Tim entered his apartment and leaned back against the door after closing and locking it. He couldn't believe he did that. In some ways, it really wasn't surprising. After all, he had been thinking about it since their first-and last-kiss, ten days ago.

Now he just had to worry about what she would say or do tomorrow. He wondered if he should apologize as soon as he saw her, that might help her forgive him. Of course, if she had already written it off, reminding her could be dangerous for him.

He snorted, right now he was just grateful that he was able to escape before she realized what he had done.

Tim groaned and softly banged his head against the door. She knew what he had done. She had kissed him back. What did that mean? Did she want him to kiss her? Did she want to kiss him? Or perhaps she had just reacted instinctively?

But what if she hadn't? Tim thought for a moment. Perhaps he was not the only one who was afraid of confusing reality and make-believe?

With another groan, Tim pushed himself away from the door. He doubted he would be able to sleep right now, so he might as well get some laundry done and repack his go bag that doubled as his weekend travel bag.

Tim groaned and absently nudged Jethro away from him. Morning, already? He didn't even remember going to bed. Opening his eyes, and taking stalk of the situation he realized why, he hadn't. Apparently he had falling asleep on his couch, his laundry, though clean, strewn around him. Even the few items he managed to fold had been knocked over. With a sigh, he gathered those falling pieces up and placed them in the laundry basket. Looks like he had his evening plans figured out. Catching another look at the time, he quickly fed Jethro before heading towards the shower. Replenishing his go bag would have to wait; he needed to get himself cleaned and dressed and walk Jethro before anything else. Ziva would soon be here to pick him up, and if by chance she was upset with him regarding last night, he didn't want to make the situation worse by being late, making her late for work as well.

"What happened to you?" Tony asked, coming to a standstill as soon as he caught sight of McGee.

"I fell into a vat of red paint," he replied, not looking up since he knew he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face.

"No, seriously."

"I listened to you."

"I…yeah, I can't think of anything I said to you that could possibly result in…" he paused as he took the sight of his very red coworker and waved his arms in wide sweeping gestures directed towards the younger agent, "that."

"If you must know, I went away for the weekend and forgot sunscreen," he admitted.

"Only you," Tony snorted, "But how is that because of me?"

"You mentioned going away the weekend before and after Valentine's Day since we were on call that weekend, we decided it wasn't a bad idea, and well, here we are."

"Well, I took my advice as well," Tony informed them, "Yet, I am still in perfect health," he said as he took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of his coworker. "Any one else see you yet?"

Tim shook his head, "Only you and Ziva. Haven't seen Gibbs this morning yet. I placed a call to Ducky asking him to let me know when he's in so I could head down to see him."

"Great weekend if you leave both sun burnt and sick," he joked.

Tim shook his head, "I'm not sick, I just want to make sure I'm treating this right. By the time we got back last night, it was too late to stop by a pharmacy to ask."

"We?" he repeated, "As in not just you, we?"

"Wouldn't be much of a Valentine celebration weekend if I went by myself, now would it?"

"Oh ho, so the potential girlfriend went away with you for the weekend, or is it the girlfriend now?"

Tim shrugged, "We actually didn't talk about that," and they didn't, Tim had realized late last night. By unspoken agreement, neither one had mentioned 'the plan'. Something he knew couldn't last. He that conversation was on the horizon he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do.

"Probie!" Tony scolded in a disappointed tone. "Well, maybe I can help you figure it out. Was it one room or two?"

"One, with two beds," Tim automatically pointed out before he could stop himself.

Tony's eyes narrowed, "You make that call or did she?"

"I…her," he admitted, "I booked the flight, but she chose the hotel and room. Uh, she actually suggested the weekend away. You know, as a way to get to know each other better, you know, away from our regular routine."

"Well, Probie, sounds like she really might be into you."

Tim blushed at those words, refusing to look at Tony.

"Did you get to know one another better? Was she right?"

"They usually are, DiNozzo, they usually are," Gibbs answered as he made his way to his desk, smirking at Tony. "If you haven't figured that out by now, there's no hope for you."

"Right, boss," Tony replied, "Was that your problem?" he inquired, receiving a glare as an answer. "Shutting up now, boss," he said much to the amusement of Tim and Ziva.

A half hour later, Gibbs' phone rang and they were on their way to the crime scene.

"Have a good weekend?"

Currently, it was just Gibbs and Ziva in the bullpen. Gibbs had paired himself and Ziva together, hoping she would let something slip regarding her weekend. She had not. It was now up to him to ask the questions if he wanted to know the answers.

