Disclaimer: Incinera does not own NCIS. She does own Danielle Singer and her family.

In Danni's opinion, deciding to go visit her sister had been the stupidest idea she'd had all week. Every time she went to visit her twin, all Ellie did was bitch. Her boss was a task master, her boyfriend was an idiot, her neighbours were rude—Eleanor just wouldn't shut up. Danni would be hearing her twin's incessant complaining from the moment of arrival to her (usually hasty) departure.

And worse was when Ellie eventually shifted gears from whining about her life, to criticising her sister's. It had been especially irritating this time. Ellie had spent the whole time dropping hints about a guy she knew who wouldn't have problems with dating a single mom. It had eventually gotten to the point that Danni had informed her sister that a man so interested in single mothers was probably a pedophile.

The situation had devolved from there.

Now Danni was driving home two days earlier than expected; with five unhappy children. If she heard "I gotta go potty" one more time, she'd scream. Damn Max for leaving her at the mercy of Ellie the Matchmaker and five grumpy kids. If that bastard ever showed his face again—

A body slammed into the windshield and the airbags deployed. Danni made out a military uniform before it all went dark.

"Mommy!"

The frightened wail from the backseat jerked Danni out of a haze. The woman lifted her head from where it had been resting on the airbag and looked around fuzzily. The van was resting at the side of the road, still running to her confusion. Had she fallen asleep at the wheel?

Fighting down the airbag, she managed to twist around to check on the kids. Gabriel was still safely strapped into his carrier, and the girls were both still in their booster seats. The twins were out of their seats in the back. Sly was flopped over the back of the middle seat, checking on his siblings, while Izzy was similarly settled, staring at his mother.

"Are you alright?" Izzy nodded and Sly looked up briefly to nod as well. His attention was mostly focussed on three-year-old Emilia who was in tears.

"Mommy!" The child sobbed again before looking up. "Mommy ow!"

Ow? "Is she hurt?" Danni asked, before mentally smacking herself for asking. The twins were seven. How the hell would they know?

"No Mommy," Izzy spoke sweetly. "I think she means you. You nose is all bloody."

Danni reached up to check her nose. The slight touch set of a sharp throbbing and Danni brought her hands away rapidly. They were smeared with red. "Shit." She looked up to check her reflection for more damage, and found herself staring at the damaged windshield.

It hit her then. The man in the uniform, his dead eyes looking her in the face, how he'd simply fallen from above. The man was gone now. Danni didn't understand, she was sure he'd been dead.

He couldn't have just walked away, could he?

Danni found her cell in her pocket. She dialled the three simple numbers.

"Hello, 911?"