A/N

Thanks for the reviews and kind regards.

Special thanks to The General *grin*

I would like to make a little disclaimer at this point in my story. I have very little knowledge of the Marines or the military. I stop and research where I can to try and make everything authentic and true as possible but I'm sure I've made a million mistakes. I hope you are enjoying the story nonetheless. I also appreciate those of you who try and correct and educate me where I go astray. I've learned a lot and I try to make corrections where I can. For instance, apparently, AWOL is not a term used for Marines...UA which stands for unauthorised absence is the correct term. Who knew? It's so interesting learning about it all.

Also, Gibbs refers to Riley as a "boot" in this chapter. A boot basically is a Marine recruit who has graduated from Recruit training. It's usually a pejorative term but we all know Gibbs doesn't mean it like that and Riley knows it as well.

Spring break here...and I use that term loosely considering it has done nothing but dump snow on us and my husband and I are both sick with healthy kids...all trapped in our house with no routine! My days have been full of barely scraping by...movies, pajama days and lots of soup and finger foods. Please, spring come...please sunshine come!

Riley paced the conference room for what seemed like hours, stopping finally to stare out the window. The DC skyline was stunning as the sun began to set over the buildings. He grimaced as his mind berated him with images of the little Aimee. He didn't know why but for some reason he felt responsible for her, and part of him blamed himself for her being captured on his watch. He didn't know or even understand what was going on, and he didn't even know who to believe. He had felt so confident in his first assumptions that his mind still hadn't come to grips with what might actually be true. He ran a shaky hand through his dirty blonde hair. He could vaguely smell his own stench and his stomach rumbled loudly as he also smelled fresh muffins and coffee in the room. The agent who had escorted him to the room had told him to help himself. He'd stubbornly refused but now was changing his mind. He didn't even remember the last time he had anything decent to eat. He'd been subsisting on candy bars and garbage he could fish out of dumpsters. Not a pretty existence at all. He just hadn't figured out how to rise above his circumstances quite yet but he knew he would. Or at least he thought he would.

Riley spun on his heel when he heard the door behind him open. A petite dark haired woman entered the room, closing the door behind her. It was the same agent who had brought him in. He took a few steps backward until his back was to the wall. The female agent had shown him exactly what she was made of in the few minutes he'd scuffled with her. She was not someone he cared to mess with again. It already messed with his head that she was a woman. He thought she'd be easy to incapacitate. His intentions were to escape not hurt her. His momma had brought him up well enough. He'd never hit a woman while he was in his right mind and in control of himself. He'd seen his father beat up his mother more than he ever wanted to admit. He lived with that guilt daily.

The woman quietly crossed the room and poured a hot cup of coffee. She picked up a muffin and offered both to him.

"You should eat," she said simply.

Riley's stomach growled loudly in protest causing his face to redden. "No, thanks."

"You have nothing to prove to me, Riley. I know you have been on the streets for a while. You must be past the point of hungry."

Riley stiffened. He didn't need anyone feeling sorry for him. "I'm fine. When do I get out of here?"

"You do not. At least not until Agent Gibbs has a chance to speak with you." The agent set the mug and muffin on the table and put her hands on her hips. "Look, Riley, we both know that you are in some trouble and you are hardly more than a kid. You are in Marine fatigues so either you are a Marine or you stole them. Both cases are not good."

Riley's eyes flashed in anger. Who was she to call him out on anything?

"I will save you the trouble of lying to me. Your name is Riley Janssen. You are 18 years old and have been reported UA from basic training for 30 days now. Shall I can go on, yes?"

Riley bit his lip but remained silent.

"How did you get missed up with Aimee?"

Riley felt tears burn in the back of his eyes but he blinked hard to keep them at bay.

"What shall I call you?" he asked suddenly, deflecting the questioning for a moment in order to organise his thoughts more. It was obvious he wasn't going to going anywhere soon and he needed to get his story straight and well versed if he was going to get out of this relatively unscathed.

"I am Agent David."

Ziva took stock of the young man standing before her. He was well built for his age, muscular and tall. His baby face gave away his youth. Despite being out on his own for a month, his face was still relatively clean-shaven, showing his youth very honestly. Stubble could be seen in the form of a five o'clock shadow but the growth was slow coming, quite normal for a boy his age. She picked up the fruit filled muffin from the table and removed the paper, taking an impressive and animated bite.

