Shattered Innocence


Prologue


Emergency rooms were busy, no matter the time of day or night. Timothy McGee pushed his way through the crowds, using his badge to get the nurse's attention. "Sarah McGee, where is she?"

The nurse pointed down one of the corridors. "Room twelve, the detectives are with her." Tim recognized the Metro detective standing outside the examination room. They had worked together on a assault case last year. He didn't even register his feet moving.

"Detective Jeffries?"

"Agent McGee," he held his hand out. "It's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"How is she?"

"She's alive, that's the most important thing. My partner's in there with her. Your sister was able to give a statement and a detailed description of her attacker." Jeffries gave him an encouraging smile. "She seems like a tough little lady, she'll get through this."

Not trusting his voice, Tim nodded in response. A nurse came out and handed Jeffries an evidence box, driving home what had happened to his baby sister. "Where's Abby?"

"Abby?"

"Abby Sciuto. She was at the club with my sister, she was Sarah's ride home." McGee started to get worried. "Did something happen to her, too?"

"We didn't have any reports of a missing person and no one else was attacked." Jeffries started looking through his notes. "Can you give me a description of Miss Sciuto?" He frowned as Tim described his friend. "Do you know where Miss Sciuto was last Friday evening?"

Tim didn't like the question or the tone. "I think she went to a concert right after work that night. What does that have to do with what happened to my sister tonight?"

"What was the name of the band that was performing?"

"Some new group... Bloody something... I didn't really pay attention. What is going on?" The investigator in him realized that this was bigger than just the attack on his sister, but the friend in him couldn't connect the dots. The appearance of Jeffries' partner stopped the questions he had, but allowed him in to see Sarah.

Looking tiny and vulnerable on the exam table, Sarah sat with her knees up under her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs. Someone had given her a pair of sweats to wear, but they were several sizes too large. The left side of her face was severely bruised, her lip swollen and bloodied. Hand shaped marks were visible on her throat, and her right wrist was braced. She didn't say anything when she saw Tim, just broke down into tears.

He didn't say anything, just moved closer and held his arms out. Knowing how many choices had been taken from her that night, he allowed her to make the first move, to set the pace. He might be a man, but he was her big brother and that was more important to the traumatized young woman. She clung to him, crying and sobbing, telling a fractured tale of a dark room filled with terror and pain. Of being trapped, the maniacal laughter as a stranger took what he wanted. When she told of how Abby had introduced her to the stranger and then vanished it was all he could do to keep breathing. Eventually, exhaustion overcame the horror of the night and she cried herself to sleep on his shoulder.

Tim continued to stroke her hair long after she succumbed to sleep, until the nurse laid her back down and covered her with a blanket. He watched her sleep, his breath coming in shorter bursts until he had to get out of there. It was a straight shot out the door and across the hall into a public restroom and he barely made it in time. Jeffries was right on his heels, while his partner stayed with Sarah.

He'd long since stopped puking at most crime scenes, but this wasn't like most crimes. It wasn't the blood and gore that tore at his stomach, it was the knowledge and the questions that drove the spasms. Eventually, even the dry heaves stopped and he rinsed out his mouth and washed his face. Jeffries handed him a paper towel and waited for the question he knew was coming.

"Why do you think Abby is involved?" When the answer didn't come immediately, he rounded on the other man. "Damn it, Jeffries, if there is the slightest chance she was involved in hurting my sister, I need to know."

Jeffries leaned against the other sink, knowing he had to tell of his suspicions. "There's been four rapes in the last three weeks with similar MO's. The one last Friday... the victim remembered seeing a woman hanging around the man that later attacked her at the after party for the Bloody Zombies concert. We worked up a sketch and the mystery woman was seen near one of the other attacks. We're reinterviewing witnesses at the scenes of the other attacks."

McGee held out his hand and waited. The folded paper was laid in his palm without a word. Convinced they were wrong, believing he would see someone he didn't recognize, he slowly unfolded the page and stared into the inked eyes of Abigail Sciuto.

"Abby."

It had been three days since Tim had been called to the hospital. Sarah had been released early the next morning and silently let her brother drive her to his apartment. He hadn't had the slightest idea what to say when he'd called in to work, but he sounded rough enough that Gibbs assumed he was sick. It was close enough to the truth that McGee didn't feel like he was lying.

Today he either needed to return to work or get a note from his doctor explaining to Gibbs why he was still sick. Neither was desirable, but Sarah was convinced she would be all right by herself for at least a few hours. Now, he stood in the elevator, preparing to go in the squadroom. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his backpack and walked through the doors as they opened. "Morning." He was hoarse from talking to Sarah throughout the night to keep the nightmares at bay, and dark shadows under his eyes emphasized his exhaustion.

"You look like crap, Probie."

"Tony is correct, you do not look well, McGee."

After the comments from the rest of the team, Gibbs gave his agent a hard look. "If you're still sick, why didn't you take another day of sick leave?"

McGee dropped his backpack behind his desk and sat down, reaching for the power button on his computer. "I'm not that bad and I don't want to use any more of my sick days."

Gibbs wasn't convinced. "We take over the stakeout on the Millikan case tomorrow afternoon and I need you one hundred percent for that. Take a personal day, McGee. Tony's right, you look like crap."

He started to argue, but the nights of sitting up with Sarah, the catnaps on the inflatable bed and the stress of waiting for Metro to investigate were taking their toll. If they did catch a case today, he'd probably end up shooting himself in the foot. He wearily nodded and started to shut his computer back down. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about leaving in time to take Sarah to her doctor's appointment.


---NCIS---


David Jeffries and Karen Thompson sat at their respective desks, reviewing the case files. By now they knew they had a serial rapist on their hands, and one look at the photos of the victims told them he was becoming more violent with each attack. Their captain joined them. "Tell me you've got something on this guy."

"He's definitely getting more dangerous, but that also means that he's getting less careful." Thompson handed over the pictures of Sarah McGee. "The condom he was using broke during his last assault, so now we have DNA. His latest victim is the younger sister of a NCIS agent. She was able to give us the most detailed description so far. When we nail him, we'll have enough to take him down."

