It was night when Brynn woke up. She looked at her watch and her eyes widened. Had she really slept that long? She just laid there for several minutes, thinking. She'd had the dream about Gibbs again. It always went the same. He made promises to be there when she woke up… Then when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there.

The urge to pee was the only thing that finally brought her out of the bed. One of the lanterns was on a table, dimly lighting the room. She took note that there were now four men in her room, all slumped over in chairs. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the bathroom. When she came out, she quietly grabbed her gun and flashlight and went into the hall.

"Hey." She called out softly to Jimmy. He had just come out of Reggie's room.

"Hey." He smiled at her.

"How's your patient?"

"Stable, for now. Doctor Mallard was worried about infection more than anything. But I think he's gonna pull through."

"Good. Where's Ducky?"

"Sleeping down the hall." Jimmy paused and deliberated for a few seconds. "Can I ask you a question?" Brynn nodded at him. "Is that guy, Alan, your boyfriend or something?"

"He wishes." Brynn sneered.

"I heard him call you his woman." Brynn's sneer went into a full scowl. "He seems to think he has some claim on you."

"Well, he doesn't. Is that why Tobias felt the need to leave me a protection detail?"

"Yeah." He smiled again when Brynn rolled her eyes.

"He's as bad as Gibbs."

"I can't wait for Gibbs to meet Alan."

"You and me both."

"So, where is your protection detail?"

"Back in my room. Can't wait for them to wake up and find me gone." Brynn chuckled and felt her stomach flip-flop. "Oof… I need food."

"I was just about to get something for me and Breena. Care to join us?"

"Love to."

When Brynn's protection detail finally did wake up, they found Brynn, Jimmy, and Breena in the waiting room. Jimmy had found a small table and the three of them circled chairs around it for their little dinner party.

"Mind if we join you?" Allston asked.

"Not at all." Brynn looked up and smiled.

Allston seemed like a nice guy. He was younger than the other two, only thirty, but he had a good sense of humor that Brynn liked. Brewer was the strong silent type. He was in his forties but looked younger. Ellis was also in his forties. Brynn had never met him before, but he told her Gibbs used to talk about her a lot.

"We left Alice in the room." Allston smirked when he sat down.

"Alice?" Breena asked,

"I think they mean Alan." Jimmy told her, grinning.

"Exactly what orders did Tobias leave you with?" Brynn asked.

"To not let that ass touch you or be alone with you." Allston answered. "I saw they way he grabbed you. What's his deal?"

"He wants what he can't have." Brynn glanced back down the hall, making sure she didn't see Alan. "Asshole can't get a clue."

"Have you just told him you're not interested?" Ellis asked.

"Yes, several times, very bluntly. He won't back down."

"Gibbs know anything about this guy? Cause unless he made some drastic changes since I last saw him…" Ellis trailed off and grinned.

"He doesn't know yet." Brynn's eyes went to the window opposite her.

"So, why Colorado?" Brewer seemed to be the only one who could see Brynn's need for a subject change. "Of all the places to come, why here?"

"Honestly," Brynn shrugged. "This just happened to be where Chris and I were, when the shower hit. I was visiting my uncle and cousins for Christmas. My mom's family was all from here, originally. I spent a few holidays here when I was a kid. Then I came back here for college."

"How did you end up at the state park?" Allston asked.

"After Fort Carson got overrun… People were killing each other left and right. It was bedlam. My uncle, Ian, suggested the park because it was an area he knew. He figured it would be easy to guard and still be able to get what we needed for survival. He was right for the most part. And anyone who knew me would know what my message at Fort Carson meant."

"Thanks for that, by the way." Allston smiled. "When we got there and found the whole place smashed… It was actually pretty devastating. Then we found that sign… Fornell was the only one who knew what it meant. Then we ran into Doc Mallard's little group."

"The next day we got jumped by those bikers." Jimmy pulled Breena close to him as he spoke.

"Well, you won't have to worry about them anymore." Brynn sighed.

"Hey!" Alan's annoyed voice made everyone turn. "How come no one woke me?"

"Didn't realize you needed an alarm clock." Allston smarted off. Alan scowled and pulled a chair towards the group. No one bothered to make room for him. He ended up sitting just behind Brynn and Jimmy.

