Dealing With Trust

1

The next day, Aurora couldn't keep her mind straight as she taught her class, glad that she had a teaching hand in there to help her with her small mistakes, like accidentally saying that Yellow and Blue would make Red instead of Green.

"Are you feeling alright?" Bea, her teaching hand questioned during Recess.

"Yeah, just worried for a friend" Aurora said as she was grading her classes recent coloring activity.

"Who's this friend?, Is it the same one that you said that you met a few months ago?"

"Ni - Archer?, I met him a year ago, and plausible, it could also be about Kasie" Aurora admitted truthfully.

"Kasie was the girl who you met at the workshop at the College a little while back, right?" Bea questioned, also helping with the grading.

"Yes" Aurora said as she soon finished grading before looking up to the female. "Think you could finish today's class without me?, I have something to go take care of a bit early" she said as Bea nodded.

"Of course" Bea said with a smile. "I hope everything will be alright" she added with a small nod as Aurora got up and started to leave

"Thank you so much Bea" Aurora smiled, sliding her purse onto her arm as she hurried out of the classroom to leave, using her phone to pull up GPS to put in the location of NCIS.

"I'm coming Nick" Aurora muttered to herself as she got in her car and turned it on before driving out of the school.

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When Aurora had arrived and escorted upstairs she was met by McGee who was filling her in on what was happening with Nick before he got a call saying to go down to Palmer, where Nick and a Dead body were.

"Let me go with" Aurora said before McGee turned to leave.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that would be -" McGee started before Aurora spoke up.

"I know Nick, I can vouch and I haven't seen him, you can interrogate me all you want, I just need to talk to him" Aurora spoke making McGee sigh.

"Fine, let's go" McGee said before leading her down to the morgue where the others were currently.

"Ah, everyone is -" Palmer started as everyone turned to see McGee only to see Aurora with him.

"Who's the lady?" Bishop asked.

"Aurora. Aurora Greyson" Aurora said firmly as she looked at everyone before noticing how tense Nick got at the sound of her voice.

"She said she was worried about her boyfriend and asked to see him" McGee said.

"And who is her boyfriend?" Gibbs asked incredulously as Nick turned to face her.

"...Me..." Nick said simply.

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"Single gunshot wound to the neck, severed her carotid artery. That was that." Palmer said putting the bullet in a small circular jar, the questioning and answering continuing between Palmer, McGee and Gibbs before Bishop walked in and started to talk about a boat.

"What is she talking about?, What boat?" Aurora asked quietly to Nick who brushed it off and continued to listen intently making Aurora frown and cross her arms a bit, slightly annoyed at how she wasn't getting anywhere with Nick or any of this information, paying attention again when she heard Gibbs' phone go off with a text.

"Kasie's got your tox results" Gibbs said, looking right at Nick.

"About time" Nick said, slightly glancing at the dead body before back to Gibbs then to Palmer, moving forward a bit. "I'll take the bullet" he said before noticing Palmer look over to Gibbs who slightly shook his head 'no' and do a silent hand off, giving Gibbs the bullet.

"For real?" Nick asked, glancing to Aurora slightly when she grabbed and squeezed his hand to try and calm him down a bit.

"For real" Bishop said with a bit of attitude when Gibbs' handed her the bullet. "Come on" she said, turning to leave with a slight head tilt.

Aurora took a deep breath and started to head out with Nick and Bishop, hoping to get something to prove Nick's innocence.

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When the three got to the lab, Aurora was immediately amazed and Kasie kept rambling on about different types of saws and blades, swerving any type of conversation that had to deal with Nick's Tox Screen.

"We were sent here" Aurora said, still looking around before looking back at Kasie. "And apparently not a minute sooner, how's it been?" She asked with a smile.

"Aurora "Ari" Clover Greyson, as I live and breathe" Kasie said with a smile before moving over to hug her friend and talk about Nick's Tox Screen.

"How do you two know each other?" Bishop asked.

"I had a workshop at a college and bumped into her while she was heading to a Dr.Mallard's class, I had a Ms.Day's Teaching workshop though" Aurora smiled.

"Tox Screen, we can figure everything else out later" Nick pleaded.

"Right, it looks like there is a really good reason that you don't remember anything last night" Kasie said before turning and pressing stuff on her keyboard as the Tox screen popped up on a bigger monitor. "Actually, four good reasons, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Ketamine, and some mystery compound I'm still working to ID" Kasie admitted.

"Woah, you were roofied" Bishop spoke, hesitantly glancing away from the monitor to look back at Nick.

"All right. I knew it" Nick said with a smile making Aurora slightly hit him making him flinch back. "What?, That's a good thing, it means I didn't commit the crime" he said looking at Aurora who rolled her eyes.

"I mean, it also means that I'm pretty stupid for letting myself get roofied" Nick admitted truthfully.

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about that, it could happen to anyone" Kasie admitted.

"But I'm not anyone" Nick said.

"You're right, you're no easy target. So why you?" Bishop asked curiously.

"Don't know why, but do know how" Kasie said before turning to her computer again and pressing buttons. "You're blood also showed elevated levels of creatine peptides, which means --"

"Somebody roofied my protein shake. I bring one to the gym every night" Nick said.

"I know. I also know how much your protein shake means to you" Kasie admitted.

"Well, so did somebody else" Bishop said before turning to leave.

"Thanks Kasie, we should catch up after this" Aurora said before turning to leave with Nick.

"Definitely" Kasie agreed with a smile