Punky had hidden in a nearby park for the night. When it was morning, she went back to the supermarket parking lot. She was planning to retrieve her stuff from the car, at least some of it, but she seen the place was still swarming with police. She sat behind some nearby bushes and waited for them to leave. After every car she could see pulled away and the coast seemed clear she left her hiding spot.

"Come on Brandon. Let's do this quick. This place is giving me chills. We need your dog food and my My." Punky said. She walked a few steps into the parking lot before she realized something was off.

"Oh no! Brandon, the car's gone. What are we going to do?" Punky asked panicked. "What if my mom came back and we weren't there so she drove off looking for us?" Punky asked completely devastated. She sank to the ground and hugged Brandon. Brandon licked her face.

Unknown to Punky, Gibbs had stayed behind at the crime scene and was watching the whole time. He chose this time to make himself known.

"What's the matter?" Gibbs asked. Punky jumped up quickly, startled. It seemed as though Gibbs had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Some guard dog you are, she thought looking at Brandon. He was just a puppy still though so she knew it wasn't his fault.

"Um…well…nothing. I…just lost my doll." Punky said thinking. She wasn't sure if she could trust this person and losing her mom was a big thing. She might need to get away by pretending her mom was around or looking for her or something.

"Maybe I can help find it. What does it look like?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh, no, that's okay, I'll find it myself. I actually think I may remember where I left her. Bye!" Punky said quickly and then turned to leave.

"Hold it." Gibbs said. Punky stopped. "Was your doll a baby with no hair, in a white gown, with no shoes?" Gibbs asked outright. Punky's eyes lit up and then seemed to dim again. How did he know that? She wondered.

"Maybe. Why? Have you seen her?" Punky asked hopefully.

"She was in an abandoned car this morning. We took her and it to where I work." Gibbs stated. Punky had a look somewhere between confusion and worry. She wondered why she felt like she was in trouble. She hadn't done anything wrong that she knew of. If this man had her mom's car though…that meant her mom hadn't come back.

"I'm Agent Gibbs. What's your name?" Gibbs asked Punky. He was ready in a moment to grab her if she decided to take off. It was obvious this little girl was a witness. He was trying not to spook her. Punky sighed.

"I'm Punky Brewster. This is my dog Brandon. It's nice to meet you." She said. It didn't feel very nice to meet this Agent Gibbs at all, she felt a little worried actually, but she was taught to always say that when meeting someone.

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Even though Punky seemed unsure about it, she agreed to go to NCIS with Gibbs after he showed her his badge. She was smart to ask, Gibbs thought, though he knew someone could have just grabbed her had they been impersonating.

Gibbs called Children and Family Services right away and there was a representative watching as Punky answered questions. Gibbs had Ducky take a look at Punky right away, not only to do a medical examination but also a psychological one. Ducky looked concerned as he came out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"Well?" Gibbs asked.

"It is most surprising Jethro. The girl is in fine shape. No signs of abuse or neglect. As for the crime, she doesn't know there is one." Ducky replied.

"What do you mean? You couldn't get her to tell you anything?" Gibbs asked.

"Quite the contrary. Punky is very talkative, she simply didn't witness anything. She told me her mother went into the supermarket and Punky fell asleep while waiting for her return. She was awoken but bright lights and noise which startled her so she ran. I'm afraid she was simply acting as a child does in a confusing situation and not out of fear for having seen anything. She doesn't know there was a murder and for the sake of her innocence, which by natural course will cease on it's own, I suggest she be kept uninformed of it." Ducky explained.

"Thanks Ducky." Gibbs sighed as he took in the information. So his witness wasn't a witness at all. Bad for the case but good for the little girl. Still he wanted to see if there was something he could do to help her before he let children's services take her so he told them he needed to hold her a little while longer to make sure she wasn't in any way connected to the crime. He sent Punky down to Abby since Abby had already been watching Brandon.

"Hi Punky, I'm Abby. Brandon and I have become good friends. Isn't that right Brandon?" Abby said. Brandon barked and wagged his tail. Punky smiled. "I'm glad. He's never been without me before and I'm sure he needs a friend." Punky replied. Gibbs left at seeing the two getting along well.

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