16 down, 84 to go
Point of a Needle, Head of a Pin (second half)
Chapter 4 prompt 002 Middles
Gibbs and Vance arrived in the bullpen at the same time, although Vance managed to get the first word in.
“What in the hell is going on, Gibbs? Security called to say you ordered the lockdown and building search. Where is Agent McGee?”
“Trying to figure that out, Leon. DiNozzo!”
“Camera feed for the past hour is on its way, Boss.”
“Where was he last seen?”
“Outside the interior elevators. He was alone when he got on, and no one has seen him leave the building.”
“Any sign he left under his own free will?”
Gibbs just glared at Vance and Tony and Ziva exchanged worried glances. Their silence was noticed by both men.
“What?”
“McGee’s been acting a little weird since the crime scene, Boss. The whole thing really seemed to freak him out.”
“Did he say why?”
“No.”
Any further discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the technician bearing the DVDs of the security footage. Gibbs ordered the man to pull up the video on the plasma and he headed for McGee’s computer.
“Not that one. It may be evidence.” Gibbs shot Vance another glare before motioning the tech to the lead agent’s desk. After fumbling for a minute, the tech managed to get the footage from the bullpen camera up on the screen. The group watched as the image of McGee, who was obviously tired but did not appear to be overly worried, moved to the elevators and stopped before pressing the down button. When the doors opened, he stepped into an empty elevator and turned around just as the doors slid shut. About ten seconds later, the image on the camera was replaced with static.
“What the…?” The tech reversed the video and then slowly moved it forward frame by frame. The static appeared again and the tech fast-forwarded the video until the image cleared, then reversed it again. No images were visible through the static, which lasted for about thirty seconds. Muttering to himself, the tech began to check through the rest of the footage but the static did not reappear. He stopped the DVD and removed it before putting in a new disc.
“This is from the next level down.” He cued up the new footage and scrolled though until it reached the same time frame he had just checked. The static appeared on that feed as well, and disappeared within the same time frame. The tech let the video run past the static and as the image cleared the elevator doors opened. No one stepped out and from what they could see, the elevator was empty.
“What in the hell?” Tony yelped. “Where did he go?”
“I believe that is what we are trying to figure out, Agent DiNozzo. Mr. Hinsen, collect all of the footage from this time frame and take it to Cybercrimes. See if they can trace the source of the interference. Then send someone up to get McGee’s computer. I need to know what he was working on before all of this happened. I’ll check and see if anyone is claiming responsibility for this.”
“You think someone took McGee and disrupted the feed so they would not be detected?”
“That seems the most likely scenario, Agent David, unless McGee somehow transported himself out of the elevator without being seen.”
“Not funny, Leon. Who would have the capability to do this?”
“I don’t know, Gibbs. If we’re lucky it was one of our own agencies. If not, we’ve got one hell of a situation on our hands.”
“Ya think? What about my agent? What kind of ‘situation’ is he in?”
“I wish I knew. I’ll keep you informed, Gibbs.” He turned to the tech, who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. “What are you waiting for, Hinsen?”
“Sorry, sir, sorry.” He nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush to get to the elevator. Vance watched the man leave with the slightest hint of annoyance on his face and then quickly headed up the stairs to his office.
“Boss?”
“Tell Abby to run a check on McGee’s phone, then start checking going over Pruitt’s case file from the San Diego office. Ziva, see if you can find any connection between Pruitt and McGee.”
“You think McGee’s disappearance is related to our current case?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences, Ziva, and I sure as hell don’t want McGee to end up like Pruitt!”
“Yes, Gibbs.” She returned to her desk and started to type, while Tony made the call to Abby and Gibbs stormed off towards the director’s office.
After Tony had finally managed to relay Gibbs’ instructions to Abby amidst her worried ramblings he hung up the phone and turned to Ziva.
“Find anything?”
“I have just started, Tony. I am not-.” She took a deep breath. “I am not McGee.”
Tony winced and turned to his own assigned task. He knew McGee had been looking at the file and from the expressions he had seen on the younger man’s face he knew that it had bothered him. Tony really wished he had pressed harder to get the truth. He opened the file and started to re-read it much more carefully, but no particular bit of information jumped out at him and finally he looked up at Ziva. She was facing her computer screen but Tony was fairly sure she was not seeing it, judging by the expression on her face.
“Ziva? What’s wrong?” She jumped slightly and looked up at him with clearly visible worry in her eyes.
“You do not think…you do not think that this was because of me?”
