Disclaimer: The characters of NCIS don't belong to me? Oooo, my bad. sheepish grin
The wonderful lyrics here and there are from John Mayer's "Daughters". It's a beautiful song.

Rating: PG-13 (for safety)

AN: I'm TATE, but who can help loving Mark Harmon? He's not old! Only- ticks aways the years on her fingers, then blushes er, 38 years my senior. Ouch! grimaces Senior... shakes head We're not gonna say that again. Nope. shakes off the creepy feeling All better now. On to the story...

They'd both failed her.

Leroy slowly shook his head in agonized remembrance. He and his first wife had put their daughter, Alyssa through Hell. The constant arguing and yelling had begun when Ally was about 11 and lasted until the marriage was over. They'd finally divorced after 16 year old Alyssa ran away during one of their midnight tempests.

He and Carrie had screamed at each other into the early morning, and when their daughter didn't get up for school, they checked her room. She was gone.

They frantically called the cops and all of Alyssa's friends' houses. The police finally found her at school. It turned out she'd stayed at a friend's house and ridden the bus with her.

When her parents asked why she'd snuck out, she simply said, "I couldn't take it anymore." Then she'd said that they were going to get a divorce or she was leaving both of them.

So began the divorce saga of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Gibbs had gotten weekend and partial holiday custody. After her senior year in high school, Alyssa had stopped coming altogether. Aside from the occassional holiday cards, he hadn't spoken to his only daughter in over 10 years.

And he had no one to blame but himself. He hadn't been a good husband. But for that, he would've been a wonderful father. He'd had a blast with Ally when she was young. But as his marriage grew stagnate, and the love for his wife died, so did his laughter.

Because of that, Gibbs constantly worried about his daughter. After all, didn't daughters seek out the same relationships with men as they witnessed between their own parents? And despite how much children promise themselves they won't be like their parents, many end up that way.

Leroy sighed. It was a lesson all parents should learn: The cycle you set comes full circle.

Fathers be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

AN: Sorry this is short. It may branch out into different subjects, or, turn into a background piece on Gibbs. Actually, I think I'll do the former and use this first chapter as a prequel to a background piece. Heehehe