Interview

Tony sat at his desk the next morning, looking through his notes and pondering his approach to the upcoming interview with Mike Franks.

Vance had been all for letting Franks cool his heels in an interrogation room, but Tony felt that was excessive. He was certain Franks had been telling the truth, that he'd really thought Samantha Kendall was Kelly; he could almost believe Franks wouldn't have been able to pick out Kelly back then if she'd been the one girl in a line-up full of pre-teen boys, he'd paid so little attention to 'the kid' as he kept reverting to calling her on the trip back to DC. In any case, putting Franks in interrogation would only get the man's back up and he'd be uncooperative, to say the least.

Tony's desk phone rang and he answered it; Franks had arrived. Tony thanked the security guard and hung up, flipping through the various notes and pictures one last time. Decisions made, he nodded to himself, closed the folder and stood, glancing around the bullpen. It was quiet; Tim had a day off after their excursion to Mexico, and Ziva had gone downstairs to talk with Ducky. Tony strode to the elevator and was there to greet Franks as the doors opened.

"Probie," Franks said, giving him a nod.

"Franks," Tony replied. "Come on, let's go to a conference room."

Franks raised an eyebrow. "Really? Thought for sure you'd be sticking me in interrogation."

"Nah," Tony said, smiling slightly. "That was Vance's idea."

Franks huffed out a breath, making Tony smile wider as he led the way.

A few minutes later, they were seated in the conference room, across the table from each other, each with decent coffee Tony had sent an actual probie to fetch. Franks sipped warily, and the surprise showed on his face when he found it to his liking. He shot Tony a look, and Tony sent a fake grin in return. "I pay attention," he said.

Franks simply raised both eyebrows and took another sip. Tony flipped open the folder and looked at his notes, then up at the retired agent. "Look," he began, "yeah, you screwed up when you ID'd that girl as Kelly, but I don't think it was out of malice."

"'Course not," Franks said gruffly.

"We need to figure out if anyone else was involved, if someone made an intentional switch."

"Why would anyone do that?" Franks' expression clearly said that this was a waste of time.

Tony leaned forward. "Maybe someone thought Kelly was in danger and was trying to protect her. Was anyone else in the protection detail on duty at the time?"

Franks shook his head. "No… we had an agent waiting at the safe house, and one driving. The others had just gone off shift and went home."

Tony made a note on one of the papers in front of him. "All right, so it isn't likely that anyone made a switch for that reason." He sat back, looking at Franks seriously. "Was there anything strange when you arrived at the hospital?"

"Strange how?"

"Anyone lead you somewhere you didn't expect, any sudden changes in direction, hesitation, anything out of the ordinary?"

Franks thought about it, then shook his head. "Nothin' like that. I got there, was sent to the morgue as soon as I shared Shannon's picture."

"How many people did you talk to when you first got to the ER?"

"Oh, for Pete's sake…" Franks growled. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back. "One nurse at the desk when I walked in. Lots of people runnin' around, all that chaos from the highway accident."

Tony sat up, taking a picture out of the file. "Is this the nurse?" He pushed an enlarged driver's license photo of Lyssa Hawthorne from 1991 across the table. She had wavy blond hair and blue eyes.

Franks looked at Tony as if he were crazy, but he did take his time inspecting the picture. "No," he said finally. "Woman I spoke to had straight brown hair and was older."

"What about in the morgue?" Tony asked. "Who did you see there?"

"Some attendant. Young kid. Seemed bored. Stayed in the room until the ME came in, then left."

"Anything strange about the medical examiner?"

Franks shook his head. "Worked with him a few times before, straight-up guy. A bit rushed, 'cause of all the people and bodies they was bringin' in from that pile-up."

Tony made some more notes, then tapped on Lyssa's picture. "Did you ever see this woman while you were at the hospital?"

Franks looked at the picture again and shook his head.

Tony picked up another picture and slid it across to Franks. "What about him?"

Franks looked at the picture of Will Hawthorne. "Nope." Tony could see the man's demeanor changing from annoyed to curious. "Who are they?"

