Author's Note: I apologize that I seemed to have neglected this story for weeks. I blame NaNo—partly. Well, since I'm running out of time with this fic, the last chapters coming your way are bunch of quickly-typed, once proofread drafts. So I just ask y'all to bear with me.
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS and its characters. All I own here are some OCs and the plot. =D
Her grip on the black rose's stem tightened. Anger rushed through her as the words replayed in her mind over and over again: Landon was caught. Even if the sharp thorns pierced her delicate skin and made it bleed, she could not care less. All that mattered was what Landon did.
He wasn't careful. He allowed himself to be reckless and be caught.
She lifted her quivering right hand towards McGee's clear photograph that was pinned on a corkboard in front of her. With her cold and slender fingers, she caressed his face. Tears suddenly formed in her eyes as she looked at him. Landon betrayed you. He lied to you, she thought sadly. I thought he will help. Staring at McGee's smile and his green eyes, she felt more pain searing through her heart. She could see that even if he pretended to be okay, he was not.
Timothy McGee had always been alone. His team didn't seem to care for him. On times when he was hurt, they acted as if it was nothing. They were only interested in him when they needed him. "But not me, Timothy," she said, staring longingly at McGee's picture. "I do this for you, because I love you." Her lips curled into a smile. His team—she wondered how they would feel if she took away Timothy from them. But then again, it would all be too late when they decide to finally let him know that they cared for him. "I will…I will prove it to you. Soon," she promised him, all the while fighting the urge to laugh.
………………………………....
Gibbs sat in the interrogation room, rearranging the files that Agent Samuels have provided him. He tried to focus on the information indicated on the seemingly few papers, but he couldn't. He attempted to skim, but even that didn't help. He thought of his team and the danger they had been faced with. He thought of McGee and how he almost died.
But above all, he thought of the person sitting opposite him and what he did.
"Agent Tibbs—"
"Shut it," Gibbs warned tersely. He placed down the folder in his hands, and then looked Landon straight in the eyes. "Do you know who's behind that mirror? Watching us? No one. Do you know who's listening to our conversation? No one. That's how much they don't care with what happens to a murderer like you. So you better give me the right answer. Who helped you escape from that prison?"
Landon looked away. For a moment, he was fazed. His eyes flickered, while his breathing came as silent gasps. Then, he exhausted a sigh. "I thought you were different from them, Agent Tibbs," he said, more to himself than Gibbs. "I was wrong to trust you and McGreggor."
"Is that why you tried to kill him?" Gibbs asked, his tone rising.
"I was wrong to do that," Landon countered, his voice slightly quivering. "I surrendered, didn't I? I called Amy for help."
"But you still did it. You almost had McGee die, and you still killed Lance Corporal James Higgins," Gibbs said.
Landon's eyebrows creased as he heard the unfamiliar name. "Who?"
Gibbs took out the victim's picture from the folder then threw it across the table. "Lance Corporal James Higgins," he repeated. "You killed him by stabbing him in the chest. Don't lie to me and tell me that you don't know him."
Landon stared at the picture, trying to recognize the gaunt and lifeless body in it. However, he couldn't remember seeing him before. When he saw the muddy trail where the lance corporal lied and the vast, tall trees that was on the background, it was only then that a faint memory came to mind. He was running, and then he tripped over something… She told him to hurry up…And then, he touched one of the person's cold arms. "It was him?" he muttered in disbelief. He looked up at Gibbs. "I didn't kill him. He was already dead when I was escaping."
"Do you really think that I would believe that?" Gibbs asked. Seeing the sincere expression in Landon's face made him slightly unsure. A part of him wanted to continue going against Landon, but a part of him also said that there might be someone else involved in all of what was happening.
"All I did was run. They were after me. Agent Tibbs, I didn't have time to stop," Landon reasoned hopefully.
"That's why. He tried to stop you, and that's what you did," Gibbs pointed to the picture heatedly.
"I'm telling you the truth. I wouldn't take off someone—"
"You already did! Two people four years ago, and that man's the third!" Gibbs swiftly stood up after slamming his hands on the table. "And the biggest mistake you did was trying to make McGee the fourth. Now, you still have the courage to lie to me? I don't have any more patience left so I suggest that you should start being honest."
Landon looked away. He should not have trusted her. "I didn't do it," he asserted.
"Then rot in jail," Gibbs said. He took the picture from the table, slipped it back inside the folder, and then walked towards the door.
"Maybe she did it," Landon spoke again before Gibbs could walk out. "She did help me escape."
"Who's she?" Gibbs asked. He didn't bother to turn around.
"Mara. She had been telling me about McGreggor, that he lied. She gave me the letters that he sent me…to prove it. I got so mad at him. I tried to do what she said, but I can't," Landon said. "I know Amy would not be complete without him."
Gibbs sensed the worry in Landon's tone. It was ambiguous; he couldn't discern whether it was because Landon was terrified that he was caught, or it was because he didn't really do what he was accused of. Either way, he still needed to go back to jail. Mara Isaacs was the only name the was in Gibbs' mind as he stepped out of the interrogation room.
………………………………....
"Really?" McGee asked, smiling.
Abby nodded, a wide grin on her face. "Yes! So you don't have to worry about Jethro, Timmy. He's safe with me at home. Well, as long as my landlord doesn't know he's there."
Despite the occasional wave of pain that rushed through his broken elbows, McGee was still happy. His parents were there, Sarah, even his team were there with him. However, what gave him the biggest relief was when Abby told him that she found Jethro. She said that when she stopped by her apartment to pick up something, she saw the dog barking loudly at her door. He asked whether he was hurt, but she said he wasn't. Jethro looked a little hungry and sleepless, but overall he was alright. "Thanks, Abby," he said.
"You're welcome." Abby's grin then shrunk into a small smile. McGee seemed rather pallid. His bloodshot green eyes didn't escape from her attention either. Her eyes watered. "I miss seeing you at the office, McGee. You should get better soon," she said, trying her best not to tear up more.
"Abby, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," McGee reassured.
"I know. I mean, you should be. You're safe, because they caught Landon already, and Ziva and Tony are just outside. Gibbs and Ducky are working hard to make sure that, well, you know—"
"Abby," McGee stopped her, his smile not failing. "I'll be okay."
"I'm sorry," Abby said. Then, she carefully enveloped him in a hug.
McGee's smile spread wider. Before he could speak again, he noticed a person—a woman—standing outside the room through the slit at the side of the blinds. To what he could see, she was also smiling. She was looking at him interestedly, and it made his skin crawl. He blinked, just to make sure that he was not just imagining her. She didn't disappear. He glanced at Abby for a minute, even if it was only her distinctive black hair that he could see.
But when he looked back out of the window again, she was gone.
I did warn you. It was hurried. If you just want to, you can point out anything that you think I did wrong. I can make that correction for you guys. Anyways, we will get to see what "Mara" will do next chapter. Why Mara in quotes? Well, you just have to find out…
I still love reviews, so please leave one! =*