"Whether or not you've decided you're ready to let this go, won't mean anything if you haven't hashed out the pain and blame for the changes you've had to go through – the new course your life's been set on – with the one you hold responsible. You need to talk to Gibbs. Hash it out completely, no matter how painful or rough it gets. Trust me, the healing won't start for real until you do. Come back to D.C. Talk to Gibbs. Before you start your new job with OSP.

*******NCIS******

With Rachel's words from three days ago during their latest phone conversation still ringing in his ears, Tim quietly takes the stairs of the basement until he's two from the bottom – at which point, he lowers himself to sit on the step two above his feet, but says nothing to the man he's come to see; choosing instead to let him lead things off.

Shock is evident, he's sure, in his tone as Gibbs smiles at his visitor. He really is glad to see him. "Mc….Tim. When'd you get back? Ziva didn't tell me you were comin' back so soon."

"Just got in. Ziva doesn't know I'm in D.C. Yet."

"Oh."

"I came to talk to you."

"Okay. What's on your mind?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that."

"Mexico."

"I know I told Abby and Ziva that I had to let it go – all of it. And I meant it."

"Somethin' changed your mind." Gibbs observes. Otherwise they wouldn't be having this conversation.

"Rachel."

"Ah." Gibbs nods. Of course! The doc isn't about to let Tim leave anything unresolved. It's her job, after all to look out for his mental well-being and if that means talking him into having it out with Gibbs, than, well, it needs to be done. Truth be told, Gibbs is relieved this time has finally come.

"Guess that means you're agreeing with her." Tim muses dryly.

"She's got a good point."

"Okay. " Tim nods. "Good. Then I haven't wasted a trip over here."

"Wouldn't have been a waste – no matter the reason you're here, Tim. You're always welcome."

Tim grimaces. "Probably won't think so after I get this out."

"Nothin' you say here will change that." The older man insists quietly yet firmly.

"Okay. Well, here goes nothin'. I've thought about this for a while now and I figured out that Vance wouldn't have hidden the fact that he'd known the details - to protect Abby – but you would have– so it had to have stopped with you! You knew what she'd done and you protected her! What I don't understand is from what, Gibbs?"

"I wasn't protecting her, Tim." Gibbs offers quietly. "I didn't know."

"That's bull and you know it!" Now, Tim's pissed and suddenly all bets are off as the gloves come off for the first time ever. "Why is it you couldn't come to me and ask me about what happened down there? Taken one minute to hear my side? What, you just didn't care? Was your favoritism that deep that I really meant that little to you?"

"I didn't know." Gibbs repeats quietly. The strength of Tim's anger is shocking. It's as if someone's poured gasoline on the fuse and thrown a match on it and now he's watching it heat up from just two feet away, mesmerized; unable to look away or move to a safe distance.

Caught up in the wave of rage he's finally let go of, Tim's on a roll he can't seem to stop or even hear outside of. "You completely disregarded me – the same way you disregarded me for those four months I was stuck down in cyber-crimes – right below you! Only this time, you let her do it too! You knew how she acted down there! Not only that, you told her what we were dealing with – with the body we brought back - but you couldn't show me the same respect? I was the one who offered my life up! For hers! Because of her pig-headed stupidity! And you never said a word!"

Finally out of steam and the worst of the first fireball of fury, Tim goes quiet, his breathing harsh and unsteady as he glares across the short distance between them, more angrily than he's ever looked at Gibbs before.

"I didn't know, Tim. Only knew that the cold case she was assigned to teach was coming back to bite me in the ass. I didn't have any details of what really happened down there." He frowns as he remembers feeling angry about the situation she'd inadvertently brought down on his head – through no fault of her own. But he also remembers thinking that however things had happened down there, they'd most likely pulled whatever strings necessary and threatened or hired whoever they had to in order to get their hands on the NCIS team.

Clenching his fists at his sides, Tim uncurls them only to clench the again; repeating the process for a mere minute before he lets his response rip. "THAT doesn't excuse you not talking to me for even a minute about that body! ESPECIALLY when it turned into an all-out fight for all of our survival against that… witch!"

