SLOU 7

December 2002, Gibbs Family Home, Alexandria, Virginia

Two days after Kelly's procedure, they had been preparing to depart for home, when Tim had been suddenly summoned into an offsite meeting with the Director of NCIS Tom Morrow, the Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis and Gibbs. Gibbs had been hosting the 'meeting' under the guise of a friendly game of poker.

Kelly had opted to do the painting for the toys in the basement so her father could still make his December 22 deadline, this year. After a quick hello, to their guests she had retreated with her snacks to the basement.

"I'd like you all to meet Agent Timothy McGee from our Norfolk Satellite office. You're all probably wondering why a green rookie is invited. A case agent with minimal field experience and hasn't even been out of FLETC for two YEARS, is doing here." Gibbs said as he shuffled the cards to start the game. With the exception of Morrow, no one else knew anything about Tim and even Morrow would be surprised by the words that would come out of Gibbs next. "First off, no one knows this, and we'd like to keep it that way." At all their affirmative nods of agreement, Gibbs continued. "Tim's my son in law."

There were some low murmurs and hushed conversations that went around the room. "Gibbs? I'm sure you can appreciate the delicacy of the situation, but we can't just let anyone in on what we have to discuss." Clayton told Gibbs.

"I'm sure Gibbs has a perfectly valid reason for having him here." Tom Morrow placated the Clayton.

"I understand that more than you know, Sir. It was my shoulder he put a bullet in." Gibbs said, ready to drop a bombshell that he and Tim, mostly Tim, had cooked up a plan to find the terrorist that had broken into autopsy last week. "First off, you should know that Tim is by far, the smartest person in this room." Both Tom and Clayton scoffed at Gibbs announcement.

Both men were smart and held positions of power. Both men had personally felt insulted by Gibbs' announcement. "He has a BS in Biology and a master's degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a BS in Computer Science and a master's degree in Computer Forensics from MIT. He also holds a Doctorate in Justice and Criminology from Georgetown U. All that and only at the age of twenty-five." Gibbs said proudly and saw Tim's face flush red in embarrassment at Gibbs' praise.

"McGee? McGee?" Clayton said, repeating his name over and over. "Any relation to the Lower Half Rear Admiral? John McGee?"

"You must have read the old man's file because there's no way he's ever mentioned me, especially by name. Unless he was complaining about how useless and incompetent I am." Tim grumbled and shared a look of truth with Gibbs.

"Timmo, you're your own man. Just because you didn't follow him into the Navy, doesn't mean you don't serve your country." Gibbs whispered to him, but Tom and Clayton had heard it, none the less. "Four degrees and a doctorate later and John McGee is still telling him he's worthless and berating every choice Tim's ever made." Gibbs finished in a grumble.

"John's a fine military man, a very strict and by the book sailor. An upstanding Admiral, but he seems to care for little else in life. The navy is everything to the man." Clayton added.

"We didn't call you to this card game to discuss John McGee, gentlemen." Gibbs reminded them. "Tim here, has an idea on how we can narrow down the search for the terrorist who infiltrated autopsy."

"We're running facial recognition, Gibbs. That's all we can do." Tom Morrow sighed, frustrated. The FBI had all but ordered them to back down but weren't willing to share any intel or progress on the case, so they had decided to do their own digging. After all, it was their staff members affected and their staff members injured. "None of the other agencies recognises him, if they do, they aren't sharing their Intel with us."

"With all due respect Director, there's ten million photos in the facial recognition database. It's going to take a month to check every single photo." Tim told him as a matter of fact.

"Is it your idea to depress me?" The Director of NCIS snapped at him. Tom Morrow was frustrated, he had people injured by this terrorist - good people and a promising med student may never walk again because of that terrorist.

"No, but if we can get the terrorist's exact age, we'll be able to limit the search to the year he turned 21 and that will only take a number of days. Seventy three percent of UK graduates are twenty-one."

"That's a good plan," Clayton agreed, nodding his head before continuing in a sarcastic tone. "Except for the fact that we've got no idea who the guy is."

