Just so you know, most of the rest of the story is going to be based on what Elizabeth knows. And she's not going to be there most of the time when the team is investigating outside of headquarters, so she's probably not going to know the details of what happens then.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. The iPod belongs to Apple.


"Drop the gun, and get out of my house."

A long knife with a thin, sharp looking blade was being held to Tony's throat. Part of him wanted to explain to the girl that he was a federal agent here to protect her from anyone that could possibly want to kill or otherwise hurt her. But another part of him knew that she could possibly slit his throat if he tried to talk.

"If you move to point that gun at me, I will cut your throat. I might get shot in the process, but I will still cut your throat." There was a strange sense of calm in the girl's voice. However, underneath it, there was a sea of fear, nervousness, and yet, Tony could sense just enough anger to make her slice his neck open.

At this moment, Tony realized why this girl was acting so hostile, even though he and Gibbs had announced that they worked for the government. There was an electric mixer on the counter, and it was still plugged in, which meant that it had just been on. But, more importantly, there was an iPod laying on the counter still playing loud enough that Tony could almost make out the words.

Since he knew that this was the best way to save both his life and the girl's, Tony risked speaking. "Are you Elizabeth Connoway?"

"No." The girl's answer was blunt, and her lips were slightly pressed together.

"Okay, but if you were, we'd be here to protect you."

The girl who was "not" Elizabeth Connoway stepped slowly down from the counter top, being careful to keep the knife at Tony's throat.

"Why should I believe you? And put the gun on the counter." The girl was getting better at keeping the emotion out of her voice, but it was not yet completely gone.

Tony did as she asked, and she was quick to pick it up and use it to replace the knife in her hand. He noted that her hand did not shake. Odd, you'd think a little girl's hand would be shaking like hell in this situation, right? Tony thought.

Right then, they heard quick footsteps coming down the stairs. Gibbs, thank GOD. The girl's head inclined slightly towards the sound, but her gaze did not leave Tony's face.

"TONY! How long does it take to check one damn room?" Gibbs belted.

"Longer than you'd think, boss."

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up from their original frustrated scowl when he entered the kitchen. "Miss Connoway, I'd appreciate it if you didn't shoot my agent."

"I will not if you prove to me that you are really federal agents." Her voice was completely composed now. And please put your gun on the floor, Mr....."

"Gibbs." he said while obliging to her request.

"Mr. Gibbs. Thank you." Gibbs nodded and gave a reassuring smile in response.

"Hey, why are you being polite to him and not me?" Tony couldn't help himself.

"Because I have decided that I like him better." Gibbs smirked while Tony scowled. He still had a gun pointed at his face, after all.

"Now, Miss, in order to prove to you that we're agents, I'm going to have reach into my pocket to get my badge." The girl nodded, but narrowed her eyes. For the first time, she pointed Tony's gun at Gibbs.

Gibbs slowly and deliberately took out his badge and gave it to the girl. The girl nodded once she had looked at it long enough to just about convince her. She gave it back to Gibbs.

"Okay, but just for reassurance purposes, I would like to keep his gun until you leave. I promise I won't shoot either of you unless you attack me." Tony was about to object, but Gibbs silenced him with a look. "Now you can tell me why you're here. He," she said nodding toward Tony, "said that it was something about protecting me. Why would I need protecting?"

Gibbs and Dinozzo glanced at each other. "You might want to sit down," Tony said. She sat on one of the chairs at her kitchen table. Tony continued, "Your parents-"

"What happened to them?" She questioned, standing up as she did so.

"They were killed yesterday morning."

The girl sat down again. Her face had been taken over by an exceedingly blank look. "How?"

"They were driving along a road in Evansburg. Your father was in the drivers' seat and was shot in the head."

"Tony, would it kill you to be more sensitive?" Gibbs asked. That was another change. Tony might not have been the most sensitive man before, but now he was almost cold. He was slightly nicer to Abby, though.

"No, it is fine. I like to hear it straight. All that "It is alright sweetie, you are going to be okay" stuff really gets on my nerves."

No contractions. Strange. Hey, wait a minute. No contractions, tight control of emotions, no caring sensitivity. She's just like- Tony winced. He didn't want to think about her.

"Are you in pain?" The girl asked.

"No, but you should be."

"They really are dead?"

Gibbs took over. He knew who Tony was thinking of. It was always the same person when he looked in pain. "Yes. And we think there's a possibility that whoever killed your parents might want to kill you too."

"So you want to put me in protective custody for a while. Oh, and just so you know, I am Elizabeth Connoway."

"Yes. And for the time being, that means us. So go upstairs and pack a bag." Gibbs instructed. Elizabeth hurried upstairs.

"Boss, did you notice anything familiar about her? I mean, did she, ya know, remind you of anyone?" Gibbs was silent for a while. No hint of what he was thinking appeared on his face. Tony was apprehensive.

"Yeah, Tony, I see her in this girl too." Tony was relieved that it wasn't just him.

Two minutes later, Elizabeth came down carrying a plain black duffel bag that revealed absolutely nothing about her.

"Damn. And I was hoping I could get a clue about her personality by her bag," Tony muttered to Gibbs.

"It is intentionally plain. I do not want complete strangers to know anything about me. Oh, and I am not offended by swearing. Okay, so where is the car?"


The car ride to the hotel was mostly silent. Gibbs and Tony were just getting used to it when Elizabeth spoke.

"What did my parents do to anyone? Why would someone want them dead? I never saw them do anything bad. But then again, they would probably keep it from me if they did, right?" The fact that she had no family had just set in. But that does NOT mean that anyone is going to see me wailing about it. That would be unnecessary. I can just cry when I am alone.

"You're probably right. But it could have been related to your dad's work. The killer might not have seen your mom in the car," Gibbs explained. Elizabeth nodded.

"I believe we got off to a bad start," Tony began. Elizabeth scoffed, making Tony wince at the familiar memory. "I'm Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo."

"Elizabeth Connoway."

"So, there are tons of nicknames for the name Elizabeth. There's Liz, Lizzy, Beth, Betty-"

"What Dinozzo's eventually going to ask is if there's anything other than your full name that you like to be called." Gibbs stated, earning a pout from Tony and a slight smile from Elizabeth.

"People called me Lizzy, but eventually, that just got shortened to Z. So you can call me Z."

Tony looked like he was about to choke, and Elizabeth picked up on it. "Are you all right? Do you get carsick easily?" Tony shook his head. She turned to Gibbs. "Do you know why he looks like that?"

Gibbs knew why Tony looked sick, but thought it best not to tell Elizabeth at the moment. "He probably has a headache. He gets them when he doesn't get enough coffee. And I think we'll stick with Lizzy. The whole team is probably going to stick with Lizzy. In fact, most of the agency will."

"I'm going to meet most of the agency?" She asked, wide eyed.

Gibbs nodded. "When we get back to the hotel, I'm going to have my other agent, McGee, take you to Washington."