A/N – Greetings readers! We are now at Chapter 10 of Shadow Geek! It has been a bumpy ride, but according to your reviews, it has been worth it! Things are starting to heat up for the gang and in this Chapter you will see quite a bit take place. Everything from heart to heart conversations to shouting matches to a little TLC!

To all of you who have reviewed my story I want to express my heartfelt thanks and hope you stick with the story until the end. Oh and the nugget I mentioned in Chapter 5 is now going to come into play in this Chapter!

As always I hope you enjoy and if you have a suggestion please leave it in the comments section and I promise I will take a look at it!

Thanks again for the support!

Gibbs and Crew

Everyone was standing around Ziva looking at the message that Tim gave them. They were all shocked that the man they had just met was in fact the person they were looking for. Jack Thompson was struck speechless. Just one day ago he had contacted the man he believed to be a good friend and, asked him for help. Now, twenty-four hours later, he was being forced to swallow that a man he trusted and had worked with for years was actually working for the other side.

"This can't be right." Thompson said. "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake Agent David?"

Ziva shook her head. "No. This is what Tim was trying to tell us in the Interrogation Room."

"It might not be the same Alex, Jack." Rebecca said trying to assure her friend. "I mean, Alex is a common name who knows how many people work there named Alex."

"But how many of those people work on the IRA full-time and would be in a position that places them above suspicion?" Gibbs asked as he took out his phone. Rebecca glared at Gibbs but said nothing.

Thompson was still in a minor state of shock but wasn't ready to accept what he had just been told. "Is there anyway your man made a mistake? He has only been under for what, a couple weeks? How can we take this at face value?"

Tony was silent, mostly because what Thompson had just asked was a legitimate question. McGee had only been undercover for a short time, and it was possible that he was given false information and couldn't tell the difference between that and real Intel. It was a fact that McGee didn't have anywhere near the same amount of experience that Tony did with these kinds of things and could have made a mistake. But those thoughts were quickly shaken out of his head. "Probie knows what he is doing! You read his file! You know what he can do!" Tony reprimanded himself.

Gibbs turned to Thompson and fixed him with a glare. "I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you, Thompson. McGee knows what he is doing and he has skills that even his own team was not aware of. If he says Alex is our guy, than Alex is our guy. He has worked on quite a few operations with the CIA and I am sure he can tell the difference between fact and fiction." Gibbs than took a breath to calm his anger. He couldn't blame Thompson for saying what he himself would have said just a few days ago. But, he had read everything that the CIA had on his man, the parts they would show anyway, and he realized that he didn't really know the real Timothy McGee and that fact gave him the confidence to follow Tim's lead. "I know this is hard for you Jack, nobody likes it when a friend is accused of anything, but right now the only lead we have is Pierce and we have to follow it no matter how hard it is for us. I know Tim has only been under for a couple weeks but you all said after talking to those IRA dirt bags that they trust Tim implicitly. It makes sense that they would let their guard down around him and let him in on some of the secrets they keep." Jack nodded knowing Gibbs was right. "Now I am going to call Abby and have her look into Pierce and she what she can find, then the five of us will sit down and decide how to proceed. We are on a clock here and according to this," Gibbs said pointing to Tim's message, "We only have forty-eight hours to get everything in order before they move."

Ireland – Abby's Office

Abby was sitting in her 'new' office in front of three computer banks typing ferociously. Her little portable radio was blaring her customary death metal music and tons of empty cups of Caf-Pow littered the floor. On one screen she had a tracking program zeroed in on Tim's GPS signal, on another she had the communication link set up between herself and the agents in London, and on the center screen she was busily hacking into MI-6 looking into Agent Alexander Pierce, which she had been doing ever since she got off the phone with Gibbs.

On the outside Abby looked like she was completely focused on the task at hand but if one could look into her head they would see something one might expect to see in the mind of a schizophrenic. While working completely on auto pilot trying to get all the information she could on Agent Pierce for Gibbs she was also having three separate conversations in her head about three different topics. She got like this when she over indulged on caffeine.

