A/N: I'm baaccck! So sorry for the absence folks! But university is now over for the year.. YAY! So I'll hopefully be able to get back to writing this more regularly! So, thanks for sticking with me! To my recent new followers/favourites, welcome! Very happy to have you with us! My reviewers, you rock! 350 & counting I feel so loved!i really love knowing so many of you are loving this!

Now, let's not delay any further, let's check in with the team..

Harry had been mid bite of a roll when he saw his friend come hurling out of the hospital, what the? "Ahh dad" he called concerned.

Ted's eyes widened, Kelly looked to be running & crying, what had happened? "go son, she probably needs a friend"

Ted watched as his son took off in full sprint after his friend, he caught sight of Abrams who'd obviously been given her as a protectee & signalled him back, his son could handle it & they had roaming sweeps of the exterior anyway. He'd go & check on them soon too. What he wasn't expecting though was for 2 minutes later Nix to come outside, what on earth had happened in there?

Ted watched as Buster went charging for him, the young boy slumped down on the ground against the wall of the hospital as the dog came to rest on his lap, something had happened in there, the boy was gripping the dog with all his might. He turned to Tony & Ziva, who had caught sight of the pair's exists "I'm going over to Phoenix, keep an eye out for Fornell, he's due anytime now. He's bringing a fresh detail, they need to take over all protection details. And as soon as we hear from the Director about the hotel, we start organising to move, we need more comfortable accommodations for everyone" they really needed a fresh set of people to take over, all of them were over-tired. He was however glad the Director had offered to escort Jackson to the hotel to try to sort out the accommodation, so that he could remain here.

"Will do Lieutenant" Tony agreed, he too wondered what had transpired inside. He watched as Ted headed off, Tim & a number of the SWAT personal were now back on roaming patrols of the hospital, while a pair of them had escorted the Director & Gibbs's father to the hotel. He had to admit he was looking forward to having a lie down, he was tired! "Looking forward to a bed" he yawned.

Ziva smiled "you are not the only one Tony, but yes, you will need a lot of rest" he was quite badly injured, even by his standards.

"Will be right as reign in no time Zeeevvaa" Tony replied "all's I need is a warm bath, followed by 2 days in bed"

"The bath you may get today, but 2 days of sleep? Don't think you will be getting that in the next week at least" Ziva countered, she saw puzzlement on his face "The paperwork Tony, the paperwork" there was going to be a mountain of it to get through.

Tony groaned, knowing Gibbs wouldn't let them recuperate until the paperwork, namely against the men still alive was completed, he'd want the matter dealt with quickly and efficiently.

"And Gibbs will demand…" Ziva started

"Demand it finished before it's humanly possible & expect perfection" Tony finished, there went his two days of sleep! He mulled it over for another moments thought "we brought laptops didn't we?" he knew she'd resist his idea, but he'd see it through.

Ziva was startled "we did, why?"

"We could start it all now, no sense in wasting time & I have to admit, I want the paperwork done perfectly as well. Whomever's left standing I don't want them seeing the outside world ever again!" Tony replied. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how much he wanted the work to be completed as quickly & perfectly as possible, and as Gibbs's SFA, it was his job to make sure that happened. Now was not a time for him to be moaning, his boss needed him to keep focused on the task still to be dealt with "go get the laptops, McGee can join us when Fornell gets here"

"I think we can wait until we get back to DC tomorrow Tony, a nights rest will not hurt" Ziva remarked, she did not know what to make of Tony's sudden change in demeanour.

Tony huffed "now Ziva! It's not about getting the nights rest, it's about not wasting valuable time sitting here" he saw her just eye her "that's an order" he added eyeing her back.

Ziva flashed her eyes wide at Tony, taken aback with his sudden change in demeanour! But she was not one to disobey orders, so she rose & headed for the car. She had to admit, she was exhausted, she'd probably be asleep even before hitting the pillow! She vowed not to close her eyes once, until she was about to hit that pillow, otherwise she may fall asleep & as one of the agents who wasn't really injured, she knew she had to remain as focused & vigilant as possible.

