"Boss, I'm done making a fake identities for Sakura and Sousuke Haroshimoto." Tony called out to Gibbs from his desk in the Bull Pen.
"What did you put their current home and family as?" Gibbs asked, walking in the room with his cup of coffee.
"Err, family name is the Van Pelts, the location vacant room in the apartment building on Main Street," Tony answered hastily. "Why?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you didn't screw it up, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, grabbing his gun from the drawer in his desk.
"Think Xana will take the bait, Boss?" Tony asked, also grabbing his gun and standing up.
"She'd better." Gibbs replied. "Hurry up. We're going the Bethesda."
Tony stopped short. "Bethesda? Why?"
"To check on McGee."
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
McGee was sleeping peacefully in his bed at Bethesda, two days later. Abby was sleeping in a chair by his bedside. Ziva was also taking a little nap in a chair in the corner of the room. Hestia was… Hestia was no where to be found at the moment. Then again, this was her friend that they were going to apprehend. Any person with a heart would fell guilty about, not only turning your friend in, but designing the plan that would catch her. It was no wonder that she was hiding.
Tony and Gibbs walked in the room. Tony was the first to enter. He was followed, a few minuets later, by Gibbs. Tony walked in the room and paused for a moment, looking at Ziva, sleeping peacefully in the corner. Hestia's plan counted on Xana's guilt. If she saw McGee there, Hestia determined that she wouldn't shoot. But, if Hestia's plan went wrong, this could all go away. Tony didn't want it to do away. He… He loved Ziva.
Gibbs walked in and flipped on the light. Ziva, being the light sleeper that she is, awoke then and looked around. Ziva's waking caused Abby to wake, which, in turn, caused McGee to wake.
McGee looked around the room, sleepily. He caught Gibbs' eye and frowned. Gibbs was hold a bag of close from Blue Navy. "What's going on, Boss?" McGee asked.
Gibbs looked at him intently. "McGee, can you walk?" He asked, dead seriousness floating in his voice.
McGee tilted his head to the side. He didn't know if he could. He started to sit up but stopped as an intense, fiery pain shot through his spine. But he didn't, of all things, want to look weak in front of his boss, so he gave Gibbs a weak smile. "Yeah, I can walk." He said, although he paled at the mere thought have having to even sit up any farther. "Why?"
"Good," Gibbs said. He threw McGee the bag of cloths. "Put these on. It's Hestia's plan. DiNozzo, fill 'im in. Ziver, come with me." Gibbs said, and left the room.
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
The truth was, McGee couldn't walk in a million years. Well, he could probably walk again in a couple of weeks, but not now. Gibbs and Tony seemed happy that their team was back together as the three Agents walked down the hall to the elevator. Ziva probably would have been happy, too, but she wasn't there. She left earlier. McGee, however, was in horrible amounts of pain. He was glad to be walking around with his friends again, but he, honestly, thought the plan that they created, was a horrible plan. Abby was extremely worried for McGee's shape, and knew that he might not be able to get very far on his own two legs, but she said nothing. Actually, she said a lot of things, which is my Gibbs mad her stay in Bethesda and look for Hestia, who was still missing.
McGee made it to the elevator, through the elevator ride, but after three steps out of the elevator, he collapsed.
"McGee!" Tony yelled and ran to his partner's side. "McGee what happened?"
"I'm sorry, Tony." McGee whimpered through deep, ragged breaths. "I can't do it. The pain… The pain is too much."
Tony looked around, desperate to keep his friend out of pain but at the same time complete the mission. He spotted a wheel chair, and he and Gibbs helped get the young man into it. They wheeled him to the car, helped him into the car and drove away.
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
The three agents found Ziva waiting for them in the vacant apartment. She was wearing different cloths than she was before. She was wearing ripped, paint splattered jeans, and a paint splattered, green long sleeved shirt. She had her hair put back in with a bandana. She was going to play the roll of the mother.
"You are not to say anything, Tony." Ziva hissed, clearly embarrassed about her roll in this plan. Tony just snickered as he wheeled McGee into the room.
