Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am a poor starving student, so please, please don't sue me.

First time writer, long time reader.

Prologue

It was warm inside. Warm and dry. She sat down in one of the booths and peeled off her jacket. The warmth of the room with the softness of the seat made her want to close her eyes and finally sleep. "Stay Awake," she reminded herself. "Just get some food. You have fifteen dollars. Eat. Something…"

"Sugah." She glanced up to see the waitress staring at her. "Are you alright? You looked soaked to the bone and just worn out."

She shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I'm fine. It's just a little…wet outside. Do you have any hot chocolate?" The waitress nodded and nudged the menu towards her.

"Get something to eat. It'll help you warm up."

"Yes ma'am." Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall. Eggs. Definitely eggs sunny side up. With bacon. And toast. Maybe a waffle….with whipped cream and strawberries. Oh wait. This was Waffle House….Just a waffle. Sighing she shifted her head against her shoulder and promptly forgot that she needed to stay awake.

The television in the corner changed from the soap opera to an Amber Alert. The waitress grumbled. She just wanted to see if Tommy and Lisa would finally kiss and now some stupid government broadcast. She'd never find out. "Oh god." She muttered as the picture of the missing girlwas shown. She glanced over to the sleeping kid in the booth. "Tom, I need you to call the police. NOW"

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

She jumped up. Why was she hearing a siren? Then, she turned her head to the window. Cars. With flashing lights. Oh my God. She crawled under the booth and began creeping towards the emergency exits. Halfway to the door she bumped into something. Legs. She got up and began to slowly back away.

"Aw. Don't do that. Please? Look, we're not trying to hurt you. I'm Tony, I'm with NCIS. .. we're…we're the good guys. Geez, Gibbs! She's running!"

She pushed through the exit door, ran out into the parking, and almost ran directly into the arms of an older gray-haired man. "Kristina Stover."

He knew her name. He had her cornered, with her back against the wall. There was nowhere to go. No more running, no more safety, she was caught. The man who had tried to get her in the diner came running from inside the restaurant and a darker haired woman joined him.

"Kristina, I know it's been a pretty awful day and a half. You don't have to keep running. Your father is worried about you. Please come with us, we'll get you some food and a change of clothes."

Kristina stared at him, her eyes wide with terror. Slowly, she reached her hand into the back of her jeans. With shaking hands, she pulled out the gun, raised it to her head, and pulled the trigger. There was nothing but a clicking noise.

Uh oh.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Shall I continue?