NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 27

Ella finished putting clean sheets on the crib then joined Tim and Lucy in the kitchen. She covered her ears as Tim continued to cry, "Jeez Lucy I thought you were good with kids; he hasn't stopped crying since you brought him in here." Lucy turned around with the bottle and shook it, "Timmy is probably hungry; have a little compassion. He'll quiet down once he gets some food in his tummy." Lucy walked over, unlatched the tray from the highchair and lifted Tim out. She poked the youngster's belly as if he was the Pillsbury Dough boy, "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Das not wright, me no wanna formla. Who knows what cwazy lady put in dare.

Tim shook his head, while Lucy carried him out to the couch. As she got situated, Tim knocked the bottle out of her hand causing it to drop onto the floor and start leaking. Lucy smacked his hand, "Bad Timmy, we don't do that." As she laid Tim in her arms, he struggled against her when she put the nipple of the bottle to his lips. "Come on precious, it tastes delicious and will make you feel better." Ella watched from the entryway as her sister struggled to feed her new charge. "You're too gentle with him, here let me show you." She walked over, squeezed Tim's head between her hands and used her thumb to pry open his mouth. "Alright shove it in there! This baby is such a pain; I can't believe we even bothered with him." Before Lucy could place the nipple between Tim's lips, he bit down hard on Ella's thumb, forcing her to jump back.

Serbs you wright, u fweak. Wait til dada find out u been so mean ta me.

"Why you little sh...," she screamed holding up her thumb as it started to bleed.

"Ella!" Lucy cut her off before she could finish.

Tim smirked, while Ella held her thumb up to examine it, "He bit me, are you going to let him get away with it?"

"You'll be fine; wash it off, put a Band-Aid on it and stop being such a drama queen!"

Ella huffed as she made her way to the bathroom to take care of the wound. Lucy held the bottle up to Tim's lips once again, but he clamped his mouth shut. She dribbled some of the formula on his lips to coax him into tasting it. "Come on sweetie, I know you're hungry. We're going to sit here until you eat so you better get started."

Tim shook his head; forcing the drops of formula on his lips to dribble down his chin. Lucy sighed as she used a rag to wipe his face. "I'm tired of fighting with you, either drink this bottle or I'll allow Ella to punish you. Believe me, after you chomped down on her thumb, I would choose the bottle."

Nooooooo! Not cwazy lady, me no wanna dwink ba ba, but me hab no choish.

Lucy raised the bottle to Tim's lips just as Ella entered the room, mumbling under her breath about the youngster. Tim's eyes darted back and forth between the two sisters. "I told Timmy that if he didn't start drinking I was going to allow you to punish him," Lucy calmly stated. Ella rubbed her hands together with delight as she walked over and sat on the couch next to her sister. Seeing the joy in Ella's eyes at the thought of punishing him, Tim did not think twice and opened his mouth, allowing Lucy to insert the nipple.

"That's a good boy," Lucy cooed running her fingers through Tim's hair as he started to drink. Ella smirked, "Now we know how to get him to do what we want, threaten him with me."

Ummmm dis formla diffwent but no' bad. Tim thought as the warm creamy liquid trickled into his mouth. About half way through the bottle Tim's eyes grew heavy as he fought to remain awake. However, the physical and emotional stresses of the day were too much for him and he couldn't fight any longer as his eyes slid shut.

Lucy sighed as she removed the bottle from Tim's mouth and replaced it with a pacifier. She swept his hair off to the side and looked over at Ella, "I know he's been a brat, but could you try and be a little bit nicer to him?" Ella scoffed, "He hasn't given me a choice, he hates me."

He doesn't hate you; Timmy's just a scared little boy right now. Give him some time; he'll come around eventually."

"I'll try, but I'm not promising anything."

Lucy patted Ella's knee, "That's all I ask."

***NCIS***

After the team left, Gibbs wandered aimlessly around the house. It was absurdly quiet compared to the last few days. He picked up one of Tim's blankets, clutched it to his chest and slumped down on the couch. A smile formed on his face as the familiar baby scent he had become accustomed to wafted up toward his nose. All he could think about was how he had let his little boy down after promising nothing would happen to him. His brain became jumbled as questions flooded his mind. He knew Tim was alive, but was he hurt? Unconscious? What did the Grey sisters have planned for him? More drugs to keep him a baby? Would Tim be angry with him once they eventually rescued him? As his mind raced with unanswered questions, the ringing of his phone eventually snapped him out of it.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Jethro, I wanted to call and see how you were holding up?"

Ducky was one of his oldest friends; there was no way he could hide his worry from the older man. "He's gone, Duck!" Gibbs' voice broke as he spoke, "I'm the one to blame. I'll be alright, but we need to focus on Tim right now."

"Nonsense! You know this isn't your fault, I'm partly to blame for not realizing there was a problem earlier."

