Summary: The daughter of one of Gibbs's old Marine buddies, herself an NCIS agent, disappears while on assignment in Mexico. Four months later she is discovered at a homeless shelter in San Francisco, living under an assumed name. Team Gibbs is sent to escort her to Washington and tasked with discovering what happened during her three months of captivity, as well as her month on the streets. Can they do it before she disappears again, this time of her own volition?
Categories: Gen Characters: Original character
Genre: Friendship, Drama
Pairing: None
Warnings: Torture
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 1
Completed: No
Word count: 3652
Read: 1435
Published: 04/25/2011
Updated: 04/25/2011
Story Notes:
This story is set during the fourth season of NCIS, but has nothing to do with what happened. (Hence no mention of Rene Benoit/Le Grenouille, Jeanne Benoit, Trent Kort, etc.)
This is my very first fanfic, so any reviews/suggestions would be very much appreciated! Also, I'll need a beta reader for all the rest of the story, so if anyone would be willing to help me out, please let me know! Thanks!
1. Can I Trust You With My Heart by Ciana_Douglas
Can I Trust You With My Heart by Ciana_Douglas
Author's Notes:
The daughter of one of Gibbs's old Marine buddies, herself an NCIS agent, disappears while on assignment in Mexico. Four months later she is discovered at a homeless shelter in San Francisco, living under an assumed name. Team Gibbs is sent to escort her to Washington and tasked with discovering what happened during her three months of captivity, as well as her month on the streets. Can they do it before she disappears again, this time of her own volition?
CHAPTER 1
“Grab your gear!” Gibbs called out as he strode into the bullpen.
“Where we goin', boss?” senior field agent Tony DiNozzo asked.
“San Francisco,” Gibbs answered. “We're to give an NCIS agent who was captured and held hostage in Mexico while on an undercover assignment an escort to D.C.”
The senior agent passed out blue folders to his team members as they headed toward the elevator. “All the information is in there. Her name is Nicole Charles. Her father was a Marine Lieutenant named Lawrence Charles. After he was discharged from the Corps, he went to work for a defense contractor called Lilley and Associates. They were working on a top-secret project for the Navy code-named Atlantis when he was murdered. I was on the team that investigated the death.
“Agent Charles was a junior at UC-San Diego when he died, majoring in psychology. After she got her master's degree, she spent a couple of years in private practice before joining NCIS in 2000.”
Agent Tim McGee frowned as he looked through the file. “It says here that she put in for a transfer to headquarters on several occasions but was turned down each time.”
“Yes. Apparently her boss in San Diego was convinced that the only reason for the requests was to reopen her father's case. I wouldn't be surprised. Agent Charles is like a dog with a bone when she gets something like this in her head.”
“Sorta like you, boss?” DiNozzo asked with a grin. Gibbs shot him a look, and he shut up.
“If she disappeared in Mexico, how did she get to San Francisco?” Officer Ziva David asked.
“She was kidnapped by a Mexican terrorist named Ricardo Aguilar, aka El Lobo Negro. By the time a team of NCIS and FBI agents working with the Mexican federales raided Aguilar's compound last month, she'd been moved. One of Aguilar's bodyguards said that she was in San Francisco.”
“So we're supposed to find her and bring her back for a debriefing?” McGee asked.
“She's in NCIS custody, but she's refusing to return to San Diego. It's our job to find out why.”
“Is it not her decision whether or not to return?” Ziva wondered.
“It's not that simple, Ziva. She's an excellent agent who loves NCIS. Her boss, Agent Ron Tarkington, is convinced that something happened while she was in Mexico. When our people found her at a homeless shelter in San Francisco, she insisted to them that her name was Jamie Lawrence and that Nicole Charles was dead. Director Shepard wants us to find out why.”
By now the four agents had buckled themselves into seats on a plane. Tony raised his eyebrows as he took in the luxuriousness of it. “Where did this come from?”
“Courtesy of our friends at the Hoover Building. They want us to get to Frisco ASAP, so there's no time for a commercial flight.”
