It had been a very slow day for both of the deployed NCIS agents but Jethro had been taking a walk around base at 1645 when he finally got a call from DiNozzo, giving the Special Agent in Charge an update on the case.

Jethro quickly checked the time and mentally calculated the time difference. It was 0815 back in D.C. Unfortunately, the connection was less than stellar and he ended up completely missing what DiNozzo had been saying to him. It had only been marginally better when he'd called home that morning. "Say it again. You're breaking up."

"Soraya's little brother," DiNozzo repeated. "We got him."

"He tell you where his sister is?" he inquired.

"Not yet," DiNozzo admitted, "but we're squeezing him."

"Squeeze tighter," Jethro demanded. "I need her. She's the best hope we have of -" He had just lost the connection. "DiNozzo." Not getting any response, his suspicions were confirmed. The call had been dropped. He roughly closed his phone. "Dammit"

Jethro looked over to see a female Marine unloading one of the humvees and sighed, finding himself pulled into his thoughts.

Jethro walked over to where PFC Matteson was busy working away on the engine of a humvee, coming to a stop with his hands behind his back. "Hey, Matteson."

She glanced up at him. "I thought everyone was going to the E Club."

"They are," he confirmed. "Thought I'd get out instead. You want me to take a look?"

"No," she replied pointedly. "But you can start the engine. Make yourself useful."

Jethro did as requested and wasn't all that surprised when whatever she had done had decidedly not worked. He turned to her. "You sure you don't want me to..."

"Again," she demanded.

Jethro did as requested and this time the engine started running perfectly. Impressive. Matteson smirked at him as Jethro made his way over to where she was standing. "You know, I really should know better by now."

"Yes," she replied proudly, "you should."

"I'm headed to Pendleton soon," he informed her. Jethro had, actually, just found out earlier that day that he was being assigned to Camp Pendleton in fairly short order as his new Permanent Duty Station. "I heard maybe you're going there too."

"Okinawa," she said with a touch of regret. "Next week."

"Wow, Japan." PFC Matteson was likely going to be stationed overseas at Camp Smedley D. Butler for at least three years, same with Jethro at Camp Pendleton. The chances of the two of them actually getting to see each other again weren't exactly on their side. "Well, good luck over there."

Jethro started to walk away and she got his attention.

She eyed him intently. "You know, Gibbs... if you ever find yourself in Japan... or even if you don't... I'll always be around. Give me a call."

"I'd like that," Jethro replied earnestly. He was going to miss her.

Ziva walked up and broke up Jethro's reverie. "The girls, Gibbs. Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" he questioned. He pulled out his cell. "I had Tony. I lost him."

Ziva smiled earnestly and tilted her head towards a humvee that was now pulling into base. "The girls Flores saved - they are here."

As the girls stepped out, Ziva's face immediately fell. One had her eyes covered with a blindfold and had to be led around and the other looked like she'd been burned. They were both dirty and has no shoes. The youngest was holding a teddy bear. He tried to keep a neutral expression, but his heart was breaking just as he knew Ziva's was.

He and Ziva quickly headed into the field hospital a few tents down where both of the little girls began receiving medical attention from one of the corpsmen.

"Girls are both orphans," Captain Quincy said. "Parents were killed by insurgents."

"What are their ages?" he asked.

"Ten and thirteen," the captain said. "Already been through more than anyone should in a lifetime. Hot grease was thrown in the older one's face. The other one's covered in cigarette burns." How could anyone do that? They're just kids. Jethro would never get how anybody could torture children. "Their names are Kinah and Lala."

Ziva kneeled in front of both little girls and introduced both Jethro and herself in Pashto, Jethro being much more familiar with Arabic than Pashto.

"We need to ask you some questions," Ziva told both of the girls in English, being very intentional about enunciating her words clearly. "Do you remember Lieutenant Flores?" The girls both instantly shook their heads. "Gabriela?" Both kids shook their heads yet again in the negative. "Gabby?"

This time both girls smiled, eyes immediately lighting up.

The youngest, Lala, spoke first. "Gabby! Yes."

"She still there," the older girl, Kinah, said.

"You go bring?" Lala asked hopefully. We're trying to, Kid. We're trying.

"Gabby," Ziva pressed. "Gabby, she's still alive?"

The youngest girl whispered into the older one's left ear. Kinah then helped and told them what Lala wanted to tell say. "They're not... done yet."

Jethro leaned into Captain Quincy and spoke softly. "Notify the commandant. Tell him we're a go. Flores could still be alive."

"That's very good," Ziva praised the girls.

Jethro got down to both girls' level, trying to give them a reassuring smile. He gently took Kinah's hand and continued to give Lala a reassuring look. "You know that you're both safe here. Can you tell us about Gabby?"

"They hurt her," Kinah said sadly.

"No cry," Lala added.

"Do you remember anything about where these people took you?" Ziva asked.

Lala made a funny face.

"It smelled bad?" Ziva said, making a matching face.

Lala nodded her head in the affirmative.

"Like what?" Ziva asked.

Lala struggled to find the word for a moment. "Vroom, vroom!"

He eyed Ziva. "Car."

Lala nodded and lifted her foot to show them the bottom of it. "And ground, it was black."

Jethro easily recognized the substance on Lala's foot. "Oil."

Both girls repeated the word eagerly after him.

Jethro turned to Ziva. "Ziva, we need a sample. And then you get them anything they want." Ziva nodded and Jethro turned to the children and kissed them both on the top of the head. He eyed them. "You never stop smiling, okay?"

Both little girls smiled and nodded.

Jethro seriously hoped that Abby would be able to trace that oil sample and help them find Flores. These girls had already been through so much and he didn't want to have to tell them that someone they clearly looked up to was dead.

God, cases with kids were always the worst. They just hit differently.