A/N: Yay! I'm back with another update! I know there was a few days without updates on any of my stories, but post-wedding recovery was paired with a cold. I just had to get a cold on the last day of summer and the first day of autumn. Not fun.

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Momcat: I have no way of showing it in the story, so I'll just say it straight out: Jethro the Dog does, in fact, know Tim is still alive. You know how some people say that small children and animals are sensitive to the paranormal? That applies in this story. While no one living has told Jethro the Dog that Tim is alive, some of the dead have.

Now, onward!

Work, Paranormal and Otherwise

"Enjoying the warmer weather? I admit, I expected you to shave off the beard by now since Spring is here. No more having to keep your face warm," Alice asked as she guided Tim through the Milwaukee FBI office. She ruffled the underside of Tim's chin with a mischievous smirk, causing Tim to bat her hand away as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm used to more rain, but I like the weather," Tim cracked. "I could get used to Wisconsin if I have this to look forward to every Spring. As for the beard, I'm changing habits to 'blend in' more. Everyone back in DC is used to seeing me clean shaven."

"The goal is to send you home before you get used to life in Wisconsin," Alice pointed out.

"I have a feeling I'd need to at least maintain a vacation home here. Tell me I'm wrong when I say the others would hunt me down in DC if I suddenly up and left without showing any hint of coming back to at least visit," Tim said. Alice opened her mouth to argue, but she closed it when she came up with nothing to say. Tim smirked in amusement. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Well, I'm sure the others would appreciate you being so considerate of them," Alice said.

The two of them arrived at Alice's office without interruption from anyone seeking Alice's opinion on something. Once inside, Alice closed the door behind them so they could speak more openly.

"You say Fisher doesn't have much of an update?" Tim asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Alice's desk.

"No. Sorry. Ironically, they'd probably be doing better in their investigation if you were still back in DC to help them," Alice replied. She sat down as well so she could use her computer to access reports Fisher had sent her. "The Lambert family hasn't been called the nicest of things when I've been on the phone with Fisher, to say the least."

"You know, if someone could remove the stick from Fisher's ass, I would be able to help," Tim said in an airy tone.

"I've argued with him multiple times on the subject, Tim. We have more than enough computer equipment here in the Milwaukee office for you to help. Fisher won't budge," Alice said, her voice hinting at the amount of irritation she felt towards Fisher.

"What about Rocco? He hasn't been able to bend Fisher's ear?" Tim asked. He hadn't been around Special Agent Rocco for long, just his short stint in the safe house, but Tim remembered the man quite clearly. Rocco had been nice enough to get Tim a copy of Tim's own funeral DVD, which Tim still hadn't watched.

"I tried that route, too. Rocco and I are in agreement that you should be allowed access to the digital files for their operation so you can do some work here. Anything that'll get it done and over with faster. Fisher, however, has been refusing to listen to Rocco, as well. I think Rocco once compared Fisher's stubbornness to a mosquito stuck in amber," Alice ranted.

"To say the least," Tim said. "Does Fisher even realize that there isn't anything really stopping me from accessing the files? He, himself, has acknowledged my skills as a hacker."

"I don't know. Whatever his reasoning is for keeping you away from the operation, he is not sharing it with anyone arguing on your behalf. I'm half tempted to give you his contact information so you can call him, yourself, but I enjoy keeping my job," Alice said. "I'll keep trying, Tim. That's the best I can do at the moment."

"It's fine. I'm sure we'll find out what's going on in Fisher's head eventually," Tim said. He let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat.

"How has it been working in the shop with the others? Jade working you like a pack mule?" Alice asked, changing topics.

"My experience there has been interesting, to say the least. The others seem to be weirded out by how often Jade gets 'interrupted' by someone on the Other Side, so I'm guessing it's been happening more than usual lately," Tim replied.

"Anyone interesting?" Alice perked up. She'd seen Jade in action first hand, herself, but Alice was interested in what Tim thought of it all.

