WARNING! WARNING! Okay, I think that gives everyone a clue to what is coming ... but just in case, this chapter will mention molestation and rape of a child. Nothing is in graphic detail but it will be intense. If something like that bothers you, please do not read any further.
I know I've said this before, but this one is reeaaally long ... twice my normal length, but there just wasn't a good place to break in the middle without interrupting the flow of the story.
When 'morning' came, Ziva sat up in a panic, realizing Tim was not with her. She shot out of her sleeping bag and looked around trying to get her bearings.
From behind, Gibbs placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her. "It's okay. Look." He pointed off to the side.
Ziva followed his finger and let out the breath she had been holding when she saw Tim tightly attached to Ari's leg once again. She looked at Gibbs and smiled.
When they had eaten and cleaned up, they were once again on the move. The low rumble kept intensifying, becoming so loud that it created its own wind.
Tim was obviously scared, he was visibly trembling and holding onto Ari so tightly that his fingers were turning white ... however, they all kept moving.
XXXX
Gibbs was just about to call 'mid-day' rest when a movement ahead of them caught his eye. He looked to Tony and Ziva to see if they had seen it also. They nodded back at him.
Ari turned back to make eye contact with each of them. He nodded then turned to face forward again. His hand hovered above Tim, but he didn't touch him this time. In fact, he looked like he was trying to appear to be walking alone.
Gibbs eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he knew to keep quiet. It wasn't anything that was said, but could be felt - this was a place that you did not want to draw any undue attention to yourself.
The movement that had caught their eyes was a dark form on the horizon. Then a second form was seen, then a third, then more. As they grew closer, the dark forms turned out to be people, milling around. They didn't pause as they walked through the growing crowd.
Gibbs looked around to the people they passed. It wasn't just the young and old he passed, it was every possible culture, as well as every time period. He saw modern day clothes as well as Victorian, Ancient Greek, Mongol, every part of the world was represented.
They had found out what was making the thunderous noise: almost all of the souls were speaking or yelling - and most didn't seem to notice the others they were bumping into.
Tony covered his ears and looked around to all of the blank, lost faces. He looked up to the sky to escape the overwhelming feeling of drowning in the sea of people and stopped moving. The sky was no longer grey, around the edges was a dark maroon color that seemed to glow with an ominous light. It made the sky look like it was bleeding and Tony wished it would go back to the dull grey.
Gibbs placed a hand on his shoulder and Tony looked at him. He was staring into determined ice blue eyes and it calmed him. He took a few cleansing breaths, nodded, then lowered his arms. He took a moment to get his equilibrium. When he felt ready, he started moving again, with Gibbs' hand still on his shoulder.
Ziva had paused halfway between Ari and Tony, waiting for them to catch up. When Tony gently bumped into her, she starting moving again, knowing he meant that he was ready.
They kept moving silently but steadily forward until what sounded like waves reached them. Tim stopped, causing the rest of the entourage to stop as well.
"No, Ari." The child whispered, full of fear.
Ari bent down and placed both hands on the child's shoulder. "It will be alright."
"No. I-I-I can't. Not on a b-boat. P-please." His breathing increase as a panic attack started.
Tony chanced speaking, although he kept his voice low. "I guess that even in the afterlife, Probie gets seasick." He was trying to make a joke in order to relieve the knot of that had grown in the pit of his stomach.
Ari ignored them completely. He moved his hands from Tim's shoulder to cup the boy's face. "No, Neri! Do not remember! Do you hear me!? Focus! DO NOT REMEMBER!"
"I-I-I ..." Once again, Tim's eyes glazed over.
The team looked around as the scenery changed. Having gone through this once, they knew that they were now going to be experiencing one of McGee's memories.
"Damn it!" Ari cursed as he stood. His face contorted in anger, he now looked like the man that had terrorized them in life.
Team Gibbs looked around. They were standing on a dock that had many different sized boats moored: speed boats, yachts, and everything in between.
