Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: If you're following my other story 'Brothers', you'll know that this isn't the only one that got put to the side while my life went sideways. If you're still reading this, thank you! I hope to be in a position to update both stories at a half decent time frame, but time will tell. For now, here is a chapter that I hope ya'll enjoy! Much thanks to all - Aussiepup -

Tuesday morning progressed quietly until a folder was thrown down onto a desk. "Gah! There is nothing in these files." Tony said as he dropped his head to his desk. "We've gone over every word.. that we're allowed to read.. and there is nothing there!"

"Tony." Ziva sighed.

"No, Zi. There is nothing here! Unless it's buried in what we're 'not allowed to know' there's NOTHING HERE!" Tony practically yelled.

"There has to be another way of going about this," Tim said resigned. "because Tony's right, there is nothing in these files."

"Maybe Abby has found something. Gibbs will let us know when he comes back up." Ziva calmly said, trying to settle Tony down. "For now keep looking. Gibbs will not be happy if you are sitting here not doing anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Tony responded, reluctantly grabbing another folder.

Down in the lab Abby was explaining what she had found in the blood and tissue samples. "So now you know about the Aventyl and Nadolol." She said smiling.

"Yeah Abbs, Tim already told us that. What else do you have." Gibbs barked out.

"Now, now Bossman, calm down. As I'm sure you know Johnston was allergic to Butylparaben. I'm thinking that they tried to use Nadolol to counter act the reaction..."

"We got that Abbs!"

"Gibbs! I think the only reason Matthews had it in his system too, was so the tox screen would be the same." Abby blurted out before Gibbs could interrupt her again.

"Why?" Gibbs sighed.

"Makes sense." Daniel muttered. Everyone looked at him confused except for Abby.

"That's my smart guy." Abby said lightly punching him in the arm.

Daniel half smiled as he continued, "If they didn't want it to look like they screwed up, and almost killed Johnston because of an allergic reaction, then they would have to give Matthews the same medications."

"Right, and the tox screen does show the med's were given at different times. Johnston's was not too long after the Aventyl was administered. Matthews was not too long before he died. It was like it was an afterthought."

"That still doesn't tell us who's behind this." Gibbs glared.

"No. No it doesn't." Abby pouted.

"So you have nothing new? No finger prints, DNA? Nothing." Gibbs asked.

"Gibbs! Whoever these guys are, they are good. And I mean really good! There is not a shred of evidence that I can use! I can't just make up science! You know that!"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Abbs. If you do find something, let me know." Giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek, he and Daniel left the lab. "Daniel, why don't you head on up. Let the others know what we did and didn't learn. I'm going to go talk to Ducky."

"Will do." Daniel agreed, as they went their separate ways.

"Hey Duck."

"Why Jethro, hello. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ducky said as he turned around from his desk.

"Got a question for you." Gibbs asked as he lifted himself up onto the nearest autopsy table.

"Well, if I can answer it I will."

Gibbs took a moment before he spoke. "These.. people.. that we're looking for. For some reason I can't figure them out."

"Well they haven't left you much to go on."

"No. They haven't. Which is bothering me."

"Jethro you should know as much as anyone, that criminals can be very smart and methodical. This wouldn't be the first time."

"I know Duck." Gibbs dropped his head down into his hands and didn't continue speaking.

"Alright Jethro. Spit it out. From the top."

Gibbs sat up with a grin. "You know me well Duck."

"I do." Ducky replied with his own grin.

"These people are very smart. We know that just because of the no evidence left behind."

"Oh dear. Poor Abigail." Ducky chuckled.

"Oh yeah, she's not happy about that at all. The other thing is the medications. We know they gave the men Aventyl to knock them out. But why that drug if Johnston was going to have an allergic reaction?"

"Maybe they didn't know?"

"They knew what to give him to counter act it's affects."

"True. But did they know right away, or later?"

"Abby said it was not too long after." Gibbs sighed, "This is getting me nowhere."

"I believe what you're trying to say, without actually saying it is, you think it was an inside job." Ducky surmised.

"Yeah."

"Jethro, if thats true,"

"I know Duck. But what else makes sense! Nothing. We got no leads, no evidence, we can't even investigate the mens background like we need to!"

"You really think Daniel's holding something back?"

Gibbs was silent as he thought about Ducky's question. Did he think Daniel was behind this? McGee's 'big brother'? His thought's took him back to the phone call he overheard last night. "No. No I don't think Daniel has any connection to this. He's not hiding anything. Besides, I heard that all personnel got called back to base. So it couldn't have been any of them. Matthews died after that happened."

