Since Layla didn't know the names of the men holding her and Marlaina hostage, she came up with nicknames. The guy in charge is Ringleader and the other guy is stooge.
Marlaina was crying. She didn't like the strange man holding her. She reached for Layla. When Layla tried to take her, Ringleader grabbed her arms and pushed them to her side. "Look, Ringleader, she doesn't like strangers. Let me hold her." she glared at him. Yes, she was scared out of her mind, but no, she wasn't going to show it. Ringleader glared back. "I'm not going to try anything and get Marlaina killed. Tell Stooge to let me hold her."
Ringleader nodded and turned to Stooge. "Give the baby to the girl." Then he turned back to Layla. "One wrong move……"
"And you'll put a bullet in my brain, I got it." She interrupted, as Stooge handed Marlaina over. "It's okay, Little Laina. Shhhhhhh. It's okay." She gentle rocked her. The baby's crying slowly stopped.
Ringleader sat next to her on the couch. She scooted as far away as she could. "So, Ringleader and Stooge?" he asked.
"Well, Armed Dumb ass numbers one and two might get me killed." She sarcastically replied.
Stooge raised his gun at her. "Who you calling a dumb ass?!" he yelled.
Layla rolled her eyes. He won't shoot me yet. "Who's got the gun?" she yelled back.
Stooge pulled her to her feet by yanking her arm, and she almost dropped Marlaina. The sudden movement scared the infant and she started to cry. Stooge put the gun to her head. Layla closed her eyes. I could be wrong. Ringleader pulled the two apart. "We need her alive until her sister brings us Kevin. You can kill her after." He laughed.
"Wait, what?" Layla asked.
Stooge lowered his weapon. "You didn't think you were getting out of here alive, did you?" he, too, started to laugh.
"W-well, it w-was wishful t-thinking." She stammered. Stay calm, Layla, Kate's coming. She'll get you out of this.
"Well, if false hope will keep you calm, instead of annoying me, then okay. But, your sister will never prove Kevin's innocence in…" he looked at his watch. "Eleven hours and thirty-eight minutes. Science isn't that good." Ringleader explained.
Layla looked away. "Obviously, you haven't met Abby." Abby was the only member of Team Gibbs that Layla meet. The cheerful goth was always coming over to hang out.
"You going to shut her up?" Stooge asked. He was referring to Marlaina, she was still crying.
At NCIS, the team and Ducky were in Abby's lab. Kate was still shaken, but calmer. She knew they'd get Layla and Marlaina out of there safely. She had only been there about two months, but she learned quickly to never doubt Gibbs. Gibbs, Kate and Tony briefed Abby and Ducky on the situation. Abby pulled Kate into one of her bone crushing hugs. "Oh, Kate, don't worry. We'll get Layla and Laina out of this! You still owe me and Layla Cds, by the way." She attempted at humor.
"You owe them Cds?" Tony asked.
"Lost a bet." She answered, giggling. Then reality hit and she needed to sit. Abby noticed and pushed her chair over.
"Okay, we need to go over the evidence again. Ducky, call Gerald in and go over the bodies again." Gibbs called to order.
"Of course, Jethro." He answered and turned to Kate. "Caitlin, we'll do everything we can."
"Thanks, Ducky." She said as she hugged him. Then he left.
"DiNozzo, we're going to need coffees and a Caf-pow." Gibbs stated, turning to Tony.
"On it, Boss." With that, he left.
"Okay, Abbs, could you run the mystery fingerprints against every data base you can think of. Also rerun the DNA off the silva."
Abby sighed. "Normally, I'd be really mad that last request, because I'm never wrong, but because these are extenuating circumstances….." she babbled.
"Abbs!" he cut her off.
"Right, on it." She went over to her "baby".
Gibbs turned to Kate, who stood up from the chair. "Kate, are you going to be okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "I have to be, for Layla and Laina."
"And for you." He said, firmly.
She faintly smiled. "Yes, and me, too."
Gibbs smiled. "Good, go in Abby's office. Run a background check on Blankenship, the petty officer and any family they may have. Go as far back as you can go." Kate nodded and walked away. Gibbs took the file with the pictures Kate had taken at the crime scene and spread them across one of the tables.
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Layla hummed and rocked, a sleeping, Marlaina. Stooge was setting up Marlaina's playpen in the living room. Layla was forcing down tears. She didn't want to put Marlaina down. She was afraid to. These men, obviously, don't know what to do with babies. Ringleader put his gun to Layla's head. "Put the baby in the playpen." She hesitated. "Now!" he yelled. She flinched, then got up and laid the baby in the purple playpen. I swear this guy is bipolar!
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Special Agent Thomas "Tom" Reagan and his partner, Special Agent Amanda "Mandy" Sloan, of the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) in the FBI, were setting up a command center in front of the apartment building. Tom and S.W.A.T. were evacuating the building, while Mandy cut Kate's phone line and patched it to the phone in the command center.
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The noise from Tom and S.W.A.T. evacuating the building didn't go unnoticed by Ringleader and Stooge. Layla looked, nervously, at Ringleader as he exploded. He struck her and she fell off the couch. She put her hand over her cheek. Instead of looking up at him, she braced herself. He grabbed the wrist touching her cheek and forced her back on the couch. "NCIS just made a huge mistake!" he yelled. He fired his weapon and Layla screamed.
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