JF5 - Apologies, it seems there was a glitch and it told me the chapter uploaded and it told the readers it uploaded but didn't upload. Let's try again.

Thanks for all the reviews and an extra thanks momcat for letting me know the chapter didn't upload. :) Much appreciated

At 0700, Tim greeted Kelly by the door of the Gibbs family home, wearing an old pair of sweats and heavy socks. Gibbs had long left for work, knowing he had a couple of things he wanted to catch up on. "Good morning." Kelly called out, as she got Sharni and her belongings from her car.

"Morning." He grinned at her, watching her try to manoeuvre the four-month-old puppy, its bed and toys, in a skirt, blouse, blazer and heels. As he approached the car to help her hold the door open, he noticed the shoes she had taken from her room upstairs last night, sticking out of the top of her laptop bag.

On the front porch, Kelly introduced the two of them, the exuberant puppy was happy to be meeting someone new. The puppy happily followed Tim into the house. She had only been to Gibbs' house a few times since Kelly had been given her, but Sharni already knew the house rules, recognising Gibbs' scent as an alpha. Sharni immediately thought she'd try her luck getting on the sofa with someone new, but one word from Tim, had her recognising that Tim was also an alpha and off she sulked to her makeshift bed in the corner of the living room. "I think you two will be fine." Kelly said to him softly as he walked her over to the front door. "You have my number if there's any dramas. I should be here about six."

"Plan to stay for dinner. I'm making some spaghetti." Tim told her. "Don't know what time Gibbs will be home tonight, but I'd love some company for dinner."

"I could get used to having food cooked for me when I come in from work." She teased him. Her insides were doing flip flops. He was standing close to her by the partially open front door. She could almost feel his body heat.

"Don't." He warned her with a grin, as he stepped back and allowed her to leave.

She stepped up into his personal space and reached up, leaving a small soft kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for agreeing to look after her."

"You're welcome." Tim answered her, his cheeks becoming a nice rosy hue from the kiss Kelly had placed on his cheek.

As soon as he closed door the door behind her, he reached up and slapped the back of his own head softly. 'Delilah' he thought, berating himself.

Throughout the day, Tim played with her, took her for a walk out into the back yard. Mostly he did a lot of free writing on his laptop, the doctor having lifted the no computer ban, yesterday. At two, he saved his current thought, hoping he could circle back to it and stowed the laptop away for his appointment with Rachel.

Right on cue, he heard Rachel come up on the front porch. He started making a pot of coffee, since starting to see Rachel, he had learnt to things; one, like Kate, she never said no to a cup of coffee and two, the time goes faster if he had a coffee with him.

"Hello Tim." Rachel's soft voice in the kitchen surprised him. "Gibbs told me I should just come straight in; he wasn't sure how you were feeling today and that bothered him."

"You've been talking about me, behind me back." Tim accused. His tone was flat and despite the accusation, his tone held no anger or malice.

"Not as such, I have come from the Navy yard, though." she told him. "Vance has me working my way through your team to help you all work through what happened with you and your trauma, as well as Delilah's death and the case. This afternoon Gibbs expressed that thought, he also allowed me to tell you. He too, didn't want you thinking he was talking about you behind your back."

"What else exactly did he have to say?" Tim asked curiously.

"You know I can't tell you that." Rachel admonished him, lightly with a chuckle. He poured the coffees and handed her one, before they moved to the living room.

Sharni, she roused from her nap and enthusiastically went to greet their new visitor. Before she could jump on Rachel, Tim clicked his fingers and pointed to back to her bed. In a firm voice, he told the black and white long-haired beauty "No." causing her to immediately stop her excitement and retreat to her bed.

"You're good with your dog." Rachel commented, but she knew already the story behind the dog. Gibbs had filled her in, and she had been rather surprised to find Tim in the kitchen, not cuddled up with the pup on the sofa or the floor.

