"It's about time, McScaredyCat."

"Oh Tony, it's only been a few minutes." Ziva gave Tony a small shove. "Ducky, where is Jimmy?"

"I told him he could leave early and I would get this one. Now, what do we have here?" asked Ducky leaning close to the body. "Looks like a bullet wound to the chest. Is that all you found so far, Tony?"

"That's all we have, Ducky." Answered Ziva.

McGee snapped on gloves then kneeled beside Ducky scanning the victim's fingerprint. "Well, he is Navy... a Petty Officer Ryan Dremmen stationed in Annapolis. Been AWOL for the last week. Has a long list of misdemeanors; petty theft, reckless driving, possession of marijuana; the list goes on."

"Now, the question of the hour...why here? A deserted home that is presumed to be haunted?" Asked Ducky.

"Time of death, Ducky?" Asked Tony.

"Three...four hours. I'll know more when I get him back home."

Tim's eyes darted around the entry way of the old house hoping he was ready for whatever ol' Winfred was going to throw at him. He still doubted what he had seen outside.

The house was fully furnished and layered in dust. The wallpaper was peeling in spots and the color, fading. Thick cobwebs hung in corners of windowsills. A dusty, broken chandelier hung in front of a gloomy staircase that lead to the second floor. The railing was filled with broken banisters; splintered in spots. The floor was covered with debris; old newspapers and magazines.

The lights flickered, giving him a quick jolt.

"The electric company turned the power on for us, I hope they aren't thinking of disconnecting it already." Tony flicked a switch to make sure it worked all right. Tim could see a cloud of dust that Tony had stirred up when he walked by him causing him to sneeze. His cold and the mansion's massive amounts of dust was not a good combination.

"God bless, you my dear boy."

"Thanks." Tim gave Duck a crooked smile as he stood.

Tim's smile faded. A small, sickly girl standing by the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the second floor caught his eye. The apparition pointed towards the stairs, earnestly, without a sound. The desperation in her eyes tugged at his heart. He closed his eyes tightly then looked back to where she was, but she was gone. He exhaled, then felt the same sensation he had felt when Jenny touched him. He looked down to his side to find the girl holding his hand, pointing towards the stairs she had been standing near, seconds ago. He jumped, with a small yelp, stepping back, almost losing his footing.

"Muh-Gee? It would seem as if you had just seen a ghost. Are you all right?" Everyone looked at him, skeptically. They obviously had not seen what he had.

Tim chuckled. "A...ghost, Ziva? You're funny." Tim waved her off then lifted his camera and started snapping pictures of the body. He knew he had to get upstairs to further investigate the home but he didn't want to bring attention to the team; he wanted to handle it alone...but, then again, didn't Jenny say Ziva was to be a big part of this? He knew he had to get his act together, remembering how Jenny had said this was a life or death situation and time was of the essence. How could he handle this nonchalantly? He brought the camera to his face as he got closer to the dead Petty Officer, gasping when he saw the dead, small girl in the viewfinder, pleading, with her hands clasped together.

"Gees, she's impatient," Tim mumbled.

"McGee! Did you take some kind of cold medicine that you are allergic to, again?"

"Uh...no,Tony. I was just thinking. I should go check upstairs...and start looking around the place."

"I will go with you-"

"Uh, Ziva..I dunno. That might not be a good idea."

"Probie, you and Ziva go. I'll stay down here with the Duckman. And, that's final."

"Uh, right."

"We need to get the stretcher, Tony."

"Right behind, ya Duckman."

Tim walked up the stairs, reluctantly with Ziva by his side.

"Ziva, have you been up on your fighting skills lately..I mean you never, know when you might need them-"

"Muh-Gee. Do you doubt my defense techniques?"

"Uh, no, of course not, it's just that, knives don't always work on everyone when you need to defend yourself."

He looked to the top of the stairs and the girl was hopping in place clapping her hands. Even though she was ...dead and pretty ghoulish-looking he couldn't help but smile at her happy, childlike eagerness.

"Tim, what is it? That smile that crossed your face was so-"

Tim regained a neutral expression. "Oh, it was nothing."

They topped the stairs then turned the corner. The girl was at the end of the hall pointing to a door beside her. Her eyes widened when she was viciously grabbed by a ghostly figure, that appeared behind her.

Tim's heart raced. "Winfred," he whispered to himself.

"Tim, what is it?"

The tall,thin ghost held the girl by the hair then placed a huge knife in front of her throat. The child looked at Tim, with a sad resignation in her eyes.

"No!"