"There's a gas station a day's drive from the park." Brynn went on like Alan had never interrupted them. "If we have anything for trade, they'll give us gas."

"How do they still have gas?" Jimmy asked.

"I've never asked. Never really wanted to."

"Do they know about the park?"

"Nope. Not from any of us anyways. But we trade with them when we go out on supply runs. We'll need to stop there on the way back." Brynn stopped talking suddenly and grimaced.

"You okay?" Allston leaned towards her. Brynn slapped her hand over her mouth and quickly stood up.

"Make way!" Jimmy shouted as he stood and backed his chair away. Alan used his feet to shove his chair out of her way. Brynn ran into one of the rooms and slammed the door shut. Jimmy turned back to the group. "I thought it was called morning sickness."

NCIS

It was just after lunch when the large convoy came rolling into the main park. Most everyone had gone off to their separate duties around the park. Gibbs was in the workshop. Chris and all the other kids were in the schoolhouse. McGee and Tony were in the ranger station. Tony was napping after spending the early morning on patrol. McGee was relaxing in the outer office, reading an old copy of National Geographic. He jumped up from the desk chair when he heard the trucks rolling in. He threw his magazine down and hobbled over to the door leading to the back room.

"Tony!" He shouted, causing the other man to jerk and sit up. "They're back!" Tony was off the bed in a second.

The two rushed out to find a large group spilling out of five vehicles. Gibbs came out of the workshop just as Tony and McGee reached the group. Pete Spicer found McGee and was about to update him on the situation when a voice yelled out above the rabble.

"Gibbs!"

McGee and Tony turned to see Tobias Fornell, grinning like an idiot. Gibbs went over and greeted him. Pete Spicer followed Tony and McGee over to where Gibbs was standing. Abby suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was hugging Emily.

"Tobias. It's good to see you." Gibbs smiled at his old friend.

"Only thanks to your wife."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately."

"Well, she's one hell of a woman. She asked me to deliver a message."

"You've seen her?" Gibbs went from friendly-casual to get-to-the-point serious.

"Let's find a place to talk." Gibbs nodded and led Tobias back to his workshop.

Tobias gave Gibbs the short version of events leading up to his arrival. McGee, Tony, and Abby were gathered around the workshop. Emily had stayed behind with the rest of the group at the diner. There was a crew working to unload all of the supplies brought in. McGee had left Pete in charge of finding everyone a place to sleep. Ziva and Damon both came into the workshop just as Tobias finished his tale. Gibbs leaned back on the saw horse he had been using as a chair. His back hit the wall behind him.

"She's okay." He muttered, mostly to himself. A small grin played on his lips. "What was her message?"

"Well, it was actually for McGee. She didn't know you would be here." Gibbs waited for him to go on. "She just wanted you all to know that she's okay. And she doesn't want anyone going back for her and the rest of them. They'll get here when they can. She didn't want anyone else putting themselves in danger."

"Stubborn." Tony said to McGee. "Like always."

"That's our momma bear your talking about." Abby said.

"You know, she's pregnant." Tobias said to Gibbs. He nodded and his grin widened. "She looked about five or six months…" Something in Tobias' eyes made Gibbs straighten up.

"What?" His tone wasn't quite demanding, but Tobias knew better than to keep this from Gibbs.

"I know better." Tobias said firmly. "I know Brynn. But there's this guy…"

"Alan Pearson." McGee said it for him.

"Oh, so you know him."

"And I know he's had his eye on my wife. Now, what is it you need to tell me."

"When Doctor Mallard checked Brynn out… He told Pearson that she was pregnant with his best friend's baby. Pearson walked away, but not before I heard him say something…"

"Which was?"

"He muttered, "are you sure it's his?" Then he walked away." Gibbs' eyes sharpened for a second. "But like I said, I know better."

"If this guy's going around insinuating that Brynnie's baby is his…" Tony looked at McGee again. "Would anyone here believe him? I mean, does this guy have friends that would back him up if it came to something bad?"

"You mean something like a standoff between Gibbs and Pearson?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, like that. Whose word would they take?" McGee looked away from Tony before answering.

