Tony and Ellie drew their weapons and converged on the house. The front door was open and Tony could hear shouts and the sound of a struggle inside. He went in stealthily and made his way to the family room where he saw a masked man pulling Maggie towards the door.

"NCIS! Federal Agent!" Tony shouted as he entered the room.

"Thank God!" said Maggie when she saw Tony. Her captor jumped and let go of Maggie's arm.

"Hands in the air," ordered Tony.

The man raised his hands obediently and Tony walked towards him. He had a moment of warning when he saw a startled look in Maggie's eyes and he turned to look behind him. He saw a raised arm and a vase rushing towards his head but didn't have enough time to prevent the blow landing. As he fell to the ground he heard Bishop coming in from the back yard and was vaguely aware of feet running away. The dizziness cleared quickly and he heard Maggie say anxiously,

"Are you all right, Tony?"

He shook his head, then wished he hadn't and then heard Bishop hurrying back in,

"They got away," she said, "I got the licence number."

"Call it in," said Tony thickly.

Bishop nodded and immediately put the BOLO out.

"And call Gibbs," ordered Tony, "let him know."

"What's happening?" asked Maggie shakily, "those two men forced their way in. I couldn't stop them. Is this something to do with Roy?"

"I think so," said Tony from his position on the floor, "we think your husband was trying to get PFC Mathers out of trouble."

"And got into it himself," said Maggie, "it's time he realised he's not in the Marine Corps now."

Tony managed a smile, "according to Gibbs there's no such thing as an ex-Marine."

"Are you all right?" asked Maggie again.

"I'm fine. This is nothing compared to the days when Gibbs used to head slap me," joked Tony.

Maggie frowned in disapproval but didn't reply.

"I think you'd better come with us," said Tony.

"Why?" asked Maggie, "you don't think I had anything to do with this, do you?"

"No," said Ellie hastily, "of course not. It's just that it might not be safe for you to stay here."

"Safe?" asked Maggie, "you think someone is after me?"

"There's a possibility that your husband has been taken," said Ellie.

"Taken?"

"To help with the job that got Mathers into trouble."

"But Roy wouldn't do anything illegal," protested Maggie.

"That's the problem," said Tony, "it looks as if they're going to try and persuade him."

"Persuade?" said Maggie.

"By using you," said Ellie gently, "that's why you need to come with us."

Maggie allowed Ellie to pack her a bag and then got into the car for the drive back to DC. Ellie drove and let Gibbs know that they wouldn't be going to meet him and McGee.

NCISNCIS

"You're sure you don't mind?" asked Maggie as Tony ushered her into his apartment.

"No problem," said Tony politely.

"It didn't seem that Agent Gibbs gave you much choice," observed Maggie.

"There were no safe houses available at short notice," said Tony, "and this is better than a hotel."

"But …"

"McGee's got a roommate. Bishop is … well … her living arrangements are a bit difficult at the moment. So, it was either me or casa Gibbs."

"And he didn't offer," said Maggie.

"He keeps his place on the cold side," said Tony evasively.

"Must be a Marine thing," said Maggie, "I'm used to it."

"I could ask him," suggested Tony, "if you'd rather go there?"

"Oh no," protested Maggie, "I'm happy here. I just don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing," said Tony, "and believe me, I've had worse guests. Most of them my father!"

"But your head must be hurting," said Maggie solicitously, "you should be resting."

"You've met Gibbs," said Tony, "you really think 'resting' is in his vocabulary? Besides, I'm fine."

Maggie opened her mouth to continue protesting but then changed her mind. She was a practical person who didn't see the point of wasting her energy in pointless argument.

"I can cook you something," she said instead, "as a thank you."

"Thank you for what?"

"Rescuing me. If you and Ellie hadn't come when you did … well, I don't like to think what would have happened."

"You're welcome," said Tony.

"What made you come?"

"The DiNozzo gut?"

"The what?"

