Chapter 13 – Mistaken Identity

Tim McGee

He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't really care. He had wanted to stay in Abby's apartment but unfortunately, Abby couldn't shirk her duties to her club. She had work to do, people to manage and problems to solve.

They returned to the club just in time for Miss David's second performance. He glanced around the room and found Tony still sitting with Jimmy. He waved his friend over, but Tony looked reluctantly between him and Abby. Then Jimmy said something which apparently annoyed Tony. His partner hastily stood and made his way over to their booth. Jimmy followed when he waved at the young man.

"You don't mind if we join you?" Tony asked as they took a seat.

"Not at all," Abby said as they caught Michelle as she walked by. They placed their drink orders and she hurried off. He noticed that Jimmy smiled broadly at her when he ordered his drink and that Michelle smiled in return. Michelle must be the mysterious waitress he had met over toothpaste. "Thanks Miss Lee."

"Apologies were accepted, I see," Tony said causing him to blush.

"Absolutely," Abby grinned. "And Tim graciously accepted my apology for slapping him."

"I'm sure," Tony replied dryly.

"Not that kind of apology," Abby said. "I mean there was that kind of apology." Tony rolled his eyes. Abby looked at him, embarrassed by her actions. "But I meant a real one too. I don't know what came over me," Abby said. "But Tim did promise to call me and he never did. I was mostly mad at myself for trusting someone I had only just met."

"Once you get to know Tim," Tony said. "You'll realized that he's not that kind of guy." Abby nodded. "When he wasn't working, he was telling me how great a time he had last week and how much he was looking forward to seeing you again."

"So why didn't you call?" Abby asked as she turned to look at him.

"He was working so much," Tony said before he could reply. "That he was half-exhausted all week. He didn't want to sound tired or uninterested in you. Tim wanted to make a good impression 'cause he likes you."

Abby looked at him fondly. "That's very sweet of you Tim," Abby said as she kissed his cheek. He looked at Tony who winked at him. Considering his partner had warned him not to get dizzy with Abby, it was surprising that Tony was helping his relationship with Abby. "I didn't realize all the work Tim would have to do because of the Tin Angel," Abby continued, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm in my own little world down in this basement. It's easy to forget about everything else."

"I did promise to call," Tim said. "And I should have called. I won't make the same mistake twice. Hopefully things won't be so crazy now."

They enjoyed their drink as they watched Miss David perform and he was suitably impressed. She was a good singer and a great performer. She had the audience in the palm of her hand for her whole set.

After Ziva finished singing, Gibbs slid into their booth just as Abby had excused herself to see to her club.

"Hey Gibbs," Abby said cheerily pausing. "I didn't think you'd be in tonight."

"I thought you might want to know that some of the Frog's goons are hanging around outside," Gibbs said getting straight to the point. "I counted at least two standing in the open and I found at least four more hiding in an alley down the street and another couple in a car parked around the corner."

"The Frog?" Abby asked startled. "You mean, La Grenouille?" Gibbs nodded.

"I spoke with Blue while you two were occupied," Tony said pointing between him and Abby. Gibbs looked at him and he felt himself flush slightly under the steely blue gaze as Gibbs looked at him reproachfully. Why did he always feel like he was getting a dressing down from his father when Gibbs looked at him like that? Thankfully Tony continued, distracting Gibbs. "And he told me all about the changes he made over the last week. The Frog apparently wasn't intimidated by the increased security," Tony said looking at Gibbs.

"Evidently not," Gibbs replied as Michelle stopped by to take his order. "I mentioned it to Blue on the way in."

"You two know Blue?" Abby asked as she looked from Gibbs to Tony.

"I know him from the Tin Angel," Tony replied quickly. "I worked there for a while before my latest job," Tony said as he glanced from Tim to Jimmy. He shook his head lightly and both Abby and Gibbs got the message. "Gibbs, have you met Jimmy Palmer here? He's McGee's friend."

