Chapter 1

Abby woke slowly, suddenly becoming aware of another body pressing up against her own. She smiled slightly to herself. Had she really gotten that drunk last night? But along with the hear of another person she also became aware that she was not lying down, and was sitting on a hard cement floor.

Her eyes snapped open and she immediately panicked. She was in small white room, her hands tied behind her. She was tied back to back with the person she had noticed earlier. She felt whoever it was begin to stir, and tried to twist around to get a glimpse of them. One glance revealed his light brown hair, sticking up in the back like it always did.

Tony, she thought, slightly relieved. Although with her moment of relief came another surge of panic. Whatever was going on, Tony was in trouble too.

Tony moaned, his head was pounding. He had known that he would have one heck of a hangover in the morning, but this was almost unbearable. It took a moment for his thoughts to fully tune into what his senses were telling him, but when he realized what was going on he fast forwarded to agent mode. He was in some kind of cell, that much was obvious, but he wasn't alone.

He leaned back slightly against his fellow prisoner, but sat back up almost at once. He had been jabbed in the back by something sharp that was around the other person's neck. It took him a moment to realize that it was a dog collar, just like the one that belonged to…

"Abby?" he asked, almost afraid to hear her answer.

"Tony! Are you okay?" her voice floated, like music to his ears, sounding small and scared.

"'Course" he answered trying to sound brave, "You?"

"Just peachy," she replied sarcastically, " It's my idea of fun to wake up in a cell, tied to you, with a freakin' headache."

"Good," he said, hurt and slightly angry, " I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"Sorry," she said, feeling immediately guilty. After all it wasn't his fault they were there, well at least not that she could tell, "It's just… what's going on? Where are we?"

‘Well," he said, trying to cheer her up, "I'm here, and you're right there, but that's all I got." He couldn't see her smile, but could here it in her voice.

"Thanks," she told him sarcastically.

"No problem, we'll get out of here," he moved to try and grab her hand. He squeezed it gently as he mentally added a sad ‘I hope'.


The lights were off in Abby's lab, but that wasn't too unusual. The real surprising bit was the silence. There was no music spilling out of the stereo in the corner. The lack of sound was oppressive. Gibbs flicked on the light switch and looked around for Abby.

She wasn't there. Here absence hit him like a brick. He took a deep breath. She should have been there half an hour ago. Tony, he thought suddenly, he had been giving her a ride that morning. He spun on his heel and nearly ran out of the lab.
Ziva and McGee had been discussing Tony's absence when Gibbs walked in. He glanced over at Tony's empty desk and grabbed his phone. He dialed Tony's number and waited impatiently. It immediately switched over to his voicemail.

"Tony. You know what to do," it said, before the tone.

"Dammit Tony where the heck are you? Get your butt in here and bring Abby," Gibbs yelled before slamming the phone down onto the receiver. Ziva and McGee exchanged worried looks. They hadn't seen their boss like this for a long time.

Chapter 2

They sat in silence for hours. Tony had been trying to figure out who would kidnap him. Unfortunately the list was too long to contemplate. The jokes the Director had made when Abby was being stalked actually had some truth in them. Abby was wondering the same thing. Who? Why? But the real question that was really driving her insane was ‘How?'

Neither of them could remember anything past the party last night. It had been wonderful, with loud music, beer, and lots of people. They had met by chance there, had a few beers, and danced the night away. After that nothing unusual had happened, not that they could remember at least.

The silence was suddenly broken as the door creaked open. A man stepped inside. He was of average height, with shaggy long blonde hair, and hazel eyes. Both Abby and Tony turned to glare at him. He returned their glare with a soft smile and left. When he had gone, Abby let out an audible sigh.

"Was it just me, or did he seem…familiar?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," replied Tony, trying vainly to stretch his legs, which were bound together at the ankles, without falling over.

"Jennings," she said suddenly.

"What?" Tony asked giving up trying to stretch.

"Jennings," repeated Abby slowly, "Michael Jennings. We got him last year for murder. Gibbs shot him, and he died. I'll never forget his face. Ducky thought I'd wanna see his tatts, but…that's who he looks like."

"You know, this reminds me of this one movie wh-" Tony began
excitedly, but Abby stopped him.

"Tony, could you focus for just five seconds?" she interrupted.

