The entire team walked into Autopsy that morning, Gibbs in the lead with Bishop holding both Tony and Tim's hands. Gibbs paused in the door, which was a first, but the body was still tucked away in a drawer. Satisfied that his kids weren't going to see the body cut open, he lead them inside.

"Duck?"

"Ah, Jethro, come in. As I suspected, there was no water in the boy's lungs."

"So he did hit his head on that rock and fall into the water?" Ellie had been the one to photograph the rock, but she sounded a long way from convinced.

"Blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of death, my dear, but it wasn't from that rock." Ducky stepped over to the x-rays mounted on the wall and flipped on the light.

The tiny skull showed damage, but when Ducky next held up a photo of the rock in question, they could see the problem. The damage to the skull was broad, as if he'd been hit by something large and flat, but the bloody rock had been sharp and pointed. "However, this is where it gets interesting."

Ducky moved over to the bank of drawers. They all saw him pause and take a deep breath before opening one of the drawers and sliding the body tray out. The sheet covered form was so small that even Gibbs felt his breath catch in his chest. Ducky folded the sheet back far enough to expose the head.

Someone had taken a great deal of time returning the body to near pristine condition, the stitches barely visible along the hair line If it wasn't for the gray tone of the body and the lack of bandages one could almost believe that little Zachariah Rask had survived his injuries. Ducky carefully rolled the body to show the injury site on the back of his partially shaved head. "Do you see that, Jethro?"

The bruise that matched up with the fatal injury was at least the size of his hand, but right in the center was a smaller spot where the skin had been broken. Gibbs looked closer at the picture of the rock. "There's no way that bruise is from that rock."

"No, it's not and there's not enough blood for the second injury to happen while the boy was still alive. In fact, substantial time passed between the two events. Little Zach died from a sub-dermal hematoma that took hours to become fatal."

"What other signs of abuse did you find, Ducky?"

The question had come from McGee, who had a strange look on his face, but Ducky had an immediate answer.

"I found minor inflammation in his shoulders and elbows. Also signs of minor whiplash in his neck. He was also underweight for his age and height. Not dangerously so, but enough that a doctor should have noticed. I also found one bruise that happened shortly before his death. Close enough to the time of death that we had to use an infrared camera to show it completely."

Ducky first moved the sheet to show the bruise on the boy's upper arm. It was noticeable, but the edges were undefined. On the picture, the shape of a hand could be seen. The measurements along the side showed that it had been blown up to real size and Tony reached out and laid his hand over the bruise. It was a lot bigger than the hand that actually left the bruise. "Damn it."

-NCIS-

"What ya' got, Abs?"

It was a familiar question, but this time she didn't think she had enough. "Not much, Gibbs. Everything from the house was scrubbed. I mean really scrubbed. Maybe the mom is a real clean freak, but it didn't leave me much." She was sitting down and rolled her chair over to pick up some print-outs and handed the first one to Gibbs. "There wasn't much in his stomach, but when I analyzed it, it was dirt and sheet rock and some other stuff I haven't identified yet."

"No food at all?"

"Not in his stomach, no. Ducky is getting me some samples from further down his intestinal tract. I'll start testing as soon as I get it."

"So, that's all you've got?"

The second sheet was handed over. "The blood on the rock was really acidic. That shows that he was already dead when that happened. Of course you probably already know that because there wasn't very much blood there and head wounds bleed a lot, but – you know – it's confirmation."

They had enough for suspicion but not enough proof yet. Not enough to satisfy the SecNav and the hordes of reporters that were already gathering. Gibbs looked at his team. "Get me more evidence."

-NCIS-

He gave them an hour, which meant that he started to ask questions after fifty-five minutes. "What have we got so far?"

