She stayed until the end, until every last bit of evidence had been gathered and catalogued and taken away for processing. She got blood on her clothes but that didn't bother her; other people's blood never had.

The image of Annie's bloody, broken body filled her mind again and she squared her shoulders against a shiver.

Only when the order was given to leave and close up the crime scene did she go, clutching her camera to her as she left the apartment.

"Are you okay, Agent Kelly?" Agent Robertson, the man who'd had to leave the room appeared at her elbow, embarrassment warring with concern in his young eyes. "I know you knew her... Agent Green."

Veronica smiled at him and inclined her head in acknowledgement of his concern. "I'm okay, Agent Robertson. Charlie, isn't it?" She smiled again when he nodded, enjoying the blush that stained his cheeks in pleasure that she knew his name. "Thank you, for asking."

"Not a problem, ma'am." The young agent gave her a shy smile and made to move past her, stopping when she reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Ma'am?"

"I was thinking... I hope you don't find me too forward..." Veronica lowered her gaze and bit her bottom lip. "I could really use some company tonight if you've not got other plans...? We could talk about the investigation, maybe. I missed out on a lot not being here at the beginning, maybe you could fill me in on the details...?"

The young agent stared at her, for a moment dumbfounded. It took two attempts before he was able to speak. "No, no. I mean, I've got no plans. We could do that. If you wanted."

Veronica smiled at him and laced her arm through his. "Good."

Gibbs and his team sat around the table, watching in silence as Abby briefed Catherine and Director Vance on what they'd found in her apartment. She was calm and detached, eerily so, and when the Director caught Gibbs' eye, he could see the same concern reflected back at him.

"Doctor Mallard," Catherine addressed the ME when Abby was finished, "could you determine a cause of death?"

"Blood loss is the most probable cause," Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard answered without hesitation. "Though there were so many injuries, it's hard to say for sure."

Catherine nodded and opened the file the NCIS medical examiner had given her. She winced at the photographs; beside her, Abby stared at them impassively.

"She was tortured over an extended period of time," Ducky continued gravely. "There were lacerations on her back that appear to have been done with a leather belt or whip. The chains around her wrists and ankles had been tightened, breaking the skin. She had three broken ribs, one of which had punctured her left lung. The bones in her right hand had been crushed. There were multiple instances of internal bleeding and evidence that she may have been suffering from a concussion as the result of contact with a blunt object to subdue her, which I've narrowed down to most likely being the butt of a gun. Knife wounds marked her stomach, chest, arms and upper thighs. They weren't deep enough to sever any major arteries but deep enough to contribute the overall cause of death."

Her face pale, Catherine gripped the folder tightly. "Thank you, Doctor. Were there any drugs in her system, anything to suggest they'd sedated her to keep her quiet?"

"The toxicology was clean except for an usual level of adrenaline and a large dose of modafinil," Abby answered tersely. "They kept her awake the entire time. She was conscious and aware of what they were doing to her; she just couldn't stop them."

There was a pause in conversation as the horrific extent of Annie's ordeal sunk in. Abby refused to look at anyone, her eyes permanently fixed on the photographs in Catherine's file. She only looked up when Catherine closed the file gently.

"Abby," Catherine began gently, "if you want to take some time... Veronica has volunteered to be the NSA agent-in-charge for the rest of the investigation."

Abby straightened even further in her chair, her eyes narrowed. The tension levels in the room rose noticeably. "Are you removing me from the case?"

"Not exactly, no," Catherine answered slowly. "It's been suggested that you take a step back, both because of what happened to Annie and because you're an obviously in line to be targeted by these people. You have a personal connection, Abby..."

"You just figured that out?" Abby snorted, the outburst taking the others by surprise. "My family have been moved to a safe house, my partner and friend was murdered in my apartment, in my bed. My teammates, the agents I used to lead, are being killed one by one because of something I did and you're just now realising that maybe this is personal for me?"

"Abby..." Catherine kept her voice calm and understanding. "We're just concerned for your safety. Simon suggested that maybe you could go and stay with your family. You'd be able to keep them safe, and I promise I'll keep you up to date with the investigation..."

"Simon suggested it?" The scorn was clear in Abby's voice. "The same Simon Veronica's been screwing for years?"

Catherine's expression was pained – and embarrassed when she noticed the NCIS agents watching with open fascination. "He's my boss, Abby, and his personal affairs are his business."

"Affair would be right," Abby muttered darkly. "One of these days, someone's going to tell Fiona exactly how some women under Simon's command get faster promotions than others. I'd sure like to see her hand him his balls on a plate when she does."

Her cheeks reddened instead of the ashen colour they had been going through the folder of autopsy photographs, Catherine could only watch, stunned, as Abby got to her feet. "Abby..."

"You can tell Simon where he can stick his suggestion," Abby told her calmly. "And you can give Veronica the team with my blessing, but if you think I'm going to step aside and let her get the bastard who did this to Annie, you are severely mistaken. I'll just do it on my own."