“You? Why would you…?” Suddenly it dawned on him. “You think Mossad is behind this? And your father?”
“Or maybe someone else who is retaliating for the things I have done.”
“Then why take McGee?”
“Why would someone else take him from us?”
Tony considered everything they knew. “Maybe he stumbled on something he shouldn’t have while searching for information on Pruitt. Damn it! What did he see in that file, and why didn’t he tell us?”
“I do not know. Whatever it is, we need to find it. It may be our only chance of figuring out why he was taken.”
“Or who took him. And seriously, how in the hell did they ever get him out of here without any of us seeing them?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out, DiNozzo,” said Gibbs as he descended the stairs from the catwalk, and the look on his face silenced any questions the remaining members of his team may have had.
“On it, Boss.”
XXX
Consciousness slowly returned, but Tim kept his eyes shut, afraid of what he might see. He soon became aware that he was lying on something soft, lumpy, and not altogether pleasant-smelling. He had the sense that there were other people in the room and he cautiously opened his eyes, hoping that everything really had been just a dream and he would see the faces of his teammates. When his vision cleared, he groaned. It hadn’t been a dream.
“You OK?” asked the man closest to him, the one who had opened the door.
“Define OK,” Tim muttered and he saw a flash of a grin on the man’s face.
“Alive and intact. Physically, at least. Sanity is optional.”
“Good to know.” He slowly took in his surroundings. “Where am I?”
“South Dakota,” answered the younger man that he had also seen earlier. “I’m guessing that’s not where you started the day.”
“No.” He swung his legs over the edge of the sofa and carefully sat up, groaning softly as his stiffness and soreness made themselves known. He noticed another man, similarly dressed to the others but also wearing a ball cap, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the man was seated in a wheel chair. He searched for a sign of the man… angel that had brought him to this place but the three men were the only others in the room. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dean, and this is my brother, Sam. Over there is Bobby. This is his place.” Tim managed to raise a hand and wave at the older man in acknowledgment. Bobby just snorted softly and shook his head. “And you are?”
“Tim...McGee.”
“Well Tim McGee, you mind telling exactly how you wound up here? Cas didn’t bother to tell us before he took off again. Well, other than you’re here to help, but I’ve got a pretty good idea that you have no freaking clue what that means.”
Tim felt a slight twinge of anger at the man’s assumption, but he did his best to remain calm. “I…I was at work, and this…man appeared and said he needed to talk to me. Next thing I knew I was at the top of a mountain in Colorado and he was telling me he needed my help to find someone and help stop the Apocalypse.”
“This guy give you his name?”
“Zachariah.”
Dean swore. “What else?”
“Well, uh, Castiel showed up and… took me to some barn near Pontiac, Illinois. He said ‘they’ were looking for me and then he…” Tim winced at the memory. “He carved something into my ribs for protection.” He saw the brothers cringe in sympathy and managed a weak smile before he continued his story. “He told me that Zachariah had lied and that he didn’t want to stop the Apocalypse, but that he, Castiel that is, he was trying to stop it, along with a small group. I told him I wanted to help and he brought me here.”
“Why did you offer to help? Most people would run screaming in the opposite direction.”
“I figured that I was already in the middle of this, since Zachariah tried to recruit me...several times, and-.”
“Wait. He tried to recruit you before?”
“Well, no, not him specifically. He just said ‘they’ had tried to recruit me before. A little over a year ago, and then again last night.”
“You’re a vessel?” Sam guessed, and Dean swore again.
“That’s what Zachariah said. I’m still not sure exactly what that means, though.”
“It means you’re an angel condom. They’ll wear you to the party and once it’s over, phft. They’ll toss you.”
Tim winced at Dean’s rather crude description. “How do you know all of this?”
The two brothers exchanged looks. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do. If I’m going to be in the middle of all this, not that I’m not already, I need to know what I’ll be facing.” He met Dean’s gaze. “I may not have a clue yet, but that doesn’t mean you need to try and keep me from figuring it out.”
The men exchanged looks again and Tim thought he saw the same type of silent communication that Tony and Gibbs always used. Finally Sam spoke.
“To make a long story short, the Apocalypse was foretold long before any of us were around, and apparently Michael and Lucifer needed their destined vessels before the whole thing could get started. Once the vessels became available, and all of the conditions were met, Lucifer had to be freed from his cage. Over the last year, the seals…basically locks that were keeping Lucifer in his cage were broken…and now he and Michael are waiting to take over their vessels so the battle can begin.”