Tony indicated each picture as he answered. "Lyssa Hawthorne. ER nurse, helped take care of Kelly, eventually adopted her. Will Hawthorne, her husband."

Franks' eyes narrowed as he looked at the pictures again, taking a long sip of coffee. "You're thinkin' they saw an opportunity."

"Probably not," Tony admitted. "Just trying to cover all the angles. Seems likely this really was an accident."

Franks actually turned slightly red. "Negligence, on my part. I shoulda' seen it wasn't her."

"Why didn't you pay more attention to Kelly when she was under your protection?"

Franks shifted uncomfortably. "Wasn't used to little girls back then. Didn't know what to say to them. I wasn't actually on duty with them either, most of the time… had two shifts of two agents each, I just checked in and made the decisions. And the kid wasn't a target."

"You had to have known she could be collateral damage in an attack."

"Yeah… we did suggest the k- ah, Kelly, go stay with her grandparents, but there was some concern that Hernandez would go after the kid to get to Shannon. We had reason to believe he knew she had a child. Shannon thought it best they stay together… I wasn't gonna' argue with her." Franks shook his head. "Seemed every time I turned around I lost an argument with that woman." His tone of voice showed some admiration.

Tony looked at him thoughtfully. "Too bad you won the one you shouldn't have."

Franks winced, but didn't say anything. Tony had the feeling the man did feel responsible for Shannon's death, since he hadn't listened to her when she didn't want to move to the new safe house. He waited a moment, and when Franks didn't have anything further to say, pulled a picture of Joann, also from 1991, from the folder and handed it to Franks. "Ever see her?"

Franks stared at the picture. "Yeah. Not in person," he clarified. "Shannon's mom, right? Emergency contact?"

Tony nodded, keeping his surprise at Franks' memory off his face. "Joann Fielding."

"One of my team, Rachel Travers, she met her at the airport and took her to the hospital for the identification." His gaze moved to Tony. "Joann ID'd the dead girl as Kelly too."

Tony nodded. "Travers still with NCIS?"

Franks shook his head. "Nah, left to start a family after she married one of the guys in accounting."

"I'll have Ziva follow up this afternoon."

Franks sipped his coffee again and stared at Tony. "We coulda' done this over the phone, Probie."

Tony shook his head. "I needed to see your face. And you still have some explaining to do."

Franks shot him an exasperated look. "Now look, DiNozzo –"

"Gibbs." Tony interrupted Franks forcefully. "Kelly. They both deserve an apology at the very least. You just admitted it yourself, you were negligent. There's no way you're having those conversations over a phone."

Franks suddenly gave in, chuckling. "Probie don't talk much on the phone."

Tony nodded, suspicious of the man's sudden change. "That he doesn't."

Franks pursed his lips. "Alright. He still takin' time off?"

Tony nodded. "Wait until tomorrow… or tonight. We're getting Gibbs caught up this afternoon."

Sipping coffee again, Franks considered Tony. "Got some friends I could go see today."

Tony gathered up the pictures. "You do that."

Franks looked up at Tony as the younger man stood. "NCIS gonna foot the bill for my continued stay at the hotel?"

Tony paused and stared at him. "Since I'm telling you not to leave town, yes." He gestured toward the door.

Franks grunted, finished his coffee, then stood, tossing the cup in the trash. "All right then." He walked past Tony and out of the room, missing the clear dislike on Tony's face.

Update

Abby was the first to arrive at Gibbs' house after work. She walked in, calling his name, surprised when an answer came from above.

She walked up the stairs, eyes widening as she smelled fresh paint. Turning the corner, she saw Gibbs using a small brush to carefully get the edge around the door jamb. The hallway was now a light off-white that made the entire floor seem larger and brighter.

Gibbs smiled at her. "Hoping Kelly will move back home, figure if I make some changes…"

Abby grinned at him. "I would so be hugging you right now, but I don't want paint on my clothes."

They heard the door open, and Tim's voice calling out. Gibbs tilted his head toward the stairs. "Go on down, I'll just finish this part."

