AN: Thanks for the good luck, guys. Test is finished and I have a few more weeks until the next one!

"Leon, I'm gonna need to talk with your informant."

Vance leaned back in his chair. "I promised him anonymity."

"That was before McGee went missing," Gibbs shot back.

Vance nodded slowly, "Fine. Hold on." He started dialing a number, putting it on speakerphone. When no one picked up, Gibbs rocked on his feet impatiently, his gut telling him he was getting closer to an answer. Vance disconnected the call, immediately dialing another.

"This is Jim."

"Jim, Director Vance."

"Sir! Why-ah, wh-what can I do for you?"

Gibbs shook his head; the kid sounded just like McGee did when he'd first started on his team.

"I'm looking for John. He fixed a little computer issue of mine a few weeks ago and I was hoping he could help me with another problem."

"Oh! Well, John's not in right now. I can send someone else-"

"Did he call in sick today?" Vance asked after glancing at the clock-too late for him to be out for lunch, too early to leave for the day.

"No, sir," Jim's voice got quieter as he continued to talk, like he was telling a secret. "He's been coming and going at some odd times the past few days. He said something about a sick family member or something."

"It's just been the last couple of days?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, well, thanks for your help Jim."

"No problem, sir! Anytime!"

Vance shook his head slightly as he ended the call, his gaze falling on Gibbs. "Well?"

"That's beyond coincidental, that his schedule gets inconsistent right around the same time that McGee gets taken, don't you think?"

"You really think the guy who attempted to hack into our system is the same guy who came to warn me about it?"

"It's the only theory we've got. And to be honest, it's a good plan. Who would expect the informant to be the mole?"

The door slammed shut behind Tom and McGee let the smirk slide off his face. He shook his head slowly. Who would have thought Tom would get so angry at Tim's new attitude? Don't get him wrong, he was in a lot of pain, but McGee now felt a small measure of satisfaction when he saw Tom's frustration.

They thought he would have broken by now. Heck, he never thought he would last this long. The jabs from Tom, saying Tony's death was McGee's fault created two different reactions within him. On one hand, Tim was guilt-ridden and grieving. On the other hand…Tim had a burning desire to do something right, to honor Tony's memory by channeling a part of his personality. And as such, he was beyond determined not to break.

He hadn't forgotten the options he had; he knew he could still try and gain access to a computer by pretending to help, but that almost seemed…wrong now. Like pretending to break meant he was giving up. He rolled his head back and looked up at the light, frowning. Likely, the choice would be one made in the moment. His eyes blinked slowly as the adrenaline brought on from the last session wore off, and he gratefully sank into oblivion.

"Ziva, run a background check on John Stanfield. See if you can't find a sick relative, too. Tony, work on John's financial statements."

Before they could respond, Gibbs was already striding away. They raise their eyebrows at each other before starting to gather the information he had asked for. Maybe this meant they finally had a break in the case.

"Abby, I need you to do me a favor."

"What?"

Gibbs winced as he took in her expression and the flat tone of her voice. "I need you to run this number, track its location. Can you do that for me?"

Normally he wouldn't ask, but this was a special situation. Abby took the slip of paper he extended, staring at it blankly.

"It's a possible lead for McGee," Gibbs offered.

Her eyes snapped back up, the smallest trace of a spark reappearing. "It is?"

Gibbs nodded.

"Well, then," she brushed past him, "Consider it traced."

"What have you got?" Gibbs ordered as he returned to the bullpen.

"John Stanfield has been working here for seven years. Before that he attended MIT for a year before dropping out and attending Virginia Tech. When he was twelve, his parents were killed in a car accident. He was sent to live with his uncle, a Dylan Stanfield. Apparently, Dylan is very sick. I'm trying to get more details, but I've run into a Doctor-Patient Confidentiality issue," Ziva relayed.

Gibbs nodded, a piece of the puzzle falling into place. "DiNozzo?"

"Boss, his financial records are showing some serious stress this last year. I had a hunch, ran the uncle's record, too, after Ziva mentioned his health. Dylan Stanfield was very well-off, but his records have shown a steady drain the last five years."

"Gibbs! Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!"

Gibbs turned to see Abby running full tilt towards him. He put up his hands to catch her as she slid to a stop. "What did you find?"

"The number you had me trace, well the signal is transmitting from here right now. But I've been tracking its history, and some of the calls being made have been originating from, from…" She grabbed the remote from Tony, clicking it at the large screen. A map popped up.

"That's the building where McGee's meet was," Ziva said, stepping closer to the screen.

"Yes! And less than thirteen miles away from that is a warehouse, where much of the cellular activity has come from for the last few days!"

Gibbs stared at the screen for several moments. The camera they had found transmitted over an area of twenty miles. This warehouse was within that range. They had set this warehouse up as a safe house for themselves, before the meet. John Stanfield had attended MIT, but dropped out…He was talented, but not so talented that he could hack into the NCIS system without getting caught. McGee was.

Gibbs felt his stomach twist as realization dawned. "McGee was always the target."

AN: Yeah, you guys already knew that, but Gibbs didn't. And seriously, writer's block is not fun. I've been staring at this chapter for quite a while, trying to finish it. Anyways, talk to me, let me know what you all thought! Until next time...