Something Wicked This Way Comes
Characters: Tim, Jimmy, Ducky, and the rest of the NCIS crew; my OCs Mrs. Palmer (Evelyn) and Lou Ryder, and various OCs and canon characters. Season 8-ish.
Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing, yadda yadda
Summary: Sequel to By the Pricking of My Thumbs. Tim's encounter with a supernatural entity has a surprising side effect. Inspired by the legend of the Bell Witch.
People want to forget the impossible. It makes their world safer.
~The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Chapter 1
Tim McGee stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for his floor, breathing a sigh of relief. It was his first day back to work after his recent "illness", and he was looking forward to getting back into his normal routine. Mostly.
As the elevator made its ascent, Tim leaned against the back wall and reflected on his situation. It seemed impossible that barely a week ago he had almost died, his life force drained by an unseen entity that had latched onto him at a crime scene. Only Ziva, Tony, and Jimmy knew the truth behind his terrifying experience, something he prayed would never be repeated.
While Jimmy had assured him that the likelihood of something similar ever happening again was remote, Tim had approached his return to work with some trepidation. He wasn't sure how he would handle working another crime scene, especially one a setting similar to the conditions that had led to his encounter, but he was determined to prevent his team from doubting his abilities. He vowed that he would keep his fears to himself, lest they would undermine his team's faith in his ability to do the job to which he was committed.
Soon the elevator reached his destination and he stepped out, glancing around to check for the presence of his team. He was surprised to find the area where his team sat empty and checked his watch. He was a bit early, but maybe the rest of the team was just running late. That, at least was normal.
As he headed for his desk he noticed a tall man with close-cropped brown hair standing at the desk behind Ziva's, staring down at the collection of files and notes scattered across the surface. The man huffed in disgust and turned to Tim.
"Would you look at this mess! How can anyone work like this?"
Tim paused, unsure how he should answer. The man looked vaguely familiar, although Tim was pretty sure this was not one of the agents currently assigned to the Yard. Perhaps he was a new hire, or had just transferred. Tim thought it was rather rude of someone new to the building to be commenting on a co-worker's space, and considered cautioning the man. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get the words out, the man threw up his arms in exasperation and walked to the elevator.
Tim turned to watch his progress, only to see the man reach the closed doors and pass right through them as he vanished from sight. Tim froze, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
"Agent McGee?"
He spun around and saw Connie Wilmington, owner of the messy desk, watching him with a concerned expression on her face.
"Are you OK?"
"I, uh…yeah, I'm…fine. Just fine."
"Are you sure? You look…well, you look like you've seen a –"
"No, no, I'm fine. Just…nothing. I'm good." He tried to smile reassuringly but his heart was racing in his chest. I didn't see that. I couldn't have seen that…
She stared at him, uncertainty plain in her expression. "If you say so…I just wanted to say 'welcome back'." She frowned. "Are you sure you're OK? I heard you were really sick, and…"
"I'm better." He finally managed to smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Take care of yourself."
He nodded and made his way to his desk where he collapsed in his chair. He paused a minute, bracing himself for what he was about to do before booting up his computer and typing in a quick search. On a page devoted to NCIS agents killed in the line of duty, he found a picture of the man he had just seen and felt the blood drain from his face as he read through the information. He let his head fall into his hands and remained in place for a full minute, unsure of what to do next.
I'm losing my mind…or maybe something else is wrong…
He rose to his feet and quickly headed for the interior elevators. He kept his eyes straight ahead, afraid of what, or who he would see that wasn't supposed to be there. Tim pressed the button for the basement and waited with eyes closed until the elevator started to move. When it finally stopped he quickly stepped out and nearly ran for autopsy, hoping the person he needed to see was there. When the doors swished open he groaned. Jimmy was nowhere in evidence, but Ducky was there working on his computer while another man Tim had never seen before stood next to Ducky, watching him type. Both turned as Tim entered.
"Timothy! So good to see you back. How are you feeling?"
Tim glanced at the other man, who wore the uniform and insignia of a Navy Commander. The officer tilted his head as he noticed Tim's attention and Tim blushed slightly.
"I'm sorry, Ducky, I didn't know you had company. I'll come back later."
An odd expression crossed the M.E.'s face as he quickly glanced around the room. "Timothy, there's no one else here."
The officer smiled and winked at Tim before turning and walking straight through the wall of autopsy drawers. Tim's strength vanished and he soon found himself sitting on the floor with Ducky rushing over to him.
"Timothy! What's wrong?"
Tim bit back a nearly hysterical giggle. "I don't know…"
Ducky helped him to his feet and over to a chair. After Tim was seated Ducky began to check him over.
