Fading Away

By SherryGabs

Rated: T

Huge apologies for how long it's taken to get this to you. We had a very frightening family emergency a week ago. Everything is fine now. (Thank you Lord!) Plus the kids had all this week off from school for spring break. So I've either not had the ambition to write or not had the time to sit down at the computer for very long. Hope this chapter makes up for it. Gibbs and team are reunited at last! Too bad it's not under better circumstances. Hope you like it.

Chapter 14

In the bullpen at NCIS headquarters, things were about as normal as normal could be at the time. Having just wrapped up a fairly mundane case and finishing up the paperwork, each agent was looking forward to being able to go home on time.

"What are your plans for tonight, Tony?" Kate asked, adding pages of background information to a case folder.

Tony stood and walked around his desk, leaning on the front edge. He crossed his arms and leered at Kate with a sickening smile. "Nothing special. Why? You wanna come over and make my dinner, clean up afterward, and turn my bed down for me?"

Kate looked up at Tony from under her bangs with doubtful eyes. "Yeah, like that's going to happen." Then she lifted her head and smiled widely. "But I will do it for Steven. That's where I'm going tonight."

Tony frowned and grunted. He then turned towards Tim. "What about you, Probie? Is Elflord going to take on the evil Ice Princess? Or do you have some computer journal to exercise your right hand with?"

McGee gave Tony his best indulge-the-child look. "Ha! Ha! For your information I have a date with Wendy, from Legal."

DiNozzo's eyes went wide and he stalked to Tim's desk, leaning over it. "Not Wendy Wonderbra?"

Tim smiled with great gratification. "The one and only. And her name's Wendy Wonderly."

"I like Wonderbra. It looks good on her." Tony stood back up and kicked his desk in frustration. "I've asked her out at least a dozen times; she keeps turning me down."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Tim looked shocked.

Kate's laughter was drowned out when Tony's phone rang. Giving them both death glares, he picked his phone up.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. How may I help you this fine spring day?"

"Yes, Agent DiNozzo, this is Det. Terry Rhinehold, Metro PD, 1st Precinct. I have a prisoner here you're going to want to see."

"Sailor, Marine? What kind of trouble is he in?" Tony asked, thinking this was a typical agency handover.

"Well, ex-Marine, but that's not the point. Your agency reported him as missing back in November." Rhinehold paused for effect. "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

It was all Tony could do to keep standing. He staggered to his chair and dropped down into it. "Did you say Gibbs?" He had to hear it again.

This caught Tim and Kate's attention. They both got up and stood at Tony's desk.

"Yes," the detective answered. "He was arrested and brought in last night as a John Doe and his fingerprints just came back identifying him as your missing agent."

"Is he okay?" Tony's heart was thumping hard in his chest.

"He's a bit worse for wear, but he seems all right."

Tony nodded to the two anxious agents. Kate brought her hands to her mouth, not only in relief but to keep from blurting out questions.

"You said he's been arrested. What charge?" Tony couldn't believe this could be possible. Tim and Kate's eyes both got large hearing this.

"You mean charges, Agent DiNozzo, plural. He was arrested last night by our Vice department during a prostitution solicitation sting. But there's several other charges and I'd really just prefer you come in and we can go over this in person."

"We're on our way, Det. Rhinehold. Thanks for the call. And I really mean that." Tony slowly hung up and slouched in his seat as if waking up from a bad dream. He's alive.

"Tony?" Kate wanted to grab and shake him.

"Gibbs is okay?" Tim seemed to need to be reassured.

Tony shook himself and stood up. "The detective said he seems fine, but worse for wear." He crooked his head in wonder. "Worse for wear… what kind of a phrase is that anyway?"

"Tony!" Tim and Kate shouted together.

"We need to get over to the 1st Precinct. Apparently Gibbs was arrested last night in a prostitution sting."

"What?!" Kate's mouth hung open in shock.

"Yeah, I'm kinda freakin' about that myself," Tony admitted with a grimace. "There's other charges pending also. We need to get over there."

