Neil sat down with his coffee and breakfast sandwich. The smell of the coffee alone had his sensing perking up. It had been a long day; he'd barely gotten four hours of sleep. At this point he was running on pure adrenaline.
It was early morning and commuters were already starting to trickle in, rushing to catch a train, a metro, a bus, or a taxi. Some took the time to grab a bite to eat, but most seemed far too busy to bother with food.
His gun was packed away and at his feet. If anyone saw it, they would think it was a typical bag, maybe containing some sort of electrical equipment or golf clubs. No one would think he was packing heat, so to speak.
He took a long drink of his coffee, letting the caffeine fill his body. He would go back to the house, see what the situation was. Surely by now they had realized what he could do, even if they didn't know who he was. He would have to hope they would slip up. They couldn't protect the kid forever.
Neil finished up his breakfast and grabbed his things, not sure what to do next. The house was likely a mad house at the moment. He couldn't risk being seen there right now. He'd have to stakeout another spot anyway.
As he stepped out from the café he caught sight of a familiar backpack, one with a Spider Man logo on the back. He stopped in his tracks, causing those behind him to mutter a curse as they hurried around him.
Could it actually be that simple? Surely that kid wasn't the only one with a Spider Man backpack. But something about the child walking a few steps ahead of him looked all too familiar.
He hung back as he followed, trying to get a better look. Whoever he was, the kid was obviously alone. He had no connection to any of the adults around him. Then, the kid stopped and looked to the side, as if trying to decide where to go.
It was definitely the same little punk who had seen him in the woods. Neil couldn't believe his luck.
The kid turned right and started down a row of shops. Neil followed him, trying not to get too close yet. No need to alert the adults around them. Once the kid had broken free of most of the crown, Neil turned to make sure no one was behind them and then he would—
His foot snagged against a display and he fell to the ground in a heap. The storeowner ran out, concerned for both his display and the man who had knocked it over. "Are you okay, mister?"
The display of discount books fell around him and Neil pushed himself to a standing position. Stupid store display. "Yeah," he said with a wince, "I'm fine. I just…" He trailed off as he looked around. The kid was nowhere to be seen. How did the little brat manage to move so quickly?
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah…did you see where the kid with the Spider Man backpack went?"
The storeowner shook his head. "No, sir. Was he your son?"
"Uh, yeah."
"I'll call security. They'll put out an announcement for him to meet you."
"No," Neil said quickly. "Uh, he and I already have an agreement about where to meet if he gets lost. We'll be fine. If not, I'll notify security."
"If you're certain," the storeowner said dubiously.
"I am, I just need to hurry up before he realizes I'm not with him. You know how kids can be."
At that, the storeowner laughed. "Yeah, I've got two myself."
Neil forced a smile and a nod before running off. Now which way had that damn kid gone?
Gibbs had sped along the street toward Union Station and had finally pulled into a parking spot near the front. After quickly flashing his badge to the approaching security guard, Gibbs ran across the street with Tim right behind. "You check the east side, I'll check the west," he said before bounding down the escalator to the Metro station. He didn't know if Riley had a metro card, but if he did it's likely he'd try to leave via metro train.
Tim entered the building and ran past the crowds that were already forming. He kept his eyes looking back and forth for any sign of Riley. He couldn't have enough money on him for a train or cab, that much Tim knew. More likely than not he was still somewhere around here.
"Riley!" he called out. "Riley, where are you?"
"Are you looking for someone?" asked a nearby man in a business suit.
"Yes, a little boy named Riley. He's got sandy brown hair and green eyes, a few freckles."
"Does he have a Spider Man backpack?" a woman asked.
Tim's eyes lit up. "Yes! Have you seen him?"
"He was over by the Au Bon Pait a few minutes ago. I asked him if he was lost and he said he was waiting for his dad to come out."
"Okay, thank you!" he shouted over his shoulder as he took off. He had to find Riley before Neil Welsh found him first.
Gibbs emerged from the underground metro station with no luck. None of the attendants had seen an unescorted little boy that day. His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Yeah, Gibbs."
"Where are you and McGee?"
"Union Station. Riley called from here and Welsh used his credit card here. We need to find them both before they find each other."
"Tony and I found Welsh's likely sniper's nest, but there was nothing to find there. I also got a call from the hospital. They said Mrs. Jenkins got through surgery and is in stable condition. They are hoping for a full recovery, but given her age they must be vigilant."
"You two get down here. We need all the eyes we can get."
"We are on our way."
