I felt pleasantly warm. Today had been a good day, ignoring the NCIS team's weird behavior (None of them left me the entire day without at least one team member present at all times). I had more presents.

One was another knife from Ziva, couldn't have too may I suppose. This one was silver, instead of black, and went onto my other leg, carefully tucked into my boot.

McGee got me Assassins Creed Black Flag, which I was very happy about.

Tony had gotten me another sketch book, and a lot of colored pencils. Which I was also very happy about.

Abby had given me a pen. Two of them actually. But the kicker of these particular pens, despite the fact that the black ink glowed in the dark, was that if I twisted a certain spot on the pen, the back would pop off and a thin, needle like dagger was revealed underneath the pen's outer casing. I was going to be a little more careful about the pens in Abby's lab from now on.

But both pens were also tucked into my boots now.

Ducky and Jimmy had gotten me a leather messenger bag and a puzzle box, which had been passed on through Abby. The puzzle box would be difficult to open, even at a glance. The messenger bag was nice, black leather. My friends seemed to be trying to turn me goth. I didn't mind though, black did have a certain appeal. Just not all the time. Besides, yellow had never been my favorite color. Orange either.

I had put my other gifts into the bag, expect the wolf. He rested in the secret pocket of my new jacket.

Now we were at the Chinese restaurant, eating as much as we could. Trish apparently knew the owner, and he had given her a good deal. She wouldn't tell me what it was though, just to order whatever I wanted, and she'd get the tab. For everyone. Which surprised me.

I was happy though. And enjoying the cream filled, fattening, dumplings. The fortune cookies were good too.

I reached for mine, and cracked it open, munching on part of the cookie while I read the text.

'Beware the threatening storm'

That's odd. I've never had a fortune cookie tell me something bad before. And what storm? It was a cookie. There was nothing about it that could predict the future. Nothing.

I put it away and ate the rest of the cookie. Promptly ignoring the unease quickly blooming in my gut. What had Gibbs said? There is no such thing as a coincidence. But it had to be this once. The NCIS team showing up, wary of something, more protective than normal, than I get a cookie that said to beware the danger looming just out of reach. Definitely a coincidence.

What had Spencer said were the keys to a successful magic trick? One: Distraction. Well, I was kind of distracted. My birthday and all.

Two: Misdirection. Get your victim to pay attention to something else, get their focus on that, then preform your trick. Maybe I was looking in the wrong spot for my answers?

The biggest one: Illusion. Cast the illusion of doubt, of wonder, of something. It makes your trick seem more real. Bigger than your victim could imagine. Perhaps I was in an illusion of safety. Ziva said that I wasn't safe anywhere, even in my house. Perhaps I needed to look past the illusion, see what isn't there.

I looked around, maybe time to try. No one was paying attention to me right now, not even Ziva, who was instead challenging Trish in a game of truth or dare. The others were slowly getting roped into it, so I could focus on my surroundings and not have them get suspicious.

I looked around the Chinese restaurant. There were still a few people in here despite the late hour. A couple in a booth near the windows. A waiter wiping down tables and putting chairs up. Another one directing a broom around the restaurant.

There was a man, sitting in the corner booth, and partly cloaked in darkness. He wasn't eating anything, just taking occasional sips of the water in front of him.

I narrowed my eyes at him. How odd. I had seen him earlier, almost yelling at the waiter that he did not want anything to eat. I had gotten an instant creep feeling from him, and I noticed that he was facing our table.

Kiley. Stop it. Don't pin something on a probably innocent man just because you're jumping at shadows. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?

You're fine.

Yet, some part of me whispered that I wasn't fine. It was an illusion. I shouldn't relax. I should leave. Get everyone away. Make them leave. Now. We were done with dinner. We were just sitting around talking now. There isn't any harm in getting them away. Making sure they got home safe.

With sudden nervousness, I looked back at the man in a casual glance. He was looking at me now. There was a glint in his eye that almost made me pause. It was curiosity, like I was a machine he was taking apart, and jealousy. It was directed at me.

Then his gaze flicked to Tony, and it became hatred. Pure, angry, hatred.

I needed to get them out, now. Even if it was nothing, though I doubted it was, they needed to get away from me. And I needed to find out what the hell was going on.

With determination, I feigned a huge yawn. As predicted, my friends were so intent on keeping an eye on me, that they noticed.

Ziva smiled at me tenderly and rubbed my back, "Are you tiring, Kiley?"

I nodded, and gave her a sleepy smile that might have been a little exaggerated. I was the opposite of tired. But I needed them to leave, and to not get more antsy than they already were. Especially if it was nothing.

The others looked at me with looks of tenderness and love. Though I knew it was there, I couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised by it. Even Gibbs was giving me that look.

