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It was a week after the party and Tony still had not gone sightseeing.
You'd think that being laid up with a dislocated shoulder would be a perfect reason to take things easy and just enjoy the sights of the beautiful little city. But when had "taking things easy" ever been a part of their lives?
As DiNozzo had said, they were planning to leave two weeks from the day of the party. Really, now that they knew about Tim, their schedule was freed up- it would have made sense to go home early, but Gibbs never mentioned booking an earlier flight. Tony believed that the boss wanted to hear from Tim as much as they did.
It can take weeks for a dislocated shoulder to really heal. Luckily, DiNozzo's injury was very minimal, and it was mending quickly. He still didn't have much use of it, and he tried to avoid moving the arm as much as possible, but at least he was no longer invalidated to the bed 24/7.
After the party, the three NCIS agents never intended to go on a hunt in Valero Notte... but it happened. And it had to happen, for several reasons.
The report came on the late-night news. It was in Italian- thank heaven for Ziva; even Tony's broken knowledge of the language wasn't fast enough for the news caster. But Ziva understood every word, and the disturbing report made her stop in her tracks and turn toward the TV.
"What is it, Ziver?" Gibbs asked, noticing her troubled expression. She translated for them.
"...this is, unfortunately, the second body found in a week. Valero Notte's murder rates have skyrocketed in the past few months, from zero murders last year to this year's five deaths in the past seven months. Five may not seem like a lot to larger cities like Venice or Rome, but that is a five hundred percent increase from last year's death rates...the body was found in the harbor, with bizarre bullet holes in the chest and a gruesome dent in the man's skull. Police officials are denying the work of a serial killer in Valero Notte, though some are skeptical...unfortunately, we are required to show pictures of the victim, as he was found without an ID...these pictures may be too graphic for some viewers...if you recognize this man, please contact Valero Notte police..."
The anchor was replaced on the screen by a photo of the victim. It was, undoubtedly, the work of a twisted flightling.
"You don't think its-" Ziva began, and Gibbs shook his head.
"No, I don't. I think it was a guest of their party who's stayed for an extended visit to the city."
"Should we...?" Tony asked, as hesitant as Gibbs to go after the creature. They didn't want to antagonize the Clarks, if it was someone they knew...but they also couldn't let a serial killer loose into Valero Notte without doing something about it.
Gibbs thought for a moment. They had dinner reservations in a little restaurant on the main avenue of the town. The street ran right past the harbor.
"Let's eat," he said. "Then swing by the crime scene, see if there's any sign of who did it."
...
Victoria opened the window and stuck her head out.
"Mmm...it's lovely tonight," she said. "Hardly humid, and there's a breeze. Not a raincloud in sight."
Turning away from the window, she came to sit next to Tim at the bar in their living room. The den was completely different from the rest of the house: where most of the Clark residence kept its traditional decor of Gothic, Classical and Renaissance, the living room was completely modern, and simply done. The bar was like something from a cocktail lounge you'd only find in New York City- it was sleek, dark, and had a lot of spotlights and mirrors to reflect them. The television was very modern, and the furniture was all comfortable, yet inexpensive. The light color on the wall made it all the more cheery and bright than the rest of the house.
"Should we take advantage of the weather?" Apollo asked. "A friend of mine has a boat. I'm sure we could persuade him to let us borrow it."
"Uh...actually, I get really sea sick," Tim said. The others stared at him. "What?"
"You were an NCIS agent," Victoria laughed. "And you suffer from chronic seasickness?"
"Yeah yeah, I know," McGee said, laughing in spite of himself. "I've heard it all before."
"Well then, how about a walk instead?" Apollo asked.
The night was indeed beautiful. The breeze whipped Victoria's curls around her head, and caused Tim's cheeks to flush. Nothing could spoil the night. Of course not. Until a screech pierced the air.
"What was that?" Apollo asked, listening for another cry, which came momentarily.
"Its in the alley," Victoria said, following McGee, who was already running into the darkness.
