A/N: Just a friendly reminder that I DO NOT have a beta, so please forgive me for any (stupid) typos or mistakes. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but you will see why.

Ch 25 – Take Down Pt. 2

Tony's eyebrows furrowed as he leaned in closer after hearing muffled voices coming from the other side. "Shit, boss!" Tony whispered, "there's someone else in there with him."

Gibbs swore under his breath as he pushed away from the wall grumbling as he walked halfway down the hall. Ziva immediately took up his position to the left side of the door and shared a concerned look with Tony. McGee noticed Gibbs whispering into the small mic clipped to his "NCIS" jacket collar. "Balboa, we may have a hostage situation up here. Yeah, there's at least one other person in the apartment with Thorson. I have no idea who … yeah, just get your ass up here."

Taking the stairs two at a time, no easy feat wearing over thirty pounds of additional gear, Balboa was at Gibbs' side in less than a minute. "Here, Gibbs," he said, breathing heavily as he waived some electronic gizmo in front of him, "I'll stick this on the door so we can hear what's going on in there." Gibbs nodded in approval, and despite his large size Balboa moved stealthily down the hall and affixed a high-tech amplifying unit to the middle of the door.

Inside the apartment, Thorson was pacing nervously alternating between watching the clock and looking out the window for Dave Martin to show up. Growing more impatient and agitated by the minute, he turned and glared at his "guest", who sat tied to a metal folding chair with a dirty kitchen towel stuffed in her mouth, and demanded in frustration, "Where the fuck is he? He should be here by now!"

M. Alison Hart, dressed in a dark blue suit and matching five-inch Jimmy Choo heels, shook her head frantically as she struggled against the ropes binding her wrists and ankles to the chair and attempted to scream through the makeshift gag. Thorson raised the gun he had taken off of the Marshal and pointed at her. "Now, now, counselor, you will be quiet or I will pull the trigger," he said sternly as he slowly walked over and pressed the gun against the terrified woman's forehead as tears of ran down her cheeks.

After listening to the amplified voices coming from the apartment for several minutes, the team pulled back down the hall. "Jesus Christ," Gibbs muttered through clenched teeth, "he's got his damn lawyer in there! Goddamn Hart, that stupid bitch!" Gibbs closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before suddenly blurting out, "Fuck it. We're going with the original plan. Balboa, get another one of your team up here to back us up." As they again approached the door, Gibbs turned to his team. "McGee, Ziva, when we go in, I want you two to try and get Hart out of there, but she got herself into this mess, so you will take cover if Thorson tries anything; her safety is not our top priority right now."

A couple of minutes later, Tom Jensen from Balboa's team joined the group in the hall. Gibbs sighed and nodded at Tony. "Okay, DiNozzo, you know the signal." Tony took up his original position to the right of the door, and took a deep breath before reaching out and rapping his knuckles against the door. The others all stood back with their guns trained on the door, ready for anything.

"It's about fucking time," Thorson yelled as he turned the deadbolt and threw the door open. To say that he was shocked to see Tony instead of Dave Martin standing in his doorway was the understatement of the decade. Thorson gasped as a sudden wave of desire flooded through him at the sight of his beautiful Tony. Ignoring that other agents out in the hall had their guns trained on him, a smiling Thorson stepped backward and leered before muttering breathlessly, "My Own, you've come back to me! I knew you would. I knew you couldn't stay away."

Knowing that having Tony standing there when the door opened would throw Thorson off balance and possibly make the assault on the apartment easier, Gibbs reluctantly agreed to let him be the first in line. Using Thorson's shock to his advantage, Tony advanced on him slowly and deliberately with fire in his eyes and Sig aimed right between Thorson's eyes. "Hello Thorson," he said with blatant disgust. "Yeah, I came back, but only to place your sorry ass under arrest," he continued with satisfied smirk.

Ziva cautiously stepped into the apartment behind Tony and slowly made her way to the right over to where M. Alison Hart sat bound and gagged, keeping her gun vigilantly trained on Thorson. Thorson immediately recognized her from the farm and snapped back to reality. "You stupid bitch," he screamed at Ziva, "You ruined everything!"

