Title: La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15
Category: Drama, Angst, Action, Case-file, Romance, Friendship
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoilers: Mild for 'Child's Play', 'Hiatus', 'Rule 51'
Summary: When a friend is murdered, Abby will stop at nothing to get revenge.
Authors Note: Big thanks to ncislove for looking this over and giving me the boost I needed to start posting :) *hugs*

"CIA?"

"Too friendly."

"FBI?"

"Not cocky enough."

NCIS Special Agents Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David and Tim McGee stood gathered around the large plasma screen in the squad room of NCIS Headquarters in Washington DC, using the screen as a foil to hide their not-so-subtle observation o the newcomers.

A group of four individuals had arrived not more than five minutes ago. Two women, two men, they'd been greeted by NCIS Director Leon Vance with a politeness that verged on being icy. The elder woman, a tall and slender lady with her silver dashed black hair tied neatly in a bun at the base of her head led the group and had almost immediately engaged the Director in conversation as they walked slowly up the stairs towards MTAC and the Director's office. Her three companions were younger and obviously didn't have the same authority; the team of NCIS agents had surmised their role within seconds: security detail.

Their speculations came to an end when their own boss arrived, apparently too focused on the coffee in his hand to notice the interlopers talking with their Director. Not, unfortunately for his team, focused enough to miss the fact his own agents weren't doing their tasks he'd left them.

"You find Lance Corporal Bishop's wife, DiNozzo?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs continued before his senior field agent could formulate a response. "I don't see you going through his phone records, McGee, and David? Any hits on the BOLO we put out on Bishop's vehicle?"

They scrambled to their desks, all three talking at once, their voices rising a little in an attempt at being heard over the others, glares accompanying their words to try and intimidate their colleagues into being quiet.

Gibbs lifted his head to glare at them all and silence fell instantly. "One at a time. McGee?" As the technically-minded member of the team launched into a detailed analysis of the murdered Lance Corporal's telephone records, another person joined the not-so-small group. Her arrival went undetected at first by the members of Gibbs' team until they noticed that their boss was paying less attention than normal to the technical side of the debriefing and realised the frown on his face probably wasn't related to their case.

Tony, Ziva and McGee followed his line of sight, each of them feeling the same jolt of surprise and curiosity their boss wasn't willing to let show on his own face.

Already as engrossed in the conversation as the NCIS Director – and appearing far less pleased about it, too - was their very own Forensic Specialist, Abby Sciuto.

"What are you doing here, Catherine?" Abby forced her words out through gritted teeth, all but ignoring the NCIS Director in favour of the woman she'd thought she'd never see again.

It seemed Gibbs wasn't the only person at NCIS whose past refused to remain there.

"If we could move this to the conference room like Director Vance suggested..." Catherine Lowry, a senior agent with the National Security Agent, spoke with a strained smile. "I really don't want to have this conversation with you on the stairs, Abigail."

"It's Abby," Abby corrected shortly. "No one calls me Abigail here."

Catherine arched an eyebrow. "If that's what you prefer." She motioned with her head to the Director. "Shall we continue?"

Seeing she had no choice when Director Vance gave a nod of assent, Abby bit back a sigh and gave a hard look at the three agents accompanying her former boss; one of the male agents shrugged while the other looked away uncomfortably. The female agent merely smirked. "Did you really need the entourage?"

"I didn't have much of a choice," Catherine answered with a small shrug and a smile that was a notch warmer. "I've gone up in the ranks since we last spoke, Abby."

"So it would seem."Casting a glance over her shoulder, Abby fought a surge of panic when she noticed their small audience. "Let's get this over with."

She motioned for Catherine to precede her up the stairs and gave Director Vance a small nod of acknowledgement when he, in turn, gestured for her to go up before him. The three agents assigned to protect the high-ranking NSA official followed behind the Director at a slightly slower pace.

