It had been a few months since the case in the national forest and not much had changed in the cases following. What the team had discovered were some interesting faults their newest member had. Morgan had initially come off as a stern, rather infallible new addition to the team. Ziva had been the first to see her more awkward and hesitant side thanks to Abby, whereas McGee was still a little unnerved about how similar to Gibbs she was. Tony had his own reservations but in the case that followed their serial killing ranger, he'd gotten to see a different side to her.

It had been a teen holding his classroom hostage with a bomb. Gibbs had made the decision to put himself at risk by becoming a hostage instead and this left Tony in charge. He half expected Morgan to cause trouble with him as the second-in-command but she was surprisingly tamed. There was no bickering or arguing when he gave her orders. She just listened. The only downside was he didn't get to hear her call him "boss" but still, her cooperation had been a surprising development. She, of course, later argued it was because she didn't do well with kids but he could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful and accepted the small hint of respect she'd given him.

The case after that hadn't been anything really interesting. Three dead street gang members and a naval officer. When they'd found out that the culprit was someone trying to trick the gang members and they had nothing to hold him to the charges, they'd been forced to drop it. Of course, Gibbs held no such qualms about handing the trickster to the gang and Morgan hadn't said a word about it. He had wondered if she disapproved when he saw her work out what he was doing but she never said anything about it so he didn't dwell on it.

The following case had just been bad luck. A murder disguised as a suicide wasn't much of a case in the long run but there were a few things that unsettled Morgan that were unexpected. The first being the awkwardness of her dealing with Ducky's mother, who insisted she knew her in some way and consistently misgendered her in the process. The second was the pet cat of the victim. Morgan pointedly avoided the creature and—while they believed it to be because of Russell—it turned out that it was simply a childhood fear. Not everyone was told this, of course. Tony would have held it over her head for ages if he knew, but she'd told Ziva and ensured the woman kept her silence on the matter.

Ziva had been surprised to find out that Morgan was an orphan raised by the state but made no further comment on it when she'd revealed that in her retelling of the local stray cat who'd attacked her rather viciously when she was younger. Morgan was opening up more though and the team was growing closer as a result. Ziva and Morgan had more spars during the week and when the team went out for drinks, Morgan was less hesitant about joining them. There was still a bit of teasing and some awkwardness when certain things were brought up or Morgan was put into unfamiliar situations but she had become a vital part of the team; fitting in seamlessly.

"I really don't think I'm the right person to ask this," Morgan muttered in the Director's office as Ziva waved her off.

"Nonsense. You have a say too. I just think, in my professional opinion, the risk of serious injury is substantial."

"I agree," the Director said before arguing. "But there are protocols that have to be followed."

Morgan glanced at her. "There are protocols for this?"

"They're useless if it doesn't impart a tactical advantage," Ziva went on.

"Don't underestimate appearances, Ziva. I have known entire missions to fail because an asset didn't button her lapel properly," the Director countered as Morgan looked to the other person in the room for help.

"I see your point," Ziva begrudgingly gave in as the Director nodded.

"So, we are in agreement?"

The two turned to Abby as she held up her choice of shoes; boots and a pair of heels. "Heels."

Abby looked over at Morgan who shrugged, having no real opinion herself.

"I hate court," Abby complained.

"Your sacrifice is noted and appreciated," the Director hummed. "Let's talk outfits."

Morgan groaned, wanting to leave when Tony suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"I say you just go with the heels," he hummed. "Nice gym shoes there, Abs."

"Can we help you, Agent DiNozzo?" The Director asked as he nodded.

"Yes, I've come to collect Officer David and Frost. Boss got the bat signal."

"Thank God," Morgan muttered, hurrying out the door with the others on her heels.

"I showed up just in time," Tony mused. "Another minute and you guys would've been braiding each other's hair."

"And who knows where that can lead to, Tony," Ziva quipped. "Where are we going?"

"Little Creek," Gibbs said as he and McGee walked by and Morgan whistled for Russell to join her with her service weapon.

She took it from him and patted his head, hooking the holster to her hip as Ziva questioned the location.