"Thanks, she isn't mine, though. I used to own a German Shepard who liked to push my boundaries, learnt early on to be firm with him. Saves you from a lot of headaches down the track." Tim told her. "I'm puppysitting for Gibbs' daughter, Kelly." he explained the whole story of how the usual sitter was out with her kid and how she is still a puppy and requires regular toilet training still.

The conversation centred on a few more mundane things before Tim found himself confessing that he had spent the night at his apartment and that he had hated every minute of it. That it didn't feel like his home, it felt desolate and hollow without Delilah.

"It may not feel like it now, but you are making progress, Tim." Rachel told him, as she was ending the session for the day.

Tim scoffed at her suggestion of progress, but he chose not to comment. "Sharni, bathroom" he commanded, clicking his fingers and opened the door that led to the closed in, rear yard. The exuberant and excited pup headed straight out to the yard, ignoring Rachel's presence.

She followed Tim into the kitchen as he went to put the onions and peppers into the fridge, to prepare them to be cut up. "What's for dinner tonight?" she asked, spying him near the fridge. Gibbs had been quite vocal about the culinary delight his young subordinate had prepared last night for dinner. She knew that Gibbs was planning to get home at a decent hour too, that he was looking forward to the meal.

"One pan spaghetti." Tim told her, as he explained that in the baking tray you layer everything, the dry pasta, vegetables, sauces, mince beef and cover and bake, mixing every 30mins so the pasta does not stick to the pan or together. When almost cooked you add three cheeses and crumble some feta cheese, add some olives and capers and bake. You then twist and mix the spaghetti through the melted cheese and serve with fresh basil. "I'll make a salad for the side, too."

"Sounds delicious." she told Tim, licking her lips. "Do you feel like you have to cook for Gibbs? To earn your keep? To repay him for letting you stay?"

"Cooking relaxes me, it always has." Tim answered immediately, setting her mind at ease. Rachel had been worried, albeit temporarily, that Tim had felt that way. "Ziva and I would have the best time cooking. She showed me how cooking should not be stressful, how it should sooth your mind and help you unwind. How, if done right, would also provide you with a healthy and nutritious, well-balanced meal too."

Rachel could see with her own two eyes that Tim had changed physically, from when she had first met him, to now, even more when she had gone through the box of her sister's things from her desk at the Navy yard and had seen the photos of her and her team. She had a hard time reconciling that the man before her and the man she met, were the same overweight, green, naive probie that her sister had known.

She bid Tim a goodbye, she had a new recipe to try for dinner, tonight and now added a stop to the market for dinner. They agreed on the next appointment time and set it up.

Gibbs had been hastily awaiting his turn in the hot seat with the good doctor and it had nothing to do with bearing his soul to her and everything to do with checking in on Tim. He had suspected, that if Tim had truly needed him, the man would call him, especially after Monday night and proving to Tim, that he had his six in his grief. They had exchanged a few quick words before she left to meet Tim, but Gibbs had chosen to have the 'official' sit down with the good doc, after Tim. Mostly so because if Tim was upset or wracked with grief, he believed he'd be able to tell from Rachel's behaviour, if not her actual words.

"He was fine, Gibbs." Rachel reassured him, coming into the bull pen from the back elevator to sneak up on Gibbs. His sharpshooter eyes and steeled concentration was on the main elevator, giving her the element of surprise.

The two of them wordlessly, headed down the hall to the conference room, closing the door behind him.

"How was he?" he asked, hastily.

"Hello Gibbs, I am fine, the trip to Alexandria was very pleasant. Minimal traffic for the early afternoon." she commented dryly, and Gibbs rolled his eyes at her. "You know I can't reveal anything that Timothy and I discussed."

"I know that Doc." he grinned. "But how was he?"

"In the kitchen and tonight's culinary delight sounds delicious." Rachel teased him. "Tim is good with that puppy, you've got visiting today."

