Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, nor do I make any money from any of this. I, like other fan-fiction writers, just do this for fun.

Final A/N at the end. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twisted Brother

Chapter Seventeen

"Just A Man and His Pizza"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Surveillance Van: Gibbs hated the wait more than anything. But he could not fault Mallory's driving. The man seemed to be trying to escape some of his own demons, and the drive that should have taken close to an hour was made in less than 45 minutes. As they approached the site that had been identified on the GPS, Gibbs ordered him to slow down.

Finally, the structures came into view. Only a few scattered and dilapidated buildings could be seen. Beside one of them, partially hidden, was the dark van.

"This is it." Gibbs voice was low and intense. "Abby, you and Palmer wait here. Do NOT come out until one of us gives you the all clear. You got that?" Gibbs glared at them both. Palmer stepped up to Abby and put his hand on her arm. "I won't let her leave, boss." His own eyes blazed with the desire to see this through, and the knowledge that his medical expertise would likely be needed very soon. Abby nodded. "Just go get them Jethro. And be careful."

Mallory and Vance were already out. Gibbs and Jenkins came right behind them.

"Leon, you and Jenkins, go left. Bryce and I will start to the right. Check in if you find anything." They were wearing the ear wigs that would enable them to keep in contact with each other, and with Abby and Jimmy.

Bending low, both sets of agents set off at a fast jog, weapons out and watching for any movement. Though Gibbs wanted to simply go charging down every stairway they came to, he knew that would not help the situation. For a moment he thought back to when Tony had been captured and chained in the sewers with no one to back him up. Remembering how his Senior Field Agent had managed to not only escape a locked door, but had carried the other marine to safety, placing his own body between the man and the angry woman with a grudge, who had held a gun on him, he experienced a sense of déjà vu. He could only pray this time things would turn out as well. At least DiNozzo wasn't alone. If anyone could keep him alive, it was Ziva David.

But he threw caution to the wind when he heard the sound of a shot gun. It came from a hallway to his left, and down another staircase. "Go! Go! Go!" he called urgently into the headset. Knowing Vance and Jenkins would be only a little ways behind them, Gibbs and Bryce sprinted toward where they had heard the shot coming from. Praying they weren't too late, they located what they were pretty sure was the right set of stairs.

Gibbs headed down first, using his flashlight now; his gun propped on top of it. With Bryce backing him up, he systematically checked each corridor and doorway they came too. Descending deeper and deeper, he couldn't stop his feeling of dread. "Hang in there, son. I'm coming." No one heard his quiet words, but he somehow felt a little better saying them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

DiNozzo and David: Ziva raced to Tony, who had fallen face first onto the ground. She was terrified when she realized he must have been hit by a shotgun pellet. To have made it this far and then to see him die while trying to save her was unthinkable. Once more, she reached a shaky hand out and felt for the pulse at his neck. For a long few seconds, she could feel nothing but her own trembling. But finally, she was able to make out the fluttering that told her Tony was still alive.

Drawing a shuttering breath, she breathed a prayer of thanks. Glancing back to make sure Mehi was really dead; she gently turned Tony over and began checking him for the new injury. Grabbing the still damp towel she had used to sponge his feverish face, she carefully wiped at the blood that was showing on his right upper arm.

After a more thorough exam, she was able to tell he had just been nicked. The strain of throwing the knife, plus the shock of the added pain must have caused him to black out. Even now, he was stirring beneath her hands as she pressed harder, trying to staunch the flow of blood. Though the wound was not severe, she knew he could not afford to lose much more of the precious fluid.

His eyes blinked and he was completely disoriented for a moment. Then he must have remembered. Trying to sit up, he turned his head, obviously looking for her. "Ziva?" His voice was weak, but the demand in it was clear.

"I am fine, Tony. Mehi is dead. It will be all right now." And in the next few seconds, she knew she was telling the truth. A light shone from the stairs. Without understanding how she knew it, Ziva was sure Gibbs was behind the light.

"Gibbs. We are in here. Tony is alive, but he needs help, now!"

To NCIS Special Agent in Charge, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, those were the sweetest words he had ever heard.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bethesda—90 Minutes Later: Special Agent Timothy McGee was impatient to say the least. Ducky had received a telephone call from Abby, while sitting with Tim in his hospital room. She had told them Ziva and Tony had been found and that she and Jimmy were on their way to help. All she knew was that they were alive and she promised to call when she had more information. But no one had called, no one from the scene was answering their phones, and though both Tim and Dr. Mallard had tried every avenue they could think of to get more information, they had learned nothing. All the hospital staff would tell them was that life flight had been dispatched and should be arriving soon.

