Here is a story that I have been working off and on now for a few months. I thought I would finally start posting it to get it out there! As usual...all NCIS characters belong to you know who. All other characters are my invention. Please review if you like...no flames please. I take feedback for story inspiration.

NCIS: The Night of the Hunter

By: A.H.J
April 11, 2010

It was August 29th, 1998, when Abigail Scuito walked into the NCIS building for her fifth year anniversary. At 29 years-old, she had a career that many would only dream of, yet she still felt as this day would be a turning point in her career. Gibbs and Abby left the NCIS building for lunch just before 12:30pm. It was a sunny day in the D.C. Area, what was a welcomed sight to what the team had been going through the past few weeks. Since this was Abby's fifth year anniversary with the agency, Gibbs wanted to celebrate the time alone with her. Abby had been distracted some-what because of this case, so Gibbs wanted to talk to her privately—without the sometimes comedic sarcasm undertones of DiNozzo around.

As Gibbs pulled the car out of the NCIS parking lot, he glanced over at Abby briefly. She was staring out the window and at that moment Gibbs did not know if she had something on her mind or whether she was just enjoying a moment away from the lab. Gibbs grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he told her "Happy fifth anniversary Abby." She smiled at Gibbs. "Thanks Gibbs, that means a lot—really. You are the first person who has said anything today about it. "In the back of Gibbs mind, he thought maybe that was the issue, but maybe there was more to it than she was letting on. Between glances at the road and over to her, Gibbs ashed the question: "Abby—is everything alright? Is this case more than you can handle?"

"Oh no...no..God no Gibbs. This case is..."

She trailed off on her reply, and took a deep breath before continuing. "Gibbs...the case is fine, really. I just have what you would say....a gut feeling."

"What about Abby? You can tell me." Gibbs told her.

"I know Gibbs. I just have a feeling something hinky is going to happen. I just don't know." she said as she turned back to look out the

window once again. Gibbs again took her hand and said. "Abby...if this case gets to be too much, you come talk to me. Understand"Abby turned back to Gibbs and smiled. Not a full smile, but a smile to let him know that she understood clearly. "Now, lets go have lunch. It is suppose to be your day." Gibbs parked the car and squeezed her hand once more. Going around the car, and opening the car door....he helped Abby out. After the door was shut and locked, Abby engulfed Gibbs in a hug. A slight shiver ran down Gibbs spine. He knew in the back of his mind that Abby was not handing anything well with this case. He pulled away from her and kiss her lips slowly. "Everything will be OK Abbs...I'm right here."

After lunch with Gibbs, that afternoon, she move silently pass the bullpen and down into her lab as usual. Her machines were still humming, and the lights glowing as if they were apart of a downtown city at night. Abby walked over to her computer and logged on to her instant message chat window. Her hands were somewhat shaky, yet she typed away her message:

FORENSIC LAB RAT: McGee....send me the file on the case again. I left the flash drive at home.

She hesitated a moment whether or not she should hit the enter button to send it. Closing her eyes, she opened them to find the message still on the screen....waiting for the send command to obliviate the message into cyperspace and over to McGee's computer terminal. Abby deleted the message and spun around in the chair as the computer behind her started its magic. Something flashed across the screen that caught Abby's eye. She typed furiously at the keys, to bring up the information into full screen.

"Come on...come on...I need the information!" she said through gritted teeth as the computer spit and churned the information before her eyes.

The case at hand was something the team had been working for the last month. Only one other time had Abby been "stubbed" in a puzzle solver of a case. That case was during her first year at NCIS, and one which Gibbs hoped to never have to go through again too...May of 1993. The first time Abby had gotten hurt on the job, and the last time she would Gibbs swore. That first year working at NCIS, was almost a blur to her. Case after case, they all went by as nothing more than classic scenarios in the forensic world. Usually the DNA samples being the link to the person of interest and them being caught and jailed. It was also the year Abby met Mikel Mawer. At the moment of remembering him, Abby shivered. Now thinking to herself, she couldn't believe that she fell for that man. She was heavily crushing on Gibbs that first year, and could not bring herself to tell him her secret, so she went out with the first guy that asked her. They were both alike in so many ways: 1. Goth, 2. had jobs in law enforcement, and 3. loved loud music.

"What was I thinking?" she mumbled to herself.