a/n - Last chapter, and it's a big one! Thanks for sticking around, my daughter's birthday is this weekend, but I hope to have Puppet Master finished before I leave for my son's graduation from basic training. After that, I'll return with Dance of Swords. Thank you for all the wonderful comments, they are cherished and appreciated.

Sunday morning it was Gibbs that was up first to start the fire and the coffee. In the early dawn he thought about the events following the battle. Although there was an undercurrent of resentment towards Anja Clark and her crew, especially after Kovalenko's unsportsmanlike attack on McGee, the evening banquet was fun and boisterous. Gibbs had no idea exactly what he had eaten during the seven course meal, but it was all pretty good. Ducky had regaled the group with stories of early Scotland, becoming one of the more popular storytellers at the Faire.

The evening had concluded with the grand opening and tour of the exhibit. Most of the implements were actually quite interesting, but watching people stare at the chair of torture made Gibbs uncomfortable in a way he couldn't describe. A fellow Marine had met his end strapped to that torture device, it was nothing to celebrate.

Ducky's arrival at the campfire stopped his thoughts from spiraling any further downward. "How's he doing, Duck?"

"Stiff, sore, colorful and determined to joust later today."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I'd rather he target me instead of a civilian. He seemed to take it personally that you've caught Anja's interest. We've got to keep it going until whoever she's meeting with shows up." Carefully twisting and stretching as he walked, Tim joined the two older men, Tony hovering at his elbow.

Gibbs wanted another opinion. "DiNozzo?"

"Well, he did manage to get out of bed by himself." Tony shrugged as he helped himself to some coffee. "Since none of us can joust in his place, I don't think there's really a choice."

Gibbs had to agree even if he didn't like it. During the feast the Earl of Bedford had been visited by Princess Guillette and given her formal apology for the break down in etiquette that had occurred on the battlefield. Following McGee's lead, he'd accepted the apology, but there was something about Kovalenko's stance that convinced Gibbs that it wasn't over yet. A soldier's instinct was rarely wrong and Kovalenko sensed that McGee was the real threat. That much was certain.

One by one, the rest of the group arrived as breakfast finished cooking. The last one out was Palmer, wearing different clothes. When she saw her brother staring at Palmer, she explained.

"Since he's helping me in the kitchen, he needed more changes of clothing. These were being left behind, so I grabbed them as we were loading up."

"Sarah, I left them behind for Director Vance, in case he came out here."

"I'm sorry, that means the only garb left there..."

"Yeah. I am so dead."

The rest of the group were dying to ask, but Sarah left to start working and McGee ignored every attempt to ask.

-NCIS-

Abby was sitting in Vance's office complaining about being stuck aboard the Yard when two calls came in. The first was from the president of the weapons division of Cybertec, Inc. admitting that the plans to new stealth technology had been compromised during the security breech. The second call was from Fornell, telling him that Peter Ivanof was on the move.

Vance knew that Abby would not stay put with that kind of knowledge and that Gibbs would kill him if something happened to her, but even more than that, he wanted to personally see his team take down an arms dealer that the FBI and Interpol had been chasing for years. "I believe Agent McGee left a set of garb behind for me for just this event."

"We're going?"

"We're going."

-NCIS-

DiNozzo watched in awe as Ziva helped McGee buckle his many pieces of armor. Today's set was more for show that what he'd worn for the melee, all steel and highly polished. "You know, Tim, the next time we ask you if you did anything on your days off, we're going to expect a little more detail from now on."

"Yeah, I kinda figured. You know, I expected more teasing."

"Honestly, so did I, but this is so cool. Seeing you swinging that broadsword around yesterday, man, that was wild, and today you're jousting. What exactly happens?"

Gibbs came closer to hear McGee's answer. A tragedy had brought them out here and as team leader he couldn't act like a kid, but parts of the weekend had been the most fun he'd had in years.

Tim started checking the fit of his armor, making sure nothing would bind and limit his range of motion as he gave the team the rundown. "First is the target jousting. That's where we have targets to throw the lances at; the smaller the target, the higher the score. After that comes the two man jousting. Those matches are what gets exciting."

"How dangerous will it be, lad?" Ducky was still concerned after the encounter the day before.

