Title: My Conscience is clear

Slash/Mature: Don't like, don't read.

Summary: Moral compass, principles, right and wrong, inner voice, conscience…whatever you call it. Gibbs isn't sure he can keep his conscience clear when someone he cares about is missing. The one thing he is sure of, his conscience is clear when it comes to a past transgression between them. Will that memory help or hinder the future.

All mistakes are mine, this has not been proofed.

####################

McGee laid the file on the desk in front of Gibbs and the older man looked up. "Casey is finishing up with the evidence and it's on its way to Homeland security."

Gibbs nodded as he flipped open the file. "Go home McGee."

"I have a few more things to finish up."

The Gibbs stare glared back at him.

"Boss I-" McGee's thought went unfinished as Gibbs' phone rang and he answered it. The other agents at their desks looked over and held their breath. They'd been on this case for over seventy-two hours and no one wanted another case to fall into their lap.

"Yeah Gibbs." There was a pause. "Okay." Gibbs hung up the phone and stood up. Bishop and Torres followed suit about to grab their bags and Gibbs shook his head. "Someone's on the way up."

All three agent's brows furrowed.

Gibbs shrugged. All the front desk had said was someone was coming up that needed to see him.

They all stood there looking at the elevator until it dinged. An agent stepped off followed by a woman holding the hand of a little girl with a backpack. McGee's eyes went wide. "Josie."

"Tim." The women's voice was soft slightly shaky.

"What's going on?" McGee's face was filled with confusion. He knew Josie from Face Time with Tony and Tali. "Where's Tony?"

Gibbs' eye went wide as he looked down at the little girl. He'd seen a few pictures of Tali over the last couple of years, but only those that Abby or McGee had shared with him. Seeing the little girl now it all rushed back.

There was a moment of hesitation from the woman. Then she shook her head. "I'm not sure."

The little girl gave a half-hearted smile to Gibbs, but even with the smile being slightly sedated he'd have known that smile anywhere. Gibbs finally looked up and cleared his throat.

McGee still in shock over seeing the woman and little girl shook his head. "Um boss this is Josephine, Tony's au pair and-"

"Tali." Gibbs squatted down and smiled at the little girl.

"Hi Gibbs." She smiled back, this time a real DiNozzo smile.

Gibbs' eyebrow went up surprised that the little girl remembered him. He'd talked to Tony a few random times since he'd left but he hadn't seen Tali since that day she had been brought to NCIS.

"Mr. DiNozzo shows her pictures of all of you."

"Josie's what's going on?" McGee asked again.

"I'm not sure." Josephine clutched at the necklace she was wearing and looked down at Tali.

Understanding her body language, Gibbs turned his attention back to Tali and squatted down again. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded repeatedly.

"Do you like oranges?"

Another nod.

Walking over to his desk he produced an orange and made his way back to Tali. "Can Elle help you with this while I talk to Josephine?" She nodded and took the orange as he held it out to her.

Tali looked up at Josephine as Elle walked over from behind her desk.

"Go ahead." Josephine smiled at the little girl. Orange in hand she took Elle's hand and they headed to the desk.

Standing up, Gibbs touched the small of the woman's back and led her towards Torres' desk as McGee followed. Torres pushed the chair over towards the woman and she sat down.

Keeping her voice low, the woman spoke to the three men. "Mr. DiNozzo said he thought someone was following him and he needed us to leave."

"Who was following him?" The three men said it in unison

"I don't know." She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "He told me to pack a bag for myself and Tali and that he was putting us on a plane to DC."

As she spoke, Gibbs heard the French accent with the hint of another accent hidden underneath.

"I was to get to DC and come directly here and find Gibbs or Tim." She glanced over at Tali then back up at the men standing before her as she chose her words carefully. "He was concerned for our safety…and he gave me this." She slipped the necklace over her head. "He said to give it to one of you." She held it out and Gibbs nodded to McGee.

McGee studied the necklace for a moment. It was a rectangle piece of filigree metal work with a flower pattern within in it as he stared at it he realized it wasn't one piece but two. He pushed up on the intricate metal work and a USB stick appeared. He looked over at Gibbs.

