Yes, I know this is short, but it's rather hard to write when you don't have a case to actually deal with. I'm sorry people, though if you want to help me out with a review or pm with ideas, I have no objection at all.

Now presenting...

Baby of the Family

"Leave."

"No."

"Now."

"Nuh-uh."

"Go back to Abby."

"Can't."

"Go away."

"DiNozzo, stop arguing with the kid and get some work done," Gibbs said, walking into the room with his usual all-business attitude.

"What work, boss? McGeek, Abby and I have been up all night, trying to examine this case from every possible angle and we still have nothing."

"You've got the letter," James said.

"The letter is nonsense. Unless it's a code, and McGee already tried that idea, but he has no idea what it could mean, except that it's some undercover ring of something, and he's been booted back to newbie status for making a mistake."

"Well, try linking him to local crime rings in the area."

"Already done, boss, and nothing," McGee said.

"Well…" James said. "There's always the possibility that what the letter says is what the letter means."

"Come on, kid. King Oberon's a fairytale. Goblins and pixies and things like that don't exist…except in McElf's little world."

"Then you believe that Abby is lying or hallucinating?" Zeva asked.

"I don't know, Ze-vah."

"I believe her," Zeva said.

"Out of curiosity, why?"

"Because I can see them," she said calmly.

"And you didn't say anything before this…why?"

"I wasn't sure that I was. Before this morning, all I saw was movement out of the corner of my eye."

"Ah, so you're both going crazy."

"They're not going crazy," James said, with the all knowing air that only a six year old could possess. "They just put their faith into their Sight."

"Of course. All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust. Sign me up for flying lessons, Zeva."

"If you sign up with her, DiNozzo, you'd be better off by jumping over a cliff," Gibbs said.

"Hey!" Zeva protested. She looked at McGee for support, but he just shrugged and smirked slightly.

Gibbs sighed. They were wasting time, and five cadets were missing. He knew it was by no fault of their own, but he still felt irritated that his teammates were joking to each other and not working. He would go to Ducky, he decided, and see if there was any psychological profiling yet.

Getting up, he walked halfway to the elevator before he looked back. The kid was bugging DiNozzo again. "James!" he said. The kid looked up, grinning. Gibbs waved him over. "Got someone I want you to meet."

xxx

"Ah, hello Jethro. Who is this young man you've brought along?"

"I'm James," said James excitedly.

"Hello, James, I am Doctor Mallard, but you may call me Ducky."

"Got anything, Duck?" Gibbs said irritably.

"Well, Jethro, from the interrogation records you sent down and the letter, I would say that this man honestly believes himself to be the Goblin King," Ducky said. James gave a tiny smile. "And both Abigail and Zeva say that they can also see these goblins."

"And me," James said. "I can see them too."

"Really?" Ducky said, interested. "And what do they look like?"

"Well…" James said, looking very intently at the space above Ducky's examination table. "Sort of…froggish, I guess, with crazy hair, kind of like mine, but not all of them, sometimes they look like small bull-people."

"Are you referring to Minotaurs?" Ducky asked. When James looked at him blankly, he said, "In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a man with the head of a bull, and he guarded the Labyrinth."

James smiled strangely at that, and said, "Yeah, I guess kind of like Minotaurs."

"Anything else, Duck?" Gibbs asked. He was not liking this at all.

"I believe that I will have to study this more, Jethro. If our employees are seeing goblins, this adds a whole new dimension to our suspect. After all, he may be a hypnotist, or there is even the possibility that he is a genetic scientist, they're well known to be a little eccentric."

"That they are, Ducky," Gibbs said. He started to leave, then turned back when he realized that James was not with him. "You coming?" he asked.

"Can I stay with Ducky?" James asked.

"If it's all right with Jethro, it most certainly is with me. However, I deal regularly with dead things, so it is very likely that I will send you right back up to Abigail if any work comes to me."

James looked at Gibbs, who nodded. He grinned his thanks, and Gibbs left.

Was it all right? Am I terrible at writing DiNozzo? Anyone else? Was Ducky In-Character? I think he's the easiest to write, especially since I've been working on and reading English (as of England) stories for a while now (no, not posted. Just written.) Please review? Are Pirates better than Ninjas? (They so totally are, alittleinsane963, get over it)