By the time Ducky reached the firing range Tim was starting to regain consciousness, Jethro held him in his arms and tried to comfort him while they waited.

"Dear heavens, what happened Jethro?"
"He lost his balance while firing and I over reacted, he must of hit his head when I brought him down."
Ducky gave him a stern look, clearly conveying the message that they were going to speak more about this later.

Gibbs nodded in acknowledgment of the message, then motion his head for Ducky to look after Tim.

Ducky carefully cleaned the wound on his forehead and then put on a couple of butterfly bandages to close it up. He then rolled Tim over to his side and checked on his shoulder which had been badly bruised when both men went down. Determining that the only damage to the shoulder was the bruising, he continued with the exam, to check Tim's pupils and diagnosed a slight concussion for the younger man.

"Does he need to go to the hospital, Duck?", Gibbs asked concern filling his voice.

"NO!", Tim answered before the doctor could say anything. "I've spent enough time at a hospital. I want to go home, please." Tim looked up at Gibbs with huge puppy dog eyes filled with pain.

"If that's what you really want.", Gibbs answered willing to do whatever the younger man wanted to ease the guilt he was feeling.

"I will follow the two of you and spend the night to look after you.",Ducky said firmly.

The two older men got Tim to his feet very cautiously to avoid injuring him further, and Jethro kept him in his arms as Ducky collected his medical bag and all three walked out of the building to the car in the parking lot.

Gibbs was so caught up in his own guilt that he didn't notice the third vehicle that joined the caravan heading to his home.

The third car turn off as they entered Gibbs' neighborhood and when Gibbs looked around as he exited the car in the driveway nothing appeared to be out of order. He quickly moved to the other side of the car to help Tim.

"I'm find, Jethro.", Tim said as he brushed away the older man's offered hand and got out on his own.

Both men turned to watch Ducky turn in and park behind their car, and all three men silently entered the home.

Once they closed the door behind them, Gibbs went straight to the kitchen to put on the kettle for Ducky some tea and then began making a pot of coffee. Tim and Ducky sat down on the sofa and Ducky worried over the fact that Tim continued to look down at his feet.
"Tim?", Ducky said softly.

At the same time Tim asked, "Can I take a shower Ducky?"

Ducky swallowed what he wanted to stay to the younger man and answered the question, "Yes Timothy let me put a waterproof bandage on your forehead to protect the wound. Leave the door unlocked and call if you need any help."

By the time Gibbs exited the kitchen Tim was heading to the bathroom so he motioned for Ducky to join him in the kitchen so the two men could talk.

"What exactly happened today, Jethro?", Ducky asked without any preamble.

"Tim fired and lost his balance and I freaked out. I was suddenly back on the dock watching helplessly while Tim was being tortured. I just needed to protect him."

He looked directly into the older man's eyes and bared his soul, "I was scared I was going to lose him and I couldn't do anything."
Ducky thought for a moment and responded from his heart, "This situation reminds me of a quote from the Great Bard himself William Shakespeare :

'Cowards die many times before their deaths,

The valiant never taste of death but once,

Of the many wonders I have yet heard,

It seems to me most strange that men should fear seeing death,

A necessary end,

It will come when it will come'

Timothy is no coward Jethro and he would never allow fear to guide his actions in or out of the field."
Gibbs hung his head in shame as he realized he had been pushing his own fears onto his partner and destroying him little by little. "I know Duck, Tim is brave, honorable, courageous and loyal to a fault, it's me that is failing him right now."

"Hell, I couldn't take him to the firing range without him getting hurt."
Neither man heard the bathroom door open or saw the figure that exited the room, stood just outside the kitchen door and heard only the last line of the conversation. They didn't see the pain, anger and hurt that showed in his eyes and they didn't see or hear him leave.

'Is that what they think, that I'm so helpless that I can even protect myself in the safety of the Navy Yard?', the younger man thought as he walked to the room he shared with his partner and started to slowly pack an overnight bag so he could leave the house for the night and refocus himself.

Meanwhile the conversation continued in the kitchen, "Do you remember Agent Watson.?"

The way Gibbs' eyes darken in anger told the older man he remembered.

"Many times during Tim's first few years on your team he and Tim had rather violent confrontations, that required one or both of the men seeking medical attention in my domain. It wasn't until DiNozzo came down one evening while I was treating Tim that the whole story was brought to my attention."
"What was going on Duck?"

"Apparently DiNozzo had made a comment to several ladies in the legal department concerning Timothy's sexual persuasion. Before long the rumor had spread throughout most of the yard and Timothy unfortunately became the target of some unsavory people, including Agent Watson and some of his friends in the Anti-Terrorist unit. Make no mistake Tim gave as could as he received but when DiNozzo found out what going on shortly after Ziva joined your team, between the two of them they watched his back a lot more carefully and the confrontations became fewer in frequency but they continued until you came into the picture."

"Why didn't he ever come to me?"

"Timothy hasn't ever gone to anyone for help. I'm not sure if it was because of DADT, or the

need to prove himself to you and the team, whatever the reason he kept it to himself. My best guess is that he carried a torch for you even back then and didn't want to appear weak in your opinion."

"God, Duck I failed him even back then.", the desperation in the man's voice was a physical force.

"Jethro I think you need to talk to Dr. Cranston, tonight. If you can't get your fear under control you may destroy the man you are trying to protect. I'm afraid you are pushing him to prove that he isn't weak in your eyes once again."

AN: Ducky's quote was from the play, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Only a few chapters remaining so please review and let me know what you think. Next update on Monday.

Stray :)