Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday.

I was very busy but found some time to write and thought I'd post an update.

Hopefully, I still have a few readers left who are following this story.

Many blessings,

Jenny :)

"Who were you talking too?"

Makayla's soft voice startled him back to the present. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at her. She looked much more rested and less combative. He was glad to see it because he still wanted to have a discussion with her.

"How much did you hear?" he asked, not unkindly.

She shrugged.

"Climb up to the front seat. You and I need to finish our earlier discussion. Hopefully, some sleep has put you in better humour."

Makayla's eyes widened a little but she obeyed him, stepping carefully over the back of the seat and hugged the door.

"Why are you acting so shy with me now?" he asked with a smirk playing on his lips. He found it interesting that she was acting guilty without even knowing what he wanted to talk to her about.

"I'm not," she said, straightening up and glaring at him. "I don't really care what you think."

Gibbs lifted an amused brow. "Mak, why wouldn't you talk to Jenn? She's worried about you."

Makayla rolled her eyes and looked out the window.

"Now, you see, playing dumb isn't going to bode well for you." Gibbs reached out to playfully mess up her hair, but she pulled away and scowled at him. He dropped his hand to his side and looked out the front windshield. He debated a few moments before turning to her again.

"We can handle this one of two ways, Mak. We can drop the subject for now and give you some time to think. It's a pretty fair guess that you're tired and need some time to think things through. I don't have a problem with that."

"What's the other way?" asked Mak.

Gibbs' face darkened. "Well, another part of me thinks that giving you time to think isn't going to change anything. I feel like skipping the wait and heading straight to the consequences might be the best idea since we've already been down runaway road."

Makayla's face visibly paled at his words.

Gibbs saw her reaction and kept his poker face, leaving the next few minutes in her court. He had enough on his plate figuring out how to handle things with Riley without having to worry about Makayla taking off again.

"I didn't run away!" she said loudly, exasperation in her voice.

"You left your aunt's home without telling her where you were going. She had no idea where you went, so yeah, that does count as running away."

Mak crossed her arms. "I thought you would understand, Agent Gibbs. Why are you being such a jerk about this?"

Gibbs softened and leaned back against the window in the car. "I'm doing my best to help. Mak. You know that connection you feel between us? Well, I feel it too. I don't know why but it's there. Abby says it has to do with being kindred spirits, whatever that means. The point is I care about what happens to you, and I want you to be happy. If you keep up this attitude of yours, your aunt is going to call your parents. Is that what you want to happen?"

Mak visibly paled and shook her head. "No."

"Well, then what do you want?"

"I don't know!" she shouted at him suddenly angry.

"Hey, that's enough!" said Gibbs firmly, reaching out and capturing her chin in his hand. "I'm not shouting at you. Don't shout at me."

Makayla's eyes filled with tears and she attempted to pull away from him but he held fast to her chin. She blinked hard to keep her tears from betraying her.

Gibbs stared at her sternly, "I think we should just skip to the consequences." He was finished trying to reason with her today. He couldn't stay out in the car arguing with a 14-year-old when he needed to check on Aimee and do his job concerning Riley.

Makayla's bottom lip trembled as she dared to look directly into Gibbs steely blue eyes. "Please, Agent Gibbs…"

"We could do this dance all day, Mak and frankly, I'm sick of it. I've tried to reason with you and so has your Aunt Jenn. She was very upset when I spoke with her. I can't tell you how disappointed that makes me." He softened a little when he saw her frightened face. "I know you're upset about what happened. It had to be frightening, but don't push your aunt away. She can help if you let her."

Mak tried to pull away again but Gibbs didn't release her chin. He looked deeply into her green eyes, trying to reach past her defences. Makayla closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them.

"I hate her!" Makayla shoved him away, beating at his chest with her fists and turned to open the door. Gibbs quick reflexes allowed him to lock the door before she could escape.

Gibbs' eyes darkened dangerously as he leaned in closer to her. He'd had enough. He was a compassionate person when it came to kids. He knew life dealt some pretty crappy hands but as far as Makayla was concerned, he didn't think her hand was so bad. He'd reached the end of his diplomacy. Gibbs reached out and grabbed Makayla by the arm to pull her closer to him.