"A couple," Tim started. He pondered over whether or not to tell Alice. "You know the names of any of Jade's guardians?"

"Jade has told me about Kate, Shannon, and Eric. I know she has more, but I guess those three are usually around the most. Never got around the learning about the others," Alice said.

"I knew Kate and Shannon before I got here," Tim said.

"Wait, what?" Alice did a double take.

"I knew Kate and Shannon," Tim repeated. "Well, I knew Kate. She was a coworker of mine at NCIS. I knew of Shannon because she died before I met her husband, who happens to be my old boss from NCIS."

"Are you seriously telling me you have a personal connection with two of Jade's spirit guardians?" Alice asked, giving Tim a deadpan look that said she'd smack him if he was lying.

"Yes. Jade knows I knew Kate. Kate's told her loads about me already. Shannon, however, hasn't for some reason. I'm not sure why, and I'm not too keen on saying anything about it yet without knowing Shannon's reasoning," Tim replied.

"Shannon's been around the longest out of all the guardians. As much as I don't understand how they work, if Jade trusts Shannon then I do, too. To a point. Shannon would have to have a pretty good reason to keep something from Jade," Alice said. She pondered over everything she's learned about Shannon to see how any of it could possibly relate to Tim. "But since you never met her when she was alive, I have no idea why Shannon would be hesitant to tell Jade that you two have a connection through Shannon's husband."

"Your guess would be as good as mine, Alice. I've spoken with Shannon a few times the last couple months. She's never hinted at why she doesn't want Jade to know," Tim said.

"Keep an eye on that, yeah? Shannon's priority is Jade. Knowing you through her husband doesn't change that. If Shannon decides that it's no longer safe for Jade to be around you, then it'll cause some hell. I trust Shannon to do what's best for Jade, first and foremost," Alice said.

"You say that like I've got my own spirits and demons trailing around after me," Tim said with a laugh.

"We all do," Alice replied, stopping Tim's laughter. "We all have skeletons in our closets. We all know people who have died. Jade can speak with any of them with a little bit of effort. It's when our spirits and demons try to interact with Jade without her permission that the problems start. There's a reason why the crew tries to avoid investigating haunted prisons and haunted hospitals when they're filming an episode."

"You're making me paranoid about how often I interact with Jade," Tim commented. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Tim lost track of how many enemies he made while working at NCIS. He also didn't bother to keep track of any of them dying.

"Don't be. Just know that we're all carrying around baggage that affects mediums like her. Jade has a well established network of spirit guardians who keep her safe, so she's better protected than you realize. But, sometimes, that protection comes from one or more of her guardians becoming over cautious and saying she needs to keep away from someone. It's rare for Jade to veto their suggestions," Alice said. "And she's never vetoed a suggestion that Shannon has made."

"Now you're telling me to play kiss ass with Shannon," Tim said.

"Wouldn't work, but I kinda want to see you try," Alice replied with a chuckle. "Seriousness aside, though, has everything else with the crew been working out? No tiffs going on? No one is making you uncomfortable working there?"

Tim took a moment to think over Alice's questions. He'd been in Milwaukee for a handful of months now and had the chance to get to know the others past their initial impressions. It already felt like he'd been there significantly longer than he had been.

"No problems. They've finally stopped asking questions about my past, even when you summon me here to the office. I'd say I've blended in rather well. It's almost as if I've always been there," Tim finally answered.

"Good. Last thing we need is for Fisher to find a reason to send you packing to another city," Alice said.

Tim frowned at the idea. Constantly being moved around from city to city for the rest of his life wasn't something he was willing to put up with. Fisher's paranoia would have to be kept in check. And, if it came down to it, Tim could always tell Fisher to fuck off and return to DC, hit on his head be damned. Like Alice said, the goal was to return Tim to DC as soon as possible. Not keep him hiding under a rock until he died for real.