I'm a DiNozzo

How Dare You [Keep It Together Part 1](22)

"Please, I need your help." The girl pleaded.

"Where are your parents?" Gibbs asked, not making an attempt to soften his voice.

"I-I-I don't know! They-they weren't at home. And, and they told me to come here if anything ever happened to me. They told me to find... to find-" But the girl couldn't say the name before gulping down air.

"Who was it? Who did your mom and dad tell you to find?" Tim asked, crossing his arms.

"Someone, someone named L-Leah D-DiNozzo." She replied. My eyes went wide. I didn't know this girl. How did she know me?

"Leah DiNozzo?" I asked in clarification. To which the girl nodded.

"Do you know her?" She sounded so lost and upset.

"That's my name." I replied. She gasped, and looked up at me the tears spilling out of her eyes. She ran over to me, and wrapped her arms around my leg. She squeezed tight and I bent down so she could hug me properly. I still have no idea who this kid is.

"Leah, who is this girl?"
"Ellie do you know her?"
"Leah, I have never seen this child before how do you know her?"

"I don't!" I replied, kinda anxious. This kid seemed to know me as a person of safety, and comfort. But I have never heard of her, or met her, or seen her for goodness's sake. "Hey, it's okay." She was getting my shirt wet now. "Can you tell me what your name is? Or show me a picture of your parents? What else did they say?"

"They said-They said you were good friends with my brother." The girl replied, sniffing, burying her face in my turtleneck.

"Your brother? Who's your brother?"

"H-His name's Jack." I froze. I completely froze.

"What's your name?" Dad asked.

"I-I'm Laurel. Laurel Kreezy." I couldn't move an inch. I had utterly and completely frozen. I was in shock. Jack had never told me about a sister. Nor had I ever seen any evidence of her existing.

"What?"

"Uh Leah? A word?" Gibbs asked. "Tim take the kid." But Laurel grabbed onto me tighter.

"Here, come on Laurel." I stood up, and picked her up. I held her on my hip. Gibbs led Laurel and I to the end of the hallway. I set Laurel down, and let her clutch onto my leg.

"Did you know about her?" Gibbs asked me in a hissed whisper.

"No," I replied honestly, also hiss-whispering. "I've never heard of her, never seen her, or any evidence that would point to her existing."

"Hey, do you know your address?" Gibbs asked Laurel, bending down to look her in the face. She nodded. "Can you take Leah there? Do you know the way?"

"No. Just the numbers." Laurel replied, her fingers finding a home in the folds of my turtleneck.

"Alright, we're going to have someone take you there okay? You can stay there overnight, then come back here in the morning. How about that?"

"But-But-I can't go back home."

"Why not?" Gibbs asked.

"Because, because there's no house left. It got blowed up." I gripped Laurel tighter, letting her head slip back into the crook of my neck, still wetting my hair.

"Leah take her back to your and DiNozzo's place. Or, maybe better yet, Jack's. You two can... figure something out, or... something like that. But I don't want him knowing her real identity." I nodded, bouncing Laurel on my hip, and turned to leave. But Gibbs ordered me back. "Leah. Under no circumstances is something to happen to that girl. We need to figure this out -obviously- but you're on her. At all times. You're obviously the only one she's going to let... be with her."