Chapter 8

Gibbs was still in the building after he and Tony had returned from Maryland with their suspect that had confessed the murdering of a family in the Military base and began to do his paperwork. From time to time he looked at his watch, thinking about Sarah. Comparing her to his ex-wives had been wrong and he'd to admit he never had been very flexible with them.

But Sarah's mistake had been threatening to call his director, but if he had explained to her that he didn't like Balls or even have given in this time and gone, he would now be going home with her. Not that he was going to start enjoying balls and go to all of them, it was something he hated, but he should have given in just this once.

Leaving aside his report, he ran a hand through his tired face, when his cell phone rang and he saw on the screen that it was Megan. Frowning because she was up until late, he answered:

"Megan, is everything ok?" Upon hearing the girl's name, Tony, McGee, Bishop and Delilah, who was there to see her boyfriend, stared at him, both knowing that there was something between their boss and the SecNav, and were ready to act if something was wrong the girl or her mother.

"Gibbs." The girl said, desperate, her voice full of fear. "Is my mother with you?"

"No, she went to the Navy Ball. Hasn't she returned yet?" Making a sign for McGee still on the phone, the young agent quickly began to track the SecNav's phone.

"No. She was supposed to be back an hour ago but her phone is off."

"Calm down Megan, are you home?"

"My dad's just brought me. The security was supposed to be here too, but he is not. What's going on?"

"Boss, I tracked down the phone. It's in a road outside the town."

"OK. McGee and Bishop, go there and find the car. Tony and I'll go to the Porter's residence. Delilah, could you go tell Abby?" Trying to maintain his control with the possibility of another kidnapping he said to Megan: "Stay here with your father until we here."

On the way, Gibbs called director Vance, explaining the situation and reaching the house, he found Megan and Richard embraced, while the girl was crying. His heart sank as much to see the girl suffering as knowing that Sarah was in danger. He knew there was no point in thinking about the 'what ifs', but to work to find her alive and fine.

"Gibbs!" The girl said leaving her father's arms and hugging the agent tightly, lifting her face and looking at him with eyes full of tears: "They've taken her."

"My God, it's been barely three months since our daughter was kidnapped and now this." Richard muttered, bringing his hands to his face, worried and Gibbs shot him a look that said not to worsen the situation.

"We still don't know Megan." His cell phone vibrated and then he put a hand on her shoulder as he went to the door and Tony walked down the stairs, after looking through the yard and the rooms. "Gibbs."

"Gibbs." Bishop said, her voice strained. "We found SecNav's car."

"And?" The man insisted impatiently, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"And we found it abandoned on the road. We found her driver's body, Charles Reed in the passenger seat, shot dead on the forehead." Ellie then paused, feeling bad as she recalled the crime scene. "There are signs of struggle in the back seat and bloodstains, McGee is taking the car to Abby analyze."

"Okay, Bishop, I want you to investigate everything about her security and try to track his phone. He should be on guard in the house, but hasn't appeared yet."

"They took her." Megan said at the door, crying and Tony and Gibbs shared a look before the older agent bend a little to stay at the same height as her, who held her, who was holding herself now.

"Someone's taken her Megan. But just like we found you the other time, we'll find her, she's a smart woman, surely she left some clues behind." The girl closed her eyes for a moment nodding and Gibbs stroked her hair, before saying. "I need to get your version of this night. DiNozzo, get Mr. Porter's."

"Okay boss." Before he left, Tony stopped next to the girl and winked at her, saying sincerely: "We'll find her, she's part of the NCIS family."

Tom Morrow, Fornell and Vance were all together in the Navy Yard with Gibbs team. With the SecNav's kidnapping, an alert had been issued to all airports, train stations and highways, but they hadn't received any information or a call from the kidnappers yet.

"Tom, it was you who appointed agent Andrew Cooper as her escort?" Gibbs asked the older man, checking the agent folder. He had seen the man only one time and never talked to him.

"Yes, we checked his record before contacting him, he's a good agent. Do you think he might be involved?"

"I don't think anything, I follow leads." Gibbs replied, seeing that he had left the Navy and become an agent, but it didn't say why. "Tony, call his family and see if he was acting differently."

"If Cooper is our kidnapper, we're going to have a hard time finding him." Vance said, remembering the agent. "He graduated top in his class and I've seen the way he acts in field, cold and calculative."

"If it's really been him." Tom pointed out, disgusted with the idea and Vance replied, comprehensively:

"I understand that none of us wants to have a traitor among us, but we have to think of all the possibilities."

After much insistence, Megan agreed to go home with her father and McGee went with them as security and in case the kidnappers tried to contact them or hurt them. Fornell was on the phone, talking to one of his agents who had gone with Tony to the White House's ballroom, talk to the party securities.

Tom Morrow was contacting all the Secretariat of the Navy, the Pentagon and the Secretary of Defense and Gibbs checked the guest list as Bishop checked the security's family. When Gibbs open the drawer of his desk, he was surprised to find a white envelope, written by Sarah Porter.

Opening it, he saw that it was an invitation to the ball, with a small apology.

Sorry Gibbs, I know I shouldn't have threatened you and how much you don't like people apologizing. If you change your mind, here's an invitation. Love, Sarah Megan Porter.

"Sarah..." Gibbs said softly, feeling his heart breaking apart, staring at the invitation and saw the woman's face in his mind, laughing and raising an eyebrow as she used to do to with him, saying what she'd to him a few weeks ago "Go meet me upstairs, I have a surprise for you."

And I can barely breathe
When you're here loving me
Fire meet gasoline
Burn with me tonight