By the time he was done, had sealed the paint can, and put the brushes in a glass to soak, the entire team was scattered in his living room, including Jimmy. Tony was standing near the fireplace, and Gibbs took the empty seat on the couch between Ziva and Abby. Tim and Jimmy were on the floor next to the armchair, where Ducky sat.

Ducky spoke up before the silence could become awkward. "How is your daughter doing, Jethro?"

Gibbs smiled. "She's good. Called me on her break early this afternoon. Going to her place Wednesday for dinner."

"Say hi for all of us!" Abby exclaimed.

Gibbs nodded.

"So, Boss," Tony began, "figured we'd catch you up on what we've found so far."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "You're the boss right now, DiNozzo."

Tony shot him a smile. "You'll always be Boss to me, Boss. In fact, I'll probably be calling you Boss when you're retired and I'm, I dunno, Director of NCIS." He grinned at the minor uproar that followed that statement, enjoying the worried look on Tim's face and Ziva's expression of surprise tinged with horror. "You know, if I ever have kids, they'll probably call you Boss, Boss." His grin faltered at the strange expression on Gibbs' face. "Anyway, Abs, you want to kick this off?"

Abby turned to face Gibbs, who looked at her. "So, Ziva and I researched the highway pile up and Samantha Kendall's family." Her expression turned sad for a moment. "Joe Kendall was really down on his luck. He'd lost a lot due to gambling, but he'd gotten help and was moving his family to get a new start. He had a construction job lined up. Police report says before he died he told the first responders that he'd driven all night to get to the job on time." She frowned. "It was just him, his wife, Patricia, and their daughter Samantha. They had no close family, just a cousin somewhere in Canada. And from what we could find out with some phone calls, the gambling had taken a real toll on their friendships… they had no one, Gibbs!"

Ziva picked it up from there. "The accident report cited bald tires on slippery roads as the main cause of the crash. The entire family might have lived if they had been wearing seat belts."

Abby nodded seriously. "Samantha Kendall died from a severe head injury; we can switch the hospital records for Samantha and Sammie – I guess it's easier to refer to her as Kelly, huh? – Samantha and Kelly and figure that out pretty easily."

Gibbs glanced at Ducky, who nodded his confirmation.

Ziva continued, "The cousin was never contacted. It appears from what records we could obtain from the hospital and Child Protective Services that they did not look very hard for any family. The Kendalls had no insurance, no money… since Kelly was believed to be Samantha, she could have simply vanished into the foster care system. But one of her nurses, Lyssa Hawthorne, became her advocate, her foster parent, and she and her husband officially adopted her about two years after the accident."

They all noticed Gibbs' hands clenching into fists as he stared at the coffee table. He took a deep breath, forced himself to relax, and looked at Tony. "So why was my daughter switched with someone else?"

"I believe I may have somewhat of an answer, Jethro." Ducky sat forward, handing a folder to Abby who passed it along to Gibbs. Gibbs opened it, and flipped through the pictures and notes… then sighed and looked around for his glasses. Tony pulled a backup pair from his shirt pocket and handed them over. Gibbs nodded his thanks, put them on, and stared at the pictures of the gurneys and crowds of people in the emergency room. "As you can see," Ducky began, "the hospital was quickly overwhelmed with patients. This was the best trauma center in the area at the time, so many of the crash victims were brought there. Now," he settled back in his seat, "there were no security cameras, and no detailed records to help us definitively determine what happened –"

"And Lyssa Hawthorne died in 2006, so we can't ask her," Abby broke in.

"Yes, thank you, Abigail." Ducky looked at her for a moment before returning to his narrative. "I have constructed a timeline, which you'll find in that folder." He paused as Gibbs went through the notes until he found the relevant page. "As you can see, Shannon and Kelly were brought to the hospital not long before the Kendalls. The hospital was short-staffed, and there was a delay reflected in the records before either one was given more than a preliminary examination."

Gibbs raised his head and stared at him. "Does that mean –" his voice failed for a moment, and the room became very still. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Does that mean Shannon might have lived if she'd gotten care sooner?"