Abby (Voice One)

"I can't believe this! It's a travesty! An insult! Being left behind like some incompetent fool, I am Abby Scuito for crying out loud! This type of thing only happens to Timmy! What on earth is that geek thinking? Playing the spy in his spare time and not even bothering to tell me about it! The nerve! Oh, he is going to pay dearly when he comes back! He is supposed to tell me everything! I refuse to be left in the dark like some stranger! And, he doesn't even tell me that he was taking all that training?! Why would he even waste his time doing that? Everyone knows that he is just on Gibbs' Team to handle the computer work. He is a geek, and if he is out in the field more, who is going to be my lab lackey? Tony was right, it is unacceptable to have McGee trying to do things that real Agents do! Not only can Timmy get himself killed but he also makes Tony and Ziva look bad. They are the field agents and Timmy is the desk jockey and that is final! When we rescue Timmy, he is going to have some serious explaining to do! And if I don't like the answers, I am going to forbid him from ever leaving the office again!"

Abigail (Voice Two)

"Ok. The tracking program is running smoothly, and Tim's location is zeroed in. It was very fortunate that Ziva was able to place a tracker on him while they were at MI-6. As long as it stays in place I will be able to pinpoint Tim's location no matter where he goes. The communication links are open and operational when they are ready I will also be able to loop in the video footage they provide. I might also be able to hack into the CCTV system around London if needed. So far, there is no chatter to report but as soon as something happens I will be ready! Now as for this Agent Pierce, this is proving to be quite the puzzle! So far there is nothing in his records that would indicate that he is the traitor, but that doesn't mean much. He could have tons of ghost accounts out there. Plus, working for a government agency like MI-6, he would have to be very careful. I'm going to have to think outside of the box on this one. If Tim, was here we would be able to come up with something. (Sigh) I can't think like that! Tim is in danger and I need to find something on this Alexander Pierce so Gibbs and the team can help him."

Abbs (Voice Three)

"OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod! This is soooo dangerous! First McGee is taken to MI-6, suffering through lord knows what. Now Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva are over there trying to help him. What if one of them gets hurt? I don't know what I would do if something happened to them! How could this have happened? It's not fair! I wish Ducky was still here! I could really use him right now. Why did Gibbs have to go? Doesn't he know how scared I am right now? Why did McGee have to go and accept this stupid mission? He doesn't belong out there! How could Gibbs let this happen? Gibbs said he would always keep McGee safe for me! I don't know what I would if something happened to him! I need a hug!

Abby continued to type away as these inner conversations were going on. Luckily she was in an office that had a bathroom attached to it so she didn't have to go very far when nature called. Unfortunately, nature chose that time to start calling. Before she got up she typed a few commands into the keyboard to have the searches into Agent Pierce continue on their own and then went to bathroom. After being in there for a couple of seconds the computer dinged. Like the starting gate at a racetrack, once the ding when off, the bathroom door flew open and Abby went barreling toward her desk leaving a trail of toilet paper behind her. Looking at the results on the screen, a huge grin spread across Abby's face. "YES!" She screamed.

MI-6 Headquarters

McGee was sitting in his cell thinking back over the meeting with Gibbs and Ziva. He was confident that they would figure out his message and be there to support him but he was unsure whether they would figure it out in time before he left with Desmond and the others. It would make things more complicated if they were not close enough to assist should the need arise. McGee wasn't naïve enough to think that he couldn't still get made, especially after the stunt he pulled. All it would take was someone who knew what they were looking for to realize that he had passed a message, but it was a risk he needed to take. Short of telling them out right what was going on, tapping it out in morse code was his only option.

Tim took a deep breath and leaned his head against the concrete wall trying to get as comfortable as possible. It was no easy feat as there was no bunk, no chair, no toilet, and like in the interrogation Room his hands and feet were chained. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered what led him to his current predicament. When Tim was pulled from the chopper one of the SAS had grabbed his injured shoulder and forced him to his feet. Once standing, Tim could feel that someone was almost right in front of him and he let his adrenaline and anger take over. Since his hands were bound, he used the only thing he could and swung his head forward. Much to his satisfaction he connected with the guys face. Tim's victory was short lived however, right after the outburst his feet were swept out from under him and he found himself on the receiving end of a bonafide ass kicking. After they were done, they had slapped shackles on his wrists and ankles and made sure they were as tight as they would go. Then, he was thrown into the back of a truck with the others. It was then that Desmond told them that they just needed to hold out for a couple days, then he leaned close to Tim and said, "Proud of you son!"