Gibbs sighed, "We can play the blame game all day long; the truth of the matter is I should have protected him and I didn't."

"You couldn't have known Jethro; none of us could have predicted Ella would pull off such a devious plan."

Slightly irritated Gibbs raised his voice, "It's my job to know, Duck!"

Ducky sighed, "Perhaps, but it's not possible for any one human to know everything that's supposed to happen. What's important right now is that your son needs you; what do you plan on doing about it?"

"I plan on finding him and never letting go."

"Well then Jethro, I suggest you hop to it. Timothy needs his father."

Gibbs ran his fingers through his hair, "I'm leaving the house soon. In the meantime, I take it you and Palmer have been cleared by the hospital?"

"Yes, I was calling because we need a ride back to the Navy yard."

"DiNozzo is there right now; hitch a ride back with him. I'll meet you guys there."

"Very well, my friend."

Gibbs stood up, flipped his phone shut and grabbed the pacifier that was lying on the table in front of him. He slipped it into his pocket; threw on his coat and headed for the car.

Ducky rubbed the bridge of his nose as he hung up from Gibbs. He turned around, immediately bumping into Jimmy. "Ahh Mr. Palmer, could you call Anthony and let him know that we need a ride back to NCIS?"

Jimmy nodded but continued to stare at the older man. "Is there a problem?" Ducky asked turning his attention to the buttons on his shirt.

"Well umm I...I...wouldn't call it a problem necessarily, but... I... was wondering..." Jimmy stammered, suddenly fascinated with the florescent lights in the stark white hospital room.

Ducky was half way through buttoning his shirt when he lifted his head and cleared his throat, "Mr. Palmer, are you sure you're alright? Maybe the gas is still lingering in your system. Perhaps it's best if you go home and get some rest."

Jimmy took a deep breath, "I was actually wondering when you were going to follow your own advice, Dr. Mallard?"

Confused, Ducky made eye contact with his assistant, "I'm sorry, lad but I'm not quite following you."

"I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to hear what you said to Agent Gibbs about Tim's kidnapping not being his fault."

Ducky feigned ignorance, "You'll have to elaborate, Mr. Palmer, I'm not quite sure where you're coming from."

The younger man took a step forward and rested his hand on Ducky's shoulder, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're putting the blame on yourself just as much as Agent Gibbs is. The truth of the matter is, that gas would have been too overpowering for anyone. We did everything in our power to help Tim."

"It's just not that simple, Jethro trusted us to take good care of Timothy and we let him down. If anything happens to that baby, I'll never forgive myself."

Jimmy squeezed the doctor's shoulder, "Nothing is going to happen to Tim. The team will rescue him before it gets to that point."

"How do you know that?" Ducky sighed.

"My gut." Jimmy simply replied. "Agent Gibbs and the team will find him even if they have to make mountains out of molehills. We are part of the team; Tim needs us to be on our "A" game so he can be reunited with everyone."

Ducky cracked a smile, "Yes, we are part of the team. Whatever they need us to do, we'll do it."

"Of course it's easy for us to feel guilty, but that won't help Tim. Just remember if you start to feel contrite, think how scared Tim must be and try to concentrate on the task at hand."

"I'll try Mr. Palmer, but you have to promise me one thing."

"Of course, anything."

Ducky patted his arm, "If you notice I start to stray then you will pull me back."

"You got it," Jimmy smiled as he pulled out his phone. "I'm going to call Tony before we miss him."

As he hit the speed dial on his phone, Ducky finished buttoning his shirt and pulled up his suspenders.

"Why hello there, Autopsy Gremlin. What's going on?"

Jimmy rolled his eyes, "Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yeah, we're just finishing up with the sketch artist right now. Why, what's wrong? Did we get a lead on Tim?" Tony asked his voice full of hope.

"Umm no sorry, I haven't heard anything new. Dr. Mallard and I need a ride back to the navy yard once you're ready."

Tony sighed, "I thought you might have had good news for me, Palmer. I'll meet you guys downstairs in ten minutes."

"Sorry Tony, I wish I had good news too. We'll see you in a few."

***NCIS***

Vance pulled into the evidence garage and slammed on the brakes as a panic-stricken Abby stepped out in front of his SUV. Ziva and Vance exchanged glances of bewilderment as Abby rushed over to the passenger side of the car. Before Ziva could unbuckle her seat belt, Abby flung open the car door and stood with her hands on her hips. "I will leave this one to you, director," Ziva whispered as she slid out of the car.

"But...I..." Vance stuttered, desperately trying to avoid the wrath of one Abby Sciuto.

Abby then made her way around to the driver's side as Vance exited the car. She clutched both of his arms and shook them, "Oh my god, oh my god, of my god will someone please tell me what's going on? The look of desperation in her eyes was evident; Vance hated the fact he had to tell her Tim had been kidnapped. He looked down at his arms, which at the moment were beginning to ache because of Abby's death grip.

