Gibbs entered the forensics lab.

"Hey Abbs, where’s Gage?" he asked, as he placed a Caf-Pow on the counter.

"I don't know, he hasn't shown up today. Which is most strange, because we were going to do the analysis of the accelerant pattern captured by our experiment yesterday."

"You mean when you nearly set fire to the building and caused a full evacuation."

"Well yes, if you want to put it like that. I’m fine by the way, just a little burn really." She offered him her hand.

Gibbs took it and gently placed a kiss on the injured part.

"Much better." Abby said, with a satisfied grin. "Now where was I?"

"The case of the missing Captain Gage." Gibbs prompted.

"Missing, oh no Gibbs! what if something's happened to him, perhaps his lying somewhere hurt, dying a mangled heap!"

"Whoa slow down Abbs, equally perhaps he's lying somewhere warm and cosy having overslept."

"He's like you, he doesn't do 'warm and cosy' ." Abby emphasised the last part of the sentence with her fingers. "In fact there are times when the similarities between you two are quite striking, are you sure you didn't have a twin and were separated at birth?"

"Perhaps his truck broke down." Gibbs suggested sensibly.

Abby shook her head and then whirled around pigtails flying. Gibbs ducked to prevent having his eye taken out.

"Gibbs, a car accident on the way here, those country roads are really dangerous you know." Abby started pacing the floor in her patent 4 inch high boots. "I must check the local LEO's reports, but I don't know where he comes from, or which route he would take from wherever, oh this is so..."

"Abbs!!" Gibbs said, sharply

Abby looked up guiltily from her pacing, Gibbs handed her the Caf-Pow.

"I'll find out okay." he said, gently, kissing her on the cheek.



Back in the squad room.

"McGee, get hold of Gage, find out where the hell he is."

"Our friendly fire investigator gone missing Boss?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Seems so."

"Perhaps he's been abducted by aliens." Tony suggested. " You know like in
Fire in the Sky or perhaps he is alien like James Cann in Alien Nation 1988, but he's blown his cover and has been beamed back up to the mother ship"

"Don't you start with your hair brained conspiracy theories, Abby's already got him lying in a ditch somewhere in the boondocks." Gibbs snarled, as he sat down at his desk.

"Er Boss, that might not be so far from the truth." McGee tentatively interrupted.

"Did you get hold of him?"

"Well, er, not exactly, I spoke to a nurse at the Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg."

"How bad?"

"She wouldn't say, except that Captain Gage was comfortable after the fire."

Alarm bells started ringing in Gibbs' gut. Someone had found out that Gage wasn’t at the Norfolk Navy Yard and was now after the fire investigator. This was getting personal.

"Tony grab your gear. McGee zap the hospital's location to that annoying voice thing in my car."

"You mean the sat nav Boss." McGee said, calmly.

"You threw that out of the window into the Potomac last week boss." Tony said, grinning.

"I'll send it to your PDA Tony." McGee said, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Oh great, now he'll hit me when I tell him where to go, thanks a lot McGPS."

"My pleasure Tony." McGee said with a grin.

"DiNozzo, get your butt in gear!!" came Gibbs' voice from the elevator.

