Ahoy.
This is my first Work In Progress.

Plus a firster in posting a story without making use of a Beta! My apologies in advance for all the mistakes you'll find.

LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE

Dawn felt comfortably cool by the time Tim finally stepped out of the NCIS building.

After another full nighter – the third in a row – he was dead on his feet and yearned for his cosy bed. Sure he could stay over at the dockyard, but the lack of spare clothes forced the team to go home for some well deserved rest and freshening up.

Tim and Ziva were practically neighbors and so they shared a cab home. Reclining in the backseat, McGee was in danger of falling asleep. An occasional glance aside told him Ziva was also trying hard to stay awake during the 20 minute ride. After first having dropped Ziva at her place, he eventually arrived at his own and found it extremely problematic to unfold his lanky legs out of the taxi and make them move across the pavement after having paid the fare.

Leaning his head wearily against the main entrance door and yawning mightily, it took him ages to insert the key and let himself in. He couldn't remember having mounted the stairs to find himself standing in front of his apartment. There followed another session of fumbling to get inside – he'd even dropped the key in all his clumsiness.

As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was a little nonplussed that Jethro didn't bounce up to him and sweep him off his legs. It took Tim a couple of minutes before it dawned on him he'd left his canine friend at the kennel because of the irregular hours of this week.

It felt suffocatingly hot inside. He'd forgotten to drop the blinds against the sultry midsummer heat.

En route to his bathroom, he unbuttoned his clingy, sweat stained shirt. Next followed shoes, socks, pants... After finishing his business in the bathroom, it didn't take long to scoot under the sheets and succumb to sleep - 'Calm as a child in dreamless slumber' – and soon Tim's breathing became steady as he fell asleep amidst the sounds of the awakening city..

"Ding"

The elevator doors slid open and out stepped Special Agent Timothy McGee. Even though he'd slept the sleep of the dead for a few hours, he didn't feel that much rested. He trudged to his desk, noticing from the corner of his eye one very fresh and rakish looking Tony DiNozzo about to collide with him, grinning widely and brandishing an envelope.

"Look, Tony." He sighed wearily, letting his backpack slide off his shoulder into the corner of his workspace, before turning to look at his friend. "I don't want any of your jokes right now, 'kay?"

Tony stepped back with a mock-apologetic face. "Wow, Probie! Now you hurt me! Aren't you interested in what I have here?" But then he dropped the mask and turned serious when he noticed his friend wasn't really paying him attention.

Tim dropped heavily on his desk chair, switched on his computers and started shuffling through the papers that littered his desk.

Tony placed the envelope on Tim's desk, while surreptitiously scanning his friend's face, and didn't like what he observed. Granted, they had all been pushed to the edge on this last case, but a good night's sleep usually worked wonders and at least he felt refreshed and ready to tackle almost anything.
McGee, though, was another question. He looked even worse than he did last night. Tony was dismayed at the state his normally fastidious friend was in. He noted the pale and drawn face, the baggy and hooded eyes that now were rather dull and had lost their usual sparkle, the compressed mouth, the razor nicks on his chin… He'd even missed some spots.
But then, Tony - and about everybody else here in the bullpen - knew how hard Gibbs was driving this agent.

As McGee made no move to read the letter, Tony picked it up and sliced it open. Unfolding the letter, he rather felt than saw McGee's eyes on him.

"Why are you opening my mail?"

Tony deliberately ignored the petulance in Tim's voice. "You never even looked at it, McGoo! Aren't you interested?" He looked up to meet his friends squinting eyes.

Tony practically waved the letter under McGee's nose, hoping for some positive reaction. Disappointingly, he got none.

McGee just dug his handkerchief from his pants and wiped his sweaty brow and continued the sweep over his neck. Even this early in the day, his white shirt showed dark patches of sweat and his movements were getting more sluggish by the minute.
Tony sighed and after a quick scan of the letter, he regarded his friend with a frown.

"You should read it, Tim. It's an invitation for one Timothy McGee to deliver a lecture on... ah... let me see..." He skimmed the lines and continued: "Law Enforcement and Computer Crime Prevention: The Latest Break-Through. ".

Tony looked up from the letter. "I'd 've thought you'd jump at the chance!"

He shrugged, folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.
"At MIT no less," he finished with a wink. There was no way Tim wouldn't rise to this bait!

The change was dramatic. One moment, lassitude weighed down on McGee. The next, he jumped from his chair in sheer nervous energy and couldn't snatch the letter from Tony's hands fast enough. He pulled it out of the envelope again and started reading, his head and lips moving as he mouthed what his eyes were taking in. First his expressive face displayed disbelief but it was soon to be followed by elation at such good news.