Four hours later, they were circling an airfield just outside the city, and minutes later were on the ground. As they deplaned, a tall, handsome blond man stepped forward and held out his hand to Gibbs.
“Special Agent Gibbs? I'm Agent Todd Williams, NCIS San Francisco. We have Agent Charles at our office.”
Gibbs shook the young man's hand and introduced the rest of the team. “My senior field agent Tony DiNozzo, Agent Timothy McGee, and Officer Ziva David. Have you managed to get anything further out of Agent Charles?”
“No, sir. She still refuses to talk to us. Agent Tarkington and Director Shepard are hoping you'll have better luck since you know her.”
Forty minutes later the car pulled up in front of a four story brick building downtown. Williams led them through the rear entrance and into an elevator. As the lift rose, he said, “We found Agent Charles yesterday and put her up at a hotel, with one of our female agents in an adjoining room. This morning we brought her here and she's been here since.”
Gibbs nodded. A minute later the group stood in an observation room, watching through the one-way window as an agent questioned Nicole. She stared into the mirrored surface of the window, refusing even to make eye contact with the other woman.
“Let me try,” Gibbs said. Turning to Tony, he added, “You're with me.”
They left the room and seconds later the other agents saw them enter the interrogation room. The agent interviewing Nicole glanced up, and Gibbs tilted his head, indicating that she should leave. As the door closed behind her, he studied the young woman he hadn't seen for more than ten years, although they had spoken on the phone often.
“Hello, Nikki,” he said finally, and when she didn't respond, he added, “Excuse me... Jamie.”
She smiled faintly as she turned to him. “Special Agent Gibbs.”
He nodded to the dark-haired young man beside him. “This is Special Agent Tony DiNozzo.”
The handsome agent stepped toward her with a bright smile and outstretched hand. “Agent Charles.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow and shot Gibbs an amused look. “Your reputation precedes you, Agent DiNozzo.”
He assumed a look of false innocence. “My reputation?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Never mind.” She looked at Gibbs, and her smile faded. “Look, Gibbs, I've been telling these nice people here that I'm not going back to San Diego, and I mean it.”
“That's fine, Nikki. We have no intention of making you go back.” He handed her a folder from his briefcase. “In fact, these are your new orders.”
She took it, but just held it, staring at him. “New orders?”
“Signed by Director Shepard. You will be escorted to a secure location by my team and placed in protective custody. We're leaving now.”
The three agents left the room as the door to Observation opened and McGee and Ziva stepped out. They walked toward the elevator and went downstairs and out to the car. An hour later they were on their way south.
“I thought we weren't going back to San Diego,” Nicole said.
“We're not staying,” Gibbs told her. “We're just stopping by your apartment so you can pack some things and then we'll be on our way.”
His voice became formal. “Effective immediately, you are on leave for an indefinite period of time. As I told you back at the office, you are in protective custody. You will be taken to a safe house, where Agents DiNozzo and McGee and Officer David will take turns guarding you.”
She leaned forward, interrupting him. “Yes, Agent Gibbs, but while you're protecting me, who'll be protecting my people?”
“I don't understand.”
She looked away. “He told me...” She hesitated.
“Aguilar?” Gibbs prodded quietly.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. Aguilar. He told me that if I ever told anyone... anyone>... what happened to me, my people would suffer the consequences.”
Gibbs sat back in his seat. “Nikki, we can protect you. We can have FBI agents on your people. I can also tell you that the only people who know where you're going are Agent Tarkington, Director Shepard, and my people. You will be safe.”
“Don't bet on it. I wouldn't be surprised if Aguilar knows right now that I've left the city.”
“But does he know where you're headed?”
“Probably not, but that just gives him a reason to carry out his threat. He won't know what I'm telling or not telling you.”
“True, but he may assume that he has you so frightened you won't say a word.”
“He's not wrong.”
Gibbs reached over and took her hand, giving it a quick, gentle squeeze. “You'll be fine, Nikki. I promise.”
NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS
This time as they stepped off the plane, they were met by a silver-haired man who looked to be about Gibbs's age. As soon as he saw Nicole, he came forward with a broad smile.
“Nicole! It's good to see you.” He shook her hand and gave her a quick hug.
Smiling she returned, “Good to see you too, Tark.” She turned to her companions. “Tark, this is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo, and Tim McGee, and Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David. Guys, this is my boss, Special Agent Ron Tarkington.”
They shook hands, then Tark led them to a car. “Agent Gibbs, I just received a fax of the orders from Director Shepard. While we'll miss having Nicole on our team for awhile, I agree that this is the best thing for her. If there is anything we can do to help you, please feel free to ask.”
“You can be sure we will. Now, if you'll take us to Nikki's apartment?”
“Of course.” Soon he pulled up in front of a neat building on a quiet, tree-lined street. “I'll wait for you here.”
The five agents entered the building, and several tenants greeted Nicole, welcoming her home. She nodded, smiled, and made small talk, all the while making her way to a bank of elevators. She leaned against the back wall and sighed. Gibbs looked at her sympathetically.
“We'll be out of here soon, Nikki, and on our way to D.C.”
“I'm not worried about that. I'll just miss everyone here, too.” She grinned a bit sheepishly, and he chuckled.
She unlocked her door and stepped inside, flicking on the living room light. Heading back toward the bedroom, she pointed out various things about her home. The team noticed that it had a feminine feel to it, the walls and furnishings in shades of purple, obviously her favorite color.
“And my sanctum sanctorum,” she said, throwing open the door of her room. It was dominated by a queen sized bed with a thick rose comforter and about a dozen small decorative pillows. There was also a big-screen plasma tv on one wall, and a roll-top desk against another. Tony noticed a rack of CDs above the desk and made a beeline for it.
“Lots of classic rock bands,” he noted, studying row after row of Styx, Kansas, Rush, Bon Jovi, Guns 'n' Roses, and others.
“Yep, and some others. Country, big band, blues, jazz... I have eclectic taste when it comes to music.” She moved to the walk-in closet and handed McGee a couple of suitcases sitting on the floor, then began pulling down clothes to take with her. Ziva went into the bathroom to begin collecting a few toiletries that she would need. As McGee and Gibbs began folding and packing, Nicole grabbed a duffel bag and began stuffing it with CDs and DVDs, plus her laptop. She took a quick look around as the work was finished, then nodded to Gibbs.
“Okay, let's get out of here.”
CHAPTER 2
“Ah, another patient,” Ducky said the next morning, as Nicole and Gibbs entered autopsy.
Nicole smiled as she followed the elderly Scot through the room. “Looks like there's someone ahead of me, Doc,” she quipped, glancing at the body a young assistant was prepping.
Ducky chuckled. “Not to worry, my dear " the lieutenant isn't going anywhere.” He motioned for her to sit on one of the tables. “Now, let's see how you are.”
He picked up a chart, explaining, “I took the liberty of having a copy of your medical records faxed from your doctor in San Diego, and also from the doctor at the shelter in San Francisco. I understand you had the flu when you arrived? Also a dislocated shoulder?”
She nodded. “Yes, the shoulder was courtesy of Aguilar; the flu came from sleeping on the streets.”
Gibbs's face tightened when he heard this. Nicole had told him briefly about the beatings she'd received while a “guest” of El Lobo Negro, but hadn't gone into detail. It infuriated him to know that she'd been mistreated.
Ducky busied himself taking the young woman's temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. “Oh, dear,” he said as he looked at the blank blood pressure monitor. “You have no blood pressure.”
Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at Gibbs. “Told you Nicole Charles was dead.”
The physician smiled. “Let's see if we can revive her.” He inflated the cuff again, and this time got a reading of 138/92. “Do you have high blood pressure, Agent Charles?”
She shook her head. “It's usually pretty much a textbook reading. I've been under a bit of stress lately, as you can imagine.”