"Go, work with Casey." Gibbs nodded towards McGee and the agent took off.

Gibbs leaned back against the desk. "We need to hear everything leading up to you two leaving Paris."

Taking a few steady breathes she started to talk. "We went to dinner at a little café a few blocks away." Her brow furrowed. "Mr. DiNozzo was acting strange through the whole dinner. Then when we were walking back home he was carrying Tali and walking quickly. Once we were in the apartment, he sent Tali to her room to play and then he took me by both arms, said I needed to pack a bag for myself and Tali because we were going to DC." She paused shaking her head. "I tried to question him, but he kept stopping me. Finally he told me he thought he was being followed or maybe we were being followed, he wasn't sure he just wanted to make sure we were safe." She went to reach for the necklace that she no longer wore. "He put the necklace on me and said to give it to you or McGee when I got here…he didn't tell me what it was. I just thought-" She stared off at the orange wall in the distance still shocked by everything.

"Josie." Gibbs used the shortened name.

"Um, he gave me some money, told me just tell Tali we were going on an adventure. He told me only talk to the people I absolutely had to and if anyone asked Tali was my daughter." Again she looked over at Tali then back at the men. "He had a friend of his pick us up at the back door and take us to the airport and when we landed I got a cab and came straight here."

"He didn't say who he thought might be following him?" Torres asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, he said the less we knew the better."

Gibbs' phone rang and he pulled it from his belt. "Yeah."

"Boss, you need to see this. Tony was doing his own counter surveillance. Plus there's a video message from him."

"I'll be there in few minute." Gibbs clicked the phone shut. He stole a glance at Bishop and Tali they were chatting as the little girl ate a piece of orange. Looking back at Josie, Gibbs spoke. "Torres will get you something to eat and stay with you and Tali."

"Of course, I'm thinking pizza." Torres grinned when he saw Tali look over at him.

"Let me guess sausage and peperoni?" Gibbs didn't even have to ask.

"How did you know?" Josephine looked at Gibbs.

Gibbs didn't answer.

"Big Mikes Pizza coming up." Bishop picked up the phone and started dialing.

Torres watched Gibbs slowly start towards the back elevator. He followed knowing by Gibbs manner and walk that the Boss wanted to talk away from the others. Once they reached the elevator doors, Gibbs paused.

"They stay here and they are not left alone."

Torres nodded.

"Get the safe house ready." Gibbs pushed the down button and the elevator doors parted. He stepped inside and the doors closed.

##########

Bursting into the lab, Gibbs saw several images cued up on the screen. "What do we got? "

"Someone was definitely following Tony. There are pictures of a white work van and black sedan with tinted windows out front of his apartment and outside restaurants and stores on countless occasions. Tony was checking into the van and sedan they were both registered to a dummy corporation." He cued up another picture with a man stepping out of the white van. "This is the only picture of any of the drivers, Tony was trying to identify the guy but he didn't have the resources."

"I'm running facial recognition now." Casey chimed in.

"The video explains everything more. They'd been following him a few weeks, he'd been checking what he could, called in some favors, but he wasn't getting much." McGee pulled up another picture. It of Tali and Josie sitting at a café table, but they were out of focus. Instead the importance of the picture had been placed on the cars lining the street behind them. The now familiar van and black sedan were parked with a car between them. "This was taken that night at the café. Seeing both the vehicles together that night made him think something was going done and he didn't want Tali and Josie there if it did." McGee looked over at his boss. "I wanted you to hear this." McGee tapped a button on the keyboard and the video of Tony started.

"I hid a burn phone in the bottom of Tali's backpack, it's turned off. There's one number programmed into it, it's the burn phone I have. Call me when they are safe. If I don't answer don't think the worst..." Tony's voice faded for a moment. "Then again maybe think the worst."

Gibbs already had his phone opened calling Torres. "There's a phone hidden in the bottom of Tali's backpack. Get it and get down here. Make sure Bishop stays with Tali and Josie." He slammed the phone shut. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the computer screen. "Josie?" Gibbs said the name with suspicion.

McGee shook his head. "He checked her out before he hired her, she came back clean."

"The friend that took them to the airport?"

