With every step, his heart had been steadily dropping to his feet as he shuffled his way to the man's front door. It was the first time he'd been here in over two weeks and his nerves were already shot. Here he was steeling himself against what could be the most painful face-off, that with the man who'd held all the pieces lately and who could make or break the way things were now held together.

He reached for the handle cautiously as if he was expecting it to reach out and bite him, breathing a sigh of resignation. This was it; there was no turning back now. Tightening his grip on the handle, he opened the door and stepped inside, locking the door behind him before he made his way to the kitchen. He hoped like hell there was at least one beer waiting for him; because he sure as hell was gonna need as much Dutch courage as possible for this.

***NCIS****

He'd waited almost three weeks for this night and had known all along that it was inevitable. However now that Tony had taken the first step and was upstairs raiding the fridge for a beer in preparation for this, his own nerves were on edge and he found it difficult to think past the only thought that was playing on his mind. It would be better if he let Tony take the lead on this.

He kept sanding the hull of his newest boat and sighed. He had started this one when this mess started as a means of trying to keep his mind focused and his hands busy. Usually, the mundane task of planing or sanding the wood would keep his mind on track, but truth be told, it was doing nothing. Two minutes later, he took a deep breath as the unmistakable sound of Tony's slow footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs to the basement.

"Still workin' on the boat?" Tony's almost nonchalant tone didn't quite hide the underlying accusation that Gibbs was indeed replacing Tony with the newest creation, or the reminder of the argument they'd had about it in this very place two weeks ago.

Setting the hand tool down, Gibbs walked over to his worktable and reached up for a new bottle. Tony watched Gibbs' reaction to his underhanded accusation. He hadn't been able to stop himself from hitting the man over the head with it and felt shame roll through him. With a mental head slap, the young man pulled himself together. He had already been willing and able, with his shrink's help, to admit that he shared equal guilt with Gibbs and taking this abrasive road with Gibbs wouldn't end well for either of them. They sure as hell weren't going to make any headway with fixing things between them going about it this way.

"Didn't mean that the way it sounded." Tony's apology was in his tone as he spoke quietly, standing in place, looking decidedly uncomfortable in his own skin while he waited to hear what the older man had to say.

"Doesn't mean you were wrong." Gibbs looked over at him from where he stood across the space between them, nursing his fresh mug of bourbon. For that split second, their eyes locked in the uncomfortable silence as if both of them were trying to weigh what to say; what they thought the other needed to hear.

"I shouldn't have run the way I did." Tony finally broke the silence, as he looked away, unable to continue looking into those oceans of blue that had carried him away all those weeks ago.

"Yeah, well I shouldn't have chased you off."

"I shouldn't have been blaming you or McGee for any of this."

"You're right about not blaming McGee. Maybe I should have told you sooner." Gibbs countered and perched on the stool he kept down in the basement.

"Huh…" Tony said took a swig of his beer. "I shouldn't have asked for that attention at work."

"I sure as hell shouldn't have given it."

"Heh. Okay." Tony breathed out on a choked laugh and shook his head. "Not how I pictured this conversation happening. Guess I hoped for more… thought this would clear the air or at least get somewhere...ahem…I guess I let myself believe you actually cared… wanted what we had."

Gibbs watched Tony silently, not missing the underlying hurt that lingered in those eyes that were normally shrouded behind a facade. The younger man's mask had slipped and now here Tony was, laid bare in front of him wearing his heart on his sleeve

"Tony…"

"No. No, you're right. This… This works for us." Tony was quick to put out there, his defensive walls rapidly rebuilding themselves, almost tangibly with every word he spoke. "I mean, here we are; two guys who normally don't talk about this stuff; actually admitting …." Tony breathed in and out a few times, as if trying to regroup his thoughts. "Okay, so you volleyed that last shot, so I guess the ball's in my court now, right?"

"Tony, listen to me for a minute, alright?" Gibbs requested with a rare display of compassion.

"NO! No, I need to get this out! Okay? So, please, just….let's finish this so we don't ever have to talk about it again, alright?"

Letting out a huge sigh, Tony wiped his hand across his face and sidestepped away from Gibbs to begin pacing. The older man didn't miss the fact that Tony had rounded the boat and was using it as a shield to stop him from actually touching the younger man.

