OMNI

Tim felt a slight chill pull him slowly out of his sleep. With his eyes still closed, he stirred gently under the light blanket while the air mattress underneath him wobbled in response. The blanket was either too warm or too cold, though it didn't help that he slept in his undershirt and boxers that night for the second night in a row. As much as he missed his own bed and sleeping nude, he couldn't argue that this was still more comfortable than sleeping on the chaise at Riley's apartment. He reached out his arm for Riley but felt empty space in the cramped full bed. Another cool breeze gently grazed over his face, which made him creep one eye open.

Riley had selected a corner office as his own. Until the team arrived that night, it was decently separated from the other residents of the building. Conspicuously meant to be a management-level office, it was nearly twice as long as most of the other offices on that side of the floor. To maintain a seamless flow of glass for the windows outside, the large window panels were held together by steel vertical beams on the inside and rounded the corner with the curvature of the building. A small ledge for decorations lined the waist-high base of the windows, many of which had handles to open or close the windows. With the parking lot lights on during the night, light shone upward into the office, reflecting dully off of the white drop ceiling tiles. The room was completely spartan, decorated only with a cheaply veneered executive-style desk, a few stacks of either folded or used clothes, and the air mattress that they slept on.

Tim found Riley across the room sitting on the window ledge with his back to Tim, wearing only his boxer trunks and with one leg perched up on the ledge with him. The window was opened by just an inch, though it allowed the white noise of the nearby highway to float into the room with the cool night air. Riley occasionally leaned forward as he looked around, causing light to shine over the top of his back where his griffin tattoo showed. Inches from his foot on the ledge was a coffee mug with a tea bag string hanging over the side.

Tim wasn't surprised to see Riley still being somewhat distant. Despite their reunion and the heavy kissing that ensued as they entered that office, Riley had said very few words to Tim. They kissed and held each other for what seemed like an hour before Riley stripped down and gestured Tim to bed. It didn't take much for Tim to sense that Riley still appeared volatile, so in the spirit of desperately not wanting to sleep alone, Tim didn't push for conversation. Despite touching Riley, Tim felt oddly separated from him. Riley's defenses were up, and the kisses they shared carried a profound sense of relief but lacked the lustful and loving spark they used to have. Tim thought it felt like an electrical outlet without any power, and he was worried about how long Riley had been this way. Riley faced away from Tim as they snuggled together earlier, but Tim was happy with the contented sigh that Riley gave before his breathing slowed. He figured there would be time to talk, but so much had happened and he wanted Riley to be ready first.

As he shifted to the end of the bed, the material of the air mattress emitted rubbery, low groans which alerted Riley to the movement. Riley was startled and gasped quickly as his head flew around to look at him, then sighed with relief.

Tim grimaced, feeling a slight tug of concern seeing the other man so jumpy. "Sorry," he whispered.

Riley gave a quick smile. "It's okay. I'm just used to being the only person in this room."

"What time is it?" Tim asked as he stood and walked the few steps over to Riley.

"About 3:30 AM or so."

Tim leaned against the steel window beam across from Riley by the full mug of tea. From that angle, he saw the tail of Riley's tattoo that wound around his thigh. He smiled to himself, remembering how that the tattoo was what gave away that Riley hadn't been killed. He could also see more bruising and scrapes along Riley's muscled torso, each injury sending a saddening shock to Tim's core. He then the beginnings of bags under Riley's eyes, shadows of insomnia.

Tim hummed, "Can't sleep?"

"Heh," Riley huffed dryly, then looked down at the mug. "They told me to drink this tea to help me get some sleep. I've made it a few times, but… some part of me always wonders if OMNI somehow knows where we are, and if the tea might somehow be poisoned. You don't have to tell me how that sounds."

"No, I guess not," Tim replied worriedly as he slipped his hand over Riley's in the hopes of somehow giving comfort.

Riley smiled tiredly up at him. "I sleep a couple hours a night when my body just can't do it anymore, but otherwise I just rest here and there while I think."

Tim smiled and nodded. "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything," Riley quipped. "That's the problem."

"I meant now," Tim chuckled.

Riley smiled more sincerely than before. "I know." He paused and turned slightly to look out the window, then back up at Tim. "I know there's a lot on your mind too, Tim. I can see it. But I don't know where to start and I don't know where I want you to start because I don't think either of us will like what we hear."

