Author's note: Here's another chapter for you as promised, there's mention of abuse in this chapter so if that bothers you, don't read!!

Gibbs and Tony entered the bullpen to find McGee and Ziva sitting at their desks, both looking busy.

"Dinozzo and I are going to talk to Ben and Petty Officer Ackland, I need you to keep at what I assigned you, we need all the evidence we can get to take Ackland down," Gibbs said, as he walked past his teams desks. "Is the person from child services here yet?"

"Yes, a Melody Chalmers, she is in with Ben and the Petty Officer," Ziva replied, looking up from her computer. "When will you be speaking with the Lieutenant?"

"As soon as we're done with Ben and his mom, and I want you three to be there watching."

Ziva nodded and went back to the search she was doing, and McGee who had stopped working to pay attention to the conversation, started up again, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Dinozzo, with me," Gibbs said, as he headed off to the room they had left Ben and his mom in.

"Everything all right Grahams?" Gibbs asked the agent outside the door.

"Everything's fine, I'll be over at my desk if you need anything else."

Gibbs nodded and opened the door, walking in and smiling at the occupants.

"We need to ask you some questions Petty Officer," Gibbs said, entering further into the room.

"Of course," Petty Officer Ackland replied, looking over to Gibbs and then to her son. "Why don't you stay here with Melody, I just need to go with these agents and answer some questions."

"I want to stay with you," Ben complained, grabbing onto his mom's arm.

"I know sweetie, but I need to speak to these agents alone. It's ok, I won't be gone long."

Ben slowly let go of his mom's arm and she got up from her chair, she kissed him on the forehead and then made her way to the door where Tony and Gibbs were waiting.

"We'll be quick Ben, I promise," Tony said, as he ushered the Petty Officer out of the room.

Gibbs followed and shut the door behind him, motioning for the Petty Officer to go through a door to their left. They all sat down, and there was a slight pause before the Petty Officer spoke.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"Ben explained to you what's been going on?" Gibbs asked, wanting to get the full picture before he began his questioning.

"Yes, he told me. He's my son, and I believe him, but it's just so hard!"

"I know it's hard, but I need for you to keep it together," Gibbs replied, not wanting to be too harsh, but needing to do his job.

"What do you want to know?"

"Did you have any idea that this was happening?"

"No, I would never allow something like that to go on under my roof! How could you suggest that I knew?"

"We have to ask, Petty Officer," Tony said, speaking for the first time.

"I just didn't realise, I can't believe I was so stupid, why didn't I realise!"

"Realise what?" Gibbs asked.

"I didn't put two and two together, what an idiot!"

"Petty Officer Ackland, I need for you to calm down and tell me what you're talking about."

There was a pause and tears started to streak down the Petty Officers face, she looked at the agents in front of her, an inner debate going on.

"When I married Mark he was so sweet, a loving, caring guy who seemed perfect. That lasted for a few years, and then he changed, he'd get angry over the slightest thing, and he'd stay out until all hours, drinking. I thought that it was just a phase, we had a new baby, and that was difficult, and Mark was juggling that with work," she explained, stopping for a minute to get some control.

"Go on," Gibbs replied, wondering where the statement was going.

"When Ben was two, Mark was posted somewhere new and he was away for eight months, he kept in contact, and everything seemed to be fine. When he returned home, he was back to the guy he was when I married him, so my idea of it just being a phase panned out. It lasted until Ben was five, and then he changed back, shouting and smashing things when he got too angry, he finally started on me, and I guess you could say that I was shocked. I knew that he had a temper but I had no idea that he would take it out on me."

"Was it just the once?" Tony asked, not liking where the conversation was going.

"At the time yes, he apologised, and I forgave him. Everything seemed ok for a while, and then we got into a huge argument and he hit me again, actually put me in hospital. I know what you're thinking, why didn't I just leave him then."

"Why didn't you?" Gibbs asked, hating the fact that Ackland had got away with so much.

"I really don't have a proper answer to that, I loved him, and he was the father of my child, and that was enough for me at the time. We pretended like it hadn't happened, but it kept happening, not as severe, but he always seemed to leave his mark."

"And you still didn't leave him?" Tony asked, not sure what else to say.

"No, I just kept thinking that he would stop, and that I knew deep down that he wasn't a bad person. I know, what an idiot! Last year it escalated, and I wanted to leave him, but I was scared, oh god if only I was stronger I could have got Ben away from him."

"What do you mean things escalated?" Tony asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"One night when we were going to bed, he got rough with me. I was tired and I wasn't in the mood, but he was, and that was that. I don't know if it's classed as rape, he's my husband."

"I doesn't matter if he's your husband, it doesn't mean he has the right to do what he wants!" Tony exclaimed, horrified that the Petty Officer thought that way.

"I just want him gone, so Ben and I can start somewhere fresh. I just wish that I'd left him sooner, it was selfish and idiotic, and I'm a terrible mother!"

Petty Officer Ackland broke down at that moment, not believing that her husband could be such a monster.

"Julia, you are not a terrible mother, you could not have known what your husband was doing to your son," Gibbs said, feeling sorry for the woman sitting in front of him. "We'll give you a minute, and then we need you to write out a statement, write down everything you can, and I'll make sure Lieutenant Ackland never bothers you again."

Author's note: Hope that was ok, seems my writer's block has gone away!! Please review