A/N: I got my second chapter done! I am so proud of myself!


McGee arrived at the house in an hour, half the time it should have taken him. He drove less like his law-abiding, careful self, and more like his always-in-a-hurry boss.

He stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to enjoy what he had to do now, but it was his job, both as a good nephew and cousin, and as a federal agent.

He knocked on the door and let himself in.

Holding on for dear life as Gibbs sped along the highway, Tony suddenly thought

thought of something.

"Boss, since McGee was called in specifically, does that mean…?"

"Yep. Rule 38."

"But, Boss, he's just a probie!"

"Tony, he's been an agent for six years. You proved to me that you can lead your

own team, now give Tim his turn." His tone made it understood that there was no point in arguing.

After a moment of silence, Tony changed the subject. "So, how'd you get the Toothpick to let us take this one?"

"I told him we had a case," Gibbs said matter-of-factly.

"And that worked?" Ziva asked. "Gibbs, this is not technically our jurisdiction."

"That's what Leon said. So I told him that she's McGee's cousin, so we were going no matter what he had to say about it, and that she's as close to our jurisdiction as we've had in quite a while."

"But—"

"Ziva!" Tony interrupted. "We've got a case! It doesn't matter how it happened, Let's just find this girl and catch this dirtbag!"

Smack!

"Who do you think you are, DiNozzo? A soccer coach?"

"Sorry, Boss. I guess it's just been a while, and I thought a pep talk might get us back into the swing of things. And next time, could you keep your hands on the wheel? You drive badly enough without taking attention from the road to hit me!"

As he was talking, Gibbs looked up at his mirror and nodded.

Whack!

"Thank you, Boss," Tony muttered, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Ziva, grinning in the backseat.

After greeting his anxious aunt and uncle, McGee had tried to comfort them, telling them that his team was one of the best, and that Gibbs wouldn't rest until their daughter was safe. But time got away from him, and one glance at the clock told him that the rest of the team would be arriving soon, especially if Gibbs was behind the wheel. He sighed.

"Uncle Sam, Aunt Barbara, my team should be here soon. I know this will be hard, but there are some questions we have to ask, and you have to answer them." Another deep breath on his part, and he continued. "Do you know if she was involved in anything she shouldn't have been?"

"Tim!" his aunt exclaimed, disbelieving. "Like what? We all know that Ashlyn's only problem was procrastination. What could she possibly be doing that would put her in this situation? Drugs? Alcohol? You know how she felt about that."

McGee nodded. He'd known the answer before he asked, but he had to be sure. "Sorry, Aunt Barbara. I told you it might be hard, but it's my job to ask."

"We understand, Tim," his uncle assured him.

At the sound of car doors slamming, they all looked up.

"They're here," Tim said unnecessarily. "Are you ready for this?"

"We're ready for anything that will bring Ashlyn home," his uncle answered.

Tim nodded and rose to open the door for his co-workers.

"Boss, this is my Aunt Barbara and Uncle Sam Belson."

He shook their hands. "I'm—"

"Agent Tibbs! From Tim's book!" Barbara exclaimed, cutting him off. She looked around the room at the various expressions on everyone's faces: Gibbs' annoyance, Tony and Ziva's amusement, and finally mirrored McGee's embarrassment. "Did I get that wrong?"

Hurrying to say something before Tony did, McGee told her, "Aunt Barbara, this is Agent Gibbs."

"Oh. So does that mean you're not Tommy and Lisa?" she asked Tony and Ziva.

"No, ma'am. I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and this is Agent Ziva David," he said, still grinning. Oh, the fun he would have with McGee later!

McGee turned to Gibbs. "So, now that you're here, what do you need me to do, Boss?"

Gibbs shook his head and said simply, "Rule 38."

It was obvious that his family was confused, but McGee was too incredulous to explain.

"But, Boss, I… Are you sure?"

Gibbs smacked the young agent's head. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said anything. You got the call; it's your family; it's your case."

"All…all right then." He straightened. "Ziva, I'm going to have you stay here, just in case. My other cousin, Allie, is around here somewhere. See if you can calm her down.

"Tony, she was with her friends when she was taken. Here's a list of names and addresses of the ones who were there. They need to be interviewed.

"Gibbs," he paused. It was odd, being on the other side of the order. "You and I will go check out the scene. If we get done before Tony, we'll help him out; Ashlyn has a lot of friends. Let's go."

Gibbs nodded. He was proud of McGee. The young man was handling this well; he would have split them up the same way. It was nice to know that he had trained him well enough to lead his own team.