Ok, this was ridiculously HARD to write. The finale of this episode was tough to watch because everyone loves those characters so much. This chapter is from McGee's point of view, so enjoy!
McGee should have expected the blow before it happened. That was his job, and not once in all of the years that he worked at NCIS would he have expected an attack of this scale to rock, literally, the foundation of the organization.
Dorneget had been standing next to McGee when the windows crashed inwards, like the wave of a tsunami attacking. There were other people, but they had managed to cross the battle zone just in time. Four probation officers were standing up now, covered in small bits of rubble and glass. Two were injured; one cut on a woman's head, and the other was grasping their shoulder in pain. Other than that, they were mostly unharmed.
"Are you all ok?" McGee called over. Once they nodded, he yelled for them to get outside in case of a second attack, and to not trust anyone that they did not know. Unless that had been in the NCIS office before, they were a potential enemy. McGee always thought two steps ahead to keep people safe.
It was then that he remembered he was standing in the pit. His desk had been mostly unharmed, but one of his computer monitors had shattered in place, creating a spider web of glass remaining. The pictures he hung behind his desk were safe; one of him and his grandmother when he was ten, a shot of Tony and Ziva with Abby in her lab, and a candid shot of Gibbs that he idolized when no one was looking. Tony's desk was completely overturned by the blast, and everything was on the ground. McGee figured it wasn't worth it to start cleaning, seeing as he needed to make sure everyone on his team had made it out alive.
The last thing he remembered was Tony and Ziva running down the hall to gather up the rest of the workers to leave, so he had to assume they had made it out with the group. Gibbs had…McGee had to scratch his head and think for a moment, the ringing in his ears was so hard to ignore and think through. Gibbs had gone to get Abby, he thought after a few seconds. His heart lurched in his chest as he prayed they made it out in time.
McGee had never been a religious man. Seeing things on this job made you realize that even if someone was out there watching over humanity, they had either given up long by now or decided to not intervene. But now…he closed his eyes and bowed his head, telling whoever was up there that they better make sure his team was alive. They meant more than anything to him, and losing anyone would shift it so balance could never be restored.
A few minutes later, he began to remember something.
He had not been standing alone when the bomb went off. Someone was there that hadn't left with the other probationals, someone who wasn't on the official team…
Dorneget.
McGee sprang into action. He called out his name, shifted wreckage around, and scanned every inch of ground that he could see. But nothing was turning up. "C'mon, Dorneget, please be here…" he repeated to himself over and over. Ten minutes later, something appeared on the ground.
It was Dorneget's watch, one that he had been showing Tim just earlier that day.
"But look at how it shines in the sun, Tim. I mean this is quality." Dorneget bragged as he twisted his wrist around to different angles. Ziva was laughing softly, and Tony, McGee, and Dorneget all had their arms out comparing time pieces. There was a lapse in the case, and everyone was waiting on results from Abby from down in the lab.
"Alright, fine probbie. You have the best watch. But how did you afford that on the meager salary you earn?" Tony spoke while giving him an inquisiting eye. The two had been at it all day, and this was the first battle won by Dorneget, and he was proud.
"I inherited it. My grandfather decided it was time I had a watch I could be proud of." He replied, swelling up with happiness.
"Ha! Then it doesn't count. Rules say inheritance doesn't work." Tony pointed to his watch piece and said, "This baby was paid for by a hard working man." And danced back into his chair, leaving Dorneget standing with an open jaw.
McGee rolled his eyes and said, "Tony just gets sore about losing. Dorneget, that is a very fine watch and you win this round." The younger officer smiled and said, "Thanks, Tim. That means a lot. Tony…well, you kinda suck," and then bolted away before anyone could say anything else. Ziva had her hands on her desk laughing, and McGee was covering his face with his hands. Tony sat there staring at his team mates, jokingly offended.
Gibbs had returned then, bringing them back into the case with one cold glare to focus their attention.
