Chapter 15
Tony had turned the tablet off and looked at Jethro with a sudden fiery intensity that let Jethro know he was in for it. He raised an eyebrow at him, and Tony stood up next to the bed to sit the tablet on the nightstand.
"I want you undressed in ten seconds," he said, stripping his own clothes off. Jethro knew an order when he heard one and got to his feet, quickly divesting himself. Tony turned the nightstand lamp off, but the room was still dimly lit by the lamp in the corner across the suite. Jethro stood naked, half hard at the way Tony was taking control.
Tony got into the nightstand drawer and pulled out the lube. He went over to the other side of the bed where Jethro was standing and tossed the lube down on the bed before stepping up and against Jethro. He looked down at Jethro's chest and stomach, then to his cock, noticing that it was growing in anticipation. He allowed his fingertips to follow his eyes, teasing their way down Jethro's chest, stomach, and then his dick. A few good strokes and a hiss from Jethro made Tony smirk.
"You're mine tonight," he said huskily.
"You don't see me complaining," Jethro said quietly.
"No, and I won't either, because if I do you won't be allowed to cum. Understood?" Tony said, his lips millimeters from Jethro's. Jethro simply nodded. "Good," Tony said, then leaned in to kiss Jethro as he continued stroking his cock.
Jethro reached to touch Tony, and Tony let go of his cock to take his hands. He spun them so that Jethro was pushed against the wall and Tony pinned his hands above his head. It took Jethro's breath away and he gasped involuntarily. Tony didn't care though. He continued their kiss, forcing his tongue into Jethro's mouth and twisting the slick muscles around each other.
Jethro felt his defenses drop. He allowed himself to slip into that place that Tony took him from time to time where Tony was in control and all was right with the world. Where he didn't have to worry about anything because he would be told what to do and nothing else mattered. All he had to do was follow instructions and he would be satisfied beyond measure.
Tony let go of his hands but he knew that he was supposed to leave them where they'd been placed. Tony's mouth and hands travelled down his body, taking in ever centimeter. His teeth tugged on his nipples, making them taut little perks that sent shivers through him. Then Tony was licking his abs as if each muscle had a different flavor. He let his eyes close and his head fall back as Tony's nails clawed down his sides until they stopped at his thighs as Tony dropped to his knees in front of him. Even though he expected what came next, it still felt like an electric shock to his entire system. Tony's mouth engulfed the head of his cock and sucked- hard.
His gasp turned into a moan as Tony started fondling his balls and he took Jethro deep in his throat. This was a quick and fevered pace, and a small part of his mind wondered what set this animalistic need off in Tony, and the rest of him just reveled in it.
When Tony stopped sucking him though and stood up, Jethro whimpered. He was working his way to an orgasm quickly at the pace Tony had been going, and now he was bereft. Tony's kiss was hard and Jethro let his tongue fight with Tony's in a way that showed he was still prone to Tony's commands, but at the same time wasn't a completely docile participant. Tony pulled back and smirked in approval.
He surprised Jethro when he suddenly spun him so that he was facedown on the bed, his ass in the air. Jethro groaned, anxious and eager to feel what he knew was coming next. Tony picked up the lube and Jethro could hear the liquid squeezing from the tube, the sound of suction marking when Tony let the bottle go. There was a click, and the lube landed on the bed next to him. He was prepared for the fingers that entered him. Tony started with two, not giving him time to adjust.
There was a sudden "Crack!" and then the pain hit of Tony's handprint on his ass. He felt his dick try to jump under him but it was pinned to the bed. He tried to change his position so that he was on his feet and only using the bed for additional support instead of the bed taking his full weight. He figured it would be better for Tony's height and angle as well. As soon as he started to move though there was another smack against his ass so loud he knew anyone passing by in the hallway heard it and the moan he let escape.
"Stay down," Tony demanded.
Jethro could only nod and let himself absorb the sensation of Tony's fingers stretching him open. Soon a third was added and then a fourth squeezed in. He groaned as Tony scissored his fingers apart, stretching him effectively. When Tony finally pulled them out he had to fight back a whimper. He knew what would be next. He just had to be patient for it.
Tony picked up the lube again, and less than thirty seconds later he was breached unceremoniously. He was glad Tony had gone for the fourth finger with how he just slid right in and started a long-stroked fuck.
"Hell yeah, Jethro," Tony muttered. "You always take it so damn well." Tony fell forward, catching himself with a hand on each side of Jethro against the bed as he continued thrusting in and out of him. At that angle he was hitting Jethro's prostate with every pump of his hips and Jethro started a series of moans in time with the thrusts.
"That's right," Tony muttered. "You're mine!"
"All yours, Tony," Jethro gasped back.
After a long while Tony stood up again, needing to change his angle and reset his pace. Jethro put his hands flat on the bed then remembered the rebuke he got for trying to change positions before, but his back was starting to hurt like this. He was grateful when Tony's hands guided his hips up to the position he had been going for before.
When Tony continued his pace, it was much harder and faster. Jethro took the hammering with gasps and pants. He'd probably walk sideways all the next day but it felt so good that he didn't care. Tony started losing his rhythm and he began pushing back, knowing that Tony was close enough not to care. The slapping of their thighs stung as the sweat dripped down them and made them stick and rip apart with every thrust, but neither of them cared, only allowing it to heighten the sensation.
