JF22

Gibbs managed to manoeuvre Tim into the house and set a pliable Tim down onto the sofa. Kelly had come downstairs, hearing her father come in and was surprised to see a pliable Tim on the sofa. "Hey." She whispered softly, leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the lips and holding him close to her. He rested his head against her stomach holding her just as close as she wanted to hold him. Kelly could feel the stress leaving his body from her hug.

Gibbs was leaning back in his armchair, his eyes closed, thinking back over the case when he heard Kelly's voice. By the tone of her voice, she wasn't talking to him. He heard her greet Tim, the sound of a kiss, which didn't surprise him and the sigh of contentment from Tim's mouth. "Hmmm." he heard Tim say. He peeked through his lashes and saw Tim pull Kelly into a full body hug. It was definitely not the kind of hug that people who were just friends, shared. This kind of hug spoke of intimacy. The kind of intimacy that, as a father, he didn't want to think about his daughter having with another man. But the thought that Tim and Kelly looked like they've been getting their act together, made his heart happy.

Seeing Kelly try to get closer to Tim as he held her closer, he smothered his own smile, before deciding to take the bull by horns. "When are the two of you going to tell me that you're now dating?" Gibbs asked, not opening his eyes wide. Keeping his eyes half open, half closed, giving them the illusion that he has his eyes closed.

"Tim wanted to tell you straight away, but I wanted to wait and see where it was going, first." Kelly shyly admitted, pulling back from the hug and settling in beside Tim on the sofa. She had simply lifted his arm, crawled under it and replaced his arm, settling it on her hip, tucking her own body against him.

"I see." Gibbs said, seriously. He sat more upright, opened his eyes and studied the couple intensely. "It's about damn time, you two. How's it going, so far?"

Gibbs grinned widely and looked at the new couple, he was happy for them. "We've only been on two dates, Gibbs." Tim sighed out loud. "Unfortunately, I've cancelled more than twice on Kelly, so far. Don't know why the hell she'd want to date a guy like me, boss."

"Tim?" she began to wonder what the hell had happened at work for her father to bring Tim home with him. "You're the best man I know. You once told me I needed to date a better kind of man. I'm following your advice, there isn't a better man than you."

Jethro Gibbs grinned at his daughter. He didn't feel slighted by the comment. It made him feel happy, to know that Kelly cared for Tim so much, that maybe the feeling was mutual, to Tim. Normally, Tim wore his heart on his sleeve in a relationship, this time he was keeping his feelings close to his chest. Time would only tell if they fell in love with each other, but he hoped they would.

"Aww, Kell. Thank you, sweetheart. I've had such a bad day, too and I needed to hear that." Tim told her, looking down at her and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. A gesture as intimate as a kiss, more so since to Gibbs, it suggests a kiss has already taken place. He knows that as friends they've shared the odd kiss or two, little pecks. But the kind of kiss that a gesture like that suggests, is the kind that lovers share.

Tim wanted nothing more than to kiss Kelly properly, after tucking her hair behind her ear, but he didn't want to push Gibbs' good graces. "You look stressed." Kelly told him, looking into his eyes. "Let's get some Chinese food delivered for dinner and have an early night, instead of steak. Steak is just too much effort."

"If you two are planning on sharing a bed tonight, Kell. Stay in the guest room downstairs. Tim's too tall for your small bed, upstairs." Gibbs reminded them, as he made his way to call in the delivery order and head to the basement. "Remember the house rules, Kell?"

"Anything more than a simple kiss happens behind a closed door." Kelly recited from memory, rolling her eyes at Tim to make him smile. The rules hadn't changed since she was fifteen and Gibbs had walked into the kitchen to find Bobby Sanders with his tongue in Kelly's mouth and his hand under her shirt.

As soon as Kelly heard the basement door close behind him, Kelly was leaning up and kissing Tim hello a lot more intimately and thoroughly. Tim's hands found her hips and she climbed astride his legs as they enjoyed getting reacquainted with each other. Breaking off the kiss, Kelly resting her forehead against Tim's and grinned at him. "That's against the house rules." She giggled, as she went rest her forehead against his.

