Hi. So this is my first story. Never written for NCIS before. Obviously I don't own the show or the characters cause if I did Gibbs and McGee would be a happily married couple with kids by now. Obviously by that, you should know this is going to be a McGibbs story. I have been working hard on this story for ages, rewriting it dozens of time to perfect it until I was satisfied with the outcome. Not completely finished yet, but I am going to try and update as I have a chapter ready. Can't make promises though because life is demanding. Anyway I hope that you enjoy!

Getting a call in the middle of the night was never a good thing. It usually meant trouble in the form of a missing or dead Marine or Sailor, neither of which Special Agent Jethro Gibbs took kindly too. When the ringing of his phone woke him from were he had fallen asleep in the basement for about the fifth time that week, he didn't even bother to check the caller ID as he sat up to stretch, bones popping as he answered.

"Yeah Gibbs."

"Hey Boss." It was his youngest agent. "Sorry to wake you so early but I need your help."

Fully awake now, Gibbs stood and automatically headed for the stairs. His youngest agent never asked for help, at least not directly from Gibbs himself. Sure Gibbs had helped him in the past but that was only because he had been right there when the kid needed it. But now to be getting a call from him at - Gibbs looked down at his watch as he climbed the stairs - 2.35 in the morning - had his gut twisting.

"What's wrong McGee?"

"Um, not over the phone, I can't do this over the phone. I'm at the hospital and I..."

Gibbs froze in the middle of his kitchen. "You're hurt?"

"No. No. I'm not but someone close to me is. I just... I need your help Boss."

"Okay McGee. I'm on my way." Gibbs headed for the downstairs guest room where he kept his clothes to change out of the sweats he had changed into when he had gotten home just after nine that night. "Should I be calling DiNozzo and Ziva?"

There was a deep sigh over the phone before his agent answered. "Yeah. It'll probably be easier to explain all this just the once. Um... if Ducky could.. No. Never mind it's too early for him to be bothered too."

"It's not a bother Tim, if you want Ducky there, I will call him."

Another, shorter sigh followed a soft, "Thank you."

"Alright. Just hold tight and we'll be there soon."

He didn't get a reply and at first it had him worried until he heard the dial tone. His agent had hung up on him, a move he pulled on them on a daily bases. Really not liking to be on this side of his own move, Gibbs quickly dressed as he hit speed dial for his senior field agent, cradling the phone between ear and shoulder as he buttoned his shirt and buckled his belt.

"Hey Boss, we got a case?"

"Not sure. Just got a call from McGee. He's at Bethesda. Says he's okay but he needs help." Gibbs started tucking in his shirt as he left the bedroom and headed for the front room where he knew he had toed off his shoes and dropped his keys. "Collect Ziva and meet us there, I'm going to get Ducky."

"You sure he's okay?" Gibbs could hear rustling over the phone, knowing his agent was getting himself dressed.

"Not sure but I'm not going to waste time to find out. Get Ziva and get over there." Gibbs hung up and sat on the couch to tie his shoes as he made his next call. As soon as the doctor answered he winced. It really was an ungodly hour to be woken up. "Hey Duck, sorry. McGee just called me from Bethesda..."

"Oh Heavens is Timothy alright?"

"Says he is."

"I will meet you there Jethro."

"I can pick you up on the way, Duck."

"No, you get there now and make sure our young lad is alright. I shall be there soon enough."

"Thanks Ducky." Saying goodbye Gibbs snapped his phone shut and stood. He would never voice it but Gibbs was happy to not have to take the time to collect the medical examiner, wanting to get to the hospital and to his agent as soon as possible.

Grabbing his keys and wallet from the coffee table he was out the door and jumping in the car to head for the hospital. His gut was still telling him something was very wrong and he knew it wouldn't settle until he saw McGee for himself. He had only just got the team back together four months ago after Vance had dismantled them to find the mole. He wasn't ready to lose one of them again so soon, especially McGee.

Everyone who knew him, knew that his team were like his kids. Tony and Ziva and Abby. Hell even Palmer had slipped into the role of surrogate son over the years to him, even if the kid never came to him for anything, usually going to Ducky instead. But everyone that knew him, also knew that he treated McGee different. He had too. Had to keep his youngest agent at arms length. He didn't see McGee in a paternal light like he did the others, it was more... he couldn't really say romantic, but he had been harboring feelings for the younger man for years now, never allowing himself to think or even say the words out loud. He knew that Ducky knew, the old man always seemed to know.

But McGee was his agent, he was the kid's boss. He couldn't do anything about the way he felt unless that changed and he would rather ignore what he was feeling then lose one of the best agents he had ever had on his team. Because McGee was one of the best. He was a green rookie, only a year out of FLETC when Gibbs had transferred him to the team seven years ago, still had so much to learn. But he was also smart and learned quickly. Gibbs didn't understand the techy babble that always seemed to fly out of the kid's mouth, but it secretly made him smile when Tim was so happily talking about a new program he wrote or a new gadget he was testing.

So engrossed in his thoughts Gibbs didn't realize he had reached the hospital until he was suddenly parked near the main entrance. Chuckling to himself at the thought of him automatically driving without knowing, Gibbs turned off the car and stepped out, making sure he had his phone with him still. He locked the car up and headed inside. Just as he stepped inside he realized he didn't know which room he should be heading for, or which floor. He pulled out his phone as he stepped closer to the front desk. A nurse caught his eye before he could dial his agents number and ask.

