Gibbs scrubbed a shaky hand across his scruffy face. Another dead end. His attempt at getting Intel had turned up empty. It had been a long shot anyway. Eve had been his last ditch effort. Eve. He didn't even know her last name, but she'd promised to help him if he ever needed her. He'd done her a favour, saved her life in fact, and she always repaid her favours. She'd given him a card and told him to use it if he needed her. Of course, her idea of a favour wasn't his idea, much to her disappointment. Eve knew the comings and goings of the underground and was always glad to help him when she could. Knowing a child was involved had piqued her attention further but in the end, she'd no leads, no information, nothing whatsoever to help him. She promised to keep her eyes and ears to the ground and let him know if she heard anything. Gibbs wouldn't hold his breath. The underground was insidious. Eve needed to protect herself as well. Helping cops could get her targeted. He didn't want her blood on his hands either and he told her as much.

Gibbs returned to his car feeling more downtrodden and desperate than he'd felt in a long time. He didn't like feeling helpless and he was most definitely helpless now. He was no further ahead than he had been 24 hours ago. He had nothing! He got into the car and pounded the steering wheel in angry frustration. He'd had enough. He was going to talk face to face with Brody even if he had to break the son of a bitch out of prison to do it.

"Another dead end, Boss?"

Gibbs didn't respond but continued staring straight ahead, fuming and brooding and worrying.

"So, now what? What are we going to do now?"

"I want you to tell your father to go to hell," muttered Gibbs.

Tony's face paled, taken aback once more by Gibbs insistence on harping on the situation concerning Senior. "I said I would handle things, Gibbs."

Gibbs didn't look at him. "Yah, I know you did but there is no time like the present, DiNozzo."

Tony narrowed his eyes at his boss, understanding perfectly what Gibbs was up to. "I can take a hint, you know. I know you want me to leave but I'm not..."

"I want you to deal with your business!" snapped Gibbs.

"Forget it! Senior can wait. I'm not walking away so you can do something reckless. Aimee needs you in one piece."

Gibbs tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I am not asking your permission, DiNozzo. Get your ass out of my car. Call McGee and get him to pick you up. Go talk to your father and set him straight."

Tony stubbornly crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving you like this..."

"Like what?"

"You're out of your mind…"

Gibbs' hand shot out so fast that Tony never saw it coming until his head rocketed forward, nearly smacking into the dashboard.

Tony grimaced and cried out, grasping the back of his head to rub out the sting.

"I said I'm not asking."

Tony closed his eyes for a moment, biting his tongue to recover from the head smack. It stung more than usual. Gibbs wasn't fooling around in any sense of the word.

"Boss…"

Gibbs' phone rang loudly interrupting Tony's protest. Gibbs groaned and checked the number on the screen. He closed his eyes for a long-suffering moment, debating on if he would answer it. Jenny would only contact him if it was something important. She wasn't one to waste his time unlike Abby, who was known for calling him just to say hi or to tell him about her latest bowling score with the Sisters.

"Gibbs," he groused. If he was going to answer, he was going to let Jenn know he was in no mood for idle conversation.

"We can't find Makayla anywhere, Jethro. We've searched the building high and low. She's nowhere to be found." Gibb's eyes widened in concern. It wasn't very often he heard that frightened tone of Jenn's voice. Jenny Shephard was not one to be shaken easily. She was a rock under the worst of circumstances. Gibbs knew that feeling of helpless fear. Children pulled the rug out from under his feet as well.

"Calm down, Jenn. She couldn't have gone far. What the hell is going on? I thought she was with Abby."

"She took off. We've been searching the building and surrounding area for the past hour. She's vanished into thin air."

Gibbs rubbed his temple, his temper bubbling to the surface. Where would the teenager go? Would she be stupid enough to try and find Aimee herself? Or did she have her own self-centred agenda no one knew about? Gibbs didn't know. All he did know was the kid's timing couldn't have been worse. Just what he needed: another damned kid to worry about.

