A/N: As so often happens when I involve myself in a big story (Esperanza), I need a little something-something to cleanse my palate before the final act. This has been rolling around in my head the last couple of weeks, and so if I can get it down, I can get back to work on the last two chapters of Esperanza. This is scary. Inspired by the Stories that scare even me challenge on NFA. This story should have a four chapter arc. Tell me what you think. Sheila

Dedicated to my supernatural/horror hero, Lia (DNAchemLia), my inspiration for characterizations Mad (Fingersnaps), my slash and humor inspiration, Amber (Precious Pup), my romance inspiration, Carolyn (Emerald), and to the best McGee writer not currently posting, LadyTwyla (Marysia). You and so many others help feed this passion of mine and I am eternally grateful. There are so many others I have yet to name.

The Film

Chapter 1

The digital camera surveyed the forest floor catching the first fallen leaves of autumn. He took a moment to adjust the settings so the picture was sharp. It was a new camera, and like so many men, he loved to tinker with it. He played with the advanced settings of the audio. This had the potential to be one of his best films and he wanted it done right.

Satisfied that everything was ready, he panned the camera over to the subject of his film. The man lay in the pile of leaves where he'd fallen. It was so perfect. The oranges, reds, and yellows of the ripe Maple leaves provided a gorgeous backdrop. The man himself was looking up at him, breathing hard. His arms were restless as he tried desperately to seek relief from the pain in his gut.

The filmmaker zeroed in on the hunting knife buried in his subject's gut. He panned slowly so his audience would have an exquisite shot of how deeply the knife was buried. To bury a knife that well required commitment and courage. Most killers just picked at way at their victims like they were a block of ice. He stopped the camera's movement and focused in on the stain of blood spreading out from the wound like an inspired Rorschach. The man's hands kept approaching the knife, trying to figure out a way to manage the situation, but he was in so much pain that any attempts to touch the knife or the wound sent him reeling.

He zoomed in on the man's face. He was young and delicately featured, almost like a woman. Only his thick brows and the thin lines around his eyes told a story of a hardworking man. There were tears on the man's face from the excruciating pain, and he grunted odd noises as he tried to manage it.

The filmmaker knew a few things about his subject. He was an NCIS agent, a member of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team. He was the youngest and his specialty was computer forensics. The filmmaker couldn't have been more surprised when he caught the young man trotting down the trail to his hideout.

The surprise had quickly turned to excitement, and he crouched in wait, his favorite hunting knife clutched in his hand. A good hunter has grace in motion, and the filmmaker prided himself on the economy and purpose of his movements. He planned his steps out in his head, and when NCIS boy was within reach, he took two steps forward, swiveled, and planted the knife while the kid was still fumbling for his gun.

The young man kept trying to roll, his eyes on the gun the filmmaker left for him on the ground 15 feet away. At first, it had been amusing to watch his ambitions, but then he realized that the young man was increasing his risk of an early end with his movements, and the filmmaker hoped that he might have a good two-three hours with him. He put the camera down for a moment. Then he grabbed the cuffs from his utility belt and stepped forward, his feet on either side of the NCIS agent. The young man suspected this was the end, and he began to huff like a bull. The filmmaker ignored him, catching his hands and cuffing them together after a brief struggle. He pulled the cuffed hands over the man's head, and pulled out another knife. Sure he was going to be stabbed again, the young man screamed, "No!" as the filmmaker plunged the knife deep into the dirt, creating a hook for the cuffs to rest on. Then he stepped back and surveyed the picture of the agent with a hunting knife in his gut and his hands secured above his head.

He turned and pulled the tripod out of his duffle. "I need you to relax now. You squirm too much and you'll bleed to death too fast."

"Go to hell!" Spat the agent.

The filmmaker chuckled as he picked the camera up and set it on the tripod. "I think you'll get there before I do."

"I'm a federal agent! It's the death penalty if you kill me."

"You're NCIS agent, Timothy McGee. You work for Special Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I thought we might film something special for him and my friend, Agent Fornell."

"No, no, no," he said, looking like a boy now as he shook his head side to side.

