This is not an April Fool's Day joke, this is a new chapter. Been a long wait, not sure it's worth it...story should be finished this week-yeah, that is an April Fool's Day joke.
Not beta'd-all errors, typo's, etc belong to me and they are the only thing that does; standard disclaimer applies, I don't NCIS, the character's or anything related
17 Signs
Gibbs was amazed at how much Tim was remembering. He was also horrified at what he heard. The more Tim had talked, the worse Gibbs had begun to feel. Yet at the same time, he was pleased that Tim was talking to him about this. While it wasn't quite asking for help, or how he envisioned helping Tim, having the younger man sharing what he with him felt regarding the situations he remembered was a start.
Some of this information was already known to Gibbs, yet how it affected his agent was new. For someone who often wore their heart on their sleeve, Tim had, surprisingly, never shown how much his coworkers' antics had hurt him. Other than grumbling the perpetrator's name-usually Tony, giving an annoyed sigh, or muttering a soft 'Really?', Tim hadn't said a word regarding these instances. Until now; and it was obvious how much they bothered him, and not just because it is the few things he remembers about his team. Like Tim, Gibbs hoped that they had worked through most of these issues, not because he believed Tim was a masochist, but because if his memories didn't fully return, he could see Tim leave rather than talking to them about it now.
Other than knocking some sense into his co-workers, there wasn't much for Gibbs to say or do regarding the events that involved Abby, Tony, and/or Ziva. Even though most of the incidences Tim mentioned occurred at or during work, only a few of them involved work and NCIS. The only thing he could do is apologize for not stopping things before they went too far and for not having Tim's six and saying something at the time.
"Abby," Gibbs began with a sigh once Tim stopped talking and looked at him for a response. "The two of you have a very complicated past," he dryly commented, "Which translates to an unusual present relationship—made even more complicated now because of your lost memories. I admit that I stayed away from the situation regarding the two of you and the dog, especially since it didn't affect the agency. I didn't expect you to take in the newly christened Jethro," he said, grimacing at the name, "Even if you were looking for a dog. But neither did I think it was my place to intervene. I figured you'd say or do something if it wasn't what you wanted."
Tim's eyes narrowed as he tried to detect the truth of the older man's words. "Past relationship?"
"Let's just say it's a good thing you found out Abby isn't your sister before other memories of your relationship with her surfaced."
"Oh. OH!" Tim said, reddening as he realized what that past relationship entailed. With that additional information, he can understand and accept why Gibbs might not have interfered in that situation. It also made a few of Tony's comments make more sense.
"And Ziva?" he softly asked. "I admit that I don't remember everything, like why she was so upset that she drove like she wanted me to suffer, but I can't imagine anything warranting that response"
"You're right," Gibbs readily agreed, "And I said as much to her that day."
"You did?"
His boss nodded, "Yeah. Her actions were nothing short of criminal and she would have been facing charges if something had happened or if it had been witnessed by a cop. Her behavior and driving was completely reckless. She placed, herself, Tony, and especially you in danger, not to mention everyone else on the road. Being in an agency vehicle, with evidence in the back compounded the situation. If anything had happened, it might be possible for the evidence to be dismissed on possibility of contamination."
Tim's eyes widened, he hadn't even thought about that aspect of the situation. "And the reason why she was so mad? Do you know? I can only imagine that it was work related and not personal since I think I remember Tony being angry at the same time for the same reason."
"I do," Gibbs admitted.
"And you're not gonna tell me," Tim muttered in resignation.
"You always were a smart one," Gibbs smirked. "I will tell you that it was mostly personal, something they learned that they overreacted to."
"Just a bit," Tim snorted. "The way she reacted, you'd have thought I killed her brother or something."
It was only years of self-control that kept Gibbs from reacting to those words.
"And Tony?" Tim questioned, "Are his actions criminal?"
"Just juvenile," Gibbs stated, "And sometimes painful."
"Tell me about it," Tim muttered, absently looking at his finger-tips.
"And, especially in this case, selfish."
At those words, Tim looked up at the man sitting across from him.
"What Tony did never should've happened. A lot of things that had occurred, shouldn't have. I can't give you any good reasons why they happened. There are no good reasons," he admitted, "Anything I say would just be excuses. I recently learned about some information that I hadn't previously been aware of, which might change a couple of things from my perspective, just like things might change for you when you regain all of your memories. But that's something to be discussed in the future. We were talking about the past."