Tony finally roared out his release, his head thrown back, sweat being tossed from his face as it did so. Jethro was breathing heavy, praying that Tony let him jerk himself off quickly. After a minute though he found himself on his back and Tony was climbing onto the bed. He expected that Tony was getting into blow job position, but was surprised when Tony grabbed the lube instead, slicking up Jethro's cock.
Jethro's eyes rolled into the back of his head as Tony lowered himself slowly onto his cock, squeezing it like a vice between his tight muscle. He started a slow and drawn out pace that made Jethro let out a keening sound that earned a malicious smirk from Tony.
"What?" he asked, almost mockingly. "Too slow for you?"
"Please, Tony? Faster? I need to cum. Please?" he found himself asking.
"I love when you beg," Tony said. He started a hard ride, bouncing up and down, working his legs muscles as Jethro watched him take every inch effortlessly.
"Hell yes," Jethro coaxed. "Please, just like that."
Tony could feel the moment Jethro's orgasm was upon him. All of his muscles tightened underneath him and he could feel Jethro's dick swell in his ass before he heard the yell and felt the warmth fill him.
Tony sighed happily and climbed off Jethro, falling to the bed next to him, both of them panting. After a minute Jethro turned his head to look at him. He looked back with a shy smile.
"You needed that," Jethro said huskily.
Tony shrugged. "It's just like that sometimes. It balances everything out. Me, us, everything."
Jethro gave him a crooked smile and small nod. "It does, doesn't it?"
Tony nodded and leaned in to kiss him, placing his hand on the side of Jethro's face as he did so. "I'm glad you get me so well," he whispered once he pulled back, his hand still on Jethro's face as he stared into his icy blue eyes that could somehow make him feel so warm. Jethro's hand came up to rest on Tony's.
"Always will."
********WDYG?********
Ellie sat up gasping for air. She was covered in sweat and she threw the blankets off in a panic. She reached for her gun, then the lamp switch on the nightstand. She looked around the room in a frenzy, swallowing back her fear in gulps between breaths.
The clock on the nightstand read a little after 3AM. The locks were all in their place at on the door. The chair was still in front of the unopenable window.
"A dream," she muttered. "Just a dream."
She'd thought faceless teenagers were coming to suffocate her in her sleep. Or maybe it was to drug her again. She couldn't really tell, but she knew she was in danger and like hell if she was going to go back to that hellhole she'd been in earlier that day. She'd die fighting this time.
Her thoughts went back to the experience in the warehouse. The videos of Jake, her Jake, torturing those people, were imprinted on her mind. She knew she'd never forget them. The thought of him having sex with not only X, but with the corpses of his victims, made her sick. She reached for the trash can next to the bed and immediately threw up.
Once her stomach was empty she decided to jump in the shower. She needed to wash her night sweat off of her, and if she could, wash her life as she knew it down the drain.
********WDYG?********
Jethro and Tony rode the Circumvensuviana train to where their tour bus would pick them up to see Mount Vesuvius. They were glad it was a clear, dry day so that the fog would be minimal and allow them to look out over Pompeii. They were both looking forward to the trip. They had planned that once they got as far as the bus took them to stop and eat their packed lunch on the mountain, then catch the next bus back down. Tony had cleared it with the tour guide and the hotel was nice enough to make them sandwiches with a fruit side to take. Tony had their lunches and four large bottles of water in his backpack on his lap as they rode the bus towards the mountain.
Once the tour guide started speaking to them, Tony started translating quietly. They'd both read up on Pompeii before the trip while trying to decide if they wanted to go visit the actual city. The decided against it in the summer heat. Their tour bus was blissfully airconditioned. As Jethro thought about that decision he was glad they'd made the call they did.
It didn't take as long as they thought it would to get to the top. They were soon unloaded to go look at the crater of the volcano. It was huge, but for some reason Tony thought it would've been bigger. It wasn't demystifying. If anything, it was even more entrancing. The ash that spewed from that crater had 2,000 years earlier destroyed an entire civilization. Stopped people in their tracks. It was a powerful place. Destructive, but powerful. Both men found themselves more awed than they expected.
Tony snapped pictures as Jethro moved to get a better look. He slyly took a couple photos of Jethro and was really happy with how one of them turned out. He realized that they still hadn't gotten their mantle photo together, and turned to a young woman who was also taking pictures. He asked if she would be so kind as to take a couple of the two of them with his camera.
She agreed with a smile, and Tony moved to stand with Jethro. "Picture time!" he announced quietly. Jethro realized what he meant and they stood together with their arms around one another's waists and smiled while the lady took the photo. They turned to look at each other at one point and smiled. They'd just taken their official honeymoon photo.
Tony thanked the woman and she returned his camera. He looked at the camera to see the pictures and noted that she'd taken three. The first was a little blurry, the second was perfect, and then the third was of the two looking at each other which Tony loved completely. They looked so happy together. He showed it to Jethro who smiled as well.
"I think that's the one for the mantle," he said.
"I agree."
They decided to find a spot to sit and have their lunch as everyone started loading back onto the bus a little bit later. They found that there was a wall around the small parking area for the buses and took up their perches with their legs hanging over the edge facing the city.
