One year, 4 months and 9 days after Gibbs left.
"What?"
"You heard Tony." Tim sighed, leaning back into his chair and resting his cane over his legs.
"Ohh, I heard all right, I just don't know what I am hearing." Tony replied, leaning forward.
"It's pretty simple really."
"Okay, let's work through this." Tony suggested talking deliberately slow.
"You are telling me that although you have now not been having treatment for 3 months and the doctors think that your tumour will not come back, you wish to leave NCIS."
"Yes."
"Despite," Tony pushed on, "you being able to have a well paying job, working under me of course, alongside Ziva, with Abby and Ducky and Jimmy and doing the job you have always wanted. Have I got everything?" Tony queried, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes."
"Then what aren't I getting!?" as Tim tried to speak Tony interrupted. "Look, I know you will never get your full health back and you're prone to headaches, but no matter what has happened in the past, you're still a good agent."
"I know. It's just, it wouldn't be the same, and I've thought about it a lot, don't get me wrong I have, and I think, and so does Abby, that it would be best for me not to go back to ‘work' as such." Tim stated reasonably, having known that Tony would have acted the way Gibbs would have in the same situation. A few months previously Tim had started going into work with Abby once his treatments had finished and he wasn't going in to the hospital every day to see how things were. Everything had changed, and yet things were the same. Seeing Tony again after only corresponding via e-mail for months had been a shock. The ‘Senior Agent' now wore glasses and his attitude had morphed somewhat what yet he was still the same. After catching up with him Tim couldn't help but feel that something was off.
Ziva wasn't the only Mossad Officer at NCIS and the team had come to realise just how well known she was both in the Middle East and over the world for what she had done in the past.
"I will still be on call for consulting to do with computers or if Abby can not make it but I will not be doing field work, or the strenuous hours. I will be doing what I love." Tim simply stated.
"Yes, but what about the rest of the time? We won't need you every day." Tony bargained, trying to win Tim back. He didn't want to loose another agent and nor did he wish to go through the recruiting stages again.
"I'll be finishing my PhD." Tim quietly stated, taking a sip of water as he coughed.
"You started one?" Tony asked a little shocked.
"Yes."
"And why didn't you finish?" it wasn't like McGee to not finish anything.
"Life caught up with me." Tim smirked. Tony sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.
"Anyway, I also came to talk about Abby." Tim continued.
"What has Abby got to do with this?" Tony asked suspicious, he didn't want to let go of another agent.
"Relax Tony, there is no need to get territorial, besides, she's my girlfriend, isn't that my job?" not waiting for a reply Tim continued, "we were wondering if she could take two weeks off next month?"
"Why?"
"I am off to visit my sister, she wants to see for sure that I am healing, and Abby wishes to come along. We need two weeks because I can not fly yet."
"Hmm. I'll have to think about it." Tony sighed, relenting.
"Excellent." glancing at his watch Tim stood, leaning on his cane.
"I have an appointment to get to and I can't be late. I will see you another time." Tim smiled and left, not waiting for Tony to say anything, knowing it would be awkward for his old boss.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
One year, 4 months and 9 days after Gibbs left.