A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! Not only was it a busy Christmas and New Year's for me, but I also got sick in between the two holidays and had all four of my wisdom teeth removed just after New Year's. I've been on pain meds, the good kind, but now I'm feeling better and trust myself not to write utter nonsense!

Review Replies:

EarthDragon, no. There isn't an alternate universe in this story. There is an alternate dimension, the Spirit World if we're going to give it a name, but there is only the one universe. There really is a threat against Tim, though the ghosts are not part of it. And Ziva was the first of the team (after Tim) to see something because she truly believes in ghosts and spirits. The others will need to be convinced that ghosts exist.

Eni01, Ziva did not see Tim in the mirror. Who/what she saw will be explained later.

Warby, I guess you'll just have to wait and see how it works. It will be a major part of the plot.

MoonGCyn, I do apologize for the wait. As I stated in my author's note, it's been rather busy for me during the holidays. I do hope the wait was worth it!

The previous two chapters and this one all take place on the same day, so I hope none of you are confused by the lack of a time jump. With that, enjoy this latest installment!

Settling In

"I know this isn't exactly the nicest neighborhood, but it's unlikely the Lambert's would look for you here if they track your location to Milwaukee. Our priority is your safety." Alice frowned slightly as the two of them got out of the car. Tim glanced around at the other houses in the vicinity, slightly shocked at how close they were built to each other. He was probably taller than the distance between each house.

"I'll just make those personal weapons be an immediate must-buy." Tim finally replied as he pulled his bags out of the now-open trunk. "Along with a home security system..."

"Already have one installed." Alice slammed the trunk closed and led the way up the steps to the front door at least a half story above the ground. "Priority. Safety. All that jazz."

Tim had to admit, the inside of the house was very cozy. After stepping out of the small entrance area and into the living room, he was able to see all the way through the house to the back door and out the small window in the back hallway. Alice had been right when she said the furnishing was meager but Tim didn't mind all that much. As he followed her through the living room and dining room into the kitchen, he was mentally seeing where different types of furniture could be placed. It was...oddly elating to have a blank slate to work with in terms of home decoration.

"The two rooms off the dining room are considered bedrooms on the floor plan. So is this one." Alice pointed to the room off the kitchen that was near the doorway they just walked through, explaining the layout. "This room on the other side of the sink is, obviously, the bathroom. The door next to it is the pantry. The whole downstairs floor plan mirrors this floor, bathroom included."

"I'm noticing a lack of doors on the bedrooms." Tim commented with a bemused look.

"Yeah. That's Polish architecture for you." Alice let out a laugh. "This house was bought with the intent of only a single person or a couple using it. We didn't worry about the lack of doors."

"Point taken."

"There used to be two outside entrances to the downstairs, making the house a kind of duplex, but the FBI sealed those doors when the house was bought. They can technically be reopened if you want. A spiral staircase was installed in the back hallway to what used to be the lower entrance way, making that particular door a bit pointless to reopen, though." Alice continued. "The rear entrance ways, both lower and upper, were also insulated to make them properly part of the house. They were sort of like enclosed porches before."

"Do I need to worry about equalizing inside and outside air pressure every time I leave and return?" Tim asked with a touch of sarcasm, chuckling over all the modifications to the house Alice had just told him about.

"If certain people had their way, you would." Alice retorted back with a smirk before continuing. "The back hallway also has the stairway up into the attic. There's a bedroom up there, as well. The garage out back is a simple garage, not wired for electricity. I think that about covers the layout of the property. The fridge and pantry are filled with some basics. You'll have to snoop through the cabinets to figure out what was put where when the place was stocked up."

"Thank you, Alice." Tim set his few bags down on the floor, looking around. This was home...for who knew how long.

"It's not a problem. Have you given any thought on what you want your background story to be? It's definitely one of the few blessings in this situation." Alice pulled off both of her pairs of gloves and her head band, dropping them onto the kitchen table. Her coat and scarf soon followed, being draped over one of the chairs.

"I'm not exactly going to have an easy time hiding my computer abilities, so I was thinking perhaps making me a hacker. I'm here in Milwaukee, playing nice with the FBI so I don't get sent to prison." Tim methodically pulled off his own winter wear. "That way I can explain away any visits I will have to make to the office without really lying to anyone. That would help when I find a job, and I will definitely be looking. It would also explain why my new best friend is an FBI field agent."

"Sounds like a plan." Alice let out an amused smirk. "Since we're best friends, perhaps I should show you around to my friends. I'm sure they would be more than happy to help you get into the local social scene. Not to mention they're your particular brand of strange."

"Oh, really." Tim rose his eyebrows as he sank onto the nearest chair. "And just what is my 'brand' of strange?"

"Miss Sciuto's reputation precedes her. I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you, but let's just say my civilian friends would get along with her." Alice took a seat, herself, opening the large envelope that had been on the table when they arrived. She pulled out various pieces of paperwork that Tim recognized as being his background information. Many places were blank, waiting to be filled in.

"Then I look forward to meeting them." He pulled one form towards himself to look it over.

"Just let me know when you're up to wandering out into the cold again." Alice gave him a smile. This had to be one of the most unorthodox ways of going about Witness Protection, Tim had to admit that much to himself, but part of him was glad that he wasn't being dropped in Milwaukee and promptly forgotten about. He could already tell that having Agent Turner as a friend was going to be an interesting experience and the small connection she provided to his real identity would probably be a lot more help in the long run than he realized. "Now let's get this damn paperwork out of the way."

"Sounds like a plan." Tim repeated Alice's earlier words with a grin, giving her an innocent expression when she threw a look at him. Yeah, knowing her was going to be extremely interesting.