Jan 9

A friend applauds your strengths, understands your weaknesses, and appreciates the combination that is you.

Tim sighed as he sank down into his seat. His hands were still shaking slightly and he felt unnerved.

Barely an hour ago, they had been out in the field. A suspect had made a run for it and Tim had been nearest to him. Unfortunately, the suspect had decided to run out onto the roof of a high-rise apartment complex, and Tim had been forced to follow. He had glanced over the edge at one point and the shivers had started. The rest of the team had appeared shortly afterwards, leaving Tim to try to calm himself down.

When he had arrived back at the Navy Yard, he had taken himself off to Abby's lab, but she had been in court for the day and she had locked Bert away in her office. Ducky had been elbow-deep in a cadaver, so Tim had returned to the squad room. The rest of the team were interrogating their suspect – although it was more likely that Gibbs was interrogating him while Ziva and Tony were observing – so Tim was alone in an empty squad room.

He still felt afraid. Intellectually, he knew it was an irrational fear, but it wasn't helping. He could still see the drop…

"Evening, Probie," Tony called, entering the squad room with his usual exuberance. "Are you still scared?"

Tim didn't bother to reply. It wouldn't be worth it.

"I'm serious," Tony continued. "Are you still scared?"

"What do you want me to say?" Tim snapped. "Yes, I'm still scared. Yes, I'm still shaking. I shouldn't be an agent like this. I shouldn't be in the field."

"Nonsense," Tony replied. "You're a great agent. And if you ever repeat that, I will kill you."

"That's not true," Tim protested.

"Who do we turn to when we need computer help? Who do we turn to when Abby's in a huff? Who keeps us vaguely grounded, apart from the messianic LJ Tibbs?"

Tim began to smile.

"Exactly, Probie," Tony grinned. "We need you around here. Quit beating yourself up and get back to work. Our suspect claims to have an alibi and our fearless leader wants you to check it out."

Tim continued to smile as he turned to his computer, his concerns allayed. Maybe he should see a shrink to help him with his fear.