"I'll be there as soon as I wrap up here!" Fornell called as the NCIS agents and frost giantess headed to the cars, and DiNozzo nodded grimly.

DiNozzo and Hailstohm got in one car, McGee, Bishop, and Loki in the other. Loki was too tired to complain about not driving. He sat in the back with Bishop, still holding her.

"What did you do?" McGee asked, glancing back at Loki. "What did you do to Gibbs?"

"I didn't mean to," Loki said, still feeling horrified at what he had done to the former Marine. "It was a reaction, I had to do something about the bullet."

"Force-pulling the bullet out of Gibbs was a reaction?" McGee demanded.

Oh. That.

"No, that wasn't," Loki told him. "But he was dying. I needed to stop that."

McGee nodded and the rest of the drive was completed in silence. They pulled into the hospital parking lot, right behind DiNozzo and Hailstohm, and the five of them hurried into the reception area.

"How's Gibbs?" DiNozzo demanded of the receptionist, ignoring her startled looks at the blood on his face and his torn shirt. Her eyes tracked from him to Bishop, who had blood on her hands from applying pressure to Gibbs' wound, to McGee, who had blood on his face from where he kept rubbing at his eyes, to Loki, who had one bloody hand and burns on his skin from Flare's electricity, to finally land on Hailstohm, who had some burns but that probably wasn't what held the receptionist's attention.

"What happened?" she demanded, looking overwhelmed.

"We're with Agent Gibbs," DiNozzo said. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS Special Agent! He was brought in not that long ago, for a gunshot wound to the ribs?"

The receptionist took a deep breath, nodding. "They have him in surgery right now. I'll call a doctor to attend to your own wounds."

As she turned away, Loki waved his hand at Hailstohm and the illusion he had created for her reappeared, to help her attract less attention. All it did was make those already staring at the frost giantess jump with surprise as she suddenly looked like a regular human female.

Loki unfurled his fingers, realizing he still held the bullet in a death grip, the ridges on the projectile pressed into his skin. Placing the bullet in his belt, he followed the others into a hospital room where a doctor checked their wounds. He treated Hailstohm's and Loki's burns, as well as the nasty burn on DiNozzo's neck that Loki had failed to notice before, and cared for the scrapes and cuts they had gotten from the battle, including the cut on DiNozzo's forehead, apparently caused by the Ghost's knife when the agent tried to prevent his escape with Sniper.

How could he think of the Ghost amid everything that had happened? Gibbs was dying!

Perhaps revenge. Loki accepted that as reason enough for DiNozzo's actions – if he hadn't been so dazed, he would have done the same. He had tried to, before Sniper stopped him.

After cleaning up, DiNozzo, McGee, Bishop, Loki, and Hailstohm were conducted to a quieter place to sit and wait for news on Gibbs' condition. DiNozzo, who had taken charge in their leader's absence, called Vance and updated him before calling the others, prompting Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy to join their group within twenty minutes of the phone call. In tense silence, the small group sat huddled, waiting for an update from the doctors.

"Are you for Agent Gibbs?"

The entire group snapped to attention at that, all calling out hurried affirmations. The doctor held out his hands for silence. "Agent Gibbs is fine. Sore, but fine. We were going to operate, but couldn't find the wound or a bullet. Plenty of blood, but there wasn't a wound. There's been trauma, obviously, around the supposed area, but we're not sure what happened. But he's going to be fine. He'll need some rest, but he'll be fine."

Loki breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes briefly. He'll be okay. Gibbs will be okay.

DiNozzo furrowed his brow. "How –?" he started, but a look from McGee silenced him.

As soon as the doctor left, DiNozzo turned to McGee. "What happened?" he asked. "Gibbs was shot! Why isn't there a wound? I'm not complaining, but I'd sure like to know what the hell's going on."

McGee glanced at Loki. "How would you like to tell everyone? As I'm not exactly sure I know what happened there."

All eyes turned to Loki, questioning, confused, and relieved. He sighed, gently kissing Bishop's forehead. "I used my magic to remove the bullet and heal the wound."

"Thank you for saving him!" Abby exclaimed, rushing forward and flinging her arms around Loki, knocking him back a step. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You can do that?" Jimmy asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes," Loki said as Abby stepped back, Bishop grasping Loki's arm and leaning against him. "I can."

