"Hey Kels!" Stacey greeted as they video chatted. "What's been happening?"

"That guy? Tim?" Kelly said, sounding defeated. "Seemed like he was a nice guy. Seemed into me, said he'd call and didn't."

"Tim's still in the hospital, Kels. They're going to operate on his arm." Stacey said. "He's been miserable, wanting Jim to bring his cell in, but we keep forgetting to grab it."

"That's horrible, I thought he would be discharged after I was." Kelly said.

"Kell!" Gibbs yelled out as he came through the front door. "You home?"

"In here." She answered before returning to her video chat on her laptop. Her father came into the kitchen and kissed the top of her head.

"Agent Hot Stuff should be out of surgery by midday tomorrow. I'll be at the hospital. Call me and I'll let you talk to him."

"Hello Stacey." Gibbs said, looking in on the girls video chat. "Who's in hospital?" As he joined Kelly by her laptop and took a seat.

"Kelly's agent Hot stuff. He needs a pin put in his arm from the accident." She answered.

"Agent Hot stuff?" Gibbs grimaced, before awkwardly chuckling. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, definitely hot!" Stacey answered , fanning herself for effect. "You should have seen them making out on the dance floor, it was definitely hot." She continued, missing Gibbs' look imploring her to stop.

"Stace!" Kelly exclaimed. "Oh my god, use your damn filter!" Taking the laptop from her dad's view and moving into the living room.

"Jim said he really likes you, Kels." Stacey continued, unaffected by Kelly's outburst. "Maybe you should come stay with me again this weekend and check on him for yourself."

Gibbs had poured himself another cup of coffee and went to relax on the sofa. Stacey's voice filtered through the speakers of the laptop from the living room. "You could always dress up as a nurse and take care of him." Stacey began. "It's only his arm, a little gentleness and he'll be raring to go."

"Enough Stace!" Kelly said firmly. "Oh my god! I'll come down and see him but I won't be sleeping with him again. If I come down, you better not run off with Jim again."

"I promise Kels!"

"Think with the brain in your head, Stace! Not the one in your pants."Kelly chastised. "I'll see you Friday night. I'll book the 4pm greyhound."

"Jim's got to be in DC on Sunday night. He can drop you back at home."

"Away again this weekend, Kell?" Gibbs asked as she hung up from her best friend Stacey. Stacey was a good girl, normally, but since her folks split three years ago she's become a little bit more wild and has been trying her hardest to take Kelly along for the ride.

"Yeah," Kelly admitted. "Didn't see much of her last weekend. She ditched me for her new guy."

"Is that how you met McGee?" Gibbs asked. "Stacey ditched you?"

"She went to the bar to do some shots with her room mate, aka the new boyfriend."Kelly explained.

"When did you meet Tim?" Gibbs asked, he'd been asking for a while now and couldn't get a straight answer. Anyone who knew what a shrewd interrogator he was would be shocked.

"We met on the dance floor. I had switched to water and was trying to dance off the alcohol." Kelly admitted.

"Dance floor?" Gibbs asked, struggling keep a straight face as he tried to picture the green, geek, rookie he met on the dock at Norfolk, actually on a dance floor, let alone in a club.

"He's actually very good." Kelly blushed all over, remembering his hands on her hips and their body's grinding against each other as one.

Gibbs noticed his daughter's blush and how flushed she was. He groaned silently and internally. McGee hadn't struck him as a ladies man, or a clubbing man, then again. He'd only met the man briefly, before he and Kate headed out to the submarine.

"You owe him an apology, by the way!" Kelly snapped. "He broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder by physically holding me back from being thrown from the car on impact."

Gibbs knew that, Norfolk PD had shared the cctv and traffic camera footage of the accident with him. He knew Kelly should have had his injuries and McGee should have barely had a scratch. "I know." Gibbs whispered.

McGee being injured in that accident and out on sick leave caused Morrow to say no for his request to add McGee to his team. "I didn't know what he did for a living." Kelly admitted and hugged her Dad.

"He seems like he's a good guy." Gibbs decided and Kelly couldn't say or do anything else, she just slumped her head down on her Dads shoulder and sighed.

McGee didn't manage to get to his cell phone to call Kelly for seventy two hours. Jim hadn't bought it into the hospital, when he was asked. The following morning, the orthopaedic surgeon came around and decided that his arm needed a pin in it, temporarily. For a minimum of six weeks. His surgery was scheduled for the following day.