"Little Creek Base?"

"Actually, an off-base Navy lodging facility," McGee explained. "Used mostly by TDY personnel and visiting family. Apparently, there was some kind of bloodbath."

"Mondays," Tony hummed as they got into the elevator. "What's the body count?"

"Who said anything about a body, DiNozzo?"

The hotel room they'd shown up to was indeed a bloodbath. Bits of flesh were thrown around the destroyed room and blood was splattered over the walls. Ducky and Palmer were in the bathroom gathering evidence while the rest of the team was scattered around doing the same.

"Redrum?" Ziva questioned, seeing the word scrawled on a piece of paper.

"Murder backward," Morgan informed her, taking pictures of the blood splatter with a frown as Russell lay by the door patiently waiting.

"All we're missing is a kid on a Big Wheel and a man in a bear suit," Tony muttered as Ziva shot him a look.

"And in your head that makes sense to you?"

"Yeah, it's The Shining, Ziva," he informed her. "Now that you mention it, what was that guy doing in a bear suit?"

He soon stepped out with Ziva to pack up some of the gear they no longer needed and Gibbs stepped into the room to check in with Ducky. As of now, they didn't have much to go on with no signs of forced entry and a once-locked room now scattered with human debris.

"It doesn't make sense, does it, boss?" Tony questioned him. "If it's a prank, it should be animal blood. If it's a Satanic ritual, where are the pentagrams?"

"It could have been an interrogation that got out of control," Ziva suggested as Morgan pointed behind her at the closet where McGee was looking.

"There's drugs in the closet. Russell pointed them out when we walked in."

"And you didn't say anything?" Tony questioned her as she continued to frown at the blood splatter.

"Because it doesn't make sense," she answered easily.

He hummed. "You're right about that. How bad does a drug deal have to go for you to leave the drugs behind?"

"Find out what happened here," Gibbs demanded as Ducky spoke up from the bathroom.

"I know something of what happened. All this scattered, organic detritus, this human fascia, fibrous connective tissue that anchors skin to muscles, if you look closely you see neither skin nor muscle."

"Yeah, I'll take your word for it," Tony said with a grimace at the piece Ducky was holding up.

"All of this tissue was skillfully extracted, possibly during extensive post-mortem procedure."

"Someone was dissected here, Duck?" Gibbs questioned but Morgan spoke up.

"Doesn't make sense," she said, gesturing to the blood splatter as Ziva took over taking photos. "Look at the blood splatter. If this was caused by rage or something else, there'd be less of a pattern to it but if you stand right here."

Gibbs moved up beside her and looked around. "It's all coming from a center point."

Morgan nodded as their shoulders bumped and she waved a hand around. "Like someone stood here and threw it around then just tossed the pieces of flesh to add to it. This is staged."

"With at least three different human remains," Ducky added. "And whoever the guilty party is, he didn't get his technique from the internet. You're looking for a trained medical practitioner."

"Or a butcher," Morgan pointed out. "But they weren't done here. There'd be a pool of blood somewhere if they did unless they had a tarp down but that would leave a spot clear of blood."

"Unless they threw the blood around after," Ziva added and Morgan hummed.

"I don't like it, is all. If this was staged, then what for?"

"And that's a lot of drugs sitting around for something staged," Tony chimed before Gibbs grumbled and headed for the door.

"Then, let's figure out what is going on."

"Yes, boss."

"So, how have things been so far?"

Morgan sighed heavily, drumming her fingers on her knee as she sat in the office of Dr. McNeil once again. "Do we have to do this now? We have a case."

The psychiatrist smiled politely. "Yes. You were due for a session on your last case and avoided it, so now you're here. The Director informed me you were waiting for information on your case anyway and made this session mandatory. Otherwise, I'm sure Special Agent Gibbs would be bursting into this office right now to drag you back to work."

"He'll do that anyway," Morgan muttered, going ignored.

"Now, let's try this again. How are things with the team? I've heard you started doing exercise with Agent David."

"Twice a week," Morgan grumbled. "It helps me keep in shape."

