Readers: Sorry it's been so long since I updated...I have reached my limit of hands LOL Kids, school, winter (IT BETTER END SOON), illnesses and so on have sapped me of energy to write...time passes by so quickly these days...I need to learn to say no to people when they ask me to do stuff...this past weekend, I supervised a youth retreat for 11-13-year-olds. I may never catch up on my sleep, and I was rewarded with a head cold to boot.

Hope you enjoy the update and don't worry, I won't abandon the story...just may be slow going for awhile.

Thanks for all your reviews! They really make me smile.

oh, there have been a lot of glitches in the fanfiction software lately...some writers have been having trouble uploading stories...hopefully this will work for me :)

Gibbs flipped his cell phone closed and dropped it in his pocket. He pinched his nose hard trying to keep his temper in check. Abby had done her best to soften the blow but it hadn't helped much. His jaw clenched so hard, his left ear began to ache in protest. If Makayla had told him this information in the first place, he might have known just a little of what he was dealing with. Damn it, why did teenagers have to be so friggin spiteful and combative, he thought as he clenched his fists and worked hard to simmer himself down. His gut had already berated him about Brody being somehow involved and now Makayla's Intel had just cinched the deal. In his mind anyway. As much as he didn't think anything the teenager had finally admitted meant much in the grand scale of things now, he still wished she would have confided in him sooner. Gibbs knew that Makayla and he would need to talk sooner than later. He needed to hear what she knew in detail himself plus Abby had hinted that the teen girl was still upset with him about his earlier demonstration of authority. While Gibbs didn't regret his decisions, he wanted to make sure the two of them were amicable. Jenn would be none too pleased with him if he had scarred the kid; however, he also knew that Jenn was under no mistaken assumptions. What he did was pretty much already written on the wall when he asked her if she trusted him. Jenn knew him well enough to guess what he'd do, and he was as predictable as all hell when it came to kids even if he didn't know what he was doing. Anyone that knew him at all knew he was as old school as old school could be. Hell, Gibbs was as old as the chalk dust on the old school boards and born older than dirt.

"Boss."

Gibbs looked up to see Tony holding what looked like a child's blue jeans in his glove covered hands. Gibbs winced and swallowed hard when he recognised the pink camo patches on the knees. He might not have been very savvy with a sewing machine but he was damned good with iron-on patches. He knew his handiwork when he saw it.

"Aimee's," he found himself muttering softly.

Gibbs and Tony had followed the coordinates that Riley had given them to some old vacant warehouses outside of town, close to the docks on the darker, seedier side of DC. Anytime they'd been in this neck of the woods, it had never been good. Of course, when they arrived, the place was vacant completely other than some empty food cartons and Aimee's pants. Gibbs felt his heart skip a beat as his mind wandered in a very bad direction. He took the pants from DiNozzo and shivered.

"Find anything else?"

Tony's face was pale in the dark light of the room they stood in. "No, Boss."

Gibbs held the pants feeling the dampness. He held the pants to his nose, a strange thing to do but he had his suspicions and he usually followed his instincts. He grimaced and pulled them away. The strong odour of urine filled his senses and he had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep the bile from rising in his throat.

Tony scowled in sympathy. "McGee and Ziva are on their way, along with some other agents, Boss. We'll scour the place as thoroughly as possible."

Gibbs nodded. He knew they would. He tossed the pants on the broken down table in the centre of the room. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the perimeter. Aimee had been held captive in this room and his gut told him she would have made her mark somewhere. The kid would know they were looking for her and Aimee was more like him then he wanted to admit. That meant they thought alike. The question wasn't if she left a clue, the question was what and how.

"What are you looking for, Boss?" asked Tony curiously as he watched Gibbs scanning the room around him.

"Not sure, DiNozzo but I'll know it when I see it."

Tony frowned but didn't press the man further. Instead, he stood beside Gibbs and followed his lead, searching for something. Gibbs narrowed his eyes, scanning the entire room before moving to the farthest corner of the room and running his hands along the jagged, beaten down walls. The room must have stored wooden pallets at one time because the walls were filled with wooden splinters. Gibbs carefully inspected the corner, stopping when something shiny caught his eye. He pulled his penknife out of his pocket and poked determinedly at the spot. Sure enough, something tumbled out and scattered across the floor. Tony leaned down and picked it up, holding it up for Gibbs to see.

