The Colors of Illusion
by channeld

written for: the NFA 2011 White Elephant (Fanfic) Exchange
rating: K plus
genre: case file
starring: Tim and the team
prompt: Iridescence: iridescent quality; a play of lustrous, changing colors.
author's note: In this story I'm using "phoofs"-those black and white stills the show has-at the start of each chapter.

disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS.

Prologue

[phoof]

Tim's head is above water, in a river. He looks distressed.

[/phoof]

On this fine early June day in West Virginia, where it was sunny and mild, more than 50 NCIS employees gathered on the river's edge. There, several bright red, orange, yellow or lime green inflated rafts waited for passengers.

"S'matter, Probie?" Tony teased as he applied sunscreen to his arms. "You're not afraid of a little whitewater rafting, are you?"

"I'm not afraid of the rafting," Tim shot back. "I just don't see why…this is the choice for an NCIS teambuilding exercise. Rafting. It's not like this is something…that's likely to help us in our jobs. Why couldn't we just have fun and do a bicycle race, like we did last June?"

"Everyone, grab a life vest!" one of the rafting company workers bellowed through a cordless megaphone. "That's rule #1: No one goes on the river without a life vest on!"

"I thought rule #1 was Never let suspects stay together," said Ziva, with a smile.

"That, or Never screw over your partner," Jimmy chimed in.

"We should get a ruling from Gibbs on this," Tony grinned. Their "boss" was a short distance away, chatting with one of the other rafting company workers. "Maybe he can set these guys straight." He saw that Tim was still frowning. "Now, now, McGastro; afraid you'll toss your cookies on the river? Serve you right for having cookies for breakfast."

A woman wearing the rafting company t-shirt overheard, and came closer to their little group. "Seasickness? Is that your worry? It won't happen. No one gets seasick on a river."

"Our man here is very capable," Tony said, clapping a hand on Tim's shoulder. "He can get seasick stepping over a puddle." He ignored Tim's venomous look.

The woman smiled. "Be that as it may, the dynamics of a river are different. Believe me; we've never had anyone get seasick on any of our water adventures. There will be brief moments of movement when you hit the rapids, but you'll be concentrating on steering and your brain won't have a chance to even thinkof getting seasick. You'll see!" She walked off.

"Thank you, Tony, for publicly humiliating me once again," Tim growled.

"Oh, come on. You're used to a little ribbing by now. And who says I'm not trying to cheer you up? It'll be fun! You'll like it! I assure you!"

"Have you ever done this?" Tim challenged.

Tony ignored the question. "Hey! They're signaling for group number 4! That's us! Come on!"

"Come on, Tim; be a sport," Abby cajoled him. "You shouldn't let it get to you."

"Let what get to me?" Tim shot back.

"Nothing. Nothing," she said quickly, and moved away, but not without exchanging knowing looks with Ziva, Tony and Jimmy.

It had been two weeks, yet seemingly no one was willing to forget it. Tim couldn't forget it, but he wished that the others would at least try…but no. He could see the amusement in their eyes, tinged with a little pity. Tim McGee; the man taken in by an illusion. Tim, who'd insisted on a case that he'd seen something. Insisted for days, until at last proven wrong. Tim, who had cost the team several man-hours in fruitlessly chasing a lead that was never there to begin with.

Gibbs was, well, maybe not understanding, but willing to let it blow over, although probably not if it happened again.

It wouldn't happen again.

"Let's go rafting," he said, dredging up some cheer from within.

The raft held eight, comfortably. That was the perfect size for a group that worked so closely together, and included a guide from the rafting company; a petite woman named Sheila. Here the river was rated as class III in rafting terms: a good thrill for novice and intermediate rafters with waves here and there, narrow passages, and fast currents. With life vests and helmets on, the group boarded their assigned raft, which was red. Tony and Tim took the front row. Abby and Ziva sat behind them, Ducky and Jimmy had the next row, and Gibbs, the most accomplished person on a boat, had a seat in the stern. "The stern man in the stern," quipped Abby, who was the only one who could get away with that.

After final instructions and words of encouragement from a rafting company person, they were off; paddling downstream. Group Gibbs, as Abby dubbed it, launched after the group from Legal. "They should be behind us," Tim grouched. "I want witnesses in case I sue the company when I do get seasick…Thanks, boss," he added at the head slap that was passed up the line from the stern of the boat.

The sun was dazzling on the water, and all were glad for their sunglasses, as well as the carefully-applied bug repellent and sun block. Office work was never so problematic as the outdoor was! Cell phones had been ordered turned off, ipods stowed away, no distractions from the force of the river and the beauty of the forests along the river banks.

When the first set of rapids approached, Group Gibbs was a little apprehensive but prepared for it. There had already been a little wave action, and water ran across the floor of the self-bailer raft. They were all a bit wet, but cheerful as spray after spray hit them.

Then, a sudden current action, combined with some confusion about paddling direction, caused the raft to tip without warning…and Tim, in the lowest corner, was thrown overboard.

They all knew Tim could swim, and that the life vest would keep him afloat. Yet, there was a typically-human amount of concern for him (along with a laugh from Tony) when it happened. Tim bobbed to the surface, and Sheila-the-guide managed to both bark orders to the others to bring the raft around while also calling out reassurance to Tim.

"McGee! Give me your hand!" Gibbs ordered, although the raft was now several feet away from Tim, and Tim would need to climb back into the bow of the raft, anyway.

But then Tim did something unexpected. Rather than swimming toward the raft, or waiting for it to come back to him, he struggled to unfasten his life vest, and tossed it at the raft, where Ziva caught it. "Tim! What are you doing?" Abby cried as he took a deep breath and then dived.

"He may be in trouble," Ducky said. "One of us should…"

Tony was already kicking off his sneakers and shedding his sunglasses and cell phone. "How deep is it here?" he asked Sheila, in just a moment's hesitation.

"About seven to ten feet deep. But still, rocks…be careful…" But Tony had already jumped in and started swimming toward where Tim had last been seen.

Before he got there, Tim surfaced again. "Hey!" he called. "There's a body down here! A sailor!"