As McGee cleared his head of the earlier memory, he shoved aside one more piece of wall that had fallen. The floor had a huge amount of blood on it, spread out by the glass and bits of rubble. But there, lying beneath the structure, was an unmoving Dorneget.
"No! Dorneget, help, someone help!" Tim shouted to anyone who could hear. His hands were shaking softly as he cleared the rest of his body off and listened for breathing. It was there, but shallow; very shallow and fading fast. As he looked down to the windows, he saw the reason for all the blood; a chunk of glass was lodged into Dorneget's upper thigh, hitting where a main artery would be. His eyes fluttered slightly, and then he looked up at Tim.
"Tim…' he croaked, having no energy left. Tim shushed him and told him to stay with him, help was on the way. "No…it's not coming, is it?" He coughed once, sending a shiver through his body. Tim looked on helplessly at the taller man; he didn't think there was much he could do to save him. So he tried to make him more comfortable by clearing rubble away from him, and propping his head up on a seat of a chair that had broken off.
"I…I think this is it, isn't it? I can feel it. But I'm not, I'm not scared." Dorneget spoke while Tim helped him. McGee's eyes were rapidly filling with tears the more the other man spoke. If Dorneget wasn't scared, Tim sure as hell was. He was not going to lose someone to Dearing, to let him know that he had any victory in this awful day.
"God dammit no Dorneget you will not die!" and then he looked into his eyes and saw how terrified he was of this ultimatum. A final sentence of a book. The final curtain of a play.
But deep down he knew he wouldn't last another few minutes, so Tim leaned down and asked him if he wanted to tell anyone anything to console them.
Dorneget thought, then said, "I want the team to know how influential they were to me. I mean, they weren't really my team, but I secretly thought of them like that. Tony was like an annoying big brother, Ziva was a kick ass girl, and you were my role model. Always knew how to treat people right. And even Gibbs I'll miss. His stony glare means he cares, Tim. I know he loves all of you. Tell Abby I'm sorry…my mom will know what to do with my stuff, and…I guess that's it." He looked up to McGee's face for consolation, but the older man had started crying. His eyes were flowing over with tears, and he gave Ned Dorneget one final goodbye. "You will be so missed here, Ned. You would have made the best agent." And with that, Dorneget turned his head, and closed his eyes forever on the world around him.
McGee stayed crouched down for a few moments while he wept for his friend. While the team made fun of Dorneget, he would truly be missed. Even Gibbs had been caught smiling once at the man's stumbling awkwardness around people. It was part of his charm.
Tim stood up and walked away then, knowing that if he stayed too close he would never get over the fact his friend had just died. He had been murdered. Dearing had something coming for him.
A commotion from the stairwell caused Tim to pick up his gun and slowly walk over. "Hello?" he called out cautiously, not sure if the intruder was friend or foe. The door flew open, being kicked by none other than Leroy Gethro Gibbs. "Oh, thank God…" McGee yelled out in part for himself, and also to alert Gibbs of his presence.
Gibbs looked up and locked eyes with his team mate, immediately noticing something was wrong. McGee said just one name, and it shocked Gibbs. "Dorneget…he's…" and the team leader nodded. He wasn't at all stable with this idea, but decided he would morn later in the safety of his basement.
The two continued on, keeping an eye out for Tony and Ziva, when they suddenly heard yelling from down a hallway. "Boss," McGee looked over with wide eyes, "That's Ziva. I thought they got out." Both Tim and Gibbs broke into a run to follow the voices.
Hopefully, the rest of the team would make it out ok. Only so much can wear down upon a soul before it drags itself down.
For the second time that day, Tim surprised himself by praying to a God he barely believed in.
Haha be honest if you cried. Because the whole time I wrote this I listened to 'This Home' by Cinematic Orchestra, and good lord I had to stop a few times to collect myself. Actual tears were falling. And I know that it's not how it will probably turn out, but we all know that this show is never picture perfect, and dealing with death is one part of their job.
Thanks and review!