"You mean it helps you hold onto your past skills," McNeil corrected. "You keep in shape anyway with daily runs and at-home exercises. Spars are different." Her gaze narrowed. "You've been taking your meds properly, yes?"

Morgan nodded. "Yes. Every night and the stronger meds when there's no case." She paused. "There was a… mishap with the pharmacy a few months ago where I was off them for a while but they resolved it."

"Tell me about that. Did you have any issues?"

"Nightmares," Morgan muttered. "I wasn't sleeping well and the case ended up requiring Russell and I to be out tracking all night."

"The same nightmares as before?" McNeil asked, making a note as Morgan let out a grunt of agreement.

"Mostly."

The doctor raised a brow. "Mostly? What were the other ones?"

Morgan pursed her lips, not wanting to say but begrudgingly answered; knowing there was no choice really. McNeil got her answers one way or another.

"It was… about the team. It started the same as the others but they got involved. Tried to rush in and…"

"I see. You do realize what this means, don't you?"

Morgan frowned at her, displeased and saying nothing because McNeil knew how she viewed something like this.

"It's a good thing, Morgan. It means you've opened up and are starting to see the team as a valuable part of your life."

"It's a risk," Morgan argued. "Them being important means my judgment can be affected should something happen."

"Nothing is going to happen."

Morgan stood up suddenly, fists clenched at her side and teeth grit tight as she bit out her next words. "You can't say that. Something always happens. There is always a chance that what happened out there will show up here and—"

"Morgan, sit down," McNeil ordered and Morgan stiffened but Russell let out a small whine and pawed at her leg, allowing her to relax slightly and settle down again.

They stayed quiet for a minute, allowing Morgan to regain control over herself before McNeil spoke up again.

"The Director is well aware of what happened to you and has already stated that she is keeping an eye on things with Al-Queda. You are safe here."

"So why don't I feel like it?" Morgan said shortly.

"Perhaps it's because you are a part of the team now. You have found yourself back in the position of having people you worry and care about and because things weren't resolved properly in your past, you're worried it will drag them into it. Much like your nightmares, yes?"

Morgan went quiet, keeping her gaze pointedly away from McNeil as the doctor sighed lightly.

"Have you told any of your teammates—"

"No," Morgan cut her off.

"Will you?"

Morgan looked at her now with a stern frown. "No."

"Morgan—"

"They don't need to know," she said, getting up and attempting to cut their meeting short. "If, as you said, NCIS is so safe and secure, then there's no point in telling them."

"For your sake, I really think—"

"I'm not telling them about the year of torture I had to endure because I wasn't worth enough to the military to get rescued," Morgan spat. "I won't let it happen again and they don't need to know. I refuse to have people look at me like that again. I can take care of myself."

"Morgan. Morgan!"

Morgan ignored her though and stormed out. Unfortunately, she had to pass through the bullpen to get to the elevator and Tony let out a whistle at the sight of her frustrated and angry expression.

"Session went that well, huh?"

The glare she settled on him as she grabbed Russell's leash from her desk made him hold his hands up.

"Shutting up," he hummed as she hooked Russell up and started for the lift.

"I'm taking him out for a minute. I'll be back," she bit out and once she was gone, Tony returned to tossing crumpled bits of a calendar into McGee's trash bin.

"Ever wonder what she talks about in there? I mean, it's gotta be good if she comes storming out every time."

"Leave it alone, Tony," Ziva warned him. "Everyone's got their secrets."

"Just saying. It's not often we see her that upset by anything. Curious what can set her off, is all." He pulled another page out of the calendar and read the quote on it. " 'In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.'"

He tossed the crumpled paper into the bin dramatically as McGee shot him a look.

"Didn't Vince Lombardi say that?"

Tony's eyes widened and he scrambled to pull the paper out from the trash. "I'll hold onto that one but the rest of these are worthless. Nice calendar, McGeek."

"Hey!" McGee complained, realizing now that it had been his calendar Tony had been shredding.

"Relax. This stuff will melt your mind. It's not good for you. It makes you weak."

