ok, here is the 2nd chapter guys, sorry its not soo Kibbsy, kinda sappy somewhat... but i hope you like it anyways...LOL HUGE THANKS TO BY BETA AND THOSE WHO ACTUALLY REPLIED! 257 hits, and 8 replies, at least i know its being read, but i love your opinions! please please reply or i'll hold of on the chaps...and the next couple chaps are hillarious (in mine and my beta's opinion...) you've been warned...nothing but a bit of blackmail wouldn't hurt...right!

disclaimer in 1st chapter

Chapter 2

Gibbs was in the backyard grilling the steaks while his teenage daughter was in the kitchen attempting to make a salad with what remained in the fridge. It was quite a domestic scene. One that Gibbs had missed. Grace or Gracie as he liked to call her was a product of his second marriage, the only good thing to come out of that doomed union. She was only 8 years old when he and Claire had divorced. To say that Gracie was distraught was an understatement. She was the typical daddy's little girl, her first words were 'dada', her first steps were towards Gibbs and they never said 'good bye' when he had to go out of town for work, it was always 'Semper Fi'. When they divorced, Gracie unwillingly went to live with her mother at her grandparent's estate in Washington DC. He visited her whenever he could and when he couldn't, he called. Gracie was 11 when Claire had remarried. Her relationship with her mother had become quite bitter in the pre teen years. Gracie refused to live with her mother, opting to remain with her grandparents up until 4 years ago when she turned up on Gibbs' doorstep suitcase in one hand and carry bag slung over one shoulder, teary smile on her face "Daddy I'm home!" The father-daughter bond had never been stronger since that day.

"Eeww! DAD THERE'S SOMETHING GROWING IN HERE! IT'S GREEN AND IT'S GROWING AND THERE'S LOTS OF IT!" He carrying the steaks back inside to the kitchen where Grace was standing about a meter away from fridge its door wide open. Gibbs shook his head; he would never understand how his daughter could go from begging Ducky to let her 'assist' with an autopsy to baulking at the sight of a vegetable.

"Gracie, they're sprouts, not an alien mass of mold growing in my fridge. Kate must have bought them when she picked up some groceries for me." Overcoming her initial shock of something so disgusting sitting in the fridge, she looked at her dad.

"I guess that explains the cottage cheese, hold up, Kate went grocery- shopping for you?"

"Well yeah, how else was I supposed to get food with you in New York with your grandparents and me with a gunshot wound." Grace just raised her eyebrow in a disbelieving way, almost perfecting her father's trademark look.

Grace and Kate had met 3 years ago when she was still with the Secret Service. There was a fundraiser in DC, the event being held at one of Grace's grandparent's properties. The two had crossed paths when a senator's son had began harassing her during the night, and Kate was there to see a pissed off Grace pour a jug of coke over the boy's head. His parents were not happy; Kate had to deal with an irate Senator and an equally irate Grace Gibbs. For the rest of that night, Grace had been banished to the study until the Senator had left, leaving Kate to 'baby-sit'. Ever since then the two of them had kept in touch, Kate filling in the void left by Claire. Both were equally surprised to discover that Kate was now working with her Dad.

"Grace?"

"Kate?"

"What are you doing here?"

They had bumped in to each other as Kate left the bullpen and Grace stepping off the elevator at NCIS HQ, Tony looking up curiously from the Super Mario game on his computer, and Gibbs pretending to ignore the little reunion.

"I'm working here now under a Special Agent Gibbs, what are you doing here?"

"OMIGOD! You're working with Dad, you're the Kate?"

"Dad?" repeated Kate, missing the 'the Kate' comment.

"Uh, yeah Gibbs is my Dad!" Kate was doing a good goldfish impression.

Tony nosily asked, "You two know each other?" Kate started to laugh and Gibbs looked up.

"Uh, yeah well first impressions were great, we met over a $200 dry cleaning bill at a fundraiser in DC."

Dinner was eaten outside in the warmth of the summer afternoon. Gibbs was pushing the remainder of the salad around on his plate, and Grace trying to figure out how to put phase one of Operation: Get Kate and Gibbs together.

"You know Dad, if you don't like the salad I can go and add some of that foresty looking sprout stuff that Kate bought." Gibbs rolled his eyes and threw his napkin at her. The gruff exterior that everyone was so used to, disappeared when he was with his daughter. People would be shocked to find that he actually enjoyed the torture of chaperoning the teenage girls outing with a friend, picking out prom dresses and accessory…things. If anybody asked, he was defending his credit card.

"Speaking of Kate, is something wrong? She seemed… distracted" 'oh I'll bet she was distracted' thought Grace.

"Well she has a lot on her mind at the moment," continuing as Gibbs gave her one of his 'get on with it looks.' "Why don't you ask her dad? I don't exactly want to divulge any information that could incriminate me to the wrath of Kate. I've seen what she did to Tony… not pretty. Maybe you should just ask her, I'm sure she'd like, I mean appreciate that." Gibbs narrowed his eyes at his daughter. Grace was aware of his feelings for Kate, there was very little that he could hide from her. "Hmm," Grace rolled her eyes. For such a gung-ho retired marine, the man was a complete wimp when it came to confronting his feelings about anything.

For the remainder of the night, Grace kept dropping a few hints about Kate and the wedding, and her little issue, knowing that her dad was pretending to ignore it all acting like the detached boss that he was, but was really taking it all in.

"Goodnight Daddy"

"Night Gracie," Gibbs replied distractedly.

Grace smiled to herself, ringing Abby on her way up to bed, "Phase one successful".

TBC...

ok guys, this is where you come in...please review! i even got rid of the login thing, so you can review as anonymous! i truly do value your opinions!