"I know that before I got here, Pearson was fighting Ian for leadership. Pearson wasn't really anybody important at Fort Carson, but he was left in charge of most of the men who stayed there after the shower hit. From what I've heard, he wasn't much of a leader. That's how Fort Carson fell apart. Ian took control and got everyone out of there. He kinda rescued them, in a way. So a lot of people turned to him instead of Pearson when they got here."

"Bet Pearson didn't like that." Tony let out a low chuckle.

"No, he didn't. By the time I got here, Pearson was just another guy on patrol duty. I think he latched himself on to Brynnie for two reasons. One, he needed to feel like a hero after his failures. He saw this vulnerable and grief stricken woman with a small child. He figured he could be her new man. I guess he didn't realize what a challenge it would be." McGee smirked. "And two, getting on the good side of the new leader's niece might give him an 'in' to be someone important. Everyone here loves Brynnie. They look up to her. When everyone was scattered and unorganized, she was the one who started setting up the schoolhouse and the supply runs. It was Brynnie who organized most of the jobs around here. Ian was really just in charge of the patrols and security."

"She's never had a problem with finding work for people to do." Gibbs said. His mind floated back to when Vance put Brynn in charge of the entire Cyber Crimes office back at NCIS. From then on, Tony decided to call her 'Queen Geek' while they were at work. The nickname had earned him many head-slaps.

"But Pearson does have friends…" McGee's voice jolted Gibbs back to the present. "Not many, but they were all military. And now that Ian's gone…" Gibbs' eyes connected with McGee's.

"He might try to get leadership back." Gibbs said. His eyes were hard. "And he thinks he can influence Brynn."

"I have a bad feeling, Gibbs." McGee admitted. "This guy may even go as far as using threats to get what he wants. He knows Brynnie's biggest weakness is trying to keep her family safe. If she thinks any of us are in danger…"

Gibbs stood up and left the workshop.

No one said a word when Gibbs came trudging into the schoolhouse. Chris was sitting in a circle listening to Beth read out loud. Gibbs picked Chris up and carried him to a far corner.

"Hey, buddy." Gibbs said quietly as he set Chris down. He knelt down and put one hand on Chris' shoulder. "I gotta go away for a little while."

"No." Chris' bottom lip quivered.

"I'm coming right back. I gotta go get your momma."

"Is Mom okay?"

"Yeah, and she's with your uncle Ducky. I'm gonna go get them and bring them all back here."

"Promise?" Chris' eyes (exact replicas of Gibbs' eyes) were as round as saucers.

"I promise." He pulled Chris close and kissed his forehead. "I want you to be good and listen to McGee while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Kay. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too."

NCIS

Brynn did her best to ignore the four men following her as she made her way down the hall. She sighed and shook her head.

"I really don't need an armed escort fellas." She called back. "I'm just going for a walk."

"We go where you go." Allston said. Brynn wasn't sure if he was talking to her, or Alan.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Alan's criticizing tone made her grind her teeth.

"Hard to rest when this kid inside me keeps doing a kata in my stomach." Three of the men behind her laughed.

"Do you know when you're do?" Allston had made his way up to her side.

"Three to four months, I think."

"Wow."

"You married?" She asked him.

"No. I was dating someone but she ended it over six months ago. I always wanted kids though."

"What about you guys?" She glanced over her shoulder.

"Divorced." Was all Brewer said.

"My wife and daughter are with Fornell." Was Ellis's answer. "I wasn't about to leave Jethro Gibbs' wife unprotected. Gibbs might hurt me." Brynn laughed.

"Well, as much as I appreciate the concern, I've never been good at being babysat."

"You know, I think I heard Gibbs mention that once." Ellis was right behind her. He almost bumped her when she stopped walking. "You okay?" He crossed to stand in front of her. She was blinking rapidly and her head bobbed back and forth.

"Yeah… Kinda… Dizzy." Allston reached out and grabbed her left arm. Ellis took her right.

"Come on. Back to bed." Allston said. Brynn just nodded and let them lead her.

NCIS

"Are you sure about this, Gibbs?" Tony did not like this. Gibbs was all set to go find Brynn by himself.

