A/N - Okay, a big thank you to my friend for making me not give up on this story! Girl, you rock! And a huge hug to my readers and reviewers for holding on so long! Here you go! Next chappie, all nice and neat! Now this is new territory for me, mysteries and cases are most definitely not my thing, so any ideas, comments and criticisms are welcome!
CHAPTER 11
The clock strikes one.
Five hours, Jethro thinks, watching his kids work tersely in the squad room, from the top of the stairs. An oppressive silence hangs heavy around them, pregnant with premonitions not so good, and so much fear.
Five hours since Tony dropped Lilly off for school. Three since she vanished and the phone call from the principal. And barely one hour since the kidnapper called Ziva.
For a moment, just one single minute stolen from the relentless march of time, he allows himself to be flooded with panic. He wants to be either violently sick or punch something, but he pushes the urge back, aware that losing control isn't going to help anyone, just scare them off. And he needs to be strong, for Lilly, for her parents - for his family.
Squaring his shoulders, he swallows past the lump in his throat and takes a deep breath. He turns to the stairs, ready to stride into the war zone, so to speak, and lead his team, when Ducky's hesitant, urgent call stops him.
"Jethro."
The solemnity in his old friend's voice stops him short and in an unguarded second, his feelings overwhelm. Acrid fear bubbles within his gut, picking his intestines and squeezing them with an intensity that is physically painful.
"Jethro?" Ducky's voice is worried and Jethro blinks, growling to himself and bringing the emotionally detached Marine to fore.
"Duck." The statement is enough for the older man to sense all the unsaid, the fear and the panic and the terrible feeling of deja' vu he knows Jethro is going through.
"Lilly's really been kidnapped then?" Ducky asks quietly, already knowing the answer. "Any idea where she is?"
Jethro shakes his head. "Workin on it, Duck," he replies shortly and the ME knows the ex-sniper is thinking of Shannon and Kelly. And it strikes him that back then, Jethro was not so very scared. He was in pain, yes, anguish that continues to torment him to this day, but this fear is so very strange to his friend, and so very similar too.
"What can I do?" he asks desperately, wanting nothing more than to have his family safe and happy again.
"Not much you can do now, Duck."
Neither wants to admit that soon enough, Ducky might have something to do after all. Something painful, that could rip and tear their little family to shreds. The knowledge of it hangs over their heads, like a time bomb ticking away to glory, waiting to explode and shatter the very fabric of their reality.
"We'll find her, Jethro," Ducky murmurs, moving forward to clasp the younger man's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "We have to."
"I know, Duck," Jethro pulls away, turning his back on his oldest friend as he walks down the stairs to the squad room.
And Ducky is so very afraid, so very worried, he cannot help but follow, even as he offers a desperate prayer for Lilly to be safe.
xxx
As Jethro strides toward them, his steps filled as much purpose as it is urgency, he observes them discreetly. McGee is typing away furiously on his computer, fingers practically flying over the keyboard. Tony and Ziva are on their phones, their low, controlled voice giving away their visceral, acrid fear.
"Go," he orders, coming to a stop in front of the plasma.
McGee quickly puts up the video he has been perusing the past hour Jethro has been with Vance, trying to convince the Director to let him have the case despite, or rather because of, their personal connection to it.
"I've been going over the surveillance video Principal Irene Valden sent us. It's poor quality and I've sent it to Abby for enhancement, but I wouldn't hold my breath, boss. Look."
He points to the screen, pausing the video, and vaguely, Jethro registers the presence of Tony and Ziva as they come to stand behind him. He ignores them, focusing instead on the plasma and McGee.
"At 10.15 am, the classes break for recess and all students, including Lillian run out to the playground," he picks out his goddaughter, fist clenched and behind him, Jethro hears Ziva breathe in sharply.
"There's no video surveillance in the playground, but half an hour later, at 10.45 am, the rest of the class runs back in. Lilly's not there. And three minutes later…"
He trails off and they all watch in strangled silence as Lilly skips down the hallway, trips and falls, and before she can get up, is sedated with a cloth held to her small nose by a black-clad, masked figure. Then slowly, deliberately, the figure raises its face to the camera and they can very clearly see the smirk beneath the dark mask.
Tony hisses angrily, fists clenched, and Ziva…good God, Ziva just crumples against Tony with a soft cry, and the sight of his strong, powerful Ziver so broken, so weak…it makes Jethro want to wring the kidnapper's neck or just plain snap it in two.
"Get away car?" he snaps at McGee.
"Witnesses report a dark green sedan fleeing the scene barely five minutes later," McGee answers immediately.
"Plates?"
"Partial only, running it now." McGee rushes back to his desk.
"And the kidnapper's call? Trace it yet?"
The computer genius shook his head. "Still trying to, boss. The kidnapper went to a lot of trouble to protect himself."
"Well, try harder! We need to find him!" he snaps, then whirls around to face the remaining to members of his team. "DiNozzo, Ziva-"
"Go back to the school and talk to the teachers again, got it, boss," Tony interrupts, the two of them already on the move. Within seconds, Ziva's crumpled stance has retreated behind the mask of the emotionless Mossad assassin, and in a distant corner of his mind, Jethro marvels at her ability to adapt.
"Stay," he stresses and the two of them freeze, turning pleading, angry gazes to him. He meets their stares unflinchingly, rendering them with the best version of his 'Gibbs stare'.
"Gibbs-" Ziva starts but he glares at her and she falls silent.
"You are too close to this case," he states firmly.
"And you're not?" Tony shoots back, glaring at him with vehemence. Jethro holds back a wince, knowing the statement is meant to wound, to hurt, not because of malice, but because Tony hurts.