"Okay, where were we? Oh, right, attention at work. Guess that brings us to the big one then, doesn't it? Okay, here goes. I shouldn't have gotten involved with you to begin with. It was an experience that was bound to end badly and oh look…It has!"

"Tony, no! " Gibbs couldn't stop his outburst, his guilt eating him alive that the younger man was even having to go through this pain. "I shouldn't have crossed that line. I am sorry."

"See, that's the funny thing about you breaking your own rule about apologies here, Gibbs. You may have crossed that line – but I didn't exactly push you away, did I?"

"Doesn't excuse my responsibility, Tony. I'm Team Leader, for cryin' out loud. I never should have…"

"Yeah, okay. That one's yours." Tony agreed before letting out a mirthless laugh. "Listen to us, grabbing at responsibility and guilt as if we were playing a damn game of Go Fish or something! We both played a part!"

Gibbs frowned. In the two weeks DiNozzo had been away, Gibbs had not found a way to fix their relationship and keep the team together or even to accomplish the healing that was so necessary between each of them and Tim. He did feel confident that he and Tim had managed to work things out between the two of them; however, there was still a lot of work to be done.

"Yes, we did, we were both wrong. Our relationship was a mistake, what we did in the office that night was a mistake and most of all, what we did to Tim, the way we treated him was wrong. We need to talk about McGee. He's lost his trust and respect for us, and we're responsible for that. It's up to the two of us to rebuild that trust and earn his respect. I want to save our team, DiNozzo, try and put it all back together. I'm not sure that's possible with the way the two of us have treated him, not just recently but throughout his time on the team."

Now that they had both admitted their relationship was a mistake, Gibbs needed both of them to focus on Tim. They needed to talk about what they could possibly do to bring about the healing that was so necessary for the survival of their team. Thinking for a moment, he realized Tony needed to know about the commitments and promises - and the reasons for them - he and Tim had agreed to over the last two weeks. Making sure he had the younger man's full attention, he began outlining the changes necessary for the survival of their team and possibly their family.

***NCIS***

Slumped in his favorite chair, Tim sighed as he fought to relax, now wasn't that an oxymoron? At some point, he realized how angry he was with the Senior Field Agent, not only for the events of the past few weeks and indeed much of his NCIS career, but now for his clownish actions in the office on Monday and even worse, Tim having been called out to rescue him from his own drunken follies. Tim was thankful that he and Gibbs had been able to work on things. It was going to take a herculean effort by the three of them - really the whole team - it would take time, wasn't perfect or a "done deal" by any means but he did feel there was a possibility he could continue as a member of this team.

However, that meant he would have to come to terms with the SFA, much as he had with Gibbs. And that realization made his stomach recoil. They had to talk, to achieve some sort of…what was that term he'd learned in school about the Cold War? "Détente" or peaceful co-existence, that was it! Of course, they'd need more than that since they would eventually have to work together again as partners. For now, he and Ziva would partner and DiNozzo could…actually, he didn't care what DiNozzo did.

Rolling his eyes again at the memory of Ducky telling him he was essentially in the driver's seat, Tim thought about taking that first step. Focusing on the practical, he found he most emphatically did not want to meet with DiNozzo in either of their residences. His brain gave him one name: Abby. As much as she loved all three men, she had been immediately supportive of Tim in all this, plus he felt comfortable in her home. She would have to be gone while they were there; maybe they could meet on the night she bowled with the nuns. He chuckled to himself that he would have to run scans to check for recording devices and cameras…this was Abby, after all!

Tim's mind made up, he sent her a quick text asking for the use of her home on bowling night for the necessary conversation. She sent a positive reply although she was a little disappointed not to be asked to "referee". With the thought that he might need some 'Gibbs' support' to push his Senior Field Agent to "The Talk", he gave his Boss a quick call. Though not something he ever would have done in the past, things had changed so drastically Tim didn't give it a second thought now as he sat waiting for the phone to be answered on the other end.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"I'm ready to talk to DiNozzo."

"Okay. Let me know when and where and I'll make sure he's there."

"Thanks. Oh, and Gibbs…"

"Yup. I'll be on standby. He gives you any trouble, you call me."

Hearing the click in his ear before he could even think of whether or not to thank the man, Tim grinned.

Gibbs promised support as necessary and thus fortified, Tim had taken care of all details but one, the most important one. Focusing his nervous energy, he called DiNozzo.

