A/N: Some of this is not entirely realistic. Please be prepared for a willing suspension of disbelief. ;-)

Abby Sciuto didn't usually mind thunderstorms. She had grown up on the Gulf coast, where storms were as common as the tides, and had lived through more than one hurricane landfall in her home area of New Orleans. Given her background, she was likely to be either very frightened or nonchalant when a storm hit - and she was definitely not frightened.

She did have one quirk, however. She did not like being alone during storms. Even if it was just a person in the next apartment that she didn't even know, she felt more confident having another human being nearby.

At first it was just heavy rain and strong winds, but then the lightning started, and she knew she'd better pull the plug on her equipment. Just one flash in the wrong place and everything electronic in her lab would die.

"I will not allow any of you to suffer!" she vowed, switching them off. "Go to sleep now, and I'll wake you up when the storm is over."

With that job completed, she decided to go in search of someone else in the building. As soon as she opened the door of her lab, she noticed that the EXIT sign near the stairwell was blinking.

"That's hinky," she said. "I'll go down and see what Ducky is doing."

But when she went down to the morgue, she found it dark and quiet. It was clear that everyone was gone.

She was starting to feel uneasy, but she wouldn't think... she wouldn't think...

"Get a grip on yourself, Abby," she said firmly. "Someone will be in the squadroom."

But she was wrong. Everything was turned off, except for the blinking EXIT signs. No one was around.

Storms didn't scare Abby, but storms with all her friends gone did. There has to be someone here, she thought. At least the security guards...

She sat down at Gibbs desk and dialed the number for Security. No answer. Then a message - "NCIS Headquarters is in lockdown. The area has been evacuated due to extremely dangerous storms. Hazards include flash flooding, lightning, hail, high winds, and tornadoes."

She stared out the windows, unable to believe it. There should have been an alarm. She should have heard it - but then she remembered how loud her music was and she realized that it was possible she had not heard it. Or she could even have thought it was part of the music! This is awful. I'm here by myself and I can't leave and it's storming and what am I going to do?

She tried to calm her heartbeat and breathing but they were both going too fast. She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. Then she heard a sound behind her.

Panicked, she whirled around and saw Director Shepard standing on the catwalk above. "Why are you still here, Abby? Everyone was told to evacuate."

"Um... I didn't hear it. I guess I had my music too loud." Abby looked at the floor, embarrassed, then asked, "Why are you still here?"

Jenny smiled and began to walk down the steps. "I'm the Director," she explained. "Directors don't -"

Just then, the lights flickered and went out, and Abby heard a crash on the steps, along with a high pitched cry.

"Director!" Abby could not really see but she felt her way to where she knew the bottom of the stairs should be. Just as she reached it, the emergency lights came on, and she found Jenny crumpled against the wall near the bottom of the stairs. "Director, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Umm... no," Jenny admitted, with pain in her voice. "I think I broke my wrist."

"Don't move! I'll get a first aid kit." She jumped up and, in the dim emergency lights, she searched until she found the kit in a cabinet near the fire extinguisher (she sure hoped she wouldn't need to use that).

She hurried back to Jenny's side and found that she had managed to sit up against the wall, but Abby could see that she was bleeding in several places. "Let me wrap your wrist, then I'll clean those cuts and get you some bandaids," she promised.

"Is it that bad? I feel so foolish. I should have just stood still until the lights came on."

"Well, don't worry about it now. Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah, it does." She reached up to feel the trickle of blood coming from a sizeable lump on her forehead.

"You might have a concussion."

"I certainly hope not."

"You and me both. There!" She had tied the bandage tightly enough - but not too tight - around Jenny's left wrist and hand so that it remained stable; it was nearly impossible for her to accidentally articulate the damaged wrist.

Abby took out antiseptic wipes and band-aids, then quickly applied them to the wounds she could see. "Um... Director, are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I don't think so, except.. ah! My ankle! I think I sprained it. Do you have another elastic bandage?"

"Yes." Jenny took off her shoes, and even in the low light it was obvious that her right foot and ankle were bruised and swelling rapidly. Abby handed the bandage to her, and Jenny wound it around the damaged area. Meanwhile, Abby grabbed the nearest landline phone (she had already tried her cell, which didn't work) and dialed 911.

It rang a long time, and when it was finally answered, the dispatcher said, "Please hold."

"No, no," Abby cried.

"What is it?"

"They put me on hold." But a few seconds later a voice said, "911, what's your emergency?"

"We're at NCIS headquarters, and the Director is injured, with a concussion, and a broken wrist, and other things, and we need you to please come, as soon as possible.." Abby babbled.

"Ma'm... ma'm," the dispatcher tried to stop the flood of speech. "What's your name?" she said, when Abby finally stopped to draw a breath.

"Abby Sciuto. NCIS. Please, can you send an ambulance soon?"

"I'll have someone there as -"

The voice stopped abruptly, and Abby groaned. "Oh, no! The phone's dead. Now what?"

"I guess now we wait." Jenny sighed. "I checked the radar just before I came out here - there was a large mass of yellow and red heading directly for us, moving at about -"

She was interrupted by a loud whine that rose and fell in pitch. Jenny covered her ears. "What the hell is that?"

"I think... tornado warning!"