"Mm, these are delicious. Agent Braddock's wife has been off on maternity leave for almost six months and she loves to send in freshly baked muffins." Ziva made a show of chewing and savouring the muffin. She could see the longing in Riley's eyes. He was hungry without a doubt but his pride wasn't allowing him to give in.

Just then the door flew open and in walked Tony followed by Gibbs. Tony made a beeline for the muffins and coffee while Gibbs stood to stare at Riley with his steely grey-blue eyes.

"So, Janssen, care to tell me why the hell you are UA from basic training before I hand your ass on a platter to your D.I.?"

Riley stiffened at the no-nonsense words. He looked at Gibbs but didn't say anything.

"Oh geez, Braddock's wife is a culinary genius!" exclaimed Tony, stuffing a muffin in his mouth almost whole. He was famished and hadn't eaten since lunch.

Gibbs hit him with an irritated glare.

Tony shrugged his shoulders and sat on the edge of the table chewing his muffin. "You've got to try one of these, Boss."

Ziva smirked and sat at the table, continuing to eat her muffin all the while staring at Riley sympathetically.

Gibbs turned to Ziva. "He eat anything?"

Ziva shook her head.

Gibbs walked to the refreshment table, grabbed a muffin and held it out to Riley. "Take it, kid."

Riley shook his head.

Gibbs walked over to him, grabbing his arm and pushing the food into his hand. "It's not a request, Private. You look like you haven't eaten in days."

Riley took the muffin and held it his hand, never taking his eyes off of Gibbs.

Gibbs brushed his hands off and went back to pour himself a coffee. Food he could live without for the time being but coffee he needed for survival. He took a long drink before turning to face Riley again.

"Your D.I. is Adams, am I correct?"

Riley blinked and broke off a piece of the muffin in his hands. He was feeling weak at the knees from the lack of regular meals and despite his stubborn pride, the food smelled good.

"He's one hell of a hard-assed D.I. or so I've heard."

"Yes, sir," Riley murmured and shoved a piece of muffin in his mouth, almost trembling in anticipation.

"Gunnery Sergeant James Adams?" questioned Tony, whistling muffin particles from his mouth.

Ziva frowned. "Should I know who he is?"

Gibbs nonchalantly took another sip of his coffee. "Scuttlebutt says he either makes or breaks his men. Thing is no one ever complains about him. Seems like his men either pass basic training or leave in pieces, but not a one has ever gone UA before…until now." Gibbs eyed Riley who squirmed under the scrutiny. "Doesn't look good on a D.I. at all."

Tony whistled again. "I bet he is one pissed Gunny."

Riley swallowed the muffin bite and felt it slide down his dry throat and hit his stomach like a stone. It was all he could do to keep the one bite down. But then something within him snapped as images of Aimee's face came to his mind once again.

"Word is you used to be a Gunny yourself, Agent Gibbs," countered Riley flippantly, almost shocked when he heard the words trip off his own lips. "Is that why you're so quick to smack around your own kid?" The words came out sharp, dripping like venom, and as much as Gibbs wanted to correct the young Marine at that moment, he didn't. Riley had managed to say more in those few words than he had ever before and Gibbs was willing to use it to his advantage. Riley hadn't openly admitted what happened to him but it was enough to bring in Adams and it was exactly what Gibbs was hoping for.

All eyes were on Gibbs as the words lingered heavily in the room. The elephant in the room had been released. Tony stood to his feet as he finished chewing his food and moved to the door. He didn't need any requests to be made because they had already discussed what Gibbs had been looking for from Riley beforehand. Riley had said just enough.

"On it, Boss," said Tony as he left the room, quickly shutting the conference door behind him.

Gibbs pulled out a chair and sat down, still holding his mug and looking very much composed. On the inside, he was anything but calm.

"I suppose Aimee's face was still pretty scraped up when you found her. How long was she with you?"

Riley clenched his jaw and tossed the rest of his muffin in the nearby wastepaper basket. "The question is why was she out on the streets, to begin with? What is she, like eight years old? If she's your kid, why'd she run away? What did you do to her?"

Gibbs sighed. "It's complicated, Riley…"

Riley huffed. "I'll just be it is."

Gibbs clenched his jaw, reminding himself who he was and where he was. "Where did you get the coordinates?"

Riley's face paled. "Did you find her? Is she okay?" The words tumbled from his lips and Gibbs could see the concern on the young Marine's face. It was obvious that Aimee had made an impression on him.

Gibbs watched Ziva walk over and offer Riley a chair. Riley scowled and backed away from her.

"Sit down, Riley," said Gibbs, tapping his finger on the table.

