A/N: I'd like to give a shout out to Hope06, Mirthless Laughter and Viktorija for the lovely reviews!! Reading them always makes my day!! Thank you guys so much!!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters in this story. They belong to CBS/Donald Bellisario. No personal profit is derives from this story, nor is any copyright infringement intended.

It had been a long, stressful day for Leroy Jethro Jethro. From the second he heard Shannon's worried voice in the bathroom, to the moment they'd arrived at the hospital on base, he'd been on the go. During the slower moments, he paused briefly, leaving his wife's side to go outside and call his commanding officer and explain to him why he wouldn't be showing up for his duties that day. The CO had been understanding enough- after all, he'd been there, done that. He told Jethro to take the rest of the week off, and told him he didn't want to hear from him until then. Jethro thanked him profusely, and then hurried back in.

The next several hours were long... agonizingly so. Jethro tried to be patient, but at the same time, he was trying hide the fact that he was absolutely terrified. He was trying so hard to be strong for Shannon. Oh, if only he could take her place... take away her pain. Would she ever forgive him for this? Despite all the explicatives hurled at him during the most intense part, deep down, Jethro knew that she would.

Who would've thought that one tiny sound, one piercing wail, could completely rock Jethro' world? Here he was, a Marine who'd been through hell and back during boot camp and then went back for some more, and yet it was all he could do not to collapse upon hearing it. What would his buddies think if they saw him now? Surely some of them would understand; they'd been through this before. But the others? He knew they'd laugh at him.

Jethro barely noticed the doctors trying to get his attention, merely running on autopilot as his life changed forever. In just seconds, he felt like his life had been turned upside down. Was this really happening? It had to be a dream. Nothing ever changed that quickly. Nothing ever made him terrified and ecstatic at the same time.

And then the doctors handed him this little squirming bundle. Jethro was in awe of the perfection. Surely there had to be something wrong; nothing in the world could be as perfect as this. Wispy brown hair still covered in goop, long pale limbs, squirming in delight... she was perfect. Just absolutely perfect. Familiar bright blue eyes stared back at him, and he couldn't help but to smile. Turning to Shannon, he silently asked for her approval. She nodded. He was doing well.

If the bundle in his arms was perfection, then his wife couldn't be far behind. Jethro had seen her all made up on their wedding day. He'd seen her in the morning, without her "face" as she called it, and he'd seen her in the evening, looking beautiful as ever with her natural make up. And now he saw her after the hardest thing she'd ever done. Drenched with sweat, hair plastered to her face, and weariness heavy in her eyes, and Jethro thought she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her.

Carefully, so as to not disturb the bundle in his arms, Jethro walked over to Shannon's bedside and sat down in the chair next to it. Smiling like a boy who'd just gotten his first kiss, he scooted a little closer and took his wife's hand with his free one. As he cradled the now quiet bundle to his chest, he looked over at his wife.

"So...?"

She smiled, chuckling some.

"So what?"

"So... what're we gonna name her?"

Shannon was silent for a moment. During that time, Jethro looked back down at the bundle. She was asleep now, her lips pursed in a small pout.

"What about Vanessa, after your mother?"

Gibbs shook his head.

"No. Not Vanessa."

"Well, we can't name her Lucille after mine."

The two fell into silence again. Jethro tensed some as the bundle shifted in its sleep. Once she was still, he relaxed, letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

"What about Kelly?" he asked. Shannon was silent for a second, running the name through her head.

"Kelly... I like it."

Smiling, Jethro looked back down at the bundle in his arms.

"Welcome to the world, Kelly."