Starting to wrap this story up and tie up all the loose ends. I'm sad that it's ending, but it's been quite a ride! Enjoy :)
Director Vance knew he had done something very stupid. How had he not noticed that? As an NCIS director he always read the fine print and figured out loopholes. He must have been too stressed. Well, it was too late now. She had him over a barrel now and there was nothing to be done about it. "Okay, fine. Is that all that needs to be done?" She nodded smilingly at him. He cleared his throat, "That's good then. Did you want anything else? Like talk to Jared?" He knew Jared likely would not want to talk to her, but he felt it was the decent thing to do. She chuckled, "No thanks. Perhaps later." With that she shook his hand and left, adding over her shoulder, "I'll see you tonight."
Vance turned to see Tony's face quite pale. "Hey, are you okay? You need to sit down?" Tony shook his head. "You don't know what the serum is, do you?" Gibbs gripped Tony's arm, "Hey. He doesn't need to know that now. Later." Dinozzo looked at him, then nodded. "When you have a minute in private later, I'll tell you." Vance nodded back at him, wondering what he had gotten himself into now. He'd better phone Lara now to pack up some stuff for the kids for their sleepover.
As Vance picked up the phone, Tony and Gibbs walked out the office to the waiting team. They all saw in an instant that the shackles were gone. "You're free!" shouted Abby. Gibbs finally allowed himself a huge grin. He signed to her, I love you. Thank you for never giving up on me. They did bad stuff to me, but I knew you would never give up hope. She beamed and signed back, I know. Even the last time when we thought you dead, I never gave up on you. You're my best friend. He smiled again and opened his arms to engulf her in a big hug.
Ducky had waited patiently for the tender moment to pass, then politely said, "Jethro, we need to take both of you to a hospital at the very least. I know you were whipped just yesterday, and I see the evidence on that arm of yours. It needs to be treated. As for Anthony, I am quite sure he needs something as well. He mentioned his chest?" Bishop gave a significant look to Tony but did not tell the kindly doctor about the other thing that had happened to him. Gibbs sighed, "I'm sorry. No hospitals. I'm fine. Tony, did you want a hospital?" Anger burned in Dinozzo's eyes as he replied, "Definitely not, not with me having been...never mind. No." Ducky was exasperated with them, but he understood. "At the very least let me check you over." Gibbs and Tony glanced at each other before Gibbs nodded agreement.
They soon found their way to Ducky's office. "One at a time?" he asked. Gibbs replied for them both, "We've seen each other at our worst. It's okay." Jared came to them and looked at them questionly. Gibbs gave his trademark quick smile, "It's all over, Jared. We're back. And you're here too." Jared cocked his head, "Back for good?" Gibbs sighed, "Well, yes, with a few vacations with her now and then for me. But whatever. It'd done now, and it's over." Jared touched Gibb's silver collar, then his own. "With her...it's never over. Be careful." He then walked away quietly.
Dr. Mallard cleared his throat, and the two men turned. Time for the unwrapping. Gibbs went first, and sat down. He tried to get his t-shirt off himself but was unable to. Ducky was very concerned but gently helped it off him. He pursed his lips at the bandages, but got to work unwrapping him. Finally the last one fell away and the angry criss-cross stripes were fully on display. Gibbs said nothing. Ducky couldn't restrain a "tsk-tsk" but checked him over for any infections. Finding none, he cleaned up the blood where the scabs had broken. "You really should have a good course of antibiotics as well, but I can put on some cream on these. I'm afraid I can't avoid hurting you though." Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Just do it. I've been worse."
