emerald_green37 | Catalyst 21/?

Pamela let Ducky into Vance's office and he quietly took a seat while Vance finished his phone call with Ziva. There was no mistaking the annoyance on Vance's face as he set the phone down. "Agent David has been checking in. DiNozzo is there, asleep."

"Good."

"I sent him home. That did not mean go pester Gibbs and McGee."

Ducky shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "Director, this is the first time Tony has had to truly face the results of one of his inappropriate pranks. Of course he needed to go and see Timothy, to see his forgiveness directly, before he could hope to rest. Everyone has always assumed that McGee was the naive one of the pair, but it is Anthony that has always been blissfully unaware of the problems his ill-spoken words could cause. This has most certainly been an eye-opening experience for him."

Vance would have never used the words 'DiNozzo' and 'naive' in the same sentence, but Ducky's comments made a twisted sort of sense. "I need your honest opinion, Doctor. Can DiNozzo wrap his head around this, or is he going to get suffocated by his own guilt?"

Pursing his lips, Ducky thought about it for a moment. "I believe the fact that he went to Jethro's home instead of hitting a bar someplace is a very good start."

Satisfied, at least for now, Vance became even more serious. "What did you learn about Patterson? Are we correct in believing he'll go after McGee?"

"I'm afraid he is even more of a threat to Timothy than we originally thought, Director Vance. Patterson has become a sexual predator, and he calls his victims 'McGee' as he forces himself onto them. I believe he's been practicing, preparing for when he finally has a chance to get his hands on his ultimate target."

"McGee?"

"Yes. Prisoners fantasize – daydream, if you will – about what they will do once they get out of prison. For some it might be seeing family, reconnecting with a loved one. Some long for something as simple as the freedom of a walk down the street. Patterson's fantasy is how he is going to rape and brutalize young Timothy. I have absolutely no doubt that he will not rest until he's fulfilled that fantasy or died trying."

"Wonderful." Despite his words, Vance looked grim as he wondered how this new realization would impact the team.

---NCIS---

"Hey, man, it's good to see you." Putting on his best grin, Patterson thumped the back of his old friend and work mate.

Kevin Sharp was much more reserved. "Teddy, it's been a while. How are you?" He looked around at the place Patterson had asked to meet. It was a dive and the drinks were already flowing. "Breakfast is on me, so let's go someplace a little nicer."

"Nah, I like it here. Besides, do you know how long it's been since I've had a drink?" Patterson walked through the door and after a moment, Sharp sighed and followed him.

Patterson ignored the breakfast menu and went immediately for the bourbon, straight up. Trying to keep the other man halfway sober, Sharp ordered him a fried egg sandwich when he placed his own order. By the time the waitress had poured the coffee, Patterson was pounding his empty glass on the table top. "Keep 'em coming, sweetheart."

"So, Ted, what are your plans, now that you're a free man?" Kevin nudged the coffee a little closer, hoping Patterson would take the hint.

Patterson tossed back his new drink, relishing the burn in his throat.

"Oh, I don't know. Thought about applying to get my old job back." When Sharp started choking on his coffee, Patterson laughed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, just kidding. Might be fun to see their reaction, though. So, has McGee come out of the closet yet?"

Sharp froze and Patterson laughed. "Don't tell me it's true. I knew that little geek was offering it up."

"Leave it alone, Ted. He's with Gibbs now and Gibbs will just as soon kill you as look at you. Not only that, they've got a protection detail just waiting for you to do something stupid. You're free finally, Teddy. Get away from here, start over someplace that's never heard of McGee or NCIS or about any of this."

Patterson stared out the window as a plan formed in his mind. Sharp's truck was sitting in the parking lot, an oversized monster with a brush guard on the front. "Yeah, well, I'd like that, but they turned me loose with nothing but pocket change and the clothes on my back. Takes money for a bus ticket across country." He waited for Sharp to take the bait.

As soon as he heard 'across the country', Sharp saw an easy way out for all of them. A couple of hundred dollars and he could get Patterson far away and out of his hair for good. "Tell you what, I'll buy you the bus ticket and give you some cash to get back on your feet some place new. How's that? You don't even have to worry about paying me back for it."

"Appreciate it, Kevin. You've been a good friend." It was all Patterson could do to keep from grinning as he followed Sharp out the door. Cash and a vehicle was exactly what he needed.

---NCIS---

"Should we wake him?"

Gibbs looked past Tim's shoulder to see Tony still dead to the world on the other side of the bed. "Nah, let him sleep." The two men crawled out of the bed on the far side, both smiling as Tony immediately spread out to cover the entire bed. Tim found his slacks on the floor and Jethro pulled out two pairs of boxers before finding a shirt that Tim could wear. Clothes in hand, they crept into the bathroom to get ready for the day. This time the shower was just for getting clean, even though they enjoyed washing each other.

"You ready for today?"

Tim paused as he was drying his hair. "Do you mean worrying about Patterson or dealing with everyone else?"

"Patterson is not coming near you." Gibbs stepped in back of him, running his lips up Tim's neck as he paused. "Everyone else will just have to deal."

They dressed in silence, Tim carefully straightening Jethro's collar and smoothing his shirt down while Jethro tenderly kissed Tim's chest before buttoning his shirt and tucking it in. When they returned to the bedroom for their weapons, Tony had not moved at all. With Gibbs' approval, Tim wrote a note and left it on the pillow for Tony before the two men gathered their weapons and left the room.

Ziva beamed at them as they came down the stairs. "Good morning, would you like me to fix you some breakfast? Something high in protein, perhaps?" Dorneget turned red at her suggestion and Gibbs smirked.

"Let's grab something on the way." It rarely happened, but Gibbs locked the door behind them as they left.

Gibbs hated to be driven anywhere, but he didn't comment when Ziva expected them to ride in the sedan, as it was one more set of eyes watching for Patterson instead of concentrating on the road. The fact that he could have Tim leaning against him was a nice perk also.

Once they were seated, Tim realized how hungry he was. After ordering the lumberjack special with a side of pancakes, he looked up to see Ziva and Dorneget staring at him. "Hey, I haven't had anything to eat since lunch on the road yesterday."

Ziva looked rather pleased with that piece of knowledge, while Ned turned red again – a near normal color for him since the start of this assignment – and covered his ears. "I so did not need to know that." His embarrassment didn't lessen when Gibbs ordered the twelve ounce steak, rare, and asked if oysters were on the menu.

---NCIS---

Patterson wiped his hands on his pant legs as he watched the body of Kevin Sharp roll down into the ditch. "Sorry, pal, but I can't just forget about it. I've waited too long for this." Smiling to himself, he climbed up into the tall cab and fired up the truck, enjoying the rumble of the powerful engine.