"Tony, it was a gift!"

"From who? Your wet nurse?" Tony mocked him only for Gibbs to step up behind him.

"No. From me."

Tony immediately plastered on an awkward smile and handed the calendar back to McGee. "It's a nice calendar, boss."

"Anybody find me my doctor yet?" Gibbs asked, sparing the empty desk beside his a look before he sat down; giving Tony a smack upside the head in the process.

"Not yet," McGee answered. "But we do know how he got into the room. A maid had her master key stolen two days ago."

"She see anything?"

"No."

"I ran prints from the crime scene," Ziva added. "Fifteen in total. All from registered guests. Only two were in the area last night."

"Bring them in."

"Unfortunately, they both have airtight alibis," she informed him before Tony stepped up confidently.

"Looks like the un-aimed arrow missed after all. Now that amateur hour is over, I draw your attention to the plasma screen in the middle of the room. Psychopathic blood splatter, usually randomly scattered," he pointed out on the images. "Like Morgan said, they're emanating from a central point. Then, there's the TV. It looks like it was knocked off the bureau in a struggle of some sort, right? Except that Abby found CRT shards in a bath mat."

"So?" Ziva questioned.

"So, Doctor Giggles laid the television on the floor, covered it with the bath mat to muffle the sound when he broke it. The crime scene was staged, boss. Victims were killed someplace else."

"Where?" Gibbs asked, already knowing this based on what Morgan had said at the crime scene but being glad it had been confirmed.

"What? I gotta do all the work?" Tony joked before clearing his throat. "I'm going to get right on that."

"Do that, DiNozzo. You're doing most of it anyway," Gibbs said, starting to head out before pausing. "Where's Frost?"

"Uh, taking Russell out, boss," McGee said, before elaborating since Gibbs knew it wasn't the time she usually did. "She, um, had a bad session with Dr. McNeil, I think."

"You think?"

"She did sort of storm out, boss," Tony informed him making him sigh and turn away.

"Get to work."

Gibbs went for the elevator but didn't head down to autopsy as planned, instead stepping outside to find his fuming agent. He didn't have to look far to find her sitting on a nearby planter with a firm frown on her face as Russell wandered on the grass nearby. He'd already gone to the bathroom from what Gibbs could see and the dog perked up upon spotting him, bounding over happily for head pats and drawing Morgan's attention to him. She got up immediately and tossed the poop bag she'd had by her feet before hooking Russell back up to his leash.

"Sorry," she muttered as she did so. "I got distracted."

"I can see that," Gibbs said, eyeing her and seeing the tension still wound up in her shoulders. "Come on."

She didn't argue as he walked her to the shop nearby, got himself a coffee, and then handed her an energy drink. She hesitantly took it, rather surprised he knew which one she preferred and that he'd gotten her one in the first place.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," he told her firmly once they were headed back to the building.

"But don't let it affect my work. I know," Morgan muttered and he shot her a look.

"That's a given, but if you need a moment, you tell me. I'd rather have you cool down for a minute than say nothing and make things worse."

She watched him for a second as they got into the elevator, then turned away. "Thank you."

He grunted and waved her out of the elevator once it was back up to where the bullpen was.

"Go. Help Tony figure out where those bodies were killed."

"Yes, boss," she said, heading out and making him crack a small smile at seeing the tension now gone.

Back to work.

The team didn't get very far after that, thanks to a chemical hazard that occurred in the lab; forcing Abby and McGee to put a hold on their work until they got the all-clear and got cleaned up. Gibbs had been suspicious of the seemingly easy mistake Abby had made and had Tony, Ziva, and Morgan dig up what could have made Abby have enemies. This wasn't a mistake but an outside attack on their forensic scientist and he wasn't about to let it continue. What they found didn't bode well though.

"Luckily, your exposure to the gas was brief," Ducky hummed as he removed the blood pressure cuff from Abby's arm down in autopsy. "I don't anticipate any long-term ramifications."