Tim's nose wrinkled as he thought, "I don't remember enough about other situations with them to talk about. Everything else is just quick flashes."
Gibbs nodded, "And me?"
"Huh?"
"What have I done or not done that made you feel like that?"
"Not much," the younger man replied with a shrug.
An eyebrow raised, "But there is something."
Tim just gave another shrug.
"Tim, talk to me. Please," Gibbs softly added the last word.
"Partly the fact that you never spoke up during any of those times, at least, not that I remembered," Tim added trying to cover his bases. "That you were aware of what was happening and condoning it by your lack of words or action. It was like what happened to me, didn't matter to you."
Gibbs spent a few minutes thinking about things from Tim's perspective. He could see how his actions might have been interpreted…or rather, misinterpreted. "I wasn't, condoning it," he clarified. "But I can see how you could feel that way. Truthfully, I didn't think I had to step in, other than making sure anything that happened didn't effect things in the field or during a case, which is why I had talked with Ziva," he added.
Tim nodded before asking, "Why?"
Gibbs shrugged, "You were grown men. Well, grown adults," he corrected, realizing that Abby and Ziva were also involved in this conversation and not just Tim and Tony. "I figured you guys could handle and settle things among yourself, that I didn't need to step in or moderate if I wasn't asked to, and you never asked me to. I mentioned numerous times that my door was always open, you never walked through it to talk about how things were, so I figured it wasn't a problem for you. Hell, Tim, you never even sought me out on the yard to complain about things."
Tim snorted, "I wasn't about to whine like a three-year-old."
"Squeaky wheel," was all Gibbs had to say to get his point across. "Can't fix things if I don't know there's a problem. Yeah, Tony can be out of control, and it takes a bit for him to learn boundaries, but with you not saying anything, it makes it hard to establish where those boundaries need to be."
Tim nodded, his eyes and face giving nothing away about how he was feeling, but to Gibbs, that right there was a sign that things might not be going well.
"Look," Gibbs began, leaning forward and making sure to meet his agent's eyes, "I'm not putting this on you. I don't want you to think that I think this is your fault. Yes, you could have and perhaps, should have, said something to me, but I also should've taken the time to ask you how you felt about it. I shouldn't have assumed that you didn't have a problem with it just because you never said you did.
"I won't make that mistake again, nor will I let things continue as they have," he promised.
"Okay," Tim nodded in agreement.
"Good. Now what else?"
"Who says there's more?"
Gibbs eyed the man across from him, "If there wasn't you would've said so, so indirectly, you just confirmed that there's more."
"Wasn't that enough?"
"Not if there's more."
"You sure you want more?"
"Yes," Gibbs unequivocally stated, before falling silent to let Tim say what he needed to say.
"I shot a cop."
Not only was Gibbs surprised at the words Tim had uttered, but more so at the tone and the amount of self-recrimination of them. He hoped that it was a result of Tim's missing memories and not because his agent still struggled with those feelings.
"Why?" Tim asked, meeting the older man's eyes. "You weren't with me when I was being questioned, making me feel like I was abandoned or worse, that you thought I was guilty. You took me to confront another cop, threatening my badge if I ever messed up again. I just want to know why."
"Bad judgement on my part," Gibbs admitted. "I believed you. I believed in you. I thought my time was better spent gathering evidence to prove your story to Metro than accompanying you. I wasn't thinking. It was a new situation for you and I didn't think about how you would feel when I conducted business as usual," he explained. "Likewise, when we went to confront Archer. I wasn't thinking about your background. That you weren't as experienced as Tony or Kate. I treated you like I would have treated them if they had been in that situation, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you felt abandoned, that you felt I didn't believe in you. I'm sorry that I lost my temper and threatened your badge. Most of all," Gibbs said, looking Tim in the eye, "I'm sorry that you didn't feel comfortable talking to me about this before now. You heard about my open door, that applies to all of you. If you need me, whether it's to talk, to vent, for advice, anything, it's open, here or at work,"
"Well, yeah, of course," Tim joked, "Considering there are no office doors in the bullpen."
"Personally or professionally," Gibbs concluded, smiling at his agent's comment. "I want to make sure you know that, that you'll come to me if something like that happens again."
Tim nodded as an image of Gibbs saying those words flashed across his mind, "You said something similar before."
Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "Just once?"
"That I remember," Tim grinned. "With Sarah. You asked why. I don't know what I said then, but it probably goes back to what I explained this afternoon about my past and growing up."
"Understandable, but not excusable," Gibbs commented, nodding his head in agreement, "But in order to help you, I need to know what's going on up here," he said, tapping the side of his head. "I know that it won't be easy or comfortable, for either of us, and I don't want to push, but," he paused and took a deep breath and slowly released it before saying, "I'm worried."
Tim shifted his gaze so that their eyes wouldn't meet.
"I was worried before today," he admitted, "And with what you said at lunch, I'm worried for more reasons than you just leaving the team, leaving NCIS and disappearing from our lives."
Tim startled at that, "What exactly are you worried about?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"It's never a good sign when someone says that they don't like their life, who they are, or that they feel alone."
"I never said I didn't like my life," Tim protested.
"Maybe not," Gibbs admitted, "But you did state that you felt alone and are not sure if you like yourself," Gibbs repeated. "It's not that far of a jump to not liking your life, especially in your current situation, and I'm not about to assume anything or think it's not my place to say something and allow things to get worse. Tim, I have your six and not just on the field."
Tim remained silent, not knowing what to say.
Gibbs held his breath and tongue, suspecting that saying the wrong thing right now would shut this conversation down quicker than Tony and Ziva's arrival had done to the one last night.
"I wasn't sure how to respond to those words, still not," Gibbs finally confessed. "When you mentioned being tricked, manipulated, and such, well, that gave me something else to focus on. You shared why you felt that way, and I see it, I really do, and I wish I could change what has happened between you and the team. You deserve better. I don't want you to give up your belief that nice guys finish last, that good will triumph, because than you truly will lose a part of yourself.
"But I also need to address the words you uttered before that confession," Gibbs explained. "I don't know what help I will be, I just hope and pray that I don't mess things up worse. I know that this situation is unusual, since you don't have all the answers, or even all the questions, but I need to know that if your memories don't return in the next week, or if they do and you still feel that way, alone, not liking yourself," he clarified, "That you'll seek help from a professional."
"Gibbs,"
The older man shook his head, "No. I'm not giving in on this. I know how easily things can spiral downwards, out of control.
"Our jobs come with a lot of stress. Your coworkers, your team should not add to that stress. We are meant to help you with it. The fact that this isn't true for you,"
"We don't know that for certain," Tim protested.
"As you remember it right now," he added, acknowledging the younger man's comment, "Is why I am making this request. I have already talked with Tony and Ziva about their interactions with you."
"What? Why?" came the horrified response.
The look Gibbs shot him made more of a statement regarding Tim's questions than words ever could. "If you really want an answer," he paused while Tim thought about it before giving a nod. "You were in a car accident; they were told you had amnesia. DiNozzo treated the entire situation as a joke. Your memories and misperceptions, your reactions to your dog, your name."
"It's Tony, that's what he does."
Gibbs inclined his head in agreement, "Doesn't mean he should, especially not in a situation like this. It had me thinking back to everything else he's done that I knew about, made me wonder what I didn't know and realized how lax I had been reeling him in."
"And Ziva?" Tim questioned, almost afraid to ask.
"That's a different situation," he admitted. "When word of your accident reached her, she was noticeably shaken. Seeing Tony's behavior made her realize how she had acted similarly. It gave her a lot to think about."
Tim nodded, but refrained from asking for more information.
"I can't control what they do outside of work," Gibbs stated, half warningly. "At work, I will make sure things are different, that respect is given and shown, but once we leave those orange walls,"
"Orange wall?"
Gibbs snorted, "Someone had the bright idea of painting the walls a brash, garish orange."
Tim snorted at the pun, not sure if he wanted to know whether or not it was intentional. "The thing of nightmares?"
"To the criminals we catch, definitely," Gibbs joked. "For us?" he paused, turning the conversation serious and softly saying, "I don't think that's what your nightmare was about."
Tim tensed at those words, "Nightmare?"
"The first night you were here," Gibbs admitted. "Not sure about last night. Don't know if a nightmare woke you up or if you just never really went to sleep."
"I'm sorry if I kept you awake," Tim apologized, wondering if that was why the older man had slept on the couch.
"Not an issue," Gibbs shook his head dismissively. "Was it about the accident? Do you remember having a nightmare that night?"
