Summary: A teenager ends up in protective custody and learns the hard way what happens when someone bites off more than she can chew. Chapter 1 has been revised and re-posted. WARNING: Will contain disciplinary spanking. Rated M out of an abundance of caution and the use of foul language.
Author's Note: The idea for this story came to me as I was watching a NCIS marathon on the USA Network. I normally don't read or write in first person, so I really hope this works as well on the computer screen as it did in my head.
This chapter has been revised to flesh it out a bit and to correct all of my typos. I have to admit, I'm a bit embarrassed at the quality of what I originally posted.
I appreciate all of your comments and have decided to continue this story. I hope to have the next chapter posted soon.
MORE THAN SHE CAN CHEW
Yeah, that went well. I paced the confines of the interrogation room, already regretting my escape attempt. The back of my neck was prickling, warning me that someone was watching me from the other side of the mirrored wall. I was pretty sure I knew who it was. Turning to face the wall, I stared hard at the mirror and, with my middle finger, told him exactly what I thought of his surveillance. I don't wait well, especially when I don't have anything with which to occupy myself, and it was making me restless. Restless doesn't look good on me.
"Come on, you son of a bitch. I know you're in there." I approached the mirror and slapped it hard. The sound resonating through the small room only slightly satisfied my urge to throw a temper tantrum.
I suppose I should introduce myself and explain how it is I came to be in this room. My name is Victoria Neal, but I will only answer to Tori. I'm here because I am in the protective custody of NCIS. My self-appointed guardian, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and I disagree over what exactly that means. I think I should be allowed to come and go as I please. After all, I didn't do anything wrong, and I certainly didn't ask to be here. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnessed something I shouldn't. Special Agent Hard Ass thinks I should stay where he put me so I'll be safe from the bad guys who were probably looking for me. I'd be willing to bet you'll agree with him once you hear my story. But, let's just say I have issues with authority, and leave it at that.
Anyway, you are probably still wondering how I ended up here. I'd been crashing at an abandoned warehouse down by the docks for the last month or so. I had the bad luck to walk out of the warehouse and right into a nightmare.
xxxxxxxx
Gibbs studied the corpse lying in a pool of blood just inside an alley between two industrial warehouses in Arlington, Virginia. The man had been dressed in jeans and a plan t-shirt, which now sported a number of rips and tears. NCIS had been notified after local LEO's had found a military identification card on the body.
"Gunnery Sergeant Nathan Wilson," McGee replied from where he was crouched by the body as he studied the display on the portable fingerprint scanner he held. "Matches the name on the ID." He straightened. "He was assigned to the ammunition supply point at Quantico."
"Now what would a marine gunnery sergeant who hands out bullets for a living be doing at an industrial warehouse more than thirty miles away?" Tony asked as he took photographs of the crime scene.
"Well, I guess that's what we're here to find out, DiNozzo," Gibbs snapped as he crouched beside Medical Examiner, Donald Mallard, and took a long look at the body. "You got a time of death?"
Ducky withdrew the liver probe and examined its digital display. "My preliminary results indicate that our gunnery sergeant expired from a stab wound to the chest sometime between sixteen hundred hours and eighteen hundred hours yesterday. Cause of death appears to be multiple stab wounds to the torso." Ducky straightened and motioned for Jimmy Palmer to bring the body bag and gurney. "Of course, it goes without saying that I will be able to tell you more once I get him on my table."
Gibbs straightened as well, resisting the urge to moan at the stiffness in his knees. "Ziva, talk to the LEO's. See what they know. Then you and Tony canvas the neighborhood. Find out if anyone saw anything." He gestured to the security cameras located high on the wall at the mouth of the alley. "McGee, see what you can find out about that camera."
xxxxxxx
As I said earlier, I'd been crashing at the warehouse for about a month. There were about a dozen of us living there, and all of us were teenagers. I had a mattress and blanket in a secluded corner of the third floor that I shared with four other girls. All of my worldly possessions were in a backpack that never left my side. It wasn't the best living situation, but it was better than some places I'd crashed.