Walking towards the car Ziva spied both Kelly & Harry, they were around the side of the hospital & he had her cradled in his embrace, Kelly looked to be crying, the poor girl. Ziva could understand that the situation was far from easy to deal with, she wondered how she'd cope if she'd have to deal with such a situation. She definitely wouldn't be handling like Kelly, while Kelly had vented a few times & disobeyed her father, for the most part the girl seemed to be handling it very well, but had she finally cracked? Ziva couldn't imagine how she'd react, so she thought it best not to go down that path.

Ziva pulled out the 2 laptops that they'd brought with them, and as she did it she cast her mind back to Tony & his change, one minute he was wanting a bath & some sleep, the next he was being all 'Gibbslike' and demanding they start the paperwork, start it before they'd even returned to DC! She thought it would be more than ok, if they'd kept their focus on getting everyone checked & some rest while making their way back to DC. Then starting the paperwork, once back at NCIS, where they were better equipped to do so. She'd rarely such a determined look in Tony eye's before & that's what set her off to get the laptops, there was something she obviously didn't understand, maybe McGee could shed some light on it, she'd speak to him later about it.

As Ziva returned to the table she saw Fornell arrive with a quite a large contingent of agents, she was glad for it, maybe she could probe McGe sooner.

Fornell saw Tony & Ziva seated at an outdoor table, while they looked better than before, the fact that Tony was in a wheelchair was a little concerning. He could also see a pair of hospital staff not too far away & wondered what they were out here for. Turning back to the group of men he'd brought he instructed them "Daniels with me, the rest of you wait here"

"DiNozzo, David, how are things going?" Fornell greeted as he approached the table.

Tony was ever so grateful to see the FBI Agent "Fornell, so glad you could make it, we're all just peachy!"

"You look it DiNozzo" Fornell smirked, his eyes continued to roam the surroundings & saw Lt Taylor closer to the hospital with Phoenix & wondered where Gibbs was? "so, how can we help? Where are things up to?"

"Need your men to take over the protectee details on Gibbs's family, as well as the roaming security sweeps our team & the SWAT units are doing until we shift to the hotel the Director is currently sourcing" Tony answered, as he saw Lt Robertson approach.

Fornell nodded at the SWAT Lt "Lt Robertson, Agents DiNozzo & David, this is Senior Agent Daniels from the local field office, he will take point on taking over whatever is needed"

Robertson nodded "Good, we're about on empty"

"We're happy to help, just tell me what you need" Daniels greeted, Fornell had briefed him and the men with him, and all of them had instantly volunteered to help for as long as needed.

Fornell nodded when saw Lt Robertson wanted to take charge.

"This way Agent Daniels, I'll run over everything with you & your men, you can then divide up" Robertson stated

Fornell watched as his man headed off "What's the score with injuries? Heard there was a causality?" he'd taken charge of the site & hadn't really been able to get a sit-rep on everyone's status.

"Yea, but it was one of the dickheads you were in a shootout with, don't loose any sleep over it" Tony scoffed, he wasn't going to loss sleep that's for sure.

The hospital staff, Jeffrey & Epstein, exchanged a look, that was a little harsh..

"How are our guys?" Fornell asked, he was not going to loose sleep over that loss.

"Most have been checked, only a few have required extra treatment." Tony started "Dayle is the worst, he's in surgery right now, his shoulder wound is pretty bad. Franks also has a leg wound that will need looking at" he finished, there were a few that required minor stitching, like him, but those two were by far the worst.

Fornell didn't like the sound of that "What about Gibbs?"

Tony was about to answer when his phone rang, it was the director.

"Gibbs has a couple of cracked & bruised ribs, and his shoulder wound required a fair amount of stitches, but he didn't need surgery thankfully" Ziva answered

Fornell was glad that Gibbs didn't need surgery, he was wondering something though "Where is he? Why's Phoenix up there with Taylor?"

Ziva started to explain "Last we saw Gibbs headed into the hospital with his family to check on Joanne..."

"How is she?" Fornell interrupted her.