He grabbed his jacket and started issuing commands. "I'm going to tell Director Morrow. Kate you go get Ducky, I want him there just in case. McWonderbra, you go tell Abby. But tell her she can't come; she'd never be able to control herself." He took Tim's elbow and looked at him pointedly. "But say it nicely!" He pulled his jacket on. "We'll meet at the car in 10 minutes." With that he rounded towards the stairs and took them two at a time.

Kate and Tim met each other's eyes and stared a moment.

"He's alive." Kate said quietly.

"He's alive." Tim breathed out.

"He's alive!" They both squealed in delight and hugged tightly. Whatever plans they had for the night were already forgotten.

Ten minutes later they were on their way. McGee had literally had to pull Abby from around him, she clung so tightly. Crying, she made him promise to call and keep her updated.

Ducky had sagged with relief and had to wipe his eyes more than once while he struggled to get his trench coat on. Tony filled the doctor in on what he knew during the drive. While each was jubilant that their bossman was alive and well, they still had to wonder about him being considered a John Doe and what other charges were facing him. What had he gone through in the last five months, and how had it affected him?

When Det. Rhinehold greeted the four guests, he took them to a conference room so they'd have enough chairs. The file in his hands was everything he had on John Doe. As he sat down at the head of the table, he was immediately inundated by questions from the NCIS group. He held up a hand to stop all the voices speaking at once.

"Why don't I just start with what he's being charged with and what little he's doing to help himself."

"What exactly do you mean by that Det. Rhinehold?" Ducky wanted to know.

"Please, call me Terry. And what I mean is, he's refusing to give us his real name. He insists his name is John. Just John, no last name. He says he has no place of residence, no driver's license, no ID. Now I've interrogated a lot of people in my time, and my instinct is saying he's telling the truth about that. However, what little else he has given us are blatant lies."

The four shared confused looks. Why would Gibbs think his name is John? Why would he refuse knowledge about his own home?

"What about the charges against him?" Tony asked solemnly.

Terry shook his head. "He's in quite a bit of trouble. Last night he was caught in a prostitution sting. When he was searched they found an unregistered 9mm Glock, a switch blade with small traces of fresh blood and over two thousand dollars in cash."

"Anything else?" Kate asked, her eyes betraying her worry.

"Oh yeah," Terry leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "Three days ago, he assaulted two Arlington police officers who were trying to get him to give his real name. Day after that he destroyed a city park trash can and punched a park maintenance worker for no obvious reason, in front of witnesses. All three have seen his photo and positively identified him. Then yesterday, he was pulled over for speeding. The Jeep Cherokee he was driving didn't belong to him and it was found abandoned early this morning. He assaulted the highway patrolman who'd pulled him over, handcuffed and locked him in his back seat of his patrol car. His dash cam recorded the whole thing."

Terry took a long breath. "When asked about the gun, knife and money, he just said he found them. It was obvious he was lying about that. He really hasn't said much of anything else. He refused a lawyer during questioning, not that he said anything incriminating anyway."

"Never was much of a talker," Tony added, not trying to sound amusing.

Ducky shook his head. "These things don't sound like our Jethro. He's a criminal investigator for heaven's sake, not a petty criminal. Something is definitely wrong."

"Why don't you tell me about his disappearance in November." Terry was curious about the story, wondering how it could possibly tie in with what they knew now.

"Well, he'd been acting strange," Kate started. "More grumpy than usual, jittery, forgetful."

"It had gotten to the point where it required intervention from our director and Dr. Mallard here." Tim nodded to the medical examiner who took over.

"Yes, by order of the director, I examined Jethro and took a blood sample." Ducky began nervously squeezing the brim of his hat that was in his lap. "Besides not eating well or getting sufficient sleep, there was nothing obvious explaining his behavior. The blood test came back indicating he'd been exposed to a type of drug that we could not identify; we'd never seen anything like it before. It acted much like an amphetamine and--"

"We found the same substance in his home's water supply," Tony interrupted. "He'd been ingesting it for over a week before he disappeared."

"How would it get into his water?" Terry's brow was creased in confusion.

"Someone--obviously the same man who kidnapped him--had tapped into his main water line, contaminating the water with the drug," Tony continued.

"Jethro became addicted to it," Ducky's eyes were hard with anger. "At home, where he was continuously exposed, he felt good. Whereas, at work where he didn't have access to the drug, he showed signs of withdrawal."