"Yes, actually," Ziva replied, not willing to share any information about her trip.

"The weekend away seemed to have done you both some good. McGee seems to be in a better mood," Gibbs commented. "Happy…and red."

"It was a good weekend for both of us," Ziva stated. "Even with the sunburn. Relaxing."

"Any decisions made?" Gibbs asked, trying to sound casual, as if he wasn't really interested in the answer.

"I do not know. We did not discuss it."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow as he wondered what they did discuss. As if reading his mind, Ziva added, "As I said, it was fun and relaxing. We spent it enjoying the sun, the warmer temperatures, and each other's company. Getting to know one another better."

"Well, as I said, he seems happier."

"We will see how long that last with him stuck with Tony again."

Gibbs winced at her words, maybe sending Tim and Tony together to talk to the neighbors wasn't the best option, but both had arrived together at the crime scene in one piece. Neither of them upset or aggravated. Surely they keep could that professionalism going.

Tim was very surprised that during the ride out to the crime scene and while processing the scene, that Tony hadn't made one comment about his sunburn or his weekend. Unfortunately, he knew that it was too good to last. He could only hope that Tony was too focused on the case to bring it up.

"I can't believe you forgot sunscreen, McLobster"

And so it begins, Tim realized with a sigh.

"Hey, it happens," Tim defended with a shrug, if that was all Tony had to say, he could deal with it.

"Yeah, but then you didn't buy any either," Tony added, shaking his head in shame.

"We wouldn't have been able to bring it back with us, so why bother?"

Tony just looked at Tim sadly, continuing to shake his head.

"What?" An exasperated Tim asked. "I'm the one that got sunburned; it has no effect on you. So why are you making this into such a big deal, Tony?"

"Because, Probie, you missed out on a prime opportunity."

"What's that?" a puzzled McGee asked with a frown, thinking of what exactly he missed.

"Having her put the sunscreen on you…and you returning the favor," he smirked.

"I usually use a spray can," Tim admitted dryly. "Besides, by the time we realized it, I was already red. It wouldn't have helped."

"Even sadder," he responded, shaking his head once more, "It's like you never even had hope she would do that for you, or you for her."

"Can we just drop this?" he pleaded.

"Why? It's not like we can work right now while in the car."

"I can start some of the searches going on my phone," Tim offered.

"Nope, I need you to talk to me to keep me awake, you're not the only one who had a full weekend," Tony explained with a grin.

"Well then we can discuss the case," Tim suggested.

"The wife did it," Tony announced, "Done discussing the case. So, where did you two lovebirds go?"

Tim sat silently for a moment, before giving in. "Er, Florida, Tallahasse area," he added when Tony looked at him for more details.

Tony frowned, "Not where I think of when picturing Florida beaches."

"Um, we didn't go to the beach."

Tony snorted, "You went away for the weekend in February, away from this coldness, but didn't head to the beach? What was there? Perhpas a comic book convention going on?"

"No."

"Then what did you do in sunny Tallahassee?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"Er, Sunday we went out for brunch then visited some local gardens."

Tony looked at Tim briefly before refocusing on the road, "You seem to have missed half the weekend," he observed mockingly. "And Saturday?"

Tim fidgeted, not wanting to respond.

"Oh, god, don't tell me I was right and there was convention of some sort going on. What was it, a science fiction convention? A gaming convention? A writer's convention? Probie," Tony began seriously, "Are you a Trekkie?"

Not being able to lie, and not wanting to know what else Tony could come up with, Tim reluctantly admitted, "We went to an amusement park."

Tony jerked his head to look at his passenger, accidentally jerking the wheel as well.

"Tony! Eyes on the road," he shouted.

"Oh, probie, that's even sadder than the bit with the sunscreen."

"What? Why?"

"An amusement park or carnival is something a 14 year old does on a date. And you went away to do that. Most people choose a secluded cabin in the woods complete with fireplace or a beach house with bikini's being optional as a romantic getaway, hell, even Vegas, with alcohol flowing is a better choice, but oh, no, McGeek chooses an amusement park."

"I…she requested it."

"Sure she did," rolled eyes accompanied that response.

"Seriously, Tony, think about it for a minute. Do you really think that I would pick an amusement park? I get motion sickness looking at a boat."

Tony snorted, "Oh, god, no wonder why you didn't discuss official girlfriend status. She probably spent the entire weekend pretending she didn't know you."

"What? No! She wouldn't do that," Tim protested.

"She might, once she realizes how pathetic you are," Tony retorted.