"It's a ring."

Gibbs returned his knife to his pocket and scowled. He'd never seen Aimee wear a ring before. She didn't seem like the type to like girly things like jewelry. Gibbs took the ring in his hands and looked at it closely, looking for something else. It looked like a man's pinky ring. Far too big for a child.

"Is it Aimee's?" prodded Tony, hoping Gibbs would let him in on his thoughts. Gibbs was always good at keeping his thoughts to himself and it often drove the younger man to distraction.

"No, I don't think so, but I think I might know who it belongs to."

Tony frowned. "Who?"

Gibbs held up his hand and slipped the ring on his baby finger.

"Pinky ring?"

Gibbs nodded. "Engineer's ring and my money says it belongs to Riley."

"Boss, the kid's barely 18 years old. No way he'd have an engineer's ring and besides, isn't that a Canadian thing?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I forget sometimes you're just a kid yourself, DiNozzo. Engineers in the States have worn them since 1970 and no, it wouldn't be Riley's personally but perhaps his old man's?"

Tony scratched his head. "Possibly."

Gibbs fingered the ring thoughtfully. "I'm heading back to the bullpen. Keep me up to date if you find anything."

"Gonna talk with Riley?"

"I more have my sights on Fornell."

Tony's mouth formed a silent 'oh' as Gibbs left the room.

xXx—NCIS—xXx

Gibbs entered the bullpen deep in thought. He sat at his desk, locking his sidearm and credentials in his desk drawer out of habit. He leaned his elbows on his desk and rested his head in his hands, massaging his temples. Just about everything ached: his head, his knees, and his heart. And he was second guessing everything in his life, his ability to be a lead agent, his gut instincts, and his parenting competence…his very sanity even.

"Mr. Gibbs!" A small cheerful voice rang out in the bullpen and Gibbs looked up to see Janessa come bounding up to him, leaping into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck so tightly that it surprised him and worried him at the same time. The little pink cast on her arm reminded him of how close she had come to being seriously hurt. Gibbs couldn't help but smile when he saw all the signatures on the cast. The blond headed imp in his arms was too cute to resist around NCIS. He enveloped her in a tight embrace and stroked the back of her soft blonde hair affectionately. She was a breath of fresh air to be sure.

"Any news, Jethro?"

Gibbs bit the inside of his lip as he forced his head to clear enough to face his father who limped into the bullpen minutes after Janessa. His eyes made contact with the older man and he subtly shook his head. He did not want to discuss this in front of Janessa. He hoped the old man got the hint so he didn't need to make it audible. Gibbs kissed the small, squirming entity on his lap. So much had happened since he'd last held her in his arms. Suddenly he felt extremely thankful that Abby had contacted Jack. It made life a whole hell of a lot simpler for him knowing that Janessa was in good hands.

Gibbs peeled the child's small arms from his neck and he took a close look at her. She looked good…pink-cheeked and sparkly eyes. He lifted his eyes briefly to the ceiling, giving thanks to whoever was in charge of the world for the small girl's resiliency and sweet innocence. Janessa's age coupled with her wild and creative imagination engulfed her in a wonderful safety net.

"What have you and Papa Jack been doing?"

The little girl's eyes sparkled as she squirmed in his arms. "I'm gonna goes to the zoo today, Mr. Gibbs. I'm gonna see monkeys and elfalumps."

Gibbs laughed. "Elfalumps? Don't you mean elephants?"

Janessa shook her head adamantly. "No, not elephants. Elfalumps…you know, like what Pooh Bear and Piglet are scaret of." Her eyes got very big as she spoke. "I hope there aren't any woozles because they're lots scarier than elfalumps."

Gibbs looked at his father who shrugged. Gibbs scratched his head trying to clear the cobwebs enough to figure out what his young daughter was trying to communicate.

Janessa squirmed some more and escaped his arms. She put her hands up to her ears and waved them around as she began to sing a song. "An elfalump or woozle is very confusel. The elfalump or woosel is very sly- sly - sly – sly. They come in ones and twoosels but if they so choosels before your eyes you'll see them multiply- pie-pie-pie."

Gibbs and his dad both couldn't help laughing at the small girl's antics. Gibbs stood up and scooped the little girl up in his arms, planting a kiss on her head.