Once in the conference room, Catherine and the Director sat while Abby and the three NSA agents remained standing on opposite sides of the table. Crossing her arms over her chest, Abby leaned back against the wall as she watched Catherine open her briefcase and take out two folders, one of which she passed to Director Vance and the other that she slid across the table towards Abby.

Abby made no move to accept it.

"As we discussed on the phone, Director Vance," Catherine began, glancing at the man only to find his attention split between the file in his hands and his forensic scientist. "Abigail's – I'm sorry, Abby's – personal file isn't entirely complete. This is through no fault of her own, I assure you, and I'm certain she would have preferred to tell you or your predecessors the truth but the National Security Agency has strict protocols regarding what is and isn't suitable material to be passed onto other organisations, even sister agencies like yourself."

"You mentioned that she was a former employee of yours and that you would explain more in person." Director Vance gave Abby an assessing look before turning cool eyes onto the senior NSA agent. "Explain."

"Perhaps Abby would like to...?" The hopeful smile on Catherine's face faded when it was met by stony silence from the woman in question. "Very well." She took a moment to compose herself, crossing her hands demurely on the desk in front of her. "The NSA began operating what we call think-tanks in the sixties. They are made up of the brightest children, those of above average intelligence who underwent a series of tests and examinations before they were offered a place with us. After passing all of the required elements, the chosen children were invited to be part of a special group housed at one of our facilities across the country. Their families are given financial compensation and the student is given a first class education as well as an opportunity to study at the agency's expense in whatever they desired when they reach school-leaving age." Catherine's smile was affectionate, almost indulgent as she glanced between the NCIS Director and his forensic specialist. "It's due to the NSA that Abby was able to afford the education that led her here to you, I believe."

Director Vance's expression didn't change. "So Ms. Sciuto was part of one of your think-tanks?" He looked at the black-haired woman doing her best to blend in with the wall behind her. "Like Angela Kelp?"

Remembering the twelve year old girl and the case involving her and the government think-tank she was part of all too well, Abby gave him a small nod. "I was eleven when they approached my parents and offered me a place."

"She showed a lot of promise and would have made a great agent. She was a great agent," Catherine corrected with a one-shouldered shrug. "Until you decided being out in the field wasn't for you, and that the NSA had no position that appealed."

"If I'd stayed with the NSA, I'd have been dead within the year. Maybe not physically but in every other way." Abby tightened her arms around herself and met Catherine's gaze. "You know it would have killed me, Catherine. I wasn't – I'm not – cut out for making those decisions and having that much blood on my hands."

Regret filled her face for a moment and Catherine lowered her gaze. "I know that, Abby, and I'm sorry I have to do what I came here to do."

Abby squared her shoulders and braced herself. "Which is?"

"Reactive your status as an NSA agent. Temporarily," Catherine added with a glance at the Director. "It's for your own safety as much as to benefit the agency, Abby. If you'd just look in the file..."

Her heart pounded in her chest and her face felt hot. Abby reached for the chair rather than the file, pulling it out from the table and sinking down into it gratefully. She ran her fingertips over the corner of the file, its plastic immaculate and pristine as she would expect from a NSA document, but couldn't bring herself to flip its cover open. "Why? Why now and why me?"

"If you'd read the file, Abby, it'll tell you everything you want to know."

"I want you to tell me. I want to know what I'll be looking at when I open it."

There was a moment of silence as the two women, once close, stared at one another. Director Vance watched them with interest before opening his own copy of the file, his sharp intake of breath breaking the silence as he caught a glimpse of the first photograph attached to the page opposite the neatly printed type.

"How many agents have you lost?" He asked after a long moment, drawing the attention of both Catherine and Abby.

"Five that we're aware of. Two of them were retired so there's a possibility there'll be more we just haven't heard about yet." Catherine's posture was tense, her blue eyes flashing momentarily with a grief she couldn't contain. "We understand that your agents are investigating the death of a Lance Corporal Iain Bishop. His wife was a former NSA agent, whose body we recovered from the Anacostia River early this morning. She was murdered, as he was, execution style."

