Okay, just as a warning a lot happens in this chapter! I don't believe it's as well written as some of my others, but I tried. One more thing; I know that I said in the second chapter that Mattie was almost three, but I'm changing her age in the middle of the story to make it fit better, lol. I'm thinking she's about five, and you will see later on why she still calls Gibbs 'Daay' and not daddy. So I hope you enjoy…
"Boss, how are we going to know that she was here?" McGee asked as he waited by Gibbs's front door.
He didn't look up as he replied, "She doesn't lock the door when she leaves, and I did when I left this morning." He turned the knob on the door and walked inside.
"Boss, I think she made it in," McGee said, as he pointed at the blood on the carpet and the table in the middle of the living room.
"Ya think McGee?" He picked up a piece of paper off the table and read it before putting it in the evidence bag.
Dear Jethro, If you're reading this then you've made progress since the last time we talked. I do hope you find her in time, I really don't want to hurt Mattie like I've I had to do to your dear Abby. But that doesn't mean that I won't. I would be quick if I were you; if I have judged the time correctly then you have about twenty-three hours left. Do hurry, but I will be sure to save some of the show for when you return to your office.
Sincerely yours,
Gibbs punched his fist through his dining chair, frustrated and angry. Once he had calmed down a little, he glanced at McGee, who had been staring at his boss wondering what was next. "Go ask around and see if they saw anything. Then take this and try to get a print off of it and run it through everything."
"On it boss," McGee answered half way out the door.
Gibbs turned around and walked up the stairs and stopped at the first door that had Mattie's name written in fancy blue letters, he ran his hands over it softly. He couldn't help but remember that morning when he had danced her across her bedroom and then made her breakfast. The smiles on his girl's faces as they went to the lab still brought a smile, though a sad one, to his own face.
He moved from his daughter's room to his own, hesitating before he opened the door. He walked in and looked around before he laid down on his side of the bed and remembered getting yelled at a few weeks ago because he had laid on 'her side'. He laughed slightly at the memory before he rolled over and buried his head in her pillow. It smelled like her -- strawberry shampoo, vanilla lotion, and something that was simply Abby. He fell asleep remembering that last kiss in the lab.
~NCIS~
Tim McGee walked back into his boss's house, and when he looked around and didn't see him he went and checked his bedroom. "Hey Boss, we got a van…" He stopped when he saw Gibbs curled up in his bed clinging to Abby's pillow. McGee walked back down stairs and left him a note that said he'd be back in an hour, that he was going to go and run fingerprints on the letter. He knew that they were in the biggest time crunch they'd had yet, but he knew his boss would only get more aggravated if he didn't sleep.
~NCIS~
Mattie woke up to see her uncle asleep in the chair beside her bed, usually she would go and sleep with her mommy when she woke up. But her mommy wasn't here. When she rolled over she saw a strange man looking in her window, she looked at him for a minute before he saw her, then he was gone.
"Uncle Tony, Uncle Tony, wake up." She said as she shook his arm.
"Wh…what is it Mattie, what's wrong?" he asked as he picked her up.
"There was someone outside the window, looking at us?"
"DUCKY?" Tony hollered as he ran out in the hallway and about ran over the older man.
"What's wrong?"
"He's here, he's watching her."
~NCIS~
Tim McGee paced through the lab as he waited for a match on the single finger print he had found on the letter. He didn't know if he could go through something like this. Gibbs faced the possibility that he could lose his whole family in one day, by one man, knowing that he couldn't save them like he had promised.
Tim's thoughts were cut short by the glorious sound of a match, he looked at the picture before calling Ziva. "Hey Ziva, I need you to run a background check for me, a Jamie Briggs." He listened for a minute before continuing.
"Yea, I'm going to pick up the boss, let me know as soon as you get an address," he said, by this time already in his car
He showed his badge at the door, before making his way up to where his boss was last seen, "Hey boss," he said as he saw the man sitting on the edge of his bed.
"McGee, did you get anything off the letter?"
"Yea, we got a match, Ziva's running a background check and getting an address now."
"Let's go."
~NCIS~
Gibbs walked into the squad room with a fresh cup of coffee, and was meet by a small black headed figure. "Daay!" Mattie hollered as she ran up to him and grabbed both of his legs.
"Mattie, what are you doing here? DiNozzo, what is she doing here?" Gibbs asked, as he set his coffee down and picked up his daughter who had her mother's death grip around her father's neck.
"He was watching us," Mattie answered softly in his ear, as she was about to fall asleep on her father's shoulders.
"Who was watching you baby?"
"A scary man, he was watching me and Uncle Tony, until he saw me then he ran away." She said going deeper into sleep as she continued her story.
"Mattie, can you describe him at all?" Gibbs asked leaning her up to keep her from going to sleep.
"When he stood up he was tall, dark hair, but bright eyes. It was dark," she said, as he let her lie back down.
"It was dark outside boss, but we had the light on in the room…" DiNozzo started.
"…and that fits the description of the picture; his Virginia driver's license says he's 6'1 with brown hair and blue eyes," McGee finished.
Mattie lifted her head up to look at her daddy. "Daay, is that who took mommy?"
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "I certainly hope so sweetheart," he said. And yes, he did hope that this was his wife's kidnapper, because not only were they one step closer to finding her, he was one step closer to being able to shoot the bastard.
well, there it was, I hope you enjoyed it. Review and let me know. And if I moved too fast I apologize, I will try and do better.
