Disclaimer on chapter one.

AN: Sorry about the delay, but here is the next chapter. Enjoy and remember to leave your thoughts behind. Thanks. dark rolling sea.
Gibbs shifted to pull himself out from under Kate as Tony worked his way over to him. He could tell Tony had seen something to spook him. Gibbs tried to stand but his leg buckled and he slid back to a sitting position.

"What's wrong?" he asked hurriedly as Tony came closer. Tony glanced over his shoulder quickly before returning his gaze to Gibbs and Kate.

"Something up on the rock ledge making noise. I'm not sure what. I'm going to go check it out," Tony said in a rushed whisper. Gibbs glanced over Tony's shoulder to the rock ledge.

"Be careful," Gibbs said. Tony nodded quickly before trotting off into the darkness. Gibbs sighed as he leaned his head back against the rock. It was then that his hand went to his gun, only to realize he was unarmed.

Gibbs' cursed openly and then looked over at Kate. She was still asleep against the rock and he noticed her holster was also empty. Gibbs' swore again. He looked around and shuffled his body towards Brown. No gun there either. He closed his eyes and pounded his fist lightly against the mountain. He had let DiNozzo separate himself from them, leaving them totally exposed. He scanned the area but it was too dark to see if Brown's gun was lying close by. He moved back towards Kate and waited anxiously for one of his teammates to return.

McGee made his way slowly back towards the cabin, or at least he hoped he was heading back to the cabin. The night air was growing darker and following the path was becoming increasingly difficult. He tried to hurry, stumbling from time to time, going down hard once.

He continuously checked his watch, monitoring his progress, telling himself he had to move faster. Finally the ground started to level out and McGee knew he was close to the structure. He just had to find it. Searching around for nearly twenty minutes he finally spotted the cabin and started to run towards it.

He reached the door out of breath and pushed through it forcefully. McGee scanned the kitchen and living area quickly looking for a telephone or radio of some sort. On the far side he finally spotted a wall mounted telephone and raced for it. He picked it up and dialed 911, and after waiting briefly for the operator to answer, he explained the situation.

McGee continued to talk to the operator in an annoyed tone, as she refused to let him hang up the phone. She dispatched the local police and EMS to him after getting more information than McGee thought she needed. Glancing at his watch every five seconds his heart began to race, hoping that the emergency workers would arrive in time.

Dusty continued to move through the ever darkening maze of forest, on his quest to catch up with Storm. The trail was getting considerably harder to track as the young man moved without leaving very much disturbance to the surrounding area. He began using his ears as much as his eyes.

He could hear someone behind him as well and his mind cursed the stubbornness of Grayson. There was no doubt in his mind that young man was following him now. He pushed all thoughts of Grayson and Levi from his mind, knowing they would only cause a problem when he came face to face with Storm.

Dusty stopped abruptly when he heard movement ahead of him. He dropped to a knee and scanned with his eyes to find what was causing the disturbance. His breathing slowed and his muscled coiled as he spotted a figure crouched behind the rocks ahead of him.

Grayson continued to plow through the forest with little regard for the noise or trail he was making. His mind was locked on Jonas and he was going to kill him the first chance he got. His right hand tightened around the grip of the gun he carried, the sweat making it slick. He brought the weapon up and looked at it again, knowing he would use it tonight.

His stomach clenched and released with fear and pain as he pushed himself further into the woods. Knowing these woods was his best advantage over anyone else out there tonight. He had a thought of where the other agents would be and that was where he was headed.

This gave him a boost as he didn't have to track as Dusty did. He was making up time, moving without having to find a trail first. The throbbing and fire in his leg was worse, his shoulder aching more than ever, and his head was swimming in and out of conscious thought, but he pushed forward. The time for rest would come later, but for now, he had a job to do.

Time seemed to stop as he trudged through the jungle in a semi alert stage. He could have easily stumbled into a trap and wouldn't have known it, but fate was on his side tonight. Jonas and Dusty had continued to move forward, without much thought to the injured man following them.

Jonas knew they would be coming up behind him, so he quickly planned his attack on the agents. He would come out hard and fast, taking care of the new agent, before turning to the wounded ones. Surprise was on his side and he was sure it would be over quickly. He checked his weapon, loading a fresh clip.

Leaning against the cool rock, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind of anything else. The attack was front and center, the mind a machine programmed to kill. He counted to ten taking slow deep breaths to calm his nerves and steady his body. Once he was ready, he pushed from the rock and headed up over the top.

Janie struggled against her restraints again, growing furious that she had been left alone to die. Her shoulder screamed in pain but she used the fear driven adrenaline to push through it. She could feel the bindings holding her in place starting to give a little and a small smile swept over her face.

A noise from the cave opening caught her attention. Her body froze in fear and anticipation as she strained her ears to hear something further. Mixed scenarios filled her mind, wondering who was coming. One was a rescuer had finally found her, another the man was coming back to finish the job.