"Ms. Sciuto, will you kindly let go of my arms. I'm beginning to lose the feeling in them."

Abby released her grip, stepped back and nervously played with the rings on her fingers. "Sorry Director, it's just some agents dropped off Gibbs' air conditioner along with a bin full of evidence but nobody will tell me what's going on! What happened to my family?" Vance turned and made eye contact with Ziva who was collecting the rest of the evidence from the trunk of his car. She shrugged her shoulders and smirked before looking away. By the time Vance turned around again, Abby had started pacing back and forth waiting for an answer. He took a few steps forward, grabbed her arm and waited until she calmed down. "I'm going to tell you what's going on right now Ms. Sciuto; but before I do, I need to know that this case will have your full attention.

"Every case has my full attention, director. Don't worry about that, now please tell me what is going on!" She whined in her typical fashion.

Vance sighed, "Fair enough, this morning while the team was in court for Lucy Grey's bond hearing, Agent McGee was kidnapped from Gibbs' house."

Abby's knees started shaking as Vance motioned for Ziva to bring a chair over to her. He forced her to sit down as the color drained from her face. She kept her gaze focused on the floor as the words sunk in. Out of all the possible reactions he expected from Abby, silence was not one of them. "Ms. Sciuto, are you alright?"

When she finally lifted her head, a combination of black mascara and tears streaked down her face. "Why?" She whispered her words barely audible.

"We don't know why, right now. But all the evidence we brought back is going to help find McGee. He needs your top notch forensic skills more than ever."

Abby nodded, "Everyone else is okay? What about Ducky and Palmer? I thought they were babysitting?"

Ziva held a box of tissues out for Abby, "Yes, Ducky, Jimmy and the dog along with two other agents who were shot with tranquilizer darts are going to be fine."

"How?" She asked blowing her nose, using another tissue to dab her face.

"Some type of gas rendered the four of them unconscious, which allowed Ella and her accomplice to enter the house without a fight."

Ziva continued, "Meanwhile, Lucy faked an illness allowing her to be sent to the hospital, but she never made it. She was able to escape. Gibbs wants pictures of the two sisters to alert the public. Our hope is that someone saw something or will recognize them and can tell us where they might be hiding.

Abby sniffled, "What about Gibbs, how's he taking this?"

"Not well," Vance answered as he thought back to the confrontation they had earlier. "It would be best for all of us, if you leave him alone for the time being.

"But...but...but..." Abby began to protest.

"No exceptions," Vance said as he held up his hands. "If he seeks comfort from you then that's fine, but I repeat, leave him alone for the time being."

He clapped his hands together, "Let's get moving people, we have a little boy to find. Ms. Sciuto if you will email me the pictures I'll get them over to my contacts at ZNN."

Ziva nodded, "Abby I will drop this evidence off in your lab, Tony should be here soon with the drawing from the sketch artist. Let us know if you find anything."

"Don't I always?" Abby snipped back at her.

"Yes, you do." Ziva reassured her hurrying to catch the elevator with Vance. As the doors closed, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Vance cracked a smile, "She's good at what she does, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with that every day."

After Ziva dropped off the rest of the evidence at the lab, she headed back to the bullpen. Gibbs was sitting at his desk, staring off into space while sipping on a cup of coffee. She was surprised to see a fresh coffee on Tony's desk and a cup of tea on her own. Before she could speak, the elevator dinged and Tony stepped off carrying a file. He quietly sat down at his desk and motioned to the cup of coffee. Ziva shrugged her shoulders and nodded in Gibbs' direction. "It's coffee, DiNozzo. Drink it." The older man spoke up, but he had not moved an inch since Ziva arrived.

"Thanks, boss. I appreciate it." He said taking a sip of the hot beverage. Gibbs grunted as he continued to fiddle with the pacifier in his hand. As Tony stood up, he exchanged a nervous glance with Ziva, while he flipped through the papers in the file. "The two paramedics and guard who were tranquilized were unable to give full statements at this time; however, our two NCIS agents were able to work with the sketch artist." Gibbs perked up upon hearing that information and leaned forward on his desk. "Well let's see it, DiNozzo."

"Oh, right," Tony responded as he walked over and handed the sketch to him.

Gibbs slipped on his glasses, leaned back in the chair and clutched the pacifier in his hand. As he studied the drawing, he felt a sharp twinge in his gut. The man looked extremely familiar, but he couldn't place how he knew him. He racked his brain trying to think if there was a connection to any of the cases he had worked over the years. Not able to put his finger on one at the moment, he stood up and handed the drawing back to Tony. "Put a BOLO out on him along with the Greys. Then send it down to Abby so it can go on ZNN."

"On it, boss."