What they saw was, though unsurprising, still very frightening. A tall, dark flightling had a young woman backed into a corner, his black wings blocking her escape.
"Hey!" Tim shouted, diverting the man's attention, but when the monster turned to look at then, McGee took a step back in surprise.
There were no pupils in his eyes. The entirety of both eyeballs were a silvery color, as if he were wearing contacts made of moonlight. However, they were not beautiful- it wasn't the same silvery tone that ran through Tim's wings. No, this silver seemed dirty, polluted. There was something wicked about them, as the man's entire face was almost deformed with an evil air.
"Remember how I told you there were consequences to taking souls?" Victoria whispered.
The dark flightling's wings were an inky black, but they seemed brittle, as if they could snap under the gentlest of touches. The man's skin was taut, and surprisingly clear and healthy. No, the only things different about this flightling were his wings, and his face.
If he hunched over, he would definitely look like a gargoyle.
"Move on," the man hissed, aware from their eyes that the Clarks were flightlings.
"I'm afraid we can't do that," Apollo said, spreading his wings. Tim did the same, and then Victoria.
"She's mine!" The creature growled. "I found her first!"
"No, we don't want her," Victoria said, leaning forward and preparing for a fight. "We want you to leave her alone."
Their new foe coughed out a wheezing laugh. "I don't think so."
"Then we'll have to change your mind," McGee threatened.
Beginning to see that they were serious, the dark nameless man straightened and measured each of them up without a word. Then, with a flick of his wings, he was gone. Apollo and Tim quickly pursued, Victoria taking only a moment longer too see if the young woman was alright (she was fine, just unconscious).
Luckily for the Clark family, they knew their city well. Every cobble stone, every old house, the ivy, the almost-tropic weather, the misty fog, and every sound that whispered throughout the alleys...it was all theirs, each object and moment preciously intimate to their memories.
They took off after the dark figure, swooping and diving out of sight, far above the vision of humans on the ground.
...
They had just stepped out of the restaurant when Ziva froze, halting dead in her tracks. Tony almost ran right in to her, she stopped so quickly.
"What's wrong?"
At first she didn't answer, too busy concentrating on the roof of a building across the street.
"Ziva?"
She still didn't respond.
"Ziva!"
"Look!" she said, pointing at a little deli. Gibbs and DiNozzo watched for a minute, and were rewarded when they saw a black figure leap from the building to the next. No one could have possibly noticed except for Ziva, and she was looking for it.
It was clearly not Tim, Apollo, or Victoria; the monster's black wings reflected in the moonlight.
"Let's go," Gibbs said, intending only to see where it was headed.
They took off after the figure, racing to catch it. Tony started to grind his teeth as his shoulder began to sting.
The flightling vanished from sight on a roof a few blocks over, and Ziva began to scale the fire escape.
"What are you doing?" Tony hissed.
"Making sure it doesn't hurt anyone," she said.
"Do you have a gun?" DiNozzo asked. She stared at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Right."
Gibbs started to climb after her, and Tony followed suit. When Ziva peered over the edge of the building, her eyes widened in shock.
Flashes of white, silver and black darted to and fro. The flightling they had been pursuing was not alone; he was engaged in an impromptu battle with Apollo and Victoria Clark. Chills ran up Ziva's spine when she saw a tall young man with huge white wings springing from his back: Tim. She couldn't see his face, but she saw him fighting a larger man, a second dark-winged flightling.
"What's wrong?" Tony called up.
"They're here," she whispered, and clambered up to join the fight.
"Ziva!" Gibbs and Tony called, gaining the attention of every flightling on the roof.
"Ziva?" Tim said, and turned to see his former teammate pulling a long blade out of her boot. Gibbs' head popped up soon after, followed by Tony. Victoria and Apollo were busy fighting, but they threw the newcomers odd looks whenever possible. With a strong punch, McGee felled the young man in front of him and rushed to see the NCIS agents.