Makayla began to panic. "No, please, Agent Gibbs. I'm sorry. I won't run off again and I'll call Aunt Jenny and apologize. Please... don't spank me again, okay?"

Gibbs blinked. The thought of spanking her hadn't crossed his mind at all. When he was thinking consequences, he was more thinking about having her stay close to him. He didn't want to deal with anymore running away. He had reached his quota of it. Keeping Mak close meant he could keep an eye on her so that she wouldn't have the chance to take off again. He released his tight grip on her arm and watched as she shrank away from him, apprehension written all over her face.

"Mackie, relax, sweetie, I'm not going to spank you. I spanked you last time because you took off and planned to go to New York by yourself. That was dangerous and you needed to understand that. This is different. You came to me on your own."

Makayla sighed in relief and some of the colour returned to her face. She slid closer to him and leaned against him. Gibbs pulled her into a hug.

"That spanking really made an impression on you, didn't it?"

Makayla nodded. She brought her hands in close, tucking them under her chin, and shivering a little. Gibbs wrapped his arms tighter around her and planted a kiss on top of her head.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me, Mak," began Gibbs.

"I'm not," she whispered quietly, "it's just when you said consequences, I got a little worried. You can be a little slap happy sometimes."

Gibbs smirked. "With DiNozzo, maybe, but he knows it's because I love him and sometimes he says stupid things. A slap to the head is a wakeup call to stop whatever dumb thing you're doing and be serious." Gibbs reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He held it out in front of Makayla's face. "Call Jenn and talk to her, Mak."

Makayla sat up and took the phone. "Okay."

Gibbs smiled and stepped out of the car. "I'm going to check on Riley and Aimee. Come in when you're finished, okay?"

Makayla nodded, fingering the phone. Gibbs went to close the door when he heard Makayla say his name again. He leaned over and peeked into the car.

"Thanks for not…" She hesitated a moment and then said, "Well, just thanks."

Gibbs nodded, smiling at her and headed towards to hospital entrance.

XxXxNCISxXxX

Gibbs entered the room silently with no one noticing as usual. It seemed to be a talent of his, although he had no idea how he did any more than anyone else. It wasn't something he purposely intended to do, it was just a gift. Tony seemed to be in his own world, browsing his phone while Riley seemed to be staring out the window. The room felt tense and Gibbs wondered why there was tension.

"DiNozzo, could you go sit in the car with Mak. I left her alone to call Jenny."

Tony's head popped up startled as usual. Gibbs always seemed to startle one or all of his team on a daily basis. Tony looked at him inquisitively.

"I want to make sure she doesn't take off again." Gibbs looked to Riley and nodded. "How are you feeling, son?"

Riley cleared his throat. "I've been better, sir." Gibbs nodded again in understanding. He was pretty positive that was an accurate assessment. Riley was in a lot of trouble and Gibbs was certain the kid knew as well as he did.

Tony nodded and stood up. "I need a word with you, Boss."

Gibbs nodded, briefly looking at Riley before following Tony out into the hallway. Once outside the door, the two of them wandered down the hallway until they came to a nearby waiting area. The men sat down and Gibbs spoke first.

"I don't want to leave Mak alone very long…"

Tony nodded in acknowledgement. "Listen, Boss, Riley is plagued by some nasty nightmares. He was shouting and profusely sweating when he woke up."

Gibbs took a deep thoughtful breath before speaking. "I wish I knew what was going on in his head. I've read his file but things don't add up and time is up. I can't stall things any longer. He has to be taken into custody today."

"Sometimes I hate the rules. Riley's a good kid. He's not like some whacked teens we've dealt with in the past. He's different.

Gibbs nodded, feeling the same way. Riley could have taken off at any time but he didn't. It was obvious to Gibbs that he didn't want to run. He wanted someone to help but he didn't know how to ask. Gibbs hoped that his earlier conversation with Marshall would pan out. If anyone understood how tough it was to be a kid and alone, Marshall did.

"Need any help bringing him in?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, I've got it. Keep an eye on Mak, Tony; she's in rough shape. I wouldn't put it past her to bolt again."

Tony pinched his nose thoughtfully. "Again?"

"She took off from Jenn…"

"Damn. I thought you cured her of that."

"Yah, I thought so too."

"You've got your work cut out for you with her, don't you?"

