Chapter 2
2013
Timothy McGee walks into the squad room and smiles. He loves NCIS and this morning he feels great. This morning he had received a letter from his old MIT pledge class tutor inviting him to a reunion in a few weeks time. It's going to be a decade dance with a fifties theme. Gibbs walks in to the bullpen breaking off McGee's strain of thought. "Dead Captain at Rock Creek Park. Grab your gear." McGee grabs his rucksack and dashes after Gibbs and Ziva to the elevator, happily beating Tony to it.
When they arrive at Rock Creek Park, McGee helps Ducky carry the equipment from the van as Jimmy Palmer is on his honeymoon with Breena. When they join Gibbs at the crime scene, McGee stops. He recognises their victim.
"Something wrong, McGee?" Gibbs asks.
"No. I mean, yes, boss. I know him. Captain Jacob Allan Garrett. He was deployed with my Dad, when I was at MIT." McGee says sadly. Gibbs raises his eyebrows knowing there is more McGee isn't letting on. McGee sighs in defeat. " I also dated his eldest daughter, Emmeline, when I was MIT we were in the same pledge class." Gibbs nods.
"Perhaps you should call her and tell her what's happened, if she can, we'll meet her at NCIS later."
"Sure, Boss." McGee nods sadly and walks away towards Tony, near the black sedan.
"McGoo had a girlfriend? I bet she was a geek too." Tony remarked, camera in hand. McGee turned to him amused.
"Actually, she studied Military History. Surprised I had a girlfriend, DiNozy?" As he says this he is dialling a number he knows well. It rings and he waits.
Across DC two women, one a brunette, the other a redhead, sit in a café with a dark haired man. The redhead and the man are holding hands on the table and a glittering diamond ring on the woman's hand reflects the sunlight streaming through the window. The other woman sits across from them and looks startled when her phone, which is sat on the table beside her, vibrates loudly. She looks at it quizzically for a moment then answers it.
"Emily Garrett."
"Em, it's Tim."
"Timmy, hi." She smiles happily for McGee is her dearest friend and the father of two of her children.
"Hi, listen. I'm investigation a crime scene at Rock Creek Park. We've ID'd the body…" McGee takes a deep breath.
"Timmy?"
"I'm afraid, it's your dad, Em."
"No. No. No. Daddy? Really? No. It can't be…" She takes a shaking breath and holds back tears.
"I'm so sorry, love. I really am. Em, would you be able to get to NCIS?"
"Yes, of course. I'm just having lunch with Robbie and Zara but I' ll be there as soon as I can. Zara wants me to tell you their big news." Emily nods, earnestly into space as the woman opposite her looks worried and then excited holding up her and Robbie's entwined hands.
"What news?"
"They're getting married."
"Wow, tell them congrats from me. It's a shame we never got that far, kid. I am sorry, Em."
"I will. I know, Tim. But that wasn't my fault, please understand that. Thank you for calling and I'll see you soon, OK?"
"Sure, I know. I miss you." McGee says sadly.
"I miss you too, McGee." With that Emily disconnects the call and turns to her friends, apologizes and then leaves, now not really in the mood to eat. She gets into her car, lets the tears flow and then starts driving to NCIS, slowly, letting everything her ex-fiancé had just told her, sink in.
McGee sits at his desk in the bullpen half an hour since his saddening phone call to Emily. He looks at one of the photographs that usually live in his wallet. It's the one of the four young adults dressed in fifties clothes sat in a 1984 Camaro Z28. He smiles, he is sat behind the wheel with a brunette, Emily Garrett and his best friends Robbie Whittington and Zara Fitzgerald in the backseat, all are smiling.
Ziva stands beside him with DiNozzo, who is leaning against the filing cabinet. She looks concerned towards McGee. "McGee, are you okay? I understand this is difficult for you."
"Thanks, Ziva. I just feel like bearer of bad news."
"Why?"
" I was the one who told her, her mom had died of cancer in the hospital. I took the message because she was at a class, it was our second year and we'd been dating 10 months when this photo was taken."
" Why are you all wearing odd clothes, McGee?" Ziva asked looking at the photograph.
"Some times schools and colleges hold themed dances- that was a fifties themed one. Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day and Rock Hudson et cetera." Ziva nodded as DiNozzo explained.
"It was that night I asked her to…" McGee looks up as the elevator opens and Emily Garrett, short and still as breathtakingly beautiful as in the photograph, walks into the squad room.
"It was that night, at Buddy's Diner on the Coast road, you asked me to marry you, Tim."
"Emily!" McGee gets up from his desk and rushes towards her, catching her as she falls, tearfully into his arms and hugs him tightly, arms around his neck. She cries and Tim hugs her. "It was also that night, that you said yes, making me the happiest man on the planet," She laughs tearfully. "I'm so sorry, Emily. I wish this could be done any other way." McGee says and wraps a tender arm around her waist as she leans against his chest, freeing him from the hug.
"I'm only glad it was you telling, Tim." She says sadly and looks curiously at DiNozzo and Ziva.
"Sorry, Ziva David and Tony DiNozzo, my co-workers."
"Hi, I'm sorry for your loss." Ziva says kindly handing McGee his photograph back. Emily glances at it as Tim slips it back into his jacket pocket. She looks up at him.
"You kept it? The photo?"
"Of course, Tiny. You were… are my best friends, Em. I missed you." He says squeezing her tightly. Emily twists her diamond ring on the pendant around her neck between her fingers and smiles at her old nickname.