"What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed. Ziva and Gibbs could only stare. This was the first time they'd seen Tim as a flightling; only descriptions from Tony had given them an idea of what he looked like.
Goosebumps ran over Ziva's arms. The huge feathery appendages from Tim's back looked strong and frightening, especially paired with his emerald eyes that shone in the darkness.
"McGee..."
"Yeah, Ziva, it's me," he said, keeping a respectful distance. He looked over his shoulder and gave Gibbs a formal nod.
Neither of them could do much talking, so Tony spoke for them. "Friends of yours?"
"Not at all. We chased the older one here, and the younger one just appeared."
"We followed the younger one here-"
"Tim!"
All of them turned to see the younger flightling pinning Victoria to the ground. McGee sprung into action, and the NCIS agents did the same.
Gibbs and Ziva sprang at the older flightling who was giving Apollo some trouble; McGee pulled the younger flightling off Victoria, and Tony aimed a gun at him. However, as he stumbled back, his dark wings slammed against DiNozzo and made him stumble.
Over the edge of the roof.
"Tony!" Ziva cried as she saw her partner fall over the edge of the building.
McGee saw it happen too and leapt after DiNozzo, landing on his stomach and reaching over the ledge to catch him.
Ziva froze, and there was a moment of quiet before she could hear Tony say, "why do we always end up in this situation, McGee?"
Tim gave a breathless laugh and pulled the agent back onto the roof.
DiNozzo couldn't help but remember the first time McGee had saved him from a gruesome fall; this was the second time he had looked up into the frightened expression, the worried eyes. Maybe the color was a little different, but the eyes were the same. They say the eyes are the portals to the soul- it was the same soul peering down at him. He was still Tim, through and through.
"This can't be good for your shoulder," Tim muttered as Tony sat up next to him and caught his breath.
"I'll survive," he grinned. "Is this where I promise not to give you a hard time ever again?"
"I think you have to say you love me first."
They looked up at Ziva, who was staring at them incredulously. The two men stood, and Tony clapped McGee on the back.
"Thanks, Tim," he smiled.
Tim couldn't help but smile back. This was the first familiar contact he'd had with someone since before he changed (besides Victoria or Apollo). It was like old times, and he felt like himself again.
Tony could see the spark in his friend's eye, and felt a rush of relief. Things were better with Tim, at least. Now, all they had to worry about was Apollo and Gibbs tearing each other apart.
Which reminded him...
"Where's everyone else?" DiNozzo asked.
Ziva pointed to the rooftop over, where Apollo and Gibbs were fighting with the older of the two opponents, Victoria with the younger. The space between the two structures was much smaller than the usual Valero Notte alley, and while Tim was busy saving Tony, Gibbs and the rest of the Clarks had chased the two rogues over to the next roof.
"Tony, help Victoria!" Tim shouted as he sprinted over to assist Apollo and Gibbs, Ziva on his heels. DiNozzo wasn't keen on being anywhere near Victoria, but he realized the same thing that Tim did: with his shoulder still recovering, he was in no condition to fight a truly dangerous and experienced flightling. He would have argued, but he knew that McGee was right. He would just get in the way.
Ziva and Tony ran after Tim, easily jumping the small space and joining the fray. Ziva and McGee's efforts were much needed; even with four adversaries, the older flightling put up quite a fight.
Victoria was in a sort of dance with her opponent similar to the one Tony had seen Gibbs and Apollo do. Darkened wings flicked against white ones in their proximity. At that moment, the evil flightling was facing Victoria, his back to DiNozzo. The young woman saw this and discreetly nodded to Tony, who took out a knife and slashed at their adversary's back.
With a screech, the dark form recoiled, leaping off the roof. His wings extended and he began to pick up speed as he flew. Tony scowled at the development.
"Come on," Victoria said, moving to jump.
"Wait!"
She looked back at him, annoyed. When she remembered that he couldn't fly, she shrugged and picked him up around the waist.
