Tony peered into the growing crowd knowing that Dante couldn't be too far away.
There.
Tony spotted Dante's tall frame and anxious eyes suddenly at the edge of the crowd. He excused himself and walked quickly over grabbing the vampires arm and guiding him around the corner.
Tony interrupted what he knew Dante was going to ask.
"McGee is fine…mostly. Ok as I'm sure you know he is hurting. He got beaten up pretty bad but essentially he's ok. The ambulance won't be far away. They will take him to the hospital to check him out and make sure that he is alright. So I need you to calm down and not freak out and turn up with wings or anything right now ok? We have enough on our hands without a screaming terrified mob to deal with."
Dante nodded not trusting himself to speak as his eyes strained over Tony's shoulder trying to see his Timothy.
How could his most beautiful, gentle and sweet companion be hurt again? Was he trying to give him a heart attack? It was lucky his heart didn't beat and he was already mortally dead or the sensation of Timothy's fear and pain he had felt in that instant through the connection they shared might have crushed him.
Tony frowned "Actually I'm kind of surprised that it took you so long to get here. Well I mean it's only been a couple of minutes but still I figured you could…you know sort of zap in and out of places."
Dante shook his head frustrated at himself. He too had wanted only to be at his Timothy's side in an instant.
"My power is weak at dusk and dawn. It takes great strength to ..as you say zap from one place to another. I was far away from this place and I had to come the old fashioned way."
Tony nodded sagely "Cab?"
Dante frowned at him exasperated in his anxiety.
"Cab? You think a cab could have got me completely across the city in a few minutes during evening peak hour? No I flew. You do remember that I'm a terrifying blood sucking Vampiric Immortal right?"
Tony nodded feeling almost embarrassed at the strange turn of conversation. "Yes of course I do. No need to be sarcastic. Now shush keep your voice down. I'm still getting my head round all this stuff."
Dante peered down at Tony his blue eyes intense and his strong pale hands clenched into fists at his side. "Take me to him Tony! I must see him. He is in pain. I can feel him. He needs me. I can compel the crowd so they do not see me. But you must take me to him. Now. I …."
Dante suddenly stiffened and his eyes widened before he turned and looked down at Tony.
"You must go to him! Quickly! He needs you."
"What? Now what's wrong? I thought you wanted me to take you to him?"
Tony felt himself being propelled through the crowd by a firm cold hand on his back and heard Dante's voice in his head.
He has asked for me to wait for him at home. It pains him to send me away but it must be done. It is you he needs now. I must be ready. He has questions I cannot answer…..
Tony shook his head at the weird sensation of the voice in his head without the participation of his ears and turned to find Dante gone. Tony frowned as he continued back through the crowd to his fallen friend.
"Oh so now he can vanish. Marvelous" he grumbled
"Tony!"
Tim's voice was so weak it made Tony's gut clench and he rushed to Tim's side kneeling beside him on the pavement where Tim was curled around himself defensively.
"Its ok buddy. The ambulance will be here any minute and they will get you fixed up as good as new."
Tony tried to keep the smile on his face even as Tim gripped his hand and looked up at him his face pale with pain and covered in sweat and smeared blood.
"Stall!" Tim hissed through pain clenched teeth as he squeezed Tony's hand as if his life depended on it.
"What?" Tony was surprised and he stared down at Tim's face awash in a sort of fierce determination which Tony had never seen before.
"Stall the ambulance Tony" Tim panted as he once again clenched Tony's hand and an agonized groan slipped through his trembling lips.
Tony shook his head and whispered furiously "No those guys must have hit you on the head because you're talking crazy McGee. Anyone can see you need to go to the hospital. You are hurt and you're in pain so don't be an idiot."
Tim looked up again and Tony felt skewered by the anguish in Tim's expressive green eyes.
"I can't" He hissed painfully "Not yet. I'm healing"
Tony again felt like he was participating in something where he didn't know all the rules.
"What?"
Tim moaned and Tony wasn't sure if it was from frustration or pain.
"I said I'm healing. Quickly. I can't let the medics see this because I can't explain it."
As Tony looked down in astonishment there was a small popping sound and Tim bucked on the ground curling tighter around himself and smothering the cry that leapt to his lips.
"My ribs. That was one of my ribs mending Tony" Tim gasped his face white and now sheeted with sweat.
