Sorry I haven't updated since March. I work at a college on a school year schedule, and things were in extreme hyperdrive after I last updated this one. Let's try again. I'm on summer vacation now.

Recap: Bethel, Zelda, and Hennie are finally all together again after being separated because of Zelda's kidnapping. Hollis and Gibbs both have even ended up in the lab to check on Abigail, because her Ohio kin have completely disowned her and Bethel. Completely. Now our heroes have hit a major snag. There are two dead bodies in Autopsy—Abby's former fiancé, a Staff Sergeant Oliver Caplan, and a Lieutenant Noah Forsythe. Both men orchestrated Zelda's kidnapping, but that particular act was only one cog in the greater wheel of the mystery. The bigger picture hasn't been completely revealed yet. Another person of note is a train station security guard called Knox Watson. Bethel asked him for help when she realized that Zelda was missing, but it didn't go very well at all. He was quite rude. Luckily, Gibbs caught him and interrogated him at NCIS. Our heroes have learned things in this area, but there are bigger fish to fry. Way bigger. Caplan is definitely Caplan, but thanks to Forsythe was not Forsythe. He's an imposter. The million dollar question is, what is his name?

They were stumped. So, only because it had been too long since they'd encountered a case with a mistaken/forged identification problem, Gibbs, Hollis, and both Abigails converged on the morgue together.

Ducky was quite surprised to see them. "Hello, my band of merry travelers! To what do Mister Palmer and I owe the pleasure?"

Hollis cut to the chase. "Ducky, we've encountered a problem regarding Lieutenant Noah Forsythe."

"That is not good." the old man shucked off his medical gloves, with Palmer following suit. "What seems to be the issue?"

"This man," Hollis pointed to where Forsythe was laid out on the nearest slab. "Is not him."

"What?!"

Palmer drew close, brow furrowed. "How did you arrive at this conclusion?"

Gibbs answered, "Abby ran DNA tests on the letter Caplan had written to her, to see how many people could have handled it."

"With you so far. Caplan was definitely Caplan?"

"Yes. The trouble is with Forsythe—or whomever this imposter is." Gibbs went on. "We got a DMV record for him, instead of a service record photo when Abby ran a search. The guy on the slab is a lookalike to the real McCoy."

"Well, we'll find out for sure who is who in a few moments." Palmer said.

"How?" asked Gibbs, Hollis, Abby, and Abigail together.

The young man laughed nervously at their unified tone and looked to his teacher. "Perhaps you should tell them, sir."

Ducky took the helm again. "So as to cover our bases and the like, we have sent away for the dental records of both our guests."

Gibbs arched an eyebrow. "Any idea when the results are due in, doc?"

"Any moment."

"Good."

Ducky directed his attention to Abby. "My dear, what was in the letter from Caplan that has rattled you this much?"

Abby sighed. "Basically, Oliver apologized for contact me at all, but it was an act of desperation. He said he'd done some terrible things, but wasn't specific about them, and he was claiming innocence about some worse things. We just have no idea what those things are."

"That is puzzling."

"Caplan even fell in league with Forsythe somewhere along the way." Abigail added. "He knew things about his 'partner' that he shouldn't have."

"No idea what those things are, I take it?" Ducky guessed.

"None." Abby said in frustration. "Oliver also said that Forsythe was aware of the dirt he had, but had threatened to turn him in if he told anyone."

Hollis contributed her own two cents. "A solid fact is that Bethel and Zelda were targeted because they've had some terrible encounter with both men before."

"My goodness." Ducky remarked. "Where are the VanDekkers?"

"Fast asleep—I hope—in a hotel room they've rented over in the Waterfront District. Bethel and Zelda have the key to what's happening, but I really hope that we can solve this without having to pick their brains. To say that they're exhausted is an understatement."

"I'm quite sure. What's the plan when for when they're functioning once more?"

"To ask Bethel and Zelda what they know, and to do it without getting either of them too freaked out."

"Ah. Best of luck."

Hollis was just about to respond to reply when she was cut off by the sounds of the fax machine printing.

"Those will be the results of the dental records." Palmer said as he jogged across the room to retrieve the information. "Hang on."

He was back very quickly, mostly because he was pleased to have been included in this much of the action.

Palmer handed the paperwork to his boss. "Here you go, doctor. This is everything."

Ducky thanked him and examined the document, fully aware of the five pairs of eyes watching his every move.

"Who amongst you guessed about an imposter first?" he asked them when he was finished reading.

"Me." Abby held up one finger. "And was I right?"

"Yes. Our mystery guest's name is—"

But Abby swiftly shook her head.

"Nope." she was already backing towards the room's automatic double doors. "Uh-uh. Sorry, everyone. I can't do this."

Abby left them before they could stop her.

Abigail found her back in the lab a little bit later. She was at her desk. Just staring into space.

"My life will never be quiet, so long as I work at NCIS." Abby told her girlfriend as she sat beside her on the tabletop. "I accepted that a long time ago. It was reinforced when we met Ziva, and then even more when Jenny died. Change is not my favorite thing, but I eventually accept it when it's unpleasant. I embrace the wholesome things faster."