The filmmaker adjusted the lens once more, confirmed that the camera was running, and stepped to the side. "I thought I would ask a question or two before I turn the camera on," he lied. "I want to make you a little proposition."

"Not interested." McGee let out moans periodically from the pain in his belly.

"It's a chance at life for you. Certainly worth a try, don't you think?"

McGee rolled his head to the side and looked away.

"Your team got involved in this case because Fornell suspected I was a Marine. Things got wild a week ago when I sent Fornell one of my films starring his daughter, Emily. I never touched her, but I was able to give him a beautifully shot film of her in her bedroom, in the bathtub, and on her way to school. She's a lovely child with surprising intellect. I would like to shoot another small film with her as the star."

McGee snorted but said nothing

"It's very simple, McGee. You tell me where the Emily's safe house is, and I get up and walk away. Can't give you your phone, but you'll have a chance. Hikers come down this path all the time. All you have to do is stay still until someone comes by. I'm not going to hurt her. I just want another movie. I know there are agents watching her so there's a good chance I won't be able to get close enough at all. It's a win-win situation for you."

McGee closed his eyes, and the filmmaker watched him closely. It was a bad deal, and he had no intention of letting him live, but when people thought they were dying, they got desperate. The filmmaker wasn't even that interested in Emily. She was too young to be much fun. Children froze like little statues when terrified, and they couldn't be revived. They didn't know how to bargain and beg like adults. He'd made the original film about Emily because he wanted to show off his skills as a hunter, and because he knew Fornell would eventually choke to death on his rage over it.

This wasn't a real offer; it was just good filmmaking. McGee would have a chance to show his true character, and it would add nuance to the film. The filmmaker leaned over. "This is your chance, McGee. I know you have family who would be devastated. In fact, I believe that there's a certain Forensics Scientist who would be destroyed if you turned up dead."

McGee's eyes popped open. The filmmaker thought the green photographed beautifully.

"All I need is an address and you live. It's the deal of the century."

He turned his head to the filmmaker and softly said, "No."

The filmmaker smiled. It was poignant and sweet, and there was no hesitation. The best Hollywood actor couldn't have delivered a line that well. Gibbs and Fornell would see this moment, and the pain of losing McGee would be further punctuated by his heroism.

"McGee, I respect your decision. In fact, I was hoping that you would turn me down. It makes for better drama. Let's make a movie. I have some questions for you."

McGee rolled his head away. "Not playing."

The filmmaker delivered a swift kick to his side, and McGee's torso rose for a moment in agony, and he howled like an animal. The filmmaker waited until McGee's cries softened. Then he spoke gently to him. "I don't want to have to hurt you like that again. Timothy, we are making a film and you are the star. I will ask questions and you will answer them. It will be a good-bye for your friends and family. Of course, if you would prefer that I kick you to death right now, I can do that."

McGee just stared at him, sweat beading all over his face.

"Let's start again. I know some things about Gibbs. He's a strong team leader and he has rules. His team always does fieldwork in pairs. Why are you out here alone, Special Agent McGee?"

"I'm not alone," McGee said.

"You're lying, and I will punish you for that. Do you want to try again?"

McGee focused his eyes on the filmmaker. "My team is closing in."

The filmmaker aimed for the same spot and kicked. This time McGee got out only half a scream before he passed out cold. The filmmaker knelt down checking his pulse to make sure that McGee stayed healthy enough to finish the film. McGee's pulse was weak but steady. If the filmmaker paced things right, he could have McGee for another three hours. He waited another few minutes and then gave his cheek a sharp slap. McGee's eyes blinked open.

"We are making a film, McGee. If you lie, you die. It's as simple as that. If you want to hang on in hopes of rescue, you have to answer my questions. Understood?"

McGee nodded slowly.

"Why are you out here alone?"

"I screwed up."

"What does that mean?"

"I made a mistake. I was trying to fix the mistake."

"Gibbs was angry at you."

"He had every right to be."

"What about Ziva and Tony?"

McGee stiffened. "What about them?"

"Why not bring one of them? Surely, Gibbs didn't tell you that you weren't allowed back up."

McGee looked away.

"Do you want to be kicked?"