“Zachariah mentioned something about that. He said Michael couldn’t find his vessel and…” Suddenly an idea struck him. “One of you is it?”
Dean sighed and raised his hand. “Guilty.”
Tim barely managed to control the reeling of his mind in order to ask the next question. “But what about Lucifer? Has he found his vessel?”
“He has a temporary vessel at the moment, but no, his true vessel is hidden as well,” Sam replied, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
Tim noticed Sam’s expression and felt a chill creep down his spine. “You?”
He repeated Dean’s sigh and gesture. “Guilty.”
Tim turned to Bobby, who had remained silent. “What about you?”
“Nothin’. These two idjits just dragged me along for the ride.”
“And all of you…you’re trying to stop the final battle?” They nodded. “How?”
“Well, Cas is out looking for God since he figures that’s the only one who can stop all of this. Me, Sam, and Bobby have been hitting the books, trying to find something that will kill the Devil. We figure if we can do that, problem solved.”
Tim barely managed to parse the first statement. “Castiel is looking for…?” He remembered Dean’s reaction when the angel had ‘introduced’ him. “And you thought I was…?”
“Trust me, we’ve seen stranger.” Dean tilted his head and studied Tim. “What do you do, anyway?”
“I work for NCIS. That’s the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I’m a field agent.”
“A…Cas kidnapped a Fed?”
“Well, technically, he didn’t--.”
“Oh, that’s just great!” Dean threw up his hands and stalked out of the room, but before he left Tim could have sworn he saw raw guilt on the man’s face.
“What…?” Tim turned to Sam. “Did something happen with--?”
“I think he just remembered the last Federal agent who helped us,” Sam replied softly. “It didn’t end well. I’m sorry, I’ll talk to him.” The younger man rose and followed his brother. Tim tried to gather everything he had learned into something that made sense.
Failing in that, he finally turned to Bobby.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Dunno. We can always use help in the book work, and a fresh pair of eyes couldn’t hurt. Why are you willing to help, kid?”
“I…I know I got dragged into all this, and I probably shouldn’t want to have anything to do with it, but… if what you are saying is true, then everyone I care about is in danger. I can’t sit by and do nothing. I just can’t.”
“OK. Whatever you say. I better give you a crash course, though, so you’ll know what you’re up against.” He rolled the chair over to his overflowing desk, collected several heavy volumes which he placed in his lap, and then rolled over to the sofa where Tim sat to deposit his load. “This will help you get started.”
Tim eyed the stack of books, immediately wishing for an electronic version. “How long do you think…all of this is going to take?”
“I think we’re all in this for the long haul, Tim. You still sure you want to help?”
Tim thought of his family, his team, and everything he cared about. Could he ever forgive himself if he didn’t do all he could to protect them?
“Yeah. I’m sure.” He picked up the first book and opened it to the first page. He scanned the information and his eyes widened: there was more to this than he had ever imagined. After a few minutes he turned to the older man.
“I do have one more question.”
“Yeah?”
He sighed. “How am I going to explain this to my boss?”
Chapter 5 prompt 069 Thunder
Tim resumed reading and tried to concentrate on the words in front of him, but he was worried about the people he had left behind at the Yard. He could just imagine Gibbs’ reaction when couldn’t find his agent and he hoped his boss would not think he had voluntarily walked out on a case. The rest of his team would be annoyed, then worried, and he hated to think that he was the cause of their anxiety. He really did need to find a way to tell Gibbs. He only hoped the lead agent wouldn’t automatically think Tim had lost his mind.
He heard footsteps and looked up to see Sam and Dean walk back into the living room. Dean walked over to him and dropped a small flat box in his lap. He read the label and looked up at the elder brother with a frown.
“Ex-Lax?”
“You’ve been riding the angel express. Trust me, you’ll need it.”
Tim glanced at Bobby, who just shook his head. The agent decided that he really didn’t want to know and set the box aside.
“So what exactly did Zachariah want with you?” asked Sam.
“I’m not completely sure, but one thing I do know is that he wanted me to find Michael’s vessel. He said they needed a direct visual to do that…why do they need a visual to find you?”
“Those protection sigils Cas carved into your ribs, he also carved into ours to take us off the angel radar. We’re invisible to them. How would you have found us?”
“I have…er, had access to databases, surveillance cameras and satellites. I guess he would have had me search for you using those. Although, come to think of it, I would have needed a good reason to search for you. I’m not sure how I would have worked around that.”