"Tony gave us the name." McGee pulled up a picture of an ID. "Wade Fisher retired Marine living in Paris. Tony met him at Tali's music class. Tony checked him out, no red flags."

"Check again."

"Already doing that."

Gibbs squared his jaw. "Could it be Mossad?" The thought had hit him earlier. Even with the limited number of people that knew about Tali, there were still enough people that someone could have felt she should be brought back into the fold. Eli was still thought of highly by agents within the organization.

McGee's eyes went wide. "You think they were watching Tali?"

"I wouldn't put anything passed them."

"I'll check it out."

"Paris Police?"

"He said he was going to them after Tali and Josie were safe in DC." McGee looked at Gibbs afraid his boss might be upset that he had taken the next action. "Vance is checking with the police and the embassy in Paris."

Gibbs only response was a nod.

"We've all made a lot of enemies at this job. It could be anyone."

"Find out." Gibbs voice was almost a shout.

Torres hurried into the room phone in hand and passed it to Gibbs.

Turning it on, Gibbs waited as McGee tapped at the keyboard. He watched as McGee's brow furrowed. "Someone must have removed the GPS tracker." He glanced over at Gibbs. "Tony could have done it." Again he tapped at the keyboard. "I should be able to at least get a radius on it if he answers the call."

Gibbs pulled up the only number on the phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times, clicked as if someone had picked up then went dead. He looked back at McGee who was typing away at the keyboard.

A large red circle appeared on the screen covering most of Paris. "That's all I could get, it wasn't long enough.

Gibbs tossed the phone on the table and heading out the lab door.

Torres had turned to follow but when he stepped out Gibbs was already gone. Walking back into the lab, Torres looked at McGee and Casey. "From what I hear Tony was one of the best, he knows how to handle himself."

"Yeah he does, but he also doesn't have the resources he had when he was an agent."

"He wouldn't put himself in a situation he couldn't handle right?"

McGee sighed. "I would do whatever it takes to protect my family." McGee had only been a father for a short time but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he would give his life for his children or Delilah.

##########

"Embassy?" Gibbs stormed into Vance's office without knocking.

"They haven't heard from him, neither have the police."

"I'm going to Paris." It was said as a statement, a command actually, not a request.

"And do what? Do you even know where he is?"

"No, but I'll find him." Gibbs tried to keep the edge out of his voice but it didn't work. "I'm not asking, I just need you to back me up on this." His voice was raised now.

Leon stood up behind his desk. "Gibbs we don't have-"

The familiar Gibbs glare bore down on the Director.

"Agent Gibbs-"

"Damn it Leon, its Tony." Gibbs heard the Director returning to Leon's voice and he didn't need that right now.

Leon steadied his voice and pulled down his suit jacket, still trying in some way to keep the Director persona in place even as he gave in. "Take an agent with you-"

"I don't need-"

"If you want to go over there with the backing of NCIS, you take another agent."

Gibbs clenched his jaw.

"I don't care who it is, although I suggest Bishop, she speaks French."

"I just heard." Jack walked through the door. "So what is NCIS doing to help?" She paused as the two men stared at her.

Gibbs turned back to Vance. "I'll take Jack."

Leon looked at Gibbs surprised. He knew Gibbs and Jack were getting along, but Gibbs choosing Jack over one of his agents was extremely ungibbs.

"She's an agent and she speaks French."

"You'll take me where?" She looked completely confused.

"On the next plane to Paris." He was already almost to the door. "Unless I can get a military transport." The door closed behind him.

"Paris." She looked at Leon. "So NCIS is going to investigate retired agent DiNozzo's disappearance."

"You and Gibbs are going to investigate, with NCIS support." Leon took a deep breath. "We don't even know for sure that he's missing."

"He would have answered the phone Leon." She had already heard when she went down to the lab to talk to Casey. "Knowing his daughter is safe is the only thing he want to hear right now."

He let some of the vibrato fade from his body. "This is personal for Gibbs."

"I know, just because an agent leaves doesn't mean they stop being family." She folded her arms across her chest. "I've read the files I know they were close, how close the whole team still is."

"He's not going to want to play by the rules and the last thing we need is an international incident."

"Is that your politically correct way of asking me to keep him in line?"

