Sunday. It was already Sunday and the girls were still missing. A few connections had been made, one of which made the nerves stand on end. Ducky had come racing into the bullpen the afternoon before with Palmer trailing behind.
"72 hours, Jethro." Ducky said as the three gentleman looked up. "I have come to the conclusion that each of the girls were held captive, most likely somewhere dark by the decreased levels of vitamin D, and then dying from a single bullet to the head after 72 hours."
Ducky looked at Gibbs as if the whole story should make sense. Palmer glanced at the two agents as he too tried to keep some of the panic from reaching up and claiming his control.
"Don't you see?" Ducky said. "He's giving you a chance to find them. All of them; which means that he is somewhere close by."
"McGee, what time were the girls seen in the video feed?"
McGee climbed to his feet and joined Ducky at the front of Gibbs' desk. "A little after five on Friday."
"Which means we have until tomorrow." Tony said.
"Abby had a test running Friday afternoon," Palmer said suddenly. "It was some chemical compound that resembled wallpaper paste."
McGee returned to his desk at the new information and started typing away while the others continued their conversation of the missing girls.
"Is that important, Palmer?" Gibbs asked.
"Uh, well- Doctor Mallard had me clean the body of Lt. Washington; she had the same compound under her nails. Maybe she tried to fight off her attacker?"
"Boss," McGee said, causing Palmer to relax from under Gibbs' glare. "I cross referenced our three victims and came up with three names. Overn is deployed, Boots has been stationed on the East Coast for the last six months and the third, Jason Wheeler, was dishonorably discharged in May of this year. He now resides," McGee punched in some the man's name. "In Georgetown; currently employed for a renovation company."
"Grab your gear."
"Ziva?"
Her head lifted feebly at the sound of her name. Two days without food or drink, she'd been through that before, but attempting to take turns resting hadn't proven very encouraging. Though even if she'd had to protect Abby, being tied up she doubted she would have been able to. The girls were physically drained and Ziva had found herself muttering in Hebrew a prayer that they would be found soon. She was tired, hungry and was ready to give up- if only she could just kiss Tim one last time.
"Hm?"
"Who were you talking to on the phone the other day?"
His face came to her mind and she felt her throat tighten. It had taken her so long to realize he was truly there for her and just imagining his reaction to finding her and Abby, dead in the same alley they'd found the other three, it made her heart sink.
"Tim." Ziva choked out.
"Timmy?"
"Yes." She felt a tear roll down her face.
Abby was silent for a moment and Ziva felt Abby's pinky circle around her own pinkie. "How long?"
"Uh, he was actually taking me out to dinner for a celebration of six months."
"You mean, an anniversary." Abby smiled. "Tim always was a romantic."
Ziva chuckled. "He calls me Squeaker. Somehow we got into a tickle-war one night; he said I squeaked like one of Jethro's chew toys."
The girls sat in silence again. Ziva could feel the familiar tugs of exhaustion but couldn't allow herself to sleep. Upstairs, she could hear their captor walking around and shouting into a telephone. Neither even attempted to make a sound. Ziva had told Abby more about the unspoken rules of being a prisoner; rule one, if you even tried to make a sound you should consider yourself dead.
"I'm glad that he found someone that could give him what I couldn't." Abby said. "I'm glad that you could find someone to show you there is more than death in our futures."
"What is it that you couldn't give to McGee?" Ziva asked.
"My heart." Abby finally admitted. It had been in her for years and finally she allowed herself to speak. "Tim is a great guy but I have been waiting for someone else for years."
"Who?"
"Gibbs."
"Does that sound crazy? I don't know, maybe I just miss my dad. Not that Gibbs reminds me of my dad because my dad was deaf but they do kind of have that aged wisdom-"
"I do not think it sounds crazy. What is the saying? You can't help who you fall in love with? Perhaps older and wiser are your type. Much safer than obsessive and being a stalker."
"Well, well. Miss Scientist has a daddy complex?"
The door stood open above Ziva once more. This time, however, she could make out hazy features of his face. Again he walked forward and shut them in darkness. The light flashed on but this time, the stranger bent and put it on one of the steps before joining the girls.
"You know, I've never destroyed a relationship before."
"Not true." Ziva spoke. "One of those girls was engaged and they all had families."
"Yeah, well easy come, easy go."
