A/N: Sorry for the delay folks, here's a new chapter! To my recent followers/favourites welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us! To my reviewers, thank you! I really love & appreciate hearing your thoughts!
Gust Reviewer: Thanks for the review: Ziva, she does have a few things she has to work through. As for Abby, she's got stuff she needs to realise too, she'll have her own struggles with everything. Glad you enjoyed the Team chapter
Momcat: Thanks for your review! Glad you can enjoy Buster in this story, he is pretty fun! So is Gibbs :) As for Kelly, she's been through a great deal and while she now has her family around her, it will take her a while to get through everything. Her parents realise this, besides they have their own issues to deal with & it will take time for them to all get through things, as for her reaction to Stacey, she will rectify this on next meeting. And her brother Harry? He's Kelly childhood friend, so Kelly fell into a comfortable friendship with him, a familiar face always helps people cope with extreme stress. The team are definitely there, and will continue to be there. And as for Tim, he isn't heartbroken, and please remember, this is set at the end of season 3. He is still fairly raw, geeky & a little unsure of himself too, but he hasn't been through the various ladies yet, so he doesn't have that history to deal with.
Now, let's see how the family doing this morning?
Gibbs woke up smiling, he could feel a body clinging to him, he lowered his head & pressed a kiss to his girl's head as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt her nestle closer into him and he just loved that. He could get used to waking up like this, with one of his family nested into him, he could get very used to it! While he wished he could have slept in the same bed as his wife, neither of them wanted the events of the previous night to rear its head again. So they'd decided to split up, each sleeping in each of their kid's rooms & thus allowing them to be in their own beds.
He had started off in his son's room, wanting to let mother & daughter continue to try to mend their fractured relationship, but at around 02:00 he'd woken up a little sore. After a quick trip to the kitchen where he downed some pain meds, he'd gone into his girl's room only to find his wife awake and after a quick but very quiet chat they'd decided to switch beds, both of them had wanted to split their night with their kids.
Gibbs had to admit the movie that they'd watched last night was a little funny and his wife was right, those kids created mischievous mayhem indeed! He just prayed his son never acted on any of the ideas in that movie! They'd watched a second movie, well kind of, about 30 minutes into it, all of them were fading, but his girl was almost asleep, and given his condition, he couldn't let her completely fall asleep on the couch because he'd then not have been able to move her. So they'd called it a night & between him and his wife, they'd gotten her into bed before all falling into the beds themselves.
As he looked around his girl's room again his eyes couldn't help but rest again on the photos on her bedside table, he was loving staring at his wedding photo, but he was still getting a funny feeling about the other photo. His son's grin was there for the world to see, he was looking utterly content on the shoulders of this Michael boy as the pair posed for the picture. And as for the Michael boy, he certainly looked clean cut & his grin was just as big as his son's, he just couldn't shake the feeling about this boy, and there was something that he couldn't quite see under the boy's singlet, something he thought could be important, he had a hunch as to what they could be, were they? could they be? He was pulled from his musing though when his girl started stirring.
"Muummm" Kelly groaned as she woke up, it didn't feel like her mum, but then who could it be?
Gibbs couldn't help but smile "you flatter me baby girl" he whispered, he rubbed his hand up & down her back.
Kelly smiled but was curious "where's mum?"
"We swapped during the night angel, mum's with Nix" Gibbs answered, he lifted her face to look at him "good morning my angel baby girl" he smiled before giving her a kiss to her forehead.
"Morning dad" Kelly replied with a small smile, having him there when she woke up was a pretty big relief, just having that security was something she'd missed terribly.
Gibbs loved hearing those words but he wanted to reassure her about something "Whatever today brings, it brings. But remember, it doesn't matter what feelings or emotions go through this head right here (he gently tapped her forehead) I want you to share it with me & mum. We will never judge you angel, but sharing our thoughts is the only way to work through it. And we'll get through it all, do you believe me?" he needed to know if he'd gotten through to her or not.
Kelly could see her father felt sure of himself, she thought about it "I think so" it was the best she could do right now.
"I'll take that, and soon enough you'll be sure" Gibbs nodded "I just need you to know that for the next week or so, it may be a little boring, we have to be at navyyard & write up a whole bunch of reports and stuff, we have to do statements and…" he would have continued but got interrupted
"I have to go to work" Kelly interrupted him
"I'm sure they'll understand you taking some time" Gibbs remarked, though he had no clue where she worked, maybe it was in some computer place given she'd studied that at college.
