Disclaimer: no legal rights to NCIS, no money being made.

NOT BETA'D, EACH AND EVERY MISTAKE IS MINE, SORRY!

Warnings: same as Chapter One, also not for Ziva fans, nor Tiva fans. Therefore, read at your own risk you have been warned.

DETERMINED TO HOLD

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO misstep

Another few months later

McGee, Ziva and Gibbs were still in the bullpen after a semi-easy case that day. Beatty had been at FLETC taking an obligatory field work class. Since McGee had been promoted to temporary Senior Field Agent while DiNozzo was on assignment undercover, he had extra duties to finish. He'd been given that promotion short time when Gibbs had been acting Director for Vance, who was on a mystery assignment of his own.

When Vance had returned and Gibbs was back to being Lead, McGee had kept the title and duties of the SFA. It seemed the practical thing to do since McGee had done a credible job of supervising the junior investigator and he deserved it. The overactive Beatty had learned a lot, calmed down somewhat and was turning into a reliable agent.

Since his hero status for what he had done to save those children, and McGee had made sure everyone knew about it, the jokes about him not being around long had stopped and the money from the bets of the office pool about him had gone to his favorite charity. His prospects were looking good that he'd pass his probationary status easily.

As McGee finished signing his last page of his last report, he contemplated where they were now. Since his promotion, Ziva had been stoically pretending to be a good sport. Oh, she still jumped into the front seat when Gibbs was driving or confiscated the keys when he wasn't. But she'd stopped trying to intimidate or get rid of Beatty outwardly because he'd told her as the acting SFA that it wasn't very productive and made her look foolish. Yes, he had told her that and he still didn't believe he'd actually said it and he'd survived the fierce venomous glare he gotten from her for that remark.

But as far as he knew she'd stopped with the verbal assaults against Beatty at least in public and didn't talk to him at all if she could help it. And it seemed she'd not paid the junior agent back yet for his insolent screaming fit in her face because after all he had saved those children and he was a hero. And he was a humble hero that people liked about him and found inviting, and one of their own. And let's face it, the people in that building passionately disliked Ziva so she couldn't really do anything to him if she wanted to stay there. But McGee felt she was playing a waiting game and believed her day would come.

As far as him being her boss, she was prone to taking the few orders he gave her as acting SFA with a nod, an irritatingly smug smile, and no dissent. Small things. If only things were that , the team as a whole got the job done but everything wasn't just fine.

"McGee, those reports ready?" Gibbs groused.

"On your desk in countdown 3… 2…1, Boss," said McGee aloud, inserting missing DiNozzo into the mix cause he missed the guy's distractions. He finished his signature with a last flourish and took the reports to Gibbs who was staring at him strangely but didn't say anything.

Ziva came off her haughty high horse for a minute to glare at him than stuck her nose back in whatever she was doing.

"Going for coffee," Gibbs said after reviewing the reports and a few minutes later he disappeared.

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McGee was thinking about taking a late lunch break, picking up a sandwich then going for a half hour walk when he got a call from up above.

"McGee, my office, now!"

"Uh, yes si…". Vances' phone was hung up abruptly. What now?

He looked over at Ziva. "Would you let Gibbs know when he gets back that Director Vance wanted to see me."

"Why does Vance want to see you?" Tim frowned her way as he came from behind his desk. She sounded like the old Ziva who used to excel in giving him orders. He almost said, none of your business, like Beatty would have done even though he was raised to treat women better. It's what he wanted to say but didn't because someone had to be the adult in this society of NCIS they lived and worked in and it could very well be her secret business, or about her business not known or to be seen by others. He was just sure she was involved somehow.

"Don't know."

"Very well, I shall accompany you, then." She picked up a pen and pad and started to follow him up the stairs where he stood blocking her way. Seeing his stubborn stance, she made to move around him. "If Director Vance does not need me, McGee, I will not make a scene but I am a part of this team."

Ziva had some imitable qualities, humility was not one of them. As she stood challenging him at the foot of the stairs he recalled wanting to be a psychiatrist at one point in his youth because he had taken to something Carl Jung had said that reminded him of his father - Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.

Something was out of tune with her, the arrogance was always palpable but what lies beneath?

"Really, Ziva, do you want to take the chance? Think you're on such strong footing with Vance like you were with Jennie Shepherd that he'll appreciate you usurping his position as Director? Do you really want to arbitrarily negate his decision on who he wants or does not want to attend his meeting? Really?" he challenged.