"Butt in gear Boss!" Tony said, skittering around the edge of his desk.

~~~~~~


"I'm sorry but visiting is restricted to only family members at this time." the blond haired nurse said, squaring up to Gibbs.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS" Gibbs flashed his ID.

"I don't care how 'Special' you think you are Gibbs, it's family only."

"I'm his long lost brother." Gibbs growled as he pushed by her.

"But.." the nurse started to go after Gibbs and was intercepted by Tony and one of his megawatt smiles.

"Best to let him go, it's a brother thing" he said gently. "Now tell me.." he pointedly looked at her name badge, "Gloria, where can you get a decent cup of coffee around here or better still perhaps you could show me?"


Gage was lying propped up on a mountain of pillows. Tight bandages around his chest spoke to Gibbs of cracked or broken ribs, a cut above his left eye was held together with steri-strips.

Gage opened his eyes as Gibbs sat down next to the bed, squinting in the harsh hospital lights.

"So you got past our Rottweiler Gloria then," he commented with a wry smile "What d'ya do - shoot her?"

"A formidable lady that's for sure." Gibbs replied "But she only has your best interests at heart. I set Tony on her."

Gage started to laugh, but winced in pain as the movement aggravated his injured ribs.

"Ah - oh, that'll be husband number 5 then."

"How are you?"

"Felt better, hell probably looked better. Glad to be alive, what brings you here Gibbs?"

"My gut."

"Which says?"

"I don't believe in coincidences."

"You think this has something to do with the case."

"I think we're getting close and someone wants to eliminate the main expert."

"I'm flattered."

"That someone wants to kill you?"

"No, that you think I'm a main expert. I would have said Abby filled that role."

Gibbs frowned and pulled out his mobile phone and pressed the speed dial.

"McGee, make sure Abby is okay, the arsonist may be after her as well. Don't argue, just do it!" he snapped the phone shut, that would have to do until he got back to DC.

"So why go for you?" Gibbs asked.

Gage shrugged, wincing as he did so.

"I really don't know, unless he thinks I've got something that could nail him. He would need to know a lot about me and where I live."

"It's on public record." Gibbs observed.

"Even so," Gage mused, "Singers Glen is well off the beaten track, which is why I chose to live here."

Gibbs flipped open his notebook. Ever the professional he needed to know what had happened to the fire investigator the previous night.

"John, I need to know your movements after you left NCIS headquarters last night."

"Er, I left about 7, 7.30. Headed out on I-66. Got caught in traffic, pile up going west, took about an hour and a half to get through. Then headed down on I-81. Stopped at a diner to eat. Steak medium rare, fries and salad, soda if you're interested. Got back here about midnight."

"Anything strike you as strange?"

"Power was out, but that's common around here. So I just went upstairs to bed. That's all I know until Chester woke me a 5.30 and the place was well alight."

"Chester, there was someone else in the house?" Gibbs frowned, there had been no mention of a second casualty in any of the dispatches he had been sent by McGee en route.

Gage smiled, sensing the other man's confusion.

"My cat. If it hadn't been for him I would've been toast. Managed to jump from the window just as the fire reached the gas line. Hit the ground and don't recall anything else until I came to and the fire crew was there and Gus was willing me not to die, mainly because I owe him a beer."

Gibbs closed his notebook, there was nothing more Gage could add to what he already knew.

"So how long are you going to be in here?"

"As long as I say so." an authoritarian voice came from the doorway.

"Hey Doc." Johnny grinned.

"Doctor Robinson." the doctor introduced himself as he entered the room.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS."

"Not much call for the Navy in these parts." Dr Robinson commented, "So what have you done with our Gloria?"

"One of my agents is using his charm offensive on her." Gibbs said with a smile.

"Careful he doesn't get his fingers burnt. Gloria is very persuasive in that department. She's had her eye on you for a couple of years hasn't she Johnny?"

"Like I always say Doc you can look but you'd better not touch."

Doctor Robinson crossed to Johnny's bedside. "Now back to business, how are you feeling?"

"Like I've been blown out of first storey window and spent the night on the ground in a heap, but apart from that fine. When can I get out of here?"

"Any dizziness, cloudy vision?"

"Negatory."

"Headache?"

"A bit but nothing to worry about Doc, so can I go?"

"What's the hurry Johnny, frightened Gloria might take advantage of you in the middle of the night?"

"Something like that."

"So why the Naval interest?" Doctor Robinson asked.

"Captain Gage has been helping us with a murder investigation, which we believe is the work of a serial arsonist." Gibbs replied.

"Would this have anything to do with the fire at Gage's place last night?"

"We have reason to believe it does, so I'd like to take Captain Gage into protective custody in case the arsonist strikes again. I would hate for this facility to be targeted." Gibbs said.

"Protective custody." Dr Robinson mused.

"We have a doctor on standby 24 hours, Captain Gage would be in expert hands, full bed rest, the works."

"You really think this crackpot would try to burn down the hospital?"

"A lot of combustible stuff here chemicals, gases. Real difficult to evacuate quickly."

"Yes I quite agree. Well on the understanding that you have complete bed rest for a couple of days and then light duties only I'm happy to release you into the care of Agent Gibbs and his team." Dr Robinson said heading for the door " I'll go and sort out your painkillers and rescue your young agent."

"Boy you really are good at it," Gage said, appreciatively once the Doctor had left.

"Good at what?"

"Bullshit."