Title: Slow Burn

Story: NCIS crossover with Firestarter; AU for both

Rating: T/Gen

Summary: McGee's heritage catches up with him, and DiNozzo is caught in the crossfire.

Set in: mid season 6

Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing, yadda yadda

There will be a flashback later in the chapter of an important meeting, in italics.

Chapter 6

Ziva raised her fist to knock on the apartment door and paused. She was fairly sure that the employee she had been asked to bring in was home, as his car was in his parking spot in front of the building. What she didn't know was if he was alone or armed. After a brief hesitation, she moved to the side of the door and called out.

"Malcolm Green? NCIS. I need to speak to you." She waited, and when there was no response, she tried to turn the doorknob. To her surprise, it opened easily. She pushed the door inward and listened.

"Mr. Green?" she called again and was met with silence. She edged inside and stopped as she caught a whiff of an all too familiar smell. She cursed softly and carefully moved deeper into the apartment. After clearing the small living room and kitchen, she moved to the bedroom, where the sour, metallic scent of blood was stronger. She glanced at the bed and checked the rest of the room before lowering her weapon and reaching for her cell phone. She quickly dialed a number and waited.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"This is Ziva. We have a problem."

"What?"

"The janitor that Director Vance asked me to track down and bring in: I am at his apartment and he is dead. Very dead."

She heard Gibbs relay the information to someone, presumably the director. After a few moments, he returned.

"We're calling in another team. Wait for them and get back here as soon as possible."

"What about Tony and McGee? Have they shown up yet?" Silence. "Gibbs?"

"They…we think they're on their way here."

"You are not sure?"

"Ziva…" She heard a sigh and when Gibbs spoke again it was much softer. "The Virginia Highway Patrol is bringing them in. Ducky will have to confirm it."

Ziva froze, unable to believe what Gibbs has just implied.

"They…they are...? No, they cannot be-."

"Just get back here as soon as you can, and watch your back. Understood?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

Slowly she snapped the phone shut and leaned against the bedroom wall. She tried to wrap her mind around it, but she couldn't, not yet. She couldn't believe that the two men she had known for over three years, with whom she had argued, sometimes flirted, and had often counted on were suddenly gone.

She glanced at the battered, bloody body on the bed again and drew in a deep breath.

"This…is just the beginning of what I will do to the ones responsible…just the beginning."

Gibbs put his phone away and turned his attention to the director. Vance was making the necessary calls, and his voice maintained its usual calm, but Gibbs could tell the man was deeply disturbed by this newest development.

Immediately after Vance finished the final call, his phone rang.

"Yes? Send him in."

Gibbs was only slightly surprised to see Trent Kort enter the room a few moments later. Kort met Gibbs gaze with his usual smirk, but the lead agent could see that the summons had worried the normally unflappable CIA agent.

"Leon, Gibbs. What can I do for you?" He noticed the folder spread out in front of Gibbs and paused.

"I need the details of your meeting last night," replied Vance.

"Are you certain these details are suitable for…certain audiences?"

"Agent Gibbs is being read in. This concerns him, too."

"May I ask why?"

"After your report."

Kort sighed. "Fine. We met, exchanged data, and went our separate ways."

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"If I had, the meeting would not have taken place. Now what is going on? Where is…my usual contact?"

"He never made it back. The state police found his car at the meeting place with a body in the front seat. It had been torched."

Gibbs saw the briefest flash of fear in Kort's eyes. After a moment the man was able to collect himself and continue.

"How was the location compromised?"

"He was followed, by another member of his team, who was also apparently followed."

"Don't tell me-."

"Said member's vehicle was recovered from the river, a few miles from the meeting place."

"Damn…" Kort glanced at Gibbs. "And now?"

"It's probably a good time for you to take a vacation. As of this moment I am officially calling a halt to the project."

Kort nodded. "Understood. I will inform my superiors that the op has been suspended pending investigation." He again glanced at Gibbs. "As for the rest…?"

"As I said, Agent Gibbs is being read in. We will keep you informed."

"Thank you, Director." He turned to Gibbs. "My condolences, Agent Gibbs." Without another word, he turned and left the office.

"What the hell, Leon?" Gibbs asked as Vance slowly sank into his chair. "This is bad enough to worry Kort." He glanced down at the folder in front of him. He had only managed to read through a few pages before Ziva had called. "What am I going to find in here?"

"Agent Kort was not worried, Gibbs. He was afraid, and rightly so. These people we are up against…some of the worst I have ever encountered."

"And yet you sent one of my agents out as bait."

"He wasn't bait, Gibbs. They were never even supposed to know about him." Vance sighed. "I am sorry, but after you finish, I think you will know why we were doing this."

"I'd better," muttered Gibbs as he once again returned his attention to the stack of documents in front of him.

"Well Probie, don't keep me in suspense! What's his name?"

"Timothy McGee."

