And now-due to popular request-with a twist...

"NCIS-Now Starring-Part 2""

"It's Valentine's Day, Boss!" Tony smirked, looking at an e-mail from one of his dates.

Gibbs ignored him, knowing DiNozzo wanted to leave early. He couldn't shake a sudden feeling that something wasn't right.

He'd never revealed his fear that he would lose another agent on his watch, but it was there. As he sipped his 6th coffee of the day, he reviewed the day's events, trying to fathom what was different, what didn't make sense.

"Uh, Boss?" Tony's face was puzzled, and for a moment the older man was confused.

'It's after 5, shouldn't Tim and Ziva and her buddies be back yet? "

Glancing at the clock, he growled, "What are you, clockwatching, DiNozzo, do you need more…."

Gibbs halted as he noticed a picture on Ziva's desk. 3 people were surrounding her, the background a rural town.

Suddenly it hit him, where he'd seen the Sinclair brothers before.

Digging out a dossier, he flipped it to a page showing members of Mossad.

There in the background stood Ziva, a fierce expression on her face. And one of the Sinclairs…and…..

"Tony!"

Engrossed in turning off his computer, DiNozzo snapped to attention. "Yes, Boss?"

"Grab your weapon, I know what's wrong about the Sinclairs!"

Over in the lab, McGee watched as both Abby and Ziva giggled helplessly. What had seemed rather funny was now stretched a little thin as his friends laughed and laughed.

Suddenly Abby slid to the floor, a tipsy smile on her face, followed a minute later by Ziva and Trevor Sinclair.

"Abby, uh, isn't it a bit much to still be…" he began, only to have one of the brothers put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on now, Agent McGee, live a little, have a drink with us?" The one called Kurt held out a bottle, and McGee shook his head.

"No thanks, not on duty. Say….is that why the girls are.." he replied, then belatedly saw the seemingly inebriated Sinclair suddenly produce a handgun.

"I thought we might have a little trouble with Agent McGee here, Alex." The dark-haired man immediately straightened up, all signs of frivolity gone from his expression.

"It's all right, Trevor, Agent McGee will help us get Officer David out of here without a problem, won't you, McGee. Or else….." Alex Sinclair spoke up, a cruel smile on his face.

"Or else what." The younger agent swallowed his fear in silent rage over the team being fooled this way. He mentally cringed as the older brother nonchalantly stepped over Kurt's inert body and pulled out his own weapon.

"Or else Miss Abby will have a hole in her head ".

McGee's voice hardened. "I don't believe you'd risk whatever your plan is by killing her."

At once Ziva's voice stopped him, the humor gone from her tone. He turned, then saw she had managed to sit up, a furious look on her mussed up face.

"Does a bear sit in the woods?"

TBC