Hi everyone, sorry for the delay. My pregnant sister was put in the hospital and ended up going into labor at only 31 weeks. Between the emergency C-Section and the complications with the new baby things are pretty hectic around here. I'm living with her other kids for now so they aren't alone so consistent updates are going to be rather difficult. Thanks for your understanding and please excuse any mistakes in this chapter, I'm doing the best I can at the moment.
Sorry for the long note and as always I hope you enjoy.
Renee

Gibbs stormed into the bullpen, a file in one hand, coffee in the other.

McGee jumped to his feet, running out from behind his desk to catch up with the older man.

"Boss, Abby got footage from the traffic camera across the street from the hotel, Williams entered the hotel that morning and left a couple hours later, than came back about twenty minutes before Henderson was killed and left shortly after. We have her in interrogation one."

Gibbs gave a brief nod and kept walking.

"McGee!"

"Yes boss?"

"Anthony DiNozzo."

"What about him?"

Gibbs stopped walking and faced the younger man, his eyes shooting angry sparks.

"I'll find everything about him, got it."

"And his son."

"Excuse me?"

"His son McGee, I want everything you can find on his kid too, and I want it now!"

"Yes boss!" McGee ran back to his desk and was typing before his butt hit the chair.

Gibbs shook his head and walked towards interrogation.

Kate smirked and turned back to her computer, keeping her attention on McGee as he began typing.

"You know, you could help me."

"He didn't ask me to do it."

"Kate..."

She sighed at his plaintive tone and opened a window on her computer.

"Fine, but you're buying me lunch."

...

He stepped in the room, dropping a file on the table in front of Veronica Williams.

She started at the sound and looked up at the man with wide eyes.

"Veronica Williams."

"Yes, who are you?"

"Special Agent Gibbs, I hear you gave a cop the riot act when he tried to pull you over."

A nervous giggle slipped out.

"I didn't like his attitude. That can't be why I'm here. What's this about?" She asked, another giggle punctuating her question.

Gibbs took a slow sip of the scalding hot coffee.

"Terry Henderson."

Her eyes widened and she blinked a few times.

"Terry, what about him?"

Gibbs studied her cooly.

"He was murdered in his hotel room on Thursday. A hotel you were seen going into right before the time of death."

Veronica paled.

"Yes, I was at the hotel, but so were a hundred other people, any one of them could have killed Terry."

Gibbs nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he flipped through the file.

"Yeah, I suppose they could have, but none of them have the motive."

He looked up at her to see the wide eyed fear turn to something else, something vicious, cold and ugly.

"You're taking his death very well."

She didn't answer.

"You want to tell me what happened to Terry?"

She growled a noise, vicious and cruel.

In an instant something snapped.

"I gave up everything for him. My husband, all that money, house on the hill, all of it, and he left me. Know why? He didn't know I was married why we were together. He thought I was single. Me! When he found out he had been the man on the side he flipped, broke it off. I gave up everything for that man and he just threw me away. He deserved to die."

"Tell me what happened."

She laughed, an off hysterical sound that trailed off until quiet tears began to slip down her face.

"I had gotten my papers, I was officially a single woman again. I couldn't wait to tell Terry. I rushed to the hotel and we had dinner. Then we...well...you know. Then we were laying in bed and I told him that I had done it, I had left Anthony for him and we were free to get married. And he pulled away from me, he said that he didn't know I had been married during our time together. I never wore a ring, and I hadn't wanted to drag Anthony into my relationship with Terry, it was my first healthy relationship in years. He said that I had lied to him and I had belonged to someone else all that time. He asked me to leave, he needed time to think. So I left."

"But you came back."

She sniffed.

"Yes. I told him he had to choose. This was his one shot. He could have me or walk away. He said that he couldn't be with someone who had lied to him...and someone who had betrayed their spouse."

He took another sip of his coffee.

"So you shot him. Where did you get the gun?"

"I've had it since college. One of those just in case measures." She whispered, tears still staining her cheeks.

Gibbs slid a confession out to her.

She blinked and reached out to sign the sheet of paper.

Before she touched it though, she began to speak again.

"You know, I wasn't always like this Agent Gibbs. I had big dreams, but then I met this guy who promised me the world and gave me nothing but hell. Everything was cold and empty and I hated it. I didn't mean to start all the affairs, I was… I just wanted to feel something again. Terry made me feel again. And then when he left me… I couldn't go back to the emptiness again. The put-downs, the expectations, the pressures of being a DiNozzo. All the pain in that little boy's eyes, the hollowness. I had to get out of there. Terry was supposed to be my escape. In more way than one. I'm pregnant. It's Terry's but I didn't tell him. I couldn't. I wanted him to choose me for me. But I couldn't go back to that house. Not to Anthony. I couldn't let my child end up like his."

He went cold at her words. He fought to get the words out as she signed her name.

"...Are you talking about Tony?"

She looked up, surprise on face.

"You know Anthony Jr.?"

"Tony."

