Chapter 56

Small fingers were prying open his eyelids and Tim backed away from that rather unpleasant sensation.

"Baba, are you awake?" came a voice that would have awakened him if the fingers hadn't already done so.

Tim mumbled incoherently and tried to escape from the intrusions that were pulling him from a sleep that had been much too short.

"Baba! Baba! Sunshine!"

Groaning, Tim finally gave in to the pestering of his children and he opened his eyes.

"You're much too alert," he grumbled at his two children who were looking at him brightly.

"It's late, Baba!" Salma said. "Mama already made breakfast!"

Tim sat up, yawning, and saw that it was well after nine and definitely much later than he usually slept. It wasn't enough sleep, but it would suffice for now. It was Sunday and maybe he could get a nap in later.

"Well, I'm up. Just let me get dressed and I'll come downstairs."

"Now, Baba!" Jonathan said, whining a little. "I hungry!"

Tim yawned again and shook his head. "Nope. I need to get dressed. So go on downstairs and I'll be down in a minute. All right?"

More whining, but Jonathan did as he was told. So did Salma. Once he was alone in the room, he went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face to help him get more alert. Then, he went back into his room and got dressed quickly. As he headed downstairs, he could smell omelets. That would be good.

He walked into the kitchen and he could actually smile seeing his family sitting at the table waiting for him and his dog standing beside his chair, wagging her tail eagerly. All in all, it was a beautiful sight and Tim tried to hold onto that beauty.

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

Bri sat in the back yard, staring out at the grass. Even though she always tried not to keep up with covert happenings, the habits of years couldn't be removed that easily. Habits. Instincts. Reactions. She had been forced to be honest with Dave about her history and some of her experiences. He had to know that sneaking up behind her was liable to get him a punch to the face...or worse. She was fortunate that he had accepted it and he had never tried to test her that way.

She would never fully rid herself of the habits the CIA had instilled in her, and she had known about the attempted abduction of Tim McGee and his family. As her wedding day approached, she had found herself thinking more and more about what her father had said, that he had done things in the course of his job that were wrong. While he hadn't been explicit, it had been clear that his statements about himself applied to his daughter as well.

For the first time in years, Bri forced herself to think back to that first time Tim McGee had come into her sphere. She hadn't cared about him at all. He was an assignment and nothing more. Everything she had done had been according to the assignment given to her and she had protested when Griffen had attempted to push beyond the assigned limits, but not really out of any concern for Tim's well-being. It was because they were doing something that had been assigned to them and it wasn't up to them to push further. It would be wrong. At that thought, a wry smile crossed her lips. That was a Levi Carew view. However, looking back now, she could see clearly how horrific the experience had been for Tim. She could see it through the lens of her own captivity. That time still gave her nightmares. There were times when she couldn't bear to let Dave touch her. All these years later and it was still too much at times.

And Agent McGee went through worse and more often, she thought to herself.

And he had saved her. It wasn't because he liked her. She knew that he hated her, that he was happy not to be near her. He had saved her because it was the right thing to do. He hadn't let his feelings get in the way of what was right.

And Bri hated that. She hated that Tim McGee had moved beyond his feelings to save his torturer without expectation. He had forgiven her father before she had. He had taken steps to overcome his experiences long before she had even admitted that there was reason to bother.

It rankled. Brianna Carew had been a seasoned CIA agent. She had been (and still was) a skilled doctor. She was the daughter of the great Levi Carew, one of the longest serving CIA directors on record.

Who was Tim McGee? A run-of-the-mill NCIS agent until he had been transformed into someone that everyone thought was important. He was not the kind of man who should be the way he was. He shouldn't be able to maintain his morality. His experiences should have ruined him. They had ruined much stronger people before. He shouldn't be forgiving.

And yet, he was.

"Bri?"

Bri turned and smiled as Dave came out to sit beside her.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah." And abruptly, Bri made a decision. "I need to go to DC, just for a couple of days. I know it's short notice."

"Something with your family? Your dad?" Dave asked in concern. While Bri hadn't said much about her complicated relationship with her father, he knew about Levi's heart failure.

"No. Something else. I'll tell you when I get back. Okay?"

"Sure." Then, he smiled. "You're running out of vacation days. Your boss might have to take you task on that."

Bri smiled back. "We'll just have to cut our honeymoon short."

"Not likely. Come on in. Lunch is ready."

"Okay."

She got up and followed him inside.

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

Ducky smiled as he set out his tea cups.

For three.

He was intrigued to see how things might have changed after the extended interactions during Tim's flight. While he wouldn't consider it a worthwhile tradeoff, he was actually happy to see this somewhat positive outcome.

There was a knock at his front door. Twenty minutes early. That was enough to tell him who it probably was. He walked to the door and opened it, smiling.

"Hello, Jethro. Somehow, I'm not surprised at how early you are."

Gibbs came in without comment.

"I'm still setting out the dishes. You may help me."

"Tim came over last night."

"To work on a project."

"Yeah."

Ducky nodded, but he could see that it hadn't been a simple evening of woodworking. It rarely was anyway.

"I'm worried, Duck."

"Was he dramatically worse?"

"No...but he's got it in his head that he can't handle the future and I'm worried that he might decide he doesn't have a choice when he really does. He said he has to decide how he feels, but..."

"...but you're afraid that he'll make the wrong decision."

"Yeah."

