MTF1 - The long-awaited sequel to JUST FRIENDS. You don't have to have read that one first, but it will make a lot more sense if you have. :)
By the time that Penny returned from her current teaching position in Port-de-Paix, Haiti and Sarah returned from Vancouver, Canada, Tim was already wishing he could go back to work. Tim didn't even know that Sarah, his sister, had moved, let alone left the country. He had learned that she had left the country, when after a week of not taking his calls, he had been fed up with her. He and Kelly had made the drive down to Richmond and knocked on her apartment door. Only to find out that she had moved out, six weeks ago. Apparently, her married lover, Professor Cooper Beckworth had transferred to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, leaving his wife and children and taking Sarah with him.
When Tim found out what Sarah had done, he was furious with her. He knew that Penny was still on-route back to DC, so he couldn't call her and vent to her about his wayward sister. But he wasn't exactly sure that Penny knew what her granddaughter had been doing either. Especially since, Tim was sure that Penny would have told him, if Sarah had moved to another country. He had logged on to the McGee family trust account and tried to track Sarah's phone. But she had gotten a new phone and not registered it within the McGee family trust account.
By the time Kelly and Tim arrived back at the apartment, from Richmond that night, Tim had managed to locate a cell phone number and an address for Sarah, in Vancouver. Kelly had been super impressed with Tim's cyber skills, never having really understood just how talented and adept her boyfriend was with a computer. He'd made a call to a Mounty, he had met during the mess with the Reynosa cartel, back when Tim had been sent to Canada, to assist the team on the ground there. His Mounty buddy had put in him contact with his brother, a fellow law enforcement officer, who worked for the Vancouver Police Department. His buddy's brother had agreed to go and knock on Sarah McGee's door to deliver the news of their father's death.
By the time they were sitting down to eat dinner that night, Tim's cell phone was ringing and Tim held up the screen to show Kelly the caller ID; Sarah McGee was calling. Tim promptly answered his cell, letting the relief in his voice go through the phone line, hopefully guilting Sarah into being nice to him. "Sarah, thank god. I have been trying to contact you for a week, now. Are you ok?"
"Yes!" She snapped at him. She was still angry about not getting the apartment and she would not apologise for that. "There was no need for you to use your police contacts to try to find me. I am ok. Now what happened to my dad? Did you finally kill him?"
"Sarah, he was in prison for kidnapping and statutory rape. The cancer killed him, not me." Tim snapped in reply and Kelly let out a sigh. She had hoped that for once, Sarah McGee would be nice to Tim. "I was trying to contact you, to tell you about him. I thought you'd want to be here for the funeral."
"I'll let you know." Sarah sighed softly. Her voice changed slightly and Tim picked up on what she wasn't saying. "Mom's doing so well now, but she never she never told me that dad died when I spoke to her yesterday."
"Sarah, are you being held there against your will? Yes, or no?" Tim asked, wondering if maybe her married lover had coerced her to follow him to Vancouver. "Lori isn't taking my calls either, so it's highly likely she doesn't know yet."
"No Tim." She reiterated to her. "Cooper isn't like that. Mom and Dad divorced two years ago. She's living in Dallas with her new husband and her replacement kids. As much as Mom insists, she doesn't hate you, you know that on average it takes three weeks for her to return any calls."
"Well Penny will be back from Port-de-Paix tomorrow morning." Tim announced. "She's got a flight out of Haiti to Miami and will fly on to Raegan in the morning. Kelly and I will meet her at the airport."
"So, you're still with Kelly? That's ... nice." Sarah tried to be nice, but was hard. She was jealous of Tim. Tim hadn't been fired by his editor for constantly missing deadlines. Sarah had struggled to find another editor after her quick temper got her blacklisted from every major publisher and editor in the tri-state area. "She seemed nice and I am truly sorry I was such a bitch to her."
"I told you before, it's not me you have to apologise to, Sari." Tim told her sternly. "Now, are you coming home or are you attending by Skype? It'd be nice to see you, maybe you could even stay through until Christmas."
