Set sometime in Season 7. No copyright infringement intended. Not making any money out of it. Etc Etc.
Timothy
From the Greek name Τιμοθεος (Timotheos) meaning "honouring God", derived from τιμαω (timao) "to honour" and θεος (theos) " god". Saint Timothy was a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys and was the recipient of two of Paul's epistles that appear in the New Testament. According to tradition, he was martyred at Ephesus after protesting the worship of Artemis.
2To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (…)
20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you. (...)
3I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of! timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (...)
9Do your best to come to me quickly, (...)
21Do your best to get here before winter. (…)
1 Timothy 1:2; 1 Timothy, 6:20-21; 2 Timothy , 1:3-7; 2 Timothy, 4:9; 2 Timothy 4:21 Holy Bible, New International Version
"Timothy is a Greek name, and it means 'honoring God'. In its original form it is Timotheos, derived from τιμαω (timao) "to honour" and θεος (theos) "god". In the Bible, he was the faithful companion of the Apostle Paul, who traveled with him during some of his missionary trips to Europe and Asia."
"But let's see the context of the time and place where Timothy lived. He was the only son of a widowed mother, and a widowed grandmother. There is no mention of a father or grandfather in Timothy's story." She bites her lip and shakes her head, "that would be the equivalent of a dead end for any career he might want to have, as women were considered almost like nothing, and he probably had no male figure to teach him a career. He was an illiterate man, who seemed destined to be forever ignorant and poor. However, that wasn't the end, that was just the beginning."
She glances at the other agents, and keeps telling her tale, "his mother and grandmother became Christians, and soon they started to bring the young man to the early church meetings. In one of these meetings, he met the man who would literally change the path his life would take. That man was Paul."
"Paul saw great potential, courage and faith in that youth, and invited him to travel with him. Paul was a scholar, he had studied in the synagogues, which were the equivalent of the MITs of that time, his whole life, he was fluent in several languages, and he burnt with the desire to spread the world of God as far as possible. But he was only a man, he couldn't do it on his own. That's why he had Timothy."
"Timothy was his travel companion, his friend, his bookkeeper, his shoulder to cry on and to whine about the hardships and betrayals he had in his journeys. Later on, Paul even called him son. Paul never got married, never had children, but he deposited all his knowledge and his faith and his experiences in Timothy's life, and trained him to become a true believer."
"They shared prisons stays, whippings, beatings, and so many other hardships that it is hard to list them all. Some theologians say that, later in life, Timothy would help dress his old friend and mentor and tie his belt and shoes, but he still stayed by his side until the bitter end."
"Paul later was murdered as a martyr. So was Timothy. But he never gave up." She pauses, and looks Timothy in his eyes, "He never backed down."
"That illiterate son of a widow travelled the whole known ancient world, helping to spread the word of God, in a time when travel was measured by hours walking, not by cars or trains or airplanes. There was no e-mail or internet to spread information, the testimony was spread face to face with the people they met on their journeys. The books were painstakingly slow to be written, and each one was a precious jewel, that had to be transported with great care, as they were very fragile."
"Paul invited a stranger to travel with him at that first moment. He found a son and friend." Pause, "later on, in the epistles that he wrote to Timothy, he praises the faith and courage of his pupil, and complains about several people that crossed their paths, but only left disappointment and despair in their wake. Paul knew his time was short, so he begged Timothy to come visit him, as he had been always a great source of joy for the Apostle. He asks for some precious books he left behind, he greets Timothy's mother and grandmother, who he still holds dear, and again begs him to come visit him before winter."
She stops and approaches Timothy, and stands directly before him, and says, looking him in the eyes, "Timothy is not only a random name that your parents picked by accident to give you, but it also almost like a prophecy of who you are, and who you have the potential to become," Timothy is looking at her, with a completely serious expression in his face, in deep thought, she bites her lip, and says softly to him, and he can see a fine mist of tears in her eyes and voice, "you don't have to be a hero or a saint, there are plenty of those out there, you just have to be who you are, a faithful friend for the good and the bad times, especially," she smiles, "especially the bad times, because that's what really counts. You don't have to heal wounds or offer solutions to problems, but what really counts is that you just are there, not healing! , not curing, not knowing what to do next, but still there," she stops, and Timothy sees her wiping a tear that she couldn't hold back, "Timothy is a worthy name, as well as McGee is a worthy name," she approaches him and says softly close to his face, "don't ever, ever let anyone mock your name again."
She stops, and looks around the bullpen. Tony is looking deeply ashamed, his eyes downcast. Ziva is looking at Joy with tears in her eyes, deeply moved by her words. She is also ashamed, as she might not have participated in all razing and mocking Tony instigated of his junior agent, but she never stopped him either. Finally Gibbs, his eyes are fixed on a point on the wall behind Timothy, deeply in thought. He notices Joy is looking at him, and he turns his gaze at her. For a brief moment there is a deep emotion floating there, but his gaze becomes firms again, and he nods to her. Well done. She smiles at her Boss, takes her purse, and leaves the bullpen, and no agent moves or speaks a word as she leaves. She glances back briefly before entering the elevator, and sees the four senior agents still standing in the same position she left them. Her eyes cross those of Timothy and he is still staring at her with a thoughtful expression on his face. She steps in the elevator, and the doors close.
Only after she had already started her car and left the NCIS garage she identifies the emotion she saw in Gibbs' eyes: regret.
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