Author's Note: A huge thank you to GotGoats for flooding me with suggestions that added to the drama of this story and made this chapter better! I only wish I could've used them all. Thank you! =)

Chapter Fourteen: Letting Go

The breaking news report hadn't really surprised Blake. He'd known Lisa had taken her son and ran and he knew taking LJ across state lines meant the FBI would be involved so why was his gut all knotted up? Just because LJ's dad was a federal agent didn't mean he didn't beat Lisa and the kid. It wouldn't be the first time some guy was crying on the news only to get his family home and let the cycle of abuse start again but something told him there was more to the story.

Instead of heading back to the house, Blake decided to stop by the sheriff's office first. He wasn't ready to turn Lisa in yet but he did want a little more information. The question was how he was going to get that information subtly but he had an idea about that too.

"Mornin' Cal," he greeted. "Long time no see."

"Whose fault is that?" the sheriff asked. "You slink into town, get your supplies and slink out before the crack of dawn."

"I don't slink," Blake said. "You know this is my busy season."

"It's always busy season on a farm, Blake. I assume you didn't stop by to see my pretty face. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping I could use the computer in your office," Blake said. "I don't have time to wait around for the library to open." He and Cal were longtime friends and always doing favors for each other.

"One of these days you're gonna have to stop living like a hillbilly and get yourself a home computer."

"Trust me, Cal, I'm far from a hillbilly."

"Go ahead," Cal said, motioning towards his office with his head.

"Thanks, man," Blake said. "Next time you're out in my neck of the woods, I'll hook you up with some eggs."

Blake disappeared into the sheriff's office and closed the door behind him for a little privacy. He scoured the internet for any public records he could find on LJ's dad. It didn't take long for story after story of the agent's heroic actions to pop up. The more he read, the more Lisa's story about being abused unraveled.

As he continued his search, he learned Gibbs was a former Marine who'd lost his wife and daughter. He dug and dug and dug but couldn't find anything pointing to him being anything other than hero. By the time he was finished, his mind was whirring with questions. Had the agent's past turned him into an abusive boyfriend and father? The loss of his wife and daughter and job stress could've pushed him over the edge or maybe Lisa had lied to him. LJ was old enough to be scared of his daddy if he was mean but the boy never gave any indication of that being the case.

He deleted the search history, said his goodbyes to Cal then left. He had a long drive ahead of him and a lot of thinking to do.

LJ stood at the picture window in the front of the house, staring down the long driveway waiting for Blake's truck to appear. He hated the mornings that the cowboy had to go into town. He was lonely when his friend wasn't around. Something was different that morning though. It was light outside and Blake wasn't home yet. They were supposed to feed the animals when it got light out.

"Uh-oh," the little boy said. He didn't want the animals to be hungry.

The two year old looked out the window one more time and when he didn't see Blake he decided there was only one thing he could do. He helped Blake feed the animals every morning. He'd just have to do it by himself. He pushed a chair from the dining room to the front door and crawled up on it. The lock was tricky because it turned both ways but he figured it out after a couple tries.

"Me com'n chickies," he said as he toddled past the coop, over to the barn. He dragged the heavy bucket of feed over to the pen, leaving a trail behind him.

"Frow da fud in firs," he reminded himself. He threw a couple handfuls in then opened the pen and dragged the bucket in.

After trying unsuccessfully to dump the food out, he scooped several handfuls out until it was light enough he could tip over. The bucket hadn't seemed that heavy when he helped Blake carry it. He decided to wait to collect the eggs until Blake got home. He didn't want the other animals to get hungry if he took too long.

Diesel raced over to greet LJ as he exited the chicken pen and the dog followed him back to the barn to get the goat's breakfast. LJ decided that maybe since he was just taking the grumpy animal some breakfast, it would be nice to him. He climbed up on the bottom rung of the fence so he'd be tall enough to reach the latch that held the gate in place.

Diesel barked a warning but LJ just shushed him. The goat was hungry. He entered the gate cautiously, staring at the goat as he sidestepped to the trough. As soon as he started putting the hay in, the goat charged him. LJ screamed but the goat wasn't deterred. It head butted him and knocked him to the ground before Diesel started having a fit.

Gibbs gently combed his fingers through Mason and Sadie's baby soft hair, fingering the loose curls at the end as he lay in bed with them. He wondered briefly where the curls had come from. His hair had never been curly and as far as he knew Lisa's hadn't either. That probably meant the kids would lose their curls.