"In an induced coma, her body received too much electricity & its caused her heartbeat to become erratic. The coma will give her body the best chance to heal itself" Ziva answered.

Fornell didn't like the sound of that, he'd heard what had happened to the lady & it was beyond sickening "Chances?"

"They aren't sure yet, next 24 hours are critical" Ziva answered.

Fornell nodded, hoping she'd be ok "So if they went in to check on her?" he asked flashing a look up to Nix.

"A short while ago we saw Kelly come out, followed soon after by Phoenix, Gibbs & Shannon are still inside" Ziva answered, she was still wondering why the family were all separated, that she just couldn't work out.

Fornell wasn't too sure what to make of that, he scanned the area & saw that his men had started to disperse to take over duties. He wouldn't say no to sleep, but the SWAT teams were looking seriously exhausted, they were the ones that had been doing serious milage for well over 24 hours now.

Fornell took a breath & sat himself down next to Ziva, he saw a couple of the SWAT personel come closer & lay themselves down for rest. He was glad it was over, he was looking forward to getting home, more than that he was looking forward to seeing his little girl, he just wanted to hold her in his arms & never let go! As time went on during this whole mess, he grew sicker & sicker about how a man, a father could do such a thing. It just wasn't imaginable how a person could put people they loved through such a thing. He'd thought he'd seen it all, all the sick & twisted things people do to each other, but this has to have taken the cake!

"Fornell!" Tony called for the third time, the guy was in a trace like state.

Fornell suddenly came back to the present "Sorry, what did the Director say?" he asked, he'd heard Tony address her when he answered the phone.

"She's secured a local hotel complex for us, but needs a detail to get over there to secure it before we can move Gibbs & his family over" Tony replied, glad he'd been able to stir the guy from his deep thoughts.

Fornell nodded, he'd grabbed a cold coffee & some food as he stood, glad for the sustenance, even if it's a bit cold "I'll take some of my guys & head over, once we've got the place secured, we'll let you know"

Tony nodded "Thanks"

"Just curious, why are you in that wheelchair DiNozzo?" Fornell asked, he had to know!

"Director's order, my ankle & wrist aren't perfect, so apparently I've gotta stay in this….. thing" Tony huffed, holding up his bandaged wrist & showing his ankle too.

Fornell cocked an eyebrow, he looked really annoyed "Sucks to be you then DiNozzo" he chuckled, not being able to help himself.

"Wouldn't say that to Gibbs" Tony mumbled, as he watched Fornell head off. He rested his wrist back onto the table, ouch, ok, his wrist was kind of hurting, but it's not something he was going to admit.

Ziva noticed Tony wince, she knew he was in pain & was trying to yet again put on a brave front "Tony, are you ok?"

"Fine Ziva, lets get going on the reports" Tony said, trying to divert her attention.

Ziva had to admit, there was something she agreed with Shannon on "you are not fine Tony, why do you keep saying that?"

"Reports Ziva!" Tony huffed, he saw her just eyeing him, he realised quickly one way to stop her nagging "why don't you go with Fornell, help secure the place, I'm sure Gibbs would prefer some bodies on the ground he trusted to secure the hotel"

Ziva eyed him a moment longer, stupid, stubborn man! But he was also right, Gibbs would prefer some people he knew & trusted to secure the place, so she gave in "fine, but don't complain to me later on, when you are in too much pain to be of any use!" she retorted moving away.

Tony just huffed as he went to switch the laptop on.

"Excuse me Agent DiNozzo, are you ok? Do you want some pain meds?" Lisa Epstein asked, she'd seen his type before, the tough as nails men, and women, that refused to admit they were in pain in front of anyone. They'd only relent, when no one else was close enough to hear them admit it. She knew though he was in pain, how could he not be?

Tony looked over to her & her partner Jeffrey, he wanted to say no and that he was fine, but if he was honest, he really did want some more pain meds, so he gave a small nod "please" he spoke quietly.

Lisa nodded "You're not due for another dose of morphine for another few hours, but I can you some aspirin"

"Thanks" Tony said appreciatively.