"Will she be able to testify?"

Karen thought about the question. Many cases like this fell apart in the courtroom because the victims were too devastated to talk about what happened to them. "She's pretty shaky right now, but as long as she has her brother with her, she should be all right."

Captain Oliver wasn't thrilled about the NCIS connection, they had a history of butting in and taking over. "How long do we have to get this guy before her brother pulls strings and makes this a federal case?"

"That's where things get complicated." Jeffries listened as his boss groaned. He knew the man wouldn't like it any better when he told him why it was complicated. "He has hit at raves, parties and alternative clubs in the area, that seems to be his comfort zone."

"Okay." Oliver waited to see what the problem was.

"At first we weren't overly surprised when the same woman showed up several times right before the victims were grabbed, I mean it's not a huge goth scene here in DC, so it wouldn't be a surprise if someone who parties a lot was at more than one scene."

Jeffries wasn't one to beat around the bush. His captain realized that his long winded explanation wasn't good news. "And..."

"We've identified her. She works at NCIS with the last victim's brother and she was supposed to be her ride home. The woman apparently introduced the victim to our suspect."

"Crap. This isn't going to end pretty."

"No sir, but so far McGee is concentrating on taking care of his sister and is willing to let us handle the investigation. I just don't know how long that's going to last if we can't show him some progress."

"Then we better make some progress and fast. This case is your only priority right now. If we're going to accuse someone at NCIS of being an accomplice, we'd better have some hard evidence to back it up."


---NCIS---


"Sarah?" Tim carefully moved closer, making sure to stay in her line of sight. "Hey, Sis, your doctor's appointment is in a little while, do you want to take a shower and get cleaned up?" He was worried. Her first day home, she had showered obsessively every hour on the hour. Ever since, she had refused to change out of the oversized sweats she had found in his drawer.

At first he didn't think she'd heard him, but then she nodded and turned to face him. The swelling had gone down, but the bruises were dark and painful looking, her lip still raw. "He's not going to find me here, is he?"

"No, he's not going to find you here." He moved to the dresser and pulled out another set of sweats, knowing she felt safer in the bulky fabric. "I'll be right here, between you and the door. He can't get in, I promise."

She was almost convinced. "You have your gun?"

"Yeah, I have my gun." He moved his jacket to show her the SIG at his waist. Satisfied, she picked up the clothes he'd laid out for her and locked the bathroom door behind her. A few seconds later he heard the drawers in the vanity open. Since they opened next to the door and blocked it from being opened, she'd been using them as a second layer of security since the attack. Tim sank down onto the bed and rubbed his face, suddenly exhausted.


---NCIS---


Tim had read every magazine in the waiting room by the time he was invited back to join Sarah and Dr. Turner. He took the vacant seat and waited. Dr. Turner didn't waste any time, but he was gentle. "Tim, Sarah tells me that she's not sleeping very well. I'm going to prescribe a sleeping aid, just to help for the next few weeks and we've set her up with a therapist. Physically, she is recovering, but now we need to focus on her emotional recovery."

"Whatever she needs." He held his hand out, palm up, giving her the choice. It took a moment, but she laid her hand in his and squeezed it.

Turner gave an approving nod. "Now, there are two more things we should talk about. First, you are aware of Sarah's decision to not tell your parents about what happened?"

Tim gave a sad smile. "We've had to agree to disagree on that one."

For the first time, Sarah became animated. "I don't want them to know. Mom will just cry and Dad... I don't want Dad to blame Tim, it's not his fault that Abby..."

Not wanting his sister to get too upset, Tim moved the doctor onto the second topic. "You said there were two things?"

"We drew blood today for the next round of tests for STD's, but in a few days we will need to do a pregnancy test.. Now, because she was given emergency contraceptives in the hospital that night, the chances of pregnancy is very minor, but we still need to make sure."

Sarah's grip on his hand became tight enough to cut off the circulation. "I don't want strangers for that, please, Tim."

Tim laid his other hand on top of hers. "She can do that at home, in private, right?"

Dr. Turner studied the brother and sister pair in his office. He'd been surprised when she'd asked that her brother be included in the discussion, but he could see how much she was depending on him right now. "Sarah and I have discussed the options and I've agreed to send a test kit home with her as long as she has a support system set up, and it looks like the two of you take care of each other."

"Always have, always will."

A medicated slumber might not be perfect, but both McGee's felt more confident about facing the day after a good night's sleep. Tim woke at his normal time and then reset his alarm for his late day at NCIS. Sarah was just starting to wake up when he left for work.

"Are you going to be out in the field today?"

He understood that she was easily frightened and tried not to make it worse. "We've got a stakeout this afternoon, but it should be pretty routine." When she didn't seem convinced, he came over and sat on the bed. "I'll be in the van with all of the equipment, around the corner from the suspects. It will be safer than in the bullpen when Ziva's in a bad mood." Usually a comment like that would have her laughing, but the slight smile Tim saw was enough for now. A friend from the dorm was on her way over, so he slipped out the door.


---NCIS---


"Good morning, Probie. Looks like you're feeling better."

McGee forced himself to give DiNozzo a smile in return. "I'm better, thanks, Tony." He ducked his head and started immediately into his work, not noticing the concerned glances exchanged by the rest of the team.

An hour into their late day, Gibbs sent McGee down to the lab to check with Abby that the equipment was ready to be loaded in the van. When McGee picked up the phone, Gibbs shook his head. "I said go check on the equipment. Make sure everything is there that you'll need."

For a moment, McGee looked like he was going to object, then he kicked his chair back and moved to the elevator. Once he was moving, Gibbs headed the other directions for coffee before they left to run the surveillance. As soon they were alone in the squad room, Ziva turned to Tony.

"Why did Gibbs make him go down there to double check something that is already done?"

Tony was already on his feet, planning to follow McGee. "Something is wrong with McGee and if anybody can get him to talk about it, it'll be Abby. He tells her everything."

"So, where are you going?" Ziva stood to follow him.

"We can't help him if we don't know what's wrong, Ziva." Instead of the elevator, Tony headed for the stairs. Ziva grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"He is telling Abby, not you."

