Dinner had been nice with the conversation flowing easily between them and now they were walking in the warmth of the early evening, an ice cream cone in hand.

"Did you always want to work with dogs," Tim asked as they walked through the park.

It was bustling this evening, parents watching children running around and squealing in the play park and dog owners throwing balls and sticks for their panting canines to retrieve.

Tim regretted not bringing Jethro along, but the ice-cream and walk had been a last minute decisions made when they saw how nice the weather was. Besides it wouldn't have been fair to have him sitting in the car the whole time she was eating.

"Nah," Owen answered around his ice-cream before taking it from his mouth, "I worked at a zoo once," that was unexpected, "I loved the predators. The big cats…wolves…there is something beautiful about them, you know?"

He was like a little boy as he walked beside her, his enthusiasm about his past job just oozing out of him.

"I worked with dolphins for a while too, you know, studying their behaviour intelligence, that kind of thing. I'm starting to get itchy feet now though, don't know what to move onto next,"

"A zoo keeper, maybe?" she suggested, "Safari? Circus?" she had seen the amazing way he handled the dogs that belonged to the other trainers and she couldn't imagine making the progress she had made with Jethro if he had not been the one to teach her.

He shrugged his shoulder and shot her a smile.

"You never know,"

She couldn't imaging him doing anything else but working with animals, although from what he had told her during their time together he knew his way around an engine. Maybe engineering was in his future?

"What about you?"

Tim looked up.

They had lapsed back into silence for a few minutes until they had negotiated a busy section of the park. Now safe out the other end again Owen carried on their conversation.

"Was being a Navy cop something you always wanted to be?"

"My dad's Navy," was her reply.

"Oh,"

"An admiral,"

"Oh,"

"Yeah,"

"So what, was this kind of a rebellion thing. I wouldn't think he would be too happy with your choice,"

Tim kicked a stone from the path and watched it skitter along the pavement and into the bushes lining the path.

Yeah, her dad had not been happy with her decision so much so that they had been speaking though her mom for the past few years.

He might have had a little problem with her being born a girl but he had a massive issue with her not joining the Navy. But she had no wish to be throwing up her stomach lining every day of her working life. Not that her father cared.

"I've always loved computers, loved to tinker. I went to John Hopkins and MIT and had quite a few offers from various companies but I didn't want to be stuck behind a desk all day. I wanted to make a difference…"

"So what, you just reached into a hat and pulled out a government agency,"

She laughed at that. It would be so much more amusing if she had done that.

"Nothing so mystical I'm afraid. We lived on a base for a while and there was some thefts. This was back when NCIS was NIS. And I always remembered them. A part of we had wanted to be them when I grew up but it was something that I just…forgot about I suppose,"

"Until you remembered?" he chuckled.

"Yeah,"

Tim ignored Tony as he spat paper balls at her. He would get bored eventually and until he did there was no point in snapping at him because no matter how annoyed she would get it wouldn't stop him, like a little boy it would only encourage him.

Another spit soaked ball struck her cheek and she jerked. They had only been hitting her hair so far.

The sound of the elevator doors opening was a blessing in disguise as Tony stopped his onslaught for a moment.

"Hey. Who's Indiana Jones?"

"Last time I checked it was Harrison Ford," she mumbled, focusing on her typing and assuming he was about to start spouting from his endless supply of movie trivia.

She was drafting her third attempt at a letter to the Director, regarding having Jethro join the team. She had been documenting every time sniffer dogs had to be called to a scene over the last few months so she had the first hand and up-to-date information to provide in her petition. Hopefully it would-

"Not the Indiana Jones. This wannabe heading our way? Has Halloween come early this year?"

"Tony," Tim sighed in annoyance, how on earth did the man get any work done, "What on earth are you talking about?"

For once there was no smart remark from Tony as she became aware of someone standing in front of her desk.

Whoever it was it wouldn't take them long to realise that they were in front of the wrong desk. People did not gravitate towards Gibbs' team to talk to her. They came to see Gibbs or occasionally Tony or Ziva...or just got lost and needed directions.

