a/n - And so it begins. You guys still with me? The site has been driving me up the wall these last few days.
Hoping to see a familiar landmark, Kort didn't go back to sleep. They were going through some foothills now which told him they were even further west than he'd thought. Exhausted, achy and feverish, he let his head drop back to the hard surface, the cardboard a poor barrier between him and the floor of the box car. He'd poked at the bedding left behind by the former occupant, but after looking at the filthy and bug infested rags, he'd tossed it all out the door and moved McGee to the opposite end of the car.
Instead of sleeping, Kort thought about his temporary partner. When he'd been paired with McGee for this mission, he'd thought it was a cosmic joke, but over the weeks they'd been tracking the rumors of a heist of Navy weapons he'd discovered a great depth to the younger man. Instead of an annoying naivety, Kort discovered in him a refreshing level of honesty and belief in the greater good. He'd once called DiNozzo a white hat, a lifetime ago, but McGee made him want to be one, himself. Chuckling at what DiNozzo and Gibbs would think of that, he brushed his lips across the top of McGee's head without even being conscious of his actions.
Less than an hour later, McGee shifted in his sleep and Kort rubbed his back, encouraging him to stay asleep as long as possible. Even after Tim settled back down, Kort continued stroking his hand up and down the length of the other man's back. The flesh under his hand was firm, much more muscular than he'd ever thought possible. He wondered if DiNozzo knew how strong his junior partner had become over the years. He realized that he rather liked the fact that he knew something about McGee that DiNozzo didn't.
-NCIS-
It didn't take long for Ziva to find troubling rumors that were running through her sources in Eastern Europe. A shipment of warheads had not arrived at their destination in Bulgaria. Speaking quietly in her native tongue, she started making phone calls. From his own desk, Gibbs watched but kept quiet.
-NCIS-
Tim woke to a splitting headache, instantly bringing his hand up to press against his head.
"Hey, you back with me?"
"Yeah, what... how long was I out?" His memories were somewhat jumbled, but McGee recognized the symptoms of a serious concussion.
"Too long." Kort pulled Tim's hand away from his head and held onto it. "You're doing better, kid, but stay still until we need to move."
As bad as he hurt, Tim wasn't going to argue. Kort made a comfortable pillow and the heartbeat under his hand was soothing. "Any idea where we are?"
"Still going west, we've been in the mountains for a while now." Kort thought for a moment. "It's not terribly cold, so I don't think we're too far north."
Tim closed his eyes, visualizing a map in his head. "We could be headed for Salt Lake City, but LA would be nice. We could get through to the OSP office."
Kort snorted at the thought of showing up on their doorstep. "I'm not sure how welcome I'd be. Their people and I have a bit of a history."
Tim laughed. "You have a bit of a history wherever you go, but don't worry, I'll protect you."
-NCIS-
Abby sat in the lab and watched the clock, waiting for the numbers to count down. At exactly eighteen minutes past the hour, as instructed, she called Gibbs. "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, I found something."
He answered in his typical way, but she was paying more attention to the bugs. With any luck, this was the first step in finding out exactly who had betrayed them.
-NCIS-
The train was slowing and Kort made sure that McGee was steady on his feet. The throbbing in his back was getting worse and he wasn't sure if he could support the younger man when they made the jump. Sure enough, they hit the ground and his knees buckled.
"Kort? You're hurt? What happened?" Tim struggled, but got the other man's arm over his shoulder and they moved out of view of the train's crew. Once they were behind a tanker car, Tim took a better look at Kort. "Tell me what's wrong?"
He wasn't answered, but it only took a minute to find the the hole and the blood on the back of Trent's shirt. "You were shot?"
"No, knifed, when we got on that last train."
"Why didn't you say something?" Tim tugged the bloodied shirt up to take a better look.
Kort rolled his eyes. "In case you don't remember, you were unconscious at the time."
"Well, this is now and that wound is infected. We need to get you to a doctor."
"How do you propose to do that, McGee? In case you don't remember, we've got a lot of people after us."
Tim looked around, recognizing some distant buildings. "Hey, we're in Las Vegas. Anything's possible." He got Kort back up on his feet and moving towards a hole in the fence. He had a plan, but he needed to get the other man taken care of first.
The further away from the strip, the cheaper the hotels. Far enough away and they were dirt cheap and plenty sleazy. Once they were there, McGee picked one at random and paid for one night in the cheapest room with cash, writing a fictitious name on the register and taking the key without a word. The clerk didn't bat an eye, most of his clients had something to hide and he returned to his crossword puzzle as soon as Tim left. He noticed the other man waiting for him in the shadows and chalked it up to a night of experimentation for two straight men.
Once inside the room, Tim barely paused long enough to drop his case on the bed before he helped Kort into the bathroom. Kort didn't argue when Tim stripped him down, not even when McGee's clothes joined his on the floor. The two men stepped into the shower, letting the warm water rinse away the dirt and the blood.
Kort was convinced that his strength was going down the drain along with the water. By the time the water was shut off, Tim was completely holding him up. He was only vaguely aware as he was dried and tucked into bed, but he knew it had been too long since he'd been cared for so much.