"Ducky?!" Abby sat up quickly and peered around the room. "Ducky?" She yelled and threw the covers off of her. It was only a few seconds before he came racing into the living room.

"What is it my dear?" He noticed the beads of sweat running down her face and sat down beside her. "Bad dream?"

She took in a few deep breaths at Ducky's suggestion and nodded. "Really bad. Like Michael Myers bad."

"Michael Myers?" He shot her a confused look, implying that she clarify.

"Scary white mask, butcher knife…in all of those Halloween movies?" She sighed. "You and Gibbs really need to get out more."

"Abby…"

"Sorry, um…it was more gruesome than scary, the guy had this huge knife and was threatening to cut Ziva in front of Gibbs…then actually did it…the blood spurted out into Gibbs face…but when he reached for the guy he dug the knife into his gut…." She started to flail her arms a bit.

"There, there." He reached his arm around her shoulder. "There, there…just a bad dream."

As he consoled her, he couldn't help but wonder what his three friends were actually going through.

--- ---

Ziva was thrown back into her room, clearly battered, bleeding and gagged. When they closed the door, Steeples looked at his men in accomplishment.

"Get me the loud mouth."

--- ---

Leroy Gibbs sat with his back up against his door for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. He opened and closed his eyes periodically, wishing each time he'd open them he'd find that it was all just a bad dream.

But it wasn't.

He rubbed the lump on the back of his head and moistened his shirt to wipe off the dry blood from his lip. But far surpassing the physical pain was the emotional. He found his mind wandering to the last time he'd seen Abby, and hoped it wouldn't be the last. He remembered Tony's reaction to losing his Father, and the image of McGee being pulled out of that car. Before he could focus on anything else he heard a tired familiar voice come through the door.

"You know, that limp is hardly noticeable…"

Gibbs fought back the urge to pound on the door once more and only stood up near the crack. He could see Tony being taken in the same direction that Ziva had previously been. And suddenly gave into the urge…

"Steeples…damnit!" He pounded hard with both fists. "Come on...just you and me, forget the lackeys…"

Steeples motioned his men continue down the hall as he stopped outside the door. He stared through the crack and pondered answering him before he continued down the hall himself.

"Steeples!!!...Steeples!!!" He continued to pound on the door, for what seemed like minutes….but turned into hours…

--- ---

"Your boss is persistent…I'll give him that…" He spoke down towards the half conscious body on the floor. "Take him back to his room…" He nodded in that direction and listened to the same sound emanating from Gibbs door.

"Will you cut that out? It's getting pretty obnoxious…" He yelled towards Gibbs door, but the pounding continued. "Alright already." He slid the key into the lock, and reached for his weapon before he turned it fully and entered. "I wouldn't if I were you." He pointed the gun in Gibbs direction and referred to the intent he saw in his eyes.

"My people…"

Steeples held the grip on his weapon tight, before he let a wry smile come across his face, and answered. "Dead."

Before he knew what happened, Gibbs stormed towards him, and he fired two rounds from of his weapon…