A/N: Woohoo! Another update - the creative juices are really flowing now! Keep those reviews coming - and for those of you who have been waiting and waiting and waiting to find out who shot McGee - your wait is over! Rock on. . . .

My hand searches for your hand in a dark room

I can't find you

Help me

Are you looking for me?

-"Need" by Hana Pestle

Grayed out scene: close up of purse and cell phone on the ground

"Abby!" I screamed into the void. "Where are you? Abby!"

I could hear her screaming my name, sobbing, from somewhere in the darkness but I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. "Abby, answer me! Are you hurt? Abby!"

Abby's sobs grew fainter as a different, mocking voice broke through. "She can't hear you, Agent McGee – and soon you won't be here to save her."

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"You don't remember me? I'm hurt."

My chest throbbed painfully and I lifted a hand to run my fingers over the fresh wound. "You shot me – why?"

The voice laughed. "You really didn't recognize me, did you?"

I frowned, trying to remember but the only visual I was able to pull up was a Fed-Ex employee. "Should I?"

"Oh yes, you should have recognized me. But like I said, in a minute, it won't matter because you'll be dead and Abby will be mine."

"No, ABBY!"

Gibbs sipped his morning coffee and listened to the early morning news on the radio. The volume was turned down low so as not to disturb Tony and Jethro who were curled up fast asleep on his couch. The dog was drooling on Tony's jeans and DiNozzo was snoring and the peaceful picture was enough to make Gibbs smile, momentarily forgetting the fact that there was a killer on the loose and McGee was in the hospital fighting for his life.

The squeal of brakes had Gibbs reaching for his weapon and creeping to the front window to peer out into the pre-dawn darkness. His shoulders relaxed and he had just engaged the safety when Vance burst through the front door.

"Gibbs, where are you?" Vance thundered, causing Tony to sit straight up on the couch and Jethro awakened with a growl.

"I'm up, boss, just catching a power nap-" Tony gasped.

"Right here, Leon," Gibbs waved, moving into the director's line of sight. "Let's take this downstairs." He turned back to his senior field agent. "DiNozzo, as you were."

"Really? Thank you, boss," Tony sighed, sinking back into the couch. Jethro continued to growl at their visitor.

"Stay," Gibbs ordered as he and Vance headed for the basement.

Vance hadn't even cleared the last step before he was talking again. "What the hell happened? I can't even go away for the weekend without the shit hitting the fan?"

"I don't think these bastards give a damn about your social calendar, Director."

"What the hell happened to my agent, Gibbs?"

Gibbs covered the distance between them and whispered fiercely, "My agent, Director! Less than two weeks ago, you were asking for Tim's badge – or have you forgotten that? Now, I don't know what's up your ass but I followed protocol. I notified you immediately instead of waiting until you returned to NCIS today. It's not my fault some bastard shot my agent while you were away from the office – it would have happened if you had been here or not. Assigning blame is not going to help catch whoever shot McGee."

Vance rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize, it's-"

"a sign of weakness, I know." Vance gave a small smile. "So, what do we know?"

Gibbs opened his mouth to begin his debrief only to hear DiNozzo's phone go off upstairs. Before he could say anything, his own phone rang in his pocket.

"Excuse me, Director." He held it to his ear. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs, it's Ducky. I'm here at the hospital – you better get down here right away."

"Why, what's happened?"

"Timothy went into cardiac arrest-"

"What?" Gibbs thundered as he headed for the stairs.

"Dr. Hart got his heart going again but they're putting him in isolation-"

"I'm on my way."

"Jethro, wait. There's more."

Gibbs paused on the stairs, his gut clenching. "What?"

"Abigail collapsed."

"Timmy!"

"Hey, Abs – I brought you a Caf-POW. What have you got?"

I frowned at him. Something felt wrong, very wrong. Yes, Tim often brought me my favorite drink and yes, Gibbs often sent him to see if I had any updates on the evidence but we weren't supposed to be in the lab. My frown grew deeper.

"What's wrong, Abby?" Tim's smile dimmed.

"I dunno – this just feels hinky and – McGee!" I screamed. "You got shot – and then you had surgery and you were in the hospital and your heart stopped and-" my words suddenly stopped.