"That's where I'm stuck, too," Tim admitted. He brushed his thumb over Riley's hand. As it traveled further, he felt the light scabs from the wounds around Riley's wrists. "I guess we should start from the beginning. You said the Originals saved you, but… What happened on that bridge?"

Riley closed his eyes and slowly wound his fingers around Tim's hand to hold tightly. "During the day when I'm active, it's all a blur. But at night I remember everything. If I sleep… all I have are nightmares."

Tim squeezed Riley's hand and inched closer.

"I knew something was wrong when the truck was getting too close," Riley began. "It was a clear road. If he wanted to pass, he would've done it with a lot more distance between us. I thought I could lose him, even if I didn't know where I'd go after. Then the other one came. The headlights were blinding. I thought they'd hit me, but they stopped just before crashing into me. Then it's like the four guys just appeared… I didn't even have time to get my gun from my ankle holster. They were just there."

Tim felt his eyes puffing as he listened. Riley slipped his hands away and looked at the cuts on his wrists as he continued.

"Zip-ties… I've never seen any that were so strong. They threw me into the back of one of the SUV's, and I tried every trick in the book to get out of them, but they just wouldn't break. I tried finding whatever I could to pick them, and that's when I saw the window grates, the metal ones between the back and the trunk area for a K-9 or so that a suspect couldn't escape." He looked at Tim in the eyes. "It was a Police SUV, Tim. They weren't in uniform, and they didn't arrest me. That's when I knew it was OMNI. I knew I was going to die."

Tim blinked back tears as he moved closer, taking Riley's hand back in his and putting his other on Riley's leg. He could feel the slight tremors in the man's body as the story was recounted.

"They hit me over and over before even taking me out of the back. I can still taste my blood in my mouth. Then they dragged me over into a van and threw me in. It was cold and empty. Then they put a rag over my mouth and nose, and I went out. I woke up with a massive headache, but the zip-ties were gone, and I was alone. The Originals had put me in one of the conference rooms so that I'd wake up seeing their incomplete intel on OMNI, hoping I'd believe I was with the Originals. I didn't, not even when Cal and a few others showed me their older tattoos and the intel they had on King. But they let me do my own research, and then I finally believed it – that the FBI had betrayed me and offered me up to OMNI, and that someone from the Originals got me out so I wouldn't be killed."

Tears spilled out against Tim's will. He choked back a sob. "I'm so sorry… I should've been there. I never should've left when you asked me to stay."

Riley reached a hand out and cupped Tim's cheek. "No, Tim. You would've been killed. And there's no way any of us could've known it was going to happen. I died every day that I couldn't just reach out to you. But after the hospital… I needed you to know, so I used the name you gave me so that you'd know I was alive. I hoped you'd understand that I was undercover, like that chapter you wrote with me. I didn't want to make things worse."

Tim chortled as he wiped his eyes. "What could be worse than thinking you were dead?"

"You actually being dead," Riley replied grimly, his eyes faltering. "I didn't want you following me or trying to fight OMNI. I didn't know what you were up to after the hospital until you went for King. When I realized today that Gibbs knew it was me who killed everyone at that dock last week, it meant that you knew too. And I didn't know how you'd possibly be able to look at me knowing that what happened to you was because of me."

Tim frowned for a moment as he thought about it. "What do you mean? It was OMNI that sent those people to Alyssa's, we all know that."

Riley slipped off the ledge, then leaned forward against it. "It was. But that one Marine I killed… If I had just done more research on the targets, it would've changed everything. NCIS wouldn't have been called, the FBI would've, and you wouldn't have been with Alyssa to get… to get…" his grip tightened on the ledge.

Tim could tell Riley was starting to close off again. He slowly moved behind him and wrapped the shorter man in his arms, then gently kissed the top of his head. He could feel the goosebumps on Riley's skin. "I went up to the cabin the day after they told me you were killed," he whispered. "I had to see the bridge for myself."

"Tim…" Riley breathed, then sniffled and place his hands over Tim's.

Tim continued quietly, "Gibbs followed me. He found out that it was OMNI that went after you, and he took me back to the cabin to look for any clues. I found the brown leather jacket you let me borrow and I took it home. It's still hanging up in my closet."

Riley leaned gently back against Tim. "It is?"

Tim nodded, letting his cheek rub against the top of Riley's head. "That night, OMNI contacted me. I started hacking into the FBI from home using my best tricks yet. I knew King was lying and I would've taken out the entire FBI mainframe if it meant bringing OMNI down. I would've found Alyssa eventually, and I would've been there that night when she was attacked. And despite everything that happened, I'm here now, and she's alive because of what we did."

