A/N: This chapter was done a while ago, but I wasn't satisfied with it. After a rewrite and some serious self-criticism, I give you this.

Tim McGee reclined in his chair, secretly enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. Torres and Bishop had been at each other's throats since they'd arrived. He let it slide for a few minutes trying to gauge when he had to step in. The bickering had reminded him of Kate and Tony, and he'd been just a little nostalgic. It wasn't until their argument turned petulant that he'd stepped in.

He scanned the monitors, trying to find his boss on one of the screens. The camera that pointed directly at the room had conveniently malfunctioned during the night, leaving them blind. He watched Ellie out the corner of his eye as she scanned her case notes. Torres was on the other side doing the same. He sighed a little too heavily and tried locating his boss again.

"Agent Harris, what's you visual on agents Gibbs and Sloane?"

"They left a few minutes ago, sir. It appears that agent Gibbs is drunk."

Ellie snapped her gaze away from her case notes. She could tell McGee's frown was just a little too concerned. Nick snorted, shaking his head as he casually flipped through his folder. She narrowed her eyes at him until he finally looked up.

"Oh, come on you guys." He slid his folder away from him, propping his feet up. "Clearly, Gibbs had one too many and now he's paying for it."

Tim scratched at his beard, a nervous tick he had yet to stop. Shaking his head, he met Torres with a leveled look. "He won't, at least not on the job."

He was confident in his assumption. He'd only ever seen his boss drunk once, following a case involving an 8-year-old girl and her mother being killed. He felt Ellie shift in her chair anxiously. Giving her a reassuring glance, she seemed to relax.

"Everyone has a limit, even Gibbs." Nick retorted, the earlier confidence slipping.

Ellie pulled out her phone, giving each of her team mates a stern look when they tried stopping her. Gibbs was first on her list, dialing the number, she waited.

"He's not picking up." She announced quietly as she listened to the phone's continuous ringing. She saw the panic in McGee's eyes well before he could try and hide it.

"You know, this morning I struggled to get a hold of him too. Maybe he turned his ringtone off by accident." Tim tried to sound reassuring, but it was weak even to his own ears. He immediately noticed Ellie's need to do something. "Why don't you try Jack. I'm sure she'd pick up."

Bishop's eyes widened, the panic momentarily receding. "Yeah, of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

Jack grit her teeth, the cold steel of the pistol biting into her skin, her thumb still hovering over McGee's name. She counted Gibbs' shallow gasps for air, watched as he tried fighting the involuntary spams running through his muscles. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"What did you do to him?" Turning her head, she felt the steel dig just a little deeper into her temple.

"Gave him a little something for the pain." Sophia growled right in her ear.

Jethro moaned, body convulsing as he tugged at his clothing. He seemed unaware of what was going on, his eyes darting around wildly. He reached for Jack the moment he seemed to recognize her. She reached for him, fingers twining with his as he fought against another rush of convulsions. He moaned, visibly gasping for breath.

The crack of metal hitting bone was deafening.

Sophia wiped the butt of the pistol against the discarded jacket, eyes void of emotion. She seemed to balance the weapon in the palm of her hand, watching Jack scramble to stop the bleeding.

"It's okay." Jack whispered, he pressed into her hand as she tried stopping some of the bleeding. The blow hadn't been hard enough to knock him out, only piercing the soft skin of his temple. Leaning down she pressed a kiss to his hair, hoping to calm him down. "You have to be quiet."

In the last few minutes, she'd noticed that any noise seemed to frazzle their captor. It wouldn't take much to overpower her, which she lacked in strength she made up for by taking out her strongest opponent. Jack felt her own concealed weapon press into her thigh as she tried adjusting Gibbs. She knew his knife was hidden in his trouser pocket, but Sophia was watching each move closely. She'd have to distract her long enough to play her cards just right.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack whispered, making sure to inject enough fear to lull her into a false sense of control.

She tilted her jaw up slightly as Sophia crouched in on her, gun pressed right under her chin. Swallowing heavily she had to fight the memories, ignore the taste of desert sand in her mouth. She could still save both of them if she kept her cool.

The sudden ring of a phone had her flinch involuntary and she could see the familiar glean of a killer as Sophia grinned at her reaction. Jack stood her ground, knowing the slip might have helped her situation.

Reaching for the phone, Sophia read the name. "Ellie" She swiped her finger across the screen, meeting her victim's dark gaze. "Guess she's gonna have to leave a message."

Jack clenched her jaw as she watched her phone meet its untimely end against the wall.

