Disclaimer: characters and locations are the creation of D. Belisario, and I claim no rights to them.
"The Father: Chapter 1."
Ducky's crooked half smile flashed in Abby's direction as she delivered the results of the DNA test to identify the victim of their latest case. "Abby, you're looking beautiful, as ever, this morning." He smiled as he took the file she held out to him.
"Thank you Ducky!" She replied, a slight blush rising into her make-up covered cheeks. "The victim also showed high levels of HcG in her blood."
Abby added, as Ducky nodded. "Yes, Abby, Ms.." He flipped open the file "Daniels was indeed pregnant. I discovered during my exam that she was approximately 16 weeks pregnant. She most likely knew she was expecting."
Gibbs appeared behind Abby. "Expecting what?"
Ducky repeated their discovery as Abby slipped away to return to her lab. There were more tests to be done. Her boots clopped on the floor as she held up the card that would grant her access to the NCIS Forensic lab, and the beep that accompanied the flashing light and opening door was soon drowned by the blare of Abby's music system.
Her next task was to dust the knife used to stab the victim for fingerprints and run it through CODIS. She'd just finished dusting the handle when Tony came in carrying a metal box.
"Abs, this box was found in a safe at the crime scene. The lock is electronic, and McGeek is at lunch. Boss wants it opened ASAP."
He set it down on one of the many tabletops in the lab. "Thanks Tony!" Abby replied, standing up to reach for the tape to lift the fingerprints from the handle. "I'll add that to my mountain of things Gibbs wants done pronto." She examined the shape of the fingerprint on the tape as she pressed it over the white paper card.
"Sure thing Abs. Ziva and I are going to lunch, want anything?" Tony asked as he jerked his thumb toward the door.
"No, but thank you for offering. Enjoy your lunch with Ziva." Abby replied, turning around to scan the print into the computer and run it through the fingerprint recognition program.
While fingerprints and matching identities flashed across the computer screen, Abby turned her attention to the box recently delivered to her lab. It was a small rectangular box with a digital locking mechanism centered on the front of it. Abby began pressing four digit number combinations, starting with those most commonly used. 1234, and 4321. The second one was successful, and the box clicked open, exuding a gaseous vapor.
Abby gasped in surprise as the vapor dissipated, wondering what it was, but knowing it likely wasn't good. She dashed across the room to the keypad that would lock down the lab and prevent anyone from entering, then returned to the computer and began a series of keystrokes to bring up the webcam and contact Ducky, who would also be immediately alerted to the lockdown in the lab.
In Autopsy, Ducky had just put on his coat to go to lunch when the computer display beeped and the lockdown alert light started flashing. "Ducky! Ducky! Are you there?" Abby called to him. He clicked to accept the communication and Abby's panicked face appeared on the screen. "Ducky! I'm so glad you're there. I opened this box, and a vapor came out of it. I don't know what it was."
Her breathing was growing shallow. "Calm down Abby. What did it smell like?" he asked, but she was starting to gasp for air. "Abby?" He asked, afraid to take his eyes off of her.
"Ducky, please tell McGee…tell Tim..." but before she could finish whatever her sentence was, Abby had collapsed to the floor.
Ducky grabbed the phone and called the emergency team to the forensic lab, notifying them of a bio-hazard and of Abby's collapse.