Hey readers!

I know, I know...it's been so long since I updated. Life has been busy!

I finally managed to complete and edit an update to this story.

Please read Perspective by 90TheGeneral09 chapter 4 in particular...his story is amazing and it fits in so well with my story. I call it chapter 20 and a half. :)

Thanks for all your reviews and follows and private messages.

Hang in there...I'm adjusting to a newborn again..it means very little sleep plus my schedule is full!

I hope you are all staying warm. It's so cold here -26 today but at least I'm not in Newfoundland...did you see all the snow there?

Enjoy and let me know you're still reading along :)

blessings and love,

Jenny :)

Tears trickled down her cheeks as Makayla hugged her knees closer to her chest and stared at the cell phone in her hands. She'd been in the waiting room all night, waiting to hear about how Riley was doing. Tony and Tim had both popped in on separate occasions to see if she was okay, but neither one was able to stay with her for long. She felt isolated and anxious, wishing Gibbs would find her. Tony had said Gibbs would come to her as soon as he could. She'd managed to get some sleep but it had been fraught with unsettling nightmares of Riley being injured or dying. Left alone with her thoughts, she berated herself for being so hopeless and weak. When the ambulance arrived on the scene, raw panic engulfed her. As much as she tried to swallow the waves of rippling panic, the gravity of the situation took root causing her to tremble. Her teeth chattered and she bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. She could still remember the metallic taste that filled her mouth.

Strong arms had enveloped her, pulling her away from the scene while she cried out Riley's name. Then she watched helplessly, wrapped in a blanket so heavy she could hardly stand on her feet, as they attached tubes all over Riley and then lift him gently onto a gurney. No one noticed his cell phone drop out of his back pocket but she did. As soon as she'd had the chance, she snatched it up in her hands. The realization that his cell phone had been there all along and she hadn't found it smacked her right in the face.

Makayla looked at the phone through blurry eyes as she ran her fingers over the smooth screen. She gasped for breath as she attempted to stifle the sob choking her. Riley might be dead and it was her fault. She should have found his cell phone earlier and called 911. She should have checked his back pockets instead of giving in to her fear. How could she have been so careless?

A warm hand on her head caused her to startle and look upwards.

"I got here as soon as I could, honey. Sorry it took me so long. You okay?"

Burning tears blurred her vision as she flung herself into Gibbs' arms. He embraced her, cupping the back of her head with his large hand, allowing her to sob out her fears.

"I-it's all my fault, Gibbs! Riley…I'm so sorry," she sobbed unable to articulate her thoughts.

"Sh…it's okay, Mackie. Riley's gonna be fine…sh now," his deep voice crooned in a way Makayla had never heard him do with her. It sounded so soothing, so safe and comforting like he could fix anything with just his voice.

"He…I…" she continued to sob while wrapping her arms tighter around him, hoping to just disappear inside his calming embrace. She couldn't bear the guilt she felt.

She felt him sit down, pulling her onto his knee and hugging her close, rocking her like she was a small child. She wasn't. But a tiny part of her couldn't resist the security and that part was winning the battle.

"He…I…" she tried again but again dissolved into more hiccupping sobs.

"It's okay, Mackie, you don't need to talk right now," he said in a soft voice, still rocking her. "Aw, sweetie; I'm so sorry I left you alone for so long."

Makayla choked a few times feeling like she might be sick but she forced herself to hold up Riley's cell phone. "It's…it's Riley's…" she managed to say swallowing back more sobs. Her voice sounded strangled.

Gibbs lifted a brow and took the phone.

"It's my f-fault if he dies…" she managed to say, her voice weak.

Gibbs pulled away and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Listen to me, Mak. Riley is not going to die. He's awake and currently as worried about you as you are about him."

Makayla blinked. "He's conscious?"

"Yes, and he's fine. A handful of broken ribs, a concussion, split lip and a whole boatload of bruises and stitches but he'll live. Probably'll wish he hadn't once the heavier pain meds wear off." Makayla felt her whole body go limp as Gibbs quickly compensated for it and wrapped his arms around her once more. He pressed a kiss on her brow making Makayla feel even worse. Despite his gruffness, Gibbs really was a nice guy. Him being nice to her was only making her feel worse.

Makayla felt more hot tears wash over her cheeks. "He stepped…I mean…my phone wouldn't work to call for help and I couldn't find his…it dropped out of his pocket when they put him in the ambulance…"

Gibbs cupped her chin again. "That's not your fault," he assured her, looking into her red-rimmed eyes.

