Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Me: *huffs* Maybe I am writing this a wee bit too much… But to be honest. I am terrible at fighting scenes… AGAIN…

Enjoy!

"No!" McGee howled in a mixture of anger and fright as his paws finally seemed to react and propelled him forward. But he could see that he acted too late, Diablo was going to get to his team/pack before him. But he would not let that happen. Off to the side, he could see the sun was almost up, their curse would desist in a few minutes but by then it would be too late for them. His eyes steeled as he knew what needed to be done. His paws shifted his weight as he zoomed behind a couple of crates, his team disappearing behind him.

On the upper deck, the team stood frozen as they watched the two wolfs seemed to communicate with each other. McGee seemed to be trying to convince Diablo of something but soon his frame shifted to one of aggression and defense. Whatever was happening, things soon took a turn for the worst as both wolfs seemed to freeze and twist towards them. Even from this distance, they could see how McGee's silver eyes widened in fear as Diablo simply snapped his jaw and pounce towards them. The team froze for a second before getting right into action, even thought they knew their guns wouldn't do anything against the beast they would go down fighting.

As Diablo approached them they wondered were Tim was but they could wonder for long, Diablo was only a few spaces from them. He was approaching menacingly as he gazed at each and every one, his gaze finally landing on Ziva. In an instant, Diablo jumped forward as the others began to shoot but Diablo simply kept advancing towards Ziva. Ziva closed her eyes as she felt Diablo's acrid breath on her face, his massive form was only inches from her and she knew that she would not survive this. However, before Diablo could even get an inch closer, a frightening roar could be heard before chestnut blur got between the team and Diablo muzzle. Fangs bit deep into McGee's neck as his momentum propelled them both down to the lower deck. As they went down, Diablo's body got impelled on a metal rod on the floor, the sheer force forced him to release McGee's neck, letting him fall the rest of the way down. Whimpering weakly as his body struck the ground; McGee felt the blood poured from the wound on his neck. He couldn't see what kind of damage he had but he could tell it was serious by the way his vision seemed to shift.

"Tim!" Ziva screamed in fright as the team saw how McGee placed his body on Diablo's way to protect them all. The rain was starting to stop as the sun could finally start shining down on the deck. The group watched in twisted fascination the way that Diablo's body seemed to twitch and twist in itself as the black fur began to disappear, leaving bronzed skin in its place. A few seconds passed before the wonder passed before they turned to look for their fallen teammate. Ziva frantically kept her eyes open, hoping to see McGee's frame, human or otherwise however as they turned around a stack of crates, the team could only stare as the watched McGee's wolf's form trying to stand shakily. A pool of blood had already gathered where he was laying but McGee had to find out for himself if he managed to save his pack. He had to see her.

Ever so slowly as he heard a shift of movement in front of him, his weary eyes managed to focus on the object of his affection. Taking this as strength, he continued forward as he let his body finally shift from wolf to man. Ziva and the others noticed the enormous gash that appeared on his human body as his wound transferred to it, his blood began to pour even more as he jerkily continued to walk towards them. The others stood back as Ziva approached him mid-way, her hands aching to hold his injured body.

She thought it was a miracle he was still standing, but she could tell that the wound was almost fatal, the amount of blood that coated his skin could attest to that. Unshed tears blurred her vision as the two of them stood mere inches from each other; Ziva being too overwhelmed to do anything feels as McGee cradles her face within his bigger but gentle hand. He opened his mouth to try and say something but before he could, his feet seemed to stop working and his body simply followed them to the floor, dragging his mate with him. This seemed to snap the others into action as they immediately ran forward and helped stabilized their friend. Gibbs had taken the pressure bandages from Ducky and began applying pressure on his fallen agent while the coroner assessed McGee's vital signs. Tony couldn't even make himself diffuse the situation with a joke, seeing the state of his friend bleeding out on the floor, so he took his jacket off and used it to preserve his friend's modesty. While Ziva refused to let McGee out of her side while she cradled his frame at her side, she felt his hand once again cradled her face.

"Mine…" They heard him mutter as his eyes struggled to maintain focus. She simply grasped his hand and gently lowered it down while giving him a watery smile.

"Hush now Tim." She whispered. "You need to save your strength." Puppy eyes that swirled between silver and green shifted upwards as he gazed upon his pack.

"S…fe…?" Hearing his question, Gibbs kneeled forward and got his attention. Through the haze, McGee could see his pack's alpha gaze at him with a soft look.

"Yes McGee. We're all safe. Thanks to you." As he said this, he grasped McGee's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "You did good, son." Hearing this, McGee finally took a breath of relief as he finally let himself relax. His pack and his mate were safe and Diablo was no longer a tread to them, he could finally be calm.

"…Gl…d p-pack… sfe…" They heard him mutter while his eyes dropped lower and lower. Ziva's eyes widened in realization as she saw him beginning to lose consciousness. "…gl…d… m…te…safe…" At this, Ziva felt his body go limp and with it, she felt her heart stop.

"Tim? Tim! Stay awake!" She began to shout frantically as she shook his slightly, hoping to keep him awake. "Tim!"

"We need to get him inside Ducky." She heard Gibbs stated morosely as he took charge but Ducky could only shake his head. "He's lost a lot of blood Jethro. Even if we did find a supply of blood on the ship, we don't even know what giving him human blood would do to his system." At his somber tone, Ziva found herself beginning to shake her head in denial. No. Tim wouldn't leave them. He was too stubborn to die like this. They still needed him. She needed him.

"We need to do something!" Gibbs shouted in the air as the feeling of helplessness became overwhelming. One of his people was dying right in front of their eyes and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. But before they could say anything more, Ziva heard the familiar rotation of a helicopters motor.

"Look…" True enough, the team watched as the helicopter began to make its way towards the vessel they were on. Taking this as a sign of good omen, Ziva leaned forward to whisper into Tim's ear.

"Hang on Tim." She said as she grasped his body, not failing to notice the very same scars she felt in his wolf form. "We'll take care of you as you have done for us."

Me: There are only a few more chapters to this! :D