Not Beta'd; standard disclaimer applies
I hope everyone is healthy regardless of where they live. I (and my immediate family) are doing well, and I appreciate the concern. Like everyone else, my life/schedule has greatly changed the last few weeks, I usually go out to write, libraries, cafes, restaurants, (too many distractions at home, esp with 6 people & 3 cats there), but, of course, haven't been able to do that because of the necessary precautions everyone is taking. I have begun to create a little 'writing nook' that hopefully will get me back on track, so we will see.
Science Doesn't Lie, Chapter19 Do you know what I know?
"Did you know?" Gibbs growled at the Director as soon as the door had closed. He hadn't entered the office with plans to confront Leon, but being here, seeing him and Tim talking had once more brought their earlier discussion to his mind and before he knew it, those words were in his head and out of his mouth.
"Excuse me," Vance stated as he turned away from the door, his tone indicating that his words were not a question and that he was not amused by his Agent's tone. He could only suspect what the other man was referring to. He calmly returned to his chair and sat down, hoping to receive more information, especially since his conversation with Agent McGee had been cut short.
"Did. You. Know." Gibbs repeated slowly, staring the director in the eyes. "Last time we talked, you mentioned it, asked me about it, told me not to rule anything out. No one else, not me, not Tim, hell, not even his mother pieced it all together, so I'll ask you again. Did. You. Know."
Vance met his gaze, at least now he had confirmation about what had prompted Tim's panicked letter of resignation, as well as what the younger man had been about to share.
"No." Vance's reply was firm, leaving no room for disbelief, a fact that was confirmed when Gibbs sat down in relief. "If I had, I wouldn't have let either of you find out this way. Nor would I have let things in this office continue as they have been for the last several years."
Gibbs's glare intensified, "What the hell does that mean?"
"Don't give me that," Vance returned. "You are well aware of the dynamics of your team. It is ironic that the one you should be closest to is the one who feels the least valued. Of course, you coming in here interrupting his conversation with me, dismissing him so easily, probably hasn't helped your case."
"I came here to talk about him," Gibbs argued.
Vance snorted, "You came here to talk about McGee, and obviously had nothing to say to Tim since you didn't say a word to him once you saw he was present."
"I…He didn't really say anything to me, either," he growled.
"What are you, five?" Leon rhetorically asked while raising an eyebrow, before waving the question away. "As usual, you didn't excuse yourself when you entered and saw that I wasn't alone, nor did you leave and allow us to finish our discussion in private. It was all about you and what you wanted."
"I needed to tell you what happened," he argued.
"And you didn't think that Agent McGee had the same thought? That my discussion with him would be just as important?"
Gibbs blinked, "He told you?" he asked in a hopeful voice. If Tim was talking about it, that was a good sign, right? While searching the building for Tim, Gibbs had begun to wonder if the younger man was avoiding him. If Tim had left the lab, not because he was overwhelmed by the truth, but because he didn't want to acknowledge it.
"No, he never got the chance to," Vance pointedly stated, staring at Gibbs.
"Then how…"
Vance sighed, "I mentioned the fact that we did not know how you were related to his kids yet, and his face,"
"Gave away the fact that he had new information," Gibbs finished. "Add in the fact that you knew our DNA was running…"
Leon inclined his head. "He was just about to say something when you barged in. I wasn't positive that my supposition was correct, until you mentioned how neither you, Tim, or his mother knew."
Gibbs grimaced at the mention of Tim's mother.
Vance watched, waiting for Jethro to mention the real reason that he was here, he doubted it was just to inform him of the test results, especially given how he entered the office. Leon knew what he hoped it was, but only Gibbs could confirm that. When the other man remained silent, he finally asked, "What about Agent McGee do we need to discuss?"
Gibbs shook his head.
"Hey, you're the one who barged in here, intent on talking about it, him, so talk."
Another head shake of refusal.
Vance sighed, he knew how stubborn Leroy Jethro Gibbs could be and didn't really expect him to talk. Hoped, yes, but expect? Of course not, especially not when talking about the fact that two members on the MCRT just discovered that they were closely related could make his job easier.
"What did you say to him as he left?" Gibbs asked.
"That is between the two of us," Vance replied.
"Damn it, Leon. I have a right to know, he's my …" his voice trailed off.
