I need some space to thank three people.

Thank you, Headbanger Rockstar for correcting my stories and suppporting me until now. We met thanks to our stories and we quickly became friends. We talked about our RL, and many serious and funny things. This will never change, though you can't be my BR anymore.

Thank you, Laine3112 for your help. You're such a sweet and nice woman.

Thank you, USA123 for saying 'yes' when Laine and I asked you to be my new BR. This is 'our' first chapter together, let's hope people like it! :)

And last but the least, thank you to all of you for your reviews, alerts, favorite and pm. You made me veeeeeeeery happy!

NB: I own nothing of NCIS :(

"Family"

Chapter 21.

Mick was looking at Mark on the floor. The young boy was losing his battle with cosciousness. A malicious grin appeared on the man's face before a strong knock at the house door startled him.

Finally! he thought, I'll give Burt the children. I'll ask him to get rid of Mark and then this nightmare will be over forever and I'll enjoy my money far away from here!

He was still grinning, thinking about his projects for the future, when he opened the door and his gaze was met by two icy blue eyes.

Mick gasped in shock when he saw the people in front of him. Three men and a woman. They all looked extremely serious and determined. The blue-eyed man in front of him was scary, but the green eyes of the younger man just behind him were terrifying.

''Who are 'ya?" he spat, faking a bravery that he didn't have.

''Mick Faulks?'' asked the blue-eyed man.

''Who wants to know it?'' Mick asked as he slightly stepped back and started thinking about a way to escape.

''NCIS. We need to talk,'' the thinner man of the group said as he showed him his badge.

The woman was silent, but her smirk was really eloquent and Mick didn't like what her eyes were telling him. Her look makes me shiver!

Mick knew that he had only one chance to escape and he had to act quickly and wisely, so he stepped back and let them enter the house. Luckily from here they can't see the kitchen and Mark's body on the floor.

''What can I do for the Navy?'' Mick smiled.

''You know us, yes?'' the woman asked.

''Sure. I've spent five years of my life in the Navy. Cook on USS Washington,'' Mick answered as he carefully checked the agents' behavior.

They looked serious and competent, but not dangerous. Unless you looked at their eyes. There was a sort of violence in their looks, especially in the blue- and green-eyed man.

The man who hadn't uttered a word yet, was scanning Mick's living room, as he clenched his jaw and quickly closed and opened his hands. He was clearly trying to maintain control.

''Why did you leave the Navy?" the thin man asked as he looked at the dark hallway on the other side of the room.

''Dishonorably discharged,'' Mick nodded sadly.

''Do you know Sam Pratt?'' the green-eyed man suddenly asked as he looked at him.

If a look could kill! Mick thoughts. ''No,'' he answered as he looked up and to the right.

He's lying! All the agents thought and they shared significant looks.

''Guys, I'd like help you, but I don't know this Pratt and I'm in a hurry,'' Mick said as he slowly moved towards the hallway.

''Where are you going?'' the woman asked. ''I do not see luggage.''

''I'm waiting for a friend and... wait! This is not your business!'' Mick spat bravely. ''I answered your question, so now go!" and with it he ran into the hall.

''Ziva! Take him!" Gibbs ordered as he saw the Israeli woman run after Mick. ''Do not kill him!" he called out.

''McGee, help her!"

''I'll take the back door!" the younger agent said as he exited the house.

''You and I will check the house, Tony,'' Gibbs said as he squeezed the younger man's shoulder.

''Why didn't you let...''

''Let you catch Faulks?'' Gibbs smirked and Tony nodded. ''Because I didn't want you to get hurt. Michael needs his dad safe and sound and... I want Faulks alive.''

''And I'd kill him,'' Tony nodded as he started checking the living room, looking for a trace of children or a hidden door or room.

Odd! I trust Ziva's self-control more than yours or mine. Gibbs thought as he went towards the dark hall.

They had decided to come without backup, because they didn't want to scare the children or have them hurt accidentally. They had already suffered enough.

BANG!

A shot echoed from the back of the house.

When the gunshot went off, all the children startled except Michael. The brave little boy looked at his friends and, still sucking his thumb, he whispered, ''It is my daddy... he is a cop. He haves guns.''

All the scared children looked at him doubtfully and scared, but Michael resolutely nodded and they believed him.

''What the hell?!" Gibbs shouted as he arrived at the back door with Tony.