Gibbs stops. His mind sharply focuses on what Tim's talking about. He recalls his single-minded focus back then, had been finding and talking to Abby. It had never crossed his mind to take time to talk to Tim about any of it. Hell, from the minute the two of them stepped back into NCIS, the Team Leader's tunnel vision had been set on Abby. "Tim, I…"

"The ONLY thing you said to me the ENTIRE time that mess was going on…was the first day we got back. Do you remember what you said to me, Gibbs?"

Gibbs can only shake his head. He doesn't remember talking to Tim at all that day.

"No? I'm not surprised because the ONLY thing you said to me was 'Where's Abby?' !"

The older man has no response to that. He can barely remember anything from that part of time, beyond that case and the hell his team had been put through on account of it. Obviously, Tim's hell had been deeper and started earlier than he'd ever suspected. And though it's nearly a year later, it's still needing to be hashed out.

"I'd just been forced to offer my life up for hers – and neither one of you gave a damned! She acted like it never happened! And when we got back – you acted like I was dirt you had to wipe off the bottom of your shoe – easily done, right? "Where's Abby?" That's all it took! You kept walking and never looked back; not once!"

Deliberately remaining silent while he scrutinizes the younger man, Gibbs turns away to his work bench and works to clear out his mason jar, dumping it out and wiping it clean before pouring a double shot of his bourbon into it. Turning back to his guest, he hands it to him without a word. Tim needs to calm down. He needs to take a minute to focus on doing just that. For his own sake.

Taking the offered drink in hand, Tim breathes out deeply, a shudder of pent of resignation and residual anger running through him as he turns away to pull himself together. Wow! Bet Rachel hadn't had this in mind when she'd said he needed to have it out with Gibbs once and for all! Wearily, he tosses the drink back, choking on it as it burns it way down his throat.

Watching Tim fight to pull himself back together and drink the bourbon way too fast, Gibbs frowns. This is what he'd tried to get Tim to do weeks ago. But more importantly, the young man is finally doing it and this old man needs to focus on what's being said and address every bit of it. His former agent is right. Gibbs greatly disrespected him then and treated him like he wasn't even a whisper on his radar that day. The very day that Tim had returned to the fold from having just gone through one of the most hellish situations in his life; the person he counted on and trusted to keep him safe; hadn't even spoken to him like he'd mattered at all..

"Rule 51" Gibbs says quietly. Though he'd drafted that rule after the Cartel nightmare, it certainly fits right now; hell it fits for the whole damned situation from start to finish – for his part in it, anyway.

"What?" Tim turns to ask angrily.

"Sometimes you're wrong."

Tim has nothing to say to that. In fact, he's not willing to touch it with a ten foot pole. He's still hungry here; hungry for the words he knows he probably still won't hear. But at least he's finally asked for them. Rachel may have been right that he should have asked a long time ago; but the fact is that he's doing it now and once he's heard all that this man has to say on this – he'll be able to put this part of his time on the team back under the rock it's been stored under and go back to L.A. to get started on the next chapter of his life. His and Ziva's life.

"I was wrong, Tim. For a lot of things that did and didn't happen in that mess. Things I should have said. Things I shouldn't have."

To see Gibbs finally dig deep enough to admit this to him; eyes locked on his own, breaks a wave of calm over Tim and he's unable to look away while the man he's long wished would talk to him like this; continues to do so.

"Should've talked to you when you first got back. Didn't make time for much talking back then. Should have. There were things I didn't know!...Vance…Ducky…they said something since – different times – but with all that was going on then, I missed it – didn't take the time to talk to you. Can't excuse it. But I am sorry, Tim.. "

"I agree. You had time; time enough to talk to Abby. Wouldn't have hurt you to say those three little words you use so much on any other day, Gibbs. You remember them? 'With me, McGee.'?"

The older man remains silent on that question, spurring Tim's reaction as he pieces the truth he's seeing together with this part of the story.

"You didn't want me to be there; to include me when you explained it to her."

"Bad enough Abby found out." Gibbs shakes his head. "Parts you didn't need to know about. Never told her any more than she needed to know, either."

"Oh, like the part where all of this started back more than twenty years ago when your family was ruthlessly killed by the same bastard we'd just brought back to D.C. because we'd just been used as pawns in the middle of her vendetta against you? I was just as much her pawn as Abby was!"