Ellie pursed her lips, listening to the endless ringing. She tapped her pencil against the makeshift desk that housed their equipment. She'd noticed McGee scan the monitors meticulously, hoping to find their missing team members. Nick had his hand propped up under his chin, watching the screens with Tim.

"… leave your number, and I'll get back to you."

"She's not picking up either." Bishop announced, dropping her phone on the desk a little too violently. "Can't we have Harris go look for them, maybe check their room?"

Tim ground his teeth together. "Ellie, you know we can't. If we blow this, we might never catch this guy."

"McGee, seriously? Neither of them is answering, and the last visual was Gibbs looking drunk. Nothing about this looks suspicious to you?"

Tim glared at the younger agent, giving her a firm look. He knew she was panicked and that out of the three of them she was usually calm and collected. The prospect of having Gibbs and Jack in a dangerous position seemed to get to her a lot more than it should. She was the youngest on their team, had built close relationships with both people.

"Maybe they're getting it on, you know. They don't want to talk to us." Nick butted in from his seat, the humor in his statement lacking. He'd known something was wrong the moment Gibbs hadn't picked up his phone, but they couldn't all plummet into blind panic. He brushed off the dark look Ellie shot him.

There was a retort on the blonde's lips, but she was cut off by one of the computer screens blinking.

Tim pulled the keyboard towards him.

The screen showed static for a few seconds, before revealing the inside of the NCIS forensic lab. It was well passed 6 o'clock, meaning Kasie should've left hours ago. She seemed tired, lab coat thrown over a chair and her chin propped up on her knuckles she stared blankly at them.

"Hey, Kase." McGee spoke watching as she straightened, pushing her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose. She narrowed her eyes at them, seemingly studying each of them with a critical eye.

"Okay, what are you three hiding this time?"

"Nothing." The resounding chores only had her raising her eyebrows at them.

"You know, for a bunch of Federal Agents; you guys are really bad liars."

Tim rolled his eyes, stopping whatever argument Torres was about to start with a simple look. Turning his attention back to the screen, he met the scientist's suspicious stare. "Kasie, there a reason you called?"

"I just got the results back from the lab, thanks to Director Vance. The blood work tested positive for GHB."

"GHB? What's that?" Nick closed his folder and leaned forward in his chair. The air had shifted. The threat of Gibbs and Sloane potentially gone missing electrified the pervading tension.

"Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, not exactly something you can buy over the counter. It's used for medical treatments and as a recreational drug. It's also a date rape drug and once it's mixed with alcohol it can have some serious side effects."

Ellie reached for her phone, slipping it back in her pocket and resting her hand on her Sig. "What are the side effects, Kasie?"

"In low doses it can cause nausea or vomiting. At higher doses it can cause loss of consciousness, seizures and sometimes difficulty breathing. Like most drugs, an overdose can be fatal. It has no actual taste, so the victim doesn't know they've been drugged."

"He wasn't drunk he was drugged." Ellie whispered to herself. Defying McGee's stern orders at the beginning of their mission to not interfere, she was out of her chair.

Nick was on his feet, weapon drawn as he charged after Bishop.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Kasie stared at a dumbfound McGee. The Senior Field Agent snapped his attention back to the screen.

"Gonna have to get back to you!" Tim shouted over his shoulder as he swung himself out the backdoor of the van.

She forced her fingers to stop shaking, knowing she couldn't give Sophia the sadistic pleasure she was looking for. Gibbs had lost all consciousness, his body limp and his pulse weak. Jack bit her lip. She'd been forced to undress him leaving him in his t-shirt and boxers, the barrel of the gun never straying far from her head.

"I said tie him up." Sophia snapped from behind her, the gun connecting with her skull.

Jack complied, wrapping the rope around Gibbs' wrists. "Why us? What did we ever do?"

The tactic seemed to work, Sophia had relaxed fractionally when she'd realized there was no apparent threat once Gibbs was quiet. It had been twenty minutes since they left the ballroom, she hoped the team had realized by now something was wrong.

"Oh don't think you're going to analyze me, Doctor Pearce." Sophia snapped again, this time her anger was more visible as she grabbed a handful of hair, yanking Jack's head to make her look at her. "Why should he get what I've always wanted?"

The missing pieces of the puzzle gradually fell in place. "What is it that I have, Sophia? What do you want?"

"Shut up!"

Jack balled her fists as the back of her captor's hand landed violently across her mouth. The taste of copper flooded her mouth as her teeth cut into her lips. The pain was brief, nine months of torture had disciplined her how to dull most of her senses. She ran her tongue across her bloodied teeth.

"She didn't love you, did she?" Jack stood slowly. "That's why you kill the wife first, so the husband can watch you take something from them that they took from you."

