I don't own NCIS

Gibbs sat at his desk thinking of the case he'd just closed. The case of the man who had been shot just fishing. Wrong place wrong time. Caught in the middle of a drug war. Ironic as the man had been trying to help young boys by keeping the lights on at local ball courts. Yes there was irony written all over this case.

He thought of the boys he'd met and he thought of his own Son. The courts were reopened the lights back on a man's legacy lived on and He wondered what his own son would remember about him when he was gone. He unlocked the bottom drew of his desk and pulled out the picture of Tim he kept there. He cringed when he saw the picture of Kelly beneath it. The little girl who would never have the chance to grow up. Forever eight. But here was a picture of his son no longer the fourteen he'd been when his sister had died. No now he was a grown man. A man with a job, a house a life of his own and Gibb knew in his heart he'd lost the boy now man. He'd lost him a long time ago. He'd lost him that February morning he'd lost the rest of his family. Maybe not physically but he'd lost him emotionally.

He hadn't done it on purpose he hadn't intentionally shut his son out of his life. A part of him didn't even realize he'd been doing it until it was too late. Until Tim was out of his house. Until after his marriage to ex number two Rebecca. Tim had left for school shortly before that. And for that he was glad. Gibbs didn't think he could have handled it if Tim had been around at the same time as Rebecca. He knew Tim hadn't really forgiven him for the destruction of his marriage to Diane. He knew Tim was still close to Diane and a part of him hated that. he was sad that his son wasn't part of his life for so many years. That he'd been chasing something he couldn't obtain again that he couldn't capture the ghost that was Shannon. That he'd neglected his son because it was so painful for him to look into the eyes that had been Shannon's.

They'd never talked about it but he was sure Tim thought it was because he wasn't Kelly. Though Kelly had nothing to do with it. Sure he missed Kelly yes he wished Kelly was still alive but he'd never trade Kelly's life for Tim's. He just wished he knew how to say that. But the silence had been so thick between father and son for so long especially on that subject that he didn't know how to breach it to let his son back in or how to get his son to trust him. The way he had as a young boy.

He remembered days of fishing and baseball. Days just between the two of them. Day's before Kelly had been born. Day's before the family of three had went to a family of four and a part of him wanted those day's back.

He couldn't regret Kelly's existence but he knew that if it had just been Tim born then he'd now have one less person to mourn. He wished so many things as he sat at the desk staring at the picture of his son. Thinking about his lost wife and daughter. He put the picture back into the drawer locking it and pushing back. He grabbed his things and headed towards the parking garage getting ready to go home.

He later found himself down in his basement again. Working on another boat. A cycle that never seemed to end. He looked over at his phone before picking it up. He dialed Tim's number.

Tim looked at his ringing phone. Then he looked over a Tony who was sitting beside him emerged in whatever movie he was watching at the moment. He raised his eyebrow showing the phone to Tony before answering it. "Hey Dad."

"Hey son I was just thinking how you would feel about going fishing the next night we both have off."

"Fishing." Tim was floored he hadn't been fishing with his father since well he couldn't really remember the last time him and his father had been fishing. Tony turned and looked at him at the word a odd look crossing his own face.

"Fishing." He mouthed and Tim nodded his head.

"Yes fishing."

"Oh Sure I guess I'm busy for the next week but maybe next week."

"Great just let me know and we'll make it happen."

"Okay dad good talking to you." With that they disconnected and Tim stared at his phone. Had his father really invited him to go fishing? He shook his head. It seemed that he did but deep down Tim figured it would never happen. He'd be busy or his father would be busy or they'd both find a reason to put it off.

"What was that?" Tony asked.

"I honestly don't know I think my father just asked me to go fishing with him sometime. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time we went fishing. Before Kelly and Mom did for sure but when I have no idea."

Tony pulled Tim close. "I think this has to do with the case we just closed. A man shot well fishing he was also responsible for a program that kept the lights on at basketball courts for young youth. Probably got your dad thinking about reaching out to you. Though I can never really understand Gibbs."

"None of us can. I've known him my whole life and I still don't understand him." Tim sighed snuggling close to Tony and getting lost in the feel of him close to him and the movie on the TV screen.