On a shaky breath, Gibbs nods. "Yeah." A heartbeat later, the Team Leader asks just as quietly. "How'd you know?"

"Abby's not the only one good at putting puzzle pieces together." Tim answers much more quietly, too respectful of the devastating loss at the heart of this part of the discussion, to be irate with the man.

Gibbs nods in silent comprehension that no one had had to tell Tim anything. He'd put the pieces together on his own and figured out the complete equation – including the time span that had come with it.

"But, this brings us back to my point!" Tim announces with a little more heat in his tone. "You knew what we were dealing with then and yet, the only person you felt deserved an answer or even a minute of your time, was Abby! I wasn't as stupid as you and Tony thought I was, Gibbs! Hell, I wasn't even as stupid or gullible as Abby thought I was! I knew who you were talking to and it sure as hell wasn't me. It didn't take a college degree to know that meant you already blamed me for that mess falling on us!"

Now it's Gibbs' who's shaking his head. "No. Never crossed my mind to blame you for any of it, Tim."

Shocked into silence, Tim breathes in and out with deliberateness aimed at calming himself down. He doesn't quite know what to do with this unexpected truth as it punches him in the gut. The fact that Gibbs never even thought to blame him for any of the Mexican mess seems to pull at a stray thread that's been holding the fabric of this thing together for the longest time. Mentally, the image of pulling this thread and watching it completely undo the entire picture, floors him.

Watching Tim try to absorb the answer he clearly hadn't been expecting, Gibbs reaches down inside himself for one more vital confession he knows Tim not only needs to hear, but deserves to hear, as well. "Never meant for any of it to mean you weren't still part of my family, either." Looking away now, Gibbs finds his breath catching in his throat. He'd never thought of Tim as not part of his family. In fact, he'd lain awake in the following nights, back then, worrying that as the original point of contention the cartel had deliberately set their eyes one, his youngest team member would be targeted yet again. Keeping him safe had been the focus of keeping him holed up at the agency while the rest of them had done whatever needed to be done off the yard. Of course, the fact that he was the best man for the job of keeping electronic tabs on their target had been a huge bonus, easily justifying the choice.

Tim frowns as he gets to his feet and turns to leave. He feels marginally better for getting everything off his chest and where he now no longer feels like the lone soldier left out on the battlefield after all the others have been killed, There's not much else to say because this isn't something that needs to be beaten into submission anymore. He does however, have one parting thought that pretty much sums up the whole mess.

"Wouldn't have taken much to let me know that. Gibbs. But it would have made a hell of a difference in how things turned out between you and I."

Looking up at the sign of Tim's heading up the stairs, Gibbs offers what he can. "I am sorry, Tim."

Freezing in his tracks, Tim sighs. It won't immediately heal the hurt by any stretch of the imagination, but it will help a hell of a lot. "Thank you. Apology accepted. But only because it's all I can ask since too much time's gone by and nothing can be undone." Without anything further being said he continues on up the stairs, mentally chastising himself for that botched acceptance of the man's apology.

"You broke Rule 8." Gibbs calls up to his retreating back

"What?" Tim stops and turns around on the stairs, his eyes locking on to those of his boss, laying some blame at Tim's feet where the younger man hadn't expected there to be any

"You assumed all this time that I knew what happened down there. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do you even have to ask? " Tim demands hotly, while quickly retracing his steps back to the bottom stair. "You favor her over the rest of us for years, let her get by with all kinds of stuff while blaming me for a lot of it and you have to ask why I wouldn't pick up the phone and call you or worse, come back here and tell you in person:- oh, yeah, sorry, Boss, I had to talk the cartel out of shooting and killing Abby because I couldn't stop her from walking all over me and taking those students out there or talk sense into the driver who stupidly did what she wanted instead of listening to me?.'? As I just reminded you, you didn't give me the time of day when we got back. When the hell was I supposed to have told you?"

"Tim…" Gibbs is blown away because right this minute he's seeing a side of Tim he's never seen before.

