Gibbs pulled away slowly and smiled down at Tim who was smiling softly as the team exploded behind him. Tim looked weary and pale with dark circles under his eyes and Gibbs gently ran his fingers through his short bangs sweeping them to the side.

"Sleep Timmy. I will be here when you wake up"

Relief that was almost tangible swept across Tim's face and he relaxed instantly under Gibbs' hand and allowed himself to fall back into exhausted sleep. Gibbs straightened and prepared himself to face the music. He turned slowly to look at Abby, Tony, Ziva, Ducky and Palmer as he stood beside the bed of his young lover and team mate.

Abby was shrieking loudly and waving her arms about in something that could have been anger but could just as easily have been excitement. Tony was wild eyed and utterly silent as he gaped open mouthed at Gibbs and McGee. Ziva was glaring angrily at Gibbs and loudly muttering something that sounded very much like a string of curses in Hebrew. Ducky was trying to calm everyone down while Palmer was stuttering excuses, looking everywhere except at Gibbs and seemed to be contemplating leaping out of the window to escape the situation.

Gibbs stood and caught Ducky's eye and the older man moved back to the doorway and reaching out into the hallway pulled the door firmly closed with a loud click. Everyone turned to look at Ducky and silence again descended onto the room.

Ducky gave everyone a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure everyone has had a bit of a shock and wants to say something to Gibbs. I believe you will have your chance. But for now what is said in this room STAYS in this room. I would like to consider this matter a private one"

Gibbs smiled gratefully at Ducky and then returned to trying to judge the dangerous swiftly changing mood of those in the room.

Tony turned to Ducky confusion written across his face.

"You knew?"

Ducky smiled quietly.

"Well Anthony, lets say I suspected for quite some time but I didn't have it confirmed until earlier today. I was trying to give Gibbs a few moments alone with Timothy when you came in."

Suddenly Tony flushed with anger and bristled under Gibbs continued scrutiny. He took a step forward and with a wave of his hand gestured to the sleeping man in the bed.

'You're fucking MCGEE?!"

The shouted words sounded like a hysterical whip crack through the room and Gibbs' eyes narrowed in anger. That made it sound so dirty. Like he was taking advantage of Tim somehow and manipulating him into something he didn't want. Like all there was between them was down and dirty fucking. It was so much more than the sex. It was a relationship he valued deeply even when he struggled to commit to it. Tim gave him permission to be who he wanted to be rather than who he thought he should be.

"Watch your mouth DiNozzo"

Gibbs tried to reign in his deep anger at Tony knowing the bone numbing weariness and anxiety of the last 24 hours wasn't helping any of them in this situation.

Tony stepped up angrily into Gibbs face, bitterness twisting his handsome features

"Watch my mouth? Watch my mouth? What are you my Father now? If you're my father then what are you to McGee? His Grandfather? A grandfather who bends him over and fucks him? He trusted you, you Bastard!"

The sudden hard slap across the face snapped Tony's head to the side and he grabbed his cheek even as Gibbs backed away trembling with anger.

"How dare you talk about him that way!"

Gibbs ground out the words through a tightly clenched jaw and balled his fists tightly at his side. Tony could say what he liked about him but Tim didn't deserve what Tony was implying.

Tony glared at Gibbs, a red mark blooming fresh on his cheek from the impact while everyone else stared transfixed and shocked at the confrontation in front of them.

Tony whispered harshly

"Who are you? Where have you taken Leroy Jethro Gibbs? I don't know this man that lies and cheats and keeps secrets from his friends."

Gibbs could hear the hurt and betrayal in Tony's voice as he struggled to hold back tears and suddenly then Gibbs understood. It wasn't that he was sleeping with Tim that bothered Tony. It wasn't the sex.

It was the secrets.

Tony was so tired of being betrayed and having things hidden from him, over and over. And to have two people that he loved and trusted both in and out of the field going behind his back felt like the ultimate betrayal.

Gibbs knew he had to act fast otherwise Tony might well leave that room and their relationship would be fractured forever.

