Twisted Brother

by Caro June

Someone from McGee's past wants revenge. The question is – who will pay the price? Started out as a case fic but has evolved into an exploration of the friendship between Tony and Tim. Maybe a hint or two of Tiva and McAbby, if you look really, really hard. NO SLASH. Lots of hurt Tony and Tim though.

11. The Next Few Hours

Disclaimer: I own nothing NCIS related.

A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews, for those who have alerted to this story and especially to those who have listed it as one of their favorites. The traffic it has been getting has truly surprised and amazed me. I'm especially gratified for all you worldwide readers.

The first part of this chapter is dedicated to DarkRose2006 who has been one of my most faithful reviewers, and asked for a scene depicting what happened between Mehi and Tony. So I was glad to accommodate her request. Thanks also to purple909, my newest reviewer. Your kind words meant so very much to me and were an incredible encouragement.

Shout out to all of my reviewers in no particular order. If I have missed anyone, I'm truly sorry:

nix, The Nagging Cube, Megth, mbj, April, Diana teo, mikiss, princessesmeralda, DarkRose2006, It's Weatherly time, Sparkiebunny, Julie 250, purple909, Long Live Brucas, tansysam, NCISalltheway, Shywr1ter, Belker, deniche, sopmire, Anaika Skywalker, DS2010, Deluded Visions, tvbatina, special agent Ali, Laurie and rittandy

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twisted Brother

Chapter Eleven

"The Next Few Hours"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

0030 hours - barn near Thurmont, Maryland. NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo did not feel very special at the moment. He was leaning against a hard wall in a barn, locked in a stall. He was injured worse than he had been in a long, long time, maybe ever, and he knew something was really wrong with his lungs. He was able to tell that due to the fact that (a) he could hardly get a full breath and (b) every time he tried to pull enough air into his lungs, he couldn't stop coughing. He didn't want to think about what it meant, but with his history of plague, he knew he was likely developing pneumonia, on top of everything else. And it didn't help that each time he had one of the coughing fits, his ribcage felt like it was being smashed into tiny pieces, and his right shoulder, which he knew was broken, sent stabs of excruciating pain shooting through his whole upper body. In all, he was a mess.

But that wasn't what was really bothering him. What really made him feel so awful was the fact that his friend and partner was in the next stall over, receiving some of the same treatment he'd gotten several hours earlier. He could hear the sounds of a beating going on, and though Agent McGee was obviously trying his best to be stoic, he couldn't quite contain all his cries of pain. The whole thing made Tony relive what had happened to him when Mehi had worked him over. Though he didn't want to think about it, each time he heard Tim taking a hit, Tony couldn't help but be brought back to his own experience.

Five and a half hours earlier: Tony had stumbled, being half dragged out of the stall. Mehi's grip on his arm was firm and it was all the agent could do not to fall as he tried to walk without his crutches on his injured leg. He'd only had one session of physical therapy before leaving the hospital and had been told emphatically NOT to put his full weight on the leg for at least two weeks. Tony's active mind couldn't help wondering what the therapist, a cute woman about 35 years old that that he had, of course, flirted with, would think of this. But his mind was soon taken off the increasing pain in his leg.

He was taken into another stall, one that shared a wall with the one he had just been in. He figured that was so McGee would be sure to hear what was going on. Tony looked around as soon as one of Mehi's men flipped on a light switch. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling gave just enough light to show that there were some iron rings on that same wall, and Tony had a pretty good idea what that meant.

Without delay, the two thugs grabbed him and secured arms to the rings. Mehi wasted little time. He came and stood in front of DiNozzo, looked him in the eye and smiled. Tony, trying to stay in the character of a frightened and beaten opponent swallowed and looked down, not meeting his tormenter's eyes. Inside, he wondered how much of his display of cowardice was an act, and how much was because he was simply terrified. But he didn't have long to contemplate the situation.

Mehi started with a simple beating; in fact it reminded DiNozzo all too much of the one Blake Mehi had administered. Mehi's fists hit him first in the stomach, causing him to bend over as far as his shackles would allow. The breath rushed from his lungs and he huffed out a cry of pain.

'At least,' he thought to himself in between continued blows to his torso, 'I can yell all I want to. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, after all.' But it wasn't long until he began to regret his little charade.

After beating him long enough to have Tony gasping for breath, Mehi suddenly stopped. "Well, DiNozzo," his voice was deceptively quiet. "I don't believe for a moment that you are the weak one here. I think you were just trying to save your partner. But before I kill you, I want you to know it won't work. He's going to die; but then, so are you. I just want to draw it out for awhile. And I don't think you're hurting enough yet to scream like I want you to. So I need to change that."

