A special thank you to ArianaFeileacan, who pointed me in the right direction for meanings of the pine needles. Unbetaed and written in a state of semi-exhaustion, so apologies for any typos.
One more chapter to go.
11: Healing
Five Weeks Later
Tony grinned as he hobbled his way over to Gibbs' desk. "It's time!"
Gibbs sat back and smiled up at him. "A week early."
"Latest X-ray says I'm healed…. which means this –" he tapped on the cast –"is coming off. And you know what that means!"
Gibbs' smile morphed into a grin. "You're going to be on top?"
"Ha, ha, funny man… it means I can go fox again!"
"You know," Tim McGee said as he walked past them, "if you're trying to be subtle, staring at each other silently and grinning like idiots is not helping."
Gibbs laughed quietly, ducking his head and pushing his chair forward. He shuffled through some papers while Tony turned around, indignant. "Hey!"
McGee looked up from where he was searching for something in a desk drawer. "Well," he said defensively, "I shouldn't have called the boss an idiot. But still."
Tony faced Gibbs, pointing accusingly at McGee. Gibbs just shook his head. "He's right, Tony. We asked him to tell us when we slip up."
Tony's arm fell to his side; his head fell back as he heaved an exasperated sigh. "Fine. But McSpoilsport, I thought you and Ziva were at a seminar across town."
"We are. One of the tech guys asked me to share some of the new search techniques I've developed. Vance okayed it, so I had to come back and get the flash drive… ah! Here it is." Tim stood up, flipping the drive in the air before catching it and stowing it away in his pocket. He moved from behind his desk, stopping next to Tony and glancing between the two men. "Gonna be a late morning?"
Gibbs looked at him, expressionless, then glanced sideways at Tony and smirked. "Yeah. Tell Ziva, come in at ten."
McGee grinned. "Have fun!" He stepped away and headed for the elevator.
Tony shook his head as he watched him go. "Why do I feel like our private life is a little too exposed?"
"Ah, they mean well." Gibbs waved him off. "Go. Shoo. Get that cast off."
Tony threw him a mock salute. "Aye, aye, Captain… don't be late." He set off for the elevator.
Gibbs grinned to himself as he contemplated the evening ahead, then threw himself into the work he needed to catch up on.
The elevator dinged maybe thirty minutes later. Gibbs glanced up to see Rachel Cranston standing at the corner of Ziva's desk, smiling at him. He returned the smile and got to his feet, coming around his desk to take her hand. "How're you doing, Doc?"
"I'm just fine, thank you for asking." She glanced around at the empty desks. "You're alone."
"Tony's getting his cast off; the others are at a training seminar."
"Then this may be the perfect time."
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "For?"
"For you to come with me to see Logan Barnes."
Gibbs met her eyes for a long moment, then looked away. He took a deep breath, motioned for her to follow him, and set off for one of the conference rooms.
He poured a cup of coffee for Rachel as she sat, then took a seat opposite her, hands on the table, watching her. She smiled, sipped her coffee, grimaced at the taste, and set the cup down, pushing it away. "Barnes could use your help," she stated, looking at him seriously.
Gibbs tilted his head sideways. "How so?"
Rachel exhaled, some tension leaving her body. She sat forward, looking at him intently. "It's taken weeks, but he's finally at point where he can start to heal."
Gibbs nodded slowly. "I know Greg located the spirit."
She nodded. "And managed to get it to cut ties with Barnes. The dreams have stopped. Now he's dealing with the fallout… he killed his friends, and for all intents and purposes he's lost his career."
"How can I help?"
Rachel reached out and touched his hand briefly. "He needs to know he's not alone."
"Told him that in the cave."
"Yes, but he doesn't remember much of what happened there. It comes to him in bits and pieces. He knows someone told him about the spirits, but he doesn't really remember who."
"Why not? He wasn't on drugs."
"No… Greg told me the spirit had a pretty tight hold on Logan's mind."
"Greg, huh?"
She narrowed his eyes at him, tilting her head slightly and looking at him sideways. "Stop changing the subject. Yes, I'm having dinner with him again tonight. We've been seeing each other casually."
Both Gibbs' eyebrows rose.
Rachel huffed in exasperation and sat back. "And yes, it will probably be more than casual, but as long as we're both working with Logan, we're taking it slowly." Her eyes widened. "Are you going to come see him or not?"
Gibbs looked at her for a long moment before sitting back in his chair. "Tony… Rachel Cranston is here. She wants me to go see Barnes. Means I'll be home later than expected."
"So I'll tell McGee eleven instead of ten."
"Got'cha."
Gibbs focused on Rachel; she was looking at him curiously. He gave her a half-smile. "Let's go."
Bethesda
Gibbs followed Rachel as she walked briskly through the hospital ward. They stopped at a door with a numbered lock box; Rachel punched a few buttons and the lock clicked. She glanced at Gibbs. "This isn't really necessary anymore, but until the judge rules, it has to stay in place." She knocked on the door, listening, then turned the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped in.
