The next day, Gibbs went out to Shannon and Kelly's graves and placed flowers there. He then knelt down by his daughter's grave. "Hey, sweetie. Oh, I miss you so much. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to save you. I should've been there. I should've protected you and your mom. I'm sorry I failed you."

Gibbs tried desperately to stop the tears from flowing down his face, but he couldn't. He just missed them so damn much. He didn't know how he was supposed to spend the rest of his life without them.

Gibbs took several deep breaths and wiped the tears from his face. He then went over to Shannon's grave. "Hi, baby, it's me. I got your letter. I wish you would've told me yourself. I mean, I get why you didn't, but I wish I had known. I could've helped you find him, or at the very least I could've been there for you. Because I know if you felt even of the flicker of the agony I feel now, it had to be hell." He knew his wife had to have been dying inside these last fourteen years. He'd only had to deal with the loss of a child for a few months so far and it was torture. He couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for Shannon to deal with that for fourteen years.

Gibbs sighed. "I can't bring him back to you now. I wish I could. I wish I could've given you your boy back while you were still alive. But if I could change the past, I would bring you guys back to. I can't do either of those things. You'll never have the chance to know your son and he'll never have the chance to know you. But I can promise you one thing. I will find him. Even if it takes my last breath, I will find your son!" That was a promise he would keep. He'd failed Shannon when she needed him most. That would not happen again. He would do right by her and her child. He would bring him home.

"I'm starting now actually. I'm headed for Stillwater as soon as I leave here," Gibbs said. Going back home wasn't something he planned or was looking forward to in the least, but that was where Shannon gave birth to her son, or at least he was pretty sure it was. That was where she was living at the time. That was where he was stolen from her. He was gonna go there and speak to the detectives there in person.

Gibbs stood up after a minute. "I won't give up, baby. I will get him back and I will make sure he has a good life. I love you and I'll come back as soon as I can," he said before walking away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Gibbs made it to Stillwater several hours later. The first thing he did was go to his dad's store. He didn't particularly want to speak to his father, as they weren't on the best of terms, but he had the feeling his dad knew something. Stillwater was a small town. A stolen baby would get everyone's attention.

Gibbs walked in to see his father closing up for the night.

Jackson didn't even look up from what he was doing. "I'm about to close. I'm already closing out the register. Sorry."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I didn't come for milk and bread," Gibbs said.

Jackson's eyes shot up to his son's. "Leroy. I wasn't expecting you, but I'm glad you're here. How are you doing, son?"

Gibbs walked further into the store. "I'm not here for a reunion, Dad. I need to ask you about something."

"What is it?" Jackson asked.

"Shannon's son," Gibbs said.

Jackson was surprised by the question, but only because he was surprised his son knew about it. Shannon hadn't told him while she was alive. She always said she would, but she never did. It was just so damn hard for her. "I know you're probably mad I didn't tell you. I couldn't, Leroy. It was for her to tell."

"I'm not mad about that. It doesn't matter at this point. All that matters now is that I find him," Gibbs said.

"Find him? He was kidnapped fourteen years ago, Leroy," Jackson said.

"So what? He's still missing. I have to find him. It's what Shannon wanted. Her last wish was that I find her boy. I'm gonna do that. I'm going to find that kid," Gibbs said firmly.

"How? It's been fourteen years and the cops came up with nothing. What makes you think you'll do any better? You're not a cop," Jackson said.

"Not yet," Gibbs said under his breath. He planned to be though. He had the NIS application at home ready to go. That had to take a backseat right now though. "Look, I don't care what I have to do. I'm gonna find that kid."

"What if you do find him? What's your plan then? Bring him home with you? You think it'll be as simple as that? You think his folks are gonna give him up without a fight? You think he'll go with you without a fight. He's fourteen. Whoever he's with, he has a life with them. You think he's gonna wanna give that up to live with a stranger?" Jackson asked. He wasn't trying to criticize his son's attempts to locate his stepson. It was admirable what he was trying to do. He just wanted his son to see this realistically. On the off chance that he did find the boy, it wasn't going to be some happy ending. That kid's entire world was going to be turned on its axis.

Gibbs glared at his father. "No, Dad, I don't think that. I know better than to think this is all gonna end nice and neat. It doesn't matter. I have to do this. I gotta find him, for Shannon and for him. The kid may hate me for it, but it's what I have to do. Now, in the letter she wrote to me, Shannon said that a detective was involved. That means it wasn't the local sheriff.

"No, it wasn't. They brought in a detective from Philadelphia. I don't know what his name was. The only reason I know this much is because it was all over the news. Abducted kids don't happen every day around here," Jackson said.

"No, it doesn't. I imagine it had everyone up in arms.

"You can say that again. No one left their kids out of their sight for weeks. Have you thought this through, Leroy?" Jackson asked.

"What do you want me to do, Dad? That kid's a part of my family, even if just through Shannon and Kelly," Gibbs said.

"That statement is what scares me the most. You just learned your wife had another child. You're clinging to him before you even meet him because he's a piece of her. You're putting all your hopes in this kid and I think you're gonna be disappointed. For one, I'm not sure you're gonna be able to find him and for another, like I said before, it's not gonna be a happy situation if you do," Jackson said.

"Thanks for your help, Dad," Gibbs said before walking away.

"Leroy, wait! Come back to the house. Stay the night," Jackson said.

"No thanks," Gibbs said without even turning around. He then left the store.