There and Then Again

DISCLAIMER: I DON"T OWN NCIS NO MATTER HOW HARD I BELIEVE
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Chapter 1

Australia. Ah, Australia. Beautiful back country, beautiful oceans, beautiful women, what a place. This is exactly what Anthony DiNozzo was thinking as he exited the plane with his co-workers. Today, however, they were not co-workers. They were friends. For once they were out of country simply to enjoy themselves. No paper work, no dead bodies, no nothing. This was a vacation, pure and simple.

Or at least, that's how it started out.

Then he made the biggest mistake of his life.

A mistake that just might cost him the life of his partner. His friend. His little brother.

It started out as a beautiful, lazy day, about a week into the vacation. It was three in the afternoon there, and a very hot day. It was especially hot since the cheap motel where Gibbs booked the rooms, had absolutely no air conditioning.
"It's sooo hot," Tony complained, as he lounged on one of the beds, looking at a Victoria Secret magazine he brought with him.

"Will you shut UP, DiNozzo?" McGee yelled, exasperated. All he had heard for the past five days was complaining and complaining and more complaining. While Abby was lucky enough to have to share a room with Ziva (they were all sure that Gibbs just slept in the rental car or something), McGee had the misfortune of having to share a room with Tony. And McGee had to say that if DiNozzo was a pain in the butt to deal with at work, he was so much worse here. Though there were two beds, Tony made McGee sleep on his choice of either the couch or the floor because he thought McGee breathed to heavily while he slept.

"What's you're problem, McGrumpy?" Tony asked innocently.

"You're my problem, DiNozzo!" Tim yelled. "You're the most annoying person on the planet! I don't understand why you can't shut up for more than five minuets! I swear, you must be in love with yourself! It's a wonder you haven't married yourself yet!"

Tony stood up. "Oh look who's talking! How many hours did you spend talking about your stupid computer crap yesterday?" Tony yelled.

"Hi! I'm Tony DiNozzo! I haven't had a date in months because I'd rather spend weekends watching stupid movies and talking to myself in the mirror!" McGee mocked in a rather annoying tone.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You know what, McGee? You can take all your computer crap and shove it-"

"We're going swimming!" Abby yelled bursting into the room wearing a black swimming suit. Her black hair tied in the perfect pig tails, her black towel tucked around her shoulders. Ziva followed Abby inside the guys' room. She was wearing a dark brown swimming suit with a colorful green, pink, and dark brown towel wrapped around her waist. Her hair was perfectly curled, and danced around her shoulders.

"What are you staring at?" Abby asked McGee

McGee shook his head. "Uh… n-nothing," he stuttered.

Abby smiled and shrugged. "We're going to the beach today. Hurry and get ready! We're leaving in five minuets."

"We are not waiting for you if you are late," Ziva said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Abby and Ziva started to leave the room, but turned around to ask them something.

"Do you guys know where Gibbs is?" Abby asked. Tony and McGee just shook their heads. So the girls left the room and McGee and Tony hurried to get ready, not speaking a word to each other.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

Abby and Ziva found Gibbs waiting outside the rental car, already ready to go (convincing Abby that he was psychic). McGee and Tony came down to the car a moment later. There was some squabbling between them about who got shot gun, but after a short argument, it was all sorted out. Gibbs drove, Tony got shot gun, Abby and Ziva sat in the back, and McGee, poor McGee got stuffed in the trunk with all of the beach supplies. Unlucky for him, the beach was about a half an hour away. During the whole drive, Abby and Ziva were in the back talking, while Gibbs and Tony were silent. There was the occasional muffled groan from McGee every time they hit a bump, but other than that, he was silent. When they actually got to the beach, McGee was so cramped up and stiff, Abby, Ziva and Gibbs had to help get him out of the trunk.

There was hardly anyone on the beach, making it quiet and peaceful. Everyone there was laying out on the beach. Surprisingly, no one was in the ocean. Gibbs, in his swim trunk and loose grey T-shirt, took a spot on an open beach chair and continued reading his book on boats. Abby and Ziva set up the umbrella and their towels laying out on the beach talking and reading.