"Today's my first day!" Kelly remarked, she suddenly sat up quickly & looked at the clock, her eyes widened in horror, it was 08:20! She had like no time to get ready, she had to be out the door in like 10 minutes "I have to go!"
"Kell! Kelly stop for a second" Gibbs pleaded as he got up as quickly as possible.
"Look, I know I have to come & give my statements, but I have to go to work! It's my very first day!" Kelly replied, she threw her door open & raced to the bathroom. She didn't even have time to shower! This wasn't good, how could she not have set her alarm?!
"Kell, just stop for a second please" Gibbs pleaded again following her into the bathroom "I can call them and…"
"No!" Kelly replied firmly "I signed a contract, I have a responsibility to start today, I can't not go!"
"I'm not saying that, all I'm asking for is for you to stop for just a minute" Gibbs said calmly, he could see just how much it meant to her to go "let's come up with a solution that will work, because I doubt you're really in the right mind frame to start and give it your best shot"
"Is everything ok?" Shannon asked cautiously from the door, she'd heard raised voices and her husband's comments just confused her.
"I have to be at work in like half an hour!" Kelly exclaimed "can you two leave?" she needed to get ready & that wouldn't happen if her parents were standing in the bathroom with her.
Shannon suddenly understood her husband's remarks "Kell angel, perhaps dad is right, maybe it might not be the best idea to start today, you can't possibly be in the right mind frame to give this your best effort"
"And since when would something like that stop me having to do something?" Kelly retorted "I wasn't exactly in the best mind frame when I had to move my brother to DC or make the kind decisions someone my age should never have to make! A day at work should be relatively easy in comparison"
Shannon swallowed, her daughter made a fairly good point "I know that Kelly, but you don't have to continue to do it." she then considered taking a different angle "from what you told me about the lady at the company that interviewed you, she seemed like she really cared about you and the situation, I'm sure she would…"
Kelly had to interrupt her "What, understand that I lied to them? That both my parents whom I said were dead are in fact alive? That my grandmother & one of my grandfathers are alive? And that the one grandfather I supposedly had left was the biggest egotistical bastard in the entire universe? What exactly would they understand?"
Gibbs was just looking at his daughter wide eyed, she had some very good points, how would they take, well, all of that.
"That you're not going in to work" Nix stated from the door of the bathroom.
Kelly stared at her brother, he said it so matter-of-factly & he was holding their house phone "what did you just do?"
"I called your office, spoke to that Vivian lady, said something pretty drastic has come up & that you couldn't go into work today" Nix answered simply.
"You did what?" Kelly demanded, not only had he called the place she was about to start working at, but he'd not even spoken with her boss, no, he'd spoken with her boss's boss? Really?
"I called them, I did ask to speak with Lucy, but she wasn't in, so I asked to speak to that Vivian lady, we had met briefly" Nix pointed out. He'd had to go with her to her interview, not that he actually went into it, but he'd been waiting outside the room & met, not just her boss that was interviewing her, being Lucy, but Lucy's boss & one of the owners of the company, Viviane "I didn't say what happened but said it was pretty major. She asked if there was anything she could do & I asked if she could come to the Navy yard today. Her & her husband will be at NCIS at 13:30"
Kelly was joined by her parents as they all stared at him startled "they're what?" she whispered
"They're coming into NCIS at 13:30, they have a few meetings this morning they can't move, but they'll be there after that" Nix answered
Gibbs shared a look with his wife, well that at least sorted one issue out, thankfully, but that didn't mean he wasn't taken aback by his son's actions. He was surprised at how mature he sounded & that he'd heard the conversation & taken upon himself to do what he did, he couldn't help but feel proud as punch!
Shannon let out a smile at her son's actions "That was very thoughtful of your Phoenix, it will give us all some time to get ready for the meeting"
Nix gave his mum a small smile trying to advert his sister's gaze, she didn't really seem happy about it.
Shannon knew that time was short, she'd been about to get up & get everyone going "Nix darling, why don't you take first shower, we'll get breakfast organised in the meantime" she also had a suspicion about something & thought it would better if Nix was otherwise occupied. She knew her daughter was about to say something & wanted to beat her to the punch "Can you show me where the frying pan is Kelly? I'll quickly whip up some eggs"
"Sure" Nix offered
Kelly let out a loud breath "fine"
Gibbs followed his wife & daughter out towards the kitchen, he'd seen that look on his wife before, she was getting ready for a discussion that could become intense so he tried best to prepare himself for whatever it was. But he saw a small motion from his wife looking at him & pointing towards the hall, or anywhere else "I'm going to go check on Buster" he offered, before making his way out the back.
