I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

Chapter 3

'Here, some coffee,' Deeks said and he handed Kensi a steaming cup of coffee. She smiled gratefully at him as she took the cup. Deeks sat down next to her. Both glanced up at the screen where they saw Narah sitting in the room. He nodded at the screen while he took a sip of his own coffee. 'Still no one to pick her up?'

Kensi sighed.

'No, still no one,' she said. 'Someone should pick her up at some time, right?' Deeks shrugged.

'Maybe not,' he said. 'You will be surprised how alone some kids are. Even in a country like America with Social Services…Did she tell anything new?'

'Nothing,' Kensi said. 'She's just sitting there. She didn't touch her drink or wanted any food. It's like she's waiting for something.'

'Maybe she's waiting for someone to listen,' Deeks said, glancing at Kensi who was still looking at Narah. The girl had put her head down on the table. They were in the boatshed for almost the entire day and Narah still wasn't telling them anything. Not about the shooting or anything personal beside that one time about basketball. Kensi decided to do what Deeks had suggested and she walked into the room. Narah seemed to look up relieved.

'Aren't you hungry?' Kensi asked, pointing at the untouched pizza. Narah shrugged.

'Even with a pizza, I'm not going to talk,' she said.

'Not everything is bribery,' Kensi smiled. 'We just wanted to give you something to eat. Aren't you hungry?' Narah glanced at the pizza and Kensi pushed it towards her. 'Take a piece.' Narah looked at Kensi, still slightly doubting, but then she took a piece of pizza. She actually stuffed it in her mouth and immediately reached for another piece.

'You want a piece?' Narah asked Kensi after eating three pieces.

'Sure,' Kensi answered and she also took a piece. As she took a bit, she smiled slightly looking at Narah, who really seemed to enjoy the pizza.

Deeks let Kensi and Narah talk for awhile and then he walked into the interrogation room as well. When he walked in, Kensi and Narah stopped talking and looked up at him. He smiled briefly.

'Did I interrupt anything?' he asked.

'No, you did not,' Kensi answered smiling. 'Something wrong?' Deeks sat down next to Kensi, opposite Narah and he looked at her.

'Narah, we really need your help,' he told her. Narah's smile immediately disappeared and an angry look appeared.

'I can't,' she said. 'You know that.' She stood up and turned her back to them. Kensi looked at Deeks, annoyed that he came walking in at that moment. Then she got up and walked over to Narah.

'We are looking for the shooter,' she told the girl. 'We are going to arrest them. But to do that, we need your help. You have to tell us who we are looking for, or describe them to us…let us make a sketch of them.' She watched Narah play nervously with her hands, looking like she was really scared". She placed her hand on Narah's arm. 'You will not only be helping us, but also the youth center. Keeping them safe.' Narah sighed and then she nodded. It was almost unnoticeable but it was a nod. Deeks immediately got up and started to make the call.

'So what is going to happen now?' Narah asked softly.

'There is someone coming in with a sketch book,' Kensi started to explain. 'He or she will ask you questions about the shooter. And all you need to do is to tell what you remember. If you don't remember something, that is okay. Just be honest.' Narah nodded.

'The sketch artist will come in tomorrow morning,' Deeks told them. 'First thing in the morning.'

'Kensi? Deeks?' Narah asked quietly from the couch and both Deeks and Kensi glanced over to her. Narah got off the couch and walked on the bare feet over to the table. She said down and sat nothing for a while.

'What is it, Narah?' Deeks asked.

'Is it really safe to give the description?' she asked.

'Of course,' Kensi said. 'You will have nothing to worry about.'

'You can't send me back onto the street after I give the description,' Narah told them scared. 'They kill snitches on the streets! I will be dead in a few days, if not hours!' Deeks put his hand on her hands, which were shaking.

'Do you have someone you can go to?' Kensi wondered. 'Any family? Friends?' Narah shook her head slowly.

'My father died when I was seven and my mom disappeared when I was eight,' she said. 'I don't even know their family and I guess no one is left…I have been through eleven foster homes…I have no one left.' Narah had tears in her eyes and Kensi put her arm around the girl.

'Narah,' Deeks said softly, trying to make Narah look up at him. 'Narah…you're not alone.' He pointed at Kensi and himself. 'We're here to protect you. They won't kill you. No one is going to harm you, I promise.' Narah looked at him like she didn't believe him. She had never had someone to take care of her.

'Come on,' Kensi told the girl gently. 'Try to get some sleep…tomorrow is an important day.' Narah nodded and Kensi guided her back to the couch.