I hadn't spent more than a month or so in any one place since I'd left what passed for home. I was starting to feel itchy, so it was time to move on. But, I couldn't do that until I'd gotten enough money for a bus ticket. I wasn't above stealing when I needed to survive, but there were certain things I'd promised myself I'd never do to get by. Things weren't bad enough for me to go there yet. Besides, who would I steal from around here. Anyway, I'd landed a job the day before washing dishes at a diner nearby. I figured I'd work there for a week or so, then head out as far as the money I'd earned would take me.
I was on my way to work when I heard shouting and the sounds of a fight in a alley across the street. You would think I'd learned better by now, but I couldn't resist going to check out what was going on. Believe me, I wish I had just kept walking.
Taking up a position behind a trash dumpster I watched as two guys in the alley shouted and threw punches at each other. It wasn't anything I hadn't already seen a dozen times. I was about to leave when one man pulled a knife and stabbed the other man in the chest. I must have made a noise as he fell to the ground. My blood ran cold when the first man pulled the knife from the other guy's chest and turned to look in my direction. I took off running and prayed the whole way to the diner that he hadn't spotted me, especially since I had gotten a really good look at his face.
xxxxxxx
"Whatta you got?" Gibbs demanded as he strode into the squad room. He took a deep drink of his coffee and looked expectantly at his team.
"Boss, I've got this headache starting right behind my eye," Tony said as he rubbed his forehead above his left eye and tried to look pitiful. "Oh," he said after a moment's pause, "you mean about the case."
"Yeah, DiNozzo, what have you got on this case." Sometimes, Gibbs thought, he felt like the ringmaster at a three ring circus.
Ziva glared at Tony as she stood and moved to activate the plasma screen. "We may have found a witness." She nodded at McGee, who rose to join her. "I pulled the video footage from the surveillance camera. It shows two men going into the alley." He cued up the footage and, along with Gibbs and his fellow teammates, watched it play on the plasma. "Based on the clothing, one of the men appears to be Gunnery Sergeant Wilson. However, due to the angle of the camera we were not able to get a clear shot of the man with him. I've given the footage to Abby to see if she can do anything with it. But, we were able to get a good screen capture of a someone who may have witnessed what happened."
Tony moved to stand by McGee and took the plasma screen remove from his hand. He clicked the controller, and the screen was filled with the image of a frightened teenage girl. "Abby ran a facial recognition search and was able to identify her." Again, he clicked a button on the remote. The next image to fill the screen was a missing person's report. "Victoria Neal, age seventeen. She was reported missing from her foster parents' home just north of Cincinnati six months ago."
"I ran a background check on her, Boss," Tony continued. "This isn't the first time she's taken off. She has been in five foster homes in two years after going into the system when her mother was killed by a drunk driver. Apparently, there were no other living relatives who were willing to take the girl in, and her father was nowhere to be found."
"I talked to the local police. There is a group of homeless teens who have been crashing in a warehouse not far from the crime scene," Ziva turned to Gibbs as she picked up the narrative. "I faxed a copy of her photo to the police, and the officer I spoke with thought he recognized her as one of the kids staying there."
"Did you get the location of that warehouse?"
"I did," Ziva replied.
Gibbs nodded. "You're with me. Tony and McGee, keep digging. See if you can find a reason for Gunnery Sergeant Wilson being in that alley."
xxxxxxx
I finished my shift that afternoon and collected my pay. Charlie, my boss, had agreed to pay me in cash, and today was payday. Business had been slow, so I'd had plenty of time to think. It was time to move on.
I was leaving the warehouse on my way to the bus station when a dark blue sedan pulled up nearby. I watched as an older, gray-haired man and a dark-haired woman stepped out. I tried to blend back into the shadows of the warehouse, but they walked right to me.
"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, this is Special Agent David, NCIS" the gray-haired man stated as he flashed a badge and id at me. "Victoria Neal?"
I thought about lying and saying I had no idea who Victoria Neal was. However, something about the man told me he wouldn't buy it. I'd learned the hard way to read people at a glance, and Special Agent Gibbs impressed me as someone I didn't want to get on the wrong side of. "Yeah."