"And then what?" he prodded gently, one of his hands coming up to rest on my arm.

"I don't know!" I wailed. "I don't know because I think I blacked out! Did you d-die? Did you leave me, Timmy?"

"Oh, Abby!" he breathed softly, as he gathered me into his arms and I buried my face into his neck, breathing in his comforting scent. "Even if I did, you know that I'll always be with you, right? Just like Kate is – she's always watching over you. And I'd always be watching over you."

I pulled back and hit him in the arm.

"Ouch!"

"That's not what I want, McGee!"

"Well, what do you want?" he tipped his head to the side, his moss green eyes boring into mine.

"I want you like this – here every day in the lab with me – bringing me Caf-POW's and asking me about the evidence and if I need any help. I love you, Timmy."

"I know, like puppies."

I saw the disappointment in his eyes and something fluttered in my stomach. "Kiss me, McGee."

He looked at me warily. "Abby-"

"Just do it – please."

Still watching me with a guarded look, McGee began to lower his head and I let my eyes slip shut in anticipation.

"Come on, Abby, open your eyes."

Feeling a hand holding hers, Abby squeezed back as her eyes opened to see the concerned face of Ziva peering down at her. "M-McGee?" she whispered softly. "McGee! Oh Ziva, he's- he's not-" Abby couldn't finish due to the fact that tears were choking the back of her throat.

"No, Timothy is not dead," Ziva shook her dark head. "I told you he was a fighter."

"Thank God," Abby mouthed the words as the tears slipped down her pale cheeks and Ziva wiped them away. "What happened?"

"To McGee or you?" Ziva asked, her head tipping to the side.

Abby looked down and noticed for the first time that she was in a hospital bed, with an IV in her right arm, and groaned.

Ziva smiled. "You are going to be just fine – after you get some fluids and rest. The doctors were not happy to hear that you have not eaten in forty eight hours and that the only thing you have drunk is Caf-POW," Ziva shook a finger at her.

Abby shrugged. "Finding McGee's killer is the only thing that matters."

"More than your health?" Ziva exclaimed. "I think Timothy would have something to say about that."

"I know Gibbs does."

Both women's heads swung around to see Tony leaning against the doorway to Abby's room. "How you doing, Abs?"

Abby flushed. "I'm fine! Please don't tell me Gibbs is here too."

"No can do – he's with Ducky and Dr. Hart right now, talking about McHeartBeat's case."

Abby grabbed Ziva's hand. "Tell me about Timmy."

Ziva sighed and sat next to her on the bed. Tony came into the room and claimed the only chair in the room.

"Tim threw a blood clot in his left lung, which sent his heart into cardiac arrest. Dr. Hart got his heart beating again, but his lungs are now filling with fluid."

Abby's eyes were filling with tears again. "Pneumonia?"

"In both lungs," Tony added. "So it's double pneumonia. They're putting Tim in isolation, in a sterile environment – kind of like when I had the plague-"

Abby whimpered and Ziva kicked him.

"No, no, no, I'm not saying McGee has the plague, Abby! I'm just saying that it's kind of like where they're putting him and he's not to have any visitors until he's over this infection."

Abby's face contorted in grief momentarily before she lifted her chin. "I understand."

Gibbs walked into the room. "You all right, Abs?"

All of Abby's worry and stress over Tim broke through her fragile reserve at Gibbs' fatherly look. "Will everyone please stop asking me that? I wasn't the one who was shot in the heart the day before yesterday and had open heart surgery! I wasn't the one whose heart stopped today and threw a clot and now has double pneumonia and is being placed in isolation away from human touch! I mean, do you know how important human touch is? There have been hundreds and hundreds of studies done on babies who haven't been held and the repercussions later in life. I mean, we're talking about these people growing up to be serial killers, Gibbs!"

Ziva bit her lip and Tony looked extremely uncomfortable at Abby's outburst. Gibbs looked at his two agents, giving them a silent signal and as one they rose and left the room.

Gibbs crossed to Abby's bedside and looked down at her. "Abby, I don't think Tim's in danger of becoming a serial killer if he spends a couple of weeks in isolation while he gets over this infection."