The surgeon had to remove the cast to do the surgery but was kind enough to jot down Kelly's number for him. But he still had no phone.

When he woke up in recovery, he was told his friend's were waiting for him in his room. Recalling the plan, that Stacey would wait for him then notify Jim he was out of theatre. He didn't think nothing of it. It was almost 1400 by the time he'd made it to theatre that day.

Once he was settled in his room after recovery, he struggled to open his eyes momentarily. The nausea had returned in full force. As he rolled over, to try to get the emesis bag to his mouth a hand gently rubbed his back. "Easy McGee, you'll damage your arm." It was a gruff, male voice. Not a soft voice like Jim's. "I got ya, easy!" Opening his eyes after he finished being sick from the anaesthesia he saw Gibbs standing there.

"Huh?" Tim asked, thoroughly confused. 'What was Gibbs doing here?' He thought. He began breathing faster, he hadn't known that Kelly was his daughter. 'Did Kelly tell him what we did after the club?' He panicked.

"McGee, breathe. In and out, that's it." Gibbs instructed. "Inhale…Exhale."

"I'm ok." Tim croaked out, his voice raspy. "Thank-you."

"Hey, you're back." Kelly said as she returned with a coffee for her father and a granola bar for herself. "How you feeling?"

"Ok, I think." He managed to rasp out.

"Just get some rest Tim." Kelly said softly, kissing his cheek.

"No." Gibbs argued, already knowing the question Kelly wanted to ask. They were in the hallway while the surgical team looked him over. "No!"

"Dad, they live on a five floor walk up. It'll only be for two weeks while he's on sick leave."

"No." Gibbs reiterated firmly, determined not to give in.

"He can stay in Grandpa's room." Kelly offered. "He got injured protecting me."

"From an accident you wouldn't have been in if it wasn't for Stacey leaving you for her roommate." Gibbs argued, letting his anger at Stacey come through a little. "No!"

"Dad!" Kelly argued. "He doesn't have any where else to go."

"We aren't a halfway house, Kell!"

"So it's fine for DiNozzo to call when he's too drunk for a place to crash, or Abby after one of her punk rock or death metal concerts. But not Tim when he's hurt. Dad he's In pain. Pain he's in because of me."

"Fine, you sleep in your room and he can stay in Dad's room." Gibbs gave in.

The arrangement had worked out fine for the first five days. On day six, Gibbs came home from work in a foul mood, which only deepened when he saw Kelly cuddling into McGee's side while watching a movie. Tim quickly excused himself and packed his bag. He had reluctantly agreed to stay, but Tim had known it wasn't a good idea. Kelly had followed him into the downstairs bedroom. "Dad's problem is with me, not you. Stay." She told him firmly.

"I think it's best for all if I leave. Gibbs and I may have to work together in the future, we need to have those boundaries. Thanks for everything you have done." Tim said, kissing her cheek softly. "I appreciate it more than words can say."

"Tim, you can't sit on the greyhound bus for three hours with your arm and shoulder like that." Kelly tried to reason with him.

"I'll get a flight. I'm sure Stacey or Jim can meet my flight. I'll check my bag, so I don't have to carry it on."

"Let me drive you to the airport, then." She reluctantly agreed, knowing deep down that Tim was right about he and Gibbs.

"You're welcome to come stay with me, next weekend, if you like." Tim offered. "I have to be back in Norfolk soon anyone. I have some PT scheduled and a check up this week."

Gibbs had stomped up the stairs, while Tim and Kelly quickly left. Tim had left a bottle of bourbon and a thank you note on the table for Gibbs to see. Tim had picked it up yesterday to thank Gibbs at the end of the week. He hadn't expected to be leaving so soon but it was for the best.

Nothing had gone right for Gibbs today, the barista had given him decaf black coffee and although he'd managed not to get too injured in the blast, Kate had been pretty shaken up. Especially after breaking rule ten. He'd leave her be for a day or two before checking on her. To top it off, he'd come in to find the two of them cuddled up together on the sofa. He hadn't been expecting that. To make matters worse, DiNozzo had no hot water at his apartment and was going to be crashing on the sofa that night. After changing into his sweats and heading for the basement, he found the bourbon and card on the table from Tim. "Kelly." He called out, they must have left. He checked the driveway and Kelly's car was gone. He grabbed his cell and called her but no answer, 'she must be driving' he thought. He wished he had McGee's cell number, but he'd probably never actually have called it to check.

