Being Part of the NCIS Family

Eleven

Gibbs POV
Whenever I looked at Liv, I was reminded of Kelly. Not so much in looks, but in how they acted. I pushed that back, though, and watched the video of Liv walking again. It was really rather impressive, especially when Liv's friend Metrie told us that it had been maybe fifteen minutes after the nurse had brought the leg, which was currently leaning against the table next to Liv's bed. Occasionally I caught Liv throwing it dirty looks.

TIME SKIP

Early the next morning, just past sunrise, when everyone was sound asleep but me, I reached into my pocket and pulled out some photos. They were of Shannon and Kelly, from first days of school and vacations. I missed the both of them, and just when i thought I had finally begun to get over them, something happened to remind me of them, and this time it was Liv. I supposed that I would never really get over them, but I thought I could at least make peace with knowing I'd never see them again.

"Shannon and Kelly?" Liv's sleepy voice asked. I looked up, putting the pictures away.

"Yeah."

"You said I reminded you of Kelly. Why? I don't look anything like her. We don't even have the same color eyes."

"No, but you're both as stubborn as me." Liv laughed. "Once, we had a twenty minute staredown because I refused to read her another story but she refused to go to bed before I did. Finally Shannon came in and read Kelly a short story. It was this book about a star falling from the sky and a girl finding it and fixing it up before she lets it go again." Liv's eyes lit up.

"Momma read that book to me every night, sometimes in Irish, sometimes in English." she said. "When she read in English, her Irish accent got heavier, making each word sound like... a soft wind." Liv said wistfully, leaning back into her pillow. "But she'll never get to do it again."

"But you're never too old for a story." I said, smirking.

"It's not that. Mum- never mind."

"Liv, what?" I said stubbornly. She just stared me down. I stared back, until she looked away, with tears in her eyes.

"Momma's not in Ireland or Texas anymore." Liv said quietly, facing away from me. "She and Poppa were killed in a drive-by shooting. The police said they were targeted." Liv took a deep breath and continued. "My brothers and I were stationed in Israel. The week they died was the week I met Tony. I found out the next day when downed communications were restored. Texas PD informed me and then NCIS called the day after that."

"Is that why you agreed to join the team?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.

"I had been on my way to the Navy yard when I was kidnapped, actually." she told me, rolling over to face me again. She winced as she rolled over, but I knew that trying to stop her wouldn't work at all.

Her answer had surprised me a little. I had not been expecting that part of the answer.

"What happened that day?" I asked. Abby had made an animation of her guess, but I wanted to hear Liv's version.

"Some of it's a little fuzzy," Liv started, sighing, "but my tire got shot out and my car stopped. I had taken a side road because traffic was at a literal standstill everywhere else. I got out of the car to check, and then someone shot me through the front of the knee as I turned. I fell, reaching for my gun, and a bullet grazed my hand. I managed to grab my gun and get off a few rounds, but someone shot me with a tranquilizer gun and then they must have stuffed me in a trunk or a van or some vehicle, because when I woke up again, I was strung up by my wrists and my ankles were shackled to the ground." Liv shuddered. I remembered catching a glimpse of the shackles in the corner as we stormed in.

Liv was rubbing the graze on her hand absentmindedly.

"They had also injected me with some sort of paralyzing agent so I couldn't even move. It didn't function as a numbing agent though, so I felt everything but couldn't shy away from it." I saw the pain in Liv's eyes as she relived her horrible captivity, and I wished I could've found her sooner. "It's not your fault." she said as if reading my mind.

"But I could have found you sooner." I said. "I nearly failed a fellow Marine."

"But you didn't." Liv shot back stubbornly.

"She's right, you know." another sleepy voice added. It was Derek. "You did what you could as fast as you could."

"And you didn't give up, even after four months of not finding me." Liv said. "I'm only alive because of you and your team, you know." Liv said, smiling at me. I just pulled the photos back out at looked at them again. Liv sighed.

"Have you told anyone else about your parents?" I asked. Liv fell back on her pillow, sighing some more.

"I lied to Ziva. Right before the accident, I told her that my parents were still in Texas. I guess I should tell her the truth, huh." Liv said, sounding defeated.

"Yeah, you should, and that way you can let the team know about your parents, too." I told her, and I could see Derek nodding.

"Listen to Gibbs, Doogie. The only thing they'll do is support you and help you get through it."

"I got through it two years ago." Liv replied stubbornly.

Liv POV
I told Derek that I had gotten over Momma and Poppa, but really I still cried myself to sleep some nights, and never took Momma's claddagh necklace off. The claddagh is an Irish symbol that looks like two curved arms holding a heart with a crown on it. The necklace had been gram's and then Momma's. She had been planning on giving it to me when I got out of the military, but I hadn't found that out until after her death and Gran had given it to me.

"We hear you cry yourself to sleep some nights, and you finger your claddagh necklace when you're upset." Derek said. Dammit. "You need to let us help you, okay? We let you help us if we need it, now it's time for you to do that." I nodded and closed my eyes, faking sleep. I heard Gibbs' and Derek's breathing even out, and I shifted to my back and stared at the ceiling. How should I tell everyone? Clearly I couldn't make light of it, but I was no way making a big deal, either.

I must've fallen asleep, because I found myself opening my eyes to midmorning light streaming through the windows. Everyone was awake but Ziva, but she woke up soon after. I looked at Gibbs, who nodded. I took a deep breath.

"Look, guys, I need to tell you something. About my parents." I started. "Ziva, I lied. I'm sorry. My parents died a couple years ago."