AN: This fic is going kind of slow, huh? Well, hopefully it'll speed up next chapter.
Oh, yeah, Dragon, thanks. xP I'm learning German in school, and I've been studying a bit on the internet. I kinda thought "You speak German?" would be "Deutsch sprichst du?" but the translator said otherwise. xD Man, it's soooo hard learning German!
By the time dinner was over and the dishes were in the process of being washed, Gibbs was starting to get worried as he decided to keep a closer eye on Samantha, who was acting strangely.
When Tony had got up just a few minutes back to graciously clean off the table, his cellphone went off. In his attempt to answer it while juggling the plates in one arm, he'd accidentally elbowed Sam, who was making a move to grab said plates in order to save them, in the chest.
The small teenage girl had made an odd noise -- something between a whimper and a shriek, her eyes going wide and her face turning pale. Her hands flew up to her chest and, ignoring Tony's surprised apology, whirled around to storm out of the kitchen.
Now Tony was muttering into his phone by the fridge; Gibbs turned on the sink faucet and scrubbed at a glass.
He didn't look up as Ziva reappeared by his side. "So?" he prompted, keeping his voice neutral. The young woman had instantly left the dining table to check up on Samantha. Kyle, Jr. was still in his chair. Poor thing had shrunken down until he was practically under the table; he just shook his head, looking haunted, when Ziva asked what was wrong.
"She's in the bathroom," Ziva reported, handing her boss a towel. "She hasn't come out, but she told me she's fine. Tony merely hit her too hard."
"Did he," Gibbs replied flatly.
"I do not believe her either. The sound she made... Samantha seems to be hurt, and not because of a little bruising. Have you noticed her finching earlier?"
The silver-haired man paused. "Flinching," he corrected, recieving an incoherent murmur of annoyance. He didn't admit that he hadn't noticed. In fact, he'd been too busy mulling over the case and its oddities, as well as the information kept hidden by the kids.
"Yes, well, I have only seen her do it a few times, but whatever is bothering her is also distracting her. I believe the pain is what's making her so irritable, and perhaps it's the reason for her" -- Ziva hesitated, furrowing her brow -- "clumsiness."
Gibbs popped open the dishwasher and began piling in dishes. "The question: what is causing the pain?"
"And how."
They both glanced over their shoulders at Kyle, Jr., who was staring up at the ceiling, as though intrigued by the blaring whiteness. The two agents had been keeping their voices as low as possible over the rush of water, so the little boy wouldn't overhear.
"That was Abby. And McGee," Tony announced as he came over to join them, waving his cell a little. He quickly turned the volume of his voice down. "Abbs told me that it was indeed blood on the beer bottle fragments, and it isn't Reed's. According to his file, his blood type is A. The... other blood type is O. Right now the fingerprints on the jewelry box are being tested."
Gibbs just looked at him. So he'd been right: there had been an intruder.
"Erm..." DiNozzo shifted from foot to foot, looking guilty. "Is Samantha okay?"
"Hopefully. Don't wear that look, Tony. I would like to talk to you."
As Ziva pulled Tony away and muttered to him what she had revealed to Gibbs, Gibbs sponged down the last few dishes and calmly placed them with the others in the dishwasher.
So, Samantha had lied to him. Obviously. He'd already known -- the girl was bad at lying -- but now he had evidence. He itched with annoyance and impatience. Didn't that stubborn child want her father found?
His spine prickled. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she never wanted to see that Marine's face again. Maybe...
Clenching his teeth, Gibbs decided to question Samantha again, and this time he was getting an answer.
But first, he got the dishwasher going and knelt down by Kyle, Jr.. "Are you going to sit there all night?" he asked gently.
Kyle, Jr. turned his head towards him. "N-No... I... I'm... I don't think she's going to get better now," he whispered miserably.
With a frown, Gibbs proceeded with caution, "What do you mean?"
"Sammy said... She said she wo..." The boy narrowed his eyes as he struggled to get down the word: "...wou... would be okay... But she keeps hurting..."
Gibbs stared at Kyle, Jr., not liking the implication he was getting. But he couldn't prod any further, not when Kyle was on the verge of tears. "She'll be fine," he assured. "Don't worry. We'll take care of her, alright?"
The blue-eyed child didn't look convinced, but he nodded slowly.
"It's probably time for you to get to bed by now, anyway," Gibbs decided, checking his watch. It was 8:29 PM. "School's tomorrow."
Kyle, Jr. went on to wear an expression of disappointment. "But..."
"No buts."
After convincing Kyle, Jr. to go to the bathroom and do the usual routine -- brush teeth, use the toilet, put on PJs, etc. -- Gibbs sent his agents to set up the cameras.
From the kitchen entrance, he gazed out the window wordlessly for a few heartbeats, watching the last of light's strength die away from the sky. Then, calmly, he shifted and made his way through the dim hallway, stopping outside Samantha's room, knowing she had gone in there as soon as Kyle, Jr. reached the bathroom. Gibbs rapped his knuckles against the door, and waited. As he waited, he dug his sole into the carpet and moved his foot. The stained tan floor felt stiff, with a puny "Scriiitch" as he deliberately manuvered his shoe.
The door creaked open, and Samantha peeked out, her dark eyes peering up at Gibbs questioningly. "Are you really staying the night?"
The strained, wavering note in her voice didn't go past Gibbs -- she was trying to cover up the pain. "Yes," he confirmed. "There are cameras being put up to keep surveillance."
Sam looked disturbed at this, but she just said, "There aren't any guest rooms, though."
"The living room will do. We're not looking to sleep away the visit, anyway," Gibbs pointed out.
"Okay, then, good night." This being said as politely as possible, Samantha moved to close her bedroom door, but like before, Gibbs held out a hand to stop her.