"Agent? Son?" Vance supplied, wondering which was more important to the man before him.
"Yes," Gibbs wearily agreed.
Vance snorted, "You're not acting much like a father or a supervisor," he commented.
Gibbs remained stoic, determined not to let what he was thinking or feeling show.
Vance forced himself to calm down and see the situation from the other man's perspective.
"I am sure that this information has come as a shock to you," Vance began, keeping his tone softer and gentler than normal, "And that there are probably a lot the two of you need to figure out, separately and together. If you wish to take a few days of personal time to work through this,"
"Nope, I'm good," Gibbs hastily reassured the Director. The way Tim had rushed out of the office, barely even talking to him confirmed the idea that the younger had been avoiding him. It made Gibbs worry that if he approached Tim outside of work, he could refuse to talk about it, but since they were working cold cases, and as his supervisor, the younger man wouldn't be able to continue that tactic.
"Get to know your son," the Director continued.
"I've known him for years," Gibbs reminded him. "Except for serving together in the forces, there's not a better way to get to know a man or woman than working together in the field." A smirk graced his lips and as his SSAIC, Tim couldn't avoid him forever.
"Spend time with him and his family, tell your family," Leon finished.
Gibbs shook his head, once more refusing the suggestion that he take some time off.
Vance sighed and silently cursed stubborn men…and their equally stubborn sons.
After several moments, Vance replied, "I told him that I would talk with him within the next few days. Hopefully we could finish our discussion then, without interruptions," he dryly added. He silently debated whether or not to share that Agent McGee had tried to resign before deciding it was best to simply inform him that Tim had accepted his offer of a few days off to think about the situation. He would also reiterate his offer to Jethro.
Before he could act on his decision, Gibbs nodded and quickly left the office. He was determined to put his plan into action.
Leon shook his head as the door slammed shut behind his most troublesome agent. He hoped things would quickly work themselves out, but wouldn't be surprised if things got worse before hopefully getting better.
"Stubborn fool," he muttered before thinking about how he and the agency would handle this new information. If he was going to talk to Agent McGee in the next day or two, he better have some plans in place.
"We should try to figure this out," Tony told his partner.
Ziva glared at him, "Is that not how all this trouble started? I do not think-"
"Relax, Ziver," Tony dragged out her name. "I was referring to the connection between Kelsey and Gibbs. As you pointed out, it's bad enough we lost Probie and let him leave, if we don't figure this out quickly, Gibbs will really have a reason for our heads."
Ziva sighed, partly in relief that Tony hadn't been talking about prying into matters that did not concern him and partly because he was right. "It does seem even more imperative to know the truth now," she admitted in agreement.
"Then we agree that we'll find out if Kelsey is Kelly, and won't say a word about our suspicions unless it is confirmed?"
Ziva nodded, "I do not believe we should leave here until we know for sure."
"Agreed."
The two returned to work with more fervor than before. While they did not know what had happened, both hoped that the truth will help ease the situation, and they were determined to do their part in revealing it.
A slam of a door overhead had both of them looking up. Gibbs had just exited the Director's office and seemed to be upset about something.
"Do you think he's upset that Vance offered McGee more time off?"
Before a reply could be formed, Gibbs was standing before them.
"Where's Tim?"
Tony and Ziva exchanged worried looks. Apparently, he did not know about the time off.
"I…er, he's…"
"Out with it, DiNozzo," Gibbs barked.
"He went home," Ziva supplied.
"Yeah, that," Tony confirmed when Gibbs continued to look at him. "The director gave him a few days, something about being confused and feeling betrayed."
Gibbs stared at them in shock.
"His gun and badge are in his desk," Ziva softly added.
Slowly, Gibbs walked over to his absent agent's desk and opened the drawer, the gun and badge visible. Reaching in, he withdrew the two objects and brought them to his own desk, where he sat down in his chair and stared at them.
Once more, Tony and Ziva exchanged worried looks.
"Boss?" Tony softly called, staring at the older man who was rubbing a finger over the picture of McGee on his security badge.
When Gibbs didn't respond, he stood, intending to reach out to the other man. A cough from Ziva drew his attention to her, shaking her head, she mouthed, 'no', before tapping the folder on her desk.
