Gibbs had finally brought his kids out from the huddle "Sweetheart, where is mum? I'll get her out now" he asked.

"A private hospital over in Bowie. She's under the name Savannah Marie Fletcher. But… you can't go there" She said, not lifting her gaze from the floor.

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about? I'm going to go & get your mother" Gibbs was confused, why would she not want him to do that.

"Because, he'll find out! He's got people on his payroll at the place, how else was he able to get her in there to begin with! You can't go within a mile of the place, they won't let you in to see her, your definitely not on the access list, in fact you'd probably be on the definitely no go list. You can't go, he'll find out and then do I dunno what, you can't.. you can't… he'll find out and you'll…." Kelly was now pacing, babbling, she couldn't believe her father didn't realise what Mac might do.

She only stopped, when Gibbs took her by the shoulders. "Ok, ok, sweetheart, we will work out a way to get her out, it'll be ok, I'm right here, I'm ok" He spoke the words as calmly as possible, trying to calm her, like he used to when she had had a nightmare & it seemed to work, she was now breathing easier & definitely less rapidly. He released her from his embrace, to be able to see her face, to make sure she understood that he was ok, that he would be ok.

"I know how to get her out" Kelly said quietly looking at her father, she knew he wouldn't like her idea, but it was the only way.

Everyone was now staring at her.

"I'm on the access list" Kelly said looking at her father, the reaction was just what she expected.

"NO! absolutely not! You are not going there!" Her father couldn't let her put herself in harms way, it was his job to protect her.

"It's the only way, there are only 2 people on the access list for her, me and him, no one else is allowed to visit her. This has to be done with someone in there with her, she'd be too weak & dazed to do anything herself anyway, they've got her pumped with stuff ok! I know my way around the place & the surroundings, I know the staff & have already guessed which ones are on his payroll." Kelly was trying to remain calm, but she could feel her blood pressure rising, figured it was better to get angry that break down in tears again.

"NO Kelly Anne! No way, I am not letting you go there & put yourself in his cross hairs again, I will figure out another way, NO Kelly Anne!" Gibbs was frustrated, why wouldn't she understand that he didn't want to put her into a position that might cause her more hurt, more pain.

"DAD!" Kelly yelled.

Everyone froze, it was not lost on Gibbs, nor the others, that this was the first time she had said the D word. It wasn't lost on Kelly either, but she needed to get his attention, and he wasn't listening to her, so she had to do something, say something & that was it, it worked Gibbs was just staring at her now.

"I am going & you can't stop me, and don't you dare try to use F1, because I'm using F6, you owe me BIG!" Kelly blurted out, before she even realised what she was saying.

"F6? I owe you?" Gibbs asked calming with a smirk on his face, not wanting to raise his daughters blood pressure further, but having no clue what she meant.

Tony was sitting next to McGee & whispered "F6? What you think that one is?" McGee shrugged.

"Family Rule 6 Tony, if someone makes a choice that affects someone else, the affected person can make another choice that affects the initial choice maker & no protests can be made. Think it was their way to try to combat the fact that I didn't like to go to certain classes when I was a kid, like ballet or when certain marine issues would come up that didn't fit into family life" Kelly stated matter of factly, not taking her eyes off her father. He nodded in agreement at the remark.

"Ok Kelly, what choice?" Gibbs asked calming.

"Day after mum saw the murder, you two were on the phone, do you remember that?" Kelly's voice had become firm, but crackly. Her father nodded. So she continued.

"You were worried when she told you that they had related the hit to that drug cartel. Mum said that they had assigned an NIS agent to us for protection, do you remember that?" again Gibbs nodded, he could see where this was going, she had listened in to their conversations so often, he wasn't surprised she heard this one though he wished she hadn't. He took a seat, to show her he wouldn't put up a fight to what she said next.

"You said OK, that you were going to request emergency leave, but as we had someone watching out for us it was ok & you'd hold off for a bit, cause there was a lot happening over there…..that choice screwed our lives, my life! You owe me!"

Gibbs stared at his daughter, with the urge to let the tears flow freely, she was mad & she had every right to be. He knew she was right, he had thought the same thing for the last 20 years, it was his fault. He had made a decision that affected them in ways he had just started to imagine. He also knew that if he wanted to use F1 he could, it did overrule all the rest, but he wouldn't, this was clearly something she needed to do.

The team was stunned, they knew Gibbs had carried regret all these years, but they didn't know Gibbs chose to trust someone else with the lives of his family & paid the price, when he could have been there himself. At first Tony couldn't believe that Gibbs would join NIS after that, but then he realised, that Gibbs probably joined to make sure it didn't happen to anyone else's family.

He looked at his daughter who was again pacing furiously with her hands on her hips, so like her mother when she was angry, he thought. She wasn't crying or letting out any tears, he knew she was using the anger inside to keep them at bay & he understood it, he wasn't angry with her.

"Ok Kelly, your right, this one is your choice. You want to do this, I won't stand in the way. Tell us your plan & we will make it work, but I'd like to ask that you not go alone, please" Gibbs said calmly.

Kelly looked at her father, he was still sitting in his chair, just staring at her, with eyes that looked like they could burst with tears. Suddenly she realised what the conversation must of done to him, and regretted it instantly, but the anger she was feeling was keeping the tears at bay, as she hoped, so she decided to hold onto it & hoped her dad would understand.

She nodded in agreement with his request.

Tony decided given the circumstances that he should try to take some of the weight off his boss's shoulders.

"What's the plan Kelly?" he asked.

AU: So, whats Kelly's plan & will Gibbs actually be able to let her go there without him?