It was like he was running in circles. Tim had run past the Au Bon Pait, but there had been no sign of Riley, so he'd kept on in that direction. No one he spoke to had seen a lost little boy.
Why had Riley run off? Did he really believe he was responsible for any of this? Did he really think this was what people wanted? For him to leave? Tim could only imagine what had gone through the little boy's head to make him run away.
He was just rounding past a smoothie place when he caught sight of a very familiar silhouette. Riley was seated on one of the benches near the Amtrak station. His legs didn't quite reach the floor; instead he swung them back and forth as he sat there slumped over.
"Riley!" Tim shouted.
When he looked up, Tim could see that he had been crying. He brought a hand up and wiped away the tear and sniffled when Tim approached him. "Go away," he mumbled.
"Riley, do you know how worried we all were about you? Do you know what could have happened to you?"
"Who cares? Everyone would be better off without me."
"That's not true and you know it. If your grandmother knew you were missing, she would be in a fit."
"She doesn't know," he muttered. "She's dead."
"No, she isn't, Riley. She's doing just fine."
He looked up in surprise. Then a look of uncertainty passed over him. "Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
"No. I got a call from the hospital. She's going to be okay, and I'm sure she's going to want to see you. You're all she has in the world."
"But it's my fault she got shot."
Tim shook his head and sat beside Riley, gently hugging him. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. You didn't do anything wrong. The only one who did something wrong was the man who tried to hurt you."
"But if I hadn't seen anything, he wouldn't be trying to hurt me."
"Riley, you did a brave thing and you should never feel ashamed about that."
"I just feel like everything I do is wrong. I can't do anything right."
"Yeah," Tim said with a sigh, "I know how that can feel?"
"You do?"
"More than you know."
"But you do everything right. You're one of the tough guys."
Tim couldn't help but smile at that. Leave it to a seven-year-old to think of him as a "tough guy." He could see Tony having a field day with that one. "Maybe, but I wasn't always like this. I was your age once, too, and I remember being scared. I remember thinking I was a screw-up. I remember being made fun of."
"How did you get past it?"
"I don't know…I guess as you get older, you just start to realize that it's okay to make mistakes, that it's okay to be scared sometimes, and that no matter what, the people who matter will always love you, no matter what."
"You think I'll ever be like you?"
"I think anything is possible. You've got more guts than you think. Now, are you ready to go home? We can even go visit your grandmother."
Riley nodded. He even looked like he was smiling a little. It was a relief to Tim, not only that they had found him, but that Riley was beginning to have more confidence in himself. Tim couldn't help but feel that he had done a little for the young boy.
"Don't move."
The words were spoken very calmly by a person behind Tim. He felt something stick into his back, making him tense up. He slowly turned his head to the side and saw the body of a man. The man had his hands shoved in his pockets and the right pocket was the one sticking against his back. He didn't need to see the face to know it was Neil Welsh.
"You're going to stand up," Neil said, "and you and the boy are going to go with me outside. Don't give me any trouble."
Tim stood as he was told, his mind already racing. The moment they were away from the crowd he knew Welsh would put a bullet in both of their heads. He had to protect Riley, not matter what.
He looked down at Riley who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. He was waiting for Tim to give him instructions on what to do next. If he could just give Riley a head start, he'd have a chance. The minute Welsh shot off the gun the other standers-by would notice.
"Riley, run!" he shouted as he grabbed Welsh's arm behind him. Welsh seemed shocked that Tim was fighting back, but soon regained himself and pulled away, not wanting Tim to gain control over him. He pulled the gun out of his pocket, eliciting gasps from the people around them. Tim grabbed at the gun, but only had time to redirect it before Welsh pulled the trigger. The bang caused the crowd to disperse, people filing out to get out of the line of fire and, hopefully, get help.
Tim fell to the ground, grabbing at his leg where the bullet had hit. The shot hadn't been fatal and he'd probably survive…if Welsh wasn't standing over him, gun poised for one more shot.
If anyone had been watching, they would have sworn that Spider Man flew in at the last moment and kicked Welsh on the side of the head. Instead, it turned out to be Riley's backpack which he swung around, knocking Welsh to the floor of Union Station. The gun flew from his hand, sliding across the floor, and stopping at the foot of a security guard who had run in to assess the situation.
"McGee!"
Gibbs was already running toward them with Tony and Ziva in his wake. Riley knelt beside Tim. "Mr. McGee, are you okay?"
"I will be," he said, though he was breathing hard. "I told you to run, Riley. That was a really stupid thing to do." He took a deep breath before adding, "And thank you for doing it."