"I'm not gonna ask you to leave McGee again." Gibbs said, throwing his small pack into the back of the jeep.

"Gibbs, I don't think it's a good idea to go alone." Tony almost pleaded with him. McGee just stood there, watching the two men.

"You're staying here, Tony. I need you to help keep this place in line." Giving him a job to do might make him feel better.

"But…" Gibbs turned and glared. Tony looked first to McGee, then to Ziva for back up. Damon stood just behind Ziva.

"Gibbs." Tony smiled when Ziva spoke up. "Take at least one person with you. Any of us would go." Damon nodded.

"Fine." Gibbs knew when to give in. Brynn had taught him well over the years. "I'll take Damon." Damon looked mildly surprised. "He's the only one who won't talk my damn ear off." Gibbs smirked.

NCIS

Brynn opened her eyes and squinted into the semi-darkness. Like so many times before, Gibbs was with her. They were curled up together on the hospital bed. Gibbs smiled when she looked up into his eyes.

"Mmmh. I like it when I dream about you." One of his hands brushed across her cheek as she spoke. His touch felt so real, but Brynn had been disappointed too many times to trust it.

"You're not dreaming. I'm really here."

"You say that every time." She snuggled closer to him. His scent was slightly different. But her mind was only focused on maintaining the dream for as long as possible.

"You must be exhausted if you think you're still asleep." He let out a low chuckle.

"I hope I don't wake up soon." His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. "I'll miss you."

"Close your eyes, baby. I'll be here when you open them again."

"You say that every time, too." She let her eyelids drop.

Brynn opened her eyes. She was facing the window. The sunlight made her blink several times. She tried to shift away from the light but something held her from behind. Anger flooded through her as she realized there was an arm wrapped firmly around her.

"Get off of me!" She shouted. "Let go! Get away from me!" She struggled to get out of the strong grasp. She could hear the man grunting. "Get off me!" She gave one last push and stumbled out of the bed. The chair next to the bed was the only thing that kept her from falling to the floor. She turned, ready to strike out at the man who was still trying to hold her.

"Brynn, wait!" She saw was two palms held up, blocking the man's face. Then the hands moved down…

"Gibbs?" Her voice came out weak. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, he was still standing there.

"Well, yeah. Who did you think?" Before he could finish, the door to the room swung open. Allston, Ellis, and Alan all came charging in. "It's okay." Gibbs turned to them. "She had a nightmare."

"Brynn?" Allston sent her a concerned look. She was still staring, open-mouthed, at Gibbs. She blinked and shook her head again.

"I'm okay." She almost whispered.

"Can you give us a minute?" Gibbs asked as nicely as he could manage. He didn't want to start an argument now. The men nodded and left. But the door stayed open. Gibbs turned back to Brynn. "For the record, you weren't dreaming last night." He grinned. Something inside Brynn snapped and she rushed at Gibbs.

"Oh, God… I'm so glad…" She sniffed and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, baby," he pulled her in. "I'm so glad, too."

"Kiss me. Kiss me so I know you're real. It's the only thing you won't do in my dreams." Her desperate voice was strained with sobs.

Gibbs pulled back just enough to lean his head down. When his lips touched hers, she whimpered. His hands went to her cheeks and the kiss deepened. When he pulled away, tears were falling down her cheeks.

"You're here." Her hands grabbed his shirt, as if to make sure.

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here." He kissed her again.

Somehow, they found their way back onto the bed. They laid there, just staring at each other for several minutes. Gibbs' hand eventually snaked around her and started rubbing the top of her head.

"Don't put me back to sleep." She pleaded. He smiled and stopped rubbing, but kept his hand there.

"You think I'm gonna disappear?"

"It's happened before." She smirked up at him.

"Ducky said you've been sleeping a lot. Seems like you needed it though." Brynn rolled her eyes. She knew a lecture when she heard one.

"How did you find me?"

"Tobias." Brynn's eyes looked confused. "I've been at the park for a couple of days now. We got there just after you left."

"We? Ziva and Tony?"

"Yeah, Damon too. Everyone is okay."