"It's beautiful," Tony said before taking a bite out of his sandwich. Jethro nodded.
"Yeah, it really is," Jethro said.
"We should take Amira somewhere special for vacation. Like Disneyland or something. She loves Mickey and Minnie."
"Been thinking about that myself. I want to do it while she's young enough to really get the magical feeling, but not so young that she won't remember."
They got quiet for a minute, and then Tony asked tentatively. "Did you ever take Kelly?"
"We went to Disneyland in Los Angeles. We'd probably be better off taking Amira to the one in Florida."
Tony nodded. There were a lot of reasons that could be, but the one that he was most concerned with was that the one in California held more memories for Jethro that he didn't want to confront. This needed to be a whole new experience with their daughter.
"Florida it is. We could take another long week. Do the beach, the theme parks…" Tony trailed off.
"We should take her to Dad's sometime, too. Probably sooner than later."
"That's true. I'd love to waltz into town and shock everyone. Two men raising a biracial little girl?! Stillwater has never seen such a thing!" Tony laughed and Jethro chuckled with him.
"Ahhh… fuck 'em," Jethro said with a smirk as he looked at Tony. "I want her to see where we were raised. We should take her to New York, too."
Tony smiled and nodded at that. They ate their sandwiches and popped their grapes into their mouths as they stared out at the vista.
"I've been thinking about retirement," Jethro said, startling Tony a little.
"As in retiring soon?"
"No," Jethro said with a shake of his head. "But I'm thinking about what I want to do after NCIS. It all changes with a daughter."
"True," Tony said.
"You'll still be working. Amira will be in high school. That is, if I make it that long."
Tony chuffed at that. "Well, I think we're doing a lot better so far with all of the things that could've ended our careers, and uh, our lives, sooner. We're being safer. We have a reason to now."
"Yeah, we are. But life doesn't always work out the way you want it to. Like the people down there in Pompeii didn't expect this volcano to blow and wipe them out. It could blow behind us right now. We just never know what's going to happen."
"True. I have a feeling there's a point to this depressing conversation. What is it?" Tony asked cautiously.
"I just want to experience as much life as possible. I want to give Amira everything she'd ever want, but more than anything I want to give her the best memories of her dads, her family. Hopefully I'll live long past retirement and see our grandkids, but it's possible I won't. I want to live."
Tony nodded, absorbing the reality Jethro was presenting him. They were quiet for a long couple of minutes. "Jethro," Tony started. "I feel like my life didn't begin until I met you. Now that I have you, I want to make sure you have the best life you can live. Yeah, our daughter needs to have all the best of everything, but you deserve the best of everything, too. You tell me what you want to do, and we'll do it."
Jethro smiled at Tony again. It took him a minute, and Tony had all but given up on an actual answer, when Jethro started speaking slowly. "I want holidays at our house. I want picnics with each other and with our daughter. I want road trips to Pennsylvania and weeks on the water at a time where we enjoy the peace of the waves, Amira making friends everywhere we dock along the way down the coast. I want her to understand that life can be very serious, but it can also be very beautiful. I want you to expose her to art and I want to take her out in nature. I want camping trips with the Girl Scout Troop under the stars, and I want our teams around a bonfire in the back yard on weekends and after hard cases. I want romantic getaways to the mountains and I want to splash in waterfalls with my daughter while you laugh and take pictures. I want to live my life."
"I love everything you just said. I might, might, even be willing to camp under the stars with you guys sometimes. Might."
Jethro laughed at that. "I love you, Tony."
"I love you, too, Jethro. And tonight, we're going to look into trips to Disney and Pennsylvania and plan out the time we'd need to take off. I hope Tim is prepared to take on being interim team lead a lot more often, because he's going to have to."
"I should call and check on him," Jethro said with a sigh. "Your team is more than willing to reach out to you when they need to. McGee won't do that."
"We'll call Elly and Ned, then Greg, then we can call Tim," Tony suggested.
"Sounds good."
They sat on the wall for another half an hour talking about all of the things they'd like to do. When the bus came to take them back down the mountain, they were sad to go. They decided that they needed to check in with one another more often like that. They hadn't really had a serious talk about what they wanted in a while. It was good, and Tony sat quietly on the bus ride back in thoughts of what he could do to make Jethro's life fuller.
********WDYG?********
Elly woke up with Ned's arms around him. His head was against Ned's chest and he felt safe, secure, and loved. He also realized that Ned was barely snoring. He'd gotten used to the snoring pretty quickly. It was a kind of security blanket, letting him know that Ned was right there and that he was safe and wanted. He also knew that Ned wasn't sleeping very deeply if he wasn't snoring very loudly. He peeked at the clock next to the bed and saw that it said 8:23. They'd slept ten hours. Elly smirked as he decided he would wake Ned up in the best kind of way.
Very gently he reached down and started fondling Ned's soft cock through his boxers. It still impressed him when flaccid. The length and girth were a gift that he enjoyed as often as possible. He had found though that blow jobs didn't last as long as they had with others because his jaw started hurting earlier from being so open. Ned hadn't minded though. Elly had analyzed the entire experience and decided that the larger girth led to better suction which led to a better blow job anyway, so he never failed to please no matter the length of time he was going at it.
