"Good morning, Agent Gibbs."

"Morning, Palmer." Gibbs didn't get further than that when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Solid steps from someone wearing shoes, not the sound of bare feet. He turned and saw McGee dressed and looking ready for work. "What the hell do you think you're doing, McGee and how did you get dressed?" Looking closer, Gibbs saw that McGee's shoes weren't tied, so he pointed at the sofa. "Damn it, sit down before you trip and Ducky kills us both."

Tim sat, but he had a stubborn look on his face. "As the victim, I should have some say in the plea deal Colonel Fielding was offered."

"McGee..." Before Gibbs could get any further, his phone rang, the Director's name showing up on the display. He flipped his phone open and lifted it to his ear. "Yeah, Gibbs."

Apparently McGee's been on the phone with JAG

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out."

Let me guess. He's all dressed and demanding to come in.

"Got it in one." He heard Vance sigh.

I'd do the same thing if I were in his shoes. All right, bring him with you, then he can leave after he does what he needs to do.

"Already planning on it." Gibbs snapped his phone closed and looked over at his charge. McGee was sitting down at least, and Palmer was tying his shoes. "All right, McGee, you win this round, but as soon as you're done with Fielding, Palmer is bringing you back here and you're spending the rest of the day in bed. Understood?"

"Understood. Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs just bit his tongue and nodded.

By the time they reached the Yard, Gibbs was seriously doubting the decision. McGee was pale and sweaty, his hands shaking slightly. "Did you take a pain pill this morning?"

"I will after I'm done. I want a clear head for this."

-NCIS-

"I will after I'm done. I want a clear head for this." Hurting, Tim leaned back and closed his eyes. He knew he was doing the right thing, but would any of the rest of them understand it? They all hurt for him, and he understood that, but when it was all over he needed to be able to live with himself and blind vengeance wasn't his style. Not when it would hurt innocent people.

Gibbs was driving carefully and under the speed limit, which was a pretty good indicator of his level of worry, even if he didn't verbalize it. Tim kept alert enough to keep track of their location, making sure the older man didn't decide to return them to his house. Thinking of that reminded Tim that soon he would have a house of his own and that made him smile through his pain.

They arrived at the Yard without stopping and Gibbs parked right in front of the building. Anything security might have said about it dried up when they saw him.

"Hey, Agent McGee, welcome back. How are you feeling?"

"Doing better, Henry. Thanks."

"We'll just be a few minutes here, then We're taking him back home."

"No problem, Agent Gibbs."

Tim concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other to the elevator. Once he was in the elevator, he leaned against the cool metal of the wall and let Gibbs push the button. The steadying hand on his back was appreciated when the elevator came to a stop and they stepped out into the bullpen.

"McGee, what are you doing here?"

"Tim, welcome back. How are you feeling?"

He gave them a slight wave, but his focus was on the three men walking toward him from the stairs. One was the Director, of course. He recognized another one as a lawyer from JAG. The last one had enough medals and ribbons on him to only be one of a few people. The lawyer had what he wanted, so he turned to him first.

"Everything's ready?"

"Exactly as you asked for."

The folder was placed in his hands and he quickly flipped through the pages, carefully checking that the dates were right. He held everything so that no one on his team could read the forms. They'd find out soon enough, but he didn't have the energy to argue with them about it. "Is he here yet?"

"He is. He's waiting for you in an interrogation room and," the lawyer looked around and licked his lips. "His daughter is with him."

Tim almost stumbled. He'd really wanted to do this without her. "I see."

"As much as I appreciate you trying to save the Army the embarrassment, this isn't necessary, Agent McGee."

Tim didn't even bother to figure out who the other officer was. "I'm not doing this for the Army, sir. I'm doing this for myself. When this is all over, I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror. I understand that JAG would have given your office a courtesy call about today, but this is between Colonel Fielding and myself." He started walking toward the interrogation rooms, knowing that the rest of them would follow.

Not wanting any of his friends in there with him, Tim didn't waste any time getting through the door and closing it behind him. Hearing the faint sounds of multiple feet going into the observation room, he leaned against the door and forced a calm he didn't feel as his eyes met Delilah's.

She stared, tearing up as she shook her head. "Tim, I'm so, so sorry."

Not wanting to hear her excuses, Tim held his hand up. "This is between your father and me."

The man that could have been his father-in-law had aged at least twenty years in the last few days. Silent, he seemed resigned to whatever Tim wanted to do. Not explaining himself, Tim sat down and opened the folder before turning it toward the Colonel and sliding it across the table. He held a pen out. "Sign this please."

Before the Colonel could sign, Delilah took the folder away from him and quickly read through the top page. "You want him to resign his commission? He's already agreed to go to prison for you, what's the point?"

