A/N- Inthis Chapter our hero appears. Sorry but this chapter is really long, I wanted to show the full picture of what took place in Ireland leading up to the satellite footage that Kort showed Team Gibbs. Sorry about the delay.

Still don't own NCIS. Thanks to all the readers for your reviews and for the support.

-Chapter 4-

-Kilrush, Ireland 2 weeks ago-

The local pub was packed. Filled with the usual crowd, old drunkards spinning wild tales about past adventures, men who had gotten off work and wanted to have a couple of drinks before heading home to their nagging wives, and the local hooligans getting drunk and bitching about the days match. With so much activity it is easy for a few people to go unnoticed and have a private conversation, even in a crowded place.

"So MacGreggor, right?" asked a man who had introduced himself as Colin. "Tell me more about yourself. Where'd you train? You still go family in the area?" Colin was met with silence. "Come on man, I'm just trying to pass the time until Rachel arrives." Colin said as he gulped more of his beer down. He was on his third pint and couldn't help but notice that the man known as MacGreggor had barely touched his first.

A small sigh escaped MacGreggor's lips."I trained abroad, grandparents are buried here, and I don't do small talk." MacGreggor stated with a blank expression.

"Ok man. That's cool! You want to keep it professional, I get it!" Colin replied quickly, clearly unnerved by the look in MacGreggor's eyes. "I was just thinking…"

"You shouldn't do that Colin. We both know you aren't very good at it." A woman said while sitting down at the table.

"Well that was downright rude Rachel! I didn't realize you were in such a bitchy mood when I talked to you earlier."

Rachel just gave him a look and said, "Why don't you go get me a beer and let the grown-ups talk?

"Touchy touchy!" Colin smiled and went to the bar.

"Sorry about that Mr. MacGreggor, my little brother can be a bit of an ass sometimes." Rachel said while looking MacGreggor over. She had to admit, from what she saw he was absolutely gorgeous. The thing that got her the most was his eyes. Deep green emeralds that seemed to shine even in the dim light of the bar. But, Rachel was a professional; she wasn't the type to let her carnal desires interfere with her job. "So, Mr. MacGreggor…" Rachel started but was cutoff.

"Call me Mac. Saying 'Mr. MacGreggor' makes me sound like a college professor or something."

Rachel chuckled a bit. "Ok Mac, I'll be honest with you. Our group doesn't just open up to strangers who come bearing gifts out of the blue. Not without first knowing who we are dealing with. That's my job! I run security and counter-intel for our group, and I am very good at what I do."

"Look lady, I'm not here to join your little club. I came here because, I have something that could fetch a very high price and I need help getting it out on the market and into the hands of someone who will pay top dollar for it. And please, don't patronize me. I know you have already done a thorough check up on me, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now." Mac stated. The only emotion he was showed was annoyance.

Rachel simply smiled. "You are correct Mac. I have already checked and re-checked your background and your escapades. I was especially impressed with the work you did in Panama in 2004 and Costa Rica in 2005."

"Costa Rica was '04 and Panama was '05." He corrected her.

"Hmmm. You're right. My mistake." Rachel apologized.

Of course they both knew that she made the mistake on purpose. A not to subtle way to trip him up and confirm his background.

"However, I am sure you can understand that my Boss and his partner are wary of strangers for a reason. I am certain you have heard the phrase, 'When something appears too good to be true, chances are it is.' The computer program you are looking to sell will be worth a fortune to our clients, but my Boss and his partner have some questions for you that need to be answered before negotiations can begin."

Mac nodded and then Colin sat back down. Mac had noticed earlier that Colin was talking to some of the drunks at the bar while glancing at him a couple of times. He could guess what was being said and what was going to happen very soon.

"Here is your beer sis!" Colin said with a smile.

"Thanks Colin but, we're leaving." Rachel said slowly. "Mac we will call you with a time and place to continue our discussion." She nodded and headed out.

