itle: Legends (13/?)
Author: Merucha
Characters: Tim McGee, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, plus the usual Torchwood and NCIS suspects
Rating: Some chapters definitely not safe for work.
Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?
Summary: After the events of Bloodbath, Tim McGee accepts a offer from a total stranger
Author's Note: A few weeks ago I was watching some NCIS episodes and came across Bloodbath. I hated both Abby and Gibbs in it. I hated the humiliation of making Tim kneel all day for something that was someone else's fault. I fumed for days (I am a bit obsessive about things from time to time). Then, a few days ago, this popped up. As usual, AU like nobody's business.

Part one here; Part two here; Part three here; Part four is here; Part five is here; Part six is here; Part seven is here; Part eight is here; Part nine is here; Part ten is here; Part eleven is here; Part twelve is here


The cold lump that had settled in Tim's  stomach at Gibbs' appearance grew to iceberg size as he watched Jack draw his Webley and point it at Gibbs' head.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't execute you right here.”

Gibbs ignored the gun and knelt by the Toclafane, prodding at the metal plate at the top. There was a grinding noise and the sphere opened, the upper sections opening like petals. Jack almost flinched, but then came to lean over Gibbs' shoulder and look down at the sphere.

“Empty.” Gibbs told him. “We need to get this to a safe place. I don't trust either one of our governments with this technology.”

“You still haven't answered my question.”

“Francine wouldn't like it.”

The two men stared at each other for a few moments. Tim thought he heard Ianto mutter something about measuring tapes but he was still trying to wrap his mind around what Gibbs had said. Francine Jones, Tish's and Martha's mother, had also been a prisoner in the Valiant, forced to serve the Master as maid and sometimes cook, chained every night like a slave or a dog. There were even mentions in the files of her being tortured for helping Jack stage a rebellion that had failed. In many ways she was Jack's surrogate mother, but from the look on Jack's face she had never mentioned Gibbs to him.

“All right,” Jack finally broke the silence. “Where do we take this?”

“My place. Basement is freshly cleaned. Tim can set up his equipment down there.”

Tim saw his chance and grabbed it. “I'm going to need Abby.” He got twin glares, but stood his ground. “Mimi doesn't have any remote hands here, so she won't be able to help with the precision work. Besides, if we exclude Abby she's apt to go off like a rocket with a faulty gyroscope.”

Gibbs nodded. “You got a point.”

“I'll call Martha and have her meet us there.” Ianto said. “The need to know list just got a whole lot shorter. Do you trust director Vance?”

Gibbs thought about it for a moment. “Yeah.”

“Ziva and I will go get the cars,” Tony said, holding out his hand to Ianto. “Can we transport that thing in the trunk or will it wake up and try to fry us?”

Gibbs reached into the sphere and yanked out a few wires. “It won't now.”

Tim saw Jack's free hand clench hard enough to make the knuckles stand out starkly white. A little sound of protest escaped him. Gibbs looked up and their eyes met, and what Tim saw there made his breath stutter. He prayed, focusing through the ta'saiat, hoping Jack would pick up the unspoken words. It felt like years had passed before Jack reholstered the Webley.

“Tim, Ianto, damage control,” he barked.

It didn't take very long. Whether it was because the locals were spooked by all the cops flooding into the neighborhood or because the entrance to the freeway and the underpass were both closed due to the construction, the area was nearly deserted. Two vagrants were treated to some retcon-laced coffee and fed new memories about watching a movie crew at work.

When Tony and Ziva brought the cars as close to the underpass as they could manage, they loaded the sphere into the back of the rental SUV. Tim scrambled into the back seat. Reaching into the secure space below the seat, he retrieved his laptop and powered it up. Mimi, set up a link to Francine Jones' computer but don't activate it until I ask for it. “Jack, I need your phone codes.”

“What are you up to, Irish?”

“I'm planning to set up a secure call from this laptop to Mrs. Jones. If Gibbs has gotten out of the stone age I'll use his tv to enhance the image. No chance of mistake one way or the other.”

“I think you're trying to manipulate me,” Jack said, offering him his phone. “but this time I'll let you. Go ahead.”

When they got to Gibbs' place, Tim let the others wrestle with the Toclafane and went into the living room. The others had already arrived. Ducky had taken advantage of his long friendship with Gibbs to act as host and coffee  and tea had been made and scones set out. Tim grinned when he saw the large flat screen above the fireplace. It only took a few seconds to connect it to the laptop.

“Martha, I need you to call your mother and ask her to power up her laptop.”  He cut off her startled question. “Jack needs to talk to her. It's important, Martha. Year-that-never-was important.”

“Tim, what's going on?” Tish asked, her voice high and anxious.

“We need her to do something for us.” He took her hand and held it tightly. “It's important, Tish.”

Tish nodded. “All right.”

Martha pulled her cell phone from her purse and pressed a single number. “Mama?... Yes, I know what time it is, but Jack needs to talk to you... it's important, Mama, and we need your help... the case we came to Washington for? We think it might have something to do with the Valiant... could you please turn on your laptop and let Tim and Mimi set up a call?... We'll be careful, I promise.” She ended the call. “I hope you and Jack know what you're doing.”

A few seconds later, the screen above the fireplace displayed Francine Jones' face. She looked cool and haughty, but during Tish's illness Tim had learned to read the fear and anger underneath. “Timothy, what in the world is going on?”

“Jack needs you to do something for him...”

He stopped, realizing he had lost her. She was looking over his shoulder, her eyes wide and suddenly filled with tears. He turned to see Gibbs come in, the others right behind him. He saw her and smiled.

“Hello, my lady.”

“Shadow? You're alive!”  She was crying openly, but her face was filled with joy. “You made it. Thank God, thank God, you made it!”