Only after the relief of learning that Gibbs was not lying on death's door did Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy suddenly realize Hailstohm's presence. The three of them stared at her, looking puzzled.

"Who, may I ask, are you?" Ducky asked.

"I am Hailstohm of Jotunheim, the intended queen, of the House of Rekening," she introduced. "And you are?"

"I am Doctor Donald Mallard, NCIS' medical examiner," Ducky introduced. "But you may call me Ducky."

"I'm Jimmy Palmer, his assistant," Jimmy added.

As Hailstohm nodded and looked at Abby, the forensic scientist said, "I'm Abby Sciuto, NCIS' forensic scientist. Why are you here?"

"I am accompanying Prince Loki and the agents Gibbs and Bishop," Hailstohm said. "I wished to see your Midgard."

"You can drop the titles, Hailstohm," Loki told her. "We're not in the court anymore."

"Very well," Hailstohm acquiesced. "Loki. And may I request you remove this dratted illusion? I prefer my natural appearance over this contrived Midgardian one."

Loki rolled his eyes as he sighed and flicked his fingers at her, causing the illusion to fade and Hailstohm's blue skin, red eyes, and silver hair to manifest again. Ducky, Abby, and Jimmy all jumped, eyes widening.

"So that's what a frost giant looks like," Abby said quietly.

Bishop glanced at Loki, her eyes curious, but she didn't say anything. Loki flashbacked to the first time the NCIS agents had visited Asgard on his account, during his first stay at NCIS, and Bishop had done some snooping on his background, reporting it to Gibbs while they thought Loki slept.

He's a frost giant.

And they have no faith in his ability to redeem himself.

Loki held her closer, wishing she had never found that out about him. She's wondering why I do not look like Hailstohm.

****

Loki didn't know how much time had passed when he awoke. He was sitting on a bench, leaning against the wall, Bishop's head in his lap as she slept.

DiNozzo, asserting his authority as senior field agent, had ordered McGee, Hailstohm, Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby either back to the Navy Yard or home, in order to start working on tracking Halo, Flare, Sniper, and the Ghost. When Hailstohm had resisted, telling him he had no authority over her, he had just looked at her, eyes tired and angry, and snapped, "Then go back to your ice planet, blue girl. You're not needed here."

Hailstohm had glared at him before pressing her hand against his chest and burning his skin before stomping out after the others, clearly not wanting to leave yet but following the orders anyway. DiNozzo, teeth gritted, had followed, leaving Bishop and Loki in the hospital to wait for Gibbs to wake up.

Smoothing Bishop's hair back, Loki glanced down the hallway, feeling dread settle inside him. In trying to save her, I ended up almost killing Gibbs. Is that the tradeoff I'll have to make to change reality? What must I lose in order to keep what I've gained?

I cannot live without her.

I will not live without her.

A figure hurried toward Loki and he narrowed his eyes to see it was someone in a dark sweatshirt, hood pulled low over their face. The figure was slender and of average height, but Loki felt his muscles tense almost reflexively at their approach.

Within moments, the figure was before them, looking down at Loki and the still sleeping Bishop. They stood, silent, and then lifted their head, eyes glinting down at him.

"How is Gibbs?"

The voice seared through Loki's mind. Agent Sniper. Agent Todd. She held up her hand in appeasement before he could rise. "I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to know if he's okay, Asgardian."

"He'll live," Loki snapped. "No thanks to you."

Sniper was silent a moment, the glare of the hospital lights reflecting off the grey metal band around her forehead. "I didn't aim my gun at him," she said eventually, and then she turned and left. Loki watched her leave, somehow able to restrain himself from chasing her down and killing her.

I didn't aim my gun at him.

Loki was filled with a sinking feeling again. No. She didn't shoot him.

I did.

****

"How's Gibbs?"

DiNozzo glanced up to see Fornell heading toward the squad room, guest clearance clipped to his jacket. The FBI agent looked aggravated but not tired, a cup of hot coffee in his hand.

"He's okay," DiNozzo told him, lowering his voice. "Loki used some magic to heal him before the EMTs arrived. Probably the only reason he's still with us."

