A/N: Long final chapter. Hope you like it. Now, it's back to the last two chapters of Esperanza. I always appreciate hearing from you. Sheila

The Film

Chapter 4

Gibbs came out of the hotel bathroom rubbing his head with a towel. The team was sprawled on the beds and in chairs eating breakfast off trays. It'd had been a long night and none of them had strung together more than 2 hours of sleep. Gibbs picked up a bagel and nodded at Ducky. "Good idea getting a room across from the hospital. Appreciate it."

Ducky nodded. "Timothy may be in critical condition, but it's essential that we still take care of ourselves."

There was a knock at the door and Gibbs opened it, letting in Fornell and Vance. Vance looked around the room. "Get another room and expense both of them. You've all been through a lot, and I know it's not over. How is McGee?"

Ducky sighed. "Critical. Lost a lot of blood but we're feeling quite hopeful. Abby is sitting with him."

Gibbs frowned at Fornell. "What do you know?"

"I think we found him. Guy named Percy Wells. 58 years old. Former Navy medic. Married three times. Last wife left him last year. Killings started two months later. He's living off the grid right now. Can't find a current address."

Tony buttoned his dress shirt. "How did you find him?"

Fornell stole a piece of bacon from Gibbs' plate. "The kid came through. One of the major electronics chains keeps all their video surveillance in a central location. 14 agents sat through the night going through them. We got a name a couple of hours ago."

"He's gotta' live near Wolf Ridge park."

"Oh yeah, we've descended on the local sheriff like an invading army. We're going to tear that area up."

Ziva stood. "We should be there. We should be doing something."

Fornell shrugged. "You can. I'll make space for whoever wants in, but this isn't about investigation anymore. It's a manhunt, and the people who do that better than any of us are already on it. My advice is that you stay close to McGee. I got a feeling."

"What?" Gibbs looked at him sharply.

"The profiler who told me that the filmmaker wasn't after my daughter also noted obsessive tendencies in her report."

Ducky raised eyebrows. "Obsessive personalities can't find peace when things are left undone. Timothy is an uncompleted project."

Fornell nodded. "It's a theory, but we don't know how pathological his obsessive compulsive tendencies are. Most likely, he's in hiding now."

Gibbs looked at Vance. "I want to beef up security on McGee."

"Done. I'm doubling the coverage he's already got."

Ducky's cell rang. He listened for a moment and then a smile grew on his face. He hung up. "Timothy's awake."

….

McGee's eyes darted about the room. Memories came in searing flashes. Safety had to be present in this room. It wasn't the forest, there was no filmmaker, and all indications were that he was being cared for, but he couldn't shake the feeling of panic buried within him.

"Timmy!" Came a familiar voice. His worried eyes found her in the doorway, all pigtails and smiles.

He tried to speak but he could only croak something unintelligible. He tried to lift his head, but she shook her head and came rushing. "Don't try to move. You got out of surgery only a few hours ago."

None of this lessened his agitation and he started pulling at the plastic tubing connected to his body. His heart monitor started beeping in alarm. Abby had her hands on his. "Stop, Tim! It's okay. You're okay."

"Not safe!" He croaked, breathing heavily.

A nurse trotted into the room, saw what he was doing to his heart monitor and IV, and joined Abby in trying to hold him still.

"No!" He screeched brokenly.

Then someone else was there, and McGee found himself staring into a pair of steely blue eyes. He immediately went limp.

"We're going to need restraints," said the nurse as she started for help.

"No!" McGee tensed again.

Gibbs turned to her. "Give me a few minutes with him. He's been through a lot, and restraints are only going to make it worse."

"His condition is still critical. He could really harm himself."

"I got it. I promise."

Abby leaned over him. "You need to understand that you're safe. We won't let anything happen to you."

McGee turned his eyes back to Gibbs and he nodded. "Abs, I need a few minutes with Tim alone."

"Okay." She leaned over and kissed his forehead and left.

Gibbs sat down beside McGee and leaned forward. "We know the name of the filmmaker, and it's only a matter of hours before we find him. We got agents at the door, the team is here, and we're not going anywhere."

McGee's breathe settled.

"Fornell's people identified him because of your descriptions. Your angle about his camera purchase was spot on. You did it, Tim, and I couldn't be more proud."

"I was stupid," he croaked.

