A/N: I hope you are still reading this. It's been a little unexpected, but I have a direction for all of this. I would love to hear from you if you still like this. Sheila

Uncommon Minds

Chapter 12

McGee fell out of the cab when it stopped in front of Abby's. He noted three squad cars, and felt a well of relief wash over him. He pulled himself to his feet and headed for the entrance. He reached the front door just as two police officers escorted out a man in cuffs. McGee slammed the man in the face with his fist. Everything devolved for a bit while guns were drawn and he was pushed to the ground. Luckily, he kept his badge in his jeans. After the initial screaming back and forth, he was able to convince them to pull it out. Things changed after that, and he was pulled to his feet. The suspect was bleeding freely from his nose and the swelling had started. "I'm going to sue you, Navy pig!"

McGee ignored him and looked at the cops. "Abby Scuito? Is she okay?"

Policeman looked up the stairs to see a lean woman in black pigtails hurtling down the stairs. "Abby!" McGee choked.

She launched herself into his arms and they clung to each other.

The perp spit out some blood. "That's the bitch that advertised her address and rape fantasies on the internet. She wanted me to do this."

McGee tried to pull away but Abby held him fast. "It's okay, Tim. I did what you said. I grabbed the bat. He had a knife, but my reach was better. I think I broke a couple of his ribs. Then I heard sirens sounding, and then everything was okay."

"I was setup!"

McGee glared at him. "What website? Where did you find her address?"

"I'm not talking to you. I'm pressing charges. I was handcuffed when you attacked me. It's assault. The police witnessed it."

One of the officers pulled him to his feet. "Go ahead. Do what you gotta' do. My problem is that my eyes were averted when the alleged assault occurred. I didn't see a thing."

"Me neither," echoed his partner.

"Frickin' police corruption!"

McGee pulled away from Abby and approached. "You want to charge me with assault? I don't care. I just want to know the website. You tell me the website or I'm going to make that assault charge really count."

Nervous, the perp turned away from McGee.

"Now!" McGee screamed into his face.

"It's a sexual fantasy website called playful proclivities or something. I even talked to her on the phone before I showed up. It was all setup. She wanted me to bring the knife!"

McGee turned back to Abby, hugging her fiercely. "Let's go, Abs. We gotta' call Gibbs."

He pulled her out the front door and onto the stoop. Then he turned back to the cops. "If you need to arrest me, I'll be at Bethesda."

"What about me? I didn't do anything wrong!"

McGee wrapped his arm around Abby and urged her not to look back at him as he led her away from the building.

…..

Tony folded his arms and leaned against her fireplace in the living room. He watched as Ziva gave her statement to the cops. As dispassionately as humanly possible, she recounted how she shot both intruders and hogtied them. Police seemed stymied by her lack of affect, and Tony figured, at some point, he was going to have to do a little explaining about Ziva David or she'd end up being arrested for two attempted murders.

His phone rang and he picked up. His eyes widened as he listened and then he slammed the phone shut. "Ziva! Boss needs us at the emergency room. Sarah and Abby were attacked as well."

She looked at him sharply and grabbed her coat.

…

It was confusing to Tim that Boss was at the ER. He would've come to them, not wait for them to come to him. He knew Ziva was okay. Boss had said so. He said that he'd talked to Sarah, but McGee remembered that Gibbs said nothing as to how she was.

At the ER when he spotted Gibbs, he let Abby run ahead so she could get the comfort from him that she needed. Gibbs was standing in front of a curtain. McGee was compelled by this particular curtain. He passed Abby sobbing in Gibbs' arms and pulled back it back. Then he stopped and stared. It was as if he was absorbing every hit she'd taken to the face and body. An overwhelming feeling of nausea hit him and he had to hold on to the curtain to stay upright. She turned her face toward him and opened an eye. "I'm sorry, Tim."

"Oh God, Sarah!" Exertion, fever, and stress came together and he swayed. Gibbs was there to catch him.

"She's going to be okay, Tim." He whispered into his ear. "I talked to the doctors. There was no rape. She fought him hard and she screamed. Neighbors heard and started pounding on her door. Scared the assailant. He escaped out the bathroom window."

It felt like the Boss' voice was a million miles away. Tim reached for his sister. Gibbs helped him. "Be careful, Tim. She's got a lot of bruises and probably a concussion. She needs to see you being strong."

McGee nodded. "I can do it, Boss, but I need you to help me. Don't let go."

Gibbs nodded. Tim reached out tentatively and looked for a spot on her face that wasn't hurting. "It's okay, Sarah. You're…going to be fine. I'm right here," his voice was soft and slow as he fought to keep the tears back. She reached for him and he hugged her as tightly as he dared.

