The electricity was back on by the time Abby woke up, the smell of pancakes drifting upstairs. Abby showered, dressed and headed downstairs to find Donny flipping pancakes while frying bacon. "You made breakfast?"

"Yep. I hope you're hungry!"

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I'm starving!"

"You're in luck. My grandma ran a breakfast place in Montana; I spent my summers working for her."

"Can't wait." Abby was about to pour two glasses of orange juice when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Abby rounded the corner, headed for the front door and opened it. "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Jason and I'm with Direct Cable and Internet. We're making rounds to check that everything is in working order. May I come in and take a look at the internet and cable plug-ins?"

"I think-"

Abby was cut off when Donny rounded the corner and stepped up behind her. "What's going on?"

"Something about the internet and cable after last night's storm, but I think everything is good. Cable works, but have you checked the net?"

"Yeah, everything is in working order." Donny eyed the man at the door.

"Oh, well I was just hoping to take a look and make sure there isn't a risk of shortage or anything. With the way things are these days, we like to check everything over so as to avoid any trouble later on."

Abby looked at Donny over her shoulder. She could easily look over the internet connection, but she didn't know as much about the cable. "I'll keep an eye on breakfast if you want to show him the cable hookups in the living room and in Tobias' room."

"Sure." Donny moved so Abby could go back to the kitchen and then brought Jason to the living room and then to Fornell's bedroom. He only took a few minutes in each spot as Donny waited in the doorway. When he was finished, he escorted Jason back to the front door. They shook hands and Donny shut and locked the door behind him.

---

Vincent wasn't sure how he was going to get to Ms. Sciuto, but when the wind storm blew through the area it gave him an idea. Getting his hands on the supplies he needed proved to be a tad difficult, but it worked out fine in the end.

He watched the house from the spot he parked down the street until he saw Fornell get in his car and drive away. He moved his van down the block one house at time, taking his time to note any movement he saw.

He smiled politely when Abby opened the door after he rang the doorbell. "Hi, I'm Jason and I'm with Direct Cable and Internet. We're making rounds to check that everything is in working order. May I come in and take a look at the internet and cable plug-ins?"

He couldn't deny Abby's good looks as he watched her think of an answer. "I think-"

Vincent struggled to hold a pleasant expression on his face when he saw an unfamiliar man step up behind Abby. He had seen Fornell leave an hour or two before, but hadn't seen anyone else arrive. Donny let him in, but stayed close as he pretended to fiddle with the cable hookups. He hadn't been sure if he had planned to do anything with Abby that day, or just leave a warning for Agent Fornell; he had waited a few more weeks between killing his last two victims, but one thing was sure – he wanted to scare Fornell. He'd written up a little note and while Donny paced in the hallway outside Fornell's room, he was able to tape the note to the front of the flat screen TV.

"All done." He stepped outside and followed Donny back to the front door. "Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions." He heard Donny lock the door behind him.

Vincent drove for a mile before pulling into a parking lot, switching into a plain shirt, and hopping onto the first bus that drove past.

---

The phone rang less than two minutes after Donny shut the door. "Who was that?"

Donny recognized the agents across the street. "Someone with the internet and cable company checking on things after last night's storm."

"Everything okay over there?"

"Yep, we're good." Donny hung up and went to find Abby in the kitchen. "Everything ready?"

"Yeah." Abby was just setting two plates on the table. "What'd he do?"

"I don't know." Donny shrugged. "I don't know all that much about internet and cable stuff."

"Maybe I'll just take a look." Abby left her plate on the table and went to the living room. She looked over the cable connection but noted nothing out of the ordinary. She switched the TV on and then off again when it worked just fine. She felt weird going into Tobias' room, but went in anyway. She looked behind the dresser that the TV sat on and again, nothing out of the ordinary. When she turned the TV on, she noticed the paper taped to the screen. She wasn't sure if she should open it - it could be something that Tobias had put there to remember, but curiosity had gotten the best of her, and Abby un-folded the paper.

