Things have finally slowed down, so I can concentrate on writing a bit longer fics rather than just one-shots that turn into two, then three-shots ;)

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Gibbs struggled against the handcuffs secured tightly around his wrists. His mind was cloudy, he hurt, but he briefly allowed himself to reflect on the last time he had been in cuffs – linked to Abby. Shaking the thoughts from his head he tried to think back to what had happened.

He had been out for an early morning run through the neighborhood. He had started running a few mornings a week in an attempt to keep in shape. In the beginning, it wasn't something he enjoyed. He'd much rather workout in the gym, but it was being remodeled. He knew DiNozzo continued to work-out elsewhere, and he had no intention of letting Tony get the better of him once the gym at work was back in use.

After the first few runs, Gibbs started to enjoy his early morning workout. The run gave him time to think, and the fresh air had done wonders to clear his mind, something that the dusty air of the basement didn't seem to do.

So much for doing something for my health. Look where I ended up.

The last thing he remembered was stopping to stretch out his legs at the front step. Then… His head hurt, he couldn't remember the blow, but there must have been one, and it must have been hard.

He listened for sounds, anything to clue him in to where he was. The room was dark, cold and damp. There was a window to the outside, but it was up high. There was a dark scrap of curtain hanging over it. If he hadn't been cuffed, he would likely have been able to climb out, but with his hands restrained behind his back, he was getting nowhere.

He sat back against the wall and tried to think of who may want to hurt him. If he knew why he had been taken he could possibly talk himself out of the situation. He heard footsteps approach.

"Well, well Agent Gibbs. Nice to see you awake."

Gibbs stared at the man, trying to figure out how he knew him.

"Don't you remember me?"

No. Gibbs continued to stare. He wasn't going to say anything until he had figured this out.

"I'm hurt. You killed my brother. But, the details don't matter. But first, tell me, how you feel about one Abigail Sciuto? Oh wait, she prefers Abby, doesn't she?" Jason knew he had struck gold, at the flash of both hatred and despair in Gibbs eyes.

"You do what you want to me, leave her out of this. She's done nothing to you."

"No, but you have." Jason's fist collided with the side of Gibbs face.

-----

Jason Cole had thought about killing Gibbs for several months.

He'd drive by his house, sometimes even getting as far as the front door before going back to his car and driving off. Finally he had come up with a plan. It was simple really, get Gibbs, tell him everything he needed to say and then kill him. But then, as his obsession over the man that had killed his brother grew, he dug deeper into Gibbs life.

Killing him, it would be an easy way out. Gibbs' loved ones would suffer more than Gibbs himself would. Digging into his personal life, Jason found out about his dead wife and daughter. Jason didn't think that would be fair – making all those innocent people, Gibbs team, suffer just so Gibbs could be with his family once and for all.

He thought instead, maybe killing an ex-wife would hurt more than simply killing Gibbs. But then again, they were ex's for a reason. He heard about Hollis Mann… she was his latest girlfriend. But she was all the way in Hawaii. He didn't have the patience to wait for her to visit D.C. again. Then he had witnessed an exchange between Gibbs and his forensic scientist, Abby Scuito.

It wasn't anything special; he had brought her a sugary and caffeinated beverage. It was delivered with a warm smile and a soft kiss to the cheek.

Abby Scuito it was.

The most painful thing, he decided, would be to make him watch Abby die. Well, maybe not watch, the pain of not knowing when it happened would be worse. He knew he needed to get Gibbs first. He could sit and think of all the terrible things that would happen to him, yet the one thing he wouldn't expect, would be the one thing that he would do to him. He wouldn't kill him afterwards, again, it would be the easy way out, no, he would let him go, and a few days later, he would find Abby's body, bloodied and broken.

The score would be even.

He also knew that with their boss missing, Abby would be surrounded by agents at all times. But that was ok; he was going to make this as painful as possible. He was going to let Abby make the choice.

Her life… for his.

He knew she would do it, and he knew that it would kill Gibbs slowly from the inside. From what he could tell there was no romantic relationship between the two, but he could easily see the hero's worship in her eyes, and the soft touches and kisses to her cheek….

Jason was certain that his idea was pure genius.

-----

"Hey Abby, is Gibbs down here?" Tony strode into the lab. It was 0830 and he hadn't seen Gibbs at all.

"I was just about to call up and ask if you had seen him. He's always down to my lab before now. I've got a feeling… and it isn't a good one, Tony."

Tony wrinkled his brow. It was odd that the boss wasn't in by now. "You call his home number, I'll dial his cell." Tony flipped open his phone and Abby lifted the receiver on her desk.

"Voice mail."

"No answer."

"I'm worried Tony, can't you send someone to his house to check?"

"I've got to give it some time. Maybe he's just running late."

"He'd call. Or he'd answer."

Tony nodded his agreement. It wasn't like Gibbs had ever been late, but if he was, he would have called. "I'll check with the director, maybe he knows something. Otherwise, we'll give it until ten, if we haven't heard anything by then… I'll drive over and check it out."

"That's an hour and a half. What if something is wrong and he's just lying in…"

"Abby no, I'm sure he's fine. It's not an anniversary of any kind is it? A birthday, a…"

Abby shook her head. "No."

Tony pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry. Everything will be ok."

-----

Tony's next stop was the director's office. Vance had no idea where Gibbs was, but agreed, if he wasn't in the office by ten, Tony should drive over and check.

When Tony descended the stairs into the squad room he found Abby curled in Gibbs chair. Ziva and McGee were unsure of what to say at Abby's insistence that something wasn't right. When Tony got to his desk he grabbed his gun, badge and keys. "C'mon Ziva, we aren't going to wait until ten."

Ziva started to question him, but his slight nod towards Abby was enough to keep her quiet. Ziva picked up her gun and badge and followed Tony to the elevator. "We'll call." Tony called over his shoulder.

McGee gave up on small talk with Abby and let her sit quietly. He focused on the computer, but looked up every few minutes to check on her.

Abby pounced on the phone as it rang. "Hello!"

"Abby… he's not here. His car is, but we checked every room, the basement, the backyard… he isn't here, but nothing is messed up or broken. No sign of struggle. Was Franks in town over the weekend? Maybe he picked him up and they are drunk a bar somewhere."

"Maybe…"

"We'll be back in ten… don't worry, Abby. He'll turn up."

Abby paced between the desks until the elevator dinged. Tony and Ziva exited the elevator followed by Kevin who worked at the front desk. "Ah, miss Scuito. This was delivered for you. Some guy said it was urgent." Kevin dropped the letter on the desk in front of Abby and continued on.

Abby frowned and reached into the pocket of her lab coat. She pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and slipped them on before opening the envelope.

Miss Scuito,

I've got Special Agent Gibbs. I don't want money. I want a switch. Gibbs… for you.
Simple as that. Call me at 555-8293 and we'll arrange the switch. If you agree,
he won't be hurt.

***

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TBC….

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