Trish leaned onto the table, "Well, you are still a kid. So it makes sense you'd need more sleep than the rest of us. And it is getting kind of late." She checked her phone. "Wow, 1:15 already. I'm used to staying up this late, but you do need more sleep than me."

She grinned at me, and I shot her a dirty look and gave another huge yawn. "It's not my fault you guys tire me out so quickly." I mumbled, slurring my words slightly for added affect.

Eric laughed, "Well, let's go before we have to carry you home."

I shot him another dirty look that might have looked as terrifying as a kitten's. I was the one acting, and I thought it was overkill. But they bought it. Really well actually.

Tony stood up and stretched, then he reached down and pulled on my arm gently, prompting me to stand.

I knew that when I got tired, my clumsiness got more pronounced, and I blinked more because my vision wobbled. I had more or less perfect eyesight, but I was like Spencer. Sometimes, especially when I was tired, I needed glasses.

I yawned again and staggered out from behind the chair. Apparently, because I was forcing myself to be clumsy, my feet decided to catch on the chair, and I would have fallen had Tony not had a steady grip on my arm.

It earned me a collective laugh.

"Whoa there kiddo. Careful." Tony laughed and tugged me closer to him.

I blinked at him blearily, "Kiddo? Since when?"

He looked down at me with a grin, "Since you became 17."

I scowled at him half-heartedly as we tromped out of the restaurant, food already paid for. "The thing about birthday's, Tony, is that they make you older. Not younger."

He snickered, and I felt Ziva take my other arm to steady me further. They knew that I got clumsier the more tired I was too.

McGee was behind me now with Gibbs beside him. The rest of my friends filtered around me.

When we reached a four way, Trish, Lucas, Jason, Michelle, and Eric said goodbye. Their houses were close together, mine was farther away.

I waved to them clumsily, almost smacking Abby, and gave them all wide, if tired (Acting. Gotta love it. Mom always said I was a good manipulator), smiles and said, "Thanks for the awesome birthday guys. I loved it."

They returned the smiles, and various comments of 'You're welcome' and 'Get some rest' chimed around me.

They walked away and I was left with the team.

I threw my arms around Tony's and McGee's shoulders and decided to up the ante a bit, "You know. You guys are a bit like brothers to me." I informed them seriously.

They shared a grin, and Tony piped up, "You know, you act drunk when you're tired, Kiles."

Abby giggled at that, "Just wait until she's old enough. Then we can see if that's true."

I shot a grin towards her, "Sorry, Trish already has dibs to introduce me to the joys of a hangover first."

Abby gave me a mock hurt expression, "Not me? I'm hurt, Kiley."

Since I was supposed to be tired, and only working at half my usual brain capacity, I frowned, feigning distress. "I'm sorry, Abby. I'm sure if you ask Trish she might reconsider."

Abby's mouth fell open slightly, and so did McGee's. "You really are tired, aren't you?" Tony asked quietly.

I nodded, staggering a bit (To which Tony caught my arm), and muttered, "Think I need some sleep. Or a serious kickstarter."

Gibbs suddenly appeared next to me, "Let's go with the first one, Kiles. You don't need any caffeine right now."

I grinned at him, "I'm glad you guys are here."

They all smiled back at me.

"Us too, Kiles." McGee said honestly.

I tried to focus on their smiles, and not the feeling that someone was watching me.

But it was getting more difficult. The shadows seemed more threatening than usual.

I ignored it though, and just focused on the comfort of being close to Gibbs. The closest thing to a father I had ever had.

He normally offered safety, comfort. But I didn't feel that tonight. I just felt more jittery. What if they got hurt because of me? That's why they were here, someone was targeting me. Their behavior screamed it. And Tony… What did he do? The man seemed to hate Tony more than me.

I'm overreacting. Everything's fine. Like always.

We had reached my apartment building, and were walking into the elevator.

I vaguely realized that we had stopped in front of my apartment. I dug into my pocket for the key, and, once retrieved, it was stuffed into the lock. I was guided into the apartment by Gibbs, who made sure I would be fine, before wishing me a happy birthday once more.

I smiled at all of them, and waved. "See you guys tomorrow."

Feeling suddenly scared. What if something happened to them? But what if something happened to them if they stayed? Too many variables. Too many things could go wrong. I needed to step back, look at it objectively. Wouldn't that what Spencer had said to do if I had a problem? Take a breath, and look at it at a new angle.

I closed the door, and made sure it was securely locked.

I staggered into the apartment. I was way too wired to sleep. I took off my scarf and draped it over the back of the couch. The jacket was next, and I looked at the wolf in my hand.

I wouldn't be able to sleep, might as well do some painting. I put the wolf into the holster on my belt, more out of curiosity than actual need, and began to walk towards my bedroom. But I froze as something creaked. Something that definitely wasn't the floor underneath me.

I reached towards my boot, but before I could get to it, something crashed into the back of my head. And the world, faded into oblivion.