"Pike is out."
The Senior Field Agent's announcement was full of anger mixed with concern.
Tim's face lost all color and his knees nearly buckled. It was all he could do to remain upright as his heart pounded in his chest and his brain screamed at him.
You idiot! This is YOUR fault! You screwed up! Abby's missing while Pike is free.
The guy threatened to hurt you again AND anyone close to you if you didn't do all three things he told you to do!
He's free! And Abby's missing!.
Told you not to let your guard down!
You don't believe in coincidences anymore than Gibbs does!
You know he's got her!
You idiot! He knows you still had the dog as late as this morning and now he's following through on his threat!
You're so stupid!
You really think he's gonna care that you took care of that little oversight on your part this morning before you faced Gibbs over breakfast?
It's too late! He has Abby!
"How the hell did that happen?" Gibbs barked as he glared at Tony as if it was his fault. So far, he hadn't even noticed Tim's reaction or the fact that Ziva was watching Tim from behind her desk with grave concern.
"We screwed the pooch, Gibbs." Vance answered calmly as he strolled into the squad room from the back hallway and stopped right in front of the Team Leader's desk so he could face him as they spoke.
"Meaning what exactly, Leon?"
"None of you read him his rights."
"He wasn't under arrest when you took over the interrogation, Leon! Did you read him his rights?" Gibbs snapped with anger barely controlled.
"Thought your team already had." Vance defended his own oversight that set the bastard free.
"So he is free on bail?" Ziva asked with disappointment and confusion, her eyes still locked on Tim as he continued to struggle to take it all in. At least now, he'd allowed himself to sit down.
Tony shifted on his feet in obvious discomfort at the question.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked.
"Um, not exactly, Boss."
"Then what exactly?"
"All charges have been dropped. He's a free man." Vance dropped the bomb on them calmly with no clue or vision of the horrified reaction from the agent sitting directly behind him.
Tim'd always been an ace at math and this equation was easy to solve; the answer being trouble for one of their own; this time the victim was even more innocent than the last one had been. Abby!
He felt like he was literally gonna be sick. Unbeknown to him, he looked it, as well. Across the room, Ziva quietly picked up her phone and made a call, speaking quietly into her phone, while keeping her eyes on her troubled teammate across the room. Even as the rest of the room's occupants' attention was focused on each other in anger and disbelief at the unfortunate turn of events, Ziva's focus remained on Tim.
When Ziva ended her call and hung up her phone, she looked over at her boss, feeling his angry glare emenating from him. Having his silently smouldering temper focused on her in the form of his patented glare as his eyes attempted to burn holes through her for making a phone call in the midst of this new development,only gave her cause to small softly. She was more than relieved that Gibbs was rising to the occasion over Tim's case; but was also more than ready to defend her actions just now.
Before the boss could even say a word, she nodded her head in Tim's direction, behind Vance which Gibbs could not see at the moment. It was only at that point that the rest of them even thought to look Tim's way. Silently, ripping himself a new one, Gibbs watched in concern as Tim practically ran from the squad room, looking as though his sensitive stomach had revolted on him.
Tim felt so incredibly guilty and worried and sick. He couldn't get the visions out of his head of the sickening picture his mind had conjured up when the horrible equation of everything that was going on adding up. Oh, God! Abby!
"What the hell's going on here, Gibbs?" Vance demanded angrily as he watched the youngest agent in the room bolt for the head, his voice thundering through the squad room.
Silently, Gibbs glared at Vance for a half-minute before locking eyes with his Senior Field Agent and nodding in the direction of the elevator in a silent directive. Go find Abby!
On it, Boss! Tony's silent nod and quick steps in the direction of the elevator; along with Ziva's equally fast catching up to Tony, assured the boss, that his two remaining agents were on the job and would find out what had happened to their missing Forensic Scientist and team member.
Only after his team had vacated the squad room, did Gibbs turn and address the boss' question. "Still trying to figure that out, Leon. When we know, you'll know. Hey, Duck. You lookin' for McGee? He's in the head. Let me know something after you've looked him over, will ya?" Gibbs's shift in conversational direction as he looked at the freshly arriving Medical Examiner threw Vance for a loop; and essentially ended the discussion.
