"A New Nightmare"

--Chapter One--

ONE YEAR LATER...

"You were right Nate," Callen said, walking into the lobby of the NCIS: LA special ops center. He dropped a file folder down on his desk space.

"Wow, so you guys got Perini to sing?" Kensi asked, astonished.

"Like a canary." Sam said, as he sat back in his own chair.

"I gotta hand it to you Nate, that reverse psychology things actually worked." Callen added.

Nate Getz, the teams' operational psychologist, was lying on a sofa on the side of the work area. "Naturally." he replied, with a yawn.

Everyone laughed.

"Enjoying yourself Mr. Getz?"

Nate sat up straight on the sofa. "Hetty!?"

"Indeed."

"What's up Hetty?" Callen asked, from where he stood.

"Has anyone seen or heard from Mr. Beal?" she asked.

"Eric," Sam said, leaning forward in his chair. "I thought he and Abby had another doctor's appointment today."

"That was 4 hours ago, Mr. Hanna." Hetty pointed out. "They should have been back here a long time ago." she added.

"What'd I miss?" asked a familiar voice from behind everyone.

Abby (Scuito) Beal waddled in through the front door, looking somewhat exhausted. "I really need a Caf-Pow." she commented.

"Abby." Callen said. "Where's Eric?" Callen asked, looking over her shoulder for her husband.

"I-I thought he was here." she replied, looking confused. "He got a phone call while we were at the doctor's office, and said he had to step out for a sec." she explained, placing a hand against her 6 1/2 months pregnant belly.

"When I came out an hour later, he was gone and so was the car." She continued. "I had to take two buses, and a taxi just to get back here."

"That's not like Eric to just take off like that." Kensi pointed out. "Especially not with you."

"I just figured you guys called him in for something really, really, super important."

"Have you tried calling him?" Nate asked.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Of course." she replied. "Several times."

A tech assistant, upstairs, leaned over the railing on the second floor, and looked down at the guys.

"Ms. Lange," the techie called down.

"Yes, Mr. Russo," Hetty replied.

"Phone call for you ma'am."

"Take a message please."

"But ma'am, LAPD found Mr. Beal's car-"

"What about Eric!?" Abby asked, panic creeping over her.

"No ma'am-"

"Where!?" Callen called up, suddenly, interrupting the guy. "Never mind send the location to my cell phone. Sam, Kensi, come with me."

"I'm coming too." Abby insisted.

"No, you're not." Kensi said, pulling her shield and side-arm out of her desk drawer. "You're pregnant--you'd just be in the way."

Sam and Callen retrieved their own shields and side-arms.

"Kensi, He's MY husband." Abby insisted.

"Abs," Callen said calmly. He had started using Gibbs' nickname for Abby because it seemed to calm her down when she was upset or frantic.

It kind of worked.

"I need you to stay here," Callen told her. "Besides Eric, you're the only one who can work those computers--we may need that."

Sam stepped up closer to them.

"And don't worry," Sam reassured her. "We'll find Eric--you can count on us--if something's wrong..."

"Sam's right," Kensi added.

A loud beep alerted Callen to the fact that the information he had requested had been successfully sent to his cell phone.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said, as the three Agents headed out. "You will keep us apprised of the situation--correct?"

"Of course Hetty." Callen replied, with a grin.

The three Agents departed with haste.

"Mr. Russo," Hetty called up the stairs.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Notify our liaison, Mr. Deeks, and have him meet Callen on site, please."

"Right away ma'am."

"Abby," Nate said, stepping up. "Maybe you should sit down, relax." he said calmly.

"Relax?" Abby stammered. "Relax, Nate. Something could have happened to Eric--and you want me to RELAX!?"

She rounded on Nate.

"I'm just saying its not a good idea for you to get worked up--especially in your condition," Nate explained, remaining calm. "You don't wanna do anything to hurt the baby, do you?"

Abby sighed, rubbing her hand up and down her belly--which actually wasn't all that big. She had learned from her first pregnancy that she was one of those women who did not gain a lot of wait during the nine month period.

"No, I guess not." she admitted.

"Mr. Getz is right." Hetty said soothingly. "Why don't you lie down for awhile." she suggested, motioning with her hand towards the nearby sofa (area).

Abby set her purse down on one of the nearby desks, and started to sit down on the nearby sofa. But then a thought occurred to her.

"What about D.J." she said at once. "What if-"

"It will be alright," Hetty said, placing a hand on Abby's shoulder where she sat. "If it will make you feel better, I will send someone to fetch the little dear."

"Would you?" Abby asked quietly.

"Of course." Hetty smiled.

"I'll do it." Nate offered.

"Thank you Nate." Abby said sweetly. "I'd like that."

"Mr. Getz, if you will please go and fetch little D.J. for us we would owe you a debt of gratitude."

Nate nodded, with a smile. "I'll be right back." He assured her.







The three agents pulled up to their destination to find the area cordoned off by yellow police tape. Waiting just off to the side was their LAPD liaison Marty Deeks.

Callen, Sam, and Kensi exited their car.

"Took you guys long enough!" Deeks called over to the three NCIS agents.

"Deeks." Kensi smiled, through semi-gritted teeth. "How nice to see you--again."

"Ah, come on Kens-" Deeks said playfully. "You know it brightens your day when you see me." he grinned.

Sam stifled a chuckle, as he pulled a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, and started to put them on.

"Oh grow up." Kensi snorted, in Sam's direction.

"Whatca got for us Deeks?" Callen asked, approaching Deeks.

The area where they were at was actually in the middle of a bridge, and traffic through the area had to be re-routed due to the fact that it was now a crime scene.

"Well," Deeks started, turning to walk with Callen and the other two under the yellow tape. "Dispatch received an anonymous call about an hour ago--someone saw a couple of guys talking over here," he explained, motioning with his hand to an area on the driver's side of the car.

The group slid under the yellow tape, flashed their credentials for the guard cops, and then approached the car.

"Then there was a struggle," Deeks continued. "Then one of the guys took a header over the side, that's when 'our witness' decided to call it in."

"Any idea who it was that went in?" Kensi asked.

"Nope, but LAPD has divers searching the area as we speak." Deeks informed her.

"How did they know to call NCIS?" Kensi asked.

Deeks turned to one of the other LAPD police officers in charge of working the scene, and said something to him. The officer turned away, and then turned back and handed Deeks a sealed plastic evidence bag.

Deeks looked at the plastic bag and its innards, and then tossed it across the car to Sam.

Sam looked at the plastic bag, and its innards.

"What is it?" Callen asked, looking across the car at Sam.

"Eric's creds." Sam replied, tossing the plastic bag to Callen.

"So it's definitely Eric's car." Callen said, catching the bag in mid-air.

"Yep." Sam agreed. "Guess so."

Callen handed the plastic bag back to Deeks. "Since your guys have already started processing--we'll run prints through LAPD's lab." Callen told Deeks. "Just have'em fax the results to us." he added.

"Will do." Deeks replied.

Callen knelt down to examine the passenger's side of the car.

"Driver side windows' been busted in." Callen pointed out, from the other side looking in.

"Red Mud, on the passenger's side floorboard," Callen said, pointing to an area on the floorboard where red mud outlined a set of shoe prints. "Whoever sat here let his prints," Callen added. "Too big to be Eric's or Abby's."

"Make sure the CSIs make molds of these will ya?" Callen said aloud. "And take some samples of this mud too." he added.

"Don't see any blood," Kensi said, pulling on a pair of latex gloves as well. "Usually that's a good thing." she pointed out.

"Usually." Deeks agreed.

"Any description(s) of the suspects?" Sam asked, now poking around inside the car on the drivers' side.

"Um, only that there were three of them, and they were all dressed in the same dark-colored business suits." Deeks recalled, scratching his chin lightly.

"Mafia, could be." he added.

"In L.A.," Sam huffed. "No. Highly unlikely."

"Hey, just sayin'." Deeks shrugged.

"Hey Sam," Kensi called from the back of the car. "Pop the trunk for me."

"You got it." Sam called back, as he reached over, and pressed the switch to unlock/open the trunk.

Kensi pulled the trunk open, once she heard the click from inside, and looked the contents within its confines over. "Doesn't look like anything's missing." she pointed out. Noting the things that she would expect for Eric to maybe have in his trunk.

Kensi closed the trunk back, and then stepped around towards the drivers' side. As she moved towards Sam, something caught her eye on the ground. She stooped over, and right on the ground just under the car (in the shadows underneath) was a black, leather wallet. She picked it up carefully between her thumb and forefinger, and held it up to her face.

"Guys." she said, staring at the wallet in her fingers.

Sam and Callen exited the car, and walked to where Kensi was standing. Kensi carefully opened the wallet up to look inside.

"What's the license say?" Sam asked.

"Dmitri Barishnikov." she read the name on the driver's license aloud for the others to hear.

"That's Russian." Callen pointed out.

"Mafia's not so far-fetched after all is it?" Deeks remarked.

Sam stifled another chuckle.

Kensi rolled her eyes at the LAPD Liaison.

"Okay, look, Here's what I think-" Deeks said, stepping over to where the other three were standing. "Our 'trio' lured him out here, threatened him maybe, roughed'em up a little bit--then, maybe, he decides to fight back." Deeks continued with his theory. "Your boy manages to knock one of the three stooges over the side, jumps back into the car to make a getaway--thug number two punches in the drivers' side window (I'm guessing he's probably a pretty big guy), drags him out of the car; and hauls him off to their secret hideout."

"Um, Guys," Kensi spoke up, examining the contents of the wallet more closely. "This is a 'D.C.' license." she told them.

"Well, you know what that means?" Sam commented, looking over at Callen.

"We need to make a phone call." Callen said, looking at Deeks, as he pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Hetty's number via 'speed dial'.

"Yeah Hetty," Callen said, into the phone, once Hetty answered on her end back at HQ. "No, its not lookin' good right now." he told her.

"Did 'they' leave us anything to work with Mr. Callen?" she asked, over the phone line.

Deeks retrieved another evidence bag from one of the other officers, and handed it to Kensi.

"Maybe." he replied, looking at the wallet that Kensi was holding as she stuck it into the evidence bag. "It might be a good idea to place a call to Director Vance...in D.C., though." he added.

"Yeah, thanks Hetty." he said. "We'll be heading back in soon." he added. "Yeah, you too. Bye." he hung up his cell phone.









--Chapter Two--

On the other side of the country at NCIS HQ in Washington, D.C., Director Leon Vance answered his desk phone, without looking up, as he was going over some documents that he has laying out across his desk.

"Yes." he said, into the phone. "Hmm. Alright, I'm on my way." he said, and then he hung up the phone.






In The Bullpen...

The gang was, at this point, just lounging around at their desks--having just recently closed another case. It was between 4:30 and 5:30 in the afternoon.

"Ah, Another case, solved--thanks to...us." Tony said, as he leaned back in his desk chair (the one that used to belong to Gibbs).

"We have to pick up Talia in less than an hour Tony, do not forget." Ziva reminded her husband, from her own desk.

"I won't dear." Tony replied, rolling his eyes. "Not at what that 'babysitter' is charging us." he added.

"Why don't you guys just have her come here after 'pre-school' lets out every afternoon?" McGee suggested.

Young Talia had been attending a sort of pre-school, as her impending enrollment in kindergarten loomed ahead in the upcoming Fall. And every afternoon when it let out she was taken to a babysitter's home by one of the 'teachers' there. It was, as Tony had said, not cheap.

"Well, McGee, because Ziva doesn't want her to be exposed to the things that go on here at the office." Tony explained, eying Ziva as he spoke. "Plus, I don't know--I mean we hired the babysitter to watch Gena while we work anyway--so why not take advantage of that a little further, ya know."

Gena (pronounced like Jeh-na) is the most recent addition to the DiNozzo family. Tony and Ziva now have two little girls. Gena is only just a few months old at this point.

"I'm sorry dear." Ziva said, putting an unnatural emphasis on the word 'dear'. "But have you not seen the kids that are running around these days--they know way too much for their age(s). It is not natural." she insisted. "And I do not want my daughter to end up like that."

The elevator pinged around the corner, and then a few seconds later Alicia McGee stepped around the corner into the bullpen carrying an almost year old baby boy that looked remarkably like his father.

"Alicia!" McGee exclaimed joyfully, at the sight of his wife and child.

"Hey sweetheart," Alicia smiled. "I checked on your car on my way over here to get you." she told him as she approached his desk. "Dave said it will be at least another day or two, before its ready."

McGee's car had had to go into the repair shop for some repairs after their last case. And he was still waiting on them to be finished with it.

"That's alright." McGee replied, with a wave of his hand.

"Look, there's daddy." Alicia muttered sweetly to the baby boy in her arms.

"Alicia," Ziva said. "Its good to see you."

"Oh hi Ziva." Alicia replied, sweetly. "Sorry," she apologized for not noticing her or Tony. "I guess I'm just so frazzled today, that its just like--Augh."

"Its alright." Ziva told her softly. "I know the feeling."

Alicia handed the baby boy over to his father, who still sat at his desk. After she did, she rubbed her hip, which was sore from having to carry the baby around on it so often.

"Maxie!" McGee said excitedly, taking his son into his arms. The tiny tot's full name is actually 'James Maximilian McGee' (or Maxie for short). "How's my little buddy doin' today, hunh?"

McGee started bouncing the tot on his knee, gently, and as he did so the tot started giggling delightedly.

"How was work?" he asked his wife.

"The same-old-same-old." she said, shaking her hand in the air. Alicia is/was actually a low-level attorney at a law-firm that she had just started working at at the beginning of the year.

"I see." McGee replied.

Tony chuckled to himself as he watched McGee play with the little baby boy at his desk.

"Agent DiNozzo!" Vance called down from upstairs.

Everyone in the bullpen sat up at attention at hearing their Director's voice.

"Gather your team!" Vance instructed him. "And meet me at MTAC. Now." he added.

"Yes sir." Tony said, as he stood up from his chair.

McGee handed Maxie back to Alicia. "This shouldn't take long, sweetheart," he told her.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, helping McGee out. "Probably just wants to congratulate us on a job well done for closing our last case so quickly."

"Okay." Alicia said, smiling sweetly at McGee.

And with that Tony, Ziva, and McGee headed up the stairs, around the corner, to MTAC where Director Vance was now waiting for them.







In MTAC...

The trio walked into MTAC, and immediately found themselves staring at the face of their favorite Goth Forensic Specialist--Abby Scuito Beal, staring back at them on the huge plasma viewing screen.

"Abby!-" McGee started to exclaim happily.

"Guys!" Abby blurted out. "Eric's missing!"

Callen immediately stepped in, and took over.

"Sorry about that." Callen apologized. "She's a little--wound up." he explained.

"We can see that." Tony replied.

"Abby," Nate was saying, placing his hands on the Goth Forensic Specialist's shoulder(s). "Try to relax, okay."

"Good luck with that." McGee called out to Nate.

Nate just smiled, and waved, and then tried to guide Abby away.

"Alright Mr. Callen," Vance said. "Go ahead--read'em in."

Callen began to explain the events that had taken place so far to Tony and his team over the next few minutes or so.

Soon Abby was heard yelling in the background.

"He's MY husband!" she yelled furiously, her voice cracking as she spoke. "I deserve to be a part of this investigation Hetty. He's my-" she stopped short.

Tony spoke up. "Let me speak to her for a sec." he told Callen.

Callen nodded, and soon Abby was brought before Tony, Ziva, and McGee.

"What!?" Abby demanded. It was obvious that she was angry and upset. Her normally fierce green eyes, were now moist and red with emotion.

"Abs," Tony said calmly. "Calm down." he told her.

"Calm down-" she started to protest.

"Abs," Tony said, calmly, again. "Everything is going to be alright," he reassured her, nodding to Callen. "I know you're upset--this must be terrifying for you-"

Abby, visibly, sniffled in front of everyone.

"-But listen to me, okay," Tony continued. "We WILL find Eric--for you. And you know, that my word is as good as Gibbs' word." he told her.

Abby just nodded, and sniffled again.

"Tony's right sweetie," Ziva agreed, sweetly. "You need to relax. Getting worked up like this isn't good for the baby." she pointed out, just as Nate and Hetty had done earlier.

"I know but-" she said, her voice quivering as she tried to speak.

"Abby," McGee spoke up now. "What would Gibbs say?" he asked.

Abby nodded at the trio, and then turned to leave. "Thanks guys." she said quietly.

"Oh, and, one more thing-" Kensi added, stepping up to be seen.

"Right." Callen agreed. "We found this in the Russian guys' wallet," Callen said, taking the slip of paper from Kensi and holding it up in front of the plasma viewing screen. "We ran it through national and international databases," Callen told them. "But it comes back as a D.C. phone number."

The trio (and Vance) examined the phone number on the slip of paper, and then Ziva looked up at Tony suddenly. Tony could sense what she was thinking.

"Nah, it couldn't be." he told her.

"What?" Callen and Vance asked at the same time.

"Its just--its just that we KNOW that phone number." Tony told everyone.

"Whose is it Agent DiNozzo?" Vance asked, seriously.

"Its our-" Ziva started to say.

"Sir." one of the techies close to where Vance was standing spoke up.

"What is it?" Vance replied, a little annoyed that he was interrupted like that.

"There's a call coming in for Agent DiNozzo--off the switchboard--says its urgent." he told Vance.

"Tell'em to call back later. Agent DiNozzo is in the middle of something important right now."

"I tried that sir," the techie replied. "But 'she' won't listen--she's sounds scared--sir. Says her name's Talia."

Tony and Ziva's eyes went big at hearing their daughter's name.

"Put her through!" Tony quickly commanded the guy. "On the speakers."

The sound of crackling came and then went as the speakers came on and the call was transferred through to them.

"Talia." Tony said loudly.

"Daddy?" the, just recently turned 5 years old, little girl's voice came over the speakers in sort of a hushed tone.

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" Ziva asked, now wringing her hands nervously.

"The bad people," Talia said quietly, her voice low but shaky. "The bad people're hurting her." she told them.

Suddenly a loud thwack was heard in the back ground, followed by the sound of a grown woman crying, and then yelling in Russian.

"Please," the woman begged, through tears. "Please, please. No!"

Another very loud 'THWACK!' was heard, and this time Talia screamed.

More shouting in Russian, confused sounding somewhat too.

"Talia." Tony said, his nerves on edge by now.

"Daddy," the little girl cried. "Da-"

"You!" A voice, now speaking in English (yet still had a Russian accent), said harshly. "Come here, you little-"

"DAAADDYYYY!" The little girl screamed, terrified.

Then there was more yelling in Russian, over Talia's now muffled screams.

"Talia." Tony spoke, his voice rising an octave higher.

"Sweetheart?" Ziva tried. Her voice rising too.

"Talia." he tried again. "Talia!" he yelled. Then the line went dead.

"Was that recorded?" Callen asked, immediately.

"Yes sir." the Techie replied. "All conversations--incoming and outgoing--are recorded for-"

"Good. Send us a copy ASAP." he told the techie.

"That was Russian they were speaking." Callen told everyone. "I need to analyze it--find out what exactly they were talking about." he added.

"Yeah, well that number you found--that's where that phone call was made from." Tony said, speaking quickly.

"Go," Sam said, from behind Callen. "Your family's more important right now--and if G.'s hunch turns out to be right," Sam continued.

"We're in for a long one." Tony finished Sam's thought for him.

"We'll wait for your report." Callen told them.

Tony and Ziva turned, and raced for the door out of MTAC.

"Hey wait," McGee called after them as he raced to catch up with his partners. "I'm coming with you."








In Los, Angeles...

It was really beginning to get late at NCIS: L.A. HQ.

Abby sat on the sofa in the lobby of the NCIS: L.A. division's office watching her 4 1/2 year old little boy playing with a few toys that Nate had gotten out for him to play with.

She sniffled, and then wiped a few tears from her eyes.

The little boy looked up at his mother. He could sense that something was wrong.

"Mommy okay?" D.J. asked, quietly.

"Mommy's just-" Abby couldn't finish her sentence.

D.J. got up off of the floor, and walked over to where his mother sat on the sofa.

"Mommy's fine honey," she said finally, softly. "Mommy's just 'sad' that Daddy hasn't come home yet."

Little D.J., with great effort, pulled himself up onto the sofa next to his mother.

Abby looked up at her son.

D.J. hugged Abby gently. "Mommy sad." he said softly. "I'll be sad too." he added, softly. Then he sat down, and snuggled up against his mother's side--resting his head against her belly.

Abby couldn't help but smile a little through her moist, red eyes, at her young son. She began to stroke her hand, gently, against his exposed cheek, and then through his semi-curly dirty blond hair.

"Mommy's angel." she said softly, running her hand gently through the little boy's hair.








Meanwhile, In Washington, D.C. ...

Tony, Ziva, and McGee arrived at the babysitter's house to find the front door slightly ajar--with definite signs that it had been forced.

"McGee, the back." Tony said, as he pulled out his Sig Sauer and primed it.

"Right." McGee replied, quietly.

McGee turned and headed for the backyard slowly and quietly.

Ziva pulled out her Sig as well.

"Ms. Kravinsky?" Called called out, in a low voice, as he and Ziva carefully and slowly made their way in through the front door.

"Tali?" Ziva called out, in the same low voice.

No answer from either one.

On the inside the place had been smashed up pretty badly--it looked like a hurricane had blown through. The couch was pushed over backwards, and the coffee table was smashed to pieces and scattered about the floor. The Television was even smashed inwards.

McGee then came through the kitchen door into the living room area a few seconds later. "Kitchen and Basement are clear." he said, spotting Ziva and Tony. "The phone in the kitchen is hanging off of the base--must be where Talia called from."

"Yeah. Must be." Tony agreed.

"Tony," Ziva said suddenly. "There."

Tony looked where Ziva was pointing, and saw the body of Ms. Kravinsky laying at the foot of the stairs.

They ran over to where she was laying, and Tony quickly checked for a pulse. He found none. "She's dead."

"Talia!" Tony called out, standing back up. Nothing.

"Tony. Gena." Ziva said at once.

"Right. Upstairs."

The trio next headed up the stairs to the second floor.

"McGee--check the master bedroom." Tony instructed, pointing to the room at the far end of the second floor.

"On it."

Tony and Ziva headed for the room where they knew that the babysitter kept the 'crib' where Gena would sleep. Upon entering the 'kids' room they were shocked to find the crib upturned, as well as many of the other pieces of furniture. This room was nearly, completely destroyed kind of like the living room downstairs.

"Oh my God." Ziva gasped, at seeing the sight. "Where-" she started to say.

Tony started to move the pieces of the destroyed crib aside. He moved the wooden frame pieces, and then started moving the mattress pieces and stuff.

Tony pulled the mattress and stuff up, and laying on the floor tangled up in a blanket was Gena---unconscious. As soon as he saw his daughter lying there, he dropped his gun, and went to his knees.

"Ziva!" he called her over quickly.

"What-Oh my God." she said when she saw her youngest daughter.

Tony looked up. "She's still breathing." he told Ziva. "She still probably needs medical attention." he added, as he carefully lifted her up off of the floor and into his arms.

Tony quickly, yet carefully, handed Gena to Ziva. "I'll call for a bus." Tony told Ziva. He then pulled out his cell phone, dialed the emergency number, made the call and then hung up.

McGee walked into the room. "All clear."

"We need to get Gena downstairs," Tony said. "Medics'll be here soon."

The three of them walked down the hall towards the stairs, and as they passed the upstairs bathroom a sound coming from within made them stop. Tony went for his gun immediately. He stepped inside the bathroom, and flipped on the lights.

He pointed his gun at the 'built-in' clothes hamper, and reached out to open the door to said hamper. "Come out." he said.

He pulled open the door quickly, and pointed his gun inside. There, sitting scrunched up in the far back of the hamper-pantry, knees pulled up to her chest, and shaking with fear sat little Talia.

"Talia," Tony gasped, relieved, as he dropped to his knees--laying his gun aside.

"Where?" Ziva asked quickly.

Tony stuck his upper body into the hamper-pantry, and put his arms around his daughter. "Sshhh." he said softly, as he lifted her up. Its daddy." he reassured her.

Tony carefully and gently hoisted Talia out of the hamper-pantry, and she clung tight to him. She was shaking as he looked her over finally outside the hamper-pantry, and she had a small cut above her left eye, and a busted lip.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "You're okay, you're okay." he rocked her gently in his arms. "You're safe now. I won't let them hurt you."

At that point little Talia started to sob softly into her father's shoulder.

"I know." he whispered softly, patting his daughter gently on the back. He had tears forming in his eyes too. He was so relieved that she was okay, and now at the mercy of some ruthless Russian terrorist(s).









--Chapter Three--

"Agent DiNozzo," Callen said, when Tony re-entered MTAC with McGee a few hours later.

"You been waitin' on us the whole time like this?" McGee asked.

"No," Callen chuckled. "Director Vance told Hetty that you guys were on your way back."

"Oh." McGee nodded.

"SitRep Mr. Callen." Hetty said, from behind Callen.

"Gettin' there Hetty." Callen replied.

"Right," Tony spoke up. "Our babysitter is dead, and her house was completely torn apart." Tony told Callen. "I've got a team processing the scene as we speak."

"Good." Callen replied.

"How're the kids?" Sam asked, stepping into view.

"At the hospital now," Tony replied, shaking his head. "Ziva stayed with them--she'll be checking in as soon as she knows something definite."

Sam nodded.

"I also had McGee run a background check on our 'babysitter'--Ailene Kravinsky--before we came up here. Turns out she was born in Moscow as one of three daughters born to known Mafia Leader Anatolii Alexandrov." Tony informed him.

"I knew it." Deeks cried out from the background. "I knew the Mafia was involved somehow."

"Her file says that she defected to our side in the early nineties, and was granted asylum here in the states in exchange for information on her father and his activities." McGee explained, reading information off of his PDA.

"What kind of information?" Callen asked.

"Uh," McGee said, as he scrolled through the info displayed on his PDA. "Her father was involved in arms and drug smuggling." he read off the info.

"So let's suppose, that these 'Russian Radicals' have some...connection, to Alexandrov," Vance said, from the side. "Why come out now?"

"You're guess is as good as mine." Callen replied.

"Wait." McGee said, looking down at his PDA. "There's something else...says here--Alexandrov passed away six months ago. Liver Disease."

"Yep, I'd say that'll do it." Tony remarked. "Team without a captain, needs a new captain." he added.

"You think this might be some kind of Russian gang war?" Deeks asked, stepping into view.

"Could be." McGee added, for Tony.

"Okay, so why do they need Eric?" Deeks asked.

Hetty spoke up. "Timothy," she said. "You said that Ailene had 'two' sisters--did you not?"

"Uh, yes ma'am." McGee replied.

"Then, perhaps you need to find one of them." Vance finished for Hetty.

"Sounds like a plan." Callen said. "Got an address?"

McGee scrolled through the info on his PDA. "Wow," he said finally. "According to this, one sister, Ariana, lives nearby in Virginia; and the other, Alexi, lives in Los Angeles, California." he told everyone.

"Alright," Callen said. "We'll take Alexi then. You guys see if you can track down Ariana." he added.

"So this is a joint-investigation, then?" Vance asked.

"Absolutely, Leon." Hetty replied.

"We also have this." Tony said next. "One of our suspects wears a tattoo that resembles an evil skull-clown, thing, with a snake slithering out of its mouth." Tony described the unusual-looking tattoo.

"The body we pulled from the river has a tattoo matching that description as well." Callen pointed out. "I looked up the tattoo's meaning, to see if maybe there was one, and the only thing that I can find is this." he said holding up another piece of letter-head sized paper. "It says here that when Anatollo Alexandrov was big in Russia--back in the 1990s--he was called, by many who feared him, 'The Joker' or 'Laughing Russian'." Callen explained.

"Oh, so he was a Batman villain then?" Tony remarked.

"Well, its believed, according to this, that the reason he was given this nickname was because of the calling card he was know to leave at the scene of his crimes--in his earlier days that is--after he took power within the Russian Mafia, he began using that 'symbol' to mark his followers. So that anyone who saw them would know who they worked for."

"I see." Tony replied.

"Damn." McGee said suddenly, looking up from his PDA again.

"What was that 'Damn' for?" Callen asked.

"It appears that the files for all three of Alexandrov's daughters, are flagged as 'CLASSIFIED' by the FBI." McGee told them. "We try to pull'em, the FBI--and possibly the CIA--"

"Will try to take this one away from us," Callen finished for him. "May even try to shut us down."

"No," Kensi protested. "Not gonna happen while Eric is still out there missing somewhere." she insisted. "We lost Dom--we're not gonna lose Eric too."

"Guess you were right Tim," Deeks pointed out. "Damn."

"Callen," Tony said, speaking up. "It occurs to me that with the threat of possible FBI and CIA interference, we might just need some 'special' help." he pointed out.

"Oh, no doubt." Sam agreed.

"You guys thinking the same thing we are?" Callen asked, arching an eyebrow at the thought.

"That we're gonna need help from someone who can fly under 'their' radar?" Tony replied, with a sneaky grin.

"Sounds like we're all on the same page." Sam remarked.

"Make it happen." Tony told him, looking over at Vance for any sign of protest. "Abby's the only one who knows the number."

"This part of the conversation never took place." Vance said evenly.

"Agreed." Hetty replied, in agreement.

--------To Be Continued In Part Two--------

"A New Nightmare, Part Two"

--Chapter Four--

Gibbs was sound asleep in his shack/house when the satellite phone he'd gotten for his last birthday started beeping on the table by the Chest-of-Drawers.

Gibbs rolled over to the side in his hammock that he slept in, and tried to ignore it, through the haziness of his sleepiness.

"Just a few more--minutes." he mumbled, through a yawn.

The satellite phone beeped again, and this time Gibbs actually sat up in the hammock. He rubbed is eyes as he looked around the shack/house. Then he realized what it was that was making the sound he was hearing.

He climbed down out of the hammock and crossed the room to where the satellite phone was plugged up to its battery charger.

He pressed the receive button, and then held it up to his ear. "Hello." he mumbled, still rubbing his eyes.

"Mr. Gibbs." came the voice of Hetty Lange over the phone.

"Who is this?" he asked, groggily.

"Hetty Lange." she replied with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, Hetty." he said, blinking several times to rid himself of the sleep still lingering in his eyes. "Sorry I--What can I do for you?"