"We've got some questions we'd like to ask you," Special Agent David stated as she moved to my side.
"About what?" I was starting to get really nervous. The last thing I wanted was attention paid to me, especially by someone who had the ability to send me back to Cincinnati. There was a reason I'd left there, and I sure as hell didn't want to go back. I started looking around for a means of escape.
I must have given away my thoughts. Special Agent Gibbs stepped forward, blocking my path. "We know you witnessed the murder in that alley yesterday," he said as he gestured in the direction of the murder scene. "We want to know what you saw." He paused briefly. "It can go one of two ways. You cooperate and tell us what you saw, and I'll do my best to help you in any way I can. I'll also protect you from the murderers." He shrugged his shoulders, indicating he didn't particularly care which option she chose. "Or you can do it the hard way, which means I take you in as a material witness and turn you over to the juvenile authorities."
Well, no shit, of course I was worried about the murderer finding out I'd ratted on him. I'd watched enough television and movies to know what bad guys do to witnesses. Why do you think I'd been so intent on getting out of town before I was ready. I refused to meet his eyes, and started to edge away from him and Special Agent David.
"You run, and we'll just chase you," Special Agent David stated. She looked like she could care less about what I chose to do.
"You won't get away," Gibbs interrupted. "One of us will catch you, and all you're going to accomplish is make me mad," Special Agent Gibbs paused. "You don't have much of a choice in the matter." He stepped forward and gripped my upper arm. I tried to jerk my arm out of his grasp, but his hold only tightened. It didn't hurt, exactly, but he made sure I knew I wasn't getting away. "You're coming with us."
Call me chicken shit, but right now Special Agent Gibbs scared me more than the idea of the murderer did. If nothing else, it would get me out of the area. One of the lessons I'd learned early on in the foster system was to go with the flow. Make the person in charge think you're cooperating. That way, when they let their guard down, you're more likely to be able to do what you want. I'd go with them, pretend to be willing to give them what they wanted, and take off at the first opportunity.
Xxxxxxxx
A short while later, I found myself in a forensics lab being babysat by Special Agent Timothy McGee and Abby, the weirdest looking scientist I've ever seen. It certainly hadn't been what I'd expected.
Gibbs had sent me down here with McGee after we arrived back at NCIS Headquarters. We'd stopped in some kind of squad room, and one of the men working there had told Gibbs there was something he needed to see. The look the other guy gave Gibbs must have meant something, because the next thing I knew, Gibbs had ordered McGee to get me something to eat and take me down to the lab. I'd swear the old man could read my mind, because he also told McGee not to let me out of his sight.
McGee took me by the cafeteria, where he got me a sandwich and Coke, before bringing me down to the lab. He and Abby had set me up in a side office while they went to work on something. I studied the lab and watched the two of them at work as I ate. The sandwich wasn't all that good, but another lesson I'd learned was to eat whenever you could. You never knew when your next meal might come along. After I ate, I wondered around the small room until McGee and Abby were deep into whatever they were working on.
Seeing my chance, I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. Gibbs had tried to make me leave it with him, but I refused. My life was in that bag, and I wasn't about to let it out of my sight. "I'm going to the restroom," I called out as I walked across the room toward the door. They were so deeply engrossed in whatever it was they were doing that neither of them even looked up.
I didn't lie. I did stop in the restroom. After that, though, I found the nearest stairwell. I was a little surprised when the door opened easily. I'd half expected it to be secured. Anyway, I made my way up to the lobby level. Luck was certainly with me as the stairwell opened around the corner from a bank of elevators. I waited until a group of people exited one of the cars and moved to blend in with them. Nobody even blinked an eye when I walked straight out of the lobby. Once outside, I studied the directions I'd printed off the Internet. Don't look at me like that, they hadn't told me I couldn't use the computer. After following the signs to the entrance of the Navy Yard, I headed toward the nearest bus station. It was time for this girl to bounce.
xxxxxxx
"Where is she?" Abby turned at the sound of Gibbs's voice.
"Where's who?" She was momentarily confused. It took only seconds for the meaning of Gibbs's question to sink in. "Oh, she went to the restroom."