"Thanks a lot, Tony," Tim snapped, as he grabbed his phone and started those searches he mentioned earlier, ignoring Tony. Even if Tony was speaking the truth about needing conversation to keep him awake, right now, Tim much preferred an accident than exchanging one more word with his teammate and continuing this conversation.

The moment the Tony parked the car, Tim grabbed his bags and exited it, quickly walking towards the entrance of the building. Even though the elevator arrived quickly, Tim did not feel right shutting Tony out since the older man had just appeared in the lobby. Holding the door for him, Tim waited for him to enter before he angrily pushed the button for their floor.

"Are you at least going to tell me what you found?" Tony asked, breaking the silence that hung over the two agents.

"I sent a copy to your email," Tim responded.

Tony rolled his eyes, "You can't just tell me?"

"No time," Tim replied as the doors opened and he stepped off, Tony right behind him.

Ziva looked up as the elevator chimed. She watched as her two coworkers exited and headed to their respective desks, the silence and tension between them obvious. "What happened?" she asked, hoping one of them would tell her.

"Tony believes the wife did it," Tim commented dryly. "I e-mailed you what we learned and what I have verified and uncovered so far."

Ziva nodded, as she opened the email. She had seen the notification for those emails, but hadn't had a chance to review them yet. "Wow. You did all this on the ride back?"

Tim shrugged, "I found it the best use of my time," he replied. "I'm getting a coffee, you need anything, Ziva?"

"Yes, please, a tea would be great."

Tim nodded and left. Once he cleared he corner, Ziva pounced on Tony, "What did you do?"

"Who me? Nothing." Tony shrugged, "I don't know what happened. One minute we were talking, the next he took out his phone and notebook and started working, only responding to me if it was about the case, everything else I said or did was ignored."

"He would not ignore you without a reason. Something happened," Ziva returned with a frown. "What were you talking about?"

Tony smirked, "His weekend."

"Why is that so funny? He went away for the weekend."

Tony snorted, "Yeah, to an amusement park."

"So?" came the puzzled question.

"Only 14 year olds take a date to an amusement park or carnival."

"I highly doubt 14 year olds share a room for the weekend," Ziva pointed out.

"One room, two beds."

"Still, if I went away with someone I was dating, I would want my own room unless it was with someone I truly and completely trusted, and there are not many I can say that about."

"I guess," Tony reluctantly admitted, understanding the point of view from a girl, and remembering how Ziva wasn't open to sharing a room with him a few weeks ago. "Still, most guys would push for a more romantic getaway,"

"I did not think guys were all that romantic," Ziva mentioned, "Is that not something most woman complain about?"

Tony shrugged, "Okay, maybe romantic wasn't the right word, but you know, someplace that would be conducive to alone time,"

"Sex," Ziva interrupted. "You mean someplace that they are more likely to…" she paused as she thought about the word Tony had used in the past, "score, as you say."

"I…yeah," he admitted. "I mean, Probie didn't even think about sunscreen!"

Ziva's mouth opened and closed, unsure how to respond to that, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Half the appeal of being out in the sun is lathering sunscreen on each other. It gives you an excuse to touch one another."

Ziva just shook her head at the juvenile thoughts of her teammate.

"See! You agree, he dropped the ball on that one."

"What sports were involved?" a frowning, bewildered Ziva asked.

Tony shook his head, "I just meant he should have chosen somewhere else, anyplace would've been better."

"Maybe he did not choose it," Ziva pointed out, trying to defend her friend.

Tony snickered, before a larger, louder laugh escaped.

"What?"

"That's what he said."

"Well, I sincerely doubt that he lied to you."

"Oh, I know that he didn't," Tony admitted.

"Then what is so funny and why did you give him such a hard time about it?"

"Because he's McGoo. Plus," Tony laughed again, "He went to an amusement park to please her."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"From her point of view, sure," he retorted. "Of course, Tim trying so hard to please is often what gets him into trouble. It makes the girls he dates realize what a wimp and pushover he is as far as they are concerned."

"Tony!"

"Seriously, Ziva," Tony held up a hand in truce, "He agreed to go to an amusement park with her. McGee, you know, the guy who gets motion sick just looking at a boat," he explained, laughing again. "He was probably green and sick the entire time. What a weekend that must've been," he continued, still laughing, not seeing the look of horror that came over Ziva's face.

"You okay, Ziva?" Gibbs asked, he had watched and listened to his team's conversation since Tim and Tony returned, deciding not interfere unless it became necessary.

"Yes, fine," Ziva commented, quickly regaining control of herself. After all, she and McGee told Gibbs that this would not interfere with work.