"Skype will be easier. It's exam time here and we have Christmas plans here in Vancouver." Sarah explained, before becoming excited. "Tim, I'm ten weeks pregnant, I really shouldn't be flying anywhere. But don't tell Penny though, I want to surprise her. I know she'll be thrilled for me."
"You're what, young lady?!" Tim exclaimed, his voice booming down the phone line and Kelly flinched beside him. That angry voice wasn't even directed at her and it scared her. She didn't know that her mild-mannered boyfriend was capable of such anger. She thought only her father could yell and carry on like that. "You had an IUD inserted, for that very reason, Sarah Louise! Why, pray tell why, would you want to have a child? You don't even like children. You've never wanted children. You hate going to the doctors, too."
"Cooper wants more kids. He removed the IUD, himself. It was super easy, it didn't even hurt." Sarah said flippantly, like it was as simple as removing a band aid. "His kids aren't talking to him and he is an excellent father. He just wants a kid that will speak to him."
"Sarah, please think carefully about this. The removal of an IUD, outside of a medical setting, by someone who isn't trained, is highly dangerous." Tim chastised gently, trying to remain calm. His temper was past boiling point. He couldn't believe the stupidity of her. Her naivety was unbelievable. She was the reason why his kids weren't speaking to him. Because she had seduced their father into an extra-marital affair and when he had refused to leave his wife, Sarah had vindictively told his wife what her husband had done; and sent videos of them together to her, as proof. "Sarah, please come home. It can't just be Penny and I that say goodbye to him, you have to come home too. It's not like I am asking for you come home, on vacation, I'm asking you to come so we can bury our father. Hell, if Cooper wants to come, bring him too. If we get to know him better, maybe it won't be so awkward. He's the father of your child. Please come home." Tim hoped Cooper did accompany her, but not to get to know him better. He was hoping Cooper would accompany her, so then he could ream the man out in person. How dare he do that, to his sister. She may not be biologically related to him, but for the last twenty-two years, Sarah was his kid sister. Despite her bratty, obnoxious, sometimes hurtful behaviour towards him.
"I'll talk to Cooper, but I doubt we'll bet able to come." Sarah concluded finally. "Look Cooper's just pulled up in the driveway, I have to go. He's expecting dinner to already be on the table."
Before Tim could say anything else, the call was disconnected and Tim was left staring at his cell phone. "Are you ok?" Kelly asked, tentatively. She had seen Tim angry before, but not like that. The day after Gibbs and Leon had sent Tim home, when they'd given him the message that his father had died. Abby had showed up at the apartment, full of apologies and regret, begging them to come to her holiday charity bash. When the begging had become unbearable, Tim had said they would go, if she would just shut up. She profusely apologised before, in a stage whisper to Kelly, telling her that Tim had blown the whole incident out of proportion. That it wasn't her fault. That Tim should have known better by now. That they know each other so well, that they were best friends and she had been joking with him. Abby's usual M.O - manipulate and gaslight Tim.
Well, Tim had exploded in anger at her, kicking her out of the apartment, but not before shredding both of the invites in front of her. He had let loose his tongue and told her in no uncertain terms that they were not friends. They would never be friends again. That they were nothing to one another, but colleagues. Leaving Kelly standing there, flabbergasted, as he ushered Abby out the front door and locked the door behind Abby, then stalking off to his study and locked himself behind that door too, as he desperately tried to calm himself down.
What had made things worse, that evening, was Gibbs' unannounced arrival at their apartment, demanding an explanation. Kelly hadn't been home at the time, having ran to the market for some groceries for dinner. When Tim had told Gibbs what had happened, Gibbs was questioning him, as if he didn't believe him. "Whether you believe me or not, I don't care, anymore." Tim told Gibbs, harshly. "I'm done. Abby and I will have nothing but a professional relationship only."
When Kelly had seen her father in the lobby of their building, leaving their apartment, she had been surprised that he had come on Abby's behalf. Before she confirmed Tim's chain of events to Gibbs, and he had accompanied her back upstairs to apologise to Tim. Kelly had been quite angry that her father had automatically taken Abby's side, even after had apologised yet again for his behaviour, enabling Abby, only a week ago.