"The FBI has a software program that they use on photos of missing kids that show you what they would look like today." Tim explained.

"I know what that asshole looks like today!" Tom Morrow snapped again, cutting Tim off. That terrorist was a thorn in his side. He had been exceptionally angry when he had heard the news that autopsy had been infiltrated and had taken it personally, that he had been holed up, safely in MTAC while good men, like Gibbs and young Gerald Jackson had been injured.

"To create that program the FBI needed age specific criteria. So, I spent half the night using their criteria to develop a program that can tell a person's age by a photo." Tim took a deep breath and mentally braced himself. The three men in power before him had looks of part awe and part confusion. "I used the FBI algorithm for the cardioidal strain, pore size, wrinkles, adipose tissue and length of the nose and ears. Which keep getting longer the older you get."

"You can actually do this?" the Secretary of Navy asked, his voice incredulous and coloured with wonder.

"It's done, just need the authorisation, from you two to load it onto Gibbs' workstation." Tim quipped, sending Gibbs a grin.

"Do it!" Clayton ordered with a megawatt grin. He loved it when NCIS beat the bigger agencies at their own game. "Next time I see Admiral McGee, I'll be sure to tell him that your degrees were money well spent." Tom Morrow was nodding along in agreement with the Secretary of the Navy too. He too, was amazed that they had someone as smart as that on staff and he was not working Cyber Crimes at the Navy Yard HQ.

"Don't bother, Sir." Gibbs grumbled to the room. "Admiral McGee had nothing to do with Tim and his achievements."

"Full ride scholarship to JH and to MIT. Part ride scholarship for my doctorate and loaned the balance of the money for my doctorate from Gibbs. I worked two jobs, while doing my doctorate, including full-time at NCIS to repay Gibbs. The balance is paid in full now." Tim said, his tone thankful to his father-in-law. "The Admiral didn't contribute a dime to my degrees."

"You're a generous man, Gibbs." Tom Morrow told him. "I love my son in law, but I wouldn't lend him money. It's his job to provide for my daughter, not borrow money from me."

"I met Gibbs when I was six, Sir. We don't have a normal father and son in law relationship." Tim explained to the Director.

"Amen to that, kiddo." Gibbs grinned at him. "Gentlemen, at six years old, my daughter met her soul mate. There's never been anyone else for either of them. They were in love by the time they were thirteen, by sixteen Timmo was away at school and by nineteen they were engaged."

"Almost married four years now." Tim said proudly, a huge smile on his face, spying Kelly in the kitchen, probably making a cup of tea.

"And just as in love now, as they were back then. Four hundred and forty-seven miles, seven degrees, three schools and they're still together." Gibbs said succinctly.

"Aww Dad." Kelly said as she slipped into the room, she had cleaned up her mess from the paint and had made herself a cup of tea when she heard her father talking about them. "Not a bad love story for a couple of military brats. Sorry to interrupt, Tim, we have a skype meeting upstairs in five minutes."

"Penny." Tim smiled widely, before excusing himself for the group. Gibbs watched as Tim let Kelly 'pull' him up from the chair. Her pain and discomfort from the procedure two days before completely gone.

"Penny Langston." Gibbs stated, answering their unasked question. "McGee family matriarch. Admiral McGee's mother. Wife of the late Admiral Nelson McGee and daughter of the late Fleet Admiral William James Langston. Penny's a travelling university lecturer. She's touring right now; I think she's in the UK at the moment"

"That's some high and mighty genetics there, Gibbs. The McGee family alone, is Navy royalty. Since 1776, there's been a McGee in the US Navy. Really is a shame, young McGee didn't join the navy." Clayton told the now duo who were left; pretending to play poker still. "The Langston family is just as notorious. Why didn't your boy join the navy?"

"Not my story to tell, Sir." Gibbs said and that was the truth.

"He could be serving his country proudly." Clayton grumbled as he continued to sulk that Tim hadn't joined the Navy to follow in his father's footsteps.

