A/N: Quick update as promised!

Brody stood in front of the large double green doors, blocking LaSalle's way. "Pride said, we have to stay here."

That was before the man had been shot.

"Move out of my way, now," he barked in spiteful and demanding tone. Despite the fact, that he was still weaker than a newborn kitten and his body still spiraling in pain with every breath. He was in command now. Being the senior agent, in the NOLA office the protocol had always been for him to take over when King wasn't able to perform his normal duties.

Brody felt her jaw clench against his tone and came back with some words of her own. "Chris, there is no way you can drive and you can barely move." Broken ribs, fractured sternum, the man was still a mess. She herself would drive him, if it weren't for the fact that her right arm was in a cast.

Eyes blazing, he leaned into her. "This is King. I need to go to the hospital."

Brody lowered her eyes. Even when her memory was intact she never understood why Chris was the only person to call Pride King or why Pride insisted on calling him, Christopher, even though that was his given name.

Releasing a sigh, she raised her eyes meeting his intense blue ones. "I know you want to be there but you…we can't, Borin, Percy and Loretta are there. They're going to let us know everything that's going on."

"You don't understand," he ground. It was his responsibility to tell Laurel and to take her to Pride. He had to be there. He had to protect her. That was his job, a pact that he and Pride had set up long ago.

"I do. I know that Pride is like a surrogate father to you and that he saved you, from something…although I can't quite remember what. I also know that Savannah was shot inside your house and you're still hurting over that because you loved her and that you're probably scared to death of losing Pride too.

Wow, where did all of that come from? Brody couldn't believe that she had rambled on like so fluid and so clearly.

Chris' face twisted in unleased and unresolved anger. She was right. He was almost to the breaking point. He wanted to hit something. His best friend, his mentor was in the operating room possibly dying from a bullet wound to the abdomen and he was stuck here, powerless to do a damn thing.

"I'm callin' a cab." He retorted as Percy walked in with the shooter in cuffs.

"Dead men don't go around calling cabs." Percy pushed the woman into a chair. "And before you ask, no I won't drive you over there, and don't you even think about asking to borrow my car!"

LaSalle said nothing.

They had work to do. King would want him to stay and learn things.

Is this the woman who shot Pride? Brody asked moving closer, intrigued. Not that she didn't believe it, but the woman was barely five feet tall and maybe all of 21. Could be a year or two in either direction.

"As we live and breathe." Percy quipped. "Not very bright however, considering Agent Borin caught her in the act."

"I did what I had to do! To get vengeance for my father!" the young woman yelled, earning their undivided attention.

"Who's your father?" LaSalle tossed out, curious to know.

The girl smiled wickedly as the agent moved closer. "You know him very well. So, well in fact you tried to bullet in his head! He should have killed all you!"

Three sets of confused eyes looked at each other, searching for the answer. The only person that Chris had recently tried to shoot in the head was-

"You Father was Paul Jenks?" The idea hit LaSalle like a ton of bricks.

"Damn," Percy swore under breath. She had worked for the man for almost a year and didn't even get so much as inkling that Baitfish had a daughter. To his credit, he had done an excellent job of keeping her a secret from the world.

"All of you should be dead!" The woman was crying hysterically now.

"Why?" Brody challenged. "What did we do that made your life so miserable?"

Hiccupping the woman choked out the words. "Dwanye Pride made certain that I never had a family. He didn't want my father to know that I existed…"

Percy's dark eyes were wide, her face sporting a WTF?

"How did Pride do that?" Brody asked gently.

"He convinced my mother to go into witness protection and because of that we lost everything. I never even met my father!"

"So, how did you find out about him?"

The woman hung her head. "A few weeks ago, I got an envelope in the mail with some pictures and newspaper articles, so I started researching and then I found this woman who knew my dad."

Brody was kneeling now touching the young woman's forearm. "What woman?"

"Sasha Broussard. She helped me set up the website and told me that she would take all of the credit but that I had to get Pride. "

Deafening silence filled the room. Sasha had played them again from the depths of a prison cell.