Tony started first. "Nothing stands out about the neighbors. No fights, no drunken parties. Nobody within six blocks of the Rask house has ever had any kind of a run-in with the base MP's. Mrs. Rask has a mother living in Montana and an uncle in Vermont, neither of which she's particularly close to. Looks like she talks to her mother on holidays and the last contact with her uncle was at the wedding. None of the known babysitters on base have ever sat for them, Zach wasn't part of any of the playgroups on base and he didn't attend either of the pre-schools on base."

"They were isolated."

"Looks that way. None of the neighbors remember ever seeing Zach at the playground even."

It was very early in the year, not quite spring, but still... "How long have they been on base?"

Tony glanced at his notes. "Three months. I've got a call in to the Family Resource Office at their last posting to check there."

"Stay on that, DiNozzo. Bishop, parents?"

Bishop didn't look happy at what little she'd found. "Dad's service record is exemplary. He's done almost solid, back to back tours in Iraq and Afghanistan since he got married. He's been awarded two purple hearts and a list of medals as long as my arm. Stepmom has never been in trouble before. Grew up in Montana. Like Tony said, her mother is still there. Her father's been out of the picture for years."

"Why?"

"I... I don't know."

"Find out. What do you have on the biological mother?"

"Died six weeks ago of a drug overdose." Ellie bit her lip before telling the rest. "Gibbs, the Sergeant was notified when it happened. Why would he leave that part out?"

"Damned good question, Bishop."

"I know – find out."

"Yep."

McGee was up next and for the first time since they'd had the call-out, he had a ghost of a smile. "Mrs. Rask forgot to sign out of Google after she downloaded the movies, so last night her computer automatically repopulated her bookmarks."

"Really? Did that tell you what they were doing on that computer?"

"No, their recent history was gone, but it did tell me what sites they were interested in enough to save. Some really off the wall alternative treatments for autism, for developmental delays, things like that."

DiNozzo was staring at him. "How off the wall are we talking about?"

"Bleach enemas, pretty high doses of nicotine, those were the two that really stood out, but she seemed to follow every quack out there. I sent the list to Abby and she's testing everything Ducky got off the body to see if they went past the reading stage. There's one discussion forum that they've got bookmarked three different places so I'm trying to piece together enough fragments to determine their log-in information, see what they've been talking about."

"Good, that's good. Keep on that, McGee. I'm going for coffee." Gibbs left, bypassing his usual coffee cart for the one his kids preferred. They'd all earned a treat.

-NCIS-

Waiting for his suitcase at baggage claim, Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. pulled out his phone. "Gregory, it's Anthony. I just arrived in DC. No, I haven't let my son know I was coming. It's better this way, but don't worry. It may take a bit to get him to come around, but eventually he'll understand what a generous offer you're making. He's a perfect fit to take over the security for our international division."

-NCIS-

"Bishop, where in the hell are the parents?"

"According to the Sergeant's commander, they're picking out a casket and meeting with a funeral director. They'll be here when that's done."

"Really?" Gibbs shook his head. As far as the parents knew, they'd been asked to come down and be given an update on the search for Zach's killer. Most parents considered that to be pretty important, but then most parents would demand to see their child the moment he was found and that had never happened either.

Tony slammed his desk drawer hard enough to make both Bishop and McGee jump and Gibbs decided that was enough. It wasn't quite the end of the work day, but it was close enough. "Tony, go home."

"What? No, Boss, I can handle it."

Gibbs shook his head. "You're too close to this one. Go pick up Eva and spend some time cuddling." He could see the desire to do the job warring with the need to see his little girl, saw the moment Tony gave in to that need.

"You sure, Boss?"

"Yeah, because night time snuggles are mine, tonight. Uncle gets the morning. Go on, Tony, we got this."

-NCIS-

Up until this case Tony hadn't thought juggling family and a case load to be a hardship, hadn't understood how easy it was to lose control on a suspect. He'd thought he knew, but the reality was harsh and painful. It really didn't take the entire team to interrogate the parents and there was no way in hell that Gibbs or Vance would ever allow him into the room with either parent. The out was offered and he felt guilty even as he took it.

