17 Square knots are so reliable

In the car she is white-faced and tense, not willing to believe until she can see. Ducky beams and pats his comforting little pats. "There, my dear, it will all work out. You'll see. We shall all be fine. Better than fine."

The Charleses are a bit put out about the window, and she assures them that of course they will pay for the window, and of course Rebecca won't be breaking any more windows. "There's been quite the uproar," Ducky tells them. "Haven't you been watching the news?"

"We don't watch the news," Mrs. Professor Charles says. "We do hope they won't make a habit of letting a child that young roam the streets at night. Quite impossible. Americans!"

Becks's face is grimy, as if she's been crying, and she's angry and upset, but with Ziva and Ducky in sight she's already righting herself. "I want Babbo," she says. "I want my Bunny."

"Of course, of course, we will get Bunny, and then we'll go see Babbo." She cannot bear to let Becks go, so she carries her up the two flights of stairs. She finds Bunny. And she pauses at the open door to their bedroom, seeing the half-made bed and a towel that's fallen off the hook on the bathroom door. She wants to go pick up the towel and breathe it in, knowing it will smell of her and him and their life here. The sun is beginning to show in the east-facing windows. It has been just one day. She wonders how they will ever go back to that life, if things will ever be better than fine.

"I lost my tiara."

"We will get you a new one."

"I want my pink shoes."

"Of course you do, my darling." The pink shoes are on the landing, and she notices then that Becks's sneakers are still firmly tied. Tony must have tied them for her, because Becks can't do a square knot. They have stayed tied all through this terrible day.

"Mommy, you're crying."

"I missed you, my darling."

"Didn't you ever miss me before?"

"Never so much as this."

After Ducky and Ziva leave, Gibbs turns back to McGee. "What the hell?"

"Ziva and Tony live on the top two floors. The Charleses live on the bottom two floors. About fifteen minutes ago they heard knocking, but it was early and they thought it was a prank. Then someone broke a window. That got them downstairs. Rebecca was on the doorstep. Luckily she knows Ziva's cell number."

"A five-year-old girl broke a window?"

"She threw a rock. She was very upset that no one was answering the door."

"I can see why she would be. Let me guess: no one saw anything."

"No one saw anything."

"We'll have to canvass the neighborhood in the morning. McGee, does this case make any sense to you at all?"

"No, boss."

"Call the NCIS office and tell them the kidnapping's over but the investigation isn't. We still have a kidnapper at large."

With both Ducky and Ziva gone, he goes into ICU and stands by the bed. Eventually DiNozzo starts muttering about his campfire at 10. "Campfire?" Gibbs says. "You still call it that? Can't you at least call it a huddle?"

"Not all women know football." Tony groans, opens his eyes a bit. "God, it must be real. I lost her."

"Yep. You tried damned hard to hang onto her, though."

"Ziva…she was lying, wasn't she? You didn't find her."

"I didn't find her. What do you remember?"

"God, I lost her," he whispers.

"DiNozzo," he says, and his voice is cold and hard because it has to be. "Focus. What do you remember?"

"Blond guy. Polo shirt. Golf course logo. Said I couldn't park there."

"That's it?"

"I couldn't hold onto the car."

"Did you recognize him?"

"No. Never saw the knife. My God, Ziva. Becks. I couldn't hold onto the car."

"Blond guy? Nothing more?"

"Mid or late 20s, medium build. Five-nine. Brown eyes. Not Spanish."

"Why not?"

"The accent. Russian, maybe. I couldn't hold onto the car."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs says. "Stop it."

"I can't. What day is it? How long has she been gone?"

"She's not gone, DiNozzo."

And there are three hard little smacks on the glass, and on the other side is Becks, still in her mother's arms, pressing her nose against the glass.

"You said you didn't find her."

"I didn't find her. She found us. Some kid you got there."

On his way out, Gibbs says to Ziva, "I'll need to talk to her while it's still fresh."

Ziva nods and then goes in. Gibbs closes the door behind them and guides Ducky away. "I think they want a little privacy."

"Just imagine what might have happened if I hadn't made it to the big O this morning," Ducky says, still beaming.

"I have no idea what you're saying, Duck, but enjoy the moment."