Callen and Sam grinned when they walked into the boatshed with coffee and breakfast. Narah was sleeping on the couch and Deeks and Kensi were sleeping in the chairs. Callen put their coffee and breakfast on the table.

'So what should we do now?' Sam whispered at Callen.

'They didn't keep such a good watch,' Callen replied. 'Everyone could have walked in without them noticing it.'

'If you keep talking like that, everyone will notice,' they heard Deeks mumbling from his chair. 'Wait…do I smell coffee?' His sleepy head turned to Callen and Sam and he smiled when he saw the coffee. 'You guys think of everything!'

'How did you manage to change Narah's mind?' Sam asked him. Deeks nodded at Kensi, who was still asleep.

'It was all her,' he said. 'I did almost nothing. I think they bonded over pizza, which I bought. So I might have something to do with changing her mind.'

'Leave it to Deeks to turn the conversation back to him,' Kensi grumbled from her chair and she stretched her arms. 'Ooh, do I smell coffee?' Deeks got up and grabbed the coffee. He handed one cup to Kensi, who accepted it gratefully. Callen and Sam glanced at each other and smiled. They all turned to Narah when she began to stir, not knowing if she would be still willing to describe the gunman.

'Wow,' Narah said slowly as she blinked a few times, staring at Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam.

'Good morning,' Kensi smiled at the girl. 'This are Callen and Sam and they just brought us some breakfast.'

'When is the sketch artist coming?' Narah asked, eyes adverted at the floor.

'In about an hour,' Callen answered her.

'You want some breakfast?' Deeks asked. Narah immediately shot up and looked at the table for the breakfast. She looked doubtfully at it and then glanced at Kensi for a short moment. Kensi nodded at her and Narah moved over to the table.

Kensi looked at Narah who was in the interrogation room with the sketch artist. Somehow it felt wrong that the girl was all by herself. Not only now with the sketch artist, but also in life. Narah had no one who was taking care of her. Only fifteen years old…the same age Kensi lost everything she cared about.

'You don't want to go home to shower and get a change of clothes?' Callen asked her, pulling her out her thoughts. Deeks had left with Sam when the sketch artist had arrived. To freshen up and take care of Monty.

'No, I'm fine,' Kensi answered.

'You're always fine,' Callen said. 'Even when you're not…' Kensi looked at him.

'Not now, Callen,' she told him, slightly irritated

'Alright,' Callen said and he nodded at the screen. 'How is she doing?'

'She described the first gunman,' Kensi answered. 'Pretty detailed as well. I guess Eric and Nell can give us an ID. Right now they're working on the second gunman.' The front door opened and Deeks came walking in, in new clothes. He smiled at Callen and Kensi and looked as the screen as well. The sketch artist looked right into the camera and showed the sketch of the second gunman.

'Our suspects are certainly Fratres Armis,' Callen told Kensi and Deeks as he came back after being at Ops to get an ID on the two sketches. 'Only problem is that they seem to have disappeared. Eric and Nell don't seem able to find them. Their names are Miguel Borges and Yosef Mills. Both in the gang since they were teens. Borges was fifteen and Yosef just twelve. They are suspects in other murders but there was never any prove. They have both been in jail for small things, Anything big could never be proved.'

'So what is going to happen to Narah?' Kensi wanted to know. Callen and Sam smiled. Kensi raised her eyebrows at them. 'What?'

'The girl got to you, didn't she?' Sam asked and Kensi shrugged.

'Maybe,' she answered. 'But that is not important now. Now it's important what is going to happen to Narah now her part is done.' Sam sighed.

'She's probably going to a new foster family…' he answered. 'Somewhere away from Los Angeles, where Fratres Armis can't get to her.' Kensi nodded.

'I'm not going to another foster family!' Narah was suddenly standing with them in the room. They all turned to her.

'It will probably be the safest thing for you,' Callen said. 'I know foster families aren't all fun but there are good ones out there, who are happy to take care of you. We will find such a family for you.

'I'm not staying with some family!' Narah said angrily. 'I'm not a second hand kid!'

'It's okay, Narah,' Deeks told her. 'You can pick the family yourself.'

'Then I pick myself,' Narah said. 'I can take better care of myself than any of those stupid foster families!' She turned around and stamped away from the four adults.

'What book are you reading?' Callen asked when he found Narah in some corner, reading a slightly worn book, clearly been read many times. Narah looked at him with her eyebrows up over the edge of her book. She didn't answer him and continued reading in her book. Callen sat down next to her.

'Why are you sitting here?' she asked him without looking at him.

'Just sitting here,' Callen answered. 'Something wrong with that?' Narah shook her head and turned her attention back to the book. After some time she put the book next to her and turned to Callen.

