Ties That Bind

A/N: Two things:

A) This story is a massive AU. That means in my little world, Die Hard 2 never happened, Die Hard 3 did with some little changes and we all know this is my response to Die Hard 4. Die Hard 1, well you'll find out about that in this chapter. Anyways, this is AU, so please don't rant about that at me. I'll just use the flames for roasting marshmallows.

B) Due to a bunny that bit and would fit into this story instead of creating another I really don't have the time to write between school and job-hunting, Ties That Bind is now a crossover with CSI: New York and N.C.I.S. Anyone knows those shows good enough to beta for me?

C) Okay, so three things. Thanks you *everyone* for your feedback on this story. I really meant to have this chapter out awhile ago but between delayed oral presentations, St. Louis flooding, loss of power and *then* loss of the internet, it was delayed until now. I appreciate everyone's patience in dealing with me on this.

Oh, and if anyone's interested...I gotta B on my presentation. ::happy dance::

D) last note...anyone know where McClane's precinct is...and the actual number of the precinct? I looked it up and couldn't find anything.

~*Chapter Three: Sentinels and their Guides*~

"We're what?!" yelped Detective Daniel Messer as he stared at his boss and unbonded Sentinel, Detective Mac Taylor. He reached backwards and once his hand found the arm of the chair, slid into it.

"Being asked by the Sentinel and Guide Council to interview a traumatized Guide by the name of Matthew Farrell," said Mac calmly. "They're not sure of the impact a Bonded Sentinel and Guide will have on him so we, as the closest non-Bonded pairing, are being asked to go in exchange."

"But that doesn't make any sense," said Danny confused. "Wouldn't a Bonded Sentinel and Guide couple work better? Wouldn't that reassure him, convince him he's in no danger of being Bonded against his will?"

"That is also why they are sending a Bonded Sentinel and Guide couple," said Mac. "But until they arrive, we're closer."

"What couple?" asked Danny as he wracked his mind for Bonded Sentinels and Guides. There weren't as many as most people thought, but in law enforcement, Sentinels and Guides had a tendency to migrate toward each other, especially in large cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Dallas, Tokyo, London, etc, etc, etc. Large cities almost always had the largest population of Sentinels and Guides, Bonded or not while small towns and such only had around 1 or 2. To his knowledge, there were only three truly Bonded Sentinel and Guides in New York. "There's only Helen Colt and Natasha Jackson, both working as paramedics and Sid and Hawkes, working for us."

"They're sending an out of state Bonded Sentinel and Guide," said Mac as he glared at the cops passing by. Danny's reputation during the Tangelwood investigation took a dive with most of the cops and staff out of their precinct. To his knowledge, the only ones who didn't care about that fact were Stella, Adam, Sid, Hawkes, Flack, and Aiden. "They work for N.C.I.S."

"Okay..." said Danny. "Why are we going to talk to this kid anyway?"

"He's the main suspect in the murder of his Sentinel, a Jacob Robbins. Unsurprisingly," said Mac dryly. "Sentinel Detective John McClane got the case."

"If you two fight again, I'm not stopping it," said Danny with a smirk as he stood and stretched. "What time are we leaving?"

"Now," said Mac glancing at his watch before he grabbed his jacket. Danny blinked but shrugged and followed. Perhaps after this mess was done...maybe he'd talk to Mac about possibly becoming the Sentinel's guide. Mac liked him, had to to keep him on after Sonny Sassone. The Gods knew that Danny liked Mac, hells, he was in love with the damned Sentinel.

Sighing, Danny slid into the passenger's side of the SUV and leaned back as Mac started the car and navigated his way through New York traffic toward Forest Hills Hospital, the only hospital in New York with it's own Sentinel ward and they made damn sure their practice was kept up to date and their information current.

"Mac, what are we going to do if the kid freaks?" asked Danny as they stopped before a red light.

"Then we're going to lie to the Council Danny," said Mac, his voice thoughtful. "There's more to this than we've been told. I despise being lied to."

Oh yeah, and don't we know it, mused Danny. A Marine and a Sentinel, Mac hated being lied to, coerced, or manipulated into anything he didn't agree with or to.

***

Special Agent Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo blinked as he stared at the memorandam that came from the Sentinel and Guide Council and sighed. No one went against the Council and no one really wanted to. It was because of the Council that Sentinels and their Guides weren't treated like rejects from an X-men comic book. For all their cruelty towards normals, the Council was a good thing...they just needed better leaders.

"Problems Tony?" asked Ziva David as she cocked her head to one side. Their boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was up in MTAC with Director Jennifer Shepard and at that thought, Tony growled low. The Director knew that Gibbs was his Guide and yet she persisted in trying to get Gibbs to restart their old relationship. Never mind that Gibbs wanted nothing to do with her except in a professional capacity and had told her repeatedly that he wasn't going to restart the relationship. She just didn't care.

