A/N: This is the promised sequel to Schism. It is still Tim-centered, but there is a lot more of the team in this one because of the nature of the story. If you hated Schism but are, for some odd reason, reading this, I hope you enjoy it more than you did Schism. I may be outing myself as a Journey fan by using a song of theirs for my title, but I have to say that "Trial by Fire" is a beautiful song and I highly recommend you listen to it. If you find Journey to be a band not worth enjoying, I won't tell anyone if you listen to and like the song (you can find it on YouTube). :)

I hope you're ready for a bumpy ride. There are going to be twists and turns galore in this story. Buckle your seatbelts and hang on!

Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine! All I claim are the original characters. NCIS and its characters belong to DPB and I'm poor; so I'm not making money off this. Pity.

Not Destroyed
Schism sequel
by Enthusiastic Fish

Treasures in the jars of clay
Let the light shine out of darkness
Fallen down but not destroyed
It's just another trial by fire
"Trial by Fire" by Journey

Chapter 1

Six months after the end of Schism...

Ducky was forced to park almost a block away from Tim's apartment. There were too many police cars, plus an ambulance and crowds of people hovering around. His heart in his throat, Ducky hurried over to the edge of what was obviously a crime scene and gestured to an officer.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, officer. My name is Donald Mallard. I'm a friend of Timothy McGee and I was called about...a robbery?"

The officer nodded and lifted the tape to allow Ducky to come through. He gestured.

"He's over there at the ambulance. Tell him to let us do our jobs next time."

Ducky nodded. "Thank you."

"He's all right, Mr. Mallard. The bump on his head might just knock some sense into him."

"I doubt that, but I thank you." He hurried over to the ambulance and couldn't stifle his sigh of relief when he caught sight of Tim sitting upright, getting a gash tended to on his arm. There was already a butterfly bandage on his head. Jethro was sitting beside him on the ground, looking uninjured.

"Hey, Ducky," he said, smiling slightly.

"Timothy..."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault! The guy was already in my apartment when I got back from walking Jethro. It's his fault that he chose my place to try and rob. He won't be doing that again...not until he gets out of prison again, at any rate."

"Did you have to take him on by yourself?"

"Well, I didn't exactly have..." Tim suddenly faltered and stopped talking.

Ducky knew the word he didn't want to say. Even now, a year after the end of the fateful undercover mission, Tim had serious trouble with what had happened with his team.

"What happened?"

"I opened the door, and the guy was trying to...find something worth stealing, I guess." Tim shrugged. "There wasn't much and he had just found my safe. Jethro warned me that he was there and...we fought him off, subdued him and made a citizen's arrest. Since I caught him in the act, I could do that and we called the police as soon as we could."

"We?"

"I got my neighbor to make the actual call." Tim looked at his arm and then at Ducky. "I'm fine. Really."

"Well, I don't think you'll be staying here tonight."

"No, that's not likely. ...not with all the break-ins that have been happening in the last month. They'll probably want to see if they can get him for the others as well."

"The others?"

Tim looked a little guilty. "Yeah. This is the fourth home invasion in this neighborhood this month."

"Well, you're all patched up, Mr. McGee," the EMT interjected. "Try to stay away from sharp objects, okay?"

Tim smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best. Can I stay with you tonight, Ducky?"

"Of course, lad."

"Great. Just let me see if they'll let me grab some things from my apartment." He stood up and walked over to one of the officers.

"Is he all right?" Ducky asked the EMT.

She nodded. "Yeah. He'll be fine. The guy wasn't much of a threat, physically, not drunk as he was. If he had been sober...or high, I think your friend might have had a worse fight on his hands. As it is...it looks like he'll have another scar to go along with the other ones on his arm. What are they from?"

"An exploding shower."

"What?"

"It is a long story."

"I guess." She looked over and watched Tim get escorted back inside his building. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"You two...you don't seem to fit into this area."

"I don't live here. I live in Georgetown."

Her eyes widened. "Yeah...you look like you could fit there. Actually, so does he. Why is he living in this neighborhood? It's not safe. People don't live here unless they can't afford anything better."

"...or their pride keeps them from accepting help from others."

"Ah. I see. I was talking with him and he just doesn't seem the type."

"Until a few months ago, he wasn't."

"Gotcha. Well, looks like he got what he needed. Good luck to you guys."

"Good luck?"

"I have a feeling you need it."

Ducky smiled. "Indeed we do."

"Hey, Ducky, they let me pack a bag...and grab some of Jethro's stuff. So we can go whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready. Shall we depart?"

"Sure. Come on, Jethro!" Tim called.

Jethro leapt up and trotted with them down the street to Ducky's car. Tim smiled at Ducky. It was a knowing smile. It said that he knew what was coming. Ducky waited until they'd reached his home. ...but when Jethro was settled and Tim's bag was deposited safely in Ducky's spare room, the conversation began.

"Timothy, why didn't you tell me?"

It was to his credit that Tim didn't bother trying to pretend that he didn't understand what Ducky was talking about.

"Because I knew you'd worry and you'd try to get me to accept living with you or with Matt and Judith. ...and I'd have to say no. Why bring it up?"

"I knew that you were struggling somewhat financially, but I didn't realize it was so bad."

Tim smiled, but there was more than a hint of bitterness. "Ducky, I haven't had a regular job since I quit NCIS. No one wants to hire someone who's nuts. Sure, they can't officially discriminate based on previous illness, but once they know...it doesn't matter what my credentials are. They're not interested...and with that glaring six-month gap after I quit...I can't hide it. Matt gives me work when he can, but he can't always. The temp jobs I've managed to get don't last forever."

"Timothy..."

