AN: Trying my hand at something a little darker. Just a warning folks. I already have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with this. By the way, I have no idea how much booze it takes to get drunk. I'm 16, and I've never touched a drop of alcohol.

Tony walked into the Green Dragon, a local bar near the Navy Yard, and searched through the crowd for his co-workers. Throughout the past few months, he'd declined numerous offers from his friends to meet for drinks after work. Now that his undercover assignment was over, he could afford the luxury of joining them.

"Tony!" Abby called, by the tone of her voice, already tipsy, "Come on, we saved you a seat!"

He found the gang at a booth, laughing and drinking happily. Ziva shoved McGee over against Abby to make room, "Nice of you to join us, Tony!" she smiled, "Next round is yours."

Taking a seat beside them, he checked the contents of his wallet, "Okay, at least its payday tomorrow." he sighed, placing a twenty on the table

McGee downed the last of his beer, "That's it for me, I don't feel too good." he groaned

"That's your first beer, Timmy. No one gets that wasted, that quick. Its improbably, if not impossible." Abby scoffed, "Besides, Gibbs is our designated driver. So we can get drunk as we want!"

"You do realize I'm sitting right here Abby." Gibbs smacked her gently, "Just remember, anything you do tonight, you have to live with in the morning."

"T-G-I-F!" Tony cheered, downing his beer, spilling it down his shirt, "Ah!" he cursed, dabbing at it with napkins

Ziva chuckled, "Relax, drink a few more of those, and you will no longer care that it looks like you have wet yourself," she gestured to the yellowish wet spot on his front, "Move, I'm going to the ladies' room." she shoved him out of the booth

"I'm coming too!" Abby pushed by them, grabbing her purse, "Be back in a bit!"

"Why do women always make going to the bathroom a social event?" Gibbs asked, picking at the orange "no alcohol" bracelet the bouncer gave him

"I don't know." McGee thought out loud, "Come to think of it, I don't think I want to."

Ziva stood in line, doing the "potty dance" as Abby called it, "Why did we choose to go on a Friday? It is always crowded on Friday!" she complained, "How long does it take these women to use the restroom, honestly?"

Abby chuckled, "But if we go during the week, we have hangovers at work. This way, we have the weekend to recover. Its worth waiting an extra five minutes to take a leak."

"Easy for you to say. You have had two beers. I have had three, plus two shots of tequila!" she crossed her legs, hardly able to stand still, cursing under her breath at the sight of the line ahead of them, winding around the back wall

"You've had that much?" Abby's eyes widened, "Wow, you can really hold your liquor! Well, at least better than you can hold your-"

"Yes, Abby I get it!" she snapped

"Come on, there's a mini-mart across the street. They'll let you pee, then we can come back here, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Ziva pushed open the door, sighing in relief, "Much better. Abby? Where did you go?" she searched the small store, finding Abby at the register. At six foot three in her platforms, she was hard to miss towering above the short shelves

Abby spun around to face her, "No bathrooms without a purchase. I covered you, don't worry." she held up a CaffPow! "See? Alcohol is a depressant, and caffeine is a stimulant. Together, I can achieve equilibrium!"

"If you say so," Ziva grinned, "After you drink all of that, you will be the one hopping around in line to pee. And somehow, I do not think that your plan is going to keep you from getting tipsy."

Abby slurped down the CaffPow!, draining it in minutes. She discarded the refuse, "Come on, we'd better get back before the boys start to think we fell in!"

"Fell in what?"

Crossing the street, they noticed that most of the crowd had dissipated. Peering in through the windows, they watched the boys at the bar, apparently tormenting Gibbs.