Abigail touched a hand to her cheek. "That's life, babe."

Abby did her best not to sound too pouty. "This whole thing is really screwing with me."

"Because you've been one of a small number of people at the epicenter of events."

"I'm usually behind the scenes, helping everyone figure things out." Abby plucked a loose thread off her lab coat. "I can only play detective for so long."

"Then the outburst in the morgue was you taking a step back?" Abigail asked.

"Yep. Is that bad?"

"Not at all. Don't sweat it."

This made Abby feel a little bit better. "I just want to get out here with you, but they wouldn't take too kindly to if we skipped out, huh?"

"That's a hard yes." laughed Abigail. "I even have a feeling that this case will be solved before the day is done. Gibbs and Hollis also seem to be of the same school of thought. That's a good step in the right direction."

Abigail patted Abby's hand. They had to changes lanes now.

"Remember that rude guard from the train station who gave Bethel a hard time?"

"I do."

"His name is Knox Watson, and Gibbs managed to locate him. There was also an interrogation."

Abby sat up, interested now. "Did Gibbs run it?"

"He did, and from what I understand, Watson hasn't left NCIS yet."

Now Abby was even more curious. "How come?"

"Watson is another key to this mess, but he happens to be quite vexing and belligerent." Abigail rolled her eyes. "Gibbs also made a discovery about him. In addition to being another underlying key, the man seems to have his own agenda."

Abby threw her hands into the air. "Because it's just that kind of day!"

Abigail cringed. "What I have to say makes it worse."

"Let's hear it, Red."

"We know that Watson is working at someone else's behest, but it looks like he recognized my sister at the train station. I think he's just been playing that part off."

Abby didn't like the sound of this. "Are you saying that Watson was waiting for Bethel?"

"I'm saying that it's a possibility." Abigail stressed.

"Have we found out who this other person is? The one pulling the strings, I mean."

"Negative. Watson's words were 'you'll never find out' when Gibbs pressed him. At the very least, we've caught ourselves the actual middle man of the operation."

"And this case has officially become a crime novel plot." Abby said sarcastically. "When did you learn all of these things?"

"After you left the morgue, I took a trip with Gibbs and Hollis up to the bullpen." Abigail said. "They wanted me in the same place as Tony, Ziva, and McGee so we would all be caught up at the same time. We should all be on the same page by now."

Abby's tone went from being sarcastic to being rife with skepticism. "Only 'should'?"

Abigail shrugged. "When I left to come see you, Gibbs had Tony, Ziva, and McGee looking further into Watson and the imposter."

"So they could have found something new already, or maybe even gone out into the field."

"Exactly. They'll also have my team along if they do leave—minus Foster and Clemens because I assigned them to sit on the VanDekkers' hotel room."

Abby sat back again, ruminating on the details Abigail had filled her in on. It looked like all had been wrapped up neatly.

Except…

"Wait." Abby said firmly. "What about the dental records that came in while we were talking with Ducky and Jimmy? I bailed before I heard anything."

"The man on the table is called Flynn Dallas." Abigail told her. "I don't know anything about him yet, but file background check on Dallas under 'list of things that Tony, Ziva, and McGee are probably doing' as we speak."

Abby promptly let out a groan as a new thought hit her. "Oliver is dead, Dallas is dead. Watson is in interrogation right now. Are you seeing a pattern?"

"Yes." Abigail said. "You're thinking, 'two down, one to go.' Knox Watson is locked in a room. The only things we're holding him on right now are his obnoxiousness, his belligerence, and his insolence."

"I hope we find something soon because I can't imagine him going back to the string-puller. Who do you think it is?"

"Personally, I think it's the real Noah Forsythe."

This brought Abby to blanch. "Now he's murderous and loose."

"A very un-fun combo, but every person we care for is safe."

"That's right." Abby sounded like she was trying to reassure herself. "I will take that silver lining."

"Me, too."

The duo lapsed into silence. Only the chronic humming of the machines, and a tap-tap of rain on the windows outside could be heard. It was all very comforting.

Abby leaned further back in her seat and rubbed her middle with both hands. She was trying to will the possibility of a baby into the universe. If things went on course, she would be expecting by Christmas. That would be its own kind of miracle.

Abigail, meanwhile, was picturing a massively pregnant Abby. This had crossed her mind often since Abby had expressed the desire to be pregnant again. Abigail's latest imaginings just a had a new addition—Abby wearing a ring.

"How are you feeling?" the redhead asked.

"Like the IVF appointment was a million years ago, instead of this morning." Abby told her. "All of the medicine is really doing a number on my system."

"I can only imagine." Abigail knelt beside Abby and placed a hand on her middle. "How can I help?"

Abby used both of her hands to hold Abigail's to her middle. "These quiet moments with you are my favorite."

"Mine, too."

They both fell quiet again, imagining once more what things were going to be like after having a visit from the stork. It quelled their other thoughts.

Namely the ones where they were in bed together, and Abigail was planting kiss after kiss on Abby's bare middle. This was hardly the time to act on those feelings.

It would happen. Just not right then. They had to hold back.

So they did, and they enjoyed the quiet.

Little did they know that their bubble was moments from bursting.