"Ducky...don't start. Please?" Tim sighed and showed the first signs of dejection that Ducky had seen in him. "It's bad enough that I've had to cut so much out of my life. I know that this isn't ideal, but I need to be doing this on my own. I dug this hole for myself and now I have to lie in it, and I'm not going to live dependent on others. ...at least not more than I have to."

Ducky smiled at the qualification. Tim was still depending on others for help with his COBRA payments. Gibbs among them.

"Eventually...I might have to accept that there's nothing for me here anymore. I just don't want to do that. I have friends here. I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else except Ohio...and even at that, it's a close second. This is home to me...but I might have to give it up and move somewhere else to find a job...a real job. So far, though, I haven't felt right about leaving."

"Maybe because there things left undone? Words left unsaid?"

"Don't go there, Ducky. There's nothing left for me to say to them."

Them. Another sign of Tim's continued anguish about his former team. He hadn't spoken any of their names, not once since he had gone to the psychiatric hospital.

"Anyway...I have an interview tomorrow. Matt recommended me...but I don't think I'll get it. It's a software company that's been hired to do some classified work for Quantico. I'm sure that once they know about my mental breakdown, they'll reject me."

"Then, why are you bothering with it?"

Tim smiled. "I'm a hopeless optimist, I guess." He looked away.

"Timothy, are you all right?"

Tim sighed and shook his head. "I just don't know what to do with my life yet, Ducky. I keep trying to find something, but everything is getting shot down...before I even have a chance. I'm glad that I have the option of figuring it out...but no one is obligated to agree with what I decide. It's just not something I had counted on."

"You have time, Timothy."

"Yeah...I have lots of time. ...and nothing to fill it." Tim took a breath and looked back. "I'll be back to sunshine and roses in the morning, Ducky. I think I'll go to bed. I don't want to be late to my interview!" He managed a smile and stood up.

"I'm always here if you need to talk, lad."

Tim headed out of the kitchen, but he stopped and looked back.

"And I'll always be grateful for that, Ducky. I wouldn't be here at all without your help. Good night."

"Good night."

Ducky watched Tim leave and sighed. Life couldn't be easy, but he wished that it would ease off just a little for Tim. He needed a break.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The next morning...

"Well, Mr. McGee, you have an excellent resume and I'm impressed with your performance here today. I just have a couple of questions."

Tim nodded, but his heart sank. He knew what was coming. Hal Johnson looked at his resume and was obviously checking the timelines of his employment.

"I see here that you have a space of about six months following your quitting NCIS in which you weren't working."

"That's right."

"Six months is a long time. Were you looking?"

"No."

"Well?"

Tim sighed. He'd been through this so many times. He didn't think he could tolerate it again.

"Should I just leave now and not bother with explaining myself?"

Hal blinked. "Excuse me?"

"It will probably save you a lot of trouble and maybe a little guilt when you decide not to hire me."

"What makes you think I won't hire you? What exactly went on?"

Tim looked up at the ceiling and then met his interviewer's gaze. "The reason there are six months of nothing is because I was in a psychiatric hospital for most of that time. I had a mental breakdown. Should I go now?"

To Tim's surprise, there was none of the instant curiosity and nervousness that usually marked the revelation. Hal simply looked at him speculatively.

"I'm guessing that this has something to do with why you quit working at NCIS?"

"Yes."

"And you think that this is enough to keep me from hiring you?"

"Isn't it?"

Hal's smile was sympathetic. "I take it this is something you've faced before?"

"More times that I can count."

"Their loss. Mr. McGee, I received your resume on recommendation from a man I highly respect."

"My friend, Matt."

"Yes. And I have seen nothing in your interview, on your resume, in your performance, to indicate that the recommendation is misplaced or based merely on friendship."

"Are you saying that you're hiring me?"

"Well, not yet. I have three other interviews today, and it may fall out that someone else would be more suitable. However, you have military experience."

"I was an NCIS agent, not a sailor."

"Granted, but you had extensive interactions with the military."

"Yes."

"We need that here. We need someone who understands how the military works, how they think. I can't tell you what the project is, but it has to be structured for military minds, not computer nerds' minds."

Tim laughed, but part of it was out of disbelief.

"Now, before you get your hopes up, this is only a temporary position."

"I'm aware of that."

"If you do get hired, you'll receive full benefits and salary for the entire term of your employ. It will be as if you are a regular employee. However, once this project is over, I won't have the work for you to do."

"I understand."

"All right. We'll have the decision made within the next day or two. I'll make sure someone calls you no matter what. No sense in letting you hang around hopeful if you don't have to. But let me tell you, Mr. McGee, I can see no reason why I wouldn't want to hire you...and I'm not saying that to make you feel better. I can see you thinking that. It's written all over your face."

Tim smiled and hitched his shoulder in acknowledgment. Why deny what was true?

"Well, that's everything, then. Oh, one more question. This is mostly curiosity."

Tim was halfway out of his chair. "Yes?"

"Do you regret quitting your job at NCIS?"

Tim paused as the last seven years of his life flitted through his head.

"I...I regret the circumstances that made it necessary for me to quit. Is that everything?"

"Yes."

Tim nodded, murmured a thank you and left.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Gibbs sighed to himself. This project had taken a number of wrong turns and he'd been forced to restart multiple times, once even screwing up so badly that he'd had to scrap the wood and smooth out new planks. Then, there was the metal. It was definitely giving him fits. He was on the verge of giving up the hand tools and gettings some more modern ones...but no. He couldn't do that.

No matter how long it took, he'd finish the task he'd set himself...within the limits he'd given himself. No matter what.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim got a call from Hal Johnson himself the next morning. He'd been hired.