"Agent Gibbs?"

Hiding the shock that the nurse knew who he was, or at least had guessed, he just nodded.

The nurse smiled at him. "Your agent told us you'd be showing up. He's on the third floor, room A11."

Gibbs nodded. "Thank you." He only took a step before pausing and turning back to her. "Third floor is maternity."

Again she smiled and nodded. "I am sure he would like to tell you himself."

Before he could say anymore or take another step the entrance doors behind him opened.

"Oh hey boss, good timing."

"DiNozzo, didn't expect you here so fast."

Tony shrugged, hands in his pockets as he looked over at Ziva next to him. "Had our little ninja drive. Wanted to get to Probie faster, make sure he's okay." He turned back to their boss with a frown. "He is, isn't he? Ducky already with him?"

Gibbs shook his head. "He's on his way. Let's go see for ourselves that McGee is okay."

The three of them headed for the elevator banks, quickly jumping on one that had just opened and was now empty as the only occupant, a doctor, exited. Tony watched as Gibbs hit the third floor button and as the doors were closing Tony's eyes widened.

"Boss, third floor is..."

"I know, Tony."

"What?" Ziva looked between the two men. "What is on the third floor?"

"Maternity ward, Ziva." Tony was still frowning as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Together they exited the metal box and Tony and Ziva, still not fully sure where to go, followed Gibbs down the hall. When they reached the correct room Gibbs stopped at the window. They all peered inside to find their fellow agent and friend hunched over in a chair by the hospital bed. A woman, heavily pregnant, lay still on the bed, a ventilator down her throat, bandages wrapped around her head. Gibbs didn't knock but he did open the door and step in quietly so not to startle his agent. Tony and Ziva right behind him.

"Tim?"

The head lifted and dull green eyes looked back at them. It took a moment for them to focus and once they did McGee sat up straight and rubbed at his eyes. "Boss, you're here."

Gibbs had to smile as he stepped up next to his agent as McGee stood. He wrapped a hand around the younger man's neck and lightly squeezed, pleased when McGee seemed to almost melt into his touch. "You called, of course we're here."

Tim looked at him with a ghost of a smile, not backing away from the warm hand on the back of his neck. He then turned to his teammates, both silently watching him. "I know you have a lot of questions but I'd rather wait to say it all with Ducky here too."

"When's the last time you ate?" Gibbs still had not removed his hand from his agents neck. He figured they could go down to the cafeteria and have the discussion they obviously needed down there.

"Probably lunch yesterday." Tim frowned, his face scrunching up as he thought about it. "Got home just after 10 and was going to make myself a sandwich before collapsing in bed when I got the call." Tim's eyes shifted to the prone figure in the bed.

All eyes in the room followed as Tim continued. "I rushed here and was going to call you right away but the police wanted to talk and then the doctor's did and by the time I was allowed in to see her it was already 2 in the morning."

"Who is she Probie?" Tony's voice was unnaturally soft.

"Carrie Lockhart, one of my college friends."

"So you have kept in touch." Ziva asked. "Otherwise they would not have called you when she was hurt."

Tim sadly smiled, subconsciously smoothing down a ruffle in the blanket covering the woman, his hand hovering over her baby bump but not touching. "I'm her's and Hannah's medical proxy. I was called the moment she was brought in."

"Hannah?" Gibbs asked, his hand finally dropping from his agent's neck.

Tim frowned at the loss of contact and slightly shivered at the cold air but answered his boss, still staring at the woman in the bed. "Hannah Barclay. Carrie's wife and my childhood best friend." McGee muffled a sob as his hand flew to his mouth.

"McGee?" Ziva and Tony took a step closer.

Tim straightened up and turned to Gibbs. "I need your help because Hannah was murdered last night. She's not military, neither is Carrie, but they're my family and I need to find who did this, I need to find who took my.." Tim closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped. "We need to wait for Ducky."

Gibbs had already filled in the end of McGee's sentence but nodded in understanding. He had returned his hand to Tim's neck and squeezed again before steering the man towards the door, knowing the other two would follow. "Okay so we wait for him in the cafeteria. You need to eat something before you end up in a hospital bed as well."

Tim nodded and didn't fight the hand steering him out of the room. He did however lean more into it as they stopped at the nurses station so he could tell them where he would be if something happened. Then the four agents headed for the elevators and back down to the ground floor. While Gibbs got coffee for himself and food for Tim, Ziva led McGee to an empty table, sitting across from him, knowing Gibbs would want to be next to the younger man.

Tony veered off to call Ducky and let the doctor know where to meet them before he too got coffee for himself, and tea for both Ziva and Ducky. He soon joined the rest of them at the table, sitting next to Ziva and handing her the cup of tea, setting the other off to the side for Ducky. Gibbs sat down next to Tim and pushed the plate of food in front of him, along with a cup of extra sweetened coffee.

Tim shuttered at the taste but dutifully drank it, knowing Gibbs expected him too. They sat in silence only a few minutes as Tim picked at the food, getting a few bites down before Ducky appeared and sat next to Tony, gladly accepting the tea waiting for him. Tim looked up to find four pairs of eyes watching him, waiting for him to finally tell him what they all wanted and needed to know.

Taking one last bite of his food before pushing the plate away, Tim rested his crossed arms on the table in front of him and started from the beginning. He never looked up from the spot on the table as his eyes became unfocused, telling his story.