"It's Heffalump, silly goose, not elfalump and a Heffalump is an elephant. Piglet and Pooh have wild imaginations just like you!" He tickled her as she shrieked.

"She misses you, Leroy, "commented Jackson, giving Gibbs a knowing look.

Gibbs nodded. He missed her too. He was beyond grateful that his dad was with Janessa in his absence. It was easy to see the comfortable relationship the two had with one another. Janessa was in good hands.

"When is Aimee coming home, daddy?"

Gibbs' breath caught in his throat. Janessa was a bright child and she deserved an answer to her question. He looked at her big blue eyes, wide with wonderment. He balanced her on his hip for a moment and then sat her on his desk.

"We still haven't found her yet, Ness," he said gently.

Janessa's eyes filled with tears. "But she's been losted for a long time. How come you can't find her?"

Gibbs' heart skipped a beat in his chest. He had the same concern and question. The longer Aimee was missing, the closer they were to losing her forever. Possibly the girl's only saving grace right now was how valuable she was to Brody. Brody had a lot of connections in the FBI, probably more than anyone knew. He might have been in jail, under lock and key but Gibbs was under no false assumptions, Brody was connected and he was dangerous.

"Tony, Tim and Ziva are out collecting clues right now, sweetheart. We're going to find her. Don't you worry." Gibbs brushed a rolling tear from her pink cheek with his thumb and kissed her little brow. "Now, when are you and Papa Jack going to the zoo?"

Janessa's bottom lip quivered, not being so easily sidetracked. "Aimee likes the zoo too, Mr. Gibbs."

"I know she does, Ness, and we'll make sure she gets a chance to visit the Heffalumps when she gets home."

Gibbs looked closer at Janessa, seeing the dark circles under her blue eyes. The small child had become so good at bouncing back from the trauma that he often took her for granted. Aimee was the one who gave him his most difficulties and Janessa was often overshadowed. Janessa rubbed at her eyes and sniffled; her small hands were trembling a little as she heaved a loud sigh. She looked worn. They all looked worn. Gibbs looked at his father and could see the weariness in his face as well. Things were complicated and a huge massive feeling of foreboding hovered in the air wherever they went. There was no escape from it. Gibbs wrapped Janessa in a tight embrace and she melted into it.

"I miss her," whispered the little girl, her voice muffled in Gibbs dress jacket.

Jackson cleared his throat. "Well, if we don't get going, we'll end up standing in line for tickets. C'mon, Janessa, let's go to the zoo."

Janessa clung to Gibbs and shook her head. "I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here." She pushed Gibbs away and looked up at him with her teary blue eyes. "I'm gonna help you find Aimee!"

Gibbs saw a determination set into her features. He'd learned over time to read Aimee and Janessa's body language. Aimee tended to be harder to read but Janessa was more of an open book.

"Your daddy won't be able to do his job, Nessie, if he's worried about you," said Jackson, attempting to sidetrack Janessa and pull her into his arms. Janessa stiffened and shrieked when he touched her. Gibbs clenched his jaw tightly as he threw his dad a knowing look. Gibbs wasn't the least bit surprised by her actions. Janessa deserved her time to have a meltdown. Big feelings weren't always convenient. Gibbs scooped the small girl up into his arms and hugged her some more. He understood. Janessa wasn't trying to be difficult.

"It's okay, dad. She can stay with me for a bit. Why don't you go take a break, get a coffee and come back in an hour?"

Jackson nodded and reached out to rub the small child's back. He planted a kiss on the back of her head. "Take care of your daddy, honey."

Janessa rested her head on Gibbs' shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth as they both watched Jackson limp away. Gibbs cuddled the small girl and rubbed her back lovingly.

"I miss you too, Ness." Gibbs tightened his embrace and he felt Janessa body relax in his arms, some of her earlier tension melting away. He walked over to his desk and sat down, straddling her legs over his so he could see her face. He pulled her thumb from her mouth and smiled at her.

"Is Papa Jack feeding you good?"

Janessa licked her lips and went to put her thumb in her mouth again but Gibbs stopped her. Janessa smirked as she yanked her hand away and managed to pop her thumb back into her mouth.