"Did you recently bleach this part of the carpet?" He watched her expression closely, and sighed inwardly at the terror on her face. He took a step back and reached for the wall, using a finger to flick the switch on. The hallway lit up instantly from the single lightbulb in the ceiling. Gibbs knelt down and brushed his palm against the floor in front of Samantha's door. The texture stood out -- and the discoloration was blatantly obvious when you looked at it. "Must have been a major mess."
"Oh... Oh! Yeah... My dad..." Samantha cleared her throat, seeming to struggle to find the words. "He spilled beer all over it."
"Is that a fact." It wasn't a question. Gibbs straightened up and gestured for Sam to step out of the room, furrowing his brow at seeing her in a thick sweater. "Did he hurt you and your brother?"
The girl seemed to shrink in size. "I don't know what you're talking about... He might have drank a lot, but he wasn't a bad father..."
Gibbs barely stopped himself from taking another step towards her; he really didn't want to be intidimating. "I want the truth," he demanded sternly, keeping his voice at a neutral volume. "Did he hurt you two? Did he strike you, throw you around?"
"Why does it matter?" Samantha's eyes blazed. "It has nothing to do with this investigation, right?"
Gibbs opened his mouth to speak, but they both fell silent at hearing Kyle step out of the room. "All ready for bedtime?" the Special Agent asked light-heartedly, his facial features softening.
"Yup," the child said cheerfully, and Gibbs relaxed. It appeared Kyle, Jr. hadn't heard the conversation going on in the hall. "Sissy... are you okay?" Kyle rushed up to Samantha and gripped her hand with his own, staring up at her with owlish blue eyes.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sam retorted. "Don't you worry. Do you want me to read you some more Warriors?"
Kyle, Jr. quickly nodded and turned to give Gibbs a shy look. "G'night, erm..."
"Just call me LJ." Gibbs gave his fatherly smile and added, "Good night."
"Okay, Boss, the last one's set," Tony said nearly five minutes later as Ziva finished placing the camera above the bathroom door. He punched in a few numbers on his phone. "Can you see us, Probie?"
"Yeah, I can," Timothy McGee's voice drifted from the phone. "The other cameras are working fine. Small place." He paused. "Is that a dog outside the house?"
"No, Probie, it's a man-eating monster, and I refuse to let it come into the house," Tony bit back, suppressing a shudder.
Gibbs and Ziva exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes.
"You left the front door unlocked," Tim stated matter-of-factly.
"I did? How do you know, McGeek?"
"Well, actually, the dog just let itself inside."
"Good one, Probie. Almost fell for it," he chuckled.
"No, I'm serious." Another pause. "He's right behind you."
"Pft. If that thing was behind me, it would've bitten my ass off." Tony hesitated, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on his back. "Ziva, is that dog behind me?"
"Turn around and see for yourself," came the passive response.
"Maybe I don't want to."
Gibbs let out a loud sigh and yanked the phone from Tony. "McGee, has Abby found out anything else?"
"Err, no, Boss. She's, uh, still running the fingerprints."
"Nothing on the blood?"
"No, Boss, she's working on that, too."
"You know what to do if she comes up with anything. And don't fall asleep over there." With that, Gibbs disconnected the call. Good thing there are phone wires around these woods, he thought to himself.
"Honestly, afraid of a dog?" Ziva mocked Tony as the Italian tried to edge around Shadow, who was just sitting there in the middle of the hallway with his eyes half-closed.
"DiNozzo doesn't do scared, Zeevah," Tony retorted. "Especially not of a dog. If that thing can even be considered a dog." He twitched.
"Are you two just going to stand there and yak?" Gibbs tossed the phone back to Tony. "Get going."
"Going where, Boss?" the senior field agent asked in confusion.
Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Nowhere, DiNozzo, except to the living room. It's our guest room for the night."
"Ahh..." The younger man looked thoughtful. "I call for the couch."
"I don't think the dog would like that," Gibbs smirked. "Now move."
Shadow remained in the hall, keeping guard by Kyle, Jr.'s room while the Special Agents settled down. Both Gibbs and Ziva seated themselves on the lumpy couch, while Tony seemed to change his mind and headed for the armchair.
"Is Kyle asleep?" Ziva asked, checking her gun to confirm it was loaded.
"Sam's reading him some book called... Warriors." Raising an eyebrow, Gibbs wondered aloud, "Which I find strange."
"What's so strange about reading a cat series?" The Mossad looked confused.
"Wait, wait, wait. There's a series... about cats... called Warriors?" Tony queried incredulously. "How can cats be warriors?"
My question exactly.
"You'd have to read it for yourself, Tony. Ah, right, you're not a cat-person..."
"I'd rather watch The Warriors, no cats involved. Not that I condone gangs..."
Gibbs sat back and journeyed into his own thoughts, the voices of Ziva and Tony becoming background noise.
His nose twitched at the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the room.
Kyle Reed was a highly respected Marine. Clean background check, no drugs. Yet this was where he lived, wasting his private life away on beer.
And Gibbs' gut told him that Reed was not a good father, like Samantha shakily claimed.
This was one of those cases in which the Marine could be considered a book judged by its cover.
There was always much more than met the eye.
Gibbs just hoped something could be done... No, he was going to make it be done. He was going to protect these kids. And he was going to get his hands on that missing Marine.
If the man was ever found.They were here first...
AN: 'Cause I feel like giving you a heads-up on the next chapter... Ziva goes with Samantha to school, and Tony goes with Kyle, Jr., while Gibbs looks further into the investigation. Meanwhile, in a nearby lake, a fisher spends some time on his little boat, doing what fishermen are supposed to be doing, when he comes across something that greatly affects the case.
Until next time. :)
P.S. I expect two more reviews before I update... So, let's get to 7!