"Gibbs has a gut. I don't mean he's fat. He's a fine figure of a man. No, he gets 'feelings' about things. I guess it's rubbed off on me over the years. It just occurred to me that your husband had gone missing and it would be worth checking that you hadn't as well. And you can't."

"Can't what?"

"Cook me anything."

"Why not? Your kitchen looks wonderful."

"I don't keep much food in," explained Tony, "I'm not here much."

"Oh," said Maggie, "what do you do when you're hungry? I'm guessing that Agent Gibbs does allow you to get hungry sometimes?"

Tony grinned, "Sometimes! I usually eat out or call for takeout. Not sure we should go out. Agent O'Donnell is keeping watch outside but we'd better stay in. What do you want?" Tony handed her a pile of takeout menus.

"I don't know," said Maggie, "we don't usually have takeout. I cook. Roy … we like home cooked food."

"Live dangerously," said Tony.

"I feel as if I am already," said Maggie.

"I know it's strange," said Tony, "but we'll find your husband, don't worry."

"Because Agent Gibbs will kick your desk if you don't?" asked Maggie with an attempt at humour.

"No," said Tony, "well, not entirely. No, we'll find him because we're good at our job. Now, what do you want to eat?

In the end they settled on Thai. When it was delivered Maggie started plating it up and then looked in the dining area but the table was covered with papers. She stood uncertainly until Tony noticed,

"Oh, yeah," he said, "I've been using the dining table as an office. Let's eat on the couch."

The sense of living dangerously continued as Maggie and Tony sat on his couch and ate their takeout. She searched for polite conversation,

"You have a lovely apartment. Do you live here on your own?"

"Yes, just me and my two lovely ladies."

"Two?" asked Maggie in surprise.

"Kate and Ziva," said Tony solemnly.

"Er … I thought you said this is a one bedroom apartment," said Maggie trying to be delicate.

"It is," said Tony beginning to enjoy himself.

"Then where do … do … they … you … all sleep?" Maggie had heard of ménage à trois but had never expected to encounter one in real life.

"Kate and Ziva are my goldfish," said Tony deciding to take pity on his guest.

"That makes a lot more sense," said Maggie, squashing down a slight feeling of disappointment.

"Yes, just me and my fishy friends," said Tony.

"I've never lived on my own," said Maggie.

"Never?"

"No. I lived with my parents until I went to university. Then I was in student dorms or shared apartments. I was in grad school when I met Roy and he swept me off my feet."

"What about when he was deployed?"

"I moved with him. By the time he was deployed overseas for the first time I already had our son. Like I said, never lived alone."

"How often did you move?" asked Tony.

"Sixteen times in thirty years," said Maggie.

"Wow," said Tony, "I used to think I was restless but that puts me in the shade."

"How often have you moved?" asked Maggie.

"Lots of boarding schools. Then college. Then three police forces in around six years. Didn't stop moving until I encountered Gibbs."

"How long have you been with NCIS?"

"About fifteen years."

"That's a long time. You must really like it."

"Yeah. I guess. What about you. What did you do while you were following your husband around?"

"I've got a BA in Archaeology. Specialising in Mesopotamian pottery. I'd always pictured myself working on digs all round the world but there's not a lot of archaeology on Marine bases!"

"So what did you do?"

"The usual. Admin work, secretarial, welfare rights. Work to fit in with my children."

"Children?"

"Two. Royston junior, he's the elder. He lives in Montana now."

"Guessing he's not in the Marines?"

"Oh no. I think children of Marines either love it or hate it."

"And your son?"

"Hates it. He's a pharmacist."

"And your other child?"

"Julie. She lives in Oregon. She's a dental hygienist."

"You didn't think to retire somewhere nearer them?"

"Couldn't take Roy that far from Marine Bases. Marine Corps is his life."

"And yours," said Tony.