"No," Gibbs said as he eyed up Jimmy who looked unnerved. "I'm Gibbs."

"Nice to meet you," Jimmy stammered.

"He works for the city medical examiner," Tony said pointedly. He smiled slightly at his partner. In two short sentences, he told Gibbs that Jimmy wasn't involved with Napolitano's network and he didn't know anything about Tim's real position.

Of course, Gibbs knew that already since he already told Gibbs about Jimmy when he helped Jimmy out of his financial difficulties some months ago. He just hadn't been able to tell Tony that yet.

"Really?" Abby asked intrigued. "You work with dead people?"

"It's really not all that creepy," Jimmy said, still stammering. "In fact, it's an integral tool that the police use to help solve crimes. Sometimes the cause of death isn't what it appears to be and knowing the truth can change the direction of the investigation."

"Oh," Abby said. "I didn't think it was creepy. Actually, I think it's kinda neat." Jimmy perked up. "So how do you know Blue, Gibbs?" she asked bringing them back to topic.

"The Tin Angel had some plumbing problems a few months back," Gibbs replied. "I met him there. He's a good man. He's alerted his boys for any trouble. I've been watching them for the last couple hours, but they haven't moved. They must be waiting for something."

"You don't have anything better to do on a Friday night than watch hired muscle hide out in alleys?" Abby asked with amusement.

Tony caught his eye and then Gibbs'. They were treading close to the line of what was expected of them in their personas. As a handyman, Gibbs shouldn't be too interested in security issues.

"I do if it involves a club I've been spending time in," he replied. "I'm a cautious guy. I don't want to get myself killed over a glass of bourbon. Even if it is good bourbon."

"I see that," Abby said. "I don't like that La Grenouille has taken an interest in my club. Napolitano lets me do what I want with Quicksilver. I don't even know that Grenouille would let me keep Quicksilver. I like this place and I don't want to give it up. I put a lot of work into making it what it is."

"Easy," Tim said gently as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'll call Mr. Napolitano in the morning. He doesn't want to lose Quicksilver and he certainly doesn't want to lose it to La Grenouille.

Tony looked at him and then at Gibbs. He could tell that the older man was thinking the same thing as his partner. He was investing himself in Abby. If things went sour and he had to go back to being an ONI agent tomorrow, both of them were going to be hurt. Or worse, it could lead to the downfall of their mission.

A nagging voice in the back of his head told him that this whole thing was a bad idea. He wasn't necessarily lying to Abby about who he was, but he also wasn't being truthful either. It was a lie of omission and that was a terrible thing to base a relationship upon.

But he couldn't help it. He felt a connection with Abby unlike anything he had felt before. He knew that he would regret it if he didn't pursue this relationship. Abby was worth the risk.

"Thanks," she said as she smiled up at him. "I need to check in with Blue. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She pecked him on the cheek and left. In the interest in keeping their covers, they turned the conversation to other topics. When Abby returned nearly an hour later, she brought Ziva with her. He was surprised to see the slightly panicked expression on Tony's face as Gibbs looked at Tony meaningfully. He made a mental note to ask his partner what was going on as soon as they had a moment. It seemed to him that Gibbs and Tony had discussed Miss David and he felt like he ought to know what they had said.

Gibbs hastily stood up; claiming he needed to use the restroom but he suspected that it was so Ziva could sit next to Tony. But when Gibbs didn't return within a reasonable amount of time, he began to think that Gibbs really had gone to check on the Frog's men.

While Tony would never complain about sitting next to a beautiful lady, he didn't seem entirely comfortable with her presence, which was unusual for him. He allowed the others to carry the conversation for a time while he examined his partner.

Unlike himself, Tony was usually at ease with members of the fairer sex and he certainly didn't have any trouble charming any woman that crossed his path. The signs were subtle, but it seemed to him as if his partner was at war with himself. He clearly fancied Miss David but he wasn't turning loose his charm on the unsuspecting woman.