Gibbs was keeping McGee propped up with one arm and holding Abby with the other when Tony and Ziva showed. Gibbs gestured at Ziva, and she came over, relieving him of Abby. Tony swallowed hard and waded in. "I'll help Tim for awhile."

Gibbs backed away. McGee was completely spent and seemed ready to slide off the bed. DiNozzo jumped in and propped him up. "I got you, Probie."

….

A few hours later, McGee was back in his hospital bed, his fever spiking to 103 degrees. He'd been sedated. Abby was sleeping in a chair, her head resting against his arm. In the bed next to him was his own little sister, Sarah. Her sleep was restless, filled with whimpers and sobs. DiNozzo sat next to her and held her hand. It would be dawn soon, an end to another sleepless night. DiNozzo let Ziva and Gibbs take point on this particular investigation. He had a strange need to stay with the McGees. Probie was his kid brother. He'd long established that fact in his heart. It only made sense that McGee's kid sister belonged to him too. He hadn't been around her much, but she had every bit of that deep McGee loyalty and heart. Until McGee was on his feet, he needed someone to watch over Sarah. DiNozzo felt that responsibility deep in his gut.

"Hey." It broke his reverie and he looked down at her. One clear eye was opened wide. "How's Tim?"

Tony squeezed her hand and leaned over. "He's resting now. We had to slip him something so he would stay down."

"He's okay?"

Tony glanced across the bed to McGee. "He's going to be fine, Sarah."

"Tell him that I fought the man as hard as I could."

"It was impressive work, Miss McGee."

"When I close my eyes, I get so frightened. I know you keep saying it, but I don't think I'm going to be okay. I think these dreams will destroy me."

He nodded. "I know about bad dreams, and it's going to get better. Think of it like this: someone pushed you into a pool, you're wet, you're treading water, and you're scared. It takes awhile before anyone is there to pull you out. Even then, it takes some effort, but it happens and you end up on dry land again. Eventually, someone brings you a towel and you dry off. After a while, the incident in the pool is just a distant memory. It's a stupid analogy, but stick with me here. We're still trying to pull you out of the pool and soon, you'll feel dry land. And then other things will help, and pretty soon, you'll be just fine."

"Weird but helpful. Can you promise me you guys can pull me out?"

Tony nodded. "Yup. I'm holding on to you right now, and I'm not going to let go."

"Thanks, Tony."

"Want to see the sun rise? Can I let go long enough to open the curtains? It might help to know that yesterday is gone forever."

Sarah nodded, then waited while Tony got up and opened the curtains for her.

…..

McGee slipped out of bed a few hours later. Abby groaned but didn't open her eyes. Sarah was sleeping and he took a minute to just watch her. DiNozzo held her hand tightly while his face rested on the mattress, snoring gently. DiNozzo could be very difficult at times, but it was worth it because the man had a heart as big as Texas. McGee smiled at the two of them. Sarah's bruises would heal and her memory would fade and she would stay on her feet because that's what a McGee did. He hoped Tony was ready to sign on for some long term support because if McGee was successful, Sarah would need it. He wanted to go over and touch Abby's hair but she was so sensitive to his presence now and she would wake. More than anyone, he'd felt she'd understand.

Tony left his gun in the bedside drawer. McGee lifted it out quietly. He pulled on his pants again and left the room. His fever had broken, and his hair was plastered to his head from the sweat. He would act fragile when the elevator opened on Sebastian's floor. They'd humor him again because he'd been a victim. He didn't have a plan beyond that. He didn't even need to get into the room. On his previous visit, he'd noticed that the observation glass wasn't that thick and it certainly wasn't bulletproof.

He stuffed the gun in the front of his pants. He still wore his hospital gown, but it no longer seemed out of place.

He slipped into the elevator and pressed the button. When it opened again, he was staring straight into his Boss' face. He looked down because the man could read him like a book. Gibbs got into the elevator and pushed him to the back. When it started to descend, he hit emergency stop.

"I need the weapon, Tim."

"I know what I'm doing, Boss. It has to happen, and I'm the one who needs to do it."

Gibbs pulled the gown up and grabbed the gun out of his waistband. "You don't need to do this."

"He almost killed Sarah and Abby, and he could have killed Ziva. I'm not going to fight. I'll take the first deal they offer. I figure that with extenuating circumstances, I'll probably get less than ten years. I won't be able to be an agent anymore, but I can live with that. Who knows? Maybe, Abby will still be there when I get out."

Gibbs hit the wall beside Tim's face. "This is exactly what keeps you from getting your own team, Tim. Yes, it has been talked about, but the problem with you is that you're too willing to fall on your sword. You'd take responsibility for Pearl Harbor if you could figure out the science of it. You seem to think that you're a recurring character in your own life. You're not expendable! Losing you hurts us…very much! Understand that, McGee!"

"He's gotta' die, Boss."

