A/N: Here's another chapter folks! To my newest followers/favourites, welcome aboard, I'm excited to have you with us! To my reviewers, you rock! I love hearing your thoughts on this story! They inspire me to keep going.
Just a small warning, there is some violence in this chapter, namely between Gibbs & Quinn, I've tried my best to keep in to the T rating, but I wanted to warn you none the less.
Now, let's get straight to it!
Ziva was searching as quickly & accurately as possible, she had to find the bomb! She had to find it & get back to Gibbs more to the point, she'd cleared the engine & was working her way through the front seat when she saw 2 men approach, they were SWAT.
"Sargent Mitch Abrams, this is officer Adrian Brown, LA SWAT, where you up to?" Abrams asked.
"Bomb expert are you?" Ziva asked, she wanted no one involved unless they knew what they were doing.
"Yes, but do we really have time for this conversation?" Abrams asked.
Ziva realised he was right "start with the trunk, the engine is clear" she ordered.
"Right" Abrams agreed.
As Abrams & Brown checked the trunk's door for booby trap's & cleared it, they slowly opened it & both froze.
"Ah crap!" Brown moaned.
"What's wrong?" Lt Peters asked coming up behind them & then saw the reason why, there was a fair amount of C4 sitting in the boot, with a heap of wires "clear the area!" he ordered "get them in the vehicles & to a safe distance" he added motioning Brown towards Kelly & Nix.
"Yes sir" Brown took off.
Ziva rushed around & her eye's widened, that was a lot of C4! "This isn't going to be pretty"
"Let's get to work" Abrams said, as he, his Lt & Ziva all got to work as they tried to disarm it.
Jenn saw that the EMT's had arrived & were dealing with Tripoli while Ducky was checking Tony out, then she heard Lt Peters & took immediate action, Bringing Agent Maurice with her she headed straight for Kelly & Nix who were a short distance away with McGee & SWAT officer Dave Cameron, they were resting against a state trooper car.
Jenn knew she'd have to be gentle, she reached the pair & spoke gently "I think we should move a short distance down the road"
Kelly didn't want to go anywhere "what about dad? He wont like that we're not where he left us. And Harry wont know where we've gone either"
"I think your dad will be ok with us moving just a short way down the road, we're not leaving the area, we wont go anywhere without him, but I'd like to get us further away from anything that may come up, that's all" Jenn replied.
Jenn could see neither were all that happy about it, but she had to get them to safety, she turned to the trooper "everyone barring the team at the SUV are to move a mile down the road" she then turned to Brown who'd just arrived "get your vehicle here, we'll load up, everyone else is to load up in the state trooper & EMT vehicles"
"yes ma'am" the pair replied & headed off to organise.
Nix didn't like it, but he took his sister's lead & hopped into the SUV with Tim, as well as the Director & Officer Brown. They saw everyone else load up as well & moved down the road. He rested himself into sister's side "dad" he whispered.
Kelly had a arm around her brother, she rubbed his arm trying to sooth him "he'll be ok, dad'll be fine" she whispered, she just prayed she wasn't lying.
Tim wanted to say something to reassure them, but he had nothing new to say, he just couldn't imagine everything they'd been through.
Jenn had heard Kelly's comment & wanted to help, once Brown had pulled to the side of the road at the spot she indicated she spoke "Agent McGee, Officer Brown, could you give us a moment" she asked & turned to the backseat.
Kelly wasn't sure what she wanted to say & slightly tensed up. Nix was wondering what she was going to say.
Jenn had seen Kelly tense, she knew both her & Nix were worried. She knew she had to be careful with what she said, but she wanted to help reassure them "Your dad is going to be ok. He's one of the most stubborn people I know & he will use that to make sure that he comes back to you both. I know you both know that he's a decorated marine, but he's got a Purple Heart, as well as countless other medals for his bravery & excellence during his time with NCIS, he's one of our finest agents. I would bet on him any day of the week no matter the circumstance or obstacle, he's gong to be fine. He'll be back soon & then we'll be off to Stillwater to get your mum" she finished praying she was right, she just wasn't sure she'd be able to cope breaking it to them if he didn't come back.
Kelly nodded "thanks" her words actually helped reassure her somewhat, she saw her brother just nod against her.
"Feel free to stay in here if you want, might be more comfortable" Jenn said, it would definitely be safer, especially as she saw hurried activity back by the SUV, Ziva, along with the SWAT were obviously trying to get it disarmed in a hurry.
Tony hopped out of the EMT's vehicle, he was glad that all he had was stiffness & some bruising, possible to his rib cage, but that wouldn't keep him from his duties. He headed back towards Tim, but kept shooting glances back towards Ziva & the SUV, when he suddenly saw her & the SWAT Team lung out of the SUV & start bolting, crap! "Take cover!" he yelled.
"Get down" Jenn said as she heard Tony's yell & even though she was in the front seat, she pushed herself through the middle section & did her best to cover the pair.