Gibbs sighed. "I know you feel that way. You said so in the last movie he sent. You were careless, McGee, and if I could safely kick your butt for it right now, I would. But neither you nor I were in a good place that day, and if you kick yourself about it, I gotta' do the same. I treated you poorly, put you in a bad spot, and you felt like you had to prove something. We both have to forgive ourselves and we have to move on. Understand?"

McGee watched him closely. "You sure?"

"Yep. We don't have a choice. We work together and we need to trust ourselves and each other."

"You want me back?"

"You bet I do."

He closed his eyes and relaxed.

Gibbs took his hand and squeezed. "You need to get some rest. We're all going to take turns sitting with you."

Green eyes popped open once more. "The minute you catch him, Boss…"

"I'll be on the phone telling you all about it. I promise."

He nodded slowly, his eyes closing again. Abby came up behind Gibbs and rested her chin on his shoulder. "He's okay, right?"

"He's been through too much, Abs. It's going to be awhile before we really get him back."

…

He felt lightheaded when he walked, and it helped to trail his hand along the wall for support. He jerked it back when Tony turned his head, but Tony just smiled. "You're doing good, Tim. It's good to be back home, isn't it?"

McGee nodded. He still lost his voice easily. Doctors told him he strained vocal cords during the torture, and it would take a few months to find his normal voice again. Tony unlocked his door, and they went in. The apartment was fresh and clean, windows open. It was clear that they had been here to clean, and McGee felt a twinge at yet another intrusion in his life, but he didn't say anything. They had all been so kind, and he truly appreciated it.

Tony dropped into a couch. "I still wish you'd agreed to stay with me or Gibbs."

"Need my space," McGee said softly. He wandered into his bedroom and noted the flowers on the nightstand. He'd have to throw them after Tony left. Allergies. He opened the drawer to the nightstand and found his back up weapon. He picked it up, checked to see if it was loaded, and put it back. He came back into the main room. "Tell everyone thank you for everything."

"Anything for you, Probie."

McGee sighed. "I like you better when you're insulting me."

"I'm saving 'em up for when you're feeling better. I've got a list of permutations on your name that's going to make your head spin."

McGee grinned. "I can't wait."

"Let's go over the rotation for your detail."

He shook his head. "Tell them to go home."

"No way. Fornell's half-wits still haven't caught that asshole yet. We're not going to gamble on the chance that he comes back for you."

"I got my weapon. I wish he would."

"Tim, you have to stop blaming yourself for this. You had no idea you were stumbling on his killing grounds."

"Should've been more careful."

"Yup. And you should've had backup. Same thing happened to me. You remember when we were looking for that Marine Sergeant, and I got taken. I felt like a fool. Then Gibbs and Kate got me out of there, and I learned never to let that happen again. That's what is going to happen for you too."

McGee nodded. "Okay."

"Want to watch a movie?"

He shook his head. "I just want to be alone, please."

"I'd be happy to stay."

"Then I wouldn't be alone."

"I'm coming back tomorrow."

"I have no doubt. Bring a movie for me when you do, okay?"

Tony got up, came over, and gently hugged him. McGee stiffened. "Tony."

Tony held on patting his back. "We're all recovering, Tim, because we thought we lost you. I promise that I'll get my mojo back soon."

McGee wrestled his way out of Tony's grip. "Come on, man. You're like a girl these days."

After he left, McGee went into the bedroom and watched him exit and go to his car. He also noted the NCIS issue sedan parked right below his window. He turned around and surveyed the immaculate apartment, and couldn't, for the life of him, think of a single thing to do.

…..

Gibbs came trotting up to the sedans at the barrier to Wolf Ridge park. The agent leaned against the car stood up. "Sorry Gibbs, hate to drag you all the way out there, but you wanted me to call if he ever came back here."

Gibbs patted him on the shoulder. "No, you did right. What's his mood?"

"He just asked us to give him space. Told him that we had to keep him in eyesight. Rodriguez followed him down. We're trying not to be intrusive. It's clear he's just looking for answers."

"Thanks George. I'm sure he appreciates it." Gibbs slipped under the barrier.

"Gibbs, before you go down there, you should know that we run out of money for this detail in less than a week. We've done six weeks, and I put in for an extension, but I guess Sec Nav figures we've committed enough resources to this."

"It's okay. I don't think he would've tolerated it much longer."

