Not Beta'd; Standard disclaimer applies

FYI-this takes place 'Wednesday' night...I know, it feels like weeks have gone by in the story rather than just two days-huh, kinda like real life right now

Science doesn't lie, Chapter 22 Things could be worse

"Now what?" Tim asked with a sigh after opening his door and finding Tony about to knock on it again. He stepped back and admitted Tony into his apartment.

"Nothing, just wanted to see how you were doing," Tony offered in reply as he awkwardly sat himself on the couch.

Tim shrugged, "Good."

"Good, good," Tony nodded, "That's good."

Tim rolled his eyes, "Okay, now I know something's up. You just said good three times in one breath."

Tony gave a self-conscious laugh.

"Oh, God," Tim cried in dismay, as he sat down across from his teammate. "What'd ya do? Who did you tell?"

"What? Nothing, no one."

"Uh-huh," Tim's voice was laced with skepticism.

"I said I wouldn't and I didn't," Tony stated firmly.

Tim eyed him suspiciously, "Not even Ziva?"

"No, and I deserve a medal for not giving in to her questions," Tony commended himself.

"Did she break out the paperclips?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "But I think she was eyeing the letter opener."

"No paperclips, no medal," Tim retorted, beginning to believe that nothing had been said after all.

"Um…" Tony hesitated.

Tim sighed. Or maybe not. "Just tell me what you did," he wearily asked. The sooner Tim knew what was going on, the sooner he could enact some damage control.

"Nothing," Tony protested again. "Though I think Ducky knows," he softly added.

Tim froze for a moment, that would explain why Jimmy had been wandering the stairwells yesterday, probably kicked out when Gibbs entered autopsy. It would explain today's phone call from Ducky as well, especially the doctor's final congratulations and comment about a 'complete' family portrait.

"What makes you say that?" he finally asked, just when Tony was wondering if his words had been heard.

"He came up to the bullpen to see you, wanted to invite you to join him for tea."

"So?"

"So, when has Ducky ever come up specifically to see one of us?"

Tim shrugged.

"And when we told him you had a few days off, he looked at Gibbs as if wondering why he was still working."

Tim nodded, but didn't comment, knowing that there had to be more to it than just that.

"And, uh, well,"

Tim tensed, but didn't interrupt.

"I've been doing some thinking."

That was the last thing Tim expected Tony to say.

"And I want to apologize. I need to apologize," he added.

No, Tim corrected himself, that was the last thing he thought Tony would say.

"You apologized yesterday," Tim reminded him, "And I accepted. We're good."

"I know I did, but, well, a lot of things got me thinking last night and today, and I realized how wrong I actually had been and how insensitive," he admitted. After all, if you were going to break Rule 6, you might as well confess all your sins.

Tim just shrugged. As far as he was concerned it was in the past, there was no reason for Tony to flagellate himself over it. Past forget about it, put the past behind you, as they say. Much like Gibbs was doing with this news, Tim morosely thought.

Tim blinked and jolted himself out of his own thoughts as he realized that Tony was still speaking.

"Even after I realized how serious the situation was, I still treated it as a joke and I'm sorry," Tony sincerely concluded. All day he had been plagued about what he had said to Tim yesterday, about being with Gibbs's daughters, about his glare not even coming close to imitating Gibbs. He could only imagine how his words must have impacted his friend and said as much.

"I have no excuse," he continued, "But I think part of me really didn't believe what was happening. I mean, not even Hollywood had imagined a situation like this," he added, grinning before once more becoming serious. "I know I said some things that were out of line," Tony cringed as he once more remembered commenting about Tim not being like family to Gibbs, not to mention comments regarding Gibbs's daughters, or Abby being a child of Gibbs's heart, "but I was trying to lighten up the situation. Abby was gone, you were angry and upset, and you had a right to be," he hurriedly agreed before Tim could unleash his temper, "but it was just so unlike you that well," Tony shrugged. "I just…All I imagined was…I was afraid…"

"I get it," Tim injected, preventing Tony from continuing his explanations and causing the older man to sigh in relief.

"I really am sorry," Tony repeated.

"I know," Tim said, giving him a brief smile.

"So where do we go from here?" Tony asked after a few moments had passed.

Tim grinned, "I ordered a pizza earlier, there's some left, want some? We can pop in a movie as well," he offered.

Tony grinned, "Okay, but I pick the movie."

The two had settled in, a movie on the television as back ground noise, neither one paying that much attention to it as they were lost in their own thoughts.

"I still can't believe that Gibbs is my father," Tim muttered, his mind focused on that and not on the movie before him.

Tony snickered, "Er, sorry," he said, composing myself. "Just had a Star Wars moment in my head."

Tim snorted, "Yeah, well, in this case, it was the son who broke the shocking news."

Tony grinned, "Well, at least now I know what movie relates to this situation. Hollywood didn't fail me after all."

Tim shook his head and rolled his eyes, "We might not get along, but I don't think we'll have any epic battles," he said. "Though Gibbs' reaction was a bit like Luke's, but without the whining."