A new voice caught their attention. "You're eight-years-old now Tim, its time you start learning something practical." The man talking was standing very straight and rigid His hair and eyes were brown and was looking down very disapprovingly.
To them, Tim still looked like a five-year-old. He was watching his shoes. "But Dad ..."
"No butts. What you're going to learn over this weekend will be better for you than any of that book stuff." Tim's father said with no warmth to his voice.
"Ah, Victor! There you are!"
Tim and his father turned to the new comer. Tim's dad finally smiled. "Hey Luke!" The two men vigorously shook hands, pulled each other into a half hug, then patted each other on the back.
Luke was the same height as Victor, but obviously older with grey hair and many wrinkles around his dark eyes. After greeting his old friend, he turned his attention to the boy. "So, this is him."
Victor's voice turned cold. "Yes, my son, Timothy. Tim, this is Luke Thompson. He's going to help you."
Tim looked quickly up to the man. "Hello, sir."
Luke looked him up and down, with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Tim caught the look, which made him very uncomfortable, so he looked away and back down to his shoes.
"He's a shy one, hey Vic?"
Victor McGee sighed heavily. "Along with a list of other problems. Randy told me you did wonders for his boy, so I was hoping ..."
"Of course, of course. I'll make a man out of him." Luke's grin now matched the look in his eyes. Anyone with half a brain could see that this man was not someone you'd want to leave alone with a child.
"I'm not expecting miracles, but I'll take what I can get." Victor looked at his son. "Look at me."
Tim raised his head, eyes pleading, but Victor either didn't notice or ignored the look.
"You will do everything Luke says. You will work hard and forget about books for awhile. Do I make myself clear?"
"Dad ..."
"DO. I. MAKE. MYSELF. CLEAR?"
"Yes sir."
"Good." Victor nodded and looked over to Luke. "He's all yours." He then just walked away, never hugging Tim goodbye or looking back.
"Well, come along then." Luke reached down and grabbed Tim's bag.
Tim's legs were shaking, but he followed the man.
Suddenly, the scene changed. It was now nighttime and they were below deck of a rather large yacht. It was gently rocking as the waves hit the boat, a rumbling of thunder in the background.
Tim and Luke were sitting on one of the burgundy couches. Luke was sitting right next to Tim, his arm on the back of the couch, practically drooling over the boy.
Tim was inching his way over to the corner of the couch, trying to put some distance between him and the adult that was making him uncomfortable.
"You did pretty good, today. I have to say I'm surprised, didn't think you had it in you."
"Thank you sir." Tim swallowed nervously as the pitching of the boat increased.
Luke licked his lips. "Come now, there's no need to be so formal. We're friends, right?" He scooted closer to the child.
"Yes, sir."
Luke laughed and slid his arm down the couch and rested it around Tim's shoulders.
Tim tried to shrug him off, but Luke tightened his grip. "Now, now, didn't your Dad tell you to do what ever I said."
"Y-yes sir."
"Stuttering? Oh my, my." His other hand reached under Tim's shirt.
Tim pushed him away and tried to run, but the older man was ready for the move and caught him easily. He slammed the boy face down on the couch. "That was a good move, but you've got to do better than that. Let me show you what happens when you can't 'man-up'."
"No! Stop!" Tim struggled to get away, but to no avail.
His team watched on horror as their friend was molested then raped as the rocking of the boat becoming more and more intense. Tony turned, dropped to his knees and threw-up. Ziva cried, covering her mouth with her hand. Gibbs refused to look away, he balled his hands into fists, then stormed over to the man accosting Tim and swung. His fist went right through Luke, however Gibbs swung again, and again, and again.
He was still swinging when the scene changed again. It was daytime now. Tim was running, he paused at a door, quickly looked over his shoulder, then opened the door and went inside. He stopped to look to see where he had entered, the engine room.
