Brynn was trapped. Flames licked at her from the walls around her. She fought to move but something held her down. Thrashing in the bed, she became more entangled in the heavy blanket covering her. She froze when she heard Chris screaming for her.

"Brynn…" Gibbs' voice was faint in her ears. She fought harder against the force holding her down. "Brynn! Baby, wake up!"

Wake up?

Brynn opened her eyes and was immediately confused by the darkness surrounding her. Where was the fire? She could still smell the burning wood… She shook her head and realized she was looking right at Gibbs' face.

"The fire? Everything was burning…" Her voice fell away. She turned her head at the sound of wood crackling and saw that she wasn't in her bed. She wasn't even in her room.

"Just a dream, baby." Gibbs was still holding her by the shoulders. "It's okay."

Brynn blinked several times as reality set in. She and Gibbs had decided to camp out in the living room, in front of the fireplace. They had piled up blankets and pillows a safe distance from the fire. Brynn faced the fireplace and the smell of burning wood suddenly made sense. Ty was curled up on the couch, still sleeping. Chris was sitting up in the middle of the makeshift bed, looking at her wide-eyed. When her eyes returned to Gibbs' face, he finally released his grip on her.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Chris' voice came out, just above a whisper.

"I'm fine…" She took a breath and held her arms out to Chris. He immediately smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "I just had a scary dream."

"I'll hold you, until you go back to sleep, Mommy."

"Can Daddy hold me, too?" Chris pulled back and looked from Brynn to Gibbs.

"Okay." Brynn stifled a laugh at Chris' reluctant tone.

"Gee, thanks." Gibbs muttered, smiling at Chris.

The three of them settled back down onto the blankets. Gibbs was giving Brynn a concerned look. But exhaustion took over and her mind blurred. She closed her eyes…

The next morning, Brynn woke up before everyone and detangled herself from the arms and blankets, holding her in place. The sun was just peeking through the windows, as she shuffled her way into the bathroom. She washed her face with water from the jug they kept in there. When she looked up from the sink, she almost gasped at her own face. She looked beyond rough. Not being able to sleep for more than a few hours at a time had cause dark bags to form under her eyes. She couldn't blame her pregnancy for the lack of sleep. Gibbs would know better.

It was now late August. According to her ultrasound, Brynn's due date fell on the first week of September. Once this had been announced to the entire park, (thanks largely to Abby) it had dispelled all rumors of who the father could be. Since then, Alan had barely said two words to Brynn, or any of her family.

Of course, they were all perfectly okay with this.

But something still stirred in Brynn's mind. And these damn nightmares weren't helping. Brynn sighed at her reflection and closed her eyes. She didn't realize she had stood there for almost two minutes until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Brynn didn't flinch or jump. She knew these arms.

"They're getting worse, aren't they, the dreams?"

Brynn opened her eyes warily. By now, in the good light, she knew Gibbs had seen the dark circles around her eyes. She just nodded in response to his question.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I've had bad dreams before." She tried to smile.

"Not about being on fire. That sounds pretty traumatizing." Gibbs knew that along with being slightly claustrophobic, Brynn was also terrified of being trapped in a fire. Though this information had not come to light until the second year of their marriage. Before then, she had only ever confessed to being scared of bees.

"I just hope I didn't scare Chris." Gibbs narrowed his eyes. He knew a deliberate deflection when he heard one.

"I think he's more worried than scared."

"Yet another trait he picked up from you." This time her smile was real. "Would it make you feel better if I talk to Ducky?"

"As long as you're talking, not holding it all in." Gibbs kissed her neck.

"Kay, I'll go by after breakfast."

NCIS

Gibbs was putting the finishing touches on a table when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned and saw Brynn standing there with her hands on her hips. He just raised his eyebrows in question.

"Would you like to know what gender our baby is?"

Gibbs straightened. "Yeah."

