I own nothing except the plot Zoe and any other OCS' I may use.

Zoe Carter had been content with her life. Already at the age of sixteen she had finished high school with credits. She had always been one step ahead in her classes. Some would call her a nerd, others incredibly bright. Either way she finished early. Zoe's father had been very proud of her. After all what parent wouldn't be? It was just Zoe and her Father living together. Her mother had skipped town not long after she was born leaving her with her grandparents while her father was deployed. Zoe's Father was a former Marine now. Master Gunnery Sergeant Derek Carter.

He had gotten a letter from Zoe's grandparents telling him what had happened. He had been furious and hurt. He left the army to go home and raise his daughter. Zoe was his little princess from the moment he set his eyes on her. He raised her to be strong, smart and stubborn as hell. The two rarely fought and when they did it was like a pissing match. Afterward they'd clam down and talk things out. They never kept secrets from each other or that's what Zoe had thought. What she didn't know was that she had been wrong. Everybody has secrets.

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Zoe was in her room listening to music loudly, singing along with the tunes of Pat Benatar. So it was natural that she didn't hear the doorbell while tossing her head around dancing.

Her father shaking his head thinking it was a neighbor complaining about the noise his daughter was making.

As he opened the door ready to tell the person that he'd have her turn in down, he found a huge shock the shook him to his core.

"You..." Derek gasped in shock.

"Hello, my old friend. I felt it was time to pay you a little visit." the man replied with a slight smirk on his lips.

"No!! Leave! Stay away from me, my home and my daughter!" Derek shouted.

"Daughter, huh? You never told me you had a daughter. I'm hurt. And here I thought we were best friends." The man said in tone that meant he knew Derek had a daughter and he was just taunting him.

Derek glared at him, "What do you want? After all these year why are you here now?" He growled.

"You." The man said simply. "I give my condolences to your daughter," he said.

"Why?" Derek tried to ask but before the word fully left his mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Looking down he saw the blood on his shirt. Looking back up his eyes wide as he began to fall to the floor. "No..." He rasped.

"I'm sorry I had to do this. Truly I am. You were such a nice man." The man said shaking his head with mock sadness before he turned and left.

Derek lay on the floor bleeding to death when Zoe came out of her room.

"Dad, what's for dinner tonight?" she called out looking around for him. That was when she saw him.

"Daddy!!!" Zoe screamed, running to his side.

"Daddy, what happened? Oh god, please daddy please don't die!!" Zoe begged her father.

Taking what little strength he had left he looked into his daughters eyes, "Zoe, I.. I love you Princess." he gasped out.

"Daddy," she whimpered.

"B.. Ben.. Benson.." Derek Carter whispered with his last breath.

Zoe shook him, tears falling from her eyes "Daddy... no, Please wake up, Daddy?"

Dropping her head down as she held her dead father in her arms she whispered "Why? Why him?"

She sat there staring at him for what felt like forever before finally getting up and calling a number she hoped she'd never have to call. NCIS.

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NCIS showed up at the house. From the outside it looked rather nice. Blue paint, white shutters and a large yard. It seemed like a happy place. That is until they got inside.

Gibbs lead the team inside the house, the moment he opened the door he saw the girl who had called them. "Zoe Carter?" Gibbs asked.

She didn't move, just sat there looking at her dead father blankly.

"Zoe, I need you to step away from the body please so my team can investigate. I'm Agent Gibbs, I'm here to help you." He told her gently.

"Benson." Zoe said in an unemotional voice.

"Excuse me?" Gibbs looked puzzled.

Zoe finally looked up at him with close to dead eyes, "Benson, It was the last thing he said to me."

Tony who had been taking picture of the body asked, " Do you know someone named Benson?"

"No, but who ever he is he killed my father and he is going to pay for it." Zoe said with a promise in her eyes. Gibbs and the team looked at each other all thinking the same thing. They needed to get this poor girl out of there and find who did this to her father.

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A/N: Okay so this is my first NCIS fic. I hope you all like it. If I get a good response. I will continue this story.