The Devil You Know

by Eligent

Summary: The team has to find a serial killer who has escaped from prison, but McGee becomes more than a little personally involved in the case as his past catches up with him and forces him to reveal that which he has kept secret since childhood.

A/N: I started writing this story back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth… at least, that's what it feels like. Let's just say this story and I have had an on-again-off-again relationship for several years now. When this story was first born, very little was known about McGee's background, and it was implied that his childhood had been more or less happy. Of course, the show has since then supplied us with more details of McGee's family. Some I have been able to incorporate in the story – others, not so much. So let's just go ahead and call it AU-ish and be done with it. Takes place somewhere around season 7 or 8, before the team meets or hears anything about anyone in McGee's family, besides Sarah. Happy reading! Hope it strikes your fancy.

xxx

The boy stood petrified on the dark wooden path, his heart hammering in his tight chest, his eyes wide and unbelieving. He felt like he couldn't breathe. That woman was dying. That woman was being murdered right in front of his eyes! What should he do? What could he do? Run? Scream for help? No one would hear him, except the murderer. Oh god, the murder! It had to be the Cowboy. He couldn't believe he was watching the Cowboy murdering yet another victim.

And now the woman was dead. He just knew it. The way she laid so still, the way her head lolled to the side, the way her eyes didn't blink anymore. She was dead. She had died while he had stood here watching and he had done nothing to help her. Why hadn't he done something?

Tears burned in his eyes, his lips quivered silently. She was dead, just like all the others. Just like Elena. She was dead when she should have been alive. How could anyone be so callous? So cruel? How could anyone be so sick and twisted?

The Cowboy stood up and wiped his hands on his shirt, then he wiped his bloody spurs on the woman's ruffled skirt. The boy was sickened by the sight, his stomach actually turned. Then the Cowboy turned around…

Oh no, oh dear god no! He couldn't believe it. He knew who the murderer was. He knew the Cowboy.

He even loved him…

xxx

"I love living in D.C." Ziva exclaimed as she exited the elevator and greeted her yawning teammates cheerfully, unwinding her knitted scarf from around her neck. "I love being able to buy coffee at four in the morning."

Tony looked at her with bleary eyes, his hair still tousled, his chin a little scruffy. He had obviously had to forgo his morning shower. "Easy for you to say," he complained. "Do you ever sleep past four anyway? Me, I prefer my beauty sleep over easy accessible coffee. What could possibly be so important that they have to call us in at four in the morning?" He yawned widely, not bothering to cover his mouth.

"There's nothing on the news," McGee said, absentmindedly rubbing his eyes while surfing the major news outlets' web pages, then resting his chin in his hand. "So it can't be that big, can it?"

"Maybe all the reporters are still asleep," Tony yawned again. "Lucky bastards. Where's the bossman? He's the one who woke us up; shouldn't he have beaten us here?"

"I did, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, bounding down the stairs from the top floor, as always annoyingly alert for this time of night. He stopped at his desk and looked at them, not bothering with flares or dramatics. "Dennis Langston has escaped from prison."

Tony gave a long, surprised whistle, sitting up straight, suddenly looking wide awake. "The Cowboy? Are you serious? That is big."

"Dennis Langston?" Ziva asked, confused. "The Cowboy? Who is that? I've never heard of him."

"He was a national nightmare 20 years ago," Tony started.

"Twenty-two," McGee interjected quietly, looking stunned. "It was 22 years ago. In 1989."

"Whatever," Tony continued casually. "He's one of the most notorious serial killers this country has ever known. He raped and murdered 13 young women and teenage girls at Alameda Naval Air Station in California. The case went unsolved for six months and when he was finally caught it turned out he was a teenager. He had barely even turned 18. Was quite a shock and made headlines for months. You know; where were the parents, where was the school, who is really responsible, all that crap. He ended up in maximum security prison for life, several lifetimes actually. If he's escaped that means someone has screwed up royally somewhere. Heads are gonna roll and the press is gonna have a field day."

"Why was he called the Cowboy?" Ziva asked, curiously.

