An other daughter

ADJUSTING TO A NEW LIFE...

Gibbs is in the kitchen pouring himself a coffee. This is not how he imagined the night. Being a man of few words he is not the best choice to comfort a fearful teenager that had to relive her mother's death. 

When he comes back in the living room the kid sits there playing with the hem of her shirt. He walks over and sits on the coffee table.  Jasmine looks up and is surprised when he is holding out a cup of hot cocoa.

"Thank you." Jasmine takes it with a smile.
This small gesture reminds her of the times she and her mother would sit down together and drink cocoa. It always made her feel save and loved.

They sit there for a long while without talking at all. Jasmine sipping her cocoa and Gibbs drinking his coffee. Both content with the silence. Then Gibbs stands up and walks to the door that leads to his basement. Jasmine stays seated for a little while longer but then she wonders what he is doing down there for so long and follows him.

Slowly she walks down the stairs but stops when she see what is standing there in the middle of the basement.
" You are building a boat down here?"
He glances over to the stairs and then turns his attention back to the boat.
" Come over here."
Jas goes to him and he hands her a sanding block. Then he turns her towards the boat and takes her  hand.
" Always with the grain." he says and shows what he means. After he is content that the girl understood how to do it he begins to sand the boat as well.

They work in silence again. Jasmine gets the feeling he isn't very talkative. It's not a bad thing the steady scratching from the sanding is soothing and she feels herself getting tired. Putting the sanding block down she sits down on a chair that stands in the corner and watches while  Gibbs is working. Her eyes get heavy and soon after she can't keep them open anymore.

Gibbs looks up when he hears the evened out breathing. Seeing the girl sleeping on the chair he picks her up and carries her back to his bedroom. She stirs when he puts her down.

"Go back to sleep. Everything will be okay." he murmurs while putting the blanket around the girl. 

The next morning Jasmine wakes up when a shadow falls over her eyes. 
" Good morning sleepyhead."
She rubs her eyes and when her vision clears she  sees Tony standing next to her bed.
" Tony? What are you doing here?"
" Boss send me to watch you while the rest of the team is out to catch our killer."
" You know who it is?" she sits up abruptly.
" Yes, Abby could track him because of an other corpse that was found a few hours ago. Seems like this guy is guilty of three murders, a petty officer, your mother and the man that was killed at a gas station tonight."
" Can you tell me his name?"
Tony shakes his head.
" No. Order from the Boss."
That earns him a glare from the still sleepy girl.
" Hey its over now. You can move on. I'm sure your glad the case is closed so fast."
" Yes...yes I sure am." Jas mumbles but doesn't mean a word of what she is saying. How can someone be glad when you don't know what will happen now. She has no place to go and nobody to live with.
"Jasmine? JASMINE! Are you even listening to me?"
Tony's raised voice gets her out of her trance.
" Sorry, what did you say?"
" I said you should go upstairs and get dressed so we can go back to NCIS. There is a lot of paperwork to process."
" Oh ok."

Jasmine sprints up to the bedroom and puts her clothes back on. After she went to the bathroom she goes back down to Tony who is waiting at the front door.
" Lets get going" He holds the door open for the kid.
" Don't you need to lock the door?" Jasmine asks when he just lets it fall shut.
" The boss never locks his door." Tony explains before sitting in the car and starting the engine. And then they call this a safe house.

