Note: this scene is supposed to be placed somewhere before 16x19. This story was inspired by episode 17x14 where Gibbs says "these are the only kids I have left" but at the same time ever since I watched episode 16x19 I have been thinking "how would Jack tell Gibbs about Faith for the first time?" so this became my version of that conversation between Gibbs and Jack. I hope you enjoy it and as always please leave a comment on your thoughts.

Jack and Gibbs are at a bar and are getting a beer after work. They are sitting in a small booth in the corner of a dark bar with dimmed light. They are both having a beer. Gibbs can see something is on Jack's mind, but she isn't saying anything.

"what is on your mind Jack?" he asks. she looks bewildered at him. "you said you wanted to talk. You aren't saying anything." Gibbs says and takes a sip of his beer.

"your daughter… Kelly." Gibbs nods when Jack says her name, but he isn't sure why she would bring Kelly up. "how old would she be now?"

"about 32," Gibbs says. Jack nods.

"did you and your wife plan to have kids?" Jack asks.

"Nothing ever went as planned in my life, Jack," Gibbs says and takes a sip of his beer.

"right," Jack says and looks out over the bar.

"do you remember the first time you held her?"

Gibbs nods and smiles. "yeah. She was so small. I was so scared."

"you were scared?" Jack asks in disbelieve. Gibbs nods.

"Yeah. I had never held such a tiny little human being in my hands before. I didn't know how to be a dad or what to do."

"you are used to be able to train for everything, but you can't train or study to be a good parent," Jack says. it almost seems to Gibbs like she knows what she is talking about like she is talking like a parent which surprises him.

"yeah to me it seemed like my dad he always knew how to be a good dad. Shannon, she was so great. It seemed like she always knew exactly what do to and how to do it."

"I think that was just how you saw it. your dad as the perfect dad that you were trying to live up. Isn't that always how we see our parents?" Jack asks. Gibbs nods.

"Yeah, I guess so. When Kelly took her first steps, or she said her first word. It was…" Gibbs doesn't know how to describe it which amazes Jack. She has a picture of Gibbs as an amazing dad for his little girl. Gibbs remembers his little girl the day she was born. She was so small. She was just staring up at him with her big curious eyes. she always had that curious look in her eyes, or at least that is how he remembers it. she was always so curious. When she started walking Shannon said she needs to have an eye on each finger and in the back of her head to be able to keep track of Kelly. The memory makes Gibbs smile. He snaps out of the memory again when he feels Jack's hand on his hand that is resting on the table.

"I'm sure you were an amazing dad." She says almost whispering as she is looking into his light blue eyes. the emotional memories of Kelly are getting too much for him, so he takes a sip of his beer when he doesn't know how to respond to that. Jack suddenly becomes aware of her hand on his and she quickly removes it and looks away from him again.

"what is on your mind, Jack?" Gibbs asks again. Jack continues to look out over the bar away from Gibbs for a while until she suddenly turns back to Gibbs and says. "I have a daughter too."

Gibbs looks surprised at her.

"or had…" she adds and takes a sip of her beer.

"is she?" Gibbs asks.

"she is alive. I gave her up for adoption the day she was born. I haven't seen her since." Jack explains and Gibbs nods un understanding. He is surprised but not as surprised as Jack would have expected. Gibbs has noticed Jack's mother instinct on several occasions when they have worked cases involving kids. Over Christmas when he saw Jack with the little baby. It seemed so natural and when Jack spoke with the

"What is her name?" Gibbs asks.

"Faith," Jack says and looks away from Gibbs. He notices how tears are starting to form in her eyes and she is trying to hide it. Jack wipes a tear away before she looks at him again. "she lives here in DC."

"I thought you said…" he starts confused. "I haven't seen her since she was born, but…" Jack says interrupting Gibbs.

"you haven't contacted her, but you looked her up?" Jack nods.

"may I ask…"

"why I gave her up for adoption? Why I was such a selfish person?"