Ducky shook his head slowly, compassion for his friend evident in his face. "I'm afraid not. The current hospital administration has been very thorough, and sent me all the medical records. Shannon's injuries… well, it was likely she passed before she arrived at the hospital."

Gibbs ducked his head, and Ziva hesitantly reached over and laid her hand on his arm. Ducky continued, "Kelly's injuries, again we know this by switching the records for the two girls, while severe, were not life-threatening. We know she sustained a severe concussion and was placed in a medical coma to allow her brain to heal; the location and the extent of the injury, along with the mental and emotional trauma, do explain her memory loss, by the way. However, to return to my point, the initial assessment would have indicated she could wait while the other arriving crash victims were triaged." Ducky glanced over at Jimmy. "Mr. Palmer helped me ascertain portions of the timeline."

Jimmy spoke up, looking earnestly at Gibbs. "The Kendalls were brought in very soon after your family, and right behind them were the first ambulances from the pile up. So, we think everyone was hurrying to get patients inside, and, well, you can see from the pictures the emergency room was overcrowded."

Ducky nodded. "As a result, we do believe that the switch was entirely accidental. A misplaced gurney, a delay in getting ID bracelets on patients due to the staffing shortage and the sheer volume of incoming victims… while I cannot swear to it, I can say with confidence there was no intent on the part of any hospital staff to prompt this mistaken identity."

Gibbs nodded, looking down at the picture.

Ducky was about to continue when Tony broke in. "We did look into the Hawthornes. They had no children until they adopted Kelly, so we thought maybe they orchestrated the switch… deep dive and conversations with family and friends all give us no reason to suspect them. They couldn't have known there was no one coming for Samantha Kendall until well after the switch took place anyway." Tony glanced at Ducky, his eyes widening when he saw how exasperated the older man looked. "Ah, sorry, Ducky. What were you going to say?"

"Well," Ducky said, seemingly mollified, "there is something I would like to point out, a detail that struck me profoundly when I was examining that photograph of the chaos in the emergency room, the one I have labeled 'Photo 1'" Ducky said. "If you look at the very bottom front of the picture, Jethro, you can see it… I brought a magnifier with me for the purpose." He handed it to Abby; she looked at him curiously before giving it to Gibbs, who immediately placed it over the picture and gazed intently at it. "See the clasped hands, just there?"

Gibbs frowned, then nodded. "Barely." He handed the picture and magnifier to Abby, who looked closely, then said, "Aww! It's a man's hand holding a child's, across the gurneys!"

The picture and the magnifier were passed around until everyone had seen it. Gibbs looked at his friend. "What's the significance, Duck?"

Ducky looked slightly embarrassed. "To me, it represents hope surrounded by tragedy. Human connection. Someone was there for that child. I thought it worth pointing out in the midst of all the heartache these events caused."

"I think it might represent more than that, Ducky," Tim said slowly. Everyone looked at him. "That's the emergency room entrance in the back of the picture, right?"

"That's right," Ducky agreed.

"Well… if Shannon and Kelly were brought in first –"

"They might have been moved to the far wall to make room for more patients!" Tony broke in. "Nice, McThinker!"

Tim grinned at the praise. It was Jimmy who took it to the next step. "So… that child might actually be Kelly."

Ziva met his eyes. "And the man holding her hand… he would be conscious, yes? And if he is Joseph Kendall…"

Gibbs spoke slowly. "He might have thought Kelly was his daughter, and told the nursing staff she was Samantha."

Everyone fell silent.

Slowly, reluctantly, Tony pointed out, "No time stamp on that picture… no way to tell when it was taken relative to the highway accident."

Tim looked at him. "Yeah," he admitted. "It could be anyone."

"Of course," Ducky said, "this is entirely speculative… but it would explain much."

Gibbs sighed. "Not the fact that Mike and Joann identified Samantha Kendall as Kelly."

"That's my cue," Tony declared. All eyes turned to him. "I spoke at length with Franks this morning." His eyes met Gibbs'. "He should be coming to see you, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow." Tony's expression hardened. "Let me know if he doesn't, and I'll track the bastard down."

"I'll help," Ziva stated firmly.