Riley stared darkly out the window, breathing slowly and deeply. "I snapped, Tim. Really, really hard. I took a grenade from that crate we stole… pulled the pin… then I held it inside the server room and threatened to blow it all up and me with it unless the Originals got me in and out of the hospital to see you. I saw you in that bed… the cuts, the blood… I blacked out. I remember finding out it was Hall, I remember going there, I… I know I killed her, but all I remember is just… rage. Hatred. Everything else since then has just been a haze."

"I know," Tim whispered, holding on tighter. "I'm okay. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Riley denied and pulled away, then turned to face him. "I've killed people, a lot of them. You and I may know that they're OMNI scumbags, but to the rest of the world, I gunned down nearly twenty civilians. I don't feel any guilt for what I did, and part of me knows that's not okay, but I have to keep going because someone has to make that call. Even Gibbs could see that I did what I had to do. Someone has to keep these people safe. I have to."

Tim exhaled as he realized what Riley was saying. He remembered Riley talking about being an investigator or a soldier, and now he was seeing it up-close. "You've spent months investigating OMNI, and they made the case into a war. You're a soldier now, doing the job no matter the cost to you."

Riley softly nodded. "Ever since I was kidnapped, I haven't felt anything except this driving need to end OMNI so I can finally stop looking over my shoulder… so we can. I haven't slept because I've been watching you, making sure they couldn't come for you, and I still fucked that up. Then I saw you and kissed you…" He turned back to the window. "It was perfect for just that moment. I actually felt happy, and I had forgotten what that felt like."

"But now?" Tim asked, seeing the pain in Riley's reflection. He had felt passionate joy when Riley kissed him before, despite the rush of confusion and fear that followed.

"I didn't think you'd even want to be this close to me," Riley explained quietly, still looking away. "Hell, I don't want to be this close to me. No matter how people will see OMNI, there's no washing off the blood on my hands. But you… you can still have your life back when OMNI is done. You haven't crossed that line. You can do better than me, Tim. You deserve better."

Tim folded his arms, taking in what Riley said. Riley's fierce determination glowed in his eyes. He could finally see Riley's conflict, wanting desperately to be with Tim but keeping his distance for Tim's sake. It wasn't the first time someone felt like this towards him, and Tim recognized it. He felt like he was back at his desk with the pen on the paper ready to sign his transfer, the same way he had written in his book. This time though, he actually had to make the choice. He would either have to let Riley go and sit on the sidelines like he had done his entire career, or he would take the leap and risk everything for what he believed. He thought if that time ever truly came, he would be filled with more doubt. But after what they went through and what Riley confessed to him, it didn't take him long at all to come to a decision. Riley needed him again, and this time he wouldn't fail. Every ounce of his protective strength rushed out of his core and through his body.

"Well, you're just gonna have to get used to not being alone in this room, then," Tim answered with a resolute smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

Riley spun around, looking completely taken off-guard. "Wait, what?"

Tim closed the gap between them, not having to fake the confidence in his decision or in his smile. "Do you really think that any of that makes me love you less? I admit, was afraid when I considered that you had been the one hunting OMNI operatives, that you had gone rogue and were never coming back. But knowing what I know now, seeing how OMNI has destroyed the lives of so many people, even children… Taking down criminals like them is the reason why I joined NCIS in the first place. I'm not going back to work for the government as long as OMNI is a part of it. I know there may be more people killed along the way, but Gibbs is right. As a team, we'll have better options, and we can find a way to stop OMNI without as much bloodshed. But no matter what, when we finish this, what's left of the world takes us together, or we go on the road with the Originals together. I'm not leaving your side."

Riley's chest rose and fell with his quickening breaths. He was mesmerized by Tim's words and the lack of doubt, and he looked up into Tim's eyes. "Fuck…" he breathed.

Tim grinned and let their hands gently find each other, glad that his confidence paid off. He looked into the other man's eyes. The cracks in his defenses were opening, and the exhausted, emotional Riley was starting to show through. "You've really been staying up this whole time just to watch over me?"

Riley nodded, still looking into his eyes.

Tim smiled and brushed his fingers over Riley's cheek and into his hair. "You look tired."

"Oh god, Tim, I'm so tired," Riley groaned exasperatedly.

"Come here," Tim whispered as he enveloped Riley in another hug.

