Ducky was the first to recover from the shock of Gibbs' unexpected presence. "Hello, Jethro."

"Duck." Gibbs quiet response did nothing to hide where his focus was, as his eyes remained fixed on his agent.

Tim, although most definitely feeling like the rabbit caught in the hunter's trap, had no desire to remain there. His initial shock at hearing the boss' words and knowing the man had heard everything he'd just said from what he'd long held buried deep down inside, had his eyes instinctively flying to meet those of the Team Leader. Luckily he'd been able to regain control of his reaction rather quickly and had slid his gaze just as quickly back away from the man, redirecting it to the floor at his feet. Getting to his feet now that Ducky had spoken, a mere moment later, Tim glanced at the M.E. "Thanks Ducky."

Carefully stepping out around the boss who'd only stopped advancing on them when he'd reached the desk to stand between Tim and Ducky, the youngest man in the room, bid a very quiet 'Night, Boss." to the silver-haired man and continued walking towards the door.

"McGee." Gibbs tone called him back with more sympathy than anger and it went a long way in helping the younger man abide by his ingrained manners and character when it came to respect and how to show it to this man who'd earned it from him in spades, even with the troubled times such as the one he'd just spoke of.

As he stood now, looking his boss directly on, he only hoped the man could see that he truly did NOT want to talk about this. The fact that he'd merely been making a case for his point with Ducky, not trying to rehash old hurts and beliefs should not be held against him. It wasn't his style to dredge up the past just to rehash it, no matter how he felt about it and he had no desire to start doing so now.

Gibbs looked closely at his agent, trying to read everything he wasn't saying; hadn't been saying for the past couple of weeks and obviously wasn't going to say anything more now, either. Though that beating he'd taken had been serious and had left him severely bruised and battered, the young man had said little about it and that alone had kept Gibbs trying to watch out for him a little more than usual, albeit quietly. He'd watched as Tim had struggled to find his mental footing once he'd come back from the imposed time off he'd given him.

And while the struggles he noticed lately weren't blatant or anything that hampered the young man's ability to do his job; they were visible enough to warrant careful scrutiny to see if there was any improvement. Everyday things like bantering with Tony and trying to get Ziva to take sides in the usually jovial kidding at each other's expense, along with his posture and attempts at conversations that weren't strictly case related, suddenly all became things that changed for Tim. It had been like watching someone close to you begin to pull away from the world, piece by piece, yet remain a fixture in the midst of it all, with nothing to see as proof of life, other than the efforts that were poured into the job.

Standing here with him now, as the young man silently begged the boss not to pursue this conversation or even the answers he had to be craving for now regarding it, Gibbs couldn't help but respect the young man's wishes. It was glaringly obvious that Tim would rather eat the very maggots they all knew he had a genuine fear of, than to talk about what Gibbs had just overheard. For that reason alone, Gibbs' chose to let the young man go. "G'night."

With a small smile of thanks, Tim turned, his posture a little more erect than when he'd first stood up a minute ago; and walked out of Autopsy, leaving behind one man with a lot of questions and another with a confession to make.

***NCIS***

"What's goin' on Duck?" Gibbs immediately asked the moment the doors had closed back up in Autopsy.

"Jethro, I do apologies. I'm afraid what you walked in on was a conversation brought on by the most untenable situation I selfishly placed Timothy in when we spoke after dinner last evening."

"He's still stayin' with you?" Gibbs zeroed in on that tidbit of information with a tone that left no doubt he was angry with the idea. As he voiced the question, he perched himself on the Autopsy table closest to the M.E.'s desk, using his straightened arms to support his weight while his hands gripped the table edges.

"Jethro! Would you kindly focus on what I'm trying to explain to you?" Ducky was irate. "What you heard Timothy speak of earlier, was merely a reference point from which he was attempting to illustrate to me, his reasons for asking me to ease his burden that I'd placed on him. That burden was my asking him to keep something from you; something that you have every right to know before any more time goes by. And although I had already fully intended on telling you tonight, Timothy is correct on that score when he stated as my dearest friend, you should have already been told."

"Guess you'd better tell me what it is, then." Gibbs replied quietly, his heart up in his throat. "What's wrong with you, Duck?"

"There is nothing wrong, Jethro. I simply need to make some changes in my life."

"Awful lot of buildup for an answer like that."

"There is no easy way to say this, so I suppose bluntly would be best."

"Works for me."

Drawing in a deep breath and then slowly letting it out, Ducky watched his friend warily as he spoke next. "Jethro, I am retiring. My last day as NCIS Medical Examiner will be two weeks from this evening."

Although he said nothing, the Team Leader swayed and his eyes closed as if his long-time friend's words had just struck him a physical blow.

