Title: Protection Equals Love

Summary: Lead up and after math of 9x24 Til Death Do Us Part. Charlotte and Allison had come in to have lunch with their fathers.

Disclaimer: I only own Allison and Charlotte.

A/N: I don't think I'm quote as happy with this as I thought I would be.

May 15, 2012

Charlotte Gibbs and Allison DiNozzo were laughing when the elevator opened. The teens had met at the front gate and walked through the yard together. They had been talking about where their fathers were going to take them. The girls were lucky that they had been home-schooled but like most of their school mates they were about to start their summer vacation before the start of senior year, and right now they were at the Navy Yard for lunch with Dad.

"…relay a message to Agent Gibbs, if you'd be so kind. Tell him that I was never interested in Director Vance." A voice said, sounding like a recording.

"Man's got a funny way of showing his lack of interest." Charlotte and Allison shared a looked before following Vance into the bullpen.

"Guy's got stones, I'll give him that." A man the girls didn't recognize said.

"Should you still be here?" Tony asked from where he stood.

"Fires were set on the ships and at Agent Larson's home." Tim said from in front of his computer.

"He took Director Vance…" Ziva said.

"And destabilized Dr. Ryan. Why?" Vance said.

"Because she's a brain-gamer. He didn't want her finding out what was next." Gibbs said.

"What is next?" Tony asked. Gibbs glanced at Vance seeing the keys in his hand and briefcase he held.

"You going somewhere, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"Pentagon. Meeting with SECNAV." Vance said, slowly.

"McGee, playback Dearing's call, isolate the background." Gibbs asked.

"What are you looking for, Boss?" He asked. Gibbs didn't respond until the recording started.

"Bells at the Navy chapel. Drums are Commandant's Own, Leon, over at Eighth and I. He is nearby." He said, hearing all aspects of the background noise.

"What's he waiting for?" Tony mused.

"Ziva, when we found the Director's Car what else we find?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing. There were no prints. No signs of tampering. Nothing was touched." She said.

"You mean, we didn't strip it down?" He asked.

"There was no reason to." She said.

"Director he's not after you; he's after your car. He placed something inside it." Gibbs said.

"Where is it parked?" Ziva asked.

"Just outside this building." Vance said his eyes on Gibbs.

"Evacuate get everybody out of here. Clear the building, call the bomb squad," Gibbs said suddenly noticing his daughter and goddaughter standing there, looking lost, "girls…what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Lunch with you and Tony. Why?" Charlotte asked.

"You have to leave, right now. It's not safe." He said.

"But Dad," Charlotte started.

"No Charlotte, I don't time for this right now. You and Allison need to go get out and as far as you can from the building. There's something there we need to shut it down." He said, going back to ignoring them.

"Gibbs, you know I was bomb disposal." The man said.

"They're already on their way." Gibbs stated.

"Not fast enough." Was the reply. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Yeah. Come on." Gibbs grabbed the chain on the handcuffs.

"Dad!" Charlotte called, "what is going on?!"

"You two, stay with Tim. You leave with him. Tim – you look after them with your life." Gibbs warned the young man.

"On it, Boss." Tim promised. He adored his sisters and he would protect them with his life.

"McGee! Get out! Now!" Vance shouted down to his agent still downloading from the computer. Tim had decided that he'd remain – not just to get the girls out but to also download all his could in Harper Dearing. If Gibbs lived through this – they'd need to make Dearing pay for his crimes against the US Navy and Marine Corps. And if they lost Gibbs…well there wouldn't be anywhere in Earth that Dearing could go where Abby Sciuto wouldn't find him. And with Ziva, Tim and Tony on his tail – he wouldn't be able to hide anywhere.

"Just one second, Director." Tim glanced at the teenaged girls standing near him, "girls, curls up under Tony and Ziva's desks, just in case we get caught. I'd rather I get hurt rather than you both. Curl up and close your eyes." He told them, Charlotte curled herself up under Tony's desk and Allison curled up beside her. Both girls felt safer with Tony then with Ziva – and they could still watch Tim from where they were. It surprised him that two 17 year old girls could huddle together underneath the partition and still be relatively comfortable.

"Almost done." He said pulling the USB stick from his computer. He had the files he needed and now he just had to get the girls out and safe and then it'd be fine.

"Tim? Is it going to be, ok?" Allison asked beginning to move out from under her father's desk.

"Better safe than sorry, Ally. If anyone can defuse this bomb before it blows it's Gibbs and Cole." Tim told them, Charlotte and Allison turned back to get their bags when, just as Tim began to stride towards the exit, the explosion rocked the building if Tim's ears weren't ringing from the sound of the explosion, it would have been from the screams of two teenaged girls huddled together under the desk of his Senior Field Agent. Their screams not just from the force or noise of the explosion but because of the fact the partition nearly flattened them.