"Put out an APB and a BOLO on her. DiNozzo and I are on our way back to NCIS."

There was a long pause from the other end of the line. Gibbs knew that he didn't have to tell Jenny how to proceed. That wasn't what she needed from him right now. But he didn't think he could give her what she needed either because he had almost reached his own limits. He didn't have any answers, and he'd nearly surpassed being able to hold himself together in his worry about Aimee. He didn't think he had much more left to give.

"It's going to be okay, Jenn. Mak is an intelligent kid. She's not going to do anything stupid."

"I know she's a smart kid, but she's..." Jenny let the rest of the sentence hang in the air. The waver in her voice wasn't something he heard from her very often. Makayla's disappearance had shaken Jenny to her core. Stabbing pain rippled through Gibbs' stomach. The stupid kid had gotten under his skin as well and he fully planned to throttle her when he got his hands on her, no matter how much Jenny protested. "What do I say to Julia?"

"Nothing. Geez, Jenn, she's been gone for what? An hour? She couldn't have gone far…hell, she could be in the head…

"She's not in the damned bathroom, Jethro!" snapped Jenny.

Gibbs cringed. It was a stupid thing for him to say. Jenny wouldn't have called him if she hadn't already exhausted all her options first. "She couldn't have gotten far. Have McGee check the bus, train and airport…"

"He's already checked," she said dryly.

Gibbs grimaced and mentally kicked himself for putting his foot in his mouth. Jenny knew protocol as well as he did. Hell, she was the director of NCIS. He couldn't help himself. He took charge. It was just what he did. He was used to fixing things. He hated when he couldn't fix things. He knew he didn't need to tell her procedure. She wasn't looking for that.

"You don't need to tell Julia anything yet." His voice was soft. "I'm on my way, Jenn. We'll find her."

"I'm scared, Jethro." There it was. Jenn admitted it. She was being candid with him.

He nodded in response knowing she couldn't see it. He was scared too. Hell, he was petrified. His daughter had been missing for over 24 hours and he had clues whatsoever. And what was he doing about it? Sitting in his damned car trying to get his protégé to leave him alone so he could do something moronic. Gibbs tossed Tony an apologetic look and ran a hand through his silvery grey hair. He had known fear on many occasions in his life but there was no other fear quite like helpless fear.

"So, am I, Jenn," whispered Gibbs and he hung up, tossing his cell into the back seat. Jenny would forgive him. She would understand that he had nothing left.

"You, ok, Boss?" asked Tony, looking intently at him.

Gibbs shook his head. "No. No, I'm not."

Tony opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then closed it again and faced forward, staring out the front window. What could be said? There were no pleasantries that could be said to give relief. The situation couldn't even be classified on some kind of grade scale. Sometimes there were no words. Sometimes things were just that messed up.

Gibbs felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest, almost taking his breath away. The fear was invading. He couldn't allow it to overpower him. Helpless did not mean hopeless. He started the ignition and drove.

xXx—NCIS—xXx

Aimee shivered in the cold wind and hugged herself closely as she braved the brisk, early November weather. She pulled the black jacket closer to her body, trying not to feel guilty for taking it from the marine. She'd promised herself that she'd find a way to repay him for stealing it. Gibbs would be able to find the man. With all the high tech that MTAC had, it would be a cinch. She felt sure of it but her conscience still nagged at her. She kept her head down as she walked, hoping…wishing that whoever was going to come after her would get it over with. How long did she need to wait to be found? Brody had told her where to go…told her to get out in the open but she was freezing and she was hungry. A part of her wished she hadn't left the warmth of the room Riley had shared with her. But when Riley had fallen asleep, she'd forced herself to leave. It was the only way. The man had been kind to her, even to the point of sharing what little food he had. She'd listened to him ramble for a long time before he fell asleep. She hadn't understood much of what he'd told her. She kinda figured that he knew she wouldn't which was why he felt so safe talking to her. Aimee kept walking briskly with her head down lost in her own thoughts, not realizing that she'd walked out into the middle of an intersection. The sound of squealing tires startled her and she looked up to see a black car swerving to avoid hitting her. Aimee froze in terrified horror. Her eyes widened when she thought she recognized the driver. Gibbs? Had Gibbs found her? She crumbled to the ground, all but disappearing into the black jacket and trembling all over.

xXx—NCIS—xXx

"Look out for that kid!" shouted Tony.