"Because we both know what your first reaction would have been if I had anyway! Just like the other times, she screwed up but I got the blame and the public punishment! This time would have been ten times worse and we both know it! You would have taken you badge off and pulverized me on the spot! She's all you ever cared about! You never cared or tried to understand for a minute that while she listened to you and Tony both and took you both seriously…" Tim pauses as if to find the right words

Gibbs is attentively waiting to hear the rest, although he has a good idea of where this is going. Tim's gone this far out on a limb to vent everything, finally; to admit just how much blame he has lain at the boss' feet. It's rare and long overdue so the least Gibbs can do is hear him out without doing or saying anything to stem the flow before he's done.

"She never took me seriously when I was assigned to protect her. And you've always known that but never did a damned thing about it. And maybe it was something that went back to our dating before I joined the team, I don't know. What I do know is that you probably blamed me for that too!"

.

*********NCIS************

Tony sighs deeply as he plops down on his couch, six pack of beer in one hand, box of pizza in the other before he slides it onto the table and uses his now free hand to pick up the remote to surf the channels. Here it is nearly ten and he's restless and wide awake. Since he hadn't had to help Ziva after work tonight for the first time since Tim left more than a week ago, he's had a little more free time on his hands and no idea how to use it.

Pizza and beer; his old rouse for spending night after night alone back when saving face was so damned important that he'd never considered letting anyone in on the truth, now called to him enough that he'd actually stopped off and gotten both before coming home. Leaning forward, he braces his forearms on his thighs and reaches into the box of pizza for a slice and deftly picks one up, holding it up to his wide open mouth as he prepares to take a huge bite – only to freeze at the sound of his cell phone chirping in his shirt pocket.

Sighing with irritation he reaches into his pocket with his free hand, while still eyeing the pizza slice hanging over his mouth. Flipping his phone open, he hits the answer button with the phone stuck between his head and his shoulder as he finally bites into his mouth-watering pizza.

"Tony. Don't eat that!"

Sputtering, he drops the pizza and works to swallow the mouthful he's already got without choking. It takes a minute but he's soon barking into the phone. "Ziva? What the hell?"

"Dinner. My place. Now. And I will not take no for an answer. Ten minutes, Tony!"

Grumbling and griping at her piss poor timing and less than polite mannerism that are just so not Ziva-like, Tony tosses the pizza and beer into his refrigerator, turns off his tv and scoops up his keys on his way out. It's a fifteen minute drive to her apartment and he's not in any better of a mood when he gets there in seven and a half. Stomping up the steps to her floor, he works over in his mind what piece of it he's going to give her.

Huffing out an impatient breath, he rings her doorbell. He fidgets nervously, even as the words he's decided on keep replaying themselves over in his mind. As the door opens to reveal the last person he's expected to see, those words disappear and one escapes in their place.

"McGee!"

********NCIS*********

An hour later finds dinner of steak and baked potatos over and Tim and Ziva cuddled together on her couch while Tony is reclining in her easy chair. Tim has already told of his early flight back in the morning and the fact that Ziva won't be going with him this time. Deliberately he's turned the conversation and now their discussion is calm and friendly, yet serious as they touch on things still left unsaid between them.

"So, you came back to D.C. because Rachel convinced you to have it out with Gibbs." Tony asks conversationally, obviously wanting more details.

"Yeah." Tim admits quietly from his place within Ziva's arms. "This time, anyway. Came back last weekend for Ziva."

"From what you said happened, it sounds like she was right." Tony advises as he deliberately ignores the information he's just been given that Tim didn't contact him while in town last weekend. Then again, it had been a working weekend so, maybe there hadn't been time. No matter. What matters is the here and now.

"She was. Then again, I figured she was when she first told me two weeks ago. She is the shrink. Right?" Tim replies.

"And yet she needed to say it several times before you believed her." Ziva chides gently.

"I knew it was gonna be a bit… a royal pain … and I wasn't ready… until late last night." Tim admits quietly, looking now not at Ziva, but at Tony.

"Well, I am proud of you. That does not, however, mean I like you coming back without telling me first. I like to know when you are flying so that I may say a blessing on your flight." Ziva chastises him as she leans down to look into his eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry I won't do it again." Tim promises as he reaches up and pulls her neck down so he can reach her mouth to kiss her.