"Ow!"
"Sorry," she said icily as they took off. "But there's not much I can do about it, is there?"
From her voice he could tell she wasn't one to often lose her cool. He was probably the only human being in the entire world who get such a rise out of her. (Not that he blamed her. It's not like the feelings weren't reciprocated.)
This was the first time he had ever flown with a flightling. He had always thought flying would be pleasurable, but with the throbbing his arm was doing and the fact that Victoria was probably all too willing to drop him...
The flightling landed a block away, so she did too. In fact, she landed right on top of him, letting Tony go right before she did so. DiNozzo landed deftly on his feet as she tackled the man, pinning his wings down with her feet and sitting her entire weight on his back. Though it was black as Gibbs' coffee in this alley, Victoria moved like a cat. Squinting in the darkness, Tony remembered that she could see in the dark.
Nevertheless, he helped considerably by pulling out his gun and training it on the young flightling's head.
"Don't you dare move or you'll be sorry," Victoria said.
Normally, she would have been too gentle and innocent looking to deliver a convincing threat. If she didn't have wings, she would have looked about as menacing as Audrey Hepburn holding a kitten. Yes, the wings definitely made a difference, even when they were next to the formidable pitch black feathers.
"Do you have any handcuffs?" Victoria asked. Tony pulled out a pair and handed them to her. She bent her head down and put her lips close to their captive's ear.
"Fold away your wings."
"I can't with you sitting on my back, bitch."
"Hey," Tony said in warning. "Don't try that. Just stand up and do as she says."
Victoria stood and let the man follow her orders. He put away his wings in defeat. With the advantage of DiNozzo's gun, the two had him trapped. Once the wings were gone, Victoria snapped on the handcuffs.
Looking from their prisoner to Tony, Victoria's eyebrows knitted.
"I can't carry you both back to the roof in one trip," she said.
"That's okay, it was sort of uncomfortable anyway," Tony said dryly. "I'll walk."
Victoria stared at him in exasperation for a minute then sighed. "Then I suppose I'm walking with you."
She forced the dark flightling up and made him walk in front of her. With his hands tied behind his back, there was no way he could spread his wings open or outrun them.
"Why?" Tony asked. "I'm fine, you can fly ahead. You don't have to wait for me."
She folded her wings away and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He avoided eye contact with her as much as possible, noting that she left at least five feet of distance between them.
"I can't leave you here to fend for yourself. There might be others out tonight."
"I can take care of myself."
"Not with that shoulder, you can't," she said, noting the way he kept his arm close to his body.
"Why do you care?"
Her eyes softened considerably. "Tim cares about you and your friends very much."
"So?"
"So if something happened to you, Tim would be heartbroken. And I don't want to be responsible for that."
DiNozzo was quiet for a minute.
"Thank you."
She nodded, still looking forward.
His arm started to act up again, and he pulled a small bottle of pills from his pocket as they turned a corner. He shook a couple into his hand and dry swallowed them before he noticed Victoria watching him.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little. It's more inconvenient than anything else," he admitted.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth and hardened the look in her eyes. "I'm sure you'll be back to hunting innocent people soon enough," she said.
"You think we're murderers."
"I know you are. Why else would you come to our home and try to kill us?"
"Fair enough. But in our defense, we thought you were the murderers."
She scoffed at this and fell silent again, but Tony continued. "We've never hunted any flightlings that don't take souls."
"How could you be sure?"
"Well, we usually catch them in the act," he said. "They're usually actively trying to take souls when we catch them."
"Usually?"
"I can promise you that we never killed a single flightling that didn't have dark wings," Tony said. "And we don't really seek them out and provoke them, we hear reports or dangerous activity, and we stop them."
Victoria didn't answer, though she secretly felt a little better.
"We're not bloodthirsty murderers," he insisted. "We only stopped the evil flightlings from taking human lives."
"I suppose I can appreciate that," Victoria said. "That's your regular job too, right? Fighting bad guys?"