"Tony Please. I'm sorry. You know how I feel about apologies but in this matter you deserve one. You all do. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier. I have really screwed up with all of you and especially with Tim. We have been….seeing each other. I didn't want to admit to it and I thought if anyone knew …well you all know what can happen. I don't care about me, I've had my career but it could ruin Tim. I didn't plan it. In fact I tried to avoid it. Tim is a team mate and a friend and it just got ……complicated. I barely admitted it to myself let alone trust anyone else with it. Please Tony, just stay. I need you to help me with this."

Gibbs pleaded with his eyes as he finished his speech not knowing if it would be enough to make Tony stay. Tony was silent and breathing heavily and without looking at anyone he turned and sat down heavily on a chair rubbing his hand over his tired sore eyes. The painful anger had burned away and now he was just in shock.

Gibbs and McGee. Gibbs and McGee. Gibbs AND McGee. Gibbs and MCGEE.

Tony remembered the look of devastation as Gibbs knelt in a huge pool of McGee's blood and watched the ambulance leave the scene the sirens wailing. Gibbs silently weeping in the corridor. Not being able to say anything about how he felt. Tim pushing Gibbs out of the way and taking the bullet for Gibbs. Fuck.

"You need our help Gibbs?" Abby's gentle nature and natural curiosity got the better of her as she looked across to Gibbs worriedly.

Gibbs smiled sadly "Yeah Abbs. I'm in completely new territory here and I seem to be doing a really good job of screwing everything up."

"You hurt him very badly Gibbs. I do not think he deserves you"

Ziva's statement surprised everyone and they all turned to look at her where she stood glaring angrily at Gibbs.

"I have known for months he was seeing someone. He wouldn't tell me who. But I did know they were hurting him. I never guessed it would be you. I thought you cared about him more than that."

Gibbs just looked surprised and Ziva continued

"After work one Friday I was in the car park and I heard something. Eventually I found McGee curled up in dark corner against a wall. He was crying. I was very worried for him because he had seemed fine, almost happy that afternoon. McGee was very embarrassed that I had found him and he tried to hide the fact that he had been crying. He wouldn't tell me what was going on but I asked him questions until I figured out that he was seeing someone. Someone who he cared about a great deal. Someone who didn't want to continue seeing him. Someone who he thought was ashamed of him."

Ziva glared at Gibbs and Gibbs closed his eyes in sorrow.

He remembered that Friday night. He had told Tim in the elevator during their 1 minute snatch of privacy that he wouldn't be coming over to his place tonight as planed. That in fact he thought it would be a good idea that he never went over to his place again. Gibbs had been firm, stony faced which belied the swirl of pain churning through his gut. He hadn't been able to look at Tim knowing that his wide eyed devastation would make him want to pull him into his arms.

Gibbs had gone straight home and drunk himself into a stupor in his basement. He hadn't thought about Tim stumbling from the elevator unable to even make it to the privacy of his car before the tears overtook him. Hunched into a ball as he tried to muffle his pain from prying ears.

Gibbs opened his eyes and looked down at Tim blissfully asleep. Gibbs took a deep breath and looked up at them all. Abby's soft look had changed considerably and she looked almost fierce. Tony looked lost and unhappy while Ducky seemed sad. Ziva was still glaring angrily at Gibbs while Palmer seemed almost indignant on Tim's behalf that Gibbs could possibly be ashamed of him.

Gibbs accepted their silent condemnation silently for a long minute. It was Ducky's familiar enquiring gaze which forced an answer out of him.

"Look I did what I thought was right for both of us. I didn't like what I was costing him so I ended it"

"And when you went back?"

Ziva was relentless in her interrogation. She wanted a full confession before Gibbs even thought about leaving the room.

Gibbs lifted his chin and squared his shoulders accepting the deep pain as Ziva moved in for the kill accusing him of the very crime he cursed himself for over and over again. His head would argue the logic of staying away but his heart would yearn for the laughter and peace that came from being at Tim's side.

"Yes Gibbs if you thought you were costing him too much why did you keep going back? Two weeks after I found him crying I spoke to McGee privately because he seemed happy again. He implied that he and this other person had patched it up again. I warned him then to be careful. Do you know what he said? He said that when they were together everything was so perfect that even half of perfect was more than he deserved. Deserved Gibbs! That's what he said. This is McGee, one of the best men I know and he deserves a partner a hell of a lot better than YOU!"

Gibbs held her dark stormy eyes in his bright blue ones before he replied with firm conviction.

"I know"