"So it seems," said Maggie. She seemed to realise this sounded ambiguous. "The Marine Corps have been good for us. And I didn't mind following Roy – really, I didn't. I love my husband, Tony."

"But?"

"How did you know there was a but?"

"Because I've been working on Gibbs' team for nearly fifteen years."

"I guess I hoped that retirement would be different. That the Corps might take more of a backseat. But it hasn't. And Roy does good work. He's good at understanding the problems that Marines face."

Tony wondered if that suggested he was less good at seeing problems closer to home but his head was aching and he decided not to pursue his natural nosiness.

"And I like living this close to DC," said Maggie, "close to all those galleries … and shops! I've taken some classes."

"Like painting?" said Tony remembering the striking abstract. "And you like gardening? Your yard was pretty impressive."

"No, that's all Roy. He loves to mow!" She laughed and then looked stricken, "I can't believe it. Here am I, my husband is missing … might be dead and I'm complaining that he loves to cut grass!"

"We'll find him," said Tony confidently, "Gibbs is on the case. A missing Marine? He won't rest until he finds him."

"And I'm guessing he won't let you rest either," said Maggie.

"Nope. And with that in mind, I'm going to hit the rack."

"I can take the couch," offered Maggie.

"I'll be fine on the couch," said Tony. He didn't like to point out that it was safer for Maggie to be in the inner room in case the bad guys came crashing in.

NCISNCIS

Fortunately the 'bad guys' didn't come crashing in meaning that Maggie and Tony had an uninterrupted night's rest although the bags under Maggie's eyes suggested she hadn't slept well.

"We'll go straight to the Navy Yard," said Tony, "you all right to wait for breakfast till then?"

Maggie nodded. She had checked the contents of Tony's kitchen cabinets and knew that even her inventiveness would fail to produce anything edible.

"I'll call McProvider," said Tony, "tell him to get breakfast."

"I thought his name was McGee," said Maggie looking puzzled.

"It is. I sometimes give him a nickname," said Tony guilelessly, "what would you like? The coffee shop does a good burrito or the steak and cheese sub is good."

"For breakfast?" said Maggie faintly. She saw the bewildered look on Tony's face and continued, "Do they do bagels?"

"Sure," said Tony enthusiastically, "they do whitefish, pastrami, corned beef …"

"Do they do cream cheese?" Tony nodded and seemed about to list the types of bagel so Maggie said hastily, "a rye bagel will be fine."

Tony nodded and called McGee to place the order. Maggie wasn't sure but she thought she heard him muttering 'so much for living dangerously' under his breath.

Once at the Navy Yard Maggie watched in awe as the team demolished their unhealthy breakfasts at an incredible speed. She guessed they had developed this ability over the years as a safeguard against Gibbs throwing their food into the trash. The man himself seemed to settle for a coffee.

"Mathers has given us a description of 'Oscar'," announced Gibbs as he discontentedly watched his team eat. "A sketch artist is going to the hospital today to see if we can get a better picture."

"Anything at the meet place?" asked Tony.

"No," said McGee, "it was a storage unit. Empty by the time we got there and pretty much wiped clean."

"What about the BOLO on the van?" asked Ellie.

"Nothing yet," said Tim.

"What next, Boss?" asked Tony.

"Did you spot anything about the guys who tried to snatch Maggie?" he asked.

"No," said Tony, "they were wearing masks. One was about 6 foot. The one who hit me was probably taller. Medium build, both of them. Wearing long sleeves so couldn't see if they had any tattoos."

"The one who was grabbing me smelled of fruit," offered Maggie. "It was real strong."

"Perhaps they're hiding out in some sort of fruit warehouse," said Ellie.

"Boss, I was thinking," said Tim before faltering under Gibbs' glare, "but of course I was. That's what you expect us to do. There's lots of communications experts out there. But they seem to have targeted Marine specialists."

"So?" asked Gibbs.

"Made me wonder if they're targeting some sort of Navy installation. They think a Marine expert could hack into the alarm system better than a civilian could."