"I can think clearly, DiNozzo," he replies, "Can you think beyond breaking this guy's nose?"
Tony remains quiet, eyes downcast, teeth clenched. Ziva slides in next to him and squeezes his hand, and Jethro looks away, letting them have this single moment of comfort with each other.
"Gibbs," Ziva states softly. "We cannot just stay here and do nothing."
His faze softens as he looks at them, his dear kids, who are desperate and scared and so in need of him. His eyes meet Tony's pleading green ones, and he sighs, because he goddamit, he understands and he cannot bear to see his Senior Field Agent such a mess. She is his girl too.
"Background checks," he says finally, knowing their need to do something, anything. "On all teachers and staff."
Tony simply growls, frustrated and Ziva sighs, slinking back to her desk, defeated.
"We'll find her, DiNozzo," he says quietly, offering him what comfort he can as the younger man jerks his head in a shaky nod. "We'll find her."
He is not sure whom he is trying to convince.
xxx
"I'm not sure what else there is to tell you, Agent Gibbs," Principal Irene's voice is soft, gentle and afraid and Jethro raises his head from his notebook to look at her.
He has always been a good judge of character, trusting his gut instincts without question. And it is that gut instinct that tells him now that the grey-haired haired lady peering at him with bright eyes over her rimmed spectacles is a woman he can trust.
"You called in the kidnapping soon after recess was over?" he asks. She nods.
"As I already told you, once it became clear to us that Lillian never made it into class after recess, we did the most obvious thing – checked the tapes. We saw Ms. DiNozzo get kidnapped and called 911 immediately. And her parents of course."
"You don't have videos of the playground?"
"No we don't. We have cameras installed only in the hallways, corridors and the classrooms themselves. The teachers go out to supervise during the recess."
"What about Ms. DiNozzo's teacher? She notice anything?"
"Not that I know of," Irene shakes her head, sighing. Her entire stance looks defeated and suddenly Jethro finds himself feeling sorry for this woman, who is responsible for the safety of so many students.
"I'll need to talk to all your staff members, Mrs. Valden," he states forcefully and she nods immediately.
"Of course," she agrees.
"And I'll need all their files and background information," he adds and she looks hesitant.
"You… you think it could be one of them… who…" she trails off.
"The kidnapper had to have known Lilly's timetable," he answers. "Big chance he's one of the staff members."
She deflates before him, and sinks into the cushioned-chair behind her desk.
"Please find her, Agent Gibbs," she entreats him. "Lilly DiNozzo is one of the most amazing kids I've ever known. I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to her on my watch."
Jethro stares at her, surprised, as she removes her specs and rubs her eyes tiredly. Most Principals would be more worried about their school's reputation. Yet here she is, more concerned about her charge than anything else. That she feels guilty and is willing to take responsibility tells Jethro that she is a teacher. A teacher, who cares, who loves all her students and who is in charge of the school because she deserves to be. And he is so very grateful that Lilly is in such good hands.
"We'll do all we can, Principal Irene," he tells her gently. "She's important to us too."
She offers him a shaky smile and picks up her phone to call in her secretary.
"Charlotte," she inclines her head toward Gibbs. "Help him with his investigation. Give him whatever he needs, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," she nods. "This way, Agent Gibbs, I'll take you to the classroom where little DiNozzo studied."
xxx
It is over an hour later that Jethro makes his way back to the squad room, only to be called down by Abby to her lab. Her voice is frantic, excited, and he knows she has something.
"What do you got, Abbs?" he strides in, Caf-Pow ready in hand. She whirls around to look at him, and he sees that her usually sparkling eyes are red-rimmed and slightly swollen, her dark make-up smudged. She's been crying.
His suspicions are confirmed when he sees Lilly's picture floating on the plasma, a huge smile on her small face, her forest-floor eyes twinkling with innocence. And he wonders if she has lost that innocence that is so inherently a part of her.
"Um, I enhanced McGee's video. Got something you should see."
She types away on the keyboard, the slight click-clack echoing around the strangely silent lab. Jethro does not comment on her lack of music, instead focusing on the plasma as she plays the enhanced video.
"See, here," she pauses it, pointing to the kidnapper's chin.
"Tattoo," he finishes, blue eyes narrowed and icy. He turns to her. "Trace it?"
She nods. "Tattoos, Gibbs, are like signatures. Certain tattoo artists use certain inks to make certain tattoos, but most are famous for their designs themselves. This pattern? It's one I've seen before."
"Where?" he asks urgently. She hands him a piece of paper.
"Address," she answers softly, "And go easy on Shay. He's my Tat-Artist and he's not the type to go kidnapping little girls."
"Thanks Abbs," he pushes the Caf-Pow into her hands and rushes out, only to be stopped by her hesitant call.
"Gibbs?"
He turns back to see her with a pleading expression on her face.
"You'll find her, right?" she asks him, her voice childish and pleading and he strides forward to take her into his arms, rubbing her hair gently.
"I'll do my best to bring her back to us, Abby," he whispers, kissing her forehead. "I promise."
She sniffles, but leans forward to kiss his cheek in return.
"Okay," she sighs. "Now go."
He offers her a small smile, drops another kiss on her cheek and rushes out.
Abby watches him go with no small amount of trepidation, one hand hovering protectively over her still-flat belly.
Hold on, little Lea. We're coming. Hold on.
A/N - Next one all written in my notebook, just needs editing and typing so it should be out sometime this week! Keep reading and drop a review or two!
-weirdpurplebookworm