"Yeah, well, normally, I'd just wait for Abby to tell me, but we're leaving soon, so I can't wait." He tapped her cheeks before resuming his path. "Besides, if it's really private, he'll talk to her in her office with the door closed. You coming or not?" She glared at him, but she followed him out the door.


---NCIS---


"Hey, McGee, long time no see. Tony said you were sick, why didn't you call me? I'd have come over and hung out with you." Abby was on her fifth Caf-Pow of the day and she was buzzing, enough that she didn't pick up on anything unusual when McGee sidestepped her hug.

"I just need to check on the equipment for the van, Abby." McGee checked over everything carefully, much to Abby's amusement.

"What? You don't trust me all of a sudden, or are you hiding from Gibbs? Oh, are you in trouble?"

"Abby..."

"Oh, come on, Timmy, you can tell me."

"Abby!" Even thought his voice was low, this time his tone was sharp enough to stop her in her tracks. "Gibbs asked me to check on this, so that's what I am doing."

"Well, you don't have to get all pissy about it. I just wanted to know if you were feeling better so the four of us could go out. I got us all tickets to go see the Talking Heads." Abby was loading the mass spectrometer and didn't see the look on his face. "Sarah had a good time at the club, right?"

"Is this all some sort of sick game to you?" Tim shoved away from the table and turned to leave.

For the first time Abby really looked at him and saw how upset he was. "I'm not playing any games, McGee. What is your problem?"

"You've got to be kidding me. Just stay the hell away from my sister, and stay away from me." As he stormed out of the lab he passed Tony and Ziva, not even noticing them in his haste to get away from Abby. When the elevator doors closed behind him Tony marched into the lab. Not one to back down, Ziva was only a few steps behind him.

"Hey, Abs, whats up with Probie? He seemed kinda upset when he left."

She shrugged and turned back to her machines. "Guess I'm not his favorite person anymore."


---NCIS---


The noon to midnight shift of surveillance was always the hardest, which was why it was usually assigned to Gibbs' team. Usually the four of them would rotate through the positions, but there was an extra technical aspect to this case which meant that McGee spent the entire shift in the van and the other three rotated. Two outside, watching the apartment, with one in the van with McGee. Gibbs took the first shift inside, still not convinced that all was right with the brooding man.

"Pretty quiet today, McGee."

Tim checked all the equipment again, even though it had just been three minutes since his last check. "I'm all right, Boss, just got a lot on my mind."

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee as he studied the other man. "Need help with anything?"

The offer was sincere, he knew that. At least it would be sincere until Gibbs knew that Abby was under suspicion. He couldn't count the many times he'd seen where he was in the pecking order of Gibbs' world. Jeffries was right, it was better to let Metro handle it until they had a definitive answer regarding Abby's involvement in the attack on his sister. "Thanks, but no, I need to do this on my own."

When Tim's back was turned, Gibbs allowed a moment of pride to show on his face. McGee had come so far since those first years. Now he was a strong, independent man capable of so much. If he needed to work something out on his own, Gibbs would give him the space to do it. "All right, if you change your mind..."

"Yeah, thanks, Boss." Tim carefully regulated his breathing to not give his anguish away as he continued to watch the screens in front of him. Only another two hours and then DiNozzo would be in with him. Tony would tease, but that he could handle in his sleep.

The first hour with DiNozzo was surprisingly quiet with little teasing and not a single prank. Just as McGee was letting his guard down, Tony leaned close. "So what did Abby do to get you so upset?"

"What?" Tim froze, then forced himself to act natural. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're a lousy liar, McGee. We heard you arguing with her. If you'd done something to make her mad, we'd all know about it by now, so it's got to be the other way around. So, what did she do?"

Having someone agree that Abby wasn't always perfect lifted the weight just a little, but he knew that if push came to shove, Tony would side with Gibbs who would always side with Abby. "Let's just say that she forgets that she has no right to affect other people's lives." He couldn't quite hide the pain in his voice.

"Sounds pretty serious." Tony tried to watch McGee's face reflected in the screen, but the images weren't dark enough to act like a mirror.

"I don't want to talk about it, Tony."

"McGee..."

"No. There's an innocent third party involved that didn't ask to get involved."

Seeing the determined look on his partner's face, DiNozzo let it drop until the end of his shift in the van. Picking up his coat and preparing to brave the evening chill, he leaned close and rested a hand on McGee's shoulder. "I know I've given you a lot of crap all these years, but I thought when we went to Somalia you knew that I'd have your back. That hasn't changed just because we're home, Tim."


---NCIS---


"Here," Jeffries handed Thompson a cup of coffee as he sat next to her. "Any luck?" He looked past the stacks of video tapes to see the black and white images on the small television set up on the table. Karen gratefully drank half of the cup as she rubbed her eyes.

"I think I now know every goth within a hundred miles of DC, but yeah, I've identified her at the scene of three of the rapes. There's a guy with her, but he seems to know where the cameras are." Karen shook her head. "All I can tell is that he's big, taller than the woman and heavily built, and has dark hair."

That fit with the descriptions they'd gotten from the victims. Sarah McGee was able to give the most details, but even she was limited by the dark room she was attacked in. "So what are you looking at now?"

"The rave was held in an abandoned building."

Jeffries knew where that was headed. "No security footage."

"Bingo, but I'm checking security and traffic cams from the surrounding area. Maybe we can find something. Three sightings and we bring her in for questioning. Four and the DA will get us an arrest warrant.


---NCIS---


"Ziva?"

"Yes, McGee?" Other than a gentle smile and the delivery of a nice meal instead of fast food, Ziva David had acted normally during her time in the van. He recognized the silent support, and was grateful for the space she was giving him.

"If you don't want to tell me, I'd understand."

"I appreciate that, McGee, but I cannot refuse a question I have not heard." The gentle smile was back and even McGee had to smile a bit in return.

"Sorry, Ziva, umm, how did you get over what happened to you in Somalia?"

The question stopped her in her tracks, but before McGee could stammer out an apology, she was able to find her voice. "Some things you do not get over, but I have come to terms with what happened and have moved on." She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Having the support of good friends helped a great deal. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, it does, thanks."