McGee quickly shook his head of those memories and focused on what he wanted most, Ziva. It had been so good to see her again. He always hated it when he was called away on these missions, because it separated him from his great love. Feeling her touch on his shoulder was almost overwhelming. He wanted wrap her up into his arms and never let her go. He could see that she wanted to stay with him. They always seemed to know what the other was thinking. She looked so worried. But, they were also both professionals. That was how they were able to keep their relationship a secret from the others. They both knew that the job came first. But, when the job was done nothing else mattered but each other. McGee then sighed and closed his. "Just a couple more days." He thought.

Ziva and Rebecca

Night had fallen over London. Rebecca and Ziva were sitting in a parked car about four miles away from MI-6 Headquarters. It was as close as they could safely get without drawing attention to themselves. Plus, Ziva had selected a location where no matter where Tim went they could be on his tail within ten minutes.

Neither woman spoke since, they had gotten into the car a few hours ago and neither had any intention of talking either. When their assignment of was given to them, both Rebecca and Ziva tried to argue about being partnered up together but Gibbs put an end to it really quick, stating that since he and Thompson were going to be tailing Pierce and Tony had his own assignment that only he could do, that left Ziva and Rebecca to be the support and surveillance on Tim and the IRA. Recognizing the losing battle they both wisely stopped arguing. Ever since then they had a silent agreement to not speak to each other unless absolutely needed.

Although it would seem like a ridiculous notion to anyone else to hate someone simply because they liked the same person you liked, to the two women sitting in silence it made perfect sense.

To Rebecca, her hatred of Ziva came from nothing more than jealousy. She knew it was petty but, at that moment it didn't matter. Ever since she was rescued, she only had eyes for one man. Special Agent Timothy McGee was that man. Her therapist had said that it was a variation of hero worship and that given time her infatuation would subside, but even to this day it still hadn't. On some level Rebecca knew that the love she felt for McGee was what her therapist said it was but, she just couldn't let it go. The main reason was the fact that she needed hope. Hope for a normal life after what happened, hope for meeting a man that would be there for her, and hope that one day she could be with her hero. Now, she was sharing a car with the woman who had captured her hero's heart and it made Rebecca sick. True, Rebecca didn't know Ziva as a person or as an Agent, but just the fact that Ziva was the woman in McGee's life made irrational hatred and anger course through her veins.

To Ziva, the hatred she felt towards Rebecca could be compared to that of something walking into a wolf's territory. Even before she met Tim, she was always very possessive of the men she shared her heart with. It started when she was a teenager in Israel. Whenever a girl would even look at her boyfriend she would lose her mind. She would always make a big, public show that her man belonged to her. That, of course, was not always the best action to take as it often showed Ziva as a jealous emotional little girl, rather than someone who simply cared deeply about who she loved. As she grew into a woman and gained more and more control over her emotions Ziva came to realize that the reason she acted that way in the past was not only because she didn't like other women making eyes at her man, but also because she really didn't fully trust those men to not cheat on her and felt that they needed a reminder of who they were in a relationship with. It was not that way with Tim. Tim was the most trustworthy man Ziva had ever encountered in her life, and she knew that before she even considered him as more than just a friend. Their relationship was one built on trust and honesty rather than sexual tension and lust, although there was plenty of that with Tim. But, old habits die hard for Ziva, and even though she trusted Tim beyond a shadow of a doubt, she still was extremely possessive of him. She had already staked her claim on Tim's heart but, she still was not able to do it publicly yet, due to Rule 12. But, Ziva vowed that once this mission was over everyone would know that Tim was hers and she was his. And, the first person that was going to be told that her beloved was off-limits was the she-devil that shared the car with her, followed very closely by Abby.

Rebecca glanced at the time and then to Ziva. "Any change in McGee's position?" she asked curtly.

Ziva looked at the GPS locator. "No. He is still at MI-6." Then Ziva returned her gaze back to the window trying to find something to stare at.

Rebecca sighed. "This is going to be a very long assignment, if this keeps up." She thought. "So….how long have you been an Agent?" She asked.

