Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters.

McGee looked up at his two co-workers as he heard two bags hit the floor within moments of each other. Ziva sunk into her chair while Tony picked up the file on his desk, opened it then filed it in the cabinet beside his desk.

"Where's Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"Down with Abby," McGee replied, "I don't think she had much luck on the paper she was reconstructing. From what I gather it's missing a piece."

"Aren't you and him still meant to be on the protection detail at the Ford's?" Tony questioned.

"No, it was only Gibbs. The second team come for the day. I'm about to head out there, Gibbs wants at least one of us there at all times. Just to keep tabs," McGee explained. He read over his computer screen; his hand slapped his desk, hard. "This is getting ridiculous. I keep being denied access to the Lieutenant's records. I can barely get anything more than his identity and family details."

"That answers the question of why they went for the kids," Tony murmured.

"What?" Ziva asked, her eyebrows pulled together in thought. Tony's eyes left his own compute screen to study her. "Children are always vulnerable; usually they supply the weak points of people, parents and non-parents alike - most of the time."

"It doesn't change the fact that it is pretty much the most effective way to manipulate people," Tony said.

"See," McGee began, "now you're contradicting yourself. You can't be surprised about whoever this is kidnapping Amelia and then say that it's the most effective way of manipulating people."

"No, that's not what I was meaning. You don't know what this person or these people are after. Something personal or professional? If it's professional, then it's likely that she has been abducted because they couldn't find anything else," Tony said, completely turning from checking his emails for anything important in favour of the conversation.

"You cannot assume, Tony. If it is professional, then the likelihood of them already knowing something we do not needs to be taken into consideration. If it is someone that he has worked with, or someone he has worked against. If we look at it from that perspective, then there are so many more factors that need to be addressed," Ziva replied, resting her chin on her hand.

"Hang on, personal?" McGee questioned as if this was something that should have been obvious. Something that shouldn't have been over looked, but was. The line of Amelia being taken as motivation for her father to take place in some activity was all too favourable, easy. It seemed obvious. Highly classified assignments, he crossed a line, someone wants him to pay.

But it was only easy in theory. But for the sake of national security, it was something they had jumped at.

"Yeah, in most abductions, the kidnapper is someone known to the victim," Tony said.

For only a moment, they all drew a blank. It wasn't because they didn't know where to go; it was trying to work out how.

McGee stood first. "I'll take the professional road. I'll talk to Gibbs and the Director about gaining access."

"We'll run the personal line. I'm sure between the two of us we'll be able to get somewhere with the Ford's," Tony said from his desk. McGee walked out of the squad room leaving Tony and Ziva submerged in a pensive silence.

"Perhaps we could talk to the children?" Ziva suggested, "they are open and do not know how to lie."

"Chances are, though, that they won't really understand what's happening," Tony pointed out, "perhaps we'll go out and talk to the Ford's again."

"What are we going to say?" Ziva asked, "we cannot just rock up at their front door telling them that their family may have kidnapped their child."

"What else are we going to say?" Tony replied, already gathering his things, clearly not expecting an answer.

Ziva followed suit, meeting him at the elevator, but she stood in the entrance - stopping his advance.

He rolled his eyes. "Ziva, you know as well as I do that we need to cover all bases. We can't take the chance. Not with a kid - anyone."

"Can I do the talking?" she asked, not disputing him as he had expected her to.

He gently took hold of her arms and pushed her into the elevator. "We can both do the talking," he replied. He wasn't about to let her take the reigns. He was the superior agent between the two of them which technically meant that she was his responsibility if anything was to go wrong.

She seemed satisfied with the answer; even if it wasn't going to be any different to every other time they interviewed suspects together. But that wasn't what she was after either. She wanted a little more power - almost as reassurance.

Ziva knocked on the door offering a small, sympathetic smile when it opened to reveal Ebony.

She was tired and the hostile look directed at Ziva conveyed her mood.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, "your boss said you went home."

"We did, and now we're back," Tony replied, "can we come in? We just have a few questions for you and your husband - assuming that he is still here."

She threw another look towards Ziva, this time it was measured, before taking a step to the side and opening the door a little wider, allowing them in.

"Where are your children?" Ziva asked, noting the stillness of the house.

"With Jacob, at his mother's house. We decided that it would be better for them if some normalicy is kept," she explained, "what are your questions?" She added as she led them into the dining room. She disappeared while Tony and Ziva took a seat at the table, returning moments later to place a jug of hot water in front of them turning back to the kitchen and reappearing with coffee, sugar, a few teabags and a small jug of milk on a tray.

"Help yourself," she stated.

"We're just making sure that we cover all grounds with these next questions," Tony began, "so please don't jump to the wrong conclusions." She took a seat and looked between Tony and Ziva waiting for one of them to continue.

"Can I ask my own questions as well?" Ebony asked.