"He does Clayton." Tom growled at the Secretary of Navy. "He is an NCIS agent. They serve their country, just as honourably."

"He graduated FLETC with an offer to join every agency in the alphabet soup, even a few lucrative private companies offered him top dollar. He turned it all down." Gibbs told them proudly. "Wants NCIS so he can make a difference in the lives of the men and women who live and serve in the US Navy and US Marine Corp. He never even considered another agency. It was always going to be NCIS, that's his dedication."

"I want him TAD to your team until this terrorist is named, Gibbs." the Director told him. "If something goes wrong with the program, I want him on hand to fix it. If it works and we get a name, I'll personally make the offer to buy the software from him."

"He's got some system set up already. He routinely writes codes and programs for us, been writing them for a couple of years now."

December 2002, Norfolk NCIS Satellite Office, Virginia

Tim was hard at work. They had identified the terrorist, but the wily sucker had slipped through Gibbs fingers, not before Gibbs shot him in the shoulder, though. He had taken Kate hostage and Gibbs had been ropeable, understandably so. Now Gibbs and Ari Haswari have matching bullet wounds.

Tim had his office door closed, he was concentrating on tidying up, because from the 3rd of the new year, he would be TAD to his father in Law's team in DC until further notice. The Director had called him into a meeting with Gibbs yesterday and personally told him the news that he was TAD to the team, until further notice. That he had been impressed with Tim and wanted to see if the team could work cohesively with an extra player. This was the fifth or sixth time he had ended up TAD to the MCRT now and he had always enjoyed working with the, even if Tony's antics did drive him crazy.

One of the positive things about the TAD assignment was, that was Kelly hadn't renewed her contract at the clinic because she was going to get some part time work in a hospital too, to broaden her experience. She didn't want to be one of those locum GP's that hadn't set foot in a hospital since their internships. So, Kelly was free to join him in Alexandria, at her father's house, while he was assignment instead of the two of them living three hours away from one another, while trying to conceive a baby.

Gibbs had all but told Tim they were welcome to stay as long as they liked. But Kelly was upset, it was finally her turn to host a Christmas Day Lunch and now they were packing up to go and stay in DC for an assignment. Gibbs had promised her that she could still host, just at his house and so, on December 23, Kelly and Tim would pack up most of their belongings and travel to Alexandria with both their cars for the duration of this assignment.

Tim was enjoying his last day at the Norfolk Office as he finished up the two case files he had outstanding and prepared his workspace for the next assigned agent. His mind had begun to wander again. He was thinking back to the first time he and Kelly had lived under Gibbs' roof together.

Late August 1994, Oceanside, California

Today, was perhaps the first day of Tim's new life. Today he was being released from the rehab centre in Del Mar. His accident had taken a toll on physical health as well as his mental and emotion health too. As a fallout from the accident, last month, his father had finally paid him a visit and managed to catch him alone. Gibbs had been at work and Kelly had been also working. She had taken a part time job for the experience and the extra cash. Her father had told her she needed to learn to be responsible and that if she wanted more money than what her allowance was, she would have to work for it. So, she had gone out job hunting and had found one, at a doctor's surgery, filing paperwork, answering phones, making bookings and taking payments and making coffee.

The Admiral had blamed Tim for the accident, despite the NIS report and subsequent investigation that had proven that the accident wasn't his fault. He had told Tim how his accident had been a negative impact on his career with the Secretary of the Navy insisting that John stay stateside while his son recovered. Even though, John had barely been by. Once when Tim was still in the coma, Gibbs had been sitting with Tim that day and insisted that his father take his seat, that Gibbs would happily leave. Which John had declined. The next time had been when Gibbs and Kelly had been there, when Tim had showered for thew first time. The third time was the day after he had arrived at the rehab centre, and he had only come to blame Tim and verbally berate him for damaging his career.