"Girl. According to Ducky, a very healthy girl. But I'm telling you, our daughter sure doesn't kick like a girl." Gibbs smiled. "Of course, neither do most of the girls we know…" They both laughed.

"I thought you were gonna talk to Ducky about…" Gibbs stopped when Brynn started moving towards him.

"I did." Her voice was low. "He insisted on giving me a full checkup."

"And?"

"He said the dreams are most likely just delayed stress. But he wanted to make sure it wasn't having a physical affect on me." She paused and smirked. "I just thought I'd come give you the update before you went barging over to the clinic, demanding answers." Gibbs grinned and nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What do you think about naming our daughter… Caitlin?" Gibbs' eyebrows went up in mild surprise. "I never met Caitlin Todd, but I've heard everybody talk about her. I know she was like a daughter to you. And I like the name." Brynn shrugged. "I was thinking maybe, Caitlin Ann… Maybe, Katie for short?"

"I think that's a beautiful name." Gibbs' voice was thick. He held out his arms and Brynn immediately stepped into the hug.

"On another note," Brynn pulled back. "There asking for volunteers to make another supply run. So the patrol is gonna be tightened up. Timmy wanted me to ask if he can rotate you into the patrol duty, till they get back."

Gibbs smiled. So much had changed in the last few months… McGee and Tony were now in charge of the security in the park. They hadn't campaigned for the job, it was just given to them. Both had taken the responsibility very seriously. Gibbs had proudly watched both of them grow from it. Ziva and Damon, along with all of Fornell's former FBI agents added to the police force, making the entire park feel a lot safer. Only those who knew how to handle weapons were sent out on supply runs. So when they went out, it was up to the rest to fill up the patrol slots.

Brynn had not been overly happy about being sidelined in this duty. But she kept her grumbling to a minimum, knowing she had to think about her baby. She had let herself be transferred to the kitchen, helping to cook and manage supplies. With all the new mouths to feed, they could use all the help they could get. She still kept her SIG and a knife on her at all times, per Gibbs' request. When she wasn't working in the kitchen, she was either at the schoolhouse, or in the workshop with Gibbs.

Gibbs' workshop was busier now that work on the two small hotels had been mostly completed. There was a two story hotel that had been renamed Coleson Place. Brynn had cried when someone just yelled out the name. A lot of people had really loved her uncle. Ty himself, had been asked to paint the name onto the front of the building. The hotel had almost immediately been filled with people who had been living in tents all summer. The other hotel was just a one story building with twenty small rooms. There was still patch work being done to the roof in a few places, but some of the rooms had already been occupied. There were mumblings of naming the small building after Samuel Pratt, another victim of the biker gang shootout. Pratt was a Chaplin from Fort Carson, who had given comfort to those who had lost people in the meteor shower.

"Gibbs?" Gibbs zapped out of his reverie. "Is that a no, to patrol duty?"

"Yes."

"Yes, that's a no, or yes to the duty?"

"Yes to the duty." Gibbs cocked his head. "Why are they sending out a supply run, now?"

"Last chance before the first snowfall. Danny said the snow can settle in as early as mid-September. So we best not take chances. I think they are mostly just looking for fuel and food. There are a few places Danny knows of that we haven't been. Ziva and Damon are going, Timmy, Danny and Tony too. I think Timmy wanted to leave you or Fornell in charge."

"I'll talk to him. I'll patrol the bridge, but I wanna be close just in case." Gibbs reached out and put his hands on the sides of her belly.

"I may not be do for another few weeks."

"I still wanna be close."

"You know how I know, you love me?"

"How?"

"I look like a beached whale, and you still look at me like I'm a Victoria Secret model."

"Those women have nothing on you." He leaned in and kissed her.

Alan Pearson had just passed the workshop on his way to the diner. Through the big glass windows, he could see Gibbs with his hands on Brynn's swollen stomach. He quickly turned away and glared at the gravel beneath him. That should be him. When he looked up again, he saw Tony come out of the ranger station. McGee was right behind him. Both men were carrying backpacks and laughing. Alan grinned. Those idiots were taking their best fighters for what would probably be a week long run. A whole week without Brynn's top guard dogs, constantly surrounding her.