''Oh, shit!" Tony cursed as he saw Faulks lying on the floor with a bullet hole on his right temple. There was blood splattered on the wall and a pool of blood around the man's head. ''What did you do?!" he yelled at Ziva. ''Now we can't interrogate him! We'll never find Michael!"

Ziva stared at him in shock. She'd never seen so much anger and desperation in Tony's eyes. ''I... I did...''

''Shut the hell up!" Tony barked.

''He killed himself, Tony,'' McGee calmly said. ''When he felt trapped, he took a gun from that drawer and shot himself in the head.''

Tony looked at Ziva. She softly smiled and nodded.

''I'm sorry,'' Tony whispered and he couldn't stop a sob that escape from his mouth. ''It's just... I was so close to...''

''No problem,'' she whispered as she hugged him. ''We will find him,'' she whispered in his ear. ''We will do whatever it takes to find your son.''

''Ziva... I...''

''Shhhh... we still have Pratt. Leave he to me and...''

''You'll kill him,'' Tony almost smiled as he looked at her.

''Maybe but not before I interrogate him... Mossad style,'' she winked as she saw Gibbs checking the corpse and McGee entering in what looked like a kitchen.

''We'll interrogate him toget...'' Tony began but McGee's voice from the kitchen stopped him.

''Damn! There's a boy here!"

Tony, Gibbs and Ziva ran to the kitchen and stopped just in front of the young boy. ''Is he alive?'' asked Tony hopefully.

Tim checked his pulse and nodded. Gibbs knelt next to the young boy and patted his cheek.

''Hey!" he softly called as he checked his pupils. ''Bastard! Faulks drugged him.''

''He must be the boy that called BPD,'' Tony said as he knelt as well. ''He was with Michael, when he called.''

''He needs an ambulance,'' Ziva said, already on the phone. ''Do you remember his name?" she asked Tony.

''No,'' Tony sighed. ''I was so relieved that Michael was alive and we had... wait! Mark! My colleague said that the boy said that his name was Mark,'' Tony looked at Gibbs and saw the older man leaning towards Mark and calling his name.

After several attempts, Mark's heavy eyelids fluttered open to reveal a glimpse of deep blue. ''Here you go,'' Gibbs whispered.

Mark's eyes fluttered a few times before shutting again as they heard the ambulance sirens coming. ''Hey! Hey! Do not go to sleep yet,'' Gibbs patted Mark's cheeks.

''Mark, I'm Michael's dad,'' Tony tried and the boy barely opened his eyes. He was clearly confused, but he whispered, ''Cop?"

''Yes. I'm a cop. Where's Michael?'' he asked as a lump closed his throat.

''He... he's w-waiting... f-for you.''

Tony tried to swallow the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. ''I'm here. Where's he?''

Mark looked at Tony for a last time before his closed his eyes again.

''No! No! Stay with me! Tell me...'' Tony shouted as he shook Mark's shoulder.

''Tony,'' Gibbs softly called. ''He's gone.''

''NO!"

''He's too drugged. He can't stay awake. Let him go,'' Gibbs literally removed Tony's hand from the boy's t-shirt and dragged him to the hall where they met the EMT that had just arrived.

''In here,'' McGee called to the newcomers from the kitchen.

''Why did you stop me?!" Tony roared on Gibbs' face. The older man didn't even flinch. ''He knows where Michael is and...''

''Tony, calm down.''

''What?! Calm down?!"

''Tony, listen...''

''NO! You... I could... we should...'' A firm head slap stopped Tony's meltdown.

''DiNozzo, focus!" Gibbs barked his order. The younger man looked at him confused and upset. He was panting and sweating. ''Faulks was still here and there isn't luggages anywhere, so he was not in a hurry, despite what he said.''

''But..."

''If he had already sold the children, he'd have been already gone and Mark...''

Tony's eyes widened as he finally regained some control and his brain started working again. ''He said that Michael IS waiting for me,'' he whispered.

Gibbs nodded and his famous grin appeared on his face. ''He didn't say 'was'. So...''

''So my baby's still here,'' Tony almost smiled as he looked around and saw the paramedics wheeling the gurney with Mark on it out of the house.

''And we will disassemble this house...'' Ziva said behind them.

''Piece by piece,'' McGee concluded next to her

TBC

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