Logan Barnes was sitting at the barred window, a book in his lap, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked outside. He was dressed in a robe over pajamas, slippers on his feet. He looked up as they walked in, smiling slightly at Rachel; the smile faded as he looked at Gibbs.
"You look familiar," he said quietly, unmoving.
Gibbs inclined his head. "Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS. I was one of the agents who found you in the woods."
Barnes nodded slowly. "Okay." He looked at Rachel, who smiled at him and moved to lean against the wall, motioning for Gibbs to sit down in the second chair.
"Logan," she said quietly. "You remember someone telling you the monsters are real."
Logan nodded, his expression tight.
"Agent Gibbs is that someone. He's encountered one of them before. I thought it was time the two of you talked."
Logan stared at Gibbs, who returned his gaze evenly. Gibbs then looked at Rachel, who stared back for moment. Gibbs tilted his head toward the door without breaking their connection.
Rachel shook her head. "I need to be here."
Gibbs smiled. "No you don't, Doc. Barnes here'll tell you what you need to know."
Rachel looked between the two men, noting Logan's slightly hopeful expression. "Alright." She smiled at Logan. "I'll see you tomorrow at our usual time."
Logan nodded but kept staring at Gibbs. Neither man spoke until the door closed behind her.
"They're real," Logan said, sounding uncertain.
Gibbs nodded. "Dr. Cranston told you."
"Yeah." Logan suddenly stood, moving to the window. "So did Greg. You know Greg?"
"I do. We hiked up Mount Washington to talk to one of the spirits."
"The dreams stopped after Greg went to the tree… I told him where it was."
Gibbs stayed quiet, waiting.
"My friends are dead." Logan turned to look at him. "Dr. Cranston testified at the hearing last week. Said I wasn't sane when I... when it happened. The Navy's not going to prosecute… I'm to be discharged. They're going to send me to another institution. Dr. Cranston says it might take a few years, but eventually I'll be going home." Logan leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking at the floor. "It's not right."
"Wasn't your fault."
Logan stared at the floor a while longer, then looked at Gibbs. "I killed them. Mike, Jevon, Dion… they're dead because I saw monsters instead of my friends. How am I supposed to live with that?"
Gibbs stood and took a few steps until he was next to Logan, looking out the window. "You live with it by trying to make up for what happened."
Logan leaned against the wall, looking at Gibbs. "You kill anyone 'cause of the monsters?"
Gibbs shook his head. "No. But I've killed… far more than you have."
"Military? You've got the look."
"Marine. Sniper, among other things. Then as an agent."
Logan rested his head against the wall. "Ever kill a friend?"
Gibbs stared out the window for a long time. "People I cared about have died because of me," he said finally. He stepped away from the window and looked at Logan. "You learn to live with it. You did what you did, and the reasons seemed right at the time. You live for your family now."
Logan blinked rapidly, then looked down at the floor. "At the cave… JAG says I took a hostage… NCIS agent, caught his leg in a trap. I don't remember… "
Gibbs waited him out.
"There was a fox… his leg was broken. I don't remember a man."
Gibbs took a deep breath. "You thought you were seeing a fox; it was an agent… my second in command."
Logan stared at him. "Tony… I remember you called him Tony. But I was holding a fox."
"Spirit had you seeing a lot of things."
Logan reached up to rub his face. "I guess." He dropped his hand and looked at Gibbs. "Will you tell him I'm sorry he got hurt?"
Gibbs nodded.
Logan stood there, leaning against the wall. "I'm tired," he stated suddenly.
Gibbs looked at him carefully; Logan didn't seem to be seeing him anymore. "Get some rest," he said, then walked to the door, knocking on it to be released.
Dr. Cranston opened it; Gibbs glanced back to see that Logan hadn't moved. He was still staring at nothing. Then Gibbs walked through the door and Rachel pulled it shut.
"How did it go?" she asked quietly.
Gibbs looked at her and shook his head. "Not sure I did any good."
"Time will tell." They started walking back down the hall. "Thank you for coming. He has a long road ahead; maybe this will help."
"He suicidal?"
Rachel sighed. "Hard to say. I think he would be, if he didn't feel that dying would be the easy way out."
"He wants to do penance," Gibbs said.
"Yes… that's as good a way to put it as any."
"His family here?"
"His sister Lauren was staying in town for a while; now she comes to see him every week… his parents have been here a few times. His brother hasn't, not yet."
Gibbs nodded absently as they entered an elevator. He hit the button for the ground floor; Rachel turned to look at him. "If he asks…"
"I'll talk to him again if he wants."
Rachel smiled.
Phone Interlude
"Hey Jethro… where are you?"
"Just dropped Rachel off. Heading home in a few."
"How'd it go?"
"It went. Not an easy conversation."
"Can't imagine it would be."
"He wanted me to tell you he's sorry you got hurt."
"Nice of him."
"Yeah. Got that cast off?"
"Uh huh. Hurry home, will you?"
