Disclaimer: NCIS and all characters relating to that show are not mine, I make no money from this. They belong to people other than me. I claim all original characters in the story.

AN: This story came out of nowhere and attacked me, forcing me to write it. I hope you enjoy and buckle in for a great ride. Enjoy. dark rolling sea.

Chapter One: Beginnings

Johanna Conrad finished cleaning up the living room. She looked at her eleven year old daughter and smiled. The child seemed to be in a deep state of boredom, causing Johanna to frown as she sat down next to her.

"Nic, you ok?" she asked sweetly.

"Just nothing to do, mom," she replied with a sigh.

"I'm sure you can find something…"

"This sucks," she whined and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nicole Samantha."

"Come on, mom! I'm so bored here!"

"I know it's difficult when we move to a new base, but, honey, I can't help it when they repost me."

"I know," she said softly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sure you'll find a friend soon. School starts up again in a few days."

"Joy," the girl said rolling her eyes. She hated starting in a new school. It was the fourth move they had made in her life, always packing up and moving just when you get settled enough in your old life. She hated being a military daughter.

Her mother was a Lt. Commander in the Navy and that meant moving every few years from base to base. At least her mother didn't have to go to sea for six months at a time, or over to Iraq. That was the only plus in Nicole's eyes.

The girl shook her head and got up from the couch. Her mother watched her carefully as she aimlessly walked around the new living room. Nicole then stopped and stared at the pictures on the mantel.

"Want to go shopping? I don't have to report for duty until tomorrow," Johanna said with a smile. Nicole looked at her expectantly but then shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to shop. Her mother frowned.

"It's ok, mom, I'm just going to go unpack my room I think," she said. To Johanna she sounded a little defeated. Johanna simply nodded and watched her daughter disappear down the hallway. She wandered into the kitchen and began unpacking the items bound for that room.

Nicole hummed softly to herself as she unpacked her clothes and other belongings into her new room. She looked around at the starch white walls and sighed. She found the box with her posters in them and started to hang them on the walls, making the place look less like a mental institution and more like a bedroom. After the posters were on the wall she sat on the bed and stared at them, admiring her work. She decided this would do.

It had been a few hours since her conversation with her mom and she was starting to feel hungry now. She made her way into the kitchen and found her mother sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She looked up and smiled at Nicole.

"We eating soon?" Nicole asked taking a seat next to her mother.

"What do you feel like eating?"

"I don't know," she said drumming her fingers idly on the table.

"I was thinking of ordering delivery. Anything in particular you want?"

"I guess pizza will do," Nicole said with a smile. Johanna smiled in return and pulled out her cell phone. Nicole got up and walked away after her mother started the order and sat in the living room. She flipped the television on and surfed for a while never really settling on anything. Finally the food arrived and she and her mother ate in relative silence in the dining room. They were cleaning up the mess when Johanna finally broke the silence.

"I start tomorrow, so that means you're on your own. You start school on Tuesday," Johanna said as she tossed the empty pizza box into the trash.

"Ok," Nicole said softly.

"You ok, honey?"

"I just don't like a new place," she said quietly, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I know it's tough on you, but you'll start school in two days and things will be better."

Nicole just nodded and walked off towards her room. She shut the door and Johanna felt horrible for putting her daughter through this, but her career in the Navy meant a lot to her. She knew that once Nicole started at her new school she would be better off, she would make new friends and fit in.

The first couple weeks were always the toughest when they made a move, Johanna wasn't too worried about her daughter's mood. She knew eventually it would be ok. They would settle in and this would become home.

Gibbs sat in the interrogation room with a sailor. He was silent, and had been for five minutes, making the sailor sweat. He was also starting to shake. Gibbs continued to pretend to read a file, finally the sailor broke.

"Why am I here?" he said wiping his hands on his pants. Gibbs noticed the gesture and smiled softly.

"You tell me," Gibbs said calmly, watching him closely.

"I don't know," the sailor said, his voice cracking slightly.

"So you have no clue why we would want to question you?"

"No, sir."

"Don't call me sir," Gibbs barked harshly. "You're here, son, because you're involved in smuggling information."

"No, si…no."

"Don't try to deny it, sailor, we already have the evidence to lock you up. What I want is who you were helping."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the sailor said his voice full of stress. His hands were damp and his forehead had beads of sweat dripping down his face.

"There is no use in lying to me, sailor. Either you go to jail alone, or you can take whoever it is that paid you with you. Let me tell you it will look better for you if you talk to me in the long run."

The young sailor seemed to contemplate this last statement and then looked up at Gibbs. He wet his lips and took a breath. He waited, still thinking about the consequences of his actions, prior to and including this moment.

"If I give you the ring you go easier on me?"

"Maybe," Gibbs said leaning back in his chair. The sailor thought, eyeing Gibbs suspiciously.

"Why would I help you then if you don't give me a guarantee?"

"Tell you what, I'll just leave and you can do 20 to 30 for treason," Gibbs said flatly and started to gather up his things.

"Wait," the sailor said reaching out with his hand. He came close to, but never made contact with Gibbs. Gibbs stopped what he was doing, placing both hands firmly on the table in front of him.

"I'm listening," Gibbs said. It was then that the sailor spewed everything he knew to Gibbs about the divulging of information that had been going on for six months. After he was done Gibbs left the interrogation room and had Tony and Ziva start working on putting the new information to good use.

Gibbs went back to his desk and started to look into what the sailor had told him. They were close to bringing down this information leak now and Gibbs was happy. This was going to break this ring of smugglers once and for all.

They finally had all the names they needed and were putting together the finishing touches on the evidence against the main players. Gibbs gave McGee, Tony, and Ziva the go ahead to arrest the members of the ring. Case closed.

They sat in the bullpen doing the paperwork that was needed after a bust of this magnitude. Each one had their reports to prepare, crosscheck, and file. They were quiet as they plugged away at their work. Finally the day ended and the members of the squad left one by one.

It was just Gibbs when he looked at the clock. It was after nine in the evening. He grabbed his coat and headed for his house. Upon arriving he still didn't sleep. He went to the basement and started to work on his boat. It had been awhile since he had worked on her, the case taking up most of his time. It felt good to get back to her. He lost himself in the motions and euphoria that came with the manual work.

He woke the next morning under the boat with the plane sitting next to him, his hand still on the handle. He sat up slowing avoiding smacking his head off the ribbing of the boat and stretched his legs. He looked over at where he kept the sniper rifle locked and thought momentarily of Kate. He shook his head and took a deep breath. It would not be one of those days.

TBC…