"I'm calling about Ms. Scuito--or rather, Mrs. Beal," Hetty explained.

Now Gibbs was wide awake.

"What happened to Abby!?" he asked, immediately, fearing the worst.

Hetty coughed a small cough, and then continued. "We have found ourselves in need of your assistance Mr. Gibbs." she explained. "You see someone has absconded with Mr. Beal--and it has young Abby quite distraught." she continued.

"We've managed to narrow our search to what we believe to be a group of Russian Radicals, supposedly carrying out some secret endeavor here in L.A.--My team has also tracked their movements/activities to Washington D.C." she explained to Gibbs.

"Have you notified DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, looking across the room at a still slumbering Tobias Fornell.

"Indeed we have." Hetty replied. "Their 'babysitter' happens to be the connection between D.C. and us."

"Their babysitter?" Gibbs looked a little confused.

"She, unfortunately, was killed in an attack on her home just very recently--an attack that involved Agent DiNozzo's children." she added.

"How are they?" He asked, genuinely concerned about the two little girls.

"They are alright," Hetty reassured him. "They were taken to the hospital, immediately, and both Girls checked out fine--at least, that is what I was told."

"Good." Gibbs said, scratching his unshaven chin thoughtfully. "I'll catch the next red-eye headed towards L.A." he told her, seriously. "Tell Abby I'm coming." he added.

"I will." Hetty replied. "And I'll have a plane ticket waiting for you at the airport when you get there--just tell them Hetty Lange sent you." she told him.

"Alright." he said. "I will."

"We will talk more when you arrive Mr. Gibbs." Hetty told him.

"Yes. We will." He replied. Then they hung up on each other.








Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. ...

It was early morning.

Tony walked into D.C. General Hospital, and headed straight for the elevator. He knew, already, which floor that he needed to go to to find his wife and two daughters waiting for him to pick them up.

The elevator pinged, the doors opened up, and Tony stepped aboard the elevator car. As he stepped on another man was stepping off, and to Tony he looked a little weird for someone who lived in Washington D.C. or even in the surrounding area really.

He was muscular, but not overly muscular. His head was shaved down to a point where it looked like he had five o'clock shadow on his head. He wore an earring in his left ear, and had a tattoo on his shoulder that looked, actually, kind of creepy.

The tattoo on the man's shoulder was that of a grotesque-looking skull with what looked like clown make-up and a small clown nose on it. It also had a snake slithering out of the skull's mouth (which was curved up in some sort of evil grin).

The man wore dark, black jeans, that were kind of tight-looking on him, and a black vest over a white t-shirt. He had a pretty big bandage covering his right hand as well.

"Goths," Tony thought to himself, rolling his eyes as he pressed the switch for the fourth floor.

He waited patiently as the elevator climbed its way upwards towards the fourth floor. Finally, after a few minutes had passed, there was 'ping' sound, and then the elevator doors opened. He stepped out, and headed down the right hallway towards the room that had been designated for Talia and Gena to stay in over the last night.

He reached the door, and gave a slight knock before entering the room.

"Tony," Ziva said, quietly, standing up from the chair that she had been sitting in.

"How are my girls this morning?" he asked.

"Tired." Ziva replied. "This one finally woke up at 2:30 this morning, and so the doctor(s) had to come in and check on her--make sure everything was okay." Ziva explained, motioning to the slumbering baby cradled in her arms.

"And?" he asked.

"She will be fine." Ziva told her husband.

Tony nodded. "Good." he said, as he kissed his wife, and then he gently ran his fingers across Gena's cheek--finishing with a gentle kiss against the little girl's forehead.

"And what about you?" Tony asked Talia, who was sitting on the hospital bed watching cartoons on the TV.

Tony sat down on the bed beside her. After a minute or so of silence, he picked up the remote and switched off the television.

Talia finally sat up straight, but kept her eyes averted away from her father.

"Tali," Ziva started to say.

Tony held up his hand, and just shook his head at her. Mouthing to her that it was okay, and that he could handle it.

"Buttercup," Tony said softly, nudging the little girl gently in the side. "Wanna talk?"

Talia shook her head slowly at her father.

Tony had taken to calling Talia by the nickname "Buttercup", simply because one of Talia's favorite cartoons to watch was a show called "The PowerPuff Girls", and her favorite character in the show was a character called 'Buttercup'.

"Aww come one." Tony said softly, pulling his daughter closer to him. "You know you can talk to me about anything--right?"

She nodded, rubbing at her eyes as she did so.

"So tell me," he said. "What's the matter?"

She still did not look up at her father.

"I had a dream." she mumbled.

"Oh," Tony replied. "What kind of dream?" he asked, but then realized that she must be saying that she dreamed about what had happened the night before.

He rubbed his hand against her back, gently, letting her know that he understood completely.

"You dreamed about the bad men?"

Talia nodded, still rubbing her eyes as she did so.

"Why don't you tell me about it."

She shook her head. "No."

"You know," Tony began. "A bad person tried to hurt me one time." he told her, recalling (in his mind) the time he had been infected with Y-Pestis, and the time he had been captured and tortured while searching for a missing 'soldier', and also the time he and McGee had gone to rescue Ziva when she left NCIS after Michael Rivkin was killed.

"Where you scared?" Talia asked, quietly, now looking up at Tony.

"Of course I was," he said, with a knowing smile. "I even had bad dreams about it too--just like you."

"Really?"

"Really." Tony replied. "And I didn't want to talk about it either, but you know what?"

"What?" Talia asked.

"When I did talk about it--I felt lots better--in fact, I didn't feel so scared anymore." he told her.

Talia averted her eyes away from her father once again, as she let all of what she had just heard sink in good.

"The bad man," she spoke softly and slowly. "He wanted to hurt me-" she began, referring to her bad dream that she had had the night before.

"He told me the scary clown was gonna get me too." she continued, her voice beginning to crack a little bit as she spoke. "He put a snake in my hair." she added, finally breaking down now. She wrapped her arms, as best as she could, around her fathers' waist.

"Shhh." Tony said softly. "Its okay." he said softly, rubbing her shoulders, as she sobbed into his side.

"He can't hurt you now," Ziva told her, quietly.

"Mommy's right, Buttercup." Tony reassured her, lifting her face up to his with his finger. "He can't hurt you anymore," he reassured her.

"You promise?" she mumbled through tears.

"If the bad man wants to hurt you," Tony told her softly. "He'll have to hurt me too."

Talia shook her head, and then wrapped her arms, tighter, around her father. "I don't want the bad man to hurt you." she sobbed into his side.

Tony rubbed her shoulders again, and tried to calm and reassure his five year old daughter as they sat there on the bed together.

Just then Gena began to stir in Ziva's arms. "Someone's waking up." Ziva pointed out, as she shifted the little girl around in her arms.

"She'll probably be hungry." Tony said. "I know I'm usually hungry, after a nap." he added.

Ziva nodded at her husband. She walked across the room to where she had set the baby bag down on the second of the two chairs that were in the room. She began rummaging around inside it, with her free arm/hand, looking for a bottle. They had only recently began trying to wean Gena off of 'the good stuff', as Tony jokingly called it, and were still trying to get her used to drinking formula instead.

Then Ziva realized that she would have to go through a lot of trouble just to get a bottle ready for Gena; and that's when she decided to go an alternate route. She knew that he breasts had not completely quit producing milk, yet, because she still pumped some out in the mornings and such as party of the technique that she was using to get Gena used to formula--by intermingling the two together on occasion.

"You know what," Ziva said, moving the baby bag so that she could sit down in the chair. "I'm just gonna give her-"

"The 'Goodstuff'?" Tony joked, as he watched Ziva struggle to get one side of her long-sleeve shirt up.

"Yes Tony," she replied, rolling her eyes at her husband. "The 'Goodstuff'." she added.

"Do we have time?" she asked.

Tony looked down at his watch. "Well, McGee won't be at the office for another hour or so," he told her, looking up from his watch. "And its not really like he can do anything without me."

He thought for another minute more before continuing. "So, yeah, I'd say we have plenty of time."

"Good." she said, wincing slightly, as she felt Gena's mouth clamp down on her nipple and start to suckle.








Elsewhere...

"If I were you," the man with the mustache and heavy Russian accent was telling Eric. "I would cooperate--soon." he said, menacingly.

Eric was somewhere, tied up to a chair in the middle of a darkened room that was lit only in one area that he could see. That one area just happened to be the small area in which he was sitting, so he kind of felt like one of those guys in one of those old movies being grilled for information under a bright spotlight.

He now had a busted lip, a cut over his eye, and he felt like he had a bunch of other cuts and bruises as well in multiple areas on/around his body.

"I will never...betray...my fr-friends." he said, panting heavily.

The man with the mustache and heavy Russian accent clicked his tongue at Eric. "Tsk. Tsk." he clicked his tongue at Eric. "I'm afraid, Mr. Beal, that that--is the WRONG answer."

Without warning, the burly man launched his fist square into the middle of Eric's gut. Eric winced, from the pain of the blow, and doubled over gasping for air.

"If I were you," the burly man said, looking Eric in the eye(s). "I would choose cooperation now." he told him.

"Wh-Why?" Eric choked out.

The burly man chuckled, shooting an amused look at his partner who stood just a few feet away in the shadows.

"What I am doing," he said, waving a hand in the air. "Is mere...'Childs' Play' as you American's are found of saying." he explained, in a slightly amused tone. "Compared to what our leader, 'Ashenko' will do to you when she gets here." he continued.

The burly man leaned down closer to Eric, and whispered something into his ear.

"SHE," the burly man whispered into Eric's ear quietly. "Is far less merciful, than I." his voice trailed off in Eric's ear eerily.

"I say we just kill him now." the other man standing in the shadows spat angrily.

"No." the burly man responded sternly, righting himself up, now, so as to look directly at his partner. "Ashenko wants him alive when she gets here." he reminded his partner.

The other man seemed to swear in Russian at the burly man. "You think I am not upset by what happened to Dmitri?" the burly man sounded somewhat offended by his partner's remark.

"Dmitri died for the 'Motherland'." the burly man spat back at his partner. "As we all would." he added.

"His death saddens me greatly," the burly man admitted, with a sigh. "But, I carry on out of respect--in honor of him, and all of my fallen comrades." he added, puffing his chest out proudly. "It is our way after all."

The other man, still standing in the shadows, swore again in Russian; and before Eric knew what was happening the two men were arguing with each other, semi-intensely, in Russian. And since Eric did not speak a lick of Russian, he had absolutely no idea what they were saying--not that it really mattered...much.

Fortunately, his Russian captors had not bound his hands together all that tightly, so he was able to wiggle his cell phone free of his back-pocket. He flipped it open, as quietly as he could manage, and sat for a moment trying to visualize, in his mind, the layout of the cell phone's keyboard. After a brief moment he began slowly pressing keys on the cell phone's keyboard--though he could not actually see what he was doing--and gradually typed out the message that he hoped to send out.

"There." he thought to himself. "That's should do it." he whispered softly and quietly to himself.

He finally pressed the send key, and crossed his fingers, hoping that the message he had typed would send successfully and reach its final destination successfully.

Then, something he had not anticipated happened. The cell phone 'pinged' to let him know that his message had been sent successfully.

The room suddenly went eerily silent. Eric, nervously, swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, as he closed his eyes and prayed that he was just dreaming, and that his captors had not heard the faint 'pinging' sound that his cell phone had made.

"What was that?" the second Russian man asked, his eyes darting around the room, somewhat nervously.

"I don't hear anything." the burly man replied, dismissively, waving his hand in the air.

Eric started to let out a sigh of relief, but then a horrible thought occurred to him. His cell phone usually pinged twice after a message had been sent with it. The first time to notify the user that the message has/had been sent successfully, and then the second 'ping' came as the phone reverted back to its 'Home Screen'.

"Oh no." Eric muttered, softly and quietly to himself, as he tensed up, waiting for the second 'ping' that would surely spell his demise.

'Ping'.

"There it is again." the second man said, stepping away from his partner.

"Yes. I hear it now too." the burly man replied. "Sounded like it came...from over..."

"There!" the second man exclaimed, pointing towards Eric.

Their eyes fell on Eric, together, and they quickly moved over to his side once again.

"What is this!?" the burly man demanded, his eyes landing on the cell phone in Eric's hands (which are tied behind his back). The burly man reached out and snatched the cell phone out of Eric's hand(s).

"Uh-A," Eric stammered, trying to sound stupid. "A C-Cellphone I guess." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Do not play stupid with me!" the burly man spat angrily in Eric's face. "Who were contacting!?" he demanded.

"N-no one." Eric stammered, swallowing another lump in his throat.

"LIAR!" The burly man's fist connected hard with the side of Erics face. The shockwave from the blow rippled downwards through his entire body. "Who Were You Contacting!?" the burly man demanded, even more forcefully now.

The second man pressed a few buttons on the cell phone, and then finally looked up at his burly partner. "There's a name," he told his partner. "Nate Getz." he said pronouncing Nate's last name with a long e sound.

"It's Getz." Eric corrected showing the two men the short e pronunciation.

"Fine," the second man replied. "Then who is this Nate 'Getz'?" he asked, in a mocking-tone.

"None of your business." Eric snapped, trying to sound menacing and brave.









Elsewhere...

In a house just barely outside of Washington D.C. something dark was taking place. The house was located just off the beaten path, and was very friendly-looking. It had a nice stretch of land attached to it as well.

"Sister," a dark-haired woman said calmly, as she stepped in a circle around her sister. "Why do you resist?" the dark-haired woman asked, her accent definitely Russian.

The second woman was a fair skinned, blond-haired, brown-eyed young woman. But anyone could tell by looking at her that her hair was not naturally blond.

This second woman was tied to a dining room table (kind of like Eric), in the center of the living room of her home, and she had a busted lip.

"We came here to this country for a reason." her sister replied.

"To escape the madness, and find a better life--right?" the dark haired woman finished for her. "Ailene said the same thing." she pouted.

"You two are so much alike." the dark haired woman added. "Idealists."

"And you are too much like Father!" the other woman spat at the dark-haired woman.

"Yes." the dark-haired woman agreed. "And I intend to see our Father's dream, finally realized." she told the second woman.

"Nightmare you mean."

"Whatever." the dark-haired woman rolled her eyes. "The point is, Sister, that I had hoped you and Ailene would join me in my 'Grand Conquest'. Ailene refused, and..." she explained to the second woman.

"Please, Ariana, Sister," the dark-haired woman said, stooping down so that he face was next to the second woman's face. "Don't refuse my offer." she pleaded.

"How could you?" the second woman said, disgustedly. "She was our Sister--and you-you-"

"I had no choice." the dark-haired woman spat angrily. "She was weak."

The second woman shook her head at the dark-haired woman. "I-I will never help you!" she shouted. "NEVER!"

The dark-haired woman shook her own head, as she turned around and put her back to her sister. "I am truly sorry, Sister." she said, shaking her head miserably. "Know this, you will be seen as a martyr to our cause." she added.

The dark-haired woman snapped her fingers, without looking, and then said something in Russian. A man dressed like a thug (more-or-less) stepped out of the shadows, brandishing a shiny knife in his left hand. His right hand was covered in a big band bandage.

The second woman started to protest as the thuggish-looking man stepped closer and closer; but before she could get the words out the man had brought the knife down to her throat, and with one fluid motion he slit her throat. Blood flowed down from the wound and covered her body, the chair she sat in, and the floor around her. In only mere seconds, the choking sounds ceased, and she was dead.

"Such a waste." the dark-haired woman said, clicking her tongue. "Come." she said, motioning for her companion to follow her.









--Chapter Five--

"Are you sure THIS is the place!?" Tony asked, frustration in his voice, as they pulled up the driveway of a little house just outside of Washington D.C., and found just off of the beaten path.

"Yep. I'm sure." McGee replied, from the passenger's seat, as he checked the car's GPS navigation system.

"Great, cause that's what you said the LAST FIVE times I asked." Tony said, finally putting the car into park at the side of the house.

"Just, trust me, will ya." McGee said, as he unbuckled his seat belt and opened his car door up.

"Yeah, right after we find out that THIS is the wrong house too." Tony relied.

The two men made their way up to the back door (which is/was closer to where they were than the front door. Tony knocked on the back door. No answer. He tried again, but still no answer.

"Maybe she's not home." McGee suggested.

Tony rolled his eyes at his partner. "Well, her car's still here." Tony pointed out, motioning to the car sitting just behind them.

"Go around and check the front door." Tony told McGee. "Maybe she can't hear us back here."

McGee nodded, and took off in the direction of the front door. When he got there he knocked on the door, but still he got no answer. he looked inside through the door's single window piece, and what he saw in the living room just ahead horrified him.

"Tony!" he shouted. "Come here, Quick!"

Tony came bolting around the corner in just a matter of seconds. McGee had already drawn his Sig Sauer.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Look."

Tony looked inside, and saw what McGee was talking about.

"Stand back." Tony said, instantly.

McGee stepped back, as Tony drew his own side-arm from its holster. Tony reared back, and with a strong, hard lunge kicked the door inwards. The two NCIS agents rushed inside immediately.

McGee went right for the young woman tied to the dining room chair in the center of the living room.

Tony darted into the kitchen, and then into the adjacent dining room. "Clear!" he shouted back.

McGee swept the living room. "Clear!"

"Is she-" Tony started to ask, as he re-emerged into the living room.

"Its her," McGee said. "She's dead Tony." he added, pulling away from his search for a pulse. "Her throat's been slit." he added.

"Great," Tony said, as he used his free hand to pull out his cell phone. "Can't believe I thought that this was going to be easy." he remarked, as he headed back to clear the bedrooms.

He waited until a voice answered on the other end of the phone line.

"Yeah, this is NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he said into his cell phone. Tony spent the next few minutes explaining to the person on the other end of the line how to tell Dr. Mason (the new NCIS Medical Examiner) how to get to where they were/are to pick up the young woman's body.

"Doc Mason's on his way." Tony said, hanging up his cell phone, as he, once again, re-emerged into the living room.

"Guess we should start processing hunh?" McGee said, pulling a pair of white latex gloves out of his pocket.

"I'll go get our bags." Tony said, heading back for the front door.

"Alright." McGee replied.









Back In Los Angeles...

Morning dawned in Los Angeles and the team had not yet left HQ. Even Abby and little D.J. had stayed over night.

Abby was fast asleep, still, curled up on the sofa in the lobby area, with little D.J. laying flat on the rest of the couch. Hetty had draped a small blanket over the young lad in the middle of the night, as well as draping a bigger blanket over Abby.

She had no idea what was coming towards her in that moment.

An unshaven man knelt beside her side/end of the sofa, quietly, and gently ran a hand through her hair.

"Abs," he said softly.

The Goth Forensic Specialist stirred slightly, but did not wake up.

Gibbs grinned, and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss against her temple. "Abs." he said, again, very softly.

Abby's eyes fluttered open.

"Gibbs." she said, through a yawn, as she sat up to stretch.

She blinked several times before really realizing what was happening.

"Gibbs." she said again, this time a little louder.

"Shhh." he whispered, placing a finger to his lips, and then motioning with his head towards the still slumbering little D.J.

"Come with me." he said quietly, helping the young, dark-haired woman to her feet.

He led her away from the sofa, and down a hallway not too far away and to a bathroom.

"Where are we going?" she asked, still a bit groggy.

"To get you cleaned up." he whispered.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Just follow me." he said.

Abby just now realized that Gibbs' was holding what appeared to be a gym bag in his free hand/arm.

Soon Gibbs pushed open the door to the one restroom that the HQ had in it. Once inside, he closed and locked the door. He let go of Abby's arm, and pointed towards a mirror hanging over the single sink.

She stepped forward and looked into the mirror. Yikes, Gibbs WAS right, she thought to herself.

She turned on the sink, and began splashing water up into her face. "What's in the bag?" she asked. "Your clothes."

"Nope," he said. "Not mine, yours." he added, passing the bag to Abby.

She cocked her head to one side, as she stared at Gibbs. "You broke into my house-" she started to say.

"If you recall," Gibbs said. "I bought you (and Eric) that house." he reminded her. "I still have my own key to that house. And Hetty said that you could probably use some things from your house."

"Hetty?"

"Yeah, Hetty picked me up from the airport two hours ago." he told her.

Suddenly Abby went silent standing there in front of Gibbs, holding onto the bag that he had handed to her.

"Gibbs," she said suddenly, her voice cracking and tears forming up in her eyes. She dropped her bag onto the floor, and threw herself into Gibbs' arms. "I'm so scared." she sobbed.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around Abby, and patted her on the back. "I know." he said quietly. He figured that he knew Abby well enough to be able to assume that she had been trying to put on a brave face for her son, and so right now she just needed to let all of that pent-up emotion flow out.

She sobbed.

"We're gonna find him," he reassured her, quietly. He kissed her temple, gently, and then whispered something into her ear. "Or I'll die trying." he whispered into her ear.







When the two of them finally re-emerged from the bathroom, Abby was all nice and cleaned up. She had on fresh clothes and fresh make-up; and she had even re-done her pigtails.

She had also handed the razor that Gibbs' had packed for her back to him, and told him to shave his face while they were in there. He had done exactly as she had asked.

They re-entered the lobby area, and found that little D.J. was already wide-awake, and engaged in a full-on conversation with Sam.

"Hey Sam," Abby greeted the muscular ex-Navy Seal member of the NCIS: L.A. team.

"Abs," Sam said standing up. "Good morning." he said, as he wrapped his big arms around her and pulled her into a massive bear hug.

"What are you two talking about?" Abby asked, after Sam finally put her down.

"Breakfast." Sam said, winking at little D.J.

"Hmm, sounds good." Abby said, with a smile. "What are we having?" she asked.

"Whatever you guys want." Sam replied, with a grin.

"Oh, Gibbs." he said, noticing Gibbs.

He and Gibbs shook hands. "Sam." Gibbs said, with a warm smile.

"You want anything?" Sam asked.

"Coffee's fine." Gibbs replied.

Sam chuckled. "I'm guess--Black, right?"

Gibbs nodded. "That'd be great." he told Sam.

Abby told Sam what she and D.J. would like, and then Sam nodded, patted the little boy on the head; and then he was on his way out the door.

D.J. was currently engaged in watching the lobby-television which Sam had flipped onto the cartoon channel when he came in--you know for D.J. to watch. The cartoon that the little boy was currently watching jumped to a commercial.

"D.J.," Abby called her son's name. "Look who's here." she said, pointing to Gibbs who stood at the foot of the sofa.

The little boy's eyes lit up at the sight of Gibbs.

"Granpy!" the little boy hopped up on the sofa, and then from there bounced up into his 'adopted' grandfather's arms.

"Hiya Sport." Gibbs smiled, giving the little boy a quick peck on the forehead.

"Daddy's not home right now." the little boy told Gibbs.

"I know." Gibbs replied. "But I'm sure he'll be back soon. What do you think?"

The little boy nodded excitedly at his 'adopted' grandfather.

"Me too." Gibbs said, with a grin.

Abby chuckled at the two guys.

Sam and Nate walked through the door together just at that moment.

"Where'd you guys go?" Abby asked, when she saw Callen and Nate.

"Home." Callen replied.

"Yeah," Nate agreed. "Had to, ya know, get cleaned up for the day." he added.

"Gibbs." Callen said, shaking Gibbs' free hand.

Then Nate did the same thing.

Nate started to open his mouth to speak, but then suddenly his cell phone went 'ping'. He pulled out his cell phone, and read the caller ID.

"I just turned this thing back on." he said aloud. "Bound to be several unanswered messages on-" He stopped short.

"What is Nate?" Callen asked.

"Guys," Nate said. "I just got a text message--from Eric." he told them.

"What!?" Callen said, shocked.

"How's that possible?" Abby asked, now really alert.

"What does it say?" Kensi asked, walking up from behind everyone else.

"Oh hi Kensi." Callen greeted Kensi Blye.

"It says, 'im kay. trac cell. water.'" Nate relayed the message to the others.

"What does that even mean?" Callen asked.

"I think," Nate replied. "That he's telling us he's okay, and that we need to trace his cell phone." Nate told them.

"Abby," Callen asked. "Can you do that--trace his cell phone I mean?"

"Sure she can." Gibbs answered for her.

"Alright. Let's get to it." Callen said, seriously.








Back In Washington, D.C. ...

Tony and McGee stepped off of the elevator at NCIS HQ, and rounded the corner into the bullpen.

Already waiting in the bullpen were Ziva (Talia and Gena), and Alicia and Maxie. McGee had suggested that it might be safer, at least for now, if Alicia take a sick day from work and came and stayed with Maxie at NCIS with him--just in case you know. Alicia had agreed, a little reluctantly though.

"Doc Mason back yet?" Tony asked, as he dropped his backpack off in front of his desk.

McGee dropped his bag off at his desk as well.

"Yes," Ziva replied, rocking Gena in her arms. "Been back for at least an hour." she added, looking down at her watch.

"Good." Tony said.

"Is that-" Alicia started to ask, noticing darkened blotches on the two guys' clothing.

"Blood?" McGee finished for her.

"Yeah." Tony confirmed the suspicion for them. "Which is why Timmy and I are gonna hit the showers, and then go see Doc Mason--maybe he's found something useful on our dead body."

"Okay." Ziva replied. "And please...take your time." she added.

"Gotcha." Tony replied, as he and McGee headed off in the direction of the office showers.








The water broke over Tony's face as he now stood, in the nude, in one of the NCIS shower stalls. McGee was just one stall over from him. There was a silence that was eerie, to say the least, for anyone else who might have stumbled into the room (luckily no one else did).

Finally McGee spoke up, and broke the silence after a few minutes or so had passed.

"So, how're you holdin' up?" McGee asked, over the noise of the showers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony countered, somewhat defensively.

"Nothing," McGee replied, honestly. "Just--I know it must be hard...ya know knowing that your kids were-" he was cut short by a sudden out burst from Tony.

"-Were what McGee!?" Tony blurted out. "Mere inches from death!?"

"Well-" McGee started to say.

"Yeah McGee, it bothers me." Tony told him, fuming.

Tony had been holding everything back for the last few hours or so, and now it seemed like all of that pent up frustration was flowing out somewhat freely at this point.

Tony scrubbed his entire upper body furiously with the bar of soap that he now held in his hands. Anger burned, like fire, in his eyes standing under the flowing water coming from the shower tap.

"It bothers me." he repeated.

Tony just could not seem to get the image of the look on his daughter's face when they found her hiding in the clothes hamper in the bathroom at the babysitter's house. Nor the way she had reacted when he'd picked them up at the hospital later on.

"Tony," McGee said, a little more gently/quietly this time. "I didn't mean to upset you." he told his 'boss'.

"I know." Tony said, finally. "I just--these are my kids," he pointed out, as he set the bar of soap back on its stand in the shower rack. "I'm supposed to protect them, you know, bad things are supposed to happen to your kids." Tony continued.

"If it were my kids," McGee pointed out. "I-I don't know what I would do." he told Tony.

Tony let the water flow over his head, and rinse all of the soap off of his upper body and then his lower body.

"I know exactly what I'm gonna do," Tony said, looking straight ahead, the fire still burning brightly in his eyes. "Mark my words McGee," Tony said, seriously. "If we do find these bastards--I'll-"

"You don't have to tell me Tony," McGee said, knowingly. "I know."

McGee understood perfectly what Tony was saying, and he understood completely where his 'boss' was coming from.

Tony pounded his fists against the wall of the shower stall as the image of how he and Ziva had discovered Gena, on the floor buried beneath the broken pieces of the crib she had been sleeping in at the babysitter's house, flowed into his mind.

McGee reached up and shut his shower tap off, and then Tony turned his off a few beats later. The two men stood, dripping wet, in their shower stalls for just a few minutes more before they each grabbed a towel and began drying themselves off.








A Few Minutes Later...

Tony and McGee strolled through the doors of Autopsy a few minutes later, both dressed in the same dull blue NCIS jumpsuit (it was all that they had, because neither of the guys had brought spare clothes to work with them), and found Doc Mason working on the most recent body that they had brought in.

Doc Mason was an older man, with dark, thin hair. He often wore a pair of glasses when he needed help seeing something very small--such as when he was trying to read small print. Tony often joked about how Doc Mason sort of resembled Jack Klugman in that old TV show 'Quincy M.E.'--you know when he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Found anything Doc?" McGee asked, as they approached the slab he was currently hovering over.

"Agents DiNozzo and McGee." the M.E. said, glancing up at the two guys, but then returning his attention to the autopsy he was currently performing.

"Wardrobe malfunction?" the M.E. asked, trying to hide a smile.

"Yeah, you could say that." Tony replied. "Whatcha got?"

"Well," the M.E. said, laying down the instrument that he currently was holding his hand(s). "I don't know if it means anything, but if you look closely, here, where her throat was slit open--you'll see that the patterns indicate a 'Left-To-Right' motion." he pointed out, picking up a magnifying glass of his tool tray.

Tony and McGee looked at the place(s) where Doc Mason pointed to. "Yep, you're right." Tony agreed.

"Whoever was holding the knife was probably 'Right-Handed'." McGee pointed out.

Doc Mason looked up at the two guys, with a small grin. "That's exactly what I thought--at first." he told them. "But look here," he said, running the magnifying glass over two or three tiny spots of the wound. "When I looked at it closer, I found these-" he said pointing out two or three places where it looked as though the knife had 'snagged and pulled' a little bit.

"Okay." Tony said.

"Either our killer was very sloppy, or-" Doc Mason said, lifting a finger up in front of his face. "He wasn't 'Right-Handed' at all."

"I'm confused," McGee said. "If he wasn't really 'Right-Handed', then why did he use his 'Right-Hand'?" McGee pondered aloud. "Using his dominant hand would have made for a cleaner, smoother cut." McGee pointed out.

"Exactly what I was wondering." Doc Mason agreed. "Perhaps," Doc Mason said thoughtfully. "He's missing his other hand." he theorized aloud.

"Or, or," McGee suggested. "Maybe he injured it, and is unable to use it for awhile." he said aloud, looking at Tony for approval.

Tony stood silent for a moment or two--thoughts buzzing through his mind-- as he took in this new information.

"What about the other body?" Tony asked, finally speaking up. "Ailene Kravinsky." he said the name, reminding Doc Mason.

