Okay, so no one killed me for the last chapter. Yay!

Spoilers for NCIS episode Grace Period

Disclaimer: Do I really need to tell you that this isn't mine?

Don and Colby exploded out of the building, Don shaking with the aftereffects of adrenaline. He was walking quickly, hands clenching and unclenching. Colby stood close by, ready to protect someone else from Don's rage. After a few minutes, Don calmed down slightly and turned to Colby.

"He wouldn't," Don whispered. "I mean, I had no idea the extent of the consulting work he's done, but I know my brother. He would never sell out his country," he said, pleading with Colby.

Colby clasped a hand on Don's shoulder. "Of course he wouldn't. I may have only known the whiz kid for a fraction of the time you have, but I know that isn't him. If that were the case, he would not have helped out on all the terrorist cases we've had the last few years, or at least wouldn't have given us what we needed to catch them. Gibbs has no idea what he's talking about."

Don nodded. He looked back at the building, and then looked at Colby. "I'm going to check out Charlie's hotel room, see if anyone has been there since last night," he said, then flagged a cab.

Colby watched his boss climb into a cab and take off. As soon as the cab was out of sight, the door to NCIS opened, and Megan and David came out.

"Where's Don?" Megan asked, looking around.

"He's checking out Charlie's hotel room," Colby said quietly. "I'm guessing we'll stay here and get some more work done. You two alright?"

Both the agents stared at him. "Are you kidding me? What right does that bastard have to say something like that about Charlie?" David demanded.

Megan shrugged. "Much as I hate to say it, someone needed to say that. Not that I believe it for even a second," she hurried to say, "and Gibbs was stupid to say that in front of Don, but looking at it from their point of view, Charlie has all the signs of someone who could flip on us. Super high security clearance, lots of trips to the Middle East which we didn't know about…" she trailed off.

"I get that, but this is Charlie we're talking about," David protested. "Everything he does is logical. Like he's always telling us: math is logic. If he had flipped on us, he wouldn't keep up all the work he's done."

"Agreed," a voice said from the doorway.

The agents turned to see Tony leaning against the door. "What?" Megan asked.

"I agree with you guys, and I don't even know the guy except what we've learned and what I've heard you say about him, how I've seen you guys act since you got here."

"So what are you saying?" Colby asked.

Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at the cars passing by. "You know, there was a case here, a while back," he started. "A fellow agent, a team leader, lost three agents in a bomb. Our team was called in to help solve it. The one thing we all noticed was the obvious clash between that team leader and Ziva. It seemed like Ziva was purposefully baiting her, trying to get her riled up." Tony paused, and focused on the team in front of him. "Gibbs asked her about it later. Turns out Ziva knew exactly what she was doing. She said that the team leader needed someone to be angry at, someone to direct her fury towards, and Ziva had volunteered to be that person." The FBI agents were silent, listening to the story. Tony pushed himself off the wall, but kept his eyes on them. "I'm not saying that I agree with what Gibbs is doing, but I would bet he's doing the same thing, giving your guy a chance to blow off steam while we try to find his brother." Without giving them a chance to respond, he turned and walked back inside the building.

Colby looked at the other two. "You think he's telling the truth?" he asked Megan.

Megan thought for a moment. "It would make sense. Not the smartest thing to do, since Don is actually really good at compartmentalizing, but for someone who doesn't know him… yeah, he's probably telling us the truth."

David nodded, then looked at his watch. "Well, it's already 6. How about we go get some dinner, bring it back for the other agents. That will give everyone a chance to cool off; then we can get back to work."

The others agreed, and they hailed another cab.

Don walked in the hotel lobby and flashed his badge at the receptionist. "I need the room number and a key for the room for Charles Eppes," he said quickly. The receptionist looked at him, then waved over a man that was likely the manager.

"May I ask what this is about, Agent?" the new man asked.

Don glared at him. "I am an FBI agent, and I need to see Charles Eppes' room, if you please," he repeated himself.

The manager nodded, and hit a few keys on the computer, then grabbed a master card key. "Right this way, sir."

Don followed the man to the room, and the manager opened it for him, and handed him the key. "If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask," he said, and hurried away.

Don walked in the room. He could tell that his brother had been staying here, since his brother's duffle bag was on the bed, clothes hanging out of it, his toiletries were in the bathroom, and his laptop case on the dresser.

Don took a few steps and opened the case, and saw the laptop inside. Seeing that made everything seem so much more real. This was the laptop that was never out of his brother's sight. He had seen Charlie using it to help them solve cases, had used it while talking with students, emailing Amita. Don carried it reverently over to the bad and placed it in his lap, running his fingers gently over it. He couldn't take it anymore. It had been nearly a full day since his brother was missing and him trying to find him, with absolutely no leads. His eyes filled, and since there was no one around for him to shield his emotions from, he let it go. He sat on his brother's hotel bed, clutching the laptop, and cried. He was learning a lot about his brother today, but that didn't mean he didn't know him.

Don had always worried about bringing his little brother into his work, worried that something would happen to him. Now something had, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with Don's work. After a few minutes, he dried his eyes with his jacket sleeve.

"He must be a good man," a voice said from the doorway, and Don nearly jumped out of his skin, and pulled out his gun. Then he realized that Gibbs was leaning against the doorway holding two cups of coffee, and he put his gun back in his holster.

Don sat back down, moving the laptop further away so that it wouldn't get damaged. Then he glared at the NCIS agent. "I thought you were under the impression he had flipped," Don snarled.

Gibbs sighed and walked into the room, handed one cup to Don; settling down in one of the chairs by the window. "Look, Eppes. We both know why I said that. You needed to get out of the office, get some fresh air, blow off some steam. That doesn't mean I won't pay you back for that punch, though," Gibbs said, glaring at Don. "I said it because it needed to be said. Now that it's been addressed, we can continue on the path we've been taking, trying to get him back." He stood, then gestured with his coffee cup to the laptop. "Besides, if he was giving information, I'd bet he would take that with him."

Don looked back at his brother's laptop, and needed to blink back tears. "I've never seen him without it," he admitted. "No matter if he's at home, the FBI, or at CalSci; it's always with him."

Gibbs nodded and stood. "Exactly." He waved the other man forward, and they left the room.

A/N: So, I'm sure some may say that Don was very OOC in this scene, but I thought it appropriate for what's going on. But all the same, let me now what you think.