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With this chapter, I suggest listening to Celine Dion- Ashes!

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History Repeats Itself

Chapter 03: Sins Of The Past And Skeletons In One's Closet

In the bullpen Team Gibbs were trying to figure out the McCloud case and they were reading the files and they were brainstorming ideas having Shannon's information when Sloane joined them.

"Where's Shannon?" Gibbs asked Sloane worried.

"She's asleep upstairs, she exhaust herself pacing in my office." Sloane said sympathetically and Gibbs nodded as he kept reading Shannon's school file.

He was worried because in the file it showed that Shannon's ADHD was keeping her from achieving higher grades than Bs and C+s in most classes but social studies, history, computer science in those she had straight As. Yet the school counselor was concerned with Shannon's mental state after losing two friends to gang related violence and other two to drug overdose she withdrawn from her friends Anna Charles, Max and Annabelle Herrmann and she was by herself for over a year and half and she would ditch classes yet hand in assignments on time even though she wasn't in class to learn of them being head out.

In the file it also showed how her mum's injuries prior to her job at the ATF took most of Shannon's time. In addition, her grades had dropped and she was constantly late. Being late was a common occurrence for her but it was because of commute problems since she seemed to spend too much time at either of her grandparents' house which were located to opposite ends of Chicago and the school because of her parents busy jobs.

He then reached to a note by her PE teacher about bruises in her ribs and knuckles and how Shannon said she trained too hard at boxing during the weekend.

"Sloane, what do you think?" He asked as he handed her Shannon's school file.

Sloane took a few minutes to read everything and sighed.

"It seems right. She's a troubled kid, Gibbs, her parents may not be fighting and she had a loveable family yet according to what she said to me while we were chatting, her dad and her grandpa Cornelius were constantly arguing during the weekly dinners." Sloane said with a deep sigh of worry.

"What we know about these weekly dinners?" Gibbs asked perplexed.

"That most dinners ended with her dad annoyed and having her mum drive because her dad is shaking from anger. During some dinners she would excuse herself and disappear either in the roof of the house or grab her camera and go around the city photographing it. And others her dad and grandpa won't fight on the table but during the after dinner drinks in her grandpa's office." Sloane said with a sad tone and shook her head disappointed.

"Why are they fighting about most of the time?" Ellie asked confused.

"Childhood memories and grandma Elizabeth." Sloane said still holding the disappointed tone.

"Agh! Yes, according to the police report, Shannon's dad saw his mum's body fall from his bedroom window and then saw the body. He was the one that called 911 and what made him want to become a doctor." Ellie said as she pulled the file and showed it to Gibbs who shook his head in a sad sympathy.

"What do we have on the grandpa Cornelius?" Gibbs asked a little annoyed as far as he was reading the files this Cornelius was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Everything on his life, he seems clean, Boss, but Kel…Ann's…Shannon's mum's team also emailed me the interrogation of the guy that attacked Shannon in the alley since they processed him already. He's name is Daniel Rodriguez and he is your standard gangbanger from Saints or at least he claims to be. Because he must have been aware of the territories if he was part of a rivalry gang. The local gang where Shannon's attack happened was Black Scorpions' territory the guy shouldn't have been there in the first place. And all coincidentally so was the building that burnt down by Roger McCloud and his brother Ryan McCloud who is still missing and hasn't been found. Shannon's grandpa had purchased the building that burnt down a few months before." Tim started saying as he pulled up the files on the plasma screen. Then Torres took over and said;

"Shannon's grandpa, had purchased the building that Roger and Ryan McCloud were former owners of the hunting and camping gear shop that was housed there. It was closed down when Cornelius brought the building a block, raising the rent and essentially kicking them out and shutting them down. Roger and Ryan have had it when they heard that the Saints established their stash houses in the new building that was built. They couldn't handle how their once safe neighborhood was now a gang central." Torres finished as he too pulled all the information he had found.

Gibbs hearing about gangs was having a very very bad Déjà vu moment and he felt like he was about to puke. Not again!

Why does history repeats itself?! Why?!

"Boss? What if Ryan and Roger McCloud were the reason behind Shannon's attack too?" Ellie added in a suggestive tone from her place in her desk as she mentally mulled over the facts.