There was no doubt in his mind that Tim and Gibbs loved his little girl as much as he did, but he was the only biological parent. His guilt was almost as strong as his gratitude and after he caught the car keys that Tim tossed, he decided the least he could do was to have a decent meal waiting for the both of them. Comfort food, that was the ticket. Soup didn't seem right without Tim there to make bread, so something else was in order. Enchiladas, maybe? They'd found a recipe they'd both wanted to try and tonight seemed like a good night. Get them made and just warm them back up when Tim and Gibbs got home. Now that he had a plan to take care of the rest of his family, Tony felt a lot better about leaving.

His leaving coincided with the arrival of the parents and he watched as they were escorted into different interrogation rooms. Tony debated staying to watch, but reading the report tomorrow about how they managed to kill their little boy was going to be bad enough.

-NCIS-

Bishop had both watched and participated in a fair number of interrogations by now, but she'd never seen Gibbs and McGee like this. They both donned earwigs and hidden mics so they could track what was going on in the other room, effectively tag-teaming the couple in secret. Ellie would be in the middle observation room watching both interviews while techs would be filming and recording each interview.

The parents had balked at being separated, but McGee told the wife how it was necessary to review the events separately, that rules required it, but as soon as they'd gone through the night Zach had vanished, they'd be able to be together. She bought it and Gibbs repeated the same line to Sergeant Rask, almost word for word, adding in that Agent McGee would be able to understand her grief, having become a step-parent recently.

Ellie blinked at that and several of the techs raised an eyebrow, but nothing was said.

-NCIS-

For Christmas, Eva had been given a high chair. She had to be securely strapped in, and the chair in the slightly reclining position, but having her make that jump seemed to be proof that she was finally gaining ground. She'd also mostly mastered eating solids instead of pushing them out of her mouth with her tongue, so a few cheerios were on the tray. Mostly she swept them from one side to the other, but occasionally she managed to get one between her fingers and sometimes it even made it up to her mouth. Tony watched her carefully as he assembled the enchiladas.

Once the enchiladas were ready to go into the oven, Tony covered the pan with foil and stuck them in the refrigerator before sitting down in front of Eva with a jar of baby food. The tray was empty, so he gave her a few more cheerios, mostly to distract her as he got the peas down her.

Tony watched his little girl as she struggled to eat. Probably every fourth bite ended up getting pushed back out of her mouth, but it was a vast improvement and he quickly caught it with her spoon and popped it back into her mouth to try again. She'd made gains, there was no doubt, but Tony also knew that she was way behind her peers that were crawling well and pulling themselves up and trying to walk. He didn't care, not really, but now he understood Ducky's questions when they'd first arrived home from Israel.

"Daddy loves you, Sweetheart, just the way you are, and you're going to have a safe childhood. You're never going to live in fear of someone you're supposed to feel safe with." He remembered the parade of step-mothers that had marched through his life. The sounds of yelling echoed through his head. The drinking, the dishes being thrown. He remembered being slapped a few times and he remembered a few sudden moves to get away from one of his father's failing marriages. "Nope, Eva, you're never going to live like that."

A knock on the door interrupted his musings and he tossed a few more cheerios on the tray for Eva as he went to answer the door. Hopefully, it was Mrs. Olson, who had a knack for bringing over treats at just the right moment. Smiling at the thought, he swung open the door.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

-NCIS-

You're lying to me, Sergeant.

Rask stared up at Gibbs in shock and Ellie wondered exactly what they were doing. In the other room, McGee was being very gentle with the step-mother, slowly leading her through the days before Zach died.

It must have been very hard, raising Zach.

She was staring at the table, using her fingernail to trace the fake wood grain.

Wasn't exactly what I signed up for, you know? His mother gave him up just a couple of days after our wedding. We didn't even get a freaking honeymoon, had to come back early to take care of him. Then Josh shipped out a few weeks later.

He's been deployed a lot, hasn't he? Left you alone with his kid and all the work.