“Well, considering that we were on the FBI’s most wanted list for awhile, that would have been a place to start.”
“You were? What for?”
“Long story. Basically we were in the right place at the wrong time.”
“Oh.”
“So… Zachariah was going to trust you to do this job?”
“Well, no. He said I’d have a co-pilot.”
“Did he say who?”
“No. Just that it wasn’t an archangel.”
“Lucky you. I’ve seen what those bastards do to their vessels.”
“How?”
“Cas and I needed to have a little chat with Raphael… and I’m not talking about the ninja turtle.”
Tim rolled his eyes. It was almost like having Tony around. “So Raphael’s on our side?”
“Not exactly, no.”
“Great…” He studied the two men. “So…how exactly does one get to be a vessel?”
“It’s hereditary. Certain bloodlines can provide hosts,” Sam explained and Tim immediately felt a twist of fear.
“I have a sister. Could she…would they try to recruit her? What about my parents?”
“No.”
The three men jumped slightly in surprise and turned to face the new arrival.
“A little warning would be nice, Cas,” Dean groused. “And what did you mean, ‘no’?”
“Tim is a vessel for one of the Galearii. Only certain members of a bloodline would be chosen by them, and Tim is the only one in his line currently under consideration.”
“What are Galearii?”
“The lowest rank of angels. They are Heaven’s foot-soldiers, and many of the higher level angels see them as… disposable.”
“Great,” Tim muttered. “I’m a Red-Shirt.”
Dean chuckled. “You know, I think I might like this guy.”
Tim saw the annoyed glare Sam sent his brother and managed a chuckle of his own as he rolled his eyes again.
Cas just tilted his head and studied the men, obviously missing a few key nuances in their conversation, but not terribly concerned about it. Tim suddenly remembered his major concern.
“I need to talk to Gibbs, my boss. He’s going to be, uh, irate if he doesn’t know what happened to me.”
“Unfortunately, Gibbs and most of your team are being watched. I cannot allow you to be seen with them until the angels have moved on. As soon as it is safe I will arrange a meeting.”
“But what about…” Tim realized that, considering the situation, it was rather ridiculous to be worrying about his duties at NCIS. Still, force of habit… “How are we going to explain my absence? NCIS will send out a BOLO and if anyone else sees me…”
“I have taken care of it. Your absence had been justified to the person in power, and he will provide an excuse for you. No one will question him.”
“You told Gibbs?”
“No.”
“Director Vance?”
“No. The man I spoke to is named Phillip Davenport.” Castiel reached into his pocket and withdrew an oversized coin, which he handed to Tim. “He said I should give you this.”
Tim glanced at the coin in his hand, although he had already figured out the significance of the name. “Oh, crap… Gibbs is going to kill me…”
Dean glanced between the distraught agent and the unperturbed angel, obviously wondering just what he had missed.
“Who the hell is Phillip Davenport?”
XXX
“Tony!”
He immediately raised his head from where it had been resting on his desk and sat up when the hiss of his name reached his ears.
“What, Ziva?”
“Look!” she hissed again.
He turned in the direction she was pointing and froze as he saw a familiar figure striding purposefully along the catwalk towards the director’s office. He had only met this man a couple of times, and none of those encounters had been pleasant. Tony glanced over towards Gibbs’ desk and when he saw the expression on the lead agent’s face, his heart leapt into his throat. This was not good.
Gibbs immediately stood and headed up the stairs to the upper level without a backward glance at his agents. Ziva and Tony both moved to the center of the bullpen and watched as their boss disappeared within the office before they turned to each other.
“Do you think him being here has something to do with McGee?”
“I wish I could say no, Ziva, but…this might be worse than we thought.”
“I do not think that is possible, Tony.”
The remaining members of the team had been searching for some sign of their teammate all night and hadn’t caught a single break. Vance had reported that none of the known groups had claimed responsibility for his disappearance, and none of the ‘chatter’ had provided any clues as to who might have taken him. Vance had contacted every agency within the federal ‘alphabet soup’ and none knew anything about McGee’s disappearance, at least not that they would admit to the director of NCIS. The appearance of the SECNAV did not bode well for any of them at this point, especially McGee.
After about ten minutes, Davenport emerged from Vance’s office and quickly made his way to the elevator. Tony was surprised to note that the smug expression that he had come to associate with the man was missing. Davenport looked a little shell- shocked, to be honest, but that expression was soon hidden under the man’s normal façade.
