"Oh, quit moping Tony!" Ziva nagged. She walked to Tony's desk and, putting a hand on each of his shoulders, rocked him back and forth.
"I know you loved her, but she is gone! You had to leave her for the sake of your job. It was for the best. You could not go and keep being someone you were not just for her. You know, you were never meant to fall for her for real; that wasn't part of the mission." Tony still was not over Miss Jeanne Benior.
"I know." Tony flopped his head down onto his desk, resting it on his folded arms. He picked his head up, sighed, and layed it back down. Gibbs strutted in in his usual manner, stopping and sitting down at his desk. He sipped his coffee and shuffled some papers.
"What? No orders first thing in the morning, Boss?"
"Nope."
"Maybe we'll actually get a day to relax, sit back and do paperwork." Ziva interjected, none too exited about sifting through the stacks and stacks of papers they had neglected to get to in the past few busy weeks. (There had been an excess of cases lately, lots of Marines had been murded in a series of hate killings on soldiers from other countries). The phone at Gibbs's desk was cut off mid ring. He had picked it up, jotted down a few small things and hung up.
"Grab your gear. We've got two dead marines found in 13th St. Park. Looks like a religous crime."
"Why do say that Boss?" McGee asked as they entered the elevator.
"You'll see." Gibbs said curtly.
They arrived on the scene, ready to begin the investigation. Doctor Mallard and Jimmy were already there, and had just begun their preliminary tests, liver probes and whatnot.
"What've we got Ducky?"
"Two victims: Lieutenent Commander Amy Dalamer and Petty Officer Chelsea Singer. IDs were on them. Approximate TOD is 01:00 hours (1:00 A.M.) The wounds are identical on both of them. A cross gauged into each cheek and lightly carved into the neck, with what I assume to be a knife. Cause of death seems to be a single stab to the heart. We'll know more once we get back to autopsy."
"Got it. Ziva, go take a statement from the girl who found them." Gibbs barked as McGee already began to take photos of the vicitms and blood patterns, "Tony, sketches. McGee, collect evidence and pictures." He sipped the last of his coffee before putting on a pair of latex gloves. He was now ready to get to work.
McGee scanned the surrounding earth and grass as he slowly walked, looking carefully for evidence with a trained eye. Sparkling in the sun, something caught his eye. He kneeled down on one leg slowly (his legs were achy from a long night with his typewriter) to get a better look. It was an ornate red rosary, no less than five feet from the victims and spattered with blood.
"Boss! I think I've got something!"
"You don't have to yell Mcgee; I'm only a few feet away."
"Oh, sorry Sir."
"Now what did I tell you about apologizing? What've you got?"
"Sorry, I mean, you told me it's a sign of weakness-"
"McGee!"
"Right. Its a rosary," He flipped it over and back, examining it further. He stopped at an engraving on the back of one of the segments,
"The Letters VA are inscripted on it. Maybe initials? I should check all the Catholic churches in the area. If it's our killer's and they carried it around daily, they most likely go to church regularly. I'll see if anyone with the initials VA is on any of the parish rosters from around here."
"Leah Marshall, says she was walking her dogs and came upon the bodies. Says her dogs didn't get near the body," Ziva once again interrupted.
"She saw them lying on the ground, yelled to see if they were alright, when they didn't respond, she tied her canine companions to the tree over there," she pointed to the tree that The dogs were, at present, bound to.
"She then ran over here and checked for a pulse just in case, then called us, seeing the naval uniforms they are dressed in."
"Good, you can help McGee with the evidence collection." He bagged a few loose hairs from the bodies. Ziva, meanwhile, began searching for anything else. She crouched as she put on her own gloves. There was a piece of torn, white fabric snagged on an above-ground root. She bagged it and tagged it.
"Abby might be able to tell what these are from," she turned to face him.
"Maybe, they look pretty distinct. Tightly woven, weird fabric. If we're lucky, she might even match it to a specific item or brand of clothing," They began to search the grounds again.