"In addition to what Ellie said, Boss, the guy CPD have might be lying about being part of Saints and was paid to attack Shannon and say that he was targeting her because of her grandpa and mum. Making it sound like having something to do with the buildings and the tenants…not territory. But who is dumb enough to open fire at a Naval yard? Do they think they are so untouchable? Could it be a Mexican cartel behind all of this?" Tim said confused as he started typing furiously away in his computer not noticing Gibbs' frozen posture.

Gibbs was just frozen in his place before he jump up and rushed to the bathrooms as he splashed water on his face and tried to shake it off…

NO! THIS TIME HE COULD PROTECT THEM! He was here!

He wasn't powerless!

"Gibbs?" Sloane's voice made him turn and see her enter the males' bathroom.

"Jack!" Gibbs sighed annoyed at her entering the males' bathroom. She ignored him.

"Are you okay?" She asked him concerned but she knew the truth.

"What do you think?" Gibbs grumbled and made a move to leave the bathroom.

"It won't end the same way, Gibbs." Sloane told him with a reassuring tone before Gibbs looked at her for a brief moment and nodded thankful for her comment before he yanked the door open and left.

Sloane left a second later joining Vance in his office.

In Vance's office Sloane expected an angry Vance but only got a concerned friend Vance and Sloane filled him in on everything and he was just shaking his head.

"Sloane, Gibbs is one unlucky bastard, as he self-proclaimed many times, he deserves this! We need to help as much as we can. What can I do?" Vance asked concerned and supportive with strong hints of determination.

Sloane told him if he could find the gangbanger that attacked little Shannon and pull some strings to get him here so Gibbs can interrogate him. Vance said he would try but didn't make any promises.

Kelly never thought she would step into Washington DC to see her bio-dad of all people…she was wayyyyyy beyond nervous.

Connor was scared, he had heard the stories of the Gibbs from Ann's team and Ethan when he asked not revealing why just saying that Ann had heard of him and he was curious to see how far one's reputation went. Ethan said his ex girlfriend Vicky Glass, had heard of him and even met him once but Ethan only heard stories and never met him and he was low-key thankful for that.

Connor was scared that the Gibbs wouldn't approve of him for his only newly brought back from the dead and in his radar daughter and criticize his and Ann's failure of parenting since his little girl's life was put into danger.

Kelly had also freaked out about Connor meeting her dad and criticizing hers and Connor's parenting but she mostly worried of him hating her for not making contact all those years.

The flight was one hell of a ride of nervousness that the moment they reached ground both of them were ready to puke.

They got into NCIS HQ faster than they wanted so when Vance met them in the entrance and got them to the bullpen Ann was feeling cold sweat soaking her shirt. She was a fucking agent she had to pull it together! She has to be strong for her daughter!

"Agent Gibbs…I'd like you to meet Special Agent Ann Severide-Rhodes and Doctor Connor Rhodes, Shannon's parents." Vance said with his Director voice and suddenly everyone and everything froze and became quiet, the entire floor was looking and the atmosphere was tense as hell!

Sloane watched concerned and a little anxious from the terrace just outside her office and looked at the sleeping girl in her couch.

Gibbs looked at the woman before him and whatever trace of his daughter he remembered was erased by time. Yet at the same time he thought for a moment he was seeing his Shannon.

"Hello. Thank you for working on this case and protecting my Shannon." His daughter spoke as she awkwardly extended her hand for a handshake as she had an awkward smile and avoid his eyes but Gibbs couldn't contain himself and he hugged her tight as tears picked up in his eyes.

"Kelly…" He choked out and Kelly looked at her husband as she blinked tears away and Connor nodded as he grabbed her jacket and travel duffel from her hands and Kelly had her hands free to hug her dad back equally as tight as she too started to sob.

Connor was tearing too from the reunion and he watched how everyone around him were tearing and clapping.

"Hi, dad." Kelly whispered as she let a watery smile and Gibbs noticed the scar over her eyebrow from the building explosion and another scar on her cheek that looked old. He had cupped her face and was also crying as he kissed her cheeks and then hugged her again.

