Chapter Two: A Nightmare Unfolds

A couple days had passed and Nicole had started school. She fell into a small group on the first day, being noticed by a girl in her class. At lunch the girl and her friend had sat with Nicole and struck a conversation. They started a friendship and everyday since they had hung together at school.

The girl was Denise Reinbeck and her father was also in the Navy. Nicole learned that the Reinbeck family lived not that far from her. It was a good start to making this base bearable. School was easy for Nicole; she didn't have a problem adjusting to this new environment. She had always been out going and made friends easily, but she figured that came more from necessity.

They had been there just over a week when Johanna saw the brightening in her daughter. It made Johanna smile, knowing that her daughter was once again fitting in. It made her job a lot easier knowing that Nicole would have friends around. Nicole was studying quietly in her room one morning when she heard her mother yelling at someone in the living room.

She put her pencil down and stared at her closed door for a moment waiting for her mother to stop. She didn't. Nicole then heard a man's voice in the house that she didn't recognize. She got up slowly from her desk, trying to make as little noise as possible.

She tip toed to the door and opened it slowly, peeking her head out carefully, and looked down the hallway. The yelling was louder now that her door wasn't there to buffer it. She didn't know what they were arguing over but her mother was telling the person in the house to leave.

Nicole quietly made her way down the hallway and slipped her head around the corner. She saw a man standing with his back to her, facing her mother. She couldn't see his face from this angle and she didn't dare move, with the risk of either of them spotting her.

Her mother screamed at the man as he lunged at her with something. Nicole froze in horror as she realized her mother was screaming in pain. It was then that Nicole noticed the blood. She ran down the hallway away from the scene in front of her and tried desperately not to cry aloud. She didn't want to draw the attention of the man to her. She made it to her room and quickly, but quietly shut the door and ran to the window.

She threw the window open and climbed out landing in a bush before managing to scramble down to the ground. When she had landed in the bush she felt a branch dig deep into her leg, but she ignored the pain. Tears were streaming down her face now as she couldn't remove the image of the man lunging at her mother and then the blood. The scream her mother let out was imprinted on her memory and playing over and over again in her mind.

She ran to a neighbor's house and banged on the door, but no one answered. She started to panic not knowing what to do. She wailed on the door with both fists, crying and yelling. No one came to the door.

The tears were so thick now she could barely see as she left the porch of that house and ran to the next one. She didn't know if the man was still in the house but she knew she needed to get help for her mother. She raced to the next door and slammed her small body into the wood. Pounding profusely with both hands she screamed for help.

Her foot decided to join in the action and before she knew it, she was banging, screaming, and kicking at the door. Finally it opened and she tumbled forward into the arms of a woman. The woman was immediately concerned, taking in the strange girl's appearance. The girl's eyes were bloodshot and tear soaked, her leg was lanced open and bleeding, her fists were bruised from banging on the door.

"What's the matter, honey?" she asked hurriedly pulling the girl back and holding her firmly by the shoulders.

"My mother!" Nicole wailed but no other words would form as she sobbed against the other woman.

"What's wrong?"

"My mother is in trouble!" Nicole finally managed to get out between chocked breaths. The other woman pulled her inside and closed the door, hurrying to the phone. She called the base security and told them about the girl and what she had said about her mother. She told them the condition the girl was in. They managed to get the house number from Nicole but she was starting to go into shock from the trauma.

The MPs made their way quickly to the unit and approached it with caution. They called out for the Commander that lived there but no one answered their hails. They went through the front door and immediately stopped. There was blood on the walls and the ceiling, and the floor. There was blood on the couch. The body of Lt. Commander Conrad was on the floor in front of the couch. They called NCIS.

Gibbs was just returning to his desk from a coffee run when his phone rang. Tony was sitting in his chair contemplating something Ziva had asked him and McGee was busy looking at his bank statements online. They hadn't had a case since they brought down the smuggling ring and they were all a bit cagy.

"Gibbs," he said after picking up the receiver. He listened for a few moments. "On our way."

"What is it, Boss?" Tony asked standing up. Ziva leaned forward in her chair in anticipation of leaving the office, and McGee looked around his computer monitor.

"Got a body, grab your gear, let's move," Gibbs said as he walked towards the elevator. They all jumped at the chance to get out of there and hustled to get everything ready. Finally they were on their way to the crime scene.

