Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or NCIS or any of their characters. I do however own this story, I wrote it and I do NOT give permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you want to share it post a link.
-o0o-
Tony intended to apologise to Tim but when he tried to visit him later that night something dissuaded him and he didn't think any more of it that night. They got an early morning call out and he arrived at the scene to find Tim already photographing the body. "What we got Boss?" he asked Gibbs.
"Equivocal death. Looks like it could be a suicide but it also could have been planned to look that way. The first responders weren't sure and they saw all the Navy stuff so they called us in. Tony looked at the desk it had letterhead from the Regan and a dress cover sitting on the shelf.
"Any idea what tipped off the cops?" Tony asked.
"Paramedics and they said something looked pinky" Ziva replied confused.
"Hinky" Tony corrected.
"Now that's not a word?" Ziva questioned.
"I think it meant they didn't consciously notice anything but something just felt off about it, like Gibb's gut sometimes tells him things and he can't explain why he feels it" Tony explained. "What ya got McGoo?"
"ID?" Gibbs demanded.
"I don't have one Boss. This man doesn't work for the navy. His prints are not in the data base. The house is leased to a petty officer Rinter but that's not him" Tim replied.
"I haven't moved the body to check for a wallet or phone yet"
"Thank you for that Timothy" Ducky said smiling appreciatively at the younger man as he finished his initial examination. "You can move him now."
What ya think Duck?" Gibbs asked.
"Time of death between 0200 and 0400. Appears to be a suicide at first glance but I'll know more when I get him on the table." He gestured to Jimmie that he was ready for the body bag and stretcher.
"No wallet or phone on him, no keys either" Tim reported after patting down the victim. "Nothing but half a roll of Tums and some loose change"
"DiNozzo, David turn this place over and see if you can find out who he is and what he was doing here" Gibbs ordered. He would've liked to leave Tim here with Tony to give Tony the opportunity to apologise but he was going to need his computer skills to find out who the victim was.
"Tim find out what you can about Petty Officer Rinter, I want to know about his family and who he lived with as well as potential enemies. If Rinter isn't our vic then chances are he's the killer unless this is a suicide in which case it could be an attempt by the victim to blame him."
-o0o-
"Report" Gibbs ordered walking into the bullpen after Tony and Ziva arrived back.
"We think the guy lived there" Tony reported. "There were two definite sets of male clothes in the master bedroom and we found a photo album upstairs. He showed photos of two men with arms wrapped around each other intimately, one clearly the deceased.
"That's Petty Officer Rinter" Tim said putting up the PO's service record on the plasma.
"Find anything else in the house?" Gibbs asked.
"Other than a truly impressive and slightly disturbing collection of sex toys" Tony said. "Thanks boss" he added after Gibbs head-slapped him.
"There were prescription bottles for antidepressants and several other medications I didn't recognise some of them in the name Lucas Rinter and some James Brigman. I gave the bottles to Ducky" Ziva added.
Tim was typing rapidly into the computer and after a minute put a driver's licence up on the plasma. "James Brigman, Maryland driver's licence, 26 years old, born in Minneapolis, no warrants, not even a speeding ticket though he had a couple of recent parking tickets issued in Tondorf Road. That's next to Georgetown University Hospital, boss" he reported. The licence photo matched their John Doe as much as licence photos ever matched their owners.
"Have you been able to locate Petty Officer Rinter?" Gibbs asked.
"No Boss. He's stationed aboard the xx, they docked yesterday and he's on 24 hours' liberty, due to return to the ship at 1800 hours" Tim replied. "I spoke briefly to his CO and his bunk mates still aboard. None of them were aware of Rinter's plans for his liberty other than that he had a specialist appointment. I tried to speak to the inboard doctor but he was also on liberty."
"I spoke to base housing. Petty Officer Rinter was single with no listed dependents. He officially lived alone. There's been no record of any domestic disputes" Gibbs added to their knowledge. "Tony, you and Ziva take the evidence down to Abby. Tim see what you can get off the computer."
There were several chances for Tony to apologise to Tim that day which he failed to take. Instead he watched him closely, seeing for the first time the hurt in his eyes as he looked at Tony or Ziva, the silent support that Gibbs was giving him as he trusted the young agent to do his job without being barked at like Gibbs frequently had done in the past. He also noticed the closeness between McGee and the autopsy gremlin and how Tim's manner relaxed when the two of them were together and thought themselves unobserved. Tony missed that relaxed manner that used to be present when the team was together in the bullpen as well. Tony also noticed how the other teams in the bullpen all went out of their way to speak to Tim as he passed them on the way to the break room or the men's room, and how at least one of them looked up whenever he spoke to McGee as if keeping an eye out that he didn't upset the junior agent. In fact he noticed that in spite of the fact Tim had nearly three years on the team he was still the youngest agent in the entire bullpen. Tony didn't want to make another scene and resolved to talk to Tim after work.
