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A sudden, loud movement in the room startled both Gibbs and Aimee. Gibbs' head shot up to see Riley holding his chair above his head with a look of sheer rage on his face. He fiercely whipped the chair at the nearest wall. "What a crock of bullshit!" he hollered.

Tony rushed into the room attempting to restrain Riley, but the 18-year old straighten his back, shaking Tony off defiantly and formed his hands into fists just daring Tony to fight him. Tony didn't take the bait but instead stepped back and blocked the exit, making it impossible for Riley to leave the room.

Gibbs' felt his heart rate pick up a little as he tried to guess what had set Riley off. The youth looked volatile, and Gibbs wasn't going to wager any guesses on the kid's next move.

"What is?" asked Gibbs engaging Riley and trying to placate the youth. He felt Aimee trembling in his arms so he pulled her closer, caressing her hair sympathetically. She'd seen enough violence. There would be no violence in this room today if he had anything to do with it.

"You are! You don't care about her any more than my ole man cares about me."

Gibbs pulled away from Aimee, patting her back gently and willing her to stay still. Aimee's face was pale but she didn't move. Gibbs walked closer to Riley but still kept his distance.

"Aimee is my daughter, Riley. I love her."

Riley's face darkened but Gibbs couldn't get a clear read of his expression. Was it anger dictating the behaviour or was it something else? Riley backed away from Gibbs and turned to grab another chair, which he heaved at the wall above Gibbs' head. Gibbs ducked on reflex but the chair bounced off the wall harmlessly, hitting the side of Aimee's bed and sliding across the floor, stopping only when it hit the adjacent wall. While everyone stared at the chair in astonishment, Tony took the opportunity to grab Riley by the arms in an attempt to restrain him but the youth forcefully shoved Tony backward nearly knocking the agent off his feet. Tony stumbled to regain his footing.

"Back off!" hissed Riley, his breathing increasingly more rapid.

"Take it easy, kid," warned Tony, straightening up and pulling his shirt down in indignation.

"You're pissing me off."

Tony held his hands up in the least threatening way he knew how. "Stop throwing chairs, Riley, and I'll back off."

Gibbs saw Aimee's frightened eyes from where he stood; he winked at her to let her know he could handle things and she shouldn't worry. The wink did little to soothe her troubled face.

"Okay, Janssen, it's time you and I had a chat." Gibbs' cringed at his tone. His voice had sounded way more paternal than he'd meant it. He didn't even know where the tone had come from. He was finding it difficult knowing which hat to wear lately, father, special agent, drill sergeant or what. The fact of the matter with Riley was that all of the above would likely be wrong. Riley didn't trust anyone.

Riley spun around and glared at Gibbs. "Go to hell!" Gibbs saw a flicker of fear cross the youth's face as well which pinched at his heart. Riley was just as frightened as he was angry.

"Stop it, Riley!" cried Aimee suddenly, sliding her feet to the floor to go to his side. Gibbs quickly caught her by the arm to stop her. "Back in bed, Aims."

"No! Lemme go!" Aimee struggled to free herself from Gibbs tight grip on her arm.

"Aimee," he warned, his voice holding a stern tone to it.

Fruitlessly, Aimee yanked at her arm to free it. Worried she'd injure herself, Gibbs released her. "Riley's scared, Gibbs. He thinks you'll hurt me like his dad hurts him."

"Shut up, Aimee!" Riley's face reddened further.

Aimee shook her head. "No, I won't." She looked at Riley pleadingly. "Gibbs won't hurt you. He's not like your daddy or that bad drill sergeant guy. He's really not; I promise you." Aimee held out her hand towards Riley but the teen flinched and stepped away from her.

Gibbs took a few cautious steps forward as he watched Aimee try to convince Riley that he was safe. The young man began shaking, his whole body convulsing with tremors, something Gibbs had seen in soldiers with PTSD. What the hell? What had this kid gone through with his ole man and drill instructor? Riley's reactions weren't normal, to say the least.

The teen's eyes remained fixated on Aimee.

"I wanted to save you, Aimee," he whispered, his lower lip trembling pathetically.

Gibbs took a few more steps until he was close enough to touch Riley. Tony was still standing in the doorway to block the exit. Gibbs motioned for him to close the door.

"You did, Riley," Gibbs said in a soft voice.

"No, I didn't!" Riley wailed in anguish. "That chip in her head is gonna kill her, dammit. You said so yourself. What the hell is that all about, anyway? Who puts a friggen computer chip in a little kid's head? That sounds like something out of some freaky sci-fi movie!"

