Worst Nightmare

Written for the NCIS Titular Part 2 Challenges

Rating: Strong FR15/T

Warnings: Mentions of sexual assault. This one gets pretty dark, folks.

Characters: The MCRT team, set in season 11; Vance, Fornell, OCs.

Summary: A young woman on the street accuses McGee of a horrible crime...and it all goes downhill from there.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement intended. The original characters and places mentioned are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to those living, dead, or undead is completely coincidental.

Chapter 1

"We'll meet you back at the car, McGee."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Tim watched as Tony and Gibbs stepped through the door into yet another office in the building they'd been canvassing before he and Ellie headed for their own next stop. He knocked on the nondescript door of the office on the opposite side of the hall and waited. After several moments and no answer he knocked again before turning to Ellie.

"Looks like they're closed."

"Well, it is a Sunday. No big surprise there."

"Some people do come in to get a headstart on the work week."

"And for some the work week never ends."

Tim chuckled. "Trust me, you get used to it. Ready to go?"

"Definitely."

Tim followed her back to the lobby and through the exterior doors out into the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful spring day, and Tim had been looking forward to spending it relaxing in the park. That was, of course, before they'd gotten a call out that morning.

"There's any chance we'll get next weekend off?" Ellie asked as they walked toward the sedan parked a block away.

"Big plans?"

"No, just... I think we could all use a break."

"And you'd like to be able to spend a little time with your husband?"

She gave him an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, just a bit."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and close this case out quickly."

"Maybe."

They passed an outdoor cafe and Tim took an appreciative sniff. It had been awhile since he'd had a sit-down meal. Maybe he'd treat himself on the way home. He smiled at the idea before his thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice behind him.

"Oh my God, that's him!"

Tim's shoulders stiffened and he turned, expecting some comment about his alter-ego role as a novelist. To his surprise he saw a young woman staring at him, her eyes wide with horror.

"It is you. You...you bastard! You raped me!"

Tim froze, uncomprehending. "What?"

The woman started screaming at him, bringing the attention of a group of men just leaving the cafe. Before he even understood what was happening they had surrounded him and were staring at him menacingly. He looked around for Ellie and saw that she was standing a few yards away, a shocked expression on her face. One of the men followed Tim's gaze and grabbed him, spinning him away from Ellie and towards the other two men in the group.

"No, wait, there's been a mis-"

A flash of excruciating pain hit him in a place no man ever wants to feel such a thing and he fell to his knees, momentarily unable to breathe or think. Before he could draw a breath another burst of pain raced up his spine and his field of vision narrowed alarmingly. He struggled to fight off the attack but another blow across the back of his head caused him to collapse to the ground. Desperately he tried to defend himself, curling inward to protect his vital organs from the unrelenting assault to his body and legs. He could hear someone screaming and vaguely wondered who else was in trouble before a final blow sent him into the darkness.

XXX

"Well that was a bust," Tony remarked as he and Gibbs left the building. Gibbs merely grunted in reply and they started walking towards the car. "Guess we'll half to put the geeks to work when we get back to the office." This time Gibbs paused to give him a glare. "Sorry."

As they approached the car Tony noticed a mob of people blocking the sidewalk, shouting at something that he couldn't see. Soon the sounds of someone screaming 'stop!' reached his ears and he glanced at Gibbs, his heart sinking when he recognized the voice.

"Ellie…"

The two men started to rush towards the mob, drawing their weapons as they ran. Several of the onlookers scattered at their approach and they were able to see a group of men kicking something on the ground. It didn't take long to realize it was a person, and only a second longer to comprehend who that person was.

"Freeze! Federal agents!" Tony shouted as he approached the men pummeling his partner. He saw Ellie a few yards away, her gun drawn and yelling at the men to stop while another woman screamed at them in encouragement.

"HEY!"

The men paused at Gibbs' shout and turned, finally noticing the weapons pointed at them. They slowly raised their hands and stepped away from the crumpled and bleeding form on the ground.