"Ducky, they just have to be all right. This is all my fault. I should never have left Tony there." Tim's memory of events had stopped the moment he'd been shot, and instead of things getting clearer, it seemed his ability to remember much of what had happened was getting worse and worse.

Ducky patted his hand, a bit concerned about his memory loss. "It is most certainly NOT your fault Timothy. You likely saved Tony's life. If his condition was as bad as you say, he would not have survived the wound you sustained. Now, please, try not to worry. I know Gibbs will contact us as soon as he is able."

It was at that moment Ducky's phone rang. Almost as if summoned, Gibbs' name showed on the display. "There. See? Now we will learn what has happened."

Dr. Mallard answered the phone. All the patience he had been displaying for McGee was suddenly gone. "Jethro, what took you so long? Don't you know we've been worried sick? What the hell has happened?"

There was the sound of a slight smile in Gibbs' voice. He understood how difficult it was to wait, but there simply had not been time to call before now, and their phones hadn't gotten reception while they were underground. "Sorry Duck. Is McGee there with you? Put me on speaker."

Ducky nodded, forgetting in his concern that Gibbs could not see him. "Go ahead Jethro."

"Tony's in bad shape. I won't lie to you. He should be arriving any time now; life flight left about 10 minutes ago. Ziva is fine, exhausted, but not hurt. Duck, go meet the flight, will you? Jimmy is with him; he wouldn't let me ride in with Tony. There was only room for one in the helicopter."

Ducky was stunned. Gibbs had not gone along with the agent he considered a son? And Jimmy had stopped him? "Mr. Palmer? He is with Tony?" He could not keep the astonishment out of his voice.

"Yeah, well, Duck, he saved his life. So when he insisted on going with 'his' patient, I couldn't very well say no, now could I?"

At that moment, Ducky's pager went off. He glanced at it. "Jethro, the hospital staff is paging me. Anthony must be arriving. I guess it is your turn to wait, but rest assured, I will report as soon as I have any information." With that, Ducky tossed his phone to a startled McGee, knowing the younger agent would want details, and hurried out of the room, still muttering, "Mr. Palmer? Indeed!"

"What happened?" McGee's voice was mixture of relief and trepidation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Surveillance Van, In-bound to Bethesda: Bryce was driving the van again. Vance had stayed at the crime scene with Jenkins, waiting on the rest of Balboa's team to arrive and begin processing it. So Gibbs was in the passenger seat and Abby was sitting behind him, praying all the while.

"McGee? That you?" Gibbs was suddenly so tired nothing was making sense. "Yeah, it's me. Ducky just left. Is Tony going to be okay? Is he going to make it?" Tim's voice sounded almost as exhausted as the rest of them felt.

"He'll make it Tim. I won't allow anything else."

Abby suddenly reached up and took the phone from Gibbs. "I'll talk to him Boss. You get some rest." Gibbs didn't argue, just handed the phone over. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and listened as Abby began filling things in for Agent McGee. Her voice merged with the scenes still running through his head until he wasn't sure what was real and what he might be dreaming.

Gibbs had entered the cell without even clearing it first. He'd thought to himself that he'd have his agents' heads for doing that, but when he'd heard Ziva's voice, nothing could have held him back. The sight that greeted him was less than promising. He glanced quickly at the body on the ground.

"Mehi?" he asked, quickly bending down to ascertain that the man was dead. He'd seen the other two men at the top of the staircase, with the back of their heads blown out and had feared the worst.

"Yes. Tony killed him." Ziva was kneeling beside DiNozzo, trying to stop the fresh blood. Gibbs was almost glad to see it, because it had to mean his agent was still alive. He didn't look alive. He was very still, and if Tim had looked bad, Tony looked much worse.

Nodding at Bryce, he knelt beside his agents. He heard Bryce calling out as he raced back up the stairs and knew the man would not only get Vance and Jenkins there, he would call Abby and Palmer in too, as well as sending for the ambulance that was standing by not far away.

To Gibbs' surprise, as he gently placed his hand on Tony's forehead, his eyes fluttered open. "B,' boss? Ya' really here?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere, son."