Mac could hear Colin as he got up and trail after her, "What the hell Rachel! You make me waste my hard earned money to buy you beer so you could flirt with the new guy, and you don't even drink it! You really are in a bitchy mood!"

Mac cracked his neck and sighed. Then finally took a big gulp of beer. He just had one more thing to do before he could go back to his hotel and get some sleep. He got up and walked out of the bar glancing at the men that Colin was talking to a few minutes ago. Once Mac was out of the bar he took a deep breath of the cold night air and started to walk back to his hotel. He was only six feet from the front door of the bar when he heard it open again.

"OYE! YOU!" one of the men had shouted.

Mac turned and looked over the five men standing in front of him. "What?"He asked. Though he already knew what was about to happen. He had seen it done this dance before in Moscow and again in Rome.

"YOU 'ER DAT JIM? THIS YANK TINKS HE"S TOUGH!"

"YEAH HE DOES, DOESN'T HE? WHY DON'T WE GIVE HIM A WAKE UP CALL?"

With that all five men jumped at Mac. Little did they know, they were jumping into their worst nightmare. The first man took a side kick to the face, consequently breaking his nose and knocking out three teeth. The others didn't fare so well either. One had his face put thru a nearby car window, another had a broken kneecap and cracked cheekbone, and the third had a broken collarbone and from what Mac could tell four broken ribs. Unfortunately, that guy was still conscious so he had to endure the agonizing pain of multiple broken bones for a while. The fifth guy, obviously the youngest, stood in awe at first of the carnage he had just witnessed. Then he summoned all the bravado he could muster and picked up a beer bottle, breaking it on the ground. Then, he motioned towards Mac that he was ready to fight. Mac just stared at the kid, and then reached under his jacket and unsheathed the 6 inch blade he had concealed at the small of his back. He then gave the kid a look that said, "Let's do this." The kid immediately dropped his weapon and took off running, but not before pissing himself. This caused Mac to chuckle before sheathing his most valuable treasure. Having the blade with him at all times made Mac feel as if his one true love was with him no matter where in the world he was.

Mac turned around to continue on to his hotel but stopped when he noticed Rachel and Colin standing a few feet away. As expected they had watched the whole exchange. Colin had a grin on his face and then looked at his sister and nodded in approval. Rachel wasted no time in walking up to Mac with a half-smile of her own.

"Impressive! Efficient, brutal, precise. Very good!" Rachel praised.

"Is the audition over?" Mac asked again showing annoyance.

"The physical stuff yes. However, my boss and his partner still have their questions and depending on how well the 'interview' goes, my require a demonstration of your program." Rachel answered all business again. "We will pick you up in two days at dawn in front of your hotel. Get some rest. I assure you that you will need it." She teased. And with that both her and Colin climbed into a nearby car and left.

Mac watched as they disappeared from sight and walked over to the conscious brawler. "Give me your phone." He asked

"Wh…what?"

Mac grabbed the man's broken collarbone and squeezed. This made the man gasp in pain so severe that he couldn't even form words. "You phone." Mac repeated. Then man motioned to his pants pocket and Mac released his shoulder and removed the phone. "Thanks." He said while walking away and dialing a number.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Jesus Tim! Is everything alright? I don't recognize the number."

"I'm fine Trent. Just got done with the usual audition. Earned myself an interview two days from now at dawn."

"Hmmm. What do you think?"

"Well there is definitely a silent partner. Not sure if he will be at the interview. Not even sure if the Boss will be there either. I think this will get me a face to face though in order to negotiate a deal for the program. This Rachel chick said I might be required to do a demonstration of its capabilities."

"Ok. What type of interview do you think it is?"

"Probably the usual. Sleep deprivation, sodium pentothal, and the likes."

"Oh…for a moment there I thought it was going to be difficult. Sounds like a walk in the park. So, how many did they send after you?"

"Five. Four of them will be having an extended stay in the local hospital and the other one will need to go thru potty training again."