Ziva kept her eyes trained on the darkness outside her window but answered. "I was a Mossad Liaison with NCIS for three years before becoming a full time NCIS Agent. Five years in total."

"What made you leave Mossad?"

Ziva looked at Rebecca. "Nothing you need to be concerned with." There were a lot of reasons for her break from Mossad, but the most prominent one was when her father abandoned her in Somalia to be rescued by the very people she left behind.

"Let me guess. McGee?" Rebecca said with a hint of steel in her voice. Even though she was trying to have a civilized conversation with the woman, the anger Rebecca was feeling about losing her chance with McGee, was too fresh and too powerful to be ignored.

Ziva felt her own temper flare again. "What is it with you? You met him once over a year ago and you act as if you are in love with him. You do not even know him!" She said through gritted teeth. If this woman kept pushing the issue about her being with Tim, then this discussion was going to come to blows real fast.

Rebecca looked away and muttered, "You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't?"

"No, you wouldn't. You couldn't possibly understand why I feel the way I feel." Rebecca said in a tone just above a whisper.

Ziva took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Are you taking about what it feels like to be held captive? Or the uncontrollable fear that comes with being tortured? Or maybe you are referring to the utter despair that is felt when you are about to be violated and there is nothing you can do to prevent it?" A slight tear escaped Ziva's eye. She never talked about what transpired in Somalia at the hands of Saleem and his men, except with her psychologist and Tim. But, something deep inside her heart told her that Agent Chambers needed to hear this. "Or how about the feeling of isolation that is felt after you are freed, because even though people want to help, there is no way they could possibly understand? But maybe you are talking about the deep feelings of joy and love that are felt when someone rescues you from that? That they look like they could be angels sent from heaven to take you away from the demons that have caused you so much pain?" Ziva then locked eyes with Rebecca. "I understand, better than most, what you are feeling Rebecca."

Rebecca just stared back at Ziva with a look of total surprise mixed with relief. "But how….."

"The same thing happened to me two years ago while I was on a mission in Somalia. And, there are no secrets between myself and Tim. Our relationship is built on honesty and trust. And, it is cemented in undying love." Then Ziva turned to stare out the window, without adding another word.

Rebecca stared at Ziva for another minute then turned to stare out her own window as the car fell into silence.

Gibbs and Thompson

Jack Thompson was sitting in a car down the street from Alex Pierce's home. Gibbs had left about an hour before hand to get them coffee and now only had his thoughts to keep him company. Gibbs and Jack had spent the entire day tailing Pierce form one place to another and didn't observe anything out of the ordinary.

"How could I miss it?" Thompson thought.

"Four years I have known this man. I have worked with him on countless operations. He has saved my life more times than I can count and I have saved his just as much. Yet, in all that time, I have never noticed anything that would suggest he was a mole. He always expressed a deep hatred for the IRA and everything they stood for. Also, he was never a greedy man. He still lives in the same two-bedroom flat that he had when we first met. He still drives the same car. Nothing about the man says that he is working with terrorist or that he has any sort of money stashed somewhere."

Thompson sighed and leaned his head against the driver seat. "But what does that prove exactly? All it says is that he is good at staying hidden. And, with the update Gibbs got from Abby a couple hours ago it would seem that he does in fact have a few secrets. Millions of dollars stashed away in all sorts of bank accounts, property in three different countries, and several trips to different countries in Europe that don't appear to be for any purpose other than setting up his transport line. It is clear now that I never really knew Alexander Pierce. I guess the old saying is true. The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled Was Convincing The World That he Didn't Exist."

Just then Gibbs returned with coffee and sandwiches. Thompson accepted his with a nod and went back to staring at the darkened street.

"What's on your mind Jack?" Gibbs asked suddenly.

Jack shook head. "Nothing, Gibbs."

Gibbs just nodded but it didn't take a mind reader to know what Thompson was thinking about. "Are upset that a man you considered a friend is possibly a terrorist and gun smuggler; or are you beating yourself up for not seeing it before now?"

Jack looked at Gibbs for a few quiet moments then turned his eyes back to the street. "Both."

"Yeah, I thought so." Gibbs said. "You may not believe me but I know exactly what you are going through."

"Oh? So you make a habit out of befriending terrorists too?" Jack answered sarcastically.

