Chapter 18

Tim felt more than a little rueful as he read Tony's texts. He had totally forgotten that it would be so much earlier in DC than it was here. That meant that, not only had he awakened Tony and Ziva early, he'd probably done that for everyone. Well, maybe not Gibbs or Ducky. They probably didn't sleep with their phones right beside them. Maybe the others would ignore it. He didn't send an apology text since he didn't want to disturb them even more. He'd send something in a couple of hours.

"All right. Let's get to the pyramids," he said.

Salma and Jonathan both clapped and they all walked back to the entrance to the museum and got in the car. The Darshur pyramids weren't far away, but it took a while simply because of the traffic. And they were crowded just like the Giza pyramids had been, perhaps a little less. They got out of the car and walked to the Bent Pyramid. Jonathan riding on Ahmed's shoulders again and Salma riding on Tim's back. Zahara was the only one unencumbered.

As they walked toward the pyramid. Like the others, it was visible from quite a ways away.

"Baba, why does it look so different?" Salma asked, almost shouting into his ear.

Tim laughed. "Because they didn't get it right."

"Why not?"

"Ahmed?" Tim asked.

"From what I know, this is the first true pyramid," Ahmed said, "And the angle they started to build was too steep and the pyramid would have fallen if they had continued. They changed the angle and it stayed standing. There are other pyramids in this place that have fallen because their sides were not measured right."

"The people in Egypt made a mistake?" Salma said, sounding very surprised.

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes," Tim said.

"Do you make mistakes, Baba?" Salma asked.

Tim felt a brief tightness in his throat.

"Yes, Salma. I do. Everyone does."

"Mama, do you make mistakes?" Salma asked.

"Yes, Salma," Zahara said. She reached over and squeezed Tim's hand for a moment but said nothing more.

"Khālī?" Salma asked in her dogged fashion.

"Na'am, Salma. Everyone," Ahmed said, with his usual stoicism.

"Not me!" Jonathan said. "I strong!"

That broke through the more serious feeling and everyone chuckled at his declaration. They walked all the way to the Bent Pyramid and then stopped to see the Red Pyramid as well before heading back to the car.

They didn't have a formal lunch that day, choosing instead to snack while getting a little tour of the area from the car. Then, with both Salma and Jonathan getting a little grumpy and tired, they decided to make an early day of it and go back to the hotel for a nap. Ahmed wished them well for their next day of touring and promised to join them for dinner the next evening after he was finished with his work.

In the evening, after the kids were in bed, Tim walked out to the little balcony and sat down, looking out over the fancy pool area. He sent a few text messages apologizing for the early morning pictures and smiled as he got a few thumbs up responses. He knew they were all working right now and that Gibbs was not really one to send text messages. At least he knew that they were aware he had realized his error. Then, he set his phone aside and breathed in the hot air. A few minutes later, Zahara came out and sat beside him.

"Are they really asleep?" Tim asked, softly.

"Yes," Zahara said. "It has been a full trip so far for them."

"We have two more days."

Zahara nodded. Then, after a moment, she touched his arm.

"Tim, all this time, I've felt like you have been thinking about something more than the trip. What is it?"

Tim hesitated. The only person he'd told about his feelings in the past was Ducky. He still wasn't sure what to make of them, how to define them or if they had any real validity. It was one thing to follow Ziva's explanation of subconsciously noticing people watching him who shouldn't be. It was another thing all together to lie in bed and feel like something was going to happen, only to have Tamara Carew show up at his home begging for help.

"Please, Tim. Tell me. You have seemed happy on these days, but there is something else on your mind, too."

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

Tim put out his hand. Zahara took hold of it and he rubbed his fingers over the ring she wore.

"Tell me."

"Every time my life has been... affected by what goes on around me, I've had a feeling before it happens. Every time. I can't really describe what it is. I just know that something is going to happen, but I never can predict how it will happen, when it will happen, or what the result will be. It seems like the only purpose of it is to make me tense before things go haywire."

"And you have had this feeling now?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Off and on for a few weeks."

"Why did you not say anything?" Zahara asked, sounding surprised.

Tim sighed. "Because nothing I do ever makes a difference, and I can't decide if it's real or if it's just that I'm always feeling this way or that I go in cycles and occasionally my cycles of paranoia coincide with something bad happening. The one time I tried to do something about it, all that happened was that some of my guards died. I was taken anyway. So I just try not to dwell on it and hope that whatever happens won't be bad."

There was a long silence. Tim didn't look at Zahara. He just stared out at the pool, holding her hand.