Gibbs frowned. "How long ago was that?" His gut was telling him that something was wrong, and he'd be willing to lay money that it involved Tori Neal.
"You know, Boss," McGee stated, looking up from his computer screen, "it was a while ago."
"Abby, go look in the restroom for her."
A few minutes passed before Abby came running back into the lab. "She's not there. I checked the break room down the hall, and she wasn't there either." She hated disappointing Gibbs. "It's my fault. I should have gone with her. You don't think she took off do you?"
"No, it's my fault," McGee interrupted. "I should have paid more attention to how she'd been gone. Do you want me to have the building searched."
Gibbs sighed. "It's both of your faults." He turned to McGee. "My guess is she's long gone. Put out a bolo for her. Any idea where she might have gone?" he asked no one in particular.
McGee and Abby stared at each other, not really knowing how to answer that question.
"Well?" Gibbs demanded, his temper starting to rise.
"She was using the computer in my office," Abby said as she moved quickly in that direction. "Maybe she left a trail." She plopped down in the chair and pulled up the Internet browser. After going through the browsing history, she looked up at Gibbs. "She searched for information on local bus stations. She pulled up the details for stations on K Street and 26th Street." She paused a moment before continuing. "Looks like she googled directions to the station on 26th Street."
Abby turned to look at Gibbs, the worry clear in her eyes. "Why would she do that, Gibbs?"
"She's a scared kid," Gibbs replied as he leaned over to drop a kiss on her cheek. "She's running, either because she's afraid she's going to end up back in the foster care system or because of what she witnessed."
"Poor kid," Abby stated. "She can't be out there by herself. You've got to go find her," Abby begged.
"Don't worry, Abby. We'll get her back." And she won't be very happy when I do, Gibbs thought. "McGee, you and DiNozzo take the K Street station in case she's headed there. Ziva and I will go to the station on 26th Street."
XxxxxxxX
I stepped into the lobby of the 26th Street bus station. To be honest, I was surprised I'd made it that far without someone from NCIS stopping me. Moving over to study the destination board, I tried to decide where I wanted to go. Since I wanted to get out of DC as quickly as I could, I decided on the bus to Raleigh, North Carolina. It was scheduled to leave in about an hour, and I could easily afford the fare with a little left over.
I was standing in line at the ticket counter when I felt a presence behind me. "Fuck," I said when I turned around to face Special Agent Gibbs.
"Watch your mouth." He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of line.
"Let me go, you son of a bitch," I yelled, hoping that drawing attention to him would cause him to let me go. I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp. When that didn't work, I let my backpack slide off my free shoulder. Holding it in my hand, I swung it in Gibbs's direction, only to have it intercepted by Special Agent David.
Our struggle was starting to draw attention. I noticed a couple of muscle-bound dudes step forward. I swear they would have looked more at home on motorcycles than in a bus station. The men stopped when Gibbs used his free hand to pull his badge out of his jacket pocket.
"Federal agents," he shouted to be heard above the din. "This young lady is a fugitive. I am taking her into custody." He stepped closer and dropped his voice. I don't think anyone but me heard what he said. "You are in enough trouble already, young lady. You can either voluntarily walk out of here with me and Agent David, or I can cuff you. Either way, you're returning to NCIS with me."
I studied Agent Gibbs's face. I could tell he was serious. Nodding, I indicated my willingness to cooperate.
"Good girl. Let's go."
XxxxxxX
Tony shook his head in disbelief as he watched Tori give the universal gesture for "fuck you." He glanced in Gibbs's direction and winced when he saw the muscles in his boss's jaw tighten. He hoped Tori knew what she was doing and was prepared to face the consequences. Knowing Gibbs, he wasn't going to take her rebellion lightly. "You were right, Ziva," he said, speaking over his shoulder, "that girl definitely has an attitude problem."
Like Tony, Ziva glanced at Gibbs. "Yes, one I am sure she will come to regret." She almost felt sorry for the teenager. Tori certainly hadn't had an easy life, but all wasn't lost. Ziva had seen a core of strength and good underneath the girl's bravado. She was sure Gibbs had seen it as well. If she knew her boss as well as she thought she did, Ziva was sure Gibbs would latch onto that and try to help her straighten out her life.