He looked at her as though she was a sad thing to be pitied before turning and trotting up the stairs. She pursed her lips and clenched her teeth in fury as she turned away, back to her desk. How dare he! He was right but how dare he! She had almost made another disastrous mistake. She needed to get control of her senses and her emotions before Gibbs got back. But really, McGee was becoming even more bold when talking to her or giving her orders. So far, she had managed to keep her fury at bay but deep down, she was still smarting from the atrocious vile behavior of the junior agent Beatty who had insulted her and spat in her face, and who she had yet to pay back. Now McGee too would have to be taught a lesson? She would end up blowing up the whole building to repay all the enemies she had made here.

But reluctantly her begrudging thanks went to McGee who had inadvertently saved her from overstepping the boundaries she had set for herself. What had come over her?

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"McGee, we've got two priority cases going on right now and time is of the essence. Don't ask questions until I'm finished. I just got a call from Tobias Fornell. It seems Gibbs has been snatched off the street."

McGee inhaled sharply but did not speak.

"Fornell says the perps were professionals and on live street cams the actual seizure was not picked up. He walked beside some trucks and on the other side, the cameras show he was gone. It's as though they wanted us to see what they could do."

McGee's complexion had gone starkly white as he'd sat and listened. "Are you telling me that Gibbs was kidnapped, in broad daylight only," Tim looked at his watch, "less than two hours ago, but how, forget that, why? And why notify Fornell and not NCIS?"

"Oh, we know how. According to Fornell, they got a call from some no name mystery man who knew about Gibbs' association with the FBI and Fornell and decided not to bother with NCIS middleman and go right to the source. It's telling that they knew when he left the building and what his route would be which leads us to believe there's a mole here or he's got an illegal tracker on him. Either way, secrecy is paramount, we don't know who we can trust right now. And here's the kicker, they want…"

"…to know where to find Anthony DiNozzo, Jr," Tim said with certainty.

Because suddenly Timothy McGee had known exactly what they wanted. His intuition had been on fire and he'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop for months and it finally had. He had accepted and embraced his gut feeling, intuition, whatever this was, and it had finally come to fruition.

Vance looked at him in surprise and then suspicion crept in. "How did you know, McGee? Did the kidnappers call here, are you in touch with them? What's going on?"

"No, sir, I didn't know. Just this feeling I've had since Tony's been gone. That there was more to come, it's hard to explain but…"

"Hold on, McGee." Vance held up his hand to Tim. "Just hold on. Don't go all psychic on me. I'm not interested in 'my gut' as tantamount to legitimate police work, just the facts. And the fact is DiNozzo stole something as part of his undercover op and they want it back. He managed to escape with it but before he got to safety, he hid it and put his GPS locator on it for the good guys to find it. That left him without a way for his backup to find him. And we assume that he did this in case he got caught and didn't want to be captured with the goods on him."

"Great!" McGee exclaimed. "So Tony's on the run without backup and who knows what chasing him. Is there a plan so we can at least try keeping him alive and do we have a clue as to where he might be?" Tim's impatience and disapproval were evident even though he knew going under cover was always a chance snafu about to happen.

"He should be in the desert somewhere if he's following the planned escape route and we've got a day if not hours to find him and extract him. And I understand your frustration McGee but let's get him back before we start delving into who's at fault."

"Right." McGee nodded, first things first. "What do you want me to do, Director?"

"Good, McGee. We need you to head to the rendezvous site. There's a man there already who's in charge but…just do what you can to help because there's more info you need to know. You and…"

"I'm on it, Director Vance," said Tim anticipating his request. He rose quickly from his chair and pulled out his cellphone. "I'll brief Ziva…"

"NO!" Vance cried out stridently, startling McGee to stop dialing.

Vance's' expression turned sour as he contemplated the rest of the info he had to share with McGee. He didn't have the time to deal with a shocked prima donna but he was confident the man he was dealing with was young but a smart and skilled agent.

"Sorry about that but no, McGee. Do not call Ziva. If I'd wanted Ziva, I'd have summoned her up here as well. We've got a mole and there's something else going on here but there's no time to elaborate, just keep your mouth shut and tell Ziva nothing! Beatty has been picked up from FletC and is meeting you at the plane where you'll get further sit-rep. I know Beatty is a relative probie but I've heard good things about him, including from you. Take the elevator on this floor to the garage for your ride so Ziva won't see you leave. I'll deal with her!"

"Yes, sir." McGee said, wide-eyed and shocked into motion. He turned to go as instructed but turned back for a second. "And Gibbs?"

"Fornel and I are on it, McGee. Trust us. Right now, your priority is DiNozzo. Go, and McGee, good luck."

McGee nodded and left for the garage and his waiting transport to the airport. He hopped on the Boeing C17 military plane when he got there with a stunned Beatty in tow and they were on their way. Now if someone would tell him where they were going. And hurry, hurry, hurry to get there!