'Damn it!' He thought. 'I'm gonna hear about this too. What else could fucking go wrong today?!'

"Call me when you get in?" Kelly asked, kissing Tim goodbye at the gate. His flight had just called the first boarding call.

"Of course, as soon as I get my bag."

"I'll see you late next week." Kelly said, she felt low. She knew Tim was doing the right thing. She knew her father's temper was volatile at the best of times, but something had set it off today. Leaving was part of Tim's self-preservation. "I'll miss you." She admitted quietly.

"I'll miss you too." He said as he kissed her once more and boarded the plane.

His flight was unremarkable and over within an hour. He'd paid heavily for his ticket, but it was worth it to avoid Gibbs' crabby mood. But at least he was home. He'd begin his PT and try to figure a way out to continue to work in Norfolk and see Kelly in DC. She was away from work on paid leave while she finished the last of her Master's Degree.

Tim had decided that he definitely liked her and wanted to continue seeing her. She seemed into him and seemed to want to be with him.

"Tim?" Kelly asked as she tiptoed in to the downstairs guest room at 0300. "You awake?" She asked before climbing into bed with him, just as she had the morning every morning since he arrived. She hated knowing he was downstairs and she was upstairs. But Tim had absolutely refused to have sex with her under her father's roof. But they did enjoy the cuddles and early morning snuggling.

Gibbs wasn't stupid. He woke at the slightest movement within his house, a trait from his Gunnery Sergeant days in the USMC. He'd noted with annoyance that every morning since McGee's arrival Kelly had tiptoed downstairs and hopped into bed with the injured agent. Gibbs had been torn, this was the first 'real' relationship he'd seen her in since her early college days and it warmed his heart to see. 'But why did it have to be McGee?' He'd thought. 'There wasn't anything wrong with McGee per se, but why an agent? Agents make the worst partners and he didn't want that for his daughter.'

Now Gibbs was second guessing his pursuit to add McGee to his team permanently.

'Great! Just fucking great!' He fumed to himself, 'just another thing I've fucked up today.'

"Hey, you're back." Gibbs said softly as she let herself in. Kelly had driven around for several hours. Had been into her office for a bit and gone to the gym too while she was gone. She didn't want to leave Tim. She didn't want Tim to leave either. But she understood why Tim felt he had to leave.

DiNozzo was snoozing on the sofa upon her return. "Where's McGee?" Kelly kept walking, ignoring her father. "Kell, I asked where McGee is?"

"Not here," she snapped. Gibbs was hot on her heels, following her to her room. He lingered at the door jab. He watched her grab her rolling case and throw some clothes together.

"Where are you going?" He asked, after a minute. He'd watched her grab her usual clothes - jeans, tees, hoodies, pants, blouse, dressy dress, as well as her heels, boots and joggers.

"I'll be back on Sunday afternoon. My flight leaves at 0600." Kelley said, blatantly ignoring her Dad's question.

"Work, Kell? What about work?"

"I'm working remotely for this week." She answered, grabbing her laptop, tablet and phone chargers. She packed her small toiletry bag and closed the zipper on her carry all. "If I could have a lift to the airport in the morning, it's be great. Otherwise, I'll get a cab."

"Don't go Kell! Please!" Gibbs begged. "I know I've been a bastard in the last week and I'm sorry."

"Why?" Kelly asked him. "Why would you behave like that? Is Tim a bad person or something? I though he was a good guy, I mean his an NCIS agent for Pete's sake!"

"Kell," Gibbs pleaded and closed his eyes in pain. The pangs in his heart were physically painful. Times like this he needed Shannon. "I don't know him, Kell. I worked part of a case with him, that's it."

"Then trust my judgment." Kelly pleaded. "I know what I'm doing. You taught me that. When you know, you know. So look and leap with both feet."

"What if I'm not ready to let go?" Gibbs asked, he wasn't ready for this.

"It's sink or swim time, Dad. I'm ready to swim but you're holding on like I'm gonna sink. It's time to let go." Kelly advised. She put her case by the front door, along with her favourite pillow from her bed.

0500 hours came too quickly for Gibbs and he was struggling to face the day. He didn't want Kelly to leave, not while they were at odds.