He moved as gently as possible so he didn't wake Ned up yet until he was in position. He pulled the waistband of Ned's boxers up and over his dick, pulling it down until it was nestled under his balls. He knew he didn't have much longer until Ned woke up with all the movement, so he took Ned's cock in his hand and immediately into his mouth. The nice thing about waking someone up with a blowjob is that you didn't have to do much in the way of foreplay. Not that he didn't love foreplay, but sometimes it just wasn't what he wanted.
Ned jolted awake, and his cock got hard immediately in Elly's mouth. He gasped, sat up, saw what was happening and then groaned in pleasure as he laid back with a sigh of happiness.
"Fuuuuuuuck," he moaned. "You're so fucking amazing."
Elly enjoyed his full mouth, sucking and licking. He liked to run his tongue around the cleft of Ned's head, and he loved the reaction he always got for doing it. Ned's groaning continued and Elly fondled Ned's balls.
It took a couple of minutes to condition Elly's throat to open up enough to take Ned's girth. Once it did slip past his tonsils Ned's hand went to Elly's head, grabbing his short hair in his fingers.
"Hell yeah! Take it!" he said, struggling not to thrust further down Elly's throat than he was ready for. The grasp on Elly's hair lightened enough that he could pull his head back to breathe and his lips stretched into a smile around the warm rod in his mouth. He pushed forward again, taking Ned even further.
"Oh, god… so fucking amazing," Ned croaked out before letting Elly's head go to fall back again.
Elly kept working him over for a few more minutes, going faster and faster as his jaw couldn't take much more. His hands worked to pump Ned as well, urging him to his release.
"Yeah, baby. Just like that."
Elly tried to stay on rhythm and then reached to give Ned's balls one final light squeeze.
"Shit!" Ned gasped "I'm-" Then he lost his breath as the orgasm hit, spilling down Elly's throat as he took him as far as he could manage.
Elly pulled off with a satisfying slurp as Ned softened in his mouth. He moved his bottom jaw back and forth a moment to get himself realigned, then smiled up at Ned who was laying back on the bed panting and flushed. It was a beautiful sight and made his own hard cock jump.
"Good morning," he said with a smirk, laying down to kiss Ned. Ned kissed him back passionately, then rolled him so that he was on his back. They kissed hungrily and frantically for a long minute while Ned stroked Elly's dick, then in a flash he moved so that he was swallowing it whole.
"Oh shit, honey!" Elly said, pursing his lips to let a breath escape and then his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. Ned was feasting on him, licking, sucking, stroking, and all with a speed that let Elly know he was expected to come quickly. "Fuck!" he hissed. "Someone's thirsty!" He could hear Ned moan around him and felt the vibration through his cock as it slipped down into Ned's throat.
He loved watching Ned suck him off. It was like watching a great artist paint a masterpiece. There was so much skill and all practiced with ease. No hesitation about where this stroke went and when to move this way or that. It was always perfect.
The way Ned's fingers of his left hand dug into Elly's hip made him wonder briefly if he'd have bruises there. It had happened before, and he actually liked that little bit of pain. He was far from a whips and chains kind of person, but that little bit pushed him.
It wasn't long until he was crying out his own release. It was bliss wrapped in light wrapped in bacon. Just simple perfection. Ned was at his side kissing him before he'd even caught his breath and he could taste himself on his lover's tongue. It was intense and he was glad that he'd instigated the whole session.
Finally, they calmed down a little and laid on their backs on the bed, both too hot to snuggle for the moment. They panted and came down together from the heights they'd just climbed so quickly.
"I love when you wake me up like that," Ned finally said huskily.
"I love when you appreciate it," Elly said back with a smile. He reached down and took Ned's hand that was laying on the bed. Their fingers intertwined and they laid there and smiled at each other for a long few minutes.
"You make me so happy," Ned said softly.
"Good, because you make me happy," Elly said back.
********WDYG?********
Elly and Ned were sitting at Ned's little kitchen table with Elly's laptop open in front of them. They both had cups of coffee and were demonstrating their own nervous habits. Elly was tapping his foot and Ned was cracking his knuckles. The clock ticked over to 10:00 AM and Elly reached to hit the call button.
"Wait!" Ned blurted out.
"What?" Elly asked, looking at Ned.
"What if they were supposed to call us? Are you sure we're supposed to call them? I mean, what if we're interrupting something?"
Elly chuckled, smiling at Ned. "We're not going to interrupt anything. They're expecting us no matter who calls who." He leaned forward and placed a calming kiss on Ned's lips. Just like that all of his own nerves stopped. He smiled at Ned for a moment when he pulled back, then the computer started beeping at them.
"See?" Elly whispered. "They almost interrupted us."
He turned and clicked the answer button. A moment later the stream of the two older men was on the screen in front of them.
"Hey guys," Tony said with a soft smile.
"Hi Boss, Gibbs," Ned said with a sigh. Elly raised a hand in a wave.
"How are you doing?" Tony asked.
Both men shrugged and looked at each other. "Still kind of tired. Slept a long time, but it's more mental exhaustion I think at this point," Elly answered for them.
"I imagine so. From what Greg told us you have been through hell the past few days. Do you want me to tell you what I know so far, or do you want to start from the beginning?"