McGee flinched. "I made a mistake. If I went with Tony, he'd ride me the whole time about it, and if I went with Ziva, she would feel…sorry for me. I wanted to be alone."

"Tell me about your mistake."

…..

His head popped up when he was hit, and he was confused by the wetness he felt. It wasn't a hard blow to the back of the head, and so he knew it wasn't blood. Then he spotted the coffee cup rolling around on the floor below him, and he smelled the coffee dripping down his face.

"Awake now!?" Gibbs thundered.

Abby was there, eyes wide. He sat up remembering he'd been working in the lab with Abby. He'd been analyzing the last torture film from the serial killer Fornell called The Filmmaker. They'd been doing work on the periphery of this case for a couple of months when Fornell was sent the film of Emily in the bathtub. He went ballistic. It became a chain reaction when Gibbs found out. Now, they were working the case 24 hours a day.

McGee wiped the coffee off his brow. "Sorry Boss."

"Sorry! Eight women dead and he could be targeting an eight-year old girl for his ninth, and you can't stay awake for two hours. Fornell is supposed to be here in ten minutes and I don't have a damn thing to show him."

"Gibbs," Abby said. "It was wrong to throw coffee at McGee. You could've really hurt him."

"It was tepid," McGee offered in Gibbs' defense.

"Now is not the time, Abby."

She persisted in a low, even voice. "He needs more sleep than you do, and he was working all night on this, and I always defend you, no matter what, but you were wrong to do that."

McGee slid off the stool. "I can get a report ready in…15 minutes."

Gibbs turned on his heels and stormed out. Abby went to Tim. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

McGee pulled away. "Stop fussing. I need to get to the bathroom and clean up. Can you print out what I was writing before I fell asleep?"

….

The elevator wasn't going to be fast enough so he took the steps three at a time to get to the bullpen. He burst through the door and narrowly avoided two agents. Then he slowed to a trot until he got to the bullpen. DiNozzo and Ziva were standing. Tony looked at him. "What the hell did you do? The Boss came up here so mad I thought he was going to put a fist through the wall. Fornell showed up and Gibbs told him that we didn't have anything. The two of them went to argue it out in the conference room."

McGee sagged. "I fell asleep."

"Damn Probie, you picked the wrong case to get all human on us."

"I have a report. I should go in there."

Tony cocked his head. "Does the report actually say anything?"

McGee swallowed. "Not really."

"Then save yourself the spectacle of stuttering over a whole lot of nothing."

"I can't believe I fell asleep."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. No one can keep up this pace," Ziva said.

"Boss can and so can you."

"I had a few bat naps last night."

"Well, if you had a video to analyze, you would've stayed awake."

Gibbs appeared around the corner, Fornell following him. McGee stepped forward and Tony winced. "Boss, I have a report for you."

"Did you finish the analysis?"

"No, I need more time."

Gibbs walked up to his face. "We don't have more time. I told Fornell that my people can get things done. He trusted us with this, and you made me into a liar. Go down and get the tapes. Fornell is taking them. He's got a team of people ready to work on this, and you can go home and get some sleep."

McGee closed his eyes and for a moment, they all thought he might argue, but he slowly nodded and headed back for the stairs.

…

The filmmaker watched him closely. "Gibbs was cruel to you."

McGee snorted. "The irony of you saying that to me…is wild."

Instead of kicking him, the filmmaker laughed. "Good one, McGee. Still, you have to admit that he's a tyrant."

"No, I don't. I have learned everything from him, and he was right to be angry with me."

"I need honesty, McGee. You're overcompensating because you know he'll see this."

McGee rolled his head back and forth on the crisp leaves. "He's truly the best teacher I ever had. And he's a man of great conscience and courage. I believe that with all my heart."

"There are rumors out there that he murdered the man who killed his family."

"Justice is justice. I have nothing more to say about it."

"You're about as loyal as they come…sort of like a dog. People love dogs but they don't respect them, and when dogs are gone, it's not hard to replace them."

McGee gave him a hard stare. "I like dogs."

"You're a smart dog, McGee, but Gibbs will find another dog, and you'll be a distant memory. How long will it take them to forget you?"

He won't forget me.

"Are you ready for me to twist the handle on the knife in your gut?"