She waited until the next shift was arriving before she speaking again. "McGee?" He didn't answer, but he did look up at her. "You have always been a good friend to me. I hope the reverse is also true."

Ziva's words rang in his ears all the way home. He quietly came in the door and patted Jethro on the head. Sarah was asleep in the bed, while her friend from school, Lisa, was curled up in his computer chair, surfing the net.

"Hey, Lisa, thanks for staying with her."

She stood and picked up her backpack and coat. "No problem, Tim, I'm just glad I could help."

After what had happened to Sarah, he was uncomfortable sending the young woman out alone in the middle of the night. "It's pretty late, do you want to crash here? You can set the inflatable bed up in the bedroom."

"It's okay, my boyfriend is picking me up. I was online with him when I heard your car pull in." She looked out the window and waited for a familiar car to pull in. When it did, she went to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow. Same time?"

"Same time, thanks." He stepped out onto the landing and waited until she was safely in the car before returning to the apartment and locking the door.

Despite the late night, McGee was up as soon as he heard Sarah moving around. He deflated and stored his bed to protect it from doggie nails and had the coffee on when Sarah came out. She immediately sat in his computer chair, tucking her knees under her chin, her hands lost in the oversized sleeves. "Today is the day." She stared at her backpack, seeing instead the pregnancy test hidden inside.

"Yeah, it is." Tim kept his tone soft, letting her take the lead.

Sarah used the fabric bunched at her wrists to scrub at the tears on her face. "What am I going to do if it's positive? "I don't think I can handle part of him growing inside me, does that make me an awful person?"

Tim moved closer, kneeling down next to her. "No, Sarah, it makes you human. Whatever happens, whatever you decide, I'll be with you one hundred percent." He held his hand out and waited for her to take it, a routine they had fallen into since her assault. "It may not seem like it right now, but it's going to get better."

"Mom and Dad are going to find out, aren't they? The insurance company is going to send them copies of the hospital bill." She started to hyperventilate. "I'm not ready for them to know, Tim. Dad's going to be so mad and..."

"Hey, hey, you're the victim here, they'll understand that. Yeah, Dad's going to be mad, but at the animal that hurt you, not at you. But you don't have to tell them until you're ready. I'm paying the hospital bills myself, so you don't have to worry about it." Both of them knew that Tim would be the most likely recipient of their father's anger, especially if a friend of Tim's was implicated.

Sarah bit back a sob in relief. That night at the hospital she had begged Tim not to call home. She hadn't really understood at the time just how much she was asking of him, but her brother had taken care of everything. Tim waited until she could give him a shaky smile.

"You ready?" When she nodded, he stood and waited for her. When she was ready, she walked into the bathroom with the kit and closed the door. A few minutes later she came out, clutching the instruction sheet.

"It says not to look at the test strip for three minutes." Instead, they stared at the clock, Tim bouncing his knee, Sarah twisting her hair. At three minutes Sarah returned to the bathroom. She came out moments later, sobbing, the plastic test strip in her hand as she threw herself into Tim's arms. He didn't know if it was tears of joy or sorrow until he saw the single pink line in the result window.

"Thank God, oh, thank God." Shedding a few tears of relief himself, he let Sarah sob against his shoulder until she had exhausted herself. When she finally pulled back, Tim gently wiped her tears away. "I've got to take Jethro for a walk and then to the groomers, how about if I pick up some of those sticky buns you like while I'm out? You haven't been eating very much."

The promise of her favorite treat seemed to perk her up a bit as she tossed the used test in the garbage. "The butterscotch ones?"

"Sure, sis, if that's what you want." Tim left, hoping that today would be the day her recovery turned the corner.


---NCIS---


Tony was waiting for Ziva at the end of her run. He handed over her favorite coffee order as they walked to the parking lot where she had left her car. "Has McGee talked to you?"

Normally the temptation to tease him would be something she wouldn't resist, but she was worried about McGee also. "No, he has not. Other that the case, he only asked me how I recovered from what happened in Somalia."

He thought that was an odd thing to bring up under the circumstances, and, judging from her expression, so did Ziva. Tony tried to fit it in with what McGee had said to him, but the pieces didn't fit yet. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that some things you do not get over, that instead you must come to terms with what happens and move on. It seemed to answer his question."

"Have you?"

Ziva thought about pretending to misunderstand the question, but after the risks her team had faced for her, she couldn't. "For the most part, yes. What do you suggest we do about McGee? He is distracted and hurting. He and Abby have had their differences, but never like this."

Tony tossed his empty cup in a garbage can as they walked past. "I'm going to go talk to him. Just the two of us, man to man, maybe he'll open up. Probie's not good about keeping things bottled up. See you at the office later."

It was a quick drive to McGee's apartment, so it was only a few minutes later when Tony found himself knocking on the door. He'd seen McGee's car in the lot, so when there was no answer, he pulled out his lockpick set and started to work.


---NCIS---


After a brisk walk in the park, Tim put Jethro in the car and left for the groomers. He was very close to being late, but bumping into the apartment manager in the park had been a good thing. A two bedroom apartment was opening up soon and Tim could transfer his lease to the larger unit. He was thrilled his sister felt safe in his home, but if he didn't start getting some sleep in a real bed pretty soon he wouldn't be able to function. Even if or when she moved back to the dorms, he liked the idea that she had a place in his home whenever she wanted it.


---NCIS---


Sarah paced in the small apartment, starting almost as soon as Tim left with Jethro, but she refused to admit to him how scared she was of being alone, even for the hour the morning run and trip to the groomers would take. A knock on the door almost sent her to her knees, the sounds of metal picks forcing the lock open sent her in terror to a hiding place in the bedroom closet.


---NCIS---


Tony let himself in the small apartment. It never ceased to amuse him that McGee still hadn't moved into a bigger place. Sometimes he wondered if the other man resisted getting himself a nicer place because of a misplaced hope that he and Abby would get back together and need a joint place of their own. No matter the reason, it was his job to get his Probie out of his funk. No McGee yelling at him about barging in, so this was going to take stronger measures. He called out, just in case he had totally misread the situation and the younger man was entertaining a beautiful woman. "I know you're here, you can't hide forever."

