Disclaimer: I'm treading the water with a little angst, yet I guess you could say that the waters will clear sooner or later.

Gibbs drove the truck very slowly behind his team in which had taken the initiative to ignore. He wouldn't have expected less for the way he had treated Kate, but deep down he was hopping that by some small means he could improve their relationships. It had seemed noticeable from The Director that the team was more and more slowly drifting away from him, it was just now that he fully noticed it and it was the last thing he wanted.

"Come on, get in the truck we'll get there faster," Gibbs said as he rolled down the winter and a handful of flakes drifted into the truck and sprayed all over his silver hair.

"I'd rather get frost bite then be in a truck with a sadistic prick!" Kate said smartly as her, Tony and McGee took a well-known short cut that lead to the main road by taking a path below the bridge.

"Get in the truck that's an order!" He bellowed, getting annoyed at the circumstances. He hit his palm to his forehead when he realized that that wasn't one of his smartest ideas.

"Take that order and shove it Gibbs," Tony said from bellow the bridge. Once they were away from his sight Kate sat down on the curb and the tears came freely, there was nothing she could do to stop them.

Tony set his pack down and brought Kate in his arms and hugged her tightly. While McGee left them some space as he went to go call Abby for a ride.

"Why Tony, why do I let him get to me like that?" she cried hard on his shoulder as the wind picked he hair was blown in her face beneath the red toque she was wearing and the end of her scarf dancing in the window like Tony's.

"You had all the right to do what you did Katie, he kept something vital from you because he thought it would cloud you judgment, but what you have to understand is that Gibbs isn't the best at showing emotions and taking other peoples emotion at heart," He held her tightly as her tears slowly dissipated into hiccups.

"Normally I would understand why he did it Tony but doing something so low as not tell me that my 5 year old niece is in the hands of a kidnapper doesn't really brighten a relationship," She wrapped her arms around his waist and he opened his coat to give them body heat as he enveloped her in his jacket.

"I know Katie," he said as he leaned his head against hers and smoothed down her hair.

He turned towards McGee and spoke to him quietly. "When's Abby on her way?"

"She should be here in less then 2 minutes since she has your car," he said them his lips as well as Kate turned upward.

Kate let out a little giggle as his mouth twitched and eyes widened.

"Sh…she took m...mm...my car!" he muttered in disbelief as he heard to the far right an engine roar down the road.

All their heads turned towards the sound and Tony's face dropped as the once blurry form turned out to be his red 93' mustang that came careening down the speedway and came to a screeching halt in front of them.

A girl in gothic clothing made her way by scuffling towards Kate who was still in Tony's arms.

"Oh Kate what's wrong? Did Tony do something again? He went through your purse again didn't he I told him yesterday that he shouldn't but I never thought he would do it again," she said apparently not noticing Tony's cut-throat gestures he was giving her.

He could feel Kate stiffen in his hold and he went rigid when he slowly saw her head lift up from his chest.

"It has nothing to do with that Abs but thank you for telling me I'll deal with this little slip up later," she said in a very icy manner as they all got in the car, and with Tony driving her with precious care they made their way to NCIS.

They all got onto the elevator and decided to the course of action they would take to get Kate's niece back.

"I can call the school and figure out the bus route and number," Tony said as he leaned against the door.

"When you find the route I can enter it in the database and locate the transportation by satellite," McGee put in as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and pressed '7'.

"I can look up the bus driver's background and find out a location," Kate added as she peeled off her coat and un-slung her scarf from her neck.

"Don't worry Kate, we'll find Chrissy," Abby said as she hung her arm across Kate's shoulders.

When the elevator stopped at their floor they all got in a line and left the metal box and marched over to their desk and began to work mechanically. Completely unaware of Gibbs and The Director talking in hushed voices above them on the ledge.

"You screwed up big time Jethro," Jenny Shepard said as she laced her hands on the rail and looked down at the Agents doing their jobs in a flurry of energy.

"I realize that Jenny," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes tightly.

"What do you intend to do about it?" she inquired as she rested her hands on her chin and looked at him in a way a mother would to a child she was teaching a lesson to.

"I haven't the slightest idea Jenny, in fact I think what I have done is irreparable," he said lamely as he looked down and watched Kate talk on the phone and write things down on her Palm Pilot then switching to her computer.

"It's not too late to apologize, I know it's not your style, but it really helps, you should try it," she suggested as she made her way down the stairs and joined the Agents in the Bullpen and she listened to them one by one tell her what they had learn so far and what they intended to do next.

"I called the school and requested the files for the bus driver, they're sending the file over by fax, we should be receiving it in a few minutes," Kate said as she scrolled down the web site of the school. "The school's a very prestige private school called 'Honeycomb Elementary', very expensive and a lot of kids in which their parents have a very big expense rate," she finished off as she made her way over to the fax machine directly behind Gibbs's desk and placed her hand behind the printing paper in hopping that this gesture of impatience would hopefully give it the message to speed things up.

"I also phoned the school and found out that the school bus number is 357 and the route is Route 67, McGee's going through the NASA Satellite Program as we speak," Tony finished as he too went over to the fax machine and waited for the paper of all the kids's name that rode that bus.

