Look (Grown-ups skip this paragraph) I'm not about to tell you this book has a tragic ending. I already said in the very first line how this story was my favorite in all the world. But there's a lot of bad stuff coming. The Princess Bride

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They were young. A few quiet questions, and Tony realized that the piece of wall McGee couldn't stop staring at doubled as a door. As soon as he opened it he heard the swift pattering of bare feet on packed dirt, but no one came up to him. In fact, they all ran in the opposite direction.

There were six of them, all boys, all with thin, tired, scared faces. They were dirty, but not overly so, with chapped lips and big eyes that followed Tony as he knelt next to McGee. "Hey, Probie, if Gibbs finds you sleeping on the job he'll have my head."

"Mmm." The strangled noise was cut off by a gasp of pain, and frightened eyes opened only to point in the direction of McGee's mangled arm, now definitely dislocated.

"Oh." Tony knew how to pop a joint back in place, of course he did, but with McGee's other injuries, not the least of which being the hole in his shoulder, he didn't know how to do it without causing his friend unnecessary pain. "Hang tight, McClumsy. Your fall found us the kids."

"Really?" Tony could see McGee work to push the pain to the back of his mind, a struggle that wasn't easily won. With his good hand, McGee pressed his sleeve against a cut that was dripping blood into his eyes, peering at the darkness.

One of the younger ones shifted slightly, "I'm scared."

"It's okay." Tony soothed, "We're the good guys, we're going to get you out of here." He moved forward, arms outstretched, open in peace. He didn't miss the fact that the boys rearranged themselves. Two of the bigger ones moved to the front, bodies tense and wary, protecting the others.

"We're just going to wait here until the ambulance comes, because I don't want you guys getting hurt going up the stairs." This was nothing but the truth, since several of the boys had bad bruises, visible through rags so skimpy they almost didn't constitute as clothes anymore, and probably other injuries besides that would make walking painful, if not impossible. At the voice of worry the older boys smiled grimly, as if they'd been hurt by much worse things than a flight of stairs.

Tony kept on his knees, not wanting to scare the boys by standing upright. Already he was wishing for Abby, Ziva, anyone who didn't have a Y chromosome like him and the bastards who'd been raping these kids. He tried to think of something to say to stop this standoff between them. All the questions that now needed answers seemed too intrusive, too personal for a first-time meeting, and, anyway, needed to be asked formally in order for anything to stick.

So he turned his attention to McGee, happy for the distraction. "How many fingers am I holding up, Probie?"

"Why should I care?"

"It's a concussion test."

"It's stupid, Tony, I'm awake and my shoulder's killing me, I'm not counting your fingers."

"I can pop that shoulder back in."

"Come near me and I'll…"

"What? Bite me?" Because McGee was absolutely refusing to take his hand away from his hurt arm, clutching it as one does any cut, an automatic response to put pressure on a wound.

Their conversation, or perhaps the fact that they weren't pressuring the boys to do anything they didn't want to, made the children…not relax, not exactly, but they spread out, dropped a part of their guard. One of the younger boys even giggled before clapping a hand over his mouth.

McGee brushed Tony's hand away from his shoulder and looked directly at the blond boy. "What's your name?" His voice, impossibly gentle, automatically kind in the presence of the frightened kids, was something that Tony could never duplicate.

"We should wait for the LEOs to take their statements, McHasty." Tony said quietly, smiling to show that he meant no harm.

"I'm just trying to talk to them, Tony."

One of the older ones stepped forward, his hands trailing behind him as if to keep the kids at bay, to gather them behind him so that the two agents wouldn't get any funny ideas. "I'm Jason. Jay." His voice wobbled with barely-controlled fear. "This is Bobby." Under his arm was the blond boy, obviously the youngest of the six, "Jordan. Adam. Charlie. Don." Each boy nodded at their name, faces wide and open with fear and…excitement. "Can we leave?"

McGee and Tony exchanged looks. "It's more complicated than that." McGee said, still low, gentle, "We've been looking for you guys, but we also need to make sure that all the people who hurt you are punished. We're just going to hang tight until the ambulance comes." And Gibbs he added silently, because this is one of the situations that they hadn't covered in the police academy. What was the SOP when there were six abused kids who just wanted out? And how can you be sure to get all of their attackers if you didn't organize a sting? And how could you justify a sting when you were hurting children?

It was a strange, vicious cycle that Tony, with his worry for McGee, his worry for the kids, his surprise over the situation they'd literally fallen into, couldn't puzzle his way out of. He was practical. He was hands-on. Rules and regulations couldn't matter in his mind, which is how they'd gotten here in the first place.

So he plunged a hand into his pocket and held the prize out. "Are you hungry?" Years of working under Gibbs and eating on the fly had taught him the importance of a Hershey bar kept in the coat pocket.

As soon as the words came out, Tony wished he'd started with them. Eyes lit up as the chocolate was produced. Jay tentatively took the proffered coat and draped it over Bobby, who was shivering in the chilly November air. "Slowly," McGee warned from his strange, half-doubled over position on the floor, watching the hungry faces with a mixture of sorrow and pity competing with pain for face room, "Their bodies probably aren't used to food."

"I know that, McNag, that's why there's little bitty squares." He broke off a piece, wishing he could shove the whole bar at the hungry kids. Murmurs of 'thank you' and the boys retreated again, still slightly wary of the male agents, though obviously not as downright terrified as they had been at first greetings.

The quick glance he'd gotten of all the boys under the light streaming though the hole told him a sad tale. None of them were older than Jay, who himself looked no older than thirteen. All were slim, with long, wiry limbs and mussed hair, but even Tony had to admit that as far as kids went, they were pretty damn cute. Is that why they were snatched?

Again, they were left in silence, with Tony out of things to say. Again, he knelt next to McGee, who's last comment had drifted into a weary hush. "Well, Probie, you'll never be known for landing on your feet." He touched McGee's hand, wanting to move it to see how bad the shoulder was, and was surprised to find the skin cold and clammy. Usually when he got hurt he started to sweat uncontrollably. McGee's skin felt like he was going in to shock, which didn't make sense since he'd just popped out his shoulder.

"McGoo, are you hurt anywhere else?" McGee's eyes were glassy and they locked onto Tony's face like a drowning man to a ship, but he didn't say anything, didn't look like he could say anything. Tony made his voice low, as gravely as Gibbs'. "McGee!" It came out like a bark, and he barely registered the boys retreating further into their corner.

"Shut up, Tony." McGee murmured, rolling just slightly to get away from Tony's probing hands, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

"Tim!" Tony reached his hand under McGee, looking for the source of the bleeding, all nicknames and joking gone from his voice. There was just worry there, so deep and palpable it was actually hurting his own chest, throbbing like a dull ache. "What happened to your side?"

"Landed on it." McGee's voice was soft, incredulity laced in there, "Didn't you see?…might have broken a rib…" Eyes fluttered again, and Tony barely sensed quiet, worried chatter among the boys behind him.

But he couldn't pay attention to the children, not now, not when he saw McGee's torso after he turned his partner over, and the plank of wood that was jutting obscenely out his side.

There's not enough McGee bashing. Everyone seems to share this love for Tony, which we enjoy, but somehow the overtly nerdy McGee comes first in our hearts, which is unfortunate for him. We tend to mutilate characters we like.

Anyway, please review.