"Get on that," ordered Gibbs, "check to see if there's anything these crooks might be after."

"Bishop, DiNozzo, go back to the house. Check for fingerprints. The kidnappers might have got careless."

"And what about me, Agent Gibbs?" asked Maggie, "can I go back home?"

"No," said Gibbs, "it's not safe. You'll stay here today and we'll get you into a safe house tonight."

NCISNCIS

Two days passed without any leads. The van was found abandoned but, like the storage unit, had been wiped clean and even Abby could not find any clues to the crooks' identity. The men who had tried to kidnap Maggie had been equally careful not to leave any fingerprints behind. McGee was still searching diligently for potential targets but despite Gibbs increasingly frequent demands for 'answers, McGee!" he hadn't come up with anything.

Maggie looked more and more worried but was a little happier in the safe house once Bishop had shopped for ingredients for her and she was able to relieve some stress by baking. She sent the results into the Navy Yard but the rest of the team were careful to keep them out of Gibbs' sight.

The team took it in turns to keep watch over Maggie at the safe house. On the third night it was Tony's turn.

"Any news?" she asked.

"No," he said trying not to sound pessimistic, "we'll find him." He was about to add, "Don't worry," but realised that was pointless.

"I made blueberry and lemon drizzle muffins," said Maggie.

"This is the best protection duty ever," smiled Tony.

"Why is your team guarding me?"

"What you mean?"

"You're working all day on the … case and then you have to work at night. Don't you have any other agents who could do that?"

"Gibbs likes to keep things in-house," said Tony, "and there's an agent outside as well."

"It doesn't seem fair," said Maggie.

Tony shrugged, "that's Gibbs' way," he said. He saw that Maggie was unconvinced so tried to change the subject, "Hey. I brought the Indiana Jones DVDs. I thought we could watch them."

"Why?" asked Maggie.

"You're an archaeologist, aren't you?" said Tony, "thought you might like them."

"You do know archaeologists don't actually carry bullwhips and wear fedoras, don't you?"

"They don't?" said Tony in mock disappointment.

"And I never found a crystal skull or the Ark of the Covenant," continued Maggie, "just pottery shards and some beads."

"You just went to the wrong places," said Tony confidently, "I believe in Indy!"

Maggie smiled at this attempt to divert her mind and was about to agree when her cell rang. She answered it, had a brief conversation and then turned to Tony in concern.

"I didn't know you had a cell with you," he said before she could speak.

"I forgot," she confessed, "this is the first time anyone's called."

"Who was it?"

"My neighbour. He's just called the police because he thinks someone's broken into our house."

Tony didn't answer but got his cell out to call Gibbs,

"Gibbs. Maggie just got a call from her neighbour. He thinks the house is being broken into. He's called the police. OK. Let me know." Tony turned to Maggie, "Gibbs is on his way too. He'll let us know what he finds."

"I can't believe this," said Maggie despairingly, "this time last week my biggest problem was getting an appointment with my hairdresser and now I'm in a safe house, my husband is missing and our house is being burgled!"

"I'll make you a cup of tea," said Tony.

"Cup of tea?" demanded Maggie crossly.

"It's what they do in the movies," said Tony.

Maggie managed a shaky laugh. "A whisky and soda would be better."

"Sorry," said Tony, "safe houses have to be dry."

"Tea it is then," said Maggie stoically, "but I'll make it. You make horrible tea."

Tony opened his mouth to answer but then cocked his head. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I thought I heard something outside. Maggie, did you say nobody had called you since you've been here?"

"That's right. My phone was switched off until a couple of hours ago and then I remembered I had it with me and suddenly thought that Roy might be trying to contact me."

"We're leaving," said Tony calmly.

"What about my tea?" asked Maggie even as she reached for her coat and purse."

"It'll keep," said Tony, "we'll go out the backway. Quietly. And do what I tell you."