"Something tells me you've always been a bit of a rule breaker." Tim chuckled at her, as his fingers slipped under her sweater to draw lazy circles on her hips.

"Maybe." She replied, coyly as her fingers began rubbing and massaging his shoulders "We could always go back to your apartment and skip dinner." She suggested, raising her eyebrows at him, suggestively.

"Tim's not going anywhere until I know he's eaten a decent meal and his mind has destressed." Gibbs said, coming back into the living room and seeing Kelly astride Tim. "House rules, Kelly Anne Gibbs." Gibbs warned. The rules weren't going to change just because it was Tim, she was dating now.

"Right." she sighed, climbing off Tim's lap and cuddling back into his side.

"Geez Kell, I thought you were past the age of needing a chaperone." Gibbs quipped, grinning at Tim. "You were right though Tim, she always was a rule breaker. I'd give her an inch and she'd take a mile."

"Must be a girl thing, Sarah is the exact same." Tim told him and Kelly playfully huffed at them both, pretending to be offended.

Once dinner had arrived and been consumed, Tim and Gibbs had given Kelly the non-particulars of the case and she had comforted Tim, hearing the now former Admiral had berated and abused her boyfriend, but not knowing exactly what he has said to Tim. She figured it had to have been pretty harsh for her dad to be worried about him and bring Tim home.

Gibbs had needed to head back to the basement after dinner and Tim and Kelly thanked him for dinner as they excused themselves, opting to go back to Tim's apartment rather than spend the night under his roof. "Seatbelts" he reminded them both, in a fatherly tone at the car, as he walked them out to her car.

To Gibbs, it was weird to see Tim behind the wheel of Kelly's car and Kelly in the passenger seat, even though he knew that Tim had driven her car plenty of times before. It was just like when Tim had tucked her hair behind her ear, it was spoke of the intimacy between them. Waving the kids off, he realised he shouldn't be thinking of them as kids. They were both no longer kids, both adults. Physically, mentally and emotionally, and they had been for quite a while now.

"Jethro?" Ducky's voice filtered down the staircase to the basement, having detoured to the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea before venturing into Gibbs' basement. "I came by to check on Timothy as a favour to the Director. Has he gone to bed, already?"

"He's not here, Duck." he said, looking up at his friend with a smile. "Kelly and he stayed for dinner, before Kelly dropped him at his apartment."

"Oh." Ducky said delicately and Gibbs realised that the sky old fox was already aware of the latest developments in the relationship between his agent and his daughter.

"You already know?" Gibbs asked, surprised. "Am I the last to know?"

"No, I was led to believe that you already knew, and I assume that Director Vance knows, too. I put the pieces of the puzzle together when I discovered that Kelly had been at Timothy's apartment when he had received the call about your injury. It was rather late in the evening, as for the exact details, those I am not privy to."

"I suspected but wasn't one hundred percent sure. Tim refused to join Tony and I for dinner, he had been unsettled and antsy that whole day. We were at the diner, and we saw him pick up a take-out dessert box. I only had it confirmed by them earlier, tonight. Apparently, they've only had two dates." Gibbs confessed to his confidant. "Truth, is I think they'll be very happy together."

"Still a romantic after all these years I see?" Ducky teased his friend and watched as Jethro rinsed his paint brushes. He had been painting the toys for his Christmas toy drop, getting an early start on it, knowing that they had a busy time. Abbys Halloween party, Tim's birthday and Thanksgiving, then December would arrive. He wanted to be organised, this year. "Whatever happens, you must let it play out and resist the urge to get involved on either side. Especially as you seem to have invested in the relationship, before they themselves had."

When the two of them got inside, Kelly marched Tim straight down the hallway, stripping him off and sending him to the shower. She was determined that she wouldn't let herself get distracted this time. She intended to give Tim a massage, if it was the last thing she did, thankful she had Tim stop by her apartment for more clothes, so she could pick up her favourite massage oil.

