A Life for a Life
A/N: In this story, BTR doesn't exist but the guys still hang out together along with Jo, Camille, and all the other characters on the show, and the guys live in one home together in Minnesota.
p.s. I don't own anything except my OC's.
'~ Chapter 1: Introductions ~'
Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan were walking home from hockey practice one soon to be dreadful afternoon. The four best friends were currently chatting about their most recent time on the ice.
"Oh! And remember when Kendall smashed Wayne-Wayne in the boards? That was so cool!" Carlos exclaims jumping a bit. James and Logan rolled their eyes at him while Kendall showed a small smile thinking that was probably one of the best things that has happened in the past few days. Yesterday he found out his mom got sick, and was having to come back to the city she was in, which was a long ways across the state. But out of all this chaos, he somehow thinks this was going to be a hockey practice he'll never forget, and that this would be one heck of a story to tell his mom.
"I wouldn't call it smashing…ok, I guess I did smash him," Kendall said now considering that he in fact did smash the bad boy. Kendall knocked him so hard; Wayne-Wayne's neck had a small fracture and was instructed to stay out of the rest of the season, or at least until it healed completely.
"Oh smash pash; I need to get home to my hair products. This cold weather is making my hair die!" James exclaimed gesturing to his hair for emphasis. He started walking faster, Carlos keeping up his pace with the tall brunette. Kendall and Logan chuckled at James's antics as they kept their moderate pace. Soon the two youngest of the group were far away, as Kendall and Logan couldn't even see them.
An awkward tension settled between the two remaining boys. Logan couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Kendall. Before the dodge, Kendall's mind wandered making him zone out from time to time, sometimes letting another player steal the puck and Kendall won't even know it. Kendall never did that. He always did his best and kept his head in the game, but today he was not…him. Logan couldn't keep it in and decided to ask him straight forward.
"Kendall?"
"Yeah?"
"Are…you ok? You seemed out of it back there during practice," Logan explained hoping the blond would let him in. Kendall briefly looked at Logan before back forward.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I was fazed by the sudden call from my mom," Kendall responded sighing at the end, "I just…I just don't want Katie to worry, and tell her that…everything will be fine."
"Don't worry, Kendall. Maybe I can call my mom and maybe she can help out."
"Thanks for the offer, but I want to go. Who knows how serious her condition is. Because she wouldn't tell me over the phone which is what worries me."
Before Logan could respond, they reached the house and James and Carlos were waiting at the steps because Kendall carried the house keys. He unlocked it and they all walked inside finding the house a total mess. Tables as well as other furniture were tipped over and some of the flower vases and hanging picture frames even broke. They stared for a moment taking in the scene in front of them.
"What happened here?" James breathed out being the first one to snap out of shock.
"It looked like some…"
"Shh, quiet." Kendall interrupted Carlos. The first thing that came to Kendall's mind was Katie, Camille, and Jo. Since the guys had to stay at the rink longer than expected, they asked the girls to pick up and watch Katie for him, and of course they agreed to. All the guys stayed quiet and were put on alert for any sound. They managed to hear a small whimper towards the kitchen. From the door the kitchen was to the right and they went that way to find the kitchen also trashed.
"Jo…Camille…Katie…" Kendall softly whispered into the room while they all separated throughout the room.
"Kendall." The one word was enough to perk Kendall's ears and he followed the voice. He soon found Katie in a corner, her knees against her chest with her arms securely around them. Katie's face was bruised and had cuts on her arms, of which some were bleeding. Kendall immediately knelt down next to her cautiously wrapping his loving arms around her.
"Katie…Katie please talk to me. What happened?" Kendall gently asked her. After saying the last word, all of the guys came to the spot where Kendall and Katie were. They all stood there sending us shocked and terrified looks.
"Ok, I'm calling the FBI." Logan stated already reaching for his phone while on the brink of panicking, and he walked out of the room. As soon as he walks out, Carlos starts tearing up just at the sight of Katie being all banged up. James, noticing it first, wrapped an arm around the Latino and he finally broke down.
"Kendall?" Katie softly asked her voice cracking.
"Yes?" Kendall asked back. This was good and bad in Kendall's head. 'At least she's talking'
"T-they…they took t-them."
"Who is 'they', Katie?"
Katie just sobbed more burying her head in Kendall's shirt. While Carlos softly sobs into James shirt, Kendall and James glance at each other both determined to get to the bottom of this.
~~~12 hours Later…~~~
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was up and out of his office, and was out getting coffee. As he approached the stand he bumped into Tobias who was now standing in line for his coffee.
"Hey Jethro, funny I'd see you today," Tobias remarked as they moved up the line.
"Well, I didn't count on it." Gibbs responded a smirk creeping on his face.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah…what?"
"I know you only work on Marine or Navy cases, but could you take this one off my hands?" Tobias asked pointing to where one of his agents, Agent Sax, was with four teens and a girl.
"What's the story?" Gibbs asks before taking a sip of his coffee.
"The blond one claimed that his house was broken into. They found the girl, being his sister, as is and two other girls were taken the same night," Tobias explains as the two sit down with their coffee.
"Well, why are you asking me to do it? Have them stay at the station a while, ask them for what they know, and track down that bastard," Gibbs says as if it's a breeze. Tobias tried his best not to give him a shocked look. It was indeed long, hard work for him.
