snapped his phone shut and stuffed it back in his pocket. "Thanks again, Probie." He offered as he sprinted out of the squad room and hit the stair running.
Around the corner and halfway to the conference room door, he collided with the boss.
"What's up?"
"No idea, DiNozzo. She asked to talk to you again. She's free to go when you're done talking about whatever it is."
"She answer all your questions?" Tony asked in surprise.
"Nope. Guess you've still got work to do." Gibbs smirked as he left Tony standing there.
Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it back out, Tony squared his shoulders, tucked his heartwarming conversation with Tim away for safekeeping and opened the door.