Gibbs watched in silence, ignoring the comments coming from the members of his team. Yes, he thought, she definitely has an attitude problem. One he was about to remedy. Tori had been dealt a raw deal, that was true. But Gibbs saw the potential underneath the prickly exterior, and he was determined to bring it out. In the meantime, he had talked to some friends. They were good people and were willing to offer Tori a home once this was over. Gibbs knew he couldn't force her to take them up on it, but he hoped she would. It would be a chance for her to return to school and live like a normal teenager.
He observed her for a few more minutes, trying to decide if what he was about to do was the right step. He didn't know all that much about teenage girls, especially troubled ones, and only hoped that what he was about to do didn't make things worse. When he decided she'd been kept waiting long enough, he turned to the room's other occupants. "Everybody clear out. I need some privacy." It was time Victoria Neal learned a hard lesson in trust, obedience, and self-preservation.
Ziva had been studying Gibbs as he watched Tori pace the room. She couldn't help wondering whether it was his instincts as an investigator and marine or his paternal instincts that were in control. Either way, she trusted that Gibbs knew what he was doing.
As they left the room, she turned to Tony. "What do you think he is going to do?"
Tony glanced back in the direction they had just come. He watched as Gibbs exited the observation room and entered the neighboring interrogation room. "Our little juvenile delinquent may have just bitten off more than she can chew. I'd hazard a guess that when Gibbs is finished with her, sitting down isn't something she's going to want to do for a while."
Ziva wasn't quite sure she understood what her partner was alluding to. "You don't think he will . . . ?" She couldn't bring herself to actually say what she was thinking. Having been on the receiving end of Gibbs's discipline, she almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost.
Tony pushed open the door to the stairwell and held it for Ziva to pass through. "Blister her ass?" he asked as he followed. At Ziva's nod, he continued. "Yeah, I think he's gonna."
xxxxxxx
Which brings us back to me pacing around this damn interrogation room.
After what seemed like forever, the door opened and Gibbs walked in. After seeing the look on his face, I wish he'd waited a while longer.
"Sit down," he ordered as he pulled one of the chairs away from the table.
"No thanks, I'm fine where I am," I said from where I stood, leaning into the far corner of the room. No way was I going to make this easy on him.
"That wasn't a request." He took a step forward and paused, waiting to see if I would willingly obey his order. When I didn't move, he took me by the arm and led me to the table, where he forced me to sit in the chair. Maybe I should rethink my rebellious stance, I thought briefly.
He sat in the chair opposite me. I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass as he studied me. He smiled when I started to squirm under his gaze. I'm here to tell you, that smile was anything but reassuring. I'd seen sharks who looked friendlier.
Gibbs must have known he was getting to me, because he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, running from your problems don't make them go away. It just creates new ones."
I shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do at the time."
Gibbs nodded. "Where were you planning on going? You didn't have enough money to get very far." They had searched my backpack when I first arrived at NCIS headquarters, so he knew how much money I'd stashed away in it's lining.
I looked away. For the first time in a long while I felt guilty about something I'd done. Without meeting Gibbs's gaze, I pulled a folded stack of money out of my front pocket and laid it on the table. "I lifted it from Abby's purse. It's all there, I didn't spend any of it." Gibbs picked up the stack of bills and flipped through them. It was a little over a hundred dollars. I watched as he slipped it into his shirt pocket.
He sat back in his chair, never taking his eyes off me. "You put yourself in danger by running off when you don't know whether or not the murderer is looking for you. If he saw you in that alley, it wouldn't be hard to identify you. Plus, you stole. It doesn't matter that you didn't spend any of it, you still stole the money from Abby." Gibbs paused and watched as I squirmed in my seat some more.
It had been a long time since anyone had cared one way or the other about what I did. All was fine and dandy with my foster parents as long as I was quiet and stayed out of their way. As soon as I started acting out, they shipped me off somewhere else. It actually felt good, but I wasn't sure I liked the direction this was going.
