I must still be in the Christmas spirit…'cause here's another update!

Thanks to:

1Styx and Stones1

Tiva lovah

Are you guys excited for this tasty, but short, bonus?

Snapshot: Gibbs holding Lacey as the elevator doors began to shut.

The duo of Gibbs and Lacey reached the NCIS building with more caffeinated beverages, well hot chocolate for the girl but coffee for Gibbs. The office was still dim in the morning light, but one figure could be made out spinning in McGee's chair. "Good morning Abby."

Springing out of the chair, something in Abby's arms fell forgotten to the floor. "Gibbs! I thought you had been Gibbs-napped or- Oh, who's this?"

Gibbs smiled reassuringly at Lacey, "This is Lacey. She's going to be staying here for a while."

"Hello Lacey, my name is Abby," the tall Goth smiled at the little girl who looked like she was about to bolt behind Gibbs' tall form. Her face mimicked what Gibbs' face usually looked like, completely devoid of emotion…except she hadn't figured out how to mask her eyes yet. They still showed her fear.

"Do you have any more information on the weapon?" Gibbs asked as he dropped a bag behind his desk.

"I actually do…would you and Lacey like to come down to the lab with moi?"

Gibbs nodded and Lacey readjusted her grip on Gibbs hand. Abby took that for yes. The trio had just began the trek when Abby remembered what she had dropped, "Burt!" she gasped, then spun around to retrieve the poor little hippo from the floor by McGee's desk.

"It's okay Burt, I still love you. I just got excited that Gibbs hadn't been Gibbs-napped and that he brought cute-as-a-button Lacey with him. Oh, you'd like to meet Lacey? I'll see what I can do about that."

From her actions and her face, Gibbs was betting that Lacey didn't like being in the elevator…let alone with someone most people might consider slightly creepy who was having a conversation with a farting hippo.

"Lacey, my friend Burt is a little miffed that I didn't formally introduce you back in the office. So Burt, this is Lacey, Lacey this is my farting hippo Burt," Abby gave Burt a good squeeze and he farted loud enough to make any hippo proud.

Burt's antics made Lacey's emotionless face light up with a smile for just a second. Holding out her own gangly, tabby colored cat that she had received from the hospital staff, she looked at Abby expectantly.

"Well isn't this a cute cat. What's her name, Stripes?" Abby asked as the elevator dinged at the Lab Floor. Lacey shook her head as the trio stepped off the elevator and headed for the lab.

Flipping on the lights, Gibbs led Lacey back through Abby's lab. Scooping her up, he plopped her on Abby's chair then pulled open one of the drawers to reveal a stack of white paper and some brightly colored Sharpies.

"Can you draw me a picture of you and your cat while I talk with Abby for a few minutes?" Gibbs asked.

Nodding, she pulled a single sheet from the drawer as well as a pink marker, completely focused on her work.

"So, what do you got for me Abs?"

"I have many questions and maybe an answer for you. First, where did-"

"My answer, then your questions Abby," Gibbs interjected.

Abby heaved a huge sigh, "Okayy. Well, surprisingly enough, the knife was easy to id. There are a very few with the exact demotions that our murder weapon does. It's one of these bad boys."

Up on the screen was a long, sleek fixed-bladed knife with a long handle, "It's a United Kingdom Special Forces Knife. You can buy them at a bunch of different places online for about two hundred dollars a shot so we might not be looking for a smoking British Secret Agent. But I'm kind of hoping that we are. I love accents."

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the part about the smoking British Secret Agent, "Finger prints?"

Abby shook her head and her pig tails bounced, "I got a partial left thumb print, but I haven't gotten any matches yet. We're still going through all the Corporal's effects. I'll call you if I get anything else."

Gibbs nodded and when to retrieve his little shadow, along with her picture (incidentally, the cat's name was Spot), then headed back to his office in thoughtful silence.

Lacey planted herself firmly in the most secluded corner of Gibbs' desk and watched the 'team' that had assembled in the bullpen. With most of his real team MIA and the other one out looking, people had been surreptitiously 'helping out' all day. Coffee had not been in short supply and a couple girls from one of the other teams, Terri Calhoun and Ava Esposito had been working out the recent activities of the Corporal.

"Thanks for your help, Ava, right?" Hunter smiled sweetly at a petite brunette who had just handed him a stack of papers.

She giggled in reply, "I'm Terri, she's Ava," pointing to the tall, olive-skinned, black haired girl across the room.

Gibbs stood up to see what he could do when the phone in the office rang, louder than usual it seemed because everyone seemed to freeze as, their eyes darting between Gibbs and the phone. Time seemed to be holding its breath.

"Gibbs," he stood and listened for a moment, the office around him watching as he listened, his face emotionless. He nodded once, "I'll be right there."

Slamming the phone down seemed to snap the office out of its trance. "Did they find them?" Hunter asked standing up.

"Come on Lacey, you're going to go to Abby's lab for awhile," Gibbs said, picking up the little girl from her spot on the floor.

"Gibbs, what's going on?" Hunter called.

Gibbs punched the elevator button, "They found Ziva," he swallowed hard, "she's in rough shape. I'm heading to the hospital now."

"Is there anything I can do?" Hunter called.

"Keep working, we're going to catch the son of a- that scum that did this to my team."

Snapshot: Gibbs holding Lacey as the elevator doors began to shut.

A filler chapter for sure…I think we'll back track to see how and where she was found. HAPPY 2012!

~Striker