"I know you said that Gibbs heard you out and apologized but just how did you leave things with him?" Tony asks out of genuine concern for his friend.

Tim swings his feet around and settles more comfortably next to Ziva, picking up her hand in his as he looks down at the floor for a minute to gather his thoughts.

****Flashback****

"She never took me seriously. And you've always known that but never did a damned thing about it. And maybe it was something that went back to our dating before I joined the team, I don't know. What I do know is that you probably blamed me for that too!"

"Yeah. I did."

"I knew it!"

"Never should have. Should have set her straight a hell of a long time ago."

"Too little. Too late."

"Yeah." The man's tone is full of regret so genuine it's nearly palpable.

"I'm sorry, too. Gibbs." Tim offers. "For not speaking up back then …about anything over the years….for not hearing you out when you wanted us to get this out the first time… for all of it that I could have….should have handled differently….better." Tim huffs out a heavy breath as he stops trying to get the words out.

Gibbs nods as he readily accepts Tim's apology without hesitation. "Apology accepted. You weren't able to trust that I'd listen. That's on me. Somethin' I'll have to live with. Can't take it back."

Tim returns the silent acceptance of what's being said in his own nod because he hears the regret as much as he feels it himself.. Getting to his feet he turns to head up the stairs. Silence accompanies him along the way until he stops at the top. Looking back down, he addresses his former boss one last time. "Thank you for this. Guess Rachel was right. I did need it."

"Anytime, Tim."

Tim looks to see if the man's being smart-assed but finds the most serious of expressions in place instead. He watches in surprise as Gibbs climbs the stairs until he's standing face to face with his former agent. Reaching out, the older man lays one supportive hand on Tim's shoulder.

"You need anything. You call me."

Searching the older man's expression and into his eyes for the truth, Tim finds the steel-laced promise within that spoken invitation, something he's long depended on and counted on, yet somehow never expected to find again. It brings a small smile to his face as he offers a slight nod and his quiet verbal counter-agreement. "I won't lose your number."

After a long silent moment scrutinizing his younger former agent, Gibbs nods in silent acceptance of the promise he's being offered. Dropping his hand from Tim's shoulder, he offers one last request. "Take care of yourself, Tim."

"I will, Gibbs. Watch over Ziva for me. The others, too."

Gibbs nods. "I will."

Tim turns to go, almost disappearing completely from sight.

"Tim!"

Turning back, he waits for the older man to say what's on his mind. He's blown away by what the man has to say

"Don't forget. Here, you're family."

His vision suddenly, blurry, Tim blinks as he nods in silent comprehension and turns to go.

******End Flashback*****

Opening his eyes, Tim finds that Tony and Ziva are both watching him with abject sympathy in their eyes. It's Tony who speaks first, his voice quiet and almost paternal.

"He's right."

"I know, Tony. I promise I won't forget. You guys are my family, too"

"That why you shaded your promise to him?"

"Tony, maybe it's not a promise to call Gibbs first, but it is a promise that I won't refuse to call him if ever need him.

"So it was your way of letting Gibbs know you're ready to entrust your safety and well-being to your new team first and foremost. And Gibbs last."

"They're trustworthy, Tony. Believe me. I'll be fine."

Tony gets to his feet. His eyes suspiciously wet. "I'm gonna go before I embarrass the both of us."

Tim is on his feet and wrapping Tony in an embrace. "Thank you, Tony. For everything."

"No sweat, man." Tony attempts to downplay the situation and lighten the mood.

Tim steps back, just barely, as he drops his arms. "Look after Ziva." He pleads quietly.

"Don't even have to ask, man. Just promise me, you're gonna look after yourself. Don't go getting' yourself killed or even scratched!"

"Tony…."

"I'm kiddin' about the scratched up part, Probie. Just not the 'killed part." Wear a vest or somethin'. I don't know, just don't…" Tony drops the thought.

"I get it, Tony. Really. I'll do what I can. I promise." Tim vows earnestly as he tries to reassure his friend.

"That's all we can ask, right?" Tony replies almost flippantly as he glances at Ziva and sees her eyes sparkle with unexpected moisture.