Tim never looked away from Colonel Fielding. "Read the dates."

When he saw the relief flood Fielding's face, Tim knew the older man understood what he was being given. Delilah didn't. "Great, on paper he resigned his commission two days before you actually forced him out. I guess you won, Tim."

The Colonel spoke for the first time since Tim walked into the room. "No, Delilah, this way your mother wins." He took the folder back from her and skimmed through it, confirming what he believed it said, and quickly signed all three pages where it was already marked for him. "I don't deserve this, Tim, but thank you."

"I don't understand, Daddy."

"By allowing me to voluntarily resign and have it recorded as happening before I committed a crime, the Army will treat it as a retirement. I will still go to prison, but your mother will have my pension to live on."

"Oh." Judging from the look on her face, Delilah hadn't ever considered the fallout from what she had caused.

Tim shook his head. She might be a civilian employee of the Department of Defense and been born and raised an Army brat, but she really had no clue. "How old is your mother, Delilah?"

"Fifty-four."

"She was nineteen when she married your father, right?" Tim knew he was right, he'd heard the stories about how they'd met and fallen in love while he'd been at Officer's Candidate School and had given up college to follow him to his first posting. She hadn't worked since her first child was born, instead volunteering with different Army support groups for families and depending on her husband and his career to support her. "I'm doing this for her, not for either of you." Finished, he gathered up the papers and his pen and walked out without saying another word.

-NCIS-

Gibbs watched closely through the two way mirror as Tim walked into the interrogation room. He already looked drained as he leaned against the closed door. Delilah was watching Tim carefully and she looked guilty, but not guilty enough in his opinion.

Tim, I'm so, so sorry.

This is between your father and me.

Nope, not nearly guilty enough, but he was proud to watch Tim stand up to her attempts to get to him.

Sign this, please.

That gave Gibbs no clue as to what McGee was up to. He glanced over at the lawyer, but his face was passive. The General's expression was also closed off but Gibbs sensed a certain level of respect as the man watched what was happening. In the interrogation room, Delilah took the papers before her father could sign them.

You want him to resign his commission? He's already agreed to go to prison for you, what's the point?

Anger. She was still blaming McGee for not buckling and Gibbs felt his fingernails digging into his palms. Forcing a calm he didn't want to feel, he straightened his fingers and pressed them against his legs.

Read the dates.

As soon as he heard McGee say that, Gibbs was pretty sure what the younger man had done. The expression on Fielding's face confirmed it for him. Obviously Delilah didn't understand what a gift the family had been given.

Great, on paper he resigned his commission two days before you actually forced him out. I guess you won, Tim.

The Colonel looked even sadder that his daughter wasn't getting it as he took the pages back and signed them. No, Delilah, this way your mother wins. I don't deserve this, Tim, but thank you.

I don't understand, Daddy.

Judging from the confused faces from the rest of the team, she wasn't the only one, but Gibbs waited for Tim or her father to explain it to Delilah and thus, the rest of them.

By allowing me to voluntarily resign and have it recorded as happening before I committed a crime, the Army will treat it as a retirement. I will still go to prison, but your mother will have my pension to live on.

Oh.

Gibbs remembered seeing the woman when Delilah had been in the hospital. No one had said anything, but it was obvious to anyone that had seen her that her mother was in poor health. Frail enough that starting over from scratch would have been impossible. Gibbs was still too angry about what had happened to feel guilty about how the fallout would have affected the woman, but he was proud of Tim for taking the higher road. By the time he returned his attention to what was happening in the other room, McGee was walking out the door.

Gibbs met him in the hallway. Those expressive green eyes said it all.

I did what I thought was right.

Please don't be mad at me.

Gibbs gave a smile and a nod as he wrapped his hand around the back of Tim's neck and gave him a gentle squeeze. "You were right and we were too angry to see it."

"I know you and Dad were just trying to protect me, but I don't want you two to end up being the bad guys in this."

The question was unasked, but Gibbs heard it anyway. "I'll make sure he understands."

"Thanks, Boss."

Palmer appeared out of nowhere with a bottle of water and Gibbs waved him over. "Now, you take a damned pain pill, then Jimmy will drive you back to my place. Got it?"

That got a wan smile. "Got it, Boss."

Gibbs gave Palmer the 'move it' look and the two men were in the elevator before Delilah came out of the interrogation room. She looked around, obviously hoping to find Tim still there.

"Where is he, Agent Gibbs?"

"No longer your concern, Miss Fielding."

"I owe him an apology."

"After what you did?" Gibbs gave a snort and shook his head. "You owe him a hell of a lot more than that, but we'll settle for him living in peace."

