A small figure remained hidden in the bushes as she waited for the lights to go off inside the house. It was late, far past her bedtime, and pitch black outside. The clouds hid the light from the stars or even the moon, adding to the eerie silence around her, but those clouds also kept it dark enough for her not to be discovered. It was a blessing in disguise, and she knew it, as scared of the dark as she was.

The last lights dimmed from an upstairs window, and the girl made her move. Crossing the yard as silently as she could muster, she climbed the large oak tree into a small but cozy treehouse belonging to one of her friends from school. Once there, she closed the trap door and huddled in a corner, pulling her thin hoodie tighter around her body. The air was unusually chilly for April, and she hadn't eaten since that morning (an apple she'd managed to grab from a convenience store), her hunger making her feel even colder.

By now, she thought, surely people were looking for her. She'd missed school, something she rarely did, and someone would have had to have noticed her mom was missing. Tears slid down her cheeks uninvited at the thought of her mom. Never again would she be able to hug or kiss her. Never again would she be able to share ice cream sundaes with her, or go shopping, or just sit on the porch swing and talk. No, her mother was dead, and the girl knew there was a real possibility that she would be next.

The wind howled in the branches of the tree, and she longed to go inside her friend's house, where her friend's parents would welcome her with open arms, give her something to eat and a warm place to sleep.

Evie Mitchell knew, however, that it wasn't an option.

Being near a friend was a risk, but Evie figured that anyone looking wouldn't expect her to have made it unseen to the other side of town where her friend Claire lived. Claire's treehouse was probably the safest place for her. The police wouldn't be looking for her there, at least for tonight, and neither would the men who'd killed her mother.

Several more tears fell, and Evie slid onto her side, curling up into a ball. She pulled a cold metal object from her hoodie pocket, placing it on the wooden floor in front of her, still grasped firmly in her hand. It would stay there for the night, the only defense she had against the people who sought to hurt her.

Callen sat at his desk Tuesday morning, a freshly brewed cup of tea in hand as he checked his email on his laptop. The tea didn't have as much caffeine as a typical cup of coffee, but Hetty had converted him, and for whatever reason the drink soothed him. The special agent was exhausted after his disaster of a date with… what had her name been? Courtney? Carly? No, it was Candy.

Sam really needed to stop trying to set him up.

Callen wasn't sure why it was so important for Sam that he find someone. Callen was content being single. Sure, one night here or there wasn't so bad, but Callen had been on his own for so long, he wasn't sure he was really cut out for anything long-term. The closest he'd been to settling down had been over a decade ago, and that relationship hadn't ended well.

Kensi and Deeks were at their desks, sneaking glances at each other when they thought no one else was looking. Honestly, Callen thought it was hilarious that they thought for a second that everyone else there didn't know something was going on.

Out of the corner of his eye, Callen saw Sam approach. He groaned internally, knowing Sam was going to ask about his date with Candy. Quickly trying to come up with an excuse to avoid the subject, Callen nearly jumped at the loud whistle that captured everyone's attention. Eric stood at the top of the stairs, his t-shirt and shorts in stark contrast to the slacks, jeans, and skirts everyone else in the room wore.

"We've got a case."

Relieved, Callen glanced at the members of his team before leading the way up to Ops. He unintentionally caught Sam's gaze, and his friend's face revealed he knew that Callen was happy to avoid the subject. Nevertheless, the topic was pushed aside as he, Sam, Kensi, and Deeks joined Eric and Nell in Ops.

Callen glanced at the plasma screen, expecting to see something about the case they were taking. He was unprepared for the familiar image staring back at him.

"NCIS Special Agent Elizabeth Mitchell, NCIS Headquarters," introduced Eric. "She was found dead in her home in Annandale, Virginia yesterday."

There was a sudden intake of breath throughout Ops. "How?" Callen murmured as his gaze were glued to the screen.

"Gunshot to the head. Local LEOs were first on the scene, but have transferred the case to NCIS. One of our MEs is calling it a homicide."

The team was more subdued than usual. It was a heavy blow to learn about a fellow agent's death, even if they hadn't known that agent personally. However, it was unusual for a team to investigate the death of an agent on the other side of the country. "Why isn't a team in D.C. heading the investigation?" questioned Sam, asking what everyone else was wondering themselves.

"They are," Nell said. "You're not investigating Agent Mitchell's death. Your mission is to locate and protect a possible witness." She clicked a button and a new image appeared – a child's school photo. "This is Genevieve Mitchell, age ten. She's a fourth grader at Camelot Elementary School."

"Mitchell's daughter?" Kensi guessed.

"Yes. Neighbors claim Evie, as she's known to family and friends, was home around the time of Agent Mitchell's death. The Annandale police haven't been able to locate her. It's believed that she could have witnessed her mother's murder, and assumed that she's still alive. If the killer had her, they'd have no reason to keep her alive for ransom. There's no evidence that Agent Mitchell's family has money. They would have just killed her along with her mother, so we're operating under the belief that she's in hiding somewhere. We need to find her before whoever killed Agent Mitchell does."

"What about the father?" Deeks asked, joining the conversation.

"Unknown," Eric explained. "No father listed on her birth certificate. Next of kin listed are Agent Mitchell's parents and sister. They've already been notified."

Beth was dead. It was a hazard of the job, but to have been murdered off the job, in her home, struck a chord within Callen. He hadn't talked to her in years, but he was still surprised to find she had a daughter. Beth had been as devoted to the job as he had when they'd met on a mission overseas. He'd been CIA at the time, while she'd already been NCIS. It had been a whirlwind romance, but Callen could still say with certainty that Beth was the only woman he'd ever truly loved.

Callen took a deep breath. He couldn't bring back Beth, but at least he could try to save her daughter. "When do we leave?"