“Yes, I can imagine.” He turned to Gibbs. “Aside from her blood pressure and residual pain from the dislocated shoulder, she seems to be in good health.”
“Thanks, Duck. Ready to go upstairs?” he asked Nicole. “Director Shepard wants to meet with you.”
“Let's go.” She smiled at Ducky. “Thank you, Dr. Mallard.”
“You're quite welcome, dear. And please call me Ducky.”
“All right... Ducky. And I'm Nicole.”
The two agents went upstairs to the director's office. Jenny smiled as they entered, rising and holding out her hand to Nicole. “How are you, Agent Charles.”
“I'm as good as I can be, considering. Ducky just gave me a clean bill of health downstairs, and Gibbs is about to take me to my new home for the forseeable future.”
“DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva have been setting up the surveillance system. Ziva will be spending the nights in the house, DiNozzo will be patrolling the perimeter, and McGee will monitor things from MTAC.”
“Sounds good to me. Keep me informed.”
After a few more pleasantries, Gibbs and Nicole went out to his car. “Got any instructions for me?” she asked him.
“Just do what my people tell you as if Agent Tarkington or I were giving the orders. I'll be coming by to see you once in a while, and you have my phone numbers.”
“Fine.” She was silent for a few minutes, and Gibbs looked at her. “Permission to speak freely?”
“You usually don't have a problem doing that.”
“Look, Gibbs, you know I'm not used to being babysat. I can understand why you and Director Shepard are concerned, but I highly doubt that Aguilar would come after me again.”
“So do I, Nikki, but that's not why you're here.”
“Something I should know?”
“Why did you ditch your team to meet with Aguilar alone?”
She stared ahead, lips pressed together. “They told you about that, huh?”
“Did you think they wouldn't? Of course, no one knew where you were, but it was pretty easy to figure out when word came that you'd been abducted by him.”
She sighed. “One of his goons contacted me and said Aguilar had information about Atlantis. Aguilar wanted to meet with me and turn over the info " for a price. I agreed, we met at a prearranged place, I got a knock on the head, and found myself tied up in the basement of his house. Turns out that he's the one who wanted information.”
“Only you don't have any information.”
“Nope. My father took 'need-to-know' extremely seriously. I've tried to get information about it several times over the years, but no one will tell me anything. Must be pretty damn important for it to be covered up for thirteen years.”
“So you're going to keep trying to find out about it?”
“Wouldn't you? I'm positive that my father didn't have to die. Is Atlantis really that important?”
Gibbs shrugged. “People have been murdered for a lot less, you know.”
“Yeah. But I'm not gonna rest until I find out what the hell's going on. You knew my dad, Gibbs. You know he was a wonderful man. It doesn't make any sense, the way he died; the reason for it. I want to know why.”
“His bosses and coworkers at Lilley and Associates said it was a freak accident. An explosion. You don't believe that.”
“Not when the SECNAV tells NCIS to back off, no.”
Gibbs slammed on the brakes. “How did you know that?”
“I've got my sources, Gibbs. Do you still keep in touch with Mike Franks?”
“Why?”
“He was the senior agent on the case. I want his file on it, if he has it. I've been denied access to the one in the archives. They claim it disappeared. There's not even a record of it.”
“You know Franks retired in '96.”
“I also know that he was suspicious of the run-around you guys were getting during the investigation. Maybe suspicious enough to have copied the file? Please, Gibbs. This is very important to me.”
Gibbs looked at the young woman seated beside him and nodded. “I'll see what I can do.”
“Thanks. Oh, is this it?” she asked, as they pulled up behind a small frame house.
“This is it. Your stuff is inside, and Ziva and Tony should be waiting for you.”
“Okay. You headed back to the city now?”
“I am. Remember, you're to do everything Tony, Ziva, and McGee tell you. I'll see you soon.”
She got out of the car and waited until it disappeared down the road. Then she went into the house and greeted the two agents who were to guard her before glancing around.
“Nice,” she commented. “Where's my room?”