"I…no, don't really remember that," Tim stated, derisively adding, "Like everything else lately."
"Tim..."
With a sigh, Tim leaned back, "I really don't remember much, don't even remember having a nightmare. Just vague flashes that could be anything, memories or nightmares," he said, trying to remember. "I…is that why the chair was moved? Did you sit with me and try to comfort me during my nightmare?"
Gibbs blinked at the awe in his agent's voice as he asked that last question. "Yes, and yes. I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but I wouldn't leave anyone alone when they were having a nightmare, let alone someone in a strange place and already having memory issues."
"I... yeah, no, it's okay," Tim hastened to reassure his boss, still surprised that he would do that and how much it seemed to matter to Tim. "Thank you."
"I'm here for you."
From the tone used, Tim knew that the words were stated unequivocally, sincerely. If he wanted a sign, perhaps this was it. So far, talking with Gibbs about what he had remembered regarding the team wasn't too bad. Perhaps Gibbs should be the one he opened up to regarding other things he was thinking or feeling, after all, the man had reiterated the fact that his door was always open and Tim was already in his house.
Suspecting that something pivotal was going on inside his agent's mind, Gibbs held his breath and remained silent.
Tim smiled and met Gibbs's eyes before coming to a decision.
"Okay," Tim said, not really sure if he was speaking to reassure himself or actually answering one of Gibb's questions. "Let's talk."
"Okay," Gibbs smiled and nodded in agreement. "Remember, you set the pace. If there is something you don't want to talk about right now, we can get back to it later. No pressure, no coercion, no judgement."
Tim nodded and exhaled slowly. "Okay," he repeated, inhaling deeply before once more slowly exhaling.
Gibbs smirked as Tim quietly muttered, "Okay, we can do this," as if to himself and briefly closed his eyes.
"I…I'm not sure what to say, where to start," Tim admitted. "Yeah, I know, where ever I want, but it's not that easy," another breath. "I guess I want to start with what happened in the hospital and now what I think happened that night during my nightmare. I've been thinking about it a bit, and well…"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow in surprise, not sure what Tim was talking about or why he was so uncomfortable.
"I…to put it bluntly, I called you dad," he awkwardly stated.
"Hey, it's okay," Gibbs reassure him, surprised at the topic of conversation. Out of all the things he might have expected, that wasn't even in the top ten. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. It's understandable, you were shaken up, as were your memories."
Tim snorted, "What and half-asleep the other time?"
"Exactly."
Tim rolled his eyes, "Still, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"It's okay, nothing to apologize for," Gibbs interrupted. "Anyone would be proud to have a son like you. You're smart, kind, helpful. It's not an issue," he repeated. Pausing for a moment before tilting his head, "Why has it been weighing on your mind? And why was it the first thing you wanted to talk about?"
"It's just embarrassing," Tim admitted. "I mean, saying it at the hospital was uncomfortable enough, but now that I suspect I repeated it that night," he shrugged. "I remember someone by my bed, reassuring me and me calling out dad, but I thought it was just a dream, not that it was real, to find out that it was, that it was you,"
"Again, not a problem, but why did it make you so uncomfortable?"
Tim shrugged, "'Cause it's not true, not real. Other people were upset at things that I had been wrong about, it would only be natural that you would as well."
Gibbs paused, he knew about mistaking Abby for his sister, but were there other instances? "If they were upset, it is on them, not you. We should know that it wasn't intentional on your part, and I don't know about these other people, but I wasn't embarrassed. In fact, I was flattered, as I said, any man would be proud to have you as your son."
Misinterpreting Tim's snort, Gibbs asked, "Is that why you've mostly hidden upstairs? Were you embarrassed or afraid I was mad about it?"
"Kinda both."
"Ah, Tim," Gibbs muttered, not sure how to get through to the younger man. "You're a smart guy, I just hope you believe me when I say we're okay. That there is no reason to avoid me or to carefully choose your words. This is about what you are going through. I want to help you. I won't get upset if something isn't said politely, as long as you don't lie about what you are thinking or feeling."
"I'm beginning to," Tim acknowledged.
"Good, then there is nothing to keep you from really talking to me," Gibbs smirked. "Just be honest, or true and real as you said, and just talk."
