Caitlin Todd spent the whole night tossing and turning in her bed, unable to fall back asleep after what seemed like the hundredth time she woke up she peeled back her blanket and groaned as her stiff back lamented. For a second she merely spread her toes open and shut on her luscious carpet relishing the softness against her toes. Glancing over her shoulder and read the digits on her alarm clock; she still had 2 hours and a half before she had to be at work. Sighing she pushed herself to a standing position and walks the sort distance to her window and part the curtains to let the dawn light in. She stayed there for a few minutes just watching the orange and purple clouds and felt the growing warmth against her skin. Making up her mind she stretched until she was breathless and she softly headed to her connecting bathroom, slowly stripping off her clothing on the way.

Once she was in the bathroom she closed the door and stared at herself in the mirror a second at the dark circles under her eyes and her dishevelled mocha-brown hair. With a twitch of her lips she turned the cold water faucet on and let the cold water run into her scooped hands and she splashed it in her face, once again she watched herself in the mirror and watched streams of water run down her cheeks she grabbed the pink wash clothe on the counter and padded her face dry. A little more content she slid her shower door open and turned the old fashioned faucets to her desired heat and pulled the shower lever. The minute she head the soft 'ting' of the drops hitting the porcelain bottom she got in and slid the door shut behind her.

She closed her eyes as she wet her hair enjoying the pressure the jets were pulsing on her scalp and blindly felt around for her shampoo bottle on the floor. When her fingertips felt the rounded tip of the cap she brought it up to her eyes and squinted her eyes open a little to read the label. Once she poured the desired amount in the palm of her hand she placed her hands to her head and scrubbed vivaciously, scrubbing the sent of apricots and mangos in every strand root to tip. She rinsed it all out and watched as the suds accumulated on the drain.

She was about to reach for her conditioner when a faint shrill of the telephone on her nightstand got her attention. The only reason it could be ringing is that Gibbs had a case for them. For a milli-second she contemplated not to answer it but then realized that it wasn't her cell but her landline ringing. She turned off the faucets and dashed out of the shower and grabbing her terri-cloth rob from the hanger behind the door and wrapped it around herself as she ran for the phone and answered it on its last ring.

"Hello?" she answered as she tucked a soaking wet strand of hair out of her face.

"Kate is that you?" came a frantic voice on the other line.

"Michael?" she answered

"Yea it's me honeybee, listen to me carefully. I want you to turn n your TV and tune in on the news channel," Kate frowned at her oldest brother's tone he was never this nervous before. She walked cautiously out of her room and headed to her living room.

"What is this about Mick? You're scaring me," she answered as she walked around the couch and picked up the remote and turned on the dead TV.

"That's nothing honeybee, now go on any news channel," he said now whispering.

Kate did as she was told, the minute her eyes saw the image she fell back on the couch suddenly exhausted and out of energy.

On TV there was a scene out of the Courthouse in Indiana where a man she knew all too well was being released. Both her and Michael tuned in the news cap saying nothing.

"Earlier this morning at the Marion County Courthouse Judge Gerald Moore ended George Todd, now you may remember the case against Mr. Mitchell fourteen years ago when he was sentenced for 20 years with no probation for beating his wife to death as well as sexually harassing his youngest daughter Caitlin Todd,"Kate and Michael both watched horrified as a family picture of them was mounted on the screen. She could remember when that picture was taken. It was the morning before her mom was beaten to death, her father had taken them all to the beach, which he later admitted it was merely a reason to see his daughter in her purple tankini. Kate closed her eyes against the atrocity on the television set. Her mind told her to turn it off and forget she had ever seen it but the shallow breathing on the other line said otherwise.

"The young Todd children have now grown up to work in the criminal justice department. While Michael John Todd works as a homicide investigator in Philadelphia and has achieved the rank of Lieutenant, the youngest of the two; Caitlin Ann Todd worked in Presidential Detail for a while and from them moved on to work at NCIS Headquarters,"

Kate was having a panic attack, shut her eyes tight and tried to block out what she was hearing.

"Why would they let a man like that out Michael, they can't," Kate lamented sounding like the younger version of herself.

"I know Katie, I know, we have to think of something, do you want me to come down there?" Michael asked. Kate smiled a tiny grin at her brother's love for her but shook her head.

"I don't want him to think he's controlling my life, I want everything to appear normal," she said meekly. Looking back to the television the image was now on the man that had caused her so many nightmares before. "Mickey, it's him," she said shakily pointing at the screen.

"Mr. Todd, what are you hoping to do now that you have finished your sentence?" the reporter woman who's name was Rebecca White asked as she put the microphone towards the older man.

"I want what every father wants, to be reunited with my family, we have so much to talk about, I have come at odds with what I did and I realize that it was wrong, I just hope we can be a family again, I miss my buckaroo and my buttercup"

"Can you believe that dick?" Michael asked rhetorically as he shut off his television. He heard small whimpering sounds coming from Kate's end which caused him to worry. "Katie, are you ok?" he asked softly.

Kate heard his voice but she couldn't talk her moth would open but nothing would come out. She had never heard that nickname that her father had called him; forever it caused her to remember the ordeals she went through when she was 8. "Katie-girl answer me please," his voice was a little more urgent but still soft.

In a monotone voice Kate replied weakly, "I have to get ready for work now, I'll…I'll talk to you later," and with that she hung up.

"Kate!" Michael yelled as he clung to the phone as if it were his lifeline. He knew that tone of voice, that was the exact tone she had used after her father was put away, it reminded him of the living dead, it had none of her heartfelt attitude, none of her usual joy, just fear. He hung up the phone and hurled the remote at his television screen causing it to crack it.

"YOU BASTARD!" he yelled at the split screen hoping his father could hear him. In a hurry he ran to his room and brought of the small duffel bag from under his bed and marched to his dresser and threw the necessities behind his back onto his bed. Slamming the drawers he cursed and packed his luggage and stomped out of his house and hailed a taxi.

"Philly Airport and step on it," he said briskly. He was going to help his little sister through it no matter what. He'd be damned if he let that jackass ruin her life again.

AN: I know this might not be my normal type of story but bear with me, it'll end up happy at the end. Hope you like it Read and Review pllzzzz