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Vance was getting ready to leave the building to meet up with Fornell. Haste was of the upmost but first there was Ziva David to deal with. He told himself he had to remain cool and collected when he spoke to her especially when he was feeling resentful that he'd had to order McGee to sneak out the back exit practically crawling on his hands and knees like a common criminal just to avoid any contact with her. But it gave him more time to escape her notice if, in fact, she was the mole.

He'd called her to his office for a briefing on what was going on and she sat there quietly waiting for him to begin. The team was broken up and he had to decide what to do with her. There were not a whole lot of teams he could temporarily assign her to. The two he thought of that would take her, well, one team, the whole lot of them, had taken a wedding/cruise/vacation to attend the wedding of one of their own. The other team was on a par with Gibbs' solve rate but had a female SFA who would not take any of Ziva's crap.

He also needed to decide how much he was going to tell her. Chatter had been up in the intelligence community that a prototype highly secretive high-energy electrical weapons device that could damage or destroy enemy electronics making their weapons inoperable had been stolen and finally been put up for sale. He didn't know how DiNozzo always managed to let trouble find him but it did. He had completed his undercover mission successfully delivering the booty in his own unique way. The question was, why were 'they' still after him? What did they think he still had, the prototype?

All of this was not for Ziva's ears but she had to know that Gibbs had been kidnapped and that DiNozzo was on the run before it was all over the building but that was all she was getting from him especially since they were not actively working the case. Next question would be, "if we are not working the case, then where are McGee and Beatty?"

"McGee was sent to cybercrime division security department at the FBI to help in the search for the hacker who tried to penetrate their computer system looking for DiNozzo."

"I thought you said we were not working the case." She was persistent and stubborn that's for sure, thought Vance, and he didn't blame her for being suspicious as his lame explanations were pretty…lame. Vance didn't have a lot of time but he still tried to give the appearance that he was forthcoming and trustworthy.

"Yes, I did, however looking for a hacker is not the same as working the case, Officer David."

"I see. And where is Beatty?"

"At FLETC, he'll finish his required courses."

Ziva had had enough of the subterfuge. This was ridiculous. "Director Vance, this is not right! There is something fishy smelling going on here! You say that Gibbs has been kidnapped and Tony is running away and his whereabouts are unknown, and yet, we are not heading the effort to find and rescue them. It is obvious you do not trust me to tell me the truth. What must I do to gain your confidence, Director Vance? I know that you are friends with my father and I have tried to show you… blah, blah, blah…"

"Blah, blah, blah." Vance had stopped listening. First of all, leave it to high ranking Mossad Officer Ziva David to always find the temerity to denigrate what she thought of as DiNozzo's faults and failures and bring them to the forefront. Running away, as she put it, obviously showed cowardice in the face of the enemy that left it up to others, meaning her, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the team, to save him. Gibbs, standing on the pedestal she had hefted him on no matter the sandbags he hauled with him, was not subject to her disdain. He was the better man without flaw and deserving of her fealty, until he wasn't. All of this was going through Vance's head as he determined to fight her off with words.

"Officer David! Let me assure you, all that can be done is being done!"

Ziva rose from her chair and pointed a finger at him, her frustration apparent at not getting the right answers. "Then where is the loud alarm and call to arms that is usually displayed when…"

"Enough, Officer David! These are your orders. You are being temporarily assigned to Balboa's team until further notice. This is only temporary so please take that into consideration when dealing with his SFA. Report to him once you leave here. I will be making an announcement regarding the current situation with Gibbs and DiNozzo shortly. Then I will meet up with Fornell at the FBI. I assure you again Officer David, every effort is being made to find the rest of your team. Now I believe there is nothing more I can discuss with you at this time and I do have to meet with Fornell so please return to the bullpen."

When she didn't move right away, he followed up with a stern order, "You are dismissed!"

And he stood stiffly waiting for her to leave. Without another word she turned her back and walked away with great majesty. He was lying to her and this whole scenario was a lie. And he knew she knew it too. Gibbs being kidnapped and DiNozzo screwing up his assignment, oh, they were all real, but the rest of it, no everything was off and she needed to find out what.

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FBI Agent Sacks was on the plane to meet McGee and Beatty. Right now, he sprawled in the hard, uncomfortable seat with a to-go cup of coffee in one hand and his cellphone in the other pressed to his ear. The plane was so loud McGee gave up any effort to eavesdrop. Beatty was excited but tried to remain calm and professional like his comrades-in-arms whom he admired, even Sacks. He'd never met this guy, uh, Agent DiNozzo but heard about him, mostly good things, and now he was a part of trying to save his life. He wouldn't mess up, he'd make them and his family proud.

McGee had other thoughts: Sacks finally disconnected his phone and motioned Beatty and me to a presumably quieter section of the plane. "This is what's going on, McGee. We've got a man waiting in a godforsaken little town on the outskirts of nowhere. This dismal place is where DiNozzo should end up eventually and there is a helicopter on standby if and when DiNozzo resurfaces.