Three hours later…

Chris LaSalle watched as Laurel Pride leaned up against her boyfriend, O'Rion closing her eyes as their fingers laced. O'Rion was gently stroking the side of her face whispering something too for Chris to hear.

Pride had just been brought out from surgery and was in recovery. Loretta told them that he was lucky but that the small caliber bullet had done a fair amount of damage resulting in the loss of King's spleen.

All in all he was expected to make a full recovery he just hadn't had time to wake up yet. His body was busy trying to recover from the trauma.

Brody stepped up next to LaSalle as he continued to watch over Laurel. "I don't know about you, but since we can't see King for a while what do ya say we go get some real food?" The idea that they were actually still in the hospital waiting on another meal, made her stomach yearn for anything that wasn't bland and accompanied by Jell-O.

Chris' brow furrowed. "Did you just seriously refer to him as King?"

"Is that wrong?" she asked, touching his forearm.

An easy grin spread to his face. "It's just kind of my thing, but I'm willin' to share."

Brody smiled back at him, letting her hand slide down to align his. Although she was still missing a few memories, she was willing to make new ones.

Taking her cue, he tangled his fingers in with hers. "Now about that dinner?"

"Your choice," she grinned knowing that they would have to keep in within walking distance or pay the horrendous price of cab fare.

48 Hours Later.

Abigail Borin walked into the ICU to find several brightly lit white candles and a neat place setting for one. "What's all this?" she snorted smiling at the man in the bed. Despite the fact, that Pride was one day out of surgery from a bullet wound he looked pretty good.

"The dinner I promised you."

Abigail lifted the lid from the warming containing and inhaled deeply allowing the rich aroma of cajun style steak and shrimp with a side of jambalaya to fill up her senses. "It didn't come from here did it?"

"I had Loretta pick up it for me." Pride said as she noticed the ice bucket and the wine.

"She smiled teasingly, picking up the glass. Not that I'm opposed it but I'd rather not drink alone."

"I have Ginger Ale," Pride quipped lifting up a plastic cup.

Abigail pulled the bedside chair up the over the bed table and picked up her fork. "I'm not that good at sharing but this time I'll make an exception."

"It's okay," Pride nodded, "I'd rather watch you eat."

"Suit yourself," taking her knife, she cut through the steak, before shoving it into her mouth. "This is tasty."

For several minutes, Pride just watched her eat, enjoying the way she chose to attack her food. "You know I meant what I said earlier," he said when they made eye contact.

Borin picked up her napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth. "You sound like you want me to stick around."

I'd like that. There's always room in the budget for another agent."

Abigail lowered her head, recalling an earlier conversation they'd had about her retiring from the Coast Guard and coming aboard NCIS. "You know I still have several months before I can retire. But if your divorce from Linda were to become final, I might be enticed to visit more often."

Pride lowered his head for a moment, smiling. "C'mere" he beckoned, piquing her curiosity. Slowly, she rose upward, leaning towards him, meeting his gaze. In his eyes, she saw uncertainty and longing. He had been in love with Linda for years, decades, and though she had never thought of herself as an insecure woman she had to wonder. Would she measure up?

Strong and confident, Abigail Borin, the female equivalent to Leroy Jethro Gibbs suddenly felt her lip begin to tremble as his hand snaked behind her neck, his lips ever so lightly brushing over hers.

"Linda and I are already divorced." he whispered running a hand through her hair.

"Then we need to work on somethings." Borin smiled touching the side of his face.

"Like what?"

"Well, your kissing for one," she quipped, "and there's a matter of coffee. If you want me to hang around more often…"

"Are you sure, I can't convince you to try the Chicory again?" he grinned sealing his mouth over hers, in a purposeful and well orchestrated kiss.

"Not a chance," she said into his lips before pulling away to finish her meal. "But we could always make a compromise."

Fin! Thank you for the wonderful support and reviews but it's time to bring this adventure to a close. Until next time MKP! PS, let me know what you all think of Borin and Pride, (romantically linked or not) as there could be more adventures in the works...