"Tim, you should have told me how you felt."

"I didn't want to ruin this trip for you, Zahara. I know you've wanted to come here to see Ahmed, to see where he lives, to be with him here. And it has been good. I just can't get rid of the feeling that something is going to happen. I'm trying not to think about it."

Zahara pulled her hand from his and then put her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face her. She looked a little upset.

"Tim, your life is hard. It is very hard sometimes. I know that. I know that you hate when your life affects the rest of us, but there is no reason for you to keep this kind of feeling from me. I should know that you have this feeling. It is not a coincidence. It is real. No matter how, it is real and instead of ignoring it, you should accept it."

"And do what?" Tim asked. "Zahara, I told you. Even if it's real, I don't know what it will lead to. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Except say something." Zahara reached out and brushed her fingers over the scars around his eye again. "Except reach out for help as you know you need to instead of hiding it and hoping it will go away. I think you would be better than you are if you stopped feeling so ashamed of the struggles you have."

"I didn't want this to come up on the trip," Tim said.

"I know, but it has. Do you want to stay in the hotel for our last couple of days?"

"No," Tim said. "I want to let our children see Egypt. I want to see Egypt. I just don't know what's going to happen."

"We never know what will happen, but if it is too hard..."

"It isn't. It's just there."

Zahara pulled his head down and rested her forehead on his.

"I love you, Tim. You are my husband. I am your wife. We are a family."

Tim smiled and gently kissed Zahara on the forehead.

"I would be lost without you."

"You have said that before."

"It's still true."

Zahara smiled but there was still something more in her expression.

"Then, stop trying to push away what I can give you."

She stood.

"Are you going to stay out here?"

"Just for a few minutes. I'll be right in."

"Okay."

Tim sat where he was, looking out at the world. He probably should have told Zahara before, but this was really something that he just didn't know how much stock to put into it. When it didn't help him in any way, was there any point? At the same time, he had probably hurt Zahara's feelings a little simply because it seemed like he was concealing something from her. Really, that hadn't been his intention. Because it was so vague, he generally tried to forget about it in between. With everything else going on in his life, he just hadn't considered the idea one way or the other.

Finally, he sighed and walked back into the room. He slid into bed beside Zahara.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said softly.

For a moment, Zahara didn't move and Tim thought maybe she had fallen asleep that quickly. Then, she rolled over.

"You didn't, but don't keep it from me," she said.

"I won't."

"Good. Tomorrow, do you still want to go to that farm?"

"Yeah. I think it will be fun to let the kids see it."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night."

She snuggled up close to him and they slept.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ducky was putting out his tea set in anticipation of an interesting afternoon. Levi was coming, but Ducky had also taken the daring step of inviting Gibbs to join them. Gibbs hadn't accepted or rejected the invitation, but it was easy enough to make tea for three so Ducky didn't worry about it.

He did worry that Gibbs would be rude or that he would push what was generally a pleasant, if not necessarily relaxing, event into more of a verbal jousting. Levi wouldn't hesitate if Gibbs started it and once it started, it would be hard to stop. So while Ducky would acknowledge that he was the one opening the door to it, he really did hope that it led to improvements rather than attempting to poke at each other.

If Gibbs even showed up.

Right on time, the doorbell rang. It would be Levi. Gibbs was punctual, but not like this. So Ducky walked to the door and opened it. Levi was standing on the porch.

And Gibbs was right beside him. Ducky's eyes widened in surprise. Gibbs raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Good afternoon to both of you," Ducky said, after a moment.

"I wasn't aware that there would be another visitor," Levi said with his usual smile. "Although I had my suspicions when you suggested that we meet at your home instead of mine."

Ducky smiled in response. "I wasn't certain that Jethro would accept the invitation, but I was sure you would, regardless."

"Ah. Well, then, Agent Gibbs, after you," Levi said and gestured.

Gibbs rolled his eyes slightly and then walked into the house with Levi coming behind him. Ducky closed the door and then followed the other two, thinking that this was definitely going to be an interesting tea.

The beginning was awkward without much conversation. Gibbs seemed to be deliberately silent and Levi was clearly feeling out how the conversation would go. Ducky tried to keep things moving along as normally as possible, but then, about halfway through, finally, something triggered genuine conversation.

"So did Tim send you both pictures early in the morning as well?" Levi asked.

Ducky chuckled. "Yes, although I don't sleep with my phone beside my bed so I didn't get them until later. It appears that he's having an enjoyable time at the moment."

