From the author's desk: Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
This story was written for NFA's 2010 Secret Santa Exchange, specifically for the author WriterKos, who is an author here as well. If you like stories where OC's play a big part, you'll really like her stuff.
So this story is a lot different from how I usually write, since it's told from the 3rd person POV of an OC. But don't worry! There is still a healthy dose of Tim, and a smidge of McAbby for all you shippers out there.
Present time in this story is set 22 years from Season 4. That means 18 years in the future from Season 8.
Comments and critiques are very welcome. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters are the property of Donald P. Bellisario and his associates. This was written strictly for non-profitable entertainment purposes. All original characters are mine to claim.
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Santa's Friend
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Allie looked again at the patient lying on the gurney while ignoring the splotches of blood that stained the sheets, feeling a wave of déjà vu as she and other nurses and doctors sped to the operating room.
For whatever reason, she felt like she'd heard his name before, though she didn't know why.
"This guy's a hero," one of the nurses—incoming from the group of EMTs that brought him in—told them while they all quickly scrubbed in. "Apparently, he took two bullets to give his agents more time to do…whatever it was they were doing. I dunno. Some operation or something. And he's technically the one who's supposed to be protected. The guy who got into the bus with us said this guy's the assistant director of NCIS!"
"NCIS? What's that?" someone asked.
"Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Navy cops, basically," the EMT nurse clarified.
"Well, if he lives, he should be promoted," another nurse said.
Allie said nothing, concentrating on getting ready for surgery as quickly and efficiently as possible, and keeping her opinions to herself. This man was an admirable person, one she felt honored to be helping.
Clearing her thoughts with a deep, cleansing breath, Allie stepped out of the scrubbing station and into the operating room, ready to do her job.
The operation was hard and long, with a lot of internal bleeding and several lacerations that refused to cooperate with the doctors, and chunks of a bullet that had shattered inside him after playing pinball between his right lung, his diaphragm, and the bones of his ribcage.
It was a miracle that nothing had nicked his heart, but she could tell that when he crashed for the second time, a lot of people thought he wasn't going to make it.
Allie just pushed the negativity away, keeping her head down and diligently sponging and suctioning away, handing over tools when asked.
When the overseeing doctor began stitching him up, she offered to go and prepare for his placement into recovery.
It was when she sat down after filling out the paperwork in the recovery ward, waiting for her patient to be brought in, that she realized why he seemed so familiar.
He helped her once…
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Twenty-Two Years Ago – December 18, 2006
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"Mama, can we go to the candy store yet?" Allie asked, tugging lightly on Mama's sleeve. She was getting tired of staring at all the jewelry. It was pretty, but it was also just a bunch of shiny rocks. Toys would be much more interesting.
"In a minute, honey," Mama said before looking back at the person behind the counter. "Now what can you tell me about…"
Allie frowned up at Mama, then looked back down at her shiny black Mary Janes.
Maybe Mama wouldn't notice if she went to the candy store by herself and came back? She saw it when they came into the jewelry store—it wasn't very far at all. She was a big girl now, too. A full five years old! She could go, couldn't she?
And when she got back, Mama could take her to see Santa! By then maybe Mama would be done talking to the man behind the jewelry counter.
Allie smiled. Yes, this was a good idea. And maybe the candy lady would be nice and let her take a chocolate back for Mama.
Allie stepped through the big doorway to the jewelry store and turned right, only to get caught in the crowd of Very Big People walking around her. By the time the crowd dispersed, Allie found herself turned around and a little dizzy.
But she found herself right in front of the candy store. Smiling, Allie followed the sweet scents of chocolate, caramel and vanilla into the warm candy store, and went straight to the counter with all the chocolate turfles.
Some of the names of the chocolates were hard to say. "Grand Marnier" became "Grant Mariner" in Allie's mind, and "Cherry Cordial" became "Cherry Curdle". All of them looked delicious though. Allie liked the ones with hazy-nut cream best, though. Mama always let her have one when they came here together.