She nodded.

"Yes, Tony. I had very little contact with him, but he really seemed to dislike the name Anthony."

"Veronica, can you tell me anything about Tony?"

She shook her head.

"I wish I could Agent Gibbs. I honestly don't know anything, but I do know this, I'm not the only monster in that house, every time I saw that little boy, he was hurting. I don't know how, or what he did, but no one has that many accidents. I don't know if Anthony is hurting him, or one of the staff, but something is wrong in there, and Tony is taking the brunt of it. I couldn't stay, but I couldn't take him with me. You understand, right?"

Gibbs stood and snatched up the confessional, turning Veronica and handcuffing her.

"You're under arrest for the murder of Terry Henderson."

XxxX

"Miguel? M-Miguel are y-y-you in h-h-here?"

Tony whispered, poking his head into the kitchen. The room looked empty. No one except the chef was ever in the kitchen, it was a cardinal rule. Sr. had eaten the man's food in Mexico and had him illegally brought over to the U.S. immediately and allowed him a lot of leeway in the kitchen, not questioning his oddities and rules as long as he contined to get the delicious meals he had come to crave.
Because of that, Miguel's word was law in the kitchen and no one ever crossed it, and one of those laws was -Stay Out. If you weren't Mayer or Tony, don't even bother coming in, he would send you right back out. He was one of the few staff that didn't ignore or brush aside Tony, in fact he liked the small boy. He reminded him of the family he had left behind in Mexico.

Hearing the quiet, shaking voice, Miguel paused his work in the pantry.

"Miguel?"

The tall black man poked his head out of the walk-in pantry.

"Tony? What can I do for you niño?"

Tony sighed in relief when he saw the chef in the kitchen. Carefully closing the door behind him, he padded into the kitchen, moving slowly. Miguel watched him with concern, seeing the lines of pain framing the young boy's eyes. The bright bruise marring the boys face contrasted with the unnatural paleness of his usually tan skin.

Tony moved to the counter looking up at the man and whispered.

"F-f-father sent me t-t-to my room b-b-before dinner. A-a-are the-there any l-l-l-l-"

Miguel stepped forward, relieving the boys struggle with his stutter.

"He took you from your meal again? Oh Tony, of course I will find you something to eat."

The man gently picked up the child, knowing he was in pain, and placed him carefully on the counter.

Tony winced and cautiously wrapped his arms around himself. He watched as Miguel whisked over the refrigerator and began pulling ingredients from the cold.

"Miguel, y-y-you d-d-don't ne-need to make me something. Leftovers are f-fine."

Miguel shot him a disapproving look.

"Tony, you are too thin my joven amigo, you are not healthy."

Tony bit his lip and watched hungrily as Miguel began making him a ham and cheese omelet. Miguel watched him out of the corner of his eye as he flipped the eggs. The boy's gaze was constantly moving, darting from the windows to the door, a continuous look out, always ready for the other shoe to drop. He was much to young to be this frightened, this prepared for something to go wrong.

Miguel sighed.

His father had trained him well.

Don't speak out of turn.

He never spoke above a whisper.

Show respect for your elders.

He never looked them in the eyes.

Stay out of the way.

He stayed where he wouldn't be seen, slipped down the hallways like a ghost, did his best to just disappear.

He wasn't a child. He was a shadow.

Miguel shook the thoughts away and attempted to draw the child out. He was so quiet, no one, especially not his father ever took the time to talk to him. On the few occasions when Tony did venture into the kitchen, searching for food after his father made him skip yet another meal as a punishment, Miguel would treat him like a equal. Like a person. Like he mattered. Because he did.

"So Tony, I heard that you had a visiter this afternoon."

Tony looked over at the man, a slight sparkle to his eye.

"Mr. Gibbs. I m-m-met him the other night and then got to see him again t-t-today. He saw me at the park talking to J-J-Jim and he sat and talked to me. He even g-g-gave me his coat."

Miguel paused in flipping the eggs. Miguel and Mayer both knew that Tony snuck out of the house after dark and went to the park and most of the time, one of them followed him and would watch him until he went home. They didn't begrudge him the need to get away, to find a sanctuary away from the hell he called home, but the other night thought they thought he would stay in, unable to climb down the tree, not mention the lack of coat in the forty degree weather. They should have known that wouldn't have stopped the determined boy, especially after what his father had said to him that time. The entire staff was aware of Senior's opinion of his only son, it was hard to avoid, the way his words were screamed. Neither Miguel or Mayer could ever blame Tony the desire to escape the house after his father got his claws in him. As long as he was safe at the park, they wouldn't say a word to discourage him. After all, no had ever approached Tony, no one was ever even there that late, but apparently that had changed.

"Tony...that man was with you in the park? After dark? Alone?"

Tony nodded.

Turning slowly, Miguel studied the boy carefully.

"Tony, mi niño, did the man… did he hurt you, or bother you at all?"

Tony furrowed his brow and shook his head fervently.