Gibbs tried to steady Riley as he quivered violently but Riley pulled away. Gibbs could see how hard the youth was struggling to keep his autonomy. He was a fighter, and he was used to depending on no one but himself. Gibbs admired Riley more than words could say. The boy was U.A. and in more trouble than he even knew, yet when Abby and Mak freed him, he selflessly tracked Aimee until he found her. He risked his own life for her, and Gibbs planned to fight tooth and nail to help the kid. As far as Gibbs was concerned, Riley was the best damned Marine there ever was and Gibbs was going to make sure the kid followed that dream if he still wanted it.

"It's complicated, Riley. C'mon, kid. Take a seat before you collapse. You've been through a lot the past month. It's time to stop running. I want to help you but you've got to listen to me."

Aimee appeared from behind him and slipped her small hand in Riley's trembling one. "It's gonna be okay, Riley. Gibbs can help you. I promise he can. Gibbs can do anything. "

Gibbs' felt a lump form in his throat as he listened to Aimee's soft words. Had Aimee finally given her trust to him? He'd longed for her trust for so long yet she constantly pushed him away.

Riley's face went white and his legs went out from beneath him. It was all Gibbs could do to catch the kid before he hit the floor. Tony rushed forward as well.

"Boss!"

"Help me get him to the bed," commanded Gibbs.

Tony came to Gibbs' aid and together they managed to get Riley to the extra bed in the room. The fight had gone from the young man, and him collapsing from exhaustion and stress was probably a gift to him. There was only so much the human body could withstand before it gave out and Riley's body was done. Now the kid could rest. Perhaps, now, Gibbs would be able to take over and get the kid the help he needed.

"Riley!" cried Aimee, fear resonating in her voice. She flew to Riley's side, but Gibbs held her back.

"Let him rest, Aims. He's exhausted."

Gibbs wrapped an arm around Aimee and drew her close to his side. Gibbs kissed the top of her head tenderly. Aimee leaned her head against Gibbs' side, trying to soak up his strength.

xXx—NCIS—xXx

Makayla crossed her arms defiantly. If she spent one more minute in the same room as her aunt, she would implode. The woman sure knew how to beat a dead horse. Gibbs had already discussed things with her earlier and she got it. Don't mess with NCIS business. Duly noted. She'd be glad to stay out of things now that Aimee was safe.

"For the last time, Makayla, SIT. DOWN. I've had enough of your attitude to last me a lifetime."

Makayla sat with a loud groan and looked at her phone. Scanning her texts, she was disappointed to see none from Abby. Abby had texted her an hour ago but had been silent ever since. Mak didn't know how to take that. Was Abby busy? Ignoring her? Had something happened with Aimee? Makayla had begged the dark headed Goth to rescue her from her Aunt's wrath. It was becoming too difficult to keep her promise to Gibbs about not taking off. She knew things were still serious with Aimee, and she didn't want to do anything to make the situation worse. Makayla had been so relieved that Aimee had been found alive and uninjured. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Mak still felt like she'd been to blame because she hadn't prevented the little girl from running off, but once those emotions had dissipated somewhat, her own problems shot to the surface. Absolutely nothing had changed for her. Her aunt still expected her to carry on with life like nothing was wrong. Meanwhile, her entire world, all her hopes and dreams were crumbling to pieces at her feet, and Makayla despised it! She hated her school and she hated her life. Her parents were god knows where living their lives happily while she was miserable. No one cared if she was happy. She was just expected to quietly follow everyone else's plan for her life. How could she change anything if no one cared or listened to what she wanted? Makayla wasn't going to be able to handle it much longer before she did something drastic.

"What's the matter with my attitude?" she mumbled more to herself than to her aunt.

Jenny rose from her desk and walked over to her niece, snatching the cell phone from her hands sternly. She sat on the edge of the desk in front of Makayla and sighed.

"You really don't understand how what you and Abby did was unsafe. How could you two know if Riley was dangerous or not?"

Makayla rolled her eyes. "Duh. Gibbs wouldn't haven't left Riley in that room if he was dangerous, Aunt Jenny. Abby wouldn't have let him go if it was unsafe. Abby is a good judge of character. Besides, Riley was the only one who could help. You all have so many hoops to jump through that Aimee could have been killed 10 times over. Riley was a free agent…"

Jenny narrowed an eye at her. "THAT wasn't for you to decide, young lady. We have protocols for a reason, Makayla."

"Pfft, yah, whatever, so many stupid rules that no one can even take a piss without permission."

"Makayla!" Jenny looked appalled by Makayla's choice of words. Spending as much time as she had with Navy personnel and special agents had left Mak indifferent and deaf to the crudeness of her vocabulary.

Makayla let her neck roll back and she stared at the ceiling. "Geez, as if you haven't heard worse, Aunt Jenny. C'mon."

Jenny made a face, choosing to ignore Makayla's brazenness. She started counting to 10 in her head, willing herself not to lose control. Jenny crossed her arms and sighed loudly, wishing she could be anywhere but trying to figure out how best to parent a stubborn 14-year-old girl.