Breathing out slowly, Tim answers as calmly as he can manage. "Right"

On a choked breath, Tony reiterates his last order "Take care, man." Wrenching open the apartment door, once he steps through it; closing it firmly between them.

With Ziva's arms wrapped around him, Tim murmurs. "Stay safe, Tony"

*******NCIS*******

0445 Saturday morning

Their arms wrapped around each other, Tim and Ziva walk slowly to the airport gate Ziva's told him they need to go for Tim's flight. It's been a somber morning wrapped up in each other's arms long after they should have been up getting ready, causing them to have to let Ziva drive them to the airport Tim frowns as he checks the flight information on the teleprompter along the way and notices that they're not late at all. On second glance, he realizes they're not even headed to the right gate! What the heck's going on?

Realizing that Ziva's taken this last time he's stopped to check the teleprompter and used it to go on ahead of him, he find himself calling out to her. "Ziva! You're going the wrong way!" Almost as if she's ignoring him, she hurries down the corridor, causing him to have to hurry to catch up to her. The gate isn't far and it's not long before they're there. His one thought carrying through the distance between them as he hurries to turn the corner on her tail is that somehow she's gotten the gates mixed up. "You know this is the wron…." Ziva shushes him with a heady kiss, leaving him nearly breathless when she finally does pull away to step back from him a little.

With his thoughts sufficiently altered, his next one is of concern for her. "You know, if you stay, until my flight leaves, you'll be late for work." He reminds her quietly as he leans in to kiss her again.

"I think NCIS can make an exception, Agent McGee." Vance's unexpected voice comes from beside him, causing Tim to pull back and turn in shock.

The sight that greets him stuns him. Standing before him now is every one of his former co-workers, all wearing weary smiles that speak not only of their happiness to see him, but also of their sadness to see him go. Jimmy, Ducky, Abby, Tony, Gibbs and Vance, each wearing bemused smirks at his own reaction to their surprise; remain silent as they await what he has to say on this obviously unexpected development.

Turning his attention to Ziva, it hits him that she's fully in on this and it floors him.

Glancing once more at each of them he finally attempts to speak. "Wow. I don't kn….just wow!"

Ducky is the first to approach him "Timothy. How nice to see you again, my dear young man!" Clasping Tim on the shoulder, Ducky's smile is contagious as it's filled with genuine happiness. "I do wish you the best, lad."

"Thank you, Ducky." Tim replies in awe. The fact that they've all made the trip out to the airport to see him off leaves him nearly speechless. Caught up in a moment of exhilaration and raw emotion, he pulls the older man to him in an embrace. "Thanks for everything, Ducky"

"My pleasure, dear boy My pleasure. Do come back to us when you can, won't you?"

"I'll come back. I promise."

"Gonna hold you to that, Tim." Jimmy came next, reaching out to shake his hand. "Thanks for the email." He offers quietly enough that only Tim can hear him. "It means a lot. To both of us."

"Me, too." Tim offers in return, knowing exactly what the other man is referring to. "And thank you."

Jimmy nods and steps away, as both he and Ducky turn to go. "Good bye, Timothy Take care of yourself." Ducky offers before the two of them step back as if waiting for the others to have their say.

Not surprisingly, Abby is next as she steps up, almost timidly. "Tim." Her eyes are already bright with unshed tears.

"Hey, Abby.' He greets her quietly, knowing exactly where her head's at.

"Is it okay if I hug you now? Because I'm really gonna miss you!"

Opening his arms, he beckons her. "C'mere." He gives her a minute to embrace him, to let her sorrow show before he reaches up to pat her on the back, trying to bring her back enough that she'll let go. "Abby. We can work on our friendship no matter where I am. That's what email's for."

Pulling back, Abby sniffles as she nods "You just take care of yourself, you hear?" Without waiting for him to respond, she steps over to Ducky and allows the older man to envelop her in his embrace as the two of them with Jimmy, turn and walk away, back down the corridor toward the airport's main entrance.

Turning his eyes off the retreating trio, Tim blinks to clear his vision. He's startled to find Vance in front of him next, waiting for his turn to say what's on his mind. "Stick to the plan, Agent McGee. You do that and you'll have your chance to be back here in no time."