"Good, 'cuz 'm real tired 'a bein' in charge." Tony tried to make a joke, but was stopped by the inevitable coughing. Gasping for breath, his back arched as the pain reached for him. Ziva quickly supported him, helping him into a sitting position. Gibbs immediately slid behind the younger man, holding him against his chest. He raised his eyebrows at Ziva with an unspoken question.

"I believe he has pneumonia and his lung is most likely punctured. His breathing has been getting worse." As if to punctuate that fact, Tony suddenly began gasping and choking, and his face started to turn first red, then an alarming shade of blue as it became obvious he wasn't getting enough oxygen into his system.

That was when Abby and Palmer came bounding into the room. Abby shrieked "Tony!" and would have run to him for a hug, but Ziva stopped her with a look and a shake of her head.

"Palmer. Help him. Now!" Gibbs voice was as forceful as Jimmy had ever heard it.

Jimmy quickly opened his bag and withdrew his stethoscope. Bending over he listened, first to Tony's chest, then motioning for them to lean him forward, to his back.

He frowned, frightened by what he was hearing. "I think he has a bad lung." Jimmy shook his head and drew in a deep breath of his own, steadying himself. "I mean, he has a pneumothorax." He listened some more, then looked Tony in the eyes.

Tony stared up at the man he called the autopsy gremlin. He seemed to be begging for help, and his breathing was getting worse. He slowly raised his left hand and grasped Jimmy's sleeve.

His voice was barely discernable. "Help me, Palmer. Whate'er you have to do, get it done." And with that Jimmy's confidence returned.

"His lung is collapsing. I need to place a chest tube. There isn't time to wait." Jimmy reached into his bag, and removed the scalpel he'd hoped not to need. Pulling out the chest tube that had been included when he and Ducky had packed the medical bag, he looked at Tony again. "It's going to hurt, Tony. I'm so sorry."

Tony closed his eyes, but nodded. "Jus' do it, Jimmy. S' okay."

Gibbs held his agent more firmly. Ziva helped cut Tony's shirt off, and watched as Jimmy carefully cleansed the area he would need to cut into with an alcohol swab. Gulping slightly, Jimmy looked up again. "Hold him still. Tony, hold on." And with poise he didn't know where was coming from, Jimmy cut carefully into his friend's side, and proceeded to save his life.

Gibbs could swear he was still hearing the strangled scream Tony had released when the pain had become unbearable. He woke with a start when they pulled into the Bethesda parking lot, hardly able to believe he'd actually slept. Jumping out of the van before it came to a complete stop, he raced inside. Ducky must have known they were coming, because they were met by a member of Dr. Brad Pitt's team.

"Where's DiNozzo?" Gibbs couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.

The nurse nodded. "He's in surgery. It isn't looking real good, but Dr. Pitt thinks he has a chance. Come on, I'll take you all to where Dr. Mallard is waiting. He said you would want to see Agent McGee right away."

Abby and Bryce were right behind Gibbs and they all followed the nurse to McGee's room.

After that, it was a matter of waiting for news. Abby sat by Agent McGee and held his hand. Tim drifted in and out, having finally agreed to some pain management.

Finally, after three long and agonizing hours, Dr. Pitt himself arrived. He was smiling when he entered McGee's room and looked around. Everyone relaxed, realizing that he would not look so happy if there was bad news.

"You know, Gibbs. I'm getting a little tired of working on DiNozzo. Do you think that this time, since we've got him all patched up again, you could at least try to keep him in one piece?"

It was Jimmy Palmer who answered, jumping in before Gibbs could get his mouth open to respond. Truthfully, Gibbs had had to sit down when he saw Dr. Pitt coming down the hall and was just now processing the words and their meaning.

"We'll try, Dr. Pitt. But you know DiNozzo. I don't think my patient is happy unless he's causing trouble." Jimmy grinned, and then looked around at the faces of Team Gibbs, all in various degrees of surprise and amusement at his words. "Ah, well, I mean, your patient, of course. And yours, Dr. Mallard. I mean, I only just worked on him the one time, so of course, that doesn't make him MY patient; at least not ONLY my patient. He's really my friend, not so much my patient. Well, of course, he's YOUR Senior Field Agent, Agent Gibbs, even more than he's my friend. I mean. . . ."

Abby took pity on the young man and slipped her arm around him. "It's okay, Jimmy. After what you did for my Tony, he can be your patient."