"Why don't you tell us what you know?" Ned answered. "I don't think I want to relive this from the beginning."
"Fair enough," Tony said. "Long story short, you had uncovered a mole in the NSA that was actually the husband of your new friend. He was a sadist and killed a bunch of people. You had to interrogate him. Why don't we start from there?"
Ned sighed and looked at Elly then rested his head in his hand for a moment before running his fingers through his hair and sitting back. He looked at the screen and swallowed. "He's a horrible person and I hope he gets the death penalty for what he's done."
Jethro raised an eyebrow at that. Tony nodded slowly.
"Why did you do the interrogation?" Tony asked.
"Vance told me to. He said that I knew the most about Crow's- that's what Jake Bishop went by- Crow. He said I knew the most about Crow's communications with his people because of the message board research I'd been doing. He also believed that my new friendship with Bishop would keep me from hurting the bastard or taking things too far. If I had to guess it probably also had something to do with the fact that we'd worked so closely together in MTAC through this and I knew what answers he wanted most while also knowing which answers the team needed."
"Did you agree with this, Elly?" Tony asked.
Elly looked at the screen and nodded. "Ned knew this bastard better than any of us, unfortunately. He also had learned his wife, Ellie Bishop, well enough to know anything he may have needed to prod him in that discussion. Ned is more big-picture. The rest of us had been working pieces of this case, but Ned had to have the entire thing in focus at all times because of MTAC. He thought to ask things I wouldn't have thought to ask."
He looked up at Ned, then back at the screen. His voice turned cold and angry. "But that also means that he had to sit across from that… creature… while he told everyone about how he'd enjoyed torturing these people."
"Take us through it, Dorneget," Gibbs said.
Ned nodded and sighed, taking a drink of his coffee, then he started. "I was angry. I didn't want to be the one doing it. And I really didn't want to be going in with Hadley, the NSA lead on the case. He had let Ellie down- that's Ellie Bishop. I'll just call her Bishop. But he'd let Bishop down, and though he was sympathetic to her, he'd kept us in the dark on things we desperately needed to know, and Bishop had trusted him. I don't know what it is about her, but she feels like a little sister to me. I feel really protective over her."
"To be fair," Elly butt in, "We all feel really protective of her. She's brilliant, feisty, and you'll both love her. We'll talk about her craving to be an agent later."
That made Jethro and Tony raise an eyebrow at each other, but then they were looking back at the screen. "Keep going," Tony said with a nod.
"Well, I went over some questions I knew we needed answers to with Hadley before going in there. Greg was going to be on an earpiece with us the whole time, but he follows us out into the hallway and he tells me that I should give this guy room to talk when he starts. So that's what I did.
"We went into the room, and I asked him a couple of questions, refused to let him address his soon to be ex-wife, and followed Greg's commands in my ear throughout it. The guy was really sick, guys. I mean… he talked about how he found his love for torture from watching a video he had to go over for a deposition in a case. And he just, as Greg puts it, devolved from there. He started looking up torture stuff online, then got involved with video chats of people torturing other people, and then finally was asked to come help someone torture someone else in person while all of these people watched online."
"That's when things started getting really sick," Elly said softly.
"Worse than that?" Tony asked with a cringe. The two younger men nodded.
"He described having sex with his torturing partner in the blood and entrails of his victim," Ned said, reaching for his coffee to wash the thought down past the lump that was forming in his throat. He became very interested in the drink in the mug, feeling too uncomfortable to look up at Tony and Gibbs.
"That's fucking disgusting," Tony said, his voice full of the disgust the act brought to mind.
"It's also very typical for sadists to find sexual release in their acts. The fact that they partook in it together was really disturbing. What he admits to doing later on just adds to the disgust." Ned took another drink of his coffee and realized the cup was empty. He rolled his eyes part way and then sat the cup back down.
"You want me to grab you some more?" Elly asked quietly. Ned just shook his head.
"Boss, he ended up taking a kid as his protégé and partner in his future killings. I mean, he thought he was 18 when they started, but he wasn't. He was only 16. He basically taught a 16 year old how to torture and kill people, and then they not only had sex with each other, but raped their dead or near dead victims. Victims that were payment to them for running a shitty, half-assed terrorist organization made up of, you guessed it, more kids! I mean, this guy was both a lunatic and a puppet to both his desires and his ISIS handler. Over the two plus years he'd been doing this, which how he got away with it for two years, I don't know, but you can believe we're going to be getting on the FBI's case about it until we understand just how badly they could have fucked something like this up, but over the two years they'd killed dozens of people, Boss. Dozens. How the fuck does something like that go unnoticed?"
As Ned talked his voice grew more and more passionate, his words coming faster, spilling out and over his dis-ease with the idea of talking about it.
"I can't wait until the cold case database is finished because you know that would've flagged on there. And then maybe only three or four people would have died instead of freaking 29. Not that that wouldn't have been bad enough, but maybe these kids that were incredibly screwed up and misguided would still be alive, because after we captured Crow, his little protégé fuck buddy went and took a protégé of his own, and they killed the kids that were with them from the organization. And then they kidnapped Ellie Bishop and we had to send our people in to save her! This whole situation has just been so fucked up!" Ned was practically yelling, all of his frustration right at the surface.