"I should have called 911…" she countered. Being left alone for so long had given her too much time in her own head to wallow in her poor decisions. She had replayed everything over and over ad nauseam realizing that she had done everything wrong, and it could have cost Riley his life. Everything anyone had ever said about her being a useless loser rang true in her head. She quite literally was not worth the skin she was in.

Gibbs' face turned stern. "Stop that! I can see your head drowning in the what-if's and that's not helpful right now." Makayla blinked a handful of times and stared at him, tears still falling down her cheeks. "Tell me what happened to Riley."

Makayla stood to her feet and turned to face Gibbs. She really wanted to talk to Riley before she told Gibbs anything. She didn't know what Riley wanted Gibbs to know and she didn't want to betray his confidence.

"Can I see Riley?" she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"After you talk to me. What happened?" Gibbs' face remained stern and it made Makayla fidget.

"I…I…uh…don't really know. He came to pick me up and he was all beat up…"

"He didn't say anything to you, Mackie? I find that hard to believe. You didn't question him being beaten up?"

"He had his hoodie on, so I didn't even notice at first," she said, swallowing down the lump forming in her throat.

Gibbs took her trembling hands in his and rubbed the back of them with his thumbs. "Mak, I need to know what happened. I can't help him unless I know."

"Can't you ask him?" she almost whimpered.

"Trust me, I will but I want to know what he told you."

"Gibbs, I need to see Riley. Please…"

Gibbs released her hands and scrubbed a hand across his own face, pinching his nose in what Makayla recognized as frustration. "Mak, this isn't a request. I need to know what happened." Gibbs' voice was very quiet, yet more firm than she'd ever heard, causing Makayla to take a few steps back.

"Gibbs…" she whined.

Gibbs rose to his feet and reached for her hands once again, casting a stern glare in her direction as he pulled her closer to him. Makayla swallowed. She had seen many expressions on Gibbs' face before but this was a new one for her. Perhaps this was his intimidating interrogator look. Whatever it was, she didn't like it; not even a little. It frightened her.

"What happened?" he repeated.

Makayla's eyes met his steely ones and she shivered. "H-he said he went to see a guy he knew from the Marines…" she stammered.

"And," Gibbs prodded.

"The guy used to bully him back and…um…Riley wanted to make it stop so he went to confront him I think. It was the same guy who cornered us at the ice cream place awhile back…"

"When DiNozzo and McGee intervened?"

"Yah."

"Go on."

"There's isn't anything else to say, Gibbs. The guy beat him up…"

"Why?"

Makayla rolled her eyes and tried to pull away. "I don't know…"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Did he tell you his name?"

Makayla's first instinct was to lie to Gibbs. She wanted to speak with Riley first before divulging anything that Riley wouldn't want Gibbs to know. Deep down, she wanted Gibbs to know the truth but she felt like it was Riley's story to tell, not hers. Riley must have reasons why he wanted to handle things on his own, even if she disagreed with him. But what about the guy wanting to know Intel about Gibbs? Her thoughts berated her as she began to worry her bottom lip.

"I don't know…he didn't tell me his name and I didn't ask," The lie tumbled off her lips leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Hadn't she learned her lesson about lying to Gibbs?

Gibbs heaved a loud sigh and took a few steps away from her, running a hand through his hair. He kept his back to her for several minutes before turning to face her once again.

"Listen to me very carefully, Mak. Riley is okay this time, but someone gave him a thorough beating which says a lot because Riley isn't a pushover being that he trained as a Marine. Next time, however, Riley might not be so lucky! If you know something and you're not telling me…" Gibbs' voice trailed off. The last thing he wanted to do was issue a threat he'd need to follow through on. He was trying to avoid that kind of thing. It was hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Makayla's lower lip quivered. "Please, Gibbs, I need to see Riley."

Gibbs clenched his jaw a moment and then shook his head. "Yah, I know you do, but you see, Mak, I think you're not being completely truthful with me. My gut says you know more than you're telling me, so I think I'm going to talk with Riley first."

"But, Gibbs, please! I need to see if he's okay." Waves of renewed panic washed over Makayla as she thought about being left alone again, and waiting to see for herself that Riley was okay.

