Chapter 12 - On the Lam

Trisha lay on her bed, thinking things over in her head. She had locked herself in her room for the last six hours and still had no intention of coming out. She was in the middle of writing a letter, but this time it wasn't for Rochelle. This particular one was addressed to Gibbs.

Gibbs had come to the door twice; the first time he had apologized quietly and pleaded with her to open the door, but Trisha hadn't complied. The second time he brought her a sandwich on a plate and set it down outside her room, hoping that she would get hungry and at least come out for some food. He was disappointed when he checked back an hour later to find the door still shut tight and the sandwich untouched. Gibbs went to his living room and paced back and forth from the hallway to the window. Eventually he laid down on the couch. He covered his eyes with his arm and sighed.

Kate hated seeing Gibbs like this. She wanted nothing more than to be able to make everything right again. She knelt down beside the couch and put her head on Gibbs' chest as her hand began playing with the silver tuft of hair that peeked out from his unbuttoned polo.

He lifted his arm off of his head and set it around Kate's shoulders. "I didn't think it was going to be this hard," he murmured. Gibbs sat up and pulled her onto the couch next to him.

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Yes you did, Gibbs. I specifically remember you telling me that it wasn't going to be easy, but you were willing to make changes for Trisha. Are you still willing to make those changes?" She took his hand and squeezed it.

Gibbs turned his head and looked into Kate's eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes to make that kid happy again. I just wish…" his voice trailed off as he searched for words. "I just wish I knew what the hell I was doing. I had her trust and then I broke it, and as far as I know she still hates my guts. What if she doesn't forgive me?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"She will. Believe me, Jethro." Kate sighed as she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing midnight. "Listen, I need to go grab some things from my apartment. I'll be right back after that, ok?" she asked as she got up to leave. She got her keys from the kitchen table and walked back to Gibbs, who had laid back down on the couch. She planted a kiss on his forehead and turned to leave when she felt a hand grab her wrist.

Gibbs stood up and pulled Kate around to face him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him. "You know how much you mean to me, right?" he asked her earnestly.

Kate smiled back at him and kissed him passionately. When she broke the kiss she answered, "You mean just as much to me." She kissed Gibbs again before she pulled away and walked out the front door.

Gibbs stood at the window and watched Kate get in her car and drive away. He walked back to the hallway to find Trisha's door still shut. He sighed and went back to the living room.

Trisha waited a couple of minutes before she cracked her bedroom door and peeked out. The house was dark; the only light was coming from the living room. Dressed in jeans and a black sweatshirt, she crept into the hallway and made her way to the front of the house to find Gibbs asleep on the couch. Trisha walked and stood next to him. Tears rolled down her face as she placed the letter she had written on his chest. "I'm sorry, Gibbs," she whispered. She kissed his cheek and turned away quickly before she changed her mind. Once Trisha was outside she quickly ran away from Gibbs' house and into the night.

Fifteen minutes later Kate pulled her car to a stop in front of Gibbs' house. She found the front door unlocked and Gibbs still asleep on the couch. Kate noticed the white envelope on his chest but didn't think anything of it. She glanced down the hallway to find Trisha's bedroom door open and figured that Trisha must have finally come out of her room. She began looking around for the girl but was puzzled when she couldn't find her anywhere. Kate went back to the living room to wake up Gibbs.

"Jethro," Kate called gently as she shook Gibbs' shoulder.

Gibbs jolted awake and blinked hard. He found Kate sitting next to him. "Glad you came back," he smiled at her. "I was just resting my eyes for a couple of minutes."

She nodded. "What's that?" Kate asked, pointing to the white envelope. She picked it up and looked at it before handing it back to Gibbs. "It's in Trisha's handwriting and addressed to you. Her bedroom door's open, but she's not in her room, though. What'd you do with her?"

Gibbs ripped open the envelope and took out the letter. He had a bad feeling in his gut. He unfolded the paper and read it out loud to Kate:

Gibbs,

I'm sorry things had to come down to this, but I think it would be best for the both of us if you didn't have to worry about me anymore. I know you didn't mean to hurt me like that, but I just can't deal with this anymore. Maybe I was meant to be a loner.

You and Kate deserve each other, and I know you love her very much. Don't be afraid to tell her so.

Please don't hate Tony forever. He means well, and he needs your guiding hand.

McGee is learning a great deal from you. He'll make an excellent agent one day. Keep scaring the crap out of him.

I left $2.12 on the desk in my… well, your guest room. Abby's next Caf-Pow is on me.

And as for you, Special Agent Gibbs, keep on hunting down the bad guys and protecting the ones who need it. The time I spent with you was the happiest I've been since I lost my family. You're the closest thing to a dad I've had in a long time. Maybe our paths will cross again one day. I'm sorry I told you that I hated you. That's not true; I loved you very much. Still do. And that's why I can't stay with you anymore.

Please don't worry about me. I have some friends in different places that I can stay with until I figure things out.

I'll still be watching over you, just from a distance now.

When he finished reading the letter, Gibbs look over at Kate. He had tears in his eyes.

Kate took out her cell phone and tried to pull it together. She knew she needed to be strong for Gibbs. "What do we do?" she asked. "Should we call the police? The Director? I have Secret Service buddies who owe me favors." Kate scooted closer to Gibbs and placed a hand on his forearm. "Jethro, we'll find her. We'll get the biggest search going in all of history, ok?" She rubbed her hand up and down his arm.

Gibbs shook his head in disagreement as he stood up. "There's no need for that. Call the rest of the team and have them meet us at NCIS. I already know where she's going."

A/N: Finally back from Spring Break. Hope you guys didn't forget what's going on in the story! I actually re-read all the chapters to remind myself where I was going with this. I'm still not sure. I wanted to post an update because I haven't done so in a long time, but my muse is apparently still on vacation, so this is the best I could come up with. Reviews are neat!