"Hey Tim,"

Tim's head shot up from her screen her mouth open.

"Owen!" she stood, her chair banging against the back of the partition board with a thud.

"Hi," he smiled at her, the corner of his mouth turning up and his eyes shining.

"Hi,"

"Do you think they're just going to standing there saying 'Hi' all day?" she glanced toward Tony to see he had moved to Ziva's desk. They were both staring. Glancing behind Owen she saw that Gibbs too was staring at her.

"Umm, boss, can I have a minute," she asked, walking from behind her own desk, to show that she was not going to take her 'minute' in the middle of the bullpen.

It took a moment but Gibbs eventually nodded his head and jerked it towards the 'you aren't quite a criminal yet' interview room.

"Thanks,"

Tony was right. Owen definitely had an Indiana Jones thing going. All he was missing was the hat and the whip as he stood in front of her in faded jeans, scuffed boots, navy shirt and warn leather vest.

She gulped.

He looked good.

Really good.

Better than he had ever looked in his -

"I'm leaving,"

Wow. Ok.

"Leaving?" she tried to ignore the cold feeling that came to her stomach at his words.

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the airport now,"

"That fast?"

"Yeah it was all pretty fast," he trailed off, just looking at her.

"Where are you going?"

"It's all hush-hush right now. Maybe I can tell you in a couple of months. You know. If you like?"

"That would be nice. You…um…you have my phone number,"

He nodded his head.

The silence stretched between them for a while.

"Jethro will-" before Tim could even finish her thought Owen had lunged forward, his mouth landing expertly across hers.

She froze for a moment, her mind trying to compute just what was happening.

He was kissing her.

One of his hands was cupping the nape of her neck and the other was on her back.

She should pull away.

But she didn't want to.

Her arms wrapped around his neck.

Tim looked up at Owen as he pulled away from her, and smiled.

That's had been one heck of a kiss.

He was smiling back at her, his hand now resting on her hip, and his other hand in her hair.

"Um," she licked her lips, trying to get her thoughts together, "Don't you have a flight to catch,"

"Yeah," he whispered, leaning back in to peck her lips.

His fingers felt lovely in her hair, until he froze for a moment and drew back from her with a small frown.

Owen's was now working a few strands of her hair between his fingers a frown of concentration on his face until he drew his hand away.

"What is this,"

In the palm of his hand was a small round pellet of rolled up paper.

Tim giggled and leaned against him.

"Everything alright, McGee?" Tim looked across to Gibbs who was looking at her with an expression she normally didn't see outside of a crime scene.

That was slightly unnerving.

He was studying her.

"Yes, Boss, everything is fine," she smiled nervously at him.

"Did all go well with your visitor, McGee?"

Tim glanced over at Ziva to find the other woman smiling warmly at her. Tim returned the smile and nodded her head.

"Yeah, It went fine. He was just letting me know he is moving,"

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that McGee," Ziva did look sorry about this.

"Don't worry about it Ziva. I'll hopefully get to visit him once he has settled into his new job,"

A dramatic groan from Tony had her looking to the man's desk as he fled towards the elevators.

"What the matter with him?" she asked, concerned by his sudden exit.

"Pay him no mind, McGee," Ziva waved her hand to indicate she was to put it from her mind, "Something has not agreed with him, that is all,"

"Oh...alright,"

Sparing one last look towards the now closing elevator doors she returned her gaze to her computer screen.

Now, where had she left of?

Smiling like a loon she began to type again.

Tada.

So this wasn't a sudden thing. The training of Jethro and all that would have taken a while and now Owen is leaving he just couldn't hold himself back. Aww! ;)I figured that Owen would have been training the raptors for quite a few years so it would make sense that he would be called away years before the park opened again.

Please don't forget to leave a plot-goblin feeding comment :)

Take care everyone and I'll see you with the next chapter. It will be another 2 parter and Brent is back. Briefly :)