LJ's hair didn't curl at all. It laid perfectly flat on his head, the blonde contrasting nicely with his deep blue eyes—the blue eyes that would have every girl in his high school coming after him. Gibbs knew exactly what his son had to look forward to because it was the same thing he'd dealt with. He wondered briefly if he'd get to see his namesake go off to school. Would he ever see his child again? He knew that was no way to think but it had been over a month with no news.

Sadie shifted next to him and yawned. Gibbs thought she was waking but he rubbed her shoulder and she slipped back into a peaceful sleep. It was too early for the little ones to be up although the sun was just starting to brighten the sky so it wouldn't be long before there were two wild children and one wild agent tearing through the house.

He heard the lock on the front door turn and knew Tony was back from his early morning run with Dash. The soft rumbling of voices told him his father was awake too. He knew it was time for him to get out of bed as well. His full bladder wasn't going to let him stay there much longer.

He shifted out from under his children and scooted off the end of the bed. After pausing to kiss each child he headed off to use the bathroom down the hall so he wouldn't wake them.

"Mornin', Boss," Tony said.

"Mornin'," Gibbs greeted. "How was your run?"

"It was nice," Tony said. "Perfect spring day for a run. Kids up yet?"

"No," Gibbs answered.

"Want me to get 'em up after my shower?"

"Sure. I'll come up and help when I hear the water go off."

Gibbs headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where his father already had a pot of fresh coffee brewed and waiting. He poured himself a cup and took a drink before sitting down at the table.

"Mornin, Son," Jack greeted.

"Mornin', Dad. No paper?"

"Not yet. They must be running late again."

"I think we got a new paperboy who hasn't quite figured out the route yet," Gibbs replied.

"That's okay because I've been wantin' to talk to you anyways," Jack said.

"What's on your mind?" Gibbs asked.

"I've been giving it a lot of thought and I've decided to move down here," Jack said.

"But Stillwater's your home," Gibbs said. Jack may have been considering it for quite some time but Gibbs was caught completely off guard by the announcement.

"My home is with my family, Son," Jack said. "I figure I can hang on to the store for the time being. I'll give Kathryn a promotion and let her run it. She's been doing a fine job. I already have a realtor lined up so I won't be invading your space."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Gibbs said. "I'm just surprised. You love Stillwater."

"I love you more, Leroy," Jack said. "It's been nice seeing you and talking to you again these past few years and when you called and told me I had grandkids, I had this overwhelming urge to be wherever they were. Can't spoil 'em properly from over two hundred miles away now can I?"

"I guess not," Gibbs said. "If you're sure, I'll help you get everything set up."

Blake knew something wasn't right when he saw Diesel barking at the goat as he drove down his driveway. Not even the dogs liked to go near the grumpy creature. Diesel usually meant LJ was nearby but that couldn't be right. It was too early for LJ to be outside. He looked closely at the big picture window and started to panic when he didn't see the little boy's mop of blonde hair like he normally did when he returned from town. Something definitely wasn't right.

He raced down the driveway and slammed on the brakes then got out and hurried towards Diesel. His heart dropped when he saw LJ lying on the ground behind the dog while the goat carried on. With the dog distracting the goat, Blake hurried over to LJ. He was relieved to see the boy's eyes open and looking more stunned than hurt. LJ lifted his arms to Blake and the cowboy swooped him up and carried him out the pen.

"Diesel, come," Blake ordered. The dog obeyed and Blake closed the gate to the pen. "Good boy," he praised patting the dog's head. "What happened, LJ?"

Now that he was safe and realizing what had just happened, LJ started sobbing into Blake's shirt.

"Did the goat hit you, kiddo?" Blake asked. "Did he bump you with his head?"

LJ nodded through his tears.

"Where at?"

The little boy pointed to his belly and Blake lifted his shirt up so he could see. He poked around, not really sure what he was supposed to be feeling but when LJ's tears were interrupted by little giggles he figured the child was alright.

"Were you trying to feed the goat?" Blake asked.

"Me hewp," LJ said.

"Yeah, you're a good helper, aren't you? That goat shoulda given you a kiss."

Blake carried the child into the house where Lisa was just rolling out of bed and not looking very happy about being up.

"The dogs have been barking all morning," she grumbled.

"Yeah, well, one of the dogs just saved your kid's life," Blake said, trying not to show how peeved he was at her. LJ never should've gotten out of the house and Diesel's bark was clearly a 'something's wrong' bark. Blake could tell that from the end of the driveway. How could she not have gotten out of bed to see what was going on?