"No. But, I know what it is like to have a friend accused of being a traitor." Gibbs said. "A friend of mine in the FBI was accused of being a mole. There was tons of evidence against him, and it looked like he was what he was accused of being even to people who had worked with him for years. It even got so bad that he was arrested and formally brought up on charges."

"So what happened?"

"Turns out that he was innocent. One of the men in his unit was actually the mole and had taken measures to make Tobias look like he was guilty in case anyone started asking questions."

Thompson then looked at Gibbs. "So what are you saying? That there is a chance that Agent McGee was wrong? That Pierce may be innocent? Because, after what you said back at the Hotel…."

Gibbs shook his head. "No, that's not what I am saying. I don't know Pierce as well as you do, but I know my Agents. They all know what they are doing. And, what I said in the Hotel room was true. Pierce is our only lead. It could be possible that he is being set up but, from what McGee has told us and with what Abby found, it is not likely." Gibbs paused to take another drink of his coffee. "A few days ago, before I was clued in on what McGee was doing in his spare time, I would have agreed with you on the fact that he made a mistake. You see, I never thought that he was capable of undercover work because he always presented himself as an open book. I rarely ever sent him out into the field because I was operating under some misguided sense of protecting him from the big bad world. But, I was wrong. The day my team got briefed on this assignment I went home and found some files in my basement. Tim's CIA handler had dropped them off so I could understand what McGee was really capable of. Needless to say, I was blown away by what I read. I almost couldn't believe that the man those files described and the gentle geek that I had worked alongside for eight years were the same person. It was quite a wake-up call. After reading those files and seeing him the other day at MI-6 I realized that I had greatly underestimated him. That is not something I am going to do again."

Thompson nodded. "So, why tell me about your friend?"

"I told you that story so you could understand that what you are feeling right now is not a phenomenon. It does happen."

Thompson chuckled a little at that. "There are quite a few differences between what happened to your friend and what is going with Pierce."

"No there is really only one difference between the two, Jack." Gibbs said, once again gaining Thompson's attention. "With Tobias, there never a single doubt in my mind that he was innocent. With Pierce, you wanted to believe in his innocence but you had doubts about it. Which means that on some level it made sense to you that he was in fact who McGee claimed him to be?"

Thompson was silent. He really didn't know what to say to that. It was true that he had wanted to believe that his friend was innocent but, it was also true that deep down it did make sense that Pierce was the mole as McGee's information led them to believe. He would be in the perfect position to help Desmond and the others escape detection and nobody would ever suspect him of being a traitor. But, he still hoped that McGee was wrong and Pierce was being set up.

As if reading his mind Gibbs spoke. "It's ok to hope Jack. It certainly wouldn't be the first time an Agent was set up to throw suspicion off of the real bad guy. You just can't let your hope cloud your judgment."

Thompson just nodded and went back to silently sipping his coffee.

TONY

Anthony DiNozzo Jr. had gone to sleep with a smile on his face. The past two days had hardly seemed like an assignment to him. While the others spent the last forty eight hours sitting in cars and tailing suspects, Tony was wining and dining the beautiful Lexxi Carrington. When Gibbs told him what he was supposed to do Tony almost jumped out of his skin he was so happy. Gibbs had told him to get close to her to see if she could give him any insight on the type of person Agent Pierce was.

The first day Tony "accidently" ran into her at a local tavern, saying that he and his team were stuck for a couple days before they could go back to the States to wrap up their case. They had spent several hours drinking beers and getting to know each other. Tony had spent the first part of the conversation telling her about the team, cleverly omitting McGee, and about his work at NCIS. Then, Lexxi told him about her childhood, how her mother was British and her father was an Irish merchant but he wasn't around much. She said that she joined MI-6 because she felt a strong dedication to her country and wanted to make her family proud. When they got on the subject of her team she said that she had never worked with a more dedicated group of people. Her partner Thomas was one of the strongest men she had ever known and had taught her a great deal about what it meant to be an Agent. That remark had Tony once again thinking about his relationship with McGee. He had often hoped that McGee saw him as a mentor and would say similar things about him that Lexxi said about Agent Moore, if asked. But, after the last few days Tony didn't think that would be the case. When she spoke of Pierce, she described him as a man that kept to himself most of the time but was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Lexxi respected Pierce more than anyone and said that she wouldn't half of what she did if it wasn't for his influence in her life and career. Towards the end of the evening, Tony was telling Lexxi all about Gibbs and the way he worked. About himself and the way he looked up to Gibbs. And about Ziva and everything they had all done together as a team. When they parted ways, Lexxi had asked Tony if he wanted to get together for dinner the following night and talk some more. Tony readily agreed and said if she wanted she could meet him at his Hotel and they could go somewhere. She gave him a captivating smile and suggested that they could stay in and order room service instead. There was no way Tony could say no to that. He walked away patting himself on the back for a job well done and also for still be a ladies' man.

