Chapter 5-Discovery

He scanned around the terminal, analysing every face in the crowd. He saw no sign of her. It was Kate who located her. She was waiting on a bench with her small carry on suitcase and backpack. Her Discman in her ears. She was watching the World Cricket Tsunami appeal on the big screen. Kate thought it best that Gibbs approach her by himself. She stood back as he made his way over to her. He walked up to her stood directly in front of her. She did not react at all, looking straight through him at the screen as Ponting hit a $50 000 six.

"Good to see, world cricket getting behind such a great cause isn't it? Especially with the likes of Ricky Ponting smacking that white ball over the rope." He was glad that he had paid some attention to the cricket when it was on tv, he just hoped this would get her attention.

She gave no evidence that she was listening to him, how could she with those headphones in her ears, she just kept watching the screen.

"Sophie, don't you thinks its best we go home?" he said a little louder than before, this time getting straight to the point.

Still no reaction.

"Sophie, talk to me, Sophie…"he was getting frustrated with having to plead with her to talk to him.

"Sophie!"

This time she reacted.

"I'm sorry do I know you?"

"Don't pretend you don't know me, I'm your father for god's sake!"

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken, I don't have a father." She replied bitterly

"Oh really? Don't pull that with me…your coming home with me."

"Really is that so, I hate to be the one to inform you on this fact, but I am going home. I don't know how you found me, but I am going home to someone who cares about me, you never cared about me."

"You are so predictable, just like your mother!" he said getting frustrated.

"My mother, don't you bring her into this, you know nothing about me or her."

"I know that she loved me enough to marry me."

"Yeah well certain things change don't they." she sneered "You still no nothing about me, I'll make you a deal, if you can answer these three things about me, I will come home with you and maybe, we can work something out…that suits both of us, not just you."

"Okay, as long as you promise to try and work things out."

"Question one, What is my favourite sport and what level am I at it?"

Gibbs thought about the question, but then he remembered the letter she had sent him September last year. She had sent it to him because she had just passed her level test and qualified for states. He did know things about her, more than she thought.

"Your favourite sport is Gymnastics, and you are in level 8, you passed in September."

'One out of three"

"I know more than you think…"

'Question two" She said cutting him off, "What is the name and breed of my dogs?"

This one he knew easily, he had in fact suggested the names to her mother and her family had kept the breed since before Sophie was born."

He replied confidently, " Your have Golden retrievers who's names are Ruger and Miruku. Like the guns. Gun names for a gun dogs."

He could sense the regret in Soph's eyes, she knew that he could answer these questions about her. She picked one last question that she knew that he would have no idea about, he knew nothing about modern culture."

"Question three, What is the name of my favourite Australian singer or band?"

This one he had no idea to. There had been so many. They had all sounded the same, what were their names? Air Supply? No it wasn't that, but it did have something to do with aircraft. Pilot? Carrier? No, what the hell was it…Jet, aha it was Jet, but was it her favourite? What else did she like? There was that singer that he liked, what was her name? She had the song Casualty, that was on after they had their fight, oh damn, what was it Macy Gray? No way…Marcia Hines…No…something starting with M. Missy! Missy what? Missy Hart? Missy Harling? Higgins, Missy Higgins, that had to be right!

"Missy Higgins?" he answered uncertainly

He saw the realisation in her eyes, he was right he knew it, she knew it, she had to give into his demands.

"Yes" she answered quietly "S'pose you could give me the CD back?"

"Sure I'll give it back to you on the way home"

"I'm not going in the car with you!"

"Fine if you don't want to go with me you can go with Kate, talk to her and she will tell, you that there is nothing going on between us." What he said wasn't a lie, there was nothing going on between him and Kate, but that doesn't mean that he didn't want it to.

"There isn't, but I thought…"

"You were wrong"

"I'm so sorry for that, but not for everything else, I stand by what I said."

"Okay, we can talk about that later but will you please come home now, you can ride with Kate."

He grabbed her suitcase and began to walk away. Sophie just stood there, rooted to the spot, maybe he did know some things about her, but he was still a heartless bastard. She followed him and the attractive women that appeared from the shadows to the car, not saying a word.

"Kate will drive you and I'll follow, is that okay"

Sophie didn't answer, she hated what she was doing she hated him, but she knew she was wrong about some things and she had to set them straight before she ran away home.

She jumped in the car with Kate and sat silently as she pulled out of the car park and paid the fee. With Gibbs following closely behind them.

Kate decided that it would be best, to leave Soph to her own devices. She just drove in the direction to Gibbs' house. Sophie did not say a word, she just sat there staring out the window watching the rain fall freely to the ground, it was really coming down.. Kate could sense the aura of defeat around Sophie. I mean of course she could, she made a decision, stuck up for herself only to have to back up on that decision.

'Why did I give in, this is the last thing I want, to reconcile with him. The only thing I want to do is get everything settled out and then I'm back on that plane, he cant keep me any longer. Where have I heard that before? This time he will not win I will leave with the upper hand.' She thought, almost trying to convince herself why she was still on American soil.

The car pulled to a stop at a red light at a busy intersection. Sophie redirected her gaze from looking out the side window to looking out the front window. It was around seven thirty at night and there was a very continuous flow of traffic. The red light seemed to last for ages. When finally the light changed, Kate shifted the car into gear and began to drive away. She had traveled about four and a half metres into the centre of the intersection when Sophie realised that an oncoming car in the lanes traveling across the intersection had failed to stop when their light changed.

"Kate! Look out!" Sophie screamed madly pointing at the oncoming car coming straight towards the passenger side of the car.

Kate reacted quickly, trying to speed the car through the remainder of the intersection. She had almost made it to safety beyond the white line. It was approaching quickly, but so was the other car, the other driver realised the situation and slammed on the brakes.

But it was too late. The tyre's of the other car had no traction and the car began to skid across the road in the wet conditions. The other car rotated 45 degrees so that it was horizontal with Kate's car. The last thing Sophie saw before the other car collided with her was the look of terror in the other drivers face.

Gibbs was behind Kate's car he saw the oncoming car, he saw Kate's car, he saw the inevitable. And all he could do was watch.