"You pulled your knife on him didn't you?"

"Yeah."

Kort chuckled. "Shit I would probably piss myself too if your pointed that thing at me. Your lady sure has an amazing taste in cutlery!"

"That she does."

"Take care McGee."

"I will. I'll call you after the interview, but I don't know how long it will take. Give four days with them just to be on the safe side."

"Will do."

With that McGee ended the phone call and started to disassemble the phone dropping the pieces in random storm drains on his way back to the hotel. Rachel was right. He was going to need some rest.

-The Interview-

He wasn't sure how long he had been in there but, he could safely guess that it was about two days. It was hard to tell time in a sodium pentothal haze, but not impossible. Doses of sodium pentothal usually last about four hours, but skilled interrogators will give you an injection around hour three right before it starts to wear off. And since he was on injection nineteen, he calculated that he had been there for around two days. Along with the truth serum came sleep deprivation, usually loud sirens and flashing light were used, but in this case his interrogators opted for really loud death metal music. McGee was not a fan of the music, he hated it in fact, but he couldn't help but smile inwardly as it reminded him of the times Abby would blare this god awful music throughout the halls of NCIS. Then came the dehydration, when the body starts to experience dehydration the mind will start to play tricks on you or you could start to say more than you should when answering questions. Then there are the questions themselves. Some are meaningless, some are to see about your past to see if you are telling the truth, and others are just to keep you off balance. When you combine the drugs, sleep deprivation, dehydration, and confusing questions you make it extremely difficult to lie during an interrogation. But when you throw in one of the most sophisticated polygraph machines in the world, a model only used by a small handleful of government agencies, then lying become an impossible feat. However, Tim McGee was far from unprepared. He was a boy scout at heart and applied their motto of "always be prepared" to every aspect of his life. This made him a great student, federal agent, and undercover operative. He never passed up an opportunity to absorb the knowledge of those that were more experienced and wiser than he was. For the situation he currently found himself in he was most grateful to Trent Kort and his teachings on how to make it thru an interrogation under duress. Kort had told him "Try not to think of telling a lie, but only concentrate on limiting the truth." That had become Tim's mantra for situation like this one, because even with all the added stimulants and lack of sleep and water it was still easier to limit the truth than it was to try and formulate a lie.

However, just because you are being interrogated doesn't mean you can't get answers to your own questions. The type of equipment being used, the location you are in, the behavior of your interrogators, and the questions they ask are all useful pieces of information that can provide answers. Having spent two days in their hands and keeping true to his teachings, he had learned a great deal about his targets. Firstly, the location he was in spoke loudly about their influence in Kilrush. When he was picked him up in front of his hotel by Rachel, Colin, and one of their lackeys named Adam they had put a bag over his head, a common tactic to prevent someone from seeing where they were going. They had driven around for about an hour or so but they had never left Kilrush, he knew this because the car had never left pavement and all the roads outside of town were dirt. This action caused McGee to realize that everyone in Kilrush supported this group and in this town they got whatever they needed, as nobody seemed to care or notice that a car full of people one with a bag over his head driving around the streets in the early morning hours. The building he was kept in was clearly abandoned as he constantly felt cross drafts and could smell dirty water, which meant he was near the river on the edge of town, which told him that they were also well prepared to have selected a location that was away from curious patrons. He also learned that they were more interested in his program than they were in him or his past. Proven by the fact that most of the questions they had asked him over the past two days were about the program and its capabilities. They had also asked if he had any experience with Navy communication software, he did but didn't know what that had to do with anything so he just let it slide. The most valuable piece of information came from the polygraph machine and the web-cam attached to it. Even though Rachel was the one asking the questions he could tell that she was reading them from a computer screen. He surmised that whoever was on the other end of that camera was the one that was really asking the questions. And then there was the machine. He had only seen machine of this caliber used by a select few of government agencies. The CIA being one but ruled them out due to the fact that he would already be dead if the person on the other end was CIA. That left only two that he knew of, the GSB and…MI-6. McGee's mind was racing trying to put together the pieces of information he had to try and see the bigger picture. But he couldn't think straight. He really needed to sleep, staying awake for two days is no easy task but, when you add the stress of keeping your cover intact during a rigorous interrogation it can really take a toll on you.