"Hello sweetie. Would you like to try a chocolate?" the nice lady behind the counter said. Allie nodded, and pointed the one she always got with Mama.
"Can I get that one?"
"Sure!" The lady took a pair of funny looking scissors and used them to pull Allie's favorite out from behind the glass case. "Here you go," she said, placing the chocolate in a small paper cup that reminded Allie of cupcake wrappers, and then into Allie's little hand.
"Thank you," Allie said shyly to the lady. She smiled when the lady smiled back at her.
Nibbling on her hazy-nut chocolate as she moved around the store, Allie looked at all the different candies and chocolates in awe. Her other favorite display was all the caramel apples. Some had caramel and chocolate. Some had caramel and M&M's. Some had caramel and chocolate chips.
Allie wondered about the one that said "caramel cheesecake." How did they get a whole cheesecake into an apple?
She sighed. She wished her room was made of chocolate and caramel and apples and turfles.
Wandering back to the counter with her empty wrapper, Allie looked for a garbage can to throw her wrapper away, finding one next to where the lady took the money from people getting candy.
Oh, right. She wanted to get a chocolate for Mama…
"Can I have one more?" Allie asked the lady. "I wanna give it to my Mama."
The lady smiled again. "What flavor does your mom like?"
Allie scrunched up her nose, trying to remember Mama's favorite flavor. "Umm…"
The lady chuckled. "Hold on one minute. I think I've got just the thing…"
Allie watched as the lady disappeared behind the glass counter with the funny scissors again, and pulled out a few chocolates of different kinds, and put them in a little paper baggie.
"Here you go. Now you can share some with your mom."
"Thank you!" Allie said with a big smile, and decided to go back to Mama at the jewelry store, the precious bag of chocolates held carefully in both hands where the lady had folded the top of the baggie down.
As she stepped out of the candy store, Allie gulped. There were a lot more people here than before.
But she was a big girl. And big girls didn't get scared of lots of Very Big People. So she went into the big group of people, only to get swept along in the group and turned around a lot while trying to keep from getting in the way of all the long legs around her.
When Allie found her way out of all the people, she expected that she would be at the jewelry store, kind of like how she found the candy store.
But instead, she was in front of a store she didn't know, with lots of funny, shiny objects that whizzed and whirred.
Turning around, Allie decided to go back the way she had come.
But which way was that? All of these stores were different from what she remembered being near with Mama.
That was okay, though. She would find her way back, Allie decided, and started walking again, looking for the jewelry store Mama and she had been in.
But after a really long time walking, and passing two jewelry stores that weren't the one she and Mama had been in, Allie was beginning to get really tired, and really scared.
She felt her eyes stinging as she looked around at all the strangers and all the shops she didn't know, and clutched the baggie of chocolates tightly in her hands. If she couldn't find Mama, then Allie wouldn't be able to share the chocolates the candy lady had given her, and she wouldn't get to see Santa, and she'd gotten all dressed up to go meet him.
Clambering onto the bench by the entrance of another store she didn't know, Allie began to cry softly. How was she going to find Mama with all these Very Big People around her?
Maybe she shouldn't have gone to the candy store alone after all…
"Hey, are you all right?"
Allie blinked and wiped the tears from her eyes with her fist, then looked at the person in front of her. He was a Very Big Person, but he had lowered himself to her height. He had big green eyes, and he was smiling at her. He was holding a bunch of bags in his hands. Maybe he was Christmas shopping too. He seemed like a nice man.
"Are you lost?"
Allie wasn't sure what to do. Mama had told her not to talk to strangers (though she was sure Mama wouldn't mind the candy lady), but she was lost and needed help getting back to Mama.
"I'm n-not 'posed to talk to strangers, Mama s-said," Allie hiccupped softly.
A look came over the man's face and he nodded. "I see. Well, your mom is completely right. You shouldn't talk to strangers." He stood up then and sat down next to her on the bench. "My name is Tim McGee. I'm a federal agent. Do you know what that means?"