Gibbs brows met his hairline as he painfully rolled his eyes in acknowledgement which made Tony chuckle softly. The younger man reached out and patted Gibbs' shoulder in sympathy.

"You're good with kids, Gibbs. You've got this."

Gibbs sighed. "I'd give anything for a strong glass of bourbon about now."

"And a fireside steak, I'm sure."

Gibbs groaned in response.

"Good luck with Riley," said Tony, walking away and disappearing down the corridor.

Gibbs watched Tony walk away while organizing his thoughts. He didn't know where he needed to start with Riley. He just hoped the kid would be willing to talk with him and tell him the truth. It was the only way Gibbs could help him.

XxXxNCISxXxX

Aimee's eyes flew open and she panicked. She grabbed at her throat and started to claw at it. She was being suffocated.

"Aimee." A stranger stuck his head in her face and pinned her arms back. "It's okay, honey. There's a tube down your throat to help you breathe. Just breathe deeply and relax, okay?"

Hot tears streamed down her face and into her ears. Where was she? Where was Gibbs? The tube wasn't helping her breathe at all. It was strangling her. She struggled to free her hands but couldn't. She flung her head back and forth. Flashes of people scurrying around the room caught her vision but everything was a blur. She kicked her feet as hard as she could and then someone stopped her from doing that as well.

"Aimee, try to stay still. Relax, sweetie, you're okay. You're in the hospital, remember? Blink your eyes for me," said the dark-haired stranger. He continued to pin her arms to her side. Aimee fought him as hard as she could. If she could just get her hands free.

"Okay, Aimee, try to stay still. Jada, help me," he said again.

Aimee tossed her head back and forth as the kind face of a young woman peered down at her. Aimee felt warm hands on either side of her face preventing her from moving it. She blinked hard trying to clear her vision. She was pinned down and choking to death. She was going to die.

Her frightened eyes were open wide as the strange man leaned in and pulled at the tube down her throat. If she could have screamed at that moment she would have. She felt the tube being dragged up her throat slowly and she also felt vomit following behind it.

"Stay still, sweetie, it's almost out, okay?" crooned the man softly as he continued to pull out the tube. Not soon enough, the tube was pulled free and the doctor moved back a little, freeing her arms. She bolted up into a sitting position and projectile vomited all over him.

The strange man looked startled a minute but quickly gained his senses. He grabbed something and put it in front of her mouth and Aimee continued vomiting and crying. Tears burned her eyes as the vomit burned her throat.

"It's okay, Aimee. You're fine, sweetie. You're safe. That's right, let it all up now."

Aimee coughed and sputtered as both the lady and the man stared at her. After a few minutes, the nausea let up and she fell back onto the bed. The woman quickly caught her head and placed a soft pillow under it.

"I'm Dr. Abrams, Aimee, one of the doctors who's been keeping an eye on you. This is Nurse Katie. Are you okay now or do you still feel like you're gonna be sick."

Aimee balled up his fists and struggled to catch her breath through her tears. The nurse placed an oxygen mask over her face and Aimee's eyes widened again. The mask made her feel like she was being smothered and she reached up and ripped it from her face.

"Katie, it's okay; give her a minute to catch her breath." The doctor continued to look her over. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Aimee," she croaked. Her throat ached. The nurse held a cold cloth to her face and attempted to clean the vomit from her face. The doctor pulled the blanket off of her and tossed it into a nearby bin. Aimee shivered from the change in temperature as the doctor replaced the blanket.

"Good, good. Now, tell me how old you are?"

Tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Where was Gibbs? Did he abandon her? She shivered again. She attempted to sit up again but the doctor held her down.

"Aimee, don't try to move, honey. You had a very serious operation and you need some time to recover."

"Daddy," she cried. Her entire body trembled as she sobbed. Where was Gibbs? Did everyone leave her?

The doctor looked at the nurse. "Find her father."

The nurse nodded and disappeared from the room quickly.

XxXxNCISxXxX

Riley pulled on his filthy dirty pants and grimaced at the stench. He didn't remember the last time he'd worn clean clothes. The hospital gown was airy but it had been clean. He never thought he'd appreciate such a simple thing as clean clothes. He'd managed to wash his socks and boxers in the sink in the bathroom. He'd put them on damp but at least they were clean; they felt a hell of a lot better than before despite washing them with foamy hand soap. He did up the button on his jeans, noticing how much weight he'd lost. He wasn't a big person to begin with and at this rate, he'd waste away to nothing. Not that it mattered now. Most of his hopes and dreams faded a long time ago. He wasn't sure who he was trying to fool anymore. Going to jail wasn't looking as bad when he thought about getting three squares meals and clean clothes.