"Better not be. You two don't have permission to be sick," Gibbs said shortly as he entered with Tony, Ziva, and Morgan—sans Russell out of caution for his sensitive nose.

"We're fine, Gibbs," Abby argued, removing her oxygen mask. "The only damage done was to my ego. It was a newbie accident… What?" She asked when she saw the expression on his face.

"We're not so sure it was an accident, Abs," Tony informed her, surprising McGee.

"Not sure meaning what?"

"We think whoever set up the crime scene might be after Abby," Ziva said.

"Me? Who would want to kill me? I mean, Tony I understand—"

"Hey!"

"Does the name Mikel Mauher ring a bell?" Gibbs asked, earning a sheepish look from her as Ziva continued.

"It should. He placed over two hundred phone calls to you in the last four months. One of them right before the accident."

"You went through my phone records?"

"And your credit card bills. Did you really buy this guy Mauher a straightjacket for his birthday?" Tony asked.

"Okay, slow down," Abby said as McGee eyed her uneasily.

"It sounds like you two were pretty serious."

"She filed a restraining order against him," Morgan added before Ducky gave the woman a solemn look.

"How come we never heard about this gentleman?"

"Okay," Abby gave in. "I dated him last year. And things just got a little out of hand."

"Restraining order?" Tony reminded her.

"Okay, it was a lot out of hand."

"Why didn't you come to me, Abby?" Gibbs questioned.

"Because, Gibbs, I wanted him restrained. I didn't want him beaten to a pulp with a baseball bat. And I'm embarrassed. It wasn't a great taste in boyfriends."

"Yeah, I saw the web shrine dedicated to you," Tony said with a grimace.

"W W W dot my hot dark angel dot com," Ziva rattled off.

"Okay, it's creepy. But that's not dangerous. He just can't accept that it's over between us. He's not a violent type," Abby defended.

"The guy cleans up crime scenes for a living, Abs," Tony muttered.

"I know. That's what I liked about him. But I'm telling you, Gibbs, he's not your man," she said before seeing his look as he turned back to the doors. "You're going to pay him a visit anyway. Can you pick up my red studded dog collar when you're there?"

"Morgan, you're on guard duty."

"Sure thing," she replied, turning to Abby and McGee. "Soon as you're both done we can wait upstairs."

"Can I play with Russell?" Abby asked and Morgan nodded with a small sigh.

"Nothing too crazy."

Abby smiled and it wasn't long before they were back upstairs waiting for the rest of the team to return and tell them what they found at Mauher's workplace. It wasn't much other than his alibi being his work, which was—according to him—more hectic due to the full moon. Abby, of course, had something to say about that.

"The lunar effect is a myth. There is no statistical correlation between the faces of the moon and human behavior. That's why it would never work with us."

"Because the lunar effect is a myth?" Ziva asked, confused.

"No, because I'm a scientist and he plays with voodoo dolls," she replied, picking up the toy Russell had dropped at her feet and returning to play tug with him.

"But you play with voodoo dolls, Abby."

"What she means is there's a difference between believing in something actually happening and just enjoying yourself," Morgan piped up, typing away on her computer and not really engaging with the others. "You can play with a voodoo doll for fun without believing that every pin you push into it is causing a victim pain."

"See? Morgan gets it."

Tony and Gibbs headed back into the bullpen after checking the suspect's alibi.

"Metro confirmed Mauher's alibi," Gibbs said as Tony continued.

"He cleaned eight crime scenes over the past four days. Been surrounded by homicide detectives the entire time."

"Did any of the crime scenes match what we found at the Navy Lodge?" McGee asked, hoping for a connection there.

"Nope. Not even close."

"Then, I'm off the hook," Abby said hopefully but Ziva shook her head.

"Not necessarily. He could have had an accomplice."

"Or the detectives could have just not paid attention to the cleaners," Morgan added as she huffed.

"Oh, leave it to the assassin and the grumpy one to rain on my parade," Abby huffed, earning a raised brow from Morgan to which she mouthed a small apology with a smile.

"Or maybe it was just a lab accident," Tony offered as well. "I mean really, who would want to kill Abby?"