"He always wore spurs," Gibbs said grimly. "To kick his victims with."

"Ouch," Ziva said. "How was he caught last time?"

"Someone turned him in," Tony said, frowning as he tried to recall all the details. "His brother, I think. At least someone in that family had a moral backbone. Took his sweet time about it, though. Thirteen murders… Are we really lead team on this, Boss? Shouldn't it be the FBI? Prison escapes are federal crimes."

"It'll be a joint investigation," Gibbs said. "We're meeting Fornell on site at the prison. Langston escaped from a federal prison, but the original case was a NIS case, so we still have a stake in this. The order comes directly from SECNAV."

"Why was he in prison here if the murders happened on the other side of the country?" Ziva asked.

"He's been moved around," McGee answered. "For his own safety. Wasn't too popular in prison…"

"Oh, all right," Ziva said. "So what do we do now?"

"We need to figure out the motive for his escape," Gibbs said. "If he's heading somewhere special or if he's just leaving the country to live on a beach somewhere. We need to figure out where he's going if we're going to have a chance of catching him. McGee, find Langston's family. He might try to contact them."

"Done," McGee said hoarsely.

"Good," Gibbs said as he turned around and headed towards the elevators.

"No, Boss," McGee said quickly, stopping Gibbs in midstride. "I don't mean done as in I'm going to do it really quick, I mean done as in… I'm already done. I don't actually have to do it, because… well, I've already found the family. I mean, I know the family." He could feel himself turning red as he realized he was babbling nervously. Stop it, he told himself sternly. This was the worst possible time to show any signs of weakness. "That is— I am the family."

Everyone turned to stare at him. He sat stock still with his hands flat on his keyboard and his eyes down, his face flushed.

"What are you talking about, Probie?" Tony asked, frowning.

McGee turned his head slightly towards his colleague, his hands curling into fists to keep them from shaking. "Denny is my brother."

For a while the silence was palpable as the rest of the team continued to stare incredulously at him.

"Your brother?" Ziva finally asked.

"As in flesh and blood, DNA-sharing, biological brother?" Tony asked.

"McGee, if this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny," Gibbs said gravelly.

McGee swallowed and licked his lips before answering. "It's not a joke, Boss. I wish it had been. But he's really—"

"Your brother?" Gibbs finished and Tim nodded. "This wasn't in your file."

"With all due respect, Boss," McGee said, looking him bravely in the eyes. "Would you let something like that show up in your file?"

"Hmph," Gibbs grunted. "I'm pulling you from the case. Go home, McGee."

McGee stood up quickly. "No sir!" he said, almost shouting. "Don't do that. Please, don't… I'm not defending Denny. I never will. He's serving several consecutive lifetimes and I'm glad for it. He doesn't belong in freedom. I want him in jail. I might be… um, emotionally involved, but there's no one more motivated than me when it comes to catching him. Please, don't shut me out."

Gibbs immediately noted the 'sir'. He had cured McGee of that habit long ago, which meant that right now he was extremely agitated and nervous. "He's your brother," he said. "I can't let you—"

"Yes, you can," McGee interrupted pleadingly. "You just have to want to. You've let us work personal cases before. Please, Gibbs. Please…" He knew he was begging, but he didn't care. He had to be allowed to stay on the case! He wouldn't be able to bear it otherwise.

"You're the one who turned him in?" Ziva asked, walking towards him but stopping before actually reaching him.

McGee flinched. He'd been so focused on Gibbs that he'd almost forgotten about his other teammates. "Yes." McGee swallowed, closing his eyes and lowering his head for a few moments as memories washed over him before he looked angrily at Tony. "And I didn't take my 'sweet time' about it. I didn't know. For the longest time, we didn't know. But it wasn't even two hours from me finding out 'til I sat at the police station." There was a clear challenge in his voice, daring Tony to mess with him.

"Sorry," Tony muttered. "I didn't know…"

"McGee," Gibbs interrupted. "We need to talk."

"Yes, sir," McGee agreed. "I just need to call my parents first. I don't want them to find out from someone else or from the news." He said it as a statement, but his eyes made it clear that he was actually asking for permission, obviously nervous about what this new revelation would mean to the other man.