Leon just looked at her.

"When it comes to a member of his team, past or present. I don't think The Almighty himself could keep Gibbs in line."

##########

Gibbs barreled down the steps towards the bullpen and to his desk. Opening the drawer he grabbed his side arm and his badge. Clipping the gun holster to the right side of his belt, he clipped the badge to the left. "Is the safe house ready?"

"Ready and waiting." Torres replied.

"Safe house?" Josie looked up, Tali in her lap.

Gibbs walked over towards Bishops desk where Josie and Tali sat next to Bishop. There was a half-eaten pizza in front of them. He smiled at Tali. "You, Josie, Nick and Elle are going to go stay at one of our secret adventure houses."

"What about daddy?" Tali looked up at him with worry in her eyes.

"He'll be there soon."

Tali nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm going to go get daddy."

Josie stood up and placed Tali on the chair, she took a few steps away from the desk with Gibbs. "Something happened?" Josie swallowed the lump in her throat.

"We don't know for sure, but until we know we need to keep the two of you safe." He kept his voice calm and smiled. "The safe house is the best place for you."

"Okay."

"I'll let Torres know as soon as I know anything."

Josie wrapped her arms around herself and looked at Tali. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Gibbs could see the love that the woman had for Tali.

"If you need anything the agents will make sure you get it."

"Thank you."

"Do you remember seeing a white van or a black sedan following you and Tali or it parked outside the apartment while you were there."

She thought for a moment and shrugged. "Maybe I don't know, I wasn't paying attention."

Gibbs touched her shoulder and instantly felt the tension in her body. He forced a half smile and walked over towards Torres' desk as Joie went back to Tali. Torres was already on his feet. He stood as close to Torres as possible without touching the man, their eyes locked as Gibbs glare narrowed. "You protect them like they're your own, because if anything happens to them-"

"I'll be the next one in line for a body bag." Torres knew that glare, knew the ferociousness that Gibbs had about protecting his own and Torres respected that. He also knew Gibbs would do the same for him and that made the demand even more intense. "We'll keep them safe."

Gibbs leaned forward his lips almost touching Torres' ear as he whispered to the man. When he leaned back he saw the understanding in Torres' eyes and the younger man nodded.

McGee rushed in from the back elevator. "I'm going with you."

"No." Gibbs had called McGee in the lab and asked him to find a flight out, commercial or military.

"Boss."

"I need you here."

"But I can-"

"Tim."

"Then I can go to the safe house, the protection detail."

The boss stare bore down on his Senior Field Agent.

McGee took a deep breath. "It's Tony."

"I know. Which is why I need you here."

McGee squared his shoulders. He was the Senior Field Agent and with Gibbs gone, he should be here. Yet another part of him felt Gibbs was protecting him, keeping him out of the line of fire so to speak and close to his own family.

"You and Casey keep working on what we have, follow up on anything no matter how small. I want a sitrep as soon as we land."

McGee heard the unfaltering command in Gibbs' voice and simple nodded. There was still a lot to go through he'd only looked at half of what Tony had on the thumb drive.

"The minute I know." Gibbs nodded back.

Jack came down the steps and into the bullpen. "My bags in my car I'll grab it on the way out."

"Did you find a flight?" Gibbs asked McGee.

"You're taking Jack?"

Gibbs didn't respond just stared at McGee.

"Two commercial flights leaving in a couple hours, you can be on either one."

"Get the tickets and e-mail them to Jack's phone." Gibbs grabbed his coat and headed towards the elevator. "If you find out anything else call."

Jack was just a few steps behind, when they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. The elevator started its descent and she spoke. "If you brought me because you think I'll let you do whatever you want and whatever it takes to get him back, you picked the wrong agent."

"Not why I brought you."

"Then why did you bring me?"

"To be my conscience."

Jack turned towards Gibbs. "I've never known you to need a moral compass. You're sense of right and wrong is one of the strongest I know, at least from everything I've read, heard, and what I know of from personal experience."

"It's different…I'm different when someone goes after the people I…" He caught himself and continued. "care about."

"So what are you afraid you might do?"

The elevator doors open and Gibbs finally looked over at her. "Kill anyone that gets in my way."