A new fic! I wrote this on holiday, and i have like another two chapters already written :P So i hope people like it! Personally i hate the title but i couldn't think, i wasn't in a titley mood today, so if anyone has any ideas i may change it, if you can do that... For those of you that know or care i know the start of this is similar to my Bones fic ROL but it's actually pretty different... Anyway i hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :( *sobs* Although i do own my OC's...

Chapter 1

The girl had long tangled and curly waves of dark brown hair. Her bright blue eyes were wide with fear, and her pale face was tainted with dirt. She looked about ten years old. She was thin as a rake, bones sticking out all over the place but she had a sort of a haunted beauty about, her despite her grimy and unhealthily slim appearance.

She peeked out from her hiding place, and was terrified to see the uniformed police officers outside the door. So she curled up in a ball and waited, hidden.

Half an hour later, the CBI arrived.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Lisbon said at the crime scene, as he walked around the bed in the hotel and she followed him. He held up a hand and didn't speak so she just continued to follow him around curiosity mixed with irritation – the curiosity overruling the irritation, this time.

He bent down slowly, "Jane, what are you-"

Then she heard a squeak, and quickly joined him on her knees.

"Oh my god," Lisbon said, swallowing.

Jane reached out a hand towards the wide eyed, frightened girl. She flinched away from his hand.

"It's ok sweet heart, we're not going to hurt you," Lisbon said softly. "My name's Teresa Lisbon, and this is Patrick Jane we're with the California Bureau of Investigation." The girl looked at her suspicion and distrust in her eyes, even when she held out her badge.

"Why don't you come out?" Jane said, "Nothing's going to happen to you, we would just like to know what you're doing here."

The girl shrank away from Jane. "What's your name?" He asked, the girl furiously shook her head, apparently terrified.

"You try," he whispered turning to Lisbon,

"What?" She asked also whispering, "You're the psychic one."

"I'm not a psychic," He said. "Just try,"

"Fine, but I'm not promising anything."

They both turned back to the girl, "What's your name?" she asked this time.

She shook her head again, staring at Jane.

"I'm going to go," he whispered to Lisbon.

"No, you can't leave me," she hissed.

"Have some faith in yourself, she's only a child."

"A scared and traumatized one," She whispered.

"You can do it," he said, seriously.

"Look, I think my presence is stopping her talking, I'll be just outside the room."

She watched him go with that cute 'you're abandoning me?' little girl look, it was all he could do to stop himself smiling.

Once the girl had watched his feet go out of the room, she turned back to Lisbon.

"Look, we need to know your name so we can help you. What's you're name?"

"Natalie," she said quietly.

"That's a pretty name," she smiled at her, "Can you come out for me?"

She looked around wearily, and shook her head again.

"How old are you?" She asked gently.

"Ten."

"Natalie, I really need you to come out for me, because if you don't other people are going to make you. I think it would be much easier for you and me if you came out now."

"Will you make me go back to them?" she said in barely a whisper.

"Back to who?"

"Will you?"

"No, no. You'll be coming with me, back to the CBI we have to ask you a few questions."

Slowly, so slowly that at first Lisbon was sure she was imagining it, Natalie edged forward towards her. A wave of emotion coursed through her, for the girl, for what she'd most likely seen and when she held out her hand cautiously, Natalie took it.

Once she was completely out from under the bed, Lisbon stood up, and Natalie followed her.

For the first time Lisbon got a good look at her, she was very thin, underfed by the look of it. Her eyes, which were such a bright blue, looked a lot older than her age like she'd seen too much and she had a haunted look about her. She had guardedness about her, she was very wary.

The silence was awkward, but Lisbon didn't know what to say. Why was this girl here? In this mans hotel room? Was she his daughter? Had she seen what had happened? Was that why she was so scared? Questions were firing around her head, Jane, where was Jane?

"Natalie, I need to take you back to the CBI now, ok?"

She nodded, still very reserved.

She walked out, and was flooded with relief when she saw Jane stood outside as promised. Natalie however was obviously not as pleased to see Jane as Lisbon was, she shrank away behind Lisbon.

"He's not going to hurt you," Lisbon said coaxingly, "Jane, this is Natalie,"

"It's ok," he said to Natalie, "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not going to do anything – you're safe."

She came out a little from behind Lisbon, and took her hand, which surprised her but she gripped it in return anyway.

She remained subdued throughout the journey, not saying a single word unless spoken to, she sat in the back staring out the window with her nose and forehead pressed up against it.

Jane and Lisbon were exchanging meaningful looks, but not saying much with Natalie in the car. "Have you told everyone about this," she asked.

"I rang Cho he's doing it."

"Ok," she said nodding.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"How unlike you to be considerate," she said smiling at him, but the smile was strained.

"I'm always considerate, now stop avoiding the question."

"Oh really?"

"Lisbon,"

"Jane,"

"Stop avo-"

"I'm fine Jane,"

"Oh really?"

"Yes," she replied, clear that this conversation was over.

"Fine." He said, in an I-will-keep-bugging-you-about-this-later.

"Jane," she said in warning tones.

"What I didn't do anything?!" he said in his defense.

She glared at him, and he put his hands up, "see not saying anything".

She gave him a look.

"Fine." He said again. She just rolled her eyes in response.

When they got back to the CBI, they put her in one of the interrogations rooms under supervision. "I'll just be a few minutes, I've got some things to sort out," she felt a pang of guilt at leaving her.

When they'd left, Jane eyed her, "She'll live for a few minutes."

"What do you think?" She asked, letting the dependence on his answer and the desperation become evident in her voice.

"You're not ok," he said, looking unhappy at his observation.

"I don't matter at the moment, the traumatized girl in that room does," she said.

"Of course you matter," he frowned.

She looked at him, stress painted on her face, "Just thoughts please Jane." She couldn't deal with this right now.

"Judging by her reaction toward me, just how scared she was, and the fact she was alone in a hotel room with a man… I'm worried she's been sexually abused?"

She stood there in shock, Jane was normally right, but… then she remembered what Natalie had said to her:

"Will you make me go back to them?"

"Back to who?"

"Will you?"

"Oh my god, poor kid."

"I'm not 100% on this one," he said honestly, "She could just be traumatized upon seeing this man murdered, but if it was that I don't see why she would be so scared of me. If it is sexual abuse it would be a logical explanation to her fear of me and why she was a lot happier to confide in you."

"Jane, she said something to me, when you'd left, she said 'will you make me go back to them?'"

"I think we need to talk to her,"

"Don't you think she's been traumatized enough as it is?"

"We're going to have to at some point. We need to confirm our… suspicions. I hope I'm wrong. But we have to talk to her to find out. I'll go in with you it would be good if we can get her to trust both of us. But you should talk – she obviously has bonded with you on some level, and she definitely trusts you more, I'll just sort of stand in the corner."

"Jane," she started her voice faltering. "How do you interrogate a ten year old, about whether or not she's being sexually abused?"

"Don't think of an interrogation, you're just talking to her she's ten."

"And the abuse?"

"Nothing will make that easier," he said to her gently.

She sighed, "Ok, we should go."

Please review! I love to know your thoughts... :)

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