"Hear! Hear!" Dr. Mallard was quick to chime in. "I don't think I've ever been prouder or you, young man. But don't think for a moment it means you can take over in autopsy. Why, I remember one time, years ago. It was just after WW2, I believe. I was working in London, and my assistant began to think that he could somehow do my job." He turned toward Palmer, and continued his story.

Gibbs shook his head, and quietly left the room. He needed just a moment to register that fact that his son was going to recover. A moment later, Dr. Pitt followed him out. "How is he really, doc? Will he recover fully?"

Dr. Pitt smiled again. "He'll recover, Gibbs, but its not going to be easy. He was a real mess, still is really." He shook his head, remembering the tension in the operating room as they staff had worked to keep DiNozzo alive.

"He did have a pneumothorax, as Mr. Palmer thought. Without that young man's quick thinking, he would not have lived much longer." Gibbs closed his eyes, realizing again just how close it had been. It was at that moment, that Ziva approached them. She waited, and at Gibbs' nod, the doctor continued.

"He'd been beaten pretty badly, worse than McGee, and that' saying something. He has several broken ribs and his right collar bone is broken. I think is started out as a green stick fracture, but got a lot worse; the bone are displaced. We can really cast it, so he's going to have to wear a brace and a sling for quite some time."

Ziva snorted. "Oh, he will just love that." Gibbs smiled, just a little, thinking of how annoying Tony could be when he was recovering from anything.

"What else, doc?" he asked. Dr. Pitt sighed. "We had to go back in and repair his leg again. That's the part that still has me a bit concerned. He had just barely started to get better before, and the infection was quite severe." He turned and looked at Ziva. "If you hadn't found him when you did, the infection would have become septic. He wouldn't have survived hat either." He shook his head. "He's really a very lucky man."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Lucky? I'm not sure that's the word I'd use." Pitt smiled and nodded. 'Yes, Gibbs. Lucky. Not just to have lived through this nightmare, but lucky to have friends like all of you." And with that, he turned and headed to the nurses station to update DiNozzo's chart.

Gibbs walked a short distance down the hall, then stopped, leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He though Ziva had gone back to Tony's room, so he was a bit startled to feel a hand on his arm a moment later.

"Gibbs." Ziva's voice was soft. "I know. I am also very relieved." And Gibbs surprised himself when he reached out and drew the young Israeli agent into a hug. "Yeah, Ziva. Me too."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

DiNozzo's Hospital Room: It was a few days later, and Tony was fully into recovery mode. He had started complaining the moment he was awake enough to realize that McGee got to go home and he didn't. He just didn't see how that could be fair. He faced more physical therapy and a lot of respiratory therapy as well, and probably at least one more surgery to repair the damage to his leg. His shoulder was already beginning to heal, and he knew the only thing that would really help his ribs was time.

For once, Tony was alone in his room. Tim had come in earlier that morning and the two of them had taken the time to talk, really talk about everything that had happened. McGee had tried to apologize for what he saw as letting the senior agent down, but Tony had stopped him with a look. Then he had surprised both of them by actually getting serious. Tony remembered all too well how he had felt when he thought McGee was dead, and had realized he hadn't told him how proud he was of him, or how glad he was to have him as his partner. So he made sure he took care of that without any further delay. When he was finished, though McGee still wasn't totally convinced he shouldn't have somehow done more to help Tony, he was at least relaxed. In fact as he stopped in the doorway and waved to Tony, he had a gleam in his eye that had not been there before and an air of confidence about him that was new.

Tony laid his head back and let his eyes slowly close. He thought back to the past few days, as his friends; his family really, had come to visit him. Each one had made sure to spend some time alone with him, and had made it very clear how much they cared about him and how worried they had been.

Abby had of course; brought her stuffed hippo, Bert, back for him to "hold" while he was recuperating; this time with strict instructions to keep him until he was released to return to full time duty. She had also brought Sarah McGee with her, and Sarah had enveloped Tony in a huge, but careful hug. "Thank you Tony, for saving my brother's life." Characteristic of a McGee, she didn't think about the danger she herself had been in. But Tony was glad she was all right, and wished her well in her studies. She was heading back to the university in the morning, having gotten permission to complete her finals a week late. He hugged the young woman back and then couldn't contain his laugher as Bert "farted" when he was caught between them.