Gibbs peeked around the doorframe in an attempt to assess the situation and to draw Thorson's attention to him before stepping in to stand next to Tony. "It's over, Thorson," Gibbs stated simply, almost casually, "drop your weapon and put your hands behind your back. There is no way out of this for you."

"Fuck you!" Thorson bellowed at Gibbs as he took a few more steps back, tightened his grip on the Beretta in his hand. He paced frantically and his eyes darted around the room like a madman as panic took over making him shake as he looked for any possible escape route. Seeing the obvious signs of panic and desperation, Tony slowly took a couple of steps closer to Thorson.

McGee picked that moment to slowly move around Tony on his right in a flanking maneuver to cover Ziva as she worked with one hand to free the now hysterical attorney. Cornered and fueled by adrenaline as agents continued to pour into the room, Thorson reacted by suddenly and indiscriminately firing in McGee's direction hitting him once in the shoulder and throwing him back against the wall. McGee slid to the floor as Gibbs and Tony responded by putting two bullets each in Thorson's chest dropping him instantly where he stood.

Tony quickly holstered his Sig and shouted to Balboa in the doorway, "Get an ambulance. McGee's been hit." He dropped to his knees and immediately put pressure on McGee's shoulder. "You're okay, Probie," he said calmly, "I got 'ya brother. Ambulance is on the way. Just hang in there McGee."

McGee tried to get up, but Tony held him down to keep pressure on the wound that was bleeding profusely. "I'm okay, Tony," he said weakly through gritted teeth as he patted Tony's arm reassuringly despite the agonizing pain. "We get him?"

Tony smiled fondly down at McGee and said with pride, "Hell yeah we got him!" Tony's smile turned to a frown when he looked up and saw Ziva and Hart lying motionless in a heap. "Boss," he yelled to get Gibbs' attention, "Ziva's down!"

Gibbs' head snapped up and he looked to where Tony was pointing. He got up from his position over Thorson's corpse, quickly scrambling to where Ziva was lying prone and covering Hart. "Ziva!" Gibbs called out desperately not paying any attention to the attorney under her. Not getting a response, he placed shaky fingers on Ziva's neck to check for a pulse and exhaled in relief at the flutter he felt beneath his fingertips. His eyes widened in shock at the pool of blood he noticed. "Balboa," he yelled, "Get over here. I need your help!"

Balboa ran over and crouched next to Gibbs and said reassuringly, "Ambulance is on the way, Gibbs. It's gonna be okay. Let's get her turned over and see if we can figure out where the hell all the blood is coming from." Using extreme caution they rolled Ziva onto her back and unzipped her. "Holy shit," Balboa exclaimed before yelling into his com mic, "tell the paramedics to hurry the fuck up!"

Ziva began to stir and moaned as Gibbs pressed a clean towel that Agent Jensen had retrieved from the bathroom to a huge gash on the side of her head. In addition to the obvious head wound, Ziva had three slugs from Thorson's gun embedded in her vest, likely cracking or at the very least severely bruising several ribs. "S'ok, Ziver, just stay still. Medics are on the way. Hang in there with me," Gibbs murmured soothingly over and over as he continued to apply pressure to staunch the bleeding from her head wound.

Ducky and Palmer arrived at the same time the ambulances pulled up in the street out front. "Can't you move any faster? We have two agents needing immediate attention. Get moving!" Ducky uncharacteristically barked at the paramedics, who were moving too slowly for his liking. He and Palmer elbowed their way past them and ran up the stairs, as Ducky continued yelling for the paramedics to move faster. Finally entering the apartment, Ducky and Palmer both stopped short and gasped at the sight of McGee and Ziva bleeding from their wounds. "Oh my Lord!" Ducky exclaimed before rushing over to Tony, who had just stepped aside and was busy wiping McGee's blood from his hands as a paramedic finally got to work. Ducky placed a firm hand on Tony's shoulder and asked pointedly, "My word Anthony, what in God's name happened here?"