He couldn't understand why Tony was holding back. Was it because they were undercover? Suddenly he remembered Tony's advice to him regarding Abby and he nearly laughed. Was Tony trying to avoid a relationship because they were undercover?

Tony's impetuousness with the ladies had nearly ruined at least two of their operations and earned Gibbs' ire on a few more occasions. The only conclusion he could come to was that Tony must really be afraid of falling head over heels for Miss David if he was using their job as a means of avoiding the issue in the first place.

He smiled at Tony and made a mental note to discuss it with his partner in private. He wasn't sure that Tony would want to discuss it with him, but he had to try. There was no way to know how long this mission might last. It had already been a year for Tony. He'd hate to see his partner put his personal life on hold indefinitely.

Filing those thoughts away for later, he rejoined the conversation with gusto. Eventually Tony relaxed and he and Ziva began to talk. Unsurprisingly, they hit it off and in short order, they were trading witty barbs.

Blue stopped by their table on occasion to update Abby but each time, he didn't have anything different to tell them. After his third visit, they concluded that the men had left the area when they saw Blue's men investigating. That allowed Abby to relax and enjoy herself.

They were so involved in their conversation that they didn't realize that the band had stopped playing and the club had nearly emptied out except for a few workers cleaning up.

Abby had just fallen asleep on his shoulder when Michelle walked by.

"Jimmy," she said clearly pleased to see him still there.

"Michelle," he said, his eyes lighting up as he saw her. "Would you like to join us?"

"Actually," she said. "It's late. I was hoping you might walk me home."

"Oh, sure," he said jumping up, which startled Abby awake. Jimmy hastily followed Michelle out of the club.

He gave her a squeeze and smiled at her. She looked absolutely beautiful, her eyes heavy with sleep. She smiled back at him and his heart fluttered. Suddenly she yawned.

"Oh," she said hastily covering her mouth. "Excuse me," she said through the yawn.

Tony yawned and said, "Speaking of that McGee, it's about time we head home too."

"You live together?" Ziva asked. Tony nodded. "Are you two roommates?" she asked looking between Tim and Tony. Then she looked at Abby, puzzled. He still had his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"For professional reasons only," Tony replied. "I'm his bodyguard."

"Tim works for Mr. Napolitano, Ziva," Abby replied as she rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, and you are important enough for your own bodyguard," Ziva replied. "I see. So, you cannot offer me a ride home?" She looked at Tony with a frown. "It is very late and with La Grenouille's men around, I do not want to walk home alone."

Tony was torn as he looked between the two of them.

He could tell that Tony really wanted to spend time alone with the pretty Palestinian woman. He watched as Tony waged a miniature war with himself. He clearly wanted to offer Ziva a lift home, but he also didn't want to get close to her. And he was going to try to use his job as a way out. Well he wasn't going to let his partner use him as an excuse.

"I can stay here until you get back, Tony," he replied helpfully.

Tony hedged. "I don't know. Naps'll kill me if he finds out."

"What's to worry?" Abby asked. "I've got security. In fact, I bet my apartment has more security than yours, especially since Napolitano increased the security here."

Tony looked towards the steps. One of Abby's security guards was walking up the stairs to relieve Simon at the front door. Tim noted the bulge at his side, indicating that he was armed.

"That's a good point," Tony said. "If you two are… you know… hang a sock on the doorknob or something so I stay away."

"I'm not sure I know what you mean, Tony," he said mischievously. He didn't think that would be the case, but he wouldn't say it was implausible.

Tony glared at him as he stood and followed Ziva out of the club. Gibbs bid them farewell and followed Tony.

"So, I was thinking, Abs," he said after they had gone. "Not that I mind how things have gone here and there," he said as he looked upward to her apartment. She smiled. "How about a real date? I could take you out to dinner and maybe take in a picture. I think it'd be a nice time."

"I think so too. I'd like that. I don't get out of here much," she said smiling as she leaned against him again. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. He leaned against the wall of the booth and was drifting off when he heard feet pounding down the stairs of the club.

