A/N: This is a missing scene from episode 11.12, Kill Chain. There are spoilers for the episode. So you have been warned. It's just a small look at what Tim might have been thinking before he put on the tuxedo Delilah gave him. If you've seen the episode, you'll catch the melancholy edge to the end of it.

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of NCIS. I am not making any money off it. Alas. :)

More Than a Tux
by Enthusiastic Fish

Tim sat staring at the tux Delilah had given to him. It was his measurements. It was his size. It was a really nice tux. It was great of her to take that much time to do it.

So why was it that he was feeling so...afraid?

He loved Delilah.

Tim swallowed as that word flitted through his mind. Love. That was the problem. He loved her. They spent a lot of time together. They were compatible. He enjoyed spending time with her. He liked being with her.

I love her.

And every time he'd fallen for a girl it had fallen apart the moment he'd let himself relax and enjoy the ride. With Delilah, they'd taken it slow. He'd had the time to devote to establishing the relationship with his time off...or however he described that period after his resignation.

She was an amazing woman. Everything about her. From his perspective, she was pretty much perfect.

So why in the world did she want him?

He looked at the tux again. This was expensive. It was tailored to his size. Delilah was putting so much time into making this work.

Tim took a breath. He remembered what Abby had said to him. She had hit upon the problem right away. He was afraid. He loved Delilah and he was afraid of losing her, afraid of losing all that he'd gained. He always lost when it came to dating. Always.

Was he going to take the plunge?

Delilah's question had hit him hard, too.

Why didn't he want to go to the gala?

"Because I won't match up to her...and she'll see it."

He stared at the tux.

She doesn't seem to think so, his mind said.

"Right now, she doesn't...but later..."

When? Wouldn't she have done it already? After all this time you've spent with her, she knows who you are.

That was the other thing that frightened him. He had been open to Delilah. He had let her see him, and it hadn't made her head for the hills. Boring Tim McGee was not boring to Delilah.

What do you have to lose? If you keep holding her away, you'll lose her. If you're going to lose her, go all the way.

Tim was afraid of getting hurt, but Delilah had given him no reason to think he would. He could acknowledge that Abby was right. It was what had come before that was making him leery now.

Again, he looked at the tux. If he put it on and went to the gala, it was more than just putting on a tux and going to a party. It was taking the plunge and fully committing to his relationship with Delilah.

Is she what I want?

That was easy to answer.

"Yes."

Then, really there wasn't any other possible choice to make.

Tim swallowed and picked up the tux.

It was time to take the plunge.

He took off his clothes and put on the tux.

Delilah was worth the risk, and he wasn't going to lose her.

FINIS!