Gibbs pointed a finger in her direction. "Sit down, Mak." He demanded. She sat down in alarm at the tone of his voice and watched as he pulled out his cell phone. Her heart pounded in her chest as he turned his back on her to make his call. She could hear him speaking softly but couldn't figure out who he was speaking with. After a few moments, he turned to face her once more. "Ziva is coming to wait with you while I talk with Riley…"

"Gibbs," she pleaded, tears washing down her cheeks once more. "Please let me see Riley…"

Gibbs' face softened and he took a step closer, placing a gentle hand on her head. "You will, honey. Be patient, okay? I don't know what you're hiding but I think it's better that I speak with Riley alone first."

XxXxNCISxXxX

Riley grimaced, gasping in pain as he attempted to sit up; then, thinking better of it, he relaxed back into the pillow with a defeated sigh. There was no way he was going anywhere without help for a while. There wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache. It had been a long time since his body had taken such a pounding. He was getting too soft. Back in his days of Marines boot camp, he was abused so often, it became routine to him. He'd been able to suck up the pain and keep moving but not this time. Broken ribs seriously sucked.

As he relaxed into the pillow, his thoughts turned to Makayla. How could he have been so stupid? He shouldn't have picked her up at school and dragged her into his mess. Gibbs was going to kill him and Riley couldn't even blame the guy if he did. What had he been thinking? He was mixing up his new life with his old one and that wasn't going to work. He should have known better. He didn't deserve to be happy. Makayla was just an innocent little kid, for Pete's sake, and he'd put her in danger. Riley raised his arm with a grimace and rubbed his temples; His throbbing head was making him nauseous. He cursed under his breath. Makayla was a little girl. Why was he allowing himself to get so emotionally attached to her? He had no business forming any attachments. He groaned and cursed again. But like it or not, he had, and now he was in trouble because he cared. A lot.

The truth was he really liked Makayla. She wasn't just some dumb kid. She was beautiful and talented and he didn't just like her. He like-liked her, and that was risky. For both him and for her.

A sharp knock at the door pulled Riley from his reverie but before he could say anything to send whoever it was away, Gibbs entered his room. Gibbs had visited him earlier when he'd first gained consciousness, and Riley wondered why he was back so soon. Apprehension puckered his brow when Gibbs walked towards him with a more formidable expression gracing his face.

"Where's Mak? Is she okay?"

Gibbs nodded, pulling a chair over and sitting down. "Other than being worried sick about you, she's fine. Ziva is with her."

"Can I see her?"

"After we talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

Gibbs steely blue-grey eyes peered into his. "I disagree."

"Gibbs…"

"Riley, I've given you plenty of space up until now, but it's obvious to me that you need a little more help than you were letting on…"

"I can handle it!" snapped Riley, grimacing and clutching his middle as sharp pain radiated throughout his chest and torso.

"No, you can't, and frankly, why should you? No man is an island, kiddo."

Riley rolled his eyes at the cliché. "I said I can handle it so back off."

"When you drag Makayla into it, your problems become mine," Gibbs growled.

Riley gasped, gritting his teeth as he forced himself into a sitting position. "If I thought she was in any danger, I would have called you. I called before, didn't I? She wasn't in any danger!"

"You drove my truck out into the middle of nowhere, Riley, and you lost consciousness! That left a 14-year-old girl stranded on her own. She was scared to death! What did you expect her to do?"

"I didn't plan on passing out…" shouted Riley in his own defence. It wasn't like he planned to leave Makayla alone. He hadn't even known he was injured so badly. All he'd wanted to do was spend time with Makayla.

"Anything could have happened. You knew you were hurt. What were you thinking dragging her out to an abandoned road? What if she'd taken it into her head to try and drive you to the hospital or something? We both know that Makayla can act impulsively without thinking about the consequences. She cares for you a lot, Riley. Maybe more than you realize. You're damned lucky she managed to get a hold of her sister despite the fact that you damaged her phone. As it is, a bunch of teenagers almost died last night trying to get to you."

Riley's blood ran cold. "Wait, what? Who?"

Gibbs paused and took a deep breath. "Don't mention it to Mackie until I do, but her sister, Melissa…her boyfriend's brother and sister were t-boned by a truck that ran a red light," Riley's eyes widened in horror. "They're all going to be okay," Gibbs rushed on to reassure him. "The point is your problems are not just your problems. Whether you like it or not, they affect other people." Riley's head began to swim at the what-ifs whirling through his head. He never wanted anyone to get hurt and now… "And stop blaming yourself," continued Gibbs, seeming to guess where his thoughts had travelled. "No one is blaming you. But Riley, you've got to start trusting the people who love you. Let us in."

