AN: Hello readers, I have one small request to ask of you. After the last chapter I only received two reviews, and I would like to know if you feel this story should continue or I should bring it to a close sooner than planned? I am only asking because I want you readers to be satisfied and enjoy yourself, and the only way I can gauge that is by reviews….I realize I do not need reviews to make me write, but if you're an author, you know it helps…there are over 60 alerts, but with only two reviews, I cant help but be discouraged…regardless…I still hope you are enjoying the story…and will continue to…so without further adieu…here is Chapter 24… )

"Oh come on, not even you could've driven here that fast?" Tony offered as he tried to the hide the smile of relief at her arrival. She shrugged her shoulders and only stared back at him. "What am I saying…?" He handed her a few evidence bags and looked her up and down. "How many docs you knock unconscious to get out?"

"When you're as good as me Tony…that sort of barbaric violence just isn't necessary. Now, tell me, where are we with this?"

Jay had made his way over and couldn't help but react a bit shy.

"Jay, Ziva…Ziva, Jay." Tony motioned towards one then the other. "You can make nice later…right now, we got evidence to process."

Ziva put her hand up. "Abby mentioned you found the car, she left out it had crashed violently into a…what is it…a uh…"

"Embankment?" Jay finished for her with a smile.

"Yes, that." She sighed. "You failed to tell her this information?"

Tony took in a short breath and wiped his hand over his face. "Come on, the last thing I needed was an even more worried and freaked out Abby than she already was okay? So drop it." He slipped his hand into his pocket for the keys. "Now, do me a favor? Follow slowly behind me back to the station or so help me…"

Ziva put her hands up in a joking manner. "Whatever you say…Tibbs…"

Tony responded with a sarcastic smile and motioned that Jay get into the car. But just as he reached for the car door he hollered back to Ziva.

"And hey…glad you're in one piece…"

She waved and couldn't help but smile. "Yeah …now let's get Gibbs back in one piece…"

Tony only nodded in response as he slipped himself into the warm, dry car.

"All of you guys are quite the little family…" Jay offered as he slipped of his now drenched coat.

Tony sighed. "We were kid…we were."

Steeples couldn't help but laugh. "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."

Gibbs tried to sit up straight against the wall behind him. "You'll get no argument from me there…but uh, I'm not either of those things…so who are you? And where the hell is the kid?"

He limped towards Gibbs and looked him intently in the eyes. "You bumped your head out there in the woods didn't ya?"

Gibbs tried to nod his head up and down but stopped as the headache no longer allowed him to continue the movement. He reached his hand towards his forehead. "Look, I'm tired, cold, in a helluva a lot of pain…and haven't been more confused in…well…in as long as I can remember…literally…so if you don't have anything useful to offer…could you at least get me an aspirin?"

But instead of Steeples obliging he only scoffed. "You're seriously clueless aren't you?"

Gibbs resisted the urge to respond with "Duh…" and took in a long breath. "I'm guessing no on the aspirin then?"

Steeples reached for his nearby cane and swung it to meet Gibbs across his temple, causing his body to slide back down the wall slowly. But much to his assailant's surprise, he sat up only seconds later.

"I'll take that as a no…" he rubbed his forehead and looked up at Steeples with one eye open and the other closed due to the recent gash he'd received.

"Who do you think you are? Jack Bauer?"

Gibbs cocked his head to the side. "Sure...it's got a nice ring to it…I'll take it…"

The storm had started to let up a bit and the ride back to the station seemed to go a lot smoother than the previous one. They were met quickly at the front gate by Abby. She looked quickly into both back seats but was left with disappointment.

"Dead end?" Abby asked, a bit flustered.

Tony gave her a reassuring look. "We brought back everything from the car…if there's something here… you'll find it."

She reached out for the box and took it with a sniffle. She sifted through it rather quickly as she stood there. "There are blood samples in here?"

Ziva approached and gave Tony a 'you better tell her' look. He shrugged his shoulders and looked gently into Abby's now fear filled eyes.

"The pick up was in a crash. When we got to the scene there were no bodies. Those are the samples we found." Before Tony realized he finished the phrase, his face was struck towards the left. Abby had slapped him, but not in the correction manner he was used to. He moved his face back to meet her eyes and saw only resentment. "Abby, I wanted to…"

She didn't allow for him to finish and only stormed back inside, tears now flowing freely down her face. Jay stood silent for a moment, before following behind Abby quickly. Ziva also stood by silent, and slowly but surely, followed the two others inside. Leaving Tony alone in the rain, with nothing left to do, but ponder where to go from here….

Pat was tossed into the room a few moments later and Gibbs lifted his head to assess him. "You alright kid?"

He shook his head. "No…but I'll live. I think."

Gibbs nodded. "You will…and so will I."

"How can you be so sure?"

The older man shrugged. "Hell if I know…what I do know, is something tells me, someone is gonna come through for us…"

Pat looked at him like he was crazy. "I think you hit your head harder than you think."

Gibbs managed a small smile. "Oh yeah? Well I remember my name now…"

"Really? What is it?"

Gibbs responded emphatically. "Jack Bauer."