AN: Louise: Dont worry, I am still just really setting the scene and making sure all the characters are in place. There will be more Gibbs...and Abby... later in the story.
Pryrmtns: I am back! did you miss me:)
as always dont forget to feed me...please leave feedback!
Chapter
3
"You look like something the dog dragged in" Ziva said as she walked past Tony's desk in the morning.
"Cat" Tony replied without looking up at her, his eyes scanning the screen in front of him.
"What Cat? Did your cat die?" Ziva queried in confusion, turning to stare at Tony as she took of her long coat.
"I didn't know you had a cat Tony" McGee joined in as he walked between Tony and Ziva's desk on the way to his own.
Tony glared at the two of them. "I don't have a damn cat probie, and its cat dragged in, not dog Ziva!" he ground out in frustration, rubbing a hand along his jaw.
"Whatever dragged you in DiNozzo had better drag a razor with it" Gibbs said as he strolled past everyone, coffee cup in hand. He turned as he placed the cup on his desk and peered at Tony for a moment. "You sleep here?" he queried with a deceptively soft voice.
"Yes Boss, I mean no boss" Tony stammered like a first year probie. "I came in early" he said sitting straighter, trying to make himself look more respectable.
"We have a case I don't know about?" Gibbs asked, reaching over into his drawer and pulling out his weapon, checking it and holstering it smoothly.
Tony swallowed nervously, recognising the way Gibbs was acting, knowing that if he didn't have a good explanation for his appearance and exhaustion he was in deep trouble, and with Gibbs that meant mortal danger.
"Uh, no Boss, I was, um, trying to find out who the woman was" he said quickly, his breath coming out in a rush.
"Why?" was all that Gibbs asked, knowing that Tony meant the accident victim.
"Because they still don't have a name for her boss, and it just doesn't seem right" Tony responded quietly, a conviction in his voice that was usually lacking. Gibbs caught the tone and raised a slight eyebrow in response to it, refusing to show that he was pleased with Tony's reaction.
"Not on my time, and not when it impacts on my team" Gibbs growled standing up and crossing to Tony's desk. Placing his hands flat on it he glared at Tony.
"Clear?" he growled. Tony nodded "Good" Gibbs said in response as he stepped back and in one fluid motion and threw a set of keys at McGee. "Get the van, we have a missing child." he said as he turned and headed for the elevator, leaving the other three members of his team just staring after him for a moment, their minds struggling to take in his usual liquid fast changes, before they all sprang into action after him.
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Tony, Ziva and McGee walked into the bullpen hours later, wet, cold and exhausted both mentally and physically. They had been searching for the little girl, going door to door, tracing her steps and gathering forensic evidence. But they had turned up nothing to go on. It was as if she had just vanished from the face of the earth. Gibbs had driven them hard, harder than usual at times, an almost desperate quality to his demands. But none of them had minded, knowing that as the minutes and hours passed the chances of finding the little girl got slimmer and slimmer. And so far she had been missing for 8 hours.
"I'll take these items down to Abby" Ziva said, after she had slipped off her soaked jacket. "Maybe she will find something" she said as she hefted a large box of evidence into her arms. No one looked up at her words; they were all lost in their tasks, trying desperately to find the child.
Tony sat in his chair and rested his head in his hands for a moment, wishing he had gotten more sleep last night, knowing that he would get very little until this child was found. He rubbed his hands over his stubble covered jaw wearily, before turning his attention to McGee
"You find anything probie?" he called out, knowing that McGee was working on the little girls hard drive, hopping to find some clue as to her whereabouts.
"Give me a break Tony, I only just started" McGee snapped in uncharacteristic anger. Tony sat back in his chair in surprise, his shock written on his features. McGee looked up and caught the look on Tony's face, rubbing his hand over his brow and tired aching eyes.
"Sorry Tony, do you think we will find her…"
"…Alive?" Gibbs snarled as he crossed to his desk, four cups of coffee clutched in his hands. "Damn right we will" he ground out, his voice and eyes cold and angry. "If I catch so much as a doubt in your voice McGee I will rip your tongue out and shove it up your ass" he berated the young agent, before slamming a steaming cup of coffee down on his desk. He then spun around and slammed one onto Ziva's desk and then Tony's before slamming his body into his own chair and taking a long pull from his own cup.
Both McGee and Tony stared at the cups of steaming liquid on their desks as if they would explode at any moment. Never in living history could they remember Gibbs bringing anyone other than Abby a drink before. Gibbs stared at them over his cup, his eyes narrowed.
"Drink the damn coffee, cos your going to need it" he ordered them, getting up and heading for the elevator, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth at the way both of them had immediately taken large swallows of the hot brew, both scalding their tongues in their haste to obey him. The grin faded quickly though as he thought of the little girl lost, and the memories it stirred in his own heart.
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Abby examined the contents of the box that Ziva had left with her. She checked each item thoroughly whilst still in the evidence bags, checking that chain of evidence had been preserved. Not because she doubted any of the team but because it was part of her job to check, and she took her job very seriously. Well most of the time she thought with a small smile.
"If you're smiling then you had better have some good news for me" Gibbs snarled as he walked into her lab. Abby looked up from her task, her brow furrowed. She was used to Gibbs being a bear with a constant saw head, but his tone had held a different edge to it, one she wasn't sure she liked, but one that she knew in her heart wasn't a good sign.
"I know I am a genius and a miracle worker, but even I can't get results that fast Gibbs" she berated him gently, in the way that only she could. She looked carefully at him, noting the strain around his eyes, the way his lips were smacked hard against each other. Something was wrong here she thought worriedly, something more that a missing child.
"You had damn well better, a child's life hangs by your so called genius" Gibbs shot back, coming to stand close to Abby, anger radiating from him in waves. "I want results Abby and I want them now" Gibbs murmured close to her ear, his tone vicious. With that he turned and walked out of the room without a backwards glance. Abby stood there silently, the evidence bag she had been holding throughout the exchange clutched in her hand as she stared at this new side of Gibbs.