With a sigh, and a worried look towards the SSAIC, he returned to work. He could not shake the feeling that a storm was about to erupt.
It had been almost an hour since Gibbs had left the Director's office and learned that Tim had gone for the day, and he still hadn't moved from his desk. Since Gibbs had been mostly away from his desk the last two days, Tony had thought it would only be a matter of time before he left again, giving him another opportunity to discuss the situation with Ziva. Realizing that that would not happen, he had texted her to meet him by the alcove at the stairs so they could talk. Once she appeared, he quickly began talking about how worried he was and why. His gut was telling him that something was seriously wrong and he couldn't help but wonder if Gibbs's was doing the same since their team leader was acting like McGee had died, not taken a few days off.
"Tony, we say Timothy before he left, right?" she asked, receiving a nod in reply. "Then we know that he is fine, alive," she repeated once again.
"Then why-"
"Perhaps Timothy is just finishing up his leave," Ziva offered. "I had wondered why he did not take more time. He has three months available to him, correct?"
Tony shrugged, "Sure, I guess. Never really looked into that," he replied absently, caught up in his own thoughts about what could be going on.
"A lot can happen in three months," Ziva murmured softly.
"Three months?" Tony repeated. "He wouldn't be gone for three months, would he?"
"Why would he want to stay?"
"Excuse me?" Tony harshly yelped at the interloper who decided to participate in their conversation.
"You heard me," Vance replied, staring at them. "Why would he want to stay? It wouldn't be for the close relationships he developed with his coworkers, nor for their support during this challenging time."
"We're his team, his family," Tony rebutted.
Vance raised an eyebrow at those words, wondering if the song would change once the truth was revealed. "Not all families have to be dysfunctional," he chided before walking away. There was more he wanted to say, especially to the Senior Field Agent, but this was not the time and out in the open by the stairs was definitely not the place.
Tony looked after him in shock, "Did he just call us a mess?"
"You cannot disagree with him."
"I know," Tony depressingly agreed. "He's the boss."
"I meant because he has a point," Ziva corrected. Tony's head whipped around to look at her. "Think about it. Not just what happened today or yesterday, but last week, last month, last year." She paused, hoping that Tony would see her point. "Before he left, Timothy stated that he did not see us as friends, do you really think he sees us as family?"
"But if we've always been that way, why is Vance bringing it up now?"
"He probably knows something we do not. Maybe recent events have made him wonder if our solve rate is worth all the drama, worth turning this place into a soap box."
"What?" A confused Tony queried. He had followed along with her, until she mentioned soap.
"Those highly dramatic daytime television shows where people are always plotting, yelling, or kissing."
Tony smirked, "Soap Operas," he corrected. "And you forgot coming back from the dea…" Tony's voice trailed off as he remembered their theory about Kelsey.
"Operas?" She repeated, her tone puzzling. "There is no singing involved in those shows."
Tony just grinned at her.
Rolling her eyes, she continued, "No doubt Vance has realized that things have gone too far. Abby has tipped the scale, so to speak. Was the straw that broke the camel's back," she added, grinning, knowing that she got those sayings correct. She had been waiting for a chance to use them, as well as a few others she has tucked away.
"Yeah, but-"
"Perhaps it is his way of warning us that if we want to stay together as a team, as a family," she purposely used Tony's words, "then we need to change. Become functional, as a family, not just as the top team."
Tony snorted, "Do you know how to do that? Because I don't have a clue. You've met my father," he added, his voice filled with the hopelessness he felt.
Gibbs didn't bother to lift head as a shadow approached his desk, instead, his gaze remained fixed on Tim's picture. "You better have something, DiNozzo," he growled in warning.
At the sound of a throat clearing, Jethro lifted his eyes. "You sent him home?" he growled as he stood up to meet him face to face.
"No," The Director began to respond.
"Then why the hell isn't he here?" Gibbs snapped.
"Because we cannot chain him to his desk," Vance dryly commented, using Tim's own words as his answer.
Gibbs paled and sank back into his chair at those words.
Vance nodded in relief; Gibbs seemed to understand what he meant.
"I thought it best that he take a couple of days to recover-"
"Best for whom?" Gibbs interrupted.
"For everyone. And I gave you the same opportunity," he reminded his SSAIC.
"I don't need it."