"You know, it's true. It's not like someone was after Tony," McGee quipped as Ziva smiled.

"No. That's a suspects list I wouldn't want to run down again."

"Haha. I think the joke's over. We get it," Tony complained before Gibbs piped up.

"And our suspect list, Ziva?"

"Ah, we don't have one… but I can contact the local medical waste facilities and see if anyone reported a break-in."

"DiNozzo?"

"I'll run a background check on the Lodge employees. Maybe someone's got a vendetta against the cleaning staff."

"McGee?"

"Well, I can, um… I can go check on…" He paused, frowning lightly in confusion. "Boss, I'm not really sure what I should do."

Gibbs glanced at him and then over to Morgan. "Frost?"

She turned, looking between them before speaking up. "I was looking into the court case Abby was assigned to."

"Good," he said, turning away. "Pass that over to McGee. I want you to go home and take Abby with you."

"Gibbs, I am fine!" Abby protested. "I only have one stalker and he has an alibi."

"I don't want you to be alone tonight, Abs," he pressed before McGee spoke up.

"I could take her home."

"No, you're going to continue looking into the case she's on that Frost started. Frost has twice the amount of protection at her place than you do."

"Really?" McGee questioned, surprised.

"Russell."

The dog perked up and hurried over to sit at the foot of Gibbs's desk happily, proving his point.

"See? Frost, take Abby home."

"Yes, boss," she said, gathering her things hesitantly before nodding for Abby to head for the elevator to grab what she would need from the lab. "I'll keep working on things from home if I can."

Gibbs grunted with a nod and shooed her off, leaving her to head out after Abby.

Morgan stepped out of the shower and blinked as Abby played a third-person shooter game on the PC at her desk.

"Nothing like a nice relaxing video game to calm the nerves," Abby chimed as Morgan returned to drying her hair with the towel hanging around her shoulders.

"I didn't know I had a video game."

Abby grinned. "I brought one from home. Pretty good, huh?"

"You should go to bed," Morgan suggested, nodding to the bedroom. "I'll take the couch."

Abby got up with a frown as she begrudgingly turned off the monitor, heading over and wrapping her arms around Morgan's. "We can share the bed," she pressed.

"No, thanks," Morgan muttered, giving her a glance.

She was dressed in nothing more than her underwear and a t-shirt, as well as a button-up she'd gotten from somewhere that looked familiar.

"Is that my shirt?"

Abby grinned, releasing her and hugging the shirt close. "Is that okay?"

Morgan frowned lightly but sighed and waved a hand as she dropped down onto the sofa; dressed a bit more decently in a tank top and a pair of shorts. "Do what you want. I'm still sleeping on the couch."

Abby rolled her eyes and went to her bag in search of her toothbrush. "If you're uncomfortable with me wearing your shirt, I'll take it off."

"It's fine," Morgan replied. "I just don't like my things being moved."

"OCD?" Abby asked, earning a mild frown.

"I have a system."

"Me too," Abby chirped, before groaning. "Oh, I can't find my toothbrush! I think it fell out in your car."

"I'll get it," Morgan offered, getting up but Abby went to stop her.

"I can get it."

Morgan turned to her with a frown, voice stern. "No. You're not leaving the apartment."

"Why not, Morgan? We both know Gibbs is just being over-protective."

"So am I. I'm not taking the chance," Morgan pressed, nodding to Russell who was chewing on a bone on his bed. "Stay put with Russell. Don't open the door for anyone."

"Seriously?"

"Yes," she answered, turning to head out. "Men who don't know when to give up aren't to be underestimated."

"You say that like you know what it's like," Abby scoffed, making Morgan pause for a second before closing the door.

"Maybe I do."

The door shut before Abby could say anything and a hint of guilt trickled into her gut. There was still a lot she and the team didn't know about Morgan and she felt a bit bad trying to joke about the situation now. She'd been doing it to try and calm her own nerves but hadn't expected Morgan to have experience with this sort of thing. She jumped then when someone knocked on the door before bounding over and opening it without a second thought.