When he received no answer, Tony walked into the bedroom. The bedding was rumpled, so he knew someone else had been the last person to get up that morning. McGee practically made his bed before he was completely out of it every morning, a fact that always made DiNozzo feel like a slob on out of town assignments. "You holding out on me? Who's been sleeping in the bed?" He circled around the bed, letting his fingers trail against the sliding closet doors, but didn't see anything else out of place. His next stop was the bathroom.


---NCIS---


Sarah pressed back against the far corner of the closet as the footsteps came closer. She was trapped, her cell phone on the charger in the kitchen. When she heard a man's voice call out that she couldn't hide forever, she bit down on her hand to keep from screaming and huddled further down on the closet floor. She tracked the footsteps as they came closer to her hiding place. Unable to move for fear of giving away her location, she frantically looked around for something to defend herself with. In the dim light that seeped in around the edges of the sliding doors she could see very little. Her brother kept his clothing neat and tidy, only a perfect stack of shoe boxes was on the floor. Feeling helpless, she wrapped her arms tighter around her, instinctively grasping the pill bottle in her pocket. He couldn't find her again, and if he did, she did not want to survive another encounter.


---NCIS---


Only one thing was out of place on the bathroom counter. Tony picked up the empty cardboard box and saw red. "You idiot, McGee. We deal with evidence all day, how could you not use protection?" Tony continued to mutter to himself as he crushed the empty pregnancy test box in his hands. "This is what you and Abby were arguing about? Do you have any idea what Gibbs is going to do to you when he finds out you knocked her up? He's going to kill you." His voice rose as he repeated himself. "Going to kill you."

Tony prowled the room, the crumpled box still clutched in his hand. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, why in the hell didn't you come to me, McGee? I told you I'd have your back, but if she tells Gibbs first, nobody's going to be able to save you. He's going to rip your arm off and beat you bloody with it. Gonna die a slow, painful death and nobody is going to be able to save you this time." Frustrated, he threw the box against the closet door before storming out. He had to find Ziva and figure a way to get McGee out of this mess before Gibbs found out.


---NCIS---


Between the roaring in her ears and the movement of the intruder, Sarah couldn't hear every word he said, but she heard enough as she opened the bottle of pills. Going to kill you... nobody's going to be able to save you... beat you bloody... slow, painful death... nobody is going to be able to save you... By the time something hit the closet door, she had swallowed the last pill.

"Sarah, I'm home." Tim tossed his keys on the counter before carefully setting the pastry box down. There was only silence in response. "Sarah?" Resting his hand on the butt of his SIG, McGee began to carefully check the apartment. Nothing seemed out of place in the main room, so he moved to the doorway into his bedroom. "Sarah, what's wrong, where are you?"

Something was wadded up on the floor in front of his closet and he bent down to pick it up. Still squatting down, he unfolded the cardboard and found himself looking at the box Dr. Turner had given Sarah at her last appointment, the box she had opened and used that morning, the box that seemed to have given her relief. "Sarah?"

The faintest of sound came to him. He reached out and grasped the handle of the sliding door, pulling it open. She was slumped in the corner, her hair covering her face. "Sarah, what's wrong? Did something scare you?" She didn't respond, but her breathing was too slow and shallow for this to be a panic attack. He reached out and touched her arm. It limply fell to the side, an empty plastic bottle rolling out of her hand and across to rest at his knee.

"No, no, no, God, no!" Tim reached in and pulled her close, slapping at her face, trying to rouse her. When she started to struggle he grabbed the waste basket next to the bed and shoved it close as he forced his fingers down her throat. When she stopped vomiting and fell back against him, he ignored his own nausea as he counted the intact capsules while he dialed 911. By the time the apartment was filled with emergency personnel he was able to tell them exactly what she had taken and how much was still in her system.

The paramedics needed the room and Tim needed his car, so he followed behind the ambulance as it wound its way to a nearby hospital. Forcing himself to remain calm, he called Detective Jeffries.

Yeah, Jeffries.

"It's McGee. We're on our way to the hospital. Sarah tried to kill herself."

Oh, God, is she going to be all right?

"I don't know yet. How much longer..."

We're still pulling together surveillance footage from around the locations of each attack and the District Attorney is reviewing everything we have so far to determine if we can get an arrest warrant. Just hang on for another day.

"No, this needs to end now. I have to know if she's involved with what happened to my sister.

A couple of hours, then. Give us that long.

Tim didn't answer, just disconnected the call as the two vehicles pulled into the emergency entrance. The next few hours were a blur as he waited for them to stabilize Sarah. At one point Dr. Turner arrived and rushed into the exam room. Tim immediately felt better, Dr. Turner had been Sarah's doctor since she had arrived in DC to attend college and she trusted him.

An hour after Sarah was moved into a room, her friend, Lisa, showed up in the waiting room. "I went to your apartment to bring Sarah her schoolbooks and your neighbor told me she had been taken in an ambulance. Is she all right?"

Tim nodded slowly, looking towards the room his sister was sleeping in. "Yeah, she'll be all right. Can you stay here for a little while?" He looked back at the young woman. "I'm going to take an emergency leave from work for a while, but it will be easier if I do it in person."

"Sure." Lisa's curls bounced as she agreed. "My next class isn't for a couple of hours." She waited until McGee was out of the building before digging her cell phone out of her purse. She scrolled through the M's until she found the number she was looking for and pressed 'send'. "Mrs. McGee? This is Lisa, a friend of Sarah's. She doesn't want you to know that she's in the hospital, but I think you you should know what's going on..."


---NCIS---


McGee drove carefully and just under the speed limit as he struggled to control his emotions. If it wasn't for the fact that Director Vance would insist that he personally sign his paperwork before his emergency leave could start, nothing could get him in the building right now. He turned his phone back on, after having it off while in the emergency room with Sarah. He had missed two calls from Abby and was ignoring the voice mail alert for now.