"What's happening?"

"Probably nothing but we're not going to take any chances."

Tony slid one of his DVDs into the player and turned the TV on. He also switched the kettle on hoping that the noise of both would give the impression that the room's occupants were settling down for the evening. Then putting a finger to his lips to indicate the need for silence he led Maggie out the backdoor and then locked it behind him. The yard was deliberately left empty to allow an easy exit and make it hard for anyone to hide there. Maggie and Tony got to the edge of the yard and Tony looked round the wall and saw a body lying in the road and two shadows by the door.

"We can't get to my car," he hissed, "We'll just have to make a run for it. Quick and quiet. OK?"

Maggie wasn't sure what would happen if she said 'no' so settled for nodding. Tony took her hand and they began running towards the busy road which was a few hundred yards away. As they started, they heard the door of the safe house being broken down.

"What about your agent?" asked Maggie.

"You're more important," said Tony firmly. "Come on. It won't take long for them to know we've got away."

Maggie wasn't as much of a movie fan as Tony but she had always liked thrillers and got a thrill out of watching chase scenes. As she ran with Tony on that dark night she found herself changing her mind. They didn't have to run for long but she was terrified as she waited for the sound of chasing footsteps or of a bullet coming towards them. She was grateful for Tony's hand firmly holding hers and was glad that Gibbs had sent him that night.

As soon as they got to the main road, Tony dived into a restaurant and headed for the restroom.

"How did you know where the restroom was?" panted Maggie.

"Protection duty 101" said Tony calmly, "always know the boltholes in case the safe house is compromised. I'll call Gibbs. But stay back here, I don't think the bad guys saw where we went but we won't take any risks."

NCISNCIS

Maggie might have her doubts about Gibbs but she was undeniably relieved when he screeched up in a black sedan some time later. Tony had been watching and they hurried out,

"Get in," ordered Gibbs.

"O'Donnell?" asked Tony.

"She's OK," said Gibbs, "called in a few minutes ago. She was knocked out."

"Thank God," said Maggie.

"How did you get out?" asked Gibbs.

"Heard a noise. Realised that Maggie had only just switched her phone on. Thought our criminal friends might have traced it. Decided to leg it just in case."

"Good job, DiNozzo."

"What's happened at my house, Agent Gibbs?" asked Maggie.

"Bishop is on her way there. She'll co-ordinate with the police."

"They can't have been after Maggie," said Tony.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because they came to the safe house for you," said Gibbs.

"Then it's just a coincidence that our house is being burgled?" said Maggie

"Gibbs has got a rule about that," said Tony.

"Rules?" said Maggie.

"I used to think it was a Marine thing," said Tony, "but now I think it's just a Gibbs thing."

Gibbs ignored this byplay, "does your husband have any tools or equipment in the house?"

"You want to borrow something, Boss?" joked Tony.

"DiNozzo!" growled Gibbs.

"Sorry, Boss," said Tony.

"Yes, he has got some stuff," said Maggie, "in a shed in the yard. Why?"

"My guess is that your husband needs something from home to do the work these guys want done."

"Does that mean he's alive then?" said Maggie in sudden hope.

"Yes," said Gibbs with a firmness that hid his doubts.

"But it means he's agreed to do the job," said Maggie.

"Not necessarily," said Tony, "they still came to get you. That might mean they still need to exert pressure on him."

"And do we know what the 'job' is?" asked Maggie.

"McGee has got an idea," said Gibbs, "he's going to tell us when we get to the Navy Yard."

Tony groaned.

"Are you all right, Tony?" asked Maggie anxiously, "you weren't hurt as we ran away, were you?"

"No," said Tony sadly, "I've just realised that we left your blueberry and lemon drizzle muffins behind!"

"And your Indiana Jones DVD," said Maggie beginning to cheer up.

Tony groaned again.

AN: thank you to Lindycat for spotting the non-deliberate mistake in the first chapter!