A/N: I'm sorry, really. Summer has been heck. But here's a chapter to tide you over (assuming you're all still reading). I love comments. And you all! 3

McGee was typing quickly and angrily, his fingertips pounding down on each key as he went. Ziva was out there. Somewhere out there and in trouble and hurt, and all he was doing was a background check on one Douglas Irby. While she was out there.

"McGee," Gibbs called his name sharply and he looked up at the only other man in the bullpen.

"Yeah, Boss?" he asked. Gibbs was staring at him thoughtfully.

"What are you doing?" McGee was slightly thrown off by this question, and looked around almost guiltily just to make sure he hadn't done anything wrong. There was a pause.

"Um, a background check on the dead guy from Tony's apartment," he finally answered. Gibbs nodded.

"Where's Ziva?" he asked, and at the mention of her name, McGee's previous frustration returned.

"We don't know." He returned to his work.

"Hey," Gibbs said, and McGee looked up once more to see him standing right in front of his desk, "I want you to go out there and find her, McGee. I'll finish this; I'm not much use in the field with my arm, anyway. But you find her, and bring her back, McGee." Gibbs' hard blue eyes met McGee's, and he nodded, grabbing his gun. Gibbs understood.

"On it, Boss," he said, and practically ran for the elevator. He'd find her. He just had to.

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Tony's cell rang, and suddenly all of the silence in the lab was broken. He reached for it, and checked the caller id. Abby noticed the look of confusion spread across his fine features.

"What?" she asked. Tony shook his head.

"It's one of my old college buddies," he said slowly. "Hasn't called me in years. I didn't even know he had this . . ." He was interrupted by one of Abby's many machines, which began to beep wildly. Tony put the phone down immediately, and went over to it, glancing at Abby, who was grinning.

"What's it mean?" he asked, gesturing to the still beeping machine.

"It means," Abby began, "that we've got something." With that, she ran over to her phone, and just as her hand was extended over it, it began to ring.

"Creepy," she muttered to no one in particular, and answered.

"Abby," came McGee's voice, breathless with what sounded like a mixture of excitement and worry, "I've got something."

"Cool," she replied, bouncing up and down on her toes and looking at Tony, who was shooting her a questioning look. "So did I, but I was gonna call Gibbs . . ."

"I already called him."

"What? How did you know I had something?"

"No, I found Ziva."

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"Hello?" McGee looked at his cell in confusion. There had been an odd clatter on the other side of the line.

"What? Hello?" Abby's voice came back on. "Sorry, I dropped the phone. Hold on, I'll put ya on speaker; Tony's here." McGee gave a slight smile. He was still shaky from the adrenaline from finding Ziva.

"'Kay, McGee, say again?"

"I found Ziva. I was on my way back to her apartment - to see if I'd missed anything - and I passed this little juice bar, and my car was right there in the parking lot. I-I popped the trunk, and she was in there, unconscious,"he said in a rush. "I'm at the hospital now."

"Nice going, McGee. She alright?" Tony asked. McGee shifted uncomfortably, glancing around the waiting room.

"They think she's gonna be fine, but she got cracked on the head pretty hard. She's strong though; they think she'll recover. It was weird, though, Tony, the way she was dressed up. A mini-skirt and heels - it wasn't something she would wear."

A/N: BUM BUM BUUUUMMM...cliffhanger!!!