---NCIS---


"Did you speak to McGee?" Ziva looked up as Tony came into the squad room and tossed his backpack under his desk.

"I would if I could find him." Tony threw himself into his chair and booted up his computer by habit more than awareness. "I was at his place early this morning. His car was there, but he wasn't. Then when I came out of his place, his car was gone. I've been everyplace I can think of and no sign of him."

Ziva frowned as she tried to keep up with the angry rambles. "You were in his apartment, but he wasn't there? You picked the lock?

"Well, yeah, he didn't answer the door. He's not answering his phone either. It's going straight to voice mail."

That surprised Ziva. "He has his phone off? Gibbs will have his skin for that."

"Hide, Ziva. The expression is Gibbs will have his hide, but that's the least of Probie's problems right now. There was an empty box for a pregnancy test in his bathroom. Since he's not dating anyone at the moment, and he and Abby are fighting..."

"You think McGee has gotten Abby pregnant?"

"Yeah, and if he doesn't have a ring on her finger before Gibbs finds out about it, he's a dead man."

Ziva shook her head. "Abby is a grown woman, not a child. If she is pregnant with McGee's child, then she has to take some of the responsibility."

Tony realized that Gibbs had to be around someplace and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Yeah, you want to be the one to explain that to Gibbs? You know how he is about Abby; she's the favorite that can do no wrong. If McGee knocked Abby up, then he'd better be doing what Gibbs thinks is the right thing, no matter how old fashioned it is."

Gibbs was coming around the corner after a run to his favorite coffee shop when hissed words from DiNozzo caught his attention. He bit back his anger, believing that if what Tony was saying was true, then McGee would do the right thing. Before he could circle the partition behind DiNozzo's desk, the ding of the elevator caught his attention.


---NCIS---


Abby was coming back from an early lunch when she spotted McGee coming into the building. Determined to get answers, she slipped into the elevator with him just as the doors closed, trapping him in with her. "What is your problem, McGee?"

Frustrated and distracted, McGee hit the button for the squad room level rather than the one for the Director's office. "Just leave me alone, Abby. Just stay away from me." He shifted his body so she couldn't reach the emergency stop.

"I spent a lot of money on that pack of tickets so the four of us could go. Are you going to pay me for your share?"

The elevator stopped on the requested floor, and McGee didn't even wait for the doors to fully open before he was squeezing his way out, away from her. "Forget it, Abby."

"What do you want me to do with them?"

Furious, he turned, yelling at her. "I don't care what you do. It's your problem, not mine, just get rid of 'em. Now leave me the hell alone." Storming through the bullpen on his way upstairs to see Vance, McGee didn't even register that he walked past Gibbs, until he was grabbed by the pissed off man and slammed face first into the nearest wall.

"What kind of man throws away his own kid, McGee, what kind of man?" He twisted McGee's arm up behind him and pressed him harder against the wall, forcing McGee up onto his toes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Boss." Instinctively, he fought back. Gibbs released the pressure against him, only to spin him around and toss him back against the wall.

"You're saying that Abby isn't pregnant?"

McGee used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. "I don't know what she's turning into, but I do know that she sure the hell isn't pregnant by me."

Gibbs looked at the stunned woman in question still standing by the elevator before glaring at DiNozzo. Tony wasn't convinced yet that he was totally wrong. "Then who did you get pregnant?"

"What are you talking about?" McGee shook his head, trying to clear it. No one was making any sense, and he didn't have the time or the energy to care about their problems right now.

"The box from a home pregnancy test was in your bathroom."

The pieces fell into place. "You broke into my home? You son of a Bitch, do you have any idea what you've done?" He tried to charge the other man, but Gibbs still had a hold on him and wasn't letting go.

"What in the hell is going on down there?" The thundering voice of Leon Vance brought the argument to a standstill. Before any of them could give him the answers he wanted, the elevator doors opened again, delivering an MP escorting Detectives Jeffries and Thompson.

Jeffries had a pretty good idea what the situation was about and didn't waste any time as he held up his badge. "We're here for Miss Sciuto."

"For what?" Gibbs let go of McGee and stepped closer to Abby. Jeffries put himself between Abby and Gibbs while Thompson pulled out her handcuffs and explained.

"We're going to interview her for now, the DA is still determining charges. Of course, if Miss Sciuto is unwilling to cooperate, then we will go ahead and arrest her right now."

"Charges? What is she accused of doing?" For one of the few times in his life, Gibbs realizes he's made a horrible error in judgment. "Tim?" He turned back to McGee and reached out for him. Tim flinched away from him without a word.

By now Vance was down the stairs. "Nobody is going anywhere until I know whats going on. Detectives, you can use one of our interrogation rooms to interview Miss Sciuto. The MP will escort you." He gave the man a hard look and the corporal took the police officers and Abby to the back elevator. DiNozzo and David started to follow, until Vance barked more orders. "You three take the stairs down. Use the time to cool off. McGee, you're with me." Vance went straight for the main elevator, knowing that McGee would be at his heels.

The elevator had barely moved before Vance threw the emergency stop. "Don't tell Gibbs I'm using his office." He'd hoped the slight joke would help relax McGee. When it didn't, he knew just how bad it was. "All right, McGee, tell me exactly what is going on, from the beginning. You've got five minutes."

It only took three minutes, but it left the other man stunned. "McGee... Tim, I am so sorry that this happened to your sister."

"Yeah."

The tone and the stiff posture told Vance that McGee expected him to side with Abby. All he had to do was to think of his own daughter to give McGee the answer he so desperately needed. "I give you my word, we will not impede the investigation at all. If the evidence is there, Abby will be turned over the Metro PD."

Vance followed McGee into the observation room, where Gibbs, DiNozzo and David were already waiting. Having been called by Gibbs, Ducky arrived a few moments later with his medical bag . He was already shaking an instant cold pack for the rapidly forming bruise on the side of McGee's face. After a few words whispered to him by Vance, Tim let Ducky examine him. He turned down the suggested x-rays, but did accept the ice pack, all the while never taking his eyes off the woman in the interrogation room. Abby, for her part, was refusing to acknowledge her questioners, instead staring at the table, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest.

