Chapter 1: Early Warnings

McGee yawned widely as he parked in the NCIS garage and headed inside, having arrived nearly two hours early. Given the circumstances, he figured an early start to get his bearings and review whatever Tony had left for him in terms of turnover would be a good use of time. He slept restlessly last night anyway; Tony's brief visit the previous evening had left him anxious about what to expect at work today. Delilah had been shocked to hear of Tony's sudden resignation and asked Tim to invite him over so she could say goodbye in person. Tony had agreed easily, stopping by with flowers and an apology for "Wheels" as well as a bottle of wine which they'd shared. After a couple hours of easy, relaxed conversation, Delilah had excused herself to go to bed, leaving the two men alone. He recalled the uneasy feeling he'd gotten when Tony's expression turned serious; a feeling that was justified when Tony explained his sudden change in demeanor.

"What is it, Tony?" he asked.

Tony heaved a sigh before answering. "I was going to call you tonight anyway, but I'm glad I got the chance to see Delilah again before leaving. I imagine you'll be filling in for me until decisions are made on the SFA spot and I didn't want you to be caught off guard tomorrow morning."

He wasn't sure if he was ready to hear any more revelations from Tony this weekend, but if it was something Tony thought he should know, he owed it to him to listen. "Caught off guard by what, Tony?"

"Gibbs," he replied succinctly. "I have every expectation he'll be on the warpath tomorrow and you'll be one of the first in the line of fire."

"Ah," Tim said, nodding. "He didn't take the news well, huh?"

Tony grimaced then gave a harsh little chuckle. "Oh, you could say that. There's a little more to it though. I also told him some things that probably weren't very easy to hear, especially from me, and he did not react well. Let's just say we didn't part ways on the best of terms."

"It didn't get physical, did it?" Tim asked in concern, leaning forward and scrutinizing his friend carefully for signs of an altercation.

"No, nothing like that." Tony reassured him. "He's pretty pissed with me though, and it's not unheard of for him to take something like that out on others. I don't entirely know what to expect from him anymore, and I just wanted you to be ready for whatever may happen."

Tim studied his friend, getting the distinct feeling that Tony was downplaying the seriousness of his confrontation with Gibbs. Even if it hadn't come to blows, it may well have come closer than Tony was willing to admit. Tim was ashamed to admit to himself that his own past behavior had been influenced at times by his envy at their closeness. Now he felt a wave of empathy come over him because whatever had happened, Tony was clearly more affected by it than he let on. He never thought he'd see the day when what once seemed an unbreakable bond between these two men would fall apart so completely and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was at the heart of it.

Doubting he'd get an answer, he simply replied "Thanks Tony. I appreciate the heads-up."

"It's the least I can do, since I put you in this position in the first place." Tony said, looking down and giving a small smile that was shadow of his usual bright grin.

Tim shook his head. "Tony, I don't know exactly what's gone wrong between you and Gibbs, but I do know one thing. Some of the blame, if not a lion's share of it, rests on Gibbs' shoulders. So whatever you do, don't take all of it on yourself. "

Tony flashed him a more sincere and grateful smile as he replied, "I'll do my best, but you know me."

"I do know you," Tim said firmly. "So I'll say it again. Don't blame yourself."

Tony nodded and changed the subject. "Look, it's getting late and I still have packing to do. Speaking of packing, I've left a box of files and stuff you'll need next to your desk, so you should check that out first thing. Really, I'm not sure which one of us is going to have a more…interesting day tomorrow, so I should leave," he said as he rose from the couch.

Tim stood and saw Tony to the door. "I appreciate you going out of your way to make time to see Delilah. Thanks again for coming by, and for the warning," Tim said with a smile. "Take care of yourself, ok?"

As they shook hands Tony said, "You too, Tim. Watch your six out there." When Tim would have pulled back, Tony tightened his grip briefly. His green eyes were suddenly dark, intent, and filled with something else Tim couldn't discern. "And watch Gibbs' six too. Carefully." Tony released his hand, turned, and walked away before Tim could ask him why he got the feeling there was some special significance to those parting words. More than that, it felt as though they held a note of warning.

That parting comment last night had kept him awake and the longer he thought about it, the more edgy he'd felt. Tony had been trying to tell him something and most likely out of some misguided loyalty to Gibbs, he wouldn't just say it straight out. He'd discuss it with Ducky first chance he got and see what his take on it would be.

He reached the team's area of the bullpen, doing a double-take and stopping in his tracks at Tony's desk. It was completely clean and the tackboard behind his desk once covered with team photos, department memos, and reminder stickies was depressingly empty. Tim shook his head at the absence of even the smallest sign Tony had sat there for 15 years. That was going to take some getting used to.

He continued on to his own desk, spotting the file box Tony left for him right away. He pulled out his chair to find a metal lockbox with a note taped to the top. Setting the small, but rather weighty box on his desk, he un-taped the note and began reading. Shocked, he sat down heavily as he realized what the box was, and its significance to Tony. While the reasons behind it saddened him, he was humbled and pleased that Tony entrusted the box of Gibbs' medals to him. He placed it in his bottom desk drawer and locked it, resolving to keep it safe in his care as Tony had done for so many years before him. He powered on his computer and as it booted, he pulled Tony's file box closer to him and began to unpack its contents while he waited for Bishop to arrive.

Next up: Gibbs arrives. Will Tony's prediction pan out? Hmm.