Quickly, McGee gave them a rundown of the rules, how the lance was to be held so that it would swing away from your opponent after impact, how the last several feet of the lance was constructed of foam, designed to shatter upon impact to give a good show, how the middle section was made out of a thin cardboard tube that would buckle and give if something went wrong, how even the base was designed of a non-brittle material to further protect both combatants if something totally unforeseen happened. Even the horse wore protective gear and eye protection.

It sounded extremely safe, but Gibbs' gut was telling him not to let his guard down as he and Tony followed the knight and squire to the stable. Once Sir Giles was mounted on Zeus, Tony took over carrying the lances as Ziva walked the horse and rider to the List.

They were almost half way to their destination when Ziva and Zeus came to a stop at McGee's muttered moan. Abby was walking towards them, very happy to be back in time for the event, and she was dragging along a very reluctant jester.

Vance tried to glare at them, but it was hard to be terrifying with bells bouncing around the ends of your hat. Gibbs stepped in to save his team before they started laughing. "I heard there was a mix-up about the garb left for you, Leon, but I must say you pull it off quite well."

"Hmmph." He looked around for McGee, taking a minute to realize the tall knight atop the magnificent black stallion was his agent. "Wow."

That was even more than Abby could come up with, rendered speechless for the first time since Gibbs had known her, while Tim saw it as the perfect opportunity to show Zeus's trick.

"M'Lady." He tapped the side of Zeus's neck as he spoke and the horse bowed down along with Tim. Abby squealed and clapped in delight before she curtsied in return.

-NCIS-

By the time they arrived at the List, Vance had brought them all up to speed and they knew what new player to look for. Only twelve knights were jousting and they were lined up for the royal inspection. Each of the knights pressed a closed fist against their chest in salute as the King and Queen walked past, but only Sir Giles acknowledged the Royal Procession with an equine bow.

No one knew if it was proper protocol, but when the Queen asked, Ziva handed her several sugar cubes. The Black Knight was the only one not smiling when Zeus was finished.

Inspection of the target lances was quick and within thirty minutes the accuracy portion of the match was underway. The opening weekend no one expected perfect scores, but McGee was pleased to finish in a three way tie with the Black Knight and an Italian Nobleman.

The main event was much more involved, and each knight had four prepared lances ready. Gibbs watched closely as his friend, Sir Deric, inspected the lances brought to the List by the Black Knight. A late night visit with the retired Marine Corps captain had hatched a plan and a chemical tracer was carefully smudged across the Styrofoam tip of each inspected lance. Invisible to the naked eye, it would show up only when scanned. Palmer had the scanner hidden in the vendor basket he was carrying. Few people noticed the pickle merchant and he was able to wander among the contestants without raising suspicion.

Gibbs was expected to stay close to his former squire, which kept him also close to Anja and her fighter, which left only Vance and DiNozzo to look for Ivanof and Hampton. Abby wanted to help, but she wasn't a trained agent, so Gibbs ordered her to stay with Ducky.

Vance had learned to juggle as a trick to make a teething baby laugh many years ago, but it was a skill that was coming in handy as he wandered through the crowd, looking for their two suspects On the other side of the jousting field DiNozzo was pretending to flirt with the women as he did the same. The dark blue of Ivanof's Landsknecht caught his attention and Vance started moving to intercept.

The first two rounds of jousting were dramatic and fun to watch, and now McGee and Kovalenko were preparing to line up. Kovalenko was tired of the playacting and ready to seal the deal and move on. Anja may have the money and the connections, but her insistance on using these events to cover their activities was wearing on his nerves, and her fascination with the men she picked up along the way made it even worse.

He'd had fun toying with the young man her current beau apparently trained, but Anja had been furious at his method. To top it off, he was sure there was more to this Earl of Bedford than met the eye. The inner strength, the soul of a soldier he saw in the man didn't match up with the weak target she thought he was. Now a new player had entered the field, and he was tracking Ivanof. It was time to end this and cut their losses.

"Boy!"

His squire looked up and saw Kovalenko tilt his head slightly towards their supplies and then nod. The young man gave a retuning nod before gathering up all four lances. He was off balance and stumbled before dropping the lances. They rolled up against the edge of the arming tent and no one noticed when he pushed one of the lances further under the edge and still stood up with four lances.

The four lances were brought to Kovalenko and he chose the one on top, enjoying the feel of the heavy steel nestled in the crook of his arm. With a little bit of luck, the tragedy of the round would cover the true reason they were there and give their buyer time to get away from whoever was following him.