By the end of the day they'd solved the case. It was suicide. James Brigman had recently tested positive for aids, he and PO Rinter had been in an exclusive relationship for over three years so when his biannual test came back positive he assumed his lover had been unfaithful. So, unwilling to face the discrimination of being HIV+ and the future of slowly wasting away he'd taken his own life, but he'd tried to do it in a way that his lover would hopefully be accused of him murder.
"You know I spoke to Rinter's CO, his bunkmates, his workmates and the people that he sent time with off duty and not one of them told me anything about James or the fact Ringer was gay. In fact, several people mentioned a relationship with a female midshipman" Tim said sadly.
"Did you speak with the midshipman?" Tony asked.
"Yes she's heartbroken, she was hoping to introduce him to her family before they set sail again" Tim replied.
"You need to contact her and warn her to be tested for HIV" Ducky said.
"You've confirmed that Rinter has AIDS?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes that was his specialist appointment at Bethesda this morning. His doctor confirmed he's never received treatment but had potentially had the virus several years" Ducky replied.
"He's spent his whole life lying to everyone" Tim said sorrowfully.
"The question really is whether he knew he had HIV. If he knew and didn't tell his partner then he is guilty of killing James" Tony said.
"He could be prosecuted for criminal transmission of HIV if we can prove that he knew he had it. And gave it to James via unsafe sex" Tim said.
"We could prove the unsafe sex, there wasn't a single condom at the house" Ziva said.
"Guys do we really want to spend Christmas Eve trying to get an already dying man who's just lost his long term partner and his job charged with a misdemeanour?" Tony asked.
"It wouldn't be a misdemeanour Tim replied. "And if stops him from passing the virus to someone else."
They left the Navy yard and Tony intended to stop to buy beer and pizza before heading to visit Tim. He thought better of the pizza figuring he could ring for some after Tim agreed to let him stay for dinner. It wasn't as if he knew Tim would be alone, he did have a fiancé after all. Even if Tony had never met her. Tony wondered what Tim's fiancé would be like, smart of course, it would take a smart woman to keep up with his friend. He didn't get the impression that looks were important to Tim, the few girls he knew Tim had dated in the past were all very different so his friend didn't have a definite type but he pictured that Tim would be happiest with someone quiet and shy, whether they be mothering or intellectual. 'Not a supermodel' he decided, though Tim had lost a lot of weight lately he wouldn't have appealed to that sort of woman. 'If the weight loss was her doing though she might be athletic' Tony considers. Speaking of athletics hadn't he promised to meet the guys and play a little basketball tonight. He turned the car around and headed to the gym he and his friends played at (not knowing that the intent wards had beaten him again).
-o0o-
"I knew he was lying" Abby crowed as Tony answered the phone at five in the morning.
"Abby?" Tony said still half asleep.
"He was lying Tony" Abby repeated.
"Who was lying?" Tony asked waking up and cursing to himself. "What time is it?"
"McGee! I hacked the marriage licence registry and Timmy hasn't applied for a wedding licence" Abby explained.
"Gibbs told you not to try to find the wedding" Tony said warningly. "Abby it's the middle of the night what are you doing up poking your nose into business you were told to stay away from."
"I technically haven't found where the wedding is, only that it doesn't exist" Abby argued.
"I can't believe that he'd lie to us, and Gibbs went along with it" Tony protested. His brain caught up to what he'd just said. He didn't believe it. There had to be another explanation. Tim had been really hurt by their refusal to believe he was getting married and there was no way Gibbs would have given him the telling off he did if it wasn't true. He hung up on Abby rather than argue with her though. She wouldn't change her mind without cold hard proof once she'd made it up like this.
-o0o-
Tony decided to go to Tim's to confront him about not having a wedding booked. He still felt slightly guilty about the way the whole team had ganged up on him the day he first mentioned it. Especially being dragged into Gibbs' 'office', the kid hadn't deserved that. He wondered if he'd told Gibbs he was lying, he certainly hoped he had because there was no way Abby wouldn't tell him.
He arrived at Tim's apartment and knocked. He hadn't paid much notice to the fact he hadn't seen Tim's car, it was a work night so probie surely wasn't far away. Getting no answer he decided to let himself in to wait for him.
