a/n - Wow, you guys like this one. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. If you're looking for the bacon recipe, go to food network's website and search for brown sugar bacon. There's several versions (dijon mustard instead of chili powder is one option). Because in this story Tim's interest in cooking is based on his desire to lose weight, he cut way back on the brown sugar. You certainly don't have to :) BTW, my other profile will be posting the next chapter of a story tomorrow morning, Once More. That is, if you're interested in reading with Feeling about the villain, Greta.

Alone in the apartment, except for the dog, Gibbs found himself drawn back to the painting on the wall. He recognized the waterfall in the painting, a famous landmark near Pembroke, and remembered having a picnic there with Shannon the day she told him they were going to be parents. Not knowing how dry it was, his hand hovered over the surface as he took in the details, wishing he had his reading glasses with him. Lost in the image and the memories, he didn't even hear the door open.

"I did that one about a month ago, the weekend after we found Admiral Hopkins' grandson."

Gibbs bit back a chuckle as he remembered the case. The worried father, the hysterical mother, and the embarrassed sixteen year old young man who was found in bed with three ladies of the evening, paid for with the grandfather's stolen credit card. Tony had been impressed with the boy's initiative, Vance had been furious with the wasted manpower and the grandfather's reaction had convinced them all to leave DC until the dust settled. "That was a good weekend to get the hell out of Dodge."

"Oh, yeah." Tim came closer, smiling at the memory. "I called the studio where I've been taking lessons and booked the only out of town workshop they had that weekend, sight unseen. I didn't even ask the price or what we were painting."

"It's a beautiful painting, so it was well worth it." Gibbs waved his hand at the other paintings on the walls. "Are these the only three you've done?"

"Nah, those are just the most recent ones. As I finish one I swap it out with one already on the wall. Gives them a chance for the paint to really get hard. The rest are stacked in a closet." McGee noticed the wistful expression on Gibbs' face as he continued to stare at the painting. "You recognize the waterfall, Boss?"

"Had some good times there, years ago." Gibbs seemed to shake himself free of the memory as he turned back to McGee. "So, when did you start learning to paint?"

McGee walked back to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. "Watching Kate draw always fascinated me, so I started with a drawing class. With our schedule, it took me almost a year to get all the way through the course, but the ladies that own the studio were really cool about letting me bounce in and out between cases. A workshop I was signed up for got canceled, but we were out on a case and I didn't get the message. When I showed up, they felt really bad and offered to let me sit in on an oil painting class for free. One class and I was hooked."

"Do you still draw?" Gibbs watched as McGee glanced over at a notebook on the side table. "May I?"

"Sure, if you want." Tim wasn't extremely surprised and handed over the notebook before getting down some cups. By the time the coffee was done, Gibbs was intently studying the various sketches and finished drawings.

Gibbs accepted the offered cup purely by instinct as he looked through the pages. Kate's drawings had been bold, with strong lines, very much indicative of the woman she had been. McGee's work was much more subtle. Even his quick sketches were formed more by shading and less by heavy line work. His more complex drawings, much like his paintings, were filled with hours of painstaking details. "Tim, these are amazing. They should be framed and hung up instead of stuck away in a book." When McGee started to argue, Gibbs cut him off. "Hey, you know me. I'm not one for flattery or trying to boost someone's ego. These are good, really good, so are your paintings, better than I've seen in some galleries."

Knowing better than to argue at this point, McGee blushed bright red as he stammered out his admission. "Thanks, Boss. That... that registered letter was for a juried show. I, um, I had a piece accepted."

"Good for you, the waterfall?"

Tim watched the older man look back over at what was obviously his favorite piece in the apartment. "Since that's from a workshop, it doesn't qualify."

The raised eyebrow asked as clearly as if Gibbs had spoken and McGee automatically answered. "I submitted a fall scene from some photos I took at Shenandoah last October." The eyebrow continued to go up, but there was a twinkle in the blue eyes that watched him. "That painting's not here, it's at the studio. Maggie and Helen insisted that I get it custom framed."

