Chapter 1

*This will be the first of series of stories that I want to write. The time line starts while Jenny is still healthy and the director of NCIS.*




"Gibbs, are you here?" Abby called out as she spun around looking around for him. Just when she was certain that she was alone she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped with a little shriek and proceeded to trip over her stool.

"Whoo Abby!" He grabbed her by the arms and stood her upright until she got her balance back.

"I think you need to lay off the Caf-Pows today!" He laughed freely at the expression on her face.

"Gibbs! How do you do that? You're like some kind of ghost or something!" Abby gestured wildly.

"What have you got for me, Abs?" He got straight to the point before Abby could go off on one of her tangents.

"Well thanks to all of my babies here I have got that break you have been looking for!" She turned the large monitor on the wall.

"So you found some DNA that was usable?" He asked her. Every day he thanked GOD for Abby; the way she could pull a forensic rabbit out of a hat amazed him.

"Of course I did! When I am here in the Land of Labby, no speck of blood can hide from me!" She pronounced with a great deal of pride in her beaming smile.

"It is a match for a Jake Hanson. He's in the system because of his naughty behavior; he served seven years for assault and battery."

"I need you to get me an address...." He started to tell her.

"Gibbs! You should know me better by now!" She admonished him as she handed him a small piece of paper. "I already emailed the others."

"You're still my favorite" He signed to her with his long fingers.

He walked to the elevator and started going over in his head exactly what they knew about the case thus far. A Marine had been murdered that in itself was obvious due the fact that his body was riddled with bullet wounds. What had been throwing them off was the fact that he seemingly had no enemies, no real friends either, no reason for anyone to want him dead. That of course only meant that they didn't know yet why anyone would prefer him six feet under.

What he was bothering him the most was the feeling in his gut; that there was a real sense of urgency in finding who was responsible. It didn't make any sense if this was as it appeared to be; due to the overkill a crime of passion. The possibilities flying around in his head ranged from ridiculous to frightening.

Corporal Eric Clancy had been assigned to keep inventory of ammunitions and the weapons that fired them which meant that there could be some smuggling of arms to either foreign or homegrown terrorists. That angle concerned him but there was something more and he wasn't going to rest until they figured out what that was.

Walking out of the elevator doors he stopped first at Ziva's desk. The Israeli Officer was on the phone speaking rapidly in one of the many languages other than English that the woman spoke.

"Ziva, are you getting anywhere with your contacts?"

Holding her hand over the receiver she responded. "He's actually a contact of one of my contacts; however I seem to be having some difficultly in getting him to trust me...."

She was not always known for her diplomacy, which was usually to her preference. However in times like these she wished that one of her short comings wasn't patience. She was confident in what she was raised and trained to be, a spy and when necessary a skilled assassin; it was her ability as a Special Agent that sometimes left her feeling a little insecure.

"Alright, then you stay here and keep working on it. We need to find out if there is some connection between Corporal Clancy and any known terrorist cells operating in the area; it's our only possible lead at the moment." Gibbs turned and started walking again towards the elevator.

"DiNozzo, McGee gear up....let's pay Mr. Hanson a visit...." He didn't even bother to turn around, knowing they would be on his heels momentarily.

"Who's Hanson Boss?" Timothy McGee was the first to speak up.

"The only suspect that we have....." His Boss answered cryptically.