Went to the pumpkin patch today, and got lost for an HOUR at one little section... drove me insane... OMG! this chap is so short... *sobs* gah. cant help it. darn it. well, i might add some stuff to it later. i added an extra paragraph of tony/ eragon interaction in the last chap. i sincerely apologize for making Eragon so dumb... can't help it...

Bam. Bam. Bam. Three perfect shots. Two to the head, then one to the heart. Ziva was sure the paper man had died. She turned around smugly, waiting to hear Eragon blather about the amazing qualities of guns, but was surprised to see instead, a look of intense disappointment slide across his face.

"That's it?" he asked, hunching his shoulders as if the world had collapsed on him. "It just throws stones?"

Ziva had to laugh. He looked so strange (there was no other word for it) in his too tight, black skull and crossbones t-shirt, too big, sagging jeans, and numerous chains that had come permanently attached to the jeans. Ziva regretted not checking to see what clothes Eragon had bought before paying for it. Especially since there had been a moody goth teenager hanging around the store.

"It does not 'throw stones' as you say, but shoots balls of metal, bullets, at extremely high speeds," Ziva patiently replied, hoping Eragon would know what metal was, at the very least.

"So?" Eragon asked, unsatisfied. "All he needs to do is hear of the gun once, and then he'll have a ward against it!"

Ziva just gave him a blank stare.

"See, you can shoot me now, and nothing will happen! I can block it because I know how it works!"

"You can wear a bullet-proof vest, yes, but you still might be killed," Ziva was completely baffled.

______

Gibbs strode into the shooting range to fetch Ziva and the weird person who knew much more than he let on. There had been a case. A short, obvious case. Missing divorced Marine, kidnapped daughter, unhappy mother. Not much thinking required.

"Shoot me!" Gibbs heard Eric say loudly. "Nothing's going to happen!"

Then Ziva, coolly and with authority, "No, this can kill you easily, no matter what you are protected with,"

Grunting and yelling was soon heard; the sounds of a scuffle. Gibbs drew out his gun, motioning for McGee and DiNozzo to do the same, before creeping up behind Eric-on, who was now holding Ziva's gun. No wonder she'd wanted to wait until being in NCIS…

Suddenly, before Gibbs knew what happened, Eragon shot himself in the chest, and reflex made Gibbs fire too. McGee and DiNozzo responded similarly, and Eragon fell to his knees. There seemed to be no blood, but he was turning pale and couldn't seem to see straight. Maybe his black clothing was making it hard to see his wounds.

"Uhhnnnn…" he groaned, clasping his hands together for a moment before struggling to his feet. Tony and Mcgee's mouths were hanging open, but Gibbs glared at Eragon suspiciously. The color had fully returned to his face, and if anything, he seemed more energetic than before.

"You guys surprised me," Eragon said defensively. "It took a lot more energy than I thought it would to stop the bullets. I might've died…" he seemed almost shocked by his realization.

"Well, come on, we've got a case," Gibbs announced, choosing to ignore Eragon's miraculous recovery.

"But, but, boss… how… what…?" McGee stuttered, staring at Eragon, dumbstruck.

"Wait!" Ziva had silently started to follow Gibbs, but now they all stopped. "Don't you want your bullet things back?" Eragon asked innocently, holding out all four bullets in the palm of his left hand.