DISCLAIMER: Don't own NCIS except for my own characters like River!
NOTE: Set after Season 5 Finale...part of the River's Chronicle...a peek into the future of the series that started with Like Father, Like Son...while this is rather a stand-alone story...it probably would help to read Like Father, Like Son first to get the basics...and to my Like Father, Like Son fans, don't worry, I haven't forgot that story either! Chapter Four is in the works...just taking a while...
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Chapter One: A New Day
Nothing shocked Daniel Keating more than the day he was handed his orders to join Agent Gibbs's team. He had heard the rumors, even at times caught glimpses of the man in question, and nothing scared him more than the man known for his second B for 'bastard'. He wondered again and again why or how anyone would promote him, a computer geek, to a field agent on one of the best teams in the NCIS agency.
Keating was so flustered with everything that he had decided to get to work the next day early, not wanting to feel the wrath of his new boss so soon. Rumors had been flying around that Special Agent Gibbs was not a happy camper over the break up of his former team and Keating had no intention to be on the receiving end of that anger.
So as he walked out of the elevator, he found himself being the first one in the squad room.
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Brent Langer whistled as he walked off the elevator casually and carelessly, he had no problem dealing with being on Gibbs's team, in fact, it was Gibbs who first trained him, working with the old man again was actually something he had looked forward to.
But Langer wasn't stupid either; he didn't need rumors to know that Gibbs was pissed as hell at the new orders. He had seen himself that Gibbs was attached to his former team in a way he had never done with other teams before. Gibbs would be hell to deal with in these next few days to come, but Langer figured he was ready, ready for Gibbs to push him anywhere. He had survived Gibbs once, no reason why he couldn't do it again.
Looking around, he spotted what must be his new teammate, clearly a nerd to boot.
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If you were to ask Michelle Lee what she thought of her new orders, she would reply politely that she would do her duty, but on the inside, she really felt like screaming her lungs out. She was hardly even used to the strange ways Agent DiNozzo had run the team but now she had to deal with the big fish, the famous Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Just the thought of it made her want to run the other direction in fright.
Sure she had worked with the team before, but only really in the forms of delivering court orders and such, she had seen the way Gibbs ran his team and always wished that she would never be in their shoes, but apparently she didn't wish hard enough.
Walking out of the elevator and seeing that her two other teammates had already arrived, Lee nodded to the two men before she sat down at her desk, dreading the eventual arriving of the boss.
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Keating, Lee, and Langer all looked up in unison as the elevator doors opened with a ding and voices could be heard.
"But that's not the point Gramps, forensics said that they found three casings embedded in the back wall."
The three watched as Leroy Jethro Gibbs made his appearance, walking side by side with a boy about thirteen years old with light brown hair, green eyes, and a backpack slung over one shoulder, the two of them seemingly in a rather heated debate.
"So what are you trying to tell me? There's a hole in the case?" Gibbs spoke in a voice that caused Langer, Keating, and Lee all to wince, but the boy looked nowhere fazed.
"Well, unless he suddenly decided to become superman and started to deflect bullets, then obviously the autopsy report is missing something. I mean, three casings against two bullet wounds? You'd have to be a moron to miss that. Clearly this guy isn't Grandpa Ducky." The boy said matter-of-factly.
Gibbs only shook his head lightly before settling his gaze on the new team, causing the boy's gaze to turn as well.
"What are you all staring at? Get to work!" Gibbs barked at the three agents sitting dumbly at their desks before turning back to the boy, "Keep an eye on them, I'm going up to MTAC."
With that, Gibbs turned and swiftly went up the stairs, leaving the three new agents under the gaze of a rather bemused boy.
For a while no one said anything, the three agents looked between each other, wondering what they were supposed to do.
"I'm pretty sure he said get to work…"
Seeing Langer and Keating's blank look at the boy, Lee decided to speak up, as she was the only one who probably knew the boy by name, "What exactly are we suppose to work on, River? There's no case."
"Oh that's easy, just check your drawers, all the case files are there." River shrugged as he plopped down on Gibbs's chair.
Exchanging looks with each other, the three agents immediately pulled out their respective drawers, grabbing all the files and piling them onto their desks.
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River DiNozzo was most definitely not a happy child. Just a day ago his father had been shipped out to the USS Ronald Reagan as the new agent afloat, his aunt Ziva had left on a plane bound for Israel, and his uncle Tim sent down to the geek basement. So soon, not even enough time had passed since Aunt Jenny had been killed was the family torn apart, and River felt like lashing out. He was angry at Vance for splitting up his family, and he was angry at Aunt Jenny for leaving all of them behind.
The only reason he hadn't gone crazy was because of his Gramps, his unshakable faith in Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He knew his Gramps would find a way to bring everyone home, after all, his Gramps had never broken a promise, never said anything he didn't mean. And as River stood at the front steps of his Gramps's house, watching his father's cab leaving the street, his Gramps had promised that he would fix this, and River had believed him.
Taking in the three agents in front of him, River knew he should not be prejudiced towards them, after all, he had known Agent Lee for quite a while, but he couldn't help it, he had decided from the moment he heard the news about the break up that no other team could be better than the one that he had called his family for nearly 3 years.
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Keating couldn't help but look at the boy with fascination, he didn't know why the boy was here, apparently Agent Lee was familiar with the boy, and Langer seemed to recognize the boy somewhat. But Keating himself was clueless as to why the hard-nosed
Gibbs would have a kid hanging around him, or one that would call him 'Gramps'. He didn't even know that Agent Gibbs had a son, let alone a grandson!
"It's rude to stare you know…"
Those words shocked Keating out of his thoughts as he realized the boy whom Lee had called River was now looking at him from his lounging position at Gibbs's desk.
"Uhhhhh……I…..well……" Keating stuttered as he tried to figure out how to respond.
"Let me give you a hand, my name is River DiNozzo, my father is former senior field agent Anthony DiNozzo. Yes I do call Gibbs "Gramps" because he's like a grandfather to me, and I stay here at the office because it's summer and I have nothing else to do. And I also have full security clearance to access government files as well as special permission to accompany teams on cases." Tilting his head to one side, River asked, "Does that satisfy your curiosity Agent Keating or would you like access to my personal files?"
"So you're DiNozzo's kid?" It was Langer who spoke up this time.
"Yes Agent Langer, I'm glad your hearing is functioning well."
Before anything else could be said, Gibbs had suddenly appeared in the bullpen, much to the shock of the three agents, but not River who was quite used it.
"Are we done sharing life stories now or can we get moving?"
River didn't need to be told twice as he reached for his backpack and got to his feet to stand beside Gibbs. The two of them looked expectantly at the three agents before Langer picked up the hint and grabbed his bag, Lee and Keating followed suit seconds later, heading for the lift.
As Gibbs turned toward the direction of the elevator, he tossed a key to River, "Get Ducky and Palmer, make sure they don't get lost this time."
A look passed between Gibbs and River, an understanding that neither of them liked the situation they were in right now, but they would deal with it and get the family back together soon.
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PLEASE REVIEW!! What could happen with the new team??