Shannon smiled at her husband's pickup of her silent request, and waited until he'd left the room before facing her daughter "Kelly darling, I'm sure part of your feelings right now are geared towards ensuring you start work off on the right foot, but correct me if I'm wrong, you haven't told dad exactly what kind of job it is, have you? Does he know about your studies?"
Kelly had leaned herself against the kitchen counter, and just looked down "he knows I did Computer Science" she said quietly.
"But not your second degree" Shannon remarked quietly, she now understood why Kelly was well, emotional right now. This was a trait she got from her father, when something highly emotional came to the fore that she was scared to talk about a wall went up & she used anger to shield herself from having to discuss it, only if she was completely honest, he'd show less than her, and that said something! And right now, she was probably building a wall to protect herself against what she thought her father's reaction would be her chosen line of study "and you're a little worried about what dad may say?"
Kelly just nodded, how'd her mum always realise these things?
Shannon gave her daughter a sad smile as she approached her, taking her daughters hands into her own she spoke gently "what did I tell you, time & time again about what he would say?"
Kelly just looked towards the ground "that he'd be proud, no matter what I chose to study, but… it's different now"
"How so?" Shannon asked
Kelly sighed "Cause it is, Mac he was…."
"Stop right there!" Shannon interrupted her "nothing, nothing you have done or could possibly ever do in the future can compare to that man. Dad will not see it that way either!" she took a breath "yes, I wasn't that pleased at first when you chose it, I will admit that. But it was more because I didn't want you choosing something simply to try to help our situation, I wanted you to choose something you genuinely liked and enjoyed doing. But, and this Kelly is a very big but, when I saw how much you were enjoying it & saw the passion you had for it and put into it I realised you were doing something you enjoyed and I have no doubt you will excel"
Kelly gave her mother a small smile.
"Now, what's say we go & speak to dad & tell him just smart you really are" Shannon said as she held out her hand "yes?"
Gibbs had managed to finally pull Buster off himself, seemed this dog was obsessed with receiving petting, but was now happy to play a bit of fetch. He wondered just what the girls were talking about, he also wondered what kind of job his girl had. The big boss was happy to come into the navyyard and speak with Kelly, he wasn't sure what kind of organisation that would really happen in, especially for an employee that hadn't even started working there.
"Good boy" Gibbs smiled, as he ruffled Buster's fur upon retrieving the latest ball. He saw the pair come outside, and his wife motion him towards the outdoor chairs, so he promptly went over & joined them.
Kelly sat down & smiled as Buster instantly joined her at her feet "morning boy" she smiled giving him a kiss.
Shannon gave her husband a reassuring smile as he sat down "Jethro darling, I know you're aware that our girl here is both talented and smart"
Gibbs smiled "she's been smart since birth"
"That she has" Shannon agreed "and I know you're aware that she studied Computer Science at College, which she graduated from with top honours"
Gibbs smiled "yeap, she helped us hack into Mac's security system, as did her brother" he was not going forget watching that!
Kelly saw her mother now giving her the look "I've done it before"
"Yes, I'm aware" Shannon replied, she turned to her husband "I hope you're home security system is hack proof!
Because between the pair of them… they could hack, well… let's move on" she finished a smile
Kelly grinned at her mother, her mum was well aware of their combined hacking attempts.
Gibbs eyes widened, he didn't even have a working alarm system, let alone a home security system! He realised he needed to get McGee onto that ASAP! Maybe he'd speak to Ted about what system he had in place too.
"What you might not know yet is that she graduated school at the age of 15 & had her Computer Science degree by 18" Shannon smiled with pride.
Gibbs had to admit that did surprise him! "Always knew she was a smarty pants" he said with a smile to his girl, he was glad to see a small one returned.
"Yes, she certainly got those genes of yours" Shannon said with a smirk to her husband, she got one returned in reply. She took a further breath before revealing this next bit of information. Even though she told her daughter that her dad would be nothing but proud, she had to admit she was a little concerned about his instant reaction. "She then went on to do a second degree"
Gibbs considered that seemed reasonable enough, 18 was hardly an age to start working, so why not a second course? He was curious "yea, what'd you do Kells?"
Kelly looked to her mum, hoping she'd answer.