Ducky carefully slathered on the healing cream over the welts, trying to ignore his patient sucking in his breath on the most painful parts. Finally it was done and he got proper bandages to wrap him. He also made sure the arm was taken care of as well. Finished, he turned to Tony. Tony took Gibbs' place and tore off his shirt. Ducky paused, seeing more bandages covering his chest. "Did she…?" Tony softly answered, "Yup. She marked me." Ducky shook his head and took off those bandages to reveal the curving graceful bird that now adorned Tony's chest. He swallowed bile, but dutifully cleaned that up as well. He checked Tony's back and found he had been whipped as well, but it had already healed enough to do nothing. He wrapped up Dinozzo's chest gratefully, glad to get that hideous thing out of his sight. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
Gibbs said, "Yes" at the same time that Tony said, "No." They looked at each other, then Gibbs insisted, "You need to get looked at." Tony looked at the ground and didn't reply. Ducky was sure he knew what was going on, and so quietly but directly asked, "Did Phoenix rape you, Anthony?" A nod. "More than once?" Another nod. "Three times?" A shake of the head. "Was the last time recent?" A nod, and a whisper, "Last night."
The kindly doctor felt like he could murder someone, but he remained calm. "Okay. I do need to take a quick look. I promise it'll be fast." Gibbs promptly said, "I'll leave to give you guys privacy." He stepped out of Ducky's office and left them in peace. He had his shirt in hand and struggled to put it on. Damn it...where was his buttoned shirt when he needed it? Jared appeared out of the shadows and quietly helped him. "Is Tony okay?" he asked. Gibbs nodded, "He will be, in time. So will you."
Soon Gibbs and Dinozzo sat down with the team to hash out what happened to them. Yes, they had to give Phoenix what she wanted, but that didn't mean they couldn't tell NCIS details about her. Dinozzo wound up the meeting by saying, "There were so many other slaves that we wished we could have helped along the way but they were just…" he struggled for the words. Jared, standing nearby, (he had so far refused a chair) answered Tony, "They were just like me? Beaten, given no choice? Eternally between the devil and the deep blue sea? Always giving up yourself for your owner to take you, or be at the mercy of the lash? Yeah. It's tough to believe there's anything like hope." Gibbs nodded, "Even in the last day...we met Ian, an ER doc. He was pretty low. And the other fella, what was his name, Tony?" Dinozzo thought for a minute, "Oh yeah...Adrian Trent." Bishop jumped up, "Trent? His name was Trent?" Startled, Gibbs and Dinozzo looked up at her. She continued, "Did he mention children?" Gibbs said, "Yeah, a boy. Connor." Ellie sat down with a thump. "We met Ensign Connor Trent on Lance Corporal Randall's ship. You just met his dad, who was taken when Connor was twelve."
Everyone was shocked for a minute how small a world it was. Well, to be honest, in Phoenix's world it was even smaller. They talked for a minute of whether they should let Ensign Trent know that his father was still alive. After a bit, they decided to leave it alone. Trent had been terrified of the thought of Phoenix, and rightly so too. Unless something drastic happened, there was no way of getting his father back anyway.
After the meeting, Vance told Gibbs and Tony to go on home. Their keys had been left in the car at the scene of their kidnapping, so Bishop had taken care of them. They'd even gotten Gibb's car repaired too, in the hope of his needing it again. Ellie asked them, "Do you need someone with you for the first night? Or are you okay being by yourself?" Gibbs immediately shook his head, "I'm fine. Jared is coming with me anyway. He'll be better with me than Abby. He's still scared of her. Tony? Did you want to come with us?" Tony replied, "Actually, do you know what? I'd rather just have my own bed in my own apartment, with just me in it. But thanks for the thought, Boss."
Abby looked at the two of them and clapped her hand on her forehead. "We forgot the collars!" All three men automatically touched their collars. It had been on them for so long, they had no longer thought about them at all. Abby had been the one to figure out how to unlock Gibbs' silver collar the last time...it had been a type of magnetic collar. She hurried off to the lab where she had stored the magnetic key, just in case she needed it again. Soon she was back, and in a flash Gibbs' neck was free once again. Only a light ring of skin around his neck showed where the collar had lain. Abby quickly freed Tony as well, and moved on to Jared. But he put up his hand, and shook his head no. He looked around and realized he had to explain his actions. He quietly said, "Yes, I've had this for nine years. I don't feel free yet though. I need to feel like I can make my own choices, and when I do...the first one will be to remove my collar. But for now, it stays." Abby smiled at him (happily, Jared noticed, not the other fearful kind of smiling, that meant trouble coming for him), and replied, "Of course, Jared. That is your choice. I respect that."