"Fine," Gibbs nodded curtly. "Meet us in the garage when you're done. We're going to the prison."

"Does that mean…?" McGee asked with hope.

"Yes. If the director okays it, you can stay on the case. But you will have to toe the line meticulously. And I reserve the right to change my mind at any given time." Gibbs figured that it was probably a good idea to keep McGee close by and occupied for the time being so he didn't go maverick and went out looking for his brother alone, without backup.

"Thank you." The relief on McGee's face was obvious. He took his cell phone and walked out of earshot.

"Okay, what the hell just happened here?" Tony wondered out loud. "I can't believe that the Cowboy is Probie's brother. I can't believe we never found out before! Do you really think he can work objectively on this case, Boss?"

"Objectively?" Gibbs asked. "Not a chance. But that doesn't mean he won't do his job. Remember, this is McGee we're talking about. We'll keep an eye on him, any sign of him switching sides and we'll pull him. Besides, if Langston decides to come looking for his family, that means he'll come walking right in to our arms. I need to go brief Vance. Meet us in the garage in five minutes. We're expected at the prison."

He went up the stairs, leaving Tony and Ziva staring at each other.

xxx

Tim stared at his phone. He had pulled his parents number up from the directory and now stood with his thumb hovering over the call button, stalling. There were no words in the English language which could accurately describe how much he didn't want to make this call. He looked at his watch. 4:20 a.m. Calling his parents at this hour would scare them, but he couldn't wait any longer. He didn't want to risk someone else beating him to it, especially not some overeager reporter. He still remembered how the press had treated his parents and himself 22 years ago. For weeks they had staked out their house, called at every hour of the night, assaulted anyone who came or went to the house. And as Tim had spent a lot of time home alone during that time, he had felt like a prisoner, scared to talk to anyone until a long time after they'd moved away.

He had no idea if his father would even be at the house, more often than not he wasn't, but for the first time in many years he actually hoped that it would be his father's voice he heard when the phone was answered. His father would be shocked and angry and would raise hell and demand answers. He could deal with that. His mother would be emotional, worried and hopeful. That he wasn't so sure he could handle.

But that wasn't the only reason he hoped his father would be home. An emergency recall from an overseas conference, an inspection round of the fleet or any other kind of official duty would require an explanation, which would humiliate his father to no end and put him in an even worse mood. The admiral would not abide being embarrassed in front of his men or his peers. Tim knew that one of the reasons his father had been so hell-bent on rising through the ranks as quickly as possible was that the higher up he got, the fewer were the people who were privy to his background information, even though he had managed to get most of it classified.

Tim knew Denny's escape would open festering old wounds for his family, and especially for his father. John McGee had not taken the knowledge that his oldest son was a serial killer in good stride. In fact, once the trial was over, he had disowned Denny completely. They had moved away to start new lives, he had said and Denny had no part of their new life, so he had chosen to ignore him, pretending that Denny had never existed and he always turned into his foulest mood if he caught Tim or his wife talking about him. Tim's dad had always been rather strict and had set high standards for his children, but after the murders his father had in only a few months turned into a very cold, hard and distant man. In many ways, Denny had – alongside all his other victims – killed the father Tim had once had.

Suddenly Tim felt a surge of ret-hot anger coarse through him. This was all Denny's fault! As usual, he wasn't thinking about anyone but himself. How could he be so unbelievably selfish? Had he spared his family even so much as a glancing thought before he decided to break out? Of course, impact thinking had never been one of Denny's strong points and considering that he had ignored any attempts at keeping in touch over the last 22 years, he probably didn't even consider them family anymore. A knife twisted in Tim's gut. After everything Denny had done, and after all the time that had passed, how could that thought still hurt so much?

Suppressing all of his emotions for the time being, McGee sighed and pressed the call button. It took five signals for his father to answer.

"Hello," Admiral John McGee said groggily. "Who is this? Do you know what time it is?"

"It's me, Dad," Tim said quickly. "It's Tim. Sorry for waking you."