His waiting game had finally paid off.

NCIS

It was the next afternoon when Gibbs' bridge patrol duty finally came around. He had eaten lunch with Brynn, Chris, and Abby just before he left. The little lunch date had almost been ruined by Pearson constantly staring at them, but somehow, Brynn had taken no notice to the bitter man. She was in an unusually chipper mood, do to the fact that she had finally gotten a full night's sleep with no nightmares. Gibbs had been thankful for this, but his gut was still churning. He just couldn't figure out why…

Brynn was working on her second sink load of dishes when she heard the door to the back area creak open. She was happily humming to herself, feeling high from the nice lunch date she had just had. Most of the others who worked in the kitchen were still enjoying or just starting their own lunch breaks. It never occurred to her to look behind her.

A sudden, sharp pain to the back of her head, knocked her unconscious. Rough hands reached out and grabbed her before she fell. Arms wrapped around her and began to drag her towards the backdoor of the diner, far from the view of anyone who could help.

NCIS

"Gibbs!" Gibbs turned towards the person shouting his name. He was surprised he heard it over the roar of the ATV coming down the hill. He recognized Allston from the Redskins jacket he always wore. The ATV came to an abrupt stop and Allston jumped off and immediately ran to Gibbs.

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked when an out of breath Allston reached him.

"Brynn…" Allston heaved in a breath. "She…"

"Is it the baby?" Gibbs grabbed Allston's shoulders.

"No…" Allston violently shook his head. "Gotta come…"

"Let's go!" Gibbs kept hold of Allston and dragged him back to the ATV.

The trip back to the main park was short, thanks to Gibbs' driving. As soon as the vehicle stopped, Fornell came rushing over to Gibbs.

"Brynn's missing," Tobias wasted no time in telling Gibbs.

"What do you mean missing? You just can't find her, or something else?"

"She was washing dishes at the diner, last anyone saw her. There're blood drops on the floor, from the sink to the backdoor. And a broken plate on the floor. Someone surprised her."

"Who?" Gibbs demanded.

"We did a head count… Alan Pearson is also missing."

"That son of a bitch has my wife!"

"Gibbs." Tobias stepped forward and held out one palm. "We think we know where they might be. Someone saw a truck with two people in it, headed up the mountain trail."

"Show me."

NCIS

Brynn's head came up and she felt the world spin. When the spinning stopped, her eyes were able to take in her surroundings. She was sitting with her back to a large tree. A coarse blanket was spread beneath her. A small blue tent was set up, right in front of her. She tried to move towards it, but found that her hands were bound behind her back with what felt like a plastic zip tie.

"It gets dark early, this high up." She whipped her head around and felt the spinning start again. "Sorry about that," Alan finally came into her line of sight. "I didn't know how else to get you out of there quietly." He looked at her with a serene expression.

Brynn fought to stay calm. She had just been kidnapped by a psycho. Great…

"Do you have another blanket?" She asked quietly. He smiled at her simple request and quickly unzipped the opening to the tent. As soon as he went inside, Brynn felt around her waist. Her gun was gone but the small knife she always carried was still tucked inside her kakis, just on her belt line. Alan came back out of the tent and wrapped a blanket around Brynn. "Thank you." She looked up at him. She didn't smile or glare. If she was suddenly too nice to him, he'd suspect something. If she came off as pissed (which she really was) she may not make it out of this alive. And she had to protect her daughter.

"I'll build us a fire. You'll warm up soon." He turned. "I have some wood in the truck." Brynn looked around and saw an old pickup parked off to the side. Someone had to have seen them leaving. Gibbs would be looking for her by now. If she could keep things calm until he got to her…

"Do you have anything to eat?" Alan looked up from the fire pit he was working on.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Let me get this going and I'll get you something." Brynn nodded. If it would be dark soon, a fire would be a perfect homing beacon. Alan hadn't really thought this through. Brynn was actually surprised that she was able to keep her mind so rational.