Gibbs squeezed his face up tight. "How much of my house is destroyed? She's a delightful girl, but on her previous visits she has only listened to me when I've stood over her and watched her like a hawk. She's destructive when she isn't watched every second of the day."

"She... I was going to lie and say she chewed up your beloved sofa, to see your reaction. But she was perfectly behaved. Sleeping when I arrived and ignored me when Tim ordered her outside for a bathroom break." Rachel said, and the look on Gibbs was a look she had never seen before. A look of astonishment. "When Tim and I had our session, she didn't move from her bed."

"Are you sure? That doesn't sound like Sharni." at her nod, he nodded his head, letting a little "hmm" out. The relief evident on his face.

Rachel and Gibbs sat, eye to eye, staring at one another. "Are we going to discuss how having a front row seat to Tim's grief might be hard for you? How it could be triggering your memories of losing Shannon? Only to have them come back in full-force."

"Nope." he shook his head. "My heart just hurts, doc. That someone I care about is going through the same pain. Just as it did when Vance lost Jackie."

Gibbs arrived home to find Kelly and Tim in the kitchen together, preparing the salad. He stopped a moment, stealthily at the door jamb and watched the two of them working together at the island bench. Tim was chopping spinach and lettuce up with his left hand and Kelly was chopping tomatoes and cucumbers with her right and their elbows occasionally brushed. He smiled to himself at the sight; neither of them noticed his presence and the two of them were chattering away, about a mutual acquaintance from Kelly's publishing firm.

He watched as Tim reached over for the bowl to dump the greens into. Then Kelly took the bowl and dumped her tomato and cucumber in it. Both of them heading to the fridge, Tim allowed Kelly to go first, who grabbed a bottle of wine from the door, Tim took a small bottle of something Gibbs didn't recognise. He watched Tim pour some of the black liquid into a small bowl followed by the oil and vinegar Kelly offered Tim and the salt and pepper before McGee quickly whisked it together, dressing the salad.

"Wine?" Kelly asked, as she offered Tim the stemmed glass. Kelly poured the pale pink coloured, sparkling liquid into the glass. "Say when." she instructed and he watched as the two of them exchanged smiles and she filled Tim's glass, almost to the rim.

"Trying to get me drunk? Because I'm not that easy." Tim asked with an unrepentant grin and a chuckle.

"It's been a while since I seduced a man last, but I'm not the kind of woman to seduce a man who's in mourning." she quipped and immediately regretted her words. "Sorry." she offered immediately.

"Gibbs?" Tim asked, surprised. He had looked up and saw him standing there, watching them. "Dinner's done." Gibbs saw Tim blush a little under his boss' gaze. It was clear, neither of them had realised he was standing there.

"I'll just go wash up, then." Gibbs grinned at them, choosing not to comment on what he had seen in the kitchen.

Dinner was a lively affair as Gibbs regaled Tim and Kelly with a story of how Tony had struck out, today. He had tried to pick up two women who were witnesses in their latest case, only to find out that the women were married, to each other and Tony had been left on the sidewalk, stammering and floundering like a fish out of water.

After dinner, in which Gibbs had practically inhaled and enjoyed seconds of, he washed the dishes as they continued to chat, Kelly and Tim having another glass of wine each as they sat at the island bench.

He listened to the two of them discuss various things before Kelly mentioned wanting to see a certain film. Tim mentioned that he was planning to stream the movie and that he could hook his laptop up to Gibbs' TV and they could watch it together. Gibbs grinned widely to himself, glad that his back was turned to the couple. Hearing Tim talk tech was soothing like balm, it was a glimpse of the old Tim.

After the dishes were done, Gibbs made a big show of needing to do some work in the basement, despite the protests that they had both made that he should stay and watch the movie. He noticed as he went to change out of his work clothes that Kelly had also changed out of her work skirt and blouse, into the pyjamas that she kept in her bedroom at his house. When he came back downstairs to head to the basement, he noticed that Tim was also now in his sweats and heavy socks. Somehow, dinner and a movie before going home to work had changed; and his daughter was now spending the night at her father's house.