"Yeah, DiNozzo." The man nearly spat into the phone as he answered, obviously not in the best of moods. Maybe Tim's unwillingness to talk to him yet had been bothering him more than Tim had realized. Good. Maybe this would more fully garner his cooperation, now that Tim was ready.

"We need to talk. I've arranged for us to use Abby's place tomorrow night at 7." Tim supplied quietly yet firmly, without beating around the bush.

"Do I have a choice?" Tony's question was a slap in the face, irritating Tim all over again.

"Do you want to ever be a team again? If you don't, you'll be the one explaining that to Gibbs."

"Fine, I'll be there." Tony's reluctance only served to spike Tim's irritation, but he refused to let it bother him for longer than a minute.

Tim gave a sigh of relief as he put his phone down. That had gone worse than anticipated, but he was not going to worry about it. Although he supposed the setup was really the easy part. He shook his head in amusement, now he was feeling much more relaxed. Realizing he was feeling better and that he was able to smile at things here and there brought a sense of peace. Heading to his kitchen for some fresh coffee, he yawned – a hard jaw-cracking type of yawn and doing a u-turn, headed instead for the sanctuary of his bedroom. By the time he took the few steps to get there, he was half-asleep and craving his big comfy bed. Kicking off his shoes, he settled in and was dead to the world within seconds.

***NCIS***

The following night Tim arrived at Abby's early enough to share a casual dinner with her. He had spent a relaxing day; he had determined to remain calm and positive with his co-worker. Before Abby left for bowling, she gave him a kiss and a very strong Abby-hug, which left a smile on his face. She gave him an extra key to lock up so the two men could leave if they were done before she returned.

Tim waited until he heard her hot rod pull away before running a scan of her place. A little surprised and proud of his always-curious friend, he found no electronic "spy" devices. By that time, it was seven and within a minute or so, he heard knocking on the front door. Pulling the door open, he was suddenly face to face and alone with DiNozzo. Tim stood aside so the older man could enter, and then closed the door behind him.

"So, didja order the pizza yet?" were the first words out of DiNozzo's mouth.

"No, this isn't a social occasion and I've already eaten." Taking a breath, Tim decided to jump right in. "Has Gibbs told you the changes that need to happen and why?"

Tony smirked, "What, no foreplay?"

"Well, that makes it easy, DiNozzo, guess you're really not interested in keeping the team together. Always interesting to see the true measure of a man or rather worm. You can go ahead and leave now. Just make sure you call Gibbs and tell him before you get home, since the decision not to fix things is yours, not mine."

"McGee, no, look, man, I'm sorry, I'm nervous, I don't know what you want from me, I don't know how to fix this." DiNozzo spoke softly but with an urgent tone.

"It's about time you finally admitted there is something you need to fix. Actually a lot of things to fix."

"Yeah, Gibbs told me. This thing, McG, Tim"

Tim interrupted him. "Stick with McGee. First name's for trusted friends and family." Tony's mouth fell open in shock as he sat down on the sofa.

"Wow, yeah, ok, I get it now. I messed up big time, well Gibbs and I did, but then I did too."

"So what are you going to do about it, DiNozzo? From what I saw on Monday, you think it's just business as usual. That's not happening!" Tim's voice rose as he looked at the older man and heard that sarcastic, mocking voice in his head: 'So gay, not much luck with the ladies, there's a pimple on my left buttock that has more writing talent than you, McGeek, McGrinch, McGoogle, McHopeless' Giving himself a shake, he tried to grab hold of his determination to get his points across calmly, without letting loose the anger pushing against his straining mental gates. "I've put up with your garbage for all these years. I. Am. Done. If you have nothing else to say, fine, because I certainly do." He stared at the Senior Field Agent, waiting for a response. When none came, he lost the battle with his anger and the gates opened wide, letting the anger, betrayal and hurt flow out into the open.

The betrayal by DiNozzo and Gibbs, the constant bullying, the comments about his sexuality, the recent discovery of the hypocrisy of those comments, the deliberate baiting, teasing and manipulation, the lying about volunteering for Iraq, the physical torments – ripping his skin off with the superglue, the cost to Tim of clothing and personal items destroyed by DiNozzo's stupid pranks, the betrayal of trust, the favoritism that DiNozzo not only fostered but rubbed his face in whenever possible, the sophomoric behavior, the gossip, the insistence on nosing into his personal life, the lock-picking and most of all, the total lack of respect. Everything that he had told Gibbs and more.