Doc Mason looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face, and thought for a moment in silence.

"Ah yes, the Kravinsky woman," he recalled, looking back at Tony and McGee. "As I recall she had multiple stab wounds to her abdomen and chest." he told them. "From their angle and trajectory, I was able to determine that whoever was holding the knife was probably fairly strong, and 'Left-Handed'."

Tony thought for a moment, silently, and then suddenly some of the pieces to their puzzle began to come together all at once. Images flashed wildly through his mind as he stood there.

"What if our killer was, as you said, 'Left-Handed," Tony pointed out calmly. "But lets say he hurt his hand real bad--maybe cut it up pretty good punching through the glass on a 'Grandfather Clock'."

Tony recalled the broken-in Grandfather Clock that he'd seen sitting at the top of the stairs in Ailene Kravinsky's house.

"A serious cut like the one you're describing would certainly require medical attention--and not long afterward at that." Doc Mason informed them.

"Hospital..." Tony said quietly, his voice trailing off as more thoughts quickly ran through his mind. Suddenly, a few moments later, his eyes popped open real big. "Damn!" he swore.

"What?" McGee asked. "What is it?"

"Yes, please tell us." Doc Mason chimed in.

"Damn, I think I've seen him." Tony said.

"What. What do you mean?" McGee asked again.

"No, I'm positive I've seen him." Tony corrected his previous statement. "The 'Bastard' walked right by me at the hospital." Tony said, spinning around on his heel, and beginning to pace back and forth.

"Wait, how can you possibly know that?" McGee asked.

"Talia had a bad dream after the attack." Tony said, still pacing the floor. Tony told McGee and Doc Mason about his daughter's nightmare. "It didn't click until now," he said finally. "The guy that was getting off of the elevator when I was getting on--his tattoo." Tony continued. "It was a skull, painted to look like an evil clown, with a snake coming out of its mouth."

McGee shook his head, rubbing his forehead as he did so.

"Talia must have seen the guys' tattoo when he grabbed her," McGee reasoned. "That's why she dreamed about evil clowns and snakes." he added.

"I know McGee." Tony fumed. "And he was right there," Tony repeated. "Right there. I could have had him if only I'd known." he said angrily, approaching Doc Mason's desk which sat over in a corner up against the wall near the sink.

"Tony," McGee started to say.

"He was right THERE," Tony fumed angrily. "Right there, and I let the bastard walk right by me!" Tony said angrily, as he slammed his fists down, hard, atop Doc Mason's desk.

"Tony," McGee tried again, trying to calm his partner down a little bit. "You didn't know. There was nothing you could have done."

Tony stepped towards McGee, anger still burning in his eyes. "The 'Bastard' was only feet away from my family, McGee!" Tony nearly shouted.

McGee placed his hand on Tonys shoulder as the older man hung his head. "Tony, we're gonna get'em." McGee told his 'boss'. "We will." he repeated, reassuringly.

"Yeah. You're right." Tony replied. "Thanks Doc."

"You're welcome. Anytime I can help." Doc Mason assured them.

"Let's go see what Gwen's cooked up in the lab. Shall we?" McGee suggested.

"Yeah." Tony replied.

The two men headed out of Autopsy together.

"If you find anything else, Doc-" Tony started to say, over his shoulder.

"I shall keep you apprised." Doc Mason finished for him.

"Thanks."










--Chapter Six--

Tony and McGee strolled into the lab a few minutes later to find Ruby Rae, the Forensic Specialist who had been hired/assigned to take Abby's place here in the NCIS Washington, D.C. office, standing over her workstation staring into the computer screen.

Ruby was by no means Abby, but she was still super-smart and she had her own little set of peculiar quirks that the gang had had to get used to when she first started working there at NCIS.

She had gotten the job, primarily, because McGee had recommended her for the position. He'd remembered working with her during a case that the team had worked a few years back, and he had told Director Vance that she might be just who they were looking for to take Abby's place.

One of Ruby's little 'quirks' as the team had learned, not long after she'd started working at NCIS, was that she was very, very organized--and somewhat anal about it too.

McGee had not remembered that particular trait about her when he'd suggested her for the job.

She did not play loud music in the lab like Abby used to do, but whenever she finished a large project she did like to turn on some soft, country music to listen to while she waited for the guys to check in.

As of right now there was no music of any kind playing in the lab.

"No music." McGee said, as they stopped just inside the doorway of the lab. "Means no results." he added.

"Also means I can hear you, Tim." Ruby spoke up, not looking away from her computer screen.

"Yeah McGee." Tony chimed in. "She can HEAR you." he said.

Tony stepped over to the workstation, and stood next to Ruby.

"So, nothing yet?" Tony asked.

Ruby let out a sigh.

"I finished running the finger prints you guys lifted," she told Tony. "But the DNA results haven't come back yet, and-"

Suddenly a loud beep sounded throughout the lab, and it made Tony and McGee cover their ears as it echoed through the room.

"Oh, never mind." Ruby corrected herself. "That would be the DNA samples." she added.

"Geez," McGee said, rubbing his ears. "Abby just had it 'ping'." he commented.

"Oh I know." Ruby said. "I've been steadily making adjustments to the system--updating it, if you will."

"I see--er--I hear." Tony replied.

"I made it louder so that I won't miss it, if I'm in the other room running ballistics tests and such." Ruby explained.

"Right." Tony replied. "So-"

"Oh, right." Ruby said. "DNA."

She punched a few keys on the computer's console, and a new screen appeared across the monitor.

"The two DNA samples that you brought me, both from the first crime scene, I ran them through the database, and only one came back as a match." Ruby informed them. "The first sample matched Ailene Kravinsky." Ruby pointed out. "The second sample--swabbed from the upstairs clock--nothing."

"Well, you tried." Tony said, shaking his head.

"Now, the fingerprint analysis." she said, pulling up the specs on her computer screen.

McGee stepped over closer to Ruby and Tony.

"I ran all of the prints through AFIS," Ruby told them. "I got hits on Ailene Kravinsky, You, Ziva, and Talia--but only because you guys gave me samples for excluding you guys--and I also got a hit one a print left by this guy-" she said, as she pressed a few keys, after a beat or two a picture and a rap-sheet popped up onto the computer screen.

"Dominic Ivanov." McGee read the name aloud from the info on the computer screen.

Tony looked closely at the computer screen. "That's him." Tony said. "That's the guy from the hospital." he continued.

"Says here he's only been in the country for a few weeks now," McGee said aloud. "Got picked up for a speeding ticket his second day here." McGee continued.

"I want that information printed out ASAP." Tony told Ruby.

"Got it." she said. "Now, I also got an 83% match possibility on one other print." she told them. Within seconds she had the second photo and info screen displayed across the computer's monitor.

The photo displayed on the computer screen was of a dark-haired, green-eyed woman named Alexi Alexandrov.

"If I had a comparison hair sample," Ruby told them, as they stood there staring at the computer screen. "I could probably match it to the hair samples collected from both crime scenes." she explained.

"Too bad we don't have a comparison sample." McGee said.

"We may not need it." Tony said. "Good work Ruby. I'll need her information printed out as well, if you please."

"Sure thing," Ruby said. "I'll bring them up as soon as I can."

"Good." Tony replied. "Come on McGee."

"Where are we going?"

"I think we need to have another chat with Agent Callen." Tony said.








Later In MTAC...

"What did you find?" Callen asked.

"Ailene and Ariana are dead." Tony said. "But we were able to identify a man that we believe to be working with/for our killer." he added. "Dominic Ivanov." he told them.

Tony pointed to one of the techies, and the techie began pressing buttons on his console.

"His information is on its way to you." Tony said.

"What about you guys?" Ziva asked.

"We received a text message from Eric," Nate spoke up, stepping into view. "He told us to track his cell phone, when he tried though--nothing."

"We think it must have been destroyed before we got the message." Callen added.

"We also tried to track down Alexi Alexandrov," Sam put in. "Her home was empty."

Just then McGee came running into MTAC, carrying a sheet of paper that he had just pulled off of the printer downstairs.

"I found her." he said, handing the sheet of paper to Tony.

"Looks like I've got some good news for you guys," Tony said. "She's here." he added. "But it appears that she's bought a plane ticket back to L.A.--leaves in 1 hour."

"Alright, maybe we can catch getting off of the plane." Kensi said.

"Maybe," said a very familiar voice from off screen.

"Is that?" McGee asked.

Gibbs stepped into view at that moment.

"We still won't get Eric back." Gibbs said. "I can promise you she won't give him up that easily."

Callen looked at Gibbs. "Alright." he said, nodding. "What do you need?" he asked.

Everyone looked at Gibbs expectantly. Gibbs folded his arms across his chest.

"My team." he said.

"Done." Callen said instantly.

"It's settled then." Director Vance said, from where he was sitting, off to the side, in MTAC. "Pack your bags--you three are going to L.A." he added.

"What about the kids?" Ziva asked Tony.

"The girls will be fine," Vance told her. "They are welcome to stay with Jackie and Myself." he told them.

"Thanks." Tony and Ziva said together.

"What're you standing around for, DiNozzo, get movin'!" Gibbs said, forcefully.

Tony, Ziva, and McGee nodded, and then the three of them turned and headed out of MTAC.

"We'll meet you at the airport, when you get here." Callen told them as they walked away.

Tony looked at his two team mates, as he reached for the door. There was an edge of excitement in his eyes. "We're Back Baby." he whispered, a small grin playing across his lips.








In Los Angeles...

Gibbs turned away from the plasma viewing screen, and headed for the stairs. The rest of the L.A. team had gone into discussions about how they would proceed next.

As Gibbs walked past Kensi his arm brushed past hers--slightly. Kensi sucked in a deep breath at the feel of his arm touching hers. She held her breath, not wanting to let go of all the different parts that made up its intoxicating aroma. A million thoughts rushed through her mind, and made her shudder--audibly.

"Something wrong, Ms. Blye?" Hetty asked, as the room suddenly went quiet.

Kensi didn't hear Hetty at first, because at that moment she was busy daydreaming.

"Kensi!" Callen said her name loudly.

"Earth to Kensi." Sam added, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Hunh?" Kensi mumbled, suddenly snapping out of her dream world. "What?"

"Did you leave the planet or something?" Callen asked her.

"What, no, no." She replied, straightening up. "I just--" she searched desperately for the right words for the situation. "I--felt dizzy--but just for a second though," she said the words without thinking as they came to her. "I'm okay now, really."

"Alright," Callen said, looking her up and down suspiciously. "Still--why don't you go down stairs, throw some water on your face--sit down a bit. Okay?"

Kensi acted like she did not want to, but then finally agreed to Callen's request. She sluggishly made her way out of the 'Tactical Room' and towards the stairs.

"Is it just me," Callen said, watching Kensi leave the room. "Or has she been acting weird lately?"

"No," Sam said. "Its not just you. She's been acting that way ever since Gibbs arrived." Sam pointed out.

"You guys don't think-" Deeks started to say, kind of reading everyone elses mind.

"Nah." They all said in unison.








Kensi marched down the last of the stairs her body language suggesting that she was utterly frustrated with/by something.

It had been nearly a year since the last time she had physically seen Gibbs, much less spoken to him. She'd always that the next time she saw the former NCIS Special Agent she would feel happy, but for some reason, right now, she only felt frustration.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, and immediately saw Gibbs talking to Abby over by the 'lounge' area of the lobby. Little D.J was sitting, comfortably on the small sofa, watching cartoons on the wall-mounted television nearby.

A sudden wave of emotion swept over her in that instant, and she suddenly felt like she might cry. She quickly turned away, and headed for the HQ's single bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, she walked over to the sink, turned on the water, and started splashing water into her face. When she finally looked up into the mirror that hung just above the mirror she saw that her eyes were red and moist.

She stood there, hovering over the sink, reflecting over the last few minutes that had just taken place.

Then suddenly she kicked the underside of the sink. She felt so dirty--so selfish right then.

"Stupid." she muttered to herself, angrily. "What am I doing?" she asked herself. "This is about finding Eric-" she reminded herself. "Not about me and Gibbs."

She turned on the sink again, and splashed more water into her face before turning the sink back off again.

She tried for several minutes to regain her former composure, but without success. Her mind just kept wandering back to--about a year ago--at Eric and Abby's wedding. Everyone else was packing up to leave, but not her. She had recently decided to stay there a little bit longer.

She had told Hetty that she just needed a little time off, just a couple of days more. When Hetty had asked her why, she had only responded with 'It's Personal', and nothing more. Hetty had reluctantly agreed, but had given Kensi a very strict deadline.

That 'Personal' reason, which she had never revealed to anyone, was that she had met someone--there. Someone that she wanted to spend a little more time with--Jethro Gibbs. It sounded 'Uber-Crazy' she knew, but she just couldn't help herself. It just had happened--and so quickly at that.

From the moment she and Gibbs had locked eyes for that very first time--she'd felt this...this spark, and she'd sensed that he'd felt it too. And after everyone else had left, they had acted on that feeling.

"Kensi!?" the sound of someone calling her name snapped her out of her 'dream-land' again.

"Coming!" she called back, standing up. She had slid down against the wall near the sink, and had sitting on the floor for the last several minutes.

She jumped up, and grabbed a tissue off of the roll, wiped her eyes real good, and then straightened herself up--made herself look presentable once more.

Kensi walked out of the bathroom, and found everyone standing there in the lobby now.

"What?" she asked. "Its getting late," Callen said pointing out a window.

Outside the sun was beginning to set already.

"Oh." she replied.

"We're all gonna call it a day." Callen explained. "Get a fresh start when the others get here tomorrow morning." he added.

"Okay." she said, looking back towards Callen.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked, out of nowhere.

"No, no." she said quickly, shaking her head. "Nothing's...wrong." she said.

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Totally. I'm sure." she reassured him.

"Okay. Good." he said, finally.

"Abby's staying with you tonight, right?" He asked. "That was the plan that you guys discussed."

"Hmm, oh yeah." Kensi replied, suddenly remembering the plan that she and Abby had talked about. "Right." she said.

"Okay, well, see you in the morning then." Callen said, patting her arm/shoulder before he turned and walked away.









--Chapter Seven--

Later that night at Kensi's place Abby finished tucking her son into bed for the night. She returned, waddling, to the living room a few minutes later where she found Kensi curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a small blanket.

"You've been unusually quiet tonight, you know that." Abby said, sitting down in the recliner across from the sofa. She propped the footrest up, and finally was able to relax her aching feet.

"Hmm?" Kensi mumbled, looking up at Abby.

"Is something wrong?" Abby asked.

"No." Kensi replied, quietly.

"Okay," Abby said, changing tactics. "So, what are you thinking about?"

"Him." Kensi replied, without thinking, and then suddenly wishing that she had just kept her mouth shut.

Abby gasped. "Him? Him Who?" she asked, eagerly.

"U-Uh, Eric." Kensi stammered, but managed to get the words out.

"Really." Abby replied, not sure, for the moment, if she really, entirely believed Kensi.

"Yeah." Kensi said, straightening up, and turning her body so that she would be facing Abby. "I mean, he's out there somewhere--being held by crazy Russian terrorists," she explained, not really sure what she was saying, but it sounded good--so she just went with it. "And there's absolutely no way of knowing what those guys might be doing to him at this very moment." she added, brushing her back with one hand.

Abby seemed to finally relax once again, after a beat or two, as if she had finally made up her mind to believe Kensi.

"I know," Abby said finally, her voice dropping a little lower as she spoke now. "I've been thinking about that too. Eric doesn't do torture very well, ya know."

Kensi nodded.

"But you know what? Eric can't die." Abby said. "He just--can't. I mean, every girl needs a father in their life," Abby began to ramble uncontrollably. "A mother can only do so much for her daughter, but there's like this whole other side of the equation, ya know. So many things that a father is 'Supposed' to do."

Kensi finally was able to piece together enough of what Abby was rambling on about to completely snap out of the haze that she had fallen into earlier.

"Wait," Kensi said, interrupting Abby's train-of-thought. "You said--are you telling me--are you having a--a girl." Kensi finally managed to get the words out of her mouth.

Abby looked confused for a moment, but then a look of realization passed across her face.

"I thought I told everyone," Abby said finally.

"Obviously not." Kensi pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." Abby apologized, sincerely.

"Yeah, I should hope so." Kensi retorted, rolling her eyes.

"When Eric and I went to the doctor--before Eric disappeared of course--we were going to find out whether this one's a boy or a girl--Its a Girl." Abby explained.

Kensi smiled, and stood up from the couch. She walked and threw her arms around Abby's neck and hugged her friend.

"Congratulations!" Kensi said, happily. "Oh my gosh," Kensi said, putting her hands over her mouth for a moment. "You must be so excited."

"Yeah," Abby replied, looking away. "I will be...once I know that Eric is safe." she added.

The two women stayed up until mid-night, and that's when Kensi finally suggested that they get some sleep. Neither of them knew what the morning would bring, and there was no way that either woman could possibly know the danger that awaited them.

"Good night." Kensi said quietly, as she quietly crossed the hall from the 'Guest Room' into her bedroom.

"Sweet Dreams." Abby whispered back, softly.








Kensi was the first one to arrive at the NCIS: L.A. office early the next morning. She sat at her desk space with two very hot styro-foam cups of coffee setting right in front of her.

She took a sip of coffee from her cup, and then set the cup back down. She could not help but stare at the other cup while drumming her fingers against the side of her cup--a nervous habit of hers.

If any one of her co-workers/teammates could see her sitting there in that moment, they would most assuredly all come to the same conclusion--she was deliberately waiting for someone.

It was only 6:30 in the morning, and usually no one came into the office until between 7:00 am and 7:15 am. But she knew someone who would come in as early as she had--maybe earlier--but she did not think so.

The reason that she had decided to come in to work so early was simple. She planned to make Gibbs talk to her one way or another.

A sound coming from outside made Kensi jump in her seat--something she never, ever did. Next came the sound of footsteps approaching the front door, and then the sound of the front door opening.

Kensi tried to quickly re-compose herself, so that she wouldn't look so nervous. She wanted to appear as calm and casual as she always was.

"Why thank you Mr. Gibbs." Kensi heard a female voice say.

"My pleasure." a gruff, familiar voice replied.

The two voices that she could hear were steadily getting closer and closer.

A second door opened up--the inner door--and then closed. A few steps more and they would be inside. Mere seconds from passing right by where she was sitting. She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, her nerves now more shaky than ever.

Gibbs and Hetty entered the lobby area walking side-by-side.

"The rest of my people should be arriving fairly soon." Hetty said, very close now.

"Good." Gibbs replied.

"Ms. Blye," Hetty remarked, seeing Kensi sitting alone at her desk area/space. "You're hear awfully early, aren't you?"

"Well, its a--big day." Kensi said, nervously. "Wanted to get a head-start on things...ya know." she added, hoping that she sounded more relaxed than she felt.

Hetty eyed Kensi suspiciously for a moment, but then shook her head, dismissively and turned back to face Gibbs. She and Gibbs had a few words between themselves, standing there in the doorway.

Then Hetty bowed her head slightly to Gibbs, and then turned and headed off down the way towards her office space--leaving Gibbs alone there standing in the doorway.

"Where's Abby?" Gibbs asked, looking at Kensi.

"At my place," Kensi replied. "She wanted to stay in with D.J.--so she wouldn't be in the way." Kensi explained. The whole time she tried to steady her nerves and work up the courage to make her next move.

"Oh." Was all that Gibbs said.

Kensi stood up, now holding both coffee cups in her hand(s).

"Coffee," she said holding one of the styro-foam cups out to Gibbs; but as she did so she noticed that he was already holding a styro-foam cup in his right hand. "Oh--I didn't realize you already had one." she said, her voice dropping, as she averted her eyes.

Gibbs searched his mind for something, anything, to say at this moment; but nothing came to him.

"Yeah." Was all he could managed in a low voice.

"I guess I'll just leave this here," she said, setting the coffee cup down on Sam's work space.

Gibbs started to walk away towards the bathroom. Kensi followed after him.

"So," she said. "Did you sleep good?" she asked.

"You could say that." Gibbs replied, between sips of coffee.

"Oh, okay." she said.

Gibbs was starting to get a little edgy himself. Everything within him was screaming 'say something'; but another, more rational part of him(self) was saying stay in control.

They finally reached the bathroom.

"So I was thinking," Kensi started to say.

"Um, Kens-" Gibbs said, as they came to a stop just outside the bathroom door.

"What?" she asked, stopping mid-sentence.

Gibbs pointed towards the bathroom door. "You're not gonna follow me inside, are you?"

Kensi blushed, and turned away--hoping that he had not seen the redness in her cheeks.

"No, no. Of course not." she replied.

Gibbs nodded, and then turned and entered the bathroom.

Kensi slumped backwards against the wall outside the bathroom door, and waited.

"Stupid," she mumbled to herself. Why was it so hard for her to talk to this one guy--he's just a guy, after all...right?

A few minutes passed, and then the bathroom door finally opened and Gibbs stepped out. Kensi jumped up to her feet and followed Gibbs as he made his way back out towards the lobby area.

She sucked in a deep breath, steadied her nerves, and then let it back out. "Gibbs," she said at once. "We need to talk."

By now they had reached the stairs that led up to the 'Tactical Room'.

"About us." she added, as they started up the stairs.

Gibbs took another sip of his coffee.

"Why?" Gibbs asked, plainly. "There's nothing to say." he added.

"What--what's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taking on a slightly more defensive tone than before.

"What it sounds like," Gibbs replied, stopping and looking back at her. There was a long pause between the two of them, before Gibbs finally spoke up again. "I'm...sorry." he added, slowly and quietly.

Kensi stopped walking, and watched as Gibbs took the last few steps, and then disappeared into the 'Tactical Room'. A single tear formed in the corner of her eye, and then rolled down her cheek.

She could feel her heart breaking from the inside-out.

She spun around on her heel(s) and bounded back down the stairs. At that moment Callen came in, set his things down at his desk space, and then headed for the stairs.

Sam was also coming in through the front door as well.

"Hi Kens," Callen said, as he neared her. "Are you wearing-" he started to ask, noticing that she was actually wearing some make-up today. Which was really, really weird, because everyone knew that Kensi had always been, more-or-less, a tomboy and did not particularly like to wear make-up.

Kensi stopped, stared at Callen for a moment, and then pushed passed him hurriedly as tears threatened to burst free from inside her like Niagara Falls.

"Hmm," Sam said, setting his bag down on top of his desk space/area. "What's with her?" he asked.

"Dunno." Callen replied, watching her until she disappeared around a corner and down the hall. "But she's wearing make-up." he pointed out.

"Make-up?" Sam repeated, a little surprised.

"Yeah. Sam, have you ever actually seen Kensi wear make-up before?" Callen asked, standing still on the stairs.

"Nope." Sam replied, walking towards Callen. "Can't say that I have."

"And what's that smell?" Sam asked, noticing a light, yet fragrant, smell that seemed to linger on the stairs.

Callen sniffed the air, because he had not noticed the smell yet. "Smells like," he said, sniffing the air again. "Perfume?"

"Wait, you're telling me she's wearing 'Perfume' today too." Sam remarked, even more surprised.

"Something is definitely going on with her." Callen said.

"Definitely." Sam agreed.








Gibbs stood in the 'Tactical Room' alone now. He set his coffee cup down on the tabletop that set in the center of the room. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath--letting it back out a few seconds later.

The scent of the perfume that Kensi had been wearing still lingered around his nostrils, and threatened to bring him to his knees. It was the very same perfume that he had gotten her in that shop in that little Mexican town that he had taken her too after Eric and Abby's wedding--and after everybody else had left and gone back home. It was also the only perfume that she had ever "'wanted' to wear"--were her exact words.

He wasn't exactly sure just how much longer he could keep this up.

He hated acting the way that he was, but he figured that in Kensi's current emotional state distancing himself from her would be for the best. Though he longed to touch her, to take her in his arms--and hold her close--to kiss her like no one else had ever been kissed before; but he couldn't--he just could not bring himself to do it.

She would more than likely hate him for the rest of their existence for what he was doing, but he knew that if he gave into her--now--not only might it interfere with their case/investigation, but it might also distract her and get her hurt..or worse--killed.

A single tear rolled down his rough cheek as he stood there, eyes still closed, trying to steady his nerves once again. "Forgive me." he whispered softly, to no one in particular.

"Gibbs," Callen said, entering the room. He stopped, seeing Gibbs standing there with his eyes closed. "Are...you okay?" he asked, slowly.

Gibbs' eyes snapped open, and it did not take but a fraction of a second to regain his former composure.

"Yeah," he replied, shaking his head. "Just thinking." he added.

"Okay." Callen said.

Sam entered the room a few seconds later.

"So what's the plan?" he asked, stepping up to the table beside Callen and Gibbs.








Meanwhile...

In the bathroom downstairs, Kensi once again found herself kicking the underside of the sink, as she gripped the sides for support. Tears stained her cheeks, and her eyes were moist and red with emotion.

"Damn you!" she swore under her breath. "Damn you." she sobbed.

She looked up into the mirror at herself. "What am I doing?" she asked herself, quietly.

She reached over towards the paper towel dispenser that hung on the wall near the sink, and pulled several paper towels down to use. She turned on the sink next, and slightly dampened the first two paper towels that she now held in her hand(s).

She began dabbing at her face, fiercely, determined to remove all traces of the hideous 'make-up' that she had so foolishly put on this morning--thinking that it would get Gibbs' attention--that it would make a 'damn' bit of difference.

She tossed the first two, now soiled, pieces of paper towel(s) into the waste basket that set just below the sink on the left-hand side. Her 'make-up', now in long streaks stretched down the length of her face, still not completely removed/gone.

She pulled down several more pieces of paper towel(s), and repeated the arduous process.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she finally was able to look at herself in the mirror without seeing any visible signs of that dreadful 'make-up' that she had been wearing earlier.

The fragrant perfume that still lingered about her person was a problem that she could not see any possible solution to at the present time--so she ultimately decided to just leave that one alone--for now anyway.

"How could I have been so stupid?" she wondered to herself, as she stared at herself in the mirror. "To think that 'three days'--'three days'--would actually mean 'anything' after all this time." she wondered, silently, to herself as she stood there. "How could I have been so 'foolish' to think that 'a three-day fling' would ever be any more than just 'that'--a 'three-day fling'." she ridiculed herself, as she kicked the underside of the sink, hard, one last time.

She looked down at her watch, now, and saw the time. She grabbed another paper towel, from the wall-dispenser, and dabbed at her eyes one more time to make sure that they were dry enough to be presentable to the others.

She straightened herself up, re-fixed her hair the way that she usually wore it on any other day of the week, and then headed back out of the bathroom--carrying herself as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened this morning.

--------To Be Continued--------

"A New Nightmare, Part Three"

--Chapter Eight--

"Alright then," Hetty said, clasping her hands together.

Everyone was now gathered in the 'Tactical Room' at the NCIS: L.A. HQ. The team, and Gibbs, were in the middle of discussing their next move when Gibbs' 'borrowed' cell phone interrupted the meeting.

It had been Tony calling to let them know that their plane was just about to land at LAX. And so it was decided, that first, they would rendezvous with Tonys team at the airport, and then go from there.

"Alright, lets move." Callen said, turning and heading for the door to the stairs that would lead back downstairs to the lobby area.

Everyone else followed suit.

"Good luck," Hetty called after her NCIS team as they departed from the 'Tactical Room'--well all except for Nate Getz, the teams 'Operational Psychologist' who usually did stay behind when the team left to go out into the field on assignment.

"Guess its just you and me again, hunh Hetty?" Nate said, arching an eyebrow, playfully, at his 'boss'.

"Sorry, Mr. Getz," Hetty said, as she moved past him, heading for the stairs as well. "There are still those of us who, though we do not actively participate in the field work, nevertheless, have work to do." Hetty said, as she disappeared down the first few steps of the stairway.

Nate shrugged. "Guess its just me then." he said quietly, scratching a spot on the back of his head with one hand.








Elsewhere, at LAX Airport...

A plane had landed, and its passengers had already disembarked--heading for the usually busily packed (and somewhat cramped at times) terminal. As the newest wave of 'travelers' to come to California began to spread out as they made their way through the terminal--going their own separate ways at this point--two of these people stuck out, like sore thumbs (so-to-speak), in this particular crowd.

The dark-haired woman, called Alexi, and the thuggish-looking guy with the evil clown tattoo on his arm/shoulder, walked close together as they made their way through the terminal.

"I hate this place." Dominic spat, in a heavy Russian accent, from the corner of his mouth, as he surveyed the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people crowding through the super-busy airport terminal. "Filthy American Pigs-" he started to say.

"Patience, love." Alexi replied, without looking or stopping. "Very soon our plans will come to fruition--and then we will return to our Mother Russia." she told him, reassuringly. "And when we do--it will be to a hero's welcome." she reminded him. "Once we have secured my father's release." she added, in a low voice.

Dominic said something, in Russian, in a low voice to Alexi as they continued to walk. Alexi smiled, but did not look at Dominic and did not stop walking.

Then the dark-haired woman chanced to look out of a side-window as they passed by it. Out the window she could see three, familiar-looking people disembarking from a second plane that had just landed out on the tarmac outside the terminal.

"Dominic." Alexi spoke sternly (and somewhat coldly) as she stopped walking and stood still--looking out of the window at the three people now standing on the tarmac outside. "Its them. They have followed us here." she pointed out, motioning with her head towards the three unsuspecting people standing outside. "They could be trouble." she told her partner.

Dominic nodded at Alexi, knowingly. "Then we will just have to 'correct' the problem." he said, in a low, menacing voice as he stared out the window at the three people standing out on the tarmac.

"Yes, we will." Alexi agreed, looking up at Dominic with a crooked grin.

The pair then turned away, and began walking again towards the terminals' main exit.








Tony, Ziva, and McGee exited their plane and walked down the set of steps that had been attached to where the door/hatch was located. They each carried one piece of carry-on luggage in their hand(s).

"That's the last time I EVER fly coach." Tony remarked, as he and his team mates stepped off of the stairs and onto the tarmac.

Today was cloudy, overcast, not something that was all too common for most days in Los Angeles, California.

"I called Gibbs just before we landed." Tony told Ziva and McGee, as they stood on the tarmac waiting. "Should be here soon." he added, shifting his carry-on bag from one hand to the other.