Once Ducky moved away, Gibbs moved back next to McGee, a look of sorrow on his face as he reached out for the younger man's shoulder. "Tim..."

"Don't, just don't." His arms were wrapped around himself, but unlike Abby's defiance, it was an obvious attempt to hold himself together as even the most casual of observers could see the fine tremors that wracked his body.

Gibbs let his hand drop, but didn't totally back down. "The only thing that could make you this mad at Abby is if she did something to hurt Sarah." Seeing Tim's reaction, Gibbs knew he'd hit the jackpot. Also realizing it, Tony and Ziva moved closer and listened. "What was it? What did Abby do to Sarah?"

Before he answered Gibbs, Tim took his phone out and dialed. In the interrogation room Jeffries' cell phone rang and he answered it. Tim's voice was flat. "The people in here with me need to see the photos of Sarah." Once he closed his phone, he continued in the same monotone voice. "Sarah didn't want to go to the club, but Abby talked her into it. Promised to take her and bring her home, stay close to her the whole time. She told Sarah that she needed to experience things out of her comfort zone if she was going to be a writer."

By now Karen Thompson was at the mirrored window with the photo of Sarah's battered, bloodied face, holding it up. After a moment she exchanged it for a close up photo of the hand shaped bruises on her throat. Eventually she cycled through all the pictures and closed the file, returning to the table.

Gibbs closed his eyes for a minute before he asked McGee anything else. "How did they get separated?"

"They didn't." Tim looked at Gibbs for a moment before returning his attention on what was happening in the next room. "Abby handed Sarah over to him and then left her there. A janitor found Sarah semi-conscious in the alley behind the club. She wasn't the only victim, Gibbs." Tim finally turned to face the senior agent. "The other victims remember Abby being there right before they were attacked. I don't want to believe Abby did this, but it's my baby sister, Boss, my baby sister and now Abby is refusing to talk." McGee was too angry and hurt to pull any punches. "What if it had been Kelly she'd taken to that club?"

The one most striking similarity between the two men was their fierce devotion to family. Gibbs had lost his in what he had thought was the worst way possible. He couldn't imagine if a friend had been involved. "She'll talk to me." Gibbs had the look in his eye of a hunter on the prowl as he left the room.

Even the detectives jumped when Gibbs entered the room, the door banging against the wall. Abby recovered quickly and tried to convince him she was right. "Gibbs, they're saying terrible things about my friend. It's all a mistake, somebody is trying to frame him. Make them give me the evidence and I'll prove it."

Gibbs had recognized the mood. Before, he'd been amused by her absolute certainly in the face of overwhelming odds. Today as he remembered Sarah's devastated expression in the photos, it just angered him. He looked over at the rest of the file Thompson was holding. A police sketch was visible, though they hadn't shown it to Abby yet. He pointed to it and she handed it over. Without a word, he slid it across the table, watching Abby's reaction. Her eyes widened, but she kept silent.

Jeffries also watched her reaction. "This is the suspect that raped Sarah McGee. We have images from the club's security cameras that showed you with him several times that night. We can also place you and him in the vicinity of a series of rapes over the last few weeks. Every victim has identified him as their attacker."

"No." Abby shook her head, but she didn't look as confident as she had a few minutes earlier. "It's a mistake, he wouldn't hurt anyone."

Thompson started laying out the pictures of the victims, starting with the first one. Each picture told a story of increasing violence, ending with the image of Sarah's face. Silently crying now, Abby trailed her finger around the bruise that covered one side of her face. "Roger has been my friend since grade school. How could he do something like this? I can't believe he'd do this."

"His last attack was so brutal, the condom he was using tore. We have DNA, Miss Sciuto, will that be enough evidence for you?"

"If you continue to impeded this investigation, you will be charged as an accessory after the fact."

Abby was listening to the detectives, but watching Gibbs. His expression was angry, hard. Even when she stared to cry it hadn't softened. "Gibbs, please?"

He stood and leaned across the table towards her. "You give them every scrap of information you have on this bastard or I'll put the handcuffs on you myself." There was a notepad on the corner of the table and he tossed it in front of her as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, too soft for anyone else to hear. "If you helped him rape Sarah, you'll find out you're not the only one who can kill and leave no forensic evidence." He slammed his hand down on the empty papers, turned and walked out the door.

Gibbs couldn't hide his anger when he returned to the observation room, but he toned it down as much as he could for Tim's sake, deliberately keeping his voice soft as he came up behind him. "You did the right thing, Tim. You let Metro handle the investigation and you concentrated on Sarah." When McGee didn't move away from Gibbs he gently rested his hands on the younger man's shoulders. There was a slight flinch, but Tim didn't step away from him. "How is Sarah doing?"

"Not good, she was staying at my apartment since the attack, but..."

Tony finally spoke up, for the first time since they had entered the observation room. "I was there, McGee, she wasn't there."

"Yeah, she was, Tony. When you broke into my apartment, she hid."

"Shit, man, I'm sorry. I was pretty angry that you weren't confiding in us when I found the test box. I must have scared the hell out of her."

Ziva had enough of her own nightmares to know how the traumatized young woman would react. "She thought it was her attacker, returning for her."

"Yeah." Tim dropped his head down, letting his chin rest on his chest. "She hid in the back corner of my bedroom closet. All she had to defend herself with was the bottle of sleeping pills they gave her."

Ziva immediately knew what had happened, Gibbs made the connection only seconds later, tightening his grasp on Tim's shoulders "Oh, God." Tony was the only one who didn't understand.

"How could she defend herself with a bottle of sleeping pills?

Ziva answered so McGee didn't have to say the words. "She didn't want to live through another encounter with her rapist, Tony."

"What do you mean, she didn't want to live through... are you saying that she... that she tried..." Tony stumbled backwards and fell into the nearest chair. "You got to her in time, right? She's going to be okay?" The silence from McGee was disturbing.

"Tim?" Gibbs had never seen him like this. "Tim, is Sarah..."

"It took them a couple of hours to stabilize her, and she probably won't be awake until tonight, but, yeah, I found her in time."

