The look they shared held no amusement this time – only deep concern.

"Help me get her into a seat" Jen said, nodding gratefully at the people sitting in the front row who vacated their seats without being asked.

"Oh Gibbs ..." Abby moaned as he lowered himself into the seat next to hers and rubbed her back. "Sorry Jenny .."

"Don't worry about it."

"But your skirt ..."

"Will go to the dry cleaner's. It's fine ..."

Jenny rubbed her back in response as well, and raised her eyes slightly when her fingers met Gibbs' over a shoulder blade. The look of concern hadn't diminished, but there was something else in his eyes as well now. For a moment she pondered what it was – and wondered whether it was the fact that Abby was gravitating towards her instead of towards him. Something she figured would usually have been the case. She hazarded a small smile in his direction and saw his eyes soften just a little when her fingers moved onto Abby's head and stroked her hair again. She could feel approval emanating from him, and smiled at him again.

"She likes that doesn't she?" she whispered as they kept watch over her together.

"Yeah" he replied.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, their joint focus making Abby as comfortable as possible.

"The purser would like to know if you would like anything to eat or drink, Senator?"

Jen looked to her side to find her aide crouching in the aisle.

"No."

She looked around suddenly, a different type of concern etched into her features. But her aide smiled.

"I've already sorted things with him" she said. "Agent Gibbs is welcome to stay. The purser also wants to know if he would like something to eat or drink."

"Agent Gibbs?"

Jen turned her green eyes to him and found him looking at her.

He shook his head.

"And it's Jethro" he said when the aide was out of earshot.

"Jenny" she returned.

She was about to say something else when her aide returned.

"Would you like a change of clothes, Senator?"

Jen looked down at Abby, and almost as if on cue she stirred as she had a while back.

"I don't think she's done yet" she said – a warning in her tone as she leaned across and deftly took the sick bags from Gibbs' hands. "You're still clean. I'll -"

Abby didn't wait for her to finish her sentence.

When it was over she settled back against Jen with a mumbled apology.

"Something isn't right" Jen said as she raised a hand to Abby's forehead. "She's burning up. I don't think this is normal."

Gibbs reached out to touch for himself and from the look on his face she knew she wasn't off the mark.

Jen looked around for her aide.

"Get the purser" she said.

He was there in seconds, and it didn't take much to convince him that he needed to find out if there was a medical doctor on board. It took a few minutes for a woman to make her way from the back and check her out.

"We need to get her off this plane as fast as we can" she said, after she inspected the contents of the sick bag. "She's bringing up blood."

The purser looked stunned for a moment.

"We've already started our descent" he said anxiously. "We'll be on the ground in about twenty minutes. It's no longer feasible to divert."

Abby moaned and retched again.

The doctor leaned over and checked her eyes.

"What has she eaten in the past twelve hours?"

Gibbs told her they'd been at an event.

"Catered food. Could be food poisoning."

"But you're not sure .." Jen was fast to pick up on the undercurrent.

"Has she been coherent?" the doctor asked instead as she pulled out her stethoscope.

"Up to a few minutes ago" Jen replied.

The doctor nodded and listened to the heartbeat. Then she looked up at the purser.

"I am not sure what's going on" she said as she looked directly at Jen, "but blood is not usually part of the deal. You need to get her to the ER and have them check her out."

"Should I advise the flight deck that we need an ambulance?" the purser asked.

Jen looked at Gibbs.

"Yes" she answered – not needing to hear him say the word.

She turned her attention back to Abby as the goth moaned and retched again. This time she didn't have the energy to settle back against Jenny, and her head hit the bulkhead as she flopped forward.

"Abby .." Gibbs said as he pulled her backwards onto him and dabbed some drool off the corner of her mouth with a napkin someone had given him. "Abs .."

His voice was hoarse and Jen felt her blood run cold as he looked at the streaks on the cloth and then looked across at her. He didn't say anything – but there was no need for words because she read him just as surely as she read herself.

He was afraid.

The purser materialised again, his face a sea of anxiety.

"There are issues on the ground" he said.

"What kind of issues?" Jen wanted to know.

As the man explained she could feel Gibbs bristling.

"How long till we land?"

"Approximately fourteen minutes" the purser replied.

"Satellite phones still working?"

"Yes."

"Melvin" she called.

"Ma'am?"

"Call Stanley. I want him on the asphalt by the time we get off this plane. Get him the clearance he needs. Get a police escort if necessary. I don't care how you do it, just get it done."

"Yes ma'am."

"Peg .. closest hospital?"

"George Washington" her aide replied.

"Call them as soon as we land and tell them we're coming. George Washington .. isn't that where Bob Sommers' wife works? Isn't she Dean of Medicine there?"

Her aide nodded.

"Call Bob too. Tell him what's going on. See what she can do for us. It's always good to have someone on the inside."

Peg nodded and retreated, and Jen turned her attention back to the doctor.

"Have you got a connecting flight to catch?"

When the woman nodded Jen looked round for another one of her aides.

"Rob ... make sure we have the doctor's observations. We'll need them at the hospital. And Rob .." she crooked a finger at him, "make sure you get her details and send her a gift basket" she whispered into his ear as he brought his face down to hers. "I want it wherever she's going by the time she gets there."

The aide nodded curtly and took a seat by the doctor, ready to take notes.

Gibbs held Abby a little closer as he watched the Senator take control of the situation. Only when she was sure that everyone was doing what she asked of them did she turn back to look at him. And the steely determination in her eyes as she nodded at him was oddly reassuring. He wasn't used to people taking over, and yet she had. Seamlessly. Without making him feel redundant. He felt the tug of the green eyes again, and although he knew he was staring he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"The landing gear's engaging" she said – and the gentleness was back.