He held Riley tightly against his chest as Riley trembled and quietly sobbed, all of his armor crumbling to pieces. Tim felt renewed with the contact of the man in his arms and felt proud of himself for getting through to Riley, the real Riley that he missed so much. For all the physical contact that they previously had, the reuniting kisses and hands finding each other, this was the first time since finding Riley that Tim truly felt his presence. The electric sparks, the heartbeats, everything he remembered was back. It made him feel whole again, reinforcing his decision to stay.

Riley's breathing steadied with a few deep breaths, but he kept his face tightly glued to Tim's chest. "I'm so sorry, Tim. For everything. I got you into this mess, I got you blown up…"

"Shh…" Tim whispered, gently kissing through Riley's hair. "It's okay. You can't do everything, Riley. I'm the one who's sorry. If I had been there when you needed me, you wouldn't have had to go through all of this alone."

"No," Riley breathed, then looked up at him. "You can't blame yourself for that. There was no way you could've known."

Tim started to believe it and felt somewhat reassured. Looking into Riley's eyes, he felt the familiar draw again and could see a feeling of longing building within Riley.

After standing in silence for a moment, Tim chuckled. "I guess we'll both just have to get over it."

Riley gave a hum of approval, and a sly smile that could only mean mischief. "I think I have an idea of how, if you're interested."

Tim tilted his head to the side, curious and thrilled to see the flame back his lover. "In you? Always."

Riley quickly found a t-shirt from the floor and slipped it on, then took Tim's hand and led him quietly out of the office. He crept them down the row of offices on the side of the floor as to not disturb anyone sleeping, then broke into a faster pace down the stairs. Tim followed closely, enjoying the sneaking around, and having an idea of where Riley was going. Riley led them around the other side of the first floor as to not be noticed roaming the office half-dressed with Tim, then slipped them into the bathroom.

Riley darted over to the single-person shower and turned it on, satisfied that his instinct was correct of it being unoccupied so late at night. Tim was startled by the loud noise breaking their silence, but Riley turned back to him with the same glowing lust in his eyes that was there in the conference room the night before, and the longing that was in them upstairs. Riley slowly stepped towards him, then let his hand travel cautiously over Tim's shirt, feeling his chest up to his neck.

Tim bent down to let their lips meet as his arms enclosed around Riley. His hand slipped under Riley's shirt, and he felt the surge of energy spread through his body, sending throbbing pulses to his covered crotch. Riley took in a large gasp, the touch electrifying his body. His forehead rubbed against Tim's face as he savored the touch. Riley traced his hands up Tim's arms and up through the t-shirt sleeves, feeling his man's hot skin. He kissed his way up Tim's jawline, then latched his teeth gently onto Tim's earlobe.

Tim moaned and slid his hand downward over Riley's tattoo down to his left butt cheek and squeezed hard. Riley groaned hungrily and hooked his leg around Tim's, standing on the tips of his toes to bridge the gap in height. He clawed at Tim's shirt to pull it over Tim's head. Tim quickly removed it as Riley spun around to let his back rub against Tim's torso and grind their hips together. Tim's teeth gnawed at Riley's neck as he felt under Riley's shirt, finding more electrifying skin over the toned muscles he had almost forgotten as he lifted the clothing off of the man. The large tattoo and the muscular chest no longer intimidated him as they once had. They were part of the man he loved, and nothing about this man could make him afraid anymore.

Riley's hand reached behind him and grasped Tim's manhood through his underwear. Tim moaned loudly, the touch seeming to make his whole body ache. He had been so absorbed in his work and his grief that he hadn't pleasured himself in over a week. While two weeks wasn't the longest he'd ever gone without an orgasm, it was shock therapy to have someone he was so wholly connected to arousing him again. Tim felt around Riley's thigh, gripping the skin as he went, until he reached Riley's straining cock and squeezed it. Riley rocked back against him and nearly buckled at the knees. He leaned his head back against Tim's shoulder and brought Tim's head down to his, sucking in Tim's lips to his and letting their tongues duel.

Tim hummed lustfully as he rubbed Riley's pecs with his other hand, then led them forward as he felt the steam of the shower in the air. He pushed Riley's trunks down with one hand while trying to remove his own with the other. Riley felt the actions and used his own hands cooperatively, then turned around and pushed the naked Tim into the shower. Tim felt a wave of cold goosebumps across his chest from the touch of the cool tiles, but the warm shower water rained down as Riley seductively stepped in and reconnected their bodies.

