Disclaimer—I do not own NCIS, the characters or much anything else for that matter. What I do have are my dreams and my imagination. Spoiler Warnings for the entire show from beginning to this season's end. I also firmly believe in a writers claim to artistic freedom. I have tried to stick to what I know is canon in these stories, but sometimes in order for the story to really work I will need a little wiggle room. So I won't ask forgiveness, just patience and a little understanding. Please see the Prologue for other explanations.

The 23rd Psalms of NCIS; 1st verse—Tim

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Timothy McGee had grown up thinking that his life was a little more than miserable. With his father in the Navy, he had had to leave friends every time they moved. He hated never getting to live in a house more than an average of eighteen months at a time.

He had also enjoyed being an only child for most of his childhood until his mother decided to go and have his little sister. His parents tried to spend the same amount of time with him as before, but it just wasn't the same. He had always been a little resentful of the time when the family's summer vacation plans to Houston were cancelled when his little sister got the chicken pox. He had planned to go to see NASA; instead he ended up with the chicken pox also.

He had never fit into any of the many schools he ended up attending as he was dragged around from one Navy base to another. Being smarter did not make life any easier in high school or college, especially when he would blow the class test curve. Besides, it never got him the real attention he wanted.

After joining NCIS he felt his life was going to be wasted, spent in a tiny office in Norfolk. That was until he had the misfortune of being put on the most demanding of teams in the whole organization. Then as he had to put up with DiNozzo's hazing and childish attitudes, Kate's attitude of being almost over qualified and Gibbs' constant head slaps and impossible demands, he wished for that tiny office again.

When Caitlin Todd died tragically at the hands of Ari, Tim hadn't been sure if he could let in a new member of the team and a new friend. He slowly accepted Ziva David as a member of the team and Jennifer Shepard the new director of NCIS. He didn't know how to feel as he watched his writing career crumble around him as his characters not only came to life, but then were killed. He felt scared and upset when Jethro Gibbs retired after having been blown up and in a coma. He knew he felt the worst in his life when the team had been split apart immediately after the death of Director Shepard in California. Even after the team had been reunited months later he was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and his life to be ripped apart again as it had his entire life. Then it did, Ziva was ripped away from them; and he didn't even get to say good bye.

Now as he approached that magical number 30 in his life he had come to a great many realizations in life. While he had left a great number of friends behind each time his family had moved, he had made friends all over the country and had gotten to see more of the country than most people. He had been able to see museums, zoos, state parks and other sites that other people usually didn't have time for until they were retired and almost too old to enjoy them.

He had come to love and adore his baby sister even to the point of risking his job for her. He also had finally found out from his mother that the trip to Houston had been cancelled not because of the chicken pox. His sister had developed rheumatic fever as a complication of the chicken pox. Tim had been too miserable scratching and pouting at the time to notice just how sick she had been.

He was now proud of every bit of knowledge he could use in the effort to fight crime. He was now happy for every test he had aced every time he could turn to Gibbs and say, "I have it boss." When a criminal would give up in interrogation under the facts that he had helped find; he could erase an ugly comment made by someone in a high school or college class.

Tim had come to greatly appreciate the loving family he still had when he saw the lives of his coworkers. Looking at their home lives made his similar to an episode of "Leave it to Beaver" or "Father knows best". The crime and darkness he had witnessed in his years at NCIS had now made him appreciate the protected innocence and love he had been surrounded with while growing up.

He also loved the family that the NCIS team provided. Tony's behavior had become more of a big brother than a just an annoying partner. While nothing would ever replace Kate in Tim's heart, Ziva was there now also. Abby would always be his "Almost Lover#", but more importantly now she was forever his friend. Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard had become the "Uncle" for whom he could always go to get advice or just reassurance. Ducky had even coaxed him to start his writing again once Tim figured out that it wasn't really his fault that someone else was a sick killer. Gibbs, boss, never ever comfortable with calling him Jethro, the man who had become a second father to him; that man, Tim felt the most grateful for having had come into his life. Gibbs believed in him when he stopped believing in himself after he accidently shot an undercover cop. Gibbs pushed Tim to do his best with gruffness and a number of head slaps but an understood yet unstated love and loyalty.

Yes, Tim thought to himself, the Lord is my Shepherd he has always protected me and kept me safe. I shall not want. I have always had everything I have ever needed whether I knew it or not.

# -- reference to the song, "Good bye my Almost Lover" I always think of Tim and Abby when I hear it.