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked. "Why is LJ's back all muddy?"

"Me fee chickies," LJ said proudly.

"Apparently he's been out feeding the animals and the goat head butted him," Blake said. "I'll have to run him down to the clinic and make sure his insides didn't get scrambled." LJ giggled as Blake tickled him.

"No!" Lisa said, suddenly wide awake. "You can't! If anybody's looking for him and this pops up on his medical record, they'll know where we are."

"I know one of the doctors," Blake said. "I'll have her take a look at him—no paperwork. This is important, Lisa."

"What if she calls the police?" Lisa asked.

"She won't," Blake said, but I might…

Blake left Lisa standing in the living room panicking while he took LJ into the bathroom for a quick bath. The kid was caked in mud from head to toe and, from the smell of it, he had a messy diaper too. How could this woman, this mother who professed to love her child so much, take such poor care of him? Blake didn't mind LJ tagging alone with him in the mornings, he actually enjoyed it but Lisa had never asked him if it was okay. He wondered if Lisa even knew what LJ did while she slept in.

Then there were the snide remarks she made to him. Blake had had a wonderful and loving mother and he knew all kids didn't get that lucky but he'd never seen a mom talk so poorly about her child. Maybe he was just riled up after all his research that morning or still on an adrenaline high after finding LJ lying on the ground. He knew if Diesel hadn't been around, the boy could've been trampled.

"Bwake?" LJ asked,

"Sorry, buddy," Blake said. "Got a lot on my mind." He smiled at the child as he filled the pitcher with water and poured it over the back of his head.

"Me bad," LJ concluded.

"No," Blake said. "You were just trying to help. Did you go feed the animals because I was late?"

LJ nodded.

"Smart boy, you're a very smart boy, LJ, but next time maybe you shouldn't feed the goat, okay?"

"'kay."

"You and I are gonna go on a little trip after your bath."

"'n Mommy?"

"Mommy's gonna stay here this time. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good boy."

Blake got the child cleaned up and put a fresh diaper on him before getting him dressed. He brushed LJ's teeth and hair then they headed back out to the living room to find Lisa pacing and chewing her fingernails.

"We shouldn't be gone too long," Blake said, not giving her an option about whether or not LJ would go to the doctor. "Sometimes the clinic's busy though so if we're late, don't panic."

"Easy for you to say," Lisa griped.

"You're on your own for breakfast. LJ and I will grab something in town." And with that, he took the boy and left.

There wasn't a soul at the clinic when Blake arrived with LJ. It didn't open for another hour but Blake hadn't lied about knowing the doctor and he knew Cynthia would let him in early. He walked around to the house portion of the building and let LJ ring the doorbell. The two waited patiently for the doctor to appear.

"Blake," she greeted with a warm smile. "What a nice surprise. And who do we have…" One look at the child and she knew exactly who he was. She watched the news regularly and there was no mistaking that blonde hair and those piercing blue eyes. "Blake, do you know who this is?" she asked, shuffling them inside.

Blake nodded.

"Where'd you find him?"

"Found him and his mother on the side of the road several weeks ago," Blake answered. "She said her husband was abusive so I took 'em in."

"The FBI was here last night asking if I'd seen them or knew anything about their whereabouts," Cynthia said.

"Did they leave a phone number?" Blake asked. He was still uneasy about turning Lisa in. At least if he kept her around the farm, he could watch out for LJ. The last thing he wanted to do was send the boy to an abusive home but if his father really was the hero the media made him out to be, he had no right to keep them apart.

"He gave me a business card," Cynthia said, digging around on her desk. "Are you gonna call? Is the father abusive?"

"I don't know," Blake said. "The news portrays him as a hero but you never know what goes on behind closed doors. I'm gonna call though. I just wish I had some leverage. I wanna know I'm sending him somewhere safe."

"Is he sick? Or was I the only one you trusted with a kidnapped child?"

"You are the only one I'd trust," Blake said. "My goat got him this morning. I think Diesel saved him from any major damage but I wanna make sure there aren't any broken bones or punctured organs or internal bleeding or anything like that."

"I'll check him over," Cynthia said. She held her hand out to the little boy who was clinging tightly to Blake. "Can you come with me for a minute, LJ?"

The boy looked up at Blake for reassurance.

"It's alright, bud. Cynthia's real gentle. She always fixes me up when I get a boo boo too and you know what? If you're real good, she might give you a cookie when she's done."