Tony gave her a smile and a nod before continuing. "What Sammie… sorry, Kelly said about Franks ignoring her – he admits to it. He was supervising the detail, but rarely actually on site. He had two pairs of agents in rotation." He raised his hands defensively as Gibbs' expression morphed into a glare. "Not defending him, Boss! No defense possible, and he admits it. He assumed."

Gibbs reached up to rub at his forehead, while Ziva swore softly in Hebrew.

"Which leaves Joann," Abby commented, leaning forward to look at Ziva.

Ziva exhaled loudly. "That woman… she is difficult. Stubborn." She looked at Gibbs. "She refused to believe Kelly is Kelly at first, and was very emotional when she finally truly looked at her picture. But…" she hesitated a moment, until Gibbs dropped his hand from his face and looked at her. "She admitted that she only looked at the girl in the morgue for a second. They had warned her that the girl's face was injured. So I doubt that she paid enough attention to have made a thorough identification."

Tony nodded. "Franks said an agent by the name of Rachel Travers was the one who actually escorted Joann to the hospital and was present when she made the identification."

Ziva turned to face Gibbs. "I tracked her down today; she left NCIS in 2001 after she got married and became pregnant. She is Rachel Williams now, lives in Fairfax, Virginia, and she remembered that day." Ziva went on to relate her conversation with the former agent.

Ziva and Rachel were seated in Rachel's living room; Rachel was looking at the pictures of Shannon, Joann, and Kelly. "Oh, yeah… I remember that protection detail," Rachel said quietly. She looked up at Ziva. "I'd just completed my probationary period, so I was still pretty green." Looking back down at the pictures, she added, "Shannon was so nice, and so brave about everything. So was Kelly." She smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. "That little girl was adorable, and had so much faith in her mom. And her dad… he was deployed, but Kelly was sure he would come home and keep them safe." She set the pictures down and looked at Ziva. "It was so awful, what happened to that family, and to Kurt… Agent Mitchell – he was driving them when it happened, I was waiting at the safe house. He was a friend." She sighed. "I always wondered about their dad, but I never followed up. I felt like such a failure, and I didn't know how I could face him."

Ziva reached out and placed her hand on Rachel's arm. "He became an NCIS agent… he is my team lead. Perhaps you have heard of Agent Gibbs?"

Rachel blinked. "Agent Gibbs is that Gibbs?! Wow… I never put it together." She shook her head. "My friends who are still at NCIS tell me stories – not the classified stuff, of course." She looked back down at the pictures. "No wonder he's so driven."

"Yes," Ziva said. She indicated Joann's picture. "What can you tell me of her, of what happened when she identified the bodies?"

Rachel frowned. "Joann… Fielding, right?" She smiled wryly at Ziva's nod. "That assignment… it was the worst one in my career. I remember it all too well... why is it that with tragedies, all the details stick around? Anyway… Joann, she was what you would expect. Grieving, kept saying it wasn't right… I think she was blaming her son-in-law, though I don't see how since he was deployed at the time."

"There is still some… animosity there."

"I guess I'm not surprised. Well… we got to the morgue, and the ME had the bodies out and ready for us. He revealed Shannon's face, and Joann broke down. I thought she might pass out."

"What about when she identified Kelly?"

Rachel's brow furrowed as she remembered. "That was… strange. The ME, I remember he warned her that there was some damage to the face. He pulled the sheet back, and yes, there was, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Joann, she only glanced for maybe a second, then said it was her."

"Did you recognize her?"

Rachel sighed. "I remember thinking something was off, but I figured it was from the damage, and people look… well, different, when they're dead."

Ziva nodded. "That is often true. So, Joann, she seemed positive about the identification?"

Rachel shook her head slowly. "Honestly, no. The ME asked if she was sure, and she nodded, but then she hesitated after the ME replaced the sheet, and I thought she was going to ask to look again, but then she shook her head and asked to leave." She looked curiously at Ziva. "Why is this coming up now?"

Ziva pulled another picture out of her folder, the one of Sammie that everyone was using. "Your doubt was justified. We have recently found out that Kelly Gibbs did not die in that accident. The girl Joann identified was actually Samantha Kendall, who had also been in a car crash that day."