Riley's face paled further and he sat down. The teenager was tired, and he was hungry. Ziva set a hot cup of coffee in front of him and a plate of fruit and a muffin.

"You should eat something, Riley," Ziva said softly.

Riley's eyes spoke one story and his hands spoke another. He pushed the offering away but didn't get up from his chair. Gibbs pulled his chair closer and grabbed a strawberry from his plate, popping it in his mouth.

"We didn't find her, but we did find this." Gibbs held out his hand and pulled the pinky ring from his finger. He set the ring on the table in front of Riley. "Is it yours?"

Riley fidgeted nervously. "Uh, yah…well, no but I had it. I gave it to Aimee as a show of friendship. She was pretty freaked out. It was hard to keep her with me. She kept insisting she needed to be outside so she would be found."

Gibbs furrowed a brow. "Found by who?"

Riley looked away, his jaw firmly set. He looked like he was debating on talking anymore and then he turned and narrowed an eye at Ziva. "Where did that other agent go?"

"He is going to bring in your D.I. for questioning," Ziva said without hesitating. None of them were there to lie to Riley. They just wanted to help him.

Riley jumped to his feet and shoved the table forward in angry. His chair fell over behind him. "What the hell? NO! You can't!" Riley stepped forward and pounded both fists on the table. "Call him back!"

Gibbs rose to his feet and walked closer to Riley. The teenager was tall but Gibbs was taller. The teen was muscular and physically fit but Gibbs was intimidating for his size, and he had a lot of practice staring down perps. Riley was no match.

"Sit down." Gibbs' voice was firm.

"You have no business calling my D.I. I never asked you too."

Gibbs stepped closer, almost in Riley's personal bubble. "You hard of hearing, Private?"

Riley blinked.

"I said sit down."

Riley pinched his nose hard and took a few steps back. He looked behind him and retrieved his chair, sitting down once more. Ziva adjusted the table once more and looked at Gibbs.

"ZIver, give us a few minutes." Gibbs picked up the ring from the table. "Bring this to Abbs and see what she can get from it."

Ziva nodded, gave Riley one last look and left the room.

Riley swallowed hard as Ziva left the room leaving him alone with Gibbs. His heart rate increased and his stomach churned. He didn't trust Gibbs and still thought the man had abused Aimee.

"Listen, Riley. You are UA right now. That means you're in a whole mess of trouble. If you don't face the music now, it's going to get a whole hell of a lot worse for you later. Running away isn't going to solve things for you."

Riley's face reddened but he remained silent.

Gibbs heaved a sigh. He'd had his fill of runaways to last a lifetime. What the hell was it with kids thinking running away would solve their problems. First Aimee, then Makayla and now Riley. Why was he so lucky? Gibbs felt like he didn't even know where to start and end with Riley. He pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to take a deep breath.

"How many more butts do I have to kick today?" he muttered to himself as he began to pace the room. Gibbs stopped at the window and turned to look at Riley. Obviously, his words resonated with the teen because the kid's face had paled significantly.

"Relax, kid."

Riley clenched his fists together, his jaw set firmly. "Call off your agent and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Gibbs shook his head. "Uh-uh, no deal. You're going to tell me what I want to know anyway."

Riley scowled. "Go to hell, Agent Gibbs."

"Dammit, Riley, what are you afraid of, huh?"

"You're not my ole man so just leave me the hell alone."

Gibbs crossed the room and stood over Riley intimidating. "No, I'm not because if it was your ole man here, he'd have already kicked your sorry ass all around the room, wouldn't he?"

Riley stiffened and the colour drained from his face.

Gibbs softened and placed a gentle hand on Riley's shoulder. Gibbs felt Riley stiffened at his touch but he didn't pull away so Gibbs left his hand there. "That's not my M.O., Riley. It's not how I work. You may suspect I abused, Aimee but I didn't. She slipped on my roof." Riley narrowed his eyes in disbelief but he also remembered the other agent saying the same thing. How did a little kid slip on a roof and why was she even on a roof to begin with?

Gibbs continued, "It's a hard tale to swallow but it's the truth. The point is, I wouldn't hurt Aimee. Right now, she's in a lot of danger and it's a complicated story to explain. You're just gonna have to trust what I say is the truth here. She took off because she's scared, and somewhere in her mixed up mind she thinks she's protecting me by running away. I dunno, maybe that same story holds true for you as well."

Riley's eyes widened a little.

"Anything you can tell me about Aimee is appreciated, Riley. Please. How did you know the coordinates?"