"So you're looking for someone, more like a group of people, that know enough about these men, to get personal information about them." Ducky said thoughtfully.

"Yep. There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"That kind of information you can't just get off the internet. Even McGee couldn't hack in and get it."

"It's sealed that tight?" Ducky asked surprised.

"Oh yeah." Gibbs jumped off the table. "I need to talk to Daniel. Thanks Duck."

"You're quite welcome Jethro." Ducky replied to an empty room.

"Daniel. With me. My office." Gibbs said as he strolled into the bullpen. Towen stood up to follow, but Gibbs stood in front of him. "Alone."

Despite the glare he was receiving Towen challenged him anyway. "Sir, you know the Generals rules."

Daniel just stood smiling as the other two stood toe to toe. Towen may not know Gibbs but he sure knew Jack, and Daniel knew he wouldn't back down. "ET. It's ok. We're just going to the elevator. We'll be right back." Daniel heard enough from Tim to know what Gibbs considered 'his office'.

"Don't call me that. DJ." Towen said spinning around to turn his glare at Daniel.

"Then don't make me." Daniel replied with a smirk, as he followed Gibbs to the elevator.

The elevator was stopped and Gibbs just starred at the door while Daniel leaned against the back wall. After a few minutes went by Daniel sighed, "You know, you and Jack really do have a lot in common. I can stand here all day Gibbs." Though with Jack he would have found something to fiddle with, just to annoy him.

At that Gibbs spun around and got in Daniel's face. "What do you know." He demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked confused, not intimidated in the least with this man one inch from him.

"Oh I know you're not involved, but you probably have an idea who is." Gibbs continued to stare right at Daniel not backing away as he saw the wheels turning in the others mind.

After years of practice not letting your enemies guess what you were thinking, Daniel was pretty good at it. He let Gibbs see what he wanted. A man confused by the question and trying to figure it out. Really he was trying to think about what he could say. Yes, he had an idea, but NCIS wasn't suppose to know they existed. Focusing back on Gibbs, Daniel replied, "Gibbs I really don't know. Who they are and how they were able to get the information is just as much a mystery to me as it is to you."

Gibbs continued to stare at Daniel. Trying to decide whether he was telling the truth. He wasn't totally convinced but knew he wasn't being outright lied to either. Taking a step back, he decided to throw a curve ball at him, to see how he would react. "This isn't the first time someone close to you has been kidnapped."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Daniel didn't even blink, just tilted his head to the side as he replied, "There a question in there?"

"Who?"

"Need to know Agent Gibbs."

Oh so it's Agent Gibbs now. 'Hit a sore spot I see', Gibbs thought. "Who." This time it was more of a demand.

"Why?" Daniel drawled out as he wrapped his arms across his chest.

"Oh I don't know. Call it curiosity." Gibbs said as he turned and leaned against the wall next to Daniel, shoving his hands into his pockets.

There was silence for a good five minutes as they both just stood staring at the elevator doors. Finally Gibbs heard a quite answer to his question. Daniel was almost speaking at a whisper. "My wife. We were only together for a year before she was taken. I spent over three years looking for her. By the time I found her, it was too late to save her." There was silence for a moment before Daniel turned, still leaning against the wall, and looked at Gibbs. In a normal tone of voice he continued, "I know that's who you were wondering about. But that was over eight years ago. Yes I still miss her everyday, but I've moved on. If one of my teammates were to disappear, get kidnapped, I would feel just as scared. I know I would, because I do. Every time it happens."

By this time Gibbs expression had softened as he looked back at Daniel. "Every time?"

"Every time. I'm not sure what all Jack told you Gibbs, but what we do. Well, lets just say it's not the safest job in the world." Daniel said with a smirk.

Gibbs smirked back, "Well, he didn't say much, but from what he did say, I could have guessed that."

"So.. We're good? We can go figure this out. Together?" Daniel asked as he stood up straight and held out his hand to Gibbs.

Gibbs looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before pushing off the wall and grabbing the offered hand. Giving it a firm shake he agreed, "Lets go hunt these guys down."

A/N: So there it is. If you noticed I changed it a little. In the last chapter I said Matthews didn't have any Nadolol in his system, and this one he obviously did. Don't know why, that's just where my mind wanted the story to go. Oh well. Hope you liked! Thanks for reading!