Then all of the sudden the music stopped. He kept his head down to control his breathing and ready his mind for the next round of questioning.

"Mac. Mac, hey Mac are you still with us?" a soft caring voice asked.

McGee looked up to see that Rachel was kneeling in front of him with soft brown eyes and a gentle smile. He simply nodded. She returned his nod with one of her own and began to undo his restraints. It wasn't until Rachel started to help him out of the chair that McGee realized the interrogation was over.

"The Boss and his partner are satisfied with your answers. They said to take you back to your hotel and let you get your strength back." Rachel said with a certain softness in her voice.

"Ok." McGee said. He didn't realized how weak he was until he tried to walk way and stumbled because his legs were asleep. Rachel had caught him before he fell and whispered, "Don't worry. I got you." She supported him until he regained his balance. "Thanks." McGee said while looking for his stuff. "Where's my stuff?" He asked suddenly becoming alert.

"It' over there. The table on the left." Rachel pointed to the side of the room.

McGee stormed over to the table and started frantically throwing his stuff around looking of his treasure. "Where is it?" He growled while turning back to stare at Rachel.

"Where is what? All of the stuff you had two days ago is on that table." Rachel defended.

"WHERE'S MY KNIFE?!" McGee shouted.

Just then the Adam guy walked in. "Oh hey man. Looking for your blade? Here you go. I just borrowed it for a little bit. Wanted to scare the piss out of some assholes on the street you know? That's a real wicked looking bl…" Adam did not get a chance to finish his sentence as McGee had crossed the room at lightning has speed grabbing Adam by the throat pinning him to the wall.

McGee stared into Adam's eyes with rage and an intense desire to kill. "Don't ever touch my knife again. Got it?" He said slowly but with an obvious threat of death if the guy ever did.

All Adam could do was grunt his response and McGee let him go. Then he walked back to the table after picking up his knife. He carefully inspected it in the light to make sure it was in the same condition that it was two days ago. Satisfied it wasn't damaged he sheathed it and strapped it to his back then put on his jacket.

Rachel appeared at his side holding out a bottle of water. "Here it's water." She eyed him as he drank the water and asked, "She must have been someone you loved greatly. The woman who gave you the knife."

McGee was close to telling her to mind her own business but he could help himself. "Yeah. And I still do."

Rachel just nodded and said, "I know the feeling. Come on Mac, lets get you back to your hotel. You have a meeting next week and I have orders to make sure you are in tip top shape."

McGee didn't say anything and followed her out. He was dying to get some sleep in a bed.

Rachel had stayed with him for a few days, making sure he had what he needed and making his meals for him. During that time she couldn't help but be reminded of her late husband whenever she looked at Mac. The nights she would watch him sleep she would absent mindedly stroke her crucifix. Her husband, Dylan, had given it to her the day before he and his entire platoon were killed in an ambush a year ago. She had sworn to herself that she would lock away her heart and never love like that again. That is until the enigmatic MacGreggor had walked into her life. Try as she might she couldn't help the feeling welling up inside her. She was starting to fall in love with a man she had barley known, other than his file and what she had learned in the interrogation. She knew though that one of the reasons for her feelings sudden return was the knife that MacGreggor carried around. It was a beautiful weapon but the reason for her interest in it was the inscription that was on the blade. She had noticed it a few days ago, it wasn't in English but she wrote it down and Googled it later. It turns out that it was written in Hebrew and translated to "Beloved – May this blade protect you when I am not around to so." The message had brought tears to her eyes. She began to think that her and Mac were the same. That they were both broken by a twist and cruel fate. When she finally took her leave from Mac's place she silently swore to herself that she would be the one to heal Mac's heart. And by doing that hers would be healed and then they would both be free to love each other. She would be his and he would be hers, she just knew that was going to be their future.