Her brow furrowed, Abby searched her memory for the name of the missing woman she'd been asked to help Gibbs' team monitor. Andrea Bishop wasn't a name that sounded familiar to her but..."Andrea Bishop is Andrea Tomlinson?"

"She is. Was." Catherine cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Abby. I know Andrea was one of the classmates you were close to."

"We haven't spoken in years. I thought she was living in Florida now." Her mind conjured an image of Andrea Bishop, a woman who had never been able to tame her unruly brunette curls no matter how much they'd tried to straighten them after lights out as classmates. "Andrea left before I did. She'd met a guy, wanted to settle down and have a family..."

"She followed her husband to Florida and, from what I can understand, followed him to DC when he was transferred to Bethesda." There was a short pause. "She isn't the only victim you'll recognise, Abby. There's a reason we need you back to work with us on this."

With a deep breath, Abby flipped the page of the folder open. Her breath caught in her throat at the first photograph and the sudden nausea in her stomach only got worse as she flicked through the images.

The murders themselves were nothing worse than what she'd grown used to seeing while working at NCIS but the faces of the victims were eerily familiar in every single case.

"They're all members of my team," Abby murmured, checking off the faces against the names in the report. "We were all part of the same unit, the same division..."

"Which is why we need you to work with us on this. Help us find someone that links you all, something that might be motive enough for someone to do this."

"NCIS will do whatever they can to help you," Director Vance answered before Abby could. "You might insist on reactivating Ms. Sciuto's status with your agency, Agent Lowry, but I will remind you that she is currently an NCIS employee and has responsibilities and obligations to my agency that she cannot be released from. I suggest a compromise," he added before Catherine could argue. "If you're interested?"

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "What kind of compromise?"

"NCIS and NSA share the case. We'll work together to find out who's responsible for the deaths of your agent, and the murder of our Lance Corporal. Ms – Agent – Sciuto will act as the liaison between our agencies." The Director's tone was firm and unrelenting. His gaze was stony. "Agent Gibbs and his team are already investigating Lance Corporal Bishop's murder. It makes sense to merge our investigations rather than waste either of them."

Her head tilting slightly in consideration, Catherine looked to Director Vance with an assessing gaze. "Will your agents be willing to fully cooperate with an outside agency?"

"They will," Director Vance agreed with a confidence Abby didn't share. "They'll agree to work alongside you if I understand the situation correctly and you believe Ms. Sciuto is in danger of becoming a target."

Abby's eyes widened as the details in the file in front of her began to sink in. It wasn't just NSA agents, current and former, who were being killed. It was also their families and those they were closest to... "My mother, and my brother and his family..."

"Are already on their way to a safe house provided by the NSA," Catherine cut in soothingly. "I can arrange for you to speak with them before they get there if you'd like."

"How much do they know about what's going on?" Abby didn't bother answering the question; she was sure her expression answered for her.

"Your brother knows as much as I was able to tell him, namely that due to a previous case you worked on with the National Security Agency, you are currently a potential target for the person or people beyond what we're assuming are revenge killings. I don't know how much he's told your mother or sister-in-law." Catherine crossed her hands on the table in front of her. "We could call them now..."

"I'll need video conferencing," Abby interjected. "I want my mother to be able to see me. Gloria will worry otherwise."

"We can take care of that," Director Vance interrupted before Catherine could reply. "NCIS will gladly liaise with the NSA to ensure you get to speak to your family, Abby."

"Thank you, Sir." Abby's smile was small but full of genuine thanks.

"While we're arranging that, perhaps you'd like to brief Agent Gibbs and his team?" The Director arched an eyebrow. "You can use your lab."

Away from the NSA, Abby interpreted correctly and once again felt a swell of gratitude towards the NCIS Director. There was still a glint of curiosity in his eyes but the distrust – the betrayal – seemed to have disappeared.

Getting to her feet once more, murmuring her assent, she wondered how long it would take for the sense of betrayal her closest friends would no doubt feel to fade away, too.