"Sure," Tony said, "after. I'll ask mine, then we'll answer yours." He waited for an indication to continue, but apparently, he missed it because Ziva had already began talking.

"Can you think of anyone that you know - family, friends - that have any motive to abduct Amelia?" Ziva asked.

"No." Ebony's answer was quick. Sharp.

"That was fast," Tony observed.

"Easy question," she snapped in reply, "why would someone we know do something like this to her?"

"That is why we are asking," Ziva said, "we are not assuming anything. We are not saying that this situation has come about due to family or people you call friends. As Tony said just before, it is to make sure we have all the possibilities covered. If there is anything we need to know, then it would be best you tell us."

She was quiet. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes.

"Is there something we need to know?" Tony pressed. Her reaction to Ziva's words wasn't something he had expected.

Ebony shook her head.

"Nothing?" Ziva asked, "no family members that are jealous? No family you have stopped from seeing Amelia? No friends that disagree with the way you are raising her?" Ziva just hoped that Tony had taken to reading Ebony's response to Ziva's fast questions, she wasn't watching. Suddenly Ziva turned to look towards Tony. "Anything I have missed?"

Tony was watching Ziva closely. Silently asking what it was she was doing. "I've worked cases where the parents of the children have had them abducted for money," Tony said, "but I doubt that one's happened here."

"How can you be sure?" Ziva asked.

Tony looked back at Ebony briefly. He was glad Ziva had taken control, but couldn't she have found a more subtle approach instead of firing questions at the poor woman?

"Because when you were asking her those questions; her response changed when you asked about the family denied access to Amelia. I think we should work from that one first." They both looked towards Ebony now.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Ziva asked.

Her response was a question rather than a reply.

"Can I ask a question of my own?"

"Okay," Ziva said, and suddenly Ebony wasn't sure who ranked over who. Tony was now superior in his actions, but when it came down to talking in that moment, Ziva's voice held the power.

"How does someone like her get a job in an American federal agency?" She asked, pointing towards Ziva but looking at Tony. "Jacob did some background research on your team."

"Ziva is an American citizen," Tony said. It was that easy. There was nothing wrong with Ziva holding the position that she did.

He was a little confused with the turn that the conversation took. He understood though. She obviously wasn't impressed with the turn of the conversation and the need to defend the people she was close to; if this was the only way she could deal with that, then they were going to have to take it.

"She spent years working here as a Mossad assassin," Ebony disputed.

Ziva held up a hand, trying to defend herself. He needn't do it for her. But she was silenced with his own hand.

"Ziva worked for Mossad with NCIS. The aim of the assignment was to create a bond between the two agencies - get them and the countries working closer together," Tony explained, "she was not working as an assassin in the States and she never has."

"I do not want her here," Ebony said.

"Then you'd only be limiting yourself," Tony snapped, "what are you holding back from us?" he asked.

"I don't want a person like her around my children," she continued, acting as if Tony hadn't said a word.

Tony opened his mouth to talk, but Ziva was quicker by a second. "Okay, that is fine. I will talk to my boss when we get back to the office," she said, "but right now, you arguing with us is not helping find your daughter."

Both agents waited the stubborn silence out. They needed answers.

Ziva didn't understand her motives. Wouldn't a mother want to do anything to get her daughter back?

They were losing valuable seconds, minutes, waiting for her to reply.

Eventually, Ziva sighed, shook her head and then stood. "Mrs Ford, we have given you the opportunity to do this the easy way. We will find the answers. Someone else in this family must know whatever it is you are not going to tell us," Ziva snapped, he patience wearing thing.

"Ziva," Tony warned.

"No, Tony," Ziva snapped, her frustration getting the best of her. "Her daughter is missing and she is here avoiding the questions we have that may help us. I'm not going to let the minutes slip past when we could be doing something relevant - something that pushes the case forward," she explained, heading towards the front door. Tony grabbed her arm and she shrugged from it. He stood, following her. He understood her frustration, but what she was doing, it was out of line.

"She's fostered," Ebony said as Ziva's hand met the door, "we're adopting her."

The look Ziva received from Tony was full of authority - her level playing field privilege had been revoked; he was doing the talking.

"What made you think that was unimportant and something to leave out initially?" he asked.

"I didn't think it necessary. It doesn't matter who her mother or father is; Jacob and I will always be her mom and dad," Ebony said. The tears that had been forming earlier were falling down her cheeks.

Tony took his pad from his pocket, his pen too. "I need anything you can remember. Her biological parents' names. Numbers. Anything," Tony demanded.

"I don't know," she replied, "honestly," she added as the front door opened and two small children ran in, Jacob close behind.

The smile for show plastered on his face fell when he spotted Tony and Ziva, but was completely wiped off his face when he saw his wife close to tears. He told the kids to go to their rooms and to change into cleaner clothes before he walked to stand behind Ebony.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"They know, Jacob," Ebony replied, wiping her eyes.