McGee waited for Tony's response. He had been dreading this revelation ever since the other agent had shown up at the meeting place. He had known then that his attempts to deflect were for nothing and DiNozzo would eventually learn everything. He just hoped he could deal with the fallout.

The older agent simply stared at him, speechless. McGee remembered the first time he had managed to have that effect and barely concealed a smile, despite the racing of his own heart.

"Gee, Tony, I haven't seen you that surprised since I told you I got a tattoo so I could go out with Abby," he said, hoping a little levity might diffuse the situation and help calm his own anxiety as well.

Finally Tony responded. "You…you're…?"

"Yes. I'm really Adam, but I grew up as Tim."

"But you…have the same last name."

McGee almost laughed. "Despite what Gibbs thinks, coincidences do sometimes exist."

"But you…why didn't you tell me?"

"My last chance to invoke Rule Number Four, I guess." McGee sighed. "Besides, it's not something that's easy to bring up in conversation…and not something I like even thinking, much less talking about." The guilt that he had lived with ever since he had learned the truth surged to the surface and he barely managed to keep his voice even. "I had a normal childhood while my sister…" He couldn't continue. Charlie had only told him a small part of her existence before and after The Shop had invaded their lives. She had told him it wasn't his fault, but the guilt remained.

"Damn…so you…found all this out when…your sister found you?"

"Yeah. It was a few weeks before my thirteenth birthday…"

XXX

Tim paused to catch his breath and waited for his pursuers to pass his hiding place. The cement culvert tunnel that hid him from view was still damp from recent rains, and smelled of rotten vegetation and something else he didn't even want to think about, but it provided good cover, and he'd rather deal with the smell than another thrashing by the group that had chosen him as their favorite target. He was younger than everyone else in his grade, having already skipped one grade level, and small for his age. He had learned quickly that flight was a far better option than to fight, and had systematically identified the best hiding places in the area, as well as the best paths to avoid the attention of his tormentors.

When he was sure the coast was clear, he emerged from the tunnel and climbed out of the ditch. He breathed a sigh of relief as was about to head home when he was brought up short by a voice.

"Hello."

He turned around and found himself face to face with a girl, once who looked like she could be a high school senior. He blushed and stepped back, averting his eyes as his inherent shyness took over.

"Um, hi…"

"What were you doing down there?"

His blush deepened. He stole a glance at the girl and noted that she was rather pretty. He also got the sense that she was somehow familiar.

"I, uh…I was…"

"Hiding?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

"There were s-some other b-boys, uh, ch-chasing me."

"Why?"

"Who knows?" he said angrily as he felt tears burn his eyes. "I'm the little geek, easy target, so why not?" He glanced up at her and saw concern in her green eyes…eyes quite similar to his own. "I…sorry. Not your problem, is it?" He took another look at her and blurted out the question that had suddenly popped into his mind. "Do I know you? I mean…are we…related?"

She smiled. "Yes, we are…Adam."

He frowned in confusion. "I'm Tim, not…not Adam."

A hurt expression briefly crossed her face before she spoke again. "We need to talk."

"I…I think you have me confused with someone else." He tried to back away, but the feeling of familiarity he got when he looked at her would not go away. "Don't you?"

"No. I know who you are, even if you don't."

"I-."

"We can't talk here. Come on." She grabbed his wrist and started to walk towards the nearby woods.

Alarm bells went off in Tim's head and he pulled back, breaking her grasp. She turned to him in surprise as he started to back away.

"Did…did someone p-put you up t-to this, to s-set me up f-for something? Was it Brad? He h-hates me…"

She stepped closer and looked him straight in the eye. "I would never hurt you. I swear on my life. Please, just come with me and I will explain everything. Please A…Tim. Trust me."

He met her gaze and suddenly a strange picture popped into his head, one that felt like a memory, of this girl, much younger, asking him to trust her. He shook his head to clear it and finally nodded. "Okay…" He followed her to the woods and when they had reached a clearing within, she led him to a large log and they both sat down, facing each other.

The girl closed her eyes for a moment before she looked directly at Tim and started to speak in a low voice.

"I swear, everything I am about to tell you is the truth. I won't lie to you, no matter how much I wish I could, okay?"

"W-what do you need to tell me?"

She took a deep breath and began. "My name is Charlene Roberta McGee, 'Charlie' for short. My parents were Victoria Tomlinson McGee and Andrew McGee. I have a brother. He…he's sitting right in front of me."

"I…you think I'm your brother?"

"I know you are. Your real name is Adam Isaac McGee. You were adopted by the man and woman you call your parents when you were barely three years old."

"I'm adopted?" Denial screamed in Tim's head, and yet he couldn't deny the girl…Charlie's sincerity.

"You are. Our mother…died, and our father, he…he wanted to find a safe place for you."

"S-safe? Why wouldn't I have been safe with him? Why weren't we adopted together?"

"Because I… because you were…normal. I couldn't be left with anyone else."

"N-n-normal? What do you mean? Why aren't you-?"

