AN: I have always wondered how our favorite team would handle severe weather coming through the DC metro area, especially if that severe weather was tornadic. This is an au one shot based off of my Semper Fi story that takes place in the future when Jessica is about 16.
Chapter 1: Calm before the storm
Sounds of faint wheezing and a rather stuffy nose filled the silent office of NCIS Director Jenny Shepard. She looked up, smiling softly at the red mass of curls poking out from under a blanket.
Her daughter, Jessica had been kept home from high school because of bronchitis that week. The teen had been sick as a child, in and out of the hospital with leukemia.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the love of her life, her husband. Gibbs smirked, looking over at the annoyed look of his wife's face.
"You know you could knock...there are people sleeping in here." Jenny said, pointing to the sleeping teen. "How she doing today, I still hear wheezing." He replied, walking over to the couch. "No change." Jenny said, frowning.
"Hey baby girl." Gibbs said softly, as she turned to face him.
"Hi daddy..." Jessica murmured, as he knelt down. "Feeling better?" He asked, pushing a damp curl from her face. "No, I feel like I was hit by a truck." Jessica told him. "Yeah, your fever has gone up a bit." He replied, " Jen, you might want to call Ducky, see if he can check her out...she is really warm." "Alright." Jenny replied, picking up her phone and calling him directly.
Jessica began to cough, knowing that the antibiotics had worn off. She hated being sick, ever since she was little. The thought of being sick meant going to the doctor and that meant needles. Another thing she hated.
Five minutes, Ducky arrived with his medical bag and a smile. Jenny was thankful that he was there. He could see the fear and concern for the young girl in her eyes.
"Now Jennifer, what seems to be the problem." He asked, as he walked in. "A certain young lady." Jenny replied, staring at her daughter. "Ah, antibiotics worn off?" He asked, staring at the young lady curled up on the couch. "Yeah and a rather high fever with Motrin and Tylenol." Jenny replied. "Well, let's see if we can see why." He said, walking over.
"Well, my dear, how are we feeling today...any better than yesterday?" Duck asked as she sat up and curled into Gibbs' side. "No... not really." She replied, "my chest still feels like a 100 lbs. weight is on it." "I see, did the doctor give you any medication for breathing treatments? " he asked, turning to Jenny.
"Yeah, he said she only needs them when she gets up..." Jenny told him. She also remembered that Jessica was ready to punch him when he had labs for leukemia drawn for no reason.
Suddenly, the power in the office flickered as rain began to pour down outside.
They all looked outside to see ominously dark clouds moving toward them. Nasty weather had finally reached Washington.
Jessica curled herself further into Gibbs' side, trying to hide from the sound of thunder shaking the glass.
"Don't tell me. you're afraid of thunder?" He asked, " you were. with me and your Uncle Mike watching a hurricane bare down on Baja." "That isn't thunder, that is twister weather. You can smell the sulfur in the air." Jessica replied.
Jessica wanted to go to college for meteorology and be in the navy's hurricane hunters.
"I have to agree with young Jessica, they are calling for large and violent storms today...it is why the Navy Yard is locked down." Ducky said.
"Jessica, do you remember where we told you to go if there are tornadoes?" Jenny asked. "Yeah, the locker room closet by autopsy... It is below ground and has all interior walls." Jessica replied. "Good, here is your meds for the nebulizer, why don't you go do some homework down there before the storms really roll in." Jenny said, handing a paper bag to Ducky from the pharmacy. "Okay." She replied, as another rumble shook the building.
The teen grabbed her book bag and followed the older man from the room, not liking the approaching black sky.
Once the pair cleared the door, Jenny and Gibbs turned on the news. There had been tornadic storms all day. If there was one thing that would cause their daughter to panic; it would be this.
"How bad?" Gibbs asked, staring at the screen. "Each one is getting bigger, possible that DC could see an EF-5 today... Where will we hide... This building can't hold that much weight." Jenny told him. "We'll find away... I am not gonna let my family get hurt." He told her, pulling her into his arms.
"Jethro... The house is gone...the insurance company called about an hour ago...both of them...how are we going to tell Jess?" Jenny asked.
Gibbs felt his stomach drop. His house, the very place his family was this morning was now gone.
" Was Naomi there?" He asked, thinking of their housekeeper. "No... she drove up and found it..." Jenny replied. He held her tightly. "We'll be alright." He told her.
Meanwhile, Jessica and Ducky were passing through the bullpen when the teen seen the news. Her stomach dropped when she seen her mother's face next to a pile of a broken house. She knew instantly why.
" No way...that can't be.." She replied, staring.
Tony, the senior field agent on her dad's team, and one of her "brothers" looked up. He could see the panic in her eyes from what she had just seen.
"Jessica... Don't!" Toney said as she dropped her bag and ran up toward stairs, ignoring the calls of her siblings as she referred to them.
She suddenly threw open the door, tears in her eyes.
Gibbs and Jenny looked up, knowing exactly why. They both knew it was just a matter of time before she found out.
"When were you going to tell me?" Jessica cried, looking at them.
"After the storms passed, I knew that would upset you more than the weather would." Jenny replied. "Ya think, it's my home, the place where I sleep at night and now they are reduced to rubble" Jessica told her, her steel colored eyes full of tears.
Jenny reached out and held her daughter tight, allowing her to cry. She knew that for Jessica, those were the places she could be herself, not the Director's daughter or some feds kid.
"I promise that we will be alright" Jenny said, before being cut off.
Suddenly, the sounds of sirens began to fill the Navy Yard. Jessica felt sick because she knew exactly what that meant. The threesome looked up just a Tony threw open the door. He too seen what they were staring at with utter terror.
Gibbs quickly shook himself from his daze and turned to them. He knew they had to get as far down as possible before it hit.
"Move now, run!" He barked out, the marine in him coming out.
Jessica and Tony tore out of the office, just as the team looked up. Jessica looked over at Abby who was looking out the window. She was entranced by what she saw outside.
"ABBY, LET'S GO!" Jessica screamed, as she jumped the stairs to reach her best friend.
Ziva, Jessica's godmother looked confused to why everyone in the office was making form the exits and lower floors.
"Why is everyone running?" She asked as she was pushed away from the desks by Mcgee and Tony. "That is what a tornado looks like and judging by the size, that is gonna be a 5 at least." Jessica said, throwing open the side doors as her family all made it into the stair well.
It was the longest and most terrifying three minutes off Jessica's life. She would rather still have leukemia than be in a tornado. The thought of the office collapsing on top of them scared her.
Then suddenly it hit them. The had just made it to the forensics floor when the monster of a storm it the building head on. All the men threw themselves on to the girls to shield them from the debris. Jessica screamed as she felt her ear drums all but rupture over the amount of pressure. She could feel her self being sucked from her father's arms. She tried to reach for some thing to cling to but nothing was left.
"DAAADDY!" Jessica screamed as she was pulled away. "JESSICA!" Jenny cried as she pulled from sight.
The last thing the teen remembered was hitting something before everything went black. Her body ached as she felt the cold rain pelt her body.
AN: I know it was a bit of a tease to end the chapter like that, but I promise that I will post a new on really soon. I hope that everyone likes this chapter. Please remember to review. Only character I own is Jessica.