"Hi!" He said after awhile as he forcefully let her go, knowing that they needed to get back to work. He wiped his tears and accepted Vance's offered tissue as Vance nodded at his dear friend and employee.

"Truly thank you for protecting her and letting her stay with you." Connor said from the side trying not to let his voice show how anxious he really was.

Gibbs studied the man holding the duffels and he nodded before extending his hand for a handshake and Connor grasp it firmly.

"You two have an amazingly resilient daughter and a fighter." Gibbs said proudly and Kelly let a sobbing laughter to be heard while Connor smiled proudly.

Sloane being teary and happy with how the reunion happened decided to wake Shannon now.

Sloane woke her up telling her that her parents were in the bullpen and helped her sit up since her ribs were still healing.

Shannon run downstairs and crushed into her mum's arms and then started crying in her mum's arms while she felt her holding her tight.

Minutes later Shannon was being group hugged by her parents and she was sobbing relived and feeling safe at last.

"Did you eat? Did you take your medication? How are your ribs and shoulders?"

"Do you mind if I take a look at them once we can go to a bathroom? Did you change gauzes? Did you take any painkillers if yes did you remember the correct brand that won't have awful side effects with your medication?"

"Did you sleep well? Did you need stitches?"

Team Gibbs watched as the concern parents held their daughter and they bombarded her with questions.

Palmer who also watched the reunion decided it was time to answer their questions.

"I haven't checked yet today but they are welcome to come downstairs at autopsy to check her injuries in privacy, Doctor Rhodes. I'm Doctor Palmer medical examiner and the man who patched up Shannon yesterday."

Connor hugged the man thankful and thanking him for allowing his place of work for him to check his daughter's injuries. Something not many doctors liked to do and Jimmy was caught off guard at first but hugged him back after a moment of realization. It is widely known that doctors don't like other doctors operating in their offices or workspaces it bothered them so that coming from a fellow doctor meant a lot in this time of need.

At the same time, Tim and the team were itching to discuss what has been happening the past two days so when the newly alive daughter, her husband and Gibbs' newfound granddaughter went to the autopsy in order for Doctor Rhodes to check his daughter's injuries, they rushed to Kasey's lab and they started discussing everything.

"I swear my brain is about to explode!" Tony DiNozzo said from the plasma screen as him and his fiancé Ziva David and little Tali along with Abby and Ducky were also on there in a group video call as McGee and Ellie told them what has happened in the past two days.

"We can get there in a day's time so we can be there for Gibbs." Ziva suggested as she looked at Tony for confirmation on her statement and Tony nodded. Tali cheered saying they get to see grandpa Gibbs.

"You should, it's a family matter. And we are family." McGee said smiling.

"I can be there tomorrow, I've relocated back in New Orleans, guys." Abby said as she seemed to check her phone for train tickets.

"And I can be there tomorrow too." Ducky said smiling.

"Ducky, I can come and get you once I land." Abby suggested to Ducky who nodded.

"Do that since I live close the train station." Ducky said thankful and Abby nodded.

"So, we meet at NCIS tomorrow morning?" Torres asked in confirmation and everyone agreed before closing the video chat.

"Do you think we are doing the right thing by inviting them?" Kasey asked a little unsure.

"I don't know but we need to be there for Gibbs as he would have been for us if we were in his shoes." Ellie said and McGee nodded agreeing with his friend.

McGee had told his wife of the new developments last night and was amazed to say the least.

In the autopsy, Shannon was wincing as her dad was trying to check her wounds and touched her ribs.

"You young lady should have been on bed rest and not moving around, your ribs are broken and might puncture your lungs!" Connor scolded her daughter who was sighing and shaking her head.

"Okay, but after we get back home." Shannon said to her dad.

"No, now, it's time the adults take over." Kelly said to her daughter in a motherly strict tone.

"No! I can help!" She exclaimed annoyed.

"Shannon, listen to your mum you help us a lot by giving us your information and theories on why is your other grandpa trying to kill you." Gibbs said in a warning tone.

"Grandpa Cornelius isn't trying to kill me! He must have miscalculated something and then everything imploded! He's not a bad person!" Shannon exclaimed defensive and glared at Gibbs and her dad because her dad chuckled.