"She decided for a more traditional degree for her post-graduate studies" Shannon remarked "she did Law" she knew it was far better to just say it, than keep sugar coating it, all she waited for now was the reaction. She prayed he'd not give their daughter a bad one.
"Law" Gibbs repeated, his daughter had studied law? Really? He was not expecting that, not one little bit! Why'd she decide that? It was so very different to Computers.
Right at this moment Shannon wasn't sure which way it would go "yes, and like Computer Science, she graduated with top honours, she even won the Mock Trial Challenge in her final semester"
Kelly chewed on her bottom lip, she just saw her dad sitting there, he hadn't said a word, was he hating her choice in study? She tried to keep calm by running her hands through Buster's fur.
Gibbs could see his daughter looked nervous, but he was trying to process this, his daughter had studied law? She'd decided to study the same thing that Mac had made his arrogant profession out of? Was that what her job was in or was it a computer job "the job you've got?"
"Legal Secretary" Kelly whispered, she had no idea what her dad was thinking of her choice of career, and she wasn't liking it.
Shannon could see her husband was still obviously processing it, she was now having serious concerns that he'd say something that wouldn't go down too well with their daughter. She knew it wasn't really fair to lay it on him so suddenly, but really how else could they handle it right now. He needed to know before her bosses came to meet with them & they'd hardly have time when they got into the navyyard. She'd give him a few more minutes to process before she said anything further.
Kelly really wasn't liking this silence, to her it meant one thing, her dad hated her choice in career, she went to go back inside, not wanting to hear her dad actually voice his thoughts. She didn't get far though.
Gibbs had to admit he was rather shocked at this, he'd never expected his girl to want to do this kind of work, but as he'd looked at her, he could see she was getting very nervous if not antsy. He realised she was nervous about his reaction and the look on her face she was getting worse, she was obviously very concerned & when she'd gotten out of her chair he reacted instantly.
Gibbs pulled his girl into his hold before she could even take 3 steps, he sat them both back down, he wrapped his arms around her & pulled her in close not caring about the discomfort on his rib cage "It wouldn't matter to me what you study Kells, you could choose anything & as long as you do your best, which it sounds like you've done, I'd be proud."
Shannon breathed a sigh of relief, she knew he'd be proud, but there was always a chance of an instant reaction going the wrong way. She was all too aware of his dislike for lawyers, and that stemmed from Mac being one. She could see though that her daughter was still looking a little unsure of herself.
Gibbs rested his head on his girl's shoulder "and this is just me, but I'd say you'll make a much better lawyer than Mac ever was" he finished off by placing a kiss on her cheek. He was damn certain that no matter what the situation his daughter would do better than that man.
Kelly finally gave her dad a smile, relived more than anything, as she leaned back into dad's embrace to feel his warmth.
"Well, I think we need to get breakfast organised" Shannon suggested as she rose from her chair
"Whoof!" Buster barked at her
Shannon looked down at him "I suppose you'd like some food too would you?"
"Whoof! Whoof!" Buster barked again as he went right up to her & looked up.
Shannon saw the dog was now staring at her with puppy dog eyes "I suppose that can be arranged" she diverted her gaze "could you feed him while I sort breakfast?" she asked the pair of people watching her.
"I'll feed him" Nix offered coming outside freshly showered "come on boy"
"Excuse me, you're going the wrong way" Shannon remarked seeing her son walk back into the house.
"I'm going to the laundry" Nix remarked
"We feed him there" Kelly added, she was still seated on her dad's lap.
Shannon didn't like this idea, she didn't want him eating where the clothes were washed & handled "I think he can eat outside"
"Feeding him outside can draw bugs & the elements into his food, don't want him getting sick. We feed him in the laundry, on a mat & clean up after he's done. The only thing we leave out is his water" Kelly remarked
Gibbs suddenly felt both his wife & daughter looking at him, oh crap, they were both hoping for him to sway the issue "he's used to being fed in the laundry, so for now let's keep doing that until we can look at a better place that will keep his food clear of bugs & stuff" he suggested hoping it would help.
Shannon conceded defeat "ok, that's a fair point. Kell darling why don't you grab the next shower"
"yeap" Gibbs agreed giving his girl a small tap "off you go, mum & I still need showers too before Ducky gets here"
Gibbs followed his family back inside & watched as his kids went separate directions, he followed his wife into the kitchen area wanting to help but also "law?" he was still trying to wrap his head around it.
