There are not words to express how sorry I am that this is so late. I got so sidetracked that I eventually didn't know which way was up and which was down. I am sorry.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I took some creative license with some things, and I really do appreciate the reviews, alerts, and favs from last chapter.

Leave me a comment if you can, and I still don't own 'em


A fist connected with his face. The guards were pretty good about keeping him separated from the other inmates at night, but everyone had to go to the yard during the day. They said it was part of the policy, but Tony had a feeling the guards were tired of giving him special treatment.

He managed to get a hit in, breaking some guy's nose, before another fist pounded into the side of his head, sending him to the ground. He landed, hard, biting his tongue, tasting blood. He felt a foot connect with his side, sending sharp pain through his torso. He gasped for breath, very much aware of the struggle taking place above him. He heard someone swear, someone take a nightstick to the stomach, and then he was hauled to his feet.

"Take him to the infirmary, make sure he's okay," he heard a gruff voice command and soon Tony was dragged out of the yard and back into the building.

"Lucky you're only here for another day," his escort commented as they walked down the hallway. "I reckon you wouldn't survive an actual sentence."

Tony didn't respond, too busy cataloging his injuries. Pounding head indicating a probable concussion, bloody but not broken nose, bruised side: he was lucky the guards stopped the fighting when they did. Of course, a part of him wondered why they let it go on as long as they had, and he made a mental note to have McGee double check their…

His stomach tightened at the thought of his little brother. According to Abby, who had been to see him every day since his arrest, Tim was awake but had yet to be released from the hospital. He was also pissed about what had happened to Tony. He didn't think DiNozzo should be doing time just because he was trying to help his brother. Tony wanted to agree, really he did, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that McGee's kidnapping was his fault.

The guard led him into the infirmary, leaning against the wall and watching as Tony struggled to get on the exam table. The doctor was thorough, checking over his injuries, but without the warmth Ducky usually generated. He was a man doing a job, nothing more, and he was never going to be Tony's friend; he was never going to any inmates' friend, so DiNozzo didn't even try talking to the guy.

After he was given a relatively clean bill of health, the pounding wasn't a concussion so much as a headache triggered by a fist to the head; Tony was carted off to Solitary. Great! Dark and damp, just what he needed. Though, he had to admit, his time alone would give him ample time to think.

His bond hearing wasn't until Monday morning. Fornell had tried to get him put under house arrest until then, but the D.A. had been adamant about him spending some time in jail. Tony pictured him giving some clichéd 'if he can do the crime, he can do the time' speech while twirling his handlebar mustache and wearing a Cheshire Cat like grin. He must have had friends higher up on the food chain than Tobias Fornell because Tony ended up in Leavenworth until his hearing.

While Tony had been rotting behind bars, the others had been working nonstop trying to pin down whoever had taken McGee. Ziva, who had visited Tony yesterday, said it was likely that if they could find who took McGee they might be able to find a way to prove DiNozzo had only broken the law out of sheer desperation. It might not help his case, but it could very well give him a lighter sentence.

Thinking about a lighter sentence made Tony recall Gibbs' parting words to him: 'We'll get you out of this.' Tony still didn't believe his boss, but he couldn't help that small part of himself that actually held onto a small bit of hope that Gibbs could actually get him out of this. Jethro Gibbs has done some extraordinary things, surely he could find a way to get Tony out of this messed up predicament. He really needed to learn to lock up his optimistic side.

Despite Gibbs' parting words to him, the older man hadn't been to see Tony. Everyone else had-with the exception of McGee but they had talked on the phone today, DiNozzo getting an earful from him-and Tony was beginning to wonder if Gibbs was working his ass off trying to help him or angry with him for not finding a way to ask for help. He was completely under the mercy of Tim's kidnappers, utterly helpless, but he hadn't thought that maybe Gibbs and the other were just as helpless.

It scared him, just how far he was willing to go for his little brother, how much he was willing to risk and not caring about the outcome just as long as Tim was safe. He wondered if it would get him killed one day.

NCIS

Tim was released from the hospital the day of Tony's court hearing. He had Abby pick him up and the two immediately went to the courthouse. Outside was a madhouse, full of reporters and pedestrians. Abby drove past the courthouse, parking across the street in a supermarket parking lot, and the two walked back towards the madness.

Instead of heading straight into the throng, Abby grabbed Tim's hand and dragged him towards the back of the building.

"I don't think you need to worry about those people today," she said softly, letting Tim into the building through the back door. Apparently, it's always held open for the workers who occasionally duck outside for a cigarette break. Despite the law, even some government officials need a five-minute break now and again.

"I wonder if Tony had to walk through that?" Tim asked curiously, allowing Abby to drag him through the halls, feeling his stomach tighten at the thought of Tony heading through the mob of flashing lights, microphones, and annoying questions. Several reporters had tried to break into Tim's room while he was at the hospital, and eventually the staff had asked McGee to make a list of the people he actually wanted in his room.

"I wonder how they found out," Abby shot back, sitting down on a bench, pulling McGee with her.

"Thom E. Gemcity gets kidnapped and his brother breaks the law to find him. Of course they'd find out," a new voice said and Tobias Fornell moved towards them. "It's been all over the news since Friday." He eyed McGee cautiously for a moment before asking, "Since when are you and DiNozzo brothers?"

"We found out a few months ago," Tim replied softly, feeling Abby squeeze his hand. "We were trying to keep it from getting out." He turned to Abby. "How did it get out?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, biting her lip. "I made sure to bury it, really I did, you know I did Timmy because you helped me. I don't know how…" her eyes widened and she let go of Tim's hand, digging in her bag. "Unless it was that blackout! Remember a month ago, when our computer systems just shut down without any warning?" She glanced at Fornell as she continued talking, "We managed to get everything back up, and nothing appeared to be missing, but I always had this feeling that somebody did something."

She pulled her phone out of her bag, speed dialing a number, putting the phone to her ear, and muttered, "I should have seen it; should have followed my gut. Gibbs always said to follow my…" she trailed off when whoever she called picked up. "Are you almost here? I think someone broke into our computers and that's how the media knows about Timmy and…" her eyes widened. "Do you think…?" she gasped, putting a hand to her forehead. "That's not a bad idea. See ya in a few, Z."

She hung up, replaced her phone, and hurriedly said, "Ziva thinks that maybe, whoever took McGee, might have been responsible for the computer thing, and maybe they, somehow, let the media know about you two. I mean, it'd make total sense. According to Tony, he knew exactly where he was at all times, even though they only had an ear bud to communicate."

"So, we're dealing with an alleged computer hacker who may have staged a car theft and kidnapped McGee?" Fornell asked slowly, his eyes flicking between the two with an incredulous look on his face. "Who is this guy?"

"We don't know," Abby and Tim said together. "But," McGee continued, "I intend to find out."