Kelly grabbed her brother & pushed herself down on top of him & that's when she heard it, a massive explosion, she gripped her brother even tighter "shhh" she soothed against his frightened yelps.
Tony had thrown himself at Tim & got them covered on the other side of one of the trooper vehicles, he heard the explosion & then saw the fireball shoot up into the air, once it was over he jumped back up & surveyed the area. Everyone where they were seemed to have managed to take cover with enough time & he saw that Ziva & all the SWAT team were all slowly & gingerly getting to their feet. He then saw 2 of the EMT's grab bags & head straight for them, obviously wanting to make sure they were all ok.
Tony opened one of the backdoors of the SUV that Kelly & Nix were in "everyone ok in here?" he needed to make sure they were ok.
"We're fine" Jenn answered.
Nix was still breathing fairly heavily, he wasn't sure how much more he could take, he buried himself into sister feeling utterly scared & started to gently cry.
Kelly gripped her brother "shh Nixy, it was just the SUV, it wasn't dad" she looked at the Director "can we have a moment?"
Jenn nodded & hopped out, she turned to Tony "now we can tell Lt Peters to go find Buster & Harry"
"On my way" Tony replied.
"Not you Tony" Jenn replied "Lt Peter's, his 2 men with him, Ziva, if the EMT's clear them & Maurice can go too. You, Cameron, McGee, myself & the state troopers are not going, we're staying here with them" she had to have people Gibbs trusted stay with his kids.
Tony knew she was right, so he organised Maurice to get the group together & watched as they headed off.
"Buster" Harry called, that damn dog, where was he?
"Buster" Banks called, he couldn't believe this kid had gone off after him, and he wasn't going back until he found the dog, so he'd have to reserve himself to getting that dog before heading back.
Harry was getting further into the woods when he suddenly spotted Buster, he was smelling the ground, obviously trying to pick up some sort of scent, whatever had gotten him to react into charging off was clearly still at play, he quickly moved towards him & took hold of his collar "there you are boy"
"Let's get back" Banks suggested.
Harry thought there was a reason that Buster had taken off, but was in agreement, so tried to move, but Buster was holding his ground "come on boy, we've gotta get back"
Buster didn't budge & did his best to move in the opposite direction, pulling at Harry.
Harry felt the pull "think he has other ideas" he commented, he eased his hold on the collar & let him go in the direction he was trying to go.
Banks & Harry followed Buster even deeper into the woods when they started to hear noises, grunting mostly. The pair instantly drew their weapons, with Harry crouching down & again taking hold of Buster.
They continued onwards towards the sounds & stopped as soon as they saw it, it was Gibbs & he was going head to head with Quinn! Neither man was caring to use weapons, both seemed to be trying to inflict as much pain as possible on the other man.
"Stay here, I'm going to move a hundred yards that way, let's try to cover Gibbs from different angles" Banks suggested quietly, this dog had sensed Gibbs in the fight? That's something!
Harry nodded in agreement & crouched down next to Buster, he could tell the dog was antsy, wanting nothing more than to head straight for the pair. He was obviously already protective of Gibbs "easy boy, stay, keep quiet"
Harry held onto Buster tightly as he watched Gibbs, the upper hand kept changing, and quickly at that. He had his weapon in one hand & the other was around Buster, he'd wait for the perfect chance & then not only move in himself but release the dog next to him, that was getting ready to growl his head off.
Fornell & Franks had quietly moved in the direction of where Gibbs had gone, they wanted to be close but not close enough to be seen, they'd heard the low mummers of speech, but then it went silent, that wasn't a good sign.
"Let's split, go that way 50 yards, stay low & silent, we don't want Quinn seeing us" Fornell ordered Franks, he didn't really know this guy but he'd heard about who he was in relation to Gibbs, and as such he'd take lead knowing Gibbs would want nothing else.
Franks agreed & headed off, he was extremely concerned about Gibbs being alone with a man that wanted him dead. He caught sight of them soon enough & took cover behind some shrubbery, they were seriously going at each other, the venom both men were showing was fierce. He'd seen his probie in a fair few fights or brawls, but that was purely in the course of duty, this was personal, he'd never seem him show such aggression or disregard for the other party's well being.
Gibbs was laying into Quinn with everything he had, he would rip the man's head off! Stuff his weapon, he wanted to physically rip him to shreds for what he'd done to his family. He was using his fists, his elbows, his knees, his feet, even his head, anything to hurt the man! He knew that Quinn had already lost the remote detonator to the C4, that had been his first priority, he knocked it out of his hands & sent it flying through the air as quickly as possible. He was calmed by the fact that he knew Quinn couldn't detonate it now.
Gibbs had managed to get the upper hand, bringing his knee quickly & sharply into Quinn's groin, not even a man like him could stop himself from dropping to his knees, he quickly followed that up by another round sharp jabs with his fist to the man's face, he held his head with the other hand as he laid into his head. He was about to lay another blow when he felt the ground shake & then heard a loud bang.