Tony stood out at the edge of the beach. McGee walked up to him and shoved him. Tony stumbled into the water.

"That's for stuffing me in the trunk!" Tim yelled.

Tony narrowed his eyes and shoved McGee into the ocean. McGee landed in the water with a splash. DiNozzo gave him a nasty smirk when he stood up soaking wet.

Tim opened his mouth to say something, but DiNozzo stepped forward and gave him another shove. McGee fell backward into the ocean where the seafloor dropped off about fifty feet. Tim sunk a little bit but resurfaced, his face bright red.

Tony fell backwards, laughing so hard, he didn't hear Abby, Gibbs and Ziva's cried and shouts. Suddenly, with shock etched in his face, McGee was pulled under the water. He forced his way to the surface, screaming bloody murder.

Tony turned around and immediately stopped laughing.

"Move!" Gibbs yelled. He shoved Tony away and pulled McGee out of the water. There was something long and gelatinous wrapped tightly around his legs, torso and right arm. At first glance it looked like a wad of seaweed. Tony could only with the thing wrapped around his friend was a wad of seaweed. No, the thing that squeezed Tim like a lime, was a creature straight out of the deepest depths of Hell.

"Ziver! Call and ambulance! Now!" Gibbs ordered.

Abby ran forward and squeezed McGee's hand as he screamed. He screamed so hard his throat became raw. Blood pooled in his mouth, and he shut his eyes, painful, burning tears rolling down his face.

Petrified, Tony turned around to look behind him. Horror filled him as his eyes slowly fell upon the Box Jellyfish Warning sign.

that was really good you should make more

Sorry for the delay, I would've had this done a while ago but I've been packing for a camping trip, so, you know.

I didn't realize when I posted my last chapter that a did bash Tony just a little bit, and I apologize. I swear I didn't mean to. I was watching Psych while writing this and (for those who have seen psych) I think I accidentally rubbed some of Lassiter's personality off onto Tony. Again, I apologize, I really didn't mean to bash him, and for the rest of the story I promise there will be no more bashing of any characters ever, I promise.

So please enjoy the story, and don't forget to review, it means a lot to me and makes me (hopefully) a better writer! Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: I still do not own NCIS. If I did, let me tell you, that would be beast!
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Chapter 2

"Paramedics are on their way," Ziva stated. Her voice was calm, masking her emotions. She didn't flinch when McGee screamed again, but Gibbs could see the pain in her eyes from having to watch her teammate suffer.

"Hold on, Timmy, help is on the way." Abby said, as she squeezed his hand harder as he screamed again.

"He is not going to make unless we get this thing off of him." Ziva stated. There was an edge of anger in her voice, as if she was blaming herself.

Gibbs nodded gruffly. "DiNozzo give me that towel!" Gibbs ordered, knocking Tony from his shock. He threw Gibbs the closest towel to him. Gibbs wrapped the towel around his hands to protect him from the toxins that were still in the jellyfish, and began ripping off the devilish creature. With every tentacle he tore off the young agent's body McGee screamed again as more toxins were released into his bloodstream.

After seeing Tim's face when he tried to pull the jellyfish off, Gibbs knew that wasn't going to work. He had to get something that would stop the neurotoxins from releasing, or he was going to accidentally kill his youngest agent, while trying to save kid! "Get me some vinegar! Now!" He ordered.

Tony didn't hesitated for a moment, shaking the shock away. He ran to the Box Jellyfish Warning sign. Behind the sign was a glass box, and inside was a huge, two-gallon bottle of vinegar. Tony picked up a rock and broke the glass. He grabbed the bottle, and ran across the beach. He threw the bottle to Gibbs, who caught it and began dumping it all over Tim.

Tim screamed again. The vinegar had stopped anymore of the nematocysts (the microscopic harpoons in the tentacles that releases the toxin into whatever it touches) from activating and poisoning him further. But the vinegar didn't stop the pain, or the toxins that were already wrecking havoc on his cardiovascular and nerve system.

McGee's face was twisted with pain, and again he let out a cry -a whimper- for help. There was so much pain! Pain far worse than being shot or stabbed or hit by a car, or caught in an explosion, or any sort of pain he had ever felt before! And it wouldn't go away! Why wouldn't it go away?