Gibbs trotted down the trail. It was a dry trail today, but flashes of the rainy day six weeks earlier when they searched for McGee's dead body kept hitting as he moved. That day, it felt like they were on the trail for hours looking for him, but this time, it only took minutes. He caught up to Rodriguez and nodded. "Thanks Al. I'll take it from here. He and I are going to need some privacy."

McGee was up ahead crouching at the spot where Percy Wells had assaulted him with a knife. Off the trail twenty yards, yellow tape marked the spot where their struggle had left him with a hunting knife in his gut. McGee looked up when he heard Gibbs approach. When he saw him, he groaned and dropped his head. "They shouldn't have called you."

"If your evaluation is good, I'm expecting you back at work next week. I need to know how you're doing."

McGee stood up and watched him approach. "I was coming down the path like that. He crouched back here. Slow down. I was moving more slowly. He waited until I was maybe two feet away, and I remember he stepped into me with confidence. One, two, pivot, stab." McGee walked through Wells' movements.

"I saw him and reached for my gun. That was my first mistake, wasn't it?"

Gibbs nodded. "He was too close for your gun to be much good. You needed time and space to aim. You need to play a defensive game when they walk into you like that. You should've attacked the arm with the knife."

"Right." McGee backed up and walked through it again, pivoting, and stabbing with his hand. Gibbs sliced the stabbing arm with one hand, and used the other to pull McGee's head gently into his raised knee.

McGee backed up. "That could've made all the difference in the world. I need more physical combat training."

"Yeah, you do, but so does Tony. Ziva is the only one that trains on a regular basis. We'll set up a weekly session with a drill instructor I know at the yard."

McGee's eyes wandered down to the yellow tape marking the spot where he lay for 18 hours. Gibbs noted the dark circles still etched under his eyes, and how his lanky frame seemed positively bony.

"How are the nightmares?"

"Nightly."

"Dr. Cranston says you're coming in when scheduled."

Tim looked up. "What does else does she say?"

"Her sessions with you are confidential. She's assessing your fitness for duty, certainly, but I haven't seen that report yet."

"I don't want to disappoint you, Boss."

Gibbs frowned. "Why are we on that again?"

"I've seen the work of stone cold killers for years now. I move through crime scenes and I study them for clues, but I've learned not to feel…or not to feel strongly about the crime committed. I have to have a certain objectivity to perform my job. I can't get lost in what it must have been like for the victim in their last moments."

"But now you know what it's like for victims, particularly the ones who were tortured."

McGee looked up at the sky as if trying to find the sun through the thick foliage. "It's more than that. What happened to me is only half of what he did to the females he killed. They lay for hours in excruciating pain and fear while he planned further atrocities to them. They are dead now, but when I have my nightmares, I don't dream of my time with him as much as I dream about their time with him. You're going to think I'm crazy, but I feel like their souls are still alive and crying out for justice."

Gibbs let out a deep breath. "Yeah. That's pretty deep, Tim. I hope Cranston knows this."

"I'm not trying to do therapy with you, Boss. I'm telling you this to explain what I've done."

"I don't understand."

"Wells has killed again. Another woman was tortured to death, and he'll keep doing it until he's caught. Catching him is more important than my career. Catching him is worth going to jail."

Gibbs' eyes flashed. "What the hell are you talking about, McGee? There hasn't been another victim."

"She was found on a hiking trail in Lake Jackson Mounds State Park north of Tallahassee, Florida three days ago."

"We would know, McGee. A death in a state park doesn't mean it's Wells."

"Boss, I've been committing federal crimes in my time off. That's how I know."

Gibbs grabbed his arm. "You need to start making sense and you need to do it now!"

"A week after I got home, I called Fornell and I told him that his team should focus on Nikon downloads for that fancy camera of his. Companies often offer downloads to improve performance or to add features to the products we buy, but only 30% of people who buy electronics take advantage of these downloads. I figured Wells would be in that 30%. Told Fornell his cyber forensics people could maybe get warrant for the IP addresses of people who have downloaded software, and look for Wells that way. Called him back in a week and he told me his cyber guy said it was a no go."

Gibbs watched him closely. "But you knew differently."

"You've always let me play on the edges of protocol, and I knew it could work. Plus, I had time on my hands and enough expertise to do it."

"What did you do?"