Silently watching the M.E. make his way to the men's restroom; and Gibbs snatching up his coffee cup and looking at him expectantly, Vance let it go; for now.
With a deep sigh borne of frustration, Gibbs went in search of more coffee before intending on going to check on his troubled agent. There was obviously something going on that the boss needed to know about. And where the hell was Sarah McGee? Hadn't he told Tony to sit on her?
Snapping his phone open, he speed dialed Tony.
"Hey, Boss." Tony's subdued answer didn't bode well for the search for Abby turning out well just yet.
"Where is Sarah McGee?"
"Vance has her stewing in Conference Room 2. He put an agent on the door." Tony replied calmly; too calmly.
"Any sign of Abby yet?" Gibbs ploughed on, unwilling to focus on anyone's emotions until Abby was found safe and sound.
"No. We've just pulled up to her apartment complex. Her Roadster's not here."
"Check the apartment anyway."
"On it, Boss."
Suddenly craving some answers, Gibbs changed his mind about checking on Tim just yet since the M.E. was with him and was undoubtedly better equipped to deal with whatever it was Tim was dealing with at the moment; choosing instead, to go have a word with the youngest McGee sibling. Marching up to the conference room, the team leader hoped and prayed that Abby not being reachable had nothing to do with this whole McGee nightmare. As he stepped into the conference room, it was to find Sarah McGee writing a letter of some sort, on the tablet of paper someone had given her.
As he pulled out a chair next to the head of the table where she sat, Sarah stopped writing and let go of the pen, her eyes slipping to his for a half-second before dropping to the table in front of her.
"Where is Pike?" Gibbs asked her without wasting any time or explaining the question further.
"I don't know. I haven't talked to him since you made me set him up the other night." She answered with just enough attitude to send Gibbs' anger through the roof.
"You listen to me! I don't give a damn if you date him or not. I don't give a damn if you have his kids! But, you'd damn well better help us find him before he hurts Abby! "
"Abby? What? NO! He wouldn't!"
"Like he wouldn't do what he did to your brother?" Gibbs bit out furiously. "Tell me where to find him, NOW!"
"I can't." she answered quietly.
"Not good enough!" Gibbs slammed his hand down on the table, the sound echoing loudly in the room, causing her to jump.
"I can't tell you because I don't know!" she cried defensively.
"How can you not know? Weren't you the one who was going on about how the last six months have been perfect between the two of you? How do you spend six months getting to know someone without being able to give an idea of where he might be?" her brother's boss asked in complete disbelief.
Before she could answer him, her cell phone rang.
"Who gave you back your cell phone?" Gibbs demanded angrily.
"Director Vance did. He said he had no choice now that all charges have been dropped." Opening her phone, she spoke into it. "Hello?"
"Call him and tell him to let Abby go! Tell him he can have me instead!" Tim's voice barked at her angrily through the phone.
"Tim?" Sarah asked in shock, both at the fact that her brother was finally speaking to her again and at what he was saying.
"I mean it! Call him right now and tell him to let her go UNHARMED! Make him take me instead!" Tim completely pissed off tone again reached loud and clear through the phone to the point that even Gibbs was hearing every word.
"Tim, He doesn't have her! I swear!"
"I'm not arguing with you, Sarah! Do it or else!"
"Or else what, you no good sorry excuse for a son!" a loud booming voice was heard on Tim's end.
Suddenly the call was ended and Gibbs was on his feet heading toward the door. "Don't you move! And find out where that bastard is!" he demanded angrily as he bolted from the room. Snapping out his phone, he called Ducky. "Duck! Where's McGee?"
"He returned to his desk, Jethro. Why, is something the matter?"
"Yeah, you could say that. Get up here, will ya?'
"Certainly, just as soon as I finish speaking with Director Vance."
"Bring him with ya, quick." Gibbs ordered urgently as he ran down the stairs, ignoring the pain in his long troublesome knee as he did.
"Dad…" Tim was attempting to calm his father's irate temper.
"I don't wanna hear your pathetic excuses! Just tell me where I can find your sister so I can take her away from your meddling!"
"That's not gonna happen." Gibbs entered into the conversation as he rounded Tony's desk and came to stand in front of Tim's father, deliberately taking the man's attention of his agent.