"Something a little fancier?" Gibbs hadn't commented, but the plain black frames did nothing for the rich colors of the paintings on the wall.

He shrugged. "Yeah, more detailed and stained to tie in with that exact painting. When I'm just going to take it out of the frame and stick it in the closet, I don't bother."

"What do you do? Just leave the frames up and swap out the paintings?"

"Actually, yeah." Tim pulled the waterfall painting off the wall and easily popped it out of the frame. Gibbs could see that it was hung with a sawtooth hanger at the top of the frame instead of the traditional wire across the back of the canvas. "They stack easier without the frame. You can have this one if you like."

The uncertainty he saw in those expressive green eyes told Gibbs that this was a rare offer. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. If it stays here, it'll just go into the closet in a few weeks and it seemed to bring back happy memories for you."

Usually, he kept his memories of Shannon close to his heart, but Gibbs found himself pointing to a small spot of smooth greens. "Shannon and I had a picnic right there, in that clearing. That was the day she told me we were going to be parents."

"Then you really need to take this home with you." Tim made sure that it was firmly in Gibbs' hands.

"Thank you, McGee... Tim, this means a lot." McGee was half way to the door to retrieve Gibbs' clothes from the dryer before the older man spoke again. "Hey, make sure you carry your drawing kit with you from now on, alright?"

-NCIS-

Something was different, DiNozzo was sure of it when he walked into the bullpen only five minutes late that morning. Ziva seemed the same, so he turned his attention to his two other teammates. Gibbs was leaned over McGee, talking quietly and while Tony watched, Gibbs straightened and took one of the two coffees from the tray on McGee's desk before walking away. He waited a minute before bouncing up and scurrying across to sit on the corner of McGee's desk.

"You buttering up the Boss already, McGee?"

"What?"

"I bought the coffee this morning, DiNozzo." Tony jumped when Gibbs walked back in, unannounced. "Does that mean I'm the one buttering up McGee?"

"No, of course not, Boss. You'd never need to butter anyone up, even if Tiny Tim here could use a bit of butter."

"DiNozzo!"

"Shutting up now, Boss." He glared at McGee who smirked back at him before enjoying his coffee.

The next clue came just as the lunch hour rolled around, giving them all a break from the paperwork. When the food arrived, Gibbs grabbed both his and McGee's receipts.

"Boss?"

"Hey, I ate you out of house and home yesterday, buying lunch is the least I can do."

Much to Tony's surprise, McGee grinned as if it were an old joke. "You didn't totally wipe me out; there was a few pieces of lettuce left."

Gibbs actually walked over to McGee's desk with his food, leaned over and whispered something in his ear, making him grin even wider before Gibbs ruffled his hair. While Tony was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on, Gibbs reached into the top drawer of McGee's desk and whatever he retrieved, he popped in his mouth before Tony could see what it was.

For his part, Gibbs was a happy camper when he sat back down. He'd been half joking when he told McGee that he was keeping track of when the next tomatoes would be ripe, but in response the younger man had opened his desk drawer to offer part of his stash of cherry tomatoes. The baffled look on DiNozzo's face made him chuckle as he tore into his own lunch.

From her own desk, Ziva watched the exchange, craning to see into the open desk drawer. Unsuccessful, she shrugged at Tony before concentrating on her own food.

-NCIS-

The call came in about an hour after lunch. Gibbs was already on his feet before he slammed the phone down. "Gear up, dead Marine in a hit and run."

The local LEO's had the area blocked off and the scene preserved. Gibbs gave a quick look around as the officer in charge came up to him. "Looks like the car cut through the park at a high rate of speed. Your Marine was hit saving a couple of kids."

Gibbs gave a terse nod before barking out orders. "DiNozzo."

"Sketch and shoot. Got it, Boss."

"No." They all turned and stared when the usual orders changed. "I want McGee to sketch and shoot this time. Ziva, you confirm the victim's identity, then bag and tag. Tony, you're going to get the witness statements started. I'll join you after I check in with Ducky."