The elves had finished cleaning through and the apartment and Tim had stopped by and handed the keys back on his way home from work but it had taken a while to re-let and the new tenants weren't due to move in until the weekend so the apartment was completely empty. Tony walked around, noting the new lock on the door and windows before pulling out his phone and calling Tim's home number.
"Hey Tony what's up. Why didn't you call my cell? Do we have a case?" Tim answered.
"No I'm at your apartment. I brought Pizza. Why didn't you tell me you'd moved?"
"Why didn't I tell you that I'd moved in with my fiancé? Gee Tony why'd you think?" Tim replied sarcastically.
Tony flushed in embarrassment and a little anger. "Well what's your new address and I'll be over?" he said trying not to sound irritated.
"Don't worry about the pizza. We've already eaten and I doubt you bought enough for four anyway" Tim replied. "The address is XXX."
"Four?" Tony questioned.
"My fiancé and his son" Tim replied deliberately not giving details.
"So you're gonna be a McStepdaddy?" Tony asked. "That's a big commitment Tim. Or at least it is if you do it right" he added bitterly. There had been several stepmoms in Tony's teenaged years but none had been interested in getting to know Anthony DiNozzo Junior.
"Teddy's a great kid" Tim replied. "And I have no intention of packing him off to boarding school or out of sight with a nanny."
"What sports and games is he into?" Tony asked.
"He's three and a half" Tim replied laughing. "He likes climbing, riding his new tricycle and playing in the water better than playing ball at the moment."
"I'll see you soon" Tony replied.
"Sure Tony" Tim replied trying not to get his hopes up. He assumed Hadrian had taken down the wards specifically geared to the three of them from the apartment building so just because he'd managed to get in there didn't mean the wards on the house wouldn't keep him away.
Tony turned up ten minutes later and recognising his car Tim let him in the gate and met him outside.
"Hey Tim, nice place, security's tight here" Tony said surprised that the house didn't look like it had been divided into apartments from the outside.
"It needs to be" Tim replied absently. "Come on in, Hades is upstairs bathing Teddy and getting him to bed."
They entered the house and Tony was astonished that it really did look like a single house. "This all one place, the upkeep will be a huge commitment, Gibbs barely has time for his yard work, let alone mowing all that" he said.
"There's a contractor that does it" Tim dismissed. "What's up Tony, you haven't felt the need to come and visit me in years and nothing out of the ordinary happened at work today?"
"Years?" Tony questioned surprised.
"Hades and I moved in here while I was on leave after I was shot in the shoulder but we've been living together for nearly two years and you hadn't visited my flat in months before that either" Tim replied bluntly.
"I never realised. I'm sorry Tim" Tony said sadly. He'd never intended their relationship to be only in the workplace like that. He'd always had a personal friendship with his other partners outside of work and had intended to do the same with Tim when he'd joined their team. How had he got so busy with other stuff to neglect this friendship so badly.
"Why are you here now?" Tim asked again.
Tony remembered that he'd come to warn his friend, team mate no he wanted to be McGee's friend. "Abby's on the warpath" Tony said. "She's been checking on marriage licence applications and you haven't applied for one."
"So you decided to come and call me a liar again! I guess I should be grateful we're not in the middle of the bullpen this time" Tim replied frowning.
"Tim if Gibbs doesn't know you were lying and he finds out from Abby you're gonna be in real trouble. I'm trying to have your back here" Tony replied. "You need to come clean and take the consequences."
"Gibbs knows the truth. My family don't live in DC, and Hades' doesn't have family in America, why on earth would anyone assume we'd get married locally?" Tim asked.
Tony looked surprised, this hadn't occurred to him though it made a lot of sense.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you right from the start, and I'm even more sorry for making a joke of it. If I hadn't been so incredulous Ziva would probably have accepted your statement and the two of you would still be friends" Tony said sincerely.
"I accept your apology but it's going to take a bit of time for me to trust you with my personal life again Tony" Tim replied.
"Tim, can I ask if you're sure that getting married is the right thing to do? It's just, nobody's met this girl, we've never even heard you talk about seeing someone. Isn't it awfully soon to be thinking about getting married?" Tony asked concerned. "Especially if you haven't met her family. How do you know she is who she says she is? Are you sure this isn't just a reaction to almost being killed recently or were you engaged before that?"