Tim was on patrol with Sgt Evans, he could see just how tired the man was, and he felt just the same. He welcomed the chance to sleep, he gave a moment's thought as to when that may come? Maybe this afternoon, if he was lucky!

As he rounded a corner Tim was confronted with the sight of Kelly running & crying, he was about to start approaching her when he saw & heard Harry.

"Kell stop!" Harry yelled

Tim watched as Harry finally caught her & the pair fell to the ground, he was concerned about why she was crying so much & wanted to help her, but he knew he was not in a position to do so. Firstly, he had to stay on his assigned detail & for the other, Harry had her wrapped in his grasp, and that in itself upset him. He was wondering where on earth he should go with these feelings he was obviously developing. He was always nervous approaching any girl he liked, but this was so different, this wasn't just any girl, this was Gibbs's daughter! He just didn't know how to handle that!

"Let's go around this way" Evans suggested a different path, not wanting to encroach on the pair on the ground.

While Tim wanted to stay right where he was, he knew they should go "yea"

"She's obviously got a lot on her mind, emotions have to come out, better out than in" Evans observed, he could see this kid of an agent was looking tense about the situation they'd walked into.

"Understatement" Tim remarked

Evans nodded "yea, none of its right, but Harry will help her, he's a good kid, and I know they were best of friends, he'll be there for her, she'll get through it"

Tim gave the Sargent a sidewards glance "you knew them from back then?"

"Not that far back" Evans shook his head "but I've known the L.T. for a long time, spent a lot of time with him & his family. Even meet Gibbs once or twice, I knew about his loss, well apparent loss" he clarified

"You've met Gibbs?" Tim asked a little surprised, him & his teammates knew nothing about the Taylor's, yet Lt Taylor's deputy knew Gibbs? Hmm….

"Yea, he came to Harry's Police Academy graduation ceremony" Evans nodded "Mrs Taylor said he came mainly because he knew Kelly would have wanted him to go for her. I could tell it was hard for the guy. She told me about the countless invites she put to him & he'd decline, mainly because he found it too hard to go over & see Harry, it was a constant reminder for him about what he'd lost. But their 'deaths' affected more than just Gibbs, it majorly affected Harry, and his parents."

"I'm sure, whenever someone dies it affects everyone who knew them" Tim replied

"That's true" Evans agreed "But from what I know the two families were almost inseparable, with Kelly & Harry being of similar age & Gibbs & the LT in similar work environments, the families just clicked. Mrs Taylor always said Mrs Gibbs was one of her closet friends, before the kids were old enough for school, they'd see each other almost daily. The situation had forced Harry to grow up well before his time, and it turned the LT in a much more serious man that he had been"

That surprised Tim "he doesn't look too serious to me" granted he was sure the man was not to be messed with & had already heard about what he'd done standing toe to toe alongside Gibbs, but from what he'd seen, the guy had an immature streak in him, not that Gibbs wasn't showing one… but still….

Evans smirked "I'm presuming you're talking about the antics that went on earlier over breakfast & alike" he asked, receiving a nod, he continued "I would say that's due to a few reasons, for one to de-stress from the situation, we've been on the road for well over 24 hours & have barely gotten a minutes downtime, so it's probably a release valve. And for the other, he probably sees himself as the only one who can really help the family deal with the tension, given he's the only one to know them, as a family as such, so if he relaxes, it will help them"

Tim nodded, he made some valuable points, and perhaps the guy was trying to keep the family relaxed as much as possible, because they sure had a lot to deal with! He'd done it himself, remembering the idea he had to distract Nix with his DS, he had to keep that way of thinking going if he was to help them, because he did want to help them, he wanted them, Kelly to be ok.

A/N: Hope you liked that chapter! Tony seems to have a new focus, which has got Ziva confused, but glad that Fornell has arrived with a fresh lot agents, because the rest of them were running on empty. They're also closer to getting to the hotel! Tim though, he's trying to work out how to deal with those feelings he's got.

You know I love to hear your thoughts/comments, so review away! Reading your comments keeps me inspired, so keep 'em coming! More up soon!