Author's Note: As you may have noticed I deleted the original of this story. I was unhappy with it, and had reached a stumbling block. Hopefully not too many people will be disappointed, but it just didn't feel right continuing in that vein when I hated everything I came up with. Soooo, I have changed a few things, actually a lot, hopefully I can make it work. Let me know what you think.

I own nothing concerning NCIS, and if you haven't figured it out this is slash- don't like, don't read :

I wanted to also say a special thanks to liljanie for her encouragement to change this around a bit, and her praise, I needed it, it got my but in gear:

Chapter one

I sat at my desk head in my hands. A dull throbbing beginning to pulse behind my right eye. I rubbed at it with the heel of my palm trying to dull the ache and erase the images that kept flicking through my brain like a slide show. The only thing I managed was to intensify the pain, and cause my eye to water. I had seen horrible things in my life, even experienced a few, but nothing had prepared me for what I had seen today.

The boy had only been twelve, but from the look of his battered body he had endured more than anyone his age should have. Ducky had pointed out the thin silver lines on his back that had indicated he had been beaten with some sort of strap, most likely a belt. Looking at the scars, I had to agree, I knew those types of marks well. The scars were at least two years old, but the rest of the damage was recent. He had been beaten with a baseball bat, both knees broken, dislocated shoulder, broken arm, some teeth knocked out. The kid had fought hard, but a blow to the temporal lobe had ended that fight.

His mother had passed two years before, that's when the beatings first began. The father was a drill sergeant at the local naval base. He had never been an affectionate man, treating his wife and kids more like his recruits than his family. After the boys mother had died in a car crash trying to get to one of his baseball games, he began drinking and taking it out on his son.

The whole ordeal finally came to a head yesterday when the drill sergeant decided his son wasn't enough and his eight year old daughter needed to be taught a lesson about back talk. The boy had fought his father with everything he had giving the little girl time to runaway and call for help. It was too late Danny Weston was dead, and his father was gone.

(Flashback)

It had been a slow morning, cold cases, throwing paper wads at the probie, gaining head slaps from the boss, typical day until the call came in. The M.P.'s were on scene requesting NCIS and the M.E. Details had been sketchy, but the victim was a young boy, his father stationed at the local base, was the perp.

The scene had looked like a battle zone. The kitchen table had been overturned, lamps, side tables, dishes, even the television had been destroyed. Blood was everywhere. Standing in the living room amongst all the debris were the two M. P's and a scared little girl. I saw the tic as Gibbs jaw clenched.

"McGee." He said barely containing his anger. " Take the little girl somewhere more appropriate, call social services and an ambulance have her checked out." After the little girl had been taken out Gibbs crossed the floor in what seemed like only two strides.

"What the hell is wrong with you two, what the hell happened here?" He yelled the anger radiating off in waves.

"Sir we've been trained to remain at a crime scene such as this until NCIS arrives or we are relieved of our post." The youngest replied.

"Sir." The older of the two spoke up, giving his partner a sideways look "A call came in approximately 45 minutes ago. A little girl said her Dad and brother were fighting, when we got here we found the boy's body over there." He pointed towards what appeared to be a bedroom.

"That little girl just saw her brother beaten to death by her father, and neither of you thought to move her to the front porch?" His voice sounded calm, but anger was radiating from ever fiber of his body. Minutes ticked by like hours, both M. P's looking nervous and from what I could tell a little sick.

"Sir...ahh...we.."

McGee appeared in the doorway diffusing whatever wrath Gibbs was about to impose. "Child welfare has the little girl boss, said they would bring her by the navy yard when we needed her." Gibbs gave the two M. P.s one last glare and turned to the younger agent.

"Thanks Tim, you bag and tag, DiNozzo you sketch, lets see the body." Gibbs said following the M. P.s into the room as McGee and I began to process the scene. Ducky arrived ten minutes later Palmer in tow. Hearing the old M.E. enter Gibbs called out.

"In here Duck." His voice sounded like the sandpaper he used on his boats and I knew this case would take its toll, on him and me.

(End flashback)

"Tony, you okay?" I looked up slowly through a bleary eye at my partner Tim McGee. I noted the concern in his voice and the defeated look in his stance.

"I'm okay Tim, you?" He stood a moment longer looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders then straightened.

"I will be once we find that bastard." I nodded my agreement and he returned to his desk digging in his side drawer.

"Here, thought you could use it." he said dropping a bottle of Excedrin on my desk.

"You're a god among men probie." I said popping two pills in my mouth and swallowing. A shadow of a smile passed his lips as he sat back down and continued to try and track Robert Weston's credit cards. Maybe the bastard would use one and tip us off to his location. I sat back trying to concentrate on my own screen, but my thoughts kept going back to Gibbs, and that horrible scene at the house.

(Flash back)

We had finished processing the scene and were about to head back to headquarters. Ducky and Palmer came out of the bedroom maneuvering the gurney with Danny Weston's body. Gibbs headed up the rear holding open the front door when they got to it.

"Take care of him Duck." He said so softly I almost didn't catch it. He probably prayed I wouldn't. Placing a hand on Gibbs shoulder as he passed the M.E. gave a slight nod in return.

The image of Kelley had to be burning bright in his mind. His little girl had been almost that age when she had been killed, unlike Danny Weston, Kelley's father had adored her. Not unlike however, my father, who seemed to hate even the air I breathed. Not going there I said to myself getting a much needed mental head slap.

(End flashback)

I rubbed a tired hand over my face for about the hundredth time. Gibbs was still in the conference room talking to Jamie Weston, Danny's little sister. There maternal grandparents had been called, and were flying in from Florida until then she was in state custody. We had been working non-stop since the day before, but none of us wanted to leave until Robert Weston had been found. The man had been in the marines for twenty-five years, he knew how to keep a low profile. What he didn't know was we had a secret weapon, Gibbs, the most bad-ass marine ever to say simper-fi.

TBC.. Please review let me know like it/hate it?