Agent Fornell – Your girlfriend, she's cute. Just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about you. We'll talk soon, I'm sure.

Abby took the stairs two at a time, the note held tightly in her hand. "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God! It was him!" She was trembling as she laid the note out in front of Donny.

Donny read the note over and sprung up from his chair, first calling the agents across the street and then dialing Fornell.

Abby raced up to her room, grabbed her cell phone and ducked into the closet, pulling the doors shut behind her; her fingers shook as she dialed Gibbs' number.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs!" Abby swallowed against the lump in her throat. "He was here, Gibbs! The guy that was after me, he was here."

"Fuck!" Abby could hear the sound of Gibbs' footsteps up racing up his basement steps. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you, Abby? I'm on my way."

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt."

"Stay there, okay? Stay on the line, I'll be right there. I'm on my way."

"Just hurry. Hurry, please." Abby whispered into the phone. Her phone slipped from her sweaty hand and the phone disconnected. The closet was dark and she couldn't see where it landed, but the idea of opening the closet door to gain a little light wasn't worth giving up the security that the dark provided.

"Grow up Abigail, there is nothing to hide from. He isn't in the house anymore, you know that. You even got a fairly decent look at the guy and could probably pull together a sketch with Jody the sketch artist at NCIS. Jody is nice," Abby rambled quietly to herself as she wrapped her arms around her legs and drew her knees up to her chest.

---

Gibbs knew there was something wrong from the moment Abby first said his name. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when she explained that Vincent had been in the house. Gibbs ran up the stairs, grabbed his gun and keys, and was in the car peeling out of the driveway before Abby had finished explaining. "Stay there, okay? Stay on the line, I'll be right there. I'm on my way."

His mind nearly exploded as she begged him to hurry. He told her that he was going as fast as he could and then tossed his phone over to the passenger seat when he realized he was talking to the dial tone. He believed her when she said she was okay, but the fact that she hung up when he told her not to made him press his foot on the accelerator.

Two agents were standing out in front of Tobias' house when Gibbs' car came to a screeching halt. He flashed his badge and headed inside. Fornell hadn't arrived yet, and Donny was busy talking with one of the agents from across the street. "Abby!"

Donny shrugged. "She was here, but I think she disappeared upstairs. She hasn't come back down."

Gibbs rushed upstairs and paused outside of Emily's room. He used the knuckle of his index finger to knock softly before opening the door. The room was empty, but he heard a soft mumble coming from the closet. "Abby?"

He stepped closer when the babbling stopped. "Abby, it's me. I'm going to open the door now, okay?" Gibbs opened the door a few inches. "Abby?"

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs opened the door further, letting the light illuminate the closet, showing Abby curled up next to a box. He watched as she blinked a few times against the light and then reached a hand out so Gibbs could help her up. Gibbs took her hand, but rather than pull her up he stepped inside the closet and sat beside her, pulling the door closed as he sat.

Abby fumbled around in the dark until she found his arm and wiggled her way underneath. With Gibbs' arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders, Abby leaned into him and released a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding in.

Holding her tightly, Gibbs pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He didn't want to say anything until he was sure she was ready to talk, so until she was ready, he let his chin rest on her head and held her as close as he could.

"He came for me, Gibbs. He could've killed me."

This is why Gibbs had been against the idea from the very beginning; he couldn't be there around the clock to keep her safe. And now, more than ever, he didn't trust the people Tobias had hired. "He won't get you Abby. I won't let him, and…" Gibbs hesitated a moment before continuing. He didn't want to say it, but he knew Abby needed to hear it. "Tobias won't let him hurt you either."

"I saw him. I talked to him. There was nothing stopping him from pulling out a gun and shooting me."

"I'm here now."Gibbs didn't know what to say, so he kissed the top of her head again. "You're safe."

"I know."