"Hades' has met Gibbs and Ducky and his clearance is better than yours and mine" Tim replied dryly. "We've been virtually living together for the past two years. And do you really think I could afford a place like this on my own, hell I couldn't even pay my half of what it's valued at now it's been fully renovated, so it's not like I'm been strung along financially."
"So she's what? FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, Homeland?" Tony asked.
"MI7 seconded to an obscure branch of the FBI" Tim replied.
"MI7? Never heard of them" Tony said concerned.
"That doesn't mean anything" Tim stated defensively. "Like I said I doubt even Sheppard has the clearance to know Hades' full history."
"So where are you getting married then? Where's your Dad posted at the moment?" Tony asked letting it drop.
"Dad's in Hawaii, but we're getting married in Boston" Tim replied.
"Why Boston?" Tony asked.
"Because Hade's owns a house in Boston and Massachusetts is currently the only state where Gay marriage is legal. We both decided we wanted a legal marriage not just a commitment ceremony." Tim said bluntly.
"Gay marriage" Tony whispered almost silently in shock. "Does Gibbs know you're marrying a man? Is this why you haven't told us about him?"
"That and the fact I was nearly bashed after you told the women up in accounting that I was gay" Tim replied. "Not to mention Abby tries to investigate and attack any person I show any interest in. Of course Gibbs knows Hadrian's a man, they have met."
"Abby's just jealous" Tony said.
"She has no right to be. She's the one that ended our relationship and she had plenty of opportunity to get back together if she wanted. She isn't in love with me or interested in being with me, she just wants me to sit at home alone miserably to be at her beck and call when she wants something" Tim stated calmly.
"She asks you out to concerts fairly regularly" Tony countered.
"Yeah! When she needs a designated driver. You can't think I share her taste in music" Tim said tiredly. "When I invited her anywhere she'd always refuse because it sounded boring or be too busy but if I dare say I can't take her to a concert she throws the mother of all tantrums. In hindsight telling me that I wasn't her type was probably the best advice you've ever given me. I'm just sorry I didn't know you well enough to take it."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, it was visiting Abby that made you so keen to help us out on cases which is what got you onto the team" Tony reminded him.
Tim smiled slightly.
"So when can we meet this guy? Are you going to invite me to the wedding?"
"I don't know Tony. I ripped up your invitation after what happened in the bull pen" Tim replied tiredly. "I still don't think I want you there after what happened.
"You were really going to invite us?" Tony asked.
"Why not it's not like either of us have a lot of family or friends"
"So Gibbs is going to the wedding? He's really met this guy? And he approves"
"He is, he has and he does" Tim replied refusing to be drawn further.
"So when can I meet him?" Tony asked.
"I think he'd be down here now if he wanted to meet you" Tim replied. "He's not impressed by some of the things I've told him about our team. Especially since we started planning the wedding."
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you. It was just surreal you know. I thought you would have told me about any relationship long before you got to the proposal stage. Did you propose or did he?" Tony apologised before his curiosity overtook him again.
"I suggested it and we talked about it and agreed it was a good idea. He proposed after we found the rings we want to use" Tim replied.
Tim smiled to himself at the memory of Hadrian surprising him by taking the ring he'd chosen and immediately dropping to one knee. "Timothy McGee, will you marry me?" He asked directly.
Tim grinned and pulled Hadrian up onto his lap kissing him thoroughly without saying anything.
"By the way that was a Yes" Tim said as they caught their breath after christening their new sofa.
Hadrian laughed. "I rather thought it might be" he said.
I guess it's kind of difficult with two guys to work out who proposes" Tony said considering, though he couldn't resist teasing as well. "Does the fact that he proposed make you the girl in the relationship? Are you going to wear a pretty white dress down the aisle?"
"What? No? There's no girl in our relationship!" Tim spluttered.
"Though I suppose the fact he's upstairs bathing the kid and your down here drinking beer with a friend kind of makes him the girl. And I can see he's got money so maybe you're the toy-boy?"
"He's upstairs avoiding you, Teddy must have been bathed and put to bed by now. And the only reason I haven't helped bath him yet is that Hades' is worried that it would hurt my shoulder lifting him out afterwards" Tim explained. We try hard to have an equal relationship, though he likes cooking more than I do so he's always done most of that."
"So tell me what he's like. Does he have the same taste in music, is he a tech geek like you or does he love to write, what sort of movies does he like and what team does he go for?"
"Crystal Palace FC" Tim said dryly. "He doesn't follow American football." Of course, Hadrian wasn't much of a fan of what Tim and Tony called soccer either but Tim could hardly tell his team mate that Hadrian was a Puddlemere United fan.