"I'm suprised that girl knew to call us; most people do not even know we exist, let alone our number." McGee thought out loud. Ziva froze in her tracks to ponder this fact.
"That is odd, McGee. I wonder where she got it. Maybe we should bring her in for questioning."
"We should ask GIbbs first. Wouldn't want to get his tugbost boxers in a bunch because we brought someone in when it doesn't pertain to the case... He's right behind me, isn't he?" he looked around behind him.
"No," she too, looked around, trying to place him. She sighted him across the park lounged against a tree, talking to the girl in a friendly manner, as though they were old friends.
"He's over there, with the girl, Leah." she tilted her head in their general direction.
"They kind of look lke they know each other... They're hugging!" McGee exclaimed quietly, stunned. He had never seen him hug anyone but Abby.
"OK, now I know they know each other."
"Might explain how she knew the number for NCIS," Ziva added.
Leah walked to her dogs, untied them, and began to walk home. She had given her Cell number to Gibbs so he could contact if need be. Along the long, twisting path , she walked with not a thought in her head. Less than half way home, her cell rang. It was none other than Gibbs.
"I swear I had in my pocket on the way back, Gibbs!"
"Now, Ziva, it isn't nice to swear," Tony taunted. Gibbs shut him up by glaring. She was frantically searching for her little notebook, the one she'd taken Leah's statement in.
"It must have fallen out somewhere on the way up from the garage!" she groaned, grabbing her coat as she hurriedly headed down to the parking garage.
"I am going to go look for it,"
"Don't bother, Ziva," Ziva gave him a puzzled look.
"I already called her. She's on her way now," He dialed Abby's lab.
"Hey Ab's"
"Hey, Gibbs!" She was on another rush of caffiene.
"I need a favor. We've got a someone who found the bodies ,Leah, coming in."
"Yeah, and?"
"She get home before I called and she still has her five dogs with her."
"And you want me to dog-sit while she's here, so you can take her statement. Ziva told me"
"Yep,"
"Yay! Lab buddies! I'm soooo glad Ziva lost her notebook. I mean I'm not glad she lost it because that's a bad thing. But, I'm glad I get to"
"Abby!"
"Sorry, I'll shut up,"
"That's my girl,"
"Boss, I got that list of parish members with the initials VA,"
"And?"
"There are only three people with those initials that attend churches within a ten mile radius of the scene: Virginia Aruss, Vladmir Acres, and Vannessa Adams. Vladmir had a ligit alibi , He's in California visiting his sick mother. He has multiple witnesses to that. Vannessa has a pretty solid one; all the church members saw her there at the time of the murder. I tried to call Virginia, but she didn't pick up," Gibbs gave him a look.
"I'll just go call her again.." he turned and rushed to get to work calling her.
"Heya, Gibbsy! Long time no see!" Leah kidded as she rounded the corner of the cubicles.
"They took my babies away at the door. Your labrat better take good care of them,"
"Gibbsy?" Tony said questioningly, he and Tim glancing at him for his reaction, which was to simply carry on as if that was what everyone called him.
"Don't worry, Abby'll probably have them out of their crates and playing with them within five minutes," McGee reassured. Leah's thoughts drifted to her childhood friend, Abbie. Her Abbie had loved dogs and forensics, too.
"Good. So, you need to take my statement again?"
"Yep,"
"What happened to the last-"
"Lost it," he cut her off.
"You sure are getting forgetful in your old age, Gibbs," she joked.
"Wasn't me who lost it,"
"Oh. Okiedokie. Did you want to talk here or in a comfrence room?
"Let's go," Leah trotted ahead to the bottom of the stairs and waited. If things hadn't changed since was here last, she knew where the comfrence rooms were already (she worked on a case with him about 6 years ago).
"Go on ahead, they haven't moved," She pranced up the stairs, people staring at how effortlessly she climbed them. Gibbs followed behind slowly, not even trying to keep up. They went in to the comfrence room and she sat down while he got her a drink of water.
"So, what happened?" he flipped open a small pad and a pencil.