"I hacked the IP addresses off the Nikon site of people download software for the model of camera that Wells used. I had 532 addresses and over the last three weeks, I have been eliminated them first by names and criminal records. Then I used facebook and other public venues to eliminate more. For 43 names, I illegally hacked into their lives to eliminate them as suspects. This week, I was down to three names, and then I found him. Pete Wilson. Ubiquitous name. The IP address is only six weeks old. It took me awhile to sift through all the other Pete Wilsons, but I found out this one has no credit history, no work history. All I know is that this Pete Wilson rents a cheap room in Tallahassee and regularly downloads software for his expensive Nikon camera. I also know that he's ex-military and that he's had three wives. I followed him onto a website for retired military."

Gibbs' breath quickened. "What do you know about the murder in Tallahassee?"

"Young female hiker. 23 years old. Stabbed 37 times. I'm sure he filmed it too, but he's afraid to post it. He's not ready for the FBI to descend on Tallahassee."

"And when were you going to tell me this?"

"I have a meeting scheduled with Vance and Fornell at 4 p.m. this afternoon. I'm going to give them the information and surrender myself as a result of my…activities. Part of my time here today was to figure how to tell you. I could get serious jail time for this, but I'll do it. I can't live with those poor women screaming in my head. It was worth it."

"Shut up, McGee. I just became your lawyer. You're not going in there alone."

…..

McGee sat in the bullpen quietly. He didn't take his old chair. He wasn't sure it was his anymore. Instead, he sat in a chair next to Gibbs' desk hands in his lap like a naughty schoolboy waiting for his punishment. The elevator opened, and he winced when he heard Ziva squeal his name. He stayed ramrod straight in his chair as she tackled him, DiNozzo on her heels. Finally, she stepped back. "I thought you weren't coming back until next week."

He had no idea how to deal with any questions.

"Why aren't you at your desk?"

He could always count on Tony to notice something was off.

"I…um not here officially."

"What does that mean?"

Gibbs had told him to keep his mouth shut, but he hadn't said anything about lying to his best friends. He leaned toward them. "I…uh, think I might have located Percy Wells."

"What?!"

McGee grimaced. "Please! Keep your voices down. I did it without authorization or warrants. Gibbs is upstairs with Fornell and Vance. They have to figure out what to do about it. I hacked illegally."

Tony pulled a chair up and leaned into McGee's face. "You really found the bastard?"

McGee nodded. "I think so."

"From your computer in your apartment? No agency support whatsoever?"

He nodded again.

"And they're pissing and moaning about authorizations and warrants?"

"Those things are important, Tony."

Ziva pulled up a chair on the other side of McGee. "We'll wait with you. We are in this together all the way."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know whether to applaud you or to spank you."

…

Fornell looked up at the screen in Vance's office at the murdered girl from Tallahassee. "It's almost the exact way his second victim was posed. Do we have eyes on him?"

"I sent a couple of agents to Tallahassee from the field office in Pensacola. He's not at his apartment, but they are sitting on it. His landlord looked at his photo and said that it looked like Pete Wilson." Vance was sitting with his hands tightly folded as if trying to contain emotion.

Fornell turned to Gibbs. "And you're telling me that the kid did this in his apartment by himself without a warrant?"

"Yup."

"What the hell!? We can't use it! We arrest him with this and it gets thrown out of court in a week."

"McGee came to you with this idea, Tobias."

"And my people said it couldn't be done."

"Well, they were wrong."

"Yeah, 'cause they couldn't figure out how to do it legally. Damn it, Jethro! What do you want me to do?!"

Vance looked directly at Gibbs. "Well first off, we figure out a way to get a killer off the streets without any more coloring outside the lines."

"Tobias, can you get a judge to sign off on a warrant to search those Nikon downloads so we can get this done properly?"

"You're suggesting that we start from scratch. Take McGee's idea and push it to its conclusion legally."

"You know it will bear fruit."

Tobias looked down at the table. "There's a judge who owes me. I'll call him. I'll put my cyber people on it and push them until it gets done."

"Just remember that McGee did it by himself in his bedroom in three weeks."

"We'll get it done in two days tops. Nobody is going to sleep until I see the same results McGee got. What about the guys from Pensacola? I don't want anything to be traced to any of us having prior knowledge of his whereabouts."