Riley stood again on his toes as he snaked his arms around Tim's torso. Tim tried to turn around to face him, but Riley pressed his hands against Tim's biceps to keep him facing the wall. Tim at first didn't know what was happening, but then he felt Riley's face against his back. Riley slid his hands up to Tim's shoulders, then down to his back, the touch becoming increasingly lighter as he went. Tim felt the running water flow down his back and around his stitches, then he started feeling more gentle, light touches coupled with warm air and he realized that Riley was kissing gently around his stitches. He realized that Riley was being penitent, that he was facing what he felt responsible for causing. One of Riley's arms slid between the wall and Tim's chest, pulling him closer while his head rested against the back of Tim's neck. While Tim's erection had faltered slightly against the cold of the tile, he had never felt closer to the man he loved.

He turned around to face Riley, this time with no resistance from the other man. This time, he moved Riley against the wall now warmed by Tim's body, and held him in place. Riley's hands hooked around Tim's neck as their lips met again, reuniting their breaths and tongues. The taste of Riley's skin and the warmth of their wet bodies rubbing together was sending Tim into bliss and returned blood to his erection with a vengeance. He traced his hands up Riley's arms and took the man's hands in his, weaving their fingers together and bringing them down between them. He kissed the backs of Riley's hands and pressed them to his face, having so greatly missed how they felt. He then continued pressing his lips further down to Riley's wrists, where the bruised and scabbed lines of the zip-tie cuts remained around the edge of the man's hands. He gently rotated Riley's hands, allowing him to kiss all the way around each wrist. Riley gasped, his eyes glowing with need and on the verge of loving tears. Tim nuzzled their noses together, then pressed their foreheads together as they each breathed heavily into each other.

Riley quickly snatched a bottle of bodywash from a ledge in the shower and slicked his fingers, then hooked his leg around Tim's while he prepared himself. "I love you, so much," Riley breathed. "And I'm so sorry, and I forgive you for everything."

Tim took the bottle and urgently lathered his cock up as he nuzzled against Riley's cheek, whispering into his ear, "I love you, always and forever. I'm so sorry, and I forgive you for everything."

Riley hoisted himself up with his arms over Tim's shoulder, his back against the wall, and his feet pressing hard against the other side of the shower, keeping himself elevated while Tim repositioned himself. The water cascaded over both of them, almost starting to feel cold against the heat of their bodies. With the size of the shower, Tim nearly needed to stand outside of it to fit together with Riley, but he didn't care. Riley slid his hips down and outward, gasping and leaning his head back against the wall as Tim entered him. Tim clamped his lips down on Riley's neck and moaned as he felt Riley's tightness accept him. He slid his hands under Riley's thighs to support him as he thrusted forward and upward, pushing more inches into Riley. Riley's hand held tightly to Tim as his body squeezed the other man's. Tim pulled back and slowly thrusted in again while Riley gently bucked his body back and forth from the wall. Tim felt his heart pounding in his chest, the familiar pounding that pulled him closer to the other man, reminding him that this was where he belonged.

Tim felt that Riley's body was secure, and he let his right hand wander from under Riley's thigh up over the tattooed skin and up to the muscled chest. With his mouth and tongue still at Riley's neck under his jaw, Tim brushed over Riley's sensitive nipple with his thumb. Riley's body buckled and his arm released to grab Tim's hand. Tim thought Riley would fall when he felt the movement, and in a flash he took Riley's arm by the bicep and slammed it back hard against the shower wall to keep him up. Panic quickly spread through his mind, worried that Riley would think his move was too rough, and he pulled his head back to see Riley's reaction. Riley's mouth hung open and his eyes were in shock, but they quickly ignited with fire. Riley roughly grabbed the back of Tim's head and pulled him in hard for a rough, hungry, searching kiss while his legs squeezed around Tim's torso. Tim leaned into Riley, now knowing that this was okay, and kept pressure on Riley's arm pinned above his head on the wall.

Riley moaned gutturally and brought his hand from Tim's head down to his raging cock, roughly working the flesh as Tim picked up his rhythm, thrusting harder and feeling the inferno building inside. Riley gnawed at Tim's jaw and nuzzled their faces together.

"I love you," Riley groaned.

"I love you," Tim breathed, slamming harder into Riley, knowing that he couldn't keep going for long.

Tim bent down as he thrusted and kissed his way down Riley's neck to his shoulder. He could tell that Riley was close, and as intertwines as their bodies felt now, he needed to feel Riley even closer. He released Riley's arm and slid his arm down around the small of Riley's back, pulling the man closer while gaining a better position to continue his pleasuring assault. Riley rose and fell with the thrusts and kept back firmly pressed against the wall, freeing his other hand to grappled Tim's skin, both pulling the man closer and pushing him away in rhythm.