"I told you we should have told them earlier - while we were talking to them yesterday," Jacob replied.

"We weren't allowed to," Ebony hissed.

Ziva stepped forward. "Have you had problems with her biological parents in the past?"

Jacob nodded. "Threatening phone calls to us and to the people we fostered her from. She was young when we began having her in our care. She doesn't know - and either do the others - we would like it to stay that way," he said.

"So the entire adoption process is being done without her knowledge?"

"Yes, but we've had her since she was very small. The parents were deemed unfit and we've had custody ever since. The court had no problems giving us custody," he explained.

"The calls, what was said? Did thy ever threaten to take her away?" Tony asked.

"Yes, but the last one was at least two, maybe three, years ago," Ebony said, "we thought that it was over."

"We'll be in touch," Tony said as he began towards the door again. Ziva reached it first, opening the door for the two of them.

"I know your interview-slash-interrogation techniques aren't exactly subtle," Tony said once the door was shut and they were almost at their car. "But don't you think that you were a little harsh?" He asked.

"She was withholding information, Tony," Ziva replied, "yes, I probably was harsh, but I got what we needed. And you didn't object to it," she said.

"You didn't leave me much of a choice," he stated, turning the car.

When they arrived back to the squad room, McGee was standing at the plasma, debriefing Gibbs. Silently, they stood behind them.

"Bring them in," Gibbs ordered. McGee had clearly gotten somewhere, found someone with a motive.

"I can't, Gibbs. I was told that two weeks after the assignment was completed, all three men were found dead in an Afghan building destroyed by an air strike. The first was impaled buy a piece of fallen debris, died immediately. The second was crushed and the third suffered head wounds and suspected brain damage. He was taken to a hospital but died shortly after arrival," McGee explained.

"Family?" Gibbs asked.

"I wasn't given names. It was a face to face conversation where they told me what happened to each person after the assignment was finished - the navy was working with the CIA. They came out clean, all of them, barely scratched. All the marines involved have families, the CIA stayed back to clean up," McGee said, "unless I get names for those people who died, we're at a dead end."

So maybe it wasn't the big break trough that they were all hoping for, but as he had said, it was a dead end until he could break through and get someone to slip up and tell them who was involved by name.

"We might have something more useful," Ziva stated, "Amelia was adopted. Well, is being adopted. The Fords have had custody since she was little, but are just going through the adoption process now."

"They don't have names of the biological parents, but we can run DNA tests and talk to social services," Tony added, he received a nod from Gibbs.

"Oh, and you might be receiving a complaint from them about Ziva," Tony added as he turned around to walk to his desk.

Gibbs threw a look at Ziva, she stood defiantly, she wasn't going to back down from her decisions.

"Ebony Ford also does not want me working the case and being near her children. I wish to respect that," Ziva said.

Gibbs offered a solitary nod.

"Did Abby find anything on the letter she was reconstructing yesterday?" Ziva asked.

"It was a kid's drawing," Gibbs replied.

"Amelia's?" McGee asked.

"No way of knowing; but likely. Ebony brought it in yesterday," Gibbs said, "I sent it down to Abby while her husband calmed her down."

Gibbs walked out, announcing he was going for coffee.

Tony looked towards Ziva; she was sitting at her desk. Her focus seemed miles away. A finger was tapping at her lip slowly but in a rhythm.

"What's on your mind, Ziva?" Tony questioned as he looked back at his computer.

"Do you think there is a possibility that she could have run away of her own accord?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah," McGee said, "but the letter that the Lieutenant gave you yesterday, the writing is too neat to be that of an eight year old. That threat was made by someone else if she did run away."

"I guess your right," Ziva murmured, "what do you need me to do?"

Tony's hand hit his desk with force before he stood announcing his success. "I've got it," he began, waiting until he had both his co-worker's attention before continuing. He walked to the plasma, using the clicker to bring up what was on his computer. "It's only taken me four hours, but I know who her biological parents are. Social services were reluctant, but her mother's name is Rachelle Tapp, her father's name is Marcus Salt," Tony reported. McGee and Ziva moved from their desks to stand beside Tony. "Tapp has been arrested for drug related crimes; Salt has had been to prison for drink driving more than once, medical records suggest he is an alcoholic but hasn't been taken to hospital from clubs or bars in about three years.

"They had Amelia in February, two-thousand and four, lost custody December, two-thousand and five. Since then Amelia has had a stable life living with the Fords. No official contact has been made from the biological parents to the Fords or social services. Aside from the occasional night behind bars for Tapp, they've been pretty much silent," he said, "there is no address listed for either of them."

"Should we run a DNA test to verify?" Ziva asked.

"Why?" Tony replied, "these people know what they're talking about."

