Hey guys, this one's shorter, just to round up the Grace period events. I think I need to do a light hearted one after this- or maybe after the next one.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and all of them before that, it is greatly appreciated, and I'm glad you're enjoying this.

Just as a reminder it will go AU eventually, otherwise I'll be tempted to continue forever and I have other things I want to work on. I'm thinking maybe in Caged with Tim getting hurt in the prison riot, but not sure yet. Please feel free to tell me about any Tim/Tony interactions you'd like to see expanded on! I have a tentative plan but I skip quite a few episodes so I might look to add to it.

Tim looked at his reflection in the mirror, tugging on his tie and jacket, trying to straighten them out. His badge was on display, black mourning band prominent across the gold shield.

He froze as he heard the door open, eyes darting to where his gun rested on the side and he reached for it...

"McGee! You ready to go?"

He relaxed from his tense stance, breathing a sigh of relief, even as he rolled his eyes. He walked out of his bedroom to find Tony stood in his apartment, dressed in a black suit similar to his own.

"You know I gave you that key for emergencies right?"

He asked, walking over and picking up his keys and wallet. He turned round in time to see Tony shrug, unrepentant grin on his face,

"It saved you having to answer the door didn't it?"

Tim just shook his head,

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd ride with you." All traces of humour were gone from Tony's face as Tim peered at him, "I know I didn't know him... but from what you've said he was a great guy and..."

Tony trailed off and Tim felt a small amount of warmth in him as he heard what Tony left unsaid. He knew Tim needed the support today.

"Thank you."

Tony shrugged,

"Partners, remember?"

"Like you'd ever let me forget."

That earned him an actual smile,

"Never McGee... especially when it gets me a ride in a certain car...?"

Tim rolled his eyes,

"Sure Tony, you can ride with me."

Two days earlier:

Tony looked up as McGee walked into the bullpen, his badge is on his belt, a black strip running across the gold standing out sharply. He silently places a cup of coffee on the edge of his desk as he walks past. Tony acknowledges it with a nod, not bothering to tell Tim he didn't need to do anything to thank him.

He'd slept over at Tim's on the night he'd picked him up from his run. They'd hung out for a few hours the next day, swapping stories of Paula and Jim, and eventually beginning to smile and even laugh at the tales the other had to tell.

It had been good for both of them.

Tim had just sat down when his phone started to ring,

"McGee?"

Tony tried to watch unobtrusively as he saw McGee freeze for a moment.

"Hey... How are- sorry, do you need anything?"

He had a pretty good idea of who was on the other end of the line, which was only confirmed as the conversation continued,

"... I'll definitely be there, thanks for letting me know..."

"...I'm not sure if I can..."

"...No. No, it's what he wanted. I'll do it."

"...Do you want me to come over?... It's anything but a problem. I'll see you then."

He watched as Tim stared at the phone for a minute, before putting it away. They were the only two in the bullpen so far, so there was no one else to see. Standing up he walked over to Tim's desk, grabbing his arm and pulling him up,

"Come on McGee... let's go talk."

Taking a leaf out of Gibbs' book he walked into the elevator, flipping the switch after a few seconds to give them privacy. He turned to look at Tim who still looked vaguely dazed.

"So..." McGee's eyes snapped to his, "I'm guessing that was Jim's wife on the phone?"

Tim hesitated, but Tony saw the answer in his eyes even before he nodded,

"Yeah... she uhh... she wanted to let me know... they're having the funeral in a couple of days."

Tony nods having guessed as much, but from the looks of it there's something else, as Tim runs his hands through his hair.

"What else?"

Tim looks at him sharply, and he simply stares back,

"It's obvious something else is bothering you McGee."

"She... apparently he wanted me to speak... And I'm not sure if I can do it."

Tony doesn't know what to say. What can you say to that really? But Tim's looking at him as if he wants advice.

"Do you want to do it?"

"Yes! Of course I do... but... God Tony, what would I say?"

"McGee...Tim, you say whatever you want. He was your friend McGee, show everyone why."

They hadn't talked about it after that, but Tony watched as Tim worried over it over the next few hours, and into the following day.

After McGee had left for the night on the evening before the funeral, Tony had wandered over to Gibbs' desk and quietly told him that he would be taking the morning off tomorrow. For personal reasons.

This was how he found himself standing next to Tim, watching the mourners file in. They were stood at the back of the room next to the doors. As he watched Tim looked ready to bolt.

He put his hand on his shoulder and leaned in,

"You can do this McGee."

Tim nodded, but Tony could see in his face he didn't believe it.

"You can McGee. You've told me so much about him... you'll know what to say."

He would have said something else, but just then a woman came through the crowd heading straight for them.

"Tim!"

Tim offered the woman a small smile,

"Chris. Hey." He leaned down and pulled her into his arms. Tony watched as she rested her head on his shoulder and took a couple of deep breaths before pulling back.

"Thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't have missed it. Not this." He told her quietly, and her lips trembled slightly in response.

"Tony, this is Christine Nelson."

