Alexandra Christina McGee had woken up and she sat up in bed. She was relieved that all of the NCIS agents were on vacation for a month and it would give her some time to go down to the club and play some of her music. Her best friends, Kate Todd and Abby Sciuto, knew about her being able to sing when they had heard her in the shower. Her guitar was inside the closet in its case and she needed to finish the latest song that she had been working on for a while. It was called Going Under and she had been writing it because her boyfriend, Jacob Rivers had hurt her by sleeping with her younger sister, Sarah Isabella McGee. Alex had even found out that she was pregnant and was going to tell the older man about his impending fatherhood.
The young woman pulled back the covers from her body and got out of the bed to get dressed for the day. Kate and Abby had called her to see what she was up to last night and she told the two women that she was just resting since her twins were making her sick at the moment. Alex was six months pregnant with twin boys that she was going to name Andrew Donald McGee and David Jethro McGee. Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard was like a father to her since her own parents disowned her a while back, while Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his husband, Anthony David DiNozzo-Gibbs, were like her older brothers. The two men made sure that she was comfortable and had everything she needed for her sons' arrival. Tony was seven months pregnant with his third child, a little girl that he and Jethro planned to name Julia Alexandra Gibbs. Alex had been surprised when she found out that Tony's daughter was going to have her first name as a middle name. Tony's other two children, Blake Anthony Gibbs and Kristopher Wyatt Gibbs, were her godsons since she and Tony had grown up together before she moved to another state. Alex pulled out a pair of black jeans and a green t-shirt. She dressed quickly and then slipped her feet into her green and black checkered Vans. After she was dressed, she grabbed her guitar and headed out of the bedroom.
As she walked downstairs to the living room, Alex was thinking of what to get Tony for his baby shower. It was surprising that she and Tony were pregnant around the same time and would deliver their children around the same time as well. The young agent often wondered how her life would have turned out if her ex-boyfriend hadn't cheated on her with her younger sister. She would have probably been either engaged or married at least. Alex wasn't going to dwell on the past anymore. She needed to be strong for herself and her sons that were arriving in about two and a half months. When she got to the living room, she walked over to the couch and placed her instrument on the ground beside the couch. She opened her notebook to the page where she had stopped at and continued to write the last few stanzas of her song. Once she was finished, Alex grabbed her guitar and started to practice the song that she finished writing. The strings of the guitar carried the tune of the song that the woman had written and when she was satisfied, she grabbed her keys and phone from the dining table. Alex slipped her guitar back into its case and swung it over her shoulder as she headed out of the house.
Pier 7 Nightclub
Jethro, Tony, Kate, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, Jenny, her boyfriend Richard Matthews, Ziva and her boyfriend Michael Rivkin were sitting at one of the tables close to the front of the stage. Tony had his head resting on his husband's shoulder while the older man's hand was rubbing his stomach softly. Blake and Kristopher were spending the night over their friend's house since they were about to graduate from junior high school in a few weeks. Abby had Kate sitting in her lap as they were kissing and chatting about nonsensical things before the show started; Richard had his arm around Jenny's waist and the NCIS director giggled softly when the older man nipped at her ear gently; and Michael had his arms around Ziva's waist as they were talking. Abby said, "This is your chance to hear Alex play the guitar and sing like she said she could. She may be surprised to see the rest of you all except Kate and I. We had come to see her sing before her band had become well-known throughout the city first and then the state."
Backstage, Alex paced back and forth nervously. Her friends/teammates were out there in the audience to see her sing and play the guitar. Playing the guitar was a stress and pain reliever from what she had been put through while she was younger and what happened with Sarah and Jacob six months ago. The first singer had been called up and she knew that she and her band were the seventh group to perform last. Brett Hartford walked over to the younger woman and rested both his hands on her shoulders. "Alex, you'll do great our there. Trevor, Patrick, and I got your back," Brett said and Alex hugged her best friend.
Out in front, Arturo Mendoza walked up to the microphone and said, "Welcome to Open Mic Night here at Pier 7. I would like to introduce our first singer of the night. Give it up for Daniel Rodriguez." Everyone clapped for the singer and the young man who looked to be no older than twenty-three started to sing his song that he picked for the night. It was called Forever Always. The NCIS group nodded their heads to the beat of the music and when Daniel finished, the audience. Arturo walked back onto the stage and said, "Give it up one more time for Daniel Rodriguez. Good job man." Daniel nodded and shook the club owner's hand before walking off the stage.