"What happened?"
"Just…I think I've started to hallucinate." Tim looked up at the M.E. and was surprised to see a thoughtful expression on the older man's face.
"Tell me what you think you saw."
"I saw…there was a man, a Navy Commander, standing right next to you and…he disappeared. Walked right through the wall." Tim shook his head. "I think I might be going crazy."
"This man…he was about your height, late fifties, brown hair going to grey, with brown eyes, and a thin scar on his left cheek?"
Tim's eyes widened as he looked up at the M.E. "How did you know that?"
"You are not hallucinating, Timothy." Ducky sighed. "Although it seems you are seeing things that you shouldn't be able to see."
"What do you mean?"
"The man you saw was Commander Nathan Fisher." Ducky smiled ruefully. "He was one of my first cases, and it seems he is rather disinclined to leave."
Tim stared at Ducky in shock. "But how did you-?"
"Mr. Palmer informed me of our guest's presence, as well as some facts concerning his own rather…unique abilities. He did not mention, however, that you also have those abilities."
"But I don't! At least, I didn't..."
"Was the officer here the first you have seen?"
"No, unfortunately. I—"
"Good morning, Dr. Mallard," Jimmy cheerfully called out as he entered Autopsy, and paused when he saw that Ducky had company. "McGee, I didn't know you were coming back today. How are you doing?"
"Been better," Tim muttered and a puzzled look crossed Jimmy's face.
"What's wrong?"
"I, uh…I've been seeing…dead people."
"Well, you are in autopsy," Jimmy replied with a grin which vanished when he caught Ducky's expression. "You mean…?"
"Commander Fisher," Ducky said, and Jimmy's eyes widened.
"How?"
"I don't know! I just came down here to find you and…he was right there." Tim pointed to the area next to Ducky's desk. "And then he walked through the wall."
"He does that," Jimmy muttered. "But you shouldn't be able to…" He took a closer look at Tim and let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
"What?"
"You...you're not a Normal."
"A what?"
"Normal. Someone who can't see entities. But this doesn't make any sense. You were a Normal, but now…"
"What, I'm some sort of freak?" He saw a pained look flash across Jimmy's face and felt a rush of shame. "Jimmy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"It's OK," Jimmy replied with a weak smile. "I'm well aware of my status. But I don't understand how…I mean, you…I've never seen anything like this before."
"Great," Tim muttered.
"But that doesn't mean it hasn't happened before. I'll ask my…some people who might know more about this sort of thing. Would you excuse me for a minute, Dr. Mallard? I need to…" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it up. Ducky simply nodded and Jimmy hurried off, pressing a number on his phone as he stepped out into the hallway. Ducky turned back to Tim and studied him for a few moments before breaking his silence.
"Before we were interrupted by Mr. Palmer's arrival, you mentioned that Commander Fisher was not the first spirit you had encountered."
Tim shook his head. "No. Earlier, when I was walking to my desk, there was…a man complaining about another agent's workspace. I thought he might be a new transfer, but before I could say anything, he just walked off…straight through the elevator doors." Tim huffed. "Just like the Commander did down here. I thought he looked familiar, so I checked the list of…deceased agents and I saw him listed." He shook his head. "I never got a chance to meet him in person, just talked to him on the phone…"
"Who, Timothy?"
"Agent Pacci."
Both turned to look at Jimmy and Tim nodded. "Yeah, it was him." A worried look crossed Jimmy's face. "What?"
"Was he, uh… intact?"
"What do you mean, 'intact'?" Tim paled as he suddenly understood the implication of Jimmy's question. "You mean I could have seen him-?"
"—how he looked after he died. Yeah. Sometimes he appears like that, and sometimes he looks…normal. Guess you got lucky." Jimmy's weak grin faded when he saw his mentor's expression. "Sorry."
"Why the different manifestations?" Ducky asked as he put a comforting hand on Tim's shoulder.
"I'm not really sure. I think it might have something to do with the emotions of the people in the immediate area, or maybe the, uh, mood of the spirit itself. Some only appear in their ante mortem state, and others…"
"Understood." Ducky glanced at Tim. "Have you figured out why Timothy was witness to such a manifestation?" He stared pointedly at the phone in Jimmy's hand and the younger man blushed.
"Not yet. My…they need to meet McGee first, so we can go see them after work tonight. Did you drive in?" he asked Tim, who shook his head.
"No, my car needed some work so I took the Metro." Again, a strange look crossed Jimmy's face. "What?"
"And you didn't see anything…strange?"
"Not really. It was a lot more crowded than I remember but…oh. Oh, God," Tim moaned as the significance of that increase hit him.