She could see the panic flash across Sophia's face, eyes growing hard as stone as she grappled to stay in control of the situation. "Tell me, Sophia. The first woman you loved, did she leave you for a Marine? The rejection must have cut deep."

Jack held her breath, watching the realization dawn on her face. She saw the falter in her posture, shoulders slumped as she relived the heartbreak. It was the moment the outstretched arm holding the gun dropped a fraction, the barrel's aim moving from her skull to her shoulder. She made her decision.

She heard her heart thumping in her ears, Gibbs' panicked gasp for air igniting the fire inside. Wrapping her fingers around the other woman's wrist, she forced her arm in the air. Two consecutive shots rang out, throwing her off balance as her ears started ringing.

She found her footing quickly, despite the murderous heels. Years of military training kicked in. Using her strength to her advantage, Jack balled her fist, sending it flying through the air.

Knuckles crashed against cartilage.

The door was flung open, revealing all three members of team Gibbs along with all the other agents.

She ignored the throb in her knuckles, pushed the familiar taste of pain in her mouth to the back of her mind. She barely heard the team rush in, their movements almost lethargic as she watched them arrest their killer. She felt detached for a moment. She'd berate herself later for not making the connection earlier. She'd been right with her assessment, but their suspect had been as conniving as she had expected.

The ringing in her ears slowly subsided, and reality came crashing down around her. Disoriented, she pushed passed the sudden crowd of Federal Agents, rage flooding through her veins.

"An ambulance is on its way." Nick stepped in front of her, identifying the anger as nothing other than fear.

Ellie was by her side in an instant, eyes wide and slightly panicked as she watched Gibbs fight yet another convulsion.

"He's been drugged. The blood results of the previous victim came back positive for GHB." Ellie babbled, more to soothe them both.

Jack nodded blindly, sinking down next to Gibbs. The feel of his calloused palms against the pads of her fingers helped her focus as she untied the sloppy knot on the rope. Fighting the anxiety welling in her chest, she pressed the tips of her fingers into the tender spot on his wrist. The light stutter of his pulse was enough to reassure her, for the moment.

Ellie stared at her, face pale and eyes red rimmed from a lack of sleep. She could see the tears welling in the corner of her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. It struck her just how young Bishop was, hoped to God that the childlike innocence would never leave her pretty face.

Ellie curled her fingers into the sleeve of Gibbs' undershirt, knuckles alabaster white as she held on to whatever she could.

"He'll be okay." It surprised both women when it was Bishop who whispered the words.

Jack reached for her free hand, trying to hold on the young woman's promise.

The smell of antiseptic seemed like a vague memory. It had never been the smell of disinfectant that got her, it was the hushed silence that always lurked around her. Hospital staff had fought to keep her out of his room, throwing around family as their only excuse.

One phone call to Ducky resulted in her standing at the foot of the hospital bed. The air was cold around her and she instinctively reached for Gibbs. The familiar heat that surrounded him was gone, leaving his skin freezing. Fighting the tightness in her throat, she blinked the burning tears away.

A rush of air pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I didn't realize he had visitors."

The words reverberated through her mind. Jack straightened, running her fingers through her messy blonde hair. Under different circumstance she might've been amused at the words, knowing an icy blue glare would probably stop the doctor right in his tracks.

Cyril Taft watched the flicker of emotion run across the blonde woman's face. No doubt that she had an impeccable poker face as she stared at him with dark brown eyes. He flipped through the chart, double checking the last vitals that were taken. It surprised him that none of his team was present, their previous encounters all involved them pervading the hall outside the room. All of them eager to know if their boss would be able to pull through.

"Is he going to be okay?" She asked in a whisper.

Taft peered over the frames of his glasses, eyes thin and tired as he considered her for a moment. Scribbling the last of his notes in the chart before snapping it shut, he cast his patient a firm glare despite his condition.

"Agent Sloane, right?" He asked, noting that her gaze never left Gibbs. He pieced the information together for himself. Grace Confalone had mentioned a certain Agent Sloane who had managed to get under the skin of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"He's fine, despite the blow to the head. I suspect that the wound should be healing within the next few days. The attending doctor was only concerned due to previous complications." He could see the information was new to her, but she would have to ask the man himself. "His heart is fine, despite the overdose. He's got a history with the staff so they don't want to keep him longer than what's necessary."

Jack raised a brow; she'd heard from Tim and Ellie alike that Gibbs tended to be a pain in the ass when he found himself in the hospital. Personal trauma had taught her it was more the feeling of helplessness and frustration that was so agitating.

Taft pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, sensing the woman's need to be alone. "Once he wakes up and the attending doctor is satisfied, they'll release him." He cast her one last glance before leaving the room.

