a/n - They're settling in, and I hope you are enjoying the domistic bliss. Thanks for all the great comments. For those of you who normally don't read McGee and Gibbs, I'm thrilled you're giving this one a chance.

Tim woke rested and contented just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. It wasn't his mattress underneath him, this one was hard and unforgiving, and the arms around him were not totally familiar, but unlike the last time he awoke in a strange place he didn't feel frightened or threatened. Resisting the temptation to slip back into sleep he opened his eyes to look directly into the blue eyes watching him. Instinct forced him to move backwards to give the other man some space, but his escape was blocked. Tim looked over his shoulder to find the far side of the bed filled with a sprawled, sleeping, drooling mass of dog. Embarrassed by his mutt's lack of manners, he turned back to Gibbs.

"How did he…"

"Don't look at me; he's on your side of the bed. Go back to sleep, Timmy, it's still early." To punctuate his words, Gibbs reached out and gently pressed McGee's head back down onto their shared pillow. Too shocked to do otherwise, Tim allowed himself to be lulled back to sleep, not quite able to catch that stray thought that wondered when Gibbs started calling him Timmy or why it felt so right.

The next time he woke the sun was completely up and Gibbs was on his side, resting on one elbow, watching him. There was no furry warmth at his back this time, Jethro was curled up on his bedding in the corner, and he wondered if he had dreamed the whole thing. "Good morning, Vance and Ducky will be here in about an hour, so we should probably get up." Gibbs climbed out of the bed as he continued. "Why don't you take the first shower, since you're the one fixing breakfast?"

"Umm, sure." McGee scrambled to his feet, automatically straightening the blankets as he stood. "While I shower, why don't you take Jethro out and show him which part of the yard he can use? Maybe the back corner where nothing is growing, that way it's easy to clean up after him." He couldn't help but blush as he stood there near a very relaxed Gibbs, not moving until both Jethros were headed down the stairs.

---NCIS---

Dressed in his most comfortable jeans and a pullover sweater, Tim dried his hair as he looked out the window. Jethro was prancing around, looking for the proper spot, with Gibbs looking on in apparent amusement. Tim laughed and opened the window so he could call down. "He needs something to aim at."

Gibbs looked around, then up. "What?"

"Put a stick in the ground or something. He needs something to aim at or he's never going to go. Oh, and turn around. He can't go with an audience." Without waiting for a reply, he closed the window and headed down to the kitchen.

Down in the yard, Gibbs shook his head at his namesake as he shoved a broken branch into the ground. "There's your target, happy now?" When Jethro continued to prance, Gibbs threw his hands up in the air. "You were in the military, dog. You were a Marine, for God's sake, how can you have problems like this?" They stared at each other until Gibbs turned around. Seconds later, he heard the sounds of success. Looking back, he saw that the target had been missed by a good two feet.

Pounding feet signaled their arrival back in the kitchen. He had a prime view of Tim's backside as he was digging through the refrigerator and stopped to enjoy the view. "That dog of yours has lousy aim."

Tim laughed as he beat the eggs, adding fresh herbs and a touch of milk. "I never said he had good aim, just that he needed something to aim at. Do you like onions?"

"Onions? Sure, what are you fixing?" Whatever it was it smelled good as Gibbs leaned over Tim's shoulder to take a better whiff, enjoying the smell of a freshly showered Tim as much as the sausage, bacon and onions that were frying in the electric skillet.

"Go take your shower." A swat on the hand sent him upstairs, laughing. Gibbs was half way to the bedroom before he realized just how comfortable it had been having Tim cooking him breakfast.

The coffee was already done when he came back downstairs, so Gibbs pulled down his favorite mug and poured a cup. He stepped back out of the way as McGee moved to the stove, lifting his mug in greeting. "Not bad coffee for a Navy brat."

"Yeah, well I was in charge of the coffee at home when I was a kid. You never forget." Gibbs was watching in such amazement as Tim whipped up omelets like a pro that his words took a minute to penetrate.

"You were the coffee maker in your family? What about your mom?"

A flash of sadness crossed Tim's face before he answered. "Mom died in a car crash. Dad remarried, but my stepmom never could master anything to do with the kitchen." He could see the question forming, so he went ahead and answered. "It was about a year after I was molested."

"That had to be rough." Gibbs fixed a second cup and handed to McGee. "Vance told me about your dad."

"Yeah, I figured he would." The arrival of the man in question ended the conversation. Gibbs sighed as he watched Vance climb out of his car, then looked back at the food McGee was cooking. McGee saw the long face and chuckled.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of food."

"Maybe I don't want to share." Gibbs wouldn't admit, even to himself, if he was talking about the breakfast or his morning with Tim.