He sat up and extracted his arms from around Abby, slipping his hand under his jacket and onto his gun as he turned towards the stairs.

"Blue!" Ziva shouted as she entered the club. Blue appeared from the behind the bar where they had set up a lounge for Blue's security team. "Some men have attacked Tony and Gibbs. They need help." Blue shouted and instantly half of a dozen men appeared, drawing their guns as they ran.

"What happened?" he asked forcefully as he drew his gun just in case.

"I do not know," she replied. She eyed the gun warily. "Tony was walking me to your car when we heard shots. Michelle and that man who was sitting at your table tonight were struggling with some men. One of them shot him. Tony and Gibbs ran to help and sent me back inside for help. I heard several shots as I entered the club."

He examined her. She was very calm for someone who had just been in a gun battle. He would worry about that later. His partners needed his help.

Without thinking, he started to walk towards the door.

"Tony specifically said to make sure you stay inside," she said, stopping him in his tracks. "He said to remind you of the promise that you did not make, whatever that means."

He stared at her and then deflated. He had never agreed to Tony's request to promise to take cover if something happened. But this wasn't the situation they were talking about. He wasn't the one they were shooting at. He was already in a safe place and going to help Tony and Gibbs would put him in danger.

He looked at the steps and growled slightly in frustration. He hated knowing that his partner was in trouble and that he couldn't do anything to help him.

"Hey," Abby said drawing his attention. He turned around and looked at her. "What would you do when you get up there anyway?" she asked.

"I can help," he said annoyed. He wasn't incompetent, and he wasn't a coward. And right now, his partners were in trouble and he felt like a lump standing here, doing nothing.

Abby looked at him. She was afraid. "You're an accountant, Tim. Not muscle like Blue and Tony. And where'd you get that gun anyway?"

"I always carry it with me," he replied, startling her. "You don't think that I'm going to leave my safety only up to Tony, do you?" he asked. "I trust Tony with my life but not so much that I won't protect myself."

"Do you even know how to shoot that thing?" Abby asked pointing at the weapon.

"Yes," he replied indignantly. "I wouldn't carry a weapon that I didn't know how to use."

"I meant at a person," Abby retorted harshly. "Shooting at a target doesn't count for shooting at a person."

He clammed up. He did know what it was like to shoot at a person. And he knew exactly how it felt to hit that person and to know that he was responsible for the death of another man. He didn't have a large body count to his name and that was something he was grateful for. Even in self-defense, he didn't like the idea of taking another person's life.

But, Abby took his silence as a sign that he didn't know what it was like rather than the opposite.

"I'm sorry Tim," she said thinking that she had hurt his feelings. "I know you're worried about Tony, but he can take care of himself." She took a few steps closer to him. "But I like that you're able to protect yourself because I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know," he replied. "And I know that Tony can protect himself. But I don't like the idea of hiding from a fight. I stand up to bullies. I'm not a coward."

"I never said you were," Abby said. She closed the gap between them. "So how come I didn't know about that?" she asked as she looked at his weapon. "You'd think I'd have found it when we… uhh." He followed Abby's eyes upward. "How'd I miss it?"

"A concealed weapon poses more of an advantage than an obvious one," Ziva said to his surprise. He turned and looked at her. "He would be sure to keep it concealed even during the most intimate contact. "What? Just because I am a woman does not mean I do not know how to protect myself. A girl in this line of work must know how to take care of herself." She smiled deviously.

He looked at her and suddenly came to the conclusion that Miss David was likely packing heat. She continued her devious smile as he eyed her, wondering if she had a gun tucked in her purse or perhaps strapped somewhere only a cad would go looking.

He was about to ask if she was packing but the sound of footsteps stopped him. He looked back at them and said, "Take cover." They did as he knelt behind a table and took aim. But as they waited, they noticed that the steps were halting and uneven.

