A/N: I was in the middle of writing a light, happy AU JIBBS when this much darker story popped into my head. It's been a while since I posted anything so I hope a few of you enjoy this. It's all written so I'll be posting quickly. As always, reviews are welcomed.

Just Keep Breathing

Jethro Gibbs was tired. He hadn't been home in three days and he had barely been able to drive home without falling asleep at the wheel. He was looking forward to a couple of shots of bourbon, a hot shower and twelve hours of sleep. He pulled into his driveway and noticed he was the first one home. He wondered where Ziva was; she had left the Navy Yard twenty minutes before he did.

As he stepped out of his car, Gibbs sensed someone behind him but before he could turn around the butt of a gun slammed into the back of his head and he was knocked out cold. He didn't know it but a black cloth bag was pulled over his head, his hands cuffed behind him and he was quickly pushed into the trunk of his car. Then one of his attackers drove his car away while another man returned to the car they had come in and followed. Gibbs did not regain consciousness during the short trip to a secluded area near Alexandria, Virginia.

The two men pulled to a stop at the pre-arranged spot and a third man met them in a nondescript, dark blue van. This was the man in charge and the two kidnappers were careful to treat him with a certain degree of deference.

"Any problem?"

"None."

"No one around?"

"No one."

"Alright, put him in the van and get the car ready. We move from here in five minutes."

The leader watched as his minions roughly slung Gibbs' body into the van through the side door. He climbed in after the body and after making sure Gibbs was still out, ripped the bag off his head. Then he covered Gibbs' eyes with gauze patches which he taped securely. He the wound more tape around Gibbs' head making sure there was no way he could see or maneuver the tape off. As an added precaution against his prisoner waking, he gave him a shot of a quick acting sedative designed to keep him quiet for one to two hours. That was all the time he needed to get Gibbs where he wanted him. He spared a brief thought to the effects the shot would have if Gibbs had been hit too hard on the head but he wasn't too worried. After all, if the man died it wouldn't be that bad. A misfortune to be sure but nothing the man would lose sleep over. Finally, he secured Gibbs' body between two rolls of carpet and covered it with a tarp.

He stepped out of the van and handed each of the kidnappers an envelope containing $5,000 in small bills. He knew he could trust them to complete their assignment and never be seen in this area again. They were professionals and had come highly recommended. Their future employment opportunities would depend on their discretion in this job. They knew nothing of the rest of his plan and did not know his name. The face they had seen would be removed as soon as he was in the van and they were gone. Still he felt compelled to issue his standard warning.

"Make sure the device goes off no more than five minutes after we leave. There can be no mistakes and no one can identify this car. You must disappear. If I hear of you being seen in this area after tonight I will have you killed. Understood?"

Both been said they understood. They had no intention of sticking around. They had plenty of money to go back to Miami where it was sunny and warm. The first man assured him the charge had been set for the appropriate amount of time and there would be nothing left of the car but very small pieces. The second man was standing by to erase their car tracks after the van and the other car were back on the pavement. Once that was done to his satisfaction the leader raised his hand in farewell and drove off into the night with his cargo secured in the back of the van.

As he drove he peeled off his mask and tossed it out the window onto the highway in small pieces. He had a little over an hour drive, depending on the traffic of course, and settled down thinking again about what he was going to do to Special Agent Jethro Gibbs for the next two weeks. These next fourteen days were going to be the culmination of years of planning and hatred and the overwhelming urge to inflict pain and suffering on the man he held responsible for so much misery in his own life. Yes, the next two weeks were going to be wonderful; not for Gibbs of course, but he didn't think about that.

In the back of the van, Gibbs was barely beginning to regain consciousness as the road became rougher and finally the van came to a stop. He tried to move but found he couldn't. He was too woozy and his head was pounding. He had no idea what had happened. The last thing he remembered was leaving the Navy Yard to go home. After that everything was a blank. For a few moments he thought he was blind until he realized his eyes were taped shut. He throat was dry and his shoulders were killing him due to his hands being cuffed behind his back. He heard voices and the doors opening on the van. He remained very still not giving any indication he was awake.

"Get him inside and put him in the room at the end. No need to be gentle."

Gibbs felt a pair of big hands grab him by the front of his shirt and yank him out of the van. He barely got his feet under him when another man grabbed his left arm and yanked him up some steps and into a cabin or house or something. Gibbs had no idea where they were but he could smell pine and figured they were in a forest somewhere. There were no sounds of civilization and of course he couldn't see any light at all. He was barely walking; the two men were actually dragging him down the hall. The men hustled him down a hallway and shoved him into a small room. One of them let go of his arm and the other one guided him to a bed and told him to sit down. Gibbs didn't have much choice in the matter as the man pushed him down with one hand on his chest.

Gibbs managed to scoot back on the bed and found the wall to lean against. He desperately wanted to get his hands uncuffed. He heard door open and sensed someone enter the room. He heard a chair scraping on the wood floor and felt the person sitting close to him. And he desperately wanted to know what the hell was going on. After just a few moments he got some answers. He reminded himself later to be careful what he wished for.

TBC