"Sorry, " he apologized, " I'm just a flirt when in the same room as a pretty girl," he continued to explain grinning.

"Anthony DiNozzo are you flirting with me?" she accused, her voice full of mock outrage. She gave a small smile, knowing that he was attempting to lighten the mood.

"That depends, did it work?" he asked eagerly.

"Maybe," she said, " but only if you get us out of here,"

"Fair enough," he replied.



Gibbs was restless. First he would sit, then stand and pace, before sitting again. After a few minutes of this he grunted to the team.

"McGee, Ziva, go check out their houses. I'm going for coffee," he said gruffly. The remaining members of the team nodded.

"This isn't the first time that Tony's been late," Ziva commented once Gibbs was out of earshot.

"No but it's to much of a coincidence for both him and Abby to go missing," said McGee, grabbing his jacket. Ziva followed suit and together they headed for the elevator.


It took only another hour of waiting in the room for Abby and Tony to realize the severity of their situation. There was a window in the room, through which gusts of cold air burst in, chilling them to the bone. Gone were the jokes, the flirting, and the laughter, only to be replaced by silence and worry.
The door opened again, and the man was back. Tony immediately started asking questions.

"Who are you? Why are we here? What do y-" but the man cut him off.

"Take the girl first," he called to someone outside the door. A second man entered the room and grabbed Abby roughly by the forearm, lifting her into a standing position.

Tony watched in horror as she was dragged way. Neither of them spoke, but Abby's eyes met his own, silently screaming ‘help'. Tony's mouth opened, but nothing came out. He had been trying to speak words of comfort, but all he could do was watch. With a snap the door closed, leaving Tony completely alone.

Chapter 3

Gibbs was walking into the office with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand, when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller id and the name ‘DiNozzo' flashed on the small screen. He nearly choked on his black coffee as he fumbled with the phone.

"DiNozzo, where the heck are you?" You and Abby should have been here two ho-" he began after finally managing to answer.

"I have your agent, " said the voice on the other line, but it wasn't Tony, "and the girl. You will not get them back."

"You will pay for my brother's death," the mysterious voice continued ignoring Gibbs' question. The line suddenly went dead.

"Dammit," Gibbs growled. He stomped into the bullpen and was quickly joined by Ziva, and McGee.

"There was nothing at wither of their houses," McGee reported.

"No sign of a struggle, or even that they've been there since a few days ago," added Ziva.

"They've been taken," Gibbs told them.

"How do you know?" Ziva asked confused and Gibbs explained about the call. When he had finished they all stood in a stunned silence.


Tony hadn't been able to tell how long it had been since Abby had been taken, but it felt like an eternity. He had struggled against the ropes that bound him until his wrists bled. He was furious with himself for not stopping them taking Abby. He swore silently and continued to struggle. He needed out, he had to get Abby. She was like the little sister that he had never had. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

His furious thoughts were interrupted as the door opened for a third time. He was grabbed roughly and pulled to his feet, just as Abby had been.

"Wher-" he began, but was back handed across the face. He cried out and was struck again. He was then taken to another room. It was cold and basementy with pipes hanging down from the ceiling. He was tied to one of these pipes, so that his hands here over his head, and couldn't fight back. A bruise was blossoming over his face. The man began to speak.

"Your boss killed my brother," he explained, "and now I'll kill you. Slowly." Fear filled Tony's eyes. He was going to die. He wouldn't even get to resist. He was going to die. He would at least go down strong. He stood up straighter and bit his tongue hard to stop himself from crying out as Jennings struck him again. Lights flashed before his eyes. He cursed mentally, wondering if Abby had endured the same torture, or even if she was alive. Jennings then pulled out a baseball bat from the corner and Tony stiffened.

Jennings swung hard. He kept up a vicious barrage of blows, pummeling Tony until he lost consciousness completely. He the stepped back and surveyed his latest victim. He appeared to have at least two broken ribs, and countless bruises over his face, and trunk. Jennings grinned. Revenge was sweet.

Chapter 4

Abby awoke gasping for breath. She tried to tell herself that it was all okay, but the searing pain in her side made this unbelievable. Vague hauntings of memories flashed before her closed eyes. Jennings beating her, torturing her, taunting her. She had a deep cut over her right eye and what felt like a broken wrist, but these injuries were miniscule compared to the gash in her side, just above her hip. Jennings had used a small knife like a sword to cut her open. She shuddered at the thought. At least she was alive, but for how much longer? With that thought she sank slowly into unconsciousness.