"Just got to make a quick call to Greg first."
"Okay. I already picked up dinner. Say hi for me."
"Will do. I'll be there soon."
"Cool. Over and out."
Gibbs smiled as he sat in his car at the Navy Yard, then pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and hit a few buttons.
"Gibbs! How are you?"
"Good… just saw Barnes."
"Rachel said she was going to ask you to talk to him."
"Well, she did."
"Did it help?"
"I dunno… not my field. Rachel… she's good people, Greg."
Greg laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to warn me to behave."
"I'm serious. She's family."
"Gibbs… we're just friends right now. Maybe building something. I have no intention of making her unhappy."
"Alright. You come up with anything more on those pine needles?"
"Some… they happen again?"
"Yup. Third time."
"Same kind of dream?"
"Up on the mountain."
"Well… from what I've learned so far, they can mean anything from long life to harmony with nature to warding off ghosts."
"Harmony with nature makes sense."
"Guess you'll have to ask when you head up there."
"Vance signed off for a few weeks from now. Tony's got to do some physical therapy with his leg first."
"Keep me posted… I can cancel a class or two and head up there with you if you want."
"Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll go this one alone."
"No problem, just let me know if you change your mind."
"Will do. Tony says hi."
"Tell him I said hi back… have a good night, Gibbs."
Gibbs flipped the phone shut and threw the car into gear, pulling out of the parking lot and heading for home.
Fox Time
Gibbs walked through the front door, locking it behind him and tossing his keys on the small table in the entry way.
"Tony?"
There was no answer. Gibbs jogged up the stairs and walked into the master bedroom, and saw Tony's clothes piled on the bed. Smiling, Gibbs quickly removed his own clothes, closed his eyes, and shifted into the fox.
He stretched all four legs, shook himself, then sat on the floor next to the bed, scenting the air and listening. He couldn't pinpoint Tony's location, although scent made it clear Tony had been in the room recently. Tracking his partner that way would be too difficult, since his scent was everywhere in the house, so Gibbs got to his feet and slowly made his way through the house, listening intently and checking every room.
He cleared the second and first floors, then made his way into the basement. There was still light coming through the small windows, but he relied more on his sharp hearing. His mouth opened in a foxy grin as he caught the faintest sound from the back corner behind the stairs.
Moving quietly, he snuck down to the basement floor, but instead of heading for the source of the sound, he walked toward the back of the room, ears and tail twitching in anticipation. Before he made it halfway across, a furry missile struck him from behind, sending both of them rolling across the floor.
"Got'cha!" Tony's mental voice was gleeful.
Gibbs got his feet under him and leapt away, turning in mid-air to land facing Tony. The red fox was on his feet, crouched awkwardly as he kept most of his weight off his recently healed leg. Gibbs changed his plan of attack from pouncing to running, darting away from Tony and toward the stairs. He could hear Tony following close behind; he stayed just ahead of him, running up to the second floor and leaping onto the bed, turning to meet Tony's charge.
Gibbs was bowled over by the slightly larger fox, and the two rolled around in a snarling, fuzzy heap, play-biting each other's legs and necks. Gibbs tried to avoid Tony's bad leg, but it was too hard to tell which leg was which; their play stopped abruptly when Tony yelped as Gibbs' teeth closed on the wrong leg.
Gibbs let go immediately. "Sorry, Tony."
"It's fine. Surprised me more than anything else."
The two foxes lay there, panting slightly; Gibbs moved to rest his head on Tony's shoulders.
"Feel good to be a fox again?"
"You know it. I missed this."
"Another few weeks and we'll be up on the mountain." Gibbs leaned over to sniff Tony's leg. "Better really work on it."
"Actually, the doctor said it's in pretty good shape. Told me not to use crutches, and that I only need a few therapy sessions."
"You clear to be in the field?"
"Yeah… just not to chase down any suspects."
"We can let Ziva and McGee do that."
"Sounds good to me." Tony rolled onto his back, all four feet waving in the air, tail swishing back and forth. "I really missed this."
Gibbs watched him for a moment, then shifted back to human form. "Know what I missed?"
The fox turned his head to look at him, rolled onto his stomach, and shifted back too. "What?"
Gibbs sat up, reached out with both hands to grab Tony's shoulders, then fell back on the bed, pulling Tony on top of him. "This." He slid one hand behind Tony's head and drew him into a long, passionate kiss.
Tony eventually pulled away, smiling down at Gibbs. "I called McGee and told him not to come in until noon."
"Got plans, do you?"
"You bet. Wanna get started?" Tony leaned down and scraped his teeth on Gibbs' neck.
Gibbs' hands gripped Tony's neck and shoulder tightly. "Maybe we should take the whole day off."
Tony moved again, his face inches from Gibbs' own. "Maybe we should." He moved in, capturing Gibbs' lips with his own.
They made love until they were exhausted… then they dozed for a while, ate, and made love again, finally falling into a dreamless sleep in the early hours of the morning.