Rachel stared at the picture, the color draining from her face. "That's… oh, wow. That's unbelievable."

Ziva smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. "No one blames you or the other agents assigned to that detail. Agent Gibbs and his daughter have been reunited; we are just trying to find out if there was any malicious intent behind this switch."

Rachel was still staring at the picture of Sammie. "This is… well, it's wonderful, but it's also still, ah… heartbreaking, I guess."

Ziva cocked her head, looking intently at the former agent. "Rachel, do you have any reason to think Joann misidentified that body on purpose?"

Rachel lowered her eyes, remembering, then looked up at Ziva. "Her grief was real, but so was the hesitation. I think she walked out of that room uncertain about that ID. I guess she talked herself into it?"

"I do not know, but I believe I will have the chance to find out."

Rachel looked back at the picture. "I should have checked, asked for confirmation."

Ziva shook her head. "Your team lead had already identified her as Kelly Gibbs, as did her grandmother. I doubt it would have done any good if you had said something."

Ziva finished her account, then looked at Gibbs, who was a little pale and so still he could have been carved in stone. "When I spoke with Joann on Saturday, she was adamant that she has a right to see Kelly. I warned her not to come uninvited, but I suspect she will show up sooner rather than later."

Gibbs nodded, reached over to squeeze her hand, then looked up at Tony, who was looking back at him with concern."

"Well," Tony said, "that catches you up, Boss. At this point, we've pretty much eliminated everyone but Joann as a suspect for an intentional switch. So, unless you plan to pursue that…"

Gibbs shook his head. "Not me." His voice was a little rough. "Shannon would want peace between us. But Kelly needs to know, and I'll support whatever she wants to do."

Tony nodded, then looked at Tim, who sat up a little straighter. "When we get to work tomorrow, check into legal options, and we'll update Kelly when it's appropriate… unless you want to tell her on Wednesday, Boss."

"I'll mention it." Gibbs sat back and rubbed his chin. "Might need a confession from Joann to pursue legal action."

Ziva raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tony, who gave her a half-smile. "Zee, I don't think your methods would hold up in court."

"Perhaps not, but I would enjoy using them."

Ducky shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I think we would all do well to remember that however difficult she may be, Mrs. Fielding lost a daughter and a granddaughter."

Gibbs met his friends' eyes for a long moment, then nodded. "You're right, Duck. Still, I'll tell Kelly when I see her Wednesday."

"When are you coming back to work, Boss?" Tim asked.

Gibbs glanced at him, lips curing up in a small smile. "Why? DiNozzo driving you crazy?"

Tim looked over at Tony, who seemed braced for bad news, then back at Gibbs and shook his head. "Tony's doing great, Boss. He does things his own way, but it works. I'm proud to be on his team." He looked at Tony again, smiling in response to the man's happy grin. Then he turned to Gibbs again. "We're family, Boss… so we're going to miss you regardless."

Gibbs' smile broadened. "Thanks, Tim." He took a deep breath. "I'll probably be back in a week." He looked around the room. "A few of you already know Kelly's thinking about moving back here. Figure I'll use time this week to make some changes around the house, make it more inviting for her."

Everyone offered to help; Gibbs smiled and said he'd let them know. Then he looked at each person in the room, cleared his throat, and said softly, "Know I don't say it often enough… or ever, really. But you are all the best people I've had the privilege to work with, and that includes my years in the Corps. For what you've done for me, and for Kelly… thank you."

Abby immediately engulfed him in a hug, and a chorus of responses filled the room. Shortly thereafter, Ducky stood and walked over to Gibbs, who also stood and the two friends embraced briefly. "I am very happy for you, my friend," Ducky said softly.

Everyone who was seated got up and started talking to each other. Ducky smiled at Gibbs as Tony walked over, then moved to join the others who were discussing redecorating options in the living room.

Tony and Gibbs sat back down on the couch. "You okay, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah. Better than I've been in a long time." He took a breath and looked at his second seriously. "Watch Ziva's back. Duck says she's having a hard time."

