Saints And Sinners by ceilidh
A/N: Aww, thanks so much for the latest reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.
Now, if you remember in Heroes And Demons, Tim had to confront some pretty traumatic memories of what Jay Clark did to him. So for all of you who are wondering how he's going to react the second time around, read on!
As always, I hope you enjoy :o)
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Saints And Sinners
Chapter Four – Hunter, Hunted
Against blasts of ear-splitting music, Tim McGee smiled as he watched Abby at dizzying work. It was something he quietly loved, this switch from lifeless stillness to hyperspeed energy, and – yeah, judging by the speed of those typing fingers, she'd clearly overdone the Caf-Pows. Again.
Maybe that was why Gibbs had a deluxe full strength in his hand. He needed it to keep up with her.
Some ear plugs would come in kinda too, and… aaaaah, great minds really did think alike. One blessed finger later, that ear-splitting music was out, and blissful silence was in. Hallelujah. His hearing was saved.
Not everyone was happy, though. As peaceful quiet settled in her lab, Abby was clearly unimpressed. But with a dead body downstairs, and a brutal killer on his turf, Gibbs was in no mood for arguments – four quiet words warning her that he wanted straight facts, simple answers, and no fun and games.
"What've you got, Abs?"
Even without Tim's warning head-shake, Abby knew better than to ignore that tone in Gibbs' voice. Besides, he'd brought her the ultimate incentive – held, with practised skill, just out of her reach. The sooner she gave him what he wanted, the sooner she'd get her hands on that massive Caf-Pow.
All sulkiness forgotten, she then scooted her stool across to the main workbench behind them – rattling out a reply that was so fast, and so infectious, that even Gibbs, eventually, cracked a smile.
"More stuff, Gibbs, than you could shake your Sig at. See this gum wrapper that McGee found? We've hit motherlode. Got a partial print, that's running through AFIS right now… no hits so far. I also found saliva traces that don't match our victim's DNA… like I say, Gibbs… mother-lode.
At first, I thought it was just trash, or something dropped by a good Samaritan who tried to help. But then I ran it through for drug traces, and… oh no, Gibbs, our gumchewer was no Mr Nice Guy. Whoever was chewing that gum had enough drugs in his system to run his own pharmacy.
With an addiction like that, he's gotta be known, so I'm running his DNA through Metro's bases. And this blood spatter on the wrapper? It fits our vic's injury pattern like my hand in this glove. Given its location to the body, I'd bet McGee's apartment our killer dropped it during the struggle…"
"…and didn't notice-" Gibbs cut in quietly, nodding approval as he leant in to kiss her cheek – adding a slight smile as Abby grinned back at him around a strawful of happily slurped reward. "Good work, Abs-"
Recalling who'd made that breakthrough possible, he then turned to offer Tim McGee a proud wink.
"You too, McGee. Good to see DiNozzo didn't corrupt you too badly while I was gone-"
Was there any chance that Tim McGee wouldn't grin? Or that Tony DiNozzo wouldn't react?
Like hell there wasn't.
"He-…!"
Halfway through an indignant protest, Tony saw a silvery eyebrow rise, and wisely changed his mind. A brotherly cheek-pinch wasn't the best idea either, as Tim's hand shot instinctively sideways into his ribs. If not for a blessedly timed 'ding' from AFIS, they'd have been in real danger of either severe concussions or a fatherly hose-down.
Settling instead for two 'I'll get you' glares, both jostled each other closer to see this first, vital breakthrough. If, as Abby had suggested, their suspect was already locally known, they'd probably recognize him.
That would certainly make finding him a lot easier, and – oh, crap. Oh yeah, they recognized him alright. Even if only two of them recognized the face on Abby's screen, all four of them recognized the name that flashed up beneath it.
All four stared at that screen in silence – two in fury, one in helpless horror, and the last in wide-eyed, ashen-faced shock.
For several moments, no-one moved. They simply stood and stared at that screen, as if hypnotised by its image. Finally, as Abby turned to stare anxiously to her left, Gibbs strode past her to Tim McGee's side – proudly noting that Tony DiNozzo's hand was already wrapping itself protectively around Tim's other shoulder.
As they'd expected, those shoulders were trembling a little, with the inevitable shock of recognition. But to their surprise, Tim's eyes were totally calm as he glanced, in turn, around three anxious faces. So was the voice which, though quiet, still told Gibbs, and Tony, and Abby, what they needed to hear.
"I'm – I'm okay, boss-"
Smiling thanks for the two proud backslaps that followed, and Abby's rib-cracking, 'just-to-make-sure' hug, Tim then paused – glancing back into the face of the thuggish bully who'd once caused him so much terror and pain.
He'd been too young and little then, of course, to fight back against Jay Clark's brutal cruelty. But things were different now. He was taller, for a start. Much taller. Stronger. Fitter. Braver.
And Jay Clark wasn't just a junior high bully now, he'd murdered someone. He was almost certainly Dale Whelan's killer.
Twenty years ago, those who might have stopped him had turned a blind eye. Well, not any more. For his sake, and for those of a distraught family, Tim McGee silently vowed that he'd stop him now.
Taking a final glance at the face that had haunted him for so many years, Tim then squared his shoulders – four quiet words taking him away from that nightmarish world, into one where he got to kick some serious ass.
"Let's go get him-"
Following him out of Abby's lab, Gibbs wasn't quite sure when his junior agent had suddenly taken charge of Major Response. Even without that fierce determination on Tim McGee's face, though, Gibbs knew that neither he, nor DiNozzo, were going to argue. Instead they traded grins of proud relief - both knowing that, if just until this highly personal case was closed, Saint Timothy would be hanging up his halo.