“DiNozzo, David. My office, now.”
Vance had followed the SECNAV out of the office and now had his attention focused on the bullpen. He wore an expression of thinly controlled anger, although Tony thought he could detect worry as well. He and Ziva both rushed up the stairs and followed Vance into his office. Gibbs was already there and obviously fuming.
“Boss? What’s going on?”
Gibbs just waved at hand at Vance, indicating that the man should explain.
“Agent McGee is alive, and currently in protective custody. He has been chosen to work on a project that is vital to national security, and…yesterday his handlers became aware that he was in jeopardy. They removed him from the building and transferred him to a secure location.”
Tony tried to take in everything he had just heard. The relief he had felt upon hearing that his teammate was safe had been quickly negated by the rest of the information Tony had just received. “What is this project? And why was McGee chosen?”
“That I can’t tell you. The SECNAV has informed me of McGee’s involvement in this project, but he would not reveal the nature of the assignment. As for why McGee was chosen, he would not reveal that either.”
“I cannot believe McGee would have agreed to take the assignment without telling us at least something.”
“Neither can I, Ziva,” Gibbs growled, finally breaking his silence. “I want to know what in the hell the SECNAV has gotten him involved in, Leon.”
“You heard what the man said, Gibbs.”
“Yeah, I did, and it didn’t make a damn bit of sense to me. McGee is my agent. He knows the rules, and he wouldn’t have taken a job like this without-“
“Consulting you? I really don’t think he had a choice in the matter, Gibbs. If he hadn’t agreed to take the project…”
“They threatened him?” Fury erupted in Tony’s voice. “What in the hell for?”
“As I have already told you, Agent DiNozzo, it’s classified. I don’t even know.”
“So that is it? You are just going to let whoever has taken McGee keep him?”
“It is for his own safety, Agent David.”
“But what about--?”
“Everything is being handled. When the threat has passed, Agent McGee will be returned to your team. In the meantime, you will not try to find him. Understood?”
“But-“
“Is that clear, Agents DiNozzo and David?
“Director-“
“Is. That. Clear?”
Vance’s tone left no room for arguments.
“Yes, Director,” the agents replied.
“Agent Gibbs?”
“I’m not happy about this, Leon.”
“Noted. Now I suggest you return to your current case: Lieutenant Pruitt. Is there anything else?”
Gibbs said nothing before leaving the office without a backwards glance. Tony and Ziva exchange looks and then shook their heads.
“No, Director.”
“Good. Dismissed.”
The agents returned to the bullpen, only slightly surprised to find Gibbs gone.
“Guess he went to tell Abby,” said Tony as he reached his desk and sat down.
“I do not understand this,” said Ziva. “How did they get him out of the building and into ‘protective custody’?”
“No idea, Ziva. This is one for the record books.”
She shook her head. “Something is definitely hinky.”
“Yeah, it is. But unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it. Guess we just better get back to work.” He pulled up Pruitt’s case file on his computer. After a few moments of silence, he saw Ziva do the same.
Tony tried to keep his attention on the case in front of him, but his gaze kept drifting to the desk to his right, its normal occupant, and what the man might be doing that was important enough to separate him from his team.
XXX
Gibbs set the half-pint jar of bourbon on his workbench and sighed. It had been nearly a week since McGee had vanished…been taken, supposedly, by those wanting to protect him. Gibbs had not been an agent for as long as he had without getting a sense that he was being lied to and during the meeting with the SECNAV, he definitely had that feeling. What he couldn’t figure out was why. He was pretty damn sure the whole ‘special assignment’ story was a crock, some sort of CYA move on the part of the SECNAV to deal with an op that had gone wrong, but he still didn’t know why his agent had been involved in the first place.
A soft rustle drew his attention to the corner of his basement and he immediately reached for his gun when he saw the strange man standing there.
“Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here?” Gibbs had started locking his door and was fairly sure he had locked it before he came downstairs. Hadn’t he?
“I am here on behalf of Tim McGee. He would like to speak with you.”
“Where is he?”
“I will take you to him.” Before Gibbs could react the man appeared in front of him and placed two fingers on his forehead. Darkness swirled around him and soon he landed on a cold, hard surface with a thump.
“Boss?” He looked up to see his missing agent standing over him.“Are you OK?”
“McGee? What in the hell…?” He looked around and saw what looked like the interior of a large storage barn with strange symbols painted all over the walls and floor. “Where are we?”