Gibbs' phone rang again, but this time he was ready for it. McGee was standing by to begin the trace the moment Gibbs answered. He put it on speaker, so that the three of them could listen.

"Gibbs," he said curtly, in a voice that was forcedly emotionless.

"Listen," said the voice with a sick excitement. There was a clatter as he set the phone down, and then it began.

First to come was a small whimper, then a dull thud and a full fledged scream. Abby! Thought Gibbs, clutching the back of a chair until his knuckles shone white. More screams ensued along with a distinctly male laugh that echoed through the phone. The sound of metal slicing skin, was followed by a shallow gasp, which was echoed by Ziva as she stared in disgust at the phone. There was another thud, and the sharp crack of breaking bone, before it was silent again.

"We'll see how much longer your golden boy lasts. Hopefully longer than she did," said the voice happily. Gibbs stared at the phone at a loss for words. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be. He shot a questioning look at McGee, who had frozen at the computer, also staring at the phone. There was a mixture of anger, fear, and horror in his eyes. Gibbs gestured wildly at him to continue the trace. McGee snapped back to attention and continued to work quickly. The voice on the phone was back.

"Your Boss killed my brother," the voice was saying, but it seemed he was speaking to his prisoner, presumably Tony, "and now I'll kill you. Slowly."

There was the sick sound of flesh on flesh as Tony was hit, but he didn't cry out. He won't give him that satisfaction, Gibbs realized as his stomach twisted into knots. For the next minute and a half all that could be heard were the sounds of wood meeting skin, and small, sharp gasps and moans. For the second time the phone went silent and then the connection as broken.

"I got it," McGee said triumphantly a moment later, "Less than an hour from here, somewhere in this ten mile radius. He pointed to the large red circle that surrounded a section of the map on the screen.

"Any way you can narrow it down?" asked Gibbs.

"Well yeah, if I had more tim-" started McGee.

"Twenty minutes," Gibbs said over him, "Ziva do a background check on Michael Jennings. Give me any immediate family."

"What happened on the Jennings case?" Ziva asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

"I shot him," Gibbs said coldly.

Chapter 5


Tony's immediate feeling when he awoke was relief. Relief that
he was alive, but this feeling soon turned to despair as he realized what being alive meant. It meant he could be forced to endure all of that torture again. His beaten body slumped against the bonds that were tying him to the chair as he contemplated his situation. Part of him, the normal strong part, was overjoyed at being alive, but his weaker side would almost welcome death. His eyes snapped open and he found himself face to face with his captor.

"Good, you're awake," he said simply. He placed a laptop on the table in front of Tony and after the push of a button, moved behind his prisoner. The laptop flickered to life, and on the screen a video began to play. Unable to tear his eyes away, he watched with growing anger as Jennings tortured Abby. He flinched at her scream as blood came seeping out of her side, and gasped as Jennings made a final blow, breaking Abby's wrist before knocking her into unconsciousness, or, for Tony couldn't tell, killing her.



Twenty minutes had passed before the team congregated in the bullpen.

"I narrowed our search down to these two apartment buildings," McGee was reporting, "they're abandoned, but according to police lots of people break in and use the place for shelter."

"Michael Jennings had a brother, Mitchell. He drives a blue ford pickup, which was last spotted in the same area as those apartments," Ziva added her bit of knowledge.

"You waiting for an invitation?" asked Gibbs, already halfway to the elevator. They both grabbed their guns and rushed after him.


It was about a half an hour drive, during which all three agents were silent, lost in thought.
Gibbs was taking the loss of his agents hard. He knew that Jennings would kill them unless they got their in time. He might have already done it. It was times like this when Gibbs felt like the father of a family of teenagers, always getting them out of trouble, but hopefully he'd be able to get them out this time. He already felt he had let them down, he couldn't bear to lose them forever.

The newest member of the team stared tiredly out of the window. Ziva's face was blank, a mask, shielding the sea of emotions rolling around inside her. Abby hadn't liked her when she had first arrived. It was understandable, Kate had been her best friend, after all. She couldn't even imagine someone else being in the forensic lab, though. It wouldn't be the same. Tony on the other hand, well he was a pain in the ass, but without him the team would be nowhere. His sharp wit was a small price to pay for his other detective skills.