"Maybe you should take it, anyway."
As usual, the only reply was a glare.
"Sitting here staring at his badge isn't going to fix things."
Gibbs gave a derisive laugh. "You really think I can fix this?" derisive laugh. "You said it yourself, he doesn't want a relationship with me. He left the lab so he wouldn't have to talk to me about it; avoided me most of the afternoon; wouldn't even tell you the results of the DNA test. Hell, he even left work early, with the next few days off and never told me. How the hell do you expect this to be fixed?"
Vance blinked, "I didn't say he didn't want a relationship with you."
Gibbs snorted, "It's pretty clear that all he wants is a working relationship, and even that is practically non-existent, definitely not as good as my other relationships, something else you pointed out," he added.
"Gibbs,"
Jethro shook his head. "No. I'm not going to talk about this here," he quietly said, casting looks around his desk to see if anyone had overheard. "McGee wouldn't want that."
Alarm bells rang in the Director's head, hearing Gibbs refer to Tim once more by his last name, or at least the last name of his adoptive father, his stepfather.
"He is just taking a few days off to get over the shock,"
Gibbs heart twinged as he recalled what he had heard earlier, 'feeling betrayed' and needing to 'recover'.
"He's not dead," Vance completed his sentence.
Gibbs shook his head. He was glad that his son was alive, but that didn't mean he wouldn't mourn the relationship that they could've had. He had failed Tim in so many ways, he was determined to follow the younger man's lead on this. If he wanted to keep their relationship strictly professional, they would. His heart gave another twinge as the thought of Tim not even wanting to be on his team anymore popped into his mind. The idea that Tim didn't want him in his life at all was an idea that he thought might kill him.
"Gibbs," Vance called when the other man still hadn't commented.
"I'm fine," he stated in reply, not really sure if Leon had asked another question. "As I said, I'm not talking about this here. And I am sure you have many things that need your attention," he gruffly added before leaning Tim's badge against his computer and reaching for a file, not even looking at the Director.
Tony and Ziva were shocked to find Gibbs with a cold case file opened on his desk. It was a surprise, considering how they had left the man earlier, a pleasant surprise, in Tony's opinion. He couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped at that sight. He had truly been worried by his boss's actions, but was glad that things were returning to normal.
When Gibbs had asked for an update on what they had, Tony couldn't help but grin. Yep, definitely back to normal.
It was less than an hour later that Tony wondered if he jumped to conclusions. Gibbs had ordered him and Ziva to leave for the day. They had nodded, but continued to work, remembering their earlier agreement.
"Go. Now," Gibbs ordered.
"We will, after we"
"No, no after, now," Gibbs interrupted. "We don't have a hot case, there is no reason to linger. HR will not approve overtime or comp time if you stay."
"That's okay," Tony argued. Some things were more important than money and holidays, trying to fix his team was definitely one of them.
"No, not this time."
"Just a bit-"
"Go home, DiNozzo, David," Gibbs repeated. "Now, or else don't bother coming in tomorrow."
Tony and Ziva exchanged looks in silent communication.
"And I will check in with security to make sure you both stay away for the night," he added, almost smirking as their eyes widened. "A lot has happened the last few days. We should take advantage of the fact that we aren't on hot cases, and use that time to…" he paused, not sure how to express what he was thinking without sounding too girly or soft, "recharge. Tougher days are coming. Days when we will be on a case 48 hours straight or more. Now go."
Left with no other option, Tony and Ziva straightened their desks and shut down their computers before entering the elevator and heading out.
"Want to grab drinks or something and talk about what we found or how to proceed tomorrow?" Tony asked. "Since Gibbs won't let us stay."
Ziva shook her head. "I think I will do as Gibbs suggested and go out and charge."
Tony gave her a puzzling look, "You're gonna go shopping?"
"No," she rolled her eyes. "I think I am going to go to the gym."
"But-"
"Fighting something, or someone, always helps to clear my mind and give me a new perspective on things. Unless you wish to volunteer as a sparring partner?" She added, smirking at him.
"Er, no," Tony quickly declined. "I got some things to do as well."
Ziva smirked. "Very well, then, have a nice evening."
"Yeah, you too," he wished as he stood in the parking lot as he wondered what he could do to get a new perspective or at least help him figure things out.