"Ty!" Brynn almost sat up but Gibbs stopped her.

"He's gonna be fine. The doc did the surgery as soon as they got the equipment off the truck. He said Ty won't be able to use one arm very much, but he'll recover. And before you have another panic attack, Chris is fine too." Her body finally relaxed.

"I told Tobias to tell McGee not to send anyone after us." Her eyebrows went up.

"I know." Gibbs smirked. "Did you expect me to listen?"

"Listen, yes. Actually do what I said, no." She paused and laid her head on his shoulder. She tucked one arm under herself and the other stretched across Gibbs. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby. But I'm here now, and I won't leave your side again." Brynn closed her eyes. They stayed closed so long that Gibbs thought she drifted off again.

"I take it you know all about the attack on the park?" Her eyes were still closed.

"You haven't dealt with it." Gibbs pulled her, until her face was against his chest. "I bet you haven't even let yourself cry yet."

"I've been a little preoccupied."

"You need to let it out."

"It'll be messy."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Gibbs…" Her eyes opened. "I love you." He could feel her body shaking.

"I love you, Brynn."

She was right. This was going to be messy. He held her tighter when the first loud sobs came out.

Out in the waiting room, the friendly conversation between Allston, Damon, and Ducky suddenly stopped. Brynn's sobbing could be heard all the way down the hall.

"What is he doing in there?" Alan stood and almost went to the door.

"Being a good husband and holding his wife while she grieves." Ducky said from his chair. "She has a lot of anguish built up inside herself. Jethro is the only person who could possibly help her to let it out."

"It sounds like she's being tortured." Alan turned to Ducky.

"Trust me boy, she's already been tortured. Now she's on her way to healing."

"Took him long enough to get here." Alan scoffed. Damon shot him a look that told him to shut up.

"But now that he is here," Ducky glared as he spoke. "I suggest you learn to handle disappointment." Ducky stood and went to check on Reggie.

NCIS

"Hey Duck." Ducky turned when he heard Gibbs behind him. It had been over an hour since Brynn's sob-fest.

"Jethro." Ducky went back to checking Reggie's vitals. "What brings you in here?"

"Tobias told me you examined Brynn."

"Yes. I thought it was prudent."

"You find anything I might wanna know about?"

"Other than severe exhaustion, which she has been good about treating…" Ducky straightened up and faced Gibbs. "What exactly did you expect me to find?"

"Physically, she's fine?"

"Yes. I'd say she's at least five months along in her pregnancy, possibly more... Hard to tell because she is so malnourished. Her eating habits could use some improvement. But…" Ducky sighed.

"But?"

"She's been through several severe traumas, one right after the other. Add pregnancy hormones in to the mix and… Well, her state of mind could be… Questionable." Ducky eyed Gibbs suspiciously. "Is there a reason you're asking me this?"

"I'm worried about my wife." Ducky knew better. Gibbs was after something specific.

"Worried about how she's been coping?"

"She hasn't been coping. That's the problem."

"Jethro, please tell me you do not suspect Brynn of… Turning to someone else for comfort."

"No." Gibbs quirked a half-grin and shook his head.. "She would never do that."

"Then what are you fishing for?"

"I think Pearson has been trying to mess with her mind. Get her to do what he wants."

"And she was in the perfect vulnerable state to be manipulated." Ducky nodded.

"I'm gonna end up shooting this SOB."

"Do you think that would help Brynn's state of mind?"

"No… She'd blame herself and slip into a depression." Gibbs wanted to hit something. "She's been through enough. I can't do that to her. But she's scared of him. That, I don't like."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"I have no idea." Gibbs turned to leave.

"Jethro." Ducky's voice made him stop. "Tread carefully." Gibbs' brow went up. "Brynn is not the only one with an unstable mind. I honestly believe this young man will not stop his pursuit just because you are back in the picture."

"That pursuit will only lead him to one place."

"Where's that?"

"Up against my fist."

NCIS

Brynn was sitting outside the hospital front entrance enjoying the crisp, early May air.

"Don't worry my little one." She rubbed her belly as she spoke. "Daddy's here now and everything is gonna be okay."

"This a private conversation?" Damon's voice made her turn.