They all were quiet for a minute as they took this in.
Elly was the first to speak. "To be fair, I feel like I need to say that Bishop had escaped her captors right as we arrived to find her. She's a badass little chick."
Ned nodded and shrugged. "Why don't you tell them what happened when you guys went to save her?" he suggested, needing the attention to be off of him for a minute. He was breathing heavy and he knew that he was probably red in the face.
"Not much to tell. We got to the scene. Bishop was running down the alley we had turned down. The two young men that had kidnapped her were chasing after her. Once they saw our vehicles they turned and ran in the other direction. I was driving the vehicle up front with McGee. I swerved around Bishop and chased the two men. They made a hard left, we made it with them, then saw they were trying to get into a van they'd stolen. We jumped out, drew our weapons and announced. The two looked at each other, then turned towards us while trying to pull their own guns. We both warned each other and next thing we're both shooting. I took down the new protégé, McGee took down the original protégé. Two shots each. We must've been thinking alike because we went for headshots. These sick bastards didn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, but…" Ned shook his head, then reached and took Elly's hand from where he was squeezing his own thigh tightly. His words came out much more gently than his earlier ones had. "The kid was only 18. And I've seen his pictures. He looked really young."
"Yeah," Elly said with a sigh, looking at Ned and addressing him instead of Tony and Gibbs. "But if he helped X with killing eight other people, some just as young as them, then he deserved to go down. There's no rehabilitating anyone like that."
"That's true, but…" Ned shook his head slightly.
"It's never easy to take a life," Jethro said. "Taking a young one is even worse, even if you know what they've done or what they were planning to do. Children represent something to us. Purity, innocence, goodness…"
"Possibility, opportunity, hope," Tony added.
"Taking a life that young can leave you questioning those things," Jethro said carefully.
Elly looked back at the screen with a smile. "Which is why I'm looking forward to spending time with Amira tonight. She's all of those things. She'll be an excellent prescription for this ache," he said.
"At least you can admit that there is an ache," Tony said.
"Oh, it's sore. It hurts like fuck. Any time you have to take a life, Gibbs is right- there's something about that that doesn't sit well, no matter how good the reason. We're not meant to take life; we're meant to give it. It goes against our nature. But somewhere between giving and taking life is preserving it. And I know that's what I was doing, and when this ache passes I know I'll be at peace with it."
"I know that feeling," Ned said. "Like when I took Nick out. I don't have any regrets or doubts because I was protecting you. Preserving life. I understand that."
"We do, too," Jethro said. "I'm glad you have as healthy a viewpoint on it as you can."
"Just surround yourself with the good things," Tony said. "And as for you, Ned. I don't even know where to begin. I don't know if I would've been able to restrain myself from hearing all of that and taking the bastard out right there where he sat. I mean, that's just pure evil."
"Really sick bastard," Jethro muttered in agreement.
"I don't blame you for being angry. I would never have sent you in there like that," Tony said, shaking his head as he was lost in thought. "I'm sorry."
"He was right though," Ned said shaking his own head. "Even Hadley had a hard time making it through the interrogation, but somehow I took it. This guy is probably going to stick with me until he dies, but I think I just wanted the answers more than anyone else. And I had Greg in my ear the entire time telling me what to do."
"He'll be dead soon enough," Elly said with a shrug. "He's admitted to four murders in California, and the murders of NSA Piper and our Marine were technically in Virginia, so he'll be fought over until they decide who gets to shoot him up."
"Is the D.A. going after the death penalty?" Tony asked.
"If she's not, I'm going to petition for it," Ned said. All three men stared at him. "I'm not going to be comfortable again until I know this monster is being slayed."
"That's very different from your usual stance on this sort of thing," Jethro finally said.
Ned nodded. "I know, but he's very different than anyone else I've ever encountered and hopefully will ever encounter again. The only way he's going to be stopped is if he's taken out."
"Whatever you feel like you have to do, but Ned," Tony said calmly. "Don't lose yourself in this. You've fought your fight. It's time for someone else to fight it."
"We'll see," Ned said resolutely. They were all quiet for a long couple of moments. "I miss you guys."
"Me too," Elly said with a twisted frown.
"We'll be back on Sunday," Tony assured with a smile and a small shake to his head.
Both of the younger men nodded and Ned crossed his arms, not realizing he was copying Elly.
Tony laughed. "You two look like you're pouting!"
They both looked at each other and cracked a smile, then looked back at Tony, their bottom lips sticking out. "We've got mental booboos and our dads are thousands of miles away!" Ned joked.
Tony laughed and Jethro chuckled, which succeeded in making both Ned and Elly smile genuinely.
"Are you guys going to be okay until we get home?" Tony asked.
"Yeah," Elly said with a twerk of the corner of his mouth.
Ned nodded. "I think we'll be able to hang in there. We're going to go find some lunch. Everything we have in the house is either frozen or spoiled."
Tony grimaced. "Nothing like cleaning out the fridge after a long case."
Ned and Elly's expressions as they nodded showed they agreed.
"Go take care of each other. We'll talk to you tonight when we call to say goodnight to Amira," Jethro said.
"Okay," Ned said. "Can't wait to hear about how your trip was today!"