"Go away," Tim called out at the incessant knocking on his door.
"Can't do that, Probie."
Tim groaned, "Yes, you can," he disagreed.
"Nope," Tony merrily replied. "We need to talk."
"We're good," Tim said, standing on the other side of the door. "We'll talk later, I promise. I need to sleep."
"Glad that we're good," Tony replied, "You can prove it by opening the door; we'll talk now. It's not even 9, I'm not leaving here until we talk or after 11, your call."
Tim sighed and opened the door. "I'm really not in the mood to deal with you," he stated, not even bothering to sugar coat his feelings.
"No mood required," Tony guaranteed, holding up a couple of wrapped boxes. "Wanted to drop these off."
Tim raised an eyebrow, "I thought you wanted to talk."
Tony shrugged, grinning at the younger man, "Since I'm here and you mentioned it…"
Tim rolled his eyes and stepped back, allowing Tony to enter. "Here, I'll take those," he said holding his hands out for the gifts.
Tony frowned, "The best part about giving presents is watching them open it and seeing the expression on their faces."
"They're three months old," Tim replied dryly, "They aren't opening anything and if they did, they would probably be more excited about the paper and the box than the actual gift."
"Oh," a disappointed Tony uttered as he looked around. "Where are the rugrats?"
Shaking his head, Tim motioned for Tony to follow him.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked when the two men returned to the kitchen after getting the twins to sleep.
"Fine,"
Tony sighed, "Look, I am sorry about Monday. I was just…"
"Being your regular idiotic self?" Tim supplied.
Tony glared, "Being selfish and jealous."
"Jealous?" Tim repeated in surprise.
"As I said the other day, I noticed that you and Gibbs were getting closer, I felt threatened."
Tim snorted, as he wondered how Tony would feel about this latest news.
"Stupid, I know," Tony agreed. "And I know I went about it the wrong way, but when you guys wouldn't tell us what was going on, didn't deny that something was going on, but instead just kept repeating that it was none of our business, well, I saw red," he shared, unable to come up with a better way to describe what he felt.
"Why?" Tim asked. "Why did you think it should have involved you?"
"We're a team," Tony replied causing Tim to snort again. "Yeah, I know what you think about that, but I am closer to you guys than I am to my own family," he admitted.
"Me t-" Tim broke off, no longer sure who was his family anymore.
Tony looked at him inquisitively before continuing. "You guys are the ones I know I can count on when the chips are down. I think of you as a combination of best friend and younger brother with Gibbs as the father figure," Tim looked away at those words. "I saw your refusal to say anything, the fact that you didn't even tell me about your impending fatherhood, let alone the three months of actual fatherhood as an indication that you didn't care about me. I was hurt, and as I said before, reacted selfishly, thinking about how I was feeling, and not about the reasons you didn't share." Tony explained.
"But I get it now, I do," a sincere Tony added. "I know I mock and tease, but, Probie, Tim, you have to know that I have your back. That I'll be there if you ever need me, hell, I'll be there even when you don't want me," he added. "I don't mean to hurt you with my teasing and I know you know that," he pointedly added, "since you give as good as you get sometimes. Yeah, I need to work on boundaries and when to ease off, but I can't do that if you just walk away from the team or never talk to me about non-work related things."
Tony fidgeted as he waited for Tim to respond. The silence was actually becoming deafening and Tony longed for something to fill it.
"And I really want to say something about maybe coming up with a safe word to use when I hit a topic and need to back off, but well, that would probably just make you think that I'm treating this whole thing like a joke again, and I promise you, I'm not."
Tim continued to look down at his hands, not meeting Tony's eyes, or even reacting to what he just said as he debated what to say.
"Probie?" Tony prodded.
Tim just shook his head.
"I really don't do well with silence," Tony informed his teammate.
Tim snorted at that, but still didn't say a word.
"Say something, even if it's 'get out'. I don't care how eloquent it is," Tony explained. "Just talk to me. As I said, if want me to leave, so you can think; if you want to discuss this later; hell, even if you want to yell at me, that's fine, just…" Tony trailed off, not sure how to explain what the silence was doing to him.
Tim sighed, "I'm debating where we go from here," he admitted.