An hour after the six singers had gone, Arturo got back on stage and said, "It's been a good Open Mic Night. There is one last performance from a local band and they have a couple new songs to sing for you all. Give it up for Vocal Adrenaline." Alex, Brett, Trevor and Patrick walked onto stage and Abby squealed happily when she saw her best friend. "The four band members have been together for the last nine years and they finally received a few record deals. Their third album will be out in two weeks. Now, let's hear them play," he said and handed the microphone over to Alex. The young woman smiled as she watched the club owner walk offstage.
Alex turned to face the audience and cleared her throat. "Evening everyone. Like Arturo said, we're Vocal Adrenaline and we're here to sing some songs that we've written for our album. Brett Hartford is on drums, Trevor White is on bass, and Patrick Martin is on bass as well. The first song we like to perform is called Going Under," Alex spoke into the microphone. The young woman watched as Brett counted off the beat and then Alex started to let the words flow from her mouth as Trevor started to play the introductory guitar. Brett joined in with the drums while Patrick waited for the chorus to come.
Now I will tell you what I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried
Screaming, deceiving and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me, going under
Everyone was awestruck at the voice coming from Alex. They didn't think that her voice sounded so fluid, penetrating and soothing all rolled into one. Abby knew that her friends were shocked to see the normally shy Alexandra McGee on stage singing her heart out. The second stanza of the song was where Patrick had joined in and Alex continued to sing the song that she and the three men had written together. Alex knew that she would have to face her demons sooner or later.
Don't want your hand this time, I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily, defeated by you
Just when I thought, I reached the bottom
I'm dying again, I'm going under
Drowning in you, I'm falling forever
I've got to break through, I'm going under
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies
So I don't know what's real and what's not
So I don't know what's real and what's not
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
Alex knew that she was getting into the song and didn't mind it at all. Every time she was on stage in front of people, she would let all her emotions out into her singing and her best friends/band mates knew that she needed to sing as strongly as possible to calm herself down. Brett knew that Alex was still recovering from the pain Jacob put her through six months ago and caught her once she had come to him in tears. Brett did have feelings for Alex, but knew that the younger woman didn't love him the way he wanted to. When he met Alex's best friend Catherine Blackford, he asked her out for drinks and realized that the honey blond-haired woman was his soul mate after all and his feelings for Alex died down to a brotherly affection. Brett hoped that his adopted sister would find someone to love her like she deserved to be loved.
So I can't trust myself anymore
I'm dying again, I'm going under
Drowning in you, I'm falling forever
I've got to break through, I'm
So go on and scream
Scream at me, I'm so far away
I won't be broken again
I've got to breathe, I can't keep going under
I'm dying again, I'm going under
Drowning in you, I'm falling forever
I've got to break through, I'm going under
Going under, I'm going under
Alex held the last note of the song for a few seconds longer and then ended it. Everyone started clapping and shouting for the band's performance. She was actually feeling much better and knew that the next song will be the one to help her be happy once more. "Alright, this is our last song for the evening and it's entitled I Will Not Bow," Alex said and she started to play her guitar that was hanging from around her body. She played the intro and Brett along with Trevor joined in with her. Abby looked at the others and knew that they were stunned with Alex's performance and secret life that she had been living for a while.
Fall!
Now the dark begins to rise
Save your breath, it's far from over
Leave the lost and dead behind
Now's your chance to run for cover
I don't want to change the world,
I just want to leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up
Take the path that leads to nowhere
As Alex was singing and playing her guitar, Abby looked over at her friends and said, "I told you that Alex was a musical genius. None of you believed me or Kate when we told you that Alex was a well-known music artist and now you see for yourself. On YouTube, people posted interviews that Vocal Adrenaline had given at one point in time." Jenny, Richard, Jethro, Tony, Ducky, Jimmy, Ziva and Michael nodded their heads as they continued to listen to the junior field agent sing into the microphone.
Fall!
Watch the end through dying eyes
Now the dark is taking over
Show me where forever dies
Take the fall and run to heaven
All is lost again, but I'm not giving in...
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
And I'll survive, paranoid
I have lost the will to change
And I'm not proud, cold blooded fake
I will shut the world away
Fall!
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
And I'll survive, paranoid
I have lost the will to change
And I'm not proud, cold blooded fate
I will shut the world away
Fall!
