A/N Sorry for the wait but real life intruded in terms of work. Girl gotta eat...;-)
And, as always, thank you to my great beta Imagine who did such a good job on this.
Found
2 June, 5 am
They had holed up for the night in a small clearing, not too far from the small tributary of the stream he had left Tony and Ziva earlier.
There was no sign of Chuck Winslow or his men, which could be either good or bad. It could mean that Chuck had lost his trail and were trying to find it; or it could mean that his men were stationed at the various exit points of the woods, waiting for them. It was the latter that Gibbs knew was more in line with Chuck's method of thinking. The man had always gone for the easier option when they had been kids.
He glanced at Ziva. She tried to suppress a shiver before meeting his eyes but was unsuccessful. Embarrassed, she looked away but he did not. He watched her, suddenly remembering Ari and the night she had to choose between them. Something deep inside had made him trust her, despite the fact that Ari was her brother, and she had saved his life.
He had trusted her just as she was putting her trust in him now. It was in her eyes. It was in the way she and Tony steadfastly and silently followed him through the woods, passing the only house that might offer refuge. Their questions may have been unspoken but he had heard them.
A twig snapped, loud in the ensuing stillness of the clearing. He quietly rose to his full height, Ziva following him with her eyes. Tony's grip on his gun tightened, determination centred as he stood. He motioned for DiNozzo to stay with Ziva and slipped into the underbrush.
He moved stealthily. Nothing stirred. He was a ghost, gliding through forest. Three hundred meters out he found the broken twig and a big fat footprint, imbedded in the ground.
His head came up as he realised he wasn't alone. Sensing the body behind him, he spun and dropped, his gun already lining up with a target. The weapon bucked in his hand and a moment later, the man died with a surprised expression on his face.
Gibbs stood, knowing that the sound of the gunshot was still echoing around him. Chuck's men now knew where to find them.
He heard Ziva scream.
A gunshot echoed.
He ran for the clearing.
2 June, 5 am
Ducky took off his glasses, wiped his tired eyes and returned the spectacles to the bridge of his nose. Unfortunately, it didn't make a difference. The words continued swimming in front of him, out of focus. He leaned back into his chair and allowed the folder to slip to the ground.
"Ducky, are you all right?"
Ducky sighed, opened his eyes and glared at the younger man. "What do you think, Mr Palmer?"
"I'm sorry, sir. You...you look tired?"
"Of course I'm tired," Ducky snapped. His usual taciturn nature was overpowered by his fear and anxiety for Gibbs and his team. He understood the implications of the amount of time they had been missing. If it were anyone but Gibbs, he would let himself believe that, in all likelihood, they were dead.
Palmer nodded and silently turned his away. Immediately, Ducky regretted his outburst. He leaned forward, picked up the discarded folder and held it out to his assistant. "I'm sorry, Mr Palmer. My eyes seem to be acting up again. Do you mind..."
Palmer gave him a tentative smile before taking the file. As he started to read, the door to the conference room opened. Ducky stood, his gut churning as Director Vance and Fornell entered, closing the door ominously behind them.
"Any news?"
"I'm sorry, Ducky. Nothing yet."
Deflated, the doctor slid back into his chair. The more time that passed, the less their chances of finding any members of the team.
2 June, 5:15 am
Despite their situation, he fell asleep then woke with a start, blinked and stared into the darkness. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes again only to open them again, finally realising what was different.
He could actually see a faint outline of the walls of the tunnel.
Abby shifted, her head cradled on his shoulder, her arm draped heavily across his stomach.
He whispered her name and gently patted her arm as he pulled himself into a sitting position. She moved slightly but didn't wake up. Feeling guilty, he used a slightly louder voice and called to her again. Startled, the woman sat up straight in response.
"What time is it?" It came out all jumbled as Abby wiped sleep from her eyes.
"Morning," he replied.
"Are you sure? The last time I checked..." she trailed off and glanced around them. "Oh."
She looked down at her hand. He watched her make a fist, extend the fingers and turn it to look at her palm. He smiled.
"I can see, McGee."
"I know, Abs."
And there it was: A hug. All enveloping and smothering, while jarring his leg into discomfort, but he didn't mind in the least. They both stank of sweat and blood and probably bat pooh, but it was the most refreshing thing he had felt in a long while.
And then, as suddenly as her arms had wrapped around him, she was gone. Leaving a faint, "I'll be right back," echoing around him, she disappeared into the fading darkness.
For this first time since they'd been taken hostage, he felt hope. It was like someone had flipped a switch inside of him. Suddenly, he knew that they were going to be okay. They were going to get out of here.
The feeling grew even stronger when Abby came back, telling him that she had found a tunnel leading out.
tbc