She continued to struggle against the restraints, trying desperately to do it quietly. She didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to herself. She heard more soft noises as someone approached cautiously and she began to think that maybe it was someone to save her.

She looked over her shoulder at the dark entrance but couldn't see a thing. The darkness caused more fear, as her mind conjured up all kinds of new possibilities. What if it was some kind of animal coming to investigate the noises? She held her breath as something moved in the darkness, and she sucked back the urge to scream when she saw the gun come out of the blackness.

But it wasn't the man who had taken her captive and a smile came over her face as she released the breath she was holding. The man ran up to her and pulled a knife from his belt, cutting the restraints and freeing her from the prison she had been confined in. She wrapped her arms around him the best she could, ignoring the jolt of pain from her injured joint.

"My name is Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Ma'am, and I'm with NCIS," the man replied. She nodded as tears came down her cheeks.

"Some man kidnapped me and brought me here," she said in a whisper.

"We know. Are you hurt?"

"He dislocated my shoulder, but then put it back in place. Hurts like hell but I'll live."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing physical," she said knowing the nightmares were going to be coming in full force.

Agent DiNozzo nodded at her and motioned that they leave the cave. She sighed in relief and smiled as she fell in behind him heading for the opening. She could feel the pain and exhaustion overtaking her, but she pushed to make it out.

Gibbs looked around and found a small space that he could stick Kate and himself until help arrived. His gut was screaming at him to find shelter since they were essentially unarmed. He moved back to Kate, his knee throbbing with intense pain and slowly nudged her awake.

She blinked up at him the grogginess evident in her eyes. He explained the situation and she slowly nodded at him as he helped her scoot towards the small cave he found. Once he had her in he sat in the opening and watched. They were there only a few minutes before he felt a hand on his back and looked over his shoulder at Kate.

"It's going to be ok," she said softly. Gibbs nodded and remembered their conversation from before DiNozzo and McGee found them. He took a moment to compose his thoughts before he spoke.

"I never answered you before," Gibbs said slowly. Kate looked at him with a questioning look and he licked his lips. "I…I think we can make it work."

But Kate didn't get a chance to respond. Gibbs' attention was grabbed by DiNozzo softly calling out to them. Gibbs gained Tony's attention and moved out of the hiding place. He noticed that Tony wasn't alone and stopped short in the shadows.

"It's ok, Gibbs," Tony said noticing Gibbs hesitancy. "It's Grayson's aunt."

Gibbs stepped out of the deep shadow, coming to a stop in front of them. He was about to speak when he heard someone else further up in the rock. He turned to look over DiNozzo's shoulder and saw movement coming over the top of the cave. He looked at Tony.

"Someone else," He said quickly. "I'm unarmed, up to you, Tony."

Gibbs grabbed Janie and pushed her towards the cave Kate was in. Janie saw the entrance and stumbled forward into the shelter. Kate made a move to push passed her but Gibbs was in the entrance already and gave her a look that made her stay put. She was about to tell him to do that same, since he was unarmed, but Gibbs was already turning to see what was happening.

Gibbs was almost to the base of the rock when he heard shots ring out. He instinctively ducked as he heard return fire come from his left. His leg gave out and he tumbled to the ground with a grunt as more gun shots rang out.

His fear was growing as the air suddenly grew quiet, his mind wondering where DiNozzo had gotten to. He peered up and over the rock, scanning the open area, but the darkness and shadow hid most of anything of consequence. Gibbs' mind raced to assess the situation and what he could do to ensure his team's safety. It was then that he heard the second person come over the top of the rock.

Things either just shifted for or against them and he had no clue which way. He hoped it was for them, as he moved again to head back to the small cave for shelter. There was nothing he could do without a gun and the feeling of helplessness made him sick to his stomach.

Trapped between knowing he needed to get to safety and wanting to help Tony, he hesitated at the opening of the cave; a mistake he would pay for. The report of the handgun sounded instants before the force of the bullet slammed into him. He grunted as the fire ripped through his arm and side. Pain pulsated through his back, as the air flew from his lungs.

He hit the ground hard and tried to suck air back into his lungs, finding it near impossible. The pain coursing through his body and his inability to pull oxygen into his lungs caused his fear to expand. Panic began to overtake him, something he was foreign to. His mind fought for control and it wasn't until he felt hands on his uninjured arm that he finally regained control.

Grayson's Aunt dragged him into the shelter of the rock and leaned over him. He looked up blinking rapidly as the pain overpowered his senses and noticed Kate lean in. He smiled slowly at her, trying to reassure her, but he could still see the fear and concern in her eyes. He rolled his head over to investigate the wound and cringed. His shoulder was a bloody mess, but he was sure the shot went clean through.

TBC…