Charlie broke eye contact and looked away. She blinked a few times and took another deep breath before turning back to Tim. "This is harder than I thought it would be. I…I have certain abilities. Our parents had abilities, too. They were…part of an experiment and as a result they could, uh, do certain things with their minds, things other people can't do. You…never showed any sign of having any of those sort of abilities." Her expression hardened as she looked directly into his eyes. "You don't have any now, do you?"

"No! That's crazy! You're crazy!" He tried to stand but she grabbed his wrists and held him still.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…It's okay. It's okay…" She gently rubbed his arms in apology. "And I'm not crazy. I told you, I won't lie to you. Please believe that."

Tim managed to calm himself, barely. "What…what could they do?"

"Do you know what telekinesis is?"

"Moving things with your mind. Like Jane Grey in the X-Men comics."

Charlie smiled faintly. "Yes, like that. Our mother could do that. I inherited that ability from her." She turned to look at something to her right and Tim followed her gaze. He saw a rather large branch rise from the ground, spin in a circle, and sink back down again.

"You…you did that?" She nodded. "Uh…wow."

She chuckled softly and continued. "Our father had the ability to control a person's mind, make them do things or believe things. I…a few years ago, I developed that ability as well." She caught his expression and smiled. "And no, I'm not using it on you right now to make you believe, I promise."

"Oh. Uh, can you…?"

"You really want me to?"

"I guess?"

"Okay." She closed her eyes. "Stand up."

Tim felt a strange sensation. His limbs seemed to act on their own accord as he rose to his feet. Wide-eyed, he looked down at Charlie. Her eyes were still closed and her forehead was wrinkled in concentration.

"Stand on one foot," she said, and again he felt that strange sensation as his right foot rose in the air. Charlie then opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Convinced?" Shakily, he nodded. "You can stop, now."

Tim lowered his foot as he regained control and sank back down on the log.

"That was not fun," he whispered.

"Gives me a bit of a headache, too," confessed Charlie as she rubbed her temples.

"What else?" Tim managed to ask.

"That's all out parents could do, and those are my weakest abilities. My strongest is…well, it's pretty scary." She stood and walked to the center of the clearing. "Stand back."

Tim backed away to the far edge of the clearing. As he watched, the same branch he had seen move before rose again. A breeze stirred the still air, and suddenly, the branch burst into flame before falling to the earth. It burned brightly for a few moments before a mound of loose earth shifted and smothered it. The breeze died out and he looked up at Charlie in wonder.

"Y-you can start fires?"

"It's called pyrokinesis. I've been able to do it since I was a baby, and sometimes it got out of control. I did quite a bit of damage before I learned to control it." She returned to the log and sat down as Tim did the same. "So you see, it wouldn't have been a good idea to put me with the same family."

Tim nodded. He had almost forgotten about that, but now he remembered his other question.

"Why did I need to be somewhere safe? Were you…a danger to me?"

"No, it wasn't me that our father was worried about."

"Then what?"

"He wanted you to be safe from the people who had done the experiment…the people who murdered our mother."

"Murdered! You said she-."

"She died. Yes, while trying to keep those people from taking us. Our father managed to get us back, and then we all had to run away from everything we had. He…he managed to hide you, but they did catch us, eventually."

"How did you get away? And what happened to…our father?"

Tim listened, horrified, while Charlie told him the whole story. When she finished, he could barely contain his anger.

"How? How could they do that?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that they won't be doing it again. And if they do…"

"I want to help. I don't want them to ever do anything like that again."

"No. Adam…Tim, you have a good family. I know, I checked. You can have a good, normal life. I…shouldn't have told you all of this, I hadn't intended to, and…it was selfish. I really just wanted to see you, to tell you that you're my brother, and I guess I just got caught up in everything and…I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry you've been alone. But you're not any more."

Charlie leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Tim, and after a moment he returned the embrace.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," she whispered.

Tim closed his eyes as he tried to grasp everything he had learned. Finally he decided that no matter what had happened or would happen, he knew he had something very important: family.

XXX

"Wow," said Tony when McGee finished his story. "That must have been…majorly weird."

Tim chuckled. "Probably one of the strangest days of my life."

"So…?"

"So you pretty much know the rest. Now seriously, you need to rest. I'll try to get us out of here as soon as you're feeling up to it, but that won't happen until you at least get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay, okay…Probie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You had to deal with all that. It must have been-."

"Not your fault. And I'm…okay. Really. Now go to sleep." McGee closed his own eyes and waited for the other agent's breathing to even out, indicating that he was finally asleep.

When he heard Tony's soft snores, he relaxed a little. There would be no more questions to answer for awhile at least. As he started to drift off himself, he thought back to what he had said to Tony about that day.

Probably one of the strangest days of my life.

And it had been, learning about his real family and their abilities created by one long-ago experiment.

It still didn't compare with the day that had immediately followed, when he had discovered he had abilities of his own.

And you'll find out more about them in the next chapter ;)

Please let me know what you think