This is a filler chapter, don't expect too much.
Tim quickly darted home showered and changed his clothes into his nice Armani suit and a black pencil tie. Coming out of his bedroom, dressed in his beautiful grey suit, he found his Dad and Gibbs on the sofa, drinking beer together and watching a football game on the TV. "Whoa ho, ho!" Tobias teased his son, playfully when he looked up and spied Tim dressed to the nines, for a 'drink' with his friend. "Since when does grabbing a drink with a friend require a suit like that?"
"Dad" he groaned out loud, embarrassed. He hadn't known they were home and didn't want to make a big deal of it. "What are you doing home, anyway? I thought you and Gibbs were having dinner at the diner."
"Elaine was out of beer, we got it to go." He answered, Tim was searching for his cell phone. "Here, looking for this?" He held his cell up to his son.
"Thanks." Tim said, still a little jittery.
"Here, let me tie that for you son." Tobias said. Gibbs watched on, he'd never seen Tim this kind of nervous before, even when he was a bumbling probie. "What's got you so uppity?"
"She changed the venue on me. We went from grabbing a beer at Mahoney's to some upscale club in the city. She also called it a date." Tim explained, nervously.
Gibbs smirked and tried not to laugh at him. "Got your gear?" He asked Tim with a wink and Tim rolled his eyes at his Dad. "Hey, don't be like that Timothy. Don't you dare roll your eyes at me. You're not in a long term relationship with this woman and I'm not ready to be a grandfather yet."
"Always," Tim told him truthfully. "It's been ingrained into me. Always carry them, always provide them, wear them no matter what and don't believe or take any contraception a woman offers."
"Guess that's one point for the admiral." Tobias conceded. "Better than what my old man taught me."
"Don't you think you should be talking to Em? Stop putting it off." Tim told his father. It'd have been ok, if it was just the two of them, but with Gibbs there it felt awkward.
"Don't remind me." Tobias groaned.
"Oh and ask her about her new boyfriend. Gotta go." Tim added, scooping up his keys and his go bag, which was going in the trunk of his Boxster in case he didn't make it home tonight.
"That was a new experience, don't think I have ever seen him so jittery about a girl before." Gibbs told his friend. "Come to think of it, don't think I've ever seen him dressed for a date like that either. Please tell me you noticed he took an overnight bag."
"I did." Tobias said, proudly. "I don't want to think about it."
"So Em, new boyfriend?" Gibbs asked, redirecting Tobias to his other child.
"Don't remind me." Tobias groaned. "I thought I'd have longer before I had to give the boyfriend talk to my daughter."
Gibbs was passed out on the sofa when Tim let himself into the house. His life as a sniper had left him sensitive to movement and he groaned at the sunlight when he'd opened his eyes. He spied Tim kicking off his shoes quietly, in jeans and a hoodie, not the fancy suit he'd seen him in the night before. He smiled to himself, at least Tim hadn't done the walk of shame and came home in his suit. 'Good for him' Gibbs thought, before pulling himself into a sitting position and winced at the seized up back muscles. Tim was coming back out in his swim gear and nodded at Gibbs. Gibbs grunted his reply as Tim took pity on him.
"Ya know, I've slept there a time or two also. Some Tylenol, extra hot coffee and a swim and you'll be as good as new." Tim told him, over his shoulder as he headed out the door. "Welcome to swim at mine, but stay out of my lap lane."
"Thanks." Gibbs grunted. In his truck, it still held his go bag, he didn't have swim trunks, but he had a spare pair of boxer shorts and he had a microfibre towel.
He found the invoice in the mailbox from the extermination company and tossed it on the back, next to his gear. He checked that the temp gauge on his pool was right before diving straight in.
"Did I hear Tim invite you over?" Tobias asked Gibbs as he too emerged dressed for a swim.
"Yeah, I was just as surprised as you, too." Gibbs answered thoughtfully. "I thought you had to talk to Em this morning."
"I do, texted Emily to meet me at Tim's." He told his dear friend. The duo walked over to Tim's house with their gear on and Emily's in a bag, too. As they arrived they saw Tim stretching and warming up. It seemed this morning he was serious about swimming, taking it as a work out. Tobias took in Tim's appearance, he was happy, his eyes danced a little, he was a lot more calmer than last night. Stretching his biceps, pulled the skin taut across his back. He could see the half crescent shapes fingernail marks dug into his flesh and the small nail tracks that ran the length of his back.
"Morning son." He called out, just in time to see him do a dive off his diving mount into the warm water below. Tim had been keeping the roof and sides closed lately, to combat the cooling weather. The men edged themselves into the pool to get the blood circulating again after their alcohol intake last night. Tim was swimming laps and the two older men were relaxing in the water.
"Hope you bought my stuff too." Emily called out, coming around the corner, with Diane in tow. Finding her gear, she darted into the tool shed to change her clothes before coming out and jumping into the pool, splashing her uncle Gibbs.
"Leroy, Tobias." She called out, greeting them. She stood on the edge of the deck, by the side of the pool, looking over at Tim. Tobias got out of the pool to greet her, so they could talk in low voices. Tim stopped his laps and hoisted himself out of the pool and approached Diane and his Dad, leaving Emily splashing Gibbs in the pool.