When Penny landed at Dulles the following morning, she scrutinised her grandson's appearance carefully before approaching him. He had been standing at baggage claim, with his girlfriend Kelly tucked under his arm. The two of them had been having a conversation, she thought he looked stressed, which was understandable, given the stress and strain that John had placed on him, in both life and in his death. Her grandson's girlfriend had suddenly stopped speaking, as Penny watched Tim lean down and kiss Kelly, like his life depended on it.
She loved watching the two of them together and seeing how much they truly loved one another. Regrettably, she hadn't spent much time with them since becoming a couple and things were still somewhat tense between her and Timothy, after Tim learnt that he wasn't a true McGee. Seeing them break off their kiss, she hoisted her shoulder bag and continued to make her way down to baggage claim. "Timothy, my darling." She called out, once she was within speaking distance to him.
"Penny!" Tim greeted her, leaving Kelly's side and giving his grandmother a big hug. Tim's happy reaction to seeing her, swelled her heart and gave her hope, that Timothy didn't hold any ill will towards her. "I've missed you."
When they pulled back, Penny greeted Kelly with a hug of her own and a small smile of thanks. Kelly had been keeping the McGee family matriarch abreast of Tim's recovery with a very carefully constructed cover story of a case gone horribly wrong, where Tim was held hostage and beaten, rather than the truth that Ziva, a woman she thought of as a granddaughter had done this to Tim. "It's so wonderful to see you both." Penny gushed, as they moved over, towards the carousel to collect her two suitcases. "Wish it was under better circumstances, though."
Tim went to retrieve his car, leaving Penny and Kelly with the bags in the pickup/drop off zone, not far from the terminal. He had purchased a luxury black SUV with the insurance money from having his Porsche totalled, back on Delilah's birthday. The black, luxury model SUV was definitely a step up from his Porsche, with plenty of extra space. Pulling up, the two women were in deep conversation, so he climbed out and began loading Penny's bags into the car. "So, Tim has taken care of the arrangements, following John's wishes to the letter." Kelly was telling Penny.
"It was the least I could do, for you." Tim added, thankful that his wonderful and amazing girlfriend had taken it upon herself to update his grandmother. Even though things were strained, he had truly missed Penny and her presence in his life.
As they sat in traffic, Penny finally bit the bullet, asking the question she longed to know the answer to. "What are they like? Your biological parents." She had tried to phrase the question in a casual tone, but found she couldn't quite pull it off.
Kelly and Tim exchanged a look from the front seat. Tim knew, it was now or never. He needed to tell her and that no matter when they discussed it, it needed to be discussed. "They don't blame you, Penny." Tim firstly reassured her. "If anything, they are thankful to you for everything you've ever done for me and have mentioned that when you are ready, they would love to meet you."
"That's a relief to hear." She said and the relief was evident in her voice, too. "I was so afraid that they would hate me and judge me, based on John's actions."
"They know that it was all John and that nurse, that you and mom, Nikki, weren't any the wiser." Tim reassured her. He knew he had to tell her the identity of them because she had already met Sarah and his sister Megan that would be attending Columbia, in the new year. Sarah, his birth mother had mentioned that, when they were in New Orleans together. Telling him, that Megan would be attending there in the new year. "Penny, you actually have met my biological mother twice, before. It is Sarah Porter, the secretary of the navy."
"She's your mom?" Penny asked, shocked. She remembered briefly meeting the woman at a college fundraiser and seeing the woman again at her grandson's apartment the night that John had confessed to everything, including Tim's parentage. She also remembered the night of John's confession, Timothy had been shaken to the core and Sarah Porter had been automatically taken charge, both of the agents and of Tim's welfare. "She has a daughter? Meghan? Megan? Did she know? She was very caring to you, that day in your apartment."
"Megan." Tim provided. "She will be attending Columbia in the January intake. No, she didn't know. In fact, she was in denial a lot longer than what Da... Tobias was."