Down in the basement, he poured himself a generous dose of bourbon into the mason jar and took a decent swig. He knew he hadn't imagined things when he had seen that spark initially and tonight, he saw a glimmer, a potential that it might be returning.

After a few of hours of solid work on his boat, he crept upstairs, ready to wash the day off him and head to bed. Pouring himself the last of the coffee from the pot before heading into the living room to head up the stairs, Gibbs stopped himself short. The room was almost in total darkness, save for two large pillar candles, burning on the coffee table not too far from the empty wine bottle and wine glasses. The movie had already finished. Tim was laying on one section of the sofa, his head in the corner of the sectional on his back, Kelly was stretched out on the other side, her head by Tim's. Kelly's puppy snoozing away in her makeshift bed in front of the TV.

They were talking in low, hushed tones. "Tell me what you loved the most about her." Kelly asked, as Gibbs stopped short. He was curious about what they were doing and how this had come about.

"Her love of science and binary code." Tim told her softly. "It's dorky and geeky, but we used to write love letters to each other in binary code. Never met anyone like her, before."

"That's not dorky or geeky, it's sweet. I don't think I've ever had a guy do something that sweet for me, before." Kelly gushed to him.

"Well, you've clearly been dating the wrong kind of man." Tim told her, in a friendly tone. Gibbs stood rooted in his spot and grinned hard at his agent, he certainly couldn't disagree with what Tim had said. He had never liked any of her boyfriends. Especially the last one. In fact, he couldn't have said it better himself. He probably had voiced that very same opinion to her and it went in one ear and out the other with her.

"Gee thanks." she said sarcastically, slapping him on the chest.

"What do you miss about dating?" he asked her. Gibbs realised they were clearly they were playing some kind of question game, and he left them alone, creeping stealthily through the room to the stairs to the bathroom.

"I miss the intimacy." Kelly whispered. "Not the sex, although I do miss that a lot, too. No, the fact that you care and trust the other person enough to bear your soul to them."

"I could easily channel Tony right now." Tim chucked, trying to break the tension. He hadn't expected such an honest and raw answer. He also hadn't missed her confession about sex. With the exception of Ziva, he'd never heard another woman admit to liking and missing not having sex before. Most women he had dated in the past, hadn't openly admitted they liked sex without wanting something in return.

"And what would Tony tell me to do?" she asked, laughing at him.

"Buy yourself a vibrator and go screw yourself." Tim told her, laughing and imitating Tony's voice.

Gibbs had chosen that very moment to come back downstairs for clean shorts from the laundry room. "I hope I didn't hear what I thought I heard come from your mouth, McGee." he growled, and they both laughed.

"Relax Dad, Tim was imitating Tony." Gibbs nodded and continued onto the kitchen. "Besides, I already have one." she said in a stage whisper to Tim.

"Most women do." Tim murmured in response to her. "The question is... Nope, not going there, can't go there, not with you."

"Fine, I'll go there." she threatened, thinking of how to word it.

"No, you will not young lady!" Gibbs growled again. "Now, what are you two doing in the dark?"

"Twenty questions, boss." Tim supplied succinctly.

"Yeah, since when is it played in the dark?" Gibbs asked, knowing the question probably showed his age. Last time he played twenty questions, it didn't require darkness to play.

"You can't lie in the dark." Kelly told her dad. "People are more likely to be truthful in the dark. It's more honest. For example, who here has kissed a co-worker?"

Gibbs nodded, both Kelly and Tim knew he and Jenny had a history together and they didn't need him to verbalise his answer.

"I have." Tim answered and Gibbs growled, wordlessly.

"Abby." Gibbs groaned out loud. It was always Abby. Plus, Gibbs knew that they had kissed at some point because he knew that they'd been intimate when he was stationed at Norfolk.

"Ziva." Tim countered and Gibbs' eyebrows just about flew off his face in surprise.