While Tim was in the shower, she made light work of switching on all of the battery operated, LED candles and pulled back the bed and muting the top light and beside table lamps. She warmed the massage oil; she had brought over from her apartment. A unique blend of essential Ylang-ylang oil and Jasmine oil.

Tim came out of the bathroom towel dried, and Kelly instructed him to lie face down on the bed, he dropped the towel and smirked at her, naked, before complying with her request. While Tim made himself comfortable, face down on the bed, she stripped off all of her clothes too, with the exception of the cheeky black Brazilian cut panties she had on. The ones she had worn on their first date that he had enjoyed seeing her in.

Climbing astride the back of his legs, she poured a generous amount of the warmed-up oil into her hands and thoroughly coated them before lowering her hands to the base of his spine, at his pelvis.

First, firmly working the oil across his lower back, into his hips and side flanks, before working her way up his spine, into his neck and across his shoulders. "How's that pressure?" she asked hotly in his ear, leaning against his back, her bare breasts taut against his bare back.

"G... Good." Tim stammered. He felt like he could melt into the mattress. Sure, he'd had massages from a masseuse before, when he was wrestling competitively at school, but never from a girlfriend.

Having finished on his neck and shoulders, she made her way back down his back to his pelvis, working on every muscle and tight spot as she went. Reaching his hips, she added a small amount of fresh oil to her hands and started on the sole of his left foot, working the oil into his skin before making her way up to the ankle bone and achilles. Onto the calf muscle and into the back of the knee.

Little sighs and the odd moan had Tim feeling relaxed and lethargic. By the time she had reached his hamstrings, he was in heaven. Repeating the same technique on his other leg, had Tim almost feeling completely boneless. One hand on each upper hamstring muscle, Kelly allowed her hands to glide up over his gluteus maximums muscle. Smiling to herself at a chance to finally massage his delectable ass. She let her hand brush against his perineum and his testicle, causing Tim to jump slightly.

Taking his discarded towel from the shower, she rubbed the excess oil from his back and told him to turn over. Tim grinned when he rolled over and saw her sitting on her haunches at the foot of his bed in nothing but her little black panties.

Starting again, she started with his toes, working over and up the top of his feet and into his ankles, up his shins and to his knees. Onwards to his thighs and into his groin, taking special care not to get the massage oil anywhere near his genitals.

Kelly gave his erection a kiss, followed by a few sucks and swipes of the tongue as her talented fingers worked his hips and stomach. Before she climbed astride his hips, trapping Tim's hard cock between his stomach and hers as she continued her way up his chest, onto his pectorals and up to his shoulders. She moved along his arms, making sure to work each arm only to his wrist, before moving back up his arm and onto his shoulder and neck.

By the time she reached his neck, his erection was trapped between their bodies. He could feel the heat from her panties and was struggling to contain his moans of pleasure as her naked torso was now flush against his. As she massaged and rubbed his neck, her mouth covered his and her tongue was massaging his. Breaking off the kiss, Tim allowed his hands to hold her against his body, enjoying the feel of her skin on his and his rock-hard erection between their bodies. "That was amazing." Tim told her, kissing her lips. "Thank you."

"Feel free to return the favour when I'm exhausted and stressed out." Kelly told him with a wink as she started blotting the excess oil off his body.

Once she was finished blotting the oil off, Tim pulled her back over his body and pulled her tight, before rolling onto her, kissing her as he went. Kelly opened her legs a little wider to accommodate him. A cell phone dinging in the distance had her groaning at the frustration of being interrupted, when hers dinged too. Tim broke the kiss and fumbled on the nightstand for his phone, reading the text message, he tossed it back on the stand and muttered. "Damn Abby and her alphabet halloween party." Before picking up where he left off. Kissing Kelly sensually and enjoying the feel of having her beneath him.