Tim too was thinking about Tony, whom he looked up to like an older brother. Sure Tony sometimes, well all the time, tried to make McGee's life hell, but when things got bad, he was always there watching his six. As for Abby, she felt like his own little sister, cute and playful, but in a dangerous kind of way. If he lost either of them he wasn't sure his life could go on.

McGee grabbed the O.S. (Oh Shit) handle as Gibbs sped round another corner without even slowing down. If Tony had been there he would've complained, but McGee didn't say a word. The sooner they got there the better. The bigger the chance that they were still alive. Although it could already be too late, he shuddered and couldn't bear to think about it. All though now isn't the time for thinking, he thought as they pulled up to the first building, but for action.

Chapter 6

The first building was completely empty. No Tony, no Abby, no Jennings, just a couple of crack-heads. They practically ran across the street to the next building and began to methodically search it too. Run, look, nod. Run, look, nod. Run, look, nod, again and again, each set bringing forth the possibility of finding Tony, Abby, or Jennings.

Finally something broke the monotony. Run, look, gasp. McGee and Ziva flanked the door, with guns drawn, as Gibbs rushed into the room to kneel beside the fallen figure. It was Tony. Gibbs pressed his fingers against his agents neck. Nothing. He swore and pressed harder, and there it was, a weak pulse.

"McGee call an ambulance and stay here. Ziva with me," he ordered. He walked back out of the room, gun raised and he and Ziva continued their search. Run, look, nod, run, look, nod, rum…Gibbs held up a fist, signaling for Ziva to halt. Together they listened and their hearts sank at what they heard. A crying, pleading voice, a half hearted ‘No!' and a scream.

They ran forward, Gibbs, who was in the lead, nearly crashed through the door ahead of them and froze at what he saw. Abby lying on the floor, a knife halfway into her right shoulder and Jennings, standing over her, slowly pushing the knife further and further into her. Without thinking Gibbs fired two rounds in quick succession into his chest.


Gibbs was in a towering rage. He had yelled, demanded to be let through to see his agents, but to no avail. He was told firmly to sit down and wait, lest he be kicked out. Abby was in surgery for her stab wounds, and Tony was being thoroughly checked out by the doctors. Ducky had been there, but left for coffe and McGee and Ziva had gone back to the office to finish up all of the paperwork. Proving Jennings' guiltiness was easy, seeing as he had copies of the torture on his laptop. As for Jennings, he was in a body bag somewhere. Gibbs' shots had been fatal and no one really cared.

A doctor hadn't come out in a long time, the last was about an hour ago. They had come extremely close to throwing him out after he had started to yell. Luckily Ducky had been there to calm him down. He looked up as he heard soft foot steps coming towards him. Ducky was there, carrying two cups of steaming coffee. He handed one to Gibbs as he sat down.

"Any news yet?" he asked tiredly, watching Gibbs.

"No," came the reply angrily, "and the doctors won't even let me in to see Tony yet."

"Abigail still in surgery I presume," Ducky sighed as Gibbs
nodded.

"Well I-" he began, but at the sudden appearance of a young doctor he stopped.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" he asked, sounding confident. Both men stood quickly.

"Yes," Gibbs answered harshly.

‘I'm Doctor Reeter," he introduced himself quickly before continuing, "You can see Mr. DiNozzo now, he's still out of it, and should be for a couple of hours, but he's in a private room," the doctor told them, his confidence faltering under Gibbs' hard gaze.

"And Abby?" he asked worriedly.

"Ms. Sciuto is still in surgery, but she's doing fine. The knife did some damage, but nothing major."

"Thank you," Ducky said to the doctor as Gibbs brushed past him, "How is he doing?" he asked lowering his voice.

"Second door on the right," Dr. Reeter called after Gibbs, before turning back to Ducky, " He has three broken ribs, his nose is broken, and a minor concussion. Other than that he's completely covered in bruises. He's sleeping now, and on pain killers. Shouldn't wake up for a few more hours at least. He should be fine, but he doesn't look good."

They had caught up with Gibbs, who was standing frozen in the doorway of Tony's hospital room.