"A cookie at 8:00 in the morning, Blake? No wonder the kids love you. I should pass out apples at this time of day."

"An apple isn't a reward, Cynthia," Blake replied.

"I suppose you're right. Is there anything in his belly?"

"No, I haven't fed him this morning but he is hungry, so if we could hurry this along."

"I've got some sausage pinwheels in the oven," Cynthia said. "I'll whip up some eggs and you guys can eat with me this morning."

"You're the best," Blake said. "See you in a minute, LJ."

"You no go," LJ said.

"I won't go anywhere, pal," Blake promised. "I'm gonna make a phone call then I'll come find you."

Fornell threw his shaving kit into his overnight bag and did one last sweep of the motel room in the tiny town he'd stopped in the previous night. He'd been to so many lately that he couldn't even remember the name of the town. With every police station, school and hospital he visited, he got more and more discouraged. He was running out of towns and still didn't have a single lead. It was looking more and more like Lisa hitchhiked out of Oklahoma and if that was the case they could be anywhere.

The only glimmer of hope he had was the road the car had been found on wasn't a main drag. She would've been less likely to get picked up by a long haul trucker who could've transported them halfway across the country. Then again, it only took one.

He was checking out and turning his key in when his cell phone rang. Assuming it was just McGee or Sacks checking in, he snatched it up and put it to his ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Agent Fornell."

"Are you the agent that was at Atoka Clinic yesterday?"

Fornell's eyes grew wide. Was this a lead? "Yes, that was me. Can I help you?"

"My name is Blake Garner. I'd like to meet with you as soon as possible."

"May I ask what it's concerning?" Fornell asked cautiously. He didn't want to scare the guy away but if Blake wanted to talk about a missing cow or an unfair arrest, he really didn't have the time or patience.

"Uh, the missing woman and kid," Blake replied.

"Where would you like to meet?" Fornell asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"I'm at the clinic right now."

"Give me about fifteen minutes."

Blake studied the large, black SUV as it came to a stop in front of the clinic. LJ was in the back, eating breakfast with Cynthia. He'd taken a quick liking to her. She was gentle, her hands were warm and it was easy to see that she genuinely cared. The cookie he received after laying still for the x-rays didn't hurt either.

The man that got out was shorter than Blake expected but still looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with. The cowboy unlocked the door, let the man in then locked it behind him.

"Are you Blake?" Fornell asked.

Blake nodded.

"Agent Fornell, FBI." Fornell flashed his badge and was surprised when Blake grabbed it and studied it. That told the agent that Blake didn't trust him or wasn't completely convinced that what he was doing was the right thing, or maybe both. Fornell couldn't afford to lose the lead so he was patient with him.

"Do you know Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" Blake asked.

"The dad or the child?" Fornell asked, watching for any glimmer of hope. Was this the guy who could help him get little LJ home?

"The dad."

"I do," Fornell answered. "He's a great guy, wonderful dad and I'm sure if it weren't for Mason and Sadie, he'd be standing here instead of me right now."

"Mason and Sadie?"

"LJ's brother and sister. They're triplets."

Blake's eyes widened. LJ was a triplet? If the dad was so abusive, why did Lisa only grab one and run? Did she not care about the other two? "Does he have a record?" It seemed like a fair question. It was public information.

"Only the kind military heroes come home with," Fornell answered. "Do you know where LJ is, Blake?"

"I don't want to send him home to an abusive environment," Blake replied.

Fornell fought to keep the grin off his face and suppress the shout of joy that wanted to escape. He'd found the boy and he was alive. "Why would you think his father would abuse him?"

"To be honest, I don't know what to think," Blake said. He told Fornell the story of how he'd found Lisa and the abuse allegations, of some of her questionable parenting methods and how LJ had been crying for his daddy since the day he'd brought them home.

It wasn't standard procedure but Fornell had been doing his job long enough to be able to get a quick and accurate read on people and Blake seemed like a decent person so he decided to go out on a limb. "I'm sorry, Blake, but what Lisa told you couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is she tricked Jethro into getting her pregnant and didn't tell him for two years then abandoned the kids on his doorstep and took off. He took them in and hasn't done anything but love 'em and take care of 'em since. If anyone's the abuser in those kids' lives, it's their mother."

"I know I don't have any right to ask this, but can I meet LJ's dad? I have to know I'm sending him somewhere safe."

"I can't make any promises but I'll see if he'd be willing," Fornell said. "Where is LJ, Blake?"

The cowboy hesitated only briefly before answering. "He's here."