"Look, Makayla, I get it. I understand that it's not easy to understand why NCIS does things the way it does. I don't expect you to comprehend it all; however, I do expect you to abide by the rules while you are here. Failure to do so will force me to find alternate accommodations for you while your parents are away."

Makayla's face paled. "Wait. What? Are you saying, you're going to make me stay on campus?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Makayla stood to her feet in anger. "Hell, no! No way! That's nuts! I live like 15 minutes from the friggen school, Aunt Jenny! You can't do that!"

Jenny stood tall and pointed her finger at her niece sternly. "Then follow the rules and it won't be an issue. When you are at NCIS, don't break rules or poke your nose in where it doesn't belong. Don't assume you know best. I'm responsible for your mistakes, Makayla." Jenny's eyes softened a little, imploring her niece to understand.

Mak didn't soften; instead, she seethed. "Damn it! I'm so sick of this crap. You can't even admit that I might have been right about Riley, can you? While you sat at your desk, obeying protocol, Aimee could have died. Abby and I made a decision and it was the right one! I don't care about your lame-ass rules and you shouldn't either. You know what, my mother was wrong about you. She said you cared about the common good and never let status quo stop you from doing what's right."

Jenny flinched. "Hold on a sec…"

Mak shook her head and ran to the door in tears.

"Makayla, stop!"

"Go to hell!"

Mak yanked open the office door and bolted from the room, running past Cynthia who looked up in bewilderment. Makayla heard her aunt shout after her but she didn't stop running. She raced down the corridor and out into the main lobby heading towards the stairs in the middle of the building. She stopped at the top of the stairs and sat down sobbing quietly. She hid her face in her hands and rested her head in her lap. Somehow she had to stop herself from doing anything else rash. All of her rash decisions always came back to bit her in the butt. It took every bit of willpower she had to stay put when every part of her was screaming to run away and be done with her aunt.

Mak didn't notice when McGee approached the top of stairs witnessing her breakdown. He sat down beside her and draped a gentle arm around her shoulder compassionately pulling her into a hug. Makayla sniffled and glanced at him. She was surprised to see the outward display of affection coming from McGee. She expected it from Abby and maybe even Tony but never McGee and definitely not Ziva.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked McGee.

Makayla shook her head and snorted indignantly. "What difference does it make? No one cares anyway."

"That's not true, Mak. I care or I wouldn't have asked."

Makayla shook her head again. "I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do what?"

"Pretend that everything is okay and that I'm happy. I can't be the perfect daughter and niece. I need to be true to myself. Shouldn't I be true to myself?"

McGee gave her shoulder another quick squeeze and then he pulled away, turning himself to face Makayla more directly.

"Being true to yourself is important, Makayla, I'll give you that, but it's not that simple. You're only fourteen years old, honey, and still have so much to learn about life. I know you feel like you know everything and can make your own decisions but you're parents are still responsible for you. They are doing what they feel is best for you…"

Makayla brushed tears away. "They don't care about me, Tim. If they did, they would be here instead of traipsing all over Europe…"

Tim's face was kind but Makayla knew he wasn't falling for her dramatics. "Is that what they are doing?"

"What difference does it make what they are doing? Shouldn't they be here with me right now? Aren't I more important than their stupid careers?"

Tim smiled kindly at her. "Mak, believe me when I say, I understand what you're saying. My dad was married to his job and I hardly ever saw him and when I did, I felt like he was always disappointed in me. Nothing I did was good enough for him."

"You see? You know exactly what I'm saying…"

McGee raised his hand to forestall her. "I do understand; however, I also understand that my father meant well. I can see that now because I'm older. He was strict because he wanted me to turn out right and be successful."

Makayla heaved a heavy sigh, standing to her feet. "I don't care about being successful, Tim. I just want to be happy."

McGee looked up at her, taking her forearm gently so she wouldn't take off like he suspected she was planning. "Be patient, Mak. Don't be so quick to grow up. You have a lot of time to pursue your passions."

"Makayla Wallace, I've had just about enough of your nonsense today. Gather your belongings; we are going home. Now."

McGee and Makayla looked up to see a very perturbed Jenny Shepard looking down at them wither arms crossed.

Makayla felt her mouth go dry as she stood staring at her aunt. Tears blurred her vision and her last nerve exploded in her head. She had given it her best to honour Gibbs but she had reached her breaking point. Her aunt had pushed her past herself. She took one last look at McGee and without a word, she fled down the stairs and out of sight.

McGee looked at Jenny. "Do you want me to go after her?"

Jenny sighed. "No. Thanks, Agent McGee. I can handle it."

McGee nodded and headed down the steps.