"What the hell are you doing for him?" Gibbs asked quietly, in a voice of cold fury. The parts of Tony that were not hidden under the sheets shone black and blue. His whole body was covered in bruises, dark purples and greens coated his arms and chest, only for more colors to be hidden by the bandages that held his broken ribs in place.

"Now, Jethro," Ducky began, trying to calm his friend.

"How are you helping him?" demanded Gibbs, now yelling. Dr. Reeter cast a frightened look from Gibbs to Ducky.

"Sit, Jethro," Ducky said forcefully, pushing him into a chair. He gestured for the doctor to leave. He did so, nearly running, glad to get away from Gibbs' wrath.

"It's not as bad as it looks. They're doing everything they can. He's going to pull through, Anthony's a stubborn lad," Ducky said placatingly. Gibbs held his head in his hands.

"It's all my fault, Ducky," he said, the anger leaving his voice, only to be replaced with a bitter tiredness.

"There was nothing you could have done. All you can do is be there for them now, and everything will be fine," Ducky told him.

"Don't worry," Gibbs said gravely, "I'm not going anywhere."

Chapter 6

The first building was completely empty. No Tony, no Abby, no Jennings, just a couple of crack-heads. They practically ran across the street to the next building and began to methodically search it too. Run, look, nod. Run, look, nod. Run, look, nod, again and again, each set bringing forth the possibility of finding Tony, Abby, or Jennings.

Finally something broke the monotony. Run, look, gasp. McGee and Ziva flanked the door, with guns drawn, as Gibbs rushed into the room to kneel beside the fallen figure. It was Tony. Gibbs pressed his fingers against his agents neck. Nothing. He swore and pressed harder, and there it was, a weak pulse.

"McGee call an ambulance and stay here. Ziva with me," he ordered. He walked back out of the room, gun raised and he and Ziva continued their search. Run, look, nod, run, look, nod, rum…Gibbs held up a fist, signaling for Ziva to halt. Together they listened and their hearts sank at what they heard. A crying, pleading voice, a half hearted ‘No!' and a scream.

They ran forward, Gibbs, who was in the lead, nearly crashed through the door ahead of them and froze at what he saw. Abby lying on the floor, a knife halfway into her right shoulder and Jennings, standing over her, slowly pushing the knife further and further into her. Without thinking Gibbs fired two rounds in quick succession into his chest.


Gibbs was in a towering rage. He had yelled, demanded to be let through to see his agents, but to no avail. He was told firmly to sit down and wait, lest he be kicked out. Abby was in surgery for her stab wounds, and Tony was being thoroughly checked out by the doctors. Ducky had been there, but left for coffe and McGee and Ziva had gone back to the office to finish up all of the paperwork. Proving Jennings' guiltiness was easy, seeing as he had copies of the torture on his laptop. As for Jennings, he was in a body bag somewhere. Gibbs' shots had been fatal and no one really cared.

A doctor hadn't come out in a long time, the last was about an hour ago. They had come extremely close to throwing him out after he had started to yell. Luckily Ducky had been there to calm him down. He looked up as he heard soft foot steps coming towards him. Ducky was there, carrying two cups of steaming coffee. He handed one to Gibbs as he sat down.

"Any news yet?" he asked tiredly, watching Gibbs.

"No," came the reply angrily, "and the doctors won't even let me in to see Tony yet."

"Abigail still in surgery I presume," Ducky sighed as Gibbs nodded.

"Well I-" he began, but at the sudden appearance of a young doctor he stopped.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" he asked, sounding confident. Both men stood quickly.

"Yes," Gibbs answered harshly.

‘I'm Doctor Reeter," he introduced himself quickly before continuing, "You can see Mr. DiNozzo now, he's still out of it, and should be for a couple of hours, but he's in a private room," the doctor told them, his confidence faltering under Gibbs' hard gaze.

"And Abby?" he asked worriedly.

"Ms. Sciuto is still in surgery, but she's doing fine. The knife did some damage, but nothing major."

"Thank you," Ducky said to the doctor as Gibbs brushed past him, "How is he doing?" he asked lowering his voice.

"Second door on the right," Dr. Reeter called after Gibbs, before turning back to Ducky, " He has three broken ribs, his nose is broken, and a minor concussion. Other than that he's completely covered in bruises. He's sleeping now, and on pain killers. Shouldn't wake up for a few more hours at least. He should be fine, but he doesn't look good."