But today, he was finally discharged and after a peptalk from his PT, he was no longer feeling anxious about going home. John was due to set sail the following day and Tim knew he would be ok because his grandmother would be there. As he sat and patiently waited for his father to arrive, he was mentally plotting out the bus routes to take, to visit Kelly because there was no way he could drive just yet.

As the day was drawing to a close and Tim still sat waiting to be picked up by his father, Tim had been becoming increasingly anxious and agitated at his father. His father was always prompted, it was against his nature to be late.

Gibbs had been calling the McGee family home to speak to Tim, to see how his first day at home was going. The phone had just kept ringing out. His gut had begun to ping. Had something happened to Tim? He thought he was being ridiculous. He tried again ten minutes later, reasoning with himself that Penny didn't land from Italy until tomorrow evening and the Admiral was probably not home and it would take Tim time to get to the phone.

Getting frustrated, he called the rehab centre to ask if Tim was still there. He didn't recognise the name of the nurse he spoke with, and she had politely informed him that all patients were collected at 10, no exceptions. She had refused to even look to see if Tim had been collected before promptly hanging up on him. That had piqued him further. Kelly had walked in the door from her job, Tim had insisted she go even though she didn't want to and asked if her dad had heard anything yet.

Gibbs had been trying all afternoon when Kelly walked in, and he was officially fed up. "Let's go Kelly, in the car." Gibbs had all but demanded, in his gruff, grouchy, somewhat angry tone and Kelly had known not to question him.

In the car, he made the forty-minute drive to San Diego in thirty minutes, and he was pulling up in front of the McGee family home, off base. They both climbed out and knocked and banged on the door. Every knock was increasing the pain in his gut. Something was wrong.

A neighbour had come home after ten minutes of knocking, informing him that Admiral McGee had set sail yesterday and that his mother would be back from her trip tomorrow. That no one was home. Gibbs growled a thank you very much to the neighbour, who just smiled at him in return. Kelly saw the look her father shot her, he was not impressed, and she knew that heads would roll. There had been a handful of incidents over the years in which her father had gotten angry at John McGee, but her mom had never let him duke it out with him. But since her mother had passed, her dad's temper walked a finer line, and she knew that he and John McGee had exchanged harsh words on more than one occasion.

Tim had been trying to remember Gibbs' direct phone number at NIS office, Tim still having trouble with his memory since the accident. His nurse Dawn had been trying Gibbs' home for almost an hour now, trying to get hold of either of them when Gibbs came running into the room. "TIM!" he shouted at the sight of the young man sitting in the chair, waiting for someone to come and pick him up. Kelly had burst in a couple of seconds later, not as fast as her dad. "Thank god, you're ok." Gibbs sagged in relief onto the other chair in the room, finally releasing the breath that was caught in his chest and sharply inhaling another one.

"Gibbs?" Tim asked, confused. He had only ever seen Gibbs scared a few times in his life and it had shaken Tim a little. Gibbs was normally a very strong and stoic man.

"I have been trying to call your house all afternoon. I called here and a nurse told me you had been discharged. Kell and I raced over to your house, and no one was home." Gibbs explained, as Dawn came back into the room. "Your neighbour told us your dad's back at sea. Left yesterday."

"That can't be right." Tim said, shaking his head no as Kelly came in and sat beside her father, but closer to Tim. "We were all here yesterday morning when Dad said he would pick me up tomorrow, that he didn't leave until tomorrow evening. That Penny would be back before he left." Tim was upset, and rightfully so.

"You'll come home with us, Tim." Gibbs announced, giving Dawn a wide smile and a nod. "No arguments. You can take Kell's room, its closer to the bathroom and Kell can have the guest room."

He knew though, that Kelly wouldn't sleep in the guest room. Since the very first time Tim McGee had spent the night under Gibbs' roof, Kelly had snuck Tim into her bedroom and the two of them had climbed into her bed together to cuddle to sleep. There had been a brief intermission of cuddling together for sleepovers between the ages of twelve and fourteen, but last year they had picked it back up again. The three of them had spoken about it at length and the two of them had promised Gibbs that they wouldn't have sex and that the bedroom door would stay open at all times.

