Washington DC—Abby and McGee's Usual Restaurant

Pulling into the parking lot, a huge grin spread over McGee's face. Abby's hearse was already parked. That meant that she had already ordered drinks and an appetizer, and he would be teasingly chastised for making her wait.

She walked into the restaurant with happy confidence, but stopped short when he saw their usual table. It was empty.

But her hearse is right there in the parking lot! Where is she? Did she get another table, or…

No. He refused to finish that thought.

An overpowering fear washing over him, he ran up to the first waiter he saw and asked if he'd seen her. You couldn't really forget a girl like Abby. With confusion and concern, the man directed McGee to a different table where, sure enough, she was sitting.

Instead of rushing over to her with a relieved hug, however, he froze. She was not alone.

His jaw dropped, and he tried to think of who this man might be. His back was to McGee, so all he could see was that the stranger had blond hair.

McGee got over the initial shock quickly. She probably needs me to do a favor for a friend, like she did at Christmas…

Then Abby spotted him and waved, and the man turned around. McGee's mouth closed again into a scowl.

Sitting with Abby was none other than Eric Beal.

Washington DC—Bullpen

Gibbs' cell phone was ringing. After pausing to check the caller ID, he answered. "Gibbs."

"Hey," Callen said, "I think I was given the wrong address for Ziva's apartment. I knocked and identified myself, but no one is letting me in."

After clarifying that Callen was, in fact, standing outside Ziva's door, Gibbs' gut gave a lurch.

"Get in there. Something's not right. I don't care if you kick her door in; just get in there!"

"The door was unlocked…and there seems to be blood here on the living room floor. Give me a minute…"

After the few minutes it took to make sure the apartment was clear, Callen came back on the phone. "Gibbs." He sounded anxious.

"They're gone."

Washington DC—Restaurant

Abby crossed her arms at McGee, a warning to behave himself. Eric would have received the same look, but he had his back to Abby to glare at McGee.

As much as he wanted to turn back around and leave, McGee knew he couldn't. First of all, he wanted to keep an eye on Eric. Secondly, he was starving. Third, and most important, he did not want an angry Abby on his back.

So he walked up to the table. "Hey, Abs," he said, trying to ignore Eric. Seeing the warning in her disapproving look, he sighed and added with a sharp nod, "Beal."

Eric returned with a curt nod. "McGee."

Abby sighed. "You can't make this easy for me, can you?"

In response to her question, they both looked unhappily across the table at each other."

She sighed again, and changed the subject. "So, Timmy, how'd you get Tony to let you leave the protection detail? And how did your replacement get there so fast?"

"He just said I could go. And, um, I don't know if Callen's there yet," he mumbled.

She gaped at him. "He told you to leave him to guard Ziva alone? And you listened? Does Gibbs know?"

"Ziva is a trained assassin, Abby. She can hold up her end of a fight," he told her defensively.

"McGee, they are both emotionally unstable right now. Neither of them are going to be at their best. And you just left them there like sitting ducks! And one word, McGee: Somalia!"

This lunch was not going as he had hoped. "Abby, Callen is on his way now, if he hasn't arrived already. Now please, stop worrying, and try to enjoy your lunch."

The emphasis on the word "try" was obviously directed at Eric, which only fueled Abby's glare at him. Then she turned away to talk to Eric. Just then, McGee's phone rang.

"Boss?"

"McGee." Gibbs sounded relieved. "Where are you?"

"At the restaurant down the street where Abby and I always go for lunch, Boss. Why?"

"Are Tony and Ziva with you?" The relief in his voice had turned into urgency…

"No, Boss, they're still at Ziva's apartment."

…And then into anger. "Why aren't you there with them?"

"Tony said I could go eat lunch…"

"Did I say you could go?"

"Well, no, Boss, but…"

"But what, McGee?"

"Boss, what's going on?"

"They're not there, McGee!"

He paled. Seeing Abby and Eric staring at him (the former concerned; the latter just confused), he got up and walked outside.

"Are you sure, Boss?"

"Callen just called to tell me that no one was letting him in. I told him to go in anyway, and he said the apartment door was unlocked, and it was empty. He also found blood on the floor."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you back here now! We're already two agents down, and I don't want to lose anymore. Bring Abby with you, I want you all in one place."

"Got it, Boss."

He walked back inside to the table and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "Come on; we're leaving."

The tone of his voice told Eric and Abby that it would be pointless to argue.

As they were walking out the door, Abby asked, "So, where are we going?"

"Back to NCIS. Gibbs' orders. I'll tell you why in the car," he said, grabbing her arm as she turned to go to her hearse.

"McGee! Let me go! How can we get back to work if you won't let me drive?"

"We're taking my car, Abs," he said, calmly and patiently, like he'd had to use that tone before. This made Eric blink. How often did she need talking to like that?

"No," she said firmly, freeing herself. She grinned deviously. "I am taking my car, and you two are taking yours."

He grabbed her again as she made to take off running so they would have to ride together. This time, however, his grip was tighter, and he gave a yank. "Abby, you're not listening. Gibbs says he wants us all in one place, and that place is my car. Jeanne was killed in a vehicular homicide this morning, and we don't want you to be next."

Seeing the stubborn look creep into her eyes, Eric did the one thing he never thought he'd do.

He sided with McGee.

"He's right, Abby. Let's go."

Though she crossed her arms and huffed at them, she obeyed. She could tell when she'd lost.

McGee looked at Eric, as if seeing him for the first time in a differently light. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"So, what's so important that Gibbs won't even let us eat lunch?" Abby asked. It was a joke, but she expected an answer.

McGee looked at her reflection in his mirror and sighed. He really didn't want to be the one to tell her, but he knew better than to lie to her. "He got them, Abby."

He wished he'd argued with her when she told Eric to take the front seat. She was so intent on having the two of them become friends, but he just wanted her in the seat next to his, to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"What?"

"Tony and Ziva. They're gone."

Here it came. The team called this phase "Hurricane Abby".

"No, they're not, McGee. Eric, tell him he's wrong!"

One glance at McGee's pained and guilty expression told Eric that he was telling the truth.

"Eric!" She was getting hysterical. McGee looked again at her image in his mirror, then pulled into a convenience store parking lot.

"Here," he said to Eric, handing him some cash. "Buy as much Caff-Pow as you can. We're going to need it."

"Why don't you buy it?"

"Because if the guy we're after is following us, and wants his shot at all of us, I've got the gun and the training to protect her."

That seemed logical to Eric, especially when he looked at the woman in the back seat. He nodded and took the money. "Okay."

When they were alone, Abby looked up angrily at McGee. "Can't you learn form other people's mistakes, McGee?"

"What are you talking about, Abby?"

"Jenny. Tony and Ziva listened to her when she told them to leave, and she died because of it!"

"Abby, that wasn't their fault. They were following orders." It was all he could do to stay calm.

"What's your excuse? You don't follow Gibbs' orders if you don't believe in them, yet you follow Tony's suggestion, no questions asked?"

"Abby, stop! You're right; I should have stayed. But Tony shouldn't have suggested I leave in the first place."

"Don't you dare blame Tony for his own kidnapping! Don't you think you've done enough to him today?"

"Me?"

"Yes! Because you called him selfish at the crime scene this morning and made him mad, he had to be the one to discover Jeanne's body! Now there's this…"

He had been about to yell back at her when he heard a tap at the window. Instinctively, he reached for his gun, then looked up to see Eric juggling five Caff-Pows. He reached across to open the door for him, then took two and gave them to Abby.

"Here," he said shortly.

Eric blinked as he got in. What had he missed?