Suddenly Michelle appeared. She was crying and covered in blood. He stood, speechless, as she hurried off to the kitchen without a word. Just as she returned with an armful of towels, Gibbs and Tony appeared, carrying Jimmy between them.

"Clear off that table," Gibbs said indicating one of the larger tables. He hurried and removed the small candle lamp that sat in the middle of the table. After he had done so, they hoisted Jimmy onto the table.

He was moaning, and his left side was covered with blood. Gibbs grabbed a towel and placed it over his wound. "Put pressure here," he said to Michelle. She nodded and did what she was told despite the groan from Jimmy as she pushed on his wound.

Gibbs then turned to Tony and started to examine him. He looked to be in pain as well. Now that he was in better light, he could see that Tony's right arm was covered in blood.

"Leave it," Tony muttered through clenched teeth. "It's a graze."

"If it were only a graze your grip would be better," Gibbs said as he glared at Tony. "Take off your coat." Reluctantly Tony pulled off his coat, with more grimacing than what would have occurred had it been a graze. Gibbs tore Tony's shirt open to get a better look at the wound then grabbed a towel and tore it in half. He took a second towel, made a compress and used the torn towel to tie it onto Tony's arm.

When he was done with Tony he returned his attention to Jimmy.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Abby asked. She was watching Gibbs intently as he worked.

"I've seen my share of gut wounds," he said as he examined Jimmy's wound. Suddenly he frowned. "The bullet is still inside. I can't take this out. He needs a doctor."

"Not going to happen," Blue said as he entered the club. "The cops are all over the place. We made enough noise that even the ones we pay to look the other way can't look the other way. If we go out there now, they'll find this place and I don't think Mr. Napolitano would be too happy to lose two clubs in a week."

"If we don't get him to a doctor," Gibbs said growling at Blue. "He'll die."

"Sorry to hear that," Blue replied unapologetically.

"Blue!" Abby said aghast. "We can't let him die on our table!"

"I'm sorry Abby," Blue replied softening. "We'd never get him into a car without the cops noticing. If you have any other ideas, I'll hear them."

"If we can't get him to a doctor," he said. "Why don't we bring the doctor here?"

"You know one who'll be discrete?" Blue asked. He nodded. "Can you give the cops the slip?" He nodded again. He had dodged the military police as a child. Dodging flat foots was ten times easier.

"My truck is parked in the opposite direction of where they're looking." Gibbs said.

"How do you know they won't expand their search?" Abby asked.

"We left them three bodies," Gibbs replied. "That'll keep them distracted for a while. The Frog doesn't hire quality muscle."

"Kort was there," Tony muttered.

"Yeah, I know that Tony," Gibbs replied. "He's the one that got you."

"But why on earth would they attack Jimmy?" Michelle asked through her tears. "They wanted him to go with them. When he refused, they tried to force him to go. That's when they shot him."

They looked at each other for a moment. La Grenouille had no reason to kidnap the assistant medical examiner.

Then Tony said, "I think they thought he was McGee." He was met with stony silence. "Come on," he said. "Sure, Jimmy is thinner than Tim but they're about the same height, brown hair, glasses. If I was given that description of Napolitano's money man, I would have thought he was Jimmy too, especially in the dark."

He was stunned. It made sense. With the increased security, La Grenouille couldn't take the club by force, but he could get him. He was a softer target. Either La Grenouille would force him to give up financial secrets or the Frog would trade him for the deeds to Quicksilver, something that Napolitano would agree to do lest Grenouille turn him over to the Feds instead.

"Damn," he muttered when he realized that Tony was probably right.

"What about the cops?" Gibbs asked turning on Blue.

"They're swarming all over the place," replied Blue. "I locked and barred the door to the factory door and Simon is standing by. If needed, he'll pull the mechanism that works the secret door and bar it as well. The other entrances to the factory are locked and barred. It'll look like the place is locked up tight for the weekend and even if they come inside, they won't get down here into the club. The back stairs lead into a storage room and you have to go through the guard's lounge to get to the club. We're safe but we're in for the long haul down here."