Tony looked thoughtful. "I could see where some of this could be bringing family issues front and center." He shifted uncomfortably. "And she wanted to apologize for how things went when I had team lead before. I didn't really want to talk about it."

Gibbs considered that. "If she brings it up again…"

Tony gave him a smile. "I'll listen."

"Good. And if it's clear she's struggling… let me know. I'll talk to her."

Tony looked relieved. "Thanks."

Gibbs nodded, then got to his feet. "Team's yours 'til I'm back, Tony." He smiled ruefully. "And I promise I won't dump your stuff on your desk this time."

Tony grinned at him. "That would be a waste of time, since I'm not at your desk, Gibbs."

Gibbs smiled. "You need me, you call, or stop by."

"Will do." Tony's smile broadened as he stood. "Have a good night, Jethro." His head tilted and he wrinkled his nose. "Gonna take some time to get used to that."

"Oh, and Tony?"

Tony turned to see Gibbs looking at him strangely. "Yeah?"

"Just so you know, I think I'd prefer 'Grandpa' to Boss." He gave a little nod, then headed toward the rest of the group, leaving a very confused temporary team lead watching him go.

Ducky suggested they let Gibbs get back to work, so everyone was headed for the door when Gibbs reached Jimmy and said, "Palmer. Stick around for a bit."

Jimmy turned and stared at him. "Ah, what, I, um… me?"

Gibbs' lips almost twitched into a smile. "You," he confirmed with a nod.

"Uh… okay?"

Ducky shot Gibbs a sharp look, then shook his head slightly and made for the door. "I shall expect you bright and early, Mr. Palmer!"

Tony and Jimmy exchanged wide-eyed expressions before Tony left, followed by Tim and Ziva, who both glanced back curiously at Jimmy standing in the living room, looking as though he were ready to bolt.

Gibbs grinned at him. "Relax, Palmer. You got a medical kit in your car?"

Jimmy nodded slowly. "Yes?"

"That a statement or a question? Never mind… just go get it. Want a beer?"

Jimmy blinked. "I probably shouldn't drink if you think you're going to need medical attention."

"Good point," Gibbs replied. "Not for me, though."

"Ah… Agent Gibbs?"

"Yes, Palmer?"

"Why not just have Dr. Mallard stay?"

"He wouldn't approve."

"I'm sorry… approve of what?"

"Just bring your kit inside. You know how to paint?"

Payback

Gibbs and Jimmy were in the living room, moving furniture away from the walls, when the door opened and Mike Franks walked in.

Gibbs looked up at his mentor, who stood in the entry to the living room, his hands in his jeans' pockets, looking curiously at Jimmy. Franks' gaze shifted to Gibbs. "Probie," he greeted, his tone neutral.

Gibbs glanced at Jimmy, and they set the couch down a few feet from the windows. Gibbs then straightened up, rubbing dust from his hands, before walking toward Franks, who held his hand out to shake.

There was no warning; Gibbs didn't telegraph his intentions until the last possible second. His face expressionless, he pulled his shoulder back and his fist rammed into Franks' face with a satisfying crunch.

Franks stumbled back with a yell, his hands flying up to his face, leaning against the door jamb for a moment before lowering them and staring at the blood on his fingers.

Jimmy watched, only somewhat shocked by the sudden violence, as Gibbs stood straight, staring at Franks, still expressionless, his body tensed and ready for retaliation.

Franks looked up at Gibbs, his face contorted in pain and fury – then his anger abruptly vanished and he lowered his head, trying to catch the dripping blood in his palm. "I deserved that," he said ruefully. "I am sorry, Gibbs. Know that don't mean much, not with what happened."

Gibbs watched him a moment longer, then relaxed. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a dish towel, then returned, tossing it to Franks. He looked at Jimmy. "Fix him up, Palmer… if you don't mind."

Jimmy looked at Franks, then at Gibbs, his face serious. "Only because you're the one asking," he said calmly, meeting Gibbs' eyes.

Gibbs nodded and gave Jimmy a small, though genuine, smile, then headed for the basement.