The following evening Lexxi arrived at his Hotel room at seven. To be on the safe side Tony had checked into a different Hotel the day before, so Lexxi wouldn't be suspicious. When Tony answered the door, he was blown away. She had shown up in a beautiful low cut dress with a plunging neck line that showed off just the right amount of cleavage. Her smooth slightly tan legs seemed to glow in the light. Her eyes, a deep blue, had a predatory gleam in them as she looked over her prey. And, her long blond hair was hanging down around her shoulders, resting perfectly around her slim neck and framing her flawless face. Before Tony could utter a word Lexxi stepped forward and crashed her lips into his. She then started pushing Tony back into the room, closing the door behind her never breaking contact. As they went both Tony and Lexxi started stripping their clothes off until there wasn't a single thread of fabric on either of them. Finding the bedroom Tony found himself thrown onto the bed and being attacked like he was a piece of meat. The minutes turned into hours, they both were brought to completion again and again and again. When neither had the energy to continue the room felt like a sauna and only heavy breathing could be heard. Wrapped up in the sheets Tony draped his arm over Lexxi and couldn't keep the smile of his face. As his eyelids began to droop he thought about the last couple hours and realized that they never talked about anything or even ate dinner. He mentally shrugged and let himself fall into a satisfied sleep telling himself that they could talk over breakfast.

Tony was in such a deep sleep that he didn't notice when Lexxi slipped out of the covers. He didn't even hear her go to the bathroom and viciously scrub herself clean in the shower. Neither did he wake up when she crept back into the bedroom and started searching his things. He never noticed when she opened the backpack and pulled out an NCIS personnel file. He was in such a deep slumber that he didn't hear her clench the file so tight that she almost crushed it as she read about Special Agent McGee or when she cursed under her breath. Tony didn't even feel the cold glare filled with rage that was directed right at him as Lexxi contemplated killing him in his sleep. She might as well have been a ghost as she got dressed and slipped out of the Hotel taking the file with her.

Two Days Later

Timothy McGee was hanging from the ceiling by his wrists. He was wearing nothing but his pants. His shoes and been taken off and his jacket and shirt had been tossed to the side. In the several hours he had been in that position he had been beaten and cut multiple times on his torso. None of the cuts were deep but they were made to cause pain not death. But for the past hour his tormentors had moved on to Electric Shock Treatment, where he was continuously sprayed with water and then hit with a pair of jumper cables attached to a generator. However, even though he was tortured without mercy McGee didn't say a word. He fought them with silence. The only time he uttered a sound was when they started shocking him, of course it was only a blood curdling scream that escaped his lips.

When the door opened McGee steeled his mind ready for another round of torture. He looked up to see his two interrogators and the blonde woman he met the day before.

"Good afternoon Agent McGee!" The woman said with amusement in her voice. She walked forward carrying a file, and came to a stop right in front of him. As she let her eyes wander over his body and couldn't help but be amazed by his physique. Even with the various wounds inflicted on his body her mouth still watered at the sight of it. "Are you ready to answer my questions?"

She was met with a hard glare and silence.

"I thought so." She then made a motion to one of her men. The man picked up the jumper cables and walked over to McGee. As he got closer McGee started taking several deep breaths to prepare for what was to come but, never took his eyes off of the woman. When the cables made contact with his skin McGee let out another painful scream. Just like the others this scream echoed off the walls and seemed to fill up the whole building before dying out again. Then another scream sounded. Then another. Then another.

-TBC-

A/N – I hope this was worth the wait. I am sorry for making you wait so long. Please review and let me know what you think!