"Thank God." Gibbs leaned slightly forward and rested his forehead against the back of McGee's head, while Tony slumped down in the chair, his face buried in his hands and his shoulders shaking.

Tim accepted the comfort from Gibbs for just a moment before he stiffened and moved forward. Gibbs didn't force the issue, dropping his hands as soon as McGee started to pull away. "I need to get back to the hospital."

"Of course. Is there anything we do to help you? Do you need someone to pick your parents up at the airport?" Gibbs hoped that even the smallest effort McGee would accept would be the first step in rebuilding the trust.

"Sarah doesn't want them to know. I... I understand her reasons." By now, McGee was facing Gibbs and the older man could see something worrisome in his eyes, but felt like he hadn't the right to question him.

"Were the paramedics at your apartment with Sarah?" When Tim nodded, Ziva continued. "Why don't Tony and I go take care of the mess they left behind." A second nod from McGee and Ziva knew she was on the right track. "What about Jethro, should we take him for a walk?"

"He's at the groomers." Tim looked down at his watch and groaned. "I'm supposed to be picking him up right now.

"Why don't I do that? In fact, he can stay at my place for a few days so you can focus on Sarah."

"Thanks, Boss." The smile was weak, but it gave the rest of the team hope that they might get through this. He looked across the room to Director Vance, who had been quietly observing. "Director, could I speak to you in private before I leave?"

"Of course, Agent McGee." Vance held the door open for him, not giving any of the team members time to question McGee.

Gibbs waited until he heard the elevator arrive before he left the observation room. McGee didn't look back as he entered the elevator, but Vance did with a look of sadness that did not bode well for what Tim was telling him. A few hours ago he would have followed them, insisting on being the one to help his troubled agent. Now all he could do was damage control and hope that McGee would be around long enough for them to work through what had happened.

As he entered the interrogation room he gave a brief nod to Jeffries and Thompson before sitting across from Abby. She was still writing on the pad he'd given her, stopping occasionally to wipe at the tears on her face. Her body had tensed when he sat down, but she gave no overt acknowledgment that he was there. He waited and watched for a few minutes before he had to ask. "Why, Abby? Just tell me why."

Abby very carefully laid the pen down on the paper and started twisting her heavy, black ring, never looking up at Gibbs. "Roger's family moved down the street from ours when we were both in the third grade. I was the tallest girl in my grade, I liked science and my parents were deaf. I was an outcast until Roger showed up and then I was his best friend. We wore outrageous clothes and came up with wild experiments. He said that I was the only person in the world that understood him."

She finally looked up at Gibbs and he could see the sorrow on her face. "I hadn't seen him in almost ten years and then he called about a month ago, said he was in town. We went out, danced, had a few drinks, he said he had lousy luck dating, challenged me to pick out a woman that he'd like. It was a game, Gibbs. I'd point out someone I thought he'd like. I didn't stay long because I'd have to be at work early, but he'd stay and try to pick her up. It was supposed to be harmless. I mean it was Roger, the guy who helped me put a tarantula in Mrs. Goldstien's desk."

As angry as Gibbs was, he felt sorry for her. For all her brilliance, Abby was clueless at times, allowing herself to be defined by the men she surrounded herself with. Marty, who abandoned her because she was too tall; Mikel, whose possessiveness thrilled her until his obsession became deadly; and now Roger, whose childhood antics still colored everything she saw. For not the first time he wished she'd built a relationship with McGee. Good, kind, dependable McGee who had been her intellectual equal, but in the end too normal, too traditional for the Goth. He had pined for her for years. Even now, years after she had broken it off with him, McGee would have done anything for Abby, until this, until now. Gibbs had to know, if he had any chance of helping any of them.

"Why Sarah, Abs?" When Abby looked down at the tabletop and didn't answer him, he repeated himself. "Why Sarah?"

Abby used her fingernail to trace the woodgrain on the table top. "Timmy's not right for me. He drinks white wine instead of Red Bull and vodka. He likes old jazz and classical music. He wanted the house with the picket fence and the two point five kids. Can you imagine me living like that, driving a minivan? That's why I broke it off, we're not right for each other."

"But you still love him."

Abby continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "It wasn't so bad when he kept dating those women who didn't appreciate him, didn't know what a great guy he is. We'd still hang out, commiserate, but lately he's getting so confident and I realized that he didn't need me anymore. Not like that. And then Roger wanted me to find him the perfect woman and I thought that if he and Sarah got together, then the four of us could double date and..."

"And he'd fall back in love with you."

She looked up and shrugged. "Stupid, right?"

"No, not stupid. It was... God, Abby, I don't know." Gibbs rubbed his eyes as the words escaped him. "I honestly don't know."

In the corner of the room, Jeffries closed his phone. He certainly understood Gibbs' dilemma. Part of him wanted to slap the cuffs on her, while part of him wanted to wrap her in a blanket and give her hot chocolate. What he had to tell her wasn't going to make it any easier. He sat next to Gibbs and waited for her to look at him.

Abby was clinging to her last hopes. "You found something that proves this is all a big mistake, right? That Roger isn't the one that hurt Sarah?"

"Abby, the reason you hadn't heard from him in almost ten years... he just finished serving an eight year sentence in Alabama for sexual assault."

"No... no, no, no. There has to be a mistake."

"He's not in the national databank because they're so backlogged, but the authorities in Alabama sent us his DNA profile. It's a match, he's the one that raped Sarah."

For a moment Gibbs thought she was hyperventilating, but then Abby forced herself to calm down. "I have to talk to Sarah, Gibbs. I have to tell her how sorry I am."

"I don't think that's possible right now, Abby."

"But Gibbs..."

"Abby, Sarah is in the hospital." Gibbs didn't want to tell her, but she needed to know. "When Tony went to McGee's apartment to check on him, Sarah thought it was her rapist coming back for her and she tried to kill herself."

"Oh, God, oh God. Gibbs, how do I fix this?" She had her arms wrapped around her middle as she rocked in her chair. "How do I fix it?"

"I don't know if you can, Abby." Gibbs turned and looked back at the mirror, at the shattered remains of his team that he knew were back there. "I don't know if any of us can."