His reflexes kicked in before Gibbs even had a chance to process what was happening. He caught sight of something and slammed on the breaks, swerving the car hard enough to spin it 180 degrees. The sound of squealing tires echoed in his ears and his heart leapt to his throat. What the hell was some kid doing in the middle of the road? The car came to a complete stop and before he could gain his wits about him, Tony bolted from the car towards the kid. Gibbs felt his blood run cold when he saw the child lying on the ground. Oh, Gawd! He hadn't hit the kid, had he?

Gibbs raced from the car and headed after Tony. He was completely taken by surprise when a figure came out of the shadows and jumped Tony from behind. A perpetrator of medium build and height, dressed in marine fatigues knocked Tony to the ground, rolling him over and throwing punches at his face. Gibbs felt for his weapon and ran towards them.

"Freeze!" shouted Gibbs, training his sidearm on the troublemaker.

The man stopped mid punch and looked up at Gibbs with a wild look in his eye.

"Put your hands up where I can see them!" ordered Gibbs firmly.

The guy lifted his hands over his head, palms out in a sign of surrender. "Don't shoot," he pleaded looking slightly taken aback.

Tony shoved the perp off him and got to his feet, knocking his attacker to the ground. Pulling out his own weapon, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared down at him. The guy's skin was hidden behind layers of grime and his hair hung as a greasy, tangled mop of brown but the familiar marine fatigues made him stand out. Gibbs stifled a gasp when he realised that the guy was not much more than a kid. How many more kids was he going to get mixed up with?

"Who are you and why the hell did you jump me?" demanded Tony, finding his voice and casting Gibbs a notable look of appreciation for having his back.

The young marine kept his hands up as he manoeuvered himself to his knees. "My name's Riley. I thought you'd hurt that kid…"

Damn it! The kid. Distracted by the altercation, Gibbs had forgotten about the small child. He quickly scanned the area but came up empty. The kid must have run off during the scuffle. A measure of relief washed over him, knowing the youngster hadn't been injured too badly to take off on his or her own steam, or at least he hoped that was true. The last thing he needed was the guilt of hitting some little kid with his car.

"Is he yours?" asked Gibbs, pretty much knowing the answer before he asked. The young man in front of him wasn't much older than 18 if that.

The man shook his head. "She's a girl and no, but I rescued her from the street. She was half frozen to death."

The fine hairs on the back of Gibbs' neck stood on end. A girl? Aimee.

"Blond girl? About 9 years old? Blue eyes?"

Riley licked his dry lips and nodded. Gibbs' eyes darkened dangerously. "What were you going to do with her?"

Riley scurried backward on his knees in an attempt to distance himself from Gibbs' menacing glare. "Nothing! I swear! I just wanted to help her. I gave her some food and was gonna take her to the police in the morning. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up she was gone. I panicked when I saw you two guys after her." explained the marine, his words coming out in such a rush that much of it was garbled and blended together, making it difficult for Gibbs to make out.

Tony dropped his weapon to his side, pulling in a harsh breath as his heart rate settled once more. He exchanged a look with Gibbs.

"Do you think it was Aimee?"

Gibbs jaw tightened and nodded. "Maybe, yah."

Riley sat back on his haunches, his dark eyes filled with concern. "Who's Aimee?"

"DiNozzo, search the perimeter and call it in."

Tony tucked his sidearm away and walked over to stand beside Gibbs. His heart rate had returned to normal but his face ached from the punches thrown at him. Tony wiggled his jaw back and forth seeing if it was still intact.

"You okay?" asked Gibbs

Tony nodded and rushed off towards the side building, pulling out his phone.

