This is a kinda continuation of the previous chapter. When Gibbs leaves to give the little Ryan family some privacy, he's thinking about the contents of this chapter. So I hope you enjoy it!
I own absolutely no-one in this chapter. Just the dog Skip. Just remember to REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
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Leroy Jethro Gibbs put his truck in park and turned it off. His seven year old daughter, Kelly, came bouncing out of the house in a pink Princess dress and the required pointy sparkly pink hat with the gauze tassel. "DADDY!" She yelled. "Do you like my Trick-or-Treating dress?" Kelly asked. "Mommy and me bought it today."
Jethro smiled and scooped Kelly up as he got out of his red Chevy. "I see that, Kells." Jethro said. "It's very beautiful."
Kelly giggled and Jethro spun her around once before setting her back down on the ground. Kelly proceeded to twirl around the front yard with her dress billowing out around her, and was rapidly joined by her best friend and neighbor Maddie Tyler. Maddie was wearing an almost identical dress, except that Maddie's was purple. Maddie's dog, Skip the ever faithful blood hound, raced between the girls occasionally barking.
Jethro let himself in and watched his wife Shannon folding laundry in the living room.
"Are you just going to stand there staring at me, or are you going to put this basket upstairs for me?" Shannon asked. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to know her husband was the one watching her.
Jethro chuckled and took the aforementioned basket and brought it to the top of the stairs where Kelly would be responsible for getting her clothing out of it later that afternoon.
"How was your day?" Jethro asked as he joined his wife on the couch.
"Crazy," Shannon said. "I'm past exhausted, and Kelly's just a ball of energy today."
"I noticed." Gibbs said indicating to his daughter and her friend in the yard. "She and Maddie are having the Princess Ball in the front yard with Skip standing in for Prince Charming."
Shannon laughed for a bit before she sobered up. "How long will you be at Camp Pendleton for this time?"
Jethro sighed. "I have no clue. All we're being told is that we could be gone from anywhere between two weeks to four months."
"When do you leave?" Shannon asked as she laid her head on Jethro's shoulder.
"November 5th." He replied. "I'll be able to take Kelly out on Halloween for you."
"That's good." Shannon murmured.
"I think we're getting reassigned to Pendleton." He said eventually. "Nobody's giving Pete a set return date, and with the mess in Kuwait…"
"You may get deployed." Shannon finished.
Jethro nodded glumly.
"Well," Shannon said happily. "I've got some news that may just cheer you up, Daddy…"
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When Kelly let herself back into the house a few minutes later, she found her parents making out like teenagers on the couch.
"YUCK!" Kelly exclaimed.
Jethro and Shannon pulled apart, a little embarrassed. "What's so yucky, Pumpkin?" Jethro asked Kelly.
"You and Mommy kissing like that on the couch." Kelly replied.
"Well," Jethro said with a ridiculous grin on his face. "We've got some good news for you Kelly."
"What?" Kelly asked excitedly. "Are we getting a puppy like Maddie's?"
"No." Shannon said firmly seeing the glint in Jethro's eye. "Not a puppy."
"What?" Kelly asked as she started to bounce with excitement.
"I'm going to have a baby!" Shannon said. "You're going to be a big sister!"
Kelly let out an ear shattering shriek of joy and started jumping around the living room. "I'M GONNA HAVE A BABY SISTER!!" she yelled happily.
"The baby could be a baby brother." Jethro said trying to warn his daughter that she may be disappointed.
"Nope." Kelly said cryptically. "Mommy's gonna have a girl, and I'm going to be the bestest big sister ever!"
Shannon and Jethro just had to laugh at Kelly's antics.
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Camp Pendleton, April 1991
Jethro Gibbs wheeled himself down the hallway and towards the elevator bay. Once he got onto an elevator he pushed the button for the maternity ward and waited to see his daughter. Two off duty nurses were in the car with Gibbs. One of them noticed the borrowed scrubs Gibbs was wearing and his hospital ID Bracelet.
"Trying to escape Gunny?" she asked trying to flirt with him.
"Nope." Gibbs said abruptly. "Going to see my new daughter." Gibbs said as the door opened and he wheeled himself out towards Nancy at the reception desk. "Afternoon Nance."
"Hey, Jethro." Nancy said looking up from her gossip rag. "Mike Franks is waiting with Kate."
"Thanks." Gibbs said as he rolled through the doors. Gibbs smiled when he saw Agent Franks cooing at the infant. The normally gruff man was a surprisingly sweet man around Kate. She seemed to posses the power to turn grown men into babbling idiots.
"Hey, Probie!" Franks greeted his newest agent.
"Mike." Gibbs said as a nurse handed him Kate for the first time. "Hey Princess." He whispered.
Kate's eyes fluttered opened and enthralled her father with their depth and the intensity her young stare seemed to posses.
"Oh, Katie-kins," Gibbs whispered as he kissed her forehead, "You're gonna be a heart breaker."
Kate gurgled in response and snuggled into her father's warmth and fell asleep. Safe, for now, in the arms of her protector.
Gibbs smiled as her little body sought out the warmth his was giving off. "Oh, Princess." Gibbs said. "Your Big Sister Kelly was right." He said as he choked back tears. "You're a girl, and Kelly would have been the best big sister to you."
Jethro sighed and remembered the look of pure joy on Kelly's face when he and her mother had told her about the new baby. He jut hoped that one day he would see that look on Kate's face as he sat her down to tell her she would be a big sister as well.
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Well, this is oddly short for me… Oh well. Reviews please!!! The more reviews I get, the faster I post. I've got chapters 11-20 all outlined, and chapter 17 is already written. A handful of them will be episode based, so chapters 13, 18, and 19 all depend on USA network and the Slueth Channel's scheduling. Enjoy!!!!