Gibbs smiled at her and sighed. "You're a monkey. You know that?" Janessa giggled, the remnant of tears still shimmering in her eyes. Gibbs poked her nose making her giggle more.

"How's your arm? Does it hurt anymore?"

"Nope," said Janessa with her thumb still in her mouth.

Gibbs held up her casted arm, reading the names on it. "Agent St. Claire? How'd you manage to get him to sign your cast? He is the grumpiest old codger in the whole building, even grumpier than me and that's saying a lot."

Janessa shrugged. "You're not grumpy all the time, and Mr. Sintclair likes me."

Gibbs laughed. Everyone liked the little munchkin; that was for sure and for certain. Gibbs pulled her thumb out of her mouth again. "Stop doing that. It'll make your teeth grow crooked."

"Mr. Gibbs, can we get Aimee and go to the zoo today?" she said, ignoring the words she had heard him say time and time again. Her little brow suddenly furrowed.

Gibbs frowned. "I know all of this is hard for you to understand, Ness, but we're working hard to find Aimee. Today, you'll have to go to the zoo with Papa Jack without me and Aimee but when your sister is home, I promise I will take you, okay?"

Without warning, Janessa threw her body backward, letting out a loud shriek of protest. On reflex, Gibbs managed to keep her from flipping backward on the floor. Janessa had picked up a habit of doing this lately and it concerned Gibbs that one day he was going to be caught off his guard and drop her. Gibbs hugged her to his chest lovingly, trying to calm her angry cries. He couldn't even imagine what it was like to be five years old and trying to understand things. He was a grown man and he had a hard time wrapping his head around everything.

"Aww, Nessie bear, it's going to be okay," he murmured into her ear softly as she succumbed to her sobs in his arms. This time he didn't stop her when her thumb found its way to her mouth. Any comfort was good comfort at this point.

xXx—NCIS—xXx

Gibbs poured himself another coffee and sat down across from Fornell in Director Shepard's office. Jenn was in meetings all afternoon off-site and her office was the best place for quiet, private conversation.

"I don't know anything else, Jethro."

Gibbs took a long drink from his mug and set it down with a thud. Fornell jumped in spite of himself. Tobias Fornell and Gibbs had been friends for a very long time. They knew one another's tells. Gibbs had reached his limit.

"There is no way in hell Brody can have anything to do with this, Jethro. It's impossible."

Gibbs shook his head. "Makayla said she distinctly heard Aimee talking to Brody…"

"I don't care what she thinks she heard, Jethro. I'm telling you it's impossible. The man can't even take a dump unless he's monitored."

"Why can't I talk to him?"

Now it was Fornell's turn to sigh in irritation. They had been playing the same monkey and weasel game ever since Jackson Gibbs had managed to pry Janessa from Gibbs' neck an hour ago. Gibbs had been distracted and not on his game ever since and kept demanding the same information.

"Because we both know you don't want to talk to him, Jethro."

Gibbs sighed loudly. He couldn't deny it. A few unsupervised minutes with Brody would be the last.

"Who is the kid?"

"Jenn's niece."

"How do you know she's not feeding you a line?"

"Why would she do that?"

"Why'd you have to chase her and drag her back to NCIS?"

Gibbs looked surprised.

"Abby told me…" began Fornell, answering Gibbs' question before he could articulate it. "Where is this kid anyway? I wouldn't mind asking her a few questions myself."

"She's moving some boxes for me…"

Fornell smirked. "What she do?"

Gibbs stood to his feet. "It's complicated. Give me your word that Brody isn't orchestrating this and I'll let it drop. DiNozzo and the rest of the team are combing the place where we found Aimee's pants as we speak. We'll find something and so help me if the FBI is involved…"

This time Fornell stood up, holding both hands up and looking chagrined, "Don't even go there, Gibbs, please."

As Gibbs willed himself to simmer down, a knock was heard at the door. Gibbs scrubbed a hand over his face and walked over to open the door. Makayla's sheepish face greeted him on the other side. She swallowed hard when the tension in the room hit her in the face.

"Can I…umm…talk to you, Agent Gibbs?" Her voice quivered as she spoke.