Tim yelled frantically as he felt himself being shoved from a brute, invisible force. He winced when his back hit the hallway wall. The loud sound of plaster crumbling could be heard inside the wall where his head bounced off.

Then Tim remembered what Jenny had warned him about.

"What the...Tim! What happened? Are you all right?" Ziva ran to him, trying to hold him up under his arms as his body slid down the wall. "What the hell was that?" Tim wouldn't answer her, his face concentrating as if he were listening to someone else.

"Timothy, what did I tell you about fear?" Tim could hear Jenny's words echo in his mind.

"I'm sorry, Jenny... I..uh, forgot. I guess I was caught off guard, but he was going to hurt her..." Tim grimaced, his head aching as he rubbed it.

"He can't hurt her anymore Tim, she is already dead."

"Tim? Jenny? Jenny who? The Director? Who are you talking to?" Ziva was getting annoyed as Tim ignored her, talking to someone else who wasn't there.

"Ziva you can't stay up here, it's dangerous-" Tim was leaning back against the wall, weak and breathing heavily. Ziva placed a supporting hand on his shoulder, looking into his face.

"Tim, I am not leaving you. Please tell me what is going on."

"You would never believe me-"

"Is it Jenny Shepard that you are talking to?"

"Yes, but-"

"I had a dream...Jenny was in it."

Tim was distracted when a female ghost with hollow eyes and gray skin appeared behind Ziva. Tim gasped, reaching out and pulling Ziva closer. The ghost pointed to the end of the hall.

Tim forced himself to relax, mumbling, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid." He started a convincing loop in his head.

"Tim?" Tim stared behind Ziva then stood straight.

He kept his eyes on the ghost. "Ziva, please go back downstairs, you shouldn't come any farther."

Tim hurried toward the end of the hall, Ziva following him. When he reached the door to the bedroom it shut with a bang. He tried the knob but it wouldn't budge, so he knocked, boisterously on the door.

"Open the door!" Tim was becoming frustrated.

"Is it Winfred that is doing this?"

Tim turned to Ziva. "Yeah but...how did you know?"

"Jenny came to me in a dream last night...it was brief and vague but, she told me that you would need my help. She said do not let yourself-"

"-be afraid!" Tim finished as he looked at her wide-eyed.

"He feeds off your fear!" They recited together. They automatically high-fived each other, then squeezed each other's hand for a brief moment before returning their attention to the closed door.

"Ok, I think I got this, look out." Tim touched her shoulders softly then guided her away from the front of the door.

He stepped back then ran at the door, full speed leading with his right shoulder. He connected but the door didn't budge as he grunted in pain, holding his shoulder.

"Tim, you are going to throw your shoulder out." She held up her lock kit and Tim smirked with a snort.

Within seconds the door opened.

"That's my girl." Tim rubbed her back. They entered the cold room as the door closed behind them with a bang. Tim tried the doorknob but they were locked in.

"So, apparently our mission is in this room." Ziva guessed.

"Yeah, but whaaaat-"

"Tim!"

Tim flew through the air, until he stopped, suspended by his feet by an invisible force, his feet close to the high ceiling. Ziva jumped, but could not reach his dangling hands to pull him down. The dust they had stirred entering the room, caused him to sneeze, loudly.

Even through the chaos, Ziva still felt the need to make sure God was notified to bless him as she jumped, trying to grab him as she yelled out.

Tim instantly dropped to the floor.

"Ummph...that was...weird...maybe Winfred doesn't like it when you ask God to bless me." Tim chuckled as Ziva helped him to his feet.

"No, seriously, you may be on to something, Tim."

Then Tim remembered how Jenny said his cold would prove to be beneficial on his mission. He had wondered what she could have meant but now understood. He took a deep breath then flinched, grabbing his side.

Ziva looked at Tim with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Remember Ziva, no-"

"-fear. Gotchya." Ziva patted Tim's shoulder with a cheery smile she fought to keep on. "Look, there is a small door leading to one of those crawl spaces that I remember being common in older houses. We should probably check it out."

"Yeah. And quickly."

Tim lead the way with Ziva hanging on to his arm as they rushed the door. A window across the room flew open letting in a violent gust of wind that grew stronger, distracting them, causing them to squint while blowing in dead leaves and dirt from the outside. Tim knew 'time was of the essence' so he dropped to kneel in front of the small door to open the latch. He was unable to unfasten it so he leaned back, kicking the entire fixture off with his foot. The door swung open but Tim could feel Ziva's grasp on his shoulders release as she was quickly pulled away. Tim turned to see that she was being dragged towards the window as she clawed at the rug, trying to grip the material, proving unsuccessful.