As Tim finished, he saw that his words and his anger had made an impact. DiNozzo sat slumped on the sofa, his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, ok, I'm so Damned Sorry. I never meant…McGee, you gotta believe me, I never really meant to hurt you."

"I don't believe that, DiNozzo, not with the level of abuse you've heaped on me for years, the deliberate cutting remarks that had no other rhyme or reason, knowing you could get away with all of it because you're the golden haired child."

"No, that's…not it…McGee, my shrink has made me see what it is…none of it was intended to hurt you, not really…it was to protect myself or I thought I was protecting myself. Because yes, I am that selfish, self-centered and insecure. I was …am jealous, ok, that's why. And because I was never taught ..."

Tim interrupted him again "Don't give me any of that BS about you were never taught or you weren't hugged enough. You're a grown man, about time you ACT like one. You have no clue about my own life and trust me, I'm well aware that you've had everyone on the team believing I had some enchanted childhood while the rest of you had the childhood from hell. I'm not the one who made that assumption. I had just as many problems growing up. It's no excuse, DiNozzo. And no matter what your father did or did not do to you, it never should have been one to begin with!"

DiNozzo swallowed hard and gave a sharp nod of acceptance. He took a shuddering breath and looked up, straight into Tim's eyes. "Yeah, BS'ing is my best skill, I guess. Look, it was Gibbs' idea to add you to the team; I didn't even really want Kate on the team and you? Younger and way smarter, not a washed-up former cop who has had to change jobs every 2 years. Good looking, yeah you were chubby but I saw the ladies and sometimes guys checking you out and I freaked out; thought I was done for in the dating pool. I was afraid I'd be pushed out, off the team, away from Gibbs. So I did all those things, have done them over the years to keep you at arm's length from me, from him, to make sure you didn't push me off the team."

Tony took a breath, but then dove right back in. " I couldn't come close to your computer skills or your logic or any of that stuff, wasn't smart enough to learn it myself, but I could make you miserable and not look very good with Gibbs. But it hasn't worked– at least not for very long when it did, and it stopped working at all a long time ago. You're just as much a part of the team as I am and until all this shit happened, I actually thought we were friends. And Gibbs? He cares just as much about you as Abby, Ziva, or me. "

Tim gave him a look and Tony quickly amended his statement. "Ok, maybe not the same as he & I were for awhile, but the same as the girls."

He stopped to take a breath and Tim stepped in. "This conversation isn't about Gibbs and me, that's none of your business. This is about you and me, so quit deflecting. And I've never felt friendship from you – and certainly not for you. Oh, I have tried to be your friend. But who can be friends with someone who constantly belittles their efforts to be there for them? Why would I want someone as a friend who lives to bully, disrespect and belittle me? Maybe…at one time I might have welcomed your version of friendship without question, DiNozzo. Now, you'll have to earn it, as well as the trust you betrayed and the respect you no longer have from me. The question is what are you going to do? I agree with Gibbs about the team, we both want to save it, but I also will no longer put up with any more of your crap and will, without hesitation, leave the team if things don't change. It's up to you. You going to start treating me with the respect I've already earned - or not?"

DiNozzo looked at him again with moist eyes. "Yes, McGee, I will start treating you with respect. I don't know about the pranks, that's just the way I …"

Once again Tim interrupted him "No, you don't get to do that anymore. No more, 'I can't help it, that's just the way I am.' No more excuses. You either stop or I leave. Your choice. I've got plenty of options to earn an income and I'm pretty confident in my relationships with the girls, Ducky, Jimmy and now Gibbs that I know I won't lose them. I know Gibbs discussed these things with you, DiNozzo, did you just shrug them off, thinking you'd agree and then just continue your merry prankster, disrespectful ways? "

DiNozzo shook his head. "No, yeah… I just…I didn't know. I really didn't understand that I was being such a jerk to you. Yeah, this past month, yes, I did and I was wrong, WE were wrong. Not just with what happened here at the office, but also how I treated you afterwards. I was a total a##hole and I'm sorry. And when Gibbs told me the other things, I …I thought you – he – were blowing things all out of proportion to make his point. Now I get it, Prob…"

Tim shook his head in warning, "Stick with McGee and damn it, DiNozzo, enough with the probie! I get why Franks still called Gibbs that all these years later. But you and I don't have that connection."