"We live by slightly different rules here. Homeland Security gives us the leeway to investigate former military personnel without probable cause. There won't be an investigative trail." Vance said.

Fornell looked at Gibbs. "What's going to happen to the kid? I know he went off the reservation but he's saving lives here. If you drop him, I'm showing up on his doorstop with chocolates and a corsage. Someone once told me that you don't waste good. I thought they knew what they were talking about. And if you make him carry federal charges and screw me out of a new employee, I'm going to contribute to his defense fund."

Vance looked at Gibbs. "Outlaws learn their behavior from other outlaws. I can't decide if further exposure to you is going to ruin him or if it's going to take an outlaw to control him."

Gibbs glared at Vance. "I will do whatever is necessary to protect him. Let's not forget that he can barely sleep three hours without dreaming about Wells driving a knife in his victims- not him. He's haunted by what Wells did to the women. He thinks their souls live in him now. Talk to him. You'll understand what I mean. He needs help. There are enough mitigating circumstances here to keep him out of a prison. I'll get him the best lawyer in D.C. if you pursue anything, Leon."

"So I'm the bad guy here, huh? I would've expected you to stay on top of his extra-curriculars, particularly with what you knew about his mental state. He and his computer skills are a menace without proper supervision."

Fornell stood. "Gentlemen, take another look at the dead girl on the screen. She will be the last victim this asshole ever gets because your geek can make magic with a computer. He may not have done the legal thing, but he did the right thing. Now you'll have to excuse me because I need to turn his good work into probable cause."

…

Tony sat at his desk crumpling up copy paper and throwing them at a wastepaper basket he placed on McGee's desk. Ziva sat at her desk, her chin on propped elbows and watched him as he missed throw after throw. It was 10 p.m. McGee was pulled upstairs three hours earlier. Dr. Rachel Cranston showed up two hours ago with an armful of files and a worried look on her face. She trotted past them with barely a glance.

They finally heard sounds on the stairs, and Tony jumped up, oblivious to the hundreds of paper balls littering the bullpen. Gibbs turned the corner but stopped short when he saw the devastation. Tony ignored his glare. "Well, what happened?!"

"They're ironing out the details." He said as he stepped around the mountain of paper, and ran an arm across his desk dislodging at least fifty more. "If you think you're leaving this for the maintenance guys, then you need more help than McGee."

Ziva cocked her head. "What does it mean that you are 'ironing details'? What is that?"

"He shouldn't have told you anything."

"Well he did, Gibbs!" The Israeli was on her feet, eyes blazing.

Gibbs sighed. "His posttraumatic stress has gotten in the way of good decision making. He's not ready to come back on Monday. He has more work to do before he can be cleared for duty. We'll try again in a month."

"No! We've waited long enough." Tony threw the last paper ball in his hand to the floor.

"Would you prefer we not factor in the PTSD and go straight to federal charges?"

"No," Ziva said softly. "Is he okay?"

"He needs to see Wells behind bars, and he'll do anything to see that happen. He's dealing with some powerful demons right now."

"We have to watch him more closely."

Gibbs nodded. "It doesn't matter if it annoys him. We're not moving in with him, but he needs some extra supervision right now."

Ziva nodded. "We're on it."

"What about Wells? Are we going to be a part of what's happening in Tallahassee?"

Gibbs shook his head. "We need a little distance from that right now. Fornell needs to retrace Tim's path legitimately."

They stopped talking when they heard someone coming down the steps and McGee rounded the corner. "You guys stayed."

"We're a team," Ziva said.

"Boss told you I'm out a bit longer?"

"Yeah."

"You guys are going to stalk me, aren't you?"

"Well, tomorrow night is going to be Hitchcock's 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' at your house. Ziva will bring the falafel. We'll take it day by day after that."

McGee winced. "Great."

….

Over the next few days, McGee endured Hitchcock and then Francis Ford Coppola night, and then there was bowling with Abby and Sister Rosita followed by an endless night of sanding a cherry wood rocker in the Gibbs' basement while the boss leaned against his bench, sipping bourbon and watching him like he was a suspect in interrogation.

They reacted whenever the phone rang, but Fornell never had the right news. They confirmed that Wells occupied the room, but he hadn't returned. Fornell's people made the same connections McGee did, and so Fornell's task force landed in Tallahassee legitimately, and now they were playing a waiting game; undercover agents patrolling area state parks and other hiking sites.

