Disclaimer: See chapter I

A/N : Hey people thanks for all the reviews you guys have left me. Here's the next chapter I hope it still keeps you guys hooked. I deided to post a day earlier before all the Harry Potter craze hit everyone and everywhere and lest I forgot about this little fic in ll that mayhem...

Okay enough of my blabbering and on with the new chapter.


Chapter IV

Taking the elevator up to the bullpen he strode into it purposefully and for once there was no coffee cup glued to his right hand. The looks he received from the people in the hospital were nothing compared to those he received from DiNozzo and McGee as he made his way to his desk. The two exchanged anxious looks with each other, neither one gaining the courage to ask the older man what was going on.

As he sat down at his desk, Abby came bouncing out of the elevator and made her way to where the three men were sitting. At the sight of him she stopped in her tracks, "wow Gibbs you look like you've been to a war zone" was the only statement that came to her mind and before she knew it out of her mouth as well.

"Where have you been Boss?" Tony ventured, after he saw that Gibbs did not respond to Abby's statement but not sure if his superior was even going to answer his question. "What are you guys blabbering about?" Gibbs asked the three of them. "Uh Gibbs maybe you should change your T-shirt" Abby pointed at his chest indicating for him to look down and he finally saw the reason he was getting such weird looks from the people he passed.

Walking up to the filing cabinet next to DiNozzo's desk he took out a clean set of clothes from the third drawer and headed toward the showers. The fall of the hot water on his body did nothing to relax or calm him down as he hoped it would.

Returning to the bullpen after his shower, he held the bloodstained piece of clothing in his latex gloved hand and waving it in Abby's direction. "Abbs can you get anything from these stains?" "It depends on what you're looking for my silver haired fox," she replied still smiling at him.

"I'll see you in the lab in about 10 minutes" he told the lab tech who had taken a hold of the shirt and was already on her way to the elevator. "DiNozzo I want you to get Agent Cassidy here yesterday." "Boss why do we need Cassidy here? We already have a full team" came the reply from his senior agent. "Which reminds me, where is Kate? She's never this late for work!" he observed. "She was working with the Director yesterday, maybe she's already in and you just haven't seen her" Gibbs replied.

Just as he finished his sentence the redhead director came down the staircase leading from her office and MTAC. "Special Agent Gibbs could I see you for a minute please?" she asked looking around at the team minus Kate and smiling a little to herself. "I see Agent Todd is not here yet, as soon as she comes in send her up to my office Agent DiNozzo!" she gloated with the rage inducing smile she had fixed Gibbs with the previous day.

Walking away from Gibbs's desk she retreated to Kate's desk leaning against it with Gibbs leaning in exceptionally close to her. "Gibbs where is Todd? She's usually not late for work!" she questioned Gibbs "She was working with you yesterday Madame Director, so you should know where she is! Besides, I don't see how you can lose an agent in your own federal building," he replied irritably. "And I'm sure she has a very good reason for not being here right now!" he finished.

Turning his attention back to his team he started barking orders again. "DiNozzo I don't think Cassidy is going to get here by herself," making the senior agent grab his stuff and rush out of the bullpen. "McGee I want you to pull up all records of the victim we found yesterday and I mean everything from where she was born, what school she went to where she had her last meal" he ordered with more force than he knew was necessary.

Then he made his way to the elevator to see his lab tech happy to get away from the redheaded woman still standing in front of him and annoying him to an unexplainable extent. "Anything else I can help you with Madame Director?" he asked icily. When she did not answer he fixed her with the Gibbs glare he reserved for DiNozzo and continued walking to the elevator.

McGee hoped Kate would come to work soon as that seemed to be the only thing that would calm Gibbs down from his extremely bad mood, and it would mean he would have more help on finding the information on the victim. "Where can she be?" he thought to himself an uneasy feeling settling in what Gibbs would have called 'his gut.'

Tony seemed to be having better luck than McGee and although he was looking forward to seeing Agent Cassidy he was not sure what her reaction to him showing up unannounced on her doorstep would be. Still the Boss-man had asked for her help, okay maybe demanded her help and Tony was not going to disobey when he was in such a bad mood.

Knocking on her door, Cassidy opened after the third knock, the surprise of seeing him there showing clearly on her face. Tony how did you know I was back?" she asked him. "Actually I didn't it was Gibbs's gut, he told me to come here and get you. We need help on a case since we're a team member short." "Tony I'm on leave, I don't get paid to work cases while I'm on leave" she countered.

"Look Paula" he said seriously "Gibbs would not have asked for you personally if it were not a high priority case so can we just get on with it?" He was not in a mood for a debate and he let it be known. "I wonder where Kate is, since she's not at work and the Director seems to have lost her. I hope she's okay!" he said more to himself than both of them but Cassidy had heard him. "I'm sure she's fine, she's a big girl Tony she can look after herself," Cassidy tried to console him but it was not working. Just as with McGee an uneasy feeling had settled within him.


So there it is, hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it, in a weird way. By the way we're still in the middle of season 3 where Paula is still alive abd therefore she is in my story.

Leave your comments and thoughts behind and suggestions as to where this story should go will also be appreciated.

thanx

hellraiser