"I frequented the program and I'm just placing in the coordinates into the software as we speak Madam Director," McGee said as he hit the keys robotically on the keyboard and resumed clicking away on the mouse at the same time.

"I clearly see you have everything under control and there is no need for me to badger you, but there is one matter I mean to discuss with you," she said as she sat at the corner of Kate's desk her ankles and arms crossed.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and all gathered in the middle of them room; Kate with PDA in hand, Tony with papers in his hands and McGee with a headphones meant for communication hanging around his neck.

"A situation was brought up to me by an Agent such as yourselves and I think it would be healthy both personally and professionally if we set it on the back burner and focus on the case," she said as she straightened up and Gibbs walked down the stairs looking at his agents one by one: Kate had an evil sneer over her delicate face, Tony folded his arms over his chest in a matter to say he wasn't impressed and McGee stared at Gibbs walking down the stairs with not too nice scenarios running through his mind.

"Special Agent Gibbs has something he wished to tell you all," Jenny Shepard said as she stepped out of the way to let Gibbs step it.

"You know I'm not the best at apologizing, hell my way of apologizing is a round at the firing range, so please hear me out first then you can fire me back with everything you've got." Gibbs started as he regarded each of his agents one by one. At least they were listening to him, he hadn't expected that much, so he'd take as much as he could get. "I understand your angers against me, hell I would probably be the same way you are, anyway leaving the excuses behind I apologize for my childish and heartless behavior and ask of you a favor, put up with the bastard just a little longer…please," he finished and regarded his team again; this time their expressions softened all except for Kate; for some reason she only seemed to worsen.

McGee approached Gibbs timidly but at the same time his demeanor was greatly mature.

"Black in your coffee?" he asked with a small smile of forgiveness, but still held a little hostile look in his eyes.

Gibbs looked at him in a new way, he was the newest member of the team and he was also the first one to forgive him instead of his older Agents.

"I appreciate it Tim," he said as clapped him on the shoulder as McGee turned towards the elevator to leave for the coffee shop.

Tony turned his head to his right where Kate stood and he could still feel the heat of rage radiating off of her, but the boss man was right this had to go on the back burner for Chrissy's sake. Taking one step at a time he made his way over to Gibbs and lifted his boss's hand and clipped his own head.

"Sometimes you can be a bastard Gibbs, but most of the time you're our friend and friends forgive each other," He squeezed his shoulder briefly and returned to his desk.

Gibbs looked towards Kate almost in a shamed matter as he took the initiative step forward. Once they were nose to nose he sighed and placed carefully placed both his hands on her shoulders.

"I owe you the biggest apology of all Katie, you put your trust in me and I rolled it up in a ball and threw it out the window, for that I am incredibly sorry and understand if it takes you awhile to fully put this behind you, but please let me help you find your niece, please," His voice was low and filled with empathy towards her.

Kate's eyes were shut tight as small tears trailed down her cheeks and sloped down to her lips.

In a swift motion she brought her hand up and slapped Gibbs across the face angrily, from the shock of the gesture Gibbs head turned and his hand went automatically to his cheek where a red imprint was already setting on to his skin.

"You're such a bastard!" she exclaimed as she went over to her desk and scooped up her computer and headed to the elevator in a huff of tears and fury.

"What did I say?" Gibbs hollered at The Director who had her face in her left hand and shaking it from side to side indicating he did something wrong.

"You don't tell the person you owe the biggest apology to put it behind her, you just don't say that, what you did to Kate was inexcusable and the best you could come up with is 'put it behind you'!" she said blown away by the moment, she stood up and veered the corner to head to her office; her head still shaking in a not too impressed demeanor.

Gibbs took a chance to look at Tony was pretending to busy himself by going through the children's files and bringing it up to the big screen behind him and studying it.

Gibbs sighed and ran a hand through his silver hair discouraged.

"Alright DiNozzo just say it, I know you're itching to hit me while I'm down here's your chance," he said in a give up manner.

Tony put down his file and walked over to his boss and stared at him for a bit them resumed what he was doing.

"You can't really expect Kate to fully forgive you Gibbs; it's not in their nature to let something like this slip." He clicked a button on the screen and re-read over the bus driver's background. "Guys will hit each other on the back, go out for a couple of beers and put it all behind them like it was yesterdays NFL game, women on the other take great care in forgiveness, they take their time, moll things over a bit, reconsider the suspects behavior and try and find other things they're faulty for to be even more mad at them, it's what they do," Gibbs looked at him in a blown away manner; for someone who usually spends all his time hunting skirts, he sure had a way to pull the carpet from under your feet at the most unexpected moments.

Gibbs sighed again and flapped his arms to his side in means of saying 'now what?'

"What do you propose I do then?" he asked taking a seat behind his computer.

"Well for starters you can give her some space, just get through the situation at hand and help us find those kids and bring them back to safety, then you can worry about Kate,"

Author's Note: I thought it would be appropriate to make DiNozzo deliver advice in his field of profession to his fearless yet oblivious leader, what did you think, tell me your thoughts; constructive criticism welcomed. R&R -xox-