This is my first attempt to publish a story. It's complete. Reviews welcome. Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters. I mean them no permanent harm I only wish to borrow them for a little while.
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McGee didn't like this one bit. He never thought that when he agreed to be Terry's executor that he would have to fulfill those duties any time soon. Tim thinks back to when he and Terry met. It was his first day at MIT and getting jostled in the hallway trying to find his room. Terry stepped out into the hall just in time to see him nearly get flattened and gave him a hand. They ended up being roommates and friends for the next four years. They had parted was, but always kept in contact. Now he was waiting for the plane that carried Terry's body to touch down so he could collect it.
Abby was upset with him, but he wasn't ready to tell her why he was breaking their lunch date. He would have to tell her soon and of course, she will be upset with him even more for not letting her be there for him. How could he tell her he had to do this alone? That he wasn't quite ready to admit that Terry was gone. Gibbs was out of town for a conference, Ziva was in Tel Aviv and he wasn't sure if Tony would try and joke his way through this one.
Ducky was the only one he had told and that was because he asked if Ducky would perform the autopsy. Terry's request was if he had died a violent death and his body was available, that an autopsy would be performed to confirm cause of death. Once confirmed, than the endowment he created in his parents name could continue with Tim as executor. Terry had been shot in the back by a sniper, but they did not do an autopsy overseas. Since Terry was a Captain in the Marines, Tim asked Ducky if he would do the honors.
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Ducky and Palmer were waiting when Tim walked in through from the receiving bay followed by a casket. The two attendants put the casket into place and Ducky signed their paper work while Tim and Palmer retrieved the duffle bags and computer case. The Marine's had allowed everything to travel together since the items were being picked up by an NCIS agent, the computer still had to be reviewed and cleaned of any military information.
Tim waited while Ducky and Palmer got Terry out of the casket and prepared for autopsy.
"Uhm, Ducky?"
"Yes, Timothy?"
"Can I?" Timothy swallowed hard looking at his friend on the table, "Can I have a moment?"
"Of course Timothy", Ducky motioned for Jimmy, "We'll be just outside."
Tim just nodded and walked slowly over to the autopsy table.
Palmer and Ducky walked out of autopsy, Palmer waited for the doors to whisper shut when he spoke up. "Dr. Mallard, I'm not sure I understand?"
"The young man on our table was a friend of our Timothy's. Timothy was given the duty of taking care of things for him when he died. This autopsy is one of those things." Ducky explained.
"Oh, I see. So we will do our very best to verify the death so McGee can continue his duties and lay him to rest." Palmer said nodding.
"Yes Mr. Palmer, we will."
"Uhm, hello Terry." Tim whispered standing next to the table. "You were a computer geek, like me. Ok, not quite like me because you were so much better at it. I know you joined the Marine's after your parents were killed because you wanted to physically do something to make the world a better place. Now what?" Tim swallowed back tears. "I'm doing like you asked, so you are here for your autopsy. Ducky is the best so I know he will do a good job for you." Tim turned on his heels and headed for the door.
"Thanks Ducky." Tim said quietly
"Quite alright Timothy." Ducky said stepping into the room and clapping a hand on Tim's shoulder. "We'll take good care of him."
McGee walked back over to the computer case. "While you do that, I am going to take care of this and talk to Abby."
"We'll call you when we are finished." Ducky called out.
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The music was blaring in Abby's lab so she didn't hear McGee when he came in. He reached over and turned down the music and Abby whirled on him. Whatever tirade she was about to let loose was halted when she saw the lost look and tear tracks on McGee's face. Abby hugged McGee fiercely and then set him away from her a bit so she could look into his eyes. "McGee, what is it? Whose hurt? No, who's dead?" Abby starts pacing. "It wasn't Tony, Ziva, Oh God, not Gibbs, no I would know if it was Gibbs because my Gibbs sense would be going through the roof."
"Abby." Tim says quietly at first then finally has to yell to get her attention. "ABBY!!"
"What McGee, what aren't you telling me?" Abby whined.
"Our people are fine." McGee stated. "I lost a friend of mine. That is why I had to cancel our lunch date, because I had to pick up his body at the airport."
"Oh Tim." Abby pulled McGee into another fierce hug and he just held on for a minute. "Why didn't you tell me?" Abby states as she smacks McGee's shoulder. "I would have gone with you; you shouldn't have had to do this alone."
"I know Abs, but I wasn't quite sure it was real. Until I saw his body in autopsy, I didn't want to believe that Terry was really gone." McGee's eyes pleading with Abby to believe him.