Tony grinned from ear to ear. "It was beautiful! We'll show you our photos later."
"Sounds good," Elly said. "Talk to you then." He reached forward to hang up the call as everyone was shouting their goodbyes. "You okay?" he asked Ned softly, taking his hand back.
Ned looked at him with a half-smile. "Yeah, I will be. I've got you, and I've got them, and everything will be okay if I just let it be."
"Okay. I'm here if you need to vent."
Ned leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. "I know. Thank you."
********WDYG?********
Tony sighed, looking at Jethro. "I hate being so far from them."
"I know. I'm feeling the same way right now knowing that McGee took one of these kids out, too."
"Let's check in on Greg and then and get to McGee."
Jethro nodded and Tony dialed Greg on the tablet through Skype.
"Hey Boss," Greg answered.
"Whatcha doing, Greg?" Tony asked.
"Driving home," Greg answered.
"Slept in?"
"Yeah. I really needed it."
"Sounds like it. We just talked to Elly and Ned. They said they'd slept late too."
"I hope so. How are they?"
"I think they're going to be okay, though I'm worried a little about Ned." Tony looked at Jethro as he turned to get comfy on the bed.
"Oh? What's up?" Greg's voice was concerned.
"He said that if the DA doesn't go after the death penalty for this guy that he's going to petition for it."
"Huh." Greg sat thoughtfully for a minute. "That really doesn't sound like him."
"I know. I'm afraid he's going to be caught up in this for a while."
"I'll watch for it," Greg said.
"You need to take care of you and Tiffany," Jethro said.
"Yeah. I'm on my way home to have a nice long talk with her. I think I can do that now that I've gotten some sleep under my belt. I feel much more clearheaded than I did last night. I know what I need to say, and I know what I need to have happen. Now I just need to know what she needs, and we'll figure out a way to make this work."
"Good!" Tony said.
Jethro leaned closer to the tablet so Greg would hear him. "Just let us know what you need. I meant what I said. If you're going to bring someone in from out of town, we have more flyer miles than we'll ever use. Just say the word."
Greg smiled to himself. "Thanks, Gibbs. I might take you up on that, at least for the next couple of weeks. I have an idea of someone to bring into town. I know she's on summer break right now because she's a teacher."
"Great!" Tony said, smiling up at Jethro who nodded.
"I should be getting home in a few minutes. I'll let you know how things go."
"Okay. We'll talk to you later then."
"I'll text you if it's too late to call."
"Sounds good." Tony felt a wave of nerves run through him for Greg. He was about to encounter the Prego Monster, and he was defensive of his agent. "Don't let her…" He searched for the words.
"Hurt you," Jethro answered unhesitantly.
Tony nodded to himself. "Mentally or physically."
"I won't," Greg said. "Thanks guys. Talk to you soon."
"Bye," Tony said, then hung up the call. He sighed and looked up at Jethro. "Tim?" he asked.
"Tim," Jethro said, taking the tablet and trying to work it. It only took him a few seconds to bring up the phone book and find Tim's Skype contact. Tony smirked at him proudly.
"You're getting pretty good with that thing," he said playfully.
"Gotta at least try to keep up with Amira," he said with a smirk of his own as the call started ringing.
"Boss?" Tim answered with full video, obviously on his phone as he sat in his home office. Tony knew he was sitting at his typewriter.
"Hey McGee," Gibbs said.
"Hey, McBossman," Tony said playfully as he leaned into the screen.
"Hi Tony. What's going on?" Tim asked.
"We heard about the case and the outcome. Wanted to see how you're feeling about it all," Jethro said quietly.
Tim sighed, defeat coloring his face. "Honestly? It's been a train wreck and I'm so glad it's over that I…" He got quiet, shaking his head and looking anywhere but at the phone. When he brought his focus back on the two men he swallowed hard. "I'm exhausted, Boss."
"I heard you had to shoot an 18 year old," Jethro prompted quietly.
Tim nodded silently.
"Heard he was a sick bastard," Jethro said just as quietly.
"He was. But…" Tim shook his head. His mouth was open, but when he couldn't find the words he closed it and looked back at the screen. Tony could tell his eyes were on Jethro, not him.
"Why don't I leave you two alone?" Tony said, resting his hand on Jethro's shoulder. Jethro glanced at him with a slight nod, and Tony got up and headed for the bathroom.
Jethro looked at Tim again and suddenly he looked so much older than he'd ever seen him. "Run it through for me, Tim," he said gently.
Another deep breath and a nod and Tim started, looking down at the desk top for a moment before meeting Jethro's eyes intermittently as he spoke. "We were expecting a terrorist. Ended up being a sadist that was playing at being a terrorist so he could have an endless supply of victims.
"I'm sure Parke told you about the perp's wife, the NSA analyst, Ellie Bishop. Guy was an NSA lawyer himself. Completely unsuspected.
"He had a partner, a kid, went by X but his real name was Christian Rike. Was 16 when he was recruited to help him two years ago. They had a foul relationship, torturing, killing and mutilating people together, and it was sexual between them in the most… retch-worthy ways.