"Was it hard for you, the case today? Because Rinter was in the closet like that" Tony asked seeing how tired his junior agent looked.
"At least it wasn't a hate crime" Tim said sighing. "Rinter didn't get treatment for his illness so he could keep his job, he's probably going to die years earlier than he would have if he hadn't had to hide what was wrong with him."
"Tim, you think he kept quiet because of 'Don't ask Don't Tell'?" Tony asked surprised. "But he could have gone to a private doctor and kept it off the records. And even if he was keeping it quiet he should have told his partner."
"Not just DADT, the Navy doesn't allow HIV+ sailors to serve overseas or aboard ship, he would have been transferred to a shore job here in the US" Tim explained. "And that's if he wasn't dismissed for being gay."
"Is the bigotry that bad at NCIS?" Tony asked.
"I don't know, but there has to be a reason I don't know any openly gay agents" Tim said sighing. "The security guard who almost bashed me for being gay was charged, though it was kept awfully quiet."
"I owe you an apology for that too. I'm sorry Tim I had no idea that you'd be hurt by my comments. It was a joke and obviously a really bad one."
"I forgave you for your part in that a long time ago Tony. I know you weren't involved in the attempted assault" Tim replied.
"How close did they come?" Tony asked hesitantly.
"Well let's just say that Rule 9 dissuaded them" Tim said smugly, "and I was able to identify their voices, so they were caught. Unfortunately, I wasn't their first victim."
"I'm glad you weren't hurt" Tony said sincerely.
"James killed himself because Rinter cheated on him, but I wonder how much being kept as a secret damaged their relationship?" Tim voiced his fears.
"You think that's going to affect you?" Tony asked. "It isn't the same, you've told the people closest to you. Had your fiancé been upset that you haven't told us sooner?"
"No, he always said he was fine with it, though he did tell his teams before I did" Tim replied. "It just really struck home when I was injured that none of you knew to let him know. We had an argument before I left and he thought I just didn't want to speak to him."
"well next time, you should just let us know there's someone and you aren't ready to give us details" Tony suggested.
"There isn't going to be a next time Tony. Hades and I are getting married. Til death do us part" Tim said firmly.
Tony smiled ruefully at having put his foot in it again.
"I'd better go, gonna be a difficult day dealing with legal tomorrow" Tony said. What he meant was it would be a difficult day for all of them dealing with Gibbs temper after the lawyers got involved with Rinter's case.
Tim gave a twisted half smile. "That's for sure" he said, getting up to walk him out. "Thanks for coming Tony."
"It was good to clear the air Tim" Tony said smiling genuinely. "Night."
"Night Tony" Tim replied.
"This sure is a nice place Tim. Not too fancy and formal" Tony said appreciatively. He looked around the comfortable room, it had all the feeling of a family home except for the lack of family photographs on the mantle, he still didn't know what Tim's fiancé this Hades person looked like.
A/N: Thank you to BCgurlie, Locket1, xDarklightx, Kourtney Uzu Yato, , ajmcclane193, ElysiumPhoenix, catkin12, Entrusting, charm13insomnia, Halfway To Reality, Village-Mystic, ffchen sarah, DS2010, Firehedgehog, lilly-flower15, acherongoddess, buterflypuss, Silvermane1, MeraHunt, HPSlashAddict (Guest), icyquest4, Almonda, mithrilandtj, Dedicated4reading, julschristine975, lia (Guest), Aire5, Rori Potter, Guest, Vladimir Mithrander, yngoldfogee (Guest), Guest, Maben00, PercyJacksonROCKS4ever, serenityselena, Guest, Winged Dire Wolf7, Merlenyn, Lady Rosencrantz, billi24, avidereader101, Lego Land, noelmurdock, Gracie15Trowa, Kefira-Lux, Ein8sof, aisa.32, SweetMagicMoon, Peetato1989, Shadoee, zababe, edgar12345, mei101, RenaKou2151, GirlyGirlWithAGun, psychobitchlovely, ringoshirayuki9, Akcul, marifg, Bunnycherry95, Phoenix1001, Hoshi-tachi, BlueButterfly2703, , alittlerock, Shadowbrook Road, Star-cat271191, lulucats144 and Sanjihanna for your support.
A/N2: it seems most of you voted for either keeping the chapter length as is or supported me in doing whichever felt right to me (thank you for that). As this is also my preference that's what will happen. I will endeavour to update as near to every third day as I can. Do not fear I will abandon this story I have every intention of finishing it and my track record in finishing stories is pretty good.
