Sunday morning / afternoon

*Tim POV*

Walking onto the range Tim was surprised to hear the sounds of someone else practicing. He figured he would have the range to himself on a Sunday. He almost turned and left. Whatever, he thought to himself, it's only one other person. Tim stopped short, surprised, when he realized the other person here was Ziva. For a while Tim watched Ziva as she went through clip after clip without retrieving the target. Finally he walked over a stall next to hers. Ziva looked over and gave a brief nod. Tim gave a sharp nod of his own before readying his own gun.

He wasn't sure why Ziva was here but if he had to share the range with anyone better it was her. He didn't really feel like being around anyone else at the moment. Ziva was like family so it wasn't the same as if it had been almost anyone else. For a second Tim gave some thought to asking her what she was doing here but rejected the idea. He had his own issues to work through and wasn't in the mood to talk about them. He didn't think Ziva would want to be anymore forthcoming than he wanted to be at the moment.

Tim desperately needed a distraction. Every time he tried to spend time with his girlfriend something came up. Either his job or her job interfered. Normally he would settle for playing one of his shooter games online but the net was down. They were upgrading things to make it faster but until they were done he would have to find a different way to distract himself. He had tried writing but couldn't get concentrate. In the end he was left with go to the range and get some practice in or sit in his apartment and go crazy.

*Ziva*

When she realized someone arrived Ziva was ready to pack up and leave. She wasn't done but she also didn't want to be around anyone else at the moment. When she realized the new comer was Tim she hesitated. If she was going to share the range with anyone else she didn't mind as much if it was someone from the team. They were almost like family. She watched as Tim carefully placed several preloaded clips down and began to ready his gun. She frowned at the similarity between his actions and hers. She knew why she was here and what she was working out, but this was Tim.

Ziva watched Tim began firing. When he finished his first clip he loaded a second one without bringing the target back. She thought about asking Tim why he was here, especially on a Sunday, but decided against it. She didn't feel like talking with anyone right now and Tim seemed to be in a similar mood. She went back to trying to kill her demons.

For a while that was all there was. The two of them firing at their own targets. The sound of their shots muffled by their ear protection. When she reached for another clip and didn't feel one she realized she had already gone through all of the spares. Ziva wondered whether she should reload them and start again. She glanced over at Tim. He still had another two clips before he would need to stop to reload. Something is troubling him, she thought. Normally she would have let it go.

It didn't pay too get too attached to people when everyone around her seemed to end up dead. She learned to distance herself to keep it from hurting as much when she lost people she knew. Somehow it was harder to distance herself from the team. After watching Tim shoot for a while longer Ziva walked inside and got two bottles of water from the vending machine. She walked back out, leaned against the wall and waited for Tim to finish going through the clips he had set out.

*Tim POV*

Reaching for another clip Tim was irritated when his fingers couldn't find one. He glanced down and realized he had gone through all the preloaded clips he had set out. Sighing in annoyance he resigned himself to reloading the clips. As he turned to begin he noticed Ziva watching. Straightening, Tim turned towards her and waited.

"You always go shooting on Sundays?"

"Not in the mood to write right now, the nets down for upgrades and my girlfriends busy," Tim said annoyed. "Like always," he muttered under his breath reloading his gun. He really wasn't in the mood for conversation. Maybe she'll drop it, he thought as he began reloading the spare clips.

Walking over Ziva offered him a bottle of water. Tim shook his head and turned back to the target. After a few shots he stops and glanced back at Ziva. "I mean, I understand the net will be improved when they're done, but why did they have to pick this week?" Ziva gave a small shrug as she continued watching. Tim refocused on killing his target. After the call from his father that's really what it was. 'Killing' the target; the target, the people responsible for killing Whitlock's son, anyone and everyone else who was irritating him at the moment.

When the clip was empty he stared at the gun for a moment. "Every time I schedule anything with Reese something comes up. Either we get a case or she gets called away to fix some stupid problem for some company or another," Tim complained irritably. Again Ziva didn't respond. Reloading he shot a few more rounds at the target. Angrily he stopped and turned around.

"Not to mention Sarah got annoyed with one of her teachers and made a remark that got her kicked out. Of course she wouldn't call me and tell me about it. So who calls me instead? My dad. Then of course he just has to start in on me again. 'Should have gone into the Navy. Why do you want to waste your time chasing criminals for almost not pay?' Blah, blah, blah." Tim slid another clip into the gun but didn't turn back to the target. "All this... on top of our last case." Tim shook his head, turned back to the target and stared at it.

When he saw Ziva walk up beside him he turned back to her. "And now we get to deal with Tony. Really could do without that right now. I mean, seriously, what's he think? It's not like Abby's got feelings for Kort." Tim shook his head again.

*Ziva*

Ziva did her best to cover her shock. So Tim knew? Did everyone else know? Was she the last to figure it out? Did Gibbs know? She pushed everything out of her head and decided to focus on Tim's problems right now. Maybe that would help banish some of her own demons.

"So, you know about Tony," she prompted.

"About Tony's feelings for Abby? Yeah, who doesn't? I think the only people those two are fooling are themselves. The only thing that would upset Tony as much as he is lately is if he thought Abby was falling for someone. Since he started acting like this after returning from the hospital the only thing that makes sense is that he thinks she likes Kort. Which is ridiculous if you actually think about it."

Is it, Ziva wondered. She was tempted to agree with Tim but he was right. With how Tony felt about Abby he would be upset if he discovered she liked someone else... And if that person was Trent Kort... Ziva shook her head. Preposterous. Something else had to have happened. Perhaps she should ask Gibbs about it...

"What exactly did Sarah say to her instructor?"

Tim smirked before he answered.

*Later with Ziva*

Talking with Tim had been 'interesting'. She considered Tim the most adjusted out of all of them. She didn't realize he might be having issues he hadn't been talking about. Of all of them Tim was the most open about everything. She was happy she could help him but also slightly saddened. It always seemed to be her helping others and no one seemed to be there for her.

True, she always tried to present herself as capable and strong; as someone that didn't need help. Sometimes she wished that she could let people in so she didn't feel so alone all the time... No, better to keep everyone at a distance. That way it didn't hurt as much when they died. And they always did. Perhaps she could do something to help Tim. Tim needed a reminder that life could be good. An idea began to form.