-NCIS-

Jimmy had to struggle to get past a portly Duke that couldn't make up his mind as to which pickle he wanted to buy and he just got the scan done as Sir Deric looked at him one last time. Jimmy looked at the screen in horror and shook his head frantically just as the horses started their charge.

Sir Deric called out to the Field Marshal, who instantly yelled for a hold. Every knight knew what that meant, and Tim immediately pulled back on the reins and dropped the tip on his lance to protect his opponent. Making such a sudden change was difficult with a horse and the split second he spent controlling Zeus cost him as he did not react quickly enough to the still charging Black Knight.

-NCIS-

Vance saw the hand off between Ivanof and Hampton just as Ivanof spotted DiNozzo tailing Hampton. Ivanof shouted something in Russian and turned to run. Once Ivanof reached the crowd of people watching the jousting match, it would have impossible to catch him and the threat of hostages too great. Shooting at him also wasn't an option with that many civilians.

Formulating and dismissing plans as he ran, Vance realized he was still holding the balls he'd been juggling earlier. Back in his days as a field agent, he'd been the pitcher for the department baseball team. Praying he hadn't lost his touch, Vance lobbed a fast ball at the fleeing weapons broker. It hit him square in the back and dropped him like a stone. With no time to gloat, Vance pinned his arms and had him in handcuffs before the ball stopped bouncing.

At the other end of the encounter, DiNozzo was slowly creeping up on Hampton when Ivanof suddenly yelled to him in Russian. Tony didn't have a clue what was said, but Hampton took off running. Cursing, Tony took off after him. Mistress Gayle and the ladies from the tavern were walking to the List to watch the match and he called out to them.

"Cutpurse."

To the tavern owner and her wenches, there was nothing lower than a thief and the ladies immediately cut off his escape route. Hampton tried to cut back, but he slipped as he tried to change direction. Tony was on him before he could regain his footing. He cuffed Hampton with the handcuffs he had hidden in his hat just as he heard screams of horror from the field.

-NCIS-

The second he heard the Field Marshal yell out, Kovalenko knew they'd been discovered. When he saw the jester take down Ivanof, and therefore the promised payday, Kovalenko saw red. His opponent, the honorable knight, pulled up, twisting to protect him. He knew it was instinct on the other man's part, but all Sergey had left was revenge and escape, so he charged. The thin layer of foam that covered the steel shaft of his lance was there strictly for show, it was a lethal weapon and he knew it. He aimed for the small gap that had opened between McGee's shield and his body armor and spurred his horse hard.

A foam lance and a plywood shield were no defense against a ten foot long steel spike, and Kovalenko thrilled at the sound it made impacting against McGee's chestplate. Screams could be heard, and the second his opponent was down, Kovalenko turned his mount to make his escape.

-NCIS-

Timothy McGee had seen his first live jousting match when he was twelve, and in all the years that had followed, he'd heard that last second hold many times. Usually a judge or field marshal had seen a loose strap or some debris on the field and called a halt. It was always a matter of safety, so when he heard the call, he instantly turned and pulled back on the reins. Zeus pranced a bit, startled by the sudden change, and when Tim looked up it was too late to move or defend himself. He felt the blinding pain as his armor buckled, he was airborne and then he knew no more.

-NCIS-

Gibbs thought he was close enough in case something went wrong, but it happened so fast he didn't even have time to yell before McGee was knocked from his horse. For another split second he wavered, but Ziva was already throwing herself to the ground to aid McGee and Ducky was running towards him. Justice and revenge won out and Gibbs dashed out and grabbed the reins. Zeus seemed to sense his intentions and didn't pull away. Walking stick tucked under his arm, Gibbs clicked his heels against the horse's flanks, but it was unnecessary as Zeus galloped after the fleeing suspect.

It was many years since Gibbs had spent much time on a horse, a case or two notwithstanding, but some things you never forgot. He leaned forward, urging Zeus faster. They jumped a small creek and then a fence and were out of the park. Blaring horns and squealing tires frightened Kovalenko's horse and he reared up, but Zeus wasn't startled at all. For Kovalenko, it was the difference between escape and failure.

-NCIS-

Fornell was sitting in a sedan, waiting for something to happen. Without a costume, his presence inside the Faire would have blown the operation, but sitting here was getting on his nerves. He was just about to get out of the car to try and sneak closer when a spotted horse sailed over the fence and right in front of his car.

