"Well, there definitely was a struggle here, boss." McGee rested his hands on his hips, slowly nodding and feeling self-assured as he scanned the room, standing in the door's entrance.

"Ya think?" Gibbs walked past him, bumping into his arm and causing him to lose his balance momentarily. He quickly fought to regain his footing so he wouldn't topple over by grabbing onto the door frame. Any confidence he had gained since being hired with the Agency, a few weeks ago, began to dwindle after his boss's comment and callous gesture.

The team was investigating the crime scene at the apartment of Petty Officer Rachel Logan, following her disappearance. Her fellow employees reported her missing that morning after she hadn't shown up to work the previous day. Miscellaneous household items and overturned furniture were scattered on the carpet of her living room floor. Gibbs winced when he stepped on something that squeaked, bending to lift a rubber toy then studying it with close scrutiny.

"Hey, boss. It's a-"

"I know what it is McGee." Gibbs huffed. He held the rubber frog, squeaking it, again, aggravated with the large, rubber, white eyes staring back at him.

"Well, what I was going to say, boss was that's its a dog toy and not a baby toy if you were having trouble discerning from the two. There happens to be a dog bowl near the far wall-" Gibbs was now glaring at Tim as he mumbled the rest of his sentence. "-uh, never mind." He keenly turned and focused his attention on something else in the room.

Tony impatiently gave McGee a light shove, pushing him further into the room, then passing him. "Come on Probie, you make a better door than a window."

"Sorry Tony. I'm kind of tired after that stakeout out last night, I was only able to get a few hours of sleep and I'm slow moving-"

Tony talked under his breath in McGee's direction, "Don't even think you'll be scoring any sympathy points from Gibbs, he's never tired and I don't think he even sleeps. It's an unexplained phenomenon."

Tim sighed, eyeing their Senior agent. "Yeah. I'm getting that," he mumbled to himself.

"McGee!"

"Yeah, boss."

"Was there any signs of forced entry?"

"Uh..." Tim refocused his attention to the door frame, obediently.

Gibbs impatiently glared at his youngest agent, his brows furrowing.

"No, boss." DiNozzo answered, shaking his head at Tim with flattened brows, as Tim's eyes fell to the floor with embarrassment.

"DiNozzo, check the closets for suitcases. McGee, see if there's a dog tied up out back."

"But, boss. If a dog was out back, we would hear excessive barking-"

"McGee. Just do it."

Tim slightly widened his eyes with frustration, his tone, haughty. "All right. Doin' it." He made his way through the living room, into the kitchen to enter the backyard through the slider door.

"You, know Gibbs. You don't have to be so tough on him. He's been bustin' his ass ever since you hired him." Kate had quietly entered the room, a notebook and pen in her hand.

"Is that so, Kate?"

Kate's face was beet red, her anger, smartly subdued. "Well, I'm just saying." Tony pinned Kate's eyes with his; a look of bewilderment, for the sheer audacity to confront their senior agent as she did.

The revelation hit Kate like a ton of bricks; if Tim was going to get any kind of compassion, patience or consideration from the team it would all have to come from her. "I really don't understand men at times." She said to herself.

"Oh...and like... we have any kind of clue what makes your species tick?" Tony appeared exasperated, as he dusted for prints on a vase that lay across a small braided rug. Kate replied with a short huff, resting her hands on her hips.

The sun shone strong through the slider door that was located in the kitchen bringing Kate's attention to the backyard as Tim walked the perimeter of the fence that lined the property. He was clapping his hands as he whistled for a dog that obviously wasn't there. She slightly grinned, proud of his efforts despite the hostility of their senior agent.

Kate changed her focus, noticing speckled drops of red, dotting the floor like confetti following a short trail to a bigger blotch of dried blood. "Gibbs! I think you should see this!"

Gibbs entered the kitchen, within seconds. "Hhhmmm, looks like Fido had himself a meal."

"I'll check for bloody towels or bandage wrappers in the bathroom." Kate darted towards the hallway leading from the kitchen.

"And, check for any bloody fingerprints on the doorknobs, Kate!" Kate turned and nodded to Gibbs.

Once the crime scene was completed, they concluded that the missing Petty Officer had packed and fled her home,bringing her dog with her. They gathered blood samples from the kitchen and the hallway floor of the apartment. It appeared that the dog had protected its owner by biting an intruder; no band-aid wrappers or bloody towels were found.

xxx