McGee's nightmares continued as he waited for Wells to finally be captured. He breathed in the hope that with his capture, the women in his head would find justice and he would find peace.

It was five a.m. on a Friday morning that he got the call that signaled an end to everything. "Special Agent McGee, my name is Agent Olson with the FBI. I have some good news. They picked up Wells in a park north of Tallahassee a couple of hours ago. He was just sitting a car waiting for the sun to come up if you can believe it."

McGee struggled to find his voice. "That's…great news."

"Fornell's got him in interrogation, and he called me 'cause he needs your help."

McGee felt the fear rise in his gut. The agent's voice was muffled and scratchy. "What does he need?"

"Apparently, Wells is intimating that he might've left a body at Wolf Ridge before he took you, and I'm there with a few of my guys, and we're going to start a search at first light. Fornell thinks you could maybe point us in a direction. We're interested in where he was going when he left you. Basically, we need you to point us in a direction. Fornell thinks there's a sweet spot in the park that we might've missed."

McGee struggled with his breath. "You need me to come down."

"I can't imagine it'll be easy for you. Hopefully, we'll only need you for a couple of hours. Do you think you could help?"

He sat up. He had to make the right decision. "It'll take me a few minutes to jump in the shower. I can be on the road in twenty. It's five now. I can be there by seven. That okay?"

"Yeah. We can make that work."

"Good. See you in a few."

The phone clicked and McGee felt the bile rise up in his throat. He lost it before he could get to the bathroom. Showering wasn't even a real thought. He pulled on jeans securing a backup weapon at his ankle and his piece in his holster. He put a knife in his back pocket, and closed his eyes to think. There wasn't a lot of time. It happened now or it wasn't going to happen at all. He paced for a moment. Timing was everything. With a cry of frustration, he slapped the wall and headed out the door.

…..

He waited until he was on the road for twenty minutes before he made the call he should've made earlier. "Boss, I heard from Wells."

"What!? Where are you?"

"He called posing as an FBI agent. Tried to disguise his voice, but I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was him. He said that Wells was caught and Fornell was interrogating him. He wants me to meet him at Wolf Ridge to help find another body."

"Good instincts, Tim!"

"I'm on my way there now."

"No. You wait! We need a plan."

"He's expecting me within a certain time frame. If I don't show up when I said I would, he'll bolt. Think about how hard it's been to track him."

"You showing up without backup is not a plan, McGee!"

"I'm armed and I'm ready, and I know my team is going to be 20 minutes behind me. There's no time to surround the park, and he's already there so we can't ambush him. There is no other plan, is there? We can't just let him disappear again. You don't know what it's like…I only experienced…half…we have to protect…the women."

"Breathe, Tim! Take it slow. There's a rest stop ten minutes before Wolf Ridge. You stop there."

"We don't have time!"

"You're panicking."

"I can do this!"

"Courage is not your problem, Tim. You don't have anything to prove in that department, but you do need to show me that you're not going to pull another rogue move. You be at that rest stop, McGee!"

….

"Get your shirt off. I'm going to put my vest on you. It astounds me that you didn't think to bring your armor."

"We don't have much time," McGee whispered.

"Shut up and do what I say."

McGee stripped to his waist and extended his arms so Gibbs could strap on a vest. A car skidded hard to a stop next to them and Tony and Ziva tumbled out. Gibbs leaned over to McGee's ear as he belted his chest. "One of these days I'm going to talk to those two about how they keep showing up everywhere together."

"What the hell?!" Tony was red in the face. "We're not using him as bait. Bad idea!"

McGee turned his head. "It's the only way, Tony."

Gibbs tugged his t-shirt over McGee's head, but the shape of the Kevlar was etched clearly in the tight fabric so he turned to DiNozzo. "Give him your shirt. He needs something loose fitting."

Tony pulled his button down flannel over his head, and handed it to Gibbs. Ziva said nothing as she circled McGee, her eyes worried.

"I don't like it, Boss." Tony said as he paced.

Gibbs helped get the shirt over McGee's head. "Remember the meadow where the helicopter dropped. It was only about a quarter mile from the highway. I want you and Ziva to drive to that spot, breach the fence, and come in behind Wells. I'm going to be riding in the back of McGee's car. What are we doing for sound, Tim?"

