State of Shock
by channelD
written as a tag to Endgame (7.07). Yes, spoilers abound.
rating: K plus
genre: drama
characters: Tim, mostly
- - - - -
disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS.
- - - - -
She died in his arms.
Tim had never before had that happen with anyone. One minute she was alive, and the next, not. Just a 120 pound…thing that had once been a person.
He scarcely heard the screams of the people around him, nor the ensuing sirens heralding the arrival of emergency personnel. He was surprised, later, that he had had the sense, due to his good training, to look up and scan the area for the culprit, And then spot her. Kai. Vance's archenemy.
He turned his attention back to the woman whose blood now stained his pants, his shirt. Her body was cooling; her eyes thankfully shut. Two police men bent over him, asking his name. Another felt Amanda for a pulse. They bade him to get up, but he couldn't move. He only shook his head in answer to the questions, and at last got out his wallet to show his badge.
They left him alone, for some long minutes after that, standing a respectful distance away, and marking off the area in front of the coffee shop with crime scene tape. A white folding screen was set up to shield Tim and the body from onlookers.
"Tim."
For a moment he thought Amanda had spoken to him, and it was all a big mistake; a hallucination. She was cute and alive, still, and there was a logical explanation for how she knew where he worked and why she was carrying a gun. Maybe she was the girl he was going to marry.
"Tim, are you all right? Answer me." Gibbs touched his shoulder.
Tim felt tears of confusion and shock forming. "It's all her blood, boss. I'm okay."
"Then stand up, Tim," said Tony. "Here; let me help you. Let Ducky get in and do his thing."
"She's dead," said Tim. "Kai—"
"This is not your gun, McGee," said Ziva, with gloves picking up the weapon Amanda had carried. "Whose is this?"
"Hers. She was about to kill me," Tim said, choking. "No jokes, please, Tony."
"I wasn't going to," said Tony, his face as drawn and sympathetic as Tim had ever seen.
"Kai shot her. Before she could shoot me."
"You saw Kai?" asked Gibbs, surprised.
"Yes. Amanda said—said—she would kill me if I didn't turn Kai over to her."
Tony swore. Ziva put her arm around Tim. "Let us take you to NCIS, McGee. You have had a nasty shock."
Tim numbly let her lead him.
- - - - -
He soon found himself, somehow, in Vance's office, with Gibbs. Vance had uncovered Amanda's true identity by the time his agents arrived. Tim slouched like a lump of pain while Vance told what he had learned.
When the talk was over, and Gibbs ushered him out, Gibbs said to Tim, "Are you all right?" The sentiment was the same as the earlier question, but the meaning was different.
"No," Tim said, honestly.
"Take the day off. Or would you rather wait for the debriefing counselor today? We can probably get her over here before noon."
"I'll wait for her," Tim decided. "I'd just have to see her tomorrow if I went home now."
Gibbs patted his shoulder. "Take it easy, then. I don't expect any work out of you today."
Seeing Gibbs go back into Vance's office, Tim went down to his desk in the squad room. His whole world had changed, in less than a minute. Never again would Tony needle him about texting Amanda. Never again would Ziva say, "She sounds perfectly lovely, McGee." There was a void inside him.
He sat down at his desk, under the dark, sympathetic eyes of his coworkers, and said, "I think I'm dead." And he started to cry.
Instantly they were at his side. "No, you're not," said Tony. "You're just human."
-END-