McGee and Ziva nodded in unison.

"Good." McGee said. "Until then...I guess we wait, right?" he added, with a small grin.

"Sir?" came a voice from back up the stairs leading back into the plane.

All three of them turned and looked back up the stairs. One of the stewardesses was standing at doorway holding what appeared to be a 'Blackberry' in her hand.

"Does this belong to one of you?" she asked, politely, with a smile.

McGee checked his side-holster and his pockets, and then he looked back up at the stewardess kindly--a little embarrassment evident in the expression on his face.

"Yeah," he said. "Sorry--that's-that's actually mine." he said, quickly climbing the stairs to retrieve his blackberry.

"Thanks." he told the stewardess as he returned the electronic device back to its side-holster on his hip.

"You're welcome." she replied, and then turned to head back inside the plane.

Suddenly the sound of screeching tires echoed loudly across the tarmac. Everyone turned into the direction that the sound was coming from.

"Must be our ride." Tony commented, as they turned around.

They saw a black car speeding towards the 'locked' gate that separated the tarmac from the outside. It did not appear as though, whoever were driving the car, had any intention of slowing down any time soon.

Tony chuckled, nervously. "Gibbs must be driving." he reasoned, out loud.

The black car did not slow down, but within just mere seconds smashed through the 'locked' gate, and sped towards Tony, Ziva, and McGee.

"He...must be in a real hurry." McGee pointed out.

Then, without warning, the sun-roof on the black car opened up and a man, dressed in a black jumpsuit popped out holding a machine gun. He opened fire on the three unsuspecting NCIS Agents standing on the tarmac alone.

"Look out!" Tony shouted, at the sight of the machine gunner.

The three team mates rolled for cover behind the stairwell leading back up to the plane.

Bullets ricocheted off the staircase, and off of the outer hull of the plane (for the most part).

"I don't think that's Gibbs, guys!" McGee shouted over the noise.

"You think McGee!" Tony retorted.

McGee rolled his eyes at Tony.

Ziva wasted no time. She pulled her carry-on bag closer to where the three of them sat, and quickly unzipped it. She reached down inside the bag, searching for something, and then a few seconds later she withdrew her hands which each now held a small pistol.

"How did you-" Tony started to ask. He had had to leave his side-arm behind in D.C. and so had McGee, but here was Ziva carrying two side-arms in one bag.

"Face it, dear, Women are just more clever than Men." Ziva said, with a devilish-grin.

"But how-" he started to ask again.

"Take it." Ziva said, thrusting one of the small pistols into her husbands' hands.

Suddenly the car turned sharply, and screeched to a sudden halt. Then the windows rolled down, and two more gunners appeared (both wielding small side-arms). The driver's side door opened up, and another man in a black jumpsuit stepped out. He turned, pulled an Uzi form within his jumpsuit, and held it out in front of him so that he was using the top of the car for support and as a shield.

"What about me?" McGee asked, feeling a little bit left out.

"I've only got two," Ziva told him. "And besides, Tony's a better shot than you." she added.

McGee shrugged. "Well, yeah, I guess that makes sense." he said. "What 'should' I do then?" he asked.

"Call Gibbs." Tony told him, trying to look out from behind their 'shield' for a better look at the bad guys. He pulled back just in time to narrowly missed being pegged by an incoming round. "Tell him we need back-up. Now!"

"Right." McGee replied., pulling out his Blackberry once more.

Tony and Ziva tried to fire off a few shots of their own at their attackers, but with very little luck.

"Yeah, Boss," McGee said into his cell phone as soon as Gibbs answered. "Yeah, we've kind of run into a little trouble." he explained, just as a bullet ricocheted off the underside of the plane and nearly hit him where he crouched. "And please hurry." he added, his heart now beating wildly.







Gibbs hung up his cell phone, as he threw the car that he was driving into a wild turn around a corner. In the passenger seat sat Kensi Blye, only riding with Gibbs, because Callen had asked her too.

"Where are we going!?" Kensi asked, bracing herself against the dash as Gibbs sent the car that they were in careening around another corner.

"We're taking a short cut." he said, as he finally pulled into an alleyway that ran parallel to the airport.

A few minutes later they emerged from the alleyway, with Callen and Sam in the other car behind them playing catch-up the entire time, and could see the tarmac just ahead of them in the distance.

Gibbs put the accelerator down to the floor as far as it would go.

"Is that-?" Kensi started to ask, seeing the black car and the gunmen out on the tarmac.

"Hang on!" Gibbs said moments later as they sped through the already smashed open gate towards the black car sitting on the tarmac.

"What are you-" Kensi started to ask. Then she realized what he was going to do. "You're gonna ram'em!?" she realized.

"That's the idea." he said, grunting as he punched the cruise control switch on the side of the steering wheel.

The Russian guy, in the jumpsuit, that was standing in the doorway of the driver's side of the black car, heard the other car fast approaching and spun around to face it. He immediately began shooting at Gibbs and Kensi with his Uzi as they continued their approach.

Bullets penetrated the car's metal exterior as the car closed in on its target.

"Get Down!" Gibbs shouted at the last minute.

Gibbs let go of the wheel at the last moment, unlatched his own seat-belt, stretched across the tiny aisle between the seats, and grabbed Kensi. He pulled her over, and covered her with the top part of his body being used as a shield.

Their car smashed directly into the side of the black car. The guy with the Uzi was effectively mowed down in the process as well.

The impact shook the members of both cars entourage badly. The machine gunner still sticking up out of the sun roof was dazed, and it took him a moment to recover his balance.

Gibbs pulled himself from the NCIS car with his 'new' gun already in his hands. "Stay down." he told Kensi as he pulled himself free.

The machine gunner spun himself around towards Gibbs, just as Callen and Sam were pulling up in their car. But before the gunner could properly aim his weapon, Gibbs plugged him in the chest with two shots--dropping him out of the 'game'.

The car doors on the other side opened up, and three more guys filed out of the car--one of the guys was Dominic.

Gibbs didn't see them in time, and one of the guys (pointing his weapon across the trunk end of the badly damaged black car) squeezed off a round in Gibbs' direction.

Kensi who had never really been all that great at following orders from guys, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Gibbs," she cried out, moving towards him.

Gibbs spun to see the guy aiming his gun at him, but it was too late. He had already discharged his weapon.

"Look out!" Kensi leaped in front of Gibbs, and the shot buried itself in her right shoulder--and the impact knocked her to the side, sending her own weapon sliding a few feet away across the tarmac.

"Kensi!" Callen and Sam said in unison as they leaped out of the car that they had been driving.

Sam raised his side-arm, pulled off one shot, and nailed the other guy in the chest--dropping another bad guy out of the 'game'.

Callen dashed over to Kensi's side, and knelt down beside her to tend to her.

"Gibbs," she gasped, without thinking, while clutching at her wounded, bloody shoulder.

"He's fine." Callen reassured her.

Gibbs bolted forward, ahead of Sam, and slid across the trunk space of the black car. He reached the other side, and as his feet hit the ground, he tucked into a roll, came up a few seconds later, and pulled off another shot at one of the bad guys trying to advance on the position that Tony, Ziva, and McGee were currently holding down.

The bad guy dropped to the tarmac.

At seeing this, the final bad guy spun around and tried to make a break for it--tried to escape.

Tony caught a glimpse of the bad guys arm/shoulder as he was trying to run away. Tony saw his tattoo, and immediately, without thinking about it at all, bolted out from under the safety of the airplane's stairwell.

"Hey!" He shouted at the guy as he chased after him.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted after the younger NCIS Special Agent.

Tony closed in, Dominic spun around and tried to fire off a few rounds at Tony; but Tony was too quick and dodged/rolled out of the line of fire.

When Tony came up, he grabbed the bad guys gun hand and forced it up into his face--with a loud Thwack sound resulting from the action.

He dropped his weapon, grasping at his face. "That's for Talia!" Tony spat angrily at the guy.

Then, Tony slammed a knee into the the guys' gut...hard. "That, was for Gena!"

Next, Dominic tried to defend himself against Tony's attacks; but Tony brushed them aside, with a little force, and then slammed a hard, right hook into the side of the guys' face--effectively rendering the bad guy unconscious on the spot.

Tony stood over Dominic breathing heavily. "And that...that was for pissing me off." Tony panted, sucking in a deep breath of fresh air.







Meanwhile...

In the LAX airport parking lot, a yellow taxi cab pulled up to the front curb. The dark-haired woman, Alexi, reached out, opened the back door, and slid inside the taxi. She closed the door behind her, as she muttered something in Russian to the driver.

The taxi cab pulled away, unnoticed by anyone of importance, and headed out and away from the LAX airport--bound for an unknown location somewhere in the city beyond.







Later, Back At The NCIS: L.A. HQ...

A medic was finishing up dressing Kensi's wound in a room in the back of the HQ building. Elsewhere Sam and Callen had escorted their 'prisoner' captured by Tony DiNozzo, down to their special interrogation room.

"Their." the medic said, pulling back to admire his handy work. "You sure I can't convince you to come back to the hospital--just to be safe?"

Kensi growled, as she reached up and touched the still tender GSW in her right shoulder.

"I told you," she said, insistently. "I'm fine."

"Alright." the medic replied. "Suit yourself. Just remember that wound needs to be cleaned and redressed every 12 hours--for the next three days at least." he told her.

"I know, I know." she groaned, still poking at the wound. "Now go. Get." she said, making a shooing motion with her hand.

The medic raised his hands in front of him(self) in defeat, and slowly retreated from the room. As he was leaving, Gibbs passed by him going into the room.

Gibbs smiled, and waved thanks to the medic just before closing and locking the door behind him.

"Come to-" Kensi started to say.

Gibbs spun around, anger showing on/in his face.

"Just what the hell were you thinking!?" he demanded, furiously.

"Gee," Kensi said smartly. "How about--thanks for saving my life Kensi, or-"

"You could have been killed." he broke into her sentence, not letting her finish the thought.

Kensi rolled her eyes.

"You'd probably be in worse shape, if I hadn't intervened." she pointed out.

"If you hadn't intervened," Gibbs countered. "You wouldn't have a hole in your shoulder right now."

"Excuse me for trying to be a good Samaritan."

If she could cross her arms without feeling any pain, right now, she probably would; but as things currently were--she could not.

"I gave you a direct order!" Gibbs snapped at her, his face getting redder and redder with each word. "A DIRECT ORDER!" he repeated the words.

"Your point." Kensi said, jumping to her feet.

"If I give you a direct order, Damn it, you follow it!" he barked angrily at her.

"I don't take orders form anyone," she shouted back. "Especially not from you. You're not my 'boss' or my father!" she added.

Gibbs stepped towards her daring her to continue, as he narrowed his eyes into the infamous 'Gibbs Stare'.

"Oh, that's original," she said, rolling her eyes angrily. "That's new." she added. "It doesn't work on me, Jethro, and you damn well know that!" she snapped at the silver-haired man.

"And you know what, I think I know why you SUCK so bad at relationships--and why so many people have such a problem with you!" she snapped. "Because you're such an over-bearing, short-tempered, hard-ass!"

Gibbs flinched, but only slightly so.

"Oh, look who's talking." Gibbs countered, laughing in a mocking tone at Kensi. "All this 'tough-talk' coming from the woman who prances around like some-kind of...of 'street whore'!" he yelled angrily back at her.

Kensi seized the next opportunity and rounded on Gibbs just as hard/harshly.

"Oh yeah," she countered, trying to match his tone. "Well, if you weren't so incapable of 'Love', maybe you'd have had a relationship that didn't fail. Hmm, ever thought of that?" she pressed on further. "Oh, yeah, there WAS Shannon--the 'Love-Of-Your-Life'--but you know what I think...I think if she and Kelly hadn't died. It would have only been a matter of time before SHE left you too." Kensi spat out angrily at Gibbs.

Then she started to wish that she hadn't gone that far. There was a long silence that passed between the two of them.

"Gibbs," she tried to speak up, to apologize.

"No." he said, raising a hand up between himself and her.

She saw the tear(s) rolling down his cheeks now, and it broke her heart as soon as she saw them.

"You know," he said, not turning to face her but reaching for the door. "I think you're father made the right call." Gibbs said, as he snatched open the door and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him.

As soon as the words rolled over his lips, he immediately wished that he had not even stepped into 'this/the' room.

Tears stung Kensi's eyes now, and began rolling unhindered down her cheeks, as she sank down to the floor.

"You...cold-hearted bastard," she sobbed, as she hit the floor.

Gibbs stopped just outside the now closed door, and waited. His heart ached to just turn around, run back inside the room, pull Kensi into his arms and apologize for all the nasty things that he had said.

But then a part of him felt like it just wouldn't make any difference whether he apologized or not--at this point anyway.







Downstairs, In Interrogation...

Callen, Sam, and Tony all three stood in the interrogation room which was actually one floor below where Gibbs and Kensi had just had their explosive argument just moments before.

The three of them had stopped what they were doing and had been staring up at the ceiling on account of the fact that they could hear every word that was said between Gibbs and Kensi.

"I'd say there's definitely something going on between those two." Sam remarked.

"No kidding." Tony agreed.

"Yeah," Callen said, swallowing a lump. "Remind me to never get on HIS bad-side."

"You and me both." Sam said, shaking his head lightly. "Although, Kensi's is pretty bad too."

Callen nodded in agreement with Sam.









Elsewhere, Across Town...

"Ashenko!?" the burly man said in surprise as Alexi entered the room.

Eric now looked much worse than he had before.

"My lady," the burly man greeted Alexi, with a slight bow/tip of his head in her direction. "We have tried, but still he resists." he told Alexi. "He refuses to talk."

Alexi waved her hand dismissively at the burly man, as she pushed past him.

The burly man's partner had left some time before, and had gone off to who knows where.

"No matter," she said, calmly, as she approached the place where Eric sat tied to the chair. "He does not have to talk." she explained.

"But Ashenko-" the burly man started to protest.

"No." she replied sternly, cutting him off mid-sentence. She knelt down close to Eric's face.

"Because you are going to help us get what we want, another way." she said softly to Eric. "Isn't that right?"

Eric curled his lip back, and spat in her face.

"Impudent Dog!" the burly man spat, moving forward with his fist raised high.

"NO." Ashenko said, standing up, and holding up a hand to stop the burly man in his tracks. She raised a sleeve, and wiped Eric's spit from her face. "Leave him be." she instructed the burly man.

Alexi reached into a bag that she was carrying and pulled out a walkie talkie/cell phone.

"You will listen, and listen closely," she said, stooping over close to Eric's face once again. "You will help us break into NCIS HQ, and you will obtain information pertaining to the whereabouts of my father--Anatolli Alexandrov." she told Eric. "Or someone you care about--will die today." she added, cruelly, with an evil smirk.

"No," Eric replied, panting heavily. "I'll never help...you...ever."

"Aww, too bad," Alexi said in a mocking tone, clicking her tongue against her teeth as she did so. "I was so hoping you would not force my hand," she said, as she speed dialed a phone number from the cell phone/walkie talkie that she was holding in her hand.

"You can do...whatever...you want with me," Eric panted, looking up into Alexi's eyes. "But I will never-"

Alexi laid a finger against Erics lips to silence him. Huussshh," she crooned. "It is not what I am going to do to you," she told him, as she held the cell phone/walkie talkie up so that Eric would hear.

Alexi snapped her fingers, and the burly man handed her a second cell phone/walkie talkie. "Petri is in position, my lady." the burly man told her, as he handed her the device.

She held the device up to her own lips. "Make ready." she told the other man on the other end of the line.

"Yes, my lady." the other man replied.

Just then a female voice came over the other phone, and Eric was startled to hear this particular voice.

"Abby?" he said into the phone, unsure of himself at first.

"I'm sorry who is-" she stopped short. There was a brief silence. "Eric?" she said, surprised. "How are--where are-"

"Silence!" Alexi said, very audibly.

Abby went silent at once.

"You had your chance," Alexi told Eric. "No this--her death, is on your hands--and yours alone." she said in a cold, cruel voice.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked, panic creeping into his thoughts. "What are you gonna do?"

"Eric," Abby said over the first phone line. "What's going on. Where are you?"

Eric could see the evil gleam in Alexi's eyes, and it really scared him.

"No," Eric pleaded with Alexi, but she was no longer listening.

"Petri," she said into the second phone/walkie talkie device. "Do you have the shot?" she asked him.

"I do." the second man replied, over the phone line.

"No." Eric nearly shouted, shaking his head, pleading one last time with Alexi.

"Take it." Alexi said at once, absolutely no remorse or hesitation evident anywhere in her voice in that moment.

"Please. No, No--Abby get out of there!" he shouted into the first phone loudly.

There came a loud bang (echo) that made Eric jump in the seat that he was currently tied down to. And the phone line went dead instantly, after that.

"No. NO!" he shouted, trying desperately to free himself of his bonds, but to no avail. "Abby..." he sobbed into his own chest. Tears now running down his already blood-stained cheeks.

Alexi stooped over, and brought her face right down next to Erics face.

"You can still save your son," Alexi told him, softly. "And all I will require is your...cooperation in finding my father." she whispered.

Eric was silent except for the sound of his sobbing for a short period of time, but then he finally spoke up, without lifting his head or looking at Alexi.

"Fine," he groaned, out of agony. "FINE. You win." he told her. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, just--please--spare my son."

"Thank you." she whispered to him. "And your request...has been granted. Because I am--gracious--am I not?"

Eric nodded.







Back At NCIS: L.A. HQ...

The team was currently engaged, in the 'Tactical Room' discussing every possible lead and clue that they currently had at their disposal.

Kensi finally decided to join everyone else in the 'Tactical Room' a few minutes later. As she entered the room she caught a glimpse of Gibbs staring at her, but when she looked back to see if maybe she was just imagining the whole thing--he had turned away, and was looking back at some maps and stuff laying out on the center table (thing).

She couldn't help but notice, in that split second that she had caught him looking at her, that the look in his eyes had been a 'hurt' one. But then she shook that feeling away, and joined in with the discussion as best as she could.

The teams' LAPD liaison officer, Marty Deeks, had also been invited to join in the fun as well. He noticed that Kensi looked a little down, and possibly a little hurt. He approached her, and placed his hands on her shoulders (gently) and began massaging them carefully. Deeks bent his head down low, and whispered into her ear.

"Something's troubling you." he said softly.

"No, no--I'm fine." she insisted, quietly.

"No, you're not." he replied. "You can't lie to me. Come on, talk to me Kens." he pressed her.

Suddenly Kensi got a chill that ran down the length of her spine. The last person, and really the only person, that she had ever really let touch her this way was...

She quickly pulled away from Deeks' grip/touch.

"What?" he asked. "What'd I do?"

"N-Nothing." Kensi stammered. "Its not you--Deeks--its me. Its always...me." she said quietly, shrugging away from the group a little bit.

Just then a cell phone, from within the group, was heard ringing throughout the 'Tactical Room'. Gibbs finally reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, and after a second or two answered it.

"Abs," he said into the receiver.

"Gibbs!" Abby blurted out, in a scared and panicked voice, over the phone. "Gibbs, you have to help me. You have to-"

"Abby," Gibbs said, turning away from the group so that he could hear better. "Abby, are you alright?" he asked, while plugging up his open ear with a finger.

"NO!" she nearly shouted back at him. "There's someone out there, Gibbs!" she exclaimed, panic still in her voice. "There's someone out there, and they're--they're shooting at me!" she cried into the phone. "I-I can't even get to D.J.'s room--I'm so scared. Gibbs please, you have to help me." she pleaded, through her fright and tears.

"Stay where you are." he told her. "I'm on my way." then he hung up his phone.

"What's wrong?" Hetty asked, from her spot over in the far corner of the room. "Has something happened to our Abigail?" she asked.

The entire room suddenly fell silent around Gibbs and Hetty.

"They've had someone watching Kensi's place," Gibbs explained. "And now they're firing through windows AT Abby." he said, as he headed for the stairs.

Hetty looked around the room at her team, expectantly. "Well, don't just stand there staring," she said, waving towards the door. "Go!" he commanded them.








A While Later...

Both teams arrived at Kensi's place, and quickly began clearing the entire premises. Sam finally re-entered the place through the back door.

Sam held out his hand to Gibbs and the others.

"Whoever he was," Sam pointed out. "He forgot to police his brass."

"Maybe we can get some prints off of those shell casings." McGee suggested, as he whipped an evidence bag out of his coat pocket.

Sam dropped the two or three shell casings into the bag, and then McGee sealed the bag up and stuffed it into his coat pocket once more.

Abby was holding D.J. in her arms, not wanting to let go of him, for fear that if she did something horrible might happen to her precious little angel.

"You're okay Abs," Gibbs reassured her, quietly. "You both are." he added.

"No, no I'm not Gibbs. No I'm--er--WE are not okay." she protested. "As long as those--those psychos are still out there. We'll never be okay, again." she told him, her voice cracking up the entire time.

"We won't let them get you--either of you." Kensi said, quietly, sitting down on the sofa on the other side of Abby. "And we will find Eric--that's a promise."

Abby suddenly noticed Kensi's shoulder wound through an opening in the sweater she was currently wearing.

"Kensi, what happened?" she asked.

"I-I took a bullet." Kensi replied, softly.

"Took a bullet--for who?" Abby asked.

Kensi shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about it right now." she replied, quietly, looking away from Abby when she noticed that Gibbs was half-staring at her again.

"Abs," Gibbs said finally, looking back to Abby from Kensi. "What exactly happened here?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," Abby began. "I answered the phone, and it was Eric--he was-he was talking to some other, Russian, woman I think." Abby tried her best to explain the events that had occurred earlier.

"There was shouting, and then Eric screamed 'Abby, get out of there!'," Abby continued to try to explain. "That's--that's when I saw the 'red-light' on my chest. I jumped out of the way as quickly as I could, and then..." her voice trailed off at that point.

"Its okay," Gibbs said, placing a gentle kiss against Abby's temple. "You'll be staying with Tony and Callen tonight." he told her. "Both you and D.J." he added. "You'll be completely safe. I promise."

Abby just nodded, still holding little D.J. in her arms.

A little while later Abby and D.J. had been loaded up into Callen's car, and was about to be escorted back to Callen's place for the night--with Tony also in tow.

The others stood in a circle outside Kensi's place, in the drive-way, talking amongst each other.

"This is all my fault." Kensi said finally, in a quiet voice.

"No," Sam replied. "Don't think like that." he added.

"But its true," Kensi insisted, quietly. "She wanted to stay here, so she wouldn't be in the way--and I just left her here unprotected."

Gibbs spoke up next. "Kens-" he started to say.

"Don't--Don't call me that." she said, turning away from him. "Please. Don't call me that."

"Its not your fault," Gibbs told her softly. "And look, about the damages to your place. I can patch those up before I leave, if you'd like." he told her.

Kensi shook her head at Gibbs' polite and sweet offer. "No," she said softly. "Its okay. You don't have to do that."

"I wish we knew what number that call came from earlier." McGee chimed in, changing the subject.

"Well," Sam spoke up. "Our shooter may have forgotten to police his brass, but he sure as hell made sure that that cell phone could not help us any." he pointed out.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You know what we should do?" Ziva spoke up. "I know it is getting late," she commented. "But we could take another 'crack' at our prisoner back at HQ." she said.

"That we could." Sam agreed. "That we could."

"Yeah," McGee chimed in. "Maybe we can get something useful out of him that will help us find Eric, and possibly end this whole thing once and for all."

"Then its settled." Gibbs said. "We'll go back to the office, and spend a few more hours with our 'friend'."










--Chapter Nine--

The team members that had stayed behind at the office to interrogate the Dominic guy were exhausted by now. They had tried everything they could think of to get him to talk, but nothing seemed to work.

Just then there was a short rapping on the door just outside of the 'Tactical Room'.

"Who is-" McGee said, looking up from where he was sitting at Eric's computer station towards the doorway. "You." McGee groaned miserably when he saw who standing there.

"Who is it McGee?" Gibbs said, lifting his weary head up off of the center table to look. "Trent Kort." Gibbs mumbled under his breath, at the sight of the CIA agent standing the doorway.

"Indeed." Kort replied, straightening up his coat. "As I understand it, NCIS is investigating a case directly linked to one 'Anatolli Alexandrov'." he said.

"So what if we are?" Sam asked, from across the room.

"Well," Kort said, with a smirk. "Then I'm here to shut you down--effective immediately." he told them.

Gibbs stood up, and walked towards Trent Kort. "Listen Kort, if you leave now--it'll be a peaceful retreat." Gibbs told him. "If not--well I don't think I have to say anymore...do I?"

"How many people know you're still alive when your supposed to be dead, Gibbs?" Kort asked, with a smug grin spread across his face.

"Last warning Kort." Gibbs growled in a low voice. "Leave."

"Alright, Alright." Kort said, raising his hands in defeat, as he backed away from Gibbs--albeit slowly. "You win--I'll leave." he said, still backing away. "Oh, just one more thing before I do, though." Kort said, stopping in his tracks. He reached a hand into his left-side coat pocket and pulled out a small, black cell phone. He then tossed the small, black cell phone to Gibbs.

"What's this?" Gibbs asked.

"A gift." Kort said, with a wink. "You know, should you find yourselves, 'In over your head(s)' as it were." he told them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off."

And with that Trent Kort retreated back out the way that he had come from, and disappeared down the stairs leading back down into the lobby area.








Outside...

In the parking lot area just outside of the NCIS: L.A. HQ office building, Trent Kort walked down the sidewalk towards the Prius he had rented upon arrival in L.A.

He pulled out his own cell phone, flipped it open, and dialed a number into it. He waited a moment until he heard a husky voice answer on the other end of the line.

"Yes?" the husky voice answered on the other end.

"Its done." Kort said, into the phone. "No. They don't suspect a thing."

"Good." the husky voice replied. "Ashenko will be pleased."

"Didn't I tell you she would?"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Kort added, a moment or so later. "Phase two is set to begin. Oh when? Well, now actually."

He approached his car finally, and pulled out the car keys. He pressed the 'Auto-Unlock' button on the key chain, and the car unlocked itself.

"Just tell them to be ready." Kort said, into his phone.

He reached out and pulled open the car door, and then slid inside--closing the door behind him(self).

"Oh, hello Love." Kort said, looking over at the woman sitting, tied up, in the passenger's seat. "Believe you me," he told her. "This is nothing personal--just good business you see." he explained, with a crooked grin.

She struggled against her bonds angrily, but to no avail.

"Its useless to struggle my dear," Kort said, with a slight chuckle, as he dialed a new number into his cell phone. "I promise this will all be over soon."








Inside The Tactical Room...

The sound of a cell phone ringing echoed through the 'Tactical Room', and snapped everyone in the room out whatever daze they might be in at the moment.

"What now?" Ziva grunted, rubbing her eyes, wearily.

Sam yawned, as he sat up where he was sitting. "Sounds like Kensi's cell phone." Sam pointed out, between yawns.

"Kensi's downstairs," McGee pointed out. "That sounds like its coming from..."

Gibbs looked across the center table at the small, black cell phone laying on the other side of the table. It was vibrating in place, and the Caller ID screen was lit up.

Gibbs picked it up, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Gibbs," the voice on the other side said. "I was hoping it would be you who answered."

"Kort. How did you get this number?" Gibbs asked. "And why did you have THIS cell phone?" he added.

Kort chuckled. "Why Gibbs, it was a gift from Special Agent Blye." he told Gibbs smugly.

"What are you getting at Kort?" Gibbs asked, his voice betraying the fact that he was getting really irritated now.

"Hmm, what's that love? Oh, you wanna say hi to Gibbs too?" Kort seemed to be talking to someone else.

"Kort, who are you-"

"Alright, here ya go." Kort said to the other person.

All Gibbs heard over the phone line, for a brief period, was a muffled cry and a groan--but it was one that he recognized.

"Kensi-" he said.

"That's right Gibbsy," Kort chuckled. "Catch me if you can." he taunted Gibbs. Then he hung up.

"Kort." Gibbs said into the phone. "Kort!" Still no answer.

Gibbs bolted for the stairs, reaching the first step, and then looking down into the lobby area where Kensi had been slumbering peacefully on the sofa just over an hour ago at the very least.

"Damn it!" Gibbs swore under his breath. "He took her." he said, as he bolted down the stairs.

Sam was right behind Gibbs, and McGee and Ziva were right behind Sam.

"Who?" Sam asked, as he followed Gibbs down the stairs.

"Kort." Gibbs replied.

"That lousy son-of-a-bitch." Sam swore. "Its on."

"Like Donkey Kong." Gibbs muttered, as he bolted out the front door.









The next thing that any of them knew they were involved in a three car high-speed chase through the busy streets of Los Angeles, California. Gibbs was swerving in and out of the lanes of traffic, trying his best to keep his eyes on the Prius that Kort was currently driving.

"There he is right there!" Sam said, pointing out Kort's car just two lanes over, for Gibbs (who was driving by the way).

Sam also held his own cell phone up to his ear. As they had left the office building Sam had gotten on the horn, and called Callen and Tony in for Back-up--as well as some LAPD back-up too.

"Where are you G.?" he said into the phone, his eyes darting through lane after lane of traffic. "I don't see you."

"Right behind you, Sam." Callen replied, over the phone line.

"Where, I don't see you?"

"We had to take a short cut to catch up with you guys." Callen told Sam, as he down-shifted in order to weave gracefully through another clogged section of cars/traffic.

"Okay, I see you." Sam said finally, spotting Callen's car in the side-view mirror.

In the back seat McGee also was talking into his cell phone as well.

"Kort's getting away Deeks," McGee said into his cell phone. "Where's that back-up you promised us?"

"Um, yeah about that-" Deeks said over the phone line. "I couldn't round up any of the boys at the last minute," Deeks explained. "But you got me. That's gotta count for something right?"

McGee groaned.

"Can you see Kort?" Sam asked Callen."

"No, wait-Yeah I see'em." he replied, the sound of a car swerving through traffic echoing over the phone line.

"Good." Sam said. "We need to keep eyes on him at all times, or else will lose him in this traffic."

"Deeks," McGee said, sounding a little frustrated, over the phone. "Where are you?" he asked.

"Relax Timmy," Deeks said, with a chuckle. "You said you needed to clear traffic, right?"