Riley whimpered deeply, and Tim could feel the muscles inside Riley beginning to spasm as the man approached his climax. Tim pulled Riley closer and latched his lips onto Riley's, and he felt Riley's moaning grow louder as the spasms intensified. Finally, Riley's body completely convulsed and Riley all but screamed into Tim's mouth as his orgasm overtook his senses. The tight gripping of Riley's hole around Tim's cock and the hot cum jetting onto his chest sent Tim over the edge. His balls tightened, and with every pulse of searing hot cum that he shot, he felt like his entire body was being pulled inside his lover's entry.

The two melted together, united in ecstasy, their heavy breaths heaved in unison. Tim opened his eyes and looked down into Riley's, who still looked dazed, but completely together with Tim in that moment. The shower seemed to grow louder around them as Tim's heart stopped beating in his ears.

Tim smiled and nuzzled against Riley's cheek. "Are you okay?"

Riley hummed happily and dropped his head onto Tim's shoulder. "You have no idea."

Shutting off the shower, they unceremoniously dried off while basking in their post-orgasmic afterglow, looking goofily at each other and stumbling over wobbly legs. Then hand-in-hand they wandered carelessly back up to the fourth floor corner office where they collapsed onto the air mattress. The mattress wavered as they rolled to face each other and connected their mouths again. Riley's hands found the hem of Tim's shirt and started sliding it upward, prompting Tim to take off his clothes yet again while Riley did the same. Tim pulled the thin blanket back over them both as their legs weaved together. Riley propped his head up while looking down at Tim, his other hand gently caressing Tim's chest.

Tim looked into Riley's eyes and noticed he still looked preoccupied. He brushed his hand over Riley's cheek. "What is it?"

Riley shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to being up at night."

"I can't believe really were out there every night," Tim repeated, his heart skipping a beat under Riley's hand.

Riley nodded. "I thought I owed you that. Even for these guys, I always had to be at the ready in case someone needed help. Night is when OMNI is busiest, and… I don't like having nightmares."

"And King?" Tim continued. "You weren't hunting him?"

"No," Riley shook his head. "I was just following you. I had my suspicions of King, but… you were my priority."

Tim leaned up and propped himself up on his elbows, then cupped Riley's cheek with his hand as he had an idea. "Why don't I take the night shift, tonight, huh?"

Riley snorted, then chuckled, "What?"

"I mean it!" Tim repeated and poked Riley in the hip. "Even Frodo had to sleep sometime on his way to Mordor. And if there were redwood trees in Middle Earth, I'm sure he would've slept against one."

Riley snickered and flopped down onto Tim, sending them both back to the mattress. "I almost forgot that I let you call me 'your Hobbit,' and you were my 'Redwood Tree.' It feels like all of that was so long ago."

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "It kinda does. We've had a bumpy start, but I can say I've never been bored when I've been around you."

Riley chuckled again and hummed contently on Tim's chest. "I was just getting into calling you 'babe' and 'baby.' It almost seems silly to think about it now."

"Not really," Tim continued, rubbing his fingers into Riley's hair. "But I really do mean it, I'll stay awake in case anything happens, and you can sleep knowing I'm here. You've watched over me, now it's my turn to watch over you."

"Really?" Riley asked, lookup up at him.

Tim nodded and smirked. "Get some sleep, babe."

Riley snickered and slid onto his other side, then pulled at Tim's arms to be spooned from behind. Tim grinned as he hoped Riley would soon fall asleep. He occupied his mind reconciling the Riley that he fell in love with against the one in his arms. This Riley had been through a lot, and likely needed care of his own when it was all over. He couldn't imagine anyone coming out of a kidnapping experience unscathed, but that also didn't justify Riley murdering Agent Hall in cold blood. It did disturb Tim, but he knew there was nothing to be done about it now, and nothing would be gained by him judging Riley for it. But Riley had also bared his soul to him and let him understand the trauma he experienced. That was an act of trust which deserved Tim's trust in return, which he was ready to give. He simply hoped that Riley would now consider the options he would have with a full field team, like Gibbs suggested.

Tim tried staying awake as long as he could, but eventually he started to doze in and out. He didn't know if Riley actually slept at all that night, but Riley was still in his arms when he saw the morning light a few hours later, and that was what mattered most.