Allie shook her head no. Mr. Tim nodded and pulled something out of his coat pocket and then handed it to her. It was a gold metal badge attached to a leather case. Inside was a card with Mr. Tim's name and a bunch of other stuff written on it.
"A federal agent is like a police officer. I help people. Would you like my help?"
Allie handed him back the case, and then nodded. "Yes please. Can you help me find Mama?"
"Sure," he said with a smile. "But you need to tell me your name first."
"Allison Marissa Ramirez," Allie said proudly. "But my Mama and Daddy and all my friends call me Allie."
"That's a nice name, Allie."
"Thank you."
"Ready to go find your mom?" he asked her. Allie nodded eagerly.
"Then let's go." Allie got off the bench and looked up at Mr. Tim when she saw his hand in front of her. "Hold my hand so you don't get lost this time, okay?"
Allie put one of her little hands into his big one, and they started walking again. As they walked, Mr. Tim asked her questions—how old was she? what was Mama's name? what was her favorite color? what did she want from Santa this year?—and Allie answered them. Sometimes she asked her own—did he like dogs? what was his favorite color? what did he do for fun? did he have a girlfriend like her big brother Chris?—and he answered her questions.
Allie felt very grown up talking with Mr. Tim. She liked that.
When they finally came to a stop, they had come to a circle-shaped counter where two men in clothes that looked like policeman's clothes were sitting.
Allie waited while Mr. Tim spoke quietly to the men before turning back to her. "Allie, these are my friends John and Andy. They're going to find your mom while we wait for her over at that bench over there, okay?"
Allie nodded, and followed him over to the bench, then frowned when her tummy grumbled. When did she get so hungry?
Allie looked at the bag of chocolates. Maybe she could eat just one? But she was supposed to share them with Mama…
Mr. Tim seemed to be thinking about something before he looked at her again. "You know, I'm kind of hungry and was thinking about getting a soft pretzel," he said, pointing to the pretzel shop near the bench where they were sitting. "Would you like one?"
Allie looked at the pretzel shop, and then back at Mr. Tim. "Yes please."
Mr. Tim smiled at her. "C'mon then. Let's go get pretzels."
Soon she and Mr. Tim were happily munching on soft pretzels and drinking lemonade, and talking about important things like Hot Wheels, and how snuggly teddy bears were, and how it was hard to make the older kids play with littler kids like her.
It was while Mr. Tim was telling her about his dog Jethro that Allie heard a voice that sounded like Mama's.
Turning her head, Allie saw Mama running toward her with their shopping bags in her hands. "Mama!"
Allie jumped off the bench and ran toward Mama, the baggie of chocolates still in her hand. When Allie reached her, Mama gave her a big hug, and Allie started to cry again.
"I'm sorry Mama. I couldn't find you. And I know I'm not 'posed to talk to strangers, but Mr. Tim was really nice. He's like a police officer and he helped me find you and I was so scared and I'm sorry…"
"Shh, baby. It's okay. It's okay," Mama said, and Allie held tighter onto Mama. "Just don't ever do that again, okay?"
"Okay."
"Let's go say thank you to Mr. Tim, okay?"
Allie nodded, and went back to the bench where Mr. Tim was standing and picking up his shopping bags.
"Thank you for finding my daughter," Mama said to Mr. Tim, and Mr. Tim smiled down at Allie before he said something to Mama that Allie wasn't paying attention to. Allie just smiled back up at him. She liked the way his eyes sparkled. They reminded her of Santa. Or maybe one of his elves.
Allie decided it was too hard to figure out what Mr. Tim was. "You must be Santa's friend."
Mr. Tim started to chuckle, and Allie smiled even more at the sound. Not quite like Santa, but close.
"You figured out my secret, Allie," Mr. Tim said with a big smile. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Okay!" she squealed, happy to share a secret with Mr. Tim.