Abby's shoulders slumped and her hands covered her face. "Gibbs, I-"

He sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face in his shirt, inhaling the smell of coffee and sawdust. "Abby, the only thing I want you to focus on today is getting some food and sleep, all right? Let Tony, Ziva, and I worry about catching McGee's killer – just for today," he added when he felt her begin to protest.

"I don't think I can sleep-" she whispered.

"Ziva told me you slept just fine last night."

Abby blushed, grateful he couldn't see. "That's because I-"

Gibbs pushed her back so he could look into her eyes. "Because you slept in Tim's arms?"

She nodded, her blush deepening.

Gibbs smiled. "I understand – the best sleep I ever got was in Shannon's arms."

Abby's mouth fell open. "Gibbs, I – I think I might be breaking one of your rules."

"Which one?"

"Number twelve."

He frowned. "Have you and McGee started dating again?"

She shook her head. "No – not yet."

Gibbs bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. "Well, talk to me when you do. But I don't foresee a problem, Abs. Rule forty cancels it out."

Abby ran through the list of rules in her head. The higher numbers were rarely used so it took her a minute to- "Oh – 'sometimes you're wrong'?"

"Exactly – besides, you and Tim aren't casual co-workers. I trust the both of you to be adults and keep it out of NCIS if and when a relationship happens."

"Yes, Gibbs."

He kissed her forehead. "And remember, Abby, that boy's not a toy. He's loved you for years – don't start something you don't intend to finish this time."

"No, Gibbs." Abby shook her head and yawned.

"Get up, Mikey." Cassie delivered a swift kick to the bed, causing the occupant to groan and roll over, away from her and the light that was just beginning to stream in the window. "Come on, you don't want me to go get a glass of water and-"

"All right, Cass, all right! I'm up!" Mike sat up, running his hands through his spiked hair, looking at his baby sister with bleary, bloodshot eyes. "Shit! It's not even daylight yet! What's so damn important?"

"I need to talk to you before I go to work this morning so haul your ass out of bed and I'll meet you downstairs."

Her brother took longer than usual to get going and Cassie paced the kitchen, waiting for his arrival and trying to tell herself that she was jumping to conclusions. But much as that man Gibbs didn't believe in coincidences, she didn't either and there were just too many of them for her to dismiss.

"Is there coffee?" Mike mumbled as he slumped into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair.

"Yes – but listen, we need to talk. Do you know where I was last night?"

Mike raised his eyes to hers in surprise. "Why would I? I assumed you were with a client or on a date or something-"

"No, Mikey, I was at NCIS headquarters being interrogated."

Cassie let the words hang in the air as she watched her brother for his reaction. Mike didn't flinch or show any outward sign of surprise and that was enough for her to get even more suspicious. "Why?" he finally asked, reaching for the small coffee pot on the table.

"Because the guy I've been seeing – Timothy McGee – he's an NCIS agent and he was shot in his apartment Sunday morning."

"That's terrible – wait, they thought you had something to do with it? That's ridiculous," Mike snorted into his cup.

Cassie pulled out a chair and sat across from her brother. "Cut the crap, Mike – what do you know about this?"

Mike's mascara rimmed eyes widened. "What are you talking about, sis? I don't have anything to do with NCIS anymore, you know that."

Cassie stared at him for a long moment. "I want to believe you, but imagine my surprise when I got there yesterday and I met all the same people – Gibbs, Tony – the only person I didn't see was your old girlfriend."

"Abby wasn't there?" Mike whispered.

Cassie shook her head. "No, I didn't see her."

"She was probably at the hospital with – him."

A shiver ran down Cassie's spine. "Mike – what did you do?"

Mike's eyes widened in innocence. "I didn't do anything. I told you that I felt like I was coming down with something so that's why I didn't go with you to church. I slept all morning."

"You weren't here when I got back from church."

"I was out with some friends."

"Who?"

"Why the third degree – don't you believe me?"

"Like I said, Mikey, I want to – but you ended up doing time for stalking Abby Scuito and now I'm dating one of her co-workers and suddenly he gets shot – I can't believe the whole thing is a coincidence."

"You have a very suspicious mind, my dear sister. It's not like I set you up with Mr. NCIS – you met him all on your own."