Ducky nodded again. "As I told Anthony and Ziva before all this, we have to give him all the reasons to stay with us, and that's not done by saying anything but through our actions, our connections with him. This was a hard time for him, Jethro. Timothy's greatest weakness is when others suffer because of the chaos of his life. In this case, it was his family. I'm sure there's a temptation to leave them, but I don't think he will."

"I don't either, but I don't want him to to think of it as a possibility."

"Nor do I, but..."

The doorbell rang.

"Both of you are so early," Ducky said. "I'll have to set a time far in advance of when I actually want you to be here."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and Ducky thrust the platter at him.

"Here. You can finish up while I get the door."

Gibbs took the platter and continued setting out the dishes. It was rather amusing to see since Gibbs wasn't that kind of a man. Ducky smiled as he headed to the door.

He opened the door and smiled in greeting.

"Hello, Levi. You are very early."

Levi smiled slightly. "I was afraid that Jethro might show up at my house again if I wasn't here on time. Tamara might riot if it happened again."

Ducky laughed outright. "Well, Jethro is already here as well. I'm not quite ready."

"That's all right."

Ducky stood aside and let Levi come in.

"Have a seat. I'll get the teapot."

Levi joined Gibbs at the table and sat down. Ducky wasn't sure if this would turn out well or not. The first time had and there had been more interactions between that first time and now, but there were two unpredictable men involved. He could only hope.

He brought out the tea and scones and served it to his guests and then sat down.

"Well, welcome," Ducky said. "Even if you were both far too early, I'm glad you could come."

"My pleasure," Levi said. "I haven't seen Tim since before he went to Cairo. How is he doing?"

"You haven't?" Ducky asked. "Why not?"

"He hasn't been on his usual route which means he needs recovery time and since he hasn't tried to run away, I haven't been needed."

"Ah," Ducky said.

"Talked to him last night," Gibbs said. "He doesn't think he can face his future. Said that he has to decide how he feels."

Levi nodded. "I hope he makes the right decision. These things can be hard at the beginning, but he's made some progress I hope after last night."

"What do you know about last night?" Gibbs asked.

"I know that he went to the CIA either very late at night or very early in the morning, depending on your perspective, and had a conversation with his trainer."

"How do you know that?"

Levi's smile was his usual satisfied smile. No matter how much his life had changed, he still loved to know more than those around him.

"I have very good sources. Regardless, Bob has a way of putting things that often can break through the most stubborn person's resistance. I think Tim needs to hear the same things everyone else has been saying but from someone outside of his closest circle. He's heard things from the people who matter most too many times for them to be impactful."

"Is that what you hope or what you know?" Gibbs asked.

Levi smiled again. "Yes," he said and then picked up his teacup.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at that, but Ducky noticed that there was no malice in the expression. It was more of a tolerant acceptance and he covered a smile of his own with a sip of tea.

"I do hope that you're right, Levi," Ducky said. "Timothy deserves to heal from this assault and, by extension, his family and friends do as well."

"I agree completely," Levi said. "Perhaps he will this time."

"What about Ahmed?" Gibbs asked suddenly.

"What about him?" Levi asked in return.

"Now that he's been targeted once."

"Could he be again?" Levi asked. "Yes. It's always possible. Is it likely? I have no idea. It depends on how many people are interested in pursuing that track. Not all are. In fact, I would venture to say that few would simply because it would mean having to control two people instead of one. They couldn't afford to kill him because then they would lose their hold on Tim. Many people are aware of his weak points, but the smart ones also realize that pushing on those weak points can backfire spectacularly. Tim has shown not only his resistance to being controlled but also his inherent instability. Anyone who wants to control him knows that he won't be controlled if they actually kill those who matter to him. That will destroy their control over him permanently... and likely his control over himself."

"How would they know that?" Ducky asked.

"Because of how strong his reaction to Ray's death was. These things tend to get out, even just in whispers. Ray was a virtual stranger. Tim only spoke to him a few times and Ray's death broke him. His family? His friends? It would be a hundred times worse. However, that being said, if Ahmed chooses to return to Egypt, he'll be on his own. That doesn't mean he's necessarily going to be a target. Simply that it's possible and that the CIA can't protect him there. If he stays here, he'll be guarded by the CIA, just as a precaution as all of Tim's family is."

Gibbs nodded.

"Now, I have a question for you, Jethro," Levi said.

Ducky suppressed his surprise at hearing Levi use Gibbs' given name, especially when Gibbs didn't react to it. Just what had happened during Gibbs' invasion of the Carew home?

"What?" Gibbs asked, raising his eyebrow.

Levi smiled. "What did you make Tim start building last night?"

Gibbs smiled in much the same way. "A desk."

"A little ambitious, isn't it?"

"Takes concentration. He needs that."

And then, Levi lifted his teacup in a salute. Gibbs simply raised an eyebrow again, but his expression was nearly friendly.

"What kind of wood?" Ducky asked.

"Flame birch."

"I don't know that kind. I'm familiar with birch, but not flame birch. What is it?" Levi asked.

"It's birch but the grain isn't straight, so when you cut it, it looks like flames," Gibbs said and then pulled out a piece of paper to draw what it looked like.

And Ducky sat back and marveled at these two former antagonists who were now having a simple conversation about lumber. He smiled as he sipped at his tea. He had known that it was possible, but he hadn't really dared hope it would happen.

And if former NCIS Agent Gibbs and former CIA Director Carew could get along, Ducky was prepared to believe in any miracle at all.