"Tim? What's going on?" His father sounded equal parts worried and annoyed.

In the background he could hear his mother's voice. "Is that Tim? Is he okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad," he said and then he continued quickly so he wouldn't lose courage. "It's not me. But I have some bad news. Denny has escaped from prison…" A long silence followed. "Dad, did you hear me?"

"Oh god," the admiral said with a horrified voice. "Oh my god. This can't be happening."

"John!" Tim's mother demanded. "Oh god, what? What happened to Tim?"

"Tim's fine, Alice," the admiral tried to calm his wife. "It's Dennis." Tim could hear the thickness in his father's voice. That was a name he hadn't uttered in many years.

"Dennis?" Alice sounded confused and afraid. "What about Dennis?"

"He's escaped," the admiral told her.

"What are you talking about? Let me talk to Tim." Alice took the phone from her husband. "Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Tim promised.

"What happened to Dennis?"

Tim swallowed nervously. "Somehow he has managed to escape from prison, but I don't know anything more yet. I only just found out. We're going to the prison now to investigate and try to figure out where Denny's going."

"What? Are you on the case, Tim?" his mother asked, surprised. "I really don't think that's such a good idea."

"It's my job, Mom," Tim said. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

"No, it won't!" his mother said angrily. "How can Gibbs possibly condone this? You always made him seem like such a reliable man. Or didn't you tell him who Denny is to you?"

"Of course I told him, Mom," Tim said more harshly than he had intended. "But Gibbs is my boss, he has to do whatever is best for the case and right now, me working on this is what is best for the case."

"But honey, last time-"

"Last time I was a kid," McGee interrupted her curtly. "This is different. Besides, what else am I gonna do? Take a vacation and let the others do this without me? Sit on the sideline, not knowing what's going on… that's not gonna make me feel any better. Besides, I knew Denny. I might be able to figure out how he's thinking, and where he's going. They need me."

"All right, Tim. If you say so," Alice said doubtingly. "Do you… do you think he might try to contact us?"

Tim closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was what he'd been afraid of. There was a touch of hope in his mother's voice, and he didn't like it. "Mom… Don't do this to yourself. He's refused to talk to you for 22 years, why would he start now? And even if he did, nothing good could possibly come out of it. Besides, the most likely scenario is that he's making a beeline for the border. But if he does contact you we need to know immediately. I'm gonna put up surveillance on your phone and e-mail."

"All right," Alice said reluctantly. "What about Sarah?"

Tim snorted. "If I put a trace on her phone she'll never talk to me again. But I suppose I don't have a choice. I can probably do it in a way so she'll never notice, and I'll have Abby monitoring it. She won't tell me anything that's not about the case."

"That's not what I mean," Alice said. "What do we tell her?"

"Nothing," Tim said quickly. "We don't say anything unless we absolutely have to. Ask dad, you know he'll agree with me. We've kept her out of it this far, there's no reason to change the tune now. If we're lucky, Denny will be back in custody within an hour, and then Sarah will never know."

"If you think that's best," Alice said hesitantly.

"It's going to be okay, Mom," Tim said gently. "Don't let this affect you too much. I doubt he'll get very far or that you will have to be involved at all. If we're lucky we'll find him before the media even wakes up. No one's going to find you; you're not the story this time. It's gonna be about the prison and its security and about NCIS and FBI and our manhunt. No one's gonna bother you." He really hoped he was predicting the right future. Last time the media had destroyed their lives almost as much as Denny had.

"That's not what worries me, Tim," Alice said. "I've survived the press and the stares and the pointing fingers before. I just don't want you and Sarah to get hurt again. And I don't understand how you think you'll be able to participate in a manhunt for your brother without getting hurt. You're too sensitive."

"I'm gonna be fine, Mom," Tim said again. "Listen, I've got to go now, but I'll call you as soon as I know anything. And if you hear anything from Denny, or if anyone else bothers you, then you call me, okay? Right away."

"Please, be careful, sweetheart! Remember that we love you! Call us soon. And often!"

"I love you too, Mom. I'll talk to you real soon, I promise."

xxx

TBC…