Gibbs nodded and waved her into the room, shutting the door behind her. Fornell was still standing looking irritated. Gibbs cleared his throat lightly, his way of reminding his friend that the temperature of the room needed to cool. The two of them had had plenty of heated conversations through the years that had to simmer to a cool very quickly because of Fornell's daughter, Emily, entering the room. Emily wasn't easily fooled so the men had become very good at disguising their disagreements.

"Makayla, this is Agent Fornell. He works for the FBI."

Makayla swallowed again, licking her dry lips as she looked up at Fornell and holding out a shaky hand towards him. "Hello, sir."

Fornell softened and some of the tension escaped from him as he shook the teen's hand with a friendly smile. Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a brief look and Fornell headed towards the door.

"I'll be in touch, Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded and Fornell left the room without another word. He turned his attention to Makayla and noticed how she squirmed under his glance. Gibbs softened his demeanour and did his best to look less combative. He had so much tension in his shoulders and neck, that when he forced himself to relax, he could literally feel his muscles groan in relief.

Makayla's lower lip trembled as she continued to look at him and Gibbs frowned in response.

"Hey, Mak, are we okay? Abbs said you were feeling really upset by what happened earlier today. Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No, it's okay."

"You sure? I don't want any hard feeling between us."

"Yes…um, I mean, there isn't…that is, if things are okay between us which they are, right?"

Gibbs smiled and nodded approaching her and pulling her in for a hug. He felt the tension in her body as he held her. He rubbed circles on her back and felt some of the tension melt away.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that conversation before, Agent Gibbs. I wasn't thinking right…"

Gibbs pulled away and pulled her towards a chair. "Sit down, Mak." Makayla sat.

Gibbs pulled a chair out and straddled it, resting his elbows on the back of the chair. "Can you tell me anything else you remember?"

Makayla rubbed tears from her eyes, looking much more relieved than she had when she'd first entered the room.

"I told you everything…"

"Tell me again," he encouraged.

Makayla sighed. "I walked in the room and Aimee was on your phone."

"The one in my bedroom?"

"Yah. When I asked her who she was talking to, she hushed me and waved at me to shut up. She was really upset and most of what she said didn't make any sense from what I heard. She nodded a lot and was crying. I tried to get her to tell me who she was talking to but she got mad and screamed at me to shut up. Then she told whoever it was on the phone that she was talking to the cat."

"Could you hear anything the person on the phone was saying?"

Makayla shook her head. "Not really but it was a man's voice. I could hear that much."

"Ok, go on…"

"Well, after a while she hung up and threw the phone across the room and was crying and sobbing. I tried to ask her what was wrong but she wouldn't tell me and she made me promise not to tell you anything. I promised I wouldn't tell anything. I kinda didn't care so much either because I was thinking about myself…" Her voice trailed off and Makayla choked back her own sob. "I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, I should have told you right away. I never thought she'd run away…"

Gibbs reached out and brushed away the tears with his thumb. "I know, Mackie. No one is blaming you, honey. This isn't your fault."

Makayla's eyes widened and she shook her head. "She said her father told her to go to him. I asked her who he was but she said it was none of my business. I should have pushed her more but I didn't. It's my fault. I could have stopped her if I wasn't being so selfish."

"No, Makayla. This isn't your fault! Yes, you should have told me right away, but Aimee running away is not your fault." He cupped her cheek with his hand. "Remember when you ran away? You made a choice, right?"

Makayla nodded, her eyes still wide.

"Was it your Aunt Jenn's fault that you ran away?"

"No."

"Was it your parent's fault?

"No."

"Whose choice was it to run away?"

Makayla blinked back a new batch of tears. "M-mine," she managed to whisper.

"Exactly. You made the choice to run away. That's why you felt the consequences. Aimee made the choice to run away and it wasn't the first time. She has run away many, many times and now, as much as it sucks, she is feeling the consequences of her decisions. I hate it so much and my heart is breaking. I'm terrified for her. Running away was her choice, but the things that may or may not be happening to her are not her fault. Do understand what I'm saying?"

Makayla nodded. Gibbs stood and pulled her into another hug

"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs." Makayla sobbed. "I promise I won't run away again. I promise!"

Gibbs kissed the top her head, stroking the back of her hair gently. He had tears in his eyes as well. His whole being was wishing he was having this conversation with Aimee. His arms ached to hold her and he prayed he'd have the chance to have a similar conversation with Aimee in the near future.