"Yeah. You, uh, might want to avoid the Metro from now on."
"Are there any other places that Timothy should avoid?" Ducky asked. "Those with terminal residents?"
"The men's room closest to Abby's lab," Jimmy replied with a slight shudder. "And there's the evidence garage, but I guess you really can't avoid that one, right?" A brief flash of sadness crossed Jimmy's face. "And of course, the legal department."
The statement and accompanying tone sent a shiver down Tim's spine. "You mean…Agent Lee?"
"Yeah. Michele's still there. Not like Agent Pacci, though. She never says anything. I don't think she even sees me." He gave a forced laugh. "Good thing I don't have to make too many trips to that department, right?"
"Oh God, Jimmy. I'm sorry…"
Jimmy waved off his comment. "I'm used to it. I guess you'll get used to it, too. If this isn't temporary, I mean."
"It might not be?"
"I don't know, but hopefully we'll get some answers tonight. You're, uh, welcome to join us, Dr. Mallard."
"Thank you, Mr. Palmer, but I'm afraid I have a prior engagement." He squeezed Tim's shoulder. "But no matter the outcome, Timothy, if you need anything…"
"Thanks, Ducky." He let out a weak laugh. "I almost forgot, I'm supposed to have you clear me for field duty."
"Considering the circumstances, that might not be prudent at this time." Tim started to protest but Ducky held up a hand to silence him. "You've received a rather nasty shock, and given your new…perception, shall we say, I think you would be better off staying in a more controlled environment. That is, at least until you've become better accustomed to what you might see out in the field. I'll inform Jethro that you'll be on desk duty for the next couple of days."
"You're not going to tell him about…?"
"He doesn't know the real reason for your previous illness, and I see no need to enlighten him. I believe he has a rule or two that covers such a situation," Ducky replied with a grin and Tim chuckled weakly in return. "What we've discussed doesn't need to go beyond this room, at least for now."
Jimmy looked unconvinced. "But Tony and Ziva know about my abilities, so shouldn't we-?"
"No." Tim shook his head vehemently. "I don't want them to know either. I can't…I can't deal with how they would deal with, not right now." He looked up at Jimmy. "Please."
"OK. I guess I can understand that."
"Thanks." Tim managed to stand and was preparing to make the trip back to his desk when he caught sight of a slight movement and turned to see the Navy officer leaning against the wall, watching him. Tim flinched and looked away as he tried to calm his suddenly galloping heartbeat. Jimmy noticed his discomfort and turned to stare at the visitor who met Jimmy's gaze with a questioning expression on his face. Jimmy shook his head and after a moment's hesitation the spirit faded from sight.
"Sorry," Tim muttered. "That's going to take some getting used to."
Jimmy gave him a sympathetic smile. "I understand. If it helps, the main thing to remember is that most spirits can't hurt you." Tim raised an eyebrow and Jimmy blushed. "What you encountered before, the bodarach, that wasn't a normal spirit. They're rare, and you'll probably never see another one. Your run-of-the-mill entities are pretty much harmless."
"I really hope you're right about that, Palmer."
"Don't worry. I've been dealing with this my whole life, McGee. I think I have a handle on it."
"Glad one of us does." Tim took a deep breath. "I guess I better get back to work. That should help keep my mind off of this, right?"
"I hope so. Good luck."
"Yes, good luck, Timothy. And have faith in Mr. Palmer's ability to help. I do."
Jimmy blushed as a rather goofy grin spread across his face. "Thank you, Dr. Mallard."
Tim finally managed a smile as he witnessed the exchange. "I guess I do, too. See you later, Palmer."
Jimmy sent him a wave as he headed towards the locker room to get changed for work and after he left, Ducky turned to Tim. "You will be all right, Timothy. Even if your team does not know about your current troubles, they will be there for you as best they can. Remember that."
"I will. Thanks, Ducky." He headed for the elevator and stepped inside, turning to give Ducky a brief wave as the doors closed. When he was finally alone (or so he hoped), he leaned back against the far wall and closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he might see when he arrived at his floor. Soon the doors opened again and he cautiously stepped out and glanced around. There was no sign of Agent Pacci, or anything else out of the ordinary. With a sigh of relief he returned to his desk and started to check his email, a welcome bit of normalcy. He tried to focus but his thoughts kept straying to the conversation he had just had in Autopsy. He really hoped that this whole thing was temporary…that soon everything would return to normal.
TBC…
A/N: I have not abandoned any of my other WIPs, I promise. The next chapters of Slow Burn and Three Crow Road have been written out and are waiting to be typed. I just had to get this one out of my head first. I imagine this story will be 5-6 chapters.