Another apology is owed, guys. Sorry, my computer was out of commission for the last week (Stupid thing. Kicks computer) and I wasn't able to put the next chapter up. I'm so sorry.

And a note: CODIS is the Combined DNA Index System, the DNA index for the US. Enjoy all.

Chapter Six

The elevator door opened smoothly revealing two disgruntled, irritated faces. Ziva stepped out first, eager to escape the small space, and was struck hard and enveloped by a fast moving object.

"Hello, Abby." She greeted, the woman breathlessly.

"Hey guys!" Abby then joyfully ran over to Gibbs, and put her arms around his neck before stepping back and drinking them in. "Where have you been? I've been alone all day, of course that's not really that unusual but I always get a visit by you Gibbs," She gave him an irritated look that didn't last long before a smile brushed it away. "It's been really quiet around here. It seems all the criminals took a vacation. Or maybe there's a holiday in the underworld, and all the bad guys are sunbathing or-" Gibbs sighed and then kissed her on the cheek, cutting off her tirade.

"It's been a long day, Abbs." Gibbs said, irritation fused in his voice. Ziva then spoke up.

"Apparently, the commanding officer had decided to go out drinking also. We were led on a...wild goose chase?" She turned expectantly to Abby who nodded. Ziva smiled. "A wild goose chase, apparently he had decided he would take a tour of popular pubs and bars. It took us two and a half hours to track him down, and by then he was not lucid enough to tell us anything besides the fact that the Petty Officer was a good man." Ziva's voice was bitter, and a bit sad. "Though his shipmates all agreed, he was a very good man. And a good friend, they could not think of anyone who would want to kill him."

Gibbs added nothing, but obviously shared the attitude. He walked over to his desk and dropped heavily, wearily into his seat, leaving Abby and Ziva to scurry after him. He looked up to Tony and Tim's desks. Empty. He checked the messages on his phone, none. His brow furrowed.

"Oh, Gibbs. Guess what?"

"You're gonna go earn your paycheck?"

"Done. Come off to my lab el Magnifico." She grinned slyly at him, and then jogged off to the elevator. Gibbs smiled slightly, stood and then walked calmly off to join her.

"What do you got, Abbs?"

"I love it when you ask me that. Can you ask again?" She grinned enthusiastically at Gibbs who just stared back, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Fine, maybe I don't want the Caf-Pow that's hiding behind your back."

"Right." Gibbs produced the container and then reached over to drop it into the trash.

"But on second thought, perhaps I do." Abby reached over to take it, but Gibbs pulled his hand back. "Oh, you want to play bard to get, eh? All right. The tox screen was negative for drugs of any kind, not even a aspirin." She eyed the still out of reach Caf-Pow. "Look at this though," She pulled up a picture of the knife wound on the body. "See, clean and not jagged at all, so the knife isn't serrated. And not very deep. So it's probably some sort of flip knife. I wasn't able to narrow down the brand though." She pulled up a second picture of the corpse's head wound, "See the wound there, it's curved in slightly and there a wood fragments imbedded in it,"

"Baseball bat?"

"Most likely, you're probably looking for some psycho with a knife and a baseball bat or the like. It's sort of weird, why use two different weapons to kill someone?" She looked Gibbs, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Maybe it's two someones." Gibbs slipped the Caf-Pow into Abby's hands. "Anything interesting in his clothes? Cell?" Abby's face turned solemn.

"Nothing interesting in his clothes, he had a chap stick and twenty dollars in his pocket, but nothing else. And no calls on the cell, it was just purchased a few days ago."

"So you got nothing."

"Oh, Gibbs." She placed a hand over her heart, in mock hurt. "You wound me. I wouldn't have personally escorted you down here if I had nothing." Abby grinned, and then gestured to the plasma. "Behold, our murderer." Gibbs peered at the plasma, and saw a DNA search was running. "Our PO fought back, and brought us his killer's DNA with him. We just have to hope he's in CODIS."

"Nice job." Gibbs gave her a rare smile and headed for the door.

"Hey, Gibbs. Have you seen Tony, or McGee?" Abby called out, Gibbs stopped in mid step. Turned to her and paused. Tony had called to inform him they had arrived an hour and a half ago; he was supposed to call when they left. Gibbs gut quickly whispered to him. Something was askew. "Is there something wrong? Oh my God!" Her hands flew to her face, "There is something wrong isn't there?"

"Abbs, I sent them to interview the family in Norfolk. It's a long drive." Gibbs soothed her and then walked away, worry growing within him.

Abby stood despondently in the doorway, but was shaken by the ding of the elevator. Her jaw set grimly she walked back to her computer and began working quickly, but then buried her face in her hands. She had seen the concern in Gibbs' face. The fear he would never admit to feeling.

There was something wrong, so very wrong. She pulled herself together, and went back to typing. She couldn't lose anyone else; she wasn't strong enough to lose two more members of her family.

A single tear fell.

The door to autopsy slid open with a slight hiss, and then closed. Ducky smiled, not turning away from the computer screen, he could feel someone standing right behind him, close enough that he could reach out and touch them.

"Hello, Jethro. How was your escapade?" Ducky turned the swivel chair around to face his friend, who half smiled and then sighed.

"What do you got, Duck?"

"Ah, not well I see." Ducky chuckled, and then stood. "Mr. Palmer!" The side door opened, and Jimmy's head appeared.

"Yes, Doctor Mallard?"

"Have our Petty Officer report front and center, immediately." Ducky gestured to the freezers. Jimmy opened up one of the many freezer doors, cold air rushing out in a fog, and pulled out the drawer.

"Slow week?" Gibbs gave Ducky a knowing look.

"Yes, apparently our Navy personal have learned to avoid Rock Creek Park." Gibbs grinned into his coffee at Ducky's comment. Both then walked over to Jimmy and the body and slipped on latex gloves. "See Jethro? The knife wound? It's barely an inch deep, and while rather gruesome, it's not fatal."

"Abby suspects it's a flip knife."

"Yes, she conveyed that to me also, however if this wound was caused by a flip knife the attacker would have easily been able to kill our Petty Officer. Very easily."

"So he's either an amateur,"

"Or he didn't intend the stab to be fatal. Look at this." Ducky directed Gibbs' attention to some x-rays of the skull. Jimmy gently tucked the Petty Officer's body back into the freezer, shut the door and then slipped away.

"The initial blow, struck the young man behind the head."

"Was he knocked unconscious?"

"Most likely, or he would have been barely conscious at all. Unable to fend off the either of his attackers." Ducky studied Gibbs intensely, "You suspected a second attacker."

"Keeping those skills sharp, eh Duck?" Ducky grinned to himself but turned more serious as he faced the x-rays again.

"Now the second blow was the fatal one. Fractured his skull, causing a shard of the bone to plunge into his brain. If he was unconscious, he never woke up." Ducky shook his head sadly, "Young life cut so short. Jethro,"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. The attacker that wielded the baseball bat," Ducky paused, "They're vicious, merciless. They beat an unconscious, badly injured man one more time over the head. They did not hesitate because he was stabbed, because he was bleeding. Be careful, Jethro."

"Course, Duck. I always try to be safe." Gibbs grinned one last time at Ducky and then exited Autopsy. Though just as he left, he let the worry back into his face. Ducky sighed, and looked to the closed freezer door, that shielded the Petty Officer.

"Who did this to you?" He murmured under his breath, and then went back to work.