After quite a bit of writer's block (And lack of motivation :P) I'm still not fully completed with this story. There's one chapter left that needs to be written but some recent(ish) reviews have galvanized me into a what-the-hell attitude. I'll just post what I have at the moment. :) Thank you guys so much for reading this story so far, I'm not liking the ending as much as I thought I would, but for first multi-chaptered stories, it's not too bad. There are about six more chapters (Including this one) that I have, and will post every few days or so when I can.
I'm sorry about the long wait, and I hope you enjoy the rest. And, so you know, reviews are love.
Chapter Eleven
Fear flared up inside Gibbs, catching his breath in his throat as a gunshot split the silence of the woods. They had just arrived a few yards from the cabin, the Officer and his detective ambling up behind them. The backup arriving just as they did.
Pulling their weapons as they ran, Gibbs and Ziva, closely followed by the Officer, Davies and their backup, reached the house. The LEOs looked to the Officer, who nodded. They quickly surrounded the cabin, and waited. Gibbs, his face grim, held up three fingers. He put one down, the next and then the last, and on that signal burst into the cabin, shadowed by Ziva. The other policemen moved in quickly, the Officer and Davies followed a few feet behind.
Claire Parkinsom stood poised over a still body, holding a gun, her finger still on the trigger. It was almost a bizarre scene, and Gibbs was reminded of the many comic books Tim had kept at his desk a few years ago, which quickly changed when Tony discovered them, the perfectly drawn scenes clearly illustrated by people not experienced with holding guns. They were exactly like this. Claire seemed quite puzzled by the agents' sudden appearance through her door, but she didn't lower the weapon.
The pool of blood quickly spread and soaked into the carpet from the circular bullet hole in the back of the body's head, the body's torso lay half out of back door. The smell of burnt hair and gunpowder hung in the air. It couldn't be Tony or Tim, not after they'd found one of the killers, not after they had finally gotten a lead after so many hours.
Where the Hell was the justice in that? Snapping back to reality, Gibbs raised his gun a notch higher, now aiming at the dead center of Claire's forehead.
"Drop your weapon." Completely deadpan, Gibbs ordered this in a voice that would cause any enlisted man to stand up straight. Claire's jaw tightened, but she was no fool, the gun sunk and was tossed on the ground. Ziva quickly pulled it out of her reach and shot her a murderous look. Glancing to Gibbs and seeing his slight nod, Ziva whisked foreword and clasped her cuffs onto Claire, snapping them tightly over her wrists. Ziva smiled coldly at Claire, goading her to fight back and warrant a strike that Ziva so desperately wanted to deliver.
Gibbs knelt besides the body, Hart. Daniel Hart lay dead upon the carpet, an expression of surprise still implemented upon his still face, his eyes wide from the surprise of the gun that brushed his hair a split second before the bullet sped from the barrel. Gibbs stood and turned to Claire.
"On what grounds do you have to barge into my house? What crime have I committed that warrants an arrest?" Claire's face was a picture of innocence. So different from the savage anger that had been, briefly, on her face the moment they came in. Gibbs almost smiled; he had danced to this beat many a time and knew the steps like the back of his hand.
"Would you like the short list?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow. Claire stared back. "Well, murder for one,"
"It was self defense." She pointed to the gun lying next to Hart.
"I'm not done." This response was so icy, Claire closed her mouth. "Murder, not just of this man but of a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Brent-"
"I-"
"-And their nephew Petty Officer Benjamin Stephenson. And the kidnapping and assault of two federal officers." Gibbs forged ahead, cutting her off before she was able to formulate an excuse. She sputtered slightly but then closed her mouth and adopted a hard unreadable expression.
"I'd like a lawyer." Gibbs had to stop himself from snorting unprofessionally. They all asked for a lawyer.
"Ziva, hand her over to our Metro pals, they can read her, her Miranda rights." Ziva started out the door. "Ziva,"
"Yes?" Ziva stopped at the door and looked back to Gibbs.
"Keep her here, we might need her." Gibbs told her, Ziva nodded and headed out the door, leading Claire not very gently to the Officer and Davies.
o-o
Gasping raggedly, the two men jogged unsteadily through the woods. One clutched his ribs tightly; the other staggered and almost fell every other step. It was a minor miracle that neither of them had fallen nor hurt themselves yet.
Tim took in another breath, more stabbing pain and the feeling of suffocation overcame him but since Tony was still running, however haphazardly, so would he. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, clouding his vision and for a moment he lost all sight of the woods and only the depths blackness stood in his vision. Oh no. He couldn't feel his body, nothing, he felt so cold.