It took him a minute to realise that she was concerned about him too, not just about Abby – and the realisation warmed his heart. Something he couldn't remember happening in a long time.

"Stanley just cleared security now" Melvin said as he strapped himself into the seat across the aisle from the Senator.

"Good. Thank you Melvin."

Gibbs was surprised to see her lean across and pat his hand, and by the looks of it Melvin was just as surprised. But he didn't say anything. Only smiled and looked in front of him.

"Is there anything you need from your seat?" Jen asked, surprising Gibbs again.

He wasn't quite sure how she could keep track of everything – although he told himself that she'd already shown a penchant for it more than once since he'd met her. He'd always assumed that aides were there to deal with the minutiae.

"Five minutes to landing" Rob said as he handed her a sheet of paper..

Jen looked it over and nodded.

"Thank the people who gave us their seats and .."

"Get them a bottle of champagne?" Rob said. "Already done."

Jen smiled at him and Gibbs couldn't help but notice the way the man's face lit up at her acknowledgment of his initiative. Perhaps not all politicians were cut from the same cloth, he thought to himself. Maybe she even wrote her own speeches. He made a mental note to ask her about that later if he got the chance.

Jen cut into his reverie.

"We need to fasten her seat belt" she said as she busied herself with the task.

_______________________________________________________________

McGee walked into the observation room.

"How's it goin'?" he asked, coming to stand by Tony's side.

Together they watched Ziva pacing around the man in custody.

"You are aware that I've never performed an interrogation without inflicting some sort of pain?" she said.

The man scoffed.

"She's telling the truth" Tony's voice wafted into the room through the sound system, making the man jump.

"Now" Ziva said, as she took a seat in front of him. "I am sure there is something you are not telling me. So .. let us try this one last time ..."

The man looked discomfited for a moment, but when Ziva steepled her hands and flexed them, he suddenly lost his composure.

"It's only supposed to frighten her."

Ziva raised her head sharply.

"What is only supposed to frighten her?"

"I swear I din't mean no harm. Just wanted her to ..."

As he spilled the beans she turned towards the one way window, her face awash with anger and concern.

"Call Gibbs" Tony said to McGee in the other room.

"Trying – he's not picking up" the other agent replied.

Tony looked at his watch.

"They should have landed two minutes ago. Maybe he hasn't switched on his phone yet."

"Or maybe something's wrong. Come on .... pick up" McGee muttered.

_____________________________________________________________

It seemed to Jen that the taxiing along the runway once they landed was taking forever. Every so often Abby retched, and she seemed to be getting more and more confused as time went by; drifting in and out of consciousness even. As soon as the doors opened Gibbs was out of his seat, the goth in his arms. Melvin led the way – seeing him and his precious bundle into the car waiting at the bottom. Once the senator was in the back seat with them he slammede the door and got into the front.

"Lets go" he said to the driver. "George Washington University Hospital."

"How far is it?" Jen asked from the back as she brushed Abby's hair away from her face for the umpteenth time.

"Almost five miles. Traffic's not too heavy."

"Did you switch your cell phone on, Senator?" Melvin asked from the front.

"No .." she said, pulling it out of her bag and placing it into her detail's upturned hand before attending to Abby again.

It was a salient reminder for Gibbs to turn on his own. He had barely done so when it went off.

"Boss .."

"McGee ..."

He listened carefully and then snapped his phone shut. He looked once at Jen before addressing the driver.

"Step on it" he said.

"Jethro?" Jen asked as she held Abby to her.

"Someone doesn't want her to give evidence against them in a couple of weeks," he said tersely.

"They poisoned her?" She said shocked, "what did they give her?"

"The guy my team picked up doesn't know. He just paid someone to do it. No questions asked."

As the car sped through the streets she risked a look at him. His hand rested gently on Abby's shoulder – but it was the only gentle part of his body; worry and anger radiated off him in waves. The idea that anyone could want to hurt Abby was astounding, so she could understand his fury. But it was the strength of her need to offer him, comfort that surprised her. She bit her lip and didn't offer him trite reassurances that Abby would be all right – something she couldn't possibly know. It was a dangerous world, he and Abby did jobs that took them into harms way – and bad things could happen to good people. She hazarded one more look at him, and then she placed her hand on top of his.

He didn't pull away.

"Call the hospital" Jen barked at Melvin. "Let them know."

Senator Sommer's wife was waiting outside when the car pulled up to the ER. As Abby was loaded onto a gurney and rushed inside, she fell into step next to Jenny.

"I have a good team of doctors waiting for her."

Jenny nodded, her eyes on Gibbs as he walked alongside Abby, holding her hand in his.

"I'm sorry Sir – that's as far as you can go" an orderly said as they wheeled her into a room and made to close the doors.

"I'm a federal agent" Gibbs barked, pulling his jacket back to reveal his badge.

"I'm sorry Sir ..." the man repeated, looking at Dr Sommers for intervention.

"I'll be with her" the Dean said.

"Not good enough" Gibbs said, pushing towards the window to see what was going on inside the room.

But it was no use. The door closed and the curtains were drawn and there was nothing to see anymore. It was only the feel of Jen's hands on his arm stopped him from barging in.

"Let them do their job, Jethro" she said gently. "Clara's with her."

She pulled him gently to the side as another gurney barrelled through. As he turned to look at her their eyes met, and the anguish in his made her heart bleed for him.

"Senator ..."

Her female aide appeared behind them.

"What is it, Peg?" she asked, her hand still on Gibbs.

"Senator Modine?"

"Call him and apologise."

"You don't have to -" Gibbs began.

"I want to" she said, slipping her hand into his and squeezing gently.