"Dad is a bastard, Shannon, but innocent until proven otherwise." Connor said to Shannon who shook her head in defeat.

"Okay, so now that you're all here, what is going to happen?" Shannon asked concerned.

"You get back on that couch and I'm bringing you lunch and your medication and leave the agents do their jobs." Kelly said to Shannon in a strict motherly tone.

Gibbs watched them in awe, his little girl wasn't little girl anymore.

"No! I want to be in the bullpen!" Shannon whined and Kelly looked at Gibbs.

"We don't know what pictures they will see, it might be something you shouldn't see." Connor said in a strict fatherly tone too as he helped her put her shirt on.

"Big deal, it can't be worse than seeing dead bodies and I have been raised in Chicago, dad! I have seen someone getting shot, Agent Choi and Agent Simmons and myself and my friend Greg, dad! Remember?" Shannon exclaimed in an annoyed tone as she rolled her eyes.

Gibbs hearing that was reminded of everything they were working on and the trauma Shannon had sustained through it.

And that Greg must have been one of the friends that were shot during gang related violence and crossfire in her past.

Connor and Kelly tensed at the sound of this. Gibbs noticed that but decided not to comment on it.

"Alright, fine. You can sit but you don't have anywhere to sit." Kelly said sighed annoyed.

"She can sit in my desk." Gibbs said sighing and Shannon smiled in triumph.

So, Shannon sat on Gibbs' desk scribbling stuff down while the others pieced together the case when Shannon heard that they needed a statement from Shannon, an official one, meaning she had to be interrogated.

"I'll do it, let's go!" Shannon said as she stood up and everyone looked at her shocked.

"Okay, let's go." Gibbs said as he led her to the interrogation room where they started their interrogation. She told them everything from the birthday party and the odd paper signing to how her dad's relationship with his dad was and how her grandpa was towards her. To how much she knew about gangs and if she ever had anything to do with them, to which she answered no. She then told them when she started to feel watched and described every incident in as much detail as she could. Then she told them of the attack in alley, the museum and the Navy Yard.

While she was being interrogated, Torres and Ellie were talking to the museum staff and McGee with Sloane to the school teachers. Then Shannon gave Erin's number to her mum who called her and they had a tele-interrogation with Agents Choi and Simmons telling their side of the attacks.

Vance, brought lunch for everyone and some great news, when he got on the phone with 21st Precinct of Chicago Police Department and talked to Sergeant Trudy Platt and she was sending Detectives Kevin Atwater and Hank Voight with the male that attacked Shannon named Daniel Rodriguez to them.

"That's odd, Uncle Hank doesn't like leaving his team." Shannon said perplexed.

"Well, Sergeant Platt said that Sergeant Voight and Detective Atwater made the arrest and interrogated him. So…" Vance answered Shannon who nodded still confused.

"It makes sense, they can offer their insight and since you went to Voight and gave your statement to him with Hermann it makes sense. Was Mr. Rodriguez processed in jail?" Kelly noted deep in thoughts.

"No, he was at hospital, Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, if I recall correctly." Vance said confused at Kelly's question. Kelly looked her husband and Shannon before Shannon smirked.

"Did they say what injuries he sustained? I work there." Connor asked Vance in a half smirk half serious look.

"No, but you can call and find out if you work there, Doctor Rhodes." Vance suspiciously and unsettled.

"Probably it was a busted lip and bruised if not cracked ribs, dad, if Voight did the interrogation." Shannon said to her dad with a shrug as she ate her tortilla chicken wrap.

The Rhodes family chuckled at that but Team Gibbs glared at them suspiciously.

"What does that mean, Kelly?" Gibbs asked his daughter in a tense tone.

"It's Ann now. And it means that if the stories of your interrogation techniques reign true then Voight is one and half times as scary as you. If he says he will do something he does it. He doesn't operate in black and white areas." Kelly said with a shrug because she didn't mind Voight's ways. She agreed with him more than she agreed with Gibbs' ways.

Mike and her had once looked over Gibbs' files and he told her stories he had heard from the federal grape vine, then heard from Jackson and Jackson heard from Fornell about Gibbs' techniques in questioning. And then unapprised what Fornell heard went back to her through Jackson. And to say she was a little concerned with Gibbs justification of certain behaviors would be an underestimate of the century.