Jimmy looked at Franks through narrowed eyes, then jerked his head toward the kitchen, where his medical kit was sitting on the counter near the sink. Franks followed silently. Jimmy cleaned up the blood, straightened and taped Franks' broken nose, and checked to make sure there were no other fractures in the man's face. The only sounds throughout the process were Franks' expressions of pain and the occasional mild protest.

Once he was done, Jimmy packed Franks' nostrils with cotton, then stepped back, giving him a final once-over. "You're going to look like a raccoon by morning." He turned and put all the bloody and used material in the trash, wiped down the counter, cleaned a few instruments, then packed up and closed his kit. Looking gravely at Franks, he said, "He's got his daughter back. But he lost twenty years." He stared at Franks until the man met his eyes. "Whatever he asks of you, you do it."

Franks watched as Jimmy went to the basement door and called down. "He's all set, Gibbs. Have a good night."

Gibbs' voice sounded as though he were far off. "Thanks, Palmer."

Jimmy walked back to the counter, picked up his kit, and left without looking at Franks again.

Mike considered his options, then went into the downstairs bathroom and inspected his face in the mirror. The kid had done a good job fixing him up, and, yeah, he could see where the skin around his eyes was already beginning to bruise. He reached up to touch his nose and winced at the pain that shot through his face. Then he sighed, looked into his own eyes in the mirror, and left the room, headed for the basement.

He descended the stairs slowly. Gibbs was leaning back against the workbench, sipping bourbon from a jar, staring toward the wooden toys, his gaze unfocused. Mike stopped a few feet away, mimicking Gibbs' posture. He waited, but Gibbs didn't offer him a drink. After a few minutes of silence, Mike spoke. "Can't change the past. You know that."

Gibbs nodded, still staring at the toys.

"But I'll do what I can to make it right… much as it can be, anyway." Mike turned to face Gibbs. "I get it now. Amira… if someone treated her the way I did your daughter, I'd do a lot more than punch his lights out."

Gibbs looked down into his drink. "Haven't forgotten everything you've done for me, Mike. But this…"

Silence reigned again for several minutes, until Mike spoke up. "Kid up there, he's all right. Told me to do whatever you ask."

Gibbs tilted his head. "Palmer's quiet, but he's observant. Could'a made a good agent." He sighed, pushed off the bench, then turned and grabbed another jar, pouring a drink for Mike. He handed it to him, finally looking at the results of his handiwork on the man's face. His eyes narrowed a little; Mike raised his eyebrows and winced a bit at the pain that resulted. Gibbs smirked, then leaned back against the bench. "Kelly's thinking of moving back here. Taking the week off… could use some help making changes. Got some appointments over the next two days; you stick around, more'll get done."

Mike nodded carefully. "I can do that."

Gibbs' expression changed into something a little less neutral and a little more threatening. "You'll stick around until she comes back… explain things to her in person."

Mike grimaced, ignoring the pain this time. "That's not –"

"You'll stick around," Gibbs repeated, interrupting him firmly.

Mike sighed. "All right."

The two men settled back against the bench. Once Mike's bourbon was gone, he looked at Gibbs. "Guessin' askin' you for a ride back to the hotel is out of the question."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and held up his jar, wiggling it a bit, the bourbon sloshing around inside.

Mike grunted. "I'll call a cab and expense it to NCIS."

Gibbs smiled slightly. "Good luck with Leon," he commented.

Mike shot him a look, then headed for the stairs. "What time tomorrow?"

Gibbs shrugged, checking his watch; it was still early. "Seven sounds good to me."

Mike groaned but nodded, then went upstairs to call and wait for his ride.

Gibbs watched him go with mixed feelings. The punch had felt good, but he wasn't sure it was enough; he'd let Kelly have her turn. He drained the bourbon, then pulled his phone from his pocket and ordered Indian take-out, leaving a tip on the card on file and telling them to have the delivery guy put the food in the kitchen. He walked over to the toys, inspected the plane Tony had sanded the night before, and sat down to remove the last few rough edges so he could paint it later.