Gibbs heard Tony coming out of the observation room and join them. He wasn't surprised when their conversation was interrupted. "That means you don't try to call Tim, you don't try to message him in any way. You're done, Delilah. You hurt him in a way no one else has ever managed to do and you don't get a second chance."

She was crying again. "I really do love him, Tony."

"I think you and Tim have a really different definition of love. Goodbye, Delilah."

Gibbs thought she was going to argue with Tony some more, but after staring at them for a few seconds she turned her chair and rolled it toward the elevator. He waited until she was out of earshot, then made a call to Palmer. "You guys out of the Yard yet?"

Pulling out now. Is there a problem?

"Nope, just get him back to my place and tucked in. I'll be there later." There were times that Gibbs didn't like the steps to get up to his front door, but today he was glad they were there. Even if she showed up, Delilah wouldn't be able to go inside. Bishop had joined them and he looked at them both. "After I talk to Balboa, I'm going back to Bethesda to see the Admiral, then I'll be at the house. You two finish up any outstanding paperwork, then start going through cold cases."

"Balboa, Boss?"

"Need to trade weekends if we want to help McGee get moved."

Fielding was led out and Tony and Bishop both glared at him before following him out, leaving only Vance to walk back to the elevator with Gibbs. "The kid going to be all right?"

Gibbs tilted his head. "Eventually."

"Take care of him, Gibbs."

The elevator stopped to let Gibbs out into the bullpen and he found himself alone for the moment. "I always do."

Epilogue – 4 months later.

McGee was due back today after only two weeks of bereavement leave. Gibbs understood the wanting to get back into a daily routine, but it was still very soon. Tony was the first one on his feet when McGee arrived and Gibbs watched carefully from just outside the bullpen.

"How ya' doing, buddy?" Tony wrapped his arms around Tim and gave him a gentle hug. "You sure you're ready to be back?"

Tim sighed, melting into the hug for a moment before pulling back. "Yeah, Dad would want me to get back at it. Besides, Mom and Penny left yesterday."

"House feeling pretty empty?"

"A little."

They all knew how hard that admission was for their private partner. "When you're ready for a movie night, we'll be there."

That actually got a smile. "Sounds pretty good, actually. What's our next theme?"

They'd already had their Godfather night and their Bond night before the Admiral's death, and the rec room wasn't quite ready for Abby's pool night, but before Tony could come up with the next theme, Gibbs decided to walk in.

"Westerns, and I'm grilling steaks."

Blinking, Tony looked at McGee, who shrugged, before turning back to Gibbs. "Sure thing, Boss. Cowboy steaks and John Wayne it is."

"Your report on my desk yet, DiNozzo?"

"Umm, almost." Tony scrambled to pull up the nearly completed file, but managed to covertly watch as Gibbs stopped at McGee's desk.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, not great, but okay. Ready to get back to work – it's what he would have wanted."

"He was proud of you, Tim. Might not have been good at showing it, but the man was damned proud of you."

"Thanks, Boss." Tim took a shaky breath, but held it together. "In the end, we got it right. Thank you."

Gibbs just gave a nod as he headed toward his desk. "DiNozzo, finish up that report so you and McGee can drive down to interview the witness for the Clampton case again. See if he remembered anything else."

"The janitor? Isn't he working at that fancy beach resort down in North Carolina now? That'll be an overnight trip."

"Yep, so you'd better get going." Gibbs turned away, hiding his grin, but he suspected that Tony saw it anyway.

"On it, Boss." Tony hit print as he stood. "Grab your go bag, McGee, we're gonna to hit the road."

There was a flurry of activity as DiNozzo pulled the pages out of the printer and signed them before dropping them on Gibbs' desk and running to catch McGee at the elevator.

Chuckling, Gibbs gathered all the pages together and made sure they were back in the right order before slipping them into a folder. Upstairs, he found Vance leaning against the rail, where he'd been watching the team.

"Fred in Accounting is not going to be happy when he gets that expense report."

Gibbs just shrugged and handed over the final report on the finished case. "Ah, it does old Fred good to get his feathers ruffled once in a while." Besides, his boys deserved the break.

a/n - The sequel will pick up a few months after the end of this one. I'm not sure of the timing of when I will be posting. Army son is having major surgery (like 6-8 hours on the table and 5 days in ICU afterward) then the Army is bringing him home for 4 months of recovery time before he can even start any type of physical therapy so I'm not sure how much writing time I'll have. I'll probably be writing shorter stories that aren't so heavy on plot while that is going on. Depends on how well he recovers and how high my stress and worry levels are. Some good thoughts - and prayers if that's your belief - would be appreciated.