He looked around quickly and found a nook that he could get behind. He ran over to it and scooted in, then crouched down, trying to make himself as small as he could.
Sounds of footfalls grew loud, paused at the door, then continued on.
Tim let out the breath he was holding and relaxed a little. He leaned his head against the wall and placed his hands beside him. His right hand landed in something soft, furry, and squishy. He looked down and saw the maggoty body of a dead rat. He yelled out and scooted away from it.
Suddenly a hand grabbed Tim by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out from his hiding place. "What's a matter? Something scare you?" Luke sneered at the boy. "Only girls scream out when their scared. You know what happens to girls? Do you want to be treated like a girl?"
Tim was assaulted once again. While his body was being violated, he tried to focus his mind elsewhere. He stared at his right hand, which still had some maggots on it. Their wiggling movement repulsed him and he desperately wanted to shake them off, but he was too afraid to move.
When Luke finished, he stood and walked over to where Tim had been hiding. An evil smile came to his face when he saw the dead rodent. He picked it up and threw it at Tim, hitting him right in the chest and splattering everywhere.
Tim wanted to cry and scream and run, but he was too afraid of what would happen if he did. He sat there shaking.
"Good, you've finally realized a man isn't going to run when he's scared." Luke walked over and squatted down in front of Tim. "Don't bother getting dressed. We're out in the middle of nowhere, no one is going to see you. I will give you a five minute head start. If it takes me more than half-an-hour to find you, you'll win this round and I'll give you a piece of clothing back."
"I-I-I'm go-going t-to t-t-tell my D-d-dad."
Luke held a dark look as he address Tim. "Go ahead. First off, he'll never believe you."
"I-I d-d-don't l-lie."
"Oh, I know you're a boy scout through and through, but it doesn't matter. He'll believe me over you any day. And second, if you do tell him, just remember, I'm still his superior officer, I'll send him off on a mission and you'll never see him again."
Tim's green eyes grew huge. "Y-you w-w-wouldn't!"
Luke leaned his face into Tim's, touching his nose. "Wanna bet?"
Tim scooted back and shook his head.
"I didn't think so." He laughed. "Now, you're wasting time. Get running."
Tim wearily got to his bare feet. He wobbled for a moment.
Luke leaned towards him and yelled out, "Agh!" He took pleasure in the terror he caused as Tim scrambled to get out of the engine room as quickly as possible.
Ziva looked to her brother and asked through tears, "When is this going to end?"
Ari shook his head. He too had his hands balled into fists.
Needing somewhere to direct his anger, Tony started stalking towards Ari to make him give an answer when the scene changed.
They were back on the dock. Luke and Victor were talking while Tim tried to stand behind his father, out of sight.
"So, Luke, how did he do?"
The former Navy man smiled sweetly. "He was full of surprises. I think we made some good progress. Right, Tim?" He looked around Victor to find the child.
"Y-yes, sir."
Victor frowned. "He's stuttering again."
Luke clamped his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Vic, small steps."
"Yeah, I guess." Victor sighed in resignation. "So, same time next weekend?"
"Of course."
The two men shared pleasantries and farewells. Victor walked his son to the car, never touching the boy. Once the car was moving, he finally addressed his son. "So, tell me what'd you think."
Tim had his head down, staring at his hands in his lap. "I-I don't like h-him. He ... he's creepy and weird and ..." He hadn't lifted his head, so he never saw the hand coming at him. His dad had never hit him so the slap caught him by surprise and knocked him completely sideways. He put his hand to his cheek at looked at his Dad, his green eyes full of betrayal.
"Don't you ever disrespect Luke! I owe my life to him more times than I can count! Understand me?"
"Y-y-yes sir." Tim lowered his head again.
Gibbs face was lobster red from anger. Ziva was the opposite, all color had left her face, but her eyes were blazing. Tony was trying to get his breathing under control. They all thought the flashback had ended. When the scene shifted again, they realized they were wrong. They were back on the dock, apparently a week later.