When they got there they set to work. Tony was taking pictures while McGee looked through the house for evidence. Ziva was talking to the MPs while Ducky was assessing the body. Gibbs stood in the doorway to the kitchen and stared at the body. It had been a brutal attack, very personal.

"Time of death, Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"It fits with the MPs story, Jethro, she died not more than three hours ago," Ducky said gathering up his equipment.

Gibbs simply nodded and looked over the body. He had heard the MPs story of how the body was discovered.

"Hey, Boss," Tony said as he walked up beside Gibbs.

"What?"

"This was pretty personal."

"I can see that, DiNozzo. Find me a motive," he said and looked over the pictures on the mantle. He left DiNozzo standing there and made his way outside. He walked to the house two doors down and found the MPs standing with another woman who had a little girl huddled to her leg. Gibbs approached them slowly, noticing the bandaging on the girl's leg, blood still soaking into the white gauze.

"Special Agent Gibbs," he said showing his badge and ID. "This the daughter?"

"Yes, Agent Gibbs," one of the MPs said. Gibbs nodded and squatted in front of the young girl. She looked at him with big empty brown eyes and it pained him to see the horror that lived there.

"What's your name?" he asked quietly of the girl. She absently pulled at the hem of her sleeve and kept licking her lips. Her eyes kept floating past Gibbs and landing on her house. She didn't answer him. "It's ok now. He can't hurt you," Gibbs said softly.

He reached out slowly and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and pulled back. Gibbs let his hand drop to his side and gave the girl a smile. Her attention came back to him. He saw the overload of emotion in her eyes. He stood up and looked around.

"You're the one that called the police?" he asked the woman standing with the girl.

"Yeah. She…she was pounding, and screaming, and kicking my door."

"Ok, did you see or hear anything before that?" Gibbs asked his attention still on the girl.

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't," the lady replied, looking almost ashamed she had missed something like this. Gibbs nodded.

"You know who she is?"

"They're new on the base. Just moved in last week sometime. I think their last name starts with a C but I don't know them. Never got a first name out of her."

Gibbs nodded and thanked the woman for her time. He squatted down in front of the girl again. Tony was walking towards him. Ziva and McGee were packing up the truck. Ducky and Palmer had moved the body and were ready to leave.

"Hi, my name is Gibbs, what's yours?" he asked softly with a smile. The girl eyed him with shock and wonder in her eye before she looked down at the ground.

"Nicole," she whispered softly. Gibbs nodded and reached out to her. The rest of the adults seemed to have backed away leaving a wide void around Gibbs and the girl. She looked up at him then. "Is my mom…dead?"

The pain in her voice cut Gibbs deep. He pulled the girl close to him and wrapped an arm around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried silent tears. He placed a soft kiss on her head and waited. Finally he pulled her back gently.

"Did you see what happened?" he asked softly. He saw the flicker of horror dance in her eye briefly before she forced it out. She simply nodded. Gibbs heart sank. She had seen what happened in there.

"Will you help her?"

"I will, I promise," Gibbs said. The girl simply nodded and leaned into him again, pressing her face into his shoulder. Gibbs scooped her up and carried her with him to the truck. Tony watched in slight surprise as Gibbs carried the child. He was so gentle with her.

"Ah, Boss?" he asked softly as Gibbs placed the girl in the front seat of the truck. Gibbs looked at Tony before looking back at the girl.

"I'll be right back, I just need to talk to Tony, ok?" he asked getting a small nod from the girl. He patted her shoulder than turned and motioned for Tony to walk with him away from her.

"What?"

"We're done here, ready to head back. That the daughter?"

"Yes."

"She see what happened…."

"Yes, DiNozzo, she did," Gibbs said quickly. Tony simply nodded and walked back to the truck. Gibbs looked around and thought about what to do. He was going to take the girl back to NCIS to talk to her. They would assume custody until they could locate a family member, or she was placed with social services.

When Gibbs came back to the truck he could see Nicole looking around for him. He walked up to her and saw her relax slightly upon seeing him again. He gave her a smile. She just looked at the ground. He saw the pain again and felt his heart break a little more. This was going to be a tough case he thought as he climbed into the truck.

TBC…