'Okay, what do you want to talk about?' she asked him. 'Are you going to convince me to go to some stupid foster family?' Callen kept looking at her and Narah sighed. 'So you are here to convince me.' Callen smiled and then he glanced at her with a serious face.

'I know that going into a new foster family time after time isn't any fun,' he told her. 'I have been in thirty-seven foster homes. The longest I stayed with one family was three months. So I know what it means to change homes all the time. What it means to have a bad foster family...' Narah shrugged.

'Telling me your sad story isn't going to help me convince me,' she told him. 'I have heard many of those stories. I went to the youth center with all those other system kids. We all heard many sad sob stories.'

'Alright…' Callen said slowly. 'Then tell me what book you're reading.' Narah picked the book up again and showed it to him. Callen took the book. 'Nice, Lord of the Rings. Good taste. How many times do you have read it? It seems well-read.'

'I lost count,' she answered him. 'It's the only thing I have left from my father…it was his book originally.' Callen opened the book and saw writing on the first page. A father's writing to his daughter.

'Narah, Sam brought home made dinner,' Deeks called to the girl, who came walking towards the table and she sat down. Sam handed her a plate with lasagna.

'Made by my wife,' he told her. 'Her own recipe. I hope you…' Narah already dug into her plate, clearly enjoying the food. Sam handed the others a plate as well.

'Ahh, one of Carrie's delicious homemade meals,' Callen smiled. 'Always the best. I should come over more often.' They all sat down and ate in silence. No one knew exactly what to say. Narah decided to break the silence once she had emptied her plate.

'So, are there some families chosen yet?' she asked. 'A few I need to pick from?'

'You will have to wait a little longer,' Callen answered her. 'Our boss needs to come in for that.' Narah chewed on her lip, looking nervous. Then she got up and walked out of the room, probably back to her reading spot.

'She seems really reluctant to get a new foster family,' Kensi noted.

'She did have some troubled foster homes,' Callen replied, understanding exactly why Narah felt so against foster families.

'I'm going to check up on her,' Deeks said. 'To see if she's okay.' He stood up and walked out of the room, into the corridor. Narah was sitting quietly in the corner with the book in her hands. But she wasn't reading the book, she was looking up. Looking at the windows.

'I thought you weren't safe on those streets,' he said to her and Narah looked shocked at him. Almost guilty. 'Is the thought of a foster family worse than the chance of being killed on the streets?'

'You clearly never been with my foster families,' Narah told him.

'No I haven't,' Deeks answered. 'But I also know that we take our suspects here as well, so there is no way of escaping through the windows. Also you're here with four trained agents. We would have heard the glass breaking.'

'I thought you were a detective,' Narah told him and Deeks laughed.

'You're observant,' he replied and that made Narah shrugged.

'Being observant got me here and in danger of going back to the streets,' she told him bluntly. Kensi appeared into the corridor as well, glancing at Deeks.

'Hetty is here,' she announced. Deeks nodded at her and he looked at Narah.

'Going to get my foster family, right?' she asked him.

'It will be okay,' Kensi told her and she let her back into the main room where Hetty was waiting for Narah.

'Good evening,' she greeted Narah. 'My name is Henrietta Lange and their boss.' She glanced at Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam. 'I…'

'I don't really care about your life story,' Narah told the tiny lady. 'I just want to know from which foster families I can pick so I can pick the least sucking one.' The others glanced at Hetty, a little fearful of her reaction to what the girl said. Hetty straightened her back and slowly nodded.

'You're right, Miss Monero,' she slowly said. 'My life story has nothing to do with the decision you have to make…Your first choice is back to Monica Stewart, who still is your official foster parent and willing to move for you.' Narah made a sour face hearing her foster mother's name. 'Secondly we have Jon and Gemma Willowerson from New York, who want a child to help for several years now. They had a few other foster children, who were all very glad with them as their foster parents. And the third and last possible foster parents are Mister Deeks and Miss Blye.' Narah turned her head abruptly to the two persons whose names were just called. 'They never had a foster child before, but they would be willing to try it with you.'

'And I get to stay in Los Angeles?' Narah asked. 'No moving?'

'Not if you stay with Mister Deeks and Miss Blye,' Hetty answered. 'They can provide for the protect you need.'

'Are you really willing to do this?' Narah asked Deeks and Kensi.

'Yes we are,' Kensi answered and a tiny smile appeared on Narah's face.

TBC.

I hope you all liked it!

The sun is shining very brightly over here so I'm constantly in the garden, which means very little time writing on my laptop. But I will keep the chapters coming!