Tony was doing his best to remain upright. His leg was hurting badly and he was trying to keep his weight off it without putting too much pressure on his chained arms. So during the brief respite, while Mehi stepped out of the stall, he leaned over, putting all his weight on his right leg. He leaned his head back against the hard wall and closed his eyes. So far he didn't think anything was broken and he could only hope that good luck would continue. He wondered how Tim was doing in the next stall, knowing that if their positions were reversed, he would hate it. In fact, he'd rather be the one taking the beating, than the one listening to it. At least that was what he told himself.

DiNozzo heard the door open but didn't open his eyes. He figured it would help keep up his act if he didn't look up. But when the silence went on for a long time, he finally couldn't help himself. And when he opened his eyes and saw Mehi standing in front of him holding a piece of wood that was shaped somewhat like a small club, he couldn't stop himself from gulping with a dreadful anticipation.

The look on Mehi's face was one of pure insanity. Tony knew they were in real trouble; that there would be no reasoning with the man. His only hope was that Gibbs and Ziva would find them in time. All these thoughts raced through his mind just before Mehi raised the club. And this time, Tony didn't have to fake the scream that came from deep inside him.

The club hit him on his right collar bone, and he knew the instant it broke. The pain was sharp and piercing. But he didn't have long to dwell on it. The next blows were to his ribs and again, he felt the snap of bones. Another cry of pure agony was ripped from him before he could stop it. Now gasping for breath in earnest, he had little time to think about trying to look weak or strong. The next blows were to his injured leg, and he felt the blood start to trickle down his leg. He was amazed that was aware of such a small thing, when all he really felt was the overpowering pain. But maybe his senses were heightened in some way. A couple more blows to his arms and torso and he was beginning to fade from consciousness. But Mehi had a few more things in store.

Tony felt him unlocking the shackles. Though he tried to stay on his feet, his leg would not cooperate and the next thing he knew, he was slumped over in an undignified heap on the floor. Before he could get his bearings, the club descended again. This time it struck his back, once, twice and a third time. The pain was unbearable and again he couldn't contain his long drawn out scream of agony. His breath was locked somewhere between his lungs and his throat and he felt himself finally losing consciousness. A few more blows, this time kicks from the heavily booted foot of Mehi to his already broken ribs, one last agonizing cry of pain and he finally saw the darkness grow and grow until it engulfed him. He welcomed it and gave himself willingly over to it.

Agent DiNozzo shook his head; he needed to stop this. He realized he was hearing Tim's cries of pain and they were mingling with his own memories, creating a confusing jumble in his mind. It didn't help that he was still in more pain than one person should be expected to bear. With as big a sigh as his laboring lungs could manage, he tried to focus. He needed to know what was happening to McGee, so he could be at least mentally prepared to deal with it. He just hoped it didn't go on much longer. He knew he simply didn't have the strength to be as much support to Tim as the younger agent had been to him. And that pained him almost as much as his injuries did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

0030 hours – NCIS Headquarters. Abby Scuito had refused to stop working, even though she knew she wasn't at her absolute sharpest. To her surprise, Jimmy Palmer had volunteered to help her. Though he was mostly used to working on dead bodies, he had proven invaluable. They had torn the fake patrol car apart. And though Abby wasn't completely sure what she was looking for, she knew she'd recognize it when she found it. And she did.

"Ah ha!" Her cry sounded like one of victory. Palmer scooted out from underneath the car and looked up at her. "You found something." It was a statement, rather than a question. "Yes, Jimmy, I did. I, Abby Scuito, forensic scientist extraordinaire, have indeed found something. Something that proves our wonderful, sad, scared, beautiful and very missing agents were in this very car. Well, something that proves that at least one of our wonderful, sad, scared, beautiful and very missing agents were in this very car."

Jimmy pulled himself up off the ground to see what Abby had found. Her jubilation seemed to dim as she considered what this meant. In her heart of hearts she had hoped that somehow Tim and Tony were just playing a prank on them. Of course, she knew they weren't, but she had hoped. However, as she held up McGee's keys in her gloved hand for Jimmy to see, she faced reality.

Leaning over and hugging Jimmy, she couldn't stop the tears from forming. "They're really gone, Jimmy. They really are." She stayed that way for a moment more before straightening up and looking expectantly at the door. Sure enough, right on cue, Gibbs entered.

"Whatta' ya got for me Abs?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

0130 hours - barn near Thurmont, Maryland. McGee had endured. All he could think as the darkness finally claimed him was that he hadn't totally embarrassed himself. He knew he hadn't been quite as tough as DiNozzo had, but then, he hadn't really tried to be either. His last thought as an extra hard blow to his already bruised head sent him into the welcome oblivion was that he was STILL really pissed off.