They had caught up with Gibbs, who was standing frozen in the doorway of Tony's hospital room.

"What are you doing for him?" Gibbs asked quietly, in a voice of cold fury. The parts of Tony that were not hidden under the sheets shone black and blue. His whole body was covered in bruises, dark purples and greens coated his arms and chest, only for more colors to be hidden by the bandages that held his broken ribs in place.

"Now, Jethro," Ducky began, trying to calm his friend.

"How are you helping him?" demanded Gibbs, now yelling. Dr. Reeter cast a frightened look from Gibbs to Ducky.

"Sit, Jethro," Ducky said forcefully, pushing him into a chair. He gestured for the doctor to leave. He did so, nearly running, glad to get away from Gibbs' wrath.

"It's not as bad as it looks. They're doing everything they can. He's going to pull through, Anthony's a stubborn lad," Ducky said placatingly. Gibbs held his head in his hands.

"It's all my fault, Ducky," he said, the anger leaving his voice, only to be replaced with a bitter tiredness.

"There was nothing you could have done. All you can do is be there for them now, and everything will be fine," Ducky told him.

"Don't worry," Gibbs said gravely, "I'm not going anywhere."

Chapter 7

Tony rose slowly from the depths of his slumber. The first thing that he noticed were the voices. His ears heard them, but his mind, stilly groggy, couldn't quite grasp what they were saying. Slowly he began to understand.

"Why isn't he awake?" one voice was demanding. Another voice answered, sounding flustered and over worked.

"I don't know. There's nothing to indicate that he shouldn't be awake. He could just be…tired."

"Well find out," ordered the voice that he now recognized as Gibbs. Tony cracked a small smile, as he realized that Gibbs was bossing around his doctor. He slowly opened the eyes, and waited for the small hospital room to come into focus. There was Gibbs, looking threateningly at a young red-headed doctor.

"He's awake," said the doctor relievedly, eager to get Gibbs' attention off of himself. Gibbs turned quickly and crossed the room to the bed. Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Gibbs interrupted the unasked question.

"Don't speak," he said, "Save your strength." Tony shut his mouth, but suddenly all of his memories came rushing back to him. It hadn't been that he had forgotten it all, it was just as though the thoughts had been pushed to the back of his mind. He gave a soft whimper, and whispered a single name.

"Abby?" His voice was small and weak.

"She's in surgery. Going to be fine, according to him," Gibbs gestured toward the doctor.

"Why do I feel like crap?" he asked tiredly.

"Because you look like crap," answered Gibbs, "now get some rest." Tony nodded slightly, before stopping.

"Ow," he said.

"Concussion," explained Gibbs. Tony started to nod again, but caught himself in time.

"Right," he said instead, and leaned back against his pillows. Gibbs watched him for another moment, before pulling out his cell and leaving the room. He began to dial as he entered the waiting room.

"Duck, he's awake. Send the rest of the team over here," he said once Ducky had answered.

"Very well Jethro," his old friend replied, "and how is Abigail?"

"No news ye-" Gibbs began, but Dr. Reeter had returned.

"You can't use that here," he said automatically, gesturing to the cell phone, "I mean, Ms. Sciuto's out of surgery, you can see her now," he amended quickly after seeing the look the older man gave him. Gibbs nodded, and turned away again.

"She's out of surgery now, I'm going to go see her," he told Ducky. They said their good-byes and hung up. Gibbs then followed the doctor down the hallway to see Abby.

When they entered her room, Gibbs was better prepared for her condition than he had been for Tony's. She was resting peacefully, a cast on her left wrist, and a bandage over the cut on her brow. Her bruising wasn't nearly as colorful as Tony's and nowhere near as extreme. From this angle it almost looked as though she had just been in a car wreck.

"She's doing fine, the surgery went well," Dr. Reeter told him, "She should be waking up within the hour." He then turned and left the room. Gibbs sat down in the chair next to her bed, watching the forensic scientist sleep. How could he have let this happen to Abby, he wondered.

He didn't know if he actually drifted off to sleep, but all he did know was that one minute he looked up, only to find her awake. Her green eyes were wide with fear and pain.

"It's alright," he told her gently, "I'm here." In response she looked up at him, confused.

"Who are you?"