"Ziva?" he asked in disbelief. "Ziva? As in our former..."

"Well yeah, boss." Tim said, smugly.

"Sure, hope DiNozzo knows about this lip-smacking adventure of the two of you." Gibbs prayed. He knew the boys were close now. If Tony didn't know, that would tear them apart.

"He knows." Tim replied, truthfully. "He was there when it happened."

"Do I want to know?" Gibbs asked, shocked. He was struggling to comprehend how Ziva and Tim had kissed and Tony was there, and OK with it. Tony was always territorial over Ziva, he doubted Tony would have let Ziva and Tim kiss.

"Ah, probably not boss. Let's just say that Tony was there, and Abby was involved, and it wasn't my idea." Tim told them both. He could feel Gibbs' glare on him. "I should probably explain, because if you ask Tony, he won't be kind. My birthday last year, the three of them came over to celebrate and we ended up having a few too many."

"Wait, where was I?" he asked Tim. He couldn't believe they hadn't invited him, even though he would not have gone. It would have been nice to have been asked.

"Hiding from Diane." Tim told him and Gibbs cringed. He had forgotten about that. "We had pizza and played some very childish and immature games that was all Tony and Abby's idea. Long story short, I lost and had to kiss Ziva."

"OK." Gibbs didn't see what was so bad about that and wondered if he had the absolute truth there, because Tony couldn't make that sound bad for Tim. Tim couldn't lie to save himself, but he knew Tim could partially lie, and well.

"Now imagine if I had to tell you that, looking at you, in the light?" Tim asked, knowing he would have blushed and stammered his way through that confession if it hadn't been said in the dark.

Gibbs chucked, "Point taken, McGee."

"Yes, well it must be my turn." Tim told Kelly, really wanting the spotlight off that particular night. He didn't want Gibbs to know he had partially lied to, by him."

"I think that both of you should say good night." Gibbs grumbled to them. "Before you're too honest with one another."

"Why? Afraid I'll get all excited and go climb into bed with Tim and take advantage of him?" Kelly answered and touched Tim's hand in the dark. It was a small gesture to let him know she was joking, trying to rile up her dad.

Gibbs' sharp eyes narrowed, both he and Tim could adjust their eyes accordingly, to see really well in the dark. They had both been trained to. He saw Kelly put her hand on his.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gibbs asked, surprised to see Tim in his business jeans and button-down shirt, dressed and showered at 0500. He was dressed as if he was going into the office.

"Appointment with Vance this morning." Tim told him.

"Nope, Vance wants to see you, he can come to the house. If you set foot in NCIS, someone will ask you something and you will feel obligated to help."

"Not meeting Vance at the yard, Gibbs." Tim argued and that surprised him. "Director Vance was worried about the same thing. He asked me to meet him at the coffee cart in Andrews Park, on base."

Gibbs nodded to himself in approval, glad Vance had been smart about their meeting. So, he was happy to take Tim with him into the yard. Kelly was still asleep, as was her dog Sharni, in the utility room where Tim had suggested letting her sleep last night. "So, no nocturnal visitors in your bed last night, McGee?" Gibbs teased as he pulled up in his usual parking spot in the lot.

"She was just saying that to rile you up." Tim told his boss. "Your reaction is what she is going for, and you give in every time."

"You're saying just ignore it, like I ignored that lie you told last night?" Gibbs asked, pulling up the park brake as he unlatched his belt and turned to his agent, letting Tim know the conversation wasn't over. "You and Ziva may have kissed, and Abby may have been involved. It may have even been Abby's and Tony's idea, but that wouldn't have Tony teasing you about it. What's the truth?"

"Umm ... Ah ..." Tim stammered and Gibbs now knew why kids today played this game in the dark.

"Tim, I know about Tony and Ziva and the sexual proclivities of the relationship they shared."