"No!"

The filmmaker straddled him again. "It's part of the film, McGee. When I revive you, you can tell me why Gibbs is a good man."

"Please don't!" McGee howled as the filmmaker grabbed the hilt and gave it a quick twist. His scream was bloodcurdling, and for a while, he writhed as his body struggled to handle the agony.

The filmmaker stepped back, and took the camera off the tripod to explore McGee's pain from different angles. For several minutes, he reveled in McGee's performance. It wasn't as uninhibited as a woman's, but it was filled with McGee's desire to survive and overcome.

The camera was returned to the tripod when the filmmaker decided that McGee was ready to talk again. "Gibbs threw hot coffee on you. Explain to me how he's a decent man."

…

McGee walked into Vance's outer office, and nodded to Pamela. "I'm here to see the director."

She waved him in. McGee walked in and saw Vance, Gibbs and Abby sit at his conference table. Vance gestured for him to sit. McGee was immediately uneasy.

"Agent McGee, your supervisor brought to my attention events that transpired this morning in Miss Scuito's lab."

McGee nodded. "I fell asleep while working on a case. I missed an important deadline. I plan on asking Dr. Mallard to help me explore safe medications that might help me when caffeine fails."

Gibbs shook his head. "Drugs are not the answer, McGee."

"Nothing illegal. I just need to function better when we work all night."

"You have not been brought here to answer for your exhaustion which is completely understandable when you are on your 2nd night without sleep. You're here because Gibbs assaulted you with a cup of coffee this morning."

McGee frowned at Abby. "I told you it was okay."

"Miss Scuito did not report Agent Gibbs to me. Gibbs did."

"I don't understand."

Gibbs sighed. "I reacted badly this morning. It was inexcusable. And the first thing you did was to defend my actions. I get frustrated, Tim. I yell and I've slapped the back of your head. It's arguable whether or not, that's hostile workplace behavior, but you've always tolerated it. What happened this morning is not something you should ever tolerate."

"I understand why you did it, Boss. You've been under a lot of pressure with this case, and I disappointed you."

Gibbs shook his head. "Leon."

Vance looked at McGee. "Someday, I picture you with your own team, McGee. You're a helluva' agent. I want you to imagine that you are a team leader and ask yourself under what circumstances it would be allowable to throw a cup of coffee at one of your team members."

McGee said nothing.

"You can't come up with an instance, can you?"

"No sir," McGee said softly.

Gibbs nodded. "I have to have limits, Tim, and you have to have them too. We both learned that lesson this morning."

"Would you like to press charges, Special Agent McGee? Miss Scuito can act as your witness."

His face reddened. "No, I just want to drop it."

Abby looked teary.

"Well, it is my prerogative as director to take action. I won't suspend you, Agent Gibbs, because we need to find this asshole, but I am docking you one month's pay, and requiring that you attend 8 hours of training on hostile work environments. Understood?"

Gibbs nodded. "Got it."

"McGee, I am ordering you to go home for the day because you're working impaired due to the lack of sleep you've had."

"I want to stay and help, Sir."

"Come back tomorrow fresh and ready to go, McGee. That's an order."

McGee got up and headed out. This was more upsetting than getting hit with a cup of coffee. He headed down to the bullpen, and angrily stuffed his backpack. Tony watched him. "What happened up there?"

"Boss is losing a month's pay."

"Because you got cold coffee on your head! I can't believe you filed a complaint! What's wrong with you?!"

McGee swung the backpack over his shoulder and brushed past him. DiNozzo grabbed his arm. "Hey McGee, I'm talking to you!"

Ziva jumped up and got between the two of them. "Stop it!"

Tony ignored her. "You're supposed to have his six, McGee! It's how this team works."

"DiNozzo, let go of him!"

They turned to see Gibbs striding toward them, red-faced. Tony let go of McGee's arm. Gibbs rubbed at his mouth in an effort to quell his emotions. "All of you go home now! Nobody is allowed back in this building until you've had at least seven hours of sleep. Understood?!"

Everyone nodded but nobody moved. Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Get out of here already!"