"Let's see," she stood and paced a bit, recalling the event, "I was walking my dogs and I see the bodies lying there. I yelled to see if they were alright because my dogs were going nuts; they always do, being part wolf and all. So I tie them to a tree on the...southeast side side of the park and run over to them. Checked for a pulse, I suppose in hope of a miracle. I knew they were Marines on account of their uniforms, so I called you,"
"You still have my number?"
"I still have it on speed dial from that case a few years back. It's not like I have a lot of friends, Gibbs," She frowned. She didn't get out of her house much so she wasn't really close to anyone except Jack and Ianto who lived with her and acted as her 'keepers'.
"Thanks for coming in," he finnished jotting a few things down. He'd written down everything she'd done while he interviewed her, including spinning around in her chair.
"So, any suspects?" she asked curiously.
"A few,"
"Am I one of them?" she continued to spin.
"Not anymore,"
"Not gonna tell me jack, are you?"
"Nope,"
"Awwww, that sucks. Oh well. I guess were done here, then?"
"I suppose so,"
"Any chance of you getting me and my dogs a ride home? I really don't feel like walking all the way home again,"
"Sure thing," He picked up the landline and asked to speak to NCIS transportation.
"Yes, I'd like to arrange for one of the SUV's or vans to... I see. OK, thank you," Hanging up the phone, he folded his hands on the table.
"Hate to say this, but you're stuck here," he smiled
"WHAT!?"
"Apparently, there was a freak crash in the garage and all the larger vehicles are either having bodywork, have been deemed unsavable, or are being used,"
"In other words, I either have to sit here all day untill one of them in't in use, walk home again and probably wait there all day since I forgot my key,or leave my angels here and go try and pick the locks on my own home, which I might add, are supposed to be pick-proof."
"Pretty much,"
"Joyus,"
"Sorry, there isn't much I can do,"
"I guess there really isn't. I think I'll take my chances with the first one, y'know th one with air conditioning. Just point me to the nearest computer that's convienient to you for me to use," she sighed.
"Of course," He lead her to Dinozzo's desk, pulled the chair out for her, and picked up Tony's now-cold coffee, tossing it in the trash. She sat down, smoothing her plaid, pleated skirt as she did so.
"You can sit here for the day, Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm good on the water and I think I'm fine on food,"she promptly pulled a threemusketeers bar out of her purse. Gibbs peered in and saw that it was basically filled with chocolates and candy.
"If Dinozzo comes and tell him that I gave you permission to sit here unless he has a damn good reason why you shouldn't,"
"Coolness," she turned to back to the computer and brought up her blog.
"You can go see your dogs later if you want, they're in the forensics lab with Abs,"
"About that, what's her last name?"
"Sciuto, why?"
"Nothing. Ducky still works down in autopsy, right?"
"Yeah,"
"Permission to go bug him later?"
"Permission granted," he laughed as he left.
"I'll call you when I can get you a ride,"
"Thankies!" She finnished up in her blog, telling the world of her misfortune. Dinozzo was dumfounded at the apparently teenage girl sitting at his desk as if it was her own.
"Hello, may I help you?"
"Nope, I'm good,"
"That's nice, kid. Could you get out of my desk?"
"Not unless you give me a really good reason as to why I should,"
"Uh, well, let's see, because it's my desk and I said to-"
"BEEEEEEEP. WRONG ANSWER!"
"What!?" He began to become flustered. It was quite easy to get to him, obviously.
"Gibbs said I could sit here unless you had a really freaking good reason for me not to,"
"Gibbs..." He scratched his head.
"Listen kid-"
"I'm not actually as young as I look," she cut him off not even looking up from the screen.
"I've got a gene disorder that makes me age slower than the norm,"
"Yeah right, that's BS,"
"Don't believe me? Go ask Gibbs," she stared at the screen for a few seconds more then closed her programs.
"I suppose Gibbs wouildn't appreciate me slowing down your computer by down loading my MMORPG, so i guess I'll go visit Ducky," She got up and began to walk away. Still stunned, it took him a few seconds to recooperate.