---NCIS---

Whatever guilt Leon Vance felt at arriving early vanished the moment he stepped inside and smelled what was cooking in the kitchen. Even if they didn't offer him any, the smells were more satisfying than the high fiber Cream of Wheat he'd had earlier with skim milk. Gibbs met him at the door, smirking at his deep breathing, and led him into the kitchen. McGee was piling home made hash browns onto a platter as they walked through the door.

"Good morning, Director. Don't let Gib… Jethro con you, there's plenty of food."

Vance set down his briefcase and opened his mouth to assure them that he had already eaten, but then he took a look at the omelet McGee was now rolling together in the pan. The egg mixture was fluffy and speckled with herbs that smelled so good and the filling was an intoxicating mixture of bacon, sausage, onions and something else. "Are those portabella mushrooms?" Smiling, he took one of the offered plates as McGee quickly started the third omelet. By the time he and Gibbs had finished filling their plates with the potatoes and toast, McGee had joined them with his own plate. He took away the salt shaker before Gibbs had a chance to salt his food.

"At least try some before you start preserving it with a salt bath, Jethro." Gibbs grumbled as he took his first bite, and then smiled and ignored the salt for the rest of the meal. Across the table, Vance laughed at them.

"It looks like the two of you have gotten the domesticated part down pat." He, too, quieted as he started to eat

The three men ate in silence until Gibbs stood to refill everyone's coffee. "Was there a point to this morning's visit, or are you just here to raid our kitchen, Leon?"

Vance looked up from eyeing the last of the hash browns, admitting to himself that thirds might be a bit rude. He ignored the wide smirk on Gibbs' face as he remembered what his early morning checks at the office had uncovered. "I've made some quiet inquiries in regards to Sutton. No unusual visitors at the jail in the last few months. A large cash withdrawal showed up in his financials, but until we can actually connect him with your kidnapping or another crime our hands are pretty much tied."

The news wasn't good, but it wasn't surprising either. "So why did this bring you here early, or is there something else going on?" Gibbs studied him carefully, watching for a reaction. Vance leaned back in his chair shaking his head slightly. He wasn't used to people being so good at reading him, and was beginning to believe there was something to the rumors about Gibbs being psychic.

"I was worried, to be honest. Spent half the night thinking about this situation we've gotten you into." He reached out and snagged his cup, giving himself a few seconds before continuing. "Risking Sutton's case is something I don't want to do, but under the circumstances, I don't feel right in ordering you two to do this." His eyes flickered at McGee as he spoke.

"By circumstances, you mean what happened to me when I was a kid." When Vance winced, McGee knew he was right. "If that's the case, then I become a liability to the agency."

"No!"

"Absolutely not." Vance pressed forward, voicing his concerns. "McGee, Tim, any undercover assignment that has an unusually high risk of devastating results, either physically or psychologically is always voluntary. The directors in the past have always encouraged the agent in question to think long and hard about what they're being asked to do. Now that I know more about your circumstances, I have to give you the same consideration."

"You've read the file on my case." It was a statement, not a question.

Vance nodded as he opened his briefcase and took out the file before laying it on the table. "We've got some time before we have to make a firm commitment to the plan. I'm waiting on the test results from Fornell and hopefully that will give us something to go on. In the meantime, take some time and really think this through. No one will think any less of you if you decide not to go through with it, McGee.

"I will." It was barely a whisper, but Gibbs heard it all the same and hated Sutton, Vance and the senior McGee all for putting that doubt in Tim's head.

"How much time do we have to make a decision, Leon?"

Vance thought about it. "Even if you go through with it, you need a few days to settle into the role. Your team isn't scheduled to work the weekend so that gives us a little more time. If we do this, we'll plan on outing the two of you next Monday. Ducky had to go to the nursing home to deal with his mother – something about hiding a butter knife in her brassiere. Not sure if I want to know the details. He said to call if you need anything, otherwise he would see you later today."

"Thanks, Leon, and you're right. You probably don't want the details about Ducky's mother." After the Director left, the two men sat and stared at the folder laying on the table between them. Eventually Gibbs stood up and grabbed it.

"I'll lock this in the drawer for now. We can both look at it later, alright?" McGee nodded and Gibbs headed to the basement. When he returned, McGee was loading the dishwasher. "You cooked, I'll do that."

Tim backed off, dividing the last of the coffee between their two mugs as Gibbs finished loading the dishes. As soon as the dishwasher was running, the men joined Jethro out on the back deck. It was peaceful out there, Tim decided, peaceful except for the twin snoring Jethros parked on each side of him.