Shannon should have known that the conversation from outside wouldn't have ended so quickly "yes Jethro, law. I know your feelings about the occupation, as does your daughter. But for her sake, as well as yours, please move past it. She did not decide to study it to be like Mac, in fact the opposite is true. She thought it could help our situation & she wanted to help others not have to go through what we did."
Gibbs listened, and hearing the reasoning hurt his heart "she should do something she enjoys now" he couldn't say he wasn't proud that his girl had chosen a field to try to help them, as well as ensure others didn't go through what they did. It was the same reason he joined NIS, but now, she should do something that she enjoys.
"She's passionate about it Jethro, very passionate" Shannon remarked, thinking back to that Mock Trial, maybe a little too passionate. "She wants to focus on family court matters, and I believe this firm that she got a job in does that"
Gibbs nodded, he would have said something further, but he heard the doorbell go "Duck's a bit early" he noted.
Shannon looked at the clock on the oven as she heated the frying pan "or not"
Gibbs looked where she was looking & his eyes widened, it was already 09:20! "Shit! We're running late!" they should be leaving in like 10 minutes! "We'll get breakfast on the way, go shower"
"Jethro!" Shannon said trying to calm him "would you relax please, go let Ducky in, I'm already in the middle of breakfast & Kelly's in the shower already. We'll eat, we'll quickly shower & go. It's not the end of the world"
Gibbs walked as quickly as possible down the hall "hurry up Kells! We're running late!" he called through the bathroom in passing. Reaching the front door he quickly unlocked it & opened it, to reveal just who he was expecting "come in Duck, we're running late"
"Thank you Jethro, and not to bother, there's still plenty of time" Ducky greeted him, as he entered this residence for the first time.
Gibbs headed back down the hall & heard the shower still going "Kells! Hurry up!"
"Jethro!" Shannon called "leave her alone, she's only been in there for a few minutes" she remarked meeting him in the hall, she opened the door "don't overly rush Kells" she closed the door & was greeted with a perplexed look on her husband's face "we are not all marines that shower in 3 minutes flat, you have to allow the rest of time to actually clean our bodies"
Gibbs smirked at his wife "I do clean myself thoroughly & I can teach her how"
Shannon eyed him "not in this lifetime you won't be, your girl does not need to know how to bath in 3 minutes. Now your breakfast is ready, I suggest you have it before it goes cold" she will never understand how someone, anyone could properly bath themselves in only 3 minutes.
Kelly opened the bathroom door "I'm do…" she started to yell only to stop in her tracks at both her parents standing outside the bathroom door. She looked between them not quite sure what was going, she'd heard her dad yell twice, but then her mum's reply, she wasn't really sure what was going on "shower's free"
"I'll shower, Kells you can have my breakfast" Gibbs offered as he sidestepped his girl & giving her a kiss and entering the bathroom.
Kelly nodded "thanks" she took a step out of the room & saw Ducky, her eyes widened "ah hi, excuse me" she muttered as she hurried down the hall back into her room.
Shannon had watched her husband go into the bathroom & just couldn't help herself, she opened the door "I expect you sitting down ready for breakfast in 5 minutes, dressed and all marine" he thinks they can shower so quickly, he can lead the way.
Gibbs grinned "yes ma'am!" he'll be done in 4 he thought to himself.
Shannon looked back to see Ducky looking quite well, he seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at her "apologises Ducky, didn't mean for you to have to see or hear that, he can just be…."
"A tad stubborn and marine drilled" Ducky offered with a small smile.
"Quite" Shannon nodded "please come & have a seat, Jethro should be ready for you to look at him in say, ohh 8 minutes?" she finished with a small smirk.
Ducky just smiled "I shall time him" he followed Shannon down into the living area. He was quite impressed with the residence, it was an art-deco style duplex home, but it was more than that, it had a homely feel. He was glad that the family seemed to be ok this morning, he just hoped this enjoyable feeling lasted.
"Phoenix! Don't feed him your eggs!" Shannon exclaimed.
Ducky just gave an internal chuckle, the grin on the boy's face was proof that the family would be ok in the long run.
A/N: Gibbs seemed to have handled that pretty well, and I think Shannon's right, her girl is just as talented as her father in building walls for emotional issues, could this be something father & daughter work together on? But it seems that the Gibbs family are running late, just how late will they be? and how will the team react? And Kelly's big boss's are coming into NCIS, how will that go?
I'm pretty busy with university but I will do my best to get a new chapter up as soon as I can. You know I love to read your thoughts/comments, so review away!