"Actually Gibbs, Vance instructed Abby to send him the photos of the Greys. Apparently he will be emailing them over to his connection at ZNN."

Gibbs nodded, "In the meantime I need you two to comb through every last case I've had. That guy looks familiar to me and we need to know who he is."

"But, that's thousands of cases!" Tony protested as Gibbs headed for the elevator.

The older man stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, "You want to tell that to Tim?"

Tony gulped and shook his head, "No, sorry we'll get right on it."

Gibbs glared at him, "That's what I thought!"

After the elevator door shut, Tony slapped the back of his own head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Damn, what was I thinking?"

Ziva scoffed, "Most of the time you do not think, Tony. Get to work because Gibbs is going to want answers."

Gibbs stepped off the elevator, surprised he didn't hear the usual loud music blasting from the lab. He stopped at the doorway when he noticed the pictures of the Grey sisters on the plasma. All the guilt, anger, panic and worry washed over him once again. Although he tried to stop it, his mind raced with terrible thoughts regarding Tim's situation. It wasn't until Abby put a hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of it.

"You okay, Gibbs?"

He nodded and took a few deep breaths, "Yeah, the pictures were a trigger for me, but I'm back."

Abby quickly minimized the windows on the computer screen, "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I was just emailing the pictures to Director Vance. I still have all this evidence to process from your house. Normally McGee would..." Her head shot up, panic spread all over her face, "Sorry, I know this is hard for you and...I...I...probably just made it worse by mentioning Tim..."

Gibbs sighed, "Abs, it's okay. Take a deep breath. I need that brain of yours to help find him."

She took a long slurp of Caf-Pow, "Ahh I feel much better now."

"Good, now first off, Tony emailed you a sketch of the Grey's accomplice. I can't put my finger on it, but I know him. The problem is, I don't know where I know him from. Do you remember the program that McGee used to find Ari's real name?

"Of course, you want me to do the same with the sketch?"

"Yeah, run it through every national database you can think of."

"It would really help if you could narrow it down for me. It took days for Tim to get a match on Ari. I don't think time is something we have a whole lot of," her voice trailed off.

"Damnit Abby, just do what I ask! What is it with you guys today? First DiNozzo questions my orders and now you. Do you think Tim would be complaining if the situation was reversed?"

Abby lowered her head, "No, no he wouldn't, Tim rarely complains."

"Good I'm glad that's cleared up. Call me when you have something." Gibbs stormed out, while Abby wiped away a few tears.

***NCIS***

The sun was setting the next time Tim woke up. Once again, he found himself in the same crib he'd woken in earlier. As he lay there, he thought about all the great times he'd had with Gibbs over the past few days. In some ways, it was nice to get the attention from a father figure that he had never received as a child. His only wish was that he hadn't had to be de-aged to have the opportunity arise. It was nice getting to see a side of Gibbs not regularly displayed. It might be selfish, but it was also nice to know he was the person the team leader was focused on for once. He always felt the older man had his back, but had a funny way of showing it. However, after this experience there was no doubt in his mind Gibbs would always be there for him. Knowing the team would not rest until he was rescued gave him hope they would be reunited.

Tim's thoughts were interrupted when the bedroom door squeaked as Lucy slowly opened it. "Ahh I see mommy's little boy is awake. Did you have a good nap?"

Yesh, cwazy lady. You not muh mama dats fir sure."

Lucy reached into the crib and picked the youngster up, "Let's check your diaper and see if mommy needs to change you." Tim could tell he was wet, but he didn't want Lucy to change him. Although he knew he did not have a choice in the matter, he could still make it difficult for her. As she laid him on the changing table, Tim squirmed back and forth while Lucy tried to unzip his sleeper. "Your Aunt Ella is in the other room, do you want me to call her in here?"

No tank u, fweak. Lemme go den u no worwy no mowre. I want muh dada wight now!

Tim started sobbing as Lucy cleaned him up. All babies cried and there was no way she could be upset over that. Plus, it was a way he could annoy them for the time being. Just as Lucy finished, Ella hollered at her from the other room to come join her. Lucy grabbed Tim and quickly headed into the family room where Ella's attention was glued to the television. They watched as their photos, along with a sketch of Jed was plastered across the screen. A small smile formed on Tim's face as the news report urged anyone with information pertaining to the Greys to contact NCIS or the police.

"Dada...dada...muh dada..." Tim squealed, sticking his tongue out at the two sisters.

Ella stood up, walked over to Tim and pinched his cheek, hard, "Sorry kid, your dada won't be finding you anytime soon. They're looking all over the Eastern seaboard; those idiots probably won't even think to look in DC."

"What did I tell you about being too cocky, Ella? We knew this was going to be a possibility, we need to get plan B ready in case we need it."

Tim shuddered, Uh oh thish no' good. Who knows whats dese cwazy womens hab pwanned.