"Yeah, we're NCIS agents."
"Tim told me. From what I understand, he really loved that job."
Tony nodded, and they fell into the tense silence again.
"I'm sorry about your shoulder," she said finally.
"I'm sorry about your wing."
"I heal a lot faster than you do. It didn't even leave a scar."
He looked at her back. "Where do the wings go? When you 'put them away'...what happens to them? They're completely gone."
"They fold into my back. It doesn't really make sense, since there is no extra bones in my back that show up on an x ray. They sort of appear and disappear."
"Does it hurt?"
"Folding them in at out? The first time it does. After that you cannot feel it."
They arrived back at the building they took off from, and Victoria turned to look him in the eyes for the first time all night. "I'm not sure that you are trustworthy...but Tim believes you are, and that will have to be good enough for me. But if you or your teammates try to hurt my family, you will have to pay for it."
DiNozzo nodded in understanding. "I was going to say the same thing about you."
She took hold of the nameless young man, who had remained silent this whole time.
"I'll be right back," she said to Tony, then winged herself and their captive to the roof. In moments she returned, and this time she lifted DiNozzo with a bit more care. It wasn't exactly gentle, but it wasn't the rough gasp she had given him before.
When they were all back on the roof, Tony say that Tim was holding onto the young man, with Ziva aiming her gun at him. Apollo and Gibbs were doing the same thing with the older man.
"What do we do with these two?" McGee asked.
"We can't exactly let them free," Apollo said. "They'll go right back to hunting down humans."
"We could-" Ziva began, but was cut off when, with a bizarre yelp of desperation, the older of the two twisted beings wrenched himself out of Apollo's grasp and lunged for Gibbs. However, the oldest Clark was faster than that. He grabbed the villain before he could tear apart the NCIS agent's throat, and pinned him to the ground. But though Apollo had enormous strength, his foe did too, and they were locked in a struggle on the ground. Before anyone could come to his aid, he had thrown off the leader of the Clark family and jumped at him. However, a carefully placed bullet from Gibbs intercepted his path and knocked him to the ground, dead.
Apollo stood and looked at the deceased flightling with wide eyes. Gibbs started to defend his shot, when Apollo cut him off.
"No, no, it had to be done. I was about to thank you, actually."
McGee smiled in delight upon hearing these words.
"It seems that even though we don't really trust one another, we have similar goals. You try to stop the more wicked of our kind, and we try to defend humans from them."
Gibbs nodded, uncharacteristically waiting for him to get to the point.
"I suppose there's no need for us to continue ripping out each other's throats. I propose a truce."
Gibbs looked at Tony and Ziva, then looked at McGee. The time for talking with his former agent about past events would come. At that moment, he took Apollo's hand and shook it. "Truce."
Apollo's whiskey-colored eyes flashed. "Excellent."
Tony came and clapped Tim on the back again. Tim smiled at Apollo and at Victoria, who both kept their distance from the hunters. They may be allies, but they weren't necessarily all friends yet.
McGee looked at Ziva, who smiled at him warmly, but did not make a move to touch him. "Its so wonderful to have you back, McGee. We missed you."
"Thanks, Z," he smiled. She returned the smile, but still did not come too close to him. Tim, though disappointed, had been expecting this to happen. She was much more superstitious, and believed in all kinds of creatures. Tim remembered her quiet apprehension when they thought there was a monster on the Chimera navy ship. She wasn't necessarily frightened, just more aware of the amount of power the supernatural could wield. Ziva would come around, he was sure.
Tim turned to Gibbs next, sticking out his hand to shake. "Hey Boss...Gibbs."
"Hey McGee," Jethro said, awkwardly shaking his former employee's hand. He, much like Ziva, had a bit of apprehension about flightlings too. Nothing in him was scared, that's for sure, just slightly distrustful. Over a decade of dealing solely with evil flightlings couldn't be undone in a single night, and once again McGee realized that. It wasn't much, but it was a start.