Four days later- ten days until the explosion.

Abby sat in the cold room, her hands stuffed under her arms, trying to keep them warm. Her feet had been treated to stop infections. Abby had wondered why they were cared about her injuries, but the blonde one told her.

"It's simple, my dear, an infection in these injuries could lead to an infection in your blood. That will kill you, possibly too quickly for my liking. I need you alive as long as possible."

Abby hoped someone noticed she was missing, but she doubted it. Since leaving NCIS, Abby had bounced around from one forensics job to another, some government work, but mostly private. Due to her firing from NCIS, none of these jobs offered her a permanent position. Sitting there, Abby remembered the last time she had spoken to McGee, the day after the investigation had ended. Now she regretted it, hoping they were not the last words they had ever said to each other.

Flashback

"Are you happy you got me fired, McGee? What do you think I should do, now, Mr MIT?" Abby screamed at him, watching as he looked at her.

"Abby, I did no such thing, and you know it. You decided to look after that dog, knowing what he had done to me."

"You shot a dog, McGee. He was injured." Abby knew he was right, but couldn't stop herself defending Jethro.

"So was I," McGee said, in a raised voice. "I felt his teeth in my arm and shoulder, his weight pressing down on my chest."

"You could have done something else, McGee."

"Yeah, I could've, maybe I should have just lay there as he bit into my neck, his teeth sunk into my carotid artery, lay there bleeding out on the ground. I'd have been dead in seconds." Tim watched as the Goth woman paled more than her natural skin tone. "What would you have said to Sarah and my parents? 'I'm so sorry about, Timmy, Sarah, but at least he didn't hurt the poor animal.' My God, Abby, I didn't shoot that mutt for fun, my life was in danger. Don't you get it, yet."

"McGee, how can you say that? You know I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Really?" Tims sarcasm was in full flow. "Then why did you call me, Bad McGee, like I was the dog who had done wrong? Abby, sometimes, you have your priorities seriously out of whack. The way you acted, and spoke today, you would have rather have had a dead McGee than a shot dog." Tim let those words hang in the air, closing the door on her.

"Timmy, if you don't let me in, I'll tell Gibbs." Abby kicked McGees door, not expecting the response.

"Tell Gibbs?" McGee shouted at her, as he stepped through the once again open door. "Is that the best you got? What's he going to do? Come down here and assault a federal officer? Head slap me until I've forgiven you for being so stupid? Try again, Abby. Now, leave me alone." Tim stepped back into the apartment, slamming the door.

Abby stood there for several minutes, watching as her best friend ended their friendship. Even though Tim had ended it, it was Abby who had pushed him away, Abby who had hurt him. She knew she would never be forgiven for it, either.

End Flashback

"Ah, darling Abigail, you are awake, I see. I have questions for you, concerning Jennifer Shepard." Abby watched as the man brandished a scalpel.

"Tim, Derrick, status?" Jenny Shepard entered MTAC, seeing Tim and Derrick having a last minute conversation.

"We have confirmed reports for all targets. All teams standing by." Derrick said.

"All intelligence has been checked and re-checked, we are as up to date as we can be."

"Very well, Derrick, when you are ready?"

Jenny stepped away from the Head of Operations, choosing to sit in the gallery, Tim sat next to her, with Langer and his small cadre of agents behind them. On the MTAC screen was a direct feed to the Pentagon and to the White House Situation Room.

"All teams, report in." This was the hard part, Jenny thought. She could only watch and hear Derrick, all other communications went through the headset he was wearing.

"Madam President, we are ready." Derrick Young looked directly into the camera, seeing President Anna Elliott standing at the head of the table in the Situation Room.

"SSA Young, you have a green light. Good luck and Godspeed."

"Thank you, Ma'am. All teams, you have a green light, go, go, go."

The screen started flashing, with additional screens popping up as members of the marine and navy teams deployed to take down the terrorist cells turned on the cameras attached to their helmets. The teams had all gone in under darkness, and wearing night vision goggles. Tim was watching as the sailors and marines moved into the villages, all armed with both automatic weapons and tranquillizer guns. They wanted as many of them alive as possible.

Within twenty minutes, it was all over, without a single casualty to the US Forces. Tim was stunned, not a single dead terrorist, some had been sedated, and only one had been shot, and that was in the leg to prevent escape.

"Acknowledged, Alpha 1, acknowledged, Beta 1. Madam President, both men claiming to be Husam Min Adala are in custody, I repeat, both men are in custody." At those words, Tim felt like copying the Situation Room, and start the cheering, but he held himself in check.

"SSA Young, well done, no casualties to our men, you are to be commended. SSA McGee, your intelligence team, pass on my thanks. Director Shepard, you should be very proud of your agency. Thank you, all, for your hard work." With that, the President turned off her link, knowing that NCIS still had a lot of work to do.

"Derrick, Tim, I agree with the President, outstanding work from both of you. Send me the reports by 1800 hours today, and take tomorrow off, you both deserve it. Thank you, again." Tim watched as Jenny left the room, and he turned to his team.

"Guys, well done, all of you, your work over the past week has been exceptional. While I can't give you tomorrow off, I can arrange something else. Be ready to go by 1800 hours tomorrow, my treat. Go." With that, Tim dismissed him, needing to speak with Derrick.

Derrick Young needed to speak with Tim, and had told the MTAC technicians to take a break. By the time he had let them go, there was only him and Tim left in the room. Derrick checked all comms were shut off, so they wouldn't be overheard.

"So, Tim, what's on your mind?" Derrick asked, hoping the young man would tell him he was looking for trouble.

"This was way too easy. We get both Adalas, all four cells, plus three training camps, and not a single loss of life. Either we just cashed in on all of our good luck, or we got played for idiots."

"You read my mind. What the hell have we missed?" Derrick was feeling very uncomfortable about this takedown.

"I don't know, but I think we shouldn't drop the threat level. We keep all bases on alert until the interrogations are complete. One of them might know something." Tim was praying that he was wrong, that the Marines and SEAL teams were just that good.

"The Atfaal Min Itar is no more. NCIS have taken down another terrorist cell."

"Good for them. Of course, the threat they pose still remains."

"Yes," said the blonde man. "The Water Devil and The First Son will soon be dead. I do hope Tim appreciates my gift to him."

The two men smiled at each other, looking at the blood on the floor, spilt earlier from Abigail Scuito.