Much to Tim's dismay, it didn't take long after Tony and Abby arrived for them to become aware of the connection between Gibbs and Tim's parents. Both Ziva and Jackson had mentioned it in passing. As expected, Tony being Tony, he had been ribbing Tim about it all day. Normally, Tim would just ignore Tony's comments, but the whole thing had him a little rattled. It wasn't every day that you found out your mother and boss used to date.
Tony, Tim, Ziva, and Abby sat around Jackson Gibbs' living room. The man had invited all of them for dinner at his house. The two Gibbs men were in the kitchen getting it ready.
Tony looked like Christmas had come early. Not only had he just met Gibbs' dad, and would also hopefully get some information about his boss out of him, but he'd also learned some interesting information about his probie. "Wow. I still can't get over Gibbs and your mom dating, Probie."
Tim sighed in annoyance. "Yes, clearly. Let it go already, Tony.
Tony laughed. "Oh, you know me better than that, McGee. I won't be letting this go for a long time. Gibbs used to date your mom. If they stayed together, he could've been your dad."
"It is kind of freaky, McGee. I can't believe you never knew. Your mom never told you?" Abby asked.
"Why would she? Why would she randomly talk to me about a guy she dated in high school that she left for my father? A man my father hated, by the way," Tim asked. True, he didn't know for sure that his father hated Gibbs, but he could guess that he did. Gibbs sure didn't think much of his father, and Tim could guess that that was reciprocated.
"Well, haven't you mentioned Gibbs to them since you've worked for NCIS? I used to tell my parents everything," Abby said.
"No, I don't talk to them about work or anything else. I don't talk to them," Tim said. It had been four years since he spoke to his father, and three since he spoke to his mother. He'd come to the conclusion that talking to his father only caused him pain, so he stopped. He tried to stay in touch with his mother, but every time he spoke to her, she'd push him to talk to his father. She always took his side over Tim's. He couldn't deal with it any longer. He had to cut them both out for his own sanity. Sarah was the only one he spoke to anymore. She respected his desire not to speak to or about their parents, and he respected hers not to ask her to choose.
"Everyone was quiet for a minute before Ziva spoke. "I sensed that you did not get along well with your parents, given your reaction to the way Gibbs and his father spoke of them. You did not get upset."
"Can't get upset about the truth," Tim said bluntly.
"I always thought you got along good with your parents," Abby said
"I don't know why you thought that," Tim said.
"Is that why the thing with Gibbs knowing your parents bothers you so much? It reminds you of the bad blood with your parents?" Ziva asked.
"That's definitely part of it," Tim said. Yes, Gibbs calling his father a bastard did remind him of why he disliked the man, but it wasn't just that. He had the whole thing in his head all day long, and the more he had it in his head, the more he thought about it and the more he looked back on his childhood. He thought about the things he used to hear his parents fight about him. Actually, there was only one thing he remembered them constantly fighting about. Him.
Tim was actually quite young when he realized there wasn't much about him that his father liked. He seemed to be disappointed in everything about Tim, including things he couldn't control, like his appearance. Tim was around eight or nine when he began to realize why that mattered so much. His father was insinuating that Tim was not his. He didn't know why his father thought that, but he also didn't read much into it. He looked like his mother. That was logical to him, as he was her son too. When he was twelve, and his father finally said to his face that he didn't think he was his, he still thought the old man was crazy. He never thought anything of it.
Not long after finding out about Gibbs and his mother, Tim came to the conclusion that that was the reason his father doubted his paternity. He thought Gibbs was his father. That was a bit unsettling. His boss had been the thing that unintentionally caused his father to dislike him so much. Tim didn't blame Gibbs, of course. It wasn't his fault that John McGee had lost his mind. It was just that his father's insanity now actually had a name and face, and both belonged to a fundamental part of Tim's life, and that was unsettling. There was also the very tiny, yet very present, nagging in the back of his mind that made him wonder if maybe his father wasn't crazy. What if there was some merit to the accusations his father had hurled at his mother Tim's entire childhood.
Tim was mostly sure that wasn't the case. It was crazy to think about. The odds were probably almost zero, but now that he knew Gibbs was likely the source of his father's doubts, it made him wonder just a little bit.
"Are you alright, McGee?" Ziva asked.
"Yeah, I just don't want to think about this anymore. Can we all just let it go?" he asked.
"Sure, McGee. Sorry," Tony said. The whole thing was funny at first, but he could see now that it really bothered McGee, and not the way Tony wanted it to bother him. It wasn't just annoying or embarrassing. It was opening up painful wounds. Tony knew what it was like to be estranged from a parent.
"Okay, next topic. Tell us everything you guys know about Gibbs' father," Abby said.
Tim and Ziva both laughed and started telling their friends what had happened thus far.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Gibbs was in deep thought as he helped his father with dinner. He'd trying to process things since he learned that Tim's parents were his old girlfriend and John McGee. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that Tim's conception had to be dangerously close to the time his mother was still going back and forth between him and John McGee. It was very possible, a good fifty percent possible at least, that Tim was his son. Gibbs didn't know what to do with that.
"You decided what you're gonna do?" Jack asked his son as he chopped vegetables.
"About what?" Gibbs asked, though he already knew what.
Jackson gave his son an annoyed look. "You know what, Leroy. That young man out there. I know you've done the math. The boy's what, around thirty. That would mean…"
"Yeah, I know what it means, Dad," Gibbs interrupted.
"If that boy's my grandson, I'd like to know. Is it possible? I know you were seeing his mother. I'd guessed that you two were fooling around. Were you? Is it possible?" Jackson asked.
Gibbs sighed. "Yeah, it's possible, but it's just as possible it went the other way."
"He doesn't look like the McGee boy," Jackson said.
"Doesn't look like me either. He looks like Clare. You can't judge by that," Gibbs said. He'd never believed you could tell paternity by how much a person looked like you. Looks weren't reliable.
"I can see a little," Jackson said.
Gibbs shook his head. "You want to see that."
"Maybe, but I do see it. Look, I know you can't judge by appearances, but it is a possibility. You should do something about it. Take a DNA test," Jackson said.
"Slow down, Dad. You and I aren't the only ones this affects. I gotta think about Tim. Can't just turn his life upside down without thinking it through. No matter how it turns out, it'll have consequences for him. If a blood test says McGee's his father, as he already thinks, I'll have made him question everything about himself for no reason, and the awkwardness he'll feel around me for months will be high. If he's my son, what then? Then his life is completely upended. What would it even mean to him? He's grown up with McGee as his father. That won't go away because DNA says he's not his father. DNA doesn't mean everything," Gibbs explained. He did want to know the truth, but it wasn't just about him. He had to think about what was in Tim's best interests too, especially if he really was his son. He had to think about what he should do and how to go about it.
"He doesn't seem to think much about McGee," Jackson pointed out.
"Dad, you can dislike your father at times and still love him," Gibbs said. It was true, Tim hadn't argued when Gibbs called John McGee a bastard, but for all Gibbs knew, he'd recently had a fight with him, and even if that was what Tim really thought about his personality, it didn't mean he didn't love the man. It didn't mean he wouldn't be devastated to find out he might not be his father.
"Good to know, son," Jackson said with a slight smile. "So, you're saying you're not gonna do anything about this."
"No, I'm saying I gotta think it through first. Blood or not, Tim's mine. I gotta think about how this will affect him," Gibbs said. He didn't know what he was going to do yet, but he knew he couldn't make a decision rashly. He couldn't rush into it.
"Alright, I understand. You'll let me know how it turns out?"
Gibbs nodded and went back to helping prepare dinner.