"Not at all." She smiled. Damon sat beside her on the steps.

"I've never been in this area before. Gibbs said you used to live here."

"Yeah. He send you to find me?"

"Nope. Just wanted to give you my congrats." He handed her a gift bag.

"Thanks." She opened it and found a yellow baby blanket, still in it's plastic wrap.

"I found the gift shop and kinda raided it. I figured yellow would be okay for a boy or a girl."

"It's nice, Damon, thank you. I didn't event think about looking for the gift shop. It's probably got a lot of baby things in it."

"I already packed them all up." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Ziva wants to start trying."

"For a baby?"

"Yeah." He grinned.

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, I'm excited. I think I'm ready."

"Well, she ought to be by now, too. I always thought she'd make a great mom. She has that instinct about her." Damon just nodded in agreement. "Gibbs is worried, isn't he?"

"Truthfully, we all are. That Pearson guy is about two wrong words from getting his face smashed in."

"So, I take it McGee already filled you all in on what's been going on." Her head fell forward.

"You mean about this ass basically stalking you? Yeah. We know all about it." Damon looked behind him to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. "Has he threatened you?"

"Not outright. But it's there, between the lines."

"You know, Gibbs would never let anything happen to you."

"It's Gibbs I'm worried about." She looked up at Damon. "I know he can take care of himself. But… I can't help but be kinda scared." She sighed. "This world is so different. So ugly. I don't really know if I can take it."

"Well, you don't have to do it alone."

"That's really nice to know."

NCIS

Gibbs found Alan in the waiting room looking at an old magazine. Everyone else was scattered around the hospital. Ducky had declared that it was time to leave, so they wanted to scour the hospital for anything else they might need.

"Pearson." Gibbs' voice was calm when he sat across from Alan. "I think it's time you and I had a talk." Alan glared over the top of his magazine.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Good. Then you can just listen." Alan stayed behind his magazine. "My family is off limits to you." He lowered the magazine slowly. "That's all I'm gonna say on the matter." Gibbs stood and took three steps before Alan spoke up.

"What if they don't want to be off limits to me?" Gibbs stopped and turned.

"What makes you think they don't?" Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"I may be getting my signals crossed, but I do believe your wife has feelings for me."

"I'd say not only did your signals cross, the collision severely damaged your brain."

NCIS

It was close to noon when Gibbs helped Brynn into the backseat of the jeep. Damon was in the driver's seat next to Allston. Gibbs settled in beside Brynn and wrapped one arm around her.

"We should get to the park by tomorrow night at the latest." Damon's voice cut through the fog surrounding Brynn's mind. She turned to Gibbs and scrunched her face in confusion.

"We're driving non-stop, baby." His lips brushed her ear as he spoke.

"You do realize you are traveling with a pregnant woman?"

"Okay, maybe not completely non-stop."

"Hey," Damon called from the front. "If you do need me to stop, just yell."

"No, I thought I'd just kick the back of your seat really hard." Brynn smarted off.

"I missed your sense of humor." Damon laughed.

"Threatening someone is having a sense of humor?" Allston turned his head to Brynn.

"For her it is." Gibbs said, grinning. Brynn playfully pushed him with her shoulder. It felt so good to be able to joke with his wife again. Seeing her smile made his heart skip.

It was during a quick pit-stop the next morning when Gibbs asked to switch vehicles with Jimmy and Breena. They had been in the small pickup at the back of the caravan. Gibbs wanted to get Brynn alone so they could talk. Now that she'd had her good cry, she would finally open up and talk. Jimmy took the hint and he and Breena got into the jeep.

Once they were back on the road, Gibbs waited for Brynn to speak up first.

"Finally wanted me all to yourself?" She smiled at him. The truck they were in was an older model. The seat was actually one long seat across the length of the cab. Brynn laid down and set her head on Gibbs' thigh.

"I always want you to myself." He let his hand rest on her neck. His fingers gently brushed her skin.

"You want to talk."

"If you're ready."

"I'm guessing by now you've heard at least five versions."

"Yours is the only version I care about." She stayed silent for a minute. "Brynn, no matter what happened… No matter what you think you did wrong."

