Eeek! I can't believe how long it's been! I've missed doing this! I am planning on finishing this one, but if I want to start another fic, I promise I will wait until I get a reliable computer.

I'm not too pleased with this chapter. I think action/adventure isn't my thing, I'll do better once I get back into the romance/tragedy/angst whatever mode! (which will be coming soon)

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Chapter Twenty

"So, you were right here?" At least Tony asked him civilly. Eric nodded. They both overstepped the crime scene units who were bagging ammo casings. Tony took one of the investigators by the arm.

"These all go back to our lab, right?" Tony waited for the man to answer, then took some gloves out of his front pocket. He tossed a pair to Bradshaw, and pulled his own on.

"C'mon. We need to find exactly where she was."

Eric watched Tony, who was pretty much walking around in circles pretending to not be aimless. However, Bradshaw knew that Dinozzo had no clue what to do—he just had to do something.

Or maybe he was wrong, Eric decided to himself, when he saw Tony bend down close to the ground, obviously examining something important. Bradshaw saw it, too, and couldn't contain his enthusiasm when he lightly patted Tony on the back. "Great eyes!" he exclaimed. Probably wasn't the best thing to do, so, upon seeing Tony's look of don't tell-me-good-eyes, he quickly changed the subject. "Must have been quite a struggle. Todd wouldn't part with her PDA easily."

That actually caused Agent Dinozzo to laugh. "Yeah, isn't that true? It's like her pet or something." He looked thoughtful for a minute." Maybe she dropped it on purpose; for us."

"It's possible, I guess."

"Good girl," Tony whispered, then pulled aside one of the men collecting evidence from the scene. "Can I get you to swab this blood ASAP?"

……………………………..

Abby Sciuto eyed Agent Bradshaw suspiciously. He in turn wondered if he was going to get the cold shoulder from everyone. It didn't last long, however, as she brightened when she turned towards Dinozzo.

"Good news for us, Tony." She announced.

"You gonna tell me?"

"Sure, if you'll help me out here. I'm up to my pigtails in work."

"Abbs…"

"Okay. You want the blood sample? Or the prints on the PDA?"

"How about the prints?" Tony asked.

"Okay, we've got two sets. One is a match to Kate, of course. And the other—I'm running them through AFIS now." Abby turned towards the screen, as a pop up flashed "match found".

"Alonzo Fioli," she read, "Caught by Border Patrol in 1995. Became a citizen the following year, however. Six months later arrested for drug possession. Released on bail, involved in a Mafia-related riot and spent six year in correctional facilities. Suspected to continue involvement with Mafia."

"Wow. Nice work, Abbs." Tony hugged her with one arm, "Last known address?"

" 828 Harmony Rd, Arlington, Virginia!" she spun around in her chair, and watched Tony and Eric race out of the lab.

"You didn't even ask about the blood samples," she pouted.

……………………………..

Tony placed a hand at this mid stomach, just above the Sig Sauer he wore. It seemed someone was home, he thought, as he heard pounding steps and a high laugh. He though he glimpsed a small face in the window, and an older one. The older one saw him, and pulled the small one away from the window, but when Tony showed his badge, the door flew open.

A small boy, perhaps not quite two, clung to the older girl, who appeared somewhere in her mid teens. Her dark hair fell to her waist, in contrast to the little blond toddler whom she scooped up.

"Yes?" her voice had only a hint of an accent. She viewed them suspiciously, when Tony said, "We're looking for Mr. Fioli." He then flashed her his most charming smile, and she motioned for them to enter.

He grinned. It worked every time with a XX chromosome. No matter what the age.

"What's my brother done this time?" She asked.

Tony and Eric exchanged glances. "We can't tell you right now, but we do need to know where to find him."

The young girl, who now introduced her self as Sydney, sighed. "I don't know. He's been gone since Thursday. But, he has disappeared for weeks at a time before."

"You live here alone?" Eric asked, surprised.

She nodded. "Our parents are dead, and his wife…well…anyway….I get to take care of my nephew."

Sydney hugged the little boy closely.

Tony spoke causally. "So, tell me Syd, how would you feel if we found a place for you and your nephew to stay for a little while?"

Sydney glared at him. "I can take care of myself."

Tony looked around. Both of the kids were clean, the house was spotless, and they looked well. She really could.

Eric was about to speak, when the doorbell rang. Syd stood up, but Tony raised his hand identifying through the window Alonzo Fioli.

He allowed the girl to get the door, but as the man swung up his son, who laughed gleefully, Tony reached for his weapon.

"Put the kid down slowly and freeze."

……………………………

Eric had contacted CPS, while Tony transferred Fioli to NCIS, where Gibbs waited, feeling his interrogation rooms should be kept warm these days.

"Where is Caitlyn Todd?"

"I don't know who you are talking about." Fioli replied sullenly.

"Perhaps this will help you." Gibbs slammed Kate's picture in front of him.

Fioli remained silent for a few minutes. "He's probably killed her—or worse—already. Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because it's the only chance you have. You've got a record, and you aren't going to escape this one. Not with your involvement. Your last chance. How about this—what do you want your son to grow up with—knowing Daddy was executed for plans to kill hundreds of innocent people, or to keep contact with him in prison?"

The man did not budge at all.

Tony saw Gibbs nod at him, and he exited, and headed downstairs to the lab. Abby looked up at him as he entered.

"Hey, Tony."

"Hey, Abbs. Listen, can we get you to do a really big something."

"Talk."

As he told her, Abby's eyes widened.

"Wow, Tony, you really did mean big!"

…………………………………..

Fornell strolled in confidently. "What did you get out of Fioli?"

Gibbs peered at him over his computer monitor. "We let him go."

"You what! You had no reason to do that! C'mon, Gibbs, you had enough on him with the prints alone!"

Gibbs half-grinned. "Yeah, but he can't find Agent Todd with the prints."

Fornell stared at Gibbs before he realized what Gibbs was saying. "You have a tracking device in him." He states.

"Put in by Abby herself."

"You don't give up easily, do you, Jethro?" Fornell laughed.