Wringing her hands together, she nervously sought out her thumb nail. She bit into the skin lightly, trying to hide the tears. She'd lost men before, watched them die right in front of her. All she could see was young Ellie Bishop's face, bravely fighting against the fear of losing Gibbs. It created more turmoil than she could stand.

Had she listened to her damn common sense they wouldn't have been here in the first place? As exhilarating as it was to finally give in to the desire to be with him. It came with a price, and she wondered when the time would come that she couldn't pay it anymore.

Washington daybreak was bright and early. Eleanor Bishop paced the hallway up and down, her Converse sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floors. She'd been in the waiting room before dawn, watching the night life of the hospital as the night staff bustled around.

It had been less than 24 hours since they had made the arrest. The media had been running wild with the story, half of DC's rich and famous had been knocking on NCIS' door. They had wrapped up the case as quickly as possible, all of them equally exhausted and equally anxious to visit Gibbs. The Director had ordered them to get some rest while he handled their suspect.

She watched the sunlight stream in through the windows, seemingly bringing life along with it. She watched nurses pass by, some recognizing her and others simply going about their work. The walls echoed with voices as people started arriving for visiting hours.

The sound of someone approaching from around the corner had her looking up.

The familiar face looked slightly annoyed, brow pinched in a frown as he scrawled in his chart. Pushing herself off the wall, she moseyed towards him. "Doctor Taft?"

The frown faded instantly, his thin face lighting up with a smile as he recognized her. "Ah, Agent Bishop." He gave her a knowing smile, they had met each other like this many a morning when Gibbs had been shot. "I was surprised to see a different blonde in his room."

"That's Agent Sloane. They're really close friends." Ellie nodded, twisting her hands in anticipation to go visit her team leader.

"He's doing fine, his heart held up pretty well despite the nearly lethal overdose. He really is one tough son-" He caught himself. Offering the young agent a smile he nodded towards the room she'd been keeping watch over. "Why don't you go say hello? He's about to be discharged."

She didn't know what to expect when she walked into his room. The last time she'd walked down these halls the possibility of losing her boss had been walking with her. The sunlight filtering through the windows warmed her skin, bringing back the sunny disposition she always opted for when she knew Gibbs might be in a particular mood.

What she didn't expect was him sitting on his hospital bed alone, the familiar red USMC hoodie looking larger than it should. Lightly tapping her knuckles on the door, she smiled when his head snapped up. The tired smirk he offered her was a welcoming change opposed to the glare he gave everyone when they found themselves here.

"Can I come in?" She asked cautiously, brown eyes searching the room curiously.

Gibbs nodded, pushing off from the hospital bed. It didn't surprise him when the warmth that was Ellie Bishop crashed into his chest. He hid the groan in her hair as she tightened her arms around his chest. He felt his muscles and joints protest under the added stress, but he ignored it. For a moment he cradled her close to his chest, reminding himself that it could have been her in this room.

"Thought Vance gave you the day off?" He groused as she stepped away, hoping to hide the sudden vulnerability.

The tone didn't seem to fool her, and she simply shrugged his mood off. "Yeah, it's why I'm here. The other two should be here at any moment." She plopped herself in the chair that stood in the corner, feet curled up and her chin propped on her knee.

"Bishop." Gibbs sighed, taking a seat on the bed again.

Ellie had a tendency to coddle, no matter who it was. He watched her keep herself busy on her phone, hair loose around her shoulders as she tapped away. In a split second he forgot how old she was, could see her as the geeky shy teen she used to be.

The second knock on the door was harsher this time and didn't wait for permission to enter.

McGee came into view first followed closely by a bleary eyed Torres.

"Hey, Boss, how you feelin'?" Tim would always be the one to ask, no matter how many times he'd be stared down. He didn't expect an answer, could see his younger team mates give him a sympathetic look.

"Okay." Gibbs grumbled.

Tim nodded slowly, slightly taken aback by the fact that he got an answer. After Paraguay he could understand why his boss hated the sympathetic looks. He appreciated the answer for what it was. He was about to say something when his phone started ringing, excusing himself he stepped out of the room.

"So, Gibbs..." Nick broke the sudden silence, giving Ellie a look. "You and Jack?"

"What about us, agent Torres?"

Nick stared at Ellie with wide eyes. "What? Nothing." He hated the fact that the pitch of his voice seemed to go higher. He turned to look at Jack, trying to charm himself out of the situation.

Gibbs bit back the smirk that threatened to slip. He'd give anything to see what Lieutenant Sloane looked like in her uniform reprimanding a subordinate. He saw the amusement in her eyes as Nick quickly shuffled his way across the room to a safe distance next to Bishop.