A tear dropped onto the table. Yeah.

Ellie found the differences between the two men and their styles fascinating and very indicative of their personalities. She could almost imagine the words having an impact on Gibbs and sure enough he slammed his fists down on the table in room one.

Man up, Marine. Face what happened.

He threw the pictures onto the table, showing Rask's lifeless son. Rask flinched, his stoic mask finally showing a crack.

-NCIS-

Tony blinked, but it was still his father standing on the porch. He'd prefer to leave him there, but he couldn't stand there and argue, not with Eva in her high chair. Reluctantly, he led his father in and back to the breakfast nook. "Didn't know you were in town, Dad. Heard you dropped by on New Years, though. Too bad you couldn't stay, actually spend time with your granddaughter."

"Yes, well, I didn't want to disturb McGee." Senior bent down a little to better see Eva in her chair, watching closely as she captured a stray cheerio and managed to get it up to her mouth. "She can feed herself now?"

"It's been almost two months since you spent any time with her, Dad. She's developmentally delayed, not brain dead." Tony just wanted to get this over with and jumped right in. "Now, why are you here?"

Senior straightened up and looked around, waving his arms at the home Tony now shared with Tim. "All of this, it's got to be hard to do on your own."

Tony could feel the skin on the back of his neck tighten up. "I'm not alone. I have Tim and I have Gibbs."

"Yeah? So where are they?"

"Aboard the Yard, closing a child abuse murder case, so I don't have to sit there and listen to that little boy's parents try to justify why they starved and abused and beat their baby to death."

-NCIS-

You complained about your ex dumping the kid on you, but you did the same thing to Dani, didn't you?You buried yourself in the job, volunteered for extra deployments, left her alone to deal with Zach for months at a time.

We needed the extra money, the combat pay, to take care of him.

Bullshit. There's no record of your family ever making an attempt to get services. Were you too embarrassed to ask, to let people know he had problems?

Rask slammed his palms down on the table. Hell, yes, wouldn't you be?

Ellie stared through the glass, biting her lip. Statistically, Sergeant Rask would be the most likely suspect. Large, muscular and at a high risk for PTSD after multiple deployments, it would have been easy to make him the poster child for parents that snapped, but he seemed almost as frightened as he was angered by his son's problems. Confused, she turned her attention to the other room, where McGee was still quietly talking to Dani, drawing her out of her shell.

What did the doctors tell you was wrong with Zach?

She snorted and shook her head, showing the first real emotions they'd seen out of her. Doctors, what do they know? Tests, they'll run more tests. Next week, next month, dragging it out. They weren't the ones that had to live with him.

How'd he react to noise?

Dani stilled and stared at him. Ellie moved closer to the glass, knowing that he was onto something.

The kitchen faucet drips. Josh and I could barely hear it, but even that would set him off. I couldn't even have any music playing in the house. You'd think that someone who couldn't stand loud noises would be quiet, but he'd scream for hours sometimes.

McGee looked very sympathetic, unless you really knew him, knew what to look for in his eyes. Ellie knew she was probably missing a lot, but she could see the tightness around his eyes, saw how stiffly he was sitting.

What about his eating habits?

Habit, that's a good word for it. Hot dogs, all he would eat was boiled hot dogs. No bun, no condiments. Nothing else, just the smell of those dammed hot dogs makes me puke now.

Is that why Leanne gave him up, she couldn't handle it anymore?

Probably. Josh kept promising that he'd convince her to come back and share custody, but it never happened.

Ellie turned to look back into the other room. Gibbs' back was to her, but she could tell he'd straightened up even more than usual now that they'd caught Rask in another lie, this one to his wife.

So, more money was supposed to fix the problem, Sergeant?

Zach needed extra help and that costs money. Not the kind of money I'd be getting staying stateside. Why does any of this matter? You're supposed to be finding who took my boy out and killed him.