Cassie's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true."

"You're just feeling edgy because you were grilled last night by some navy cops – wait, you didn't tell them about me, did you?"

"What – that you're my brother? No, it didn't come up. Why?"

He shrugged. "No reason. It's just that if you have suspicions and you're my loving sister, I can only imagine what Gibbs would think."

Tony was doing his best to focus on what the Pastor was saying but he was going on forty-eight hours with very little sleep and his brain was becoming increasingly fuzzy.

"- of course Cassie was here on Sunday. She was the worship leader that morning. She is such an important member of our church. She's always willing to lend a hand in the community suppers or with the children's ministries-"

Tony brought himself back to the conversation with a start. "Well, it sounds like Ms. Pratt is truly an angel of mercy-"

"Actually, its Mrs. She was married for a very short time and when she got divorced she kept her husband's name, which ended up to be a good idea in the long run. I mean, there's been enough grist in the rumor mill about her brother ever since he went to prison a few years back so changing her name-"

"Hold on a second there, pastor," Tony interrupted. "Cassie's brother was in prison – do you know what for?"

"Well, I don't like to gossip, Agent DiNozzo, but if it will aid you in your investigation-"

"It will."

"Cassie's brother was incarcerated for a few years for stalking his ex girlfriend – come to think of it, I think she worked for some kind of government agency too."

Tony worked hard to keep the excitement from his voice as he asked, "Pastor, what's Cassie's brother's name?"

"Mikel – Mikel Mawher."

Cassie's cell phone rang just before she left the house and she picked it up on the second ring.

"This is Cassie."

"Hi, this is Dorothy at the Fed-Ex office calling to check on Mikel. He didn't show up for work yesterday-"

Cassie stopped and looked up the stairs. "He didn't?"

"No, he didn't. We have a strict policy about our workers calling and letting us know if they are going to be absent. Since Mikel is on parole, his contract is very specific-"

"I understand. I'll talk to him."

"Our bosses are also talking to all the employees to see if they know anything about a break-in on Sunday."

Cassie's purse fell from her shoulder as she grabbed the stair railing for support. "A break-in?" she repeated hoarsely.

"Yes, so if you could have him call us or come in ASAP-"

"I will, I promise. Bye." Cassie hung up and stared into space, wondering just what the hell her brother had been doing and if it was as bad as she feared.

"Who was on the phone, Cass?" Mike asked from behind her shoulder, his breath ruffling her hair.

She jumped, dropping her phone and it went skittering across the floor. "Your work – they were wondering why you weren't there yesterday." She turned to meet him with questions in her eyes.

Mike smiled. "I was still feeling under the weather so I took some cold medicine and slept all day."

She nodded. "And she told me there had been a break-in – do you know anything about that?"

He stilled. "Should I?"

"Crime scenes were your specialty, Mikey."

"Staging them, little sister, not making them for real," he chuckled. "Don't you believe me?"

She nodded and began backing away slowly. "Of course I believe you." Her eyes darted towards her phone lying half concealed under the couch. It had never looked so far away. "I really have to get to work now."

Mike's hand clamped around her wrist. "I'll see you tonight?"

Cassie glanced down at his fingers, trying not to wince at the pressure they applied. If only she could get to her phone and get out of the house, she would be safe. "I – I don't know. I may have to work late – and I should go see Tim at the hospital."

Mike's eyes bored into hers and she tried not to shiver. "All right. I guess I'll see you when I see you."

He released her wrist and she made an effort not to look to see if he had left marks. She scooped up her purse and phone and ran out the door. Digging in her purse for the business card, she began to dial with shaking fingers as she walked to the car. She groaned as it went straight to voicemail.

"Agent Gibbs, this is Cassie. Listen, I-" she squealed as a hand covered her mouth and another knocked the phone from her hand.

"No, you don't, little sister," Mike sighed in her ear. "I can't have you disrupting my plans. Abby will be mine."

Cassie tried to scream but the sound was muffled by Mike's fingers as his thumb sought the pressure point on her neck and the world faded to black.

A/N: Whoa! So, it was all about Abby! Mikel Mawher - and I don't think things are going to end well for his sister . . . Reviews are L-O-V-E and keep the updates coming!