has no one told you she's not breathing…

"No…no….NO!" shouted McGee. He turned, dropped his stuff and ran for the elevator.

"Wait Tim!" shrieked Kate but he was already hitting the button for the autopsy room. Tim's mind was reeling, what could have happened? Was Abbey ok? Was Abbey…no, no he reasoned with himself, NO.

He was going to ask the one person he could trust to give him straight answers. And that person was Dr. Donald Mallard. Finally the doors to the elevator opened. He ran in there and hit the level for autopsy and waited impatiently.

"Ducky", as he was more affectionately known, was looking at the new specimen on his table. Nothing he hadn't seen before, it was just another blunt force trauma victim to the back of the head. Death would have been instantaneous. But this wasn't like the other victims. Ducky didn't know the people he autopsied, until now. He recognised her pale skin, dark hair and black makeup. He knew her all too well. He looked up to survey the man opposite him, a man stricken with grief, a man as confused and traumatised as a lost little boy, a man by the name of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"How…how could this have happened?" His voice was more hoarse then usual, more sullen, more empty.

"Blunt force…" Ducky began but Gibbs cut him off.

"I know HOW, god damn it, but I mean…how could…she be just…gone?"

The sound of the elevator came from the other side of the room and a very confused and angry McGee strode out. Ducky quickly zipped up the body bag.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Demanded McGee, already making his way over to the autopsy table. Gibbs quickly turned and walked up to Tim, blocking him from moving further.

"Tim, I don't think…I don't think you should see….I think you should sit down," said Gibbs, motioning with his hand towards an empty chair.

"Let…me…THROUGH" Tim tried to push his was through, but Gibbs was too strong for him.

"If you don't want to sit then you can go back up to Abbey's lab and pack up her things. Then you can come back down here."

What will McGee do?

What happened to Abbey?

READ ONWARDS ------------------------->