“Uh, somewhere near Pontiac, Illinois.” McGee reached down and offered a hand to Gibbs, who cautiously took a hold of it and hauled himself to his feet with a little help from his agent.
“What…Where have you been, McGee. And how did I get here?” He looked around and saw the man who had appeared in his basement. “Who is he?”
“That’s Castiel. He, uh, provided the transportation.”
Gibbs finally turned to take a good look at his wayward agent. Tim looked tired, but calmer than he would have expected given the circumstances.
“’Transportation’?’ Illinois is hell and gone from Alexandria, McGee. Where are we, really?”
“Tim spoke the truth. We are where he says,” Castiel replied.
Gibbs looked at his watch and held it up to his ear. It was still ticking, but only a few minutes had passed since he had last looked at it in his basement.
“What’d he do, teleport me?”
Tim chuckled softly. “Yeah, Boss, pretty much.” He looked up and met Gibbs’ gaze. “He can do that, you know, since he’s an…angel.”
“A what?” Gibbs looked at ‘Castiel’, who solemnly nodded. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Tim is speaking the truth. I am an angel of the Lord.”
Before Gibbs could protest, there was thunder, followed by flashes of lightning, and in the flickering light Gibbs saw the shadows of two huge wings expand from the man’s shoulders. The light faded and the wings vanished, but Gibbs could only stare in shock at the figure in front of him. Castiel stared back, and Gibbs thought he could almost see a smile on the…angel’s face as his own knees gave out and he slowly sank to the ground.
“Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you and Tim have much to discuss. I will leave you for now.” There was a faint rustle of wings and Castiel vanished. Finally Gibbs managed to look up at Tim, who immediately crouched down next to him.
“Are you OK, Boss?”
“No,” Gibbs replied. “What…what’s going on, Tim?”
Tim sighed. “It’s been an interesting week, Boss.”
Gibbs sat and listened as Tim explained everything: how Zachariah had taken Tim from the Yard and what he had wanted the agent to do; how Castiel had rescued Tim and hidden him from the other angels; the group that Tim was now with, and what they were trying to do.
“So let me get this straight,” Gibbs said when Tim had finished. “Angels are real, they need humans as ‘vessels’, you’re one of them, and so are two of the people you’re working with to try and kill the Devil and save the world.”
“Uh…yeah.”
Gibbs managed a weak chuckle. “Always knew you’d move on to bigger things one day, McGee, but stopping the Apocalypse wasn’t even on the list.”
Tim laughed softly and shook his head. “Wasn’t on my list either, Boss.” His expression sobered. “I wanted to tell you about this sooner, but…”
“I was under surveillance.”
“Yeah. I’m glad it didn’t take longer, though. I guess angels have a short attention span.”
“Or they moved on to someone else who could do what they needed.”
“Maybe…”
“So now what?”
“I guess Castiel will take you back home, and I…I’m going to do what I can to make sure everyone is safe.”
“Who’s going to keep you safe, Tim? These men that you’re working with now?”
“I hope so.”
“Just remember-.”
“I don’t have permission to die. Got it, Boss.”
Gibbs smirked. He studied his agent for a moment before he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.
“You’re doing the right thing, Tim.”
“Thanks, Boss.” He smiled weakly. “Gotta admit, though…this is a hell of a lot scarier than…anything I’ve ever done.”
“Even riding in the car with me or Ziva driving?”
“I think I’ll plead the fifth on that one.”
Suddenly they heard the rustle of wings and turned to see Castiel watching them intently.
“It is time to return Gibbs to his home. Certain people are becoming concerned with his absence.”
Gibbs smirked again. “Looks like I’m breaking one of my own rules, McGee. Now if you ever need to reach me…”
“I’ll figure it out, Boss. Thanks for…everything.”
Gibbs reached up and patted Tim’s cheek. “Good luck, Tim. And thank you.” He walked over to Castiel and the angel touched his forehead. Soon he found himself back in his basement, alone, and his cell phone was ringing. He sighed and reached for it.
“Yeah, Gibbs. I’m fine, DiNozzo, just had to step out for a minute. What? Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He snapped his phone shut and paused to think about what he had just learned…
Finally he shook his head and started up the stairs.
XXX
Tim stumbled a little as he arrived back at Bobby’s. The men were all gathered in the study and they looked up as he entered the doorway.
“You get everything straightened out with your boss?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
“Awesome. Glad to have you back, Tim.” Dean grinned and handed Tim a stack of books, causing the agent to groan. “We’ve got work to do.”
The End
(for now)