McGee shakily pulled a mic from out of his pocket. "This was in the trunk of the sedan. There's only one transmitter. I can hide it under the Kevlar."

Tony walked up to him. "You don't have to do this, McGee."

"Yeah, I do." Tim said staying focused on his boss.

Gibbs nodded and looked into his eyes. "I'm waiting five minutes after you get out of the car and then I follow. You gotta' play the part of the innocent trotting down the path to help Fornell's people. He plans to ambush you. You'll be better prepared, but he's very good. He could come at you from any direction. He doesn't want to kill you right away. He needs his last film so whatever happens, you need to know that we are on your six. We will be on him before he hurts you. You understand?"

Eyes wide, he nodded. "We gotta' do this now."

"Yeah, we do." Gibbs patted his cheek and pushed him toward the sedan. "All right people, we gotta' put this animal away."

Tony cursed, grabbed Ziva's arm, and headed for the other car.

…

The leaves had lost their color. They were brown, fragile skeletons he crushed with every step he took down the path. He tried to move easily as if this was just another day and this was a simple task, but his heart pounded so hard it threatened to choke him and, despite the cool fall air, perspiration dotted his forehead. He knew he was jumpy. He couldn't help it. Wells could be coming at him from any direction. He had no advantage. He patted his holstered weapon for the hundredth time as he neared the heavy brush where he was first accosted.

The mic he'd installed was only one-way. He would talk but he couldn't hear. There'd been no time to plan, but it angered him that he'd never considered the possibility of such a move by Wells.

"Don't know where you are, Boss, but I don't see anything," he murmured. Then it dawned on him that the authentic move at this point was to call out for the fake Agent Olson.

"Hello! Agent Olson, I'm here. Where are you?!" He slowed at the spot where he'd been pulled off the path by Wells. Carefully, he turned in a circle. It was a cloudy morning, and even though the trees were bare and light came through, he wished he had a flashlight.

"Agent Olson! I'm here! Where are you!?"

"Up here, Agent McGee."

McGee spun around and looked up. Wells was perched on a tree branch pointing a rifle at him. McGee grabbed for his gun, but Wells was already pulling the trigger. A shot rang out, hitting McGee square in the chest, lifting him and throwing him against a large qak tree. McGee fell against it hard and then slumped to the ground.

…..

Gibbs heard the sharp report of a gunshot, he set off in a dead run.

…

Tony cursed and started running up the hilly terrain. Ziva signaled to him and veered to the right.

….

McGee's world was fading in and out of blackness as he struggled for consciousness. The only thing he was acutely aware of was that someone had set fire to his chest. He rolled off the tree and his hand found his gun. He waved it in front of him frantically, but he couldn't get his vision to clear.

Then a great weight landed on his torso and he howled as his hand was captured and his gun was pulled away. Wells pulled the shirt open violently and cursed at the Kevlar he found. "You brought backup, you little bitch!"

The weight disappeared and McGee struggled to sit up, but he was grabbed bodily and pulled to his feet: Wells holding him tightly to him, a beefy arm around his neck. McGee blinked wildly and the spots began to fade. Wells pulled him around like a ragdoll as he searched the area for the threat. Then McGee felt the cold steel of a gun barrel jammed in behind his ear.

"Wells, stand down! It's over! We got you!"

McGee saw Gibbs standing fifty feet away on the path, his sig trained on Wells. He could feel Wells' hot breath on his neck and he tried to clear his head of everything but what Gibbs might want of him.

"You must be Gibbs. I know your reputation so I guess these are my last moments. Say something to the kid before he dies with me."

Gibbs shook his head slowly. "Nobody dies today. We need to hear your story, Wells. You've got a lot to share with us."

"I'll talk. I'll tell you everything, but I get to kill McGee first. The little bitch cheated me out of an ending to my film."

"Not going to work. You kill him and you die. Then your story dies with you."

McGee slid his hand slowly along his jeans and found the hilt of his knife. He slowly gripped it.

"Gibbs, I got kills you don't know about. There were films I never made and bodies that were never found. You gonna' risk those stories just because of one skinny little agent who screams like a girl."

DiNozzo emerged from the bushes in a crouch, his gun steady. And Ziva approached from the back. Tony nodded at Gibbs. "Give me a signal, Boss. I'll take out his left eye. Ziva's got the right one."

"Stand down, DiNozzo. Wells and I are having a little chat."