Tim slowly shook his head as he let out a breath, "Okay, you asked for it," he said, sharing a smirk with the older man before opening his mouth, ready to let the words tumble out. Unfortunately, what was heard was not his voice, but the slamming of the front door and someone calling his name.
Or at least a version of his name.
"Timmy!" Abby cried again as she entered the room and spotted him at the table. After letting herself into Gibb's house, via the unlocked door, she had called his name multiple times.
"Abby," he greeted before correcting her, "And it's Tim."
Abby pouted, "You've never had a problem with it before. I always call you Timmy," she cajoled, before gleefully adding, "And I'm the only one you allow to do so."
After the first sentence, a frown covered Tim's face, as memories of past conversations flickered through his mind. "Not true," he replied when she stopped speaking. In each of those memories, he had requested that she stop calling him by that moniker and use the one he preferred.
"Well, your mother and your sister," Abby scrunched her nose up as she said that last word, indicating that she hadn't forgotten or forgiven Tim for his previous error, "Probably called you that when you were younger, but not really recently. And," she emphasized, "You don't like it when they do. It's our thing. I always call you Timmy," she repeated.
"Not true," Tim repeated. This time, memories of Abby calling him things other than Tim, Timmy, or even McGee, flitted across his mind. His frown deepened. This was someone he had dated? Someone he had considered one of his best friends? His life really was messed up if that was true.
"Timmy!" She yelled, slapping him on the arm.
"Tim," he pointedly corrected, "And don't hit me."
Ignoring his correction and comments, she continued, "Why didn't you come greet me? And don't say that you were eating, it's obvious that you are done," she added, casting a glance about the table. "Surely, you heard me calling you? I thought it was your memory that was having issues, not your ears or manners?"
Tim stared at her in shock that she would say something like that, especially in front of Gibbs.
"Well?" she huffed, demanding an answer.
"Abby," Gibbs softly, but firmly called, staring at her in disbelief. "Why are you here?"
"Wanted to check on my Timmy-Tim," she corrected when Gibbs cleared his throat. "And I brought pie. Banana cream pie," she added, "His favorite. Plus, I wanted to see if he remembered anything else. Which he obviously hasn't since he suddenly has a problem with me calling him Timmy," she snidely added glaring at him.
"Wh-"
"Abby," Gibbs warned.
"Fine," she huffed. "I'll call him Tim, like everyone else, even though our relationship isn't like everyone else's."
Tim couldn't help the relieved sigh that those words brought. Hopefully she was right and their relationship wasn't like everyone else's. He really didn't know how he would handle things if all of his relationships were as messed up as this one appeared to be.
"Timm," Abby was barely able to stop herself from adding the extra syllable on his name, "Are you even listening to me?"
"Hmm?" A startled Tim was jostled from his thoughts. "Ah, no, sorry, Abby, I was just…" he shook his head. "Anyway, as to my memories, I haven't really remembered much else, just occasional flashes, which don't seem to mean much."
"So, I figured," she commented. "At least you no longer think I'm your sister," she cuttingly added, looking expectedly at Tim.
The man in question simply shrugged, he wasn't about to apologize, while he still didn't think it was a sign of weakness, he couldn't help how his mind scrambled all his thoughts. He had enough to deal with and worry over without adding apologies for things not completely in his control.
"Abby," Gibbs interceded before either could say anything more, "Why are you here?" he repeated.
She blinked, a look of innocence on her face, "My two favorite guys weren't at the yard today and you ask why I stopped by to see them on my way home?"
Tim gave a soft snort, "Unless you moved, this is not even remotely on your way home."
"Well, no," Abby admitted, before turning her gaze to Tim. "You remember! I knew we wouldn't stay forgotten for long! The team, this job is your life. Of course, you would remember us!"
Tim frowned at her words, "I don't remember everything about the team,"
Her smile brightened, "Then it's just me you remember. That makes sense too. After all, how could you not remember your first love and best fri-"
"You were not my first love," Tim stated, cutting her off.
"Puppy love doesn't count," she waved dismissively.
"It is not for you to decide who does or does not count in my life. Just trust me when I say that you were not my first love, or my b-"
She rolled her eyes, "No doubt your memories are confusing you again like they did at the hospital with your sister."
Tim's eyes narrowed, as he continued, "est friend,"
She waved her hands dismissively, cutting him off, "It's okay. You'll get there."
"And before you can think it, let alone say it, you are not my last love."