Fornell nodded, his expression showing his relief. "Good. It looks like NCIS' Agent Sniper has joined the FBI's Aurora and Flare, huh?"

DiNozzo started. "What do you mean, NCIS' Agent Sniper?"

"This is your second case with her," Fornell frowned, furrowing his brow. "Last year's Samson case and now whatever you're working on now. Although, we do have a team tracking her; they're in DC now, checking out the crime scene. Hopefully LaCroix and his agents will have something on her before long."

DiNozzo nodded, rubbing his brow. For a moment, he had thought Fornell was referring to the fact that Sniper had been Kate Todd, the former NCIS agent that he had known. But no – he was only referencing Kate's involvement with the Samson case and the invasion of DC.

"I was thinking we share jurisdiction," Fornell continued. "This case is too big for either of our agencies. Four enhanced or suspected enhanced, all working together? I don't like how this looks, not at all. We don't know their origins, who they're working for, what their objective is – nothing."

"Sounds good," DiNozzo agreed. "We'll need your files on Halo, er, Aurora, and Flare. Find anything interesting at the crime scene?"

"Actually, we did," Fornell said, holding out a file to DiNozzo. "The body of a Marine captain, working at the Pentagon, was found nearby, a sniper round through his forehead. Captain Leana Mason. The body's en route to the Navy Yard for Ducky to perform the autopsy."

DiNozzo frowned, flipping through the file. "Can you have the forensics sent over to Abby?"

"Already ordered," Fornell said with a grim smile. "She'll be signing for the evidence pretty soon."

"McGee, run background on Captain Mason," DiNozzo ordered, handing the file off to McGee. "See what connection there is to Captain Morris."

"Right," McGee said, taking his seat and beginning his search. His fingers flew across the keys. Jane, sitting at the desk on the other side of McGee's, the one that had been brought in for her, Ian, and Darcy to do their work, glanced worriedly over at the NCIS agents. They had already filled her in on what had happened. Hailstohm sat at Gibbs' desk, reading through some files DiNozzo had given her just to give her something to do.

"Okay, so I have to ask," Fornell started, gesturing to the frost giantess. "Who is that?"

"She's Hailstohm," DiNozzo told him. "A warrior from Jotunheim, she's going to be the queen or something. Not exactly sure why she's here."

Fornell snapped his fingers, furrowing his brow. "I've heard that word before. Where was it? That's it! Loki's from Jotunheim, isn't he?"

DiNozzo glanced over at Hailstohm. "Loki from the same place as the Queen of the Smurfs? I don't think so, Fornell. Besides, he's Asgardian, son of Odin and Frigga. They're real, too, I met them."

The FBI agent pursed his lips. "No, it was in his file. Gibbs was telling me, when he first arrived. He's the son of their former king, Laufey, but he was raised by Odin as his son. Wasn't discovering his heritage the reason he went psycho on Jotunheim and then on New York?"

"Um," DiNozzo said, glancing again at Hailstohm, her dull blue skin very noticeable. "Loki looks nothing like her. At all."

Fornell shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I heard."

A pit settled in DiNozzo's stomach. Loki has the power of illusions. He could mask the true color of his skin from us if he wanted to.

And if their former king was Laufey...that explains the "Laufeyson."

"I've got something!" McGee exclaimed. "I pulled Captain Mason's files and found that not only does she work for the Pentagon, same as Captain Morris, but her assignment is also classified."

"That can't be a coincidence," DiNozzo said.

"Rule 39," McGee said grimly. "I'll have Vance call Fury about Mason, see what we can find out."

Gibbs' desk phone rang suddenly, making Hailstohm jump. "What in the name of Muspelheim's blazes?" she exclaimed, flicking an icicle in the direction of the phone, as DiNozzo moved across the squad room and grabbed the receiver as the icicle shattered across the desk.

"Agent Gibbs' desk," he answered, narrowing his eyes. "Really? All right, send over the remains of the body. We'll get on it."

"Who was that?" McGee asked as DiNozzo hung up.

"The head investigator over at Norfolk. They've finished assessing the victims of the fire, and one of them is another Navy captain."

"Let me guess," McGee said. "Works for the Pentagon?"

"We'll find out," DiNozzo answered. "Captain Luke Fisher. I need everything."