"Yeah." McGee replied.

"Well, I'm looking right at you guys." he told McGee.

"What the hell does that mean?" McGee asked, looking around outside the moving vehicle.

"Just tell everyone to watch for the ambulance, and then follow it as soon as they see it, alright."

"Kay." McGee replied, somewhat confused by what Deeks was talking about.

"Damn!" Callen swore over the phone. "He's taking the next exit."

"We see him." Sam replied.

Sam looked over at Gibbs. "We need to get over." he told Gibbs.

"I know." Gibbs replied.

"Guys," McGee spoke up from the back seat. "Deeks says we should follow the ambulance." he repeated Deeks' words--even though he knew that they sounded crazy.

"What!?" Callen asked, sounding somewhat confused and maybe even a little bit worried too.

Trent Kort answered his cell phone now as well. "Yes, they've taken the bait. They're following me as we speak. You may proceed with phase 2 immediately." he said into his cell phone, just before he hung up again.

Suddenly from out of nowhere a big white ambulance shot out across several lanes of traffic until it was right in front of the other cars. Deeks had the ambulance's siren blaring full blast, and several key lanes of traffic parted ways to make room for the emergency vehicle to pass through.

"Is that Deeks?" Callen asked, after he spotted the ambulance.

"I think it is G." Sam replied, into his cell phone.

"Okay, just wondering." Callen replied.

"So what now?" Sam asked Gibbs.

"You heard the man," Gibbs replied, shifting gears. "We follow the ambulance."

Gibbs floored the accelerator and followed the ambulance closely, as did Callen as well. They followed it until they reached the same exit where Kort had turned onto just moments before.

"Okay guys, I think this is your stop." Deeks said over McGee's cell phone. "Go for it." he said, and then he watched as Gibbs and Callen shot their vehicles across three more lanes of traffic just to make the exit on time.

Gibbs and Callen floored their accelerator's down the new road following Kort's dust until they emerged onto a strip that ran parallel to the water/coastline.

"Where the hell's he taking us?" Tony asked Callen.

Callen did not say anything at first, but then he saw a landmark that gave him an idea. "I think I might know." Callen said at last.

"Sam, you still there?" Callen said into his cell phone.

"Yeah, I read ya G." Sam replied. "Whatcha got?"

"I think I know where he's leading us." Callen said.

"Where?" Gibbs asked at once.

"Alright, right here. Follow me." Callen instructed waiting until just the right moment.

"Hang on." Callen said, looking over at Tony, with a small grin.

"Okay. Not sure I like where this is-" Tony wasn't able to finish his sentence because at that point he was too busy hanging on for dear life, as Callen turned off of the road and went barreling down a short hill.

A second or two later, Gibbs spun his vehicle off of the road, and followed Callen down the short hill.

The two cars re-emerged onto another small road, just as a familiar black Prius sped past them--nearly avoiding a disastrous three-car collision.

"There you are--ya sneaky son-of-a-bitch." Callen swore, as he swerved his car back onto the small road and floored the accelerator in order to keep up with Trent Kort.

Gibbs wasn't far behind Callen as the chase began to re-reach its full blown intensity from before--once again.

Callen's phone rang.

"Sam," Callen said into his cell phone. "I've got an incoming call--I'll call ya back."

Callen hung up on Sam, and then pressed the 'Receive' button again.

"Agent Callen." Kort sneered over the phone. "Know where were going yet?"

"I have a pretty good idea." Callen replied, shifting gears once again.

"Good." Kort said. "Then this'll be fun." and then he hung up on Callen again.

Callen's phone rang.

"Sam," Callen said, answering his phone again.

"G.," Sam said. "He's taking us to the old harbor isn't he?"

"Looks that way." Callen replied.

They finally reached the old freight harbor a few minutes later. They turned one last corner around a tall grove of trees--and then there it was.

Kort's car pulled in, stopped abruptly, jumped out, and then pulled Kensi out of the passenger's side of the car.

He pulled her towards the gang plank of a huge, decommissioned cargo ship.








Back At NCIS: L.A. HQ...

The small black cell phone had been left laying on the center table in the 'Tactical Room' when everyone had taken off after Trent Kort.

Suddenly the Caller ID screen lit up with a bright light, and then the words 'Signal Transmitting' appeared to flash across the tiny screen.







Gibbs and Callen pulled their cars up next to Kort's and then jumped out quickly. Everyone had their weapons pulled and ready for action.

"Kort!" Gibbs shouted, as the team moved up the gang plank.

"Up here!" Trent Kort called back from somewhere up on the huge cargo ship.

"If you think we're gonna let you leave here alive," Tony called out, shooting a look at his wife. "Then you've seriously miscalculated pal."

"Have I now, DiNozzo!?" Kort called back, with a snooty chuckle.

"Kort!" Gibbs called out, as they edged up the gang plank. "You don't need her. Let Agent Blye go."

"Sorry Gibbs," Kort called back. "I can't do that and you know it."

"Why's that!?" Sam called out.

"Because," Kort replied. "I don't like Gibbs--and this, well, this is sort of my revenge you see." he explained.

"What's Kensi got to do with you getting revenge against Gibbs!?" Callen asked.

"You mean they don't know, Gibbs?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes.

Kort chuckled. "She means something to him," Kort explained. "And killing her, will do far worse to him than I could ever do."

Everyone exchanged confused glances, and then they all looked at Gibbs.

Gibbs' eyes were red and moist with emotion.

Kensi struggled against Kort's grip high up on the cargo ship where they were hiding from the others. She did finally manage to loosen up her gag enough, that it fell loose around her head.

"You're wrong Kort." She spat. "Gibbs and I are nothing."

Kort chuckled. "We'll see, love. We'll see."

Back on the gang plank. The two teams finally boarded the huge cargo ship and began their search.

"You're right Kort," Gibbs called out. "She does mean something to me." he agreed.

Kensi could not believe what she was hearing. She had been so sure that what she thought he would say was the truth that she had not expected this.

"She's everything." he admitted.

"See, I knew I was right about you two." Kort chuckled arrogantly.

Then there was the sound of a gun priming, and then he put the gun to Kensi's head.

"Gibbs!" She screamed as she felt the muzzle of the gun pressed against the side of her head.

"KORT!" Gibbs yelled out. "Let her go, or so help me-"

"You'll what!?" Kort challenged.

Gibbs looked across the way at Callen and Sam, and pointed out directions with his hands using military signals.

Gibbs turned a corner, a few minutes later, around a stack of old shipping crates, and found himself face-to-face with Trent Kort.

"Ah, Jethro Gibbs." Kort sneered.

"Let her go." Gibbs growled in a low voice.

"Nope. Nothin' doin'." Kort replied, pressing the muzzle of his gun to her head.

"Now, drop your weapon Gibbs," Kort said slowly. "And back away. Now."

"Gibbs," Kensi spoke up. "Don't do it. Just shoot him."

"I can't do that Kens-" Gibbs told her. "I might hit you if I do."

"Gibbs, if you really meant all those things you said--you'll do this for me--please, kill him." she begged Gibbs, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"I did mean all those things," Gibbs assured her. "That's why I can't take the shot. I'm sorry."

Gibbs slowly un-tensed his whole body. Then he let the gun fall to the ground.

Kensi closed her eyes, tight, and waited for Kort to pull the trigger and finish her off once and for all.

But just then a small grin began to play at the corners' of Gibbs' lips.

"What's so funny?" Kort demanded.

"Up." Was all Gibbs said.

"Hunh?" Kort was confused, but then he heard a sound, and it made him look up.

"Surprise." Sam said, jumping down off of a stack of old shipping crates.

Sam drug Kort to the ground, and Kensi escaped unscathed.

Gibbs immediately leaped towards Kensi and pulled her out of the way.

Kort and Sam wrestled around on the deck for a few seconds, but the Kort got in a lucky shot; and was able to pull himself free, grab a gun, and make a hasty retreat.

He began to weave his way through the maze of shipping crates headed towards the opposite end of the cargo ship.

Soon he reached a clearing, and saw what he thought was his ticket to freedom. At the back end of the decommissioned old cargo ship, was one (still intact) life boat. He started to bolt for it, but Ziva stepped out of nowhere and blocked his escape.

The two of them had their guns pointed directly at each other at this point.

Kort chuckled. "I do hope you've enjoyed what little time you and DiNozzo have had together." Kort sneered. "Cause its about to end." he added, priming his weapon on the spot.

But just then he felt a cold, steel muzzle pressed against the side of his head, and he froze to the spot.

"Well Trent," Tony chuckled. "Let's see--you've tried to kill my boss, you tried to kill the woman who might be his secret girlfriend, and now you've threatened my wife...there's three things you just don't do in my book." Tony told him.

"You're pathetic, you know that." Kort spat in Tony's direction. "And so is she-"

At that moment Tony squeezed the trigger, and Trent Kort fell flat to the deck of the cargo ship 100% dead-on-impact.

"You were saying?" Tony stood over Trent Kort's lifeless body, and picked up the dead man's gun.

Tony noticed that Ziva was staring at him. "What? He had it coming." Tony said, defending himself.











--Chapter Ten--

"Whoo Hoo!" Deeks cried out as he danced his way into the lobby area of the NCIS: L.A. HQ building. "That was fun."

"Deeks," Callen said, walking past him. "Give it a rest, alright."

"Geez, alright." Deeks said, settling down. "Kill joy."

Sam stifled a chuckle, but he was with Callen on this one--he was tired too.

Hetty just happened to be waiting for them when they came in.

"I was up late, and I just happened to catch the late evening news." she said. "I'm listening."

Gibbs came through the door next carrying an exhausted Kensi Blye in his arms. Tony, Ziva, and McGee were right behind them.

Gibbs laid Kensi down on the small sofa, gently, so as not to disturb her too much.

He gently placed a kiss on her forehead, before moving away from her. She stirred from her slumber a little bit, but then, just as quickly, fell back into dream land.

Callen and Sam explained the whole thing to Hetty in just a matter of minutes.

"I see." she said finally. "Can anyone explain to me why a CIA Agent was involved in all of this?"

"For that, will probably need a little more time." Callen replied.

"I'm gonna go upstairs, and get back to running down leads." McGee said, heading for the stairs.

"I'll be at my desk," Hetty told everyone. "No more 'adventures' unless they're approved by me." she added, as she walked away.

"Yes ma'am." they all said.









Later That Night...

It was 2:00 in the morning when Kensi roused up from her slumber on the sofa in the lobby area. Gibbs was sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa.

Nate and McGee had fallen asleep upstairs in the 'Tactical Room'; and Callen and Sam were slumbering in their own desks.

Even Hetty had, at some point, dozed off at her desk.

"Why are you the only one awake?" she asked, through a yawn.

"Wanted to make sure you were okay." he replied, quietly.

She blinked several times in his direction. "Well, as you can see, I'm fine." she told him, standing up from the sofa.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I need a shower." she replied, as she turned and began to walk away.

Gibbs sat still for a moment, but then he jumped up to his feet and followed after her.

"Kensi," he called in a low voice, as he followed behind her. "Kensi." he called again, a little bit louder this time.

Finally he ran a few steps towards her, and the reached out and grabbed her wrist. He spun her around to face him.

"What!?" she demanded.

But when their eyes met in that moment everything else faded away. Everything but the desire that now burned brightly in their eyes as they stared at each other there in the dim-light.

Kensi was the one who finally broke the silence, swallowing first before she actually spoke up.

"C-Come with me." she breathed. And she turned away pulling Gibbs along behind her as she walked as quickly as she could down the hallway.

Finally they came to a door at the end of the hallway, and she opened it up. They stepped inside, and then she closed and locked the door behind them.

As soon as they were inside, his hands were all over her. He ripped open her flannel, button-down shirt, and she gasped in surprise. He slid the shirt back over her arms and let it fall straight to the floor.

He seized her mouth with his own, and explored every inch of it--until that moment came where he didn't have a choice but to come up for air.

She grabbed at his t-shirt and struggled to pull it over his head, until he finally gave in and helped her. He tossed the dirty t-shirt over his head and let it hit the floor.

His bare, muscular chest was an awesome sight to her, and she had to blink several times at the sight of it.

They both kicked out of their shoes, and then Gibbs picked Kensi up in his arms and pushed her back towards the table in the center of the small room. He sat her down on the edge of the table, and began to undo her bra.

"Here, let me." she said finally, reaching back and making short work of the pesky little piece of material.

It took all of two seconds for Gibbs to get his hands on her supple breasts. By the time he had finished his work with them, she was gasping for air, and begging for release--threatening death for him if he did not comply with her demands.

He just chuckled in her ear, and then began trailing kisses up and down her neck line.

She reached out and began fidgeting with his pants. She managed to work the belt buckle loose, and unzip and unbutton his pants. "Off." she hissed in his ear.

He chuckled again. "Not yet, kitten." he whispered.

She was going to get what she wanted whether he liked it or not--she decided. She plunged her hand down into his jeans, down into his boxers, and finally found what she was looking for--though it was a pretty tight squeeze.

"Don't you even-" he threatened her.

She gripped his shaft in her hand, as he was beginning to nibble at her ear. He gasped for air as he felt her toying with his erection.

"Off. Now." she hissed again, threatening to continue her torturous counter-measures if he did not comply.

He groaned, but nodded, finally.

"The hell with it." he groaned, as he backed up and quickly rid himself of his jeans and boxers.

"Oh," she blinked several times at the sight of his erection as he stood before her.

"You're turn," he growled as he started toward(s) her again.

But then he did now give her enough time to comply. He rushed her, picked her up, and pushed her farther back on the table. Before she knew what was happening she was laying on her back, half-naked, in the center of the table. He pulled himself up onto the table, and hovered over her for a brief moment.

He reached down and grabbed the sides of her jeans, and with a forceful tug, managed to rip the button fly completely apart.

"Damn," she growled, as he ripped the pants away from her body, and tossed them to the floor. "First the shirt, and now the jeans." she swore. "You'll pay for that Gibbs." she warned.

"I think I can make it up to you," he chuckled in her ear, as he trailed more kissed down her neck line, and towards her breasts again.

"No," she whimpered, as he began to suckle her already tender nipples once again. "D-Damn you...G-Gibbs," she moaned, arching her body against his.

She felt his erection pressed against the silk of her panties, and it drove her mad. So close--yet so far.

"Gibbs, please." she swallowed. "I-I can't-" she whimpered. "I need-" she begged him, tears now burning against her eyes.

He placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, and then reached down, grabbed her panties, and pulled them down. He tossed them to the floor as well.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could form even a single word he entered her in one swift movement.

She bit back a yelp, as her body tensed around his erection. After a moment or two her whole body relaxed again.

"Now." she hissed in his ear, as she began to nibble at the corners of the lobe.

He began to move against her, slowly at first, easing himself in and then out, in and then out--steadily picking up the desired rhythm.

Before long Kensi had her legs wrapped around the silver-haired man's waist, moving with him--inviting him in deeper and deeper with every thrust.

"Faster." she moaned after awhile, between kisses.

Gibbs, less reluctant to comply at this point, picked up the pace and gave her what she wanted.

"Yeah." she moaned. Oh-Oh God--yeah, just like that."

Now Gibbs was sure that the sound of bare flesh slapping against bare flesh was more than loud enough to wake the dead, but even so he wasn't anywhere near ready to give up.

His powerful strokes pushed them both closer and closer to the brink with every passing minute.

Kensi could feel the coil inside her pulling tighter and tighter all the time. "Oh, God Gibbs," she moaned, tightening her grip on his shoulders. "Uh, I'm gonna-"

She barely got the words out of her mouth before the coil inside her finally snapped loose, and she felt her whole body shudder and convulse uncontrollably with her release. The waves of sheer ecstasy that rocked her body were so blindingly powerful that she felt like she were holding on for dear life--trying to keep herself from falling into an endless abyss.

No one else had ever been able to elicit such a powerful reaction out of her like Gibbs could. No one.

She heard Gibbs growl out her name as he finally hit his climax after a series of final, powerful thrusts.

They both spent the next few minutes panting heavily, waiting for their vital signs to reach a state of normalcy once again.


"Say it." she insisted, panting heavily, against his ear.

He trailed a series of kisses down the length of her neck line.

"What's that?" he mumbled through the kisses that he was bestowing upon her.

"Say it." she insisted once again, her voice growing a little more serious now. "Please."

She lowered his lips down close to her ear once again, and whispered the three little words that she had longed to hear for so long now.

"I love you." he whispered softly in her ear.

"And I love you, Jethro Gibbs." she replied softly, as she raised her head to steal another kiss.

"You know," Gibbs said, finally as he rolled them over so that he was on his back, and she was laying on top of him. "We should do this more often."

"I agree." Kensi grinned, as she stole another kiss from her silver-haired lover.

"Kensi, I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier." Gibbs apologized quietly. "I thought was protecting you--I didn't want you to get distracted." he added.

Then his voice got even more serious.

"Besides, you and I both know that I have to go back after this is all over." he commented. "I knew that if I left us get attached to each other again, then leaving would be next to impossible--for either one of us."

"Do you have to?" she asked, looking down at his face.

He nodded. "I can't stay here. You know that." he told her, looking into her eyes.

She realized the look she saw in his eyes/face was one of total seriousness, and she instantly pulled herself back off of him.

"Kensi?" he asked, as she pulled away from him.

"No," she said as she slid down off of the table, and began collecting up her articles of clothing which were actually scattered all over the room at this point.

"Kensi, what it is?" he asked, sitting up.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked as she stepped back into her panties, and then started searching around for her bra.

"What?" he asked, somewhat confused.

"This." she pointed out. "Acting like there could be an 'US', when you know/knew damn well that you were never gonna let that happen." she remarked, tears burning the space behind her eyes.

"Kens-" he started to say softly.

"No, just--just drop it okay." she insisted. "Let's just, end this now while we can."

Gibbs slid down off of the table, and walked towards Kensi.

"Kensi please." he said, as he reached out to grab her.

She jumped back away out of his reach.

"Kensi." he snapped, as he finally got his hand wrapped around her wrist. He pulled her back to him.

She fought him the whole way, tears running down over her cheeks. She slammed her fists into his chest trying to push him back away.

"Kensi," he said softly. "I don't want to say 'goodbye'," he told her. "I've already had to say it too many times, to too many people." he explained.

She sobbed into his chest.

"I just want to love you while I still can," he whispered next to her ear. "No regrets, no--second thoughts." he added. "All that matters is right here and right now."

She finally looked back up into his face/eyes. They were as moist and red as her's felt at that moment too.

She could feel that desire from before re-igniting in her body once again.

"Take me," she breathed finally, raising her lips to his. "I want everything." she said, as she pressed her body against his--feeling his erection rubbing against her sex through the silky fabric of her panties.

Before either of them knew exactly what was happening they were both caught up in the moment once again.

"You'll never forget this." he growled, as he pushed her backwards and pinned her to the wall behind them.

"I don't intend to." she breathed against his lips.

"Ah," he groaned, as he reached down between them. "Damn these infernal things." he swore as he struggled to remove her panties for the second time.

Kensi giggled as she tried to help him complete the task.

"Think you can handle this rodeo?" she asked, as she tossed the silky panties to the floor for the second time. She wrapped her arms around Gibbs' neck.

"Well little lady," Gibbs said, imitating a cowboy from one of those old westerns. "I'll sure give it my best ma'am." he said, with a playful grin.

Kensi giggled as she stole a kiss. "Saddle up cowboy." she said against his lips.










--Chapter Eleven--

It was eight-o'clock in the morning at the NCIS: L.A. HQ building. Kensi sat on the sofa in the lobby area--looking out the window. She had stuffed her old, dirty clothing into her locker, and had changed into a set of clean clothes that she kept in her locker for emergencies.

Gibbs walked up a few minutes later, and sat down on the sofa next to her. He held a styro-foam coffee cup in each hand. He handed one of the cups to Kensi.

"Coffee."

"Thanks." she replied sweetly accepting the coffee cup from Gibbs.

Outside the sun was coming up full and bright, and its warm rays streamed in through the window.

"I never got to tell you," he said, between sips of coffee. "Those things I said yesterday--they were pretty harsh--" he explained.

She nodded, but did not look directly at him. "They were." she agreed.

"I-I didn't mean them...you know that." he said quietly, taking another sip of his coffee.

"I know." she replied quietly. "Jethro," she said looking up at him finally.

Her eyes were red and moist.

"Can you forgive ME?" she asked in a small voice.

Gibbs grinned a small, understanding grin. He leaned towards her and planted a small, gentle kiss against her temple.

"Already done, kitten." he said softly.








Upstairs in the 'Tactical Room' McGee was fast asleep, still sitting in front of Eric's console; and Nate was sitting on the floor in one corner of the room snoozing as well.

On the computer screen in front of McGee a program was running. It had been running since the night before.

Suddenly there was a loud 'ping' noise/sound. McGee's head shot up, and his eyes fluttered open. Nate, startle by the loud noise, fell over sideways, but quickly pulled himself up to his feet without thinking about it.

"What!?" he said, rubbing his hands over his face. "I'm awake, I'm awake."

"Shh." McGee said, rubbing a hand over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he stared up at the computer screen with the flashing message running across the middle of it. "What the-" he started to say, as he began punching keys on the keyboard at lightning fast speed.

A screen popped up and McGee quickly read off the information it displayed.

"Uh oh." he said aloud. "Nate, I think you should round everyone up. Now." McGee said, over his shoulder.

Nate nodded, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, and ran to the stop of the stairs. He looked down, over the railing, and yelled down to everyone downstairs in the lobby area.

"Guys!" he yelled down over the railing. "Tim needs everyone upstairs--double time."

Kensi looked up at Nate, and then back at Gibbs--whom she had been leaning against for the last few minutes or so on the sofa--and shrugged her shoulders.

"Duty calls." she said, giving Gibbs a quick peck on the cheek. She stood up, and headed for the stairs.

"Yeah." Gibbs said, rolling his eyes, as he took another sip of coffee before setting the cup down on a nearby coffee table. He stood to follow Kensi up the stairs to the 'Tactical Room'. "And its got a really whiny--nasally voice too."

Kensi chuckled as she started to climb the stairs.

At the same time, Sam roused up, looked around, and then saw Nate motioning up the stairs with his hands. He shrugged his coat off from around his front and shoulders, and dropped it in his desk chair.

"G." Sam said, shaking Callen lightly.

"Wha-What?" Callen said, rousing up and rubbing his eyes. "Sam?" he said, finally looking up at his partner.

"Come on." Sam said, pointing upstairs. "Tim and Nate found something." he told him.

Callen jumped up, stretched and then he and Sam headed towards the stairs.

Everyone entered the 'Tactical Room' a few minutes later. Hetty was the last one to walk in.

"Where are Agents DiNozzo and David?" Hetty asked, standing in the doorway.

"I called them." McGee said. "They stayed in a hotel last night. Should be here in just a few minutes."

Hetty nodded at McGee. "Very well, Mr. McGee, you may continue."

"Watcha got?" Callen asked, leaning on the center table.

"Last night I started running a program I created to see if anyone had accessed or hacked NCIS' files/database," he explained. "The reason for that, is because I started thinking about how Trent Cort got involved in all of this--and I thought maybe he hacked in to our system somehow."

"I'm assuming you found something then." came a familiar man's voice from the back of the room. "Or else you wouldn't have drug us all back in here so early."

Everyone turned around and looked towards the doorway, and found Tony and Ziva squeezing into the room past Hetty.

"Where have you two been?" Gibbs asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Tony's hair was a complete mess on top of his head, and his tie was barely tightened around his neck. Ziva also looked a little unkempt as well.

"Um, sorry boss--er--Gibbs." Tony replied, sheepishly. "Ziva and I were...'undercover'," he said finally, looking away from Gibbs.

Ziva elbowed her husband in the ribs, and then muttered something, angrily, out of the corner of her mouth in a low voice.

"Ouch!" Tony said, rubbing the spot on his ribs where Ziva's elbow had surely left a decent size bruise. "What," he muttered under his breath. "Its the truth."

She elbowed him again.

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow at the couple.

"Wait," Nate spoke up from the other far corner of the room. "Why were you undercover?" he asked, somewhat confused.

Everyone in the room looked at Nate, at that moment, as if he were the most clueless person on the face of the planet.

"Ahem." Ziva cleared her throat loudly, and everyone--clearly--got the message.

"Anyway," McGee said, turning back to the computer screen. "I found this." he said, pointing to the computer screen.

"What is it?" Kensi asked.

"Someone did hack the system," Sam replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Exactly." McGee agreed. "But it wasn't Cort," he told them.

"Then who was it McGee?" Gibbs asked, from where he stood on the right-hand side of Kensi.

"Eric Beal." McGee replied. "And, when I ran the 'Trace' program--it lead me back to that." he said pointing at the small, black cell phone that was still laying in the center of the table. "They used it as a transmitter (of sorts)." he added.

"What?" Callen replied, out of shock.

"Hey," Kensi said, straightening up a little bit. "That's my cell phone." she pointed out.

"We know." Gibbs told her.

"It makes sense." Sam pointed out, walking towards McGee and the computer. "I mean think about it. They tried to kill Abby, now obviously they failed--but they still could have tricked/convinced Eric that she was dead." Sam explained his theory to the others.

"And they could be using D.J. as leverage now, to force him to do their 'dirty' work for them." Kensi added, agreeing with Sam's theory.

Callen picked up the cell phone, and in a matter of seconds had it disassembled on the table. He picked up a small dark black cube shaped piece and held it up. "Never seen anything like this in a cell phone before." Callen pointed out.

"Our CIA friend must have put it there after he grabbed Kensi from downstairs." Hetty spoke up.

"Right." McGee agreed. "But that's not all I found, look." he said pointing back to the computer screen(s). He punched a few keys and a second window popped up.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Tony asked, cocking his head to one side in an effort to read the gibberish that was not glowing across the computer monitor.

"Code." McGee explained. "Eric hasn't given up yet apparently." McGee informed everyone with a smile. "He actually managed to slip in a message for us, while he was 'hacking' us."

"Way to go Eric." Kensi said, with a smile.

"Can you decipher it?" Callen asked, from where he stood.

"Of course he can." Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva all said in unison--not purposely though.

"And, I already have." McGee said, punching a few more keys on the console.

The series of numbers, letters, and symbols suddenly shifted to what could be considered as actual readable material.

"Okay. Sry 4 this. Hrry. Mvd t T.K. plc. A. A.--Alive." Was all that the message said.

"Okay, I still don't get it." Tony admitted, shaking his head in disappointment.

"It says," Sam started. "If I'm reading this correctly. I'm okay. Sorry For This." Sam read aloud.

"Probably means he's sorry for hacking NCIS." Nate spoke up, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as he thought about the possible meanings of some of the phrases on the computer screen.

"Right." Sam replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway. Hurry (and find me already)." Sam had to think a little bit harder about the fourth piece of the puzzle. "Moved...to...TK...Place." he continued to read aloud.

"And, A.A., must be initials--probably Anatolli Alexandrov." Callen interjected.

"Most likely." Sam said in agreement.

"Wait," Kensi blurted out. "I thought the guy was dead. I mean isn't that what you told us McGee?"

"Yeah," he said, turning to face Kensi. "Yeah, I did--but wait, then it doesn't make any sense--how can he be alive when he's listed in our database as 'Deceased'."

"Someone didn't want us to know that he's still alive." Nate suggested.

"Gee, thanks for that little bit of insight Doc." Sam replied sarcastically.

"That could definitely turn out to be a problem." Callen remarked.

"But what does T.K. stand for?" Hetty asked, from the doorway where she was still standing.

"Good question." Ziva commented.

"Could be anything." McGee pointed out.

"Wait," Gibbs said at once, standing up straight and glaring at the computer screen intensely.

"T.K." he said aloud, thinking to himself. "McGee, can you see if there are any properties in or around L. A. listed under the name--Trent Kort?" Gibbs asked.

"Why sure-" he froze mid-sentence. "of course," he threw his hands up in the air. "Why didn't I think of that."

"Why that sneaky bastard." Tony swore. "Even in death he's still making our lives miserable."

McGee looked up from his computer terminal a few minutes later. "Found it." he exclaimed. He pointed to a spot on a big map that he had pulled up on the computer screen, and read out the address to the others.

"We got 'em." Kensi said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Not quite." Gibbs interrupted. "We've still gotta find Anatolli Alexandrov."

"Hunh."

"Alexandrov's the key to this whole thing," Gibbs pointed out. "We need him.

"So we need to find out where he is right now." Callen pointed out.

Gibbs nodded.

"How do we do that?" Nate asked.

"I am most certain that the FBI would know the answer to that question." Hetty pointed out to the team(s). "If her father is alive, she's probably searching for him."

Callen grinned, as he turned to face Hetty. "And I'm sure that YOU have a contact or two within the Bureau who might be willing to help us--right?"

"I'm sure I can coerce SOMEONE into cooperating with me." she said with a wink.

She turned to walk down stairs, but then McGee stopped her before she could get too far away.

"Wait," McGee called after her. "That may not be necessary." he told Hetty and everyone else.

McGee's fingers danced across the console with lightning fast speed and precision until, a few minutes later, a new screen flashed up onto the computer's monitor.

"Thought so." McGee said aloud, reading off the computer screen.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"I was able to do a back-check and found the information that Alexi was searching for when she hacked into our system." McGee informed everyone. "And it actually took me right through a back door into the FBI's system mainframe. If this info is current, then our guy should be at...Gitmo." he said, turning around to face everyone.

"That figures." Kensi said, rolling her eyes.

"And Alexi's probably on her way down there to get him out." Callen pointed out.

"But how would she do that?" Nate asked.

"Good question." Callen agreed.

"Okay," Gibbs spoke up. "Here's the plan--Sam, you'll take Kensi and retrieve Eric--he'll probably need medical attention when you find him, so be ready." Gibbs explained. "And call Deeks--I don't want either of you to go in without sufficient back-up."

All eyes were on Gibbs now.

Sam nodded.

"Callen," Gibbs continued, turning his gaze on Callen. "You'll come with me, Tony and Ziva to Gitmo--with any luck we'll get there before she has time to try anything." he told them.

"Gibbs-" Kensi started to protest.

