Warnings: Spoilers for "House Rules"
A/N: Inside look into Tim's thoughts at this time. I like the last sequence of flashbacks when Tim said there would be someone to save them, this was slightly inspired by that. I might have one more to give out of this episode since there was a request for some fluff. For now, here is this short, sad, little tag. Enjoy!
"Someone to Save You"
Tony had dragged out his best suit and it was lightly dusted with fresh, fallen snow. It was the same one he'd worn to Jackie Vance and Jackson Gibbs' funerals. Tim recognized it, how the black fabric tailored to Tony's build, made him look like James Bond.
When he emerged from the back room, saying goodbye to his father, Tony had been the first one that he saw. And not because of the sharp suit or the fact Leah managed to make even a black pant suit look good... but because they were there. He had made the decision to let Tony and Leah have their first Christmas together in peace, enjoy her family up in Vermont. They didn't need to be burdened with Tim's grief.
Delilah had argued, mildly, that Tony would be upset when he found out Tim had not called him. But, like in his letter to his dad, he quoted a rule to her: rule 18. It was better to seek forgiveness... and truthfully, Tim still hated the idea of crying in front of his partner.
He wasn't surprised that Tony had shown up. Abby had a bit of a guilty look on her face whenever she made eye contact with Tim. It also wouldn't surprise him that she had called Tony and let him know about the Admiral's passing. But now that his friend was here, Tim realized how much he needed Tony's support, maybe even more than Gibbs at times. It had been hard for Gibbs, just having lost his father, to come up with the right words to console Tim. His grief was still fresh.
As if Tony knew he needed a few words of comfort as he sat down in the pew in front of him, a hand reached out and grasped his shoulder. Tears pressed tightly to the backs of his eyes as Tony's strong fingers gave his shoulder a gentle, yet quick, comforting squeeze.
Tim suddenly didn't care if Tony or anyone else saw him crying. He had loved his father and his grief was raw, this was harder than saying goodbye to Kate. This dug deeper and hurt more. How was he going to deal with this going forward? He wasn't like Ziva or even Gibbs. He wasn't good at bottling those emotions up and going through life like it was okay.
He felt Tony's hand again, strong, steady on his shaking shoulder. "I've got your back, Tim," the senior field agent whispered. "It's going to be fine, eventually. But until then you can count on me to have your six."
Somehow he nodded. Tim wiped his tears and took one shuddering breath before he got up to read his letter to the mourners. No matter how many rules we break... there's always someone there to save you.