Running his hand down her body, one hand settling on her breast kneading it and rolling the nub to its point, while Kelly writhed beneath him. His other hand was toying with the hem of her panties. He could feel her wet core through the black material against the girth of his hard cock, as it rutted against her. "Timmm." she moaned. Not wanting to draw it out too much longer, Tim rolled them into their sides and shimmied Kelly out of her panties, drawing them slowly down her legs. His fingers resumed their ministrations against her womanhood. "Geez Tim." she panted.

"Do you want me to stop?" Tim asked, pulling his fingers and his body back from her. "I did say we should be cautious."

"No Tim, I don't want you to stop." she kissed his lips, making sure to give a nibble on that bottom plump lip of his. "I need you to hurry up."

Tim gave her a feral grin before sucking on her neck as he slipped his fingers inside her. She took his cock in her hand and began working it as he had to double focus on her. He was determined to bring her to orgasm before she got him there. Her eyes almost rolled into the back of her head in pleasure as Tim used two fingers deep inside her to stroke her and his thumb on her pleasure nub to bring her to climax, before he came with a shout, spurting his hot white seed over her mons pubis and clitoris. "Shower or clean up?" Tim asked her and she smiled widely at him.

"Clean up, we can shower together in the morning. We are both off." she reminded him. Reaching over, she pulled out the baby wipes from where she left them, passing some to Tim who was careful to clean his mess up off her first, before using fresh wipes to clean Kelly up. "We should also go shopping for costumes for Abby's halloween party next weekend. I have my costume already, it's a surprise. Ellie and I went shopping together while you were away on assignment. You can't go as a superhero. Not Thor, mister. Nor as Thom E Gemcity."

Turning off the last candle and pulling Kelly close to him and cuddling her naked body with his, in his now darkened room. "Terminator? From the first movie, black jeans, leather jacket, no tee and sunglasses?"

"Sounds sexy, hope he'll take me to bed afterwards." She joked with him seductively and grinned wide in the dark. She couldn't wait to show him what she was dressing up as and she did hope the night ended with the two of them in bed together.

The sound of the doorbell ringing and Gibbs calling out had them both scrambling to get out of bed before Gibbs came into his bedroom again. Tim threw on his sweatpants, forgoing any underwear and rushed to the front entrance of the elevator, where Ducky and Gibbs were patiently waiting just inside the apartment. "Mornin'" Gibbs' sing song, cheerful voice made Tim's teeth itch and he stopped to rub the sleep from his eyes. "What are you up to on this fine morning?"

"What time is it?" Tim asked, straining his eyes to look at the clock on the left wall as Gibbs and Ducky were led to the living room and encouraged to take a seat, taking the time to stretch and yawn and try to wake his relaxed body up.

"Did you just get up? It's after eleven!" Gibbs exclaimed. Gibbs was surprised. Everyone on the MCRT knew that Tim was an early riser, quite often beating everyone into the office, including Gibbs. On a day off, he was also an early riser. Tony quite often joked that Tim didn't know the meaning of rest and relaxation.

"Good Timothy, I am glad you were able to get some solid sleep." Ducky told him, as he scooped up his medical bag. "Now which way to your bedroom, let me examine you. I want to make sure you have no lingering effects from your first case back and check your blood pressure and heart rate after the long period of sleeplessness you just went through."

"That won't be necessary." Tim told the elderly ME quickly. He didn't know if Kelly had gotten up yet or dressed and the last thing, he wanted was for Ducky to barge into his room and see Kelly naked in his bed, still. He had assured the kind ME, that they were taking it slow and cautious. Although they hadn't had intercourse, they had been intimate with each other and he didn't want Ducky, or Gibbs for that matter, to be privy to what they had done last night.

"Nonsense." Ducky argued, "Come on Timothy. I have examined you before, now's not the time to go all shy on me." Ducky reminded him.

Tim sent Gibbs a pleading look and Gibbs was struggling to contain his smirk. "Duck?" Gibbs tried to intervene, but a harsh look from the older man had Gibbs silenced on the topic.