“This way,” Ziva said, leading her down a short hallway. Her bags were at the end of the bed, her laptop case on a small desk. Nicole nodded approval.
“Where are you and Tony going to sleep?”
“We do not sleep. We are here to guard you.”
Nicole raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. “Good luck trying to do that for very long. The no-sleep thing, I mean.”
“In Mossad, we often go days without sleeping.”
“I'll take your word for it. I know little about the inner workings of Mossad, unfortunately.”
“That is not surprising.” Ziva gestured toward the front of the house. “Are you hungry? Tony and I fixed lunch.”
Nicole's stomach rumbled and she chuckled. “There's your answer. What are we having?”
“Are you accustomed to Jewish food?”
“One of my coworkers in San Diego is Jewish. I've eaten dinner with her and enjoyed it. Let's go!”
Soon the three were sitting down to a meal of what Ziva called Holishkes Huluptzes, Lokshen kugel, Israeli salad and warm Challah, with Kichel for dessert. After eating, they did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down in the living room with mugs of coffee.
“So, tell us about yourself, Nicole,” Tony invited. “We can call you Nicole, right?”
She burst into laughter. “I feel like I'm being interviewed for a job, or by my boyfriend's parents,” she joked. She took a thoughtful sip, then said, “Well, my parents met when my dad was stationed at Quantico in '68. They were married in 1970, and I was born at Bethesda in '72. I have a sister who's two years younger than me, her name is Samantha, and she's a writer for the Miami Herald. We moved around when Sami and I were young, ending up at Camp Pendleton when I was a sophomore in high school. He was sent to Kuwait in late 1990, when I was in my first year of college at UCSD. He came home eight months later. He was discharged from the Marines in '92 and went to work for a defense contractor called Lilley and Associates, who were in the process of developing something called the Atlantis Project. He was killed in '93, and Gibbs was involved in the investigation.”
“And you have no idea what this 'Atlantis Project' was?” Ziva asked quietly.
“None. I've spent thirteen years trying to find out, but with no luck. That's part of the reason why I joined NCIS. I want to know the truth about what happened to my dad.”
“If there's a way off finding out, Gibbs'll help you,” Tony said confidently.
“I know. I've known him for a long time, and he never made me a promise he didn't keep, except the one about finding my dad's killer " and that wasn't even his fault. I learned years later that the SECNAV ordered NCIS to close the case. Why, I don't know.”
“Gibbs'll find that out too. He's good at getting answers.”
“Don't I know it!” Nicole smiled and glanced at her watch. Standing up, she said, “I'm going to unpack and then take a nap. Talk to you guys later.” She disappeared down the hall to her room, Tony's eyes following her. When he turned back to his partner, he found her watching him with raised eyebrows and a smirk on her face.
“What? She's an attractive woman.”
“Yes, she is. But we're here as her bodyguards, remember? Do not let Gibbs catch you flirting with her.”
“I wouldn't dream of it. Flirting, I mean.”
She gave him another sly smile, then walked outside.
NCIS~NCIS~NCIS~NCIS
“Everything quiet, McGee?” Gibbs asked, walking into MTAC later that evening.
“Nothing to report so far, boss. They just finished dinner and now it looks like Nicole's headed to bed. Tony's outside, Ziva's in the living room, and they'll call in if anything happens.”
“I'm heading home myself. Talk to you tomorrow.” The senior agent left the room and nearly ran into Jenny, who was just leaving her office.
“How's it going, Jethro?” she asked.
“Agent Charles is in bed, and Tony and Ziva are on watch. All quiet,” he replied.
“You on your way home?”
“Yes, it's been a long day. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Jethro.”
“Night, Jen.”
End Notes:
This story is set during the fourth season of NCIS, but has nothing to do with what happened. (Hence no mention of Rene Benoit/Le Grenouille, Jeanne Benoit, Trent Kort, etc.)
This is my very first fanfic, so any reviews/suggestions would be very much appreciated! Also, I'll need a beta reader for all the rest of the story, so if anyone would be willing to help me out, please let me know! Thanks!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.