"Tim," Tony gulped, he had hoped his movie reference would lighten Tim up, not make things worse.

"It's okay, Tony," Tim consoled. "It is what it is."

"You know, it could be worse,"

"Yeah? How?" A skeptical Tim asked.

"Fornell could be your father? I mean, imagine having a Feeb as your father, you'd never be able to show your face at NCIS again. Or old agent Smythe? Or the creepy janitor who yells at you when you walk across his recently mopped floors?" Tony suggested. "What's up with that anyway? I mean, someone has to walk on it. I swear, he stands around waiting for one of us to step on it then pops out of nowhere to yell at us."

"Tony,"

"Right…Fathers. Um, your fourth grade teacher?"

Tim snorts, "Mrs. Fletchly? Doubtful."

"Well, then any former male teacher," he grinned. "Though you probably got along with most of them, no doubt you were teacher's pet."

Tim just rolled his eyes at that comment.

"Oooh, here's one, someone we arrested and sent to Gitmo," Tony announced, pleased with himself for that suggestion.

Another snort, "I would hope my mother would have better judgement that that…then again, she did marry my da-the admiral," Tim corrected as he remembered why they were discussing this.

"Er," Tony hesitated.

"What?" Tim asked. "Though I admit I'm afraid to ask you to continue. You've never been hesitant to say anything to me before, so it kinda scares me that you hesitated," he admitted.

"Why did she marry the admiral? Or rather, why did the admiral marry her? Did he know she was pregnant? That you weren't his?"

Tim blinked, yeah, he could see why Tony was hesitant.

"You don't have to answer," Tony rushed to reply. "I get that that was too personal."

"And we didn't even need a safe word," Tim muttered, causing Tony to laugh. "They fell in love," he said in reply to his questions. "And yes, he knew. I asked my mom the same question," he quietly admitted. "He said it would be an honor to raise the son of a marine killed in action as his own," he concluded.

"Oh," Tony replied half in awe. "That…" That was an admirable reason, he couldn't help but think. The type of man you would want to raise your child if you couldn't, so, why did Tim seem to not have such a great relationship him?

"Yeah," Tim agreed, understanding what Tony was thinking. He actually had the same reaction. He just didn't understand how the man who felt that way, said that, could end up being so cold to him.

"What was the admiral like as a dad?" Tony finally asked.

Tim frowned as he thought about it. "His career, the navy came first," Tim finally answered.

"Our relationship might've been better if we had something in common," Tim mused. "But between my seasickness and interest in technology," he shrugged, "We didn't have much to talk about." He snorted again, "Kinda like me and Gibbs."

"Tim," Tony dragged out his name.

"It's okay," Tim comforted. "I'm used to a distant, even an absent father."

"Gibbs won't be like that," his friend protested.

Tim made a point of looking at his phone and the room around him, empty except for the two of them.

"Okay, yeah, now, maybe," Tony reluctantly admitted. "But..."

"But what?" Tim asked skeptically. "It was a surprise? A shock? He needs time to process it? Well, it was all of that for me as well, not to mention the impact it will have on my career," he said, speaking without thinking about what he was saying.

"Whoa, wait," Tony held up his hands in a 'T' motion, all pretense of watching the movie, gone. "What do you mean?"

Tim was silent for a minute.

"Tim?"

"I don't suppose you could forget I said that?" he asked, not holding much hope.

Tony shook his head, "Nope. No can do, Probie. Not even with a safeword. Now spill."

With a sigh, Tim did so. "Gibbs is my father," Tim stressed. "How the hell can I possibly remain on his team? And I'm not even thinking about regulation and protocol right now," Tim stated, continuing before Tony could ask what he meant by that. "How can we work together if he never acknowledges that fact. Hell, I don't even know how I can remain at NCIS."

"Leave the team?" Tony repeated before feeling the impact of the rest of Tim's words, "Leave NCIS? Why?"

Tim snorted, "After the Abby incident Monday, rumors flew about how I got a spot on his team, what do you think they'll say now that I'm outed as his son?

"Think about it" Tim continued, giving a shrug. "What have I done at NCIS? I'm a Junior Field Agent for the MCRT. If I'm no longer able to be on that team, anything else would be a step back, especially if I returned to my previous job as a case agent in Norfolk. The only other thing was that stint in CCU during the mole hunt. And I really don't want to go back there. If I was going to go the computer route, I would have better hours, benefits, and salary in the private sector."

Tony nodded in understanding, even as he tried to think of alternatives that would keep Tim at NCIS and on the yard. "You wouldn't necessarily have to go backwards. Maybe a promotion to senior agent? That would be considered a step forward, right? Even if it's not on the MCRT."

Tim snorted.

"What?"

"I doubt I'm qualified."

"After so many years at NCIS and on a team? Why the hell not?"

"Because other than insatiable curiosity, breaking into my team's homes and computers, nicknames, and superglue, I have no idea what an SFA does," he bluntly replied.

"Ha-ha," Tony mocked before looking closely at Tim and meeting his eyes. "Wait…you're serious?"

