Tim really, really didn't want to go with the woman. But he could see in her eyes that she'll kill him in there or out here, and the only difference would be who went down with him. Maybe, part of his brain whispers, if you can talk openly with her, out of hearing range of everyone else, you can change her mind. He's stood now, shivering in the rain, in the alleyway beside the diner, and that voice has gone quiet.

"You know you're in hot water." Tony says, presumably to the lady, although Tim thinks they're probably worse off than her right now. "That guy you killed was in the Navy."
"I know he was in the goddamn Navy." She hisses, all pretence gone. "You think that makes a difference?"
"Would it have made a difference if he was a kid? You've gotta draw the line somewhere. You don't look like a child killer." Tony raises his voice over drumming of water hitting the sidewalk.
"You think you know anything about me?"
"That big ole' knife you're holding is kind of doing the talking."
"Oh, honey." The lady drops the knife suddenly, voice filled with pity, and Tim suddenly wonders if he's got it wrong. Isn't it her? It is. He's sure. She reaches back to her waistband, and pulls out a handgun. Ok yeah, it's her.
"Wait, wait, he didn't see anything!" Tim blurts out, stepping in front of Tony. "He can't testify, you can let him go."
"When hell freezes over am I leaving you here, McNoble." Tony mutters.
"He can't testify for the last murder, sure, but he's a direct witness to the one that's about to happen. I can't let him go." The woman twitches, uses one hand to swipe her wet fringe out of her face.
Tim shakes his head wordlessly. Tony takes a step forward. "How'd you find us anyway? Pretty lucky if you ask me." That strikes a chord.
"Lucky? Ha! You dumbasses left your dinner at the scene of the crime. Was it worth some greasy fries?" She rolls her eyes. "Kids and their junk food, I knew you'd be back."
The takeaway. Tim thinks in slow motion. Ellie had wanted to bring it. That might have been enough to save them.
"Still, bit of a long shot don't you think?" Tony keeps going, looking to Tim. Why are you winding her up? Tim wants to scream, but his gut is saying something different.
"Does it matter if it worked?" The lady grins with glee. Her name tag glints as a car drives past, headlights on full beam. Jenna, it reads. "I barely needed a CV to work at this place, they didn't do any checks on me at all!"
"That's why we liked it so much." Tim tries to sound casual, agreeable. "Do you think that we'd get along well in someplace legit? They'd call CPS within the hour, probably."
"You-" Jenna falters and Tony takes another imperceptible step forward. She shakes her head. "You don't have a family." She finds her footing again and digs in with twice the cruelty. "Nobody's going to miss you."
"I have a family!" Tim hisses. "And you just threatened them. Repeatedly."
"Boohoo." She cocks her gun, checks her aim. "You've seen what I can do, you think your sob story is going to stop me?"
"No, I'm hoping this will." And just as Tony throws himself at her from side on, Tim drops to the grimy alley floor. The gun goes off, but he staggers upright again, pats himself down and feels fine. Tony is on top of Jenna, but not for long, so Tim grabs the heftiest piece of trash he can reach (a piece of plastic piping, it turns out, and not his weapon of choice) and bats her around the head with it. She turns and shoves him hard, and as he falls his head smacks the wall beside them.
"Tim!" Tony shouts as he crumples to the ground. He punches her hard, but she straightens before he can get another in and raises her hands, still clutching the gun. Tim isn't moving and Tony's failed he's failed and they're both gonna die if Tim isn't dead already Tim might already be dead oh god-
The bang that rings out is deafening and Tony flinches hard, eyes slamming shut and shoulders rising up to his ears. It doesn't hurt. Is he dead? There's another sound, clattering and a dull thud. Voices.
"NCIS!" One of them shouts. Huh. Someone touches his shoulder, but he doesn't move. He can barely breathe. Maybe he doesn't need to, if he's dead.
"Open your eyes, Tony." The voice says. It sounds like Gibbs. A thought occurs to Tony. Is Gibbs dead? Then, more likely: I'm still alive. His eyes fly open. Kate has Jenna on the ground, cuffed - there is blood flowing from her shoulder, and Tony realises that one of the agents must have shot her. He's ok.
"Tim." Tony moans. He isn't talking to anyone, in particular. He pulls away from Gibbs, scrambles to where Tim lies as if he can do anything to fix this. "I'm sorry." He finally does hit the floor, knees giving out. He pulls the younger boy into his lap. "I'll come home, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." His cheeks feel wet, but he doesn't reach up to touch his face. Gibbs is saying something else, but he sounds like he's underwater. "I know now, I know - you guys love me, I should never have made you- made you prove it-" His breath hitches in a sob.
"He's still breathing, Tony." Gibbs' voice filters through this time. A lady appears in Tony's periphery. She steps forward and he snarls at her, clutching Tim closer.
"No!" He shouts. "Go away!"
The lady is wearing a uniform, but not a waitress' one. It's green. A paramedic.
"It's their turn to take care of him now." Gibbs crouches next to him, holds his arms out again in a beckon. "You did good."
The lady approaches again, and Tony lets her this time. "I failed." Tony whispers, his eyes not leaving the paramedics where they work.
"You kept him alive." Gibbs responds, and Tony leans in, before he even realises he's doing it. Leans in, and buries his head in Gibbs' shoulder, and cries. "I've got you."