Abby was repulsed by the sing-song tone in his voice. He stood next to them and she looked up at him, etching his features into her memory. She couldn't wait to see him on Ducky's autopsy table. In his hand she saw a flash of silver and instantly recognized the gun. At least she wouldn't need to run anymore ballistics, if this was the gun he'd used on all the murders.
Crap, Abby silently swore. I'll have to test to make sure it is the same weapon.
"Your time is almost up ladies." He taunted again. "I figured with two women of a federal agency they'd put a little more of a priority on finding you but it appears your men don't feel the same."
He jabbed the revolver into Ziva's shoulder just at the base of her neck. "How do you think your little boyfriend will react when he finds you? I can't wait to see his face."
"Tim would not give you the satisfaction." Ziva drawled. "I am Israeli; death does not frighten me."
"No?" The man asked before jabbing the gun into Abby's shoulder. Ziva heard her gasp. "How about now?"
Gibbs pulled up to the address and climbed out of the car. Tony and McGee glanced at one another before releasing a breath they'd both been holding during the reckless drive. As the three made their way up to the doorway, their weapons drawn in front of them, none made a sound. Gibbs knocked on the door loudly.
"NCIS, open the door!"
A few moments past before Gibbs nodded at Tony. He stood back, reared his foot up and pounded the door open. Entering the dwelling, Gibbs cleared the living room while McGee checked an adjacent bedroom. It was as he came walking out of the bedroom that the first shots rang out. Tony dove behind the couch while Gibbs took cover by the door way leading through the small hall that lead to the kitchen.
"Lucky timing, Agent Gibbs." Jason called out. "Just in time to take your lovely ladies to the morgue. I assume you know how to get there."
"Yeah," Gibbs answered. "I think we'll even make some room for you. No charge."
Jason laughed at the thought. "Five dead girls; three men will soon follow. You forget Agent Gibbs, I was highest in my class for Marksmanship."
"Maybe I did, I have been doing this a long time." Gibbs said.
Downstairs the girls could hear nothing but gunshots. Abby looked to the ceiling hoping that their captor would be turned into the deceased and not the other way around. Suddenly the shots stopped. The girls couldn't hear anything to tell who had won the fire fight. Steps sounded against the floor in the same direction that normally brought the stranger to them. Abby clutched Ziva's hand as best she could again.
"Ziva?" Abby said, sounding slightly scared and worried. "I love you. Not like love you, love you but like I love-"
"I know what you mean, Abby." Ziva said calmly. "I love you too."
The door opened above them and the man stared down at them. Ziva felt her heart sink; it looked as if her captor really had claimed the lives of her friends and was now coming to take her and Abby too. She looked down as he stood there, his shoulders heaving with each excited breath.
"McGee!"
The girls looked up as the man in the door turned to his left and shouted. "They're down here, Boss."
"Tim?" Ziva said quietly as she saw the two men descend the staircase. Tony brought up the rear, flipping on a light which instantly blinded the two girls before it popped and bathed them in darkness again.
"Ziva." Tim's voice sounded as a flashlight clicked on and she felt the metal of a blade carefully cutting the ropes that bound her and Abby to the chairs. "You're ok. It's all over."
She then realized that tears were freely rolling down her face as she fought against the ropes until Gibbs finally freed them. Ziva was on her feet in a moment and launched herself into McGee's arms. Abby smiled softly as she saw her two friends kissing as if there was only a few moments left in their lives.
"Tim, you're bleeding." Abby said holding onto Gibbs as she got to her own feet.
Ziva looked down at the bloodstain on the sleeve of McGee's shirt. She touched it lightly and looked up to him again. "It's just a graze. I'm fine, Squeaker."
"Wait," Tony said from behind them. "Ziva? You're Squeaker?"
Abby and Ziva laughed before McGee kissed his girlfriend once more. Gibbs took Abby's weight and started to lead her toward the steps. He didn't say a word to the pair as they embraced; he was thankful that they'd found the girls and that they were alive.
"Where is he?" Abby asked as Gibbs lead her up the stairs and past Tony.
"Dead. Don't worry, Abs. I've got you." He said softly and kissed her temple.
Behind them, McGee circled his arm around Ziva's waist and began to follow his boss; he could hear the sirens of police and ambulances arriving at the residence and he wanted to make sure Ziva and Abby were definitely fine.
"You owe me a steak," Ziva said against his shoulder as her exhaustion returned with full force.
"Anything for you," McGee whispered. "But first, you have a date with an EMT."
The End