Title: Mirror, Mirror
Author: Ami Ven
Setting: um… somewhere season 3, 4, 5… Ziva and Jenny are there, at any rate.
Additional: I'm pretty sure that by this point, most people are familiar with the concept of a mirror universe, so no real knowledge of Star Trek is necessary. Of course, if you want to go back and watch that episode, I'll wait…
Timothy McGee was a fan of Star Trek. Not surprising, really, given his position as resident geek for NCIS's best team. Of course, he tried not to advertise the fact at work. After Gibbs (of all people) had christened him "Elf Lord", McGee made at least a token attempt to tamp down on the geek stuff.
So, it was with slight surprise that the night before, after a tough case, then an hours-long zombie movie marathon with Abby, she had pulled the Original Series box set from his stack of DVDs.
"Star Trek, Timmy?" she asked, a teasing smile on her dark lips.
McGee shrugged, but with Abby it was easier to defend himself. "No zombies there, Abbs."
She peered down the list of episodes. "But this was made in the sixties, McGee. There were all sorts of psychedelic things going on back then. Are you telling me that there's not one acid-trip episode in here? They had all sorts of questionable science in the sixties."
"You know what, Abby?" McGee asked, rising as well. "You're on."
He took the box from her and pulled out a disk without looking at the episode list. "There's a great one," he explained. "It's called "Mirror, Mirror"…"
Of course, after six zombie movies and an hour of Star Trek, morning came far too early. McGee and Abby had both made it to work on time, but now the field agent found himself facing a mountain of paperwork with fading attention.
"Late night, Probie?" asked Tony. The senior agent was leaning back on his chair, feet up on his desk, avoiding his own paperwork while Gibbs was out getting more coffee.
"Yes, McGee," Ziva added. "You look quite run over."
McGee frowned at her, his brain not quite up to figuring out her linguistic troubles, but Tony said, "It's run down, Zee-vah. Being run over usually involves a car."
"Yes, whatever," she said impatiently. "I merely meant that McGee looks tired."
"He does." Tony rose and crossed to stand in front of the other man's desk. In a stage whisper, he asked, "Was she hot, McGee?"
The smack to the back of Tony's head came as a surprise, even to Ziva, who Gibbs had passed to reach him. "He was with Abby," the ex-marine said shortly.
"That explains it," said Tony, wincing even as he retreated to his own desk. "Getting back to work, boss."
Gibbs added a glare each for Ziva and McGee for good measure, and all four returned to their paperwork. McGee tried to concentrate, but after only a few minutes, the words began to swirl in front of his eyes. Glancing around to make sure that no one was looking, he folded his arms on the desk and set his head down on them. He'd just rest his eyes for a moment, then straight back to work….
"McGee," said a voice. A hand shook his shoulder, but he kept his eyes closed. "McGee!"
"Go away, Tony," he muttered.
"Now, McGee!"
With a sigh, he picked his head up from his arms, fully intending to snap at Tony for waking him, only to let out a gasp at what he saw.
The bullpen was dark, much darker than it should be at this time of the afternoon, and lit by strips of red lights along the ceiling. It was also empty- not a single person sat at another desk, or walked by.
"McGee!" snapped the voice again, and he turned.
He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision, but the image didn't change. It certainly looked like Tony, but the scowling man beside McGee's desk seemed too angry to be the senior field agent. His hair was cut very short, and a nasty scar ran along the side of his face, just beside his left eye. He was dressed in a black uniform-like suit that was nothing like the designer things Tony normally sported.
"Tony?" McGee asked, suddenly unsure.
"It's DiNozzo," the other man said angrily. "Don't pretend I like you or anything. And if you fall asleep at your desk again, I will let Gibbs shoot you."
If not for the scathing tone, that almost sounded like something Tony would say to annoy him.
"Um, right," said McGee, trying to make his brain process everything. "Did you need something, then?"
"Yeah," said Tony- no, DiNozzo, he was too angry to be Tony. "Director wants to hear your side of what happened in interrogation."
"What- what happened?"
"Might have something to do with that Marine you killed." Gibbs had appeared from nowhere, but McGee was less than relieved to see him. Like DiNozzo, he looked almost right, but this Gibbs gave off a dark feeling. Malevolence, McGee thought. Even when the real Gibbs was glaring, and yelling, and head-slapping people, he had never been dangerous. This Gibbs was down-right terrifying.
"What?" McGee managed. "I- guys, this isn't funny."
"Do we look like we're laughing?" DiNozzo challenged him. "Is the director ready for him, sir?"
To McGee's surprise, Gibbs made no comment about being called 'sir'. He shook his head. "You wait another hour, McGee."
"Right, boss," the younger man said. He hesitated, then couldn't help asking, "Boss, what exactly is it that Director Shepard is going—?"
He broke off abruptly as Gibbs took a menacing step closer and snapped, "What did you just say?"
McGee knew that something was very wrong. "Um, Director Shepard…" he began, but Gibbs just continued to glare. "She is our director, right?"
"Jenny Shepard died in Paris," Gibbs said shortly. "And you will never mention her again, do you understand me, McGee?"
He nodded mutely, and Gibbs stepped back.
"I would have killed him," said a new voice. All three men looked up to see Ziva standing at the edge of Tony's desk. She, like the other two, was wearing the black uniform and, like the other two, was scowling at McGee. "The suspect died before he could confess. At Mossad, we would not tolerate such sloppiness."