Allie watched as Mr. Tim bent low enough so that she was looking right at his face. "Next time you get lost—hopefully you won't—always look for someone that wears the kind of clothes that John and Andy are wearing. They'll help you find whoever you got separated from."
Allie nodded solemnly. "Okay, Mr. Tim."
"C'mon Allie. Let's go see Santa. The line won't even be too long now," Mama said, and Allie felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Allie nodded, then turned back to Mr. Tim. "Thank you for helping me find Mama."
He smiled back again. "You're welcome. It was very nice meeting such a grown up young lady like you." He leaned in, and whispered with a quiet chuckle. "You've been my best date yet!"
Allie giggled, and gave Mr. Tim a quick hug. Then she took Mama's hand, and they started to walk away.
Turning back around, she looked to see where Mr. Tim was, and called out, "You have pretty eyes, Mr. Tim!"
He seemed to freeze—like someone turned Mr. Tim into ice—and then he shook his head and smiled and waved to her.
Allie waved back and then turned around to face forward. When she looked back again, Mr. Tim had disappeared.
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Allie blinked, coming back to the present in the recovery ward, her mind still relaying afterimages of the memory.
What were the chances that she would remember this man from over twenty years ago, when she was just a little girl? And that they would meet again right around Christmas?
Back then, he was just a federal agent, which was a job title she didn't even really understand. And she was just a little five-year-old who got separated from her mom. All she knew was that he was nice, like a police officer, and that it was okay to talk to him.
Now he was apparently the assistant director of a federal agency, and she was a nurse, deeply in love with her boyfriend of three years, and hoping to hear the words "Will you marry me?" very soon.
Amazing how fate had brought them full circle, at the same time of year no less. She'd been given the chance to return the favor.
She couldn't wait to tell Aaron about this when she got home tonight.
"Allie!"
Looking in the direction she heard Dr. Randolph's voice, Allie watched and got up to help maneuver Agent McGee's bed into the recovery room he'd been assigned.
"No, we've got it," the doctor told her. "Could you go give whoever's waiting for him an update instead? Tell them I'll be out soon to talk to them."
Allie nodded, and headed to the waiting room.
Taking a deep breath, Allie pushed through the double doors, spotting a small cluster of people she suspected was waiting for news on her patient.
"Timothy McGee?"
She wasn't expecting the sable-haired woman wearing a skeleton-Santa sweater who made a beeline to her from the cluster. "How is he? Is he okay? Is he awake? Because if he is, he's about to get an earful from me about how he's not supposed to get hurt, how that's Tony and Gibbs's job. And Ziva's too, kinda. But that's beside the point. He's just not supposed to get hurt!"
"Mom, let her talk!" A young girl, the spitting image of her patient—whom Allie could now deduce was her father, and husband to the older woman—placed a hand on the dark-haired woman's arm. The other members of the group—three men and another woman, all wearing gold badges clipped to their winter coats, the woman sporting a butterfly bandage on her temple—all looked back at her expectantly, varying expressions of worry etched on their faces.
Allie figured it might just be smarter to cut to the chase. "It was very, very close, but he made it through the surgery. Doctor Randolph is overseeing Agent McGee's case, and was the lead surgeon. He'll be out soon to give you more details on his condition. The last I saw, they were moving him into recovery. The doctor can give you a better estimate, but I think he'll be there for a few hours until we're sure he's stable before he's moved into a more private room. What I can definitely tell you, Mrs. McGee, is that your husband is very lucky."
Mrs. McGee and her daughter looked back at her, relief flooding their faces as they clung to each other from the side. "It's Abby, please," the patient's wife said. "And thank you."
"You're welcome," Allie returned with an encouraging smile. "Doctor Randolph will come and meet you out here."
She was almost back through the double doors when Mrs. McGee—Abby—stopped her with a question. "How did you know my husband was a special agent?"
"Excuse me?"
