The rest of the week was more than a little hectic. Not just with work, either. He and Shannon had done a couple of more things around the house - including changing the locks and getting an alarm system for some peace of mind. Well, the alarm installation was actually happening today.

He, Shannon, and Kelly also had to sit down with the FBI, Tobias having immediately opened an investigation into exactly what had happened back in '91.

He and Tobias had actually gotten into it some when the other man told him that one of the medical records clerks at the hospital Jethro had been admitted to was Keegan Anderson who they had figured out was Roy Evans' brother-in-law. That proved to be a huge issue since Evans was Benson Long's cousin and they knew, but couldn't prove even all these years later, that Pedro Hernández was working for Long.

They'd never been able to get any dirt on Long that would stick and Jethro doubted they were going to have much luck with Anderson or Evans.

They weren't overly concerned that they were in any danger at the moment, but they could all agree that they wanted to figure out just what had happened back then. The whole situation had brought up more questions than answers, and Jethro, in particular, did not like unanswered questions.

Besides all of that, however, Jethro had also ended up working more than a couple of late nights. The team had caught multiple cases and, as such, they were quite busy. Friday was, thankfully, a lot less chaotic than the rest of the week.

One case had, blessedly, been rather open and shut. The other, not so much. They'd had a double homicide to crack, and the case kept throwing curveballs. By late Friday afternoon, however, they'd figured out that a Seaman had done because their victims, a Petty Officer 1st Class and a Chief Petty Officer respectively had taken their hazing a little too far, the Seaman evidently snapping.

Jethro had just got out of the director's office from debriefing Vance on the case and, before he'd even made it to the stairs, he spotted his daughter walking into the squad room. He and the girls were supposed to go out for dinner that evening and he figured that his wife had just sent their daughter in to grab him.

He didn't immediately head down to the squad room, however, staying out of the way enough that he could hear what was going on but they wouldn't notice him.

"Hi," he heard Kelly say, "is Agent Gibbs here?"

"Yes, Agent Gibbs is," Ziva replied, "but he is up with the director at the moment."

"It might be a bit of a wait," DiNozzo informed Kelly, visibly checking her out while he talked. "Maybe I could help?"

His daughter gave DiNizzo a sideways smile. "I'm fine, thanks, Agent-?"

"I am Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," the Senior Field Agent stated, holding his hand out to Kelly. "And yes, you are."

Kelly feigned exasperation. "Well, Agent DiNozzo, I'd totally give you my number, but I'm not sure my girlfriend would be thrilled about it."

Jethro couldn't hold back a chuckle as the words left his daughter's mouth. Kelly didn't have a girlfriend and was purely just putting him on. The laughter did give away the fact that he was nearby, however.

He didn't comment on what he'd overheard though, Ziva jumping in to introduce him. "This is Special Agent Gibbs. This young lady needs to speak with you."

"I know," Kelly said with a cheeky grin. "Hi, Dad."

"Dad?" DiNozzo repeated, clearly a little caught off guard by just who it was exactly that was standing in front of him.

"Yupp," Kelly said with a small laugh.

"Hi, Kel." Jethro then proceeded to take a few steps forward and give his daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was the drive?"

"Good," she said, a warm smile playing on her lips.

The young woman then proceeded to offer all of his agents as well as his forensic scientist her hand. "Kelly Anne Gibbs."

"Ziva David."

"Anthony DiNozzo."

"Timothy McGee."

"Abby Scuito."

Kelly gave a curt nod. "It's nice to meet you all, but -" His daughter's gaze then landed on Jethro. "- we've got to run. Dinner reservations."

"Go home," he told his agents. "Reports can wait until Monday."

As he and Kelly started making their way over to the elevator Jethro could just make out a comment by DiNozzo. "Even with Gibbs as a father, I'd date her."

Slowing his pace, Jethro fired back a reply. He thought of his Senior Field Agent like a son, but he knew the man and his streak with women. There was no way that he'd let that happen in a million years. "Never more than once, Bubba."

"Of course not, Jefe!" DiNozzo replied quickly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Jethro didn't stop to see the younger man's expression but he smirked when he heard the snickering coming from Ziva, Abby, and McGee.

His daughter raised an eyebrow, trying to appear irritated, but the glint in Kelly's eyes betrayed her amusement. "Is he always like that?"

Jethro pulled Kelly to his side for a one-arm hug, chuckling softly as he did so. "Most of the time. Come on, Kid. Let's not keep your mother waiting."

"Is the big tough Marine scared of his wife?" Kelly teased.

Jethro eyed his daughter. "No, just a healthy respect for a strong, independent woman who'll put her foot up my ass."

Kelly snickered. "Sure, sure."

He rolled his eyes, feigning exasperation. "Cheeky brat."

Kelly shook her head in amusement as they got into the elevator.

Walking out of the NCIS building with his daughter, it didn't take long for Jethro to spot the silver Toyota Camry; Shannon's car. She had managed to find pretty close parking, as people had already started going home.

Opening the car door, Jethro hopped in and immediately leaned over and gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek. "How was your day?"

"Good," Shannon replied, squeezing his thigh.

"Everything go alright with the alarm company?" he questioned.

"Yes," Shannon assured him. "Everything went smoothly. I'll show you the code and give you a quick walk-through when we get home."

"Perfect," he said. "But first things first, let's grab some chow."

His wife shook her head at him in fond exasperation. "Spoken like a true Marine."

"Don't mess with mess, Mom!" Kelly chimed in. "Ain't that right, Sir?"

"You know it, Sergeant Reckless!" Jethro replied without missing a beat, causing his daughter to giggle and his wife to immediately groan.

Yes, it definitely good to have his girls back in his life.