He whooped and pivoted once, a wide smile virtually cutting his face in half.

Then, with a sobering sigh, he eyed Tony, leaned in, and - to Tony's astonishment, and everyone else's present in the squad room - he kissed his co-worker and gave a fist-pump mouthing "Yes!" before becoming his subdued self once more.

He fell back in his chair, breathing heavily. Out came the hanky again, for now he was perspiring, not only from the heat, but also from the rare and short outburst.

When he had his breathing under control again, he looked around and promptly turned crimson when he noticed all eyes fixed on him. He hunched his shoulders and quickly turned his attention to his computer to work on his report of the latest case.

Well, he tried to.

His thoughts kept wandering.

"Sweet." He softly whispered, all smiles.

This was indeed a great honor – to give a lecture at one of the most prestigious institutions in the US. At that thought, the smile slowly disappeared to be replaced by a look of trepidation.

He considered the various practicalities now that it was a certainty. He had a lot to say on the subject, but the sheer notion of hosting such a public oratory scared him, to be honest.

Oh but he had talked in public before: expressing his thanks and adding credits to those who had helped him with his novels, if that counted. Or, the inevitable small talk at the signings at some local bookshop or at some posh banquet or other to which he was invited under his nom-de-plume, Thom E. Gemcity.

But lecturing a group of interested MIT know-it-alls?

His face promptly turned beetroot once more and he tried to hide his long frame behind his computer screen.

Tony gave his Probie one last worried look before strolling back to his own desk.

The peace and quite was barely restored to the room, when Gibbs energetically ran down the Mezzanine stairs and, en passant to the elevator, retrieved his Sig and badge from his desk and tossed a file on Tony's desk.

"Gear up! DiNozzo, David: interview, Waverly Campus. Get us something useful to work on. McGee with me!" Gibbs snapped as he turned around at the elevator and waited for Tim. The quizzical look on his face made Tim blush even more.

They stepped into the lift and Gibbs stared McGee down, who was now wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, his green eyes vacantly looking through Gibbs. A rare occurrence. Usually a patented Gibbs-stare would make him cringe.

"Well? What was that about?"

"Uh...I...mmm...I'yuh..."

Twack!

"MIT's asked me to read a lecture. This is...this is...well...I...eh…" He inwardly groaned as he slowly turned his face away. Oh dear! Now he's acting like a complete bumbling fool!

Amazing how this always seemed to work. Just like an on/off switch. Gibbs had to restrain himself from laughing and kept his face inscrutable. It wouldn't do to let the young man witness his amusement.

They both waited in silence – Tim keeping his eyes locked on the floor and Gibbs observing him with an amused smile on his face - until the lift dinged and the doors slid open. As they both stepped out, Gibbs slapped McGee on the shoulder: "Good for you, McGee!"

Tim sighed with relief, all fatigue gone, a beam plastered on his expressive face.

In the sedan, silence reigned. Gibbs' mind was on the case at hand and McGee... Yeah, well, he was again feeling rather miserable and sweating profusely due to the oppressive heat. Too bad the airco had broken down. Why now, when there's a freaking heat wave in DC? Gibbs' driving wasn't exactly improving things either and McGee's stomach was getting more rebellious.

"No puking in the car, ya hear, McGee?"

"-"

"McGee?"

"...mpfff...b-b-boss..." Tim slumped in his seat, his head leaning against the window. He groaned, his eyes were tightly shut and his face had turned a sickly shade of green.

Gibbs sighed. His youngest agent could be such a trouble child with that delicate stomach of his! If he wasn't careful, he'd grow ulcers before soon.

Gibbs, ignoring the angry honks, weaved through the lanes and quickly pulled up on the hard shoulder. He twisted his body to rummage behind his seat for a bottle of water while Tim shakily opened the door and stumbled out, just in time to throw up.

Tim just sat there on his knees, panting and feeling rather light-headed with shivers running down his spine. He felt a cool cloth in his neck and a supporting hand between his shoulder blades. Gibbs leaned in front of him and looked him in the eyes as he offered the rest of the bottle.

"Drink," he ordered, still assessing his agent. Tim obliged and after a couple of swigs, he returned the bottle, passing the back of his hand over his mouth.

Gibbs took the bottle from the trembling fingers and poured some water on the cloth again before pushing it into Tim's hand to wipe his face.

"Better?"

"Yeah, ... it-it's this infernal heat, boss."

"I know. Now get back in the car. We've got a missing girl and there's no time to waste."

He waited till McGee was back in the car before pushing the bottle in Tim's trembling hands