He heard the door to his room swing open and he shivered in anticipation. He knew it was Agent Gibbs back to take him in. The man had pissed around enough. Riley appreciated the man's compassion even though a large part of him still didn't trust him. Riley looked at himself in the mirror of the bathroom. Heavy leaden eyes stared back at him, eyes so dark and haunted that he shivered in spite of himself. His English teacher had once said that eyes were the windows to the soul. His soul was shattered and had been ever since his older brother died. He missed his brother. A long time ago, life hadn't been so bad. His brother watched out for him, his dad wasn't a drunken fool and his mother had smiled. But that all changed, and he'd never get it back. There was no use pinning for the past. He knew it was time. Agent Gibbs would haul him in and he'd face charges for going UA. He wasn't going to fight it. No one was going to believe him over his drill sergeant. He didn't regret helping Aimee though. Maybe he was no good piece of scum but he'd never regret saving the little girl.

"You look like hell, kid."

Riley's mouth went dry. The voice was painfully familiar.

"How…where…" he stammered as he turned to eye the man in the doorway of the hospital bathroom.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't find you? The hospital called your mom when you were admitted. They have a policy to call next of kin."

Riley felt the colour drain from his face. He grabbed onto the sink for support. Everything he'd done since he left home was to cover his tracks. Policy or not, he had no idea how anyone could have known who his next of kin were. Hell, even the Marines didn't know because he'd chosen to not divulge any information about himself.

"You can go straight back to hell where you came from!" Riley shouted, gaining some courage from the deep-seated motions of hatred that had built up in him over the time he'd been gone.

The large, burly man stepped closer until he was exhaling the same air as Riley. "Watch your mouth, boy or I'll skin you right here. It's a lot closer to the morgue this way, damn fool kid."

Riley gulped. His heart was racing as he stared at the man who'd spent half his life torturing him.

"You think you can get away from me? You're still a kid." He poked Riley in the chest hard enough to make him grimace from pain. "They're gonna send you right back to me. You know that, don't you? Like I want you anyway! Your mother sure doesn't want you, that's for damned sure."

Tears burned in the back of Riley's eyes. He was afraid to move.

The man stepped closer and grabbed Riley by the scruff of the neck. "How far did you think you could get by riding a lie, boy? Look at you! You look like something I dragged in on the bottom of my boots. How long did you think you could hide from me anyway? You think that agent guy gives a flying leap about you? Hell, he's gonna make sure you go to jail. You're lucky I came to tell the truth about you! I oughta just let you drown in your own shit so you'd know just how bad life can be. You have no idea!" The man raised his hand and Riley cowered as it came down heavy across his face.

"Stop it!" Riley screamed as the man held him and smacked him again.

"Shut-up! Do you know how much it cost me to come here and bail your ass out? I'm gonna take it out of your friggen hide."

Riley felt several more blows to his head before his father let him go. He stumbled a little and fell backward onto the toilet seat. Riley sat up some and wiped the back of his mouth. He recognized the bitter taste of metallic in his mouth; it was a familiar flavour.

"Get up! Let's get out of here before they come for you."

Riley blinked back the tears blurring his vision. He felt totally defeated. There wasn't any point in even trying to get away. His father would always find him. He should have known that in the first place. Stumbled a little, he stood to his feet as his father grabbed him by the scruff of the neck roughly and shoved him out of the small washroom landing a hard kick on his backside. Riley lurched forward, stumbling further until he hit the floor again. Shakily he rose to his feet once more, holding up his hands up in front of his face to protect himself from any more blows that might have come his way. None did.

When he looked at his father again, the man was frozen staring at the doorway. Riley followed his line of sight to see Agent Gibbs holding his weapon aimed right at his father's head.

"Go ahead," said Gibbs, his voice dangerous. "I dare you to hit him again."

Riley swallowed hard, his whole body trembling. He wanted to say something but he couldn't. Instead, he sunk to his knees, curled up in a ball and hid his head.