"If you're into those computer games, you should try Probie's computer. I know he's got one on there, You might be able to log in or whatever,"
"Thanks for the heads up," She sat down at Mcgee's desk.
"Hey! See if you can haack his account and mess up his stats or something! Y'know, mess with him," Tony goaded her.
"Nah, I don't do that kind of stuff; I know how irritating it would be to have to get to get them back,"
"Ah, c'mon! It'd be funny,"
"Nah I'm already- No way! This is hilarious!"She laughed out.
"What's so funny?" He came over to tim's desk and tried to understand what she thought was so funny.
"I already know your 'Probie' . only to me, he's known as-"
"Who are you and what are you doing sitting at my desk? What are you doing!?" McGee saw she was looking at his stats.
"So you're McSnow941. This is rich!"
"What is?" He gritted his teeth.
"Pleasure to meet you McSnow941," She displayed her dark sorceress character on the plasma. She grinned ear to ear as she held out her hand in an offer to shake hands.
"Call me 'Dark Lord Leah' if you will,"
"No way," he stood there in disbeleif, staring at the girl who claimed to be his arch rival on the game. He finally offered his hand back to one of the greatest players on the whole game.
"There's no way you're-"
"No way what?" Dinozzo asked, confused.
"I kill elfboy here at least once a night," she chuckled.
"Behold my perfected battle capablilities!" she began playing and McGee was instantly in awe by her honed, flawless skills as her character twirlled around, killing a horde of ogres.
"Capabilities, of course, far beyond your own,"
"How did you-"
"Get so good?" she finnished for him, glancing up with a now more friendly smile.
"I have a lot of time on my hands," She played on battle mode for a few minutes more before going on to quest mode. After killing hundreds and completing five quests, she decided she'd had enough for a while and left to bother Ducky.
"Got anything for me Abs?" Gibbs sat a route 44 sized Caf-Pow beside Bert, her favorite stuffed, farting hippo, on her examinaton table.
"Abby?" he called her name again, unable to find her in the lab area.
"Back here! Back here!" she giggled,"Stop it! Quit! You're going to lick off my make up!" She was on the floor of the back room, being licked to death by three of the five large canines. Corris, the smallest one, was sitting off to the side, amused by the three that were mauling Abby with kisses, but not joining in. Cloud lay sleeping under the table, his long, mottled fur waving in the breeze of an airconditioning vent.
"What's up Gibbs?" she managed to get out in between gasps of air.
"You got anything yet?" He placed the cold beverage on the table, with a thump, momentarily startling the resting beast of a dog.
"I don't have much," She wrestled Mirage, Ayamu and Akita off of her. Gibbs started to take the drink and leave.
"But I do have something!"she yelled after him, desperately wanting the cafiene-filled drink. Bingo. This was the reaction he'd wanted.
"I got two results back on the blood from the rosary, both are from the vics" He acted llike he was leaving again, as if to say 'that isn't enough to deserve a Caf-Pow, Abby'
"Wait! I, uh, I'm gonna examine the rosary again, see if I can findsome good epithelials,"
"So why aren't you? He set it down once more. Abby soluted him.
"Yes sir! I'll get right on it!" She hurried to her desk and got her labcoat back on. She put on new gloves, picked up the rosary and began to test for usable epithelials. But for something she usually did effortlessly, she was havingto concentrate awfully hard. She just couldn't seem to focus. Akita, the friendliest of the dogs, was on her mind. Her childhood friend, named Leah, had had a dog named Akita, too. She had actually been the product of Leah's first dog, Kira, and her dog, Troy, not being 'fixed'. That Akita and This Akita were likeone and the same. They both had the same thick, coarse, brown and black, German Shepard-like fur. Same big, wolfish paws. hey were same, right down to the quirky personality. However, the idea that this, in fact, was the same dog,was preposterous. Impossible. That Akita was in her life when she was a teen, many, many years ago. And it certainly couldn't be the same Leah. Her Leah had died in a hospital bed, mere moments after she'd last held her small, worn hand.
"I talked to Vannessa again. She said that she saw Virginia at church at the midnight mass,"
"There's a mass at midnight?"