"We caught the sadist, but not Rike. He'd escaped, and then took a sidekick of his own. Both of them were 18. They killed off a bunch of teenagers from the terrorist group, then kidnapped Ellie Bishop. We went to get her back, and she'd escaped and was running right for us when we pulled up at the abandoned factory where they'd taken her.
"Critten was driving, and we went after the kids as they ran away. We blocked in their van, and they pulled their weapons on us. We fired first. I don't know why we did it, but we both went for headshots. It was the weirdest thing." He shook his head and looked Gibbs in the eyes. "We both felt that threatened by them. We both knew that they were a much bigger threat than they were in that moment. If they were to get off on some kind of technicality or eventually let out on parole, someone else would've died. It ended there. Then. No chance for them." He looked down at the desk top, shaking his head slightly as he thought.
"McGee, you did the right thing."
"He was 18, Gibbs! He wasn't even really an adult yet! I… I know he was a monster. The thought of his eyes as I stared into them as I pulled that trigger-" His voice broke and his eyes started getting wet. "Yes, they were young. They were very young, but those eyes were evil, Boss. There was nothing there. A hollow, empty, soulless look to them. It's all jumbled up in here right now," he said, pointing to his temple. "He was a kid. He was a monster. No, a kid! No, a monster! And I feel like it's tearing my brain apart at the synapses!" Two tears suddenly escaped, one from each eye, and Tim refused to acknowledge them.
Gibbs shook his head slightly, giving Tim what he hoped was a compassionate look. "McGee, he wasn't a kid. Childhood ends when you get pleasure from giving pain like that. He may have had a young body, but he wasn't a kid. A very young man, maybe, but not a kid. And you did the right thing. You protected you and Critten, and possibly everyone else that was on scene with you. Not to mention anyone else they may have encountered one day. People like these guys, they don't stop. They find ways to get their fix. They're sicker than sick. And there's no fixing this kinda sick."
"Tim?" Abby said, entering the room. "Who are you talking to?" She found Tim on Skype with Jethro and smiled. "Gibbs!"
"Hey, Abs," Jethro said with a slight smile while Tim hurriedly wiped his face.
She took in the entire scene and her eyes grew wide. "Tim?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
"Can we get a minute, Abs?" Jethro asked.
"Yeah, sure," she said, backing out of the room as she looked warily at Tim.
Tim took a deep shuddering breath and looked at the window before looking back at Jethro as he struggled to blink back more tears. "You know," he said as Abby closed the door. "We've got unbelievable people. Other than Sommers, everyone has been incredible during this entire case, and even Sommers is starting to come around. I wouldn't have made it through this without them. They all held up through the long hours, the intensity of the case, the confusion of the whole thing. They were a great team. They have no qualms with taking direction from me, and they function with minimal supervision. This could've been a lot worse if they hadn't of been so cooperative."
"Good," Jethro said with a nod. "If they hadn't been Tony and I would've kicked their asses to hell and back."
"I don't think that's what motivated them. I think they're just naturally motivated by the work. It's a powerful thing. Makes me hesitate. Wonder if I'm strong enough to lead them."
"Shit, McGee. Obviously you are. We've heard from Tony's entire team. We know how fucked up this case was. You're not the only one nursing their wounds right now. If you weren't able to lead them we would've heard about it, but no one has bitched about you, and no one on our teams are in the hospital, and the bad guys are either caught or dead.
"Get your mind on good things. Have a drink or two. Write or whatever you need to do to relax. And if all else fails, spend some time with Ducky. But you should know, it doesn't get easier. And the fact that you're feeling the way you feel just means you're human and you're still a good guy. Don't let it destroy you. Find your closure. Move forward. Take the lessons, leave the rest. You're a good agent, Tim. Don't let this bring you down."
Tim swallowed hard and nodded. "Got it, Boss."
"I know you do, Tim. I never would've left you in charge if I didn't think you could handle it. And don't hesitate to call us if you need to talk about it. This may stick for a while, and that's normal. Talking it through helps. Tell Abby what you're going through. Don't make the mistakes I did. Get this out of you when you need to. Talk to Abby, talk to Ducky, me, Tony, Parke, whoever you need to, but don't let this eat you alive. You did the right thing."
Tim let out another shuddering breath and nodded. "Thanks, Boss."
"And for god's sake, don't hesitate to come to me with crap like this! You're important to me, Tim."
Those words hit Tim somewhere in the gut and he could only nod. They were so direct. He was important to Gibbs. It was something he'd always assumed and hoped for, but to know, without any doubt, that he was important to Gibbs was overwhelming.
"Tell Abby I said we'll see her when we get back." Tim nodded. "Take care of you, McGee."
"You too, Boss. Stay safe." Jethro nodded and ended the call. Tim sat there in shock. He swallowed a couple of times, and then tears started falling for a whole new reason.
********WDYG?********
Tony came out of the bathroom wrapped in one of the plush bathrobes and found Jethro sitting on the bed with his expression lost on a far wall.
"You okay?" he asked. Jethro shook his daze off and looked at Tony.
"I can't help but want to be there."
"I know. Me, too."
"They'll be okay, though. If we come home now McGee will think that I think he can't handle this."
Tony nodded, sitting down on the bed next to Jethro. "Doesn't make it any freaking easier," he said with a quiet disgruntled voice.
"Nope. Not a damn bit."