"Poor Gibbsy, they're picking on him!" Abby pouted

"I would not be too worried. Gibbs is the only one among them who is sober, and could easily take them if he so desired." Ziva pointed out

The parking lot was nearly empty, except for their car and the barkeeper's. The place took on an eerie feeling once all the crowds were gone late in the night. A black cat walked across a dumpster, taking a moment to hiss at the women before running across the street, "Ziva, lets get inside. This is giving me the creeps. Black cats, creepy alleyways, that's enough!" Abby ran ahead

"Abby, you of all people should know better than to believe in things like that, much less be afraid of them. A black cat is just an animal, and the alley is the same at night as it is in the day." Ziva sighed, "And even so, there is no evidence that supports the supernatural. And evidence is what you believe in, yes?"

Abby turned around, "Yeah! No evidence, no creeps!" she laughed aloud, letting the effects of the alcohol show, "I mock thee, cats and alleys! No evidence, suckas!" she spun around in circles in the parking lot, gazing up, "Look at all the stars!"

Ziva stopped to look up as well. They were beautiful. Hundreds, if not thousands of them were visible, along with a brilliant full moon, "There is a full moon too, Abby!" she laughed, her speech slurring

"Now that is a creep factor. Any cop can tell you the weirdest things happen under a full moon," Abby lowered her gaze back to earth, slightly dizzy. She turned around until Ziva came into focus, "Ziva! Behind you!" she screamed

Ziva spun around, reaching for her sidearm. A man stood behind her, holding a knife, "Scream, and I slit your throat." he hissed, pulling her close, forcing her to drop her weapon. The man bent down to pick it up. Using that opportunity to her advantage, Abby kicked the man over, giving Ziva a chance to grab her backup

The man stood up, facing the girls, gun in hand. Most of his face was hidden by a hooded sweatshirt. Abby stood behind Ziva, scared but putting on a tough front. The standoff went unnoticed by the barkeeper, or his patrons. "Okay, there's two of us, one of you." Abby declared boldly, "Not good odds, buddy. I suggest you leave now."

"Not likely, toots." the man gripped his knife in the other hand tightly, "What are you, a cheerleader? Its one-on-one, plus you." Ziva held steady on her target, not wanting to risk putting Abby in jeopardy. She didn't trust her aim in her inebriation enough to risk that.

"Look," Ziva tried, "I am a federal agent. You are under arrest." she reached for the cuffs at her waist

"I don't think so." the man threw the knife, slicing into Abby through the shoulder. She cried out in pain, dropping to her knees. Ziva shot at the assailant, hitting twice in the chest.

Abby's cries of agony brought Ziva to her side. "Abby, its okay, I'm right here." she began to tend to the wound, "We need to get you to a hospital. Do not move the knife, it is slowing the bleeding." The familiar clicking of the safety on a gun made her jump, turning around, pistol in hand. She once again was face to face with the armed madman. "Damn, he's wearing a vest!" Ziva thought, silently cursing herself for not shooting him in the head.

"Now listen here, doll. You've got that little bitty pistol to keep you and your friend safe. At what end? She'll bleed like a stuck pig and pass out and die before this standoff ends. You come with me, and your little friend here has a shot. The longer you wait, the more she bleeds."

Ziva shifted her gaze from the armed man to her whimpering friend. Abby looked at Ziva in horror, "Don't do it Ziva! You don't know what he'll do to you!" she shook her head, her mind bringing up images of past cases; women brutally murdered, raped, and tortured, "Please, Ziva don't listen to him!"

"I do know that if I do nothing, you will bleed to death. I will not let you die, Abby." she held out her weapon in her palm, offering it to the assailant, "I have faith in you, do not let me down."

The man pocketed Ziva's backup, searching her for other weapons. Finding a knife, he confiscated that as well. Taking her handcuffs from her, he bound her wrists behind her back. Abby wept bitterly from pain, fear, and anger, "No, Ziva..." she cried, "I can't watch another friend die!"

"Neither can I Abby." Ziva sighed, following the man into the dark alley, "What are you waiting for? Go get an ambulance while you have a chance!"

Abby hobbled to her feet, woozy from the alcohol and blood loss. She ran inside, panting heavily. Upon seeing her enter, everyone stood up, a look of horror on their faces, "Gibbs! I need help!" she managed before passing out