Abby gave him a look of disbelief. "Of the two of us here, who has the better memory regarding the past?"
Tim stood up, more than ready to end this conversation. "I admit that I care for you. At one time, I might have thought that I could care for you more than I could for anyone else, and that I might have thought that it could be a love that would last through the ages."
Abby hummed in triumph.
"And I admit that I might not know and remember everything," Tim reluctantly admitted, reaching for their dinner plates and clearing the table, "But I do know my heart. Believe me when I say that you were not my first love, that honor belongs to a woman I met over two years before I even knew you existed. Best friends can change. At one point, we might've been close, and perhaps for a period of time, you might've held that position, but that is not the case right now. The present is still fuzzy, so I cannot say who is in that role," he sadly states. "As for my last love," he shrugs. "I do not know if the one who currently has a hold on my heart is my last love, but if so, she will be the first one I say that to," he softly concludes, before turning on his heel and heading to the kitchen.
"Timmy!" Abby cried after him, standing up and moving to chase after him. "What do you mean someone currently holds your heart? Where did you meet her? It wasn't online was it? Are you sure she's real? Who is she? Why haven't you told me? Is she turning you against me? Is she poisoning you against the team? And if she is so important to you, where is she now?"
"Abby!" Gibbs exclaims, claiming the goth's attention. "Stop."
"But-"
"No buts. Just stop."
"I need to-"
"Sit," Gibbs ordered, waiting until she had complied before he spoke again. "You need to calm down."
"But Timmy-"
"Tim," he said, emphasizing his preferred form of address, "is still recovering from an accident."
At his words, Abby brightened, and moved to stand up again. "So, you think he's just confused and that what he said isn't true?"
Gibbs prevented her from leaving the chair. "No. I think, as he said, he might not have all the pieces worked out; but one thing I know about Tim is that he does know his own mind, and most likely his heart as well. He wouldn't have said anything if he wasn't sure."
"But-"
"Abby, not your business."
"I'm his best friend," she argued.
"Not from his perspective," Gibbs challenged. "And the way you're acting, I can see his point!"
"Gibbs!" Abby protested. "How can you say that?"
"All you've done since you've arrived here tonight is yell and berate him and ignore his requests."
"Well, he's clearly confused. He needs to know these things."
"Not right now and not like this. A best friend would be there to help him,"
"I am!"
"A best friend would answer questions he has, when he asks them," he pointedly added. "Amnesia," Gibbs paused and shook his head, "It's…I can't really explain what it's like; but bottom line, it's not fun and it's not easy. The people around you can make it ten times easier or ten times harder. Right now, you fall into the latter category."
"Gibbs!" Abby mournfully cried, allowing her eyes to dwell with tears as she looked at him.
"And that's why you need to leave," he hinted. "Which reminds me, why didn't you call first before you came over?
"I can't leave, we haven't had any pie yet," Abby pouted.
"I don't think Tim's in the mood for pie," Gibbs dryly replied.
"Maybe that's his problem," she muttered. "A little pie might put him in a better mood."
In the kitchen, Tim snorted and quietly muttered, "Maybe my mood would be better if my so-called best friend behaved more like a friend."
"Abby, why didn't you call before coming over?" Gibbs repeated.
"I never call. You're always willing to see me, your door is always unlocked." Abby said with a frown, "And I brought pie! Couldn't surprise you with that if I called first."
"Usually always," Gibbs corrected. "This weekend is different; I want everyone to call and wait until I talk with them before stopping by this weekend."
"But why?" Abby demanded to know.
"Because I asked you to."
"You didn't ask me," she contradicted.
Gibbs frowned, "Tony didn't talk to you?"
"Well, yeah, of course," Abby said in a confused voice. "He and Ziva were on cold cases all day. He stopped by mid-morning, with another apology for the chair and a Caf-Pow," she gleefully added. "I think I might be able to get him to bring me some all next week, if you don't make it back into the office," she smirked. "I think he was a bit bored with just him and Ziva in the bullpen. Anyway, after the apology, he talked a bit about Timmy and how he, Ziva, you, and Timmy all had dinner together. By the way," she said, her tone changing as her eyes glared at him for a brief moment, "Why wasn't I invited to that dinner? I care about Timmy as much as they do! Hell, I probably care about him more. I mean, I do know him better and I'm not the one who calls him names or plays jokes on him. We hang out more, go to concerts together, an-"
"Abby." Gibbs said in an attempt to stop her rant. "What else did Tony talk about?"