Tony lifted up the tattered remains of Tim's bloodied shirt and peered at his chest. With a blink he realized that even in the short time since he had first seen Tim it appeared that his injuries did look somehow better. Still awful but the bruising seemed less and the mangled shapes seemed to be smoothing out into something resembling normal flesh.
"Well stop it McGee!" Tony hissed back worried and unsure about what he should do.
"I can't Tony!" McGee writhed and held onto Tony hand so tight that he lost all sensation in it.
"Tony! Tell McGee that the ambulance shouldn't be too far off. They have just waived it through the gates" Gibbs voiced floated over Tony's shoulder as he looked anxiously down at his friend.
"McGee…what do you want me to do?"
Tim panted "Please Tony. I think…I think its slowing……It doesn't hurt so much. I can't control it. I don't even know what it is. Just try and give me as much time as you can."
Tim grimaced and winced over another small popping sound and Tony shuddered using his body to hide McGee from Gibbs' prying eyes. Tony took the opportunity to waive Ziva away. Ziva nodded understanding that perhaps Tim didn't like to seem 'weak' in front of her.
Tony gave Tim's shoulder a consoling squeeze before he stood and prepared to give a performance of a life time. Perhaps some timely crowd control might be appropriate? Damn it where was that vampire when you needed him?
**************************************************************
"Tony! Damn it what are you doing? How long does it take to get people out of the way so the ambulance can get here? Are you trying to make McGee walk to the ambulance?" Gibbs bellowed frustrated at the seemingly growing sea of people between his downed agent and the medical attention he needed.
What the hell was going on around here? First McGee gets jumped for no apparent reason then his Senior Agent appears to turn into some sort of idiot.
"What Boss? I can't hear you. There are too many people in the way!" Tony's voice floated over the crowd and Gibbs ground his teeth together.
"That's what I'm saying. MOVE PEOPLE! Get the hell out of my way otherwise I will shoot you for obstruction!"
"Gibbs" A quite voice stopped Gibbs in his tracks and he turned surprised.
Tim smiled, pale and weak but upright. He looked a mess with his tattered and blood stained clothes but his eyes were clear and bright.
"It's ok. I can walk over there. I'm feeling much better really." Tim's voice was soft but he proved his point by slowly carefully walking towards the ambulance.
Gibbs blinked as the crowd which had stubbornly refused to budge an inch parted before the injured man like the biblical red sea.
"Well I'll be……"
Gibbs shook his head and trailed after his young agent. First he takes down four much larger guys in an all out street brawl and then collapses as soon as Gibbs looks at him and then a few minutes later gets up as if Tony had just been chucking paper planes at him again. Timothy McGee was just full of surprises lately.
With a tearing sound the medic ripped off the pressure cuff from around Tim's arm and shook his head.
"Well it looks like you were in one hell of a fight but basically you're in pretty good shape. We will need to keep you overnight to keep an eye on you but at this stage there doesn't appear to be any serious internal bleeding, no broken ribs just some heavy bruising. You will be a bit sore and stiff for a few days but basically you haven't got so much as a broken nose."
Tim smiled cautiously "Just lucky I guess"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
The medic smiled "Well Agent McGee. Just remind me to put some money on you if you ever decide to take up boxing"
Tony watched Tim's exhausted worried and slightly confused face as he was swallowed up by the back of the ambulance. Tim managed to mouth a quick 'Thank you" before the doors shut.
Tony grinned relieved that his friend seemed to be recovering from whatever it was that had gripped him. He turned still smiling only to find Gibbs beckoning him over towards him with a very unhappy look on his face.
Tony's smile vanished and he sucked in a quick breath. Uh oh now he was for it. McGee and his stupid vampire and his weird automatic healing and whatever else was now getting him in trouble. McGee better help with his reports for a month by the look on Gibbs face. Tony snuck another peek as he walked towards Gibbs.
Make that two months.
(Thanks for reading and do please review. It keeps me inspired. I have returned from two weeks over seas and have several chapters ahead planned for this story so hopefully you will stick with me. There will be some sex coming up but what Im going to do is enter those sections or chapters under Companion the Missing Sections in the M section. When i update this story I will let you know if there are any M rated bits and this way if you wish to read them you can go across but if you happy with the story at this rating you don't miss out on the story either. Regards Precious)