The pain came in two parts. The first part was the sharp blinding flashes of pain that ebbed and flowed like waves, every time he moved. Every part of his body felt like it was being stabbed over and over and over again. Even when, for a fraction of a second, it began to ebb away, it would always come back. Every time he blinked, shifted his weight, clenched his fist or opened his mouth to scream, it would come back. Every time his heart beat, every time his lungs expanded, every vein and every artery that pumped his blood shot searing pain through every nerve in his body, and gave him no mercy.

The second part of the pain was the equally unbearable burning sensation that lay buried under the flashes of pain, like a dull, burning ache that persisted to cause him pain. It was like an afterthought. Like one more extra detail added in at the last second. Although it was buried as best it could under the stabbing pain, Tim could still feel it. It felt like he was laying a bed of red-hot cattle prods. It was pain that he couldn't shake, he couldn't run from, and that wouldn't stop.

With the remaining inactivated nematocysts temporarily sealed, Gibbs again tried to tear away the jellyfish from his youngest agent. As Gibbs tried to free his agent, it became painfully clear that they were dealing with a monster.

The chironex fleckeri, more commonly known as the sea wasp, was the largest and most venomous species of Box Jellyfish. It is considered the most lethal jellyfish, and perhaps one of the most poisonous creatures in the world, and is attributed to the deaths and injuries of many people. Each of its tentacles was covered with thousands upon thousands of cnidocytes, which, on contacts, releases dozens of the nematocysts.

Gibbs knew he was in trouble. The thing was huge! It seemed that no matter how much of the gelatinous creature he pulled away, there was still and unending amount wrapped around Tim. The thing had four clusters of around fifteen tentacles places at each corner of its basketball-sized bell. With sixty tentacles, each almost ten feet long, Gibbs started to feel hopeless. There was no way he could get this thing off of Tim in time to save him!

Gibbs persisted on tearing the thing away, piece by piece, even though the hope drained from him. As if on cue, Ziva and Tony crouched down by their injured friend, and –with towel in hand- slowly began to help Gibbs remove the monster. Gibbs gave a small half smile. He wasn't going to let McGee die, and neither were they.

The pain was unbearable. Gibbs could see it in the young man's face. And he was proud of his agent for enduring it. McGee let out a painful cry with every gentle move his friends made to free him. Gibbs didn't blame him. The neurotoxin had killed men stronger than Tim, in half- in a fourth of the time. And McGee was still alive.

Gibbs heard Ziva breath a sigh of relief when finally, finally, blaring sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Just a little longer, Timmy," Abby whispered to her fallen friend.

McGee acknowledged with a slight bob of the head.

Gibbs breathed out heavily, with a small sigh of relief. At last, as the ambulance drew closer, they'd managed to get the jellyfish off of him. Gibbs winced at McGee's mangles legs and arm. There were hideous red marks from the sting. There were huge chunks of flesh missing, that the jellyfish took with it, no doubt. And, although relieved, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He knew he should have pointed out the sign to DiNozzo, or done something, but he didn't.

Gibbs looked at Tony, and saw the younger man's face was ashen, filled with guilt. Tony, no doubt, felt horrid. He knew it was his fault and that he shouldn't have held a grudge, or have been mean to Tim in the first place. But what happened, has happened, and now all they could do was pray that McGee would make it to the hospital alive.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream erupted from McGee, his face twisted with pain and torment unlike anyone had seen outside of war and torture chambers. A pain, unlike anything Tim had ever felt before, ran through his entire body. And this time, the pain didn't ebb away. It got worse and worse. McGee shut his eyes, but still the world spun. He found it incredibly hard to move -or to breath-, but he screamed still because of the pain.

Halfway through the scream, McGee stopped short. His face was still contorted into the same painful expression. His eyes closed tight, his head suddenly fell back, and his limbs slowly started going limp. The grip on Abby's hand slipped and relaxed completely. The expanding and contracting of his chest went still.

Abby turned to Gibbs with wide eyes filled with fear and worry. Her voice was laced with panic. "Gibbs! He stopped breathing!"

It's great!