"Witness statements?" Tony looked over at the dozen or more crying children, surrounded by equally upset parents. "Umm, Boss?"

"Start with the calmest kid that has a parent already here, I won't be long." Gibbs nodded at him before turning to McGee. "Got everything you need?"

McGee looked a little nervous, but determined. "Yes, Boss."

-NCIS-

"What do we have, Ducky?" Gibbs bent down to take a closer look at the body. Young and fit with the familiar haircut, he looked too healthy and vibrant to be gone from this world, at least until you looked past the face and saw the crushing injury to his chest and the tire tracks across his shirt.

Dr. Mallard lifted the torn fabric and palpitated the area. "Massive trauma to the chest, Jethro. This poor lad never stood a chance."

Ziva arrived with the portable fingerprint scanner. Gibbs watched her fumble with it for a minute. "Problem, David?"

"McGee makes this look so easy. Why isn't he doing this?"

"Why does he carry a gun when you're such a good shot? We all need the basic knowledge for the job."

On her third attempt, the machine beeped, giving her an identity. "He is Lance Corporal Willis Carter, returned last week from Afghanistan."

"Alright, let's see how he was killed."

-NCIS-

"Show me what you've got."

"Sure, Boss." McGee flipped back several pages to show his sketch of the park. "The car came out from the service road here and then cut across, just in front of those trees instead of making the loop. He lost control here and again here, probably picking up speed as he went. He ended up on the sidewalk right here next to the swing set. It looks like the deceased was standing over here, at least that's where he dropped his pack."

Gibbs was able to visualize what happened next as he looked at the detailed birds-eye view McGee had drawn. "Lance Corporal Carter probably ran through those bushes and shoved the two kids out of the way. He went down, the car went over him. Where'd the car go from there?"

"Made it to the street right over there, hitting a parked car in the process. I've already put in a call for the traffic camera footage and we've got paint transfer. If we find the car, we can positively ID it."

"Good job, McGee."

"Thanks, Boss, any luck with the kids, were they able to tell you anything?"

"No more than you already have, probably. The car was big and blue and kinda square. Come on, maybe you've got some ideas." Gibbs turned and walked over to where Tony was finishing with the last of the parents. The two kids that had been saved were still crying, but most of the rest had calmed down. The ones that did not see enough had been sent home with their families, leaving only a few children at the scene. Nevertheless, DiNozzo seemed grateful for their arrival.

Gibbs got right down to business, asking the kids about the car. He might have been expecting McGee to start drawing a possible vehicle, but instead, McGee pulled up images of cars on his phone, adding and eliminating as Gibbs coaxed more details out of the children. Tony leaned close to McGee, giving suggestions as to possible makes and models until the stream of information dried up.

McGee squatted down in front of the kids. "Hey, guys, I've got some pictures of cars that I want you to look at, okay? You just look at all of them and then tell me which ones look like the car you saw today, all right?" The first picture was of the animated car Roger Rabbit drove, which made the kids laugh, relaxing them a bit, and easing the process. Quickly all the children picked car number four as the one, but informing the agents that their suspect's car was shorter and had fancier wheels. A BOLO was issued for an early 70's Monte Carlo, possibly lowered.

With the change in mood of the kids, DiNozzo tried again to get details about the driver. One of the girls piped up and announced that he looked like a fat Marc Anthony. Another child remembered that he had bad skin. Tony hurriedly wrote down every detail as it was remembered, not paying attention to McGee who was now in back of him with his sketchbook.

One of the mothers noticed what McGee was doing, which brought the attention of the kids. McGee sat on the ground, his sketchbook in his lap, while DiNozzo continued with the questioning. They made a good pair, Gibbs soon realized, with Tony asking detailed questions and McGee translating the answers into the developing image of their suspect.