Abby tilted her head, biting down on her bottom lip. "Autopsy? " Tim nodded but before he could speak again. "Not the Terry I met at Thanksgiving that was here on leave, the Marine Captain that you were in MIT with? Oh Tim, I'm so sorry. I know you were best friends." Abby hugged Tim again and she cried with him.
Tim finally pushed her back at arm's length after a minute or two. "I have to go through his computer, is it all right if I do it here?"
"Of course, set it up right there" Abby beamed a 1000 watt smile at him and turned back to her own work, casting side glances to make sure Tim was all right.
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Ducky and Palmer got to work on Captain Terrance "Terry" Richmond. "Hello Captain Richmond, my name is Dr. Donald Mallard and this is my assistant Jimmy. We will be performing your autopsy today as per your request and at Timothy's behest. "
Jimmy smiled a little as Dr. Mallard began a story regarding his college days, handing the necessary tools and preparing to collect the organs for weighing. Dr. Mallard examined the outside of the body making note of the entrance wound on the Captain's back and a few other minor details that had him puzzled. He decided to reserve judgment for when he got inside and began the process of cutting into the body.
"Oh my." Ducky exclaimed. He immediately went over to the phone on his desk and pushed the button to call Abby's lab.
"Hello Ducky, what's up?" Abby stated as she pushed the button to put her phone on speaker.
"Is Timothy with you Abigail?" Ducky asked.
"I'm here Ducky." "Yep." Tim and Abby said speaking at the same time.
"You need to come see what I have found, Abigail you should come as well." Dr. Mallard said, then hung up the phone.
"What is it Dr. Mallard?" Jimmy asked.
"I will explain when Timothy and Abigail arrive."
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Tim and Abby walked into Autopsy a few minutes later; Tim looking only at Ducky, not wanting to see his friend open on the table.
"Abigail, my dear, what caliber would you say this bullet is?" Ducky inquired holding up the bullet in question.
"Hmm, I would say that is a small caliber, probably a 9mm given the size." Abby stated matter of factly. "I could run the usual tests to be sure, but I am willing to bet its 9mm."
Tim gasped and nearly slid to the floor. Palmer was quick to get a chair under him. "That can't…"
"I'm afraid so Timothy. Your friend was not killed by a sniper, but, by someone at much closer range." Ducky appeared slightly angry. "I also found some damage to his brain that may have been caused by some sort of toxin or poison. I think someone murdered your friend Timothy and tried to make it look like the enemy killed him."
"Give me everything you got Ducky, I'll start running tests now and find that toxin and I'll run the tests on the bullet." Abby exclaimed
Palmer gathered all of the materials that were set aside for Abby and she signed the chain of custody. Leaning down, she side hugged McGee. "We'll find out who did this and make them pay McGee and the evidence will be excellent." With that she trounced out of autopsy like a Goth on a mission.
McGee sat stunned for a moment. He had sort of just come to terms with the idea that his friend was dead. Now he had to deal with the fact that his friend was murdered. It hit him like a Gibbs slap, he knew what he had to do, but he needed all of the facts before going to see Vance.
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Vance was looking at McGee like he wasn't sure if he had gone off the deep end. He looked down at the paper work before him and then back at McGee.
"You sure you want to handle this one?" Vance asked
"I'm sure. I'll work with whoever you got over there, but I have to do this for him. He was working on something for the Marine's regarding a program he and I wrote, but his laptop doesn't have everything on it except his notes. The program is still over there. If someone killed him and compromised that program it can spell disaster." McGee stated with a little heat, but confident in his actions and words.
Vance sucked on his toothpick for a sec and then pulled out pointing it at McGee. "All right, the case is yours. Get to Norfolk by 9pm, there is a flight going out tonight. I will have someone meet you on the other end. You keep me in the loop on this McGee. Agreed?"
"Yes sir." McGee stated as he got up. His hand on the door handle, "Thank you Director."
McGee bounded down the stairs from the director's office and headed towards his desk. It appeared Tony had gone for the day so Tim wasn't prepared for Tony to be standing behind him when he turned around. "Going somewhere Probie?" Tony asked inquiringly.
Tim stood up straight; Terry's laptop in one hand and his in the other. "I am going to Norfolk, Tony."
"Ah, something to do with the computer stuff." Tony said eyeing the laptop twins. "Don't have too much fun; we still have lots of paperwork to do before Gibbs gets back."
Tim smiled a little. "I promise Tony, this trip will be anything but fun."