"Thank you, Sir." Tim offers as he accepts the man's offered hand shake. "For everything" At this point, Tim's eyes wander deliberately over in Gibbs' direction enough that it's clear he's speaking of the Director's advice on the subject; given a while back.

"You're quite welcome, son." Vance smiles softly before letting his expression become serious and lowering his voice. "Don't take any unnecessary risks out there. I want you back in one piece"

"I won't Sir." Tim promises.

"Good! Have a safe flight." The Director turns and walks away without looking back.

Tim's not surprised to find Gibbs is next to be standing in front of him. He is, however, nervous and completely at a loss as to what to say to the man after their talk last night.

Unexpectedly, Gibbs reaches out to shake his hand. "Not gonna be the same without you, Tim." He remarks quietly to him with a rare glimpse of emotion. Dropping his hand, Gibbs steps back as he quietly speaks one last request. "Stay safe." He turns and walks away without looking back, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.

Swallowing hard, Tim wipes a hand across his face.

"Guess we know how he feels after all." Tony remarks quietly as he steps up to Tim, no hint of mockery anywhere in his tone. "Goes for all of us, man."

Tim nods, too tripped up for words.

Tony slaps Tim on the back macho style, then pulling back and stepping back. "Meant what I said last night."

"I know" Tim replies quietly "I did too, Tony. I'll be careful. I promise."

"Good, 'cause, I'm with Gibbs on this one. If anything happens to you…"

"Tony. I'll be fine. I learned from the best, didn't I?"

"Yeah. Kid. That ya did." Tony admits with a grin. "Alright then, go out there and make us proud!"

Slightly reassured that Tony will be okay, Tim smiles back. "That I can do. Take care of the family, Tony."

"What are you…Italian mobster, now?" Tony jokes. "Of course, I will."

"I know." Tim offers. "You stay safe, too, Tony."

"Ah, we do what we can, right?"

"Right."

Tony pumps Tim's hand in one last hand shake, slaps him on the shoulder one last time and turns and walks away. His entire trek down the hallway, watched by both Tim and Ziva, holding hands as Tim's eyes begin to blur once more.

Once Tony turns the corner at the end of the long corridor, Ziva pulls Tim slightly until he turns to face her. "Now it is my turn to say goodbye" She murmurs. "But for us, it is only until next weekend, yes?"

Tim nods silently. Suddenly, he's full of regret for this choice he's accepted for his future.

"Timothy do not second guess this. I can see it in your eyes. Saying goodbye to everyone is hard. But it is the right thing for you. You need this change – this chance." She softly chides.

"I know." He murmurs as a shudder ripples through him.

Uncounted minutes later, they silently begin the trek down the hallway to the right gate for Tim's flight. Once there, Ziva patiently waits while Tim checks in. They've only got a few minutes to spare before the plane boards.

Feeling like a pressure cooker's about to go off, Tim pulls Ziva to him, wrapping himself up in her arms.

"It was nice to see them wear their hearts on their sleeves for you."

Her encouragement to look that the bright side of this sadness does what she intended it to as Tim huffs out a quiet laugh. She does have a point, although he knows she'll probably never use that expression again. Truth be told, he's shocked she's used it at all. Too much time hanging around Tony, he guesses. It really was nice to see them step up and show they care and will genuinely miss him. He'll miss them, too.

The remainder of his pre-boarding time is eaten up as they hold onto each other, silent yet each drinking up what they can of the other's touch and embrace. Tim's eyes fill with tears and he struggles to hold them in.

Hearing the first call for the plane boarding, Ziva pulls away finally, gently wiping away his tears. Stepping back, she walks with him to the gate, She reaches up and pulls his face closer to her, kissing him sensually. Pulling back, Ziva touches him at the corner of his mouth. "Until next Saturday morning when I come to you." She reminds him and kisses him one last time before gently pushing him toward the stewardess waiting to check his ticket and give him entry to the boarding corridor to the plane. " I love you, Timothy McGee."

"I love you, too Ziva" He replies with his heart on his sleeve for her. With a lump in his throat, he turns and walks away to his plane– this time, already looking forward to her first visit after his new job begins.

~~FINIS~~...

for now.