"She says Virginia left about halfway through. She was seen afterwards talking to the preist, said she seemed concerned and shaky, nervous. Ah, oh, she said that she'd also seen her go to confession both before and after which, needless to say, is a little strange. The service ended around 2:00. It was an extra long mass because a baptismal ceremony was incorporated,"
"If she murdered them and went back to church afterwards, maybe that's where she ditched the murder weapon,"
"On it boss," McGee and Ziva rushed to the elevator.
"Why didn't you tell me to go, Boss?"
"I think it was probably because they're going to a church and a good percentage of the church memberswould find you immoral, unholy, discusting, etcetera,"Abby said jokingly as she smiled at Tony.
"What's up Abs?" Gibbs stopped him from saying anything back.
"Nothing much, just went to get a refill and thought I'd come and see you guys. And I got an epithelial sample off the rosary,I'm running it right now and I'm just waiting for the results,"
"Did you lock the dogs up before you left?"
"Yes, Gibbs, I locked 'em up," She folded her arms and and rolled her eyes. Ducky called over the video comfrence device.
"Hello Jethro,"
"What've you got for me Duck?"
"Just as I'd suspected, the cause of death was a single stab to the heart. As for the motive and the crosses, I believe I can shed some light on that. You see-"
"Today Ducky,"
"I found traces of Chelsea Singer's saliva in the Commander's vaginal cavity,"
"Lesbians in other words, Gibbs," Leah shouted from the back of the room, getting to the point.
"Yes, obviously someone didn't approve of thier relationship. This reminds me of a case I had a while ba-" Gibbs cut off the transmission there.
"Was that the kid?"
"Technically she's not a kid, Abs. She's a day older than you. But yeah, that's Leah,"
"No way! So she wasn't kidding with me when she said that!" Tony interrupted
"If she's a day older than me, why does she sound so..."
"Young?" He finnished her sentence.
"She has a gene disorder, a mutation. Messes with how she ages,"
"Something's hinky, Gibbs. I-" Gibbs's phone rang.
"Boss, we've got a knife, wraped in a choir gown. It just so happens that Virginia was on the choir," He stooped, looking at the framed picture of that year's choir.
"Would you like us to go to the vics' houses on the way back?"
"Why didn't we do that in the first place?"
"Uh, I -don't- know, Sir,"
"And stop calling me Sir, McGee. I'm not in the core anymore," He hung up with a slam. He wasn't in the best of spirits when his agents were in a daze. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened, but it seemed that no one was coming out. Gibbs brought his pistol out from it's hiding place in the drawer. He began slowly stepping toward the elevators, gun raised. The last time something of this sort had happened, there had been agent shot to death awaiting them. Abby, being curious and less cautious, approached the elevator first. She held the doors before slowly peering in. It was, in fact, empty. She looked everywhere in the small cubicle like space.
"What the hell..." Gibbs looked in, also bewildered by the mysterious invisi-guest. Abs yelped slightly as she felt a tug on her skirt. Gibbs whirled to find his crosshairs alligned on Akita. She began to pull her into the elevator by gingerly pulling at the edge of her skirt, being careful not to rip it. She stepped out of the elevator, confused at what the dog was trying to tell her. Akita persisted on taking her down, stopping only when she squatted to pet her.
"How did you get up here? What are you trying to say, girl?"
"Yeah, poochie, is Jimmy in the well?" Dinozzo patted her and ruffled her shiny glossy coat.
" I thought you said you put her in her cage,"
"I did, Gibbs! How did you get out? Huh? Huh baby, How?" She prattled on at the dog who just sat there and soaked up the attention. Abby stopped for but a second and Akita simply gave her one look then proceded to press the button for the floor her lab was on. The doors closed in her face, nearly taking off her nose.
"Hey!" She then got the idea to call autopsy.
"Ducky, is she still down there?"
"Is who here? Oh, you mean Leah, yes of course,"
"I'm still here. You must be Abby. Everyone says we'd get along well. Think that's true?"