"Did you talk to her?" Tobias asked Diane in a low voice.
"I tried, she shut me down." Diane told him, in a frustrated voice. "Hello Tim." She greeted him warmly, carefully kissing her stepson on the cheek so she didn't get wet, "you're a good swimmer, just like your grandmother was." Diane told him, referring to Tobias' mother.
"Thanks." Tim told her and Gibbs had looked up and noted the ease between the three of them and how much Diane was doting over Tim. How she had kissed him hello. She was being nice and friendly, not the nasty, bitchy ex-wife he knew or the teasing, bullying reluctant witness that had spent the night at Tim's old apartment under protective custody.
"They're probably talking about me." Emily told her uncle, breaking his focus on the trio. "Mum caught me with a boy in my room."
"Doing what exactly, Emily Rose?" Gibbs asked his niece, sternly. He had been surprised she had bought it up with him.
"Just studying and hanging out." Emily replied flippantly and Gibbs glared at her and her answer. Gibbs knew that Tim could be overprotective, he'd seen it first hand on the case with Sarah, but he knew Tobias and Diane wouldn't be flipping out for nothing.
"Are you sure it wasn't anything else Em?" Gibbs asked again, lightly interrogating her. "You can tell me anything, ya know? I won't tell your Mum, Dad or even tell Tim unless you're in danger, in trouble or need help. You can trust me."
"Like Tim trusted you and you beat him up?" Emily snapped her retort back at her uncle, moodily. "No, they didn't tell me. They didn't have to, I could see it on Tim every time your name was mentioned. I've never seen Dad so angry before. That was before he found out Tim was his son, too."
"Em, I have apologised to Tim. He won't be working for me anymore. He has accepted my apologies." Gibbs told her and he was surprised by both Emily's moodiness and by the venom he heard in her voice.
"Bet, he doesn't forgive you yet, does he? He's the one that taught me the difference between acceptance and forgiveness." She told him. "I wanted a big brother, never thought I needed a big brother, ya know? Until Tim came to stay, now I can't imagine not having one. It's going to be so weird when he finally comes to live here."
"Why hasn't he moved in yet? The place looks done." Gibbs asked his niece.
"Termites!" Emily exclaimed with a shiver. "Dad, found them. The exterminator has been but the wiring needs overhauling, now. Tim said he could do that himself, he just needs some spare time. I'm going to miss Tim, but at least our trip to Indiana is going ahead next year. Dad's all excited, he was telling me all the amazing things we'll be doing. I get a week off school to go. Dad's taking the week off, so is Tim. Mum even said she'll be there for a couple of days too. The first two days before her and Victor continue on to Seattle. Mum is moving there for three months for Victor's work."
"You guys are taking a trip? To Indiana?" Gibbs asked, surprised because neither Tim nor Tobias mentioned it. Then again, they were all still finding their footing after Gibbs' outburst at Tim.
"Dad said we've got to get the sad part out of the way first." Emily told him with a long face. "Then we can do all the fun stuff we have planned. But I get to help Tim with the sad part. Dad said Tim's going to need my help, we have to pick some flowers for his friend."
"His friend?" Gibbs asked trying to get the information from his niece.
"Yeah, Dad said he met Tim's friend a few times too. He said she was a hero and she died in the line of duty. She's buried there and Tim has to go and see her." Gibbs gut ached, Emily was talking about Kate. Agent Kate Todd. Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Kate Todd. Kate that took a bullet, saving his life and losing her own in the process. Gibbs stilled and Emily looked at him. That Kate Todd. "Did you know Tim's friend too?"
"I did, her name was Kate, she died saving my life." Gibbs painfully told Emily. "She was like a big sister to Tim. She liked to tease him, but she looked out for him. She protected him and she'd have loved Tim having a little sister like you." Gibbs looked up and saw Diane playfully push Tim away from her so he ran and cannonballed into the pool splashing her in the process, before coming up for air and giving her an impish grin. He tagged Emily and the siblings were off on their own, having a splash fight and playing chase. Gibbs hoisted himself out of the pool, before approaching his ex wife and his best friend. "Never seen him so carefree like that!" He stated, taking in Tim's childish behaviour.
"It's Emily, Leroy." Diane told him. "She brings it out in him." Gibbs took in Diane's appearance, there would have been a time where she would have shrieked in anger at being splash, now it bought a smile to her face. "What?!" She snapped at ex-husband number one.
"Nothing, just looking at that smile." Gibbs commented.
"Leroy, 'You divorce wives, not children.' Isn't that what you taught me with Emily?" She asked him seriously. "Tobias and I aren't married anymore, but it doesn't mean Tim isn't my stepson. I'll probably be the only mother that boy will ever really know, Leroy. I know you think I don't have a heart, but I do and it warms my heart to see Emily and Tim play together like that."
"Hey, I am in no position to judge." Gibbs said, holding his hands up in a defensive tone. Tobias leaned over and kissed Diane's cheek goodbye.
"I'll talk to her, call you tonight?" he asked her. She nodded in the affirmative and left the two older men standing there, watching Tim race Emily to the other end of the pool.