-Face to Face-

McGee was sitting in the Pub in a booth at the back of the bar. Rachel had called him the day before and told him to be here at 7:30 and to sit in this particular booth. At 7:45 the door to the bar opened and Colin walked in followed by Rachel and a man that looked to be in his fifties. The three made their way over to the booth, but only the older man sat down in it. Rachel and Colin took a seat at the adjacent table and positioned themselves in a way so that they were looking at the booth.

After looking at McGee for a second, the man extended his hand and said, "I'm Desmond."

"MacGreggor." McGee replied as the two shook hands.

"Colin, will you be so kind as to get us some Jamison?" Desmond asked without taking his eyes off McGee.

"Yes sir."

McGee couldn't help but notice the similarities between Desmond and Gibbs. They were both around the same age, but that didn't mean much. Despite getting on in years neither man seemed to have lost a step, and God help the person who underestimated them. Also, they were both soldiers to the core, and respected their "brothers in arms" without question. And, above all else, they commanded the absolute best from their subordinates. Colin returned with a un opened bottle and two glasses. After placing them in between McGee and Desmond he silently returned to his seat. Like Gibbs, Desmond had a soul piercing gaze and it was directed right at McGee. Fortunately, having worked with Gibbs for the past eight years McGee was used to it and didn't bat an eye. Though he would never admit it, this impressed Desmond the most, a man who could look him in the eye and not falter.

Desmond finally broke the silence. "I hear you and Adam got into a little bit of a scuffle the other night."

"Yeah. He had taken something that didn't belong to him." McGee said coldly. He hated it when people touched his treasure.

"He gave it back if I am not mistaken."

"He did, but he shouldn't have taken it in the first place." McGee replied harshly.

"No. He shouldn't have. But, I am pretty sure he won't be doing it again anytime soon. Not after the little talk you two had." Desmond said with a slight smile. "Every man has boundaries."

"And God help the people who cross them."

"Hmmmmm." Desmond nodded and though, "Rachel was right. This man does bear a striking resemblance to Dylan. My son had these exact same qualities: confidence, a sharp tongue, and obvious combat experience. And they would be right around the same age as well." "Look MacGreggor, I am not a guy who likes to beat around the bush. Our clients are very interested in your program and are meeting us in France in two weeks time to negotiate the sale. They will want a full demonstration before a figure is discussed. But they are willing to pay top dollar."

McGee just nodded.

"Now, as far as the split goes we feel that 50-50 is fair." Desmond said.

McGee almost agreed on the spot, but remembered that he was supposed to be a mercenary. "60-40. It is my program and no offense but, you are just brokering the deal."

Rachel and Colin exchanged a surprised look. No one ever challenged Desmond before.

Desmond's face was blank but inwardly he was grinning from ear to ear. "Just like a true soldier of fortune", he thought "I am really starting to like this guy." After a moment of silence Desmond reached over and opened the bottle of Jamison and poured an inch in each glass. He slid one glass to McGee and said, "Alright MacGreggor, I will give you your 60% on one condition. My business partner in England has a job lined up to purchase some communication equipment off a few US Sailors next week. However, I don't have anyone under my command that can verify the product. You help me out on this job and you got your 60%." Desmond then raised his glass. "Deal?"

McGee thought for a second. Desmond had just confirmed his suspicions that an agent of MI-6 was indeed his silent partner, but in order to get near him he needed to do this job. It would be a huge risk, but it was one worth taking. Like Trent always says, "Nothing ventured. Nothing gained." McGee raised his glass and joined Desmond in his cheers. "Deal."

Rachel and Colin looked at each other and smiled.

-To be continued-