Maybe it was your ex-wife? Dumping her kid like that, not very motherly if you ask me.

Yeah, maybe.

Even as he answered, Rask's eyes flickered down and to the left. Ellie was sure Gibbs was about to break him and wanted to watch that moment, but at the same time McGee leaned closer to Mrs. Rask, his voice raising slightly.

He needed everything a certain way, didn't he?

Every door, every cupboard had to be closed all the time. Even the dishwasher, I would have to close it after every single thing I took out of it. Take out a clean glass, close the door, put the glass away, make sure it's exactly lined up with the rest of the glasses, close the cabinet door, open the dishwasher again, take out the next glass, close the dishwasher again, open the cabinet again and on and on. Trying to load the dishwasher was even worse, I'd have to make him stay in his room and even then he'd be watching me and screaming.

You didn't close his door?

Couldn't, had to watch him all the time. Sit at the table and all he'd eat were those damned hot dogs, but turn you back and he'd be shoving anything in his mouth. Anything that wasn't actually edible, that is.

So you used a baby gate to keep him in there. Two of them actually, right? Because he got too tall and figured out how to climb over just the one?

I had to do something.

I have some of Zach's medical records here and what I'm seeing are a lot of missed appointments. Why is that?

That surprised Ellie. If she'd had a child with problems like they claimed Zach had, she'd have made it to every doctor's appointment, no matter what. What didn't surprise her was the fact that the stepmother had no answer. McGee started questioning her again and Ellie could see that he was closing in on the truth.

You were researching about autism. Ever make contact with Autism Speaks? What about Autism Now? There's support groups, therapy, respite care. You didn't reach out to any of that, did you? In fact, you also didn't tell the doctors here that he was born to a drug addicted mother, did you?

Instead of answering, she just curled in on herself.

-NCIS-

Tony really wanted the truth out of his father before McGee got home. "Okay, Dad, what is all this about, really?"

"All right, I've got a business proposition for you. I've gone into partnership with Gregory Van Huston, he's Taylor's father-in-law. I've told him all about you and he's agreed that you would be perfect for handling the security for our international division. You could move to New York, my two granddaughters could grow up together. Just think how wonderful it would be, Junior. You and Eva need to be with family."

The potential problems would give Tony nightmares if he thought about it. "Dad, I can't just up and quit my job and move."

"Well, you can certainly give your two week notice if you insist, but I'm sure Jethro would understand."

"And that would make one of us." Tony wasn't sure if his father was deliberately misunderstanding the point, or was just that oblivious. "This is my home, Dad. This is Eva's home."

"No, this is Agent McGee's home. It's been very nice of him to let you stay here, but people are going to talk, Junior. I hear you're dating again, which is wonderful, but how do you expect to catch a woman when you're shacked up with a guy like him?"

Tony stared at his father, slowly counting to ten in an attempt to control his anger. It only worked a little. "What's wrong with Tim?"

"Well," Senior paused and Tony wanted to wipe that smirk right off his face. "He's always struck me as being a little light in the loafers, if you know what I mean."

There weren't enough numbers available to curb his anger now. Between his asinine offer, the accusations about McGee's sexuality and Senior virtually ignoring Eva, he'd had more than enough. "I'm not having this conversation with you. Tim is straight, I'm straight and this conversation is over. No, Dad, I'm not quitting my job as a federal agent to move to New York and becoming an over-glorified security guard in your latest scheme. I'm not giving up everything I have here. End of discussion. Now it's almost time for Eva's bath, so I think you should leave."

-NCIS-

Bishop felt like she was watching a very intense tennis match, trying to keep track of what was going on in each interrogation room. Gibbs had been listening in on what McGee had just said and he was mad. You don't seem to know what goes on in your own household very much, do you, Sergeant? Or maybe it's just that you don't give a damn.

I told you, I was deployed most of the time.

Deployed when your first wife got hooked on drugs while she was pregnant?

The look on Rask's face told Ellie just how effective this method was. In the other room, McGee was still pressing for details.