"That's right; Megan Porter. Bright young woman, astute and very interested in the history of women in politics." Penny blissfully ignored Tim's slip of the tongue. So, she just focused on the young student that was the SecNav's daughter. Penny may be awful with student's names, but she always remembered their aptitude and intelligence. "She must get that from her mother, a trait you inherited from her also, I imagine. Sarah Porter is a smart woman."
"A trait you helped me define, from a young age." Tim added, before reminding Penny that it isn't a solely inherited trait, that it is also a nurtured one, too. "Her and my biological father are looking forward to meeting you. I have two teenage half-sisters, too, both who want to meet you, also. Sarah is divorced from my biological father, the stress and strain of burying their child took a toll on their marriage. However, both remarried and subsequently divorced, having recently resurrected their relationship. They have since begun dating again. I believe they're taking it slow."
"Your biological father?" She asked. She could imagine a woman being a lot more empathetic, but generally men were more ruthless when it came to thoughts and feelings. "How does he feel about it all?"
"He can't wait to meet you, either." Tim reassured her and Penny felt reassured, by the nodding of Kelly's head, as well. "His name is Tobias and he is an FBI Agent. He is Gibbs' best friend and I have no doubt that Gibbs has been talking you up, to both of them too." Tim then launched into a monologue about how it had all played out between them, that they had been there and supported him when he had been injured and ended with the very first family dinner they had shared together, just last week.
Kelly handed her phone over to Penny, to show her the photo of the five of them on the sofa in Tobias' living room. Penny studied the photo carefully. It was clear that the older her grandson became, the more he began to resemble his father, the FBI agent. He had to admit, that Tim was a perfect blend of the two of them, with his mother's eyes and skin tone, along with his father's nose and jaw. The girls were both slightly different; but both redheads, with wildly different hair. The older girl had curly hair and a colour more like her mother, while the younger one had hair closer to Kelly's colour and was straight. "Beautiful family, Timothy. I must say you are very much like both of your parents. I cannot wait to meet them."
It wasn't until they arrived at Penny's home in Reston, that Tim addressed the situation with Sarah. "Timothy, have you managed to get a hold of Sarah?" Penny suddenly asked and at his scoff, she gave him a look that was very familiar. Explain. Tim relayed every last detail, even how he had been forced to contact a police buddy of his, in Canada to help him locate Sarah. Sarah had begged him not to tell Penny, that she had wanted to surprise her grandmother. Tim had been prepared to lower the boom on her, breaking Sarah's trust in him. But Penny had beaten him to the conclusion. "I bet that little wench let him get her pregnant. She always was too infatuated with him and he was a married man. You know, when he was tutoring her at Waverley, he came by the house to talk to her about her midterm paper and I came home early and saw them... in an ... well he was doing something to your sister that I really didn't need to see."
Tim growled at that. Penny had been the one who had initially disliked Cooper Beckworth and that was long before he was Sarah's teacher. Back when Sarah was twelve and Tim was graduating MIT. Cooper had worked at Columbia University with Penny, then. From the moment he had arrived, the rumour mill had been churning out one story after another about the married, lecherous literature professor, who had been seducing young female students. It had all come to a head when at the end of his first calendar year teaching there, when Jeanie Watkins, the smartest girl on campus, had turned up pregnant. Penny had been her trusted advisor and confidante. The young woman had confessed that Cooper was the father to Penny. When Jeanie Watkins returned after Christmas break, she was no longer pregnant and had confided in Penny that Cooper had forced her to have an abortion, blackmailing her that if she didn't, he would post nude photos of her on the school intranet, as well as on every porn site he could think of. She had no choice, she had to abort the baby and Cooper offered Columbia University his resignation.
She was surprised to cross paths with him again when Sarah was at an open day with Penny, at Waverley University, when Sarah was a senior in high school. Penny had been there when they met, Sarah had flirted up a storm and had told Penny that she was in love. But rather than warn her off, with Sarah's attitude and behaviour, it would only have encouraged the teen, so Penny did nothing. Unfortunately, nothing changed and Sarah began crushing harder on him. Penny had reluctantly told her granddaughter what she knew about the professor and Sarah had then become obsessed with the notion of seducing him.
