Author’s Note: Thanks for all the feedback!

Chapter 3

“I’m looking for Agent Gibbs.”

Tony, Kate, and McGee looked at the stranger at Gibbs’ desk for a moment. Finally, Tony stepped forward. “I’m Gibbs.” He ignored the eye roll Kate and McGee shared behind his back.

The young woman, however, did not. She gave Tony a slow once-over that made him squirm, then smirked. “I don’t think so.” Noticing the carefully blank looks on the three agents’ faces, she sighed. “I’m Ziva David, Ari Haswari’s Mossad liaison. I need to talk to Agent Gibbs. Where is he?”

This time, Kate stepped forward, her fury making her shake. “He’s in the hospital, where Ari put him.”

Ziva ignored the anger, instead becoming confused by the agent’s words. “I was told he’d been released.”

The three looked at each other in panic, before Tony grabbed his phone and called the hospital. After a few minutes he hung up, relieved, and turned back to the Israeli. “Looks like you were told incorrect information, so why don’t you just go away, and we’ll let you know when Gibbs comes back to work.”

She was saved from having to reply by a new voice. “Ziva!” She turned to greet Director Shephard amid confused looks.

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Kate rested her head in her hand as she continued to scroll her computer screen. It was useless, this wasn’t helping them get any closer to finding Ari. The only one who seemed to have any kind of lead was McGee, who was busy at his computer, chasing it down. Tony had gone to the hospital to see Gibbs. Kate looked up to MTAC. Director Shephard had gone up there with Officer David. Sighing, she returned to her computer, but her mind quickly wandered. As always, it went back to two weeks ago. Unconsciously, her hand went to her ribs. Before Tony left, Kate had made him promise not to tell Gibbs what had really happened, who the bullet had really been meant for. She imperceptibly shuddered as she thought how close she had come to dying. If Gibbs hadn’t stepped forward to check on her when he had, that bullet would have hit her in the forehead. She closed her eyes, remembering Gibbs’ blood sprayed on Tony’s face, how the realization of Abby’s dream had almost made her vomit. Two inches. That was all it had taken, all the difference there had been between life and death. Mentally shaking herself, she forced herself to resume work. She knew Tony would make her pay for lying to Gibbs, but right now she didn’t care. Gibbs had enough problems to deal with.

And she had enough guilt.

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Tony flinched as Gibbs yelled at him for allowing Ziva David to meet with the director alone. At least the boss was getting better. When Gibbs paused for a moment, he interjected. “But the director said…”

Gibbs cut him off. “I don’t care, DiNozzo, you find a way to get yourself up there with them.”

Swallowing his pride, Tony nodded. “Won’t happen again, boss.”

He relaxed a fraction. “I know.”

Tony was about to respond with a smart remark that was sure to get him slapped on the head when his phone rang. He answered and found himself talking to a frantic Kate. “Whoa, Kate, slow down. What happened? Abby was in the lab?” Gibbs couldn’t hear what Kate was saying, but he could tell she was talking very rapidly.

Kate took a deep breath as the phone shook in her hands. “Abby was in the lab. Someone shot her through the window, Tony! McGee was on his way down there, he heard the shots, but she’d already been hit. He called me and I ran outside, but the bastard was already gone. Ducky’s patching up the graze now. It had to have been Ari, Tony.”

Finally, Tony was able to decipher what she was saying. When he did, his face went white and he gripped his phone so hard he could feel it give in his hand. “I’ll be right there.” He hung up and was on his way out when he remembered where he was. He turned back to Gibbs. “Someone shot Abby through the window of her lab, grazed her shoulder. It had to have been Ari, boss.”

Gibbs sat up, ignoring the pain in his head. “He SHOT her?!” His brain raced as he fought to remember his coma-induced dream. Abby hadn’t been hit then. He narrowed his eyes at Tony. Tony hadn’t been down in the lab this time. “What are you waiting for DiNozzo, get over there!” Tony was halfway out the door when Gibbs stopped him. He still wasn’t convinced everything he’d seen was going to happen, but he couldn’t risk it. “Don’t let Ducky leave NCIS and get me Gerald Jackson’s phone number.”

Tony looked at him in confusion. “Gerald? Why?”

“Just do it, DiNozzo!”

Tony threw an “On it boss!” over his shoulder as he ran out.

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Ducky ran through a mental checklist of what he needed as he made his way through the garage. Coffee for Kate, Tim, and Tony, and a Caff-Pow for Abby. He thought of the graze on her arm as he approached his car. Maybe two. He had just put his key in the lock when he felt a gun at his back and an all too familiar voice at his ear. “So good to see you again, Doctor.”

TBC