CHAPTER 10: Following the Rules

Washington D.C.—NCIS: Bullpen 3:25 pm

"So, what does it say all together?" Gibbs asked looking at the screen.

McGee pulled up all the notes and the teams, including Ducky, Abby and Palmer, and read aloud.

"I know the truth. You can't stop me from taking her again. Ready or not, HERE I COME GIBBS"

"Okay number one priority is who is 'her'" Hotch said.

"I don't know" Gibbs said looking at the women on his team, and then cast a quick glance at Emily, but she didn't notice because she was too busy putting the pieces together.

"It could be Abby, or Ziva, or maybe even someone else that I haven't thought of" Gibbs said sounding frustrated.

"Think about the women close to you." Ducky said

"I know Duck!" Gibbs said loudly.

"Gibbs…could it be Ziva's father?" Tony asked looking between Gibbs and Ducky and Ziva.

"My father may be an ass hole Tony but he wouldn't do something like this, he would just shoot me, or Gibbs and then let us know that it was him in some clever way, not taunt him."

"Right that was more the son of a bitch Ari's idea" he said before he could stop himself.

Ziva blinked for a minute and then quickly composed herself again.

Meanwhile Emily was running through all the possibilities in her head. It was possible someone knew the connection between her dad and her mom and that they are married, and that he was really her father. It made sense in some ways, but in others it just didn't fit because they hadn't come forward before. Then she remembered something.

The teams, who were looking at the screens all heard a gasp and a body drop. They spun around to see Emily on the floor.

"OH, MY GOD EMILY!" Garcia yelled.

"Emily, come on dear" Ducky said kneeling beside her checking her pulse.

"She's fine I think she passed out" Ducky said. "Can some one get me some water please?"

Gibbs knelt beside his daughter and lifted her head into his lap. He brushed the hair out of her face and pinched her cheeks hoping she would wake up. The room was dead silent. The BAU and NCIS members all had mixed expressions on their face. JJ looked with glee thinking that something was happening with Emily and Gibbs but at the same time she was worried for her friend, because Emily never passed out. The rest of the BAU and NCIS were confused as to why Gibbs had put Emily's head in his lap and what their relationship was, along with worrying about her health.

The bullpen was silent as they waited for Tony to come back with water. When he did, Gibbs took it from him and gently poured some onto her face. Emily sat up quickly and looked around.

"What happened?" she asked looking up, and noticed her dad next to her.

"You passed out" JJ said

Emily groaned slightly, knowing that her team would be worried about her for ages.

"What's wrong Emily?" JJ asked looking worried.

"Nothing I'm fine"

"Don't say you're fine" Derek said annoyed with her brushing things off as if it were nothing.

"You said no more secrets right! Well here you are not telling us what is really wrong. We just want to be there for you Emily, and help you through whatever is going on in your head and to understand why you. YOU just fainted. AND what the hell is going on with you and him" he said, his voice raising.

"Can't you just trust me when I tell you I'm fine, and there is nothing going on with Gibbs and I"

"Trust you? I'm not so sure any more Emily. I love you, you're an amazing partner and a great friend and I understand better what you did 7 months ago, but you told us before you came here no more secrets"

"Since when did me telling you I was fine a secret?"

"I'm not talking about that I'm talking about the fact that you're probably still having nightmares after Doyle and not telling us, the fact that you refuse to tell us anything that's going on in that brain of yours unless we literally pry it out of you, hell Emily we may not have noticed everything 7 months ago, but we've learned and we're worried about you. Now you're saying that nothing is going on with you and Gibbs and something clearly is, I mean hell I think everyone has seen how he looks at you"

Gibbs head snapped up at Derek, his eyes a dark stormy blue.

"And just how do I look at her Agent Morgan?" Gibbs asked coldly.

"Like you love her". Emily rested a hand on her dad's arm to calm him down, knowing that he was glaring at Derek.

"Okay this is getting off topic" Hotch said butting into the conversation. Gibbs stood up, and then offered his hand to Emily who also stood up.

"Why'd you faint Prentiss do you have something?'

"I think I know who the Unsub is after" Emily said looking at the two teams

"Who?" Gibbs asked

"Me"

Gibbs sucked in a deep breath not happy at all that Emily could be the target. He knew that they wouldn't be able to keep their secret up much longer if Emily truly was the target.

"I think we have to tell them" Emily said in Russian as she looked at her father, ignoring the looks of the rest of the team members who were trying and failing to figure out what she was saying.

"Because you think the Unsub knows you're my daughter?"

"Yes"

"Are you sure?"

"It fits, the roses, the women all look like me"

"Jethro" Ducky questioned noticing his friend's increasingly tense shoulders.

"Autopsy, skiff mode." Gibbs ordered before turning and walking out of the bullpen, Emily following right behind him.

The ride down was silent. No one knew what was going on, all they knew was that there was something weird going on with Gibbs and Emily.

Once Ducky put Autopsy in skiff mode Morgan rounded on Emily

"Okay what the hell is going on and what did you say to him a minute ago? And why the HELL was you're head in his lap, what are you two?" Morgan asked

"I really don't appreciate the way you're talking to her" Gibbs said dropping all pretenses now

"She's keeping secrets from us again and I am sick of it." Morgan snapped.

"She kept secrets to protect you. You should know that!" Gibbs said glaring at Morgan

"You think I don't know that" Morgan asked

"I think you don't understand the extent she will go to protect people she loves" Gibbs said coolly.

"Okay enough!" Emily said standing in between the two men.

"Dad stop it"

"This is who you protected? One who gets pissed as soon as he finds out you're keeping something from him?"

"He is my family also dad."

"So, what am I then?"

"Dad, of course you're family too. But Derek, and the BAU, I've come to love them like a family"

"Fine" Gibbs said.

"Rule Number Four" Gibbs said speaking to everyone this time.

"The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best tell one other person – if you must. There is no third best" Tony recited.

"There's your answer Agent Morgan, she was following the rules" Gibbs said

"How does she know your rules Jethro?" Ducky asked intrigued to know what Emily meant to Gibbs.

"Because," Emily cut in before Gibbs could answer. "I'm his daughter"