Agent DiNozzo tensed as he heard the sudden silence from next door. He, like Tim had before him, feared the worst. But he wasn't left in uncertainly for as long as McGee had been. A few minutes later and he was the one watching his friend be dumped back into their dungeon, which is how Tony had come to view the barn they were being kept in.

Gathering himself and bracing for the pain, Tony half scooted, half crawled over to his friend and partner who was sprawled on his back. Holding his breath, both in anticipation of what he might find, and in order to try and forestall yet another round of coughing, he used his left hand to carefully check McGee's throat for a pulse. To his immense relief, he felt it beating fairly steadily and strongly under his shaky fingers.

Using what little strength he had, he did his best to straighten McGee's limbs. Then, remembering how Tim had been there for him, Tony eased himself back so he was leaning against the wall, and managed to pull Tim's head onto his lap. Leaning over to get a closer look at the nasty bruise that was forming on his temple, he brushed the hair back from Tim's forehead. Sighing, he wished he had a light and could check his pupils. "Well, Tim old pal," he said softly as if he could hear him. "If you thought your headache was bad before, you really aren't going to like the next one."

0300 hours - barn near Thurmont, Maryland. McGee knew he had to stop going to the local bar with DiNozzo. He always drank just a little too much when they did, and always woke up with a killer hangover. Tony, on the other hand, seemed to take it in stride, matching the younger agent drink for drink, and always showing up the next morning with his annoyingly cheerful disposition in tact.

At least he must have made it home, he figured; though why he was lying on the floor, with his head on a pillow, instead of in his bed, was beyond him for the moment. Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes. Astonishment broke over his features, just before pain overrode it.

"Wha…? I'm not; where? Tony?" Tim's voice sounded a little weaker than Tony would have liked. Knowing the confusion one felt when waking with a concussion, Tony refrained from the smart comment that was already forming in his mind. "Easy there, Tim. It'll come back to you soon enough. Just rest for a moment. We're not going anywhere for awhile anyway."

McGee glanced around in growing confusion before awareness dawned on him. "Oh Shit. I thought it was just a nightmare."

Tony managed a parody of his usual lighthearted grin. "It is a nightmare, McPuzzled," he replied. "Trouble is we're stuck in the middle of it."

Knowing it helped to talk things through, as McGee grew less confused, Tony urged him to relate what had happened. Tim closed his eyes, and in a voice flat with pain, related the bare facts.

"I imagine you're already pretty familiar with what happened in there, Tony. The guy beat me senseless." Tony closed his eyes, well aware of what Tim had gone through. But still, he encouraged him to talk it through. "Yeah, well, Tim, I beat you senseless pretty much every time we have any kind of a competition. But it isn't the same thing. Talking about it helps. Now spill; I heard it, so what happened in there?"

Tim closed his eyes again and heaved a huge sigh. He wasn't sure reliving this particular bad dream would help, but he figured Tony was more of an expert in this than he was. He began talking in a low voice.

He'd had been chained to the wall, the same as Tony. Mehi had started in with his fists, same as with Tony. Tim had been surprised at the amount of pain a man could cause like that. He'd been in fist fights before, had even had his nose broken, more than once since joining NCIS years earlier. But he'd never experienced an out and out beating like this before. The only thing that kept him from yelling his head off was remembering how it felt to be sitting in the next room, listening to it happen to your partner.

McGee was afraid, though he didn't want to admit it, even to himself. He was barely keeping it together while Mehi hit him again and again. And he was absolutely dreading what he was sure was coming next with the club or bat or whatever the maniac had used to break Tony's bones.

But, Mehi seemed to be tiring. After all, it took a great deal of energy to physically hit someone over and over. Tim's head sank almost to his chest when the deranged man finally took a step back.

"Don't think I'm letting you off easy, McGee. It's your fault all this started in the first place. My son wouldn't have been killed by your partner if you and your sister had just left things alone. So take this as a warning of what's coming."

And Mehi reared back, putting all his pent up anger behind his next punch. The blow to McGee's head rocked him back, and he felt his skull bounce off the wall behind him. That was the last he knew until he woke up with his head in Tony's lap. Something he was sure that if they survived this, DiNozzo would find a way to use against him. But Tim kept that thought to himself, knowing he would welcome the teasing and banter, if they were both just still alive when this was over.

"And that's it. He's still gonna' kill us, but I think he just plain wore out for now." Tim's recounting of what had happened had done two things: as Tony had predicted, it did help to talk it through. And it also made him aware he was both exhausted and really, really hurting. But he didn't complain, knowing that DiNozzo had taken the worst of things, and had to be in even more distress than he was.

Both agents said little after that, and before long, Tony's body relaxed and he drifted off into a restless sleep. Now that he knew Tim was okay, as okay as could be expected anyway, he could at least try to rest.