"He'll resurface, Sacks, don't hold your breath that he won't." I know I sounded belligerent but I didn't need Sacks' ongoing feud with Tony to interfere with what we were here for.

"Look McGee. Tony and I buried the hatchet some time ago and by that I don't mean in each others backs. Suffice it to say, I'm here to help find him and bring him home safely. Can we agree to that?"

He sounded sincere so what the heck, "Fair enough."

"Good. Now what all the mystery is about and what Vance didn't want to discuss in your building is that there's a leak that as yet has not been determined by whom."

"How does this involve DiNozzo and Gibbs?" Beatty spoke up.

"Good question. Answer, we don't know. DiNozzo was able to get what he went undercover for but there's a possibility, a very high possibility, that he might have picked up something else, something belonging to and stolen from Israel. The undercover agent in that cartel who helped him escape from there was murdered. There's more than a slight chance that he passed something on to Tony without him even knowing about it. Israel wants it back, of course and I wouldn't put it past them to have operatives out in what they would call looking for him to question rather than just gunning him down and taking what they want. Rumor is North Korea and China among others are getting their hands muddy too."

I watched as Sacks placed a flash drive into his laptop. "This is the prototype electrical weapons device that could damage or destroy enemy electronics making their weapons inoperable. It's too big to put in a shoe so if he has it, it'll be somebody else's problem to figure out how he managed that miracle. That's why consensus is, he doesn't have it."

"Wow!" exclaimed Beatty. "Ooh, the shadowy world of espionage and suspense 101. For me at least, I've never been involved in…"

"Beatty!" I chastised him mildly because I wasn't Gibbs, aiming to break the guy's spirit over another embarrassing faux pas.

Sacks on the other hand was not so lenient. He gave Beatty the dirty look he used to bestow on DINozzo, that look that Tony just laughed in his face about.

Beatty wasn't cowed by Sacks problem with him either, but somethings were really just inappropriate or too serious to make light of. "Sorry," he said soberly and didn't let out another peep.

Sacks must've learned something from Tony or was taking a 'redirect your frustrations' class because he shrugged it off and continued. "I wouldn't say espionage, there's no secret involved. Governments want to get their hands on this prototype and they're letting everyone know they're in the game. That being said, whether DiNozzo has the device or not, our job is to get him out of there. The rendezvous point to pick up DiNozzo and the agent with him is set and the helicopter is waiting but we don't know when they'll get there."

Not said but on everyone's mind was, 'if they do get there.'

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McGee and Beatty boarded the helicopter with the big gun attached, which gave McGee a modicum of relief that they weren't going into the lions den with no backup. Beatty on the other hand appeared to take things in stride to beard the lion and take the risk, backup or not. Sacks was outside talking to his men. He wouldn't be traveling with them, there was no room on the helicopter for him. Three medics were on board as there might be injured. The crew; pilot and co-pilot and door gunner and the passengers; Beatty and McGee made up the rest of the travelers on the helicopter.

"Beatty, once this starts, it'll go fast. Our major concern is getting our people out. Follow my lead but stay put if I tell you to, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

No sooner said then the attack helicopter pilot throttled up and the propellers rotated loudly as the vehicle rose up, hovered, then took off at what appeared to McGee to be jet speed. He could barely hear the pilot give the countdown. ETA ten minutes, 8, 5. Keep fighting, we're coming. Three minutes hold on. The door gunner was in position cool and ready. Ten seconds and the helicopter flew like greased lightning into the scene of chaos. Many cars surrounded a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. The vehicle, which was well past its prime and ready for a recycling center, had all four doors wide open and was having the hell shot out of it, and no one in the car was shooting back.

There was a body not moving on the ground behind the drivers door and another person huddled behind the backseat door. The copter gunner didn't pause to ask permission, his rapid fire onslaught was evidence enough why he was there. The shooters below clearly recognized they were outgunned by the dominant alpha big gun and gave up the fight. They fled in their waiting cars to fight another day.

As soon as the copter landed on the hot asphalt, McGee told Beatty to stay put and jumped out behind the medics and raced to the car expecting the worse. But there was DiNozzo who had practically crawled to the other side of the car and was now bent over the man on the ground who was breathing but hurt. Tony's shirt and hands were covered in blood and when McGee reached him, he attempted to find the source of the bleeding. "Tony, man, where are you wounded? You're bleeding."

Tony gaped at him. "McGee, Timothy McGee? What in the hell are you doing here?"

McGee helped Tony limp toward the helicopter on his bad ankle. Halfway there someone ran out and grasped Tony on his other side and they practically carried him to the waiting vehicle.

"Beatty, I told you to stay put."

"Yes sir, that you did, sorry sir." And that's all that was said as they boarded their escape.

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