"Why the hell were they trying to come to help me? They don't even know me," said Riley, his lower lip trembling. Stupid idiots. Why would they do something so reckless?

Gibbs rose to his feet and encouraged Riley to lie back down once again. Riley grimaced but complied. Once he was resting back on the pillow, Gibbs sighed. "They don't need to know you to help you. It was enough for them to know that you're Makayla's friend." Gibbs took a deep breath and without missing a beat changed the topic abruptly. "Who beat you up?"

Riley's eyes widened. "None of your business!" he snapped, his head still reeling over Gibbs' previous disclosure. The sudden change of topic left his head spinning.

Gibbs tightened his grip on Riley's shoulder. "I asked who. Don't make me repeat myself."

"I'm not going to…"

"Damn it, Riley!" Gibbs gave him a gentle shake. "What's it going to take to get through that thick skull of yours that you don't have to do things on your own anymore? I'm here. Let me help you."

Tears rolled down Riley's cheeks as he stared up at Gibbs. Riley was drowning in his own fears and failures and Gibbs was offering him a life ring. Why couldn't he just take it?

"I don't need your help…" His pride just wouldn't let him. He'd been forging his own way for too long. Riley stubbornly looked at Gibbs, his lower lip trembling; he must have looked like a stupid little kid.

"The hell you don't."

"I have to do this on my own…" Riley allowed his voice to hold some pleading in it this time. He needed Gibbs to understand.

Gibbs leaned in closer, getting right in Riley's face. "No, you don't. I'm here. Let me help."

Tears continued to fall down his cheeks and he shook his head.

Gibbs grabbed his chin in his calloused hand, forcing Riley to look him in the eye. "Who did this to you?"

"Trace!" he screamed in the older man's face, finally conceding to the pressure. "His name is Trace. Are you happy? Does knowing his name make you feel better?"

Gibbs released Riley and stood to his full height once more. "It's a start. Who's Trace?"

Riley looked away, angrily wiping at the tears on his face. Damn Gibbs for breaking through his well-built façade. "The son of a bitch who put me here."

Gibbs' hands found his hips and he sighed. "Makayla said you met him while training for the Marines. Was he in your unit?"

Riley closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. Makayla shouldn't have told Gibbs anything.

"Hey!" Riley's eyes flew open at the sound of Gibb's loud, cross voice. He blinked when the older man's finger was within inches of his nose. "Don't think for a minute that Makayla betrayed your trust. I'd have taken her across my knee if she didn't tell me what I wanted to know. Is that what you want? I've had enough of secrets. Now, cut the bullshit and tell me about Trace."

Riley took a long deep breath and exhaled slowly, biting his lip to keep from cursing in pain. Broken ribs made breathing painful enough but sharp inhalations were definitely not his friend.

"What did Mak tell you?"

"Not much, just that he was the same guy who cornered the two of you at the ice cream Shoppe awhile back. She didn't give up that information willingly. She's a loyal little thing; I hope you realize that."

Riley clenched his jaw thinking about Makayla getting in trouble because of him. He'd never forgive himself if he was the cause of her getting punished.

"You didn't…"

"I didn't need to. I have other ways of persuasion."

"Leave her out of it, Gibbs. I never told her much…"

Gibbs dropped his hands to his sides and sat down in the uncomfortable green hospital chair beside Riley's bed. "I think both of you have known me long enough to know that I don't appreciate being lied to. I interrogate people for a living. You're both fooling yourselves if you think I can't figure out when you're lying to me."

"Okay, okay." Riley puffed out his cheeks in defeat. He was tired and sore, and he didn't have it in him to fight anymore.

Gibbs cast a piercing look in Riley's direction. "When you left my house, you said you would call me if you couldn't handle it…"

"I handled it…"

"No! You got yourself beaten within an inch of your life! That's not handling it. You should have called me instead of picking up Makayla."

"God, you're such a pain in the ass!" Riley hissed, his anger burning hot. Despite being tired, he wanted to punch Gibbs. Why couldn't the obstinate man just leave him alone?

XxXxNCISxXxX

Gibbs clenched his fists together, purposely keeping his frustration hidden from Riley's sight. What was it gonna take for this kid to trust him and let him in? The stubborn, foolhardy boy glared at him, anger radiating off him in waves. Gibbs wasn't sure he'd ever met such a cocky, obstinate kid in his life. 'Except maybe yourself, son,' he heard his father's voice say. Gibbs worked hard not to roll his eyes. He often heard his father's voice when he was dealing with one of the kids. Why did it seem that you never truly understood or appreciated your parents until you had kids? Gibbs forced himself to take a deep calming breath. Losing his cool wouldn't help anything. Riley's belligerence wasn't new to him. He just needed to find a way to get the boy's respect without losing his own.