Tony grinned, glad that Tim was talking to him and hadn't kicked him out yet. "Normally I would suggest a nice bar or club, but well, you never liked going to those in the past, so I seriously doubt you'll go out now," he added pointedly looking down the hall.
Tim snorted, before confirming, "Yeah, not gonna happen."
"Just give me a chance," Tony pleaded, "Another chance," he corrected. "Talk to me."
Tim nodded, "Okay, I'll tell you what's going on," he promised. "What happens after that depends on how you react," he warned. "What you say, what you do, that will determine not only if we might be able to be friends, but also if we'll be able to work together again."
Tony nodded, "I'm here for you," he vowed.
Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, Tim began, "Got the results of the DNA test Abby started and I talked with my mother. Turns out the Admiral isn't my biological father. That was a young marine my mother met from Stillwater, Pennsylvania. One she was told had died in action when she went to his hometown to find out how to contact him so she could tell him she was pregnant."
Tony's mouth dropped open as he stared at Tim in shock, he couldn't mean what Tony thought he meant...could he?
"I…you…Gibbs…"
Tim took another deep breath, "Leroy Jethro Gibbs is my biological father," saying it out loud for the first time.
"I...Wow…How?"
Tim snorted again, "Do I really have to explain the birds and the bees to you?"
Tony was already shaking his head. "Seriously? I mean, you aren't just saying this to get even with me or to point out that it's really not my business?"
"Seriously," Tim confirmed, his tone sincere as he prepared himself for the fallout.
"Wow," Tony repeated.
Tim remained silent, both to allow Tony time to process this new information but also to ensure that he didn't impede the other man's natural reaction to it.
"Uh, how did Gibbs take the news?" Tony finally asked.
Tim blinked, that was not what he was expecting the next words out of Tony's mouth to be.
"You told him, right?" Tony asked when Tim didn't answer. "If not, well, I can go with you for support," he offered.
"He knows," Tim confirmed, once he got past his surprise at the offer.
"And?"
Tim shrugged, "Don't know," he admitted. "We haven't talked about it."
Tony frowned, "How could you not talk about it? What could be more important?"
Tim shrugged, "Everything."
"Huh?" A confused tony replied. The look on his face would have been comical if the matter wasn't such a serious one.
"Tony," Tim said on a sigh, "As you pointed out, I don't have the relationship you, Abby, and Ziva have with him. It's only recently that he's been friendly towards me outside of work, and I really think it happened because I didn't have anyone else," he softly added. "Neither one of us expected this to be the result. I didn't even think of it as a possibility." Tim gave a derisive laugh. "I thought I knew who my parents were."
Tim snorted, "Of course, that does explain why the Admiral never cared as much about me or has even called since I told him about his grandch-about my children," he added, correcting himself mid-word.
"Tim," Tony began, his voice soft and sorrowful.
Tim shrugged him off, "It's okay, Tony, you don't have to say anything."
"Tim,"
"Really, it's fine," Tim repeated. "I can handle this," he added, glancing down the hall. "Now, if you'll excuse me, the number rule of parenting is: when they sleep, you sleep," Tim informed his coworker as he walked to the door and held it open for him to leave.
Reluctantly, Tony nodded, approaching the door. He would stay, but he honestly had no idea what to say or do. "We good?" he couldn't resist asking.
"Yeah," Tim answered, smiling at the older man. "Thanks for coming by."
"No problem," Tony said, nodding again, as he stepped through the doorway. "If there's anything you need, anything I can do…"
Tim started to shake his head before saying, "Actually, yeah," he began, meeting Tony's gaze, "Don't spread this around NCIS."
"I won't," Tony vowed, miming buttoning his lips. "I promise, I have your six."
"Thanks," Tim replied before shutting the door behind the other man.
3-21-20
What is Gibbs going to do?
Can anyone imagine what Gibbs or Tim must be feeling and thinking right now?
[part of me really can't, but that could be because I'm female :)]
So Tim told Tony...was that a mistake?
What will the bullpen be like on 'Wednesday'?
I hope you enjoyed this story. It's amazing how the 'final' draft is so different from the first draft, I barely recognize it sometimes. Feel free to review and let me know the answer to the above questions, or anything else you want to ask/know.
I would love to read some reviews while 'sheltering at home'...
And did anybody else sing this chapter title or was it just me?