"How about my study?" Tim suggested and tried to steer Ducky towards that room. But Ducky was being particularly stubborn and obtuse.

"Is there a particular reason why you don't want me to see your bedroom, young man?" Ducky asked frustrated. Gibbs was smothering his smirk still, struggling to contain his laughter at the distressed look on his subordinate's face and Tim just stared at Ducky, mentally imploring him to work it out. "Oh! Oh, I take it you weren't sleeping alone, just now. I deeply apologise Timothy. Your study shall be fine."

"Tried to tell ya, Duck." Gibbs laughed, no longer smothering his amusement, as the three of them heard the coffee maker switch on in the kitchen. "Mornin' Kell." Gibbs called out to his daughter.

"Good morning." she said, bringing a tray of hot drinks into the living room, dressed in one of Tim's NCIS tees and a pair of her yoga pants.

"Let me go get dressed." Tim said, slipping out of the room, as he realised, he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else.

As Tim made his escape, Gibbs scrutinised his daughter carefully and discreetly. Her hair was piled up in a messy bun on top of her head, Tim's tee was massively oversized on her, and he knew it was Tim's because it was the one, he had used in the gym for about two years before Tim had slimmed further down last year and gone for a more fitted approach. Her own yoga pants, he had seen a thousand times before, but he noted the biggest change was the smile in her face. She looked happy and content.

"I must offer my congratulations to you both on your new relationship." Ducky said, as Tim re-emerged from his bedroom.

"Thank you, Duck." Tim said graciously, taking a large mouthful of his coffee, now that he was more suitably dressed for the occasion.

Ducky began questioning Kelly about her work and she was sending long glances at Tim, waiting for him to take the hint. Finally, at a lull in Ducky's questions, Tim excused himself and went into the study. He thought the news of his second book would go better if he had a copy of the actual book with him."Wanted to tell everyone at once but looks like that won't be happening." Tim explained, looking at Ducky and Gibbs. "Ta da, Rock Hollow: The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs. Completely rewritten, from scratch, not a trace of the old storyline."

"This is great, Tim." Gibbs praised the young man, he hadn't known that Tim was writing again. It had been in his living room, the morning of the Conrad Gala when Tim had blatantly told Kelly in no uncertain terms that Thom E Gemcity was retired. Gibbs took the offered book and looked it over, skimming a few pages, before reading the blurb on the back of the book. "When is it going to be released? The storyline is riveting. I can't wait to see what happens."

"I should warn you both, the team will be extra upset this time." Tim warned Gibbs and Ducky. "I don't want to give too much away, but Amy and Tommy are barely mentioned. Lisa even less, so. Pimmy Jalmer and McMallard Donaldson are only mentioned in one chapter, very briefly. It's a total rewrite and none of the original ideas are in the new book."

"I look forward to reading it, my dear lad." Ducky added, noting that in this book they learn the name of his character, which is more than they learnt in the first book.

"This is the best part." Kelly bragged to them both, opening the inside of the book to show her dad and Ducky the dedication page.

To my dearest Sunshine,

We both know that life is not all sunshine

and rainbows, sometimes it's grey clouds

and rain, too. But when the rain clears

and the sun begins to shine again, a

rainbow appears.

Thanks for the rainbows.

Love Atlas.

"Isn't that just the sweetest thing?" Kelly gushed and Gibbs resisted the urge to grin as his daughter was smitten with what Tim had written and practically swooning as she showed them.

"Very nice, Tim." Gibbs agreed softly.

Gibbs managed to get Ducky out of Tim's apartment, fairly soon after reading the dedication in the book. Gibbs was sure the young lovers had been exchanging heated glances with each other and was sure that they had overstayed their welcome. While Gibbs had managed not to head slap the grin off Tim's face all morning. The young man didn't even seem aware he was doing it and that made Gibbs smile.