"Riley, tell me who Trace is."

The kid shook his head silently, attitude and teenage rebellion billowing from him in waves.

"Trace isn't exactly a common name. You realize that right? Whether it's his first or last name, I will find him."

"Back off, Gibbs!" Riley hissed. "I may be 16 but I'm not some idiot snot-nosed kid you can push around and intimidate. I've dealt with worse than you."

Gibbs sighed and backed off. Riley was correct on that front. He'd been pushed around and bullied his whole life. Trying to strong-arm him wasn't the right tactic. "I never said you were," he said quietly. "C'mon on, Rye; talk to me. Let me help you get past this crap and move on. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't let some jackass ruin the progress you're making."

Riley heaved a brusque sigh, immediately regretting it. His face paled a little as he worked to deal with the sudden jolt of pain. Gibbs sympathized with him. He'd probably broken every one of his ribs at one time or another; it was no joking matter. Riley grimaced and a few tears escaped down his cheeks. Brushing them away, Riley gave Gibbs a weary look and then shook his head mumbling under his breath.

"I met him at Parris Island. My head was so screwed up then that I could hardly think straight let alone figure out who was my friend. A bunch of guys were playing poker at the mess and Trace dealt me in. He seemed nice enough at first."

"So, he was another recruit?"

"No. I dunno what unit he belonged to, but he wasn't a recruit."

"Why was he in your mess? They don't mix recruits…"

"How the hell should I know?"

Gibbs raised a placating hand. "Alright…calm down. Go on…"

"I don't know what else you want me to say. We played poker. He and a bunch of other guys hung around during our free time periods; probably just hoping to score some easy cash from some shitty players. Anyway, Adams was being a prick even during free time. Our downtime was supposed to be D.I. free but that didn't stop Adams. He made it a sport to hassle us. Trace stepped in and told him to bugger off and leave the recruits alone."

"Damned idiot should have reported Adams right there and then," grumbled Gibbs. "Recruits are entitled to their downtime without exception. Let me guess…he decided you owed him one?"

"No, Adams really roughed him up. Made him a spectacle of him, you know. After that, no one dared mess with Adams. I couldn't blame them. Anyone who even dared to confront him ended up in the infirmary. The fact that Trace spoke up when no one else did made him a sort of bigshot among the recruits after that. Everyone liked him."

"Okay, so what happened?"

Riley worried his lip. "I was an easy target."

"East target for what?" prompted Gibbs, feeling bile rise up in him. Riley had already been abused enough by his drill instructor. Gibbs sincerely hoped that this Trace guy hadn't waited his turn to toy with the boy. Things were complicated enough already to add another issue to the mix.

"He…uh…well, I guess you could say he threatened to make things a whole hell of a lot worse for me if I didn't cooperate with him."

"Cooperate with him? What do you mean?"

Riley groaned. "It was bad enough what Adams was doing but Trace…he…uh…one time he found me being uh…well, you know, in a compromising position." The words seem to get caught in Riley's throat as he paused to clear his throat, a haunted expression flooding across his face. "At first, I thought things could finally stop. Trace had come through before so I thought he'd do it again. I thought he was a good guy. When Trace walked in, it caught Adams off guard…really messed him up for few minutes." Riley closed his eyes as a few rogue tears escaped. "It was almost a relief, you know? I was sure Trace would report Adams, and I could finally get free of..." He cleared his throat again. "But that was too good to be true. I dunno, maybe Adams got to him. Paid him to keep his mouth shut, maybe? Who knows, but after that, he blackmailed me."

Gibbs kept his expression neutral but inside his gut was churning. It made him sick to his stomach to know the kind of abuse Riley lived through in his life. The kid just couldn't catch a break. "How?"

"Said he'd blabber to everyone what he saw…only what he'd say he saw and what happened wouldn't be the same if you know what I mean." Gibbs nodded, forcing himself to swallow the bad taste forming in his mouth. Riley didn't need to see how upset he felt. "Anyway, after that, he owned me. At first, he didn't ask for much, cigarettes, drugs and alcohol, easy enough to get if you knew the right people. But after a while, his demands started to get harder to meet. My mental health was getting worse and it was hard to keep it together, let alone get the stuff he wanted."