Quinn couldn't believe that Gibbs had finally managed to get a big enough upper hand to send him to the ground, but then he realised that was a good thing, somehow & he didn't know how but the C4 from his SUV had detonated! He hoped it meant causalities! But what it had meant for certain was that he could get the upper hand, he saw that the vibrations had knocked Gibbs off his firm footing & he used it to send him crashing to ground as he regained his & stood over him, time to end this. He saw a weapon a few feet away & moved to grab it.
Gibbs was now pretty disorientated, the explosion had knocked him & Quinn had done the rest, he tried to get himself back up & could see Quinn moving for a weapon, he knew this was it, he had to do something, but before he could do anything, he saw a blur of brown rush past him & then he heard it, an almighty growl or maybe a bark, what or who was that?
Quinn was reaching for the weapon when instinct brought his sight to his rear, he saw a dog charging straight for him! This wasn't any dog, a German Shepherd that was looking might ferocious, he hastily tried to get to the weapon, but he wasn't fast enough. The dog was on top of him & went straight for the hand that was going for the weapon "ow fuck!" he yelled as he got bitten, he tried to kick the dog, but the angle wasn't great. He needed to get the dog off him!
Harry had been knocked onto his ass by the explosion & as a result had lost hold of Buster, as soon as that had happened Buster had taken off, he got to his feet as quickly as possible & rushed after him, he watched as Buster jumped over Gibbs & went straight for Quinn, he couldn't help the smirk of satisfaction that came when he heard the man yell upon getting bitten.
Gibbs got to feet when he heard Quinn yell, he refocused & saw the reason for the brown blur & bark, it was Buster! He was attacking Quinn, where did he come from? He'd backed Quinn against a tree nipping at him constantly. He also saw that Fornell & Franks as well as Harry & Banks (where'd they come from?) were now all converging on the situation, Quinn was trying to hurt Buster & that wasn't going to happen, he moved closer "Buster, here" he called calmly, as he picked up the weapon.
Quinn stared as the dog immediately moved backwards, he was now standing next to Gibbs, but his eyes were still viciously locked onto him, with his teeth in full view where he saw some of his own blood. His fury rose "that dog's a menace!" he couldn't believe this dog had prevented him from getting his final revenge, he wanted to kill Gibbs & now he wanted this dog dead too!
"And you're not?" Gibbs retorted, he had to admit, the job Buster had done on the guy's hand, was pretty good, he put a hand down & gave him a quick pat.
Quinn stood ignoring the snarl coming from the dog & tense stances of those around him "I want to finish this!"
"It's finished, you're done!" Gibbs asserted, he could see Quinn flare his nostrils "you really think you've got any hope? Look around you, 2 FBI Agents, 2 NCIS Agents" he said pointing to the various agents, he then put his thumb back, motioning towards Harry "that kid, you know who taught him how to aim?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry smirked "think that was you Gibbs" he added taking a stronger hold of his weapon & aiming it right at Quinn.
"I did" Gibbs nodded in agreement "and then there's him" he said pointing at Buster who he gave a small flick of his finger to, it got an instant reaction. Buster bared his teeth & bared furiously at Quinn.
"You think I care? I've taken more on before, I've been waiting for this for years!" Quinn snarled, he knew this was it, this was what he'd been waiting for all these years, he knew he wasn't leaving this alive, but by the heavens he was determined to not go alone, he'd take the man that had taken his family with him.
Gibbs could see the man meant it, but seriously? There were 5 of them, all of them having weapons, not to mention Buster, he was seriously delusional!
Fornell tensed, he could see the venom all over Quinn's face & while he knew the odds were most definitely in their favour, this guy was nuts enough to maybe make something happen.
Gibbs didn't let his eyes move from him, what was he going to try to pull? He saw Quinn slowly move his uninjured hand from his side to behind him, he was going to say something but Buster had in a way beaten him to it, he growled bearing his teeth before letting out an almighty bark as he stepped closer to Quinn, obviously sensing the danger as well.
Harry saw Quinn move his hand & then Buster react, he wasn't sure what the guy was trying to pull & then he saw it, he'd grabbed a knife & it wasn't a small one either! He, along with the others moved in closer, he took a deep breath, he'd only been on the force for just over a year & thus far had never fired his weapon but he would if he had to, he wouldn't let Quinn go at Gibbs, or Buster for that matter, there was no chance of that happening!
Franks saw the knife, along with the slight movement from Quinn & he reacted on pure instinct.
A/N: I can already hear all the sighs saying 'don't finish here!', but hey, I'm mean like that, if you haven't figured out already, I like my cliffhangers! But I have to say, way to go Buster! He's definitely a Gibbs! As for Quinn, I don't think he's quite there, thinking he can take them all on? Yea, he's delusional!
Quinn's got no way out right? So just what will happen to bring utter shock to Fornell & Franks? How are Kelly & Nix doing? That's up next.
You know I love hearing your thoughts, so review away! More up soon!