"Ohh, no, no, don't make me laugh. Hurts!" Abby couldn't help but chuckle and she chattered on, telling Tony how much Bryce had helped and how sorry the other agent was for everything that had happened because of his family.

Bryce Mallory had come in the night before and he and Tony had had a long talk. Though he didn't feel there was any apology necessary, Tony had accepted the other man's heartfelt one with grace. "I guess my brother was just, well, twisted somehow. He never recovered from Tate's death, and just got sicker than any of us realized." Bryce was subdued, but was able to at least begin releasing some of the guilt he had been carrying.

Bryce told Tony he was going to transfer to the Seattle office. He wanted to be a little closer to his mother on the West Coast, since she was really the only family he had left. "Gibbs put in a good word for me. I'll be on Ed Gustafson's team."

Tony had raised his eyebrows at that. "Gustafson? He's great, man. He and Gibbs go way back. Congrats Bryce. But, if you ever get tired of the rain out there, just say the word. I know we'd love to have you back, anytime." The two had shaken hands and Tony knew he had a new friend for life.

Palmer had shyly accepted Tony's warm thanks for doing the difficult duty of the emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his collapsed lung. He couldn't help joking that maybe Palmer's nickname from their work together on an undercover case-'Black Lung'- was somehow very appropriate. The two of them, already good friends, realized that their bond had gotten even stronger.

Ducky had divided his time between admonishing the agent to take care of himself this time, and regaling him with numerous stories. Tony had at least gotten a lot of sleep whenever Ducky was keeping him company.

Gibbs had spent the most time with him, rarely leaving his room except to get the inevitable coffee. He just wanted Tony to know he was there whenever he opened his eyes. Though DiNozzo had been pretty out of it for the first day and a half, every time he had awakened for even a minute, his eyes had immediately searched out his Boss, and as soon as he'd seen that Gibbs was still there, he'd been able to relax and rest. They had talked some, but words weren't really necessary between them. It was enough that they knew they could always count on the other. Tony had asked once, where DiNozzo Senior was, since the man had not made it in to visit him.

Gibbs tried to keep the disgust out of his voice. "I called him, Tony. He said to tell you he's glad you're going to be okay, but that he just can't get away. Said his new business venture is at too critical a juncture to leave right now." Gibbs didn't tell him that DiNozzo, Sr. had made that statement before any of them knew for sure if Tony was going to make a full recovery. He tried to soften the blow he knew this must be. But to his surprise, Tony barely seemed to notice his father's absence.

"Doesn't matter, Gibbs. Nothing has changed with him; never will. Anyway, I've got you, so what do I need another Dad for?" Tony had sought his boss' eyes with his own, trying to gauge how that statement would go over. Gibbs smiled, one of the few full smiles he ever let anyone see. "You got that right, son. You got that right."

Agent Ziva David had been the last one to come to see him. Gibbs had been sitting with him, and Tony was starting to feel well enough to get bored. So of course, he'd been badgering Gibbs to try and bust him out of the hospital early. Gibbs had been more than happy to leave a restless and impatient DiNozzo in Ziva's capable hands.

After their usual banter, things had suddenly seemed a bit strained. "Ziva," Tony started, at the exact time she said, "Tony." At that, the tension had eased. "Go ahead Ziv."

Ziva had sat down next to him and reached for his hand. "Tony, I was so very afraid for you. I did not want anything bad to happen to you. And I felt I somehow needed to be the one to help you this time. After Somala—"

Tony interrupted rather forcefully. "Screw Somalia! That's over and done with. Let's just say we're even now, all right? No more talk of anyone owing anyone anything. Deal?" He studied her face, and was finally rewarded with her dazzling mile.

"Deal, DiNozzo. But," she held up one finger and pointed it at him. "I do not think I care to be your sister, is that understood?"

Tony's look of confusion made her smile all the more. Obviously, he did not remember telling her she was like a sister, since they both considered Gibbs as a father.

When he started to ask about it, she took that same finger and laid it across his lips. "Never mind. I will tell you that story another time." She got up then, but before she left, she surprised both of them by placing a quick kiss on his lips. "I am very glad to have you back, Tony. But if you ever do this to me again," she stood and glared at him now, as she headed back for NCIS, "I will personally kick your ass, do you understand?"