Morgan frowned when she did so. "I told you not to open the door."

"What'd you forget?"

"Keys to the car," Morgan muttered, stepping past her to grab them off the hook before whistling to get Russell's attention.

The dog perked up, stopping his chewing as he happily wagged his stumpy tail and Morgan pointed to Abby.

"Guard," she commanded and Russell got up and hurried to Abby's side as the woman complained.

"Morgan, I don't need him to guard me. You're just getting my toothbrush."

"And you answered the door," Morgan reminded her as she headed back. "He'll alert should anyone show up. Tell him to defend and he'll go after anyone trying to make contact."

"Morgan, I really don't—"

"If he gets a hold of someone, he won't release until told," she continued, ignoring Abby's protests. "I'm not telling you the command for that. I'll be back at that point."

"You're as bad as Gibbs," Abby huffed, folding her arms over her chest before letting Morgan leave.

She went to try and play the video game some more when there was another knock. She got up from her seat and hurried to the door to open it again, assuming Morgan had left something else; not realizing Russell was rushing after her in the process. Upon opening the door to see Mikel Mauher standing there, her heart sank.

"Hi, Abby," he greeted before Russell was abruptly between them barking aggressively and backing up to Abby's legs to force her to retreat into the apartment. "I-I forgot how beautiful you are. I mean, up close, I mean," he rattled on, eyeing the dog cautiously but stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him.

"What are you doing here, Mikel?" Abby demanded, reaching down and holding onto Russell's collar as she backed away from him.

It was hard to hear over Russell's barking but she was glad the dog had been left with her. He was a solid force keeping himself between her and Mikel to protect her as he'd been ordered. The only reason he hadn't already lunged was the lack of command and Abby was hesitating on giving it. She didn't know if Mikel was armed and she also wanted answers.

"You're in terrible danger," Mikel warned.

"I got that part," she said, heart racing in fear.

"Oh, no, no. I'm here to save you."

"What are you saving me from, Mikel?"

"Why do you keep asking that after what happened in your lab?" He pressed, making her a bit angry now too.

If he knew about that, then he had to have something to do with it.

"Oh, right. My lab. How did you know about that!" She demanded, throwing a nearby book at his head that he dodged.

"Can we not do this right now?" He asked and she started to run toward the bathroom.

"Morgan!"

"Wait! Wait!" He said, reaching for her only for Russell to still be in the way.

"Defend!" Abby shouted over his barks and Russell rushed for Mikel when he'd grabbed her.

He just barely managed to avoid Russell's jaws clamping down on his arm, letting out a shout of pain when the dog's teeth sliced into his sleeve and skin. Any closer and Russell would have had a firm hold on him.

"Call the dog off!" He demanded as Russell continued to bark and growl in threat, but prevented him from moving any closer to Abby who was now trapped in the bathroom.

"No way in hell, you psychopath!"

"There you go, playing the frightened victim again! Casting me in the role as the big, bad psychopathic stalker."

"Believe me, the role is yours!" Abby snapped at him. "Morgan!"

"Well, I'm sick of it, okay? I thought almost dying in your lab would make you realize how much you cared about me and how much I care about you. But I realize I was wrong. Maybe I was foolish for trying and trying. And trying. But I'm telling you, you're going to thank me. Okay?"

She didn't believe a word he said and just backed up further into the bathroom, pulling Russell in with her and closing the door.

"Listen, Abby. I just want to start over!" Mikel called.

"Mikel, go away!" She shouted, wishing Morgan would return faster.

"We had fun, didn't we?"

"Yeah, until you bugged my phone, you nut-job!"

Abby started looking for a weapon should he open the door to get in when Russell's barks calmed. She felt unease roll in her gut, hearing someone outside the door but when it opened, relief flooded through her as Morgan stepped in with her service weapon drawn. Morgan lowered it as Abby hurried forward and wrapped her in a hug; the sound of a motorcycle starting up outside making them turn to eye the opened window.

"Son of a bitch," Morgan spat, looking at Russell. "Perimeter."