"The way I see it, Victoria, you have two choices," Gibbs stated and brought me out of my thoughts. "I do this by the book and charge you with theft by unlawful taking for the money you stole from Abby and interfering with a federal investigation for taking off before giving your statement. That should land you in juvenile hall until you turn eighteen, and, given your age, you may also end up spending some time in the federal pen." He studied my face as he spoke, never breaking eye contact with me. I knew in my gut that he meant every word he said. I could feel a cold sweat breaking out at the thought of going back into the system that way.
"Or, you can take responsibility for your actions," Gibbs continued. "Apologize to Abby for running off under her watch and for stealing her money. Accept the consequences for your actions. All will be forgiven and the slate wiped clean. Give me your word that you won't try to take off again and do your best to help with this case, and I'll give you mine that I'll help you find a place to stay after this is over."
"No bullshit?" I couldn't tell if Gibbs was offended by my language or not. His features remained set in a neutral expression. Of all of the offenses I'd committed today, that was the one he hadn't named. I studied his face, trying to see if there was any deception there.
"No bullshit," he said repeating my words back to me. "I will never lie to you, Victoria. These next few weeks aren't going to be easy on you, even if you do cooperate. But it'll be easier than juvie, and I think you know that. You are a smart young woman with lots of potential. I'm offering you the opportunity to explore it."
I considered the man in front of me. There was something about this stone-faced man that told me I could trust him with my life. "What kind of consequences?" I was almost afraid to ask.
"A spanking."
I don't know what I had been expecting him to say, but it hadn't been that. "A spanking?" I asked incredulously. "You can't be serious. I'm a little old for that, don't you think?"
Gibbs leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. The expression on his face, although still stern, seemed to soften a little. "No, I don't. You've acted like a child, so you should receive a child's punishment. As I said, once it's over, the slate will be wiped clean. We'll never discuss this again."
I thought about what he'd said. "What did you mean when you said you'd help me find a place to stay?"
"Just what I said," Gibbs replied. "I've talked to some friends of mine. They're good people and are willing to give you a home. You can have a normal life - go back to school, find a boyfriend, be a teenager."
He could have no idea how good that sounded. I haven't had a normal life since my mom died. "Okay," I found myself saying. I couldn't believe what I was agreeing to do.
Gibbs nodded and pushed his chair back away from the table. "Good girl," he said, giving me a reassuring smile. He held out his hand to me.
I studied it a moment. It was large and callused. This wasn't to be the first spanking I'd ever received. You might not believe it, but I got into a lot of trouble as a child. This was totally different, though. It was being delivered by someone other than my mom. My foster parents hadn't cared enough to bother. When I caused more trouble than they cared to deal with, they just shipped me off to another home. Swallowing hard to remove the large lump from my throat, I put my hand in his.
"How are we going to do this?" I asked. My voice sounded weak and nervous to my ears. I wondered briefly if it sounded that way to Gibbs.
He urged me to my feet and guided me around the table. When I was in front of him, he tugged until I was lying face down across his lap. It struck me as funny that I fit so easily. All thoughts of that flew out of my mind the moment Gibbs's hand made contact with my ass. Before I could register the sting from that first swat, another one landed. He didn't lecture as he spanked me. Rather, he applied swat after stinging swat. Soon my ass felt like it was on fire.
It took me several seconds to realize that the spanking had ended. I was lying limply across his lap, tears streaming down my face. It dawned on me as I lay there, that this was the first time I had really cried since my mom's death. It felt almost like a release.
"It's okay. It's over," Gibbs was speaking softly while he rubbed comforting circles on my back.
When I shifted to get up, he helped me stand. Once he was sure I was on steady on my feet, he stood also. I was surprised when he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. It only took a moment before I returned his embrace, taking comfort from the solid wall of chest under my cheek.
"I'm sorry," I said in a quiet voice.
"I know you are. Everything is going to be fine now."
I pulled out of his embrace and wiped the tears from my cheeks. Nodding in acceptance of his statement, I asked, "so what now?"
"Now we go home. You'll be staying with me until this is over."