After the last word of the song, the band watched as the whole club gave them a standing ovation. Arturo walked onto the stage and hugged Alex after the performance she and the three men gave. "Give it up for Vocal Adrenaline!" Arturo shouted into the microphone and the clubbers were all clapping and shouting out their happiness. "I received a call from one of their record producers and he thinks the band should do a tour. How do you all feel about that?" Arturo asked and everyone shouted their agreements. The field agent/singer knew that she would have to explain why she hadn't told her friends about her singing career that she kept on the side. The young woman would also explain how her whole singing career started when she was younger.
After their performance was over, Alex and her friends walked backstage to pack up their belongings and instruments. Brett's drum set would be taken of by the stagehands that were on call for the night. The band talked for a little bit and then exchanged hugs as they said their goodbyes to one another. Alex walked towards the backstage exit to join her friends at their table. As she was walking through the club, people congratulated and patted her back for a well-done performance. When she finally made it over to where the group was sitting, she smiled and said, "Thanks for showing up tonight. I was going to tell you all about my side career when I was ready to."
Alex pulled a chair from an empty table and sat down beside Jethro. "I've been the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline for the last six years since my other friend, Damien Storm, left the group to begin a family with his wife. They are now the proud parents of three boys and have another baby on the way. The reason why I started singing was because of my past. I'll explain it to you all at my house over some drinks. Tony, I have some sparkling cider for the both of us since we're pregnant," she said and the senior field agent smiled at her. Alex grinned and continued to talk to her friends about the record deals Vocal Adrenaline received.
Alex's House
The NCIS team members had gathered in Alex's house and they were waiting for the young woman to come into the living room. Alex walked through the doors with drinks for everyone and they took the offered glasses. "Alright, I should explain what happened to me when I was younger. I'll start from the beginning," Alex said and everyone sat back to listen to the woman's tale. "I was about thirteen years old and I had joined the girls' soccer team at my junior high school. I was so excited to be playing soccer and all because I was very talented at the game and my father taught me to play. The coach, Robert Dawson, had decided to use me as an example for the team by showing all the different techniques. He had his hands on me all the time, but I didn't make anything of it. I just thought that it was fatherly affection, but I was sorely mistaken with that. As the year passed, his touches started going lower. One day I was in the girl's locker room changing when I saw Coach Dawson standing in the doorway. I asked him why he was in the girl's locker room and he kept coming closer to me. I backed away slowly and then he grabbed my waist," Alex said and stopped to take a large sip of her drink.
"Back to the story now. He said that I was teasing him with the way I walked, dressed, and flicked my hair back from off my shoulders. I was very afraid of the man and he ripped my shorts down to touch me. I tried to fight him off and grab the pepper spray I kept with me at all times, but he was bigger and stronger than me. He slammed me against the lockers and said that I was going to be a good little girl while he had some fun with me. Before I knew it, he shoved his cock inside me and oh my God it burned like complete Hell. I felt like I was being torn from the inside out and no one could hear my screams from inside the locker room. After he came inside me, he pushed me to the ground and said that if I told anyone about what happened I was dead. From then on, I never really talked and my parents knew that something was wrong with me. I finally ended up going to the hospital and having a rape kit performed on me. It was a good thing that I was on birth control at the time because I would have been devastated if I ended up pregnant with my rapist's child. The police officers and doctors made sure that everything was confidential, so no one else could access my file. I had gone into therapy and the only way I could communicate was either through sign language or singing and playing the guitar. A few of the counselors heard me singing one night in my room and encouraged me to continue. I did it and here I am today," Alex finished her story. Everyone could see that Alex was truly a fighter and pieced together some facts. They realized that the expectant mother became a NCIS agent to bring closure to families that lost loved ones.
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to the CBS creators, producers and executives. I MAKE NO MONEY WHATSOEVER FROM THIS STORY. Also, I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin, The Better Life by 3 Doors Down, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, and Going Under by Evanescence do not BELONG to me. They are property of the artists that wrote them.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Girl!McGee. Alexandra McGee had been hurt when she was younger and no one came to her rescue. Singing and being in a well-known band was the only thing that made her feel human. What happens when the people she works with find out about her past life?
Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to the CBS creators, producers and executives. I MAKE NO MONEY WHATSOEVER FROM THIS STORY. Also, I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin, The Better Life by 3 Doors Down, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, and Going Under by Evanescence do not BELONG to me. They are property of the artists that wrote them.