"Hey, what about us?" Nate asked, referring to himself and McGee.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, looking up at Nate. "I'm getting there. McGee I need you and Nate to stay here and monitor both teams--you'll basically the go-between guy. Nate, you'll be advising us on we should proceed based on the profile you're going to put together."

"Everyone clear on their assignments?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. We don't have a lot of time--so let's move."

"All of you," Hetty spoke up walking towards the center of the room. "Be careful."

"We will." Callen said, with a nod.

--------To Be Continued--------

"A New Nightmare, Part Four (Chp. 12, 13, 14, & 15)"

--Chapter Twelve--

Gibbs, Callen, Ziva, and Tony were on a red-eye flight, racing to Gitmo to stop a dangerous criminal from releasing an even more dangerous criminal--her father.

Kensi and Sam had been trying for the last few hours to contact Gibbs and the team, to tell them that Eric had not been at the house. But so far their signal was not getting through.

Kensi was especially nervous because when they had called to update Abby on what was happening--Abby had told them that she had just had a really bad dream, about the team, while she was taking a nap. And now she just has this terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"There it is." Tony said, pointing out the window of the plane.

Gibbs nodded.

Suddenly a faint beeping sound was heard.

"What's that?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked around the cabin. "oh," he said finally. "Its the planes phone." he pointed out, as he picked up the phone from its wall base next to his seat.

"Hello." Tony said into the receiver. "Yes Captain...Oh okay, patch it through."

There was a brief pause, and then he heard Kensi's voice on the other end.

"Kensi?"

"Thank God," Kensi exclaimed at the sound of Tony's voice. "We've been trying to reach you guys for hours and hours."

"Sorry."

"Tony, listen...There wasn't anyone at Kort's place." she told him. "We think they took Eric with them."

"That's great." Tony replied.

"Tony, is Gi...the..."

"Kensi, you're--you're breaking up." Tony tried to tell her through the increasing static over the line.

He tried a few more times, but then the line finally went dead.

"What did she say?" Ziva asked.

"They think Alexi has Eric with her."

"Explains how they plan to get Alexandrov out." Callen pointed out.

"Yep." Gibbs nodded.

"This is your Captain speaking..." the voice came over the intercom. "We will be landing soon, so please sit down and buckle up."

"Here we go." Tony remarked, as he buckled up his seat belt.

The plane finally touched down a few minutes later, and then once the team was on the ground their next priority was to find a ride to their destination.








Back At NCIS: L.A. HQ Building...

Abby strolled back into the lobby area, having run to the bathroom several times already within the last hour or so.

"Any luck?" she asked Kensi, who was just coming back down the stairs from the 'Tactical Room'.

"We had'em for a few minutes." she said, with a sigh.

Abby plopped down onto the sofa, and a worried look spread across her face.

"I just can't shake this feeling, Kensi," Abby said, holding her face in her hands. "Something terrible is going to happen--I just know it." she added.

Kensi sat down on the sofa next to her. "Come on Abs," Kensi said quietly, putting her arm around her friends' shoulder. "Whats the worst that could happen?"

"You don't understand," she told Kensi. "I had this same feeling right before my friend Kate died." she told Kensi, somberly. "Some one's not coming back from this Kensi," Abby told her sadly. "God, please--just let me be wrong this time...please." Abby pleaded, as she held her head in her hands.







Tony, Gibbs, Ziva, and Callen had managed to round up a rental jeep at the airport, and were now making their way down a set of dirt roads leading towards Guantanamo Naval Base, and the Detention Center located there.

"This has go to be--whoa--the worst ride ever." Tony remarked, as he held on for dear life as the jeep bumped, bucked, and rattled along the dirt roads that they were traveling.

"Aww, come on Tony," Callen said with a grin. "This is fun."

"Yeah for you maybe." Tony retorted, rolling his eyes behind his expensive sun glasses.

Gibbs, Callen, and Ziva all laughed at Tony.

"Yeah that's right," Tony said. "Go ahead--yuck it up while you can."

They laughed.

They had only been driving for a little while, but it seemed like they had been at it for ages.







Alexi Alexandrov, and two of her thugs approached the front gate to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Eric was with them. They had cleaned him up, and dressed him in some nice clothes so that he would not look suspicious.

Their jeep rolled up to the checkpoint where they showed their 'fake' credentials, and were then waved on through to the inner-workings of the Naval Base.

"We're almost there." Alexi muttered to her crew, her voice reverting back to its Russian accent. "Just act as if you belong here." she added, quietly.

"Remember your part, Mr. Beal?"

"Yeah, I remember." Eric replied, looking away from Alexi.

"Repeat it to me." she insisted, quietly.

"I sneak into the command center, with help from Mr. 'big-N-tall' here,
and cause a diversion." Eric heaved a defeated sigh. "While everyone else is confused and pre-occupied, you guys will...well you know--do the rest."

"Very good," Alexi replied. "And if you do your job well, we MIGHT just let you go." she told him.

"Yeah," Eric replied, rolling his eyes. "I'll bet you will." though he felt as though he knew the real truth--that they would not let him go at all.








An Hour Or So Later...

"We're almost there." Callen said, reading the directions off of the map that he was holding in his hands.

Callen was sitting up front in the jeep's passenger seat--while Tony and Ziva were sitting in the two back seats. Gibbs, of course, was doing the driving.

"Where?" Gibbs asked. "I've never taken this route to get there." he commented. Because he had been there before, but they'd gone a different route to reach the base.

"Should be just over the next set of hills," Callen pointed out, still reading the map he held in his hands.

Gibbs nodded back at Callen. "Alright."

They finally arrived at the front gate a few minutes later. They flashed their credentials to the guards at the front gate.

"Have you seen this woman?" Callen asked, showing one of the guards a photo of Alexi.

"Uh, yeah--actually." the guard replied. "They got here, a while ago." he told them. She was part of a military escort taking part in a 'Prisoner Transfer'."

"Prisoner Transfer?" Tony asked, confused.

"Yeah, I know right." the guard said, shaking his head. "I didn't know nothin' about it either until 'they' got here. Had the papers and everything--now that I think about it, that transfer was sanctioned by your Agency." he told them. "NCIS, right?"

"Damn." Callen swore under his breath, as he slapped the dashboard on his side of the jeep.

"She beat us to it." Ziva said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, they actually booked it out of here pretty quickly when they were leaving." the guard added. "six of'em came in, and 2 left. And you know, I don't remember seeing her in the vehicle when they left."

"She's still here." Gibbs said quietly, looking ahead into the compound.

"Why would she stay?" Callen asked, looking over at Gibbs.

"Unfinished business would be my guess," he replied. Then he sat silently for a brief moment.

"Callen, go with Ziva--track down that other jeep." Gibbs instructed them as he climbed down out of the jeep. "Tony--with me."

Tony jumped down out of the jeep after Gibbs, after exchanging kisses with his wife--you know for good luck.

Callen climbed into the driver's seat, and Ziva climbed up front into the passengers' seat. Once they were settled Callen asked the guard which way the other jeep was headed, and then armed with that info he and Ziva turned their jeep around and took off back down the dirt roads to chase after their escaping prey.

Gibbs and Tony did not waste any time heading into the compound to search for Alexi and whoever it was that she had kept along with her.








Down in the detention center out of sight of anyone who might would try to stop them, Alexi and the burly man from before were busily tinkering with some sort of medium-sized mechanical/electronic device that they had sitting in the middle of the floor.

The burly man was using a screwdriver to remove some screws from the top of the device. He pulled the last screw out, and set both it and the screwdriver down onto the floor beside him(self).

"Ashenko," the burly man said, quietly, looking up from the device towards Alexi.

"Yes." she replied.

"The timer?" he asked, pointing towards the device.

"Set it for 10 minutes exactly." she instructed him.

"Yes ma'am." the burly man replied, with a nod. Then he turned and began to work with some buttons and switches within the device.

"You guys are really just gonna blow yourselves up?" Eric spoke up from where he was tied up over in the corner of the room.

"You Americans," Alexi scoffed, looking over at Eric. "You know nothing of honor and pride." she accused. "You think that we are crazy, insane perhaps, but what we do--we do for glory." she said, holding her head up high.










--Chapter Thirteen--

Gibbs and Tony moved through the compound carefully. They searched the armory, which sat all the way across on the other side of the compound; and then after that they searched the barracks thoroughly.

Their next stop after the barracks, Gibbs determined should be the actual detention center itself.

They finally reached the detention center, and walked inside the front door. They were pulling out their credentials as they walked in the door.

"Holy shit!?" Tony exclaimed drawing his gun at the sight he was seeing just inside the door.

Both of the guards in the detention centers' lobby area were dead.

"We're in the right place." Gibbs said, as he held his gun out in front of him(self).

Gibbs and Tony started moving forward again with their guns drawn at the ready.

They headed out of the lobby area, and towards a door at the back of the room. Through the door they found a set of stairs leading downward into a special holding section of the detention center.

After a few minutes of walking down the long-winded flight of stairs they finally stepped through a second door into a long corridor.

"Alexi Alexandrov!" Gibbs called down the corridor.









Down the corridor somewhere Alexi Alexandrov looked up, and then looked over at Eric.

"It would seem that the 'cavalry' has arrived." she joked, as she pulled out a pistol from her belt, and primed it for use.

Alexi said something in Russian to the burly man, and the burly man stood up and he also produced a small side-arm from his belt and primed it for use--quickly.

"We are here!" Alexi called back down the corridor towards where Gibbs and Tony were at.










"Yeah," Tony remarked, as he and Gibbs continued slowly down the corridor. "I think she heard us."

"No kiddin'." Gibbs replied. "Just stay focused." he added.

"I will."

The corridor that they were walking down was full of empty holding cells each one with a reinforced glass viewing window, and a single heavy-duty steel door.

"This place gives me the creeps." Tony remarked, as they passed by empty holding cell after empty holding cell--as they made their way down the corridor.

"Are you the one they call--Gibbs!?" Alexi called down the corridor, loudly.

"I am." Gibbs replied.

"Ah," she replied, loudly. "I have heard much about you from your--eh, friend." she told him.

"Can't say the same about you!" Gibbs yelled back.

"All you need to know, Mr. Gibbs, is that I will be the one who ends you." Alexi informed him from where she and the burly man waited somewhere down the long corridor.

"Yeah, well I guess we'll just have to see about that!" Tony answered for Gibbs.









Alexi said something to the burly man, quietly, in Russian and the burly man nodded. He then began to make his way up the corridor towards where Gibbs and Tony were at.









Gibbs and Tony had finally made their way to the end of the first corridor, and had turned left and begun making their way down the second corridor.

Suddenly a small sound caught their attention, and they paused for a moment to listen. But when they did, the door to one of the holding cells flew open and the burly man lunged out at the two men.

Gibbs ducked out of the way just in time, but Tony was not fast enough on this one; and the burly man's fist caught Tony square in the jaw sending the younger man sprawling sideways a nice distance down the corridor.

Gibbs rebounded, and charged the burly man from behind, but the burly man spun around and caught Gibbs as he hit him in the gut. The two wrestled around for a moment or two, but then the burly man pulled a knife and tried to swipe at Gibbs.

Gibbs felt the blade of the knife cut across his upper arm, and he had to drop his grip, and wrap his hand around the wound. The burly man raised the knife over his head to deliver the final blow, but then Tony appeared and jabbed the burly man in the ribs--hard.

The burly man dropped his knife to the floor, and buckled sideways--clutching at his now bruised ribs--with a groan.

That gave Gibbs time to retrieve his gun from where he'd dropped it on the floor behind him(self); and just in time too. The burly man started to pull himself back up to his feet. Tony was still trying to locate his missing side-arm; but luckily for him Gibbs already had his gun, and was able to put two rounds into the burly man's chest before he could get very far.









Elsewhere...

Callen and Ziva had managed to somehow catch up to the second jeep someways down the road.

"They're heading for the airstrip!" Callen yelled over all the noise.

"We can't let him get on that place." Ziva said back.

"I know. They're too far ahead of us right now." Callen said.

Ziva thought for a moment, as she studied the situation. Then she looked up at Callen, just as they went around another bend in the road.

"Give me your gun." she said.

"What!?" Callen asked, unsure he had heard right.

"Your gun." Ziva repeated. "Give it to me."

Callen hesitated, for a brief second or two, but then pulled out his side-arm and handed it over to Ziva.

Ziva pulled out her own side-arm as well. "Keep it steady." she told Callen, edging as close to the edge of her seat as she possibly could without falling out of the jeep.

"What are you doing!?"

"Slowing them down." Ziva replied, as she began to lean sideways out of the jeep a little bit. "Just keep this thing steady for a few seconds--if you can."

Ziva waited patiently, biding her time until the best possible moment, and then just before they came around another bend in the road, she fired off several rounds from both weapons. The rounds impacted the two back tires on the second jeep riding just a few yards or so ahead of them.

The force from the popping tires sent the jeep into a spin, which ended in the jeep barreling down a nearby hill. Callen and Ziva pulled their jeep up to the side where the other jeep went over, and jumped out to take a better look.

"Not bad David." Callen mused, as Ziva handed back his side-arm to him.

Ziva grinned. "Why thank you Agent Callen."

"Oh no, it was my pleasure." Callen replied, with a crooked grin.

"Think we should probably go down there, and check for survivors." Callen pointed out, as he looked over the edge.

"If we are lucky, there will not be any." Ziva added.









"Gibbs," Tony said, making his way back over to Gibbs after retrieving his side-arm.

"I'm fine." Gibbs said, waving him off. "We need to find Eric."

Tony nodded, and the duo headed off down the rest of the corridor to find Eric.

After a few minutes they reached a small holding cell at the end of the corridor. Inside was Eric, bound and gagged, and laying in the floor.

"Eric!" Tony exclaimed, as he rushed in to where the young NCIS Agent was laying in the floor wiggling around.

They immediately began to untie him on the spot. As soon as they ripped his gag off he spoke, quickly.

"There's a bomb!" he exclaimed.

"A bomb. Where?" Tony asked, stopping what he was doing.

Eric explained to Gibbs and Tony which holding cell the bomb was located in--just down the third and final corridor.

"I'm gonna go look at it." Tony said, pulling out his side-arm and heading back out of the holding cell.

"Be careful," Gibbs called after him.

Gibbs finished untying Eric, a process that actually took a few minutes because he was tied up so expertly that even Gibbs had to stop and think about it for a moment or two.









Meanwhile...

Tony finally found his way down the third and final corridor to the holding cell where the bomb was being stored, and he went inside the cell to look at the bomb.

He dropped to his knees, and peered over the side into the device. He saw the device's timer, and it displayed 5 minutes left--and it was slowly ticking down.

Tony reached his hands down into the device, and held a few of its multi-colored wires up into the light so that he could see them better.

Suddenly there was a familiar metallic clicking sound coming from behind his back, and it made him freeze on the spot.

"Drop it." a gruff voice commanded him, with a clearly Russian accent. "And step away from the device." she added, sternly.

"If I refuse?" Tony asked.

The man scoffed. "It would be most unwise."

"Do not kill him yet," Alexi's voice cut in from somewhere to the side. "I still have one last task to complete, and he could come in handy."









Gibbs helped Eric back up to his feet at last, and brushed dust off of his shirt for him.

"There you go," Gibbs said. "Good as new."

"Thanks," Eric said. "So you got them both?" he asked, as he and Gibbs started to turn back towards the holding cell door.

Gibbs froze on the spot.

"Damn!" swore loudly. "Stupid. I completely forgot all about Alexi." Gibbs swore. "We didn't even see her." he added.

"She's probably still with the bomb." Eric pointed out.

"But that's where-" he started to say. "Stay here!" he commanded Eric, as he took off like a bolt of lightning down the corridor to find Tony.









"Well, you are going to die anyway." Alexi chuckled. "So I guess it does not matter, but if my friend here misses you it could mess up my beautiful bomb."

"Now stand up!" the man with the gruff voice barked at Tony.

Tony stayed where he was, and did not move even a single muscle.

"Drop your weapon!" Gibbs yelled down the corridor from just a few yards away.

"Now why would I do that?" she asked. The she barked something at the other guy in Russian, and he nodded.

The other guy began to move towards Gibbs, and Gibbs tried to shoot him but his gun locked up for some reason. Not a good thing at all.

He tossed his gun aside, and managed to drop into a roll and just barely miss two shots fired off by the guy. When he came up out of the roll he threw his fist upwards into the guys' jaw--hard.

The guy faltered backwards a little bit, dropping his own gun to the floor; but then he righted himself up and charged at Gibbs.

Gibbs raised his hands up over his hand and brought them down--hard--against the other guys' back as he came into range. The other guy still plowed into Gibbs and the two men went sprawling to the floor.

The two men wrestled around on the floor for a few minutes, but then finally the other guy was able to recover his dropped weapon.

The other guy slammed his fist into Gibbs' jaw--and then drug the former NCIS Special Agent up to his feet. Gibbs grabbed the mans' gun hand and tried to wrestle the gun free, but to no avail; and the guy had a pretty good grip on Gibbs at the moment.

Thinking quickly, Gibbs made a judgment call. He knew he needed to take the guy out in order to complete the mission so instead of pushing the gun away from himself, he let the man gain some ground on him, and then he pulled the gun down the rest of the way, pressed it into his own chest, and made the guy squeeze the trigger.

The shot penetrated Gibbs shoulder/chest, and then also penetrated the other guys' shoulder/chest. Both men crumpled to the ground with a groan.

"Gibbs!" Tony yelped, in Gibbs' direction.

Gibbs groaned out loud.

Alexi turned back to Tony. "So much for your 'grand' hero." she said with a smirk.

Tony was now facing Alexi at this point.

"But enough games...I have waited long enough for this--revenge on those who kept my father imprisoned here." she said, as she reached down into her coat pocket.

Out of her coat pocket she pulled a small black device, with a flashing red light in the center of it.

"A dead man's switch." Tony murmured, at the sight of the small black device.

"That's right." Alexi replied, she flipped a lever on the side of the device, but just before she could press the final button on the front side of the device--Gibbs lunged out of nowhere and grabbed her.

But she turned out to be stronger than he'd expected her to be--well that and he was injured pretty badly anyway (so that also drained some of his strength out of him).

He struggled with her for a few minutes, just barely able to keep her finger away from the final detonation button.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, a pained expression spread across his face. "Shoot her!"

"B-But boss," Tony stammered, as he reached for his gun. "What if I hit you?"

Gibbs shook his head at Tony. He knew the implications of what he was asking all too well.

"Just do it DiNozzo." Gibbs barked, his strength close to leaving him completely.

Tony held his gun out aiming it towards Alexi and Gibbs. His whole body shook.

"I-I can't." Tony said, miserably.

Gibbs, of course, understood Tony's dilemma; but he also understood/knew that if Tony did not shoot her now then he probably would not get another chance to do so--much less try.

Gibb thought of one of Tony's movie scenarios, and a small smile played across his lips. His one last chance to make this work.

"Tony," he said quietly. "The needs of the many--"

"Outweigh the needs of the one." Tony finished.

Alexi swore loudly in Russian, as she began to wiggle her other arm free of Gibbs' grip finally.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs yelped, as his strength drained away finally. "Now!"

Tony raised the gun up again quickly, and aimed it at Alexi/Gibbs.

Alexi finally pulled her other arm free, and started to raise it to jab Gibbs, backwards, in the stomach/ribs.

"Sorry." Tony whispered. He squeezed the trigger, and then watched as Alexi and Gibbs and slumped forward to the ground before him.

Tony dropped his gun to the floor, shocked at what he had just done. Just then Eric came around the corner.

"Is it over?" he asked.

"Eric," Tony called out to him. "Can you disarm this thing!?" Tony asked, motioning towards the bomb.

"I-I can try." he stammered, as he made his way over to the bomb.

As Eric fiddled around with the bomb, Tony crawled over to where Gibbs was laying on the floor.

"Gibbs," Tony said, taking the older, silver-haired mans' hand in his own hand. "Gibbs."

"I-Its...okay." Gibbs choked out, looking up at Tony, gasping for air. His eyes were moist with emotion.

"I-I'm so sorry," Tony apologized, his voice cracking up as he spoke.

"No," Gibbs muttered. "You did what had to be done." Gibbs told him, in between blood-filled coughs.

"Just--just hang in there Boss," Tony told him, looking around for something--but what still remains a mystery. "We're gonna get you some help--you hear me, we're gonna-"

"Di-DiNozzo," Gibbs choked out. "N-Not this time...I'm afraid."

"No, Gibbs, don't-don't talk like that." Tony stammered, shaking his head.

"Te-tell everyone I'm-I'm so proud of them." Gibbs said, with a pained smile, blood oozing a little bit over his lips.

"No...Gibbs...Gibbs." Tony said, shaking the silver-haired man's body slightly several times. "Gibbs, wake up--wake-"

But Gibbs had gone silent. He wasn't breathing anymore, and Tony, try as he might, could not find a pulse anywhere on him.

"No..." Tony sobbed.

"Got it." Eric exclaimed, dropping backwards onto his bottom in front of the device. "Its...disarmed. That was...a close one." he added, wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow.











--Chapter Fourteen--

Tony and Eric were coming out of the 'Special Holding Area' of the detention center as Callen and Ziva were walking across the yard escorting a bruised and battered up Anatolli Alexandrov.

Some guards approached the group, and immediately took Alexandrov off of their hands, and began to escort him to another holding cell for the time being.

Behind Tony and Eric several other guards, carrying stretchers, were transporting the dead bodies to the infirmary--there Gibbs' body, at least, would be prepped for transport back home.

"Alexandrov put up quite a fight" Callen told them. "Survived the, uh, 'crash', and then tried to run--but Ziva and I were too much for him I suppose."

Tony just nodded.

"Good to have you back Eric." Callen said, with a grin, patting Eric on the shoulder.

"Where's Gibbs?" Ziva asked, noticing that Gibbs was not with Tony and Eric.

"Yeah," Callen added, noticing the silver-haired mans' absence. "Where is he?"

Tony's eyes were moist and red with emotion as he nodded his head, slightly, at the stretcher that was passing by the group at that moment

"Gibbs...Gibbs didn't make it." Tony said solemnly, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Ziva shook her head at Tonys words. "No," she said, quietly. "No...it can't-"

Ziva spun around and grabbed the sheet that was draped over the stretcher, and pulled it back. Her eyes fell across the most horrible scene she had seen in such a long time.

Almost immediately there was a burning behind her eyes, as she struggled to pull herself away from the saddening sight.

"No," she whispered, in sort of a low moan. She shook her head, as she pulled away from the stretcher. The guards re-covered Gibbs' face, and then began to move him onwards again.

Callen threw his hands up in frustration at the sight, and even though he had not known Gibbs as long as Tony and Ziva had--it still broke his heart.

Callen knew that Kensi would be broken-hearted even more so than he was.

Ziva looked up and her eyes fell upon Anatolli who was still being escorted across the yard; and suddenly anger flared up within her. She and Callen should have been backing Gibbs and Tony up--maybe if they had been doing that he'd still be alive.

Without thinking, and without warning, Ziva bolted past everyone else, and headed in a straight line for Anatolli.

"Ziva no!" the guys cried after her, as they too began to give chase after her.

Ziva pushed past Anatolli's escort guards, and seized him by the throat.

"This is all your fault!" she screamed in his face, her eyes moist and red, and tears staining her cheeks.

Tony and Callen finally reached her, and struggled to pull her off of the Russian bad guy--even though her killing him would really be no great loss to be completely honest.

They finally pulled her off, and she collapsed to the ground, in her husband's arms, sobbing.

"I know," Tony said, his voice cracking up as he spoke. "I-I know. Sweetheart--I know."









A Day or So Later...

Hetty had asked everyone to meet her in the 'Tactical Room'. It was early in the morning, and the team(s) had been waiting anxiously for news from the team that had flown down to Gitmo just a few days earlier.

Hetty had her head bowed where she stood as she waited for the right moment to speak.

"I have just received word from Agent Callen," she began. "He has informed me that their plane will be landing within the next hour or so."

Nate raised his hand to speak, but Hetty waved him off, shaking her head at him--sternly.

"Eric is alright," she told them. "They were able to recover our Mr. Beal relatively unharmed for the most part." she continued. "However, there were casualties involved."

"Who?" McGee asked, speaking up.

"Agent Gibbs-," Hetty began, stopping after saying his name to re-steady herself. "Agent Gibbs bravely sacrificed himself to prevent a disaster that, if it had succeeded, would have proven to be a crippling blow." she informed them somberly.

"What?" Kensi choked out, hoping that she had heard wrong.

Abby swallowed hard, a lump that had formed in her throat, and tears burned the area behind her eyes fiercely. "Gibbs..." she moaned, miserably, as she held her head in her hands.

"No," Kensi whimpered. "This--this isn't happening--this can't be-" she broke down and started crying, as she fell to her knees on the ground.

Sam slammed his fists into the center table--hard--swearing under his breath as he did so.

Nate just looked as if he had withdrawn into himself.

McGee just sat at Eric's console staring straight ahead, tears silently streaking down his cheek(s) as he sat there.

In that moment the whole world seemed to slow down to almost a snails' pace as the team(s) took the news in their own way(s).









Later...

The team(s) addressed Director Leon Vance in the 'Tactical Room' informing him of the latest news of what had happened.

Vance's eyes were visibly glistening with the tears that he was fighting back.

"The world--" he said, trying to keep his voice calm and stable as he spoke. The world has certainly lost a good man." Vance told them.

Everyone nodded.

"One of the best." Sam agreed.

Everyone nodded.

"We were thinking," Abby spoke up. "That he should be buried with his wife and daughter."

"Yeah," Tony spoke up, clenching his teeth as she spoke. "Its what he would want."

"Very well then." Vance said, with a slight nod. "NCIS will make it happen."

Everyone nodded, a few of them said thank you quietly.












--Chapter Fifteen--

Everyone was gathered at the grave site in the cemetery. They all stood, together, looking over the coffin that Gibbs' body had been placed into.

The preacher was giving his customary grave-side sermon/memorial speech as everyone listened on.

Besides the two NCIS teams, Others had shown up to attend the funeral, and pay their respects. Jackson Gibbs was there, of course, as was Maddie Tyler. Mike Franks and his family was also there, and so was Tobias Fornell. Leon Vance was also there in attendance.

Even Doc Mason and Ruby had decided to come pay their respects. Also, Abby's Mom and Brother had come, and so had Eric's parents as well.

As they all stood listening to the preacher talking something strange took place all around them.

Tony felt as though someone had laid a hand on his shoulder from behind, though he did not try to look to see who it was--not that he would have seen anyone there if he had.

Then the preacher finally finished his piece, and at that point he motioned, slightly, with his hand for the mourners to come forth--in a straight line--and pay their final respects before the body is finally laid to rest in the ground.

The line formed up, and then began to move on finally. Callen said some words, Sam said some words, Nate said some words. Kensi stopped, for a brief moment, as memories of the time(s) that she had spent with Gibbs flashed through her mind.

Hetty was next, and then she was followed by Leon Vance and Mike Franks, and Tobias Fornell.

"It was...nice knowin' ya--Gibbs." Vance said, quietly.

"I never told you this before Jethro," Mike said, as he laid a hand atop the coffin. "You were the BEST probie I ever trained." he said, and then he nodded, patted the coffin gently and then moved on.

"I"m really gonna miss our little 'conversations' Jethro." Tobias said quietly, grinning a little bit at the memories that flashed through his mind.

Next was Eric, Abby, and D.J.

Abby stood, silently, with one hand laying atop the coffin, as tears stained her cheeks. Memories from the last several years invaded her mind.

She remembered the time when Mikel Mawher was stalking her back several years ago, and she had taken to hiding in the elevator at NCIS HQ. Gibbs had come into the elevator and sat down next to her. He'd put his arms around her, and whispered "No one is going to hurt you, Abs."--and he had meant every word that he said.

She thought about all the Caf-Pows that he had brought her, and all the times he had kissed her on the cheek or forehead whenever she had done really really good work for him.

"We've decided on a name for our daughter," Abby told him, as if he were still alive. "Kelly." she said softly.

She couldn't help the tears that streaked down her cheeks as she stood there. She bent her head head down and mock kissed the coffin lid (as if she were kissing him on the forehead like he'd done to her so many times). "I love you Gibbs," she whispered. "And I'm really gonna miss you." her voice broke at the point and she could no longer speak.

After Abby and Eric had moved on it was Tony, Ziva, and Talia and Gena's turn to pay last respects to their fallen leader and friend.

Ziva put a hand on the coffin at the same time that Tony did, and she stood there silently and stared at the coffin for a moment or two.

The memory of how Gibbs had saved her on more than one occasion, and how he had always been there for her. He had saved her from her captors in the middle of a desert, and he had saved her when she was being framed for something that she did not do.

"I did not mean to live through it." Ziva heard her own voice echoing in her head.

"You didn't. That part of you died out there." echoed Gibbs' voice behind hers.

Tears stained her cheeks now, as she heard Gibbs' voice echo in her head one more time.

"I owe you one, Ziva." he had said to her that day, when he'd left NCIS after being blown up on board a ship.

"I'll collect, Jethro." she whispered, in unison with the voice in her head.

"I'll never forget you, Gibbs..." she whispered softly. She kissed her middle three fingers, and then gently laid them atop the coffin lid.

Tony stood silently staring down at the coffin lid as well.

"You...will not...die." the whispered words echoed in his head as he stood there.

"Nope." Tony whispered softly to the coffin.

"Its your team now."

"I know." Tony whispered, in response to the voice in his head. "I'll make you proud Boss--I promise."

Next up was McGee, Alicia, and Maxie.

McGee placed his hand on the lid of the coffin, and stood silently remembering his former Boss and Friend.

When he had accidentally shot that detective in the alleyway when he was still a Probie, Gibbs had stood up for and looked out for him. He had learned a lot from Gibbs over the last several years.

"Goodbye Gibbs," McGee whispered, his eyes moist and red with emotion. "You were one hell of a man, one hell of a boss, and one hell of a Friend." McGee whispered.

Then he and his family moved on. And next up in the line were Maddie Tyler and Jackson Gibbs.

A tear fell from Maddie's eye(s), and landed upon the top of the coffin. She sniffled a little bit too.

Jackson Gibbs patted her shoulder/back gently and soothingly. "Its alright." he told her softly. Then he looked down at the coffin in which his son was to be laid to rest in, and let out a small sigh.