"Hey, Vic. You haven't seen my girl. I put a lot into her. Why don't you come aboard?"
"Sure, Luke. Love to." He looked down at his son, and spoke in a flat tone. "Come on."
All three of them boarded, Tim shaking the entire time. Once he reached the deck, he didn't go any further, staying right by the ladder. While Victor and Luke talked a barge went by, creating large waves. The motion remind Tim of the first time Luke had violated him. It sent his stomach turning.
He had tried everything to get his Dad to cancel this weekend, but Victor figured he was just being a wimp. He was terrified about what was going to happen this time. With his nerves and remembering what had already happened, his body reacted the only way it could, he threw-up all over the deck.
Victor and Luke came over. Victor looked at his son, disgusted. "What's wrong with you?"
Tim knew he couldn't say what was really going on, so tried for a half-truth. "T-the w-waves ... t-the m-m-movement ..."
"Seasick? You're getting seasick?" Victor turned to his friend. "I'm so sorry about this."
"Oh, it's okay. He seemed to get green around the gills last time, but I thought it would pass."
Victor stormed over to his son and grabbed his arm. "No, Luke, it's not your fault. My son ... is lacking in a lot of areas. Do you want help cleaning up?"
"Nah, just get him off my deck before he loses it again." Luke nodded towards the boy, who looked like he was ready to hurl again.
Victor shoved Tim down the ladder and practically drug him to the car. He waited until they were inside before he spoke to his son. "Will you ever stop being a disappointment?"
"I-I'm s-sorry, sir." Tim kept his head down again.
Victor took a couple of calming breaths. He turned to face straight ahead, turned the car on and started it moving. "I've had enough. I think it's time for you to go live with your grandmother. She seems to ..."
The car faded out, leaving the team back in the middle of the crowd.
Tim was sitting on the ground, still staring at his hands. He didn't move a muscle.
Air knelt down and spoke very softly to the traumatized child. Tim still didn't move. Ari eventually scooped up the child in his arm and held him close. He turned to the team. "Give him some time."
Ziva address her brother, "Ari, how can we ..."
"Just ... give him some time." He stroked Tim's head. Ari looked at the group. "I have a task for you."
"What?" Tony asked in a distracted voice.
"You will need coins to cross the river."
"How can we even think about ..." Gibbs protested.
"Give. Him. Some. Time." Ari started rocking the child.
The three agents watched the two. Tim had still not moved. Gibbs knew his people also needed some time to digest what they had just witnessed. Keeping busy would help. "Alright, fine. Where do we get these coins?"
Ari didn't look at them as he spoke. "Around. Some of the lost souls have them, they just don't know it. Some are just lying around."
Tony had a question. "I thought you told us to stay way from other souls?"
"No, I said to be on alert. You will still need to be. However, we cannot go further until each of you have a coin."
"What about you and Tim?" Ziva asked.
Ari smiled. "I have us already covered."
"Brother, are you sure ..."
He finally looked up. "Go. Find your coins. We will be here."
Gibbs turned to his people. "Let's go." A motion with his hands got them going and they all went in different directions.
Tony kept looking over his shoulder to Ari and Tim. All the times that I teased him about getting seasick ..., he shook his head disgusted with himself. Now he finally understood a lot about his friend: his issue with maggots, the reason he was so protective of his sister, and why he was so close to his grandmother.
He was lost in thought when a face in the crowd caught his attention. He jogged over, calling out, "Jim!"
Jim Nelson turn to face whoever had called his name. When he recognized the person coming up to him, he gave a sad smile. "DiNozzo! How long have you been here?"
The two agents shook hands. "I don't know five days, I think." Tony said as he first ran his hand through his hair, then grabbed the back of his neck.
"How'd it happen?"
Tony shrugged, he looked over his shoulder again. Jim followed his gaze. "Oh wow, Tim's here too? Was it a bomb like us?"