"Good," he nodded at her before turning to his senior agent. If he was closer, a headslap would accompany the look of disbelief on his face, "The wife, DiNozzo? Seriously?"

Tony shrugged, "In the movies, it's always the wife or the butler?" her offered calmly.

"No butler and the ex-wife's been dead for two years," Gibbs pointed out, "Now get me something I can use," he ordered.

"Yes, boss," Tony agreed, heading to his computer to see what McWorkaholic found.

"Ziva?" Gibbs called, causing her to tear her gaze away from Tim.

"Tim e-mailed me some things he worked on earlier, I was able to hogback onto them," she replied, keeping her eyes on the SSA, determined not to let them drift over to McGee, who had been quiet since he returned to the bullpen over an hour ago with his coffee and her tea.

Tony snorted, "Piggyback," he corrected.

"Hog, pig, same animal, right? Anyway, T-McGee's been helping me track down the brother; we think he might be the stranger the neighbor mentioned."

Tony shook his head, "The brother is a stranger to his brother's neighbors. No one connects to the people in their neighborhood anymore," he muttered softly. "Thanks, boss," he replied after receiving the latest headslap.

"McGee,"

"The neighbor's alibi checks out. No disagreement that anyone knows of with either coworkers or neighbors."

"And the brother?"

"Hudson Kline, 47 years old, never in the service, no record, works as a teacher, divorced six months ago. Hopefully a search will turn up somethin-"

'Beep' At the sound, Tim turned to his computer, aware that everyone in the bullpen had their eyes fixed on him. "Got a hit," he said, quickly writing down an address and giving it to Gibbs. Tony automatically stood ready to reach for his gear to follow up on what McGee found.

Gibbs looked at the paper in his hands, then at his team. The boys had done a good job talking to the witnesses and neighbors at the crime scene. Tim had done even better by narrowing down likely candidates and their addresses. The question now was what task to assign to each agent.

The damage that could accrue by sending Tim and Tony out together again, would most likely do more harm to their relationship and the team than the benefits it would provide to the case. It also appears that Ziva wanted to talk to McGee privately. That would leave Tony behind to check facts, something that could be good for the older agent since he was offering deceased or non-existent people as suspects. With a smirk, Gibbs put down his coffee cup and gave them their tasks, much to everyone's surprise.

"But boss,"

"Ziva, McGee, go," he commanded confirming his orders before turning to the protesting Tony. The two younger agents grabbed their bags and left via the stairwell before the decision could be rescinded.

"You got a problem with your assignment?" He asked Tony.

"Well, no, but wouldn't Probie do it faster?"

"Most likely," Gibbs agreed.

"Then why?"

Gibbs just looked at him. When Tony began to sit back down, figuring no answer was forthcoming, he finally responded, "Because you can't rely on McGee to always be available to do it. You will never be able to do it faster or better unless you get the opportunity to practice," he said as he headed back to his desk. "There is also the fact that McGee already did most of that work while in the car. He's also the one who came up with possible suspects and their addresses. He should have the opportunity to see it through. After all, he's a field agent, not our tech geek."

Tony frowned, "Can't he be both?"

"DiNozzo," Gibbs warned.

"Yes, boss," Tony said as he set to work, his mind worrying over parts of that conversation.

"Hey, you okay?" Tim asked after the two settled into the sedan they checked out. Tim had handed her the keys, stating that he would navigate. "You've been…" Tim paused as he tried to figure out what to say. 'Acting weird' would not go over too well with Ziva, and considering he didn't want to do anything to make her more upset with him, definitely not an option. He hadn't thought she had been mad at him, even though the drive in together had been quieter than normal, but with all the looks she had given him, all the times her eyes had been on him while they were in the bullpen, he couldn't think of what else could be wrong. "Quiet" he finally concluded. When he didn't get a response, he dug out his phone, trying to see if anything regarding Kline came up.

"Tim?" She said softly, breaking the silence in the car.

"Yeah, Ziva?" He replied, shutting down his phone to give her his full attention.

"Why did you not remind me about your motion sickness when I first suggested we go to an amusement park for the weekend?"

"Ziva, I was fine," he tried to reassure her.

"How can you say that?"

"Because I was fine," he repeated with a grin.

"But-"

"Ziva." Tim interrupted, waiting for her to be quiet and allow him to speak. "Do you think I would've spun those tea cups so much if I was feeling ill?"

"Bu-"

"Or ridden that crazy coaster three times in a row?"

"Per-"

"Honestly, Zee," he interrupted, continuing when she tried to speak again. "Let's think about this for a moment. Did I look sick at all on Saturday?"

