A/N Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was in Germany for 3 weeks (It was amazing!) and then when I got home I couldn't remember where I was going with any of my fanfics. I'm back on track now, though. Just be patient.

Washington DC—Bullpen

Sam was waiting at the elevator when Callen caught up to him.

"Okay, I just talked to Hettie. She said we can go to the hotel; she'll tell Gibbs when she gets the chance."

"All right, but we're gonna have to take the stairs."

"Why? We've been working hard all day, I'm tired, and the elevator is right here!"

"No, it's not, G. I think it's stuck."

"What do you mean, 'stuck'?" Callen asked, jabbing the button about five times before realizing why it might be stuck.

"You're right, Sam. The stairs are a good option. The elevator could take awhile."

"Why's that?" asked Kensi, as she and Dom joined them.

"It's stuck," explained Sam.

"Do you think anyone is in there?" asked an anxious Dom.

"Definitely," responded Callen.

"What? What should we do?"

Callen almost laughed at the urgency in Kensi's voice. "We go to the hotel, just like we were going to," he responded, "but we take the stairs." He actually did start chuckling at the incredulous looks he was receiving. "I'll explain on the way to the car…"

Washington DC—Elevator

Gibbs slammed his palm against the emergency brake. He turned on McGee first smacking his head hard.

"What were you thinking?"

McGee hung his head. "Boss, I—"

"You what, McGee? What's your excuse for making Abby's bad day even worse? You know how she gets—"

"Yes, Gibbs, I do," McGee interrupted. "I'm always the one there to comfort her. I'm the one who had to spend all day pretending I believe that there's a way to get Tony and Ziva both back here alive! Abby's not the only one worried sick, but the rest of us can't show it, because we're afraid of what it'll do to her! I wasn't thinking, okay? And, like I said, you didn't hear what he said!"

Gibbs slowly held up his hand. "Okay, Tim. I understand." Then he turned and smacked Eric, just as hard as he had McGee.

"Ow! I'm the victim here, remember?"

"Maybe. It depends on what you said."

Eric started fidgeting with the box of tissues in his hand.

"Well?"

"I was having trouble with the lab equipment, so McGee came over and told me to get out of his way. I told him that if I had something to do—"

Gibbs glared at him. "We told you to assist Abby," he reminded Eric coldly.

"I know!" Eric said hurriedly. "But she wasn't doing anything. So I told McGee that, by definition of the word 'assist', I shouldn't have been doing anything either."

Gibbs' glare got even more fierce.

"But that's not how you said it! You said, 'She's over there lying on the floor, so shouldn't I be lying with her?'"

Eric belatedly understood the inferred meaning. "No! No, I didn't mean it that way!"

"Didn't you?" McGee asked, a hard edge to his voice.

Gibbs smacked them both again. "So, I guess DiNozzo was right."

"Right about what?" Eric asked, but Tim thought he already knew.

"McGee, I know Tony already gave you this lecture, so I shouldn't have to tell you again, but it doesn't look like it sank in. There's too much work to be done for you two to focus on that stupid rivalry. Besides, McGee! What's rule number 12?"

"Never date a coworker," McGee muttered.

"That's right! So, tomorrow morning you two are going to forget about Abby. I need the two of you hacking into Mossad to see what Eli David is hiding from us. Together. Got it?"

"But—" Eric started to argue, but McGee interrupted him.

"We got it, Boss."

"Good." Gibbs released the elevator from its standstill. He was silent for a moment, wondering what was happening to his two agents, when he realized that the one he still had might need protection.

"McGee!" he said suddenly, pulling the man from his thoughts.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Did Sarah bring Jethro back to your place yet?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Good. Keep your gun by your bed tonight. If Jethro barks, grab it. You might need it."

"You don't think…"

"I think Eli David will do anything to take Ziva away from us. Be careful," he

said as they exited the elevator.

"What about Abby?" McGee asked.

"She's staying at my place tonight."

"Gibbs, please—" McGee began.

"I'll lock the door, don't worry," Gibbs promised, turning to walk to his car.

"Do you want Jethro tonight? He's a great guard dog," McGee hollered after him.

Gibbs turned and walked back to where McGee stood, and smacked him for the

third time that night. "Don't you listen to a word I say? I know he's a good guard dog, that's why you can stay at home tonight. Abby will be fine." At McGee's uncertain expression, he added, "I'll be fine. Go home and get some rest."

Washington DC—Bullpen

The next morning, Gibbs called everyone into the bullpen: Callen, Hettie, Sam, Kensi, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Eric, and Nate were all awaiting instruction.

"Campfire," Gibbs said as he walked into the bullpen, coffee in hand.

"Boss, there aren't enough chairs…"

"Then stand if you have to!" Gibbs snapped.

Everyone shuffled to arrange the few chairs quickly, so as to keep Gibbs from

getting even angrier.

"So, what'd you guys find out yesterday?" Callen asked Kensi, Dom, and Nate.

Kensi opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Nate.

"Oh, you know…"

Kensi silenced him with a glare. "We didn't find out much at all. The rental place didn't keep great records."

"By that do you mean any at all?" Abby asked.

"Exactly."

Gibbs stood there looking furious, but said nothing.

"Did you find anything interesting helpful in the evidence yesterday, Miss

Sciuto?" Hettie asked.

"Yes!"

Everyone visibly brightened. Even Gibbs.

"McGee…"

He picked up the remote for the plasma screen.

"Okay, so we're about 93% sure that the guy who took Ziva and Tony also killed

Jeanne yesterday. So I watched the video of the car that did it again, and I got really close up on the guy's face." The picture appeared on the screen, looking very blurry. Abby's face fell for a moment, when there was no smart aleck comment from DiNozzo about the clarity. She sighed, and continued, "I cleaned it up as well as I could, and sent it through facial recognition,even though 'as well as I could' wasn't very good at all. Then I prayed a lot, but I didn't get a match. Then I thought maybe I could compare it to other videos around that area here in DC. I think I got a match." McGee flipped to the next picture, of a Middle-Eastern man eating at a McDonalds.

Abby sighed again, then said, "What's with these guys that keep taking us? One's got a Caf-Pow addiction, and the other's caught eating at McDonalds!" in her best Tony voice.

McGee and Ducky chuckled sadly, and Gibbs' mouth twitched into a slight smile.

The others, confused, realized that they wouldn't understand, even if it was

explained. So they went on with the conversation.

"So can you clean that up and run it through facial recognition?" Callen asked.

Abby shook her head. "I tried that. He's not in the system." Ignoring the

disappointed faces around her, she added, "We can, however, use it to try and triangulate his position. If we take into account that—"

McGee and Eric were already moving.

"The accident happened at this intersection—"

"And there's the McDonalds—"

"Here's Ziva's place—"

"Got it!" They yelled at the same time. They hadn't noticed the shocked faces of

everyone else as they worked together. "What?" they asked, confused.

"Nothing," Callen answered. "Just tell us where we should be looking."

McGee pulled up a map. "We can't be sure, but he's probably somewhere within

this three mile radius."

"Got it," Gibbs said. "Callen and Sam, you're in one car. Kensi, with Dom, in another. McGee, you're with me. Let's go find this dirtbag."

A/N Remember, reviews are appreciated. Even "I can't stand what you're doing! What were you thinking?" reviews.