Epilogue One
More cogent explanations must await Ducky's examination of his patients in Autopsy. DiNozzo's injury, while painful, will leave no more than a significant bruise in the center of his chest, which will eventually fade. DiNozzo does not openly speak of his great relief that McGee is back, uncharacteristically keeping his silence.
Tim's injuries are limited to a cut on the back of his head which has already begun to heal and some insignificant bruising. The most Ducky has to do physically for him now is to change the square gauze at the back of his head and rewrap a fresh dressing.
Everyone surrounds Tim closely, anxious to understand the past two days.
"Are you sure you do not remember anything?" Ziva demands, unable to believe it. She wants him to at least remember some of this madness he'd put them though. She had planned to shock him back to reality by having him 'kill' his friend with the trick dagger borrowed from her Prop Master friend, but she hadn't counted on this degree of escape.
"I'm telling you, Zee, it's a complete blank. As far as I'm concerned, Tony pushed me out of the way of that car and I fell and landed on top of him in the Smithsonian."
"Just like one of his computers," Gibbs concludes. "His brain rebooted and wiped the RAM thingy."
"Well," Ducky admits, "there is a precedent for this type of occurrence; I read about a case once–"
"Forget your precedents, Ducky, he's back and that's all that counts." He's vastly relieved and doing his best not to show it. He turns back to his Agent. "You've got a lot of work backed up upstairs."
"Jethro, I really think Timothy should have some time to rest and recuperate."
"Recuperate? You said all he has is a cut and bump on the back of his head."
"Physically, yes, but there's–"
"Best thing to get his head back on straight is work, not sitting around playing video games that got him into this in the first place."
"You mean I can't get a vacation out of this?" Tim wishes he could remember what he is asking for a vacation from.
Gibbs turns on him, the stress of the past few days coming out in his explosion. "Vacation? You've spent the past two days Lording it over the Elves of Dubhrein and now you want a vacation? You haven't turned in your report on the Carstairs shooting, you haven't even signed out for that day - do you have any idea what sort of overtime you're costing NCIS? The next time you want to take an excursion to 'Fantasy Island', use a book we've read - or at least one that's finished!"
In the brunt of Gibbs' anger, Tim turns to Tony. "You know, it feels so good."
"What does, Probie?" he asks, amazed at his friend's contented smile.
"To be home."
Epilogue Two
As affairs progress and questions are resolved, either satisfactorily or not, Jimmy Palmer and Michelle Lee move quietly away from the other Agents and slip unnoticed through the door that leads to the stairs. Michelle starts up but feels Jimmy's hand on her hip, turning to face him. Being one step above, she's nearly of a height with him and he puts his arms about her waist. "How are you feeling?"
She laughs softly. "I told you I'm fine. Yesterday I was high as a kite – for a little while – a few minutes. Thank you for covering for me."
"No problem. They all had other things to think about and I'm sure they would never understand. You're sure you're all right."
"Jimmy, will you stop freaking out? I was better than 'all right'. I eventually came down to 'fine'. I just never did so much so quickly before; ever. I'm amazed they bought it – with Special Agent DiNozzo's help of course."
"Yeah. Wrestling," he laughs.
"Well, it was a 'sleeper hold', I just didn't argue with his conclusion, that's all."
x
One of the aspects of her natural talent, enhanced and developed by her experience in Wiccan magic, is the ability to feel and manipulate auric or psychic energy. She can use it to relieve pain, to give strength to others or, on very rare occasions, actually draw strength from another person. She doesn't fully understand it yet, but that's no hindrance to making use of it.
Witches are attuned to the ambient energy all around them, that energy which allows magical practitioners to affect that world in which they live. That energy can be manipulated. She'd tried to explain it to Jimmy numerous times, usually failing, but she does keep trying. The greatest concern is to always use it for the benefit of others, not for anything that might do harm.
"He doesn't seem to have had any problems from it," Jimmy observes.
"I told you, sleep is all he needed to replenish himself. I was the one bouncing about like I had rabbits under my skin, or if I drank a quart of Abby's 'Caf-Pow!'. It's energy; pure and simple."
"Pure, yes; but never simple."
She leans in closer, her lips touching his. "It's just one of the things you'll have to get used to if you want to marry a Witch." She kisses him.
Epilogue Three
Hours later, following the Noon Mass, having removed and hung up her vestments in the Vesting Room, Siobhan O'Mallory enters the office at St. Mary the Virgin Church. That Mass she had dedicated to all the sick and injured while she focused upon one man in particular. She doesn't know exactly what has happened. Ducky seems to and Special Agent Gibbs puts on, she admits, a pretty good show, but she's satisfied. Timmy remembers nothing and she looks forward to forgetting as well. The looks Ziva David had been giving her all morning, ever since Timmy's impassioned declarations of undying love, had made her very uncomfortable. Siobhan knows that Timmy is trying to divorce himself from his memories of what they had shared so long ago, and she has no intention of intruding into the relationship he has with David, either by what she does or by what he does.
For now things are stable again, and she is content for a moment of quiet. He's well; she constantly thanks God for that mercy. The rest will settle itself in time.
Maybe it is beyond time she discusses with Doctor McFadden her deeper feelings. She had been reluctant to, but maybe at this next therapy session...
x
She crosses the office to her desk and finds upon it a plain manila envelope, sans return address. Only her name is printed upon it. Hearing Ellen Meyers, the new Church Secretary, working in her office down the short hall, she picks up the envelope, goes to her right to the office next to the entrance to the Church Hall. "Ellen?" the young brunette woman looks up, "do you know anything about this?"
"A messenger delivered it while you were saying Mass, Mother."
"Do you know who it's from?"
"Sorry," she answers with a shrug.
"Thank you," Siobhan returns to the office, resolving to speak to George Donaldson, the Rector. She has no love for receiving unknown mail and this is not the first occasion since Sally Ryder's retirement that she had been less than satisfied with the new woman's efficiency. It's one thing to give someone a break - she is the beneficiary of such Christian charity herself - but...
Sitting down at her desk, she tears open the large envelope and pulls out a set of papers. The cover letter contains no return address or signature.
'Dear Reverend O'Mallory: Trevor Hanson died five months ago here in Washington. I think you'll be interested in what he left behind. I'll be in touch.'
The name means nothing to Siobhan, though she crosses herself and says a short prayer for his soul as well as for those of all the departed. Setting the paper aside, she sees what is on the remaining pages and gasps.
A cold hand of fear seizes her heart. She looks from one horrible page to the next. Her pounding heart sends a cold rush of fear through her. Now she remembers Trevor Hanson all too well!
She realizes she's trembling, her breath coming in erratic gasps and frigid fear fills her body. Dropping the papers, she presses her shaking hands to her chest, feels the pounding of her racing heart as she stares in horrified disbelief at the scattered pages upon her desk. Her broken gasping is loud in the quiet room.
.
Next Episode: 'Inner Darkness'
A spectacular death sparks one of the most disturbing cases Leroy Jethro Gibbs has ever been called upon to solve.