A sudden cramping pain in her abdomen made her gasp. Alan twisted around and looked at her.

"What?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Just a little cramp." She shook her head, dismissively. "They happen a lot this late in pregnancy." Alan just nodded and went back to working on the fire. Another cramp came and Brynn did her best to bite back the grunt that tried to come out.

"There we go." Alan turned and faced her just as another cramp caused her face to scrunch up in pain. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I just… I just need some food, I think." He nodded and scrambled back to the truck. Brynn quickly got to work, pulling the knife out and flicking it open. She prayed that he didn't hear the snap of the plastic zip tie, just as she freed her hands. She glanced towards the truck, but didn't see Alan. Just as she was about to roll her body to stand up, another pain made her entire middle clench. She saw stars for a few seconds.

"Hey!" Alan's angry voice cut through the air. "How did you get out?" He was rushing towards her. Her only thought, just before he reached her, was her baby.

She still had the knife in one hand. Without hesitating she drove the knife forward. Blood spurted out from his chest and onto Brynn's face and sweater. Somehow his hands wrapped around her throat. She jerked the knife back. Taking more careful aim, she plunged the knife into the side of his neck. More blood poured out all over her faces and arms. After twisting the knife, she pulled her hand away. She used her legs to push him off of her and slowly brought herself to her feet.

She stood over him and watched as he chocked out his last breath. "I was never yours." She whispered, not sure if he heard, but not really caring either way. He closed his eyes. Brynn staggered away.

NCIS

The sun was fully set by the time Gibbs and Fornell found the campsite. Seeing Alan sprawled out with Brynn's knife still stuck in his neck, had both frightened and relieved everyone. Brynn was alive, but where the hell was she?

"Brynn!" Gibbs screamed into the semi-darkness.

"Gibbs!" Fornell ran over to his friend. "There's a blood trail, leading east."

Gibbs pulled out his flashlight and immediately saw the drops of blood, standing out against the heavy forested ground. "I don't get it… Why didn't she take the truck?" Gibbs said just loud enough for the men around him to hear. "It looks like she just wandered off."

"Well, she may have." Ducky was now at his side, also looking at the ground. "Jethro… She just stabbed a man to death. She may be in shock."

This only made Gibbs move faster.

Brynn had no idea where she was going. Her only thought was to get all this damn blood off of herself. Her once gray sweatshirt was splattered with blood and dirt. Her kakis were clinging to her legs, still wet from rolling on the ground. It was just beginning to occur to her that it was a bad idea to be walking around, wet and hungry in the middle of nowhere.

She stopped walking and let her knees give out. As soon as she felt the ground connect with her butt, another cramp made her entire body shudder. She knew these pains. "Don 't worry, little one. Daddy will find us." She put one blood smeared hand on her belly. "Daddy will find us. I just hope it 's before you decide to pop out and say hello."

Brynn fell onto her back. The cold, wet grass tickled the back of her neck.

"Brynn!"

She popped up at the sound of her name being yelled. It wasn't the voice she was hoping for, but it would do for now.

"Over here!" She yelled out. She tried to stand, but the cramps were coming in waves now. "Tobias, I 'm over here!"

"Gibbs, I see her!" Brynn let out a breath and her back hit the ground again. "Over her!" She could see a flashlight being waved at her. "Everyone, over here!"

Then Gibbs blue eyes were bearing down on her. His hands touched her face.

"I 'm right here, baby." His voice was soft but she could sense the angry worry he felt. "Are you hurt? Is any of this blood yours?"

"No... He 's dead."

"I know. We found him." He cut her off before she had to explain more. "Don 't worry, baby. We 're gonna get you back, safe."

"Gibbs." He was about to pick her up, but stopped. "Our daughter is coming." Gibbs' eyes went wide.

"Ducky!"

Brynn closed her eyes.