After saying goodbye to Ducky, Gibbs headed into work. They were on days off, but Gibbs sometimes went into work to clear his head. Something was bothering him, but he didn't know what. He was pretty sure it was work related and hoped by spending some time at his desk, it'd come to him.

"Afternoon, Gibbs." Leon said as he cut through the empty bull pen. "You guys are supposed to be having some R and R, especially you. You know you have medical leave there, you're supposed to take it."

"I know." Gibbs sighed softly. "Ever get the feeling something is wrong and you don't know what? And no, my Gibbs' gut isn't failing."

"Tim?" Leon asked. "I think you and I need to have a sit-down meeting and discuss that man's future. The way he handled this case here, solo for the most part. We also have to discuss DiNozzo's actions and McGee's. Pulling your knife instead of a gun and incidentally slicing your boss with said knife. Sitting on evidence and choosing when to pursue criminal justice. Your boys are borderline out of control, especially DiNozzo."

"Agent McGee explained that he had been trying to bring charges against Admiral Barclay since his daughter killed herself. That he was being railroaded. Fornell has been following up on Tim's claim of a cover up with dirty NIS agents and a corrupt JAG lawyer." Gibbs told the Director. "As for Tony, yes you're right. He didn't follow his training and broke protocols resulting in my arm being sliced open. He should have to answer for his actions. At the same time, the XO and CPO should be held accountable for their actions too, fighting with knives on board the ship."

"I'll follow up with the FBI regarding Agent McGee." Vance told him, noticing that Gibbs was still rather stressed. "As for DiNozzo, an IA investigation has already been launched. There is lots of unanswered questions about what has been going down on the Kittyhawk. Jethro, when you returned on your medevac flight, you were drugged to the gills on a cocktail of drugs for a simple slice on your arm that morphine would have taken care of. Why did they order nitrous oxide for you, too? They claimed it was on Agent DiNozzo's request, DiNozzo never ordered anything. In fact, Agent Bishop backed his story, too."

"Ducky was concerned, too?" Gibbs asked. "In the past, I've had bad reactions to nitrous oxide. It strings me out like what meth does to regular people."

"Kelly and Agent McGee want answers, also. Especially after what you said to us about him." Leon Vance told him. "Jethro, if you truly have those issues with Agent McGee, it might be in everyone's best interest if I remove him from your team for a while. I have several special projects I can have him working on before I find a more permanent assignment for him."

"No." Gibbs argued. "I don't know what I said, but I don't want Tim removed from my team. I wouldn't object to loaning him to you for the projects you have, but if Tony gets suspended from IA, then I'll need Tim focused on the team. Ideally, he would step up into an SFA role temporarily"

"I can make that happen. Not Agent DiNozzo's suspension, but McGee's return to you in a full capacity, if in the event that IA finds DiNozzo guilty." The two men sat in silence for a few minutes, before Leon broke the silence. "You're a lucky man, Jethro. Tim's a good guy and he is going to make Kelly very happy. I hope Kayla finds a guy who treats her, the way Tim treats your daughter."

The ringing of the Director's cell phone broke the silence. Leon didn't say anything to the other man on the phone other than a greeting and a few uh-huh's.

Gibbs was getting worried. He could not be sure, but he thought that it sounded like Tobias Fornell screeching down the phone line. Flipping the cell phone closed, Vance tried not to look at him, he worried how Gibbs would take the news. "Well?" he asked, getting impatient. He hated when Abby did this and he hated when Tim did it too.

"Former Agents Dan McLane and Riley McCallister were found to have been paid twenty-five thousand dollars each, when it came to fruition what the Admiral was doing to his daughter. We have evidence that a young Timothy McGee tried to have him charged, twice. Once, when the daughter first told him and again after his daughter's death." Vance answered and Gibbs felt like he had been sucker-punched. "McLane wanted to believe the kid after the girl ended up dead, but another payment was made, and he forgot the whole thing. It seems Tim didn't hold his grudge against the agency, though. The Admiral's wife would like to talk to McGee. That would happen, here Gibbs. I don't want McGee anywhere near that house."