Levi smiled and sipped at his tea. "Yes. I hope it lasts."

"Probably won't," Gibbs said, tersely.

"You're probably correct, Agent Gibbs," Levi said. "However, I don't think there's anything lost in hoping before the best."

"I agree," Ducky said. "Timothy still has his struggles, but to see him enjoying himself with his family is wonderful and I also hope it continues, even if it can't yet."

"Have you ever been to Egypt, Don?" Levi asked.

"Yes, but not for many years. I went as a tourist when I was in college. I'm sure many things are different from how they were then."

Levi smiled a bit. "Perhaps, but what Tim is seeing is probably still the same. Just a little older."

Ducky chuckled and he saw Gibbs almost smile as well.

"I would be surprised if 50 years made much of a difference to structures over 4,000 years old," Ducky said. "Have either of you ever been?"

"Yes," Gibbs said.

"For pleasure or business?" Levi asked.

Ducky tensed just slightly since Levi was actually asking a real question of Gibbs and who knew how Gibbs would answer.

"Business," Gibbs said. A pause. "And you?"

"Many times. All business but I did make the time to see some of the sights on occasion," Levi said. "When I had a family, it was too expensive to go. When I didn't have a family, there was no appeal in it for me any longer as a tourist. But it's hard to miss the pyramids."

"Did you see anything?" Ducky asked Gibbs.

"Not really. Wasn't thinking about it as an option."

"Of course not, but I'm sure that you saw something, Jethro. Many of the monuments do stand out a little bit," Ducky said, smiling a little.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, but Ducky kept smiling.

"I saw the pyramids from the plane."

"Well, that's something anyway," Ducky said. "Now, I understand that your daughter is getting married?"

Levi's smile was genuine this time. It was something that truly made him happy.

"Yes. It took some time for her to open up and the man she is marrying was very patient with her."

A pause.

"How did they meet?" Gibbs asked.

A real genuine question. Ducky was impressed, although he didn't say so.

"They work together in the same office. He runs the practice that Bri joined. He's divorced and has daughters of his own."

"Is she okay with that?"

"Of course. Contrary to what you might think, Agent Gibbs, Bri wouldn't have pursued the relationship had she harbored any qualms about taking on the possibility of stepdaughters," Levi said.

"She must have softened a good deal," Ducky said, trying to be diplomatic.

"Yes, she has and I'm glad of it. She needed that."

The tea continued and while the conversation was nothing exciting, nor was it particularly natural, it was also polite. When the time came to end, Ducky was glad of it but he also had seen that there was potential for more than just awkwardness. Levi left first and Ducky focused on the clean up, although he knew Gibbs was still there.

"Why do this, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky turned away from the sink.

"Because you are taking the first steps toward seeing Levi as more than just the villain in Timothy's story, and I felt that it should be encouraged. As stilted as the conversation was, it was a real conversation. If you keep it up, I think you might find that you enjoy it."

"That's a little much to expect."

"Perhaps. Regardless, in doing so, you'll have extra insight not only into Levi himself but also into Timothy. Remember that he chose to tell me about Timothy's extra training. Had we not been in communication already, that likely would not have happened. That, in itself, is worth having."

Gibbs just grunted.

"Thank you for coming, Jethro. ...whether you choose to repeat it or not."

Gibbs turned to leave the kitchen, but he paused at the door.

"Let me know the next time."

Ducky smiled. "I certainly will."

"Bye, Duck."

"Good-bye, Jethro."

Then, he left and Ducky found that he was even more pleased. He wouldn't want to do this every time, but it would be worth pursuing.

That was enough for now.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The next day was quite pleasant all around. Tim and Zahara took the kids to a farm outside of Cairo, run by a woman from Canada, where they were able to get a tour of the farm, seeing the things that were being grown for sale. They got to pet the farm animals, including some rambunctious dogs. They also went for a horseback ride and had lunch at the farm as well. They stayed until the afternoon and then went back to their hotel. After a nap, they played in the pool for a while and then had dinner with Ahmed. Tim was able to set aside his feeling of something happening for most of the day, but when he lay down to sleep, it came back stronger than ever and he had a hard time relaxing.

"What is it?" Zahara asked.

"That same feeling," Tim said, almost in a whisper. He sighed. "I'll try to set it aside."

Zahara moved close to him and hummed softly. Gradually, Tim felt himself relax enough to sleep.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

A hand covered his mouth, jolting him out of a restless sleep.

"Say nothing. Keep quiet."