Greater Good
An NCIS Fanfic
By CaelumFelis
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or anything associated with it.

One week later…

Gibbs Residence
Hawthorne, Washington DC
0954 EST

"You sure you know where you're going?" Tim asked. "Got enough gas? Gas money? Cell phones charged? You have my number, but do you have Gibbs' and Tony's and Ziva's and Abby's if you can't reach me?"

"TIM!" TK shouted from the back seat of Jon's Jeep Wrangler. "Jeez, relax, would ya? It's not like we're going all the way to California or something!"

"Yet," Jon snickered, elbowing Damian in the arm.

"Very funny, Jon," Tim growled.

"Oh, Ziva just dropped Sarah off at Waverly!" TK announced, blue eyes glowing. "Time to go, guys!"

"Jon, you drive safe, you hear me?" Tim said. "You know where you're going?"

"Damn it Tim, I know where I'm going!" Jon exclaimed. "I'm not a complete idiot!"

"No, you're an incomplete idiot," Damian said.

"Shut up, pebbleface!"

"Make me, tealight!"

Tim shook his head, rubbing his temples wearily. I love my brothers, I love my brothers, I love my brothers… I just want to shoot them sometimes.

"Boys."

Tim jumped as Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, glaring at the two younger men in the car. Both Jon and Damian jumped as well, the color draining out of their faces as they eyed Gibbs warily.

"You two keep that up, I'm driving, got it?" Gibbs growled.

"Yes Boss!" The pair yelped in unison. Tim smirked. In the week that his siblings had been staying over with him at Gibbs' place, all four of them had had encounters with Gibbs' style of driving. Jon claimed the older man had nearly given him a heart attack, while Damian had barfed in Gibbs' rosebushes after each trip. TK, oddly enough, loved the rough and tumble way Gibbs handled his cars, claiming that it was "just like a roller coaster!"

"Got everything?" Tim asked. "Clothes, snacks, weapons, nav system…"

"We got everything, Tim," Jon assured him.

"And if we don't, I'll pay for postage," Damian smirked.

"You three behave yourselves out there, got it? Jon, no blasting cars that cut you off," Tim warned.

"Gotcha, Tim," Jon said, looking slightly dejected.

"TK, you listen to your brothers, and do what they say. Guys, don't antagonize your sister. And whatever you do, just don't kill each other or get killed, okay?"

"Yes Tim!" The three chorused, and Tim could've sworn they'd almost reached three part harmony.

"Damian, call me when you and TK get home, that goes for you too, Jon," Tim ordered.

"Can we go now, please!" TK groaned. "I've already missed a week of school, and I've got midterms to study for!"

"All right, you three, get going, traffic's gonna be a mess," Tim said, smiling.

"Bye Tim! Bye Boss!" TK called.

"Boss, you take care of Tim for us, or else!" Damian yelled.

"That boat'll make some fine kindling!" Jon hooted, shooting a small flame up into the air as they drove off.

Tim gulped, watching the beat up, formerly-black-but-now-a-dusty-charcoal Wrangler careen down the street and out of sight.

Please, please, please, be safe, he thought.

"They'll be fine, Tim," Gibbs rumbled, clapping Tim on the shoulder. "They're all smart, and you taught 'em pretty damn well."

"I know," Tim sighed. "I just…"

"It's hard letting them go, huh?" Gibbs said quietly.

"Yeah," Tim groaned. "I was a basket case when Sarah went off to college… had nightmares every night for two months about her getting found by the Society... and then when Damian moved to Baltimore, and TK wanted to go with him…"

Gibbs chuckled. "I almost didn't let Kelly go to kindergarten, since Kelly didn't want to go, but Shannon convinced me to "let her try". She ended up loving it so much that she came home the first day and said she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up." He winked at Tim. "They'll be all right, you'll see. They'll be back for Christmas, remember? Damian promised to help me get the boat out of my basement."

Tim laughed. "And then Jon's gonna torch it and Abby's gonna lead everyone in voodoo dancing around it. Yeah, I remember." He paused for a moment, trying to think of how to say what he wanted to say. "Boss, I don't think I ever thanked you for everything you've done the last couple of weeks. Or in my case, the last several years or so."

"Y'don't thank family, Tim," Gibbs growled. "You thank whoever it was that gave 'em to ya. Now come on, I'm gonna show you how to pick a lock from the inside. You get stuck in some cellar again, I want to make sure you damn well know how to get out."

Tim laughed, and followed his boss inside. Just before he closed the door, he closed his eyes and dropped into his zone, tracking down his family.

Tony was at his apartment, probably sleeping off his hangover from the goodbye party Abby had thrown for Sarah, Jon, Damian, and TK. Abby herself was out in rural Virginia doing another Habitat for Humanity build. Ziva was en route from Waverly to her favorite gym. Ducky was in Dupont Circle, probably getting a head start on his Christmas shopping. Palmer and his fiancée Breena were in Arlington, in a wedding shop (he didn't envy poor Jimmy in the least). Sarah was in her college dorm room, probably catching up on sleep or studying, and Jon, Damian, and TK were tearing up I-95 towards Baltimore. Tim had half a mind to call them and yell at them to slow down, but he knew that they'd only go faster just to turn his hair gray prematurely.

"McGee! Get the hell down here, I haven't got all day!"

Tim blinked and grinned, closing the door. His whole family were all safe and accounted for, and he was about to spend the day with the closest thing he had to a father.

If there was any greater good, Tim didn't know what it was.

The End

Author's Note: Well, ladies and gents, this is the end! Thank you to everyone for your reviews, favorites, alerts, and just all around incredible support. If 150 reviews and counting ain't love, then I don't know what is!

There's a very slim chance of a sequel here, but since this story alone went through almost five complete redrafts before it became the version you see before you today, I have to say that it will probably be a very long time before I get the inclination to write a sequel.

Anyway, stay tuned for my next work, Periphery, my entry into the Obscure Ailments Challenge on NFA. It's due January 3rd, so you'll probably see bits and pieces of it before that. And I promise that I'll get to Line in the Sand, Periphery's going to take precedence though, due to the fact that it actually has a due date.

Until next time folks, Happy Reading!