Later at the house, Gibbs opened the fridge and found that someone had thoughtfully stocked his fridge. Beer! I seriously need a nice cold beer. He plucked one out and drank gratefully. "Jared? You want one?" The sandy haired man shook his head. He'd had nothing but water for the last nine years. He wasn't about to start with alchohol. Not to mention that anytime someone started drinking, he usually got punched. He was sure Gibbs wouldn't do that, but he'd watch him anyway, just in case. Gibbs gazed at him for a long moment, then softly said, "Your parents miss you very much. Would you like to see them?" Jared stared at Gibbs. He blinked and tried to get his thoughts coherent, "They're still alive? They're okay?" Gibbs grinned at him, "Yup, they are. And I think they'd love to see you, if you're up to it." Jared thought for a minute, then answered, "Yeah...I'd like to see them. Not today. Tomorrow?"
Gibbs picked up the phone and dialed Jared's parents. He got Peter Malone on the third ring. "Hello?" Peter said. Gibbs replied, "Yeah it's Agent Gibbs calling." Peter exclaimed, "Gibbs?! You're back! We heard that you and Agent Dinozzo had been captured on the way back from seeing us. You've been gone a long time. You're okay?" He answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. We're fine. We'll survive. Listen, we brought someone back with us. It's Jared." He heard the sound of a phone almost being dropped, and chuckled. Now he heard Peter's wife in the background, crying. Peter's voice sounded through the phone, thick and emotional, "You've brought our son back? I can't ever thank you enough, Agent Gibbs." Gibbs immediately said, "I actually had nothing to do with that. But anyway, he'd like to see you." Peter fairly shouted, "Of course! When? Today?" Gibbs chuckled again, "Ah, he needs a day. Tomorrow is better. Jared? Tomorrow morning?" Jared froze. He wanted to see his parents. But he also dreaded the visit. He must have changed so much in nine years. He didn't want his parents to see the broken down shell of a man that he was now. However, his parents must have suffered so much not knowing where he was, or even if he was still alive. He had to honour his parents but… "No." He couldn't say more, but Gibbs understood. "Do you need more time?" Peter's voice in his ear said, "If Jared doesn't want to see us, we understand. Tell him he can take all the time he needs." Gibbs relayed this to Jared, who finally responded, "No, I have to do this. Later in the afternoon is okay. That'll give me time all day to get used to the idea."
Agent Gibbs explained to Peter, "He'll see you. He just isn't the same man that left you nine years ago. Phoenix has done a lot to him, so you'll need to be open minded when you see him. It'll be okay." He set up a time to meet, and hung up.
He showed Jared the bathroom and the bedroom where he would sleep. Jared looked at the bed and shook his head. "I can't...a bed...no. Can I just sleep on the floor?" Gibbs gazed at the bed, and understood. The only time Jared had ever been on a bed in the last nine years was when Phoenix had him to herself. Yes, he definitely wouldn't want a bed now, even if he was safe. Jared would be too used to a cold hard floor anyway. "I have a sleeping bag you can use for tonight. We'll work up to a bed, slowly. Jared gratefully accepted the offer. They both went to bed early, revelling in the delight of choosing your own bedtime without fear of punishments.
Leon had given Lara the night off, since the children were gone. She had wanted to stay and cook him some supper. He had refused, knowing he'd not be able to eat anything. Tony had told him what the serum was, and he had been furious at Phoenix for making anyone suffer through such a terrible ordeal. Of course, now he'd go through it himself, paying for his own stupidity. The trick was though, it was technically "consensual"because he had signed his name to the damned document. Still, he knew he'd been for a painful night. He knew through Tony that Jared had willing stripped for Phoenix anytime she asked, even if he done it the night before. Leon couldn't understand this. Yes, Jared had been a slave, but to be raped like that willingly night after night was unthinkable. Suddenly his thoughts fled from him and fear gripped him when he heard the doorbell ring.
Wow, Jared's parents must be over the moon excited for tomorrow! Poor Vance though, but at least he knows it's a one time deal. Final chapter is next!