Abby lay on the floor, hudled in the fetal position, shivering and crying. They knew about Tim, she was sure of it. They had been at the courthouse...they had seen everything. Jonathan and Ben saw them hug, kiss, link arms...everything that gave them away as a couple. Tim was a target, and he had no idea.

She was weak. Weak from hunger and injury. Jonathan had been right about one thing...she was in hell, and she would stay there until the end, whether she was rescued or died. And at this point...Abby didn't care which one came first.

Abby slowly and gingerly sat up, grimacing as sharp pain shot through her broken ribs. She leaned back against the wall and surveyed her cell once more and now found it eerily different than it was two days ago. That dust bunny in the corner was still there, but now Abby could see new additions to her current residence. The once perfectly waxed hardwood floor was now covered in scuff marks...evidence of Jonathan's beating when Abby tried to escape. The sheet rock was cracked and dented slightly when Jonathan slammed Ben into it for letting his guard down. The doorway was slightly splintered from all the times the door was nearly kicked off its hinges. Abby's blood spotted the walls and floor.

She heard voices and shuffling coming down the hall to her room, and she tried to draw herself up as much has her body would allow. No matter how horrible she felt, she wouldn't let her captors see how broken she really was. Abby then startled when someone on the outside kicked the door harshly, calling out to her through the wood.

"Abby! We've got something for ya!" She heard Jonathan's voice yell.

Abby slowly and shakily stood up, bracing herself against the wall for support. There was a slight glimmer of hope that she was about to get something to eat, but she knew if would have been too good to be true. She flinched reflexively when the door was kicked open once again and Abby gasped at what she saw. Jonathan and Ben stood in the doorway, each holding up by one arm, a semi-conscious, bleeding man.

McGee.

"Tim!" Abby screamed, rushing forward. She stopped short when Jonathan raised his pistol in his free hand and took aim to her chest.

"Get back," he hissed, motioning the gun towards the back wall. Abby didn't move.

"You bastard! What did you do to him?!" Abby cried, tears welling in her eyes.

"MOVE!" Jonathan screamed. Abby slowly backed up until the cool wall hit her, a sob threatening to tear at her throat. McGee looked back, really bad.

"We thought you might be feeling a little lonely, Abby," Ben said, helping his brother pull McGee's limp body into the room. "So we brought you a little friend to play with."

"Yeah, I think you might know him. This is the son of a bitch who was with you at the trial!" Jonathan yelled as he and Ben slung McGee into the room. His body hit the floor with a hard thump, and he groaned in pain but remained motionless.

Abby cried out and started forward again, but Jonathan screamed, "Dammit, Abby, stay the hell back!" She pressed herself firmly against the wall and began sobbing, hot tears streaming down her face.

"Spend your time together wisely," Jonathan sneered, backing out of the door. "It very well may be your last." He and Ben started laughing, then slammed the door shut behind them.

"Tim!" Abby cried, rushing over and falling to the floor next to him, ignoring the rush of pain in her chest and wrist. Abby gently rolled him over onto his back and he groaned painfully once more.

"Oh, my God," she whispered tearfully as she gazed upon his face. He was beaten up bad...there was a large, clotting gash in his temple. His right eye was nearly swollen shut and deeply bruised, his nose looked to be severely damaged but didn't seem to be broken, and his bottom lip was fat and bloody.

McGee's eyes slowly fluttered open and he recognized the scared face hovering above him. "Abby?" he whispered groggily.

"Yeah baby, it's me," she replied, gently touching his cheek.

Fighting back more sobs, Abby slowly helped McGee sit up and move up against the wall. She held the back of his head and gently laid it back against the cool, white wall. McGee blinked, trying to gain focus. He raised his head slightly and looked at his Abby's tear stained face. A look of joy spread over his as the sudden realization hit that he was looking into the eyes of his lost girlfriend...she was alive and semi-well. McGee gave a shuddering sigh then suddenly sat up, pulling Abby into his arms.

She melted in his embrace, nuzzling her head into McGee's neck and letting her tears fall. McGee happily and tearfully kissed Abby's jawline up to her mouth where they shared a soft, welcoming kiss. Abby broke apart and wrapped her arms around McGee's neck in another embrace, laughing through her tears. They held each other for several minutes before Abby winced in pain and withdrew back.

"What is it?" McGee asked.

Abby tried to wave it off, but McGee could see the pain in her eyes. "I think they broke a couple of my ribs, so they're a little tender."

McGee's eyes flashed in anger but his face softened instantly when his eyeline fell on Abby's injured wrist that was noticeably swollen and severely discolored.

"Oh, my God, Abs," he cried. "What did they do to your wrist?"

Abby sniffed and answered softly, "I was trying to escape, but Jonathan caught my ankles. I fell on it wrong." She saw his face fall with heavy concern, and she continued lightly, "It's not as bad as it looks. It's okay if I just tuck it into my chest"--she demonstrated--"and, you know, don't touch it."

"Abs," McGee whispered, reaching out and touching her bruised cheek.

"What happened to you? Do you remember anything?" Abby asked anxiously.

"Not really," he replied groggily, shutting his eyes trying to recal the past. "I was walking out to my car in the Navy Yard and then everything went black. I woke up in like a clearing in the woods, where all this happened." He motioned to his bruised and bloodied face. "I went out and then I was thrown in here. Who are these guys? What do they want?"

"You know the trial I just testified for? The Garrett case? Those are Howard's brothers," Abby replied.

"Damn, are you serious?"

Abby nodded. "The little one's Ben...he doesn't really want to be involved with all this, but Jonathan's got his claws deep in him. That's the bigger one...and the one to watch out for. And the only thing they want is revenge. They want us to suffer."

A momentary flicker of fear flashed behind McGee's eyes, but he then smiled lightly as he looked into Abby's eyes. "Well, at least we're together."

Abby smiled back then grew solemn. "For however long that may last."

"Dammit!" Tony yelled in the squadroom, kicking his desk hard. "What do they want from us?!"

"Tony, calm down," Ziva cried, quickly putting her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's talk through this again. When you talked to him, what did he say?"

"Just that he had McGee and to keep looking into that damn case file," Tony growled frustratedly, sounding scarily like Gibbs. "He told us to 'dig deeper'. Freakin' cryptic bastard."

"Well then, let's go over Petty Officer Monaghan's file again. There's got to be something we've missed."

"We've been over every word, I don't see how it could possibly help Abby and Tim." Tony flopped down into his chair, rubbing his face anxiously.

Ziva sighed and knelt down beside him. "Now, Tony, don't take this the wrong way, and if you ever bring this up, I'll deny it. But, you are one of the most capable agents I've seen and worked with in my year here. You are more than able to save McGee and Abby."

Tony looked down at Ziva with a look of earnest thanks then gave a sad, lopsided smile. "I'm going to need some help."

Ziva smiled warmly and nodded. "Then...I think you know what you need to do."

Tony sighed, picking up his telephone. "Yeah...I do."