Tim wandered back in the room, a frown plastered firmly across his face.

"We get a case?" Bishop asked, slipping her phone back in her jacket pocket.

Tim shook his head. "Uh, no. That was Agent Wendy. She confirmed my 'refresher training'."

"Refresher for what?" Nick looked at Bishop questioningly, silently hoping he wasn't next in line for training.

Tim scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out how he had landed himself in this situation. "She just said I have to be there for the 'sketch and measurement' section of the course." He looked at Gibbs who hardly seemed phased by the news. "Boss, you know anything about this?"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "It's an hour, McGee, just go."

It was the slight twitch in his eyebrow and the barely perceptible up turn of his lips that gave him away. Jack smiled to herself, knowing that Gibbs was doling out punishment for a reason. She was surprised when those icy blues were suddenly focused on her.

"We good to go?" The irritation in his voice was hard to miss.

The resounding chorus of 'goodbye' as his team ran for safety made her lift an eyebrow at him. "Seems like they were anticipating a 'no'."

Gibbs lifted his shoulders, he wasn't going to admit he raised the roof of this particular hospital a few times. Grabbing his go-bag, he slung the strap over his shoulder, he double checked that he had all his things before invading her personal space.

Jack took a deep breath. He smelled like aftershave and soap, his hair still damp from the shower he'd opted for before his official discharge. It didn't feel like the right moment to address any of the things that happened. Licking her lips, she watched him do the same. "You're officially a free man."

The old-fashioned percolator was whirring softly behind her, the smell of Jamaican blend filling the house. She'd left him to brood for a little while. Having spent a few nights here she knew pretty much where he kept the essential ingredients to start a pot of coffee. A parting gift.

Twisting the wedding band on her finger, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. It wasn't the place or the time to ponder what it meant she still had the damn thing on. Wriggling the thin band off her finger, she placed it on the kitchen counter.

The percolator beeped behind her. Opening the cabinet door, she found two chipped mugs suitable enough. She was about to close the cabinet when the engraving on the door caught her attention.

KG was scratched into the paint and wood. She smiled to herself. It didn't take her too long to figure out who had been the artist. Running her fingers over the faded initials, she closed the door quietly. Hand hovering over one of the cups she stared at the second, wondering if he actually wanted her hanging around his home. Putting the carafe back in its place, she left the mugs on the counter.

They would probably never talk about their illicit affair again. Really, Jack?

Rolling her eyes at herself, she snatched the keys to her car. Momentarily she thought of shouting a goodbye down the stairs. Deciding against it, she hooked her finger through the key ring and carefully picked her way across the wooden floorboards. She was halfway to the door, her escape in reach when his voice stopped her.

"Where ya goin'?"

He was leaning against the door frame, arm braced above his head as he studied her. The red hoodie was covered in a thin dusting of sawdust. He'd seen the cups on the counter, the wedding band now resting in his closed fist. He saw the conflicted look on her face. He'd never meant for her to feel uncomfortable when they'd started this.

"Was checkin' for termites. They usually move in this time of year." He offered as explanation for his quick dash to the basement. "Don't wanna bunk with Fornell again." He shrugged and pushed away from the door frame. "His couch is lumpy."

He didn't bother hiding his delight when she laughed. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and the blush across her cheeks sent heat right through him. God, she was irresistible when she laughed.

Jack placed her keys on the nearest flat surface. "And do you?"

"Not sure yet. Why? You have a couch I can bunk on if I do?" He welcomed her warmth when she stepped right up to him. He nudged his nose against hers lightly, meeting her lips with a kiss. He didn't resist her when she deepened it, instead he pulled her closer.

Jack pulled back, slightly out of breath. "Oh, Cowboy. I've a whole queen sized bed if you need it."

It was his turn to laugh, his breath hot against her skin as he pressed his forehead against her. Reached for her right hand, he slipped the wedding band on her ring finger. It was a silent promise and an attempt not to scare her off, or give himself a heart attack.

"I wanna do this right, Jack." He could feel her nod, knew she understood what the simple gold band represented for them. "Dinner?"

She smiled up at him, the one that made his knees weak and his heart thump wildly in his chest. "Only if you promise to take me dancing too."

He narrowed his eyes at her, gauging just how serious she was. "Your livin' room fine?"

Intimate and private, and just so him. Brushing her lips over his again she couldn't help but grin.

"It'll do."

The End

To all of you who stuck around, I thank you very much. Yes, I am aware that Nick was drugged and that he would know what GHB is, but working for a pathology lab the last three years I realized that people aren't as clued up as they should be.