Terry shook his head in wonder. "You're sure he was kidnapped? He might not have just left… maybe in a bad state of mind?"

Tony shook his head adamently. "No! There were unidentifiable shoe prints left that didn't belong to Gibbs, and tracks that proved he was carried out of his house."

"But why go to all that trouble to kidnap someone in such a way?" Terry shifted in his chair. "Why not just grab him?"

"Well, that's the question we were never able to figure out," Kate said softly, then made her voice stronger. "The kidnapper left no evidence of himself whatsoever. From the unique design of the drug, we figure he's a doctor, pharmacist, or drug dealer who mixes his own stuff."

"Doctor?" Terry's eyes lit up and he opened the folder, flipping pages till he found the right one. "The Jeep Cherokee that Agent Gibbs was driving and dumped downtown is registered to a Dr. Jonathan Nesmith. License plate is out of North Carolina and he has a home address there. Nobody's contacted him about the Cherokee yet and it hasn't been reported stolen."

"Anything else on him?" Tim asked, wishing he had his laptop with him to look up the doctor up himself.

"Not yet. I haven't had time to dig too deep. Thought you'd want to see your agent first."

"Yeah, when can we see him?" Tony asked. "And how soon can he be released to us?"

"Whoa there!" Terry chuckled patiently. "You can see him as soon as we can get him into an interrogation room. As for being released," Terry shook his head, "I need to speak to my captain and the DA. Technically, Gibbs isn't in the military and should be arraigned in criminal court. These charges aren't going to go away. But I do understand you need to conduct your own investigation into his kidnapping and will need access to him."

As much as Tony hated to say this, he felt it may help if it could get their boss released to their custody. "We have holding cells at NCIS. He will be kept in a cell at all times, unless being questioned."

The other three didn't like to hear that, but understood what Tony was doing.

"I'll pass that along." Terry closed his folder and stood up. "I'll show you to the interrogation room and have him brought up. While you're speaking with him, I'll have a talk with my captain." He paused and held up a finger. "One more thing… he was put in solitary last night after beating up two other prisoners. They started it, but he definitely finished it. It was decided to keep him there for the safety of all involved, including himself."

"Understood." Tony sighed, wondering if he should feel more sorry for Gibbs or the other two prisoners.

A few moments later Tony and Ducky waited in the interrogation room for Gibbs to be brought in. Kate and Tim stood on the other side of the mirror in an observation room. On the way they had talked of the possibility that maybe Gibbs was suffering from amnesia. It was the only possibility they could think of as to why Gibbs didn't know his name or address.

When the interrogation room door opened and Gibbs was brought in, Kate wanted to cry. He looks so pathetic! She noted his weight loss, longer unkempt hair, and paleness. He had a blackeye from the fight and walked stiffly. His wrists were once again cuffed and attached to a belt around his waist. She heard Tim release a deep breath beside her.

"Geez, Kate, would you look at him? He looks so different."

Kate sniffled. "I know."

In the other room, Ducky and Tony stared at their boss noting the same things as Kate. John had a wary look in his eyes, wondering who these people were as he took a seat at the side of the table facing the mirror.

"Jethro, it's good to see you again finally!" Ducky went to take John's hand to shake, but John yanked his hands away, giving the older man a glare. Ducky's eyes showed his disappointment and confusion.

"Gibbs," Tony sighed, his relief at seeing his boss in person very evident. But seeing how he reacted to Ducky made him cautious. "It's been a while. Where have you been the past five months?"

John's eyes stared down at the table. That voice! It's the voice I heard in the shower. Who is he? Why are they calling me Jethro and Gibbs? He shot a quick glance at the older of the two and suddenly saw an image of him bending over a body. A nagging ache started in his head. Starting like an itch in his brain and becoming slightly painful.

"Boss?" Tony tried getting his attention. It was obvious the man didn't seem to know them.

Boss? How many names is this guy gonna call me? The ache in his head was becoming bothersome. John was confused and just wanted to go back to his cell where he could be all alone. It was better there. He didn't have to wear handcuffs in there and he didn't have to talk to anybody. He began pulling at his cuffs, his hands down in his lap under the table, trying not to be too obvious..