Tony decided maybe he really didn't want to know what either her comment about being his sister or the kiss meant. "Yeah, I think I do. Don't want my ass kicked by a mere girl, so I guess I'll try to behave." Gibbs returned at that moment with his coffee, and almost had it spilled as Ziva whirled around intent on making sure Tony knew she was no mere 'girl."

"Guess some things will never change, will they?" Gibbs asked rhetorically has he sat back down beside DiNozzo's bed. "Not that I'd want them to." Neither Tony nor Ziva was sure they'd heard that right.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

DiNozzo's Hospital Room: Almost a week later, the whole team, minus Abby, was gathered back at the hospital. Tony was being released later that day, and they were waiting for his final discharge instructions. This time he would be staying with Gibbs, who had no intention of letting him out of his sight until he was completely healed.

Vance even showed up, and good naturedly started ribbing the agent. "DiNozzo, it's about time you quit loafing around and get back to work. Gibbs is driving everyone crazy without you around to take the heat off of them. He even tried to head slap me once!"

Everyone laughed, as they tried to imagine Gibbs head-slapping the very dignified Agency Director.

Tony leaned back, casually folding his arms. If he was careful, he could move his right arm now without too much pain. He was hoping no one would notice that he hadn't bothered with the sling. But that was to no avail. Gibbs frowned at him, and held the offending piece of material out. "Are you going to cooperate DiNozzo or do I need to put this on you?"

Tony sighed and slipped it on. "So, what's for dinner boss? T-Bones? Your famous spaghetti? Maybe a foot long subway sandwich?"

Gibbs couldn't resist teasing him. "Well, no, DiNozzo. I ordered pizza. Thought it was your favorite."

Tony stopped, mouth open in stunned surprise. "I dunno, Boss. I'm not sure I can ever eat pizza again."

At that moment, Abby walked in. She was carrying a box, and from it came the unmistakable smell of a pepperoni pizza. "Oh, no! You have to eat this, Tony. You have no idea how much trouble I had sneaking it in."

"Not to worry, Abs," Tim laughed and reached for the box. "I have no problem eating pizza." But before he could get his hands on the box, he was startled when Tony grabbed it away from him. "The hell you will, McGee! No one gets between a man and his pizza!" And he tore into the box, taking his first bite with gusto.

Dr. Brad Pitt was just coming down the hall, pretending he didn't smell pepperoni pizza. As he heard the laugher ring out from his favorite patient's room, he smiled. "Amen to that, DiNozzo. Amen to that."

The End

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ NCIS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Well, here we are, at the end of the ride. Thank you again, to everyone who has reviewed, alerted this story or me as an author, added it to your favorites, and for just reading it. To see the amount of traffic it has been getting worldwide has made me grin.

One quick note about locations – since I am from the West Coast – figuring out where things are back east is a bit of a challenge. So I go on line and find places I like the sound of – and that is where the action takes place. If I am way off base with something, sorry in advance.

If I have not replied to at least one of your reviews, I deeply apologize. I have tried to reply at least once to everyone who has taken the time to review. But between working full time, managing a very busy household, and trying to write and edit the chapters on a semi regular basis, I may have missed someone. Even so, please know that reviews are what encourage me more than anything. Thank you all—so, very, very much.

I have finally gotten a beta reader, (thanks to Everybetty for agreeing to help me edit my stories), so my next story, another one set in NCIS-land, and called "Without A Doubt," will have some additional editing behind it and I am looking forward to that experience. I hope to start writing it in the next few weeks, but we are getting into our busy season at work, so no promises. I will try to have it mostly written before I post the first chapter, so as not to make you wait too long in between them.

I am dedicating this chapter to all the Fathers and Father-figures out there. I was blessed to have a Dad who loved me, encouraged me to read and who also loved to write his own stories down. I was further blessed to have a Father-in-law who was my surrogate Dad for years and years. Both of my Dads are gone now; my Father passed away unexpectedly three days after Christmas this past year and I lost my dear Father-in-law in 2005. Because of the recent loss of my own Dad, the idea of Fathers and their children is particularly poignant to me right now.

So, to Dad and Daddy – this is for you. Thank you for your love and for the influence you both had on my life. If there are computers in heaven, maybe you'll get a kick out of reading my little stories.

I hope you enjoyed the final installment of "Twisted Brother." It's been a blast to write it. Thank you again for reading and reviewing and for all of your kind words. Blessings to you al!l Until next time—take care—Caro June.