Jim's wife. Tony looked at her again, could see how she was barely holding it together, the unshed tears pooling in her eyes.

He held out a hand,

"I'm so sorry we had to meet like this. From what Tim's told me he was a great man."

She shook his hand and offered him a watery smile,

"Thank you. Tim says the same about you."

Tony let her hand drop, offering his partner a small glance, but Tim is entirely focussed on the grieving woman.

"I hope it's okay that I brought..."

She waves him off pulling him into another hug,

"I told you to bring whoever you needed. It's hard for both of us."

They hang on slightly longer this time, and Tony can't help but feel like he's intruding somehow.

But he stays. Because Tim didn't contradict her when she talked about needing him, so there's no way he's leaving now.

They sit next to each other for the service, and Tony feels even more uncomfortable. Tim has been sat in the front row next to Christine and other members of the family, being greeted as if he is one of them. He thought about sliding away discreetly towards the back as people started sitting down, but Jim's wife had stopped him.

She had nudged him in the back as he went to move, causing him to look at her.

"Stay here... he needs you." She'd told him, looking pointedly at Tim, who just at that moment finishes a conversation with someone, and looks around, a slight relief filling his eyes when he sees Tony. After that nothing will make him move, and the slight feeling of intruding is worth it.

Because if Tim needs someone he doesn't have to stay strong for right now, someone who's there for him to lean on rather than the other way around, then he's happy to be that.

Because that's what partners do.

He wipes his suddenly sweaty palms, as he looks up to face everyone. He takes in the faces streaked with tears, the silence... the way everyone's eyes seem to gravitate to the coffin beside him.

He wants to run.

Because how can anything he says up here be good enough? Be enough full stop?

His eyes move to the front row and he sees Tony. Tony who turns up on his doorstep out of the blue just because he knows Tim will need him. Tony believes he can do this.

"He was your friend McGee, show them why."

He takes a deep breath and begins.

"Jim Nelson, was a friend, a husband...someone that everyone could count on, but most importantly, he was a hero..."

Tony watches as Tim finishes his speech. Watches as he chokes on emotion as he recounts everything that made this man so great to him.

"... he was one of the greatest people I have ever known... and it was an honour."

Looking around Tony can see people nodding in agreement with everything Tim has just said, some still with hits of watery smiles from the stories he told.

He feels more like he's intruded than ever before.

But then Tim hurries away from the front, comes to sit down next to him, still tense and looking as though he'll lose it any minute.

Just like he did a few nights ago Tony reaches and places a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tense muscles beneath his hands,

"You did good McGee."

He whispers... and Tim relaxes slightly, like he needed to hear that he'd done Jim justice.

This is why he's here.

He ends up driving Tim home, and is once again glad he came.

Tim had looked exhausted and tense, as if he'd been holding himself together for everyone else and, apart from the speech earlier, hadn't really had the chance to give into his own grief.

Which Tony knows he hasn't, because he watched him.

Watched him walk around next to Chris, squeezing her hand when people's condolences became too much. Pulling her close and letting her cry on his shoulder.

Helping her sister to usher everyone out and tidy up when it really had become too much for her to handle.

As they had walked out of the door Tim had just seemed to... slump. As if he didn't need to hold himself up any more.

"I think you should give me the keys Tim." He suggests gently. Taking in the slight shaking of the hands. Tim digs in his pocket and hands them over without protest.

Tony squeezes his shoulder in support before moving round to the driver's side of the car, waiting patiently behind the wheel until Tim nearly falls into the passenger seat, leaning back and closing his eyes.

He starts the engine and pulls out of the drive.

The 'Thank you' is small, quiet but heartfelt.

"You're welcome."

They don't say anything after that.

A small frown mars Tony's face as he attempts to straighten the tie in the mirror. He wants to look his best, this is Paula's funeral. She deserves that much from him.

He almost growls in frustration as his suit doesn't seem to want to cooperate, and everything just looks wrong.

There's a knock on the door.

He continues trying to put his tie on straight as he makes his way over to answer it, vaguely wondering who would be knocking for him as he's not expecting anyone. Flinging the door open he doesn't know what to say as Tim turns to face him, dressed much as he was two days ago when Tony went to his flat.

Tim raises an eyebrow at him,

"You ready to go DiNozzo?"

Tony just stares some more, a small hint of gratefulness building up as Tim pulls the keys out of his pocket,

"I even brought the car; sorry I made you answer the door though."

Tony steps back to allow him into the apartment, a small smile quirking on his face for a moment.

"Just... give me a second McGee."

He had known that the rest of the team were probably going to Paula's funeral, as they had all known her in some way, but he hadn't expected Tim on his doorstep. Shaking his head he looked in the mirror again, frowning as his tie still didn't seem to fit right.

Suddenly there was a hand taking over from his, jerking the tie into position.

"Better?"

McGee asked, and Tony could see the understanding in his gaze as he looks at Tim's eyes in the mirror. He nods.

"Thanks."

There's a small smile on Tim's face as he replies,

"Partners, remember?"

Tony smiles slightly in response as he quotes back,

"Like you'd ever let me forget."