"He's already dead."

McGee's mouth fell open.

"He went into heart failure about 3 a.m. this morning."

McGee slumped against the wall. "Thank God!"

"You think this is over, Tim? I want to show you something."

Gibbs handed Tim a clipboard. "Take notice of his lawyer's name."

Tim looked down at the name, Stan Baise. It took him a moment, but then he breathed in sharply. "It's an anagram for Sebastian. Oh God, he's still out there!"

"Maybe or maybe Mr. Baise is a Sebastian accomplice. It would make sense that Sebastian might be more than one person."

McGee nodded. "If that's true, then we've got some work to do, Boss."

Gibbs smiled. "I've been waiting almost a month to hear that from you, McGee."

He reached back and took off the stop. The elevator opened and they found DiNozzo standing there, hands on his hips, his hair standing straight up on one side of his head. "Give me back my Sig, McBurglar."

Gibbs walked past DiNozzo and said, "This never happened."

"Got it, Boss." Tony said. He whipped out his thermometer and narrowed his eyes. "Don't move. I'm going to check that temp."

….

Ducky's home was old world charm. A large Victorian, it was all tall ceilings, wood floors, and beautiful arches and inlaid wooden hutches. McGee hoped that he would find a beautiful home like this one day. He could imagine afternoons on the front porch watching his children playing in the front yard. He sat in the rocking chair, his hand rubbing the neck of his shepherd, Jethro. He still carried a small fever, but he was feeling much more alert than he'd been in the hospital.

He reached over with his free hand and enveloped Sarah's hand. She was reading from a limited edition Emily Dickinson they found in Ducky's library. He hung on her every word. McGee loved poetry. They were like small stories filled emotions and beauty. Details weren't important. A good poem was something you heard in your gut. Sarah scrubbed at tears every once in awhile, but Tim said nothing. He'd done some reading on surviving assaults, and he knew that sometimes just being there for someone in great pain was enough.

"You must be getting tired of this," she said, looking up from her reading.

He shook his head. "Not a chance. You could read to me all day."

She smiled and reached for an iced tea. "It's like we're prisoners at the most wonderful bed and breakfast."

"Yeah. It's a lesson for you. Once you meet really good people like Gibbs and Ducky, you find a way to keep them in your life."

"You still want me to call Dad."

He nodded. "He deserves to know, Mom too. It'll be hard, but we're wrong to not share our lives with them."

"He's so controlling."

Tim shrugged. "He's been learning, Sarah. We need to help him grow."

"Why are you like this?"

He smiled. "You are a carbon copy of Dad- all impatience and high expectations and frustration. I've always been more like Mom- a worrier, a perfectionist, a caretaker. My destiny is to understand his intentions, and yours is to push against them."

Her second eye had opened that morning, but it was still puffy and purple. "I'm going to be okay, aren't I?"

He squeezed her hand. "You're like Dad. You're not going to let this take you hostage. You will beat it. That's who you are."

A car rolled up Ducky's drive. Tim squinted. "It looks like Boss, Fornell, Tony, and Ziva. I wouldn't expect them in the middle of the day."

McGee waved at them and then waited as they climbed the porch. "Beautiful spring day, isn't it, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded. "It's good to see both of you out."

"You look like Mark McTwain out here on the veranda." Tony was grinning at him. He walked over and kissed Sarah on the cheek.

McGee smiled but could sense that this was more than a social visit. "Can I get some tea for you? Ducky has a pitcher in the refrigerator. Boss, I could make some coffee."

Everyone shook their head, standing around in their suit coats enjoying the spring air. Ziva went over to Sarah. "I'm glad to see you. I was hoping you and I might have a talk."

Sarah seemed puzzled and looked at Tim. He nodded. "You and Ziva belong to a very select group of women. I thought there were would be things she might understand better than I would."

Ziva squatted and caught her eyes. "Ducky has the most beautiful gardens, and there is a trail down to the lake. Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Sarah took a deep breath and nodded. Ziva got up and pulled her to her feet. McGee nodded at Jethro, and he got up and trotted after them. The two of them and a large German Shepherd walked down to Ducky's lilacs.

Tim watched them disappear and then turned to his friends. "I assume that you need to speak to me about some things."

Fornell and Gibbs sat down in rocking chairs while DiNozzo leaned against the porch railing. Gibbs leaned forward. "We wanted to update you on the case."

McGee said nothing.

"We found the bastard that attacked Sarah. Name is Steven Porter. Just out of the Pen for 6 months on an aggravated assault. Dumb as a bowl of oatmeal. Sarah messed him up pretty good; bruises, scratches and a swollen jaw. He was full of evidence when we grabbed him. Metro has him now, and they're charging him with 1st degree assault and attempted rape. He's going away for at least 3-5 years."