Gibbs slowly sat up from where he and Abby lay on the floor of her lab. Her Caf-POW! had spilt onto the floor around them and it would get sticky soon, but otherwise they were ok. Abby had a small abrasion on her neck but she seemed to be in good health. Both were shaken and Gibbs had a ringing in his ears from the explosion. He would be surprised if he still had most of his hearing now. Though all the explosions he'd been through – three now he counted, he had never had to protect anyone but himself and he'd been shielding Abby from the brunt of it, she still got hurt.

"Gibbs…are you ok?" Abby asked in a small voice, she was terrified of what else could happen – like an earthquake had aftershock was there more explosions to come?

"Yeah, Abs. I'm ok. Are you ok?" He asked, turning to look at her, she looked shaken and ready to cry, she seemed to be ok physically but the emotional and psychological scars would take a long time to heal.

"Yeah. Headache that's all." She said truthfully.

"All right, let's go out to the street and find out how the rest of the team are faring." Gibbs said, a small smile on his face.

"Where were they?" Abby asked, she had thought they had all got out. But then, she figured, they are Team Gibbs and they are fearless and forever.

"Tony and Ziva were emptying the offices down by interrogation and Tim was in the bullpen with Charlotte and Allison." Gibbs said.

"Charli and Ally were here? Why?" Abby cried, she would have thought Tony and Gibbs would have told them to stay home.

"Apparently, Tony and I had planned to take the girl to lunch. Guess that won't be happening now." Gibbs said, shaking his head.

"Aren't you worried?" She asked, is she had a daughter who had turned up unexpectedly at the Navy Yard and this happened – she would have been frantic to find her.

"I have every faith in Tim to look after them. Even if they didn't make it out, I know Tim would put his life on the line to look after those girls." Gibbs said, confidently.

Outside there was noise and people everywhere. Gibbs made sure Abby got her neck seen to and he continued looking around for his team, Tony and Ziva had been downstairs so they only way they would have been caught would be in the stairwell – because he figured they wouldn't break protocol and take the elevator…right? And Tim had been in the bull pen with the girls. He hoped they were all ok, Tim would put his life on the line for his 'Mini-Gibbs' and 'Disney Princess'.

"Gibbs." He turned at the voice.

"Director, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. It was my car. It was my car." Vance said.

"Yeah." Gibbs agreed.

"Director Vance?" They looked up; Clayton Jarvis was walking towards them.

"Mr. Secretary." Vance greeted.

"Agent Gibbs. Casualties?" he asked.

"Yes." Vance said.

"How many?" Jarvis asked.

"Enough." Vance told him. "there's plenty of damage too."

"The president was just briefed on the situation. I'll need details and a plan of action." Jarvis said, glancing around at the activity around him.

"Pardon me, Director." A voice took Vance's attention.

"Excuse me." He excused himself, stepping away.

"The plan is I find the rest of my team, sir." Gibbs said, "and my daughter and Goddaughter."

"Of course. FBI and other agencies are coming in, making it a joint effort. We won't stop until we find Dearing. Nobody does this to the United States Navy." Jarvis said.

"So, the building is sound. There's a couple of areas off limits, but most offices are accessible." Vance said returning to them.

"Good. Find your people. Make sure they're safe and then I want this son of a bitch." Jarvis said. Gibbs turned back to look at them and gave him a blank look before replying.

"You and me both." He said. If his girls were hurt – well there'd be hell to pay.

Gibbs slowly walked into the bullpen to see Tim standing looking around at the destruction. He made his way over to his agent.

"Hey, boss." Tim said.

"Are you okay?" Jethro asked him, looking over his face, he seemed to be unharmed.

"Uh yeah I think so, you?" Tim asked.

"Where's Tony and Ziva?" Jethro asked, moving to his desk. He picked up his phone, dead.

"Um, elevator. Workers are on it." Tim said, Gibbs walked around his desk and gripped Tim's shoulders, he really needed Tim's attention.

"Tim, I need you to focus. Can you do that?" Gibbs asked, the agent nodded, "OK, good. Now, Tim – where are the girls? Charlotte and Allison? Uh…Mini-Gibbs and Disney Princess where are they?"

"Uh…T-Tony's desk." Gibbs turned to the desk in question and saw the petition was partially bent over he could now hear sobbing.

"Charli? Ally?" He called kneeling down.

"Uncle Leroy?" Allison's green eyes found his blue ones before Charlotte spoke.

"Dad?" She crawled out with Allison beside her.

"Yeah, come on out, girls. It's ok now. Be careful it's a bit dusty. Watch the glass." Gibbs guided two still shaking girls out from under the petition – once they were free, he found himself with an armful of teenaged girls. They held him tightly and cried softly into his shoulders.

"Is it over, Dad?" Charlotte asked, her voice hushed.

"Yeah, it's over now, Charli. We're ok." Gibbs wished like hell that was true. He had no idea if Ziva and Tony were ok, he hoped that Tim was only stunned and he had no idea whom had actually died that day.

"Feels really warm in here." Tim suddenly said, "Think I'm gonna go get some fresh air." As he began to take his jacket off, Allison and Charlotte both made noises of alarm.

"Hey, stop." Jethro said suddenly on his feet and stopping his agent.