Tim simply raised an eyebrow. "Every time I tried to learn more you told me to stick to my computer searches, that that was all I was needed for."

Those words hit Tony like a jolt to the heart. God, he really had been an insensitive jerk to his teammate throughout the years. Opening his mouth, he went to apologize again. "I'm sor-"

Tim dismissed his words, continuing to share his thoughts and reasons about why he felt he wouldn't be able to work with them anymore. "I learned a bit about the reports during Gibbs' retirement, but even then, you did most of it, always saying that you didn't have time right then to show my feeble brain how to do it right and that you would show me later," Tim reminded him.

Tony flinched, but knew that he should let Tim finish.

"Mostly, you and Gibbs kept me at the computer," Tim shrugged, finally winding down. "Hard to be qualified as a senior field agent when you've rarely been out in the field."

"I…Damn, Probie, I'm sorry," Tony finally said. "For all of that and more."

Tim shrugged it off. He knew that part of that was his own fault, he had allowed it to happen and hadn't spoken up at the time. Of course, he was so excited to be part of one of the top teams at the agency that he didn't care that much. Yes, he had wanted to be in the field, but at the same time, he knew what he was doing made a difference. He never thought that he would need more field experience, better skills for his future, he had always thought that the team would be together forever, or at least several more years. "Anyway, I think it'll be too uncomfortable being around Gibbs, especially once everyone finds out."

Tony remained silent. He wanted to say that things would work out, that Gibbs would come around, but well, how often had Gibbs himself say that the second B stood for bastard?

Tim snorted. "I kinda wish that Abby's crazy theory had been right," the thought had just popped into his head and he couldn't help but say it out loud.

"Ew, Probie," Tony muttered in disgust, looking slightly green at the idea of that incestuous relationship. It was bad enough this morning when he remembered Ziva's theory about Kelsey. He had never been more thankful than when he and Ziva was able to conclusively prove that Kelsey was not the daughter of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Idiot," Tim slapped his arm suspecting where his mind went. "Not because of that," he commented, also looking green.

"Then why?" An ever curious Tony wanted to know.

"Because if it had been that, at least it would've been a choice, his and mine," Tim explained, "But this…" he trails off and shakes his head, going silent for a few minutes.

"Every day since the twins were born, Gibbs would talk to me and ask me how they and I were doing. Whether it was a quick word at work, a phone call, or him stopping by,"

"Well, that's good," Tony uttered cheerfully, "It shows that he cares."

Tim raises and eyebrow, "Everyday until this week," he clarified. "Once he found out we might be related, nothing. Hell, he wasn't even eager to find out how we were related. I don't want me and my kids to be an obligation."

"I hear ya," Tony commiserated as the two fell into a companionable silence, the movie still playing in the background, even though neither one was paying it any attention.

"Hey, I know someone else who would be a worse father…" Tony suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "My dad."

Tim rolled his eyes.

Tony stared blankly at the tv, not wanting to meet Tim's eyes as he shared this next part. "You know, when I was twelve, he brought me to Hawaii with him as he worked on a big deal. When it was decided to tour the location, he left me alone in the hotel. Wouldn't have been that bad," Tony added, "Except for the fact that the location was in California, something I didn't find out until he returned. He was gone for almost a week."

"Oh, Tony," Tim softly murmured, looking sadly at the other man. When Tony refused to meet his eyes, he continued, "God, I couldn't imagine having you as a brother," shuddering as if the idea horrified him. "Talk about things being worse," he teased.

"Hey! I would've been an awesome older bro," he protested, before the two fell silent once more.

"I should probably go," Tony said, standing up. "I'm sure you want to sleep while they are," he teased.

Tim grinned, "Actually, I'm not that tired. I never cancelled their day care arrangements, so I got plenty of opportunity to sleep during the day."

Tony laughed, "Enjoy it while you can. Vance said he was putting us back into the rotation tomorrow and once you return to work…" he paused and looked at Tim. "When are you returning?"

Tim shrugged.

"Well, how many days did you ask for off?"

"I…Um…"

Tony's eyes narrowed suspiciously when his friend wouldn't meet his eyes. "Tim?" he queried, his voice hesitant.

"I…Uh…" Tim sighed, "Actually, I gave my notice," he admitted.

Tony crashed back down onto the couch in shock. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Vance didn't accept it. Told me to take a few days and think it over."

"And?" Tony prompted.

"And," Tim repeated, dragging out the word and giving another shrug, "It's only been one day. Plus, it's out of my hands. Gibbs is my father, we have the DNA test to prove it," Tim mocked. "It's up to him how that plays out, just like it's up to Vance to decide what happens next at NCIS."

4-5-2020

A little bit shorter chapter, but it seemed like a good place to split it...(Okay, actually, it's not too bad, but the next one is shorter)

Could things be worse? Will they get worse?

So, what did you think about Tim's & Tony's interaction?

Now what will Tony do? And can he refrain from spilling the beans to Ziva?

Next chapter: Wake up Call