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Aaliyah bopped her head in time with the music as the elevator stopped on the sixth floor and a man got off. The fifth floor and a couple got on. The fourth floor and that same couple got off.

Rolling her eyes at their inability to take the stairs, and alone in the elevator, she reached forward and pressed the button.

Stepping back, she faintly heard a call through her headphones. Stepping forward, she simultaneously removed an earbud as she reached out an arm to hold the door.

A slightly puffed man rested a little girl on his shoulder, a backpack perilously hanging from his other shoulder as he stepped in.

As the doors closed, the man turned to her with a mega watt smile. "Thanks."

Flushing at the attention from such an attractive male, Aaliyah nodded her head and took up residence in the corner once again, earbud in place.

She did turn down the music though as she watched the scene before her. The man righted the bag strap on his shoulder and then shifted his hand to the back of the little girl, a little girl that had to be his daughter.

The volume on her iPod was low enough that she heard the little girl's words when she shifted and spoke sleepily. "Are we at the airyport yet?"

"Not yet sweetheart," said the man softly, pressing a kiss to her crown. "We'll see Mummy soon."

The toddler satisfied, the man smoothed his hand over the back of her denim dress.

The phone ringing soon after startled Aaliyah more than him.

His voice as he answered was crisp and authoritative. "DiNozzo."

"Yeah boss, I'm on my way now to pick up Ziva." Silence. "McDoodle's on it." Pondering the poor surname choice, Aaliyah almost missed the next line. "... Tali's asleep. I've written down the information somewhere – hang on..."

The man then made quite a show of checking his pockets gingerly, phone shoved between his jaw and shoulder as he also balanced the little girl – Tali – and the backpack.

Pants, jackets and shirt failing, he dumped the bag. Paying attention, but not, Aaliyah spotted the scrap that puffed free as the elevator reached the basement level.

Swooping down, she snagged the paper. Moving past the man, she handed it over. The look on his face was priceless.

The last words she heard?

"Just the girl that's saved my life twice today."


Finito.