"Tim! Help!"

"Get out of my home!" Winfred's voice was a deep, raspy roar above the sound of the strong winds he was creating. Furniture fell and toppled as the wind knocked it over. Picture frames fell to the floor, breaking the glass they contained.

"Ziva!" Ziva was pulled across the room on the floor, then through the opening of the window. "No! Ziva!" Tim struggled, battling the fierce winds to get to her quickly, relieved to see that she had managed to grab onto the windowsill.

"Ziva! Hold on!" He grabbed onto her hands that held on tightly to the ledge. "Don't let go, let me pull you in."

Tim could see that her fingers were slipping. He worked his grip down to her arms then leaned back, pulling her in with his weight. Tears streamed down his face from the wind and the strength he had to muster to lift her. He fell back onto the floor with Ziva sprawled out over his chest.

"Wow! He really doesn't want...us to find...what is in...there!" Said Tim. They exchanged a smile then scurried back towards the crawlspace door.

Midway, Tim collapsed to the ground. His back arched, as he yelled out in pain.

Ziva leaned down over him, placing her hand on his chest, not knowing what she could do for him."Tim what is it? Wait.I know, God-"

"No! First check... out the space. I'll... keep him... occupied." Tim winced in pain, shutting his eyes tight as he twisted and shifted trying to tolerate the pain Winfred was subjecting him to.

Ziva hated to leave him so vulnerable so she took a calming breath, remembering their mantra, then scurried to the small opening in the wall. She shown her flashlight over the area, stopping when the beam touched on a small child, cowering in the corner.

"A boy?" She crawled in quickly, to his aide. His wrists were bound and a gag over his mouth. He must have been the little boy abducted the day before from Chevy Chase. That would explain the murdered Petty Officer; probably a falling out between the two kidnappers.

The boy's freckled face was wet with tears.

"It is okay, little one. I am the police. I will help you and make sure you are reunited with your family. What is your name?" She took off his gag and he coughed. "Michael ...please, we have to get out of here. This place is crazy! We have to hurry!"

"You got that right, kid." She gathered the small boy close by her side, her elbow knocking into the wall behind her as it easily fell, revealing another small crawlspace. She shown her light in, discovering three decomposed bodies, laying side by side; what looked to be a man, woman and child. She held the boy's face to her chest so he would not witness the evidence of death.

Now the Winfreds would be laid to rest in peace and released from the hell hole Sebastian Winfred kept them in, she thought to herself.

She quickened when she heard Tim's cry, crawling on her hands and knees scrambling to the door, a hand on the child's back to comfort him. "Come on, Michael."

She found Tim still on his back, writhing in pain, fighting the force that pinned him to the floor.

Ziva thought she could hear banging on the outside of the door to the room they were in, combined with the faint sound of Tony and Ducky's pleading voices. The wind coming in through the window was still a force to be reckoned with. Pieces of furniture were still being flown through the room as Ziva ducked, a lamp missing her head by inches.

Ziva was by Tim's side. He had worked up a sweat and was thrashing from side to side his eyes closed as he seemed to fight some demon from within.

"Release him, Winfred. Or you will have me to reckon with!"

Ziva leaned close to Tim's ear. "Come on, Timothy, come back. The mission is complete! I found a boy that was in dire need of our help, you saved him. You did it!"

Ziva patted the rug, intentionally stirring up more dust, sending Tim into a fit of sneezes.

"God bless you!" Ziva yelled.

Tim collapsed, laying still and exhausted. He inhaled, as his body relaxed then he opened his eyes. He looked at Ziva with a thankful smile as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. "We... did it, Zeevs."

The door swung open, banging off the wall with Tony and Ducky standing in the entrance.

"What the-"

"Good God."

Tony and Ducky stood side by side puzzled by the aftermath, trying to take it all in. The wind had died down but the furniture in the room was scattered and knocked over, picture frames were broken, scattered shards of glass littering the floor. Lamps lay on their sides, broken.

Ziva was helping Tim up to his feet as he rested his arm over her shoulder, out of breath. She placed a hand on his face and pulled him close, giving him a small hug. Then she placed a hand on Michael's shoulder to guide him.

"Could you mind telling me what happened here, McExorcist? And who's the kid?" Tim looked too exhausted to answer Tony.

"We will explain once we get out of here. Tim and I have had our share of Halloween for one night."

"I'll need that check-up now, Duck." Tim limped by Ducky as he left the room with Ziva under his arm and the boy by her side.