"Yeah, maybe, I'm pretty easy to get along with, I think. Anyway, did you go in my lab?"
"Noooooo... Why? Wait, let me guess, Akita came out of nowhere and started tugging at you, even though you locked her up and you were in a completely different part of the building,"
"Yeah... How did you know?"
"Were you waiting for results on something?"
"Uh, yes,"
"I trained her to do that; she's my lab hand. Really intelligent. I'm actually trying to teach her to write,"
"Seriously!?"
"Well, I'm hoping to... I haven't really done anything on that. I just got done teaching one of my cats, Trish, to do elementary math problems. So... really no progress at all on Akita; I've been having trouble with Trish and fractions..."
Ziva snapped a shot of the room.
"It is very quiet with out him here,"
"Without who?" McGee looked up from bagging Amy Dalamer's cell phone.
"Tony,"
"Oh... yeah. Don't you like the quiet?"
"Yes, it is just..."
"Wierd?"
"Yes, weird," There was an awkward silence following that as they packaged and recorded just abiut every single item in the small, one room apartment. As they finnished, they went on tho the petty officer's home in a similar fashion. Unfortunately for McGee, Ziva would have to drive due to the throbbing in his lower arms caused by packing around box after box and lifting mattresses. Therefore, he would likely be subjected to as many G-force, hairpin turns as a fighter plane pilot during an airshow.
"I am exhausted,"She moaned as she slouched in her chair. Her arms were now just as sore as McGee's; Tony hadn't helped them with the evidence. She made a poor attempt to use her Musad training to ignore the persistent, stinging ache in her forearms.
"Why so tired Ziva? Did you and McGee stop at a hotel?" Tony joked. Needless to say, she was not amused.
"No, I am tired, Tony, because you did not help us unload evidence. I swear, that woman had twenty diaries,"
"Woah, I was just messing around, Ziva. Jeez, I didn't help because I was busy pulling cell records, talking to the director, and filing. I even did yours," Ziva looed around at her desk. The papers she had left to be filed were in their place in the filing cabinet, all neat and tidy.
"Thank you, that was very sweet, Tony," He froze and realized that he'd done something nice for her. What was he thinking? He was never nice to Ziva.
"So, why did the director-"
"Can't talk about it. Top secret...stuff," He dramatically said with a air of mystery.
"Whatever, Tony," She sighed and layed her head down.
"Hey, guys! Where's Gibbs?" Abs cheerfully skipped into the room in her stack 308 platform boots.
"I don't know, Abby. Where is Gibbs?"
"I dunno," Tim shrugged.
"I think he's hanging out in MTAC,"
"I wondered why he wasn't answering his cell. Guess I'll try again," She flipped open her cell and snapped it shut just as quick when she saw the dead battery sign.
"Arg! It's dead!" She stomped in her bulky boots over to Tony's desk and picked up the phone.
"I'm using your phone, Tony,"
"You alright Abs? You seemed so happy a second ago and now you seem... tense, moody," Tim inquired, concerned.
"Moody? I seem moody to you, McGee?! Who's moody? 'Cause I'm sure not!" She fumed, Slamming the phone down before even dialing.
"Abby! Abby! Calm down! Calm down!" Ziva said, more ordering than comforting. Abs sighed.
"Sorry guys, I guess I am. I have a lot on my mind right now... and it's bugging me,"
"Like what Abs?" Gibbs appeared out of nowhere, presumable from MTAC. She shifted her weight uncomfortably from leg to leg.
"It's nothing..." she said as she stared down at her shiny boots. Gibbs gave her that look.
"It's stupid, Gibbs, forget it,"
"What's wrong, Abby?" McGee asked quietly,
"We want to help, Abby, but you've got to tell us what's wrong," Z added, this time comfortingly.
"No, I don't want you to think I'm crazy or something..."
"We won't think you're crazy, Abs, "
"Why she's worried about that when half the building already thinks she's insane..." Dinozzo recieved three simultaneous head whaps for his mumbled comment. She motioned for everyone to come closer with a quick hand motion.
