A few nights later, Gibbs heard someone knock at his door. When he opened it, it was to discover Langston standing there, looking a bit hesitant. The team had been properly introduced to Johnny over dinner and drinks, and everyone could clearly see the similarity between the two Langston siblings, with only their own individual experiences making them different.
"What's up?" he asked, as she followed him inside, taking off her hat as she did. "Where's Johnny?"
"He's wit some buddies of his, catching up wit 'em 'fore he heads back t' Camp Dwyer tomorrow," Langston said.
"You okay?" Langston shook her head. "Coffee or beer?"
"Coffee, please. I'm still drivin'," Langston said. She followed Gibbs into his kitchen. "I found out why Johnny left home, th' truth. We've been talkin' a lot over the last few days."
"Okay."
"Pa forced 'im out 'cause Johnny's gay, an' apparently Pa called 'im th' kind of names tha' I would hit anyone for. Johnny only joined th' Marines t' git away from Pa, 'cause if he didn't, Pa was likely t' kill 'im or make 'im disappear permanently," Langston said, looking shell-shocked.
"Wow, " Gibbs said, handing Langston a cup of hot coffee. "How do you feel about that?"
Langston stared at her cup, clearly trying to sort through her emotions. "I'm angry. At Pa. There's nothin' in th' Good Book tha' says anythin' 'bout hatin' anyone wit different sexual preferences, so what in hell gives Pa th' right t' turn on his own son like that? T' threaten t' kill 'im jest 'cause he prefers guys over gals?" She looked up at him, eyes brimming with emotions. "We lost years 'cause oh Pa, 'an then when I refused t' give in t' Pa's demands t' marry this arrogant jerk jest 'cause Pa wanted a male heir t' th' ranch, tha' I wanted more outta life than jest being a damn workhorse or broodmare... " She chuckled darkly, as she followed him into the living room. "Thought Johnny was gonna hit somethin' when I admitted that."
They sat down on his couch, and Gibbs studied his youngest agent. "You made something out of yourself, you and Johnny, despite your father, and you should be proud of that."
"I am, an' I'm real proud of Johnny, but damnit, boss, why does it have t' hurt so much?" Langston demanded. "No child deserves what Pa did t' us. The feller Pa wanted me t' marry, at nineteen, no less, made it real plain he wasn't gonna marry me fer me, an' those marriage vows, th' one 'bout honoring an' cherishing each other? They meant nothin' t' 'im, that he was gonna mess 'round wit whoever he felt like, even if I didn't like it, but God help me if I messed 'round! It wasn't me he wanted, it was th' damn ranch, all 250,000 acres of it! I left t' save my life, same reason Johnny did."
"Oh jeeze," Gibbs groaned.
"The last time I saw Ma, she was down on her knees, crying, outside, while Gram an' Sarah hugged her. She told me she loved me, that she always would, an' begged me t' come home one day," Langston admitted, her face haunted with memories.
"I hate to say this, but one of these days, you and Johnny are going to have to face your father, and see your mother again. She's as much a victim of your father as you and your brother are, and possibly your sister. She married Donald Miles, we don't know the circumstances behind it, and your sister's a year younger than you." Langston nodded. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I told Johnny tha' he was my brother, an' who he bounced on the mattress was none oh my business. Gay or not, I would always have his back."
"Good answer."
"Doesn't feel like it was 'nough," Langston admitted.
"Sometimes, just accepting a person for who they are, is enough. After that, just do the one thing you've always done; watch his six, and love him for who he is."
"An' Pa?"
"Your father is a bully who is too used to having his way. He's also an abuser; when you finally confront him, take him down and make sure he stays down. You and Johnny are both natural, and trained, protectors. Act like it. Don't let him stop you from having a relationship with your mother. Fight. For both your sakes. I lost my mom years ago. You still have a chance with yours."
Langston nodded.
But a stubborn teenage girl would soon take care of that.
A few days later, after Johnny headed back to Camp Dwyer, Langston came sauntering into work, a sexually satisfied look on her face. Even her outfit, a black leather lace-up vest over a sparkling long-sleeve black fishnet top, low-rise jeans that hugged Langston's legs, and black lace-up boots with a three-inch heel, screamed "I'm sexy and I know it" while still looking acceptable around NCIS. Her jacket was a black leather motorcycle jacket with a concealed carry pocket, and she wore her favorite black cowboy hat, completing the look.
"You've got that look on your face, the one that screams 'I got a night-time lovin' and I'm lovin' it'," Torres said, grinning at her.
"Witout givin' too much detail, lets just say a certain mustached Marine was the best danged ride I've had in a long time," Langston said, grinning, hanging up her hat and removing her jacket before sitting down at her desk. "Never mind the mustache, he had muscles in alllll the right places."
"Whoo-hoo?" Bishop asked, grinning.
"Game-yell loud whoop!" Langston said, causing Bishop to laugh, Torres to chuckle, and McGee to shake his head in amusement. "Now, all fun aside, I spy wit my little eye a thick stack of files I need t' work my way through."
"That's going to have to wait; dead Marine," Gibbs said, coming into the bullpen. "Grab your gear."
The body was a white male in his mid to late twenties, with dark brown hair cut Marine-regulation style. He was in dark green camo cargo pants, green t-shirt, dog-tags around his neck, and black combat boots on his feet. He would have been in very good shape, had it not been for the three bullet holes now staining his shirt, around the area of his heart. He had been found in his garage by a neighbour who had been looking for her missing cat, who apparently had a habit of hiding in the murdered Marine's garage.