"Thanks Gibbs." Tim replied, hiding his face in embarrassment. Once again, he had relied on his father and once again, his father had let him down. Tim was relieved that he could always rely on Gibbs to be there for him.

"Anytime." Gibbs smiled at him. His heart soared at the sight of the stress leaving Tim's body. "Dawn, what do I need to know?" he asked, turning to speak to his nurse about his discharge instructions, leaving the young lovers to say hello properly.

December 23rd, Alexandria, Virginia

When the final bag was carried upstairs by Gibbs into the master bedroom. The room that they've always shared in this home, Gibbs surveyed the room. It was like they had never left. The extra-long desk held various books and two laptops, each bedside table had a cell phone charging, the biometric lock box for Tim's credentials and weapon had been installed on the wall inside the closet. The bags were neatly unpacked, and all the clothes were back in the closet and dressers where they belonged. The empty bags stowed in the top of the hallway linen closet where they belonged, and their toiletries unpacked into the master ensuite. On Tim's side of the bed, on the floor, sat a go-bag, fully packed and ready for use, in case of a call out away from DC.

Gibbs had given them that room when he had bought the house and the three of them had made the move out here together, in December 1994. He had been transferred to the Navy Yard just before Christmas that year. By that time, Kelly and Tim had given all pretences of pretending to sleep in separate rooms under his roof. Gibbs was in and out of the office and the home on various missions and Tim had been due to leave for JH early January, the following year. He had been happy to take the smaller room at the end of the hallway and use the main bathroom, giving the young couple space, but still being able to monitor what was going on. They may have only been sixteen at the time, but he had had to remind himself, they were mature for sixteen years old.

Looking around the house now, it was like they had never left. Except Kelly and Tim had been given some fancy kitchen gadgets as a wedding present from a well-meaning family member of the McGee family, someone Gibbs had never heard of, then or since. Now those fancy gadgets lined the bottom shelf of his walk-in pantry. Looking out his front window, towards the driveway, it was just like it had always been. Tim's ford and Kelly's Honda, parked alongside Gibbs' truck in the driveway.

His house felt full again and to him, it felt wonderful to have them home again. No matter how long they stayed, this time, the two of them were always welcome in his home. Gibbs reluctantly had to admit that if Director Tom Morrow decided to make Tim's TAD assignment to the MCRT permanent, that the two of them couldn't live with him forever. That they would eventually rent an apartment or buy a house, but he'd try to encourage them to stay as long as they could, so that while they were staying with him, they could be saving money to buy their first home.

Gibbs suspected that despite the couple keeping it quiet, he was fairly certain that the two of them were struggling to conceive a much-wanted child and had begun expensive fertility treatments. He also suspected that they were seeing a specialist in DC somewhere, rather than down Norfolk way, because although they had put on a happy face and were all smiles when they met Ducky and he at the diner last month for dinner, he was sure that they had snuck off to an appointment before meeting them for dinner.

This year, for Christmas eve, the trio of them would join Ducky and his mom Victoria for dinner on Christmas Eve and Ducky would come for lunch the following day. A lunch that Kelly and Tim were supposed to be hosting in Norfolk, that would now be held in the Gibbs family home.

That evening, as a welcome home, Gibbs took Kelly and Tim to the diner for dinner. It had begun to snow earlier in the day and Kelly commented that although, on occasion it snowed in Norfolk, being by the beach had had its advantages.

"Welcome home, you two." Elaine cooed as soon as she spotted Kelly and Tim coming in the side door with Gibbs, her favourite customers. She gave Kelly a huge hug, before reaching up to kiss Tim's cheek. "Must feel so good to have the family all back under the same roof, hey Gibbs?" she asked her long time customer.

"Yep." He grinned at her, popping the p. Gibbs wasn't going to hide the fact that he enjoyed having the kids home with him, as the trio took their seats in their favourite booth by the window before immediately giving Elaine their orders.