Tony flinched slightly as a large thump echoed slightly from behind him followed by a pained yelp. He was running on the high from the adrenaline, and barely thinking at all, his head throbbed in time with his rapid heartbeat that increased at the noise. He glanced back. Tim wasn't there anymore. Damn it!
o-o
Rapidly, Gibbs, Ziva, the Officer, Davies and the rest of the backup searched the cabin. Reaching the last room at the very end of the cabin, slightly isolated from the rest, they cleared the building. Glancing into the room, Gibbs sighed. Nothing. They weren't there.
"Gibbs!" Ziva called out to him from the corner of the room. "Look, someone was here." She pointed out to two water bottles, knocked over, and scrapes in the dirt on the floor. "They were here."
Marching like man on a mission, Gibbs came up to Claire, who stood handcuffed, next to two officers.
"Where are my agents?"
"Who?"
"You know damn well who! You forgot to ditch their badges." Gibbs held up the evidence bags with Tim and Tony's badges and identification. Anger washed over her face.
"I don't know." Claire glared venomously at him.
Frowning, Gibbs turned away. She was telling the truth. Hart's body was facing the woods; she had shot him in the back of the head. His gut speaking persuasively, Gibbs turned to the Officer. "Have your men start searching the edges of the woods."
"For what?"
"Anything unusual."
"You got a hunch?" The Officer peered intently at Gibbs, and smiled slightly when he didn't answer. He picked up his radio and issued the order. Gibbs collected Ziva and joined the backup.
o-o
"McGee!" Tony called back and slowed to a slow trot, then turned back and sprinted back in a blind panic. "McGee!" Someone groaned, he glanced to his left and spotted a motionless Tim, lying on his side. "McGee? You okay?" Tony kneeled down next to Tim, and in a rare display of real affection, laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Stupid." Tim murmured slightly, grimacing at Tony. "Didn't watch where I was going, tripped over something." Tim failed to tell Tony he had almost passed out. Though Tony would have to be blind not to see the cold sweat that lay upon his face. Tony rolled his eyes and gave a small, relieved smile. Though worry still creased his face. He stood and offered Tim a hand.
"We need to keep going." Tony glanced backward. Tim took Tony's hand and with a large pull, was lifted erect. And then crumpled to the ground again. He whimpered.
"Guess I twisted something."
"Twisted my butt, looks broken." Tony grimaced at Tim's ankle, which was now bent awkwardly, and beginning to display a colorful bruise.
"That's exactly what we need." The sarcasm bleeding in to Tim's statement, drowning out the fear that seized him. Breathing was hard enough, and now this? "Just leave me here."
Tony snorted. "McGee, are you serious? You know me better than that. Never leave a Probie behind." Tony whipped around as a distant voice echoed to them, along with the snapping of a branch. Tony paled, and felt the world spin around him. Nausea rising within him, he heaved Tim to his feet and put his arm over his shoulder before he collapsed again. Dragging Tim along, Tony headed away from the noise.
o-o
Gibbs squinted slightly in the shadows of the woods. Tony's jacket. "Ziva!" Ziva appeared silently and looked to the jacket before looking, almost hopefully to Gibbs. Dredging up his tracking skills, Gibbs began to follow the trail of the two men.
The Officer and Davies followed close behind, anticipation on Davies' face. Gibbs turned to Ziva. "Call an ambulance, they might be injured." The uneven footprints of both men didn't encourage Gibbs. Opening her mouth to protest even stopping, she reluctantly stood still and pulled out her cell phone. Gibbs, the Officer and Davies forged on ahead.
o-o
Tony leaned against a tree, and then dropped down onto the ground, dropping Tim. Who instinctively curled into a fetal position, holding his ribs. Pressing his knuckles into his forehead, Tony tried to soothe the pain. His vision began to fail on him; the world was shaking and whirling in front of eyes.
They needed to keep going though. He could hear footstep coming closer and closer. "Tim." Tim uncurled himself, his face deathly pale and his breathing uneven, he looked to Tony. "You're a good man."
"You're going soft on me, Dinozzo." Tim weakly smiled at Tony. Tony stood the best he could, swaying slightly, and turned to face the enemies that were upon them, his muscles tensing up. Ready to fight a losing battle. Tim, using the tree as a crutch, raised himself painfully, to standing position. Ready to face whatever fate was before them.
o-o
Gibbs ran now, not caring about anything else but the two tracks of footprints that lay in front of him. Ziva had caught up to them now and was jogging fluidly besides Gibbs.
Both stopped dead in their tracks, and Gibbs and Ziva met two familiar figures. Tony and Tim stood dumbfounded, staring dazed at Gibbs and Ziva. Tim was clutching a tree in a death grip, and Tony trembled, looking like he barely had enough willpower to hold himself upright. Both were filthy and haggard, and had quite a few bruises each, aside from other injuries.
"You guys certainly took your time, huh?" Tony beamed at them, and Tim smiled wearily. However, the human body can only take so much abuse.
Both men collapsed.