"I never thought that I'd outlive my own son." he said quietly, even though it was a sad occasion he seemed to be reigning his emotions in pretty well--though his eyes were a little red (and maybe a little moist) but his voice never wavered.

He chuckled quietly. "Always figured you were too darn stubborn to let it take you."

Jackson Gibbs sucked in a good breath, and stuck out his chest a little ways. "Just want you to know...I'm proud of you son. You've always done the right thing, even when the 'right thing' was the 'hardest' thing."

Jackson Gibbs smiled in spite of himself, and then spoke once again. "Give my love to the family when you see'em." he said softly, running a hand gently over the lid of the coffin. Jackson Gibbs then took a brief moment to proudly salute his son (military style) before nudging Maddie's shoulder gently.

"Mr. Gibbs," Maddie said softly, running her hand over the coffin lid as well. "We'll miss you," she continued. "Give my best to Kelly will ya." she added, smiling a little bit through her silent tears.

Jackson Gibbs and Maddie Tyler then moved on and headed back towards their seats with everyone else.

Everyone stood in silence and watched the next events unfold before them. They watched, teary-eyed, as the Marine Firing Squad performed its '21 Gun Salute', and as the salute was being performed two other Marine officers folded a flag in Gibbs' honor.

Once the flag-folding was completed they handed it to Jackson Gibbs, who accepted it with a small smile and a nod.








On a nearby hill in the cemetery, Gibbs stood silently watching his own funeral from afar. A lone tear rolled down his cheek as he stood there. A part of him hated the way that he had had to leave everyone--it tore him up inside as he stood there looking down on the funeral procession.

"Jethro," came a familiar voice from behind him.

Gibbs looked up, he wasn't sure at first if he had heard what he thought that he had heard.

"Silent Treatment eh," the familiar voice continued, with a slight chuckle. "Don't suppose that's revenge for not keeping in touch like I should have."

Gibbs turned around, and found himself face-to-face with his oldest friend--Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard.

"Duck!?" Gibbs choked out the words.

Ducky strolled towards Gibbs, and looked out over the hill at the funeral procession that Gibbs had been watching.

"I miss them too Jethro." Ducky said, his voice softer now.

"Is it really-" Gibbs started to ask. Still not sure if it was real or not.

"Yes," Ducky said, turning to face Gibbs again. "Its me Jethro." he added.

Gibbs could hardly believe it. He seized the old Scotsman in a bear-hug, and laughed with tear-filled eyes as he did so.

"Ducky I-" but he could not find the words.

"I know," Ducky said, softly, patting Gibbs gently on the back. "Its good to see you too." Ducky told him.

Gibbs pulled back from his old friend, and looked the Scotsman over with his eyes (quickly) smiling as he did so. "You--You haven't changed a bit." Gibbs told him, clapping him on the shoulder/back, with a slight chuckle.

"And neither have you old friend." Ducky said, laying a hand against Gibbs' shoulder with a smile.

"Ducky there's--There's so much I have to tell you--so much has happened since--" his voice trailed off.

Ducky chuckled softly. "I know." he said. "But there'll be time enough for that later." Ducky said, with a soft smile.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked, the smile fading from his lips.

"Well," Ducky said, clapping Gibbs on the shoulder. "For one thing, there's someone--er--someone(s) who have been waiting far longer than I...to see you."

"Who?" Gibbs started to ask.

"Daddy," a soft, young girls voice called out.

Gibbs turned into the direction that Ducky had come from, and what he saw was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in such a long time. Kelly Gibbs was standing just a few yards away, looking just as she had the last time he'd seen her.

"Kelly," Gibbs choked out as he ran the few steps to where she stood looking up at him. He dropped to his knees in front of her, and she immediately leaped into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly to him--afraid that if he let go of her she would disappear. "Oh, Kelly." Gibbs cried as he hugged his daughter. The tears sprang from his eyes like the torrential rain falls known to drench rain forests of South America from year to year.

"Daddy," she said softly as she returned his hug. "I knew you wouldn't forget." she said, as she pulled back from him a little bit.

Ducky watched the whole thing with a smile spread across his face, and small tears in his eyes.

"Oh sweetheart," Gibbs sobbed, the tears still flowing like a flash flood down his cheeks. "I could never forget you. I love you so much."

"Mommy wanted me to wait, but I really wanted to see you." Kelly told him, with a smile.

Gibbs opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by another very familiar voice coming from behind Kelly.

"She's just like her father," the familiar woman's voice remarked. "Stubborn and impatient." she added.

Gibbs stood back up to his feet where he found himself standing face-to-face with a beautiful red-headed woman staring lovingly back at him.

"Hi Jethro." Shannon said softly to Gibbs.

"Shannon..." Gibbs sobbed, as he reached out and pulled his wife into his arms. He smashed his lips against hers and kissed her long and hard.

"I missed you too Jethro," Shannon said softly, when they pulled apart a little bit. "And I'm so proud of you." she told him, smiling.

Gibbs just couldn't take his eyes off of his wife as they stood there together. "I've missed you so much--Shannon I-" his words were beginning to fail him once again.

Shannon leaned in and stole another gentle kiss from Gibbs.

Ducky walked towards the group, and chuckled. "Alright everyone," he said, stretching his arms out wide. "Our 'chariot' has arrived."

Gibbs looked up at Ducky, a little confused, but then a soft (yet bright) light appeared behind them. Gibbs' first instinct was to turn away from the light, but at the last second he decided to do just the opposite.

The light was soft and warm, and not only encompassed them--it also filled them up as well. Gibbs closed his eyes as the light bathed over him, causing feelings and sensations that he'd never felt or experienced before to awaken all over his body (inside and out).

Shannon rubbed her husbands' shoulders lightly. "Let's go home, Jethro." she said softly.

Gibbs nodded, absently, but then a thought entered his mind, and he knew that he needed to act on it now while he still could.

"Just a sec," he said, raising a finger to his wife. "I'll be right back."

"But Daddy," Kelly started to protest.

Gibbs knelt down to his daughter's level, and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"I'll come right back," he told her.

"Promise?" she asked.

Gibbs kissed his daughter, gently, on the forehead. "Promise."

Gibbs stood back up to his feet, and walked back over to the edge of the hill where he had been standing earlier, and looked back down at the funeral procession below. It was starting to near its finale.

The bugler was just now starting to play 'Taps' as everyone else stood in silence and listened to its mournful melody ring out across the field(s).

A single tear rolled down Gibbs' cheek, as he thought about each of the loved ones that he was leaving behind now. "I love you all." he whispered into the wind. "I mean it." he added.

"Jethro, come on." Shannon called to her husband from where she, Kelly, and Ducky were standing.

Gibbs turned around and looked back at the group, and smiled. "Coming." he said, as he walked back towards his family.

As he walked into the warm, soft light once again, Kelly smiled up at her father as he stepped up next to her mother.

"All this munchkin has talked about for the last 2 days," Shannon said to Gibbs, with a chuckle, as he stepped up beside her. "Is her baby sister." she added.

Gibbs looked a little confused by that statement.

"Yeah," Kelly exclaimed. "We're gonna be best friends someday!" she told her father.

Suddenly a thought flashed through Gibbs' mind, and what they were saying all of a sudden made perfect sense to him--and his first thought after that was that he should explain himself to Shannon.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead Shannon winked at him as she ruffled Kelly's long, dark hair and smiled.

"I'm sure you will be munchkin," Shannon said, with a smile. "I sure you will be."

Gibbs nodded, and smiled as well. He'd just gotten a glimpse of the future to come from his wife and daughter.

"Let's go home." Ducky said with a smile, as the warm, soft light began to wrap itself around the group.







The gang stood listening to the bugler playing 'Taps'. Suddenly a light breeze blew past them, and they all moved with it. Each of them heard the voice that spoke on the wind. The voice was so familiar that they did not have to think about to know who it was.

Tony looked around, quickly, but saw no one around. "Gibbs..." he whispered softly, but got no answer.

The breeze brought with it a feeling of warmth and love that filled each and every one of them to the core of their very being(s).

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony could have sworn he'd just seen some kind of other-worldly light coming from a hill-top that set not to far from where he and the others were standing. But when he turned his head to look again, there was nothing there.

--------To Be Continued--------

P.S. Be sure to check back soon for the final conclusion in 'Part Five'. Hope you guys have enjoyed reading these stories as much as I have enjoyed reading them.... Thanks Again Everyone For Your Support!!!!!

"A New Nightmare, Part Five--Surprising Finale (Chp. 16, 17, & Possibly 18)"


--Chapter Sixteen--

A few weeks had passed since the death of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Everyone within NCIS had been taking their time, and dealing with the loss in their own way(s).

In L.A., the hardest hit by the loss of the former NCIS Special Agent was Special Agent Kensi Blye. Kensi had had a relationship with Gibbs before his tragic death, and the rest of the team were/was doing their best to help her cope with the loss.

At present, it was still fairly early in the morning, and the team was gathered in the 'Tactical Room', upstairs in the NCIS: L.A. HQ building, for another case briefing by Hetty.

Abby had just walked into the room a few seconds beforehand, and quietly took her place beside Nate for the briefing.

Kensi tried her best to focus on the task at hand from where she stood between Callen and Sam, but her mind kept wandering away without warning, and she had to snap herself back to reality as soon as she realized that it was happening.

"Mr. Beal," Hetty said, looking over at Eric who was sitting comfortably at his console. "Take it away please." she added.

"Yes ma'am." Eric said, punching a few keys on his keyboard. A new screen flashed up onto the computer monitors.

Kensi tried to listen to the words that Eric was saying, but suddenly her stomach began to churn and flip flop inside of her, and she instantly felt extremely nauseated on the spot.

"Oh," she moaned in her head. "Not again." she thought to herself, rubbing a hand across her stomach.

She tried to swallow--tried to stop her gag reflex from kicking in, but it was no use. It wasn't going to work--at all.

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she felt her knees buckle beneath her.

"Oh no," she moaned, aloud as she clamped her hand over her mouth reflexively.

She looked around her, and then bolted out from between Sam and Callen and made a bee-line for the stairs leading back down into the lobby area.

"Kensi," Sam called after her.

"Kens-" Callen called after her. "You alright!?"

But Kensi was too far away by now to hear what they were saying.

"I hope she's alright," Abby said quietly, genuine concern in her voice.

"Mr. Callen," Hetty said, looking from the doorway where Kensi had run out just a few seconds before to where G. Callen was standing next to Sam. "Could you please go and check on Ms. Blye for us."

"I'm on it." Callen said, walking towards the door.

She shoved open the bathroom door, and just barely made it to a toilet, dropping to her knees, before spilling her guts over the side of the porcelain fixture.

A minute or so later, she pulled back from the toilet bowl--her whole body shaking on the spot--and grabbed at the roll of toilet paper hanging from its wall hanger/thing. She wiped her mouth and face with a bit of the toilet paper.

She absolutely hated the taste of a meal coming back up that way. Her eyes were moist, and so she dabbed at them as well with another bit of toilet paper.

She was so scared. This had been going on for at least a week or so, and up until now she had done a pretty good job of keeping it hidden from everyone else.

She wished like 'all-get-out' that she knew what was causing it--she didn't feel sick or anything--at least until these spells came over her. And it was only, usually early in the morning, the rest of the day was usually pretty good.

She sat back on her bottom, and dabbed at her mouth and face again. She closed her eyes as she waited for her body to quit shaking.

There was a knock at the door.

"Kensi."

"Wh-What?" she replied, not opening her eyes yet.

"Can I come in?" Callen asked, from outside the bathroom.

"S-sure." she mumbled.

The bathroom door opened up, and Callen stepped inside.

"You alright?" he asked, as he walked towards her.

She thought about that for a second or two.

Callen knelt down beside her, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"I-I don't know." she said, shaking her head lightly.

Callen reached up, and flushed the toilet--clearing out the disgusting contents within.

"Just--this has been happening nearly everyday for the last week or so." she told him, her body finally beginning to stop shaking.

"You're not pregnant are you?" Callen remarked jokingly, nudging her with his elbow.

They both remembered what Abby had been like during her first pregnancy, and then during the first trimester of her current pregnancy.

Kensi shook her head. "N-no, no." she said, quietly.

"Okay, well maybe you should take the day off." he told her, quietly. "Maybe, go see a doctor--just to be safe you know."

Kensi nodded.

"Come on," Callen said helping her up. "I'll walk you to your car."

Callen did just that. He walked Kensi to her car, and then watched as she drove off and disappeared into the distance.








Kensi spent the whole drive back in the direction of her place thinking to herself. Callens words echoed in her head; but they couldn't be right--they just couldn't.

She pulled up in front of a service station a few minutes later, and jumped out of the car. She ran inside and was back outside and in her car in just a matter of minutes. She had had to pick up something on her way home. A part of her felt like she was just being paranoid, but she had to know for sure.

She set the paper bag down in the passenger's seat, and then pulled away from the service station a few seconds later.







It was close to lunch time by the time Kensi got back to her place finally. She stormed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. she opened up the paper sack, and pulled out the purple box that contained the Home Pregnancy Test.

She stared at the purple box for a few minutes before deciding to actually open up the box.

She ripped open the box, and pulled out the pregnancy test. It took a few minutes after that for Kensi to do her thing, and then all that was left was the waiting game.

She waited, and waited, and waited, and waited there on the bathroom floor sitting Indian style. Finally the required time limit had passed, and she finally decided to chance a look down at the small plastic, white stick in her hands.

A blue plus sign. Kensi's heart sank in her chest at the sight. She WAS pregnant.

Suddenly a wave of nausea washed over her, and she soon found herself leaning over the toilet vomiting her guts out once again. After the nausea had finally sub-sided for the second time in one day she fell back against the ball just opposite the toilet.

She broke down into tears where she sat. "How could this be?" she thought to herself. She thought back to the last time she had had sex...it had been with Jethro Gibbs.

She moaned through her tears as she sat there. She was pregnant with her dead lover's baby. A baby that she was not in the least bit ready for at that. She threw the pregnancy test stick across the room and it smacked into a wall, and then fell to the floor.








Later That Evening...

There were sounds coming from outside the bathroom in Kensis place.

"Kensi!?" a familiar voice called through the place.

Kensi knew immediately who was in her home. It was Abby. Abby had a key because she and Abby were really good friends.

"In here!" Kensi called back miserably.

Kensi let Abby into the bathroom a few minutes later.

"Kensi," Abby said, a look of worry spread across her face. "I've been calling you all afternoon." Abby told her, as she took a seat on top of the toilet. "You had me so worried."

"Sorry." Kensi replied, miserably. "I just found out that...that I'm pregnant." she said miserably, her eyes red and moist.

"Pregnant!?" Abby repeated the words. "Why Kensi," she said, throwing her arms around her friend. "That's wonderful."

"No!" Kensi shook her head furiously. "No, its now." she insisted.

"Why not?" Abby asked, somewhat confused.

"Look at me Abby," Kensi cried. "DO I LOOK like a mother to you!?"

"I-I wouldn't even know where to start." Kensi sobbed.

"Oh Kens," Abby said, kneeling beside her friend.

"I'm so scared Abby." Kensi admitted, through her tears. "I-I don't know what to do--I'm not ready for this."

"You wanna know a secret, sweetie?" Abby asked.

Kensi nodded.

"Neither was I." Abby admitted. "When I found out that I was pregnant with D.J.--I was terrified." Abby admitted. "But Gibbs told me that everything would be alright--and he was right." Abby told her.

Abby chuckled lightly, as she remembered, fondly, those first few years after D.J. was born. "In fact," she added. "In all honesty, I don't think that anyone is truly ready for 'kids' until they actually have them--and then from there its all just one big 'learning' adventure after another."

Kensi let everything that her friend was telling her soak in.









--Chapter Seventeen--

Something that Abby had said the night before had given Kensi an idea, and so the next morning she had made a phone call and managed to hop the next flight out of L.A. to Stillwater, Pennsylvania.

It was about a day later when she finally arrived in front of the Stillwater General Store, at 2:30 in the afternoon.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, and then after working up the nerve she opened up the door, and stepped inside.

"Hello," she called, as she stepped inside. No answer. She turned around to leave after a minute or two, deciding that she would try again tomorrow--maybe.

"Lookin' for me?" came a gruff, old voice from behind her.

Kensi turned back around to face the inside of the store, and saw Jackson Gibbs walking out from the backroom.

"M-Mr. Gibbs." she stammered.

Jackson Gibbs chuckled.

"Kensi, right?" Jackson Gibbs said. "Leroy's friend."

"Yes sir."

He chuckled again. "Oh, you don't have to call me sir."

"Sorry si--er--" she let her sentence trail off at the end.

"So," Jackson Gibbs said, moving towards the cash register. "What can I do ya for?" he asked.

"Its about your son," Kensi said. "Jethro."

"Oh, that right." Jackson Gibbs said, nodding his head with a smile. "Come with me." he said nodding towards the backroom.

Kensi nodded, and then followed Jackson Gibbs towards the backroom.








In the backroom there was a small table. Kensi pulled herself up a seat and sat down in front of the small table.

The older man reached into a small refrigerator that sat up against the wall off to one side, and pulled off one plain soda (in an old fashioned glass bottle) and also one bottle of water.

"Here." he said, kindly, passing the bottle of water across the table to Kensi. "You look like you could use this."

"Thanks." Kensi said, as she accepted the ice cold bottle of water from the older man.

Jackson Gibbs popped the top off of his bottle of soda, and then he too pulled up a seat and sat down.

"Your son and I" she began, replacing the cap on the water bottle she now held in her hands. "We-we had a-a relationship."

"So I've heard." Jackson Gibbs said, with a grin.

Kensi cocked her head to one side, with a confused look on her face.

"Leroy and I had an understanding...while he was in Mexico--we would write each other." Jackson Gibbs explained.

"He was very fond of you." Jackson Gibbs added.

"He-he was?"

"Of course." the old man chuckled. "And its not hard to see why."

Kensi blushed.

"The reason that I'm here," she tried to continue. "Is that--I just recently discovered that I'm--" her words almost failed her. "-I'm pregnant..."

"And my Leroy's the father." The older man finished her sentence for her.

Kensi nodded, a miserable feeling washing over her in that moment.

Jackson Gibbs sat silently for a moment or two after that.

Kensi could feel tears burning the space behind her eyes. "Sir...I know--I know how this sounds...but believe me-"

"...I loved your son." Kensi told him, tears running down her cheeks. "If I could have--I'd have given my life for his in a heartbeat." she added. "Oh...I'm so scared."

Jackson Gibbs chuckled. "Leroy would never have allowed it." he said, with a grin.

"I-I know." she admitted.

"You're scared, because you don't think you're ready." he said, quietly.

Kensi nodded. "Yes."

"And you're here because you want my advice." he said.

Kensi nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand(s). "It is your grandchild." she pointed out, with a sniffle.

"True." he said with a wink.

"You know," the old man said, leaning back in his chair. "I've met a lot of people doing what I do--heard a lot of stories too. A young woman comes in to pick up a few things, and tells me a story. She's just been told she's gonna be a mama--but she's worried that she won't be ready." he told her.

Kensi wiped her eyes with her hand again, and listened closely to what the older man was saying.

"Now, I spend the next few years watching that family grow, and learn--together. You see, in my experience--no one's ever ready for anything, especially for kids. But they'll learn...now I won't tell you it'll be easy," Jackson Gibbs told her, leaning forward in his chair and looking across the table at Kensi.

"But you'll learn." he added, softly and sweetly, as he placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently.

Kensi couldn't help but smile back through her tears.

Kensi rubbed her stomach/abdomen with her free arm/hand under the table as she sat there.

"And if you ever need anything, sweetheart," Jackson Gibbs told her, as he wagged the thumb of his free hand towards himself, with a grin. "You'll find this old man--right here." he said, as he stood up, gave her a wink, and then walked back out to the front of the store.

The sound of the front door opening reached the backroom.

"Hello there," Jackson Gibbs said, with a chuckle. "How can I help you today?"

"My son has a bad cold," a woman was telling Jackson. "Do you have any cold medicine in stock?"

"As a matter of fact I do," the old man replied. "Let me show you."

Kensi sat there, now rubbing her mid-section with both hands/arms. Kensi Blye, tomboy, a mother--it seemed like an alien concept, but now the more she thought about it--she more she found herself falling more and more in love with the idea.

Her eyes glistened with the tears that still lingered there.

She caressed her mid-section gently, as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"My...baby." she whispered, letting the words linger on her lips.












--Chapter Eighteen--

ONE YEAR LATER...

Abby and Eric climbed the hill in the cemetery to where Gibbs, Shannon, and Kelly were buried.

"Abby, wait up!" Eric called after his wife.

Eric was holding the hand of the almost 6 year old D.J. as they followed Abby up the hill. He was also carrying their almost one year old daughter in his free arm.

Abby stopped, finally, looking down at the grave marker that she had come to see. She laid the bouquet of black roses down, gently, on top of the grave. "Hi Gibbs." she whispered, running a hand over the headstone.

"Its been a while." she added.

"Abby," Eric said finally catching up to his wife.

"Let me see her." she said, softly, reaching out and taking her daughter from Eric.

Abby knelt down in front of the grave while holding the green-eyed, dark-haired little girl in her arms. She kissed her daughter gently, and lovingly on the cheek.

"Gibbs," Abby said softly. "I want you to meet my daughter--Kelly."

Abby ran a hand through her daughter's hair as a loving smile crossed her face. "Kelly Shannon Beal." Abby added. "Kel--for short." she said, with a chuckle.

Eric stood behind Abby with D.J.

"So much has happened in the last year," Abby explained. "For starters, we all got together and spent Christmas with your Dad--I hope you don't mind."

"I'm sure he doesn't." Eric spoke up.

Abby looked over her shoulder and shot her husband a dirty look.

"Kensi," Abby continued. "She has a son now--your son."

"Kinda scary when you think about it." Eric remarked, with a chuckle.

Abby rolled her eyes at her husband, though he could not see her do it.

"He's precious." she said softly. "He looks a lot like you--ya know--he's got your eyes, your smile," she said, as the memory of the way that Gibbs used to smile brought a smile to her own face.

"He's also very stubborn," Abby added, with a chuckle. "For a child."

The familiar glisten of tears became visible in Abby's eyes. "But she loves him...she loves him very much." Abby said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

She wiped the tear(s) away with the back of her hand.

"Everyone has been really good to Kensi. Callen's been the biggest help."

"Sam too, but we like to think of him as the 'funny' uncle in the family." Abby said.

"D.J.'s in school now." Abby said, motioning her son over to her side. "He's doing really well too." she added, kissing D.J. on the cheek with a smile.

"That's my boy." Eric remarked, out of the corner of his mouth.

"Tony and Ziva are doing well too," she said next. "Talia's doing well in school, and Gena is growing so fast--she'll be in school with her big sister before too long." she added.

"And McGee," she recalled. "He and Alicia have been talking about maybe trying for a baby brother or sister for little Maxie; but things are just so hectic in their lives right now that, just Maxie, is a handful at times." she explained.

"But they haven't given up yet." she added. "Oh, and by the way--Maddie's engaged now." Abby said, with a small smile.

"I talked to her a couple of weeks ago, and that's when she told me. She's also getting ready to start her first job as a teacher at a local school near where her mother lives."

"Abby," Eric spoke up. "We've got a long drive ahead of us, and if we're gonna stop for supper soon--we need to head out now." he told his wife quietly.

Abby looked up at her husband, and nodded. She turned back to face the grave marker, and rubbed a hand over its marble face. "We all love you, Gibbs." she whispered quietly.

D.J. wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her. Abby hugged both of her children to her, as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Let's go guys." Abby said quietly as she stood back up to her feet. She hoisted Kelly up into her arms, and took D.J.'s hand in her free hand.

"Come on." she said softly, as the family started to make their way back down the hill towards the car that they had come in.

"Goodbye Gibbs." Abby whispered over her shoulder.











--Chapter Nineteen--

(Kensi's Life Now)

Kensi stood in the center of the small nursery at her home. It was a warm Saturday afternoon outside, and inside she was putting her infant son down for a nap.

Before now she could never have imagined herself as a mother. She had never really been the 'girlie' type, and so she had never really given much thought to the idea of getting married and having kids--unlike most of the other girls that she knew.

She could remember being so nervous the first time that she actually held her new baby in her arms at the hospital. But then, even more nerve-racking, had been her first few nights alone, in her home, with her new baby.

She had read a few 'baby' and 'parenting' books just prior to the baby being born, and she had consulted several other helpful sources--all of which were recommended by Nate--and she had even attended a couple of 'parenting classes' (with G. Callen along for support). Through all of this, though, she still had some doubts as to her abilities to be a 'good mother' to her child.

When the time finally came, though, to 'put-up or shut-up' she swore in front of everyone of her co-workers at NCIS that she was going to do her damnedest to be the best mother she could possibly be for her child.

Now, Kensi rocked her blue-eyed baby boy, gently and slowly, in her arms--humming softly as she did so.

He looked so peaceful and so beautiful laying there in her arms, as she swayed, gently, from side-to-side, that she couldn't help but smile a warm, motherly smile.

To her the little boy looked so much like his father (Gibbs) that sometimes (such as on a bad day) looking at his face would be enough to bring tears to her eyes. She was getting better about not crying at times like that though.

She began to slow her movements down carefully, now that Lee (which for her is short for Leroy) was finally falling asleep. She moved slowly towards the crib. She laid the little baby boy down, gently, in his crib; and then stood, hovering over him, watching him snooze silently for a few minutes.

It had been amazing, to her, how much she'd changed after her son was born. She definitely felt different, she was the same person that she'd always been mind you, but now there was a gentler, softer side of her personality that showed itself a lot more often now.

And she definitely felt very protective of her son. She had been so amazed, and was still amazed on a daily basis, at just how much she loved that blue-eyed baby boy that she'd given birth to.

She leaned over, and gently kissed the sleeping infants forehead. "Sweet dreams." she whispered softly to the baby. "I love you."

She slowly backed away from the crib, after that, and quietly approached the door. She exited the nursery, looking back over her shoulder at the precious baby boy slumbering in his crib one last time before she closed the nursery door.








She entered the living room area of her home, quietly, a minute or so later. G. Callen was sitting quietly on the sofa, patiently waiting for Kensi to return.

Callen was drinking from a water bottle that was filled with, well, water--as he waited. Kensi had recently forbidden alcoholic beverages from entering her home now that she had a baby to take care of.

"He's sleeping like a baby." she said quietly, as she entered the room.

"Kens," Callen said, quietly, arching an eyebrow at Kensi. "He is a baby."

Kensi rolled her eyes at Callen. "You know what I mean." she replied.

She sat down on the sofa beside Callen.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, quietly.

She let out a long sigh. "Just taking it day by day I guess." she replied, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand.

"Everyone at the office is talking about your eminent return." he told her.

She nodded. "Don't see why," she replied. "I mean you guys haven't left me alone since-" she pointed out jokingly.

Callen grinned.

"We're just trying to help, Kens." he told her, taking another swig from his water bottle.

"I know." she replied. "And besides--Hetty's only putting me on desk duty." she pointed out.

"Well, yeah," Callen said. "But you'll officially be back in operating status. And let's face it--its not the same without you there Kens." he told her with a smile.

Kensi shook her head, and scooted down the sofa a little further away from him.

"What!?" he asked, quietly, a little confused.

"Please don't do that." she said quietly, looking away from him.

"Do what?"

"When you smile at me like that..." her voice trailed off, and she didn't finish her sentence.

Callen, looked down, the smile fading from his face. He knew what she was getting at.

"Kensi," he said softly. "I just-"

She shook her head, wringing her hands/wrists nervously as she sat there.

"I just can't let myself fall into another 'situation' like that." she told him quietly. "It-its not you..."

A few weeks ago Callen had come over after work one Friday evening to check in and see how Kensi and Lee were doing. They'd been doing good, but Callen had insisted that she let him treat her to take-out, she could pick what, for dinner so that she would not have to be alone on a Friday night.

It started out innocently enough. They ate supper, and had a little wine (she had only half a glass, though, because she had not had much of a tolerance for alcohol since her son was born) (Callen had actually had a full glass of wine though). The baby had been asleep while all of this was going on as well.

The real trouble began after supper, when they were sitting on the sofa talking. Somehow, while they were talking, some unexpected emotions overtook both her and Callen and before they knew what was happening they were 'sharing a bed together' as it were.

She said, later, that she remembered him 'smiling' in that way like he had just minutes ago, and that was the last thing that she remembered before she found herself snuggled up very close to him--naked--in her bed.

She had even heard Callen say that 'He loved her'. That part scared her, maybe more, than any other part of that particular night.

She was so shaken up by what happened that she avoided Callen for two whole weeks afterward.

"Kensi," he said softly. "I'm sorry about what happened that night. We'd had ourselves a drink, and...I never meant to take advantage of you like that-"

She shook her head again, but this time there visible tears in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"You didn't take advantage of me," she reassured him. "You're--you're not capable of such an act. Truth is, I let you." she told him.

Callen set his water bottle down on the coffee table nearby.

"That's what scares me," she added. "I 'wanted' it. I 'wanted' you. Obviously, I didn't vocalize it--the way you did." she said, referring to his later confession.

"I need you to understand," she said, now moving back a little bit closer to Callen. She took his hand(s) in hers, and held them there for a brief moment. "I can't let myself fall like that. I'm not ready." she added, looking up into his eyes.

"I still wake up in the morning and think about Gibbs," she told him. "Its been a year since...but I'm still healing."

"I know." he told her, as he moved a few stray locks of her hair out of her face.

Kensi tried her best to act as if the feel of his hand brushing against her face, as he moved the stray strands of hair aside, didn't effect her--but in truth...it did.

"I can't 'love' you the way that you want me too--not right now," she told him. "And honestly, I'm not sure when or 'if' I ever will be ready."

Callen gently kissed Kensi's forehead. "I know how much you miss Gibbs," he told her. "I know you're still healing...and I don't expect you to jump into a relationship--just like that." he continued quietly.

"I care about you Kens," he told her. "I just want you to know that. I want you to know that I'm here for you. I do love you, and that you don't have to do this alone."

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she sat there looking up into his eyes.

"And I'm not asking you to love me." he added.