"Jethro, it's not that easy, plus my schedule is full and I can't leave the case alone nor put it on hold. It's children asking this for goodness sake, I can't turn them down."
Gibbs sighed fully leaning back into the bench. He couldn't believe he was even considering this.
"Ok."
"Ok?" Tobias repeats shocked a bit. Then again he sort of wasn't since he wasn't in this type of situation before, especially with Gibbs.
"Sure. I'll just hand over our case to another group of agents and I'll try to work this in secret."
"Thanks Jethro. I'll definitely give you an I.O.U. if necessary. But," Tobias gets up from the bench, "let me introduce the group."
Gibbs follows suit and follows Tobias to where the group was. All of the attention was on them as they approached.
"Agent Sax, a word please?" Tobias asks his assistant. Sax dramatically sighs in relief as he followed the two men a ways off.
"Special Agent Gibbs will be taking this case off our hands," Tobias explains, "So, you can get started on the next case."
"Yes sir. I'll start the car." Agent Sax then does as he says, leaving Gibbs and Tobias alone once again.
"So, how do you think Jenny will take this…switch of plans…if she indeed finds out?" Tobias asks with a crooked smile ending the sentence with a small chuckle. Gibbs briefly glances over to the still awaiting group of teens then to the girl. She was tucked away in the blonde's arms holding on to it tightly.
"I think she'll do just fine," Gibbs replies thinking back to cases when children were involved. How her attitudes and actions change.
"Ok then." Tobias says as he starts to walk over to the teens as well as Gibbs.
"Excuse us," Tobias starts, "I am with the FBI, and unfortunately I can't handle this case, but my friend here, Agent Gibbs, will be from now on handling your case. I will be off Jethro." Tobias then leaves with Agent Sax. All was quiet until the two FBI agents left.
"Pleasure to meet you," Logan says as he stretched out his hand. Gibbs accepts it and gives Logan a firm shake. After the shake was done, Logan stares into Gibbs eyes as he does the same.
"What'd be your last name son?" Gibbs asks out of the blue. Logan shoots him a questioning look. 'Did he seriously just ask that' Logan thought. He just met the guy and he asks for his last name. He didn't dare argue with any form of police so he answered back.
"It's Mitchell," Logan responds as they broke the shake. Gibbs then gives Logan an inquiring look as the rest of the guys stare at Logan curiously as Logan was also curious what this guy was trying to get at.
"Are you related to a Gregory Mitchell?"
"Yeah…I believe he's my dad. I didn't get to see him much, more so not actually getting to know him." Logan replies shifting his feet a bit and pursing his lips. The rest of the guys and Katie just watched Gibbs and Logan's sort of awkward exchange.
"You're dad was a good man. Why don't you come down to my office and I'll explain some more," Gibbs says planting a hand on Logan's shoulder, guiding him down the sidewalk, being that NCIS headquarters was a short walk away and the rest of the gang follows closely behind.
~~~A Life For A Life~~~
Meanwhile, back at the NCIS building, agents Tony, Timothy, and Ziva are sitting in their respective desks. Agent David is on her phone, Agent McGee on his computer playing solitaire, and Agent Dinozzo was squinting his eyes at McGee while aiming a small paper plane. A small grunt escaped Tony's lips as he threw the paper at Timothy, effectively hitting him on the face.
"Tony!" McGee yells irritably. Clearly he has been through enough. It was definitely enough to get Ziva's attention away from her phone.
"What McGruffy? Can't take a piece of paper?" Tony asked waving another one in the air before quickly making it into yet another plane. "Oh no, I got a paper cut. Ah!" Tony impersonates in a high pitched voice and chuckling at the end. As he was about to make the last fold, Tony cuts his right index finger. Tony yelps slightly at the sudden sting in his finger as Ziva stifles a laugh behind her sealed lips.
"I think you my friend have got a case of bad karma," Ziva says while smiling brightly looking back and forth from Tony to McGee.
"Ha! Karma. That's not real…right?" Dinozzo asks suddenly feeling uncertain.
"Apparently it was for us," Gibbs says walking to his desk and sitting down.
"Something wrong, boss?" McGee asks concern evident in his voice.
"Send this case over to Agent Barrett. We have another case on our hands."
Just then, the elevator doors open and all four guys and Katie stroll into the unfamiliar place slowly, taking in the view.
"Logan."
Logan's head perks up at Gibbs's voice and looks at him. Gibbs then waves him over and the rest of the group followed.
"Yes?" Logan asks as he stands in front of Gibbs's view. Gibbs then leads Logan away to the window leaning against the brick window pane.
"I was wondering," Gibbs started softly looking out the window briefly, "what connections do you have with the girls?"
"Oh, uh one of the girls who is brunette, the other being blond, is my girlfriend Camille Roberts. The other one is Kendall's girlfriend Jo Taylor. He's…the blond one over there." Logan explains as the two glance over at the group who were talking to the NCIS team.
Logan soon locks eyes with Katie, who was still in Kendall's protective grip. Both of them stared at each other for a while, trying to show their concern for each other, especially Logan. He couldn't imagine how Katie was taking it. What it felt like when she heard the shards of glass bounce on the floor, the thumping footsteps of a stranger. All of a sudden someone lunges themselves at their victims going straight for the kill, at least Logan hoped that wasn't the case. Shaking the horrifying thought from his head, Logan turned his attention back to Gibbs.
"What can you tell me about my father?"