Warnings: None for this chapter

A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope you like it!


Eric had bolted the moment he had been told that his parents were dead by his social worker and that she was there to help NCIS find a placement for him. He didn't want to go back to the group home and he knew from past experiences that a foster family was not going to work out.

Instead of sending Tony or Leah after the little boy, Gibbs went searching for him. He chuckled when he found the child hiding underneath a table in Abby's lab—the lab was a favorite hiding spot for Tony as well. Squeezing underneath the table with Eric, Gibbs smiled. "Nice hiding spot."

"Not that nice if you found me," Eric mumbled, burying his face in his knees.

"Maybe you wanted to be found," Gibbs countered.

The little boy raised his head and looked at the team leader, fear and sadness in his eyes. "I don't want to go back to the group home; Tony and Leah promised me I wouldn't be going back there."

Gibbs reached out and gently rubbed the child's back. "You're not going back to the group home. Tony called your social worker because some things have changed and she needed to be brought in."

Eric tried hard not to cry but even with his efforts a few tears escaped. "They don't want me, do they? Miss Miller is only called in when someone doesn't want me. No one ever wants me."

"Tony and Leah would take you in a heartbeat, Eric," Gibbs said, "it's just that…circumstances…"

"I know. I heard them talking about the new baby," Eric said, wiping his eyes.

The NCIS agent didn't tell the little boy that if a loving home could not be found for him, that Tony and Leah would adopt him. Gibbs had been told by Leah's father that she had a thing for baby birds that needed to be loved and nurtured. Instead, he told the child that they were working on finding him a safe place. "We want to make sure you go somewhere that you are wanted, Eric."

Eric still was having trouble trusting Gibbs' words. He had been promised loving homes before only to be given back or ignored at a group home. "What about my parents?" he asked, quietly. "Were they looking for me?"

Gibbs gently stroked the back of Eric's head. "Yes. They looked for you until the day they died. They never gave up hope that you were alive and out there."

"Did they die because they were looking for me?"

"No, it was a car accident."

"Gibbs, what's going to happen to me?"

"Well, that's why Miss Miller is here, so we can all work together to find a safe place for you," Gibbs replied.

"Can I stay here? At NCIS?" Eric asked, hopefully.

Gibbs chuckled. "NCIS isn't a home; it's an office building."

Eric set his little jaw. "But it has some of the nicest people. I won't bother anyone working, I promise!"

As he looked at the little boy, brown eyes filled with innocence and longing to be loved by someone, Gibbs got an idea. Eric wouldn't be able to stay at NCIS but he would be able to stay in the NCIS family.


"Did Gibbs find him?" Leah asked when Tony joined her and the kids in the staff lounge.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, he's not getting off the Navy Yard," Tony said, sitting down at the table.

Tali offered her father a bite of her cheese pizza, which he graciously accepted before he opened the box and grabbed himself a slice. As he ate he watched as Jack slept, snuggled up in Leah's arms. There had been at length discussions between Tony and Leah about what would happen to their kids if something were to happen to them—they'd come to an agreement that the kids would go live with her older brother, Gareth and his wife since they lived in the D.C area. It would the least uprooting for their children.

Tony had yet to find if Alan and Carla Barnes had made such provisions for the son. Seeing how baby Eric had been abducted when he was only three months old there was a chance that the Barnes had never gotten around to ensuring their son's well-being. So far, Tim had not found any other family. Alan and Carla had died in a car accident along with her parents; Alan was an only child of a single mother that had passed away years before he got married. They were still looking for Carla's brother in the hopes that he would take Eric in.

Leah sighed and hugged her son. Finding out that Eric's parents were dead had been a big blow to them all, not just the little boy. "I hope Gibbs can convince him that everyone here just wants to help him."

"It's not easy for him; he has trust issues," Tony replied, finishing his pizza.

"Hmmm sounds like someone else I know," Leah quipped, looking at him, gently.

"And look how long it takes me to trust people."