You never got an official diagnosis, never tried to get Zach the resources he needed because your husband needed to save face, isn't that right? Couldn't have people finding out that he'd ignored his first wife's drug habit.

It wasn't like that. We didn't want Zach growing up with the stigma of having those kinds of labels.

But at least he would still be growing up, wouldn't he? What did he do that day to piss you off? What time did he wake up?

Sunrise, same as always. The tiniest bit of light or noise and he'd be up, screaming.

Neighbors never complained about the noise?

Everybody leaves about the same time as Josh. Nobody around to hear, nobody around to help.

You fixed him breakfast?

Boiled hot dog, of course. By the time I was finished puking, I could hear him in the other bathroom and I didn't get there in time.

He had an accident?

Accident? It's never an accident. He won't use the damn toilet unless I strap him down on it. Just craps on the floor and smears it all over the walls.

In the other room, Gibbs was staring at Rask, giving him what they all called the 'Gibbs glare', but Ellie knew that he was listening to every word Dani Rask was saying as she continued to confess.

He was just sitting there, on the floor, surrounded by all that mess, thumping his head against the wall and rubbing his hands through the poop. I just meant to shake him, to thump his head against the wall a little harder to make him stop. That's all I meant to do. Then I washed him and changed his pajamas and put him back in his room with the gates up so I could scrub the bathroom again. He fell asleep and it was so quiet. It's never that quiet and it was so nice. I let him sleep for a long time and then he didn't wake up.

Now McGee was the one that was staring at his suspect and Gibbs stood to loom over his. You turned a blind eye. Worse, you knew she was in over her head, Rask.

Rask just shrugged without saying anything.

You knew. You knew from the moment you reported him missing. You knew he was dead and that your wife killed him. You knew, you helped her cover it up and you staged the crime scene.

Yes. Rask's voice finally broke. Yes, I did.

Why? For God's sake, why cover for her?

She's pregnant.

A thump sounded in the other room as McGee stood up so fast that his chair fell over. The two men were almost mirror images as they stood over their suspects, but this time it was McGee's voice that was hot and hard.

You're going to jail for the murder of a child. The child you promised to love and raise like he was your own. You really think you're going to get to keep this baby? Lady, you're going to prison.

McGee stormed out, but Ellie heard the door slam in stereo. When she turned, Gibbs had also walked out on his suspect.

-NCIS-

Child abusers were something Gibbs always considered the worst, but finding someone – a father – who just ignored it to save himself the embarrassment, that was probably even lower. Gibbs was already fighting the urge to walk out of there when he heard a door slam over the earwig and that was enough for him. Stepping out into the hallway, he spotted McGee pacing back and forth.

It was time for the lawyers and the prosecutors to take over so Gibbs was more than happy to send the younger man home for what was left of the evening. "We've got them. Go home, Tim."

"I can't, not like this." Tim continued to pace, in what looked like a futile attempt to calm down. "We promised ourselves that we'd never bring the job home to Eva."

Gibbs was furious, too, but he'd had years of practice to force it down, which allowed him to concentrate on McGee. Catching him as he passed by, he grabbed his shoulders to stop the pacing. He was proud of how Tim was protecting Eva and let it show on his face. "Okay, grab your gear. We'll go for a run and if you still need it, we'll hit the gym for a session with the heavy bags, okay?"

Tim looked impossibly young as he looked at Gibbs. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

It was dark and after several miles and a near miss with a car, Gibbs turned them back toward the Yard's gym.

-NCIS-

It had been hours, so Tony made a call as he cleaned up from his own dinner. "Hey, Bishop, what's going on with the case?"

Gibbs broke the husband and McGee broke the wife. She killed the boy and they both tried to cover it up.

Bishop sounded horrible and Tony was reminded once again that this was her first child murder case. "So, they're on their way home?"

No, actually they're at the gym.

"Boss needed to beat on something?"