"What the hell?"

The pain in his leg from the dropped coffee hadn't even registered when a second horse flew past him. He turned to Sacks. "Was that Gibbs?"

Watching what was happening, he and Sacks stumbled and clawed their way out of the car. By the time they were on their feet, the first horse had panicked, spilling his rider. Gibbs tossed a long wooden stick, spinning it towards the man in black armor. The impact against his knees brought him down and Gibbs was on top of him before he could react.

The heavy body armor prevented a choke hold or a right hook to the jaw, but Gibbs managed to have the suspect subdued by the time Fornell and Sacks reached them. Fornell looked Gibbs up and down, grinning, before handing him a pair of handcuffs. "Here, use mine. Please use mine, I really don't want to know where you hide yours in that outfit."

Fornell may have been expecting a snappy comeback, what he got was a large man in a heavy metal suit shoved at him before Gibbs was back on the horse and racing back to the List.

"Don't you die on me, McGee. You do not have permission to die."

-NCIS-

McGee rolled twice before landing face down in the dirt, unmoving. Ducky, Abby, Palmer and Sarah were all running towards him, but Ziva was the first to arrive, sliding to a stop on her knees. Bracing his neck, she rolled him onto his back and released his face visor before getting started on the buckles of his armor. The well made steel plates had not punctured, but had dented and twisted, putting a crushing pressure against his chest.

"McGee, McGee, can you hear me?" The last few buckles were too badly mangled to open, so she pulled the small knife from her boot and started to cut the leather straps. Palmer was the next to arrive and he finished opening the visor on Tim's helmet before sliding the helmet off his friend.

"Tim, come on man, talk to us." Jimmy looked up as Ducky dropped to his knees next to him. "Unconscious with no signs of spontaneous respiration."

Ziva was cutting through the last of the straps when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Anja Clark was slowly standing up and edging back, away from the crowd that was gathering. Abby and Sarah were just arriving at Tim's side and saw where Ziva was looking.

Abby felt like she should have been the one to take the initiative, but Sarah saw red when Anja tried to slip into the crowd and it was all Abby could do to keep up with her.

"Thou murderous hussy! Thou thinkest thy profits more valued than the freedom of thy kingdom?"

Abby blinked in surprise. Sarah in character was even scarier when she was mad. All attempts to sneak away gone, Anja turned to run, but Sarah grabbed the back of her hair and spun her around. A short jab to the face and the former mail order bride was on the ground, out cold.

One prisoner in tow, Tony arrived to take Anja Clark into custody and the two women resumed their dash to Tim's side. A rough, raspy gasp was heard as Sarah dropped to her knees next to Ziva, Abby on the other side.

"That's it, Timothy, let's take another breath." It took a few more breaths and some painful sounding coughs before Ducky sat back on his heels. "Thank heavens, oh, thank heavens."

-NCIS-

By the time Gibbs arrived back at the List, there was an ambulance on the scene and McGee was on a gurney, propped up and an oxygen mask on his face. The young man immediately relaxed when his boss and Zeus arrived back, apparently unharmed, but he started peppering the older man with questions, gasping and coughing as he tried to speak.

Gibbs listened for a minute before holding his finger up and giving him the condensed version. "We got them in custody and you're going to be fine. That's an order, McGee, you're going to be fine."

Tim stared at him, and at Tony and Vance behind him, as if judging what he'd been told, before nodding and closing his eyes. Ducky rushed to assure Gibbs and the rest of them. "His diaphragm is badly bruised, and some ribs are cracked, but he will make a full recovery. The trip to the hospital is mainly a precaution."

Gibbs reached out and laid his hand against Tim's cheek. "Ya did good, McGee. Now, Sarah is going to ride with you to the hospital and the rest of us will be there as soon as we get the prisoners taken care of."

Fornell's sedan, followed by two more FBI vehicles passed the ambulance as it left the List. He did a quick head count and soon knew who was missing. "McGee going to be all right?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine."

"That's good. Do you want us to transport all the suspects to the Yard for you?"

Even Vance was surprised at the generous offer. "You're not going to try and take credit for the bust?"

Fornell moved his hands as if he were weighing his options. "Claim the arrest, explain the armor. Claim the arrest, explain the Director dressed as a jester. Nah, I'm good."

~Fini~