Tony directed Ducky over to Thorson's lifeless body and pointed down at him. "This asshole shot my friends because of that stupid bitch over there," Tony yelled as he pointed over to Hart, who was sitting up staring blankly back at him while another paramedic took her blood pressure. The two teams of paramedics worked quickly to stabilize their respective patients, and soon Ziva and McGee were being loaded into ambulances for the thankfully short ride to George Washington Hospital.

Tony and Gibbs stood out front of the building squinting against the low early morning sun blazing between the buildings across the street and watched solemnly as the ambulances carrying McGee and Ziva sped away, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Metro PD showed up to hold back the growing throng of curious onlookers and to tape off the immediate area. Gibbs flipped open his phone and called Vance with a sit rep and informing him that he and Tony would be going straight from their location to the hospital. Gibbs listened to Vance for a few moments before shouting, "The damn reports can wait, Leon! Half of my team is in the hospital thanks to that bitch Hart!"

A couple of Balboa's agents, witnessing first hand the legendary Leroy Jethro Gibbs going off on the Director, decided it might just be a good time to run over to the coffee shop across the street. They brought back coffee for everyone along with a big box of assorted donuts. Gibbs grabbed the large paper cup one of the young agents held out to him with a shaky hand, and downed half of the contents without even blowing on it to cool it off a bit. He swallowed and sighed in contentment then raised the cup in a silent salute to the young agent, who just stared open-mouthed at Gibbs in amazement.

Tony laughed at the expression on the agent's face before taking a sip of his own coffee, burning the tip of his tongue in the process. "Hey, you might want to run back over and get him another one. I'd say he's still about five cups low." Gibbs tried to glare at Tony, but ended of shrugging and smirking instead. Tony's response was to take a huge bite out the double chocolate donut in his hand and smirk back while smacking his lips and humming in appreciation.

Fifteen minutes later a company Charger pulled up with a third team Vance had sent to process the scene. Tony and Gibbs both unloaded and turned their guns and clips over to the team's Senior Agent, Theresa McClelland; standard NCIS procedure any time an agent uses deadly force.

Gibbs and Tony turned in unison to see Agents Balboa and Jensen carrying Thorson's body bag down the front steps to a waiting gurney Palmer had placed next to the Medical Examiner van parked at the curb. Palmer strapped the body down securely before the agents stepped back in and effortlessly loaded the gurney into the back of the van, earning a grateful thank you from Palmer. Ducky appeared a few minutes later, accompanying M. Alison Hart who was shaking despite being wrapped up in a blanket.

Rage flashed in Gibbs' eyes at the sight of Hart, who despite the earlier chaos didn't have so much as a scratch on her. Ducky held up a hand as Gibbs glared and took a few steps toward her. "Not now, Jethro," Ducky said firmly. "You will get your chance to question Ms. Hart soon enough. She is in shock, Jethro. I will take her back with me, and treat …," Ducky attempted to say before Gibbs cut him off.

"No way, Duck! She's not going anywhere! This bitch is under arrest for aiding and abetting a federal fugitive and obstructing a federal investigation, not to mention, Duck, it's because of her arrogance and stupidity that Tim and Ziva are on their way to the damn hospital," he growled before turning back to Tony, ignoring the look of disapproval Ducky leveled at him. "DiNozzo!" he barked over at Tony, who was happily munching on his second donut, "cuff her and put her in the back of Balboa's car." Still glaring directly at Hart, he added sarcastically, "and don't forget her Miranda rights."

Tony popped the last of his donut in his mouth and chuckled as he chewed. He licked his fingers and grinned as he pulled Hart's hands behind her back, "You got it, boss!" As Tony led a stunned and stuttering Hart away, Gibbs snickered when he heard Tony's voice trail off as he said, "Whadya say, counselor, you wanna sing along with me? Come on, you know the words. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will …."

Gibbs couldn't help but shake his head and smile as he watched Tony walk away, still theatrically reading Hart her rights. He rolled his eyes when he heard a low, deep chuckle coming from behind him. He turned and fixed a death glare on Balboa, who with a twinkle in his eye just smirked at him while sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. "Enjoying the view, Gibbs?"