He slept fitfully, disturbed often by the racking coughs that caused him such pain. Tim continued to lie still, waiting for his head to stop spinning. But eventually, as DiNozzo's coughs worsened, and he seemed to be drifting in and out of wakefulness, Tim eased himself into a sitting position and let Tony rest against him. After that both agents managed to sleep for a few hours.

They would need what little rest they were getting in preparation for the harrowing hours yet to come.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

0130 hours – NCIS Headquarters. Gibbs and Agent David had been going over and over the surveillance tapes while Abby and Jimmy Palmer had been working on the car. After she found McGee's keys, she processed the rest of the car for any DNA that might be there. She and Palmer, along with Ducky, were back in her lab, running the samples.

Ziva rubbed her hand over her eyes, straining to make herself see things more clearly. But she was so tired that everything seemed to blur into one image. However, she knew her partners were out there, possibly being tortured and she knew what they had done for her in the past. So she took another huge gulp of the latest cup of coffee and began going through the tapes one more time.

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was watching the same thing as Ziva was. But he was seeing something completely different. Though the tapes showed what had happened over 12 hours ago, he kept seeing Tony. He kept hearing himself tell the younger man that it was going to be all right. "I've got you now. You're going to be fine, son." Those words played over and over and he saw Tony's face, focused on his, trusting him. Trusting that it really would be fine. And he wanted to break down. Because it wasn't fine.

How could he have let this happen to his son, again? Why hadn't he realized that there could be someone else out there connected with the case that still wanted to exact revenge? And what made it doubly hard was that it wasn't only was Tony who was out there somewhere; McGee was too. He just hope they were at least together.

Though Gibbs admitted, only to himself, that he didn't feel exactly the same about Tim as he did about his Senor Agent, he felt he had let him down too. And McGee did not have the experience that DiNozzo unfortunately did with this kind of thing. DiNozzo was tough. He'd been through this before and always survived; usually stronger than ever. McGee had yet to be tested in the fire, so to speak, as Tony had. Gibbs just didn't know if the younger man was strong enough to take it. Hell, he didn't know Tony could handle it again, so soon after the last time.

It was at that moment that Gibbs suddenly realized he hadn't contacted DiNozzo, Sr. He looked at the clock, saw that it was almost 2 a.m. and decided it could wait until morning. Or rather, later in the morning. He was in no mood to deal with Tony's biological father at this moment. Truth was, he wasn't in the mood to share Tony with anyone right now.

Rubbing his neck, trying to work the kinks out, he returned his gaze to the tapes running on the plasma. Looking at Ziva David, he could see she was near exhaustion, but knew she was far from giving up. Following her example and taking a big swig of his now cold coffee, he forced himself to focus again.

0300 hours – NCIS Headquarters. Gibbs looked up when he heard the elevator doors open. Hoping that Abby had something, instead he saw Dr. Mallard get off and walk tiredly toward him.

"Jethro," the older man said, approaching him and laying a hand on his shoulder. "I believe we all need a break. Abby is making mistakes, and she never does that. Mr. Palmer is dead on his feet but won't stop as long as the rest of us are working. We're not doing those boys any good this way."

Gibbs started to deny him, but suddenly, as his body demanded that he rest, he gave in. "You're right Duck. We all need to stop and get some sleep." Looking over at Ziva who was barely standing upright, he nodded at her. "David, with me." Ziva did not question him but followed him, Ducky trailing in their wake.

Entering Abby's lab, he gave an order in a tone that brooked no disobedience. "Everyone, stop what you're doing. Find somewhere to lie down. Sleep for a few hours. We have to be at our best to find them and we're not doing anyone much good the way we are right now."

When Abby looked up, tears forming again, he went to her, put his arm around her and pulled her head to his shoulder. Dropping a kiss on top of her head, he gently steered her toward her office. Grabbing Bert the Hippo, which Tony had insisted on giving back to her, he pushed her down to the floor. "Rest Abs. That's what will help them the most."

As she sank down and laid her head on Bert, it gave out its trademark sound. Gibbs smiled, knowing how that would have made Tony laugh. Turning around, he was unsurprised to find that Ducky, Jimmy and Ziva were all making their way close to where Abs was already drifting off to sleep and finding places to sleep near her. Walking over to the wall, he turned the light off, and then joined them.

Lying down on his back on the floor, Gibbs rested his head on his arms. His last thought as he too drifted off was of Tony.

"I'll find you son. I'll find you and bring you both home."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Ok, that is it for chapter 11. Probably two more chapters after this one I think. If you are enjoying this story, please do take a moment to review. It is more encouraging than you might imagine. Thanks for reading. caro june