Especially regarding the Ari case, she learned of it and asked about it when she joined ATF and had clearance to look into her dad without being depended on Jackson.

'What does that mean, Ann?" Gibbs asked annoyed by how the family before him was in the know of something that he wasn't, regarding this Detective Voight.

"It means that if you cross Voight you'd pray that you were dealing with Al Capone instead." Shannon said smirking and her tone had a little pride in there, a twisted sense of pride.

Gibbs didn't like that he scowled and folded his arms.

"And he's still allowed to be a Sergeant in the police force? If he dealt with the implied measures you are saying….he shouldn't have kept his job?" Ellie asked a little displeased and concerned with what and who they were dealing with.

"Because first, he has results and two even the gangs know not to mess with him. Not saying he's a saint because he isn't or that he did no wrong. But he's trustworthy and has results something not many can say they have." Kelly said to Gibbs and Ellie with a protective tone with hints of praise in her voice.

"How, can we forget, Kelly's sister, Katie's and Nadia's cases and Erin's brother. Even during Shay's deaths he didn't rest until they found the bastards who did those things. And when the terrorist attack happened at Med…" Connor added with a sad tone as he remembered and Kelly hugged him and Shannon wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Dad, it wasn't your fault." Shannon told him from Gibbs' desk.

"She's right you know." Kelly told Connor as she held his face and made him look at him.

"What happened with that terrorist attack at Med?" Gibbs asked in a worried tone.

"Nothing…" Kelly tried to change the topic back to the case but Connor answered.

"When Shannon was four years old, I went to Riyadh for a year as a combat medic in order to do my residency there. I was captured by terrorists thinking that my dad would pay money to get me back, he didn't. He said that he doesn't negotiate with terrorists. I was held for 5 months being forced to operate on them whenever they would return from raids and were hurt. I burned the photos I had of Ann and Shannon in order to protect them, so they thought since my "father" refused to pay the money nobody would look for me. That wasn't the case, Ann asked Jackson's help to find me and they find me two months later, Ethan, Agent Choi's cousin, went undercover as one of them in order to track me down…they were about to execute me because I killed one of theirs during a surgery that went wrong. Before I knew it, guns were blazing and I killed a few until I hesitated to kill a boy around the age of 14. I let him go. He talked I guess and then a year after I was back in Chicago and just few months after I was married to Ann, I saw him in the ED. He became a suicide bomber because I killed his dad in the surgery. Kelly, Ann's cousin, was before me when he saw me look terrified at the boy in the waiting area posing as a patient. And then Kelly saw my face and suspected something was wrong and went to check on the boy…next thing I know Kelly is impaled and the explosion happened." Connor said ashamed of his coward and hesitation at that moment as he held Kelly's hand.

"And because everyone was in the ED because Uncle Casey had hit his head on a call, mum was also hurt in the head, she was standing behind dad and she got thrown out of a window, thankfully it was ground floor level so she wasn't that badly hurt. I remember watching the news with grandma Mandy and grandpa Paul while he was cursing grandpa Cornelius in Norwegian, his first language." Shannon add from her seat and Gibbs didn't know what to do first, pin Connor against the wall for putting himself and his daughter in such danger or hug him and be thankful for him being alright and standing alive before him not forcing his daughter to go through the torturous journey of grieving a spouse.

"Wow!" Torres said amazed and horrified and everyone nodded but Gibbs who was glaring at Connor and his daughter.

"Mr. Gibbs I know what you are thinking, how dare I put Ann and Shannon is such danger, I didn't think any of this would have happened. I'm sorry." Connor told to Gibbs truthfully apologetically once he noticed his glare.

"It's in the past, Agent Gibbs. Be glad it's in the past." Shannon said to Gibbs to get him to calm down.

"And what did that Voight do for you Connor?" Gibbs asked trying to hide that he was a little upset if not jealous that his daughter viewed this man in such light instead of him.