Tony rocked back against the sofa, stunned. He had never realized that it wasn't just the name that bothered Tim. There had actually been a deeper reason all this time. Before he could open his mouth, Tim was unleashing more on him.

"You know, there's so many things I don't understand. We've worked as a team for all these years, we've accomplished some major miracles together. What about the way we pulled together when Gibbs took his hiatus without warning? I offered you my trust and respect then, without question and somehow we made it work as a team, almost again when Ziva stayed in Israel? Huh? You remember, DiNozzo? The teamwork, the mutual trust, HONESTY and respect?" What happened to that?

DiNozzo's head was down again, he wouldn't look up at Tim but it was obvious he was listening to every angry word. That knowledge spurred Tim on without hesitation.

"And when we went half-way around the world to avenge her 'death'? You remember THAT? Of course you do, you couldn't wait to belittle me for my part in the plan when we got back here. What happened to that team unity and trust, DiNozzo? Huh? There not been enough kicks to be had at my expense since then so you had to go back to all things humiliating as possible for the youngest member of the team; because after all, he's not the boss' favorite anyway so who's gonna care, right?" Tim stopped. He thought about all he'd been through in his own life and how hard he'd worked to deal with things and put them behind him. He'd had help; he'd had someone to kick him in the behind to get himself the help he needed. He wondered if that's what DiNozzo needed, if that's what this could be.

He took a deep breath and sat down next to the SFA on the sofa. Softly he asked, "What are you going to do? Are you willing to change? To grow up? To stop treating me – or anyone else – like your favorite whipping boy? Maybe even to learn to trust, like and respect yourself?"

DiNozzo didn't look up, but Tim saw his shoulder jerk in surprise with his last question. Tim continued, "Every so often, I see a guy that seems like a pretty stand up man. That's the person I worked with during Gibbs' Mexican safari, when Ziva disappeared, when we went to avenge her death, even came to help me when I thought I shot a cop. That's the guy I could be friends with, that's the guy who's a helluva good team leader, senior field agent and investigator. He's the one I could probably learn to trust and respect again, but he has to like, trust and respect himself first."

Tony cleared his throat. "I've been seeing my therapist every day; Ducky thought it would be a good idea. She's sort of said some of what you've been saying. Made me see what I've been doing. You've made me see more. I don't know how to stop being the way I am, how I have been."

Tim chuckled, "I'm certainly not a therapist, Tony. But I've been in therapy and I know it's rough, frustrating, scary and just hard to deal with, facing your deepest darkest self and peeling apart the layers that created that part of yourself. For me, it was very much worth it."

"If I commit to the things Gibbs told me about and I keep going to my therapist, will that be enough, Ti ...McGee? What if I screw up again? What if I open my mouth and mocking comes out? "

"We've got a long ways to go, Tony, don't doom yourself before you start. And as far as I'm concerned, one of the first ways you can help us all is to learn to think before you talk! But yeah, committing to the changes with me and the others - and continuing with your therapist are great places to begin. I'm beginning to believe you are serious about this. And before you give yourself permission to say it's too much to ask from you – no one is expecting a miracle overnight. Every single one of us knows these things take time."

"So you'll stay? Then can we hug?" Tony asked, with a flippant tone to his voice.

"If you commit to and actually work to follow through with everything and work at it with all of us, yeah, I'll stay, but you have to stick with this. It's not just for 2 weeks, next month then you revert back. That's not going to work. And, no, I'm not going to hug you, Tony. Why would you even ask me that? The only time you've come close to hugging me before is right after I saved you from dying in that parking garage. Neither of us are huggers, and if we were, we would not yet be at that place. I will, however, offer a handshake to cement this understanding between co-workers."

Tim reached out and shook Tony's hand.

"Gonna go now, DiNozzo. Abby will be home soon, don't want to go through everything with her…do you?"

"Uh, no. Ok, then good night, McGee, I'll see you…at work on Monday?"

Tim gave him a nod and locked up while keeping an eye on his once and maybe future partner walking to his car. He felt both emotionally and physically drained but also had that same funny feeling of exhilaration he'd experienced after talking with Gibbs. Once again, he craved the comfort of his bed, but would first make a few calls and give some fairly hopeful news so the others might sleep a little better too. Then and only then, he would let himself sleep.