They sat a few minutes longer until Abby was ready to leave the security of the dark closet. She got to her feet first and then pulled Gibbs up. They headed downstairs, Abby gripping Gibbs' hand tightly as they heard Donny explaining what had happened to Fornell.

Fornell heard them coming down the stairs and stepped away from Donny, coming to a halt in front of Abby. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Gibbs stepped in between Abby and Fornell. "This stops. Now."

Abby rolled her eyes and move around them to stand by Donny.

"Excuse me?" Fornell rocked back on his heels.

"You heard me. It ends, right now."

"It can't! This guy is going to make a move, and now that both Abby and Donny have seen him, we can get a sketch and ask around. He's made his first move, we can get prints off the note he left. Abby is safe, Donny was here the whole time."

"What was stopping him from pulling out a gun and taking them both out? Nothing! Tobias, this guy walked in here like it was no big deal! You promised to keep her safe, and if you can't do that, she's done."

"Then she's done? That's it, like you make her decisions for her?"

Abby shook her head and looked over at Donny. "This will quickly get out of hand."

Donny kept his eyes on the two men. "You gonna stop it?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

Abby turned to see Gibbs advance on Fornell, poking his index finger against Fornell's chest. "This ends today. You find him today. She's not staying here tonight."

"Jethro, you need to step outside and cool off before this goes too far."

Gibbs stayed where he was, inches from Fornell. "Too far? She could've died today! You plan on waiting until this scum bag gets her before you realize you've taken it too far?!"

"Oh come on Jethro. You're enjoying this aren't you? Getting to play hero for-" Fornell didn't get the chance to finish. Gibbs' fist flew, and although Fornell saw it coming, Gibbs was quick and caught him in the jaw. Fornell was quick with the return, his blow glancing off Gibbs' cheek bone.

Abby had been willing to let them duke it out verbally, but as it turned physical, she wasn't about to stand by and let two friends hurt each other. She moved to intervene but caught one of their elbows in the stomach and was knocked to the ground with a thud. "Ow! Hey!"

Both men froze as Abby shouted and she ignored both their offers to help her to her feet. "You!" Abby poked her finger against Fornell's chest. "Sit." She pointed to the dining room table, indicating that he should pull out a chair and sit. "And you," Abby turned to poke Gibbs. "You go sit in the living room. Now."

Both men were silent as they did as they were told. Abby went to the kitchen and grabbed two icepacks. She tossed one to Donny and nodded toward Fornell. "Sit here with him and put that on his face. Gibbs hits pretty hard, he'll need it. Stay out here."

With Donny tending to Fornell and his split lip, Abby brought an icepack out to where Gibbs sat on the couch. Although his back was toward her, Abby could tell that he was looking at all the candles spread around the room from the night before. "Russ, Tobias and I played Monopoly while the power was out. The candles are from last night."

"I know." Gibbs mumbled. He wasn't about to admit that a romantic evening between Fornell and Abby had been the first thought to come to mind.

Abby stepped around the couch to sit next to him. "Look at me." Gibbs turned slightly to look at Abby and let her press the icepack to his cheekbone. "Do I have to tell you that was unnecessary?"

"No."

"Good."

"I wasn't kidding, though; I don't want you staying here tonight with this guy still on the run."

"I'm supposed to go shopping with Ziva tomorrow. I could stay at her place. You trust her, don't you?"

Gibbs smiled. "Yeah, I trust her a lot more than I trust these goons, though I'll call DiNozzo and have him spend the night." Gibbs rolled his eyes at the look on her face. "On the couch."

"You could come over?" Abby suggested and asked at the same time.

"I would, but I've got some things to take care of." Abby knew better than to ask what he would be doing. She was sure it involved joining in on the hunt for Vincent Kain. "Why don't you give Ziva a call and ask her to pick you up?"

"Alright." Abby took the icepack off his cheek and, satisfied that there wouldn't be much of a bruise, if any, leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thanks Gibbs."

Gibbs wasn't sure what the kiss was for, but he'd take it.

----

TBC…