"You called him 'Agent McGee.' Not 'Mr. McGee', like most people would before I clarified it. Though technically his title is Assistant Director, but Directors and Assistant Directors are still agents as well. So how did you know?"
Allie blushed, feeling embarrassed and uncertain how to tell his wife that she met her patient over twenty years ago. "I…uh, well…I've met him before. A long, long time ago. Like…years ago. He told me back then that he was a federal agent and that he could help me. When I saw him, I didn't recognize him immediately, since it's been so long, but then it hit me why he was familiar."
"How'd you and Dad meet?" the younger McGee asked, pretty green eyes bright with curiosity.
Allie smiled, deciding to leave them with a little holiday cheer to keep them company in the hospital gloom. "Santa sent him on a mission to help a little girl find her mother."
And before they could ask her anymore about her previous encounter with Agent McGee—she should probably start thinking of him as Assistant Director McGee, but the title was too long—Allie walked back through the double doors.
A month and a half later, towards the end of January, Allie was on the balcony above the hospital lobby, taking a short break from her shift by people-watching, when she saw Abby wheel Agent McGee towards the main entrance.
Allie watched as Abby looked up to the balcony for a moment, look away, and then look back again.
Right at her.
Abby gestured frantically to her, but Allie didn't know what she was trying to say. Eventually, Abby gave up and continued wheeling her husband through the lobby.
It took Allie a moment to realize that they hadn't passed through the hospital entrance. Scanning the lobby below her, she didn't see Abby or Agent McGee anywhere.
Where did they go?
She was about to scan the lobby again when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with Abby.
"Tim, this is the nurse I was telling you about. The one who said she met you before!"
Allie felt her face flush bright red, all the way down to the collar of her uniform as she looked from Abby to Agent McGee.
This was definitely not how she'd pictured them meeting again.
"Um-I-uh—"
Allie stopped talking and took a deep breath, calming herself. It wouldn't do her any good to get flustered.
Finally looking back at Agent McGee, she smiled. "Hi. I'm Allie Ramirez."
He smiled back at her. "Hello. I'm sorry, but I don't recall meeting you before."
Allie blushed. "Um, it was a long time ago. I'm kind of surprised that I remembered myself, so I don't blame you."
She couldn't help but grin when he chuckled. "Would you mind refreshing my memory then?"
"It was back in 2006. I got separated from my mother at the mall during holiday time, and you helped me find her."
She watched his expression become thoughtful, as though he were searching through his memory, before recognition seemed to make his eyes twinkle and a slow smile spread across his face.
"You told me that I must be Santa's friend. And that I had pretty eyes."
Abby laughed and looked back at her, eyes bright with humor. "That's so cute!"
Allie laughed outright this time, a light flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks. "Yeah, that's definitely me. Um…excuse that last bit as a five-year-old being a five-year-old, please?"
Agent McGee chuckled again and nodded, and Allie was reminded why as a child she thought he might be associated with Santa.
"Anyway, I'm glad to see you're fully recovered. Congratulations on finally getting out of here. Back to duty now, right?"
"In a few days, yes."
"Well, I hope we don't see you back here for a long time." Allie held out her hand. "It was nice meeting you again, Agent McGee."
"It was nice to meet you again too. You've grown up into a wonderful young woman, Allie. And congratulations to you as well," he said with a smile, shifting his gaze to the new piece of jewelry on her left hand. "That's a lovely ring."
Allie blushed. "Thank you."
"And between you and me, you can call me Mr. Tim any time," he said to her in a stage whisper, at which she and Abby both started giggling.
"Let's hope that the next time we meet, it's not in the hospital," she said as she watched Abby get behind the wheelchair to take him back to the lobby.
"I hope so too," he said, and Abby began pushing him back the way they had come.
Allie smiled and waved as the couple left. "Good-bye, Mr. Tim."
She watched him turn back around in his wheelchair and wave back to her.
Allie turned back to the balcony railing, and watched as Mr. Tim and Abby traveled through the lobby below and rejoined the outside world.
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