DiNozzo and Ziva grabbed their things and started for the elevator, but McGee stayed rooted in the bullpen. Gibbs shook his head. "You need some rest, Tim. We all do."

"You didn't read my report."

"You said you didn't complete your analysis."

McGee winced as if trying to remember something. "We need a botanist."

"What?"

"A botanist- one who's an expert on the local fauna. There has to be one at Georgetown. It's the moss in the videos. Something about the moss. I hike a lot on the weekends. I don't just hike. I play games…I mean, I imagine that I would have to survive without anything but the forest around me. I bring books. I identify plants and things. Fornell's team says that they think the filmmaker killed in Sky Meadows State Park, but, um, I've been all over that park. I've never seen that moss there…and I pay pretty close attention…" He blushed. "It's a geek thing."

Gibbs studied him closely. "Where have you seen that moss?"

He shrugged. "Parks higher up, parks that are closer to the Alleghany Mountains. I think this moss is found in higher altitudes, but I can't be sure. It's not my science."

"What do you think this means?"

"He drops them at Sky Meadows because he wants to protect his killing grounds, and I think he does that because he knows them real well…like his hunting grounds. Knows it like the back of his hand."

"I'm going to call Fornell." Gibbs headed for his desk.

"I don't know enough, Boss, but I know we need a botanist."

…..

"You hesitated. You're leaving out something that happened after you left Vance's office."

The pain in McGee's gut was overwhelming. He tossed his head back and forth, unable to find relief.

"You left something out!"

McGee looked at him with feverish eyes. "Yes."

"You left out the thing that brought you here. How did you find me?!"

McGee shook his head.

"You want me to twist the knife!"

"Do it."

What did you say?!"

"Do it. I'm done…movie is over."

"It's a film, you bitch, not a movie!"

"It's over." McGee closed his eyes.

"We have so much to talk about. The film needs a final act. I can't post this film unless we have a final act." There was almost a pleading tone to his voice.

McGee's eyes popped open. "Do you want me to say good-bye to my friends? Will that be a good final act?"

"Be poignant. Look into the lens."

He lifted his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Boss. I wasn't careful…Ziva, your kindness and your beauty is often the best part of my day. Tony…I love you even when you drive me nuts. Deep down, I trusted you most of all…Please don't let Abby see this. That would be-"

"Everyone should see this, McGee. Films are meant to be seen!"

McGee sighed, his eyes drooping. "Boss, tell her I love her. Take care of her for me…We shared a love of so many things especially botany. Tell her to keep up the study without me…I love all of you…Talk to my family…Tell them only good things."

The filmmaker hesitated. "Botany? What's that all about?"

McGee's eyes were like slits. "I'm a geek. Sue me."

"You really believe that you have a place in their hearts?"

"Yes." His voice was sleepy. "I worked hard and I always tried to do the…right thing. That has to count for something…doesn't it?"

"McGee?"

His head lolled to the side and he went still.

The filmmaker's voice was soft. "None of my previous films ended like this. They were usually much more dramatic. That happens when faced with the duplicity and evil found in most women, but McGee was different. There's a heroic quality to his demise, one that I respect. The end."

The filmmaker turned off the camera, and slowly packed up the equipment. Usually after his kills, he'd pack the body back to his truck and dump them at Sky Meadows, but this time he felt differently. This body didn't desecrate his hunting grounds. This body was like that of a kindred spirit- almost a brother. He would leave McGee here, cover him with leaves, and return to visit. Animals would tear at his flesh but that was part of nature. It was an honorable way to leave this world.

He wanted to linger but there wasn't time. He needed to find McGee's vehicle and drive it down to Sky Meadows. They'd tear that park apart this time. Gibbs was going to take this hard. More than anything, he wished he could be with Gibbs in a few hours when he was alerted to the filmmaker's latest masterpiece. It would be an elegant little piece, sad yet oddly sweet. It was a gift from the filmmaker to the world- a departure from the spine-tingling thrillers he produced with his female subjects.

He covered McGee in leaves and looked up at the sky. He saw a flash of lightning and then another. A roll of thunder followed. For a second, he was worried about leaving his new friend in the elements, but then he thought that McGee probably wouldn't mind.

….

TBC