"Shut it, Rick!" Gibbs barked, resulting in a full-blown laugh from Balboa. "I need you to take Hart back with you and give Vance a sit rep. He's pissed at me because I told him that Tony and I were heading over to the hospital and check on McGee and Ziva. Tell him we'll come in later once we know how they're doing."

Balboa sobered and placed a hand on Gibbs' shoulder and said, "Sure thing, Gibbs. I'm just gonna go check on McClelland's team upstairs first … see if they need anything before we load up, but I'll make sure your lawyer friend gets delivered safely to a nice, comfy holding cell. Keep me posted on how Tim and Ziva are doing, will 'ya? They are good agents, Gibbs. I'll stop by later to check on all of you."

Gibbs rolled his eyes at Balboa for the 'lawyer friend' comment, but proudly admitted, "Yeah, they sure are! Thanks for everything, Rick. We'll see you later." Gibbs turned away and pulled out his phone as he briskly walked toward Tony, who was leaning casually against their sedan with his arms crossed. He waved the phone in front of Tony and asked, "You wanna call Abby, or you want me to do it?"

"GIBBS," a distraught Abby cried out as she burst through the door and threw herself into Gibbs' welcoming arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Gibbs held her tight and rocked her as Tony came over and rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back. "Shh, Abs," Tony murmured softly close to her ear, "they're gonna be okay. I promise."

Abby pulled away from Gibbs and reached into his jacket pocket to grab the hanky she knew would be there. She dabbed at her eyes, now completely devoid of makeup, and blew her nose. She sniffled a few times and allowed Gibbs to help her down into a chair in the tastefully decorated waiting room.

"Are they really gonna be okay, Bossman" she asked timidly. "What happened, Gibbs? Nobody will tell me anything. Vance just said that Ziva and Timmy were both hurt." Tony and Gibbs took turns filling Abby in on the events of the morning as they waited for someone to come in and update them on McGee and Ziva's conditions.

Abby jumped to her feet and paced, flailing her arms around. "That stupid fucking bitch!" she yelled at the ceiling at the mention of M. Alison Hart and her involvement. She turned back to Gibbs and Tony and noticed the utterly shocked looks on their faces at her use of profanity. "Oops, pardon my French," she said meekly with just a hint of a smile.

Tony laughed and pulled Abby down into his lap. "Such language, young lady," he teased fondly before placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek and settling her into the chair between him and Gibbs. "By the way, how did you get here?" Tony cringed and asked hopefully, "Please tell me you didn't drive?"

Abby looked from Tony to Gibbs before slowly shaking her head. "No. Um Dave and Brian dropped me off on their way home. They told me to tell you thanks for dealing with Thorson. Really nice guys … and they make a cute couple! They kept me company while we waited for word from you guys." Another round of tears trickled unabated from Abby's eyes as she sobbed into Gibbs' shoulder. "God, I was so scared when Vance told us what happened. I'm gonna kill that fucking lawyer, Gibbs, I swear to God, and you know I don't usually swear."

Gibbs chuckled and kissed to top of her head as he put a protective arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. "I know, Abs."

Ducky and Palmer arrived an hour later to find the threesome holding vigil huddled closely together, talking in hushed tones. "Ah, Jethro! Has there been any word from the doctors yet?" Ducky asked as he took the empty chair next to Gibbs while Palmer took a seat next to Tony.

"Nothing yet, Duck," Gibbs sighed as he sat back and fidgeted in his seat. Over the years he had spent countless hours in waiting rooms, mostly thanks to Tony's penchant for getting hurt. He hated the feeling of helplessness; sitting for hours on end waiting and waiting while everything happening around him was out of his control. He let his head fall back against the wall with a soft thud and muttered a forceful, "God, Duck, things went in the shitter in a hurry today."

Ducky patted Gibbs' knee affectionately. "I know, Jethro, but there is no way you could have known that the bastard now lying in my morgue had a hostage with him. I am just thankful that you and Anthony were not hurt as well."