****NCIS****

With the weekend at hand and his nerves feeling stretched pretty thin, Tim took himself home for the first time since he'd been badly beaten several weeks ago. He added a mental note to call and check on Ducky later in the weekend, but for right now, the M.E. was in the boss' hands and nothing trumped that friendship, besides, Ducky couldn't be in any better hands. With that thought in mind, Tim was able to get home and begin planning his next step.

This next one was a big one and would take time to get accomplished so he needed to get started right away. After a quick trip to his neighborhood shopping center, he was more than ready to begin. Even though he was tired, the mental drive to get started was in full speed ahead mode so he dropped the last pile of broken down boxes down onto his floor, took himself down to the floor himself, and got started taping them up in preparation for his move.

Looking around, he had to smile. Yeah, this place had suited him for a long time now, but times were changing and so was he. It was time to move on to bigger and better; but most importantly of all; closer to Ducky in case he needed help or just a friendly game of chess to wile away the hours. It wasn't a move decided on based solely on just his concern for the M.E. and for that Tim was actually relieved. He hated the idea that he was beginning to worry too much about him because he knew Ducky would hate that.

Happy in the idea of moving closer to D.C., Tim turned his attention back to his packing. Since he hadn't moved in over eight years, it would take some serious time to accomplish, but he was definitely willing to keep at it and make sure it got done as soon as possible. It was going to be a very long weekend and it was a good thing his mother had already helped him re-home Jethro some months back and he wouldn't be in the way. Tim's crazy work hours had become too much of an unfair situation for the aging dog who needed more attention and less hours laying around waiting for Tim to get home. With a fresh pot of coffee already laid into, he set aside his musings and got to back to work once more.

***NCIS***

Saturday dawned bright and clear, dragging Tim from his sleep by seven. Wasting little time, he started a fresh pot of coffee he'd been too tired to set up before he'd dropped off to sleep after one in the morning. Quickly showering and heating up a breakfast burrito, he got busy once more, packing his apartment up, leaving only the absolute essentials untouched. Stopping only long enough to eat his breakfast and refill his now empty cup of coffee he had managed to stop and sip from as he worked, Tim worked through the morning and on into the afternoon. It was growing dark before he even noticed but he stopped working at his packing as soon as the changing light of day did catch his attention.

Glancing at his watch, he was shocked to see it was going on six in the evening. Looking around him at the end results of his hard day of labor, he felt a full measure of satisfaction. Snatching up his phone, he hit the speed dial number he needed to do what he'd meant to do earlier in the day.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ducky. I wanted to call and see how you were doing." Tim offered calmly even though that wasn't what he wanted to ask.

"Hello, Timothy. I'm fine. Thank you for asking."The M.E.'s chipper tone left no doubt that he was in fact doing better than he'd been sounding earlier in the week. Maybe getting the life-changing news off his chest had made all the difference.

Don't believe it. He's still in need of someone to watch over him, even if it's not up close like last week.His mind objected.

"That's Great!" Not sure what to say now, Tim threw out the only thing he could think of that would allow him to check on the M.E. in person without smothering him. "Say, Ducky, you play chess, don't you?"

"I certainly do on occasion."

"Would you be interested in playing me in a game? I'm out of practice and I have a tournament coming up that I'd really like to do better than last place in." Tim crossed his fingers because his grasping at straws had actually pulled a forgotten truth out of his memory. He really did have the tournament coming up. He'd forgotten all about it until now.

"I'd be delighted to help you prepare for it, Timothy." Ducky was quick to reply. "Why don't you come by, say about seven-thirty or so and we shall begin a practice tournament of our own."

"That would be great, Ducky." Tim offered honestly. "Thank you very much."

"You are quite welcome dear boy. I shall see you then."

Tim put his phone away and set his packing aside. Jumping into the shower, he made quick work of getting ready and heading out after making sure the coffee pot had been turned off. He had a couple of stops to make and they would take some time so he needed to get started right away if he planned on making it to the M.E.'s house on time.

****NCIS****

Seven-twenty-nine that night found Tim standing on Ducky's doorstep with two over-flowing paper shopping bags; one in each arm, as he stretched out his finger on one hand and rang the doorbell.

"Timothy! What on earth?" Ducky exclaimed as he reached to unload one of the bags from Tim's arms.

"Hi, Ducky. I noticed yesterday that you were out of a few things so I stopped to get them." Tim offered by way of explanation.

"Timothy, this is much more than a few things." Ducky admonished him gently. "And you are not supposed to be straining yourself with such exertions just yet, my boy! Just because you are no longer under my medical care, does not mean you are allowed to take such risks!"

"I promise, Duck, I'm fine. I didn't strain or hurt myself." Tim vowed as he led the way to the kitchen and set one bag down on the table while setting the other one down in the chair. Reaching into the bag, he began unload its contents for Ducky to see. "I figured you probably hadn't had time to do any catching up on your staples so I picked them up on the way over."

"That was most kind of you, young man." Ducky rewarded him as he took note of the tea and coffee, as well as the milk and other items Tim had brought him.