"No M-M-Miguel, he didn't hurt me. He was n-n-nice. He even gave me his co-coat when he saw I was cold. He's a po-policeman. He was here today to ta-talk to F-Father. But he talked to me too. I l-l-like him. He talks to me like...like...like I-I'm imp-p-portant."

Tony's voice trailed off until Miguel could barely hear him.

Miguel stepped away from the eggs completely, putting both his hands on the counter so that the boy was trapped between his arms. Looking down at Tony, he saw panic flash through his eyes and he instinctively flinched back, before relaxing slightly and scolding himself.

Miguel would never hurt him.

He held himself stiffly, unable to let his guard down, but he wasn't scared as he watched Miguel curiously.

"Tony, you listen to me, you are very, very important. You are the most important thing in the world."

Tony grinned, half of his mouth coming up, as his eyes met the chef's.

"No, Miguel. I'm not. But that's okay, I don't need to be important."

Miguel sighed and placed a hand on the top of the boys head.

"Oh Tony. I think you're important."

Tony beamed up at the towering man.

"Thank you Miguel, I think you're important too."

Miguel smiled and went back to finish Tony's eggs, sliding them onto a plate and handing them to the small boy.

Crossing his legs up on the counter, Tony began to eat. Miguel fought back the smile when he saw the socked feet poking out from underneath Tony as he munched his eggs. He leaned against the counter and began to speak, slow and steady, trying to keep the kid relaxed.

Before he had the chance to though, the kitchen door swung open.

Tony jumped, nearly losing his plate.

Mayer stepped into the kitchen, taking in the situation in one glance.

"Hello young Master Anthony, how are you this evening?"

Tony smiled at the older man.

"I'm fi-fi-fine Mayer. How are y-you?"

"Can't complain Master Anthony. Please continue eating, I only have a question for Miguel."

Tony nodded and picked his fork back up.

Miguel turned his attention to Mayer and answered his question about supper, watching Tony out of the corner of his eyes. Mayer got his answer and took a seat at the kitchen table, looking over at Tony.

"So did Miguel tell you Anderson's latest report on the kittens?"

Tony grinned.

"N-no, wh-what have they d-done now?"

Miguel chuckled.

"Well the black one-"

"Indiana."

"Indiana and the striped one-"

"Skywalker."

"and Skywalker...Skywalker?"

Tony nodded enthusiastically.

Miguel shook his head.

"Okay. Indiana and Skywalker had apparently gotten sick of of sleeping in Picoult's pen so they went exploring. I guess this is the first time they've tried venturing from the horses pen, so no one was expecting them yet. Well Indiana and Skywalker somehow ended up in the loft and at the exact moment Anderson and Harris came walking by the two fell and ended up on top of a very confused and unhappy Harris."

Tony's eyes widened.

"Are the kittens and Ha-ha-Harris okay?"

Miguel laughed softly.

"They're all fine, but the same can't be said for Harris' hat, between the kittens and Harris freaking out, there wasn't much left of it."

Tony giggled.

"Po-po-poor Harris. They didn't m-mean to mess up his hat. How much longer do you th-th-think that Anderson will be able to keep them a s-s-secret?"

Miguel looked at the boy sadly.

"He can probably keep them hidden for a little while longer. But not forever Tony, you know that. Your dad hates pets, he's going to want them out of there and gone as soon as he finds out."

Tony nodded poking the eggs with his fork, his head hanging low.

"Yeah I know, he says they're just like k-k-kids, messy, irrita-ta-tating and unnecessary. An annoyance that no one w-w-want or needs. I don't th-think they're that b-b-bad though..."

Miguel pursed his lips gently squeezed Tony's shoulder, looking over his head at Mayer who's eyes were mysteriously damp.

He didn't think they were talking about pets anymore.

"Me neither Tony, me neither."

XxxX

Gibbs stalked back into the lab, a caff-pow in one hand and his ever present coffee in the other.

Glancing around the room, Gibbs could hear the pounding music but saw nothing of the vibrant goth.

"Abs?"

Abby poked her head out from under one of the tables and smiled.

"Gibbs!"

Coming to her feet the beautiful girl threw herself across the room, wrapping her arms around the man's neck with a smile.

"Abby...what were you doing?"

"I was testing out the length for my new coffin, I think it should be about this long, would you be interested in making me a new one? Ooh! Caff-pow! Another one bites the dust huh? Broke her in interrogation in less than ten minutes? That's my man!"

"Abby?"

She took a long gulp of her drink.

"Yeah Gibbs?"

"McGee said you two had something for me?"

"Oh yeah, he'll be here any minute… or now."

Looking to McGee who came running in the room, gasping.

"Boss, sorry I'm late, I was putting everything down on paper for you, it took forever I had troubles getting the-"

"Save it McGee. What do you have on DiNozzo?"

McGee let out a long breath of air and held a thick file. Abby came over, her smile and sparkle dimmed.

"A lot Gibbs. We have a lot."