Gibbs and Ducky both looked up to find Palmer standing nervously in front of them wringing his hands. "Um, Agent Gibbs, um, Dr. Mallard," he asked softy, "can I get either of you anything?"

Tony sprang from his chair and declared as he placed a hand on Palmer's shoulder, "Good thinking, Palmer! I need to stretch my legs and I could use a coffee." Flashing a grin at Gibbs, he said, "And I know you are way overdue for another one, Jethro." Tony winked at Gibbs, who smiled fondly back at him and nodded. "Okay then! Autopsy Gremlin, with me," he said affectionately to his friend as he pulled and eye-rolling Palmer toward the door amid chuckles from Abby, Gibbs and Ducky. They were back half an hour later bearing gifts of coffee, tea and a Mountain Dew for Abby, along with sandwiches and other snacks from the cafeteria. "Um, sorry, Abby," Palmer muttered, "they don't sell Caf-Pow!" Abby replied by smiling at Palmer and giving him a peck on the cheek.

It was another half an hour before McGee's surgeon, Dr. Mark Stillson, came into the waiting room. Abby jumped up and nervously clung to Gibbs with her head resting against his chest as the surgeon spoke, "I take it you are all here for Agents David and McGee?"

Ducky stepped forward from the nodding group, and with an air of authority stated, "Why yes, doctor. I am Dr. Donald Mallard, their personal physician. What can you tell us about their conditions?"

Dr. Stillson cleared his throat. "Well, Agent McGee is out of surgery and in recovery. He is just starting to come out of anethstesia and will be a little groggy for a while yet. We were able to remove the bullet and repair the damage to the shoulder muscles. He is a lucky young man; no bones, tendons, or nerves were affected, so he should make a full recovery. He will require several weeks of physical therapy, but he will be good as new in time. You can see him in as soon as we get him admitted and moved intto a room."

"Oh thank God!" a relieved Abby exclaimed with a hand over her heart as Gibbs' arm tightened around her. "But what about Ziva," she asked nervously as she looked up at the surgeon.

"I've been told that Agent David has a pretty severe concussion, several cracked ribs and a fractured left arm. Thank goodness she was wearing a Kevlar vest! Her MRI showed no extensive brain swelling, but we will be monitoring her closely for the next 24 to 48 hours as that can change. The large gash near her temple has been sutured, and her arm has been set and casted. Luckily, it is a minor break that shouldn't take long to heal, but she'll also likely need a few weeks of physical therapy."

"Thank you doctor," Ducky he said warmly as he shook Dr. Stillson' hand, "we appreciate all you are doing for our young friends."

Dr. Stillson smiled and nodded as he continued to shake Ducky's hand, "Well, your friends were very lucky, Dr. Mallard. I'll send someone to let you all know when you can see them. They are both on strong pain medications and probably won't be awake much today. They need a lot of rest, so I would ask that you keep your visits short today."

McGee and Ziva were given rooms right next to each other on the third floor and were both resting as comfortably as their injuries would allow. McGee apparently couldn't tolerate being on strong pain killers any better than Tony.

Tony's lack of tolerance to pain killers was well known to everyone who had the misfortune of dealing with him while in his altered state. Not only did he talk and ramble incessantly when loopy, he also got extremely horny; his inhibitions going straight out the window, pawing and groping anyone, male or female, who dared to get too close to him. It always fell to Gibbs to take care of Tony in these situations since he was the only one who could control him, and as it turns out he didn't really mind Tony groping him.

McGee, eyes glazed over and a goofy grin on his face, giggled a lot and mumbled incoherently, much to Tony's amusement. A sharp smack to the back of the head from Gibbs and death glares from Ducky and Abby stopped Tony from razzing McGee too much.

Gibbs had to work a bit to convince an extremely stubborn Ziva to agree to take the offered relief, "Ziver, it doesn't make you weak to take the meds. We don't want you to be in pain. You've had a bitch of a day, and you need the rest," he said softly but firmly, while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Ziva eventually caved in with a weak nod, and was fast asleep within minutes of the nurse injecting a strong dose of morphine into her IV port.