"What?" Jethro reached out and carefully pulled Tim's jacket away from Tim side, "Uh, oh."

Tobias Fornell had bought food on his way to their house, Charlotte and Kayla Vance sat up in Charlotte's room. Kayla had been worried about her dad but once hearing he was ok, had asked after her friends.

"What did Tobias bring for dinner?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know. But I told Dad we'd order pizza." Charlotte said.

"Well, Pizza is an option." Kayla agreed.

"Tobias asked after us as soon as he saw my dad you know. He asked after me and Ally – his adopted nieces he says." Charlotte said, "and then Tobias asked if you were ok. But, of course, you weren't there."

"No, but I had wanted to when I heard you and Ally were going to have lunch with you dad's, remember?" Kayla asked, Charlotte nodded.

"Oh yeah, you called your dad to ask and he refused." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, so that is the only reason why I wasn't there." Kayla agreed.

"I'm glad you weren't there. Ally and I were lucky but I don't think you would have fit beside us under Tony's desk. You would have had to cower under Ziva's." Charlotte said.

"Still…my father would have been frantic. Right next to yours in that bull pen finding out if we were ok. I'm glad that you're ok, Charli." Kayla said hugging her friend.

"So am I, Kay. So am I." Charlotte said returning the hug. Charlotte knew that right now, Allison was more than likely hugging her father, assuring each other that they were all right.

July 11, 2012

Charlotte watched as her father packed up his Marine backpack. She didn't want him to do it, but she also knew she couldn't stop him, couldn't change his mind.

"Dad…do you really have to do this?" She asked him as they stood in bull pen.

"It's a choice I've made, Charli. You know-" Jethro started she cut him off.

"I can't change your mind, yeah I know." She said.

"Have I ever not come back?" He whispered to her; she shook her head.

"You always come back, Dad. It's just…I wish I could change your mind." Charlotte said.

"McGee?" Jethro looked at his junior agent.

"Getting the address now, Boss." He said typing away on is the computer, there was a long pause where Gibbs continued to pack things in his backpack, and Charlotte let herself be embraced by Tony, her big brother holding her safe.

"Do not give it to him, McGee. He's being a stubborn fool." Ziva snapped when McGee stood up, they glanced at her, "Okay, but you're definitely being stubborn." Ziva snapped.

"McGee." Jethro held out his hand.

"It's the address. You sure you don't want any company?" Tim asked.

"Yeah."

"Vance knows?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, he does, every bit of it." Jethro said.

"This is infuriating." Ziva said.

"Ziva is upset." Tony pointed out obviously.

"What's a four-letter word for surviving a terrorist attack?" Jethro asked as he passed them.

"Luck." Tony said.

"Watch out for each other." Jethro said, wanting them to be safe.

September 25, 2012

Charlotte walked next to her father into the Navy Yard, the plaque that had been erected on the grounds stood out among the people going to their jobs, protecting the United States Navy and Marine Corps, not to mention the many other jobs that were conducted in the yard.

May 15, 2012

A DAY OF LOSS.

A DAY OF SORROW.

A DAY TO REMEMBER

AND VOW THIS WILL

NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

"Dad? What are you thinking?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm watching for now, Charli. Do you see? There? Tony and Ziva? Tim, Palmer and Abby?" he said, seeing all the members of his team.

"Yeah, and there's Leon." Charlotte said pointing out the Director, who – when he spotted them – acknowledged Tony and Ziva.

"Things are back to normal, Charli. And you're back at school." Jethro said.

"Allison, Kayla and me. All of us." Charlotte agreed.

"Are you here to stay and study here with Ally? Or are you going to go home and study?" He asked, he had seen Allison earlier she had given her father a kiss on the cheek then made her way inside, to start her school day. Both Charlotte and Allison were emailed their work from the school that had teachers to look over their work but they didn't have to be in class. At least until they had to attend mid-term and end of year exams. He would hazard a guess that Kayla may have pestered her father to home-school her, but he knew Kayla enjoyed the school scene. Plus, the girls would never get any work done.

"Here if I can. I do have one question though." Charlotte said, of this she was curious.

"Of course." He said, shaking his head. Always with the questions.

"Why did you enlist in the Marine Corps Dad? Why did you make the choice to leave Stillwater and go and fight in Kuwait, Iraq and anywhere else you were sent?" She asked.

"The same reasons Evan Dearing had when he joined the Navy." Jethro said, after hearing the recording of why Evan had joined the Navy, he realized that Evan's reason were the same his.

Charlotte hadn't heard the recording, "Yeah?" She had always wondered what drove him to put his life on the line while overseas and then again here in the US in his day job.

"Yeah. I love this country and I wanted to protect our country and protect what it stands for. So, I did. I signed up right out of High School and was accepted into boot camp. My father wasn't happy about it, but then he wasn't happy about most stuff I did." Jethro said.

"He loved you, he wanted to protect you. Just like you protect me." Charlotte said.

"Yeah. I love him too. And I love you all the more for knowing that's why I'm so harsh sometimes." Jethro said kissing the top of her head.