"Well, no," she admitted.

"Uncomfortable on any of the rides?"

"No."

"Spend a lot of time away from you or in the restroom?'

Ziva frowned, realizing that there really wasn't any time they were separated for more than ten minutes, and most of that was due to the lines in the ladies room. "No."

"See, I was fine." he smiled at her.

"But Tony-"

"Ah," Tim exclaimed, realizing what had her so focused on this topic. "I didn't lie to Tony," he sheepishly admitted, "I just mentioned my motion sickness as a reason why it was unlikely that I would choose an amusement park as a weekend getaway. Er, not that there was anything wrong with the choice" he rushed to add, hoping she wouldn't be offended by his words. "I had a great time, sunburn and all," he added. "I was just sick of Tony picking apart everything I did or that happened over the weekend. The fact that he didn't believe that 'the geek' didn't choose the amusement park was the last straw for me. I said what I did to shut it him."

"I understand that feeling," Ziva nodded in agreement. "So your motion sickness does not effect you on those rides?"

Tim shrugged, "Not really. I did take something in the morning before we headed out just to be sure, but for the most part, the rides are over so quickly that I don't have time o register any discomfort."

"That is good to hear," Ziva smiled at him. "I am glad that you did not suffer from my decision. That was the last thing I intended."

"I know, Zee, and I promise I was fine."

"McGee, where are you going?" an exasperated Ziva asked him. The two had struck out with finding Kline at his last known location, though they had been able to talk to some witnesses who had plenty to say. Since Tim no longer needed to navigate, he took over driving duty.

"Just stopping by my apartment for a minute."

"I can see that," she replied as he took that exit off the highway, "Why?"

"Because I don't have my car with me," he replied.

"You want to pick up your car?" she asked in confusion, wondering why he no longer wished to ride with her.

"No, I want to pick up my go bag," he corrected.

"Why?"

"Because I have a feeling this case is going to take us out of town and I want to be prepared."

Ziva nodded in understanding, "You should keep an extra go bag at your desk like I do," she advised.

"Yeah, that won't be happening," he muttered.

She frowned, "Why not? It is a good idea, especially since we often car pool."

"I tried that once," Tim admitted. "Tony happened."

"What did he do?"

"A better question would be what didn't he do," Tim snorted. "Added dye to my shampoo, flavoring to my toothpaste, switched some of my clothes out for other garments," Tim stated with a shake of my head. "I learned not to keep things around where Tony could find them, especially if there was a chance I might need them."

"He's never done anything like that to my bag," she frowned.

"You can kill him 18 different ways with a paperclip," he reminded her. "And he knows it."

"Perhaps I should teach you a trick or two," she suggested.

"Somehow I don't think he'll believe me if I threaten him."

She shrugged, at a loss of what to say.

"I'll be right back," he said, pulling into a space.

"I'll come up with you, haven't seen Jethro all weekend," she explained.

Once inside, Tim immediately went to work gathering clothes and toiletries for their potential trip.

"Don't you have a bag ready?" she asked, petting Jethro.

"Murphy's law," he stated, grinning at her before clarifying, "I used most of it for our weekend away and didn't get a chance to repack it. I figured we wouldn't need it so soon," he explained.

Looking around his apartment, she sighed as she realized that once more, he had left laundry out. Walking over to it, she began folding out, before realizing that some of it was the clothes he had worn on their trip. Cautiously she sniffed at it. Hmm, it appeared freshly laundered, but how was he able to accomplish that so quickly, after all, they had just returned the previous evening. With a shrug she decided it wasn't any of her business if he stayed up late at the building laundry facilities and continued her task.

Once completed, she asked, "Hey, does Jethro need food?"

"He should be good, I'll ask the neighbors to check in on him tonight if we end up going out of town. You can give him a treat though, if you want," he called back.

She walked over to Jethro's cupboard, the dog immediately at her side once more. "Want me to take him out?" she offered.

"Sure, who knows how late we'll be, even if we don't go."

Ziva nodded, even though he couldn't see her and grabbed Jethro's leash and exited the apartment after making sure she had his spare key. After stopping by the agency car, she continued on with his walk before returning inside.

"You know," she said, "If you want to pack a second go bag you can always leave it in my car in case this happens again. We probably should have thought of that when your car was out of commission."

"Thanks, Z," he responded with a grin as he exited his bedroom and headed towards the door, petting Jethro on his way out. "I think I just might do that, no way would Tony mess with something in your car."

Ziva grinned at his words before following back to the car.

9-19-18