"My name is John," he said, barely audible to Ducky and Tony.

Ducky and Tony shared a look. "No, your name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Ducky stated gently. "You like to go by Jethro or just Gibbs. Don't you remember?"

John shook his head, his breathing quickened. "It's John."

"Okay then, John," Tony played along. "What's your last name? I know it's not Doe."

"Don't have one."

"Everybody's got a last name," Tony pointed out.

John didn't have an answer for that. He was becoming a bit more agitated and tugged harder against the handcuffs under the table.

Ducky noticed the movement and heard the metal clanging. From his angle he was able to look down and glanced a look at John's wrists.

"Good God! Let me see your wrists!" Ducky exclaimed, grabbing hold of John's left arm. John struggled, but the Ducky held strong. Tony stood and took hold of John's other arm.

"Take it easy!" Tony said soothingly. "Ducky here is a doctor. He just wants to look at them."

While John rationally knew that this doctor wasn't the same kind of doctor or man that Jonathan was, he still mistrust him. Hadn't Jonathan told him not to trust anyone but him? But Jonathan had ended up lying to him and betraying him. John didn't know who he could trust. But the visions and voices he'd seen and heard made him feel as if he should know these men, but he didn't. Were they really memories? Were these men people he knew from before Jonathan?

He suddenly stopped struggling when he shouted out, "Who the hell are you?!"

Tony and Ducky still held on firmly as Tony started to explain. "I'm Tony DiNozzo, Special Agent with NCIS." At John's confused look at said, "Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This is Dr. Mallard, but everyone calls him Ducky. He's the medical examiner at NCIS."

John tried to put names to faces in his mind, but all he could get was a mess of jumbled images that made no sense. Even the name they said was his sounded totally foreign. It just made his head hurt worse. He wanted so badly to rub his temples, but knew his cuffed hands wouldn't reach.

"Should I know you?" He meant for it to sound gruff and he eyed them both with mistrust.

Ducky explained this time. "Yes. We all work together at NCIS. You are a Special Agent also. Team leader to Anthony here, Kate Todd, and Timothy McGee." Ducky relaxed his hold on John's arm slightly in hopes it would help relax the agitated man. "You and I have known each other about ten years now. You investigate and solve crimes involving Naval and Marine personnel and fight terrorism. And are quite good at it, I might say," he added with a smile and nod.

"Five months ago, you disappeared," Tony went on. "You'd been drugged and kidnapped from your home. We spent weeks, working almost nonstop, trying to find you. But the guy was good and left no evidence whatsoever." Tony swallowed the lump now in his throat. "We've been worried sick about you. I'm sorry we never got to you."

John closed his eyes. He knew he'd spent all that time with Jonathan and vaguely remembered feeling anger and resentment that nobody had come to rescue him, but that somebody should have.

"I still don't know you," John stated, opening his eyes, but keeping them downcast.

"That's okay," Ducky patted his arm. "It'll come back to you. Now please let me see your wrists."

John sighed, really seeing no need to hide them. After all, the guards had seen them while handcuffing him, keeping whatever comments they wanted to make to themselves. He couldn't lift them to the tabletop, so scooted his chair back to give them a better view.

His wrists were red and chafed from pulling against the shackles. Ducky tsked and Tony felt his eyes sting when they saw the scars around both wrists. They'd both seen scars such as this on victims and knew how they were caused--usually by hanging by one's weight for long stretches of time.

Ducky rubbed his thumb over the straight scar on the left wrist below the other one. He could see it was a slit from a knife or razor blade and that it had been repaired. He became even more deeply concerned and it showed on his face.

"Did you do this?" he asked, without any hint of condemnation in his voice.

John turned his wrist over to hide it. After a few seconds he said in a voice that held little emotion, "It was a test. I passed."

Ducky and Tony gave each other a long stare, wondering just what that meant. On the other side of the mirror, the two observing agents didn't need to use much imagination to visualize what they couldn't see from their positions. Tim's face was grim and his eyes shown brightly with unshed tears. Kate didn't bother to try and stop the tears that now flowed down her cheeks.

TBC