That was around the time that Sarah had been diagnosed with Endometriosis and Tim had convinced her that a IUD would help with pain, quietly reminding himself that an IUD would also protect her from any unwanted pregnancies, knowing his sister's attitude towards babies and men. When Tim had overheard a story that Sarah had told her friend, he had arrived on campus, having organised to meet Sarah after class. He deliberately arrived early and slipped into the back of Cooper Beckworth's class. As he dismissed the class, Tim heard him ask to see Sarah after class, before he looked inappropriate at her, touching her more times than was acceptable for a teacher, before he kissed her cheek and caressed her ass. Tim couldn't believe his eyes and had hidden, as Sarah walked straight passed him out of the empty class room. Tim had taken the opportunity to confront him and warn him off Sarah, but Cooper had insisted that Tim needn't worry, that he was a happily married man. Later on, when he confronted Sarah about what he had seen. She had put on a performance and promised that she didn't know he was married, before promising Tim she wouldn't get involved with him.
Tim had successfully avoided answering Penny directly, letting the older woman ramble on and theorise out loud. Before insisting that she would call her granddaughter and demand her presence, before her very eyes. "If she knows what is good for her, she will get her backside on a plane and get to DC, before I go to Vancouver, drag her back here, kicking and screaming." Penny had told Tim in her rant. That Sarah's behaviour was unacceptable. "That just because Lori may have run off with a married man, that didn't mean that Sarah should too."
Tim and Kelly exchanged a look, Tim, wordlessly telling Kelly that when Penny's temper was flared up, the whole world better watch out.
Burying John McGee was sad for everyone. Sad and awkward. Navy officers past and present, turned out in droves to say their final farewell to the man, a man they idolised. Passing on heartfelt condolences to Tim, Penny and Sarah. Many of those officers spoke of the kind of man he had been, the man he portrayed to the world. A man of honour, dedicated and a true patriot to their country, serving gallantly.
Sarah Porter, as the Secretary of the Navy, spoke from a military standpoint, keeping her tone clinical. As an officer in the US Navy, his record was impeccable until his medical discharge, that was fact. The anger and the hostility she held personally towards John McGee buried deep within her. Today was not the day to unleash it. Penny, Tim and Sarah put on a united front in grief, just as Sarah Porter had buried her hostility and chosen not to air the former Admiral's dirty laundry, the McGee's had followed suit.
It had been awkward and tense the whole time, as Sarah Porter offered condolences to Penny, Sarah McGee and her son Tim, on the death of their son and father, the man who facilitated the kidnapping of her own son, leading her to believe that her own son was dead. Tobias had come to support Sarah and Tim, Gibbs was supporting Tim and Kelly was ever present the whole time, by her boyfriend's side in unwavering support.
The glaring exception was Cooper Beckworth. The man had chosen not to accompany Sarah back to DC, claiming the he had papers to grade. The day before the service, Penny had taken Sarah to Carlo's for lunch, just the two of them and she had really laid into Sarah about her life choices and berated her erratic behaviour. Sarah had stood tall, refusing to apologise for falling in love with a married man. The lunch had ended with the two of them at a stalemate; before Penny had told the younger McGee woman that Tim was her adopted brother, omitting the identity of her adopted brother's parents.
That in turn had caused Sarah to unleash her anger on Tim, before Tim casually reminded her that it was more than blood that made a family. That had guilted Sarah into apologising, genuinely to Tim. Now that in addition to being pregnant with her own child, Tim reminded his sister that she was also, now a stepmother to Cooper's five children. The four children Cooper shared with his ex-wife, as well as his love-child from his illicit extra-marital affair with his last mistress. Sarah's unborn child made six children for Cooper Beckworth.
By the time the wake was done, Sarah was packing for Vancouver and Gibbs, Tobias and Kelly were tidying up the last of the dishes; while Tim and Sarah Porter loaded the dishwasher. Penny had been trying to get Sarah McGee to stay in DC longer, or to even accompany her back to Port-de-Paix in Haiti, to no avail.