Grateful to not deal with screaming children, Ziva was happy to be bagging and tagging the evidence. McGee had helped for a few minutes as they were tracing the path of the car, but had disappeared soon after, reporting to Gibbs with his drawings of the scene. Now that she was done, she was surprised to find McGee sitting on the grass surrounded by children, with Tony squatting down next to him. Gibbs asked if she was done, but never took his attention off her teammates as they worked. Stunned, she watched as an image developed on the paper, stopping one of the local patrol officers in his tracks.

"That's Carlos Martinez. He's a tweaker we've busted for dealing a few times."

McGee was already logging into the system. "He's got a 1973 Monte Carlo registered to him, lives less than a mile from here."

"Let's go pay Mr. Martinez a visit."

-NCIS-

"It's a good thing we're not paying your team by minute, Gibbs, your team would go broke. That's got to be the fastest case we've ever closed." Vance leaned back in his chair smiling. It had felt good to inform Lance Corporal Carter's commanding officer that his killer was already in custody. "Solid case?"

"Solid as they come. The blood on the car hadn't even dried yet. We've got the car positively ID'd from the traffic cameras and he matches the drawing we have of the suspect." Gibbs tapped the file he'd laid on the desk. "DNA will positively confirm that's the car that killed Carter. The lab is also matching up the tire tracks along with the vegetation caught in the undercarriage. Plant DNA can even pinpoint which of the torn up bushes it came from."

"The miracles of modern science." Vance picked up the file and opened it to the sketch of their suspect. "But how did you get lucky enough to have an artist as one of the witnesses?"

Gibbs didn't even try to cover the pride in his voice. "We didn't. McGee drew that based on DiNozzo's interviews of the kids."

"McGee drew this, and DiNozzo handled all those screaming kids?" Vance wasn't sure which half of that statement boggled him the most. "I'm almost afraid to ask what Agent David was doing."

"Her job, Leon, like they all were. McGee's a damn good artist, and now that I know, well, let's just say that I found out a lot last night."

"McGee's drug bust from last night?"

"It was," Gibbs struggled to find the right word. "Informative."

Vance carefully watched the other man. "So, what are you going to do with what you learned, Gibbs?"

"Hey, contrary to popular belief, this old dog can still learn a few new tricks." Gibbs stood and took back the file. "Besides, it keeps DiNozzo on his toes."

Laughing, Vance had to agree.

-NCIS-

"I do not believe we have ever had a case solved so easily."

Tony was leaning back in his chair, tapping his chin with a pen. "What part would you consider the easiest, Agent David? The fact that he was too stupid to even run his car through a car wash, or maybe the fact that he was so stoned he didn't heat us kick the door down?"

Tim grinned at his teammates. "The fact that he was sleeping on over two hundred thousand dollar's worth of heroin was a nice touch, too."

"Yes, it was." Tony popped up and made his way over to McGee's desk, shaking the pen he still held in his hand. "Speaking of nice touches, you've been holding out on us, McMonet."

Ziva stood and joined him. "Yes, I had no idea you could draw like that. Why have you never mentioned it before?"

McGee shrugged, not looking either of them in the eye. "Tony's always done the sketching for the team since Kate died."

"Yeah, because it needed to be done and as senior agent, Gibbs expects me to fill in any gaps within the team." Tony bent down to force McGee to look at him. "You should have told me you could do that."

Tim saw a lot of emotions cross Tony's face, none of them angry or threatened. "Back then I couldn't even do a stick figure. After she died, I missed her so much... I remembered where she would buy her art supplies and I stopped there one day. I'm not really sure why I went, but they were giving classes, so I signed up for one. Then, I just kept going."

"Gibbs now knows, that is why he changed up the assignments today, is it not?"

"Of course Gibbs knows, Ziva. I bet he found out last night, when McGee was feeding him dinner." Tony waggled his eyebrows at McGee. "Is that how you got him up to your apartment, Probie? Offered to show him your etchings? That's the oldest trick in the book."

"Actually, he offered me a bath." Smirking, Gibbs walked past, doling out two headslaps as he went by. "You two get back to work. Let's see if we can get the paperwork done as fast as we solved the case."