"I didn't say that." Gibbs interrupts. "I don't think you are. There are many reasons for people to give up a child for adoption, and…" Gibbs says and Jack looks at Gibbs. He reaches over and takes her hand in his as she did earlier. "you said to Tanja that there are many reasons for parents to give their child up for adoption and the most important one is to give it a better chance in life." Jack looks down at their hands and nods.

"I was young. It had just enlisted in the army. I was ready to go out and save the world." That makes Gibbs chuckle. And Jack starts smiling too. "yeah I know I was young and naïve."

"don't we all enlist to save the world?" Gibbs asks and Jack nods.

"I became pregnant and I knew I couldn't provide for my baby."

"what about the father?" Gibbs asks.

"not exactly father of the year kind of guy." Jack says. "not my best judgment-call." She adds.

"I made sure she was handed off to a nice family and for a long time, while I was in the army, I didn't think much of it. I was living my life the way I had always wanted. I was free as a bird and out saving the world. The army… my unit… they were my family. They where the only family I needed, until…" she doesn't continue but Gibbs knows what she is referring to. He gently strokes her hand with his thumb and that makes her feel better. She has wanted to tell Gibbs about Faith for a while, but she was afraid of how he would react to it.

"I'm really glad you aren't thinking I am an awful person." She says after a few minutes where they are just sitting in silence where he is gently holding her hand.

"why would I?" he asks almost whispering. His eyes are filled with so much softness as he is looking at her in the dimmed light in the bar.

"after you told me what happened to your daughter… I wasn't sure I should tell you."

Gibbs looks confused at her, so she elaborates.

"you didn't get to watch your little girl grow up because of awful circumstances while I chose to not watch my little girl grow up." She looks away from him when she can feel another tear starts forming in her eyes, but she takes her hand when she reaches up to wipe it away.

"Hey…" he says to get her to look at him. she looks at him again. "you had a reason to do what you did. I don't judge. I wish I could have watched Kelly grow up and become the amazing young woman that she was meant to be, but… that didn't happen. I have been lucky enough to see 4 other young women grown into amazing and talented young women and I have come to think of them as my children. Some of them I had to watch go again, but… that doesn't mean I judge your choices."

Jack nods. That was exactly what she was hoping to hear from Gibbs but what she was afraid she wouldn't.

"How old is Faith now?" Gibbs asks.

"she is about 28. She just finished medical school." Jack says.

"smart girl," Gibbs says. Jack nods. "yeah." Jack look into Gibbs's eyes and notice the sad smile in his eyes.

"I'm sure Kelly was too," Jack says.

"she was smart." Gibbs says. "she always came up with ways to get around rules." That makes them both chuckles. "she sounds like you." Jack says and it makes them both laugh and Gibbs nods.

"yeah…. she was my whole world," Gibbs says. Jack recognizes the sad smile on Gibbs's face, from whenever he has told her about Kelly before.

"did you and Shannon ever consider having more children?" Jack asks as they leave the bar and walk out onto the dark empty street.

"no… Shannon said having 1 child with my stubbornness was more than enough." That makes them both laugh.

"I can imagine," Jack says.

"since Kelly started walking, we had to have an eye on her 24/7 otherwise she would run down to the basement."

"wow… a mini Gibbs." Jack says and Gibbs chuckles.

"Yeah… she helped me with my woodwork in the basement from she was little. She loved being down there with me. It was our thing."

"it sounds like a lot of great memories," Jack says and leans closer to Gibbs as they walk towards their cars in the cold night.

"Yeah. With all of my kids." Gibbs says remembering some of the greatest times he has had in his basement with Kate, Abby, Ziva, Ellie, Tony, Tim, and Nick. All of whom he has come to think of as his own children. he never got the chance to watch Kelly grow up and become an amazing human being but he did get the chance to watch his other kids grow up and some of them to even become a parent themselves.

adopted or biological - it makes no difference to Gibbs - he loves all of his kids.