"Ziva?" McGee asked. His head was spinning. Sure, he knew Ziva was a Mossad assassin, but this version of her looked even deadlier. Like she enjoyed it.
"Just because you work here now, doesn't mean you get to tell us what to do, David," said DiNozzo nastily. "If it was up to me, I'd ship you back to Mossad before you knew what'd hit you."
Instantly, Ziva had pulled out her knife, anger clear on her face.
"Stand down, David!" Gibbs roared.
Ziva shot him a look of pure insubordination, but returned the knife to its place. Still glaring at DiNozzo, she sat down at her desk.
McGee looked nervously between them. "I'll be in Abby's lab," he said, and bolted for the stairs before they could stop him.
He entered the lab cautiously. "Abby…?"
She appeared from the other room, and McGee breathed a sigh of relief. Abby was wearing a black button-down blouse and chain-accented skirt, her dark hair up in its usual pigtails.
"Abby!" he said.
She frowned, but more confused than annoyed. "Can I help you, Special Agent McGee?" she asked.
"It's me, Abby," he said, now starting to worry again. "Timmy."
She continued to stare at him, looking slightly nervous. It was not the reaction he had expected from the bubbly forensic scientist. "Did Special Agent Gibbs send you?" she asked. "Because I don't have anything for him. I know I was supposed to, and I know there'll be trouble, but—"
"I need your help, Abby," McGee interrupted. "Something- something hinky is going on, and I don't know who else I can trust."
"Um, okay," said Abby. "Maybe you had better sit down, Special Agent McGee."
He nodded, and sat at her desk. "Don't call me 'special agent', Abbs."
"All right," she agreed, hesitantly. "Are you sure you're all right? What's going on?"
At that, McGee managed a small smile. Everything else might be wrong, but even in a crazy mirror universe, Abby was still Abby.
"That's it!" he yelled suddenly, shooting up from the chair. He was amazed he hadn't thought of it earlier. "A mirror universe!"
"You mean, like an alternate reality?" Abby asked. "Are you telling me that you are from another dimension?"
"What?" McGee said, distracted. "Yes, yes, Abbs, that has to be the answer. Why else would everything be like this? It's not right, none of it. It's too dark. Tony and Ziva hate each other. Gibbs is… Gibbs is terrifying. And they think I killed a Marine in interrogation!"
Abby looked reluctant. "Um, I think you did. Kill the Marine, I mean."
"But I didn't!" cried McGee. "I was never in interrogation with a Marine. Our last case involved three Petty Officers."
"Maybe you are from an alternate reality," said Abby, now looking at him as though he had completely lost his mind. "I mean, everything you said is just crazy. Special Agent DiNozzo and Officer David do hate each other. I think Officer David would've killed him already if Special Agent Gibbs didn't need them both. And he's supposed to be terrifying, Special Agent- um, just McGee. That's the way life is."
"No, no, it isn't," McGee insisted. He sank back into the desk chair. "Abby, maybe I am crazy, but I know that none of this is right. Tony and Ziva fight, sure, but it's all just teasing. But we're a team, Tony, Ziva, Gibbs, me… even you, Ducky and Palmer. I don't belong here, Abbs."
She was looking at him oddly. "I don't think I can help you," Abby said softly. "I can't change what we are."
McGee put his head down on the desk and squeezed his eyes shut. "This cannot be happening…" he muttered to himself. Despite the stress of the situation, McGee quickly fell asleep.
"McGee." The voice was close by, and familiar. They've found me, McGee thought, still half-asleep. He kept still, hoping they would leave him alone.
"I think he's asleep, boss," the voice continued.
"Yeah, I can see that, DiNozzo," said a second. "That's why I asked you to wake him up."
"Right," agreed the first person, then switched to a sing-song. "McGee. McGee-ee. Wake up, Probie."
McGee slowly opened one eye. Tony, Ziva and Gibbs all stood around his desk, the first two looking mildly concerned. Even Gibbs's expression was somehow softer than usual.
"He is awake!" said Ziva. "Are you all right, Tim?"
"I'm back!" McGee cried, coming fully awake instantly at the sight of his friends. "You don't know how glad I am to see you!"
"We've been right here, Probie," began Tony, sounding confused. "What—?"
He broke off as McGee bolted from his chair to grab the other man in a brief hug. He hugged Ziva next, just as quickly, then before he had a chance to even think, had hugged Gibbs, as well.
"Something you want to share, McGee?" the ex-marine asked sarcastically.
"A dream," said McGee, still somewhat dazed. "Thank God, it was just a dream. I am never, never watching Star Trek and zombie movies with Abby ever again."
"Okay, ignoring that last part," said Tony. "What the hell, McGee?"
The other man took a steadying breath. "I had this awful dream. I…it's starting to fade, but I think Ziva said she was going to kill me."
"She says that a lot," said Tony, still looking a little worried after McGee's hugs. "I don't think she really means it."
"For you, maybe," Ziva said. "Never for McGee."
"Well, good to know," Tony replied.
"You okay, McGee?" asked Gibbs. His tone was short, but there was real concern in his eyes.
McGee looked around at them. In the cheerful afternoon sunlight, the dark details of his… was it a dream?... were rapidly fading.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "Yeah, I think I am."