"No. Tim's in a coma. We got to watch his soul get ripped out of his body, so we're trying to get it back." Tony sighed. "Now, I'm trying to find a coin so I can cross this stupid river." He gestured vaguely towards the River of Blood.
Jim gave him a confused look, but Tony didn't notice and just continued. "What about you? What are you doing here? Figured you'd be in the Golden Halls."
The dark skinned man shrugged. "Wasn't happy about being dead. One moment I'm waling into a building to question a potential whistle blower, the next I'm here. I had so much left that I wanted to do ..." He got a far away look to his eyes.
Tony felt uncomfortable, realizing Jim was reliving a memory, then confused about why he wasn't seeing it too. When Jim's eyes refocused, he looked sadly at DiNozzo. "So much." He sighed heavily, then looked back to Tony. "What did you mean about Tim?"
It was Tony's turn to give a confused look. "Huh?"
"You said his soul was taken?"
"Oh, yeah, apparently Tim was supposed to have died when he was sixteen ..."
"His car accident."
"Yup. So, Tim being Tim, impressed Death so much he let him live. Tall, dark, and creepy decided he didn't like the way we've been treating Tim, so ..."
"He took him back." Jim answered in an awed breath. He placed a hand on the back of his neck. "Even in the time that I've been here, I know about Death's ... temperament. Man, you guys must have made him real mad."
"Yeah, we kinda have that affect on ... people? ... can you call Death people?"
Jim laughed. "I guess. So what's your plan?"
Tony shrugged then let his shoulder sag. "I have no idea. All I know is that we have a guide we can't trust, Tim can't even see us and now I have to find some dumb coin to cross a bloody river! We don't even know if this is going to work!" His volume increase as did his frustration.
Jim put his hands in his pockets and an internal debate started. "You keep saying 'we', who ..."
DiNozzo gave a sardonic smile. "All of Team Gibbs is here. Doing our own version of 'What Dreams May Come'."
"Never figured you as someone who would watch a movie like that."
"A movie is a movie is a movie. I have to watch it to see where it ranks on the DiNozzo scale." His smile became more genuine.
"So, what did you guys do, commit mass suicide?"
"No, man. We're still alive."
An odd look came over Jim's face. He started to take a step towards Tony, but visibly stop himself. "Your ... your alive?!"
"Yeah." Tony squeaked nervously as he stepped back from the former agent. He could clearly see Jim was going through some sort of internal struggle.
With an extremely great effort, Jim took a step away from DiNozzo. "Do me a favor ... don't EVER tell another soul that, okay?"
"Why shouldn't I say ..."
Jim talked over him. "BECAUSE, it is ... dangerous to say something like that." His facial expressions kept changing between anger, friendship, frustration, caring, longing hunger, and loyalty. He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and tossed a small item to DiNozzo.
On reflex, Tony reached out and snatched the object out of the air. He opened his hand and saw a brass coin with the image of a sun. He took his other hand, reached out his middle finger and gingerly flipped it over. The other side had a crescent moon, or it could have been a farmer's sickle. "What? Why?"
"For Tim. He was a good friend." A slow smile graced Jim's face, even through the turmoil still showing in his eyes. "He's the one who introduced me to the woman that became my wife."
"He's the best." Tony added in a very quiet voice. "Are you sure?"
Jim nodded. "Yeah. Go, save him."
Tony smiled his thanks and turned to walk way.
"DiNozzo!"
He turned back to Jim.
"Make sure you take care of him this time. I'll be watching."
DiNozzo went to open his mouth to respond, but he realized there were no words to express everything he felt. Keeping his eyes solidly fixed on Jim's, he squeezed the coin tighter in his fist then brought it to his heart. Nodding to Jim, he once again turned and walked away.
"Oh, one last thing!"
Tony stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.
"If you see Paula ... stay far, far away from her."
Tony frowned. He wanted to ask why, but decided against it. Instead he just quickly walked away and got himself back to Tim and Ari as fast as he could.