Abby rolled her eyes, "He then started going on about Jethro-the dog, not you. Apparently, Tony thinks Timmy is kinda lax in training Jethro, since he doesn't seem to heel all that well. But really? He-Jethro, not Tony or Timmy, is so cute, how can you discipline him? Besides, he's per-"
"Abby," Gibbs reprimanded, trying to get her back on topic again.
Abby huffed and shrugged her shoulders, "You know Tony; he can talk and talk and talk, but not really say anything. He talked about a ruined April Fool's day and how torturous it would be to have to wait until next year to execute all his jokes. I told him to look on the bright side: 1) Timmy is okay, or at least will be as soon as his memory returns and 2) Tony will have more time to plan out and perfect his jokes."
Gibbs frowned, disappointed in his senior agent. Yes, Tony can be like that sometimes, but to be more upset about a ruined 'holiday' and complaining about a dog instead of communicating directions? "He didn't say anything about calling me before coming over?"
"Would I be here if he had?" she returned.
His frown deepened as he made a mental note to talk to Tony about this. "Even so, it would be the considerate thing to do, especially with a houseguest recovering from an accident."
"But it's just Timmy," she whined.
"Tim."
At the younger man's name, Abby turned expecting to see him behind her.
Gibbs sighed, "You need to call him Tim, and you need to leave," he added, nudging her to stand up and leading her towards the door.
"But-"
"No buts," Gibbs firmly stated. "This is probably the reason why he doesn't consider you his best friend. You don't respect his requests."
"Well, not now," she snorted derisively, "As I said, it's not like he's in the right frame of mind to make decisions like that. Just wait," she promised, "Once his memories return, everything said here will be forgotten. In fact, he'll probably bring me Caf-Pows for weeks and apologize each time for what he said and did during his recovery." she added.
Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "And what if he doesn't remember? What if his current frame of mind is permanent? How will you react?"
She froze in place, a look of horror overcoming her features. "Gibbs, you're scaring me!" Abby cried in a lost-little-girl voice."I don't understand," she softly continued, now moving again, but slowly inching away from Gibbs's guiding arm. "Is something more going on with Tim than just his memory? Why would a memory issue be a reason for us to call before we come over? Tim is a member of our team, that should be a reason for us to be here more often, not to keep us away or have us call first. Familiar people and things could help him regain his memories faster. I just want Tim to be okay; I want to help him and get things back to how they were…I even brought his favorite pie hoping he would remember it and me and all of us!" She cried as she fell onto the couch.
Gibbs sighed before sitting down next to her, and gently rubbing her back to comfort her. "It's not that I don't want you or the team here, or for you guys not to interact with Tim," he patiently explained. "But timing is important. If Tim was having a hard time dealing with everything or in the middle of remembering something, having someone unexpectedly showing up, might not be beneficial. That's the reason why I wanted you to call first."
Abby sobbed, "I'm so sorry. If Tony had said that, I wouldn't have come without calling first. I hope I didn't come at a bad time. Not even pie could make up for that."
"Shh, it's okay," Gibbs comforted.
"And it is just amnesia? Nothing else?"
Gibbs confirmed that it was just the memory loss, no other medical issues were plaguing Tim.
Why didn't any of that conversation surprise him? Tim thought as he sighed and he left the dining room. When he heard them move away, he brought out a couple of plates and forks, thinking he and Gibbs could continue their talk over pie. That idea was quickly abandoned when he noticed Abby leading Gibbs into the other room. He quickly gathered up the leftover food, clearing the table of everything but the pie and dessert plates and returned to the kitchen. At least with them in the living room, it would be harder to hear them, especially if he had the faucet running.
4-1-2022
(Can't believe it's been two years since I first posted this story...where has the time gone?) Maybe it's because it's been so long, maybe it's because of everything that's gone on these last two years, but some things I wanted to happen in this story doesn't seem to want to happen, which is making me struggle a bit with it. It will be finished, it just won't be this week. If you have any suggestions, or ideas on what you want to see, feel free to leave it in a review or PM me, maybe it will help the muses.
I was going to end this chapter right where Abby came in, but I figured if anyone was still reading/interested in this story or had it on their alerts, they (you) deserved more.
Hope you all are well.