Riley trembled under Gibbs touch and tears ran down his face. He was exhausted beyond words. He was hungry and tired of running. "I tried to protect her," he managed to choke out.

"I believe you."

"I told those other agents before what happened…I'm good with numbers," he said quietly. "The woman had a communication device on her that was mostly making white noise but I heard numbers repeated. I'm not even sure she heard them but if she did, she ignored it. She knew my name though and knew I was UA. Said that if things had been different she would have helped me."

Gibbs dropped his hands to his sides taking in what Riley was telling him.

"Anything else?"

Riley dropped his head into his hands feeling completely wiped. He was beginning to second guess what he remembered, what he'd heard and what he'd said. He felt like the room was spinning and his head was throbbing. He really wished he could just sleep.

Gibbs walked to the window and stared blankly, lost in his thoughts for several minutes before speaking again.

"Try to get some sleep, Riley. There is a blanket in that cupboard, the blinds close to make the room darker, and the sofa is reasonably comfortable..."

Riley's head popped up. "Am I being detained?"

"For now, yes…"

"On what charges?"

Gibbs glared at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"

Riley groaned. He knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. He was lucky he was being allowed to sleep on a soft sofa in a quiet conference room, rather than being tossed in the Brig somewhere.

Gibbs continued to stare until Riley dropped his chin once more.

"Help yourself to the food. The door on your right is the head. No one will bother you again tonight. Try and get some shut-eye. If you need anything, push that button and ask. Any questions?" Gibbs pointed out the intercom on the wall above the light switch.

Riley nodded but remained quiet.

Gibbs went to the door and stopped to face Riley once more.

"I know a boot doesn't have much say in the Corps but abuse is never okay, Riley.

"I'm not even a boot," Riley answered, not looking up.

"How long?"

Riley lifted his chin, his pride showing at that moment. He had made it nearly 12 weeks before his D.I. nearly beat his head into the ground and drowned him, all on the same day. As much as Riley didn't want his attention to travel in that direction, his mind rebelled and more memories came crashing back enveloping him into a past he didn't want to remember.

Adams turned to the rest of the recruits. "Am I hurting Janssen?"

The men stood stock-still, their mouths open like they were all about to say something in unison.

Riley struggled as the strong man held his head down under the tap of the sink. His face was covered in a pillowcase and his D.I. had been holding his face under the tap for what felt like hours. Riley felt like he was being drowned. He was gasping for breath but unable to say anything in his defence. His heart was beating so fiercely he thought it would leap out of his throat.

Just as Riley thought he might be able to catch his breath, the water was turned on again and he choked and gasped. He fought wildly to get free but his D.I. quite easily held him down.

"I didn't hear you! Am I hurting him?" shouted Adams again, his voice in a rage.

"No, sir," came the shout in unison.

"What am I doing?"

Riley felt himself blacking out as the water continued to pour into his mouth and nose. No matter how much he fought and kicked, he could not free himself from the man's grasp. Just when he thought he'd lose consciousness, the water stopped. He sputtered and coughed, his lungs spasming and burning from lack of oxygen

"Making a corrective action, sir."

"Damned right, I am."

Riley felt himself being hoisted to his feet and then his face smacked against the floor of the barracks head. As he laid there gasping for breath, he felt the steel-toed boot of his D.I. connect with his ribs several times.

"Riley!" came a faraway voice.

Riley's head snapped up suddenly and he shook his head to clear it.

"Where'd you go?" asked Gibbs, looking concerned.

Riley ran a shaky hand through his filthy hair. The first thing he wanted to do when Gibbs left was wash his hair in the sink. He didn't even care if he only had hand soap. It was better than not. He forced himself to remember the last thing Gibbs asked him and he answered softly.

"10 weeks."

Gibbs paused for a second while looking at Riley intensely and then said, "You've already survived the worse recruit training can offer."

Riley chuckled sardonically. "Is waterboarding supposed to be part of that training, sir?"

Gibbs inwardly cringed, not even knowing how to respond to Riley's words. Gibbs suspected Riley had a story to tell far worse than any of them knew. He didn't know much about the kid but it didn't take much to figure out he was a fighter and he was compassionate. Riley had risked his own skin to help Aimee. Gibbs owed him.

"You're a boot, Riley."

With those final words, Gibbs left the room. Once outside the door, Gibbs leaned against the door weakly feeling his stomach churning. Riley had said a lot without inferring anything. Gibbs couldn't wait to meet Riley's D.I.