Tim opened both eyes with difficulty, blinking and discovering half a dark world, then a brighter one...he blinked again, trying focusing better on where he could be. That wasn't NCIS...that wasn't NCIS. Good. That was still something good. At least they hadn't put him inside that bullpen's replica again. He painfully breathed in and out, suffering from a terrible headache.
''Wh...'' he intended to pronounce.
Oh, yes. He had been hit by someone's gun, he remembered now. But whose gun, again...?
''Hello McGee !''
He slightly jumped as he heard his name, not realizing yet that someone could be talking to him...but McGee was his name, wasn't it ? He wished he could have said 'hello' back, even with an audible contempt, but he was way too tired for that.
''Where are we...'' he finally managed articulating after some time, weakly looking for the female voice.
''Somewhere in the world'' she answered, smiling.
Tim's eyes opened wide as he started staring at one of his wrists, prisoner of a pair of handcuffs.
''Rowanson'' he suddenly said, remembering.
''Yeah, at that time they've probably found him.''
''F...found him ? I d...I didn't killed him. You did me that first'' he told her, slowly pointing a finger at the back of his head.
''Are you sure, Agent McGee ?'' the woman questioned him, finally approaching. ''According to what I saw when I went to the pub you were in, he looked in pretty bad shape.''
''Y...yes, but I didn't kill him. He was still breathing when...'' Tim continued, although he wasn't really sure, himself, if Rowanson was still alive after so many blows.
''Well, I'm sorry to inform you that you've killed Mr Rowanson, and this, absolutely soberly.''
''No...'' Tim immediately retorted, fully facing the woman, not knowing if he was reacting to her previous info or to the fact that she perfectly looked like Abby. ''I...'' he tried saying, still shocked by so many elements. ''What do you mean by...he was...y-your companion.''
Tim instantly bit his tongue as he told her that very last word, feeling as if he'd just be stuck into some kind of stupid game...he wasn't a kid anymore, there wasn't any 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' when it came to killing someone, in the murder industry.
''How can you know, Agent McGee ?''
''Just a feeling.''
''Rowanson was too heavy to carry, and obviously not willing to follow us without getting under our feet, with all that blood around...he's in the cold chamber, if they haven't taken him out of there yet.''
''Easy to eliminate proofs...'' Tim mumbled, feeling desperate.
It was like being back to the very beginning. Abby was here, just in front of him...not the real one, not the real one...but again, it was hard to think completely straight in the middle of this situation, because it was bringing back so many memories he had wished so much to forget, or deny...but he guessed that wasn't the only place where he had been out of his mind. Beating Rowanson to death in that half crowded place definitely wasn't an action coming from someone who was thinking 'straight'.
''Tim, Tim, Tim...'' Rebecca or...Abby said, coming closer. ''Please don't worry about proofs.'' She smiled and gazed into his eyes, moving forward again. She pushed Tim's free hand with one of his own and he saw her lips ready to touch his, bewildered. That wasn't Abby, right, that wasn't her...was it ? Yes, that couldn't be... She finally kissed him and he let her do so, Tim feeling his heart ready to explode for an eternal second, and the woman then stepped back, now whispering.
''What...do you mean ?'' he lowly questioned her, feeling very strange right now.
She smiled again, looking confident, and lowly answered him back.
''I killed him with your gun.''
McGee's heart instantly seemed ready to explode again, but this time not for the same reason at all.
— — — — — — — — — —
...Tony left the elevator and entered the bullpen, lost in his thoughts. That large, orange work area was completely empty and that definitely wasn't helping, although he perfectly knew he wasn't in the mood to see anyone for now.
''Tony ! You're back !''
The man rolled his eyes but tried to smile anyway, thinking that the numerous forces of the universes might simply be against him today.
''Hey, Abbs.''
''You're alone ?'' she asked, with that same energy.
''Yep.''
''And you're unhappy.''
''Yep.''
''Okay, Tony, first : you need a hug !''
''Abby...''
''Come here, Tony ! And that's an order !''
The NCIS agent briefly chuckled and opened his arms a bit reluctantly, although he had to admit it wasn't that bad in the end. He was certainly just too tense to really enjoy it.
''Number two ?'' he then dared, expecting something else.
''I've got her !''
''You've got who ?''
''Her ! My evil twin !''
''You have an evil twin...?''
''Of course, Tony ! We all have ! But you know what I mean. I have that bitch. I mean...not physically speaking, but shortly on one of the tapes."
"I need to see that, Abbs.''
