A/N: Last time I forgot to mention all the wonderful people leaving helpful and kind reviews for this story...so this is a belated thanks. As a reward here's the next chapter for Business As Usual. Hope you like - I can trust you to tell me if you don't, or even if you do.
Gibbs had managed to drag himself into the corner behind the door and curled into a loose ball, figuring that if the door did not wake him then he would at least have minimal protection from his captor until he did wake up. The moment came to test his theory sooner than he expected as he heard footsteps approaching the door and creaked into an uncomfortable crouching position. However as the door swung open Gibbs found he had underestimated the extent of his injuries - he had struggled to stand up straight, let alone try overpower the man and escape. The man peered around the door to sneer at him as he lay on the floor, shaking from the effort, "What're you going to do Leroy? Attack me and escape?" He let out a short grating laugh as he saw his prisoner's face fall – as though realising his predicament for the first time, "Somehow I thought not. Anyway I thought you might like something to eat...but obviously not so I'll just leave you to come up with your next pathetic escape plan." Gibbs' stomach rumbled at the thought of food – for the first time he wished he had had something to eat before rushing out of his house to go to their crime scene – but he refused to admit to this man, whose face was vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place it, that he needed anything.
"What do you want?" Gibbs asked just as the man pulled the door closed. At first he thought he had been ignored, but the hatch opened noisily and a man peered through, "I want you Leroy, and now I have you." Gibbs was confused and slightly perturbed by the statement's implications. "Why?"
"Why?" The man scoffed, "Because you and your pretty redheaded agent put my brother in jail for a crime he didn't even commit! He was given two life sentences for something he didn't do and you planted, collected and presented the evidence in a trial that was a long way from fair!" He stepped back from the hatch and the door once again swung open, "But you don't even remember who he is or even who I am, do you?" Gibbs simply glowered at the man, "Remember Petty Officer Carnell and his beautiful wife?" He barely paused to allow Gibbs to give an answer - he knew there would be none anyway, "Of course you do – you remember the victims but never the 'criminals'. Isn't that the way it goes?"
What the hell have I got myself into this time? Normally it's DiNozzo that gets into trouble with the nut jobs—
"My younger brother was Thomas Smith – a good man who was wrongly accused of murder and then convicted by FALSIFIED evidence, evidence you 'collected'."
Crap I knew there was something familiar about this guy.
"You're his brother," Gibbs paused to take in the man's reaction, and also to give himself time to remember his name, "Allen, Allen Smith aren't you?" The man smiled showing off his gruesome black and yellow teeth, "Well done Leroy, finally you remember, but you're already too late - remembering my name won't save you now." Gibbs looked at the man quizzically, but did not get the opportunity to ask what he was supposed to save himself from as a gun barrel connected with his temple and Gibbs' body went limp. Allen Smith stood over his captive and sneered, "You stole my brother's life from me and now you're going to pay...You want to know how I know he didn't kill those people? You want to know how I know that evidence was planted?" He asked the still, unconscious form on the ground, "Because I killed them." He chuckled coldly and walked out of the door, locking it behind him, "I killed them...I killed them..." Smith repeated his confession – his haunting laugh echoing through the corridor – until he reached another door and suddenly there was silence in Gibbs' cell, broken only by his shallow, laboured breathing.
Abby peered into her back room, openly admiring McGee's dedication to their boss – he had been typing and squinting at the computer screen for the past two hours with a broken leg, the toes of which were starting to turn a deep purple, despite the fact that he had apparently made very little progress.
What he needs is—
Her computer pinged, "McGee! I got a match!" She shouted, then waited impatiently until he had limped into the main lab before bringing up the result, "You know how to make a girl wait don't you, Timmy?" She joked, only to be met by an icy glare from her colleague, "Who is it, Abby?" He watched as she moved her mouse agonizingly slowly to the 'View Results' button and clicked it. A single results page came up. They both inhaled sharply at the name of the blood's owner. Abby was the first to break their stunned and horrified silence with a quiet, concerned whisper – "Gibbs." She turned to McGee and wrapped her arms around him tightly, causing him to drop his crutches loudly and entirely unnoticed by the duo, and sobbed into his shoulder, "What're we going to do now McGee?" The young agent knew from experience that very little he said or did would comfort his friend but he would do his best, "I'm sure he's fine Abby. We'll find him – I know that – and I'll work every hour of every day until we do."
"You promise?" She asked, pulling her face back from his shoulder and letting him see the dark tear stains already running down her face. "Yes. I promise Abby." He held her at arms' reach to see whether she believed him or not, "I have to phone Tony and Ziva ok?" The forensic scientist buried her face in his suit again and mumbled something. "...Ok. Be back soon though." Gently prising Abby's fingers from his upper arms, McGee slowly bent down and grabbed his crutches, swung them under his arms and left the lab, leaving Abby to set out all possible scenarios that could have happened to her favourite NCIS agent.
A/N: As always reviews are always well received and, if i have time, replied to - however school is back on at the moment and demanding sooo much of my time it's hard to do much else (even though my exams have finished YAY :D)