Their faces were getting closer and closer in that moment until their lips finally met, and they kissed--tenderly, but passionately--and then after a few seconds she pulled back slightly--her hands now cupping his face gently.

"That's why its so hard for me," she told him softly. "Because, I do."

She kissed him again, and he let her. He let her do what she felt/thought she needed to do.








Later That Evening...

She awoke in her bed, with Callen sound asleep next to her, a few hours later. She checked her alarm clock, and it read 1:30 A.M.

She sat up in the bed, the bed sheet still draped across her front, and reached for her silky night gown and robe that hung from a wall hook on the side of the bed that she usually slept on (her side of the bed in other words).

She could hear the faint sound of her son crying in his room. He was probably hungry--that or he needed a diaper change (also could just as easily be both).

She looked back over at Callen, one last time, as she made her way towards the door--now dressed in just her robe (if the baby was hungry then the night gown would just be in the way). He was still asleep, unfazed by the baby's crying.








She entered the nursery a few minutes later--she stopped to pee real quickly before seeing to her crying infant--and made her way over to the crib where Lee slept.

She reached into the crib, and gently picked her baby boy up into her arms. "Shhh." she whispered softly. "Mommy's here." she cooed softly, holding him against her chest comfortably.

He didn't smell bad and he didn't feel wet, so he was not crying because he needed a diaper change.

"Are you hungry?" she cooed softly, kissing the little baby on the top of the head, gently.

By now he was starting to settle down a little bit.

She carried him over to the rocking chair that she kept in the nursery for nights like this. She sat down, and opened her night gown just enough to expose her right breast.

The infant took to the tender nipple like a puppy to a new chew toy. Kensi chuckled softly/quietly. "You WERE hungry--weren't you?" she cooed playfully.

When she finally finished feeding her infant son she laid him back down to sleep in his crib, It didn't take long, this time, for the little boy to drift off to dreamland.

She turned to leave the room, and was startled to see Gibbs standing there behind her.

She gasped, clapping her hand, tight, over her mouth to keep from screaming and waking Callen up.

"This isn't real." she thought to herself. "He's not really here."

"He's beautiful." Gibbs said, nodding towards the slumbering infant in the crib.

She did not answer because she was shaking to badly to do so.

"You're doing a great job with him." he said quietly, with a warm smile that she could see even in the dim light coming in through the nursery's single window.

Even though she was scared to death, she couldn't help but smile inwardly at herself at his compliment.

"You're-you're not real." she choked out, quietly. "You're not...really here--I mean you're-you're..." her voice trailed off, and she was unable to finish her sentence.

Gibbs stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around Kensi. He pulled her close, and hugged her tightly.

"I'm real to you." he said softly.

Tears stained her cheeks now.

"How is this possible?" she whispered, still clinging to the silver-haired man.

"You were thinking about me," he explained, in a soft, understanding tone. "So, here I am." he added, with a slight grin.

He chuckled. "You worry too much." he told her quietly. "You're going to be a wonderful mother...I want you to know that." he added.

"And you and Callen-" he started to say.

Kensi jerked back, and looked up at Gibbs' face--a terrified expression crossing her own face.

"Its not what you think," she blurted out without thinking. "I swear Gibbs, its-"

He laid a finger against her lips, gently, forcing her to cut her sentence short.

"Its alright." he assured her, kissing her on the forehead. "I've seen the way you look at him," Gibbs confessed. "I've seen how he makes you smile." he added.

Kensi could not deny that what Gibbs was saying was true.

"He makes you happy," Gibbs said, with a warm smile. "You don't hurt as much when he's around."

"You should tell him that." Gibbs told her. "Kensi, I want you to be happy." he added, softly.

She honestly did not know what to say to that--at all.

"But Jethro, I miss you so much." she said, sobbing into his chest.

"I know." he told her, softly. "But it'll get better--I promise." he added, looking down at her. He lifted her face back up to his, and looked into her eyes.

Their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart, at this point, and he whispered something just before he kissed her.

"Everything's gonna be alright." he whispered softly.

She felt her lips touch his, for a brief moment, and then...he was gone. She stood there, now, in the center of the nursery alone. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she stood there silently.








She entered the bedroom, again, a few minutes later. She walked around to her side of the bed, hung up her robe on the clothes hook, and then crawled quietly and carefully back into the bed--slipping gently under the covers as she did so.

She looked over at Callen, still sleeping peacefully and unaware of what had just happened to her, and suddenly everything seemed alright.

She smiled, to herself, as she leaned over close to Callen's face, and there she placed a gentle kiss against his rugged cheek. "I love you too." she whispered in his ear, softly.

He stirred a little bit, but did not wake up.

Kensi rolled back over, again, and pulled the covers up closer to her. It didn't take long after her head hit the pillow for her to fall into a deep, blissful slumber.

Everything would be alright. Just as Gibbs had promised her it would be.











(Tony and Ziva's Life Now)

Tony was leaning on the edge of his (own) desk talking to McGee across the bullpen.

Around the corner, the elevator pinged. A minute or so later Ziva rounded the corner into the bullpen with two kids in tow. Gena was walking now, on her own, but she still had to hold 'mama's' hand when they went out in public.

"I have a surprise for you, Dear!" Ziva called out to her husband, from around the corner.

"What's that!?" he called back, with a grin spread across his face.

"Look." she said, as she came into view.

"Oh wow," Tony exclaimed, jumping excitedly in place. "A pair of pet monkeys--you shouldn't have!"

"Daddy..." Talia said, rolling her eyes at her dad.

Tony laughed. "I am too funny." he said, slapping his knee.

"Ignore your father." Ziva told her daughters. "He's crazy."

"At least I don't snort like a pig when I laugh." Tony countered, playfully.

Talia tried to stifle a laugh, but it did not go over all that well.

Ziva glared at her daughter. "How does 'no cartoons' sound?" Ziva asked, sternly.

Talia seemed genuinely threatened by that comment.

"Don't worry buttercup," Tony told his daughter. "Mommy's just had a bad day."

Talia nodded.

"Daddy, look what I did in school today!" Talia said gleefully, as she skipped over to her father's side holding a piece of paper in her hands.

"What's that buttercup?" Tony asked, with a smile.

Talia held the piece of paper up for her father to see. It was a drawing of a house, a family standing in front of their house, and a dog (kind of cliche I know, I know...) and it was all drawn in really bright colors.

"Wow," Tony said, taking the drawing so that he could examine it closer. "That is really good sweetheart." he told his daughter, with a smile. "Mind if I put this one up back here with the others?" he asked, nodding towards a panel of the wall behind his desk that was covered in a collage of his daughter's drawings and such.

"That's why I drew it." she said, as if that were completely obvious.

Tony chuckled. "Of course." he said nodding.

"Did you have fun staying over at Jenny's house while Mom and I were away?" he asked.

Talia nodded. "Yep. We even got to ride Horse." she told her dad, excitedly.

"Wow." Tony exclaimed, playfully. "That does sound like fun."

Ziva approached her husband, now carrying Gena in her arms, and smiled. "Hey." she said, as she kissed her husband, and handed off Gena to him.

"Have fun?" Tony asked, as he pulled the little girl into his arms.

"Fun!?" she replied. "Those people are nuts." she fumed, under her breath.

"I know honey," Tony said with a smirk. "That's why I try to avoid that place when I can." he added. "Too many people trying to be politically correct these days...gets really annoying you know."

"Sometimes I really despise you." Ziva told her husband, glaring at him unhappily as she did so.

Tony chuckled. "I love you dear."

"Come on Tali," Ziva said, taking her oldest daughter by the hand, gently. "Lets go get some snacks." she added.

"Okey dokey." the little girl replied, as she trotted off with her mother to find the vending machines.

Tony turned his attention to his youngest daughter at that point. "And how about you?" he asked, in a playful voice. "Do anything interesting today?"

Much to his disappointment the little girl was unusually quiet today, and seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

"Silent treatment eh?" Tony remarked, playfully. "Alright, two can play that-" he started to say, as he shifted the little girl in his arm. His arm brushed against her upper back, and she flinched.

Tony was startled by the reaction, and it took him a minute to recover from the shock.

"You okay sweetie?" he asked, concerned.

She still didn't look at him, but he could swear that in the corner of her eye(s) he saw a tear(s). "Was she crying?" he thought to himself. He rubbed his hand back across her upper back, and she flinched again.

"Tony," McGee said, as he stood up behind his desk. "Do you-"

"See that?" Tony finished for him. "Yeah, I saw it. She flinches when I touch her back--right here." he tested the area again, and got the same result as the first two times.

"Something's not right." Tony said in a low voice.

McGee walked over to where Tony was.

Tony looked up at McGee, and nodded for him to help him out.

"Check her back for me, will ya?" he asked McGee.

"Sure thing." McGee said, swallowing hard.

McGee lifted the little girl's shirt, while Tony held her still, and checked the area around her upper back.

"Oh no," McGee gasped.

"What!?" Tony demanded.

"Tony, you should see this." McGee informed him.

Tony peeked over the little girl's shoulder, and looked down at where McGee was pointing.

Tony's breath caught in his throat at the sight he was seeing. There was a nice-sized red spot stretched across her upper back. There was also small bruise-looking markings as well.

"What the hell is that?" Tony growled through gritted teeth.

"I-I don't know." McGee replied. "I think we need Doc Mason's opinion."

"Yeah." Tony agreed. "Come with me." he commanded McGee.








Down in Autopsy Gena was sitting on one of the clean slabs while Doc Mason gave her a once over. He finally finished his examination, and patted the little girl gently on the head, with a smile, and then walked over to where Tony and McGee were standing.

"Who did this?" Doc Mason demanded.

"What is it?" McGee asked, quietly.

"Someone STRUCK that little girl--HARD." Doc Mason fumed, under his breath.

"What!?" Tony replied, shocked and panicked (a little bit anyways).

"The patterns indicate that this has been going on for several days." he said.

"You're telling me," Tony said, his blood pressure rising from the intense anger that he felt inside him(self). "That someone has been 'beating' my little girl."

"Precisely." Doc Mason said.

"Ziva, McGee, and I just got back from a three-day undercover assignment up north." he told Doc Mason.

"Yes, I heard." Doc Mason replied.

"Talia stayed with a friend from school, Jenny, and Gena stayed with a friend from her daycare." Tony thought out loud.

"Damn." Tony swore under his breath. "I left my child with a 'child-abuser'." Tony's eyes were moist and red at this point.

"Tony," McGee said softly. "There's no way you could've known." he told Tony quietly.

Tony pushed past the two other men, and walked quickly over to his daughter. He stooped over to her level, and looked her in the eyes.

"Sweetheart," Tony said softly. "Did someone hurt you?"

No answer. The little girl just hung her head, as if she were ashamed of something.

"Sweetie," Tony tried again, softly. "Its me...Daddy."

"Did somebody hurt you?" he asked again, softly.

This time he could see visible (but silent) tears rolling down her cheeks. "Sweetie-" he started to say. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung on tight as little tiny sobs began to escape her throat.

"Oh baby," Tony said softly, as he lifted his daughter up into his arms. "Its okay...its okay." he told her, his own voice cracking up as he spoke. "No one's ever gonna hurt you again...I promise. I'll keep you safe." he told her, softly.

"I promise." he added.

The automatic door(s) to Autopsy opened up, and Ziva and Talia entered the room. Ziva and Talia were both carrying snacks in their hands.

"We looked everywhere for you guys." she said, as they approached everyone else. "Why is everyone down here in-"

Ziva noticed that Gena was crying in her father's arms.

"What's wrong--what happened?" she demanded, suddenly a little bit scared.

"While we were gone" Tony began. "Someone was...beating her." he told her.

Tony lifted up the little girl's shirt, and showed Ziva the spot.

"Oh my God," Ziva gasped, hurrying over to her daughter and husband. "Oh baby. I'm so sorry--mommy's so sorry." Ziva said, tears forming in her own eyes.

She wrapped her arms, gently, around both her husband and her daughter. "Its okay." she whispered to the little girl.

"Who would do such a thing?" Doc Mason asked McGee.

"Someone who's sick and perverted." McGee replied, through gritted teeth.








Later That Night...

Everyone at the DiNozzo residence had turned in for bed, and the lights in the house were being turned off.

Talia was tucked in, and already fast asleep in her room. Tony and Ziva were in their room, with Gena, and were crawling under the covers of their bed.

Tony pulled the covers up, and Ziva crawled in on her side of the bed. Gena crawled in underneath the covers and settled in between her Mom and Dad.

They had promised that she could sleep with them, under the circumstances, and she had even brought her favorite stuffed teddy bear with her as well. Tony and Ziva had even gotten one of her 'baby' pillows for her to use in their bed.

"Good?" Tony asked Gena.

Gena nodded at her father as she settled into her 'spot' between both of her parents with her teddy bear 'Buttons'.

Tony had vowed earlier that not only would he destroy the bastard that struck his daughter, but also he would do the same to 'anyone' who so much as looked at either one of his children wrong.

"Lights out time." Ziva said, reaching for the bedside-table lamp on her side of the bed.

"Right." Tony said, as he did the same.

"Goodnight everyone." Tony said, as the room went dark.

"Love you." Gena said quietly through the darkness.

"We love you too, sweetheart." Tony said softly, as he kissed his daughter on the cheek in the darkened room.

Ziva leaned over, and also gave her youngest daughter a kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, love." she whispered softly, in the little girl's ear.








The Next Morning...

Tony sat behind his desk at NCIS HQ, and Ziva was at her desk looking over some paperwork.

Gena had come into work with her parents this morning because they were afraid of leaving her anywhere else at this point. She sat behind her father's desk with her teddy bear, and some crayons and a coloring book.

McGee walked around the corner, escorting a rather sloppy-looking man, and when Gena saw him she scurried up under her father's desk to hide. "Sweetheart?" Tony said softly, looking down.

He heard his youngest daughter whimper at his feet.

"That him?" Tony asked, looking up at McGee.

McGee nodded. "Yep. Picked him up on my way in just like you asked."

"Take him down to interrogation." Tony said. "I'll be right there."

After McGee and the sloppy-looking man had disappeared from sight, Tony backed his chair away from his desk, and stooped over so that he could see his daughter.

"Sweetheart," Tony said, softly. "Its alright--he can't hurt you. I'll make sure of that." he told her.

He stood up after that, and headed towards interrogation.








Tony arrived in the observation room, and stood next to McGee looking in to the interrogation room through the one viewing window.

"He's a truck driver." McGee informed Tony. "His wife gave'em up without much of a fight." he added.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he's been beating his own family as well." McGee told him.

"Go figure." Tony replied.

"What'd she say!?" the sloppy-looking truck driver man yelled from the interrogation room as he paced, angrily, back and forth in the room. "What'd that miserable little bitch say--Hunh!?"

"My wife in on this!?" He yelled angrily slamming his fists against a wall. "No--I bet it was that little runt's beaner mother--Fuck her!"

"Look at that McGee," Tony said. "I'm now authorized to use deadly force--if I need to." Tony said, as he walked out of 'Observation' and then re-entered 'Interrogation' a few seconds later.








In Interrogation...

"Actually," Tony said, as he closed the door to interrogation behind him. "Her mother's from Israel. Which makes her half-Israeli as well." he added.

"Who the hell are you?" the trucker snorted, angrily.

"The 'Father'," he replied. "Of the little girl that you beat." he added.

"That miserable-"

Tony stepped up to the guy cutting his sentence short. "That's my little girl you're talking about." Tony growled in a low voice.

"Guess you're not a very good father then, are you?" the trucker guy retorted. "Need to teach them bitches some respect." he added, with a sneer.

"How so?" Tony asked, trying to stay calm and cool.

"Take'em and beat'em every now and then--just so'as they learn their place in this world." The trucker started to chuckle at his words. "especially 'those people'."

Tony moved so fast it was almost unbelievable. He slammed the trucker guy back against the wall, and held his arm against the guys' throat. His whole body shaking and seething with anger.

"I would never put my family through that kind of hell," Tony growled. "And any man who does--is a coward." Tony spat.

The choker gasped for air, as his airway was being somewhat restricted by Tony's arm being pressed against his throat.

"You're an American," the guy choked out. "Shackin' up...with some...some...'sand monkey'--it ain't right!"

"That's my wife you're talking about!" Tony snapped, kneeing the guy in the gut, and then slamming him down, head first, into the nearby table.

Tony then yanked the guy back upright, and slammed him back up against the wall.

"And the day I become like you--which I pray to God never happens-" Tony spat at the guy. "-Is the day I hope to God, my wife has the good sense to shoot my ass--right where I stand."

"This...This is police...brutality." the trucker guy panted.

"McGee!" Tony yelled.

McGee switched on the intercom system from the other room, and answered.

"Yeah Boss?"

"This look like police brutality to you?"

"Nope." McGee replied. "All I saw was him attacking you, and you defending yourself." he added.

"This--This ain't right." the trucker said. "You can't do this to me."

"Mr. Barron," Tony said, as he whipped out his handcuffs. "You're under arrest for child abuse, spousal abuse, and--my favorite--assaulting a Federal Agent." Tony cited the charges aloud.

Tony then proceeded to read the trucker guy his Miranda Rights as well.








Later...

Later that day the team was getting ready to knock off for the day. Tony gathered up his things, and then looked across the bullpen at his wife.

Ziva was helping Gena, who was sitting on the edge of her mom's desk with her legs dangling down off of the side, into her jacket.

"What'dya say we pick up Talia, and go out to dinner tonight." Tony suggested, as he pulled on his own coat.

"Sounds good." Ziva replied, looking up at her husband. "What're you hungry for?"

"I was thinking...Pizza." he told her, with a thoughtful look. "How does that sound to you squirt?" he asked his daughter, in a playful tone.

The little girl sat quietly, and thought about that for a moment. "Pizza." she repeated, delightedly, clapping her hands together.

"Pizza it is then." Ziva replied, with a smile, as she kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Pizza!" the little girl repeated, giggling.

Tony walked out from around his desk, and walked over to Gena and Ziva. "Alright then," he said, helping the little girl down off of the desk and back onto the floor. "Let's go get your sister."

"Night McGee!" Tony called over his shoulder.

"See ya." McGee called back. He was still gathering up his own things/stuff.

"Goodnight McGee!" Ziva called over her shoulder, as she and her family walked towards the elevator.

"See ya Ziva!" McGee called back. "Don't have too much fun!" he added.

"No such thing McGee!" Tony called back, with a chuckle.

--------THE END--------

"Christmas Without Gibbs (The First)"

--Chapter One--

It was late afternoon at the Gibbs residence in Stillwater, Pennsylvania.

Jackson Gibbs had been slaving away, for hours, getting things ready for Christmas Eve Supper. The dining room table was set, the Christmas tree was up and decorated in the living room, and in the kitchen--the food was cooking.

There came a knock at the front door, and the old man knew that his first guests had finally arrived.

"Coming!" he called, as he hobbled through the kitchen door--cane in hand.

Another knock came a few seconds later, as Jackson played with the top chain-latch and undid the deadbolt. "Hold on." he said, as he unfastened the deadbolt.

He pulled open the door, finally, and found himself staring into the eyes of NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye.

"Kensi, my dear." the old man said happily, as he stepped aside. "Come in. Come in." he said, motioning her in. "You must be freezing." he chuckled.

Behind Kensi, Jackson Gibbs could see that a light snow had begun to fall over the blanket of white that already covered most of the small town.

"Thank you sir." Kensi nodded, with a small grin as she stepped inside the toasty-warm house clutching a small bundle, securely, to her chest.

Jackson closed the door and re-did the locks behind him. "Please, call me Jackson." he said, as he turned around. "There's no need for 'Sirs' here." he added, with a small chuckle.

"Oh, Callen's right behind-" she started to say, almost forgetting about the man who had accompanied her on this Holiday trip.

"Oomph." came a muffled grunt from outside the door, immediately following what sounded like someone running into a door. "Ouch. Damnit!"

Jackson Gibbs quickly re-opened the door and found G. Callen standing on the other side.

"I'd watch that mouth if I were you, young man." Jackson said, as the younger man filed past him into the house.

"Sorry about that." Callen apologized, as he surveyed the immediate area around him.

Jackson chuckled, as he redid the locks on the door once again.

The younger man was carrying a suitcase, a duffel bag, and a medium-sized baby bag in his arms. It was quite the load for just one man to have to carry. "Nice place." Callen commented.

"Thanks." Jackson replied, as he looked back to Kensi.

"Oh," the old man said, as he noticed the tiny bundle cradled in Kensi's arms. "And, who might this little fella be?" he asked, with a smile.

Kensi smiled as she rocked the slumbering bundle against her chest.

"I'll show you." she said quietly.

Kensi began to gently and carefully unwrap the little bundle until a tiny, little face appeared.

"Jackson, this is my son." she said softly. "You're...grandson." she added.

Jackson stared, with eyes full of wonder, at the slumbering newborn cradled in his mother's arms. He had not been able to attend the baby's birth so this was the first he had seen of his new grandchild.

"May I?" he asked, quietly, holding out his arms.

"Sure." Kensi replied.

She carefully placed the little baby into his grandfather's arms, taking extra care to not wake him prematurely.

"He...He looks a lot like Jethro did when he was a baby." Jackson commented.

Kensi smiled softly.

"What's his name?" Jackson asked, without looking up from the little baby boy.

"Leroy," She said, quietly. "Leroy Jackson...Gibbs." she added, awaiting a sign of his approval before continuing. "I call him Lee, for short."

Jackson chuckled softly, as he held the slumbering infant close. "Suits him...I think." Jackson said, with a grin and a wink at Kensi.

Kensi smiled back at the older man.

"Hey, is there a place I can set these bags down?" Callen asked, quietly.

"Sure." Jackson replied, looking up at the younger man. "Upstairs. Second door down, on the left."

"Up...stairs..." Callen repeated. "Of course." he added, rolling his eyes as he strode off in the direction that the older man had indicated.

Jackson Gibbs handed the tiny newborn back to his mother, as a disturbing smell reached out from the kitchen and invaded his nostrils.

"Be back in a jiff." he said, as he turned on his heels and headed towards the kitchen.

In Kensi's arms, the slumbering newborn began to stir. Kensi tried to rock him gently back to sleep, but to no avail. As the tiny infant whimpered Kensi bent her head and gently kissed him on the forehead.

"Hungry?" she asked, softly.

The crying seemed to intensify at the word.

"Right." Kensi said, chuckling to herself. "Come on little one...lets go eat." she said, as she carried her baby boy off in the direction of the living room.

Kensi remembered the layout of Jackson Gibbs' home from the last time she had come to Stillwater. Nothing had changed between then and now.






--Chapter Two--

Callen reached the bottom of the stairs once again, and looked around for Kensi or Jackson, but found no one.

A sound reached his ear(s) and carried him, on his search, in the direction of the living room.

"Kens-" he started to say, but stopped when he reached the doorway to the living room.

Inside the living room was dimly-lit, mostly by a single fire burning in the fireplace, and was decorated with photographs and such all around.

Callen stood in silence, and watched as Kensi breast-fed her baby boy on the sofa. He noticed that she was also humming very softly as well.

A sudden range of emotions invaded his entire body as he stood there watching her. It was strange.

Callen had always felt 'attracted' to Kensi, but the feelings that he was experiencing right then were so much more powerful than anything he'd previously felt before this.

Of these emotions, one of the most powerful was how protective, he suddenly felt, of Kensi and her newborn baby son.

"Callen," Kensi's voice suddenly cut through the dense haze of his thoughts, and snapped him back to reality.

"Hunh...what?" Callen said, looking around, his eyes eventually refocusing back on Kensi and Lee.

"You...were staring." she pointed out, quietly.

"Oh," Callen said, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, nervously. "Sorry, about that."

"Were you watching me-"

"Hunh...no, no," Callen stammered, straightening up where he stood. "I-I was just--looking for you." he added, hoping that his words would go over better than they had sounded in his head.

"Well, you found me--obviously." Kensi replied, as she re-fastened her bra, and pulled her shirt back down.

Callen thought quickly, as he watched Kensi stand-up, cradling the baby boy against her, as she headed in his direction. Time to change the subject, and pour on the ol' charm, he thought to himself.

"So," he said casually, as Kensi walked past him. He turned and followed after her. "Sleeping arrangements."

"Sleeping arrangements?" Kensi repeated as she began climbing the stairs at the end of the hall(way).

"Yeah, you know--'sleeping arrangements'. We are sharing a room, remember?" Callen said, as he climbed up the stairs behind Kensi.

"Yeah, I remember." she replied, rolling her eyes, though she knew Callen would not be able to see her perform the action.

"So?" Callen inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"So?" Kensi repeated, as they stepped off of the stairs and onto the second floor landing.

"So...do we share the bed, or-"

"Only in your dreams Callen." Kensi remarked at the thought of HER sharing a bed with HIM.

"So you've seen my dreams then." Callen joked, as they neared the bedroom where they were to sleep/bed down for the night.

"HA. HA."

Kensi pushed open the door, and started to walk into the small room. "Stay." she commanded, rounding on Callen to make sure that he did not follow her in.

"Oh, I see--so now I'm 'Man's Best Friend'?" Callen snorted, as he halted just outside the door.

Kensi chuckled quietly. "I don't think you really wanna watch me change a diaper, right?"

"Yeah...guess not." Callen replied, quietly, as he rubbed the back of his neck again.

After that she disappeared into the room, and did not come back out for several minutes. When she did finally reappear, baby Lee (Leroy) still in her arms, she wasted no time handing the soiled diaper off to Callen.

"Callen, be a dear and get rid of this for me. Thanks." she said with a smile, and then danced away as new voices were heard coming from back downstairs.

Callen rolled his eyes in disgust as he held the soiled diaper between his thumb and forefinger.

"You so owe me for this." he muttered.





Downstairs...

"Abigail!" Jackson Gibbs greeted the pig-tailed Goth Forensic Specialist gleefully, as he held the door open for her, Eric, and their two kids.

Abby wrapped her arms around the shorter, older man and hugged him tight. "Oh, Jackson," she said, as she hugged the older man. "Don't ever call me Abigail." she whispered into his ear, just before pulling away from him.

They both laughed at each other as they stood there in the doorway.

"Sir." Eric said, extending his hand to Jackson.

The two men shook hands. "Eric. Merry Christmas."

"Well, aren't you just the cutest thing." Jackson said, with a smile, to the little girl straddled against Eric's hip. The little girl giggled in response.

Eric held little baby Kelly in his other arm/hand, and 5 year old D.J. walked in behind his parents.

"Heya kiddo." Jackson said, stooping over and thrusting his hand towards the 5 year old little boy. "Put her there." The two of them shook hands and laughed.

"The others should be right behind us." Abby told Jackson, as the older man started to close the front door once again.

"Good." Jackson said. "Supper's almost ready." he added.

"Abby?" Kensi said, as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Abby turned around to see her friend coming towards her, followed by G. Callen (who had disposed of the soiled diaper he'd been carrying in the upstairs bathroom trash can.

"Kensi!" Abby cried, happily, as she rushed towards her friend.

They hugged each other, careful not to squish little baby Lee between them.

"I am so ready for you to come back to work." Abby said, stepping back a bit.

"I know." Kensi replied, with a chuckle. "Maybe it won't be too much longer." she added.

"Aww," Abby cooed, looking down at baby Lee cradled in his mother's arms. "There he is," she added quietly, with a smile.

Kensi handed the newborn over to Abby for a minute or two, while Jackson, Callen, and Eric laughed about something in the background.

A little joke that they had between them was how Abby sometimes referred to Lee as 'her little brother'--because Gibbs had always been like a surrogate father to her the title just seemed 'fitting' in her mind.

"How's my baby brother?" she cooed, nudging his tiny nose, gently, with her own.

"I fed him not too long ago, and I just changed his diaper." Kensi pointed out. "So I'm hoping that that'll hold him for at least a little while." she added.

"It will--for a while anyway." Abby assured her, with a chuckle. She let out a long sigh, as she stared down at the newborn in her arms. "Gosh, he reminds me so much of Gibbs." she added.

Kensi nodded, rubbing her shoulders as a chill ran down the length of her spine at her thoughts about her deceased lover.

"Hey Babe," Eric called from across the room.

"Whatcha ne-" Abby started to ask, as she turned around.

Abby turned to face her husband who was struggling to keep baby Kelly in his arms.

"Oh-" Abby raced to her husband's aid.

"Yeah," Eric chuckled, as Abby pulled baby Kelly into her (own) arms. "This one's gettin' a little antsy." he told her.

"Aw, come here precious." Abby cooed, as she pulled her daughter up into her embrace.

As the group formed up near Abby, there came a third knock at the front door. Jackson Gibbs pushed himself away from the small crowd and began unfastening the locks on the door once again.

When he finally got the door open, once again, he was greeted by the rest of the gang.

"Merry Christmas!" Tony exclaimed, cheerfully, as he stepped through the door with Ziva following close behind. Ziva also greeted Jackson with a 'Merry Christmas' and a warm hug.

Their children also greeted the older man with hugs and 'Merry Christmas's' as well.

McGee and Alicia were directly behind Tony and Ziva (with little Maxie in tow), and they too greeted Jackson with hugs and a big 'Merry Christmas'.







--Chapter Three--

Everyone sat around the dinner table, hopelessly stuffed from the huge Christmas Eve dinner that Jackson Gibbs had spent hours preparing.

"That...was...great." Tony said, patting his stomach as he leaned back in his chair.

"I agree," Ziva added. "I think you really out did yourself Jackson." she told him, with a smile.

Jackson Gibbs, who sat at the head of the table, nodded at Ziva and Tony with a smile, as everyone else agreed that the food had been extremely delicious.

"Thank you all." Jackson said.

Sitting to Jackson's right was Kensi. The whole time that they were eating she couldn't help but notice Callen staring at her every few minutes it seemed like.

"I can't tell ya how much it means to me that all of you could come." Jackson said, looking around at everyone.

"Christmas just wouldn't feel right without a Gibbs." Tony remarked.

Everyone agreed with chuckles.

"Leroy spoke very fondly of each of you before his..." Jackson started to say. "He called you all his 'family'".

Tony, at this point, was very quiet sitting at the dinner table. Old memories of the last moments he'd spent with his former boss flashed through his mind, and began to stir up a mixture of emotions.













........To Be Continued........