"You know that's why you're a good agent; you suspect everyone."

Tony smiled and stood up. He kissed the top of Tali's head and then Jack's, who remained sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. "I know you want to stay to make sure that Eric's taken care of, but you really should get our munchkins home, bella."

Leah sighed and looked at Tali. The little girl was starting to get tired. It was getting late for the two young children to be out and about but the mother inside of her just wanted to stay a bit longer to ensure that Eric was alright.

"We'll go home soon. Why don't you take the rest of the pizza to the team?"

He knew that he wasn't going to convince her to leave just yet; she could be just as stubborn as he could be. Tony grabbed the pizza box and kissed her. "Not too late," he reminded her, with a teasing smile.

She glared at him playfully. "Go, Anthony."

"Yes ma'am."

"What have I told you about calling me that?"

Tony chuckled on his way back to the bullpen. Ellie was at her desk and was very appreciative of a slice of pizza, even if it was a cold slice.

Tim was at his own desk, head resting on his arms as he took a break from searching relentlessly for Eric's uncle. He barely lifted his head when Tony gave him the box and told him to eat.

"Where's Gibbs?" the senior field agent asked. "Still looking for Eric?"

"Yeah," Tim said, rubbing his eyes. "Hope he's having better luck than I am finding Eric's uncle."

"We traced him to New Jersey," Ellie said. "After that I think he moved overseas; we just don't know where yet."

"Special Agent DiNozzo," Heather Miller said, reminding the agents that she was still there, "It's getting late; if I'm going to find a placement for Eric tonight, I need to take him soon."

Tony shook his head. "He isn't going back to any group home or foster care."

Heather looked at him, sadly. "I appreciate that you and your wife want to make sure he's okay, but you're not a permanent solution. I'd rather take Eric before he gets too attached to you or your wife."

Too late, Tony thought, thinking about how Eric had been clinging to Leah when his wife had arrived at NCIS. "Hopefully, tomorrow, we find Eric's uncle and we won't have to have this conversation, for now, my wife and I are more than happy to take care of him."

"Agent DiNozzo…"

"Listen, you said yourself it's getting late…"

Heather realized she wasn't going to win this battle, and she was tired herself. "Very well. I'll be back tomorrow; if there isn't a development in the case, I will be placing Eric into a foster home."

Tony watched as she went, pulling out his phone to call Gibbs and let the team leader know that Eric was coming home with the senior field agent that night. "Did you find him, boss?"

Gibbs laughed, softly. "Yeah. He was hiding in your favorite spot—the lab."

"Well, where are you now?"

"Took the little guy for burgers."

"You can tell him that he can come home with Leah and I," Tony informed Gibbs."

"Actually," Gibbs said. "I have a better idea—he's gonna spend the night with me."


Eric climbed the stairs at Gibbs' house, following behind the NCIS agent. The house was smaller, the furnishing sparse compared to Tony and Leah's home, but Eric didn't feel unwelcome here. In fact, he felt the exact opposite; it felt like Gibbs' house was happy to have him.

Gibbs led him down the small hallway and into a small bedroom. It had a single twin bed, a dresser and a rocking chair in the corner. It was nothing like the large bedroom that he'd slept in at the DiNozzos' but he liked the coziness of this room.

"Know it's not much compared to what you had at Tony's," Gibbs said, turning the covers down. "But I think you'll like it."

"I like your house, Gibbs," Eric said, climbing into the bed. "It suits you."

The NCIS agent laughed and pulled the covers around the little boy. "I thought you might like it here," Gibbs said, pushing the boy's blonde hair out of his eyes.

Eric's eyes became heavy and he clutched the edge of the blanket in his little hands. "Are Tony and Leah mad at me for running away?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. They were worried about you; they really do want to make sure you're okay, Eric."

"I wish they were my mom and dad," Eric murmured as he fell asleep.

"I wish they were your parents too," Gibbs whispered. At least then, Eric wouldn't be so alone in the world.