"And why the hell not? She's my daughter, she doesn't even work for you, Agent Gibbs! You may wanna let this poor excuse of a man hide out on your team; but no one has the right to do anything to my daughter without my say-so."
"That right? When's her birthdate?" Gibbs asked calmly.
"What?"
"How old is your sister, Tim?"
"22, Boss."
"Yeah, I thought so. She meets the law's requirement to be of age in every way that allows her to make her own decisions, Sir." Gibbs reasoned out as he glared at the Senior McGee, making sure the form of address came out just as he intended it to.
"Doesn't matter. She does what I tell her to do. When she needs to get away from this punk's interference, she comes to me." The Naval Commander said with the cocky arrogance he'd long used on everyone he spoke to.
"Yeah, I got that." Gibbs answered dryly. "I don't have time for this family soap opera, Commander. So, I suggest you take yourself to your hotel room and wait for Sarah to call you when she has a free minute. Right now, she's busy."
"Wait! What? What the hell is she doing that she can't come with me or even speak to me?"
"That doesn't concern you. I give you my word that she will call you as soon as she's able."
"Commander McGee, I'd like a word with you, please." Vance's voice came as a surprise from behind Mr. McGee.
Turning, Mr. McGee looked from Gibbs to his son to the man who had just asked to talk to him. "And who the hell would you be?" he bellowed.
"DAD!" Tim hollered. "Director Vance, I am so sorry!" he turned completely chagrined eyes to the Agency Head.
"Quite alright Agent McGee. Can't hold you responsible for the actions of others. Commander? This way, please?" Vance stepped back and motioned for Tim's father to head up the stairs ahead of him.
Watching his father go up the stairs with the Director, sent Tim's stomach to his feet. But, his focus quickly returned to the urgent problem at hand. Abby! Snapping his cell phone back open, he hit the number for his sister's phone again.
Before the call could even finish going through, the phone was snatched from his hand and snapped closed.
"Sit down!" Gibbs barked at him as he tossed Tim's cell phone to Ducky so Tim wouldn't use it again.
"Jethro?" the M.E. spoke up as he caught the phone and finally spoke now that the dust had settled on that explosive moment between Commander McGee and Director Vance.
"Just a sec, Duck." Gibbs answered as he kept his angrily glittering glare glued to his shocked agent. "What the hell do you think you're doin' tellin' your sister to offer that bastard a trade; you for Abby? Have you lost your mind?"
"Oh, Timothy!" Ducky sympathized.
"Maybe I have, Boss. All I know is I can't just sit here while he has Abby!" Tim defended his actions.
"This morning, I told you I wasn't gonna force you to talk about this. But as of right now, you no longer have that choice, McGee. Start talking! What do you know about Abby's disappearance?"
"That's just it, Boss! I haven't had that choice to begin with! I was doing what he told me to do – just to keep everyone safe from him! I was keeping my mouth shut! I only told you and Ducky what I could without going against that! He promised to hurt; kill even; someone close to me if I said anything!"
"So you played along with him and kept your mouth shut. Doesn't explain why Abby's missing or why you think he's got her." Gibbs' tone was still angry even if it had come down in volume.
"Because he's free. And because I screwed up." Tim said dejectedly. His guilt and self-appointed blame covering him like a thick blanket.
"McGee!" Gibbs' patience was running out.
"Boss, he told me to get rid of Jethro by the end of the day yesterday and with everything that was going on, I completely forgot! I got the arrangements made first thing this morning after I remembered. But, it was too late, obviously." Tim hollered out in distress.
'"Let me get this straight. You think that because Abby's unaccounted for and Pike is free; he took her as punishment for you not getting rid of your dog like he told you to?" Gibbs asked with disbelief.
"I don't believe in coincidence any more than you do, Boss." Tim said quietly, his eyes misting over. Turning away in guilt and the feeling that he was gonna be physically sick again, Tim looked at Ducky. "I'm okay, Ducky, thank you." He said quietly as he sat back down and reached toward his desk phone. "Boss, please! Let me do this!"
"You thought he had her before you even knew he was free." Gibbs accused him.
"I know he's not working alone. He can't be. Not if he's got eyes everywhere, watching what I'm doing all the time; who I talk to; where I go." Tim vented in anger. "Boss! You have to let me do this!"
"Have to let you do what, Timmy?"