"Oh, you know?" At Gibbs nod, Tim wondered how, but then decided he would rather not know. "I was kind of down, between Fornell's anger at me about sleeping with Diane, your encouragement of his anger and a relationship I had high hopes for, crashing and burning. They; Tony and Abby, decided to we'd play spin the bottle. Turned out Ziva and Abby had other ideas."

"Oh, you? And the two of them?" Gibbs asked and the red flush of embarrassment on his face told the older boss he had been right. "And Tony?"

"Ziva forced him to watch, teasing him."

"She cuckold him, while you had a threesome with the girls?" Gibbs choked out, regretting bringing it up in the light of day, now.

"Oh! My! God! Noooo! You are so wrong." Tim put his hands in his face, trying not to laugh out loud at Gibbs' ridiculous theory. "Abby and Ziva just made out with me and each other. There was no sex. And if there was, it was after the three of them left my place."

Gibbs let go of the breath he didn't realise he had been holding in. "I've never been gladder to be wrong about anything before in my life, McGee."

"Can we never bring this topic up again?" Tim asked. He was red as a beetroot and highly embarrassed with the conversation they had just had.

"Agreed." Gibbs said, laughing at poor Tim. He was about to go and have a serious chat with the Director and Gibbs thought he was in a permanent state of red face.

"Besides, if Tony had a threesome, we would never have heard the end of it." Gibbs had to nod at that truth.

Gibbs watched from the windows in the bullpen as Tim took a moment by the Barry before heading over to Andrews Park to meet the Director. He was sure that Tim needed to compose himself for his meeting. "You're here early, Gibbs. Does that mean Tim is in the building?" Vance asked, interrupting his thoughts of Tim. He had been replaying last night and the conversation in the car this morning. He was relieved to know he had been wrong and even relieved that Tim had tried to lie to Gibbs, he could see why Tim hadn't wanted to confess the truth to him.

"He needs a minute this morning." Gibbs said with a straight face. "It's been a weird twelve hours since I left here last night." He looked at Vance's puzzled face. "I walked in my front door and stepped into an alternate reality, last night. Found my daughter's disobedient puppy, being perfectly well-behaved. Tim and Kelly in the kitchen, making dinner side by side. Stood there and watched as both of them tried not to flirt with one another one. Had some basement time and came back up to a game of twenty questions. Did you know kids play that game in the dark, now?"

Vance watched as Gibbs rambled on about his night. He was surprised to see the functional mute talking so much and actually opening up to someone, besides his bourbon and boat. "Huh?" He asked, clearly, he was out of touch too.

"Yeah, Kelly and Tim were having a game of twenty questions in the dark, asking each other some very weird and intimate questions, like they were long lost friends. Came back into Tim making an obscene comment, something I didn't know he knew how to do to a woman. Misunderstood that, then Kelly explained why they were in the dark, which opened a huge can of worms between my team, which I was planning on addressing. I started with Tim this morning and it turned out my twisted mind, interpreted his answer into something perverted, very far-fetched from the truth. Tim needed to compose himself, he was rather embarrassed."

"Huh?" Vance was utterly confused. "From all of that I got Tim and Kelly, a bucketful of flirting and you have a perverted mind."

"Who has a perverted mind?" Tony asked in glee, coming up the stairs into the bullpen, putting his go bag down.

"You do, Tony!" Gibbs grinned at him. "It's all your fault. Ahh, I need coffee!"

"Don't look at me Agent DiNozzo, I am just as confused as you." Vance quipped at the Senior Field Agent. Tony and Gibbs exchanged glances, as Gibbs stalked from the office, hunting coffee down. "That was weird, wasn't it? It's not just me?"

"Not just you, Director." Tony confirmed, looking in the direction Gibbs had stalked off in. "Definitely not just you."

"Right, well I have an off-site meeting, start with cold cases and hopefully Gibbs comes back as his usual, gruff, hard-ass ex-marine and that pod person who was just here." Vance told Tony as he stared at his phone. "If he doesn't, we might have to have Ducky drug test him."