"Just to make sure," Ziva said, "I mean, it cannot hurt to make sure. You know who the mother is, always. They gave birth to the child. But a father could be anyone. If I had sex with you, Tony, and McGee in the same week and I ended up pregnant, how would I know who the father is?"

"I hope you're not serious," Tony stated, "you wouldn't want to sleep with McGee after you've slept with me."

She threw Tony a warning look, telling him she wasn't finished. "I never said I slept with you first," she replied, looking him up and down, "anyway, Amelia may not be Tapp's either. Maybe a surrogacy-"

"Ziva, you're thinking too much into this. We can only go on what we know right now," McGee interrupted, "but you are right, we should still probably run a DNA test, just for our records."

"I'll talk to Abby," Tony said, "see if she can get the DNA fingerprints up."

"I'll talk to metro; see if there is anything listed for either of them." Ziva called the easiest first as Tony left.

"I'll suck up to Ford's CO some more, see if he'll give me access," McGee murmured.

Tony's ears were assaulted as soon as the elevator came to a stop; the too loud music blaring from the lab. He wondered how the other people working on the same floor ever got their work done.

Abby was walking around from the back of the room to the table in front of her computers.

"Hey Tony," she said brightly.

"Hey Abbs," Tony replied, "do you have anything from the evidence?"

"Where's Gibbs?" She asked.

"I believe he is talking to the director and probably helping McGee get into the classified assignment the Lieutenant was on. I mean he got a bit, but we need more," Tony said, "did you get into the diary?"

"Yes," Abby replied. She moved a few evidence bags that were covering the thick plastic covered book.

"It was very... Informative," Abby begun, "apparently she wrote everything in here. Everyday she wrote an entry. Mostly things about her school, complaining about fights she's had with her siblings and when her parents were unfair with punishments." Abby opened to a page, just a little more than halfway through the book. As she flicked through them, Tony could see the small drawings she did, the writing wasn't untidy - it actually surprised him how neat it was, but the general look of the pages was unorganised.

"But the last few weeks it gets interesting. She writes that someone had approached her on the way home from school; the date says Tuesday, three weeks ago, she was waiting at the bus stop. From then the appearances of this woman - I believe - become more frequent until a week and a half ago. She meets with this woman after school every day. She says that this woman tells her to lie to her parents about where she has been, she always tells them she is at a friend's house," Abby said.

"There isn't a name or what they talk about?" Tony asked.

"She's eight, Tony, not a novelist," Abby replied, "she's using it as a diary to just recall what she's done. Like here-" Abby pointed to a line in the book. "-she's explaining playing snap with her siblings, then what they had for dinner. It's not in depth, and I wouldn't expect it to be from an eight year old. But now you know that there is someone that has been seeing her without her parents knowing."

Tony chewed the inside of his cheek. Abby could see him thinking. "Amelia is adopted. The Fords have been fostering her since two-thousand and five. So you think it's a possibility that this woman you're talking about is the biological mother?"

Abby shrugged. "I don't know. That's your job to find out. Not mine," she replied.

"Thanks, Abbs," Tony said as he motioned to leave her lab. She took hold of his arm.

"Have you and Ziva sorted out whatever it was she was angry at you for last week?" She asked.

"Yeah. Pretty sure," he replied, "why?"

"Because she was asking me for advice Monday. Yesterday she told me that you had sex and I then thought that it was probably that that has her worked up," Abby explained.

Tony's head snapped up. "'You had sex' as in Ziva and me?" He asked. If Ziva didn't talk to him about it until that morning, he wouldn't have told Abby about it. Right?

"No." She shrugged. "Well kinda. She told me that you took some girl home and she went with someone else."

"Oh," he murmured, "yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's all sorted out. Why?"

Abby hesitated. Tony could tell that it wasn't because she was hesitant to say, she just wasn't sure how to say what it was she was thinking.

"It's just, when you two fight, you both don't act like you. I mean, generally speaking, you are okay. But Ziva reacts to you. Always. Ziva doesn't like it when you disagree," she said.

"I know," Tony replied. He didn't need to be an investigator to work that out. "But I don't think she reacts to me," he added.

"But she does. You're- you provide some kind of security to her; it's like your her rock. If you're upset, she'll feel some kind of sadness. I mean you do the same," she said.

A few moments of silence passed between them while he processed what she said.

Abby become anxious. She could have sworn that they knew their effects on the other.

"It doesn't matter anyway," she said, "as long as you're both back and not fighting."

Tony seemed to snap himself out of whatever headspace he had gotten himself into. "We weren't fighting anyway, Abby, just disagreeing."

I have my groove for this back now.. So I should be getting more frequent updates unless school or work gets majorly in the way - which is possible.. I also have mid-year exams in about a month. So...

Anyway, please leave a review if you wish :)