No, it was McGee. This really upset him. They ran for about an hour and now they're at the gym.

The guilt over being allowed to leave early was creeping back in. "The Boss is with him, though, right?"

Yeah. I almost offered to go with them, but I kinda got the feeling that I'd be imposing.

"You're going home soon, aren't you?"

Jake is picking me up in a few minutes and we're going out to get something to eat.

"Good, I'll see you in the morning, Bishop." Tony ended the call and dished up two plates of enchiladas, covered them and put them in the refrigerator. They'd be quicker to reheat that way.

-NCIS-

When in the hell did he get this strong? Gibbs was having quite a workout just holding the bag for McGee. It was more than just the case, he knew that, but he wasn't sure exactly what. Eva's arrival into their lives certainly made them more aware, but this seemed more than that. When the punches started slowing, it was time to prod, just a bit.

"Hey, talk to me."

Tim gave one last punch before leaning on the bag. "Why do people think a child isn't worth their effort if he's not their version of perfect?"

Gibbs didn't have an answer for that, there really wasn't an answer, so he kept quiet for a moment before he finally spoke. "You see Eva in this?" Honestly, he suspected that Tim also saw himself and his own relationship with his father, but he didn't have a clue how to bring that one up.

"Yeah, don't you? Ziva couldn't handle having a not-perfect baby. She never even went to the hospital nursery to see her."

He remembered all that and Gibbs also remembered the instant reactions. A lot of time had passed and sometimes he wondered... "Have you and Tony ever talked about trying to find her?"

"We talked about it a few times after we brought Eva home, but... she walked away, Gibbs. She walked away from her own daughter that needed her and she walked away from Tony when he loved her. Ziva doesn't deserve either of them now."

Gibbs had to agree with that. "You got it out of your system?" When Tim nodded, Gibbs let go of the bag. "Let's hit the shower and I'll take you home."

Tim looked a little wobbly, so Gibbs stayed close as they walked to the locker room and kept an ear out while they showered and changed clothes. It wasn't until they were in the car and heading home that Gibbs felt comfortable asking the question that was niggling at the back of his mind. "Eva's not the only one you saw in that little boy."

"No, but at least I made it out alive."

Gibbs didn't have an answer for that.

When they pulled into the driveway, the house was mostly dark, which wasn't a surprise considering how late it was. Gibbs climbed out of the car and followed McGee up to the front door. The porch light was on and when they went in, the kitchen lights were left of for them. Gibbs found the two plates in the refrigerator and started reheating them.

When the microwave beeped, McGee was nowhere to be found. Taking an educated guess, Gibbs crept up the stairs. Tony was asleep in the chair, Eva sleeping on his chest. Tim watched for a few more moments with a fond expression on his face before draping a blanket over the two of them and kissing the top of Eva's head.

Back downstairs, Gibbs handed Tim a plate of food and steered him to the breakfast nook. "You ever going to tell him?

"There's nothing to tell."

"Tim..."

"Tony's straight, end of story. I learned a long time ago to be happy with what I have. Eventually, Tony will meet the woman of his dreams and he'll move on. I'll learn to just be Eva's Uncle Tim and Tony's friend again and settle for an occasional visit."

Ending the conversation, Tim began to eat. Gibbs followed suit, but he found he had no appetite. He wanted to tell Tim that Tony already had what he wanted and that someday he'd realize it. Unfortunately, Gibbs' belief in fairy tales and happily ever after ending years ago in a mangled minivan. Having eaten all he could manage, he stood up and took his plate back into the kitchen. Coming back out, he walked over to McGee and bent down to touch the top of his head as he said the only words he could. "I'm sorry."

-NCIS-

He'd had to call one of the executive assistants back in New York, but Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. finally had the phone number he needed. Luckily, it wasn't too late on the West Coast.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Admiral McGee, please." It just took a moment to be connected. "We have a mutual problem, Admiral McGee, and I believe we can help each other."

I'm listening.