The drive back to headquarters is filled with Tony's constant chattering about old movies and him singing along to various songs from the radio. Jas is actually glad when she is able to get out of the car.
They  go  inside the building and up to the squad room. There is the whole team including Abby. Jasmine walks over to her and thank her for finding the killer of her mom. Abby just nods and turns to Gibbs.
" I will be down in my lab." He frowns at her but doesn't say anything. The next second Abby is gone and Gibbs stands up. " DiNozzo you and I will be interrogating this scum now. David your in the observation room and you McGee will have an eye on the little Miss here."
"Gibbs! Why can't I be in the observing room too?"
He snorts. " Because you are a kid and I don't want you anymore involved in this than necessary."
" But it was my mother he killed, I have a right to see who did it."
" Stop, Jasmine. You will stay here with McGee, understood?"
Jasmine glares at the older man but Gibbs wins that little stand off and Jas looks away first. Agreeing to stay with McGee.
" Good."
Gibbs, Tony and Ziva walk away and McGee smiles sympathetically at the girl staying behind. She sighs and sits down on Tony's chair. McGee gets back to work while Jasmine  starts playing around with a pen that lies on Tony's desk. Fifteen minutes later she takes a sideways glance at McGee. He looks like he is deep in thought over the papers he has in front of him.
" I have to use the toilette. Can I go?"
McGee just nods without saying a word. Jumping up Jas runs towards the direction she saw the others walk in when they went to take care of the suspect. She turns  a corner and at the end of the floor she sees a door with Interrogation 1 on the outside. From within the room  Gibbs' voice can be heard then footsteps coming near the door. Shit, Jas didn't plan on one of them coming out she only wanted to hear who is in there with them. Then the door opens before she can slip away and out steps Gibbs. 
" Jasmine Katharina Hutson, didn't I tell you to stay with McGee."
She shyly looks up at him.
" Yes... but I had to use the toilette and must have gone down the wrong corridor."
" Young lady I don't appreciate being lied to." he raises one of his eyebrows.
" Sorry, Gibbs. I just really want to know who it is."
He takes a deep intake of breath before releasing it and looking at the troublemaker.
"Ok, come into the observation room."
The girl smiles triumphantly.

He steers her in the room and Jasmine sees a man sitting on the other side that she never wanted to see again. All the memories she has of him and her mom are the worst kind ever. Gibbs must have sensed that there was something about the kid and this man, because he takes her hand and leads Jasmine back out in the hall.
" That's why I didn't wan you in there. Are you ok?"
" Gibbs this man was my mothers lover when I was little. He never really loved her and he wasn't very fond of me either. He wasted moms money and she had to pay of his debts for years. When she didn't give him money he would hit her or me to get her to give it to him. Later he came home drunk and would shout and threaten us. He lived with us only a bit over a year then mom kicked him out and got an injunction against him. I don't understand why he would come after her after all this time."
" We don't understand how the brains of criminals work but now he can't hurt you again. He will go to jail for good. We can accuse him of child abuse as well now that you told me about it"
Jasmine looks relieved but even if the man was going to jail, it wouldn't bring her mother back.
" Now lets go back to the bullpen. McGee is most likely looking for you and you owe him an apology."
Thay entered the bullpen and McGee really is out of his mind searching for her.
" Jasmine where have you been? Did you get lost on the way to the bathroom? I'm sorry, I should have taken you there."  
" No Tim. I didn't get lost. I never planed to use the bathroom I just wanted to hear who was in the interrogation room. I am the one who is sorry."
Tim nods. " No problem kid. I can only imagine what you have to go through."
The girl smiles gratefully at him. 

" Jasmine there will be a woman from social service coming to get you in half an hour. Do you want to eat something before that?" Gibbs asks but Jasmine is no longer hungry. Now is the time to face the unknown. 

" No thank you I'm fine."
" Well... then you can wait in the conference room until it's time to go."
Without answering the agent Jasmine turns around leaves for the conference room. No one sees the tears that are spilling silently down her cheeks.

Now she is all alone and she doesn't know what to do or feel. It was obvious that she couldn't stay with the team but a bit more time would have done the girl some good before she is left to herself. 
She may be fifteen years old but at the moment she feels like a scared little girl who is lost in a crowd of people and cries for her mommy and daddy to come find her.

Then the door opens and Gibbs steps in followed by a middle aged woman in high stilettos and a ugly skirt.
" Jasmine, this is Miss Carter, she will take you to your old house to pack all the things you will need before she brings you to your new foster parents."
Not saying a word the three leave the conference room and head for the elevator
Before she leaves Gibbs takes to girl aside. 
" This is my card with all my numbers. When you need anything don't be afraid to call me."
He is surprised when the kid steps forward and gives him a hug. He pats her on the back and then pulls away. Jasmine waves to the rest of the team and then this Carter woman takes her arm and pulls her to the elevator. 

The team stands there  with sad smiles on their faces. Jasmine smiles at them one more time  before being pushed inside the elevator.

When the doors close behind them Jasmine  clasps Gibbs card in her fist and tries to hold the tears at bay. Tears won't help. She going to have to adjust to her life...