McGee lifted the knife slowly out of his pants.

"We're not going to negotiate, Gibbs. I finish McGee and we talk."

"You kill him and you're dead!"

McGee couldn't risk much movement. He was only allowed one quick thrust as he buried the knife in Wells' thigh. Surprise was key. Wells reacted with instinct rather than thought. In that moment, he jerked back shooting off his gun, and then there were gunshots from all directions. A hole appeared on Well's forehead and another on the side of his neck, and he lurched forward, falling hard on top of McGee.

They all scrambled forward. Tony got to Wells first, and dragged him off McGee. There was blood everywhere. Ziva knelt next to McGee, and rolled him over. He was covered in blood and unconscious. At first, she searched frantically for a bullet hole, feeling around to the back of his head, and then settling on his chest.

"Check his vitals, Ziva!"

She searched frantically for his carotid and found nothing. "McGee! McGee!"

Gibbs dropped beside her, and leaned his ear against McGee's mouth. He looked up. "He's not breathing. Start CPR. I'll do compressions."

Wide eyed, she nodded and leaned over his face while Gibbs straddled his torso, locating the sternum, and began counting out compressions. He looked up, still in rhythm, and barked, "DiNozzo!"

Tony immediately understood what was needed. He grabbed his cell phone and called for help.

…..

The pain in his chest was horrific, and at first, he wondered if Wells was sitting on him. Opening his eyes to such a possibility scared him, but he had to know what was happening. His vision was blurry but it was clear that no one was sitting on his chest. The familiar sounds and smells of a hospital room emerged. He recognized the IV solutions, but the other machines were new to him, and when he lifted his head to better examine them, his chest muscles erupted in pain and he groaned.

An unlikely face appeared. "Hey McGee, you're awake! Good for you!"

McGee frowned. "Fornell. What happened? My team? Wells?"

"Wells is dead. And the team is on their way back from Wolf Ridge. They were on the road when I talked to them about an hour ago. Took most of the day to take care of the crime scene. They found his bag, his car, and his camera."

"What happened… to me?"

Fornell pointed to the leads attached to McGee's bare chest. "You went into cardiac arrest."

"He shot me."

"No, the Kevlar vest took the bullets, but it left a huge contusion on your chest. The heart muscle swelled, and then Wells fell on you and your heart arrested."

McGee looked away, blinking.

"Hey, it's okay. They did CPR and brought you back. Then for the second time in two months, you were airlifted out of Wolf Ridge park."

"He's dead."

Fornell nodded. "Very dead."

McGee turned back to him. "Why are you here?"

He smiled. "I want Jethro to think I'm trying to poach you. He knows I'd love to have you with the Bureau, but the truth is that I just wanted to say thank you. It took some pretty big cojones to go down there, knowing that animal wanted to hurt you. You took a lot of risks with this case. You've made mistakes, ones I hope you've learned from, but you also caught a really bad man. People aren't going to forget that."

"Thank…you."

"They got a look at his camera. There's of a video a woman we didn't know about. We think she might also be from Florida, and people have yet to find her body. We're working on identifying where she might have been. I'm going to call up that Botanist that helped with your rescue."

McGee closed his eyes as moisture gathered at the edges of his eyes.

"You know, you've experienced something that few law enforcement officers ever experience. You know the pain and terror of being a victim. You might see that as a hindrance, but I see it as a…gift of sorts. With a courage as rare as yours, I think you're going to use that understanding to fight even harder to catch these bastards. I think it's going to make you stronger. We need guys like you because there will always be guys like Wells."

"Tobias, you're starting to sound like a therapist."

Fornell turned and saw Gibbs, DiNozzo, and Ziva in the open doorway. "I was just telling the kid that if he ever wants to jump ship, I'm going to give him a raise and pay his monthly cable bill."

"He's not going anywhere," Tony said as he slipped past Gibbs and took McGee's hand. "How you doing, Probie?"

McGee looked up at him. "We stopped a real bad guy today."

"And Ziva made out with you extensively. Too bad you weren't awake for it." Tony yelped as she punched him in the arm. She pushed Tony back and leaned in to give McGee a kiss on the cheek.

McGee's eyes found Gibbs. "Thanks for having my six."

Gibbs allowed a rare smile. "It's what we do, Tim. It's what we do."

…

The End

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