"Abigail! Agent Sciuto!" Catherine stood up when she realised Abby's intention but the younger woman didn't stop. Abby kept on walking, slamming the door of the conference room behind her. Catherine looked beseechingly to the NCIS agents seated around the table, her gaze eventually settling on Gibbs. "You said you had her back, Agent Gibbs. If she goes out on her own against these people, changes are she won't be coming back alive."

Gibbs didn't wait for the Director's nod of approval; he got up and went after her, shutting the door quietly but firmly behind him.

"Is there something we should know about Agent Kelly?" Director Vance questioned mildly, confident his lead agent would take care of his forensic scientist. "There seems to be a certain degree of... animosity between her and Ms. Sciuto."

If Catherine noticed he no longer referred to Abby as one of her agents, she chose not to comment. Instead, she sat down and took a slow sip from the glass of water in front of her. "Agent Kelly and Agent Green were... romantically involved. It ended badly from what I could gather, with the majority of hurt feelings on Annie's part. Abby is extremely loyal to her friends as I'm sure you know and couldn't forgive Veronica for hurting Annie."

Tony frowned at the explanation, exchanging a look with his teammates. "We were under the impression it was due to a case," he explained quietly when Director Vance arched an eyebrow in question.

"Agent Kelly told us she managed to solve a case that Abby and Agent Green had been struggling with," Ziva added in a matter-of-fact manner. "She suggested Abby's feelings towards her were related to that."

Catherine shook her head, a grim expression on her face. "Veronica used her relationship with Annie to access her notes on the case they were working on. She collared the perpetrator while Annie and Abby followed procedure and got authorisation for the operation they wanted to set up. Veronica got all the credit for bringing in the suspect while they were caught up in red tape" Indignation coloured her tone. "I had no idea Veronica was using that as an excuse for Abby's feelings towards her."

"It was the reason she gave," Ziva informed her bluntly. "But now we know the truth, it is understandable why Abby would not want Agent Kelly to be responsible for catching Agent Green's murderer, yes?"

"It's understandable," Catherine agreed with a sigh, "but I'm afraid it's out of my hands. I have orders just as you do, Agent David. Please, when you see Abby, let her know I'm doing everything I can to get my bosses to change their minds and have her reinstated as the lead on this."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Tony replied evenly, shrugging when the NSA agent looked at him. "Abby was happy here before you came along. She belongs at NCIS, with us. Maybe you should just accept that this is where she's meant to be and let things go back to the way they were around here."

He got up before Catherine could think of an argument, waiting for Director Vance to nod his permission for him to leave before he led the rest of his team out of the conference room to get on with the tasks they'd been given.

"I'd apologise if what he said was anything other than the truth," Leon said after a short pause once the two were alone.

A faintly wistful expression passed over her features. "She's found a home here, hasn't she?"

"She's been here longer than I've been Director," he admitted, "and I can tell you she's an integral part of my staff. Agent Gibbs' team in particular have become a family of sorts. At its heart, from what I can tell, is Ms. Sciuto."

"I'm glad," Catherine murmured. "She was one of my best agents, always achieving far more than we expected her to but she was never truly happy with us. She missed her family too much and made it clear she was doing it for them."

"Because her family were being financially compensated for her absence," Director Vance surmised.

Catherine nodded. "That, and because they were the ones who put her forward for it. They knew they wouldn't be able to pay for the education she deserved and Abby, for her part, knew she'd be able to better provide for them if she had a solid career to fall back on. I won't lie to you, Director; we wanted her from the start and made sure we knew exactly what we had to offer to get her."

"In her personal file, she has a high school in New Orleans listed," the Director commented. "Was she educated there or that is a cover story, too?"

"It's a genuine institution but it wasn't your traditional high school. It was a residential institution set up and run by the NSA. Instead of your usual extracurricular activities such as cheerleading or basketball, our students learnt other skills we thought would be more beneficial. Target practise, languages, extra lessons in chemistry and biology, a variety of self defence classes were what was on offer to our students." Catherine gave a regretful sigh. "I always did wish we could just let them be children, teenagers, but the agency disagreed. The least we could have done would have been to allow them a modicum of normality but that was strongly advised against. There were no dances, no proms... Socialising between students wasn't encouraged at all."

"Sounds more like a boot camp than a school," Director Vance observed, a flicker of sympathy on his face – for Abby and the students like her. He thought about his own children and how much freedom they had in comparison. "The think-tank NCIS previously became involved with seemed a lot different."

"They've vastly improved over the years," Catherine agreed, "but that makes me feel no less guilty for what we took from our earlier recruits."

After another lull in conversation, Director Vance asked the question he'd been putting off. "Do you think Ms. Sciuto will really go after these people alone, without the authorisation of either the NSA or NCIS?"

"Yes." Catherine's reply came without hesitation. "She's got the skill and the determination to find them. I just hope she doesn't find he's in over her head due to her years in the lab."

"You disagree with her decision to leave the field."

"I disagree with wasting so much potential, as do my superiors," Catherine corrected with a shrug. "But if she's happier in a lab, with NCIS, who are we to say she should do otherwise?"

Director Vance tilted his head in acknowledgement but couldn't keep himself from wondering if he should discuss career options with Ms. Sciuto when the matter was resolved.