Russell happily rushed out of the bathroom and went to do a check of the house as Morgan put her weapon away and started to lead Abby out of the room.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pushing Abby down onto the couch and leaning back to check on Russell as he moved into the next room. "Sorry, I wasn't faster. I heard Russell go off and got here as fast as I could. The stairs are under construction on the first floor apparently."

Abby noticed the rather large scrape across her knee that she was ignoring and went to point it out, but Morgan had already stepped away. Russell returned to Abby's side happily and Abby felt a hint of relief as Morgan came back and handed her a drink.

"Take it. It's a bit strong but it should help with the shock."

Abby nodded, nursing the alcohol as Morgan praised Russell for his work and sent him to his bed with a piece of fish she'd pulled out of the fridge for him.

"Fish is his favorite," she informed Abby when she caught her staring. "Did Mauher do anything?"

"No. Just kept saying stupid things. How he was going to save me and… and talking about still liking me. God, how could I be so stupid?"

"You're not stupid," Morgan said sternly as she picked up the book that had been thrown and knelt to check the splatter of blood on the floor. "You're just bad at following directions."

Abby frowned, going to argue when Morgan shot her a look.

"No sign of forced entry. You opened the door."

"I thought you'd forgotten something again!"

"You didn't think to check with Russell," Morgan pointed out before shrugging. "But you're not used to him. It's fine. He kept you safe and that's what matters. The only stupid one here was Mauher for thinking he could do anything." She got back up and pulled out her phone, giving Abby another once-over. "You're sure you're okay?"

"As okay as I can be," Abby muttered and Morgan sighed.

"Let me call Gibbs to figure out what we'll do next. He's going to give me shit for leaving you."

"It's my fault. I'll—"

"No, it's mine," Morgan argued, waving her off as she called him. "Didn't listen to my own words. Never underestimate a determined idiot… Gibbs, it's Frost. We've had a situation."

She stepped into the bedroom to inform him of what happened and Abby occupied her quivering hands with her drink; grateful for the warmth it helped spread through her chilled body. It didn't take long for Morgan to return, pulling a hand through her hair with a frown as she finished up the call.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll let her know… No. No, I know. Won't happen again." She hung up and looked over at Abby. "We're staying here until morning unless you'd rather we hole up at headquarters. Either way, I'll stay up to keep watch and Russell will stay with you. If we go to NCIS, I'll bring a sleeping bag and a mat and you can sleep in the bullpen or we can use an interrogation room if you'd rather that. It'll all be up to you. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"What do you think?" Abby asked. "Just… Just so I have another opinion."

Morgan frowned lightly, running a hand through her hair. "Both are good options. While I am more comfortable at home and it being a smaller space, I understand that it being broken into once now puts it at risk of it happening a second time; whether or not he actually broke in. It's been compromised and that won't make either of us feel any better. The NCIS building is larger but more secure because of its location and normal security measures. By picking a room to stay in, that narrows down possible entryways but also limits exits."

Abby nodded along with her deductions. "You're really thorough."

"My job required me to be thorough," Morgan muttered, not sounding pleased to discuss her past experiences. "I've also been in your position and understand that what might sound good to me strategically, doesn't fix the fact that our safe space has been compromised. If you're on edge staying here, I suggest we move."

Abby nodded, agreeing to move to the NCIS building, and Morgan nodded in return and started to get what they'd need.

"Morgan?" Abby spoke up as the woman set the sleeping bag and an inflatable mattress by the door with their things. "Could you… If it's okay with you… Could you tell me what happened with you?"

Morgan's gaze softened before she turned away and continued to pack things. "If it'll help."

"I don't want to force you," Abby said, worried she might be crossing the line. "I just…"

"Don't want to feel like it's just you," Morgan concluded, getting a nod and she sighed again as she zipped up her bag and tossed Abby a pair of sweats. "I'll tell you in the car and… I'm sorry if it's a bit…"

"It's okay," Abby said, cracking a small shaky smile. "We'll just pretend it's a story, right?"

Morgan cracked a small one back and nodded. "Sure."