''I bet you do'' she commented, smiling.
Abby energetically grabbed his wrist and made Tony follow her to her lab, the male agent happy, somehow, to be able thinking about something else, if not someone else. He was apprehending seeing Gibbs again. He didn't want to. Hell yeah, he didn't want to see that old face before maybe a decade.
''She played the smart girl, but not that smart'' Abby started explaining, revealing an imprecise picture of what seemed to be the woman they'd been looking for, for so long. ''She arrived and turned back to the camera, but do you see that mirror in the corner of the pub ? Yeah, I know, that's completely useless as a decoration, but...
''Not that useless, obviously, if it reflected her face. Excuse me for a second. Yes, David ?'' he said after grabbing his phone and sighing.
Abby waited, sucking the straw of her Caf-Pow, sensing there was some tension going on, but remaining silent, for once. She didn't like when the members of her family were mad at each other and fighting.
''Tony, I can't be long, but...''
''Otherwise, you're gonna have your wrists severely slapped.''
''Tony, I was trying to be nice, but if you think this is funny, I...''
''Tell me, David. What's going on ?''
''We had a little surprise at the pub. Cold chamber.''
Tony took a look at the ceiling, heavily exhaling.
''So I guess the only thing that fake robbery is gonna cost us is money.''
''You guess right, Tony. Obviously he's not gonna come home. Okay, I really have to go, I see you later, alright ?''
''Take your time...'' the male agent retorted, bitterly.
He finally re-approached Abby and faced her again, quickly sharing with her the details he'd just gotten from Ziva's call. She seemed to freeze for a second and put back her soda on the table next to her, looking disappointed.
''So that explains what happened once cameras stopped.''
''Wait, what do you mean by 'stopped' ?''
''Our girl managed to shoot them from different spots.''
''And so what ? Who cares, Abby ? We saw her hit McGee on the head, then all the cameras got shot, it's like having truth served on a silver platter.''
''Yes, Tony, that's what I thought, too, but now that I think back about it...''
''Yeah ?'' her interlocutor asked, impatient.
''There's something you should watch as well...''
Tony's eyes opened wide as he discovered McGee pointing a gun at Rowanson, before turning violent. He had heard about it once he had arrived on location, but then tapes had been sent to Abby, and he had, somehow, decided not to believe in it until he'd have a chance to completely watch them... Now he could see people scream and leave...at least Tim wasn't threatening them, either. Abby noticed Tony's eyes turning glassy and decided to press 'pause'.
''Okay, Tony, here is my guess, from some outsider's point of view. That woman is definitely guilty, truth is that she was entering a pub with a gun loaded...''
''...so did McGee.''
''So did McGee, yes, but what I mean is that she is guilty. Now the problem is that you can see McGee threaten and beat Rowanson for no obvious reason, then a woman comes inside...she is guilty, okay, but maybe a jury will think she was just trying to protect her man...''
''That isn't supposed to be something romantic, Abby...''
''I know, Tony, but that's how it is ! So they can think she is hitting McGee in order to protect Rowanson from the blows he just had received, Tim ready to share a bullet for the very last time...then the woman moves.''
''And ?''
''And that's the point. She gets out of the way, cameras get broken, and we don't know anything else. Did McGee was just feeling dizzy for a sec and decided to stand up and finish the work ? Get revenge ? Did he order her to break these cameras ?''
''That's insane, Abby...and extremely stupid.''
''They've been broken with her bullets. She could have finished the work. But Rowanson gets killed in the end with Tim's gun, after everyone could see him attack him the whole previous time. Rowanson in the cold room, that woman who disappeared...she could be a hostage !''
''Okay, Abby, stop. You know McGee didn't do all these things.''
''I know, Tony ! But that's what people are gonna think, unless Gibbs, Ziva and Fornell, find another proof that might lead us to McGee. Whatever we're doing right now, Tony, if we don't know where is McGee before anyone else, there's no chance for us to save him ! He cannot end up in jail...''
Tony suddenly stroked his hair with both hands, making a few steps into the lab, nervous.
''Okay,'' he started speaking again, trying to calm down, ''I don't trust lawyers, that's for sure, but...but I trust in Ducky and Palmer. Yes, I trust in them. They've got to find something.''
''Don't you trust in Gibbs, too ?'' the woman asked as she raised her arms in the air, almost shocked.
The male agent rubbed his neck and wished for the continuous flow of informations running inside his brain to stop for a minute.
''Yeah, yeah...'' he said in the end, not believing his words, ''him, too.''