"Voight was there for me when my dad wasn't. He helped me to adjust to civilian life and after the attack he promised that him and his unit will not rest until they found what happened and soon FBI was working with Voight not Voight working with FBI. Because Voight is known that if he is told to play by the rules he will if he agrees with them but if he didn't like the rules, he made sure to follow the rules on paper until a certain point as to not drag his unit down but he will add his own twist to things. And if the rules leave any loose ends the justice system didn't care about he would take care of it off books. In my case, he was just there to talk and assure me that they are people helping to solve the mess I made and was in without being condescending unlike how my father was about it." Connor explained with a small smile in his lips and thankful tone and Kelly rubbed his shoulder.

"Besides he used to see me semi-every day and during every Christmas dinner and party, dad…Paul was working at the morgue in the 21st just as we left DC and set up our lives in Chicago. He retired when I was 20 years old. I would see him whenever I would visit Paul and since I was friends with Justin, Voight's son, I was always spending some weekends with them or Justin would spend weekends with us. He's good people and a damn good cop! He used to ask my dad advice for how to handle Erin when he and his wife adopted her. He's family." Kelly said to Gibbs with the same tone as Connor showing Gibbs the loyalty Voight inspired in his daughter.

He didn't like it how she could trust Voight instead of him, her own dad.

"Okay then, find out what you can." Gibbs said nodding and he left. He couldn't not show how much it bothered him that Kelly, his Kelly, was condoning such reckless behavior from a cop and deeming them as heroic and trusted him more than him, her own father.

Kelly saw that but she didn't want to solve that now. Now the only thing that mattered to her was her daughter's safety and to solve the case, feelings would have to come second.

She felt relieved to have Voight and Atwater with them in this because they were the reminder of what close knit community she had left behind and had created in her 2nd chance at life. A life that for now didn't show to have a space for Gibbs she couldn't see how that could be possible.

Connor nudged her and showed with his eyes the direction where Gibbs was off to, encouraging her to go talk to him. She shook her head no but Connor raised his eyebrows and widen his eyes in empathetic way making her changed her mind.

Maybe if she didn't go defuse the situation now they might not have later.

So, she run behind Gibbs and saw him in a coffee stand paying for his whatever number cup of coffee this one was.

"Hey." She said keeping herself from referring to him as dad since it didn't feel right.

"I'm sorry if you think that I admire Voight more than you…I know Voight more than you and that's the truth…I don't really know you and you don't either. I won't lie and say I know you just because you are my dad. I don't have many unblocked memories of what my life was with you and mum, what memories I do have feel like a fever dream. Not real." Kelly explained and was careful with choosing her words not to upset him even more but halfway through her speech she saw the emotions of hurt flashing before his eyes and she knew she failed so she didn't hold herself back from making her point. That was the truth.

"That's the thing Kelly…"

"It's Ann."

"Whatever! They were real! They are real! And I do know you! You love pistachio ice cream…"

"I'm allergic to pistachio and lactose intolerant…"

"You used to like…"

"Used to, see? Past tense! We don't know each other and we need to get to know each other again if you want us to trust one another like I trust Voight and Jackson and my team if not more!" Kelly exclaimed annoyed and saddened and a lot guilty by the hurt in Gibbs' eyes and posture.

"Do you even want that, Ann or are you using my team to get a bad guy behind bars faster than your team would have done it to cover up the fact that the people you trust oh so dearly failed to protect your own child!" Gibbs yelled at her in a cold and angry tone and Kelly felt like she was being slapped with ice.

"You are the one to talk! You didn't look for me!? Where was the famous gut feeling every federal agent that knows you talks about? Where was it when it came to your own child!?" Kelly yelled with the same icy tone she used whenever she felt like she was pushed to a corner.

Gibbs visibly flinched at her accusation and Kelly sighed as she shook her head in disappointment and she turned around and walk away from the Navy yard. As she turned the corner she texted Connor that things didn't go well and to expect a cold and angry Gibbs back, then she physically grumbled on some stairs of a bakery entrance as she cried in her gloved hands.

Do you think Gibbs' and Kelly's relationship will get better? Who in your opinion was right during the fight? Who's side are you on? And who do you think is trying to kill Shannon? Is her paternal grandfather really behind all of this?

Tell me in your comments!

Thank you for reading!