Tony crouched down by McGee. "Look, McGee I know it hurts, but when Gibbs gives the signal, your going to have to stand up. If Xana takes the bait, she can't know that your in a wheelchair like this, ok?" Tony said.
"Tony… I… I can't." McGee said, dismayed.
"Look, yes you will. You have to."
McGee looked at him then nodded.
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
Fire lit up the sky with passionate color. The sunset. That's when the sun says: "Goodnight!". But for one teenage girl, the sunset felt more like a renew dawn. After five years, knowing now that she wasn't alone. Her little brother and sister were OK! They were going to be a family again.
The city lights turned on. Like stars on earth. A Japanese girl, maybe fourteen years old, used these lights to guide her to, after five long years, her family. She wore a purple and silver sun dress and a silver sweater that she had worked hard to earn the money for. She walked up to a tall apartment complex, nervous. What if they didn't remember her. She walked inside, into the elevator, and up. She counted down the rooms. Suddenly, she stopped. Tears welled up in her eyes. Five years is too long.
She smoothed out her hair and her dress. She couldn't help but tense as she lifted her hand. She knocked. Once. Twice. No answer. Three times. The door opened. A sweet looking lady wearing jeans and a green long sleeved shirt, greeted her at the door.
"Mrs. Van Pelt?" The girl asked.
"Yes?"
"Are… are Sakura and Sousuke… home?" She asked, trying hard not to cry.
"Yes. Come inside." Mrs. Van Pelt said, leading her inside. Something was wrong. She could tell there were three other people in the room, none of them children. She could feel the vibrations they made traveling through the earth. The girl walked into the middle of an empty room.
"Xana?" A voice behind her asked. Xana whirled around and saw the young agent from the park -Agent DiNozzo- pointing a gun at her. Mrs. Van Pelt was also pointing a gun at her.
"Where are Sakura and Sousuke?" Xana asked, frantic.
"Not here." Mrs. Van Pelt replied.
"Then where-" She stopped. Painful tears leaked from her eyes. "This was a set up!" Xana shouted. She looked around. DiNozzo had his gun only a few inches from her face.
Xana glared at him. She kicked the gun. As soon as it left his hands, she threw him down and pile drived him. Agent DiNozzo was out cold. Xana lunged for the gun. So did Mrs. Van Pelt. But Xana got there first. They wrestled for a minuet, before Xana scrambled to her feet, pointing the gun at Mrs. Van Pelt. She heard a shot and all of time seemed to stop.
Why had she forgotten about the two other people in the room? The agent with the silver hair stood to her left, several yards away. He fired one shot. Xana turned in slow motion as the bullet ripped towards her. She raised her hand and hit the side of the bullet, knocking it out of it's trajectory, where it hit the floor.
The man with the silver hair fired three more shots. But Xana was too quick. She backed up into a room, pointing her gun at them. This is where she would have escaped. But when she turned around she saw… She saw…
As Xana stared into the face of that man, guilt filled her heart. Her mouth slid open, and tears dribbled out of her eyes. Her gun lowered slowly and shook her head. She wouldn't shoot him again. She gave him her gun and sank to her knees, whimpering. She looked up at the man with the green eyes.
"I am so sorry." She whispered. Tears streaked her face. She looked at him. "I told you last time, that you don't have to forgive me. I just wanted to say… thank you. For protecting Hestia for me." She gave a weak smile. She bowed her head and willingly gave herself up, holding out her hands to be cuffed.
The agent with the green slowly slid the cuffs over her wrists, snapping them closed. He stood her up. He remembered the dream he had in the hospital. Funny, she remembered his dream too. Perhaps it wasn't… He looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Xana, I forgive you." McGee whispered. He passed her off to Gibbs, while Ziva and the now awaked Tony talked.
The pain was too much and McGee collapsed. Tony and Ziva rushed over to the fallen agent's side. McGee insisted that he was fine, but his old bullet wound had begun to bleed again. But that was OK. Seeing the subtle relief in Xana's eyes made him happy. But then he felt guilty. Did he really do the right thing? The pain in Xana's eyes when she realized that this was a set up… The pain… The pain became overwhelming and McGee blacked out.