"You guys know that girl,"
"Leah?"
"Yeah," They all just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
"Well, you see... the thing is... she reminds me a lot of a friend I had in highschool,"
"She might be your old highschool buddy, Abs. She's a day older than you, remember?"
"My friend was a day older than me..." she mumbled, "her voice sounded the same, too."
"Go see her. Maybe she'll be your old friend,"
"That's impossible. I'd only end up being dissapointed..."
"Why is it so impossible?"
"Because, Gibbs... My leah, the friend I had in school... she died a year out of school... I went to the funeral, saw her cold dead..." Tears began to stream down her sodden cheeks as she remembered fond memories of her late friend.
Abby and Leah had been extremely close from the moment they'd laid eyes on each other, almost inseperable. Abs had only just moved into the neighborhood and her parents were already arguing. So, since the sun was setting, she decided to go for a stroll and tour the town. She'd been in a hurry to get out of the house and had forgotten her key. Having wandered around for a while, she decided upon heading home. Her lack of key placed her in a bit of a predicament, though.
Her father had left for his night job and wouldn't be back till the wee hours of the morning, and her mother, being deaf, didn't know she was practically beating the door down. After what seemed like hours upon hours of fruitless knocking, she settled on going down the street and seeing if anyone else would answer their doors. She peered down the road; only one house was still lit. Of course, it would be the one at the very end of the street. She was not looking forward to trudging all the way down the road in her platform boots. It was freezing out, despite the fact that it was September... in Tennessee, and she was wearing a thin long sleeve shirt, a short tartan skirt, and thin tights (she'd forgotten her jacket along with her key). Abby slowly dragged herself to the house and knocked on the door. She took off her spiked choker so as to not scare whomever answered the door; people in the neighborhood had not taken to her well. Her goth style did scare most, if they would only get to know her, they would see that she was an exceptional young lady who simply chose to express herself in a different way.
It was Leah who had answered the door. Although Leah's mother didn't exactly approve, she let her in anyway. She let her use the phone (although Her mom never picked up). They went down to her house and put signs in every window saying where she was. Surely her mom would see them; she'd be looking out the windows for her. In the end, She spent the night, falling asleep next to her by the fire. From then on, they were always together. Some kids called them the 'freak twins', but those close enough to them often called them and their relationship 'twin love' because they usually dessed alike or wore the exact same outfit as the other. She relived the event of the funeral. At Leah's request, she had a vampire style casket and was dressed in her favorite boots and sported a spiked choker.
Abby came back to the present. Gibbs was hugging her tightly to him. She found herself sobbing, struggling to get even a full breath of air. A crowd thronged around the room, flocking to see what was wrong.
"Shhhh," he comforted her, "It's alright, Abs,"
"I'm OK... I'm fine... I just remembered all the memories and feelings that took me ten long years to forget," Although she said this, she remained in his arms, reassured by the warmth and love of the hug. Unfortunately, a cell phone rang and everyone scrambled to their phones, hoping it wasn't them whom was ruining the Father-daughter-like moment. The ringing commenced and they reluctantly checked them. He answered it.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"Hey, cranky," Leah sneered back, "I can't take it anymore; I'm taking my dogs and leaving,"
"You sure? I thought you didn't have your key,"
"I forget my key alot, so I know another way to get in," She hoped Gibbs was losing his hearing at the rate he was his eyesight. He, however had perfect hearing and could hear a pin fall from a deck above... on a carrier vessel.
"I can't risk it," she mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Forget it. I'm already gone, dogs in hand,"
"What!? You can't go in Abby's lab-"
"Technically, I didn't. I didn't pass the threshhold. I called Akita and she let the others out and retrieved thier leashes. I am walking out of the parking garage right now,"
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you in such a big rush all of a sudden? What can't you risk?" he asked suspiciously. She was silent for a moment.
"Need to know only, Gibbsy... And you don't need to know," She ended the conversation with a snap, sharply closing the cell. There was someone in the building she couldn't risk meeting. Someone she direly wanted to see. Some one she wasn't allowed to talk to. Ever.