"I never slept with him." Her voice was hard.

"I never suspected you did."

"Everyone else did. McGee even asked me if…" She shifted slightly. "I guess I can't blame him for thinking it."

"You feel guilty about something. Will you tell me?" His tone was patient.

"When I first got to Fort Carson… He was nice to us. He helped us find a place to sleep. He brought us food. He made advances, but I made it clear that I was waiting for you. I knew you'd come for us. He had been trying to convince me that you were dead. All the reports we were getting, said that the entire eastern seaboard had been decimated. But I refused to accept it. Things got bad… People were killing each other in their sleep for their food. There was constant fighting. When we decided to leave, I wanted you to have a way to find me. So I left you a message." She paused. When the silence stretched on, Gibbs spoke up.

"I found it. I wasn't the only one… You helped a lot of people."

"I knew you were alive when Abby and McGee showed up. They had a whole group with them, so I concentrated on getting everyone settled in. Alan kept pushing for me to give up on you. He even tried making nice with Chris."

"Yeah, I heard about his "new daddy" routine." Gibbs growled.

"Trust me, Chris didn't like it any more than I did." She turned so she was on her back, her face looked up at Gibbs. "After Ian was shot… That's when it happened…" She closed her eyes when he looked down at her. "I…" She slowly sat up and moved to the far end of the seat.

"Brynn, like I said, no matter what you think you did wrong… I love you. That won't change." He reached out to her. She moved until she was beside him. He took her hand and held it, waiting for her to speak again.

"The day before we left for the supply run… I was in the clinic. Gary, the doctor there, knew I was stressing bad. He made me stay in the clinic so he could watch over me. I was in the bed beside Ty… Every time I looked at him… I felt so horrible. I was one of the ones who had been on the bridge patrol. I was keeping my pregnancy a secret at that point…" She sniffed and several tears started falling down her cheeks. "Those bikers just blew right past us. We were barely able to warn everyone…"

"Brynn, that was not your fault." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"But I felt like it was…" She angrily rubbed away the tears. "I fell asleep at the clinic. I had the same dream I always have about you. You were holding me in the bed, telling me you'd be there when I woke up… When I did wake up, someone was holding me."

"Pearson?"

"I was so confused." Brynn straightened up and looked out the window. "I was angry, and sad, and just… Lost… I just wanted to be comforted. I was thinking of you and… We were kissing before I knew what was happening. Then it was like, this fog cleared away in my mind. And I shoved him away… I swear, I shoved him away. I wanted it to be you…" When she looked back at him, Gibbs had his eyes on the road. His knuckles had gone white from the tight grip on the wheel. "You're mad." His eyes shot to her.

"Not at you." She could hear his teeth grind.

"But I…"

"No, Brynn. Non of this was your fault." Gibbs worked to keep his voice level. "This guy found you at your absolute lowest, and he took full advantage." Gibbs hit the steering wheel, making Brynn jump. "That's on him, not you." He made himself take a deep breath. "You thought it was him… When you woke up with me and yelled at me to get off you. You thought it was him, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"If he touches you again…" He took another breath.

"I'm more afraid of him trying to eliminate the competition. I would not put it past him. He thought McGee and I had something, and I honestly don't believe it was one of those bikers who shot McGee." Gibbs looked at her in surprise. "Alan made some comments… And he seemed awful damn happy when McGee was too hurt to come with us."

"Does McGee know about this?"

"I warned him. Told him my suspicions… I hope he took me seriously." Brynn swallowed a lump in her throat. "Gibbs… I don't think he's gonna stop. I don't know what to do."

"For once… Just this once, will you please leave it all to me?" He reached over and squeezed her hand. He could see the debate going on in her head. "Please, Brynn. Let me take care of you. Stop forcing yourself to be strong, and just let me protect you."

"You're going to kill him." Her face was suddenly void of emotion.

"I'm kinda hoping it won't come to that. There's been enough blood. But if he forces me… I won't hold back when it comes to protecting my family... All of my family."

"Okay… You've got lead." She laid back down across the seat.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and Chris safe." His hand returned to her neck. "You don't have to worry about anything anymore."

But Brynn was worried.