McGee growled. "I would like ten minutes with him. I'm serious. I'd like a chance to show him what being terrorized really feels like."

"That's why Metro has him. Tony here ran him into a door a couple of times before I could pull him off."

Tony shrugged. "I couldn't help it that he was so clumsy."

"Tell Sarah he isn't going anywhere for awhile."

McGee nodded.

Fornell took a breath. "In other news, the man who died in the hospital was named Burton Moore. He worked with for the phone company for thirty years. Never married. No children. Retired three years ago."

"Was that Sebastian?"

"He was the one who kidnapped me and tried to kill you. Of that, there is no question."

McGee rubbed at his forehead. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Tim, there is no way to answer your question." Tony leaned against a column.

"What about the anagram? Did you find the lawyer?"

"The name was a fake. We have video of him, but Abby hasn't found anything on facial recognition."

"We've gone through all of Moore's things. He had an old desktop that we went through. There was nothing remarkable on it. He was simply using email and reading news sites." Fornell added.

Tim stood up. "Well, that proves it. He wasn't Sebastian."

Gibbs put up a hand. "It only proves that he didn't use that particular computer for his criminal activities."

Tim made a face. "Do you honestly believe this is over? Who set up Sarah, Abby, and Ziva? Come on!"

"Sit down, McGee."

McGee ignored him and walked over to the other end of the porch. "I never expected you to give up, Boss. Never."

Tony followed him. "No one's giving up."

Fornell nodded. "I can't justify a task force right now. Enough evidence points to Moore. The minute we caught him, all contacts from Sebastian ceased."

McGee's face reddened, and he pointed out to the lawn. "What about my sister? Moore didn't do that, did he?"

Gibbs got up. "That's an active investigation, Tim, and it will stay that way until we find whoever put the fake messages on the rape fantasies board."

McGee locked eyes with him. "What does your gut tell you, Boss?"

"It tells me that we've hit a wall. It happens. You've been there with me before. Sometimes, we have to move on. It doesn't mean we forget, but we wait until another opportunity presents itself."

McGee closed his eyes. "I want to understand. I do, but I believe he'll wait until we've relaxed, and then I think he'll be back, and I believe he'll still want what is most precious to me. That's what my gut tells me."

Gibbs nodded. "And when he does, we'll be ready."

McGee shook his head. "I hope to God you're right, Boss."

Gibbs patted him on the shoulder. "You're not alone, Tim. We're all together on this."

Tony's phone rang and he picked it up. He turned to Gibbs. "They found Johnson. He's in custody. We better get over there."

Tim frowned. "Who's Johnson?"

Tony didn't quite meet his eyes. "We caught a new case this morning."

Gibbs' eyes scanned the lawn, noting that Ziva and Sarah disappeared down the path to the lake. "We'll leave Ziva here and pick her up after we talk to Johnson."

Fornell took his coat off. "I think I'll stay too. McGee and I have business to discuss. One of my boys can pick me up. McGee, tell me where to find that iced tea."

Gibbs' eyes rested on Fornell for a moment, poised to ask a question, but he didn't. He just nodded and headed out to the car, DiNozzo following along behind.

…

It was 2 a.m. but McGee still couldn't sleep. There was nothing wrong. Ducky declared a victory when tonight's temperature check didn't break 100 degrees. Part of the problem was that sleeping lost its allure when you could do it whenever you wanted. Appreciation for sleep came when you worked hard and actually needed it. The night was warm enough to have the window open. A slight breeze left the curtains dancing. Then he heard the car door close in the driveway and he sighed.

She was coming as she did every night. She'd show up at some dark hour, and climb into bed with him, intertwining arms and legs until she'd effectively molded herself around him. She loved him and he felt it every time she looked in his eyes. Part of him still questioned the permanency of it, but he had a deep need for Abby Scuito. She did more for him than a thousand antibiotics ever could.

She stepped quietly into the room, shedding her shirt, bra, and skirt. She reached for one of his t-shirts and pulled it over her head. McGee insisted that Ducky should never find a naked surprise in the morning.

He lifted the blanket and she crawled in beside him. She was always full of whispered reports about her day, detailing for him more than he ever wanted to know about forensics. McGee let her ramble for a few minutes, then he reached over and pulled her mouth to his. He liked just kissing her. There was always a bit of cherry Caf-Pow flavor but he liked that sweetness. It fit her so well.

She fumbled for his boxers, but he grinned against her lips. He'd already removed them in anticipation. Their lovemaking had changed since the rookie agent woke up in her coffin all those years ago. Now, he was a more confident lover. It wasn't about the release as much as it was about the journey for him. He felt like each time they made love could be their last. He took his time to appreciate every inch of her soft skin. Abby seemed to understand this as well, and left her playfulness behind when they came together.

TBC