Except there was one big problem.
"We got a problem, boss," McGee said, studying his fingerprint scanner. "Whoever this guy is, he's not a Marine. Prints aren't in the system."
"Well, he certainly knows how to look like one, right down to that haircut," Torres said, watching as Langston snapped some crime scene photos. "Even his pants are tucked in his boots right."
"No defense signs on his hands or arms," Palmer said, examining the victim's hands and arms. "Whoever shot him, did so before he could defend himself."
"Time?" Gibbs asked, notebook and pen in hand.
"Some time between ten and midnight," Palmer said, having already done the probe.
"Whoever shot him was able to get in an' out quietly an' without being seen or heard," Langston said. "Could've been someone he knew, or knew the place."
"We may have another problem," Bishop said, coming into the garage. "I checked the house and there's signs a little girl was staying here last night, and I can't find her."
"That sounds like a job fer a game warden," Langston said, handing Torres the camera. "Let me see what I can do."
Five minutes later, Gibbs got a text. "She found her," he said. They went into the living room, where Langston was cradling a little girl of about three or four, singing softly to her.
"Someday
When we are wiser
And the world's older.
When we have learned.
I pray
Some day we may yet live
To live and let live.
Someday
Life will be fairer
Need will be rarer
Greed will not pay.
God speed
This bright millennium
On it's way
Let it come
Someday. "
The little girl was wrapped in Langston's NCIS's jacket and had dried tear tracks on her dirt-covered face. She was holding on to Langston for dear life, and a tattered teddy bear in a Marine dress uniform, just as tightly, and was dressed in dirty pajamas. When she saw the rest of the team, she buried her head in Langston's neck and glared suspiciously at them.
"Found her hiding in the garden shed in th' back," Langston said. "She's not hurt, jest cold, but she won't tell me her name, an' she won't let go of me."
"Want Daddy," the little girl said, sniffling.
"We'll find 'im, sweetie. We'll find 'im," Langston soothed. "Are y' hungry?" The little girl nodded. "Okay, well, we'll git y' somethin' good an' git y' all cleaned up, 'kay?" Again, the little girl nodded. "Now, one very important thing, hon; these people, they're my friends, an' they won't hurt y' none. Yer safe, hon, an' y' see tha' feller wit th' white hair?" Gibbs took off his hat, showing his white hair. The little girl nodded. "He's a Marine, jest like yer daddy."
"Marine?" the little girl asked.
"Once a Marine, always a Marine," Langston said, nodding.
"Get her out of here," Gibbs said. "Do what you can for her."
"I'll call Breena, see if maybe we still have some old clothes that might fit her, from when Victoria was her age," Palmer said helpfully.
"The rest of you, tear this place apart," Gibbs said. "Someone wanted our victim dead. I want to know why."
A carseat was found in the fake Marine's battered Ranger truck, which was put in a kindly cop's car, who kindly took Langston and the little girl back to Langston's apartment, where Breena would be waiting for them, and hopefully find out what the little girl's name was. Meanwhile, the rest of the team tore the two-bedroom bungalow house apart.
After about an hour and a half, they regrouped, with Langston on speakerphone.
"Okay, the little girl's room looks more like she's a guest, rather than our fake Marine's daughter," Torres said.
"Mina (mee-hah)," Langston said. "Her name's Mina, an' she knows the lyrics t' Let It Go an' Part of Yer World, an' is currently watchin' Tangled wit Private Bear."
"What?" Gibbs asked.
"Popular songs to equally popular Disney movies," McGee explained. "Let It Go is from Frozen, a much nicer version of the Snow Queen story, Part of Your World is from The Little Mermaid, and Tangled is the Disney version of Rapunzel. And moving on. We found a computer that's encrypted, so I'm going to take it back to NCIS and see what I can find. We also have his phone but there's no messages on it; also going back to NCIS."
"We did find a key small enough to be for a padlock, but didn't find anything that fit the key," Bishop said.
"No hidden panels, nothin' like that?" Langston asked.
"Nope. If there's something going on, it ain't going on here," Torres said. "Has Mina said anything?"
"She's asked me where Daddy is a few times, an' I've told her he's on a very important mission right now," Langston said. "Then she asked me 'bout Unca Todd. I'm wondering if our fella is her Unca Todd."
"It's possible," Gibbs said. "I'll stop by in a bit, show her a picture of him, see what she says."
"Not an autopsy photo," Langston said. "She don't need t' see that. She did say Unca Todd was the one who told her to go hide in the shed, so he may have realized somethin' was up an' wanted t' protect Mina."
"Something's definitely up with our fake Marine. I found a gun under his truck," Bishop said. "He may have had it in his hand and the killer may have kicked it under the truck. Hopefully Kasie can find out who it belongs to."
"Fired?" Langston asked.
"Nope," Bishop said. "And no other weapons. I did find a gun safe that was unlocked, so that's likely where the gun was being stored."
"He might have a storage locker somewhere," Torres said. "If he's taking care of Mina, he would not want her around whatever it is that's not safe for a little girl to get into and be serious enough for him to fake being a Marine."
"Pictures, anything personal like that?" Langston asked.
"Nothing," Torres said. "And no prints other than Mina's and his. Our killer didn't come into the house."
"But Fake Marine must've known his killer, an' possibly had cause fer concern wit who he was dealin' wit, t' send Mina inta hidin'," Langston said.
"One good thing; we found cameras, so as soon as I get back to NCIS, I will start digging. Hopefully our killer's face is in digital space," McGee said.
"Along with some answers," Torres said.