"It's no problem, Ducky. Really. Here, why don't you sit and drink your tea and I'll put them away for you."

***NCIS****

Sunday was much a repeat of Saturday for Tim and he was just fine with that. In fact, he was looking forward to playing more of the chess game with Ducky later on in the evening. Having gotten up and working on his packing once more by seven, he was nearly done. All that remained was for the moving company to come and haul his boxes down to their truck. Laughing out loud at himself, Tim realized he'd put the cart before the horse. He'd packed himself up to move; without having a new place to move to. It was a good thing his lease wasn't up for another month! Still laughing at himself, he turned his attention to the computer and began looking online for a new place to call home, zeroing in on places within a ten mile radius of Ducky's address.

Just out of curiosity, he backtracked and input Gibbs' address just to judge the mileage and then Tony's. He was surprised to find that now that the M.E. had moved, he was a good twenty minutes from either of them. Deliberately inputting a lower mileage radius from Ducky's house now, he began his search anew for a two bedroom apartment that was bigger than his current one. He even considered a three bedroom but hoped he'd be able to afford a large two bedroom since they seemed to be more affordable.

Before he knew it, it had grown dark outside again, but this time, he felt like he'd accomplished a great deal. His search for a new place to live had flushed out more than enough to choose from and thanks to the virtual tours on most web sites these days, Tim even had photos laid out to compare notes and hopefully, that would help him decide. It wouldn't take but a few phone calls to line up a moving company that would work with his schedule and by six o'clock, he'd managed to get that taken care of too. Hurrying through his shower, Tim was on his way in plenty of time to arrive when he was expected.

It was the sight of the boss' classic car in Ducky's driveway that swept Tim's good mood away, only to replace it with a feeling of dread. More importantly than that, was the feeling like he'd be intruding on a necessary visit between two friends if he went through with the planned visit now. With a silent apology to the M.E., he passed by the driveway and drove away. Parking just a few blocks down the street, he pulled out his cell phone and called, not wanting to be a no-show. Besides, if they knew he wasn't coming, they could lengthen their visit. Tim knew that if there was one thing Ducky needed to ease the feeling of being alone as he moved on with retiring, it was his friends. There was no way the young man would get in the way of that, upcoming chess tournament or not.

****NCIS****

Ducky snapped his cell phone closed with a small rueful smile cast in his friend's direction. "It appears our young Timothy has suddenly become besieged with quite an upset stomach and he does not wish to subject me to whatever might have caused it, resulting in his calling to cancel on our chess match for the evening."

"C'mon, Duck, you and I both know he was just out there. I don't believe in coincidences."

"Yes, Jethro, I do believe you are correct, as your gut usually is. I also believe that had he proceeded with our planned evening, it would be a first for him, meeting up with you when you are not on the job, that is. In which case, I find his sudden case of nerves understandable at least."

Gibbs' eyebrows marched up to his hairline in disbelief.

"Think about it for a moment, Jethro. When was the last time you and Timothy were even in the same room together when you were not at work or not working on a case?"

"Okay."

"However, it is not in his character to hide from things he finds difficult to face, which leads me to believe there is more to his actions this evening than simply not wanting to face you, my friend." The older of the two observed. "

"Like what, Duck?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Well, we also know that Timothy does not lie, which leads me to believe that he genuinely does feel ill at the moment, in addition to whatever else led him to make this choice. I have been concerned about him since he has taken to watching over me quite diligently these last few weeks, all the while still recovering from that vicious beating he endured."

"Why?"

"Why what, Jethro?"

"Why the guard dog routine?"

"I believe it stems from an incident that occurred while Timothy was staying here with me. It was just a moment when I found myself short of breath while in the midst of putting a kettle of water on for tea. Timothy was there at the time and I believe it frightened him."

"I asked you if something was wrong." Gibbs tone was almost accusatory.

"And I told you the truth, Jethro. I am fine." Ducky firmly asserted.

"But you weren't then. That's why McGee doesn't believe it. That why he's using this chess tournament as an excuse to come check up on ya."

Ducky's expression gave testament to the fact that the younger man had hit the proverbial nail on the head. "I simply did not wish to worry him, Jethro. However, it as I told you when you asked. I am fine now. It was a momentary circumstance and it passed without any lingering effects. I certainly did not mean for Timothy to believe I actively needed to be looked after as such because of it."

"So this sudden decision to retire had nothing to do with that incident."

"I will admit, now that we have arrived at our original topic of discussion, that it had a great deal to do with it." Ducky admitted. "However, I stand by what I said earlier in that I am fine."

"That why we're here discussing your replacement?" Gibbs asked dryly.

"Ah, yes! That's where we left off, isn't it? We were discussing the fact that Director Vance has given me Carte Blanche to choose my replacement; to fill any position necessary in Autopsy, as a matter of fact."

"Good call on his part."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence. Now then, about that suggestion you made earlier, Jethro….