"I can imagine," sympathized Gibbs, his voice soft.

"I thought I'd never see him again once I took off. Last I'd heard he was deployed so when he showed up at the ice cream Shoppe…well, I was taken off guard but I didn't think much of it and he never bothered me, called me or anything…not until today. I thought I could talk to him and that'd be it."

"I see." Gibbs ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair thoughtfully. "I think we both know that wasn't a wise decision. Predators like Trace don't just go away under their own steam, especially considering you seemed to be such a lucrative person to him. So, what does he want from you?"

Riley looked away from Gibbs. "I don't know…we didn't make it that far into the conversation…"

Gibbs knew that Riley wasn't being truthful. "Riley."

Tears shimmered in the boy's eyes but he blinked them away as fast as they came. "I don't know, Gibbs. When can I see Makayla?"

Gibbs was quiet for a few moments before standing to his feet. He knew there was more to the story than Riley was telling him, but he was thankful for what the boy had shared. This Trace guy was going to regret the day he stepped back into Riley's life. Gibbs had connections that only he knew about. Trace would be lucky if he ever saw North America again. There were places in the Middle East that could keep Marines occupied for a lifetime. Trace was about to get permanently relocated.

Gibbs walked towards the window and stared out at the parking lot. Cars were coming and going like they always did. He focussed on one car in particular as a young woman got out of her car and unbuckled a small child from a car seat. It made him think of his own little girls. It was uncanny how much his life had changed over the past year. Life had given him a second chance. As Gibbs turned to speak to Riley, the door to the room burst open.

"Let me alone, Ziva! I want to see Riley!"

Gibbs saw Ziva run up behind a determined Makayla, grabbing her by the arm. Makayla shook her off and ran right into Gibbs, who had closed the space between them.

"I am sorry, Gibbs. I tried to stop her…" explained Ziva as she stood behind Makayla, looking frustrated.

Gibbs waved his hand. "It's okay, Ziver.

Riley perked up. "Mak!"

Makayla scooted around Gibbs and towards Riley, hugging him tightly. "Oh, God, I'm so glad you're okay. You are okay, aren't you?"

Gibbs bit back a smirk of sympathy when Riley moaned out loud when Makayla roughly embraced him.

"I'm fine," Riley said, gasping for air, despite trying to remain nonchalant.

Makayla's eyes widened and she pulled away. "I'm so sorry, Riley. Did I hurt you?"

Riley took a few minutes to regain his composure and shook his head. "I'm good, honest." He groaned as he worked to sit up. Gibbs walked over and helped Makayla arrange Riley so he could sit up more comfortably.

"Gibbs, if you do not need me, I am going to head out," replied Ziva with a warm smile in Riley's direction. "I am glad you are recovering well, Riley."

Gibbs nodded. "Thanks for all your help, Ziver"

"It was not a problem." With those final words, Ziva disappeared from the room, closing the door behind her.

Gibbs turned to Makayla, pointing a finger in her face and pinning her with a stern look. "As for you, I told you to stay put until I was finished speaking with Riley. I don't appreciate you disobeying me, young lady." Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Nor do I appreciate the deceit, from either one of you." He pointed at both of them.

Makayla's face paled, her lower lip forming into a pleading pout.

"Lay off the guilt trip, Gibbs. Geez," quipped Riley, rolling his eyes, not the least bit taken aback by Gibbs' mock sternness.

Gibbs took a step back sizing up both miscreants in his midst. He was obviously outnumbered by their desire to be with one another. He could finish talking with Riley later. For now, he wanted to make a few phone calls. He considered the two teens for a moment before his stern expression morphed into a smile. He was getting soft in his olden days. He was glad both kids were safe and not any worse for wear. Between his girls and these teenagers, he was going to end up completely grey before his time.

"I wanted to see Riley…" mumbled Makayla in explanation, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips as well.

Gibbs laughed out loud and shook his head. "I never would have guessed." He wrapped her in a warm embrace and planted a kiss on her brow. "How about you keep him company for a couple of hours for me? I need to make a few phone calls…"

"Gibbs," moaned Riley, his own face paling.

Gibbs figured the young man had already guessed what his plans were over the next couple of hours. He patted the young Marine on the leg with a warm smile. "Get some rest. We'll talk some more later."

Riley puffed out his cheeks in consternation as Gibbs left the room.