Gibbs kept his gun trained on the young marine who by the looks of his tattered and filthy uniform was in enough trouble of his own. He was young…too damned young in Gibbs' opinion…more like a boy than a man. He eyed the kid sternly and used his free hand to pull out his ID. He flipped it open, displaying it for the kid to see. Riley seemed to wither, and he muttered something under his breath. It didn't take much for Gibbs to figure out all he needed to know about the kid. Whoever Riley was, he was definitely in some sort of trouble. Riley dropped his head to his chest as a defeated expression washed over him.

"How old are you, Private?" Gibbs' voice took on his former Gunnery Sergeant intonation. He noticed how the young man's head immediately jerked to attention.

"18, Sir." The teen rose to his feet slowly, his hands still up and palms forward, assuming a stance at attention. His eyes stared straight ahead and he set one hand on his brow to salute Gibbs.

Gibbs sucked in a harsh breath. His suspicions had been correct. The kid was barely of age, probably a hair's breadth out of high school. He dropped his weapon and replaced in its holster.

"At ease, Private." Riley dropped his hands to his side and made eye contact with Gibbs.

"You're NCIS, Sir?"

Gibbs nodded, continuing to stare the kid down. "You look like you're in some kind of trouble, Private."

"Yes, Sir, uh, I mean no, Sir." said the young man, dropping his dark eyes to his dirty shoes.

Gibbs nodded. It wasn't his business if the kid was AWOL or running away. He was willing to offer his help to any kid in need…even an enlisted one. He knew well that many kids were forced to enlist by overbearing fathers thinking their kids needed the discipline the military provided. While it might have been understandable, Gibbs didn't agree with it at all.

"Which is it, Private?"

The young marine squirmed under Gibbs' scrutiny.

Gibbs heaved a loud sigh. "Aimee is my daughter and she's in a lot of danger. Did she say anything to you? Anything at all that might help us find her?"

Riley shook his head. "She wouldn't tell me…I swear I was going to take her to the police in the morning, sir. I wasn't going to hurt her." The earnest look on Riley's face told Gibbs the young man was telling the truth.

"C'mon, I'll take you back to NCIS, and we'll see what we can do to get you some help. Whether you agree or not, you need it."

Riley took a few steps back. "No!"

Gibbs' hands went to his hips without thinking. "You look like you haven't had anything to eat in days, kid…"

"I'm not a kid! I'm a U.S marine, and I don't need your help!" Riley's eyes flashed in anger. Gibbs recognised the anger for what it was: fear. He'd seen that look on marine's faces before. Riley was afraid of someone or something.

"Relax, Riley," Gibbs softened his voice, his hard-assed sergeant gunnery impression melting away. "There are times in life when everyone needs a little help. There is no shame in it."

Gibbs glanced over the young marine's head to see Tony come out into the clearing. It was getting dark and Gibbs distance vision wasn't as good as it used to be but he saw his young agent shake his head. Whoever the little girl was, she was gone now. Any hope Gibbs had been clinging too faded away in an instant.

"I can't force you to come with me," began Gibbs, reaching into his pocket for his card and handing it to Riley. "If you change your mind, give me a call. I can't promise to make your troubles go away but I'm willing to help you if you need. Semper Fi."

Riley's eyes widened as he took the card and looked at it. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. Gibbs nodded and as he returned to his car, he saw Riley disappear into the shadows once again. Tony returned to the car as well and both men got inside. Gibbs cell phone jumped to life in the back seat. As Gibbs began driving, Tony reached around and retrieved the phone, handing it to Gibbs.

"Gibbs."

"Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby's loud, overly excited voice blasted in his ear.

"What is it, Abbs?" Gibbs tried not to allow his displeasure with the Goth to carry out through in his voice. Part of him was irritated that Makayla had gone missing on her watch.

"McGee and I went back to your house and we found some notes in the garbage. It's Makayla's handwriting, Gibbs. We think she might be on her way to New York…"

Gibbs' mind whirled. Why would the teen girl run away to New York?