"I'm going to New York apparently," said Tony, the sounds of soft footfalls coming to his attention and he braced himself, almost grinning as he felt the soft smack from Gibbs upside his head.

"And why are you going to New York DiNozzo and just when did I agree to it?" asked Gibbs, his eyes boring into Tony's.

"Oh not just me Boss," grinned Tony. "As my guide, you get to go too."

"You're both going to New York?" asked Abby Scuito startled as she walked up with Timothy 'Tim' McGee. "When?"

"As soon as we can," said Tony glancing at the paper. "Council's orders."

Gibbs growled but nodded and turned to his desk, grabbing his phone. Tony, Abby, Ziva, and McGee winced in sympathy for whoever was going to answer Gibbs's call. He wasn't called a bastard for no reason after all.

***

"McClane!"

John rolled his eyes and turned at the shrill call of his name. Melissa was boring down on him in those needle-thin sticks she called shoes and looked murderous, not that he really cared. He was too anxious to get to Forest Hills and check up on that kid. He had just finished logging all the evidence with Sentinel Detective Mac Taylor's group of CSIs and that was already causing annoyance through the local CSI team. He'd go down later and soothe ruffled feathers, but right now Taylor's team was the best outside Sentinel Detective Horatio Caine's team down in Miami and normal Gil Grissom's team down in Las Vegas.

For some reason he knew he needed his case to be rock solid and unbreakable. Something just screamed at him that he'd lose the kid otherwise and that just wasn't acceptable to him.

"What do you want Snow?" asked John as he glanced at his watch. He had to update the captain, explain why he was using Taylor's team, and try to get in at least an attempt at an interview before he had to go get Lucy from the Council's offices downtown in the Bronx. She finally went through the mandatory Sentinel/Guide testing and she was suppose to get her results today.

"You need to quit slandering my name!" Melissa growled. "I am not your guide McClane! You don't have the right to-"

"I have every right to protest your treatment of us Sentinels," said John coldly, his anger easily seen in his eyes even though he kept his voice down. "You don't care about any Sentinel in this precinct and we all know it, so don't even try to pretend Snow. You're here because you want to be Guide to someone in the Chief's office. We're mere stepping stones for you, so I suggest you hurry up and transfer out."

"Are you threatening me McClane?!" shrieked Melissa as John headed toward his captain's office.

"I don't threaten," said John with an cruel smirk before he entered and shut the door behind him. Melissa shrieked, her voice heard even through the door and John winced even as his captain looked at him. "She's abusing her power sir, what little she has."

"Which is why we're transfering her to Miami," said the captain amused. "She's been accepted by Caine, knowing full well that she's not stable enough to be permanently assigned to a Sentinel."

"Not to mention it's well known that all the Sentinels and Guides down there are already Bonded," said John dryly. Horatio was with a guide named Speedle, a fledging Sentinel Eric Delko was being slowly...courted for lack of a better word by an experienced guide named Ryan Wolfe, and Calleigh Duquesne was the only unbonded Guide in Miami right now.

"True," said the captain. "Now explain why you sent all the evidence of the Farrell/Robbins case to Taylor's division."

"Because sir, they are the best lab here in New York and my gut is telling me there is more to this case than meets the eye," said John. "Despite what the evidence tells us, I do not believe Farrell killed Robbins nor do I believe him capable of it in cold blood. There's also statements from his neighbors which paints Robbins as an abuser and the only reason he wasn't reported was because he was a Sentinel." John growled low at the thought of the now deceased Robbins even touching Matt Farrell. "Which explains why Farrell is afraid of Sentinels, at least unbonded Sentinels. He has responded fairly well to Sentinel Paramedic Helen Colt and her guide Natasha Jackson."

"The Sentinel and Guide Council are sending in two different Sentinel and Guide pairings," said the captain anticipating John's reaction.

"Why?" growled John. "I can handle the case!"

"They're not here to question how you handle the case," said the captain. "They want to know what Farrell saw or what he did. Taylor and Messer were chosen to go talk to him as were a Bonded pairing from Virginia."

"Testing which one he responds favorably too before they yank him from me," growled John. "Cap, they're going to steamroller this case!"

"No they're not," said the captain coolly. "The Chief and the Mayor are already fighting it. You've got the best solve rate here. We're not letting this case slip from us." He cocked his head to one side. "Go to the kid McClane and for Christ's sake, get yourself a guide before you kill Snow!"

"Sir, yes sir," said McClane before he left, avoiding conversation simply from the glare on his face.

No one was talking to Matt Farrell without him there, or else he wasn't John McClane.

~TBC~
~Next chapter: John beats Mac and Danny, Tony and Gibbs show up, and another appearance of Lee and Gabriel~