Sarah's cab arrived and Penny, Tim, Kelly and Gibbs walked her out to see her off. "Keep in touch." Tim told her, as she hugged everyone goodbye. "Remember, I have a contact in the Vancouver PD, now." Tim reminded her.
When her bags were loaded in the cab and she was getting ready to slide in, she ran back to Tim and hugged him again, holding him tighter than she had ever hugged him before. "You may not be my real brother, but I whole love you, be safe." She whispered to, before she slid into the backseat of the cab and the cab drove off.
Tim felt his heart hurt at that, as he worried about her. Kelly joined him, as he watched the cab drive off, as she hugged Tim closely to her. Everyone had tried, but Sarah was determined to make this mistake, believing that she was right and everyone else was wrong. "She'll be ok, Tim." Kelly tried to remain positive and reassure him. "It's time for you to take a step back and let her grow up. She's got to make her own mistakes and learn from them. She will always be your kid sister, but you've got to step back."
Tobias and Sarah gave Tim and Kelly a ride back to their apartment in Georgetown, they were meeting some friends for dinner in the city and had to go right on by their apartment. It had been a long and tiring day, full of emotions and strained conversations, tense and awkward enough to leave Tim with a slight headache. He had hugged and kissed Penny goodbye, hearing her promise that she would be returning to DC on the twenty-second and would be staying through Christmas and New Year. Overhearing that news, Sarah invited Penny to join her and their family for dinner on Christmas eve. Penny was hesitant at first, before Gibbs told her that he would be there, as well as Leon, Ducky and possibly even, Ellie Bishop, if returned in time, from visiting her family in Oklahoma.
"Thanks for the ride." Tim had grinned at his parents, when they'd pulled up out the front of Tim and Kelly's apartment. "Thanks for coming today, I know it was tense and awkward, but thank you."
"As a decorated Admiral, I had to be there." Sarah reminded Tim. "But as a mom, who had her son cruelly snatched away from her thirty-three years ago. I was tempted to break open the casket and strangle the bastard. The only thing that stopped me was he was already dead." Sarah had mostly been joking to ease the tension, but a part of her, still felt that anger at John McGee.
"Besides, it gave us a chance to meet Penny, properly." Tobias added, looking his son over. He could see the signs of exhaustion setting in. Tobias could even see the beginning of the crinkle forming, the one that Gibbs had shown them once before. The tell-tale sign that their son is beginning to get a monstrous headache. "She is wonderful, Tim. I can see why you love her so much."
"Good night, Tobias, Sarah." Kelly smiled warmly at them; she knew Tim was two minutes away from needing Tylenol for that headache that was brewing in his head. She had seen that crinkle beside his eye form, somewhere around 1100 hours today. Truthfully, it had formed the moment that Vance had told him that John McGee had passed away, succumb to his cancer.
"Take care of our boy, Kell." Tobias said, as he leant into the backseat and kissed his son's girlfriend on the cheek. A woman that he had first met when she was ten years old at Gibbs' house, wearing a plaid shirt, denim coveralls, hair in a braid and dirt on her knees.
Upstairs, Kelly led Tim, straight for their bathroom, detouring through the kitchen, snagging a bottle of water on their way. "Here, Baby." She whispered softly, handing Tim the Tylenol, before taking two for herself. Tim gladly gave her the other half of the bottle, as he stripped off his black suit, his crisp white shirt and black tie, his loafers and black socks and slid into the shower, relaxing under the running water. As soon as Kelly had downed the pills and finished the water, she too, stripped off her clothes, removed her make-up and joined her boyfriend in the shower.
Sighing in pleasure, at the feel of the water cascading down his body, Tim moaned in relief. Kelly collected his loofah and coated it in his favourite body wash, before beginning to wash their day away. "God, I love you." Tim told her, seriously and he meant every word of it. "You're so good to me baby, I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."
"You made me fall in love with you." She grinned at him and chastely kissed him, turning the shower head to the massage function, in an effort to relax Tim further. Kelly helped him finished up in the shower, encouraged him to dry off, slip into shorts and into bed. Seeing Tim was almost out to it, she muted the lights and closed the bedroom door behind her, heading into her study to catch up on some work.