"On your knees! Hands behind your head, now!"

The men complied and Tony roughly cuffed the one closest to him before turning his attention to McGee.

"Oh, God. McGee? Tim, can you hear me?" McGee didn't move or make a sound as Tony checked for and found a very weak pulse. He immediately pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance as Gibbs and Ellie cuffed the other two men.

The woman who had been screaming began spitting epithets at the agents before she suddenly rushed towards McGee. Ellie moved to block her and she shoved Ellie, catching her off guard. In the ensuing scuffle the woman managed to wrench Ellie's gun from its holster and stepped back, pointing the gun at the agents before slowly moving it towards McGee.

"Stop!"

She paused and turned to look at Gibbs, now pointing his gun at her. Tears were streaming down her flushed face and she looked ready to collapse, the hand holding the gun trembling violently.

"Put the weapon down, or I will shoot you!"

"Me?" She gasped, fury darkening her expression. "You should shoot him. Do you know what he did to me?"

Tony opened his mouth to retort but a glance from Gibbs silenced him. He felt a glint of hope for his partner when he heard the distant sounds of sirens approaching and prayed they wouldn't arrive too late as he watched the scene in front of him unfold.

"Put the weapon down."

After several agonizing moments the woman slowly lowered the weapon to the ground and stood up, hands raised. Two patrol officers had arrived and Gibbs nodded to the female officer, who carefully approached the woman and cuffed her before guiding her towards the patrol car. Gibbs then nodded to the other officer and he joined Ellie in guard duty for the three cuffed men as Gibbs crouched down next to his injured agent, skimming one hand lightly over McGee's battered face and head.

"Where in the hell is that ambulance?"

As if on cue, it screeched around the corner and rolled to a stop a few yards away. The paramedics jumped out and ran to get their kits before approaching the fallen agent.

"What happened?"

"They had him down on the ground and were kicking him when we got here," Tony replied as he struggled to contain his fury.

"Got it. Please step back and let us work."

Reluctantly Tony rose and followed Gibbs as he walked over to the three prisoners, barely resisting the urge to kick them.

"What happened?" Gibbs barked and two of the men flinched. The third glared at him defiantly.

"We're not saying anything without a lawyer."

"You're going to need one," Gibbs snapped. He motioned to Ellie and she reluctantly followed him to the waiting ambulance, the only place that afforded any privacy. Tony stood nearly, alternating his attention between the two agents and the paramedics currently working on McGee.

"What happened?"

Ellie bit her lip, looking like she was ready to cry. She took a few deep breaths before she found her voice.

"We were walking back to the car and that woman started yelling at McGee. She said… She said he raped her."

"That's impossible!" Tony exclaimed, causing Ellie to flinch.

"You think we don't know that, DiNozzo?"

"Right. What else did she say?"

"That was… That was pretty much it. Those men surrounded him and…" She winced. "The just started beating on him. I yelled at them to stop, but… I'm sorry, Gibbs, they wouldn't listen, and-"

"Next time just shoot them," Tony snapped.

"I actually considered it, but…" She bit her lip again and glanced towards McGee. "Is he going to be OK?"

Gibbs said nothing, which worried Tony even more, and the three of them watched the paramedics continue to work on their teammate. Finally they strapped him to a gurney and moved him towards the waiting ambulance.

"How is he?"

"Not good. Sorry, we've gotta move."

"Boss?" Tony asked, his gaze locked on their patient. Gibbs nodded and turned to the driver.

"Got room for a passenger?"

The driver glanced at Gibbs, then at Tony. "Yeah. Just stay out of the way. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

"Got it."

"Keep us updated."

"Will do, Boss." Tony climbed into the ambulance just ahead of the closing doors and moved to the passenger seat before belting himself in. He stared at the battered figure on the gurney and wondered how someone could have made such a terrible mistake...and if Tim was going to wind up paying the ultimate price for it.

TBC...

A/N: Working on chapter 4 and it needs to be done by Sunday. I'll post a chapter per day until it's done.