"We still need a doctor," Michelle said.

Blue looked at Michelle and his expression softened. He looked at Jimmy then at Gibbs. "There's a man door by the loading dock. We have a clear line of sight down the alley. We can open that when you leave and when you come back," Blue replied.

"Ok," Gibbs said. He turned to him. "Who do you have in mind?"

"His name is Doctor Mallard," Tim replied. "He's the city coroner. Jimmy works for him as his assistant. He treats Jimmy like a son."

"A coroner?" Ziva asked incredulously.

"He's still a doctor," Tim retorted.

"You're sure about this Tim?" Gibbs asked.

He nodded. "I've met him before. I can explain things to him."

"Then let's go," Gibbs said.

Tony moved to go with them.

Gibbs turned on him and said sternly, "You stay here."

"Gibbs," Tony said harshly. "He's my responsibility. If he's going out there, then so am I."

"You're in no condition to go out there, Tony," he said as he pointed to the bloody bandage on his arm.

"This?" Tony asked. "This won't stop me from doing my job. Besides, I can shoot with my left just as well as my right."

"We don't plan on shooting," he said.

"No one plans on it," Tony retorted. "But it happens."

"And if it happens, you'd be a liability and you know it," Gibbs said. "We're going to move fast, quick and silent. Stay here. I'll keep an eye on him."

He watched as Tony and Gibbs looked at each other. To anyone else, it would seem like Tony was deciding whether he could trust Gibbs. But to him, he knew that they were silently calculating whether this ploy was believable. And he could tell that Tony was calculating whether Napolitano would kill him even if nothing were to happen to him.

After a few moments, Tony nodded.

"Good," Gibbs said as he motioned to him. "Let's go."

"Wait," Abby said grabbing his arm. "What if the Frog's men are still out there? They're after you!"

"We'll avoid them," he replied simply.

"You're trusting your life to Gibbs?" she asked quietly. He could see her concern and he knew that she understood why Grenouille was after him. "He's a handyman."

"Not just a handyman," Tim replied as he kissed her forehead. "He was also a Marine sharpshooter in the Great War. Fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood."

"How do you know that?" she asked puzzled.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "He told me," Tim replied. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. I've been dodging cops since I was a kid." She didn't look convinced and he could see that she was working out a problem in her mind again, but he didn't have time to ask what was troubling her. They needed to go now.

"Let's go," Gibbs said curtly.

Author's Note: The Battle of Belleau Wood was a particularly bloody battle in World War I and is particularly famous among marines. In March of 1918, fifty divisions of Germans were sent to western Europe after the Russian's had surrendered. They managed to reach the north bank of the Marne River at Château-Thierry, 59 miles (95 km) from Paris by the end of May.

At the beginning of June, the Germans moved into the Belleau Wood and the US Marines completed a forced march to plug a hole left in the French lines. They turned back the German offensive, causing heavy German casualties. When urged to retreat by the French, "Retreat, hell. We just got here," responded Marine Capt. Lloyd Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. This quote is only surpassed by the more famous line uttered by First Sergeant Dan Daly as the Marines pushed into the Belleau Wood, "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"

After a month of fighting, the Marines finally cleared what was left of the forest of Germans. The forest had been decimated by machine guns and shelling. On June 26th, Major Shearer submitted a report stating, "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely."

The US forces suffered 9,777 casualties including 1,811 deaths. 1,600 Germans were taken prisoner and it cemented the reputation of the marines. It's also the battle in which the marines reportedly earned the nickname "Devil Dogs" (Teufel Hunde) by the Germans. But it seems it might have been used prior to the Battle at Belleau.

I alluded earlier that Gibbs fought at Belleau when he had some nightmares while he was waiting for Tim to return home after meeting with Napolitano for the first time. But now it is confirmed. Gibbs in this universe, is a true Devil Dog.