Note: one of my all-time favorite scenes will always be when Gibbs tells Jimmy what it means to be a dad and the hug at the end of the season 14-episode "keep going." I also love Gibbs's interaction with Gibbs and how he always takes the kid's side. I got this idea that if a kid of one of Gibbs co-workers were having parent-trouble, Gibbs wouldn't hesitate for a moment to step in a help the kid – in his own Gibbs way. I hope you enjoy this one-shot. Let me know what you think of it and ENJOY.
Autopsy
It has been a very quiet day. The team only had one case that needed to finish up from yesterday, and otherwise, the day has been spent paperwork. Wish has been too great displeasure for the entire team. Also, down in autopsy has things been quiet, but Jimmy Palmer has still been stressed out for some reason.
Gibbs has decided to take a break from the paperwork and come down to check on Jimmy. When Gibbs walks into the autopsy, he doesn't see Jimmy anywhere.
"Palmer," Gibbs calls out. Shortly after the automatic doors open, Jimmy walks in. he is wearing his civilian goat over his scrubs.
"Agent Gibbs? Do we have a case? I didn't receive any notification on my phone." Jimmy says, clearly stressed out and confused.
"no." Gibbs says casually. "just checking how you are doing."
"that is unusual." Jimmy says and walks over to his desk to take off his coat. "not that I mean I don't apprici…"
"You seem a bit stressed out." Gibbs interrupts Jimmy's rambling.
"yeah, well. Breena and I have disagreed a bit lately about hold to arrange Victoria's birthday tomorrow. she does not think I take a big enough part of the responsibility regarding planning Victoria's birthday for her class. It is just the thought of having 20 kids over for a birthday party seems like a lot."
"well, kid birthdays with 20 kids can be a headache but enjoy it. Now it is only a birthday cake you have to clean up after. Just wait until she is a teenager, and you will have 20 kids puking all over the house instead."
"right," Jimmy says, exhausted and drops down in his chair.
"how is Victoria doing?" Gibbs asks, leaning against one of the autopsy tables.
"I am good." A little girl's voice is coming from the door. the automatic doors slide aside, and little Victoria is now standing in the doorway, smiling up at Gibbs. "hallo, Mr. Agent Gibbs." Victoria greets and walks into autopsy.
"hey, you remember I told you that you don't need to say either Mr or Agent?" the little girl nods eagerly. She then walks over to her dad. Gibbs notice, while she is walking, red blinking light is coming from the side of her shoes.
"Victoria, I think you got something on your shoe. They are shining red." Gibbs says, and that makes the little girl giggle.
"no, Gibbs, it is my new shoes," Victoria explains. "I got them for my birthday."
"When is your birthday?" Gibbs asks with a smile to the little girl.
"today," Victoria says. "I am now six years old." Victoria proudly shows six fingers for Gibbs.
"wow, you are practically an adult now," Gibbs says. That makes the little girl giggle.
"nooo…."
"don't you go to school now?" Gibbs asks, and Victoria nods in response, so her shoulder long pigtails swing all over the place.
"Yeah, I do. I am in elementary school now."
"do you like it?" Gibbs asks.
"kinda. I like playing with my friends at recess." Victoria explains, and that makes Gibbs smile. It reminds him of Kelly. Her favorite thing about elementary school was recess too.
"Are you already studying to become a medical examiner now?" Gibbs asks Victoria when she walks over to the autopsy table where Gibbs is leaning against.
"no. I am just here because daddy picked me up from school early because it is my birthday today.
"well… happy birthday then," Gibbs says.
"thank you."
"is that why you dressed so beautifully today?"
"Yeah. It is my favorite dress, and Mommy let me wear it to school today."
"It looks lovely." Victoria giggles while she makes a spin for Gibbs, so her dress folds out around her. It s a light blue knee-long dress with some glitter on it.
"Vic, please don't spread the glitter all over the room," Jimmy says, a bit annoyed. He received a furious look back from his daughter.
"I also got to wear my little tiara today. Grand ducky gave it to me. he says princesses and queens in England wear it."
"It looks very nice and royal." Gibbs compliments the little silver shining plastic tiara on her head.
"what are you going to do now, Gibbs?" Victoria asks, returning to her conversation with Gibbs and ignoring her cranky father.
"I am going upstairs to do my homework. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Victoria says with a shrug.
"don't you have some math homework for tomorrow?" Jimmy asks with his back towards them while he is working on paperwork at his desk.
"yes, yes, daddy," Victoria says and climbs onto the autopsy table to do her homework. Gibbs looks over at Jimmy with a concerned look. Something is off with Jimmy today. He usually never snaps at his daughter like this. the automatic doors slide aside, and Breena comes in.
"mommy," Victoria exclaims loud and excited.
"Hello, Agent Gibbs." Breena greets Gibbs with a surprised look.
"Hello, Breena. How are you?" Gibbs asks and places a kiss on her cheek when she briefly hugs Gibbs.
"I didn't get a kiss," Victoria says, disappointed from her seat on the autopsy table.
Gibbs was about to leave but walks back and places a kiss on Victoria's cheek. She giggles, and it makes both Breena and Gibbs smile.
"see you later. Happy birthday Victoria." Gibbs says as he leaves autopsy.
Gibbs comes out from a briefing in MTAC when Torres comes running up the stairs.
"boss, have you seen Victoria Palmer?" McGee asks, clearly worried and out of breath.
"yeah, in autopsy with her parents about an hour and a half ago." Gibbs answers while looking at his wristwatch.
"she left autopsy. She went to the bathroom and didn't come back. they found her shoes in the bathroom." McGee explains. Gibbs looks down over the bullpen. There is a lot of activity from agents. It seems like every person in the building is looking for the little missing girl.
"she can't leave the navy yard, McGee," Gibbs says calmly. McGee runs down the stairs to continue the search. Gibbs overhears Jimmy and Breena talking down in the squad room with Jack.
"I can't believe this." Breena says while tears are running down her face. "why would she walk away on her birthday?"
"did anything happened before she went to the bathroom? Anything she said?" Jack asks calmly.
"no," Breena says and then burst into tears.
"what about while she was in the bathroom. What did the two of you talk about?" Jack asks.
"We were arguing." Jimmy admits. "we have been arguing a bit lately, especially over Victoria's birthday party with her classmates. We were talking about that while Victoria was in the bathroom."
"could Victoria have heard that argument?" Jack asks.
"she was going to that bathroom in the hazmat showroom. It is the only bathroom she likes because she doesn't need to lock the door." Jimmy explains.
Upstairs, Gibbs has heard the conversation. Gibbs walks to the elevator and takes the elevator down to autopsy.
Hazmat shower
Gibbs walks into the Hazmat shower room. There is one shower that doesn't work. It hasn't worked for years. No one has bothered to fix it because five other showers are working. The shower curtain has been covering the shower for several years, but now Gibbs notices it has moved. He decides to stand completely still and listen. He can hear the sound of little Victoria sniffling behind the shower curtain.
"Victoria," Gibbs says after a few minutes. He has sat down on the bench and sipped casually at his coffee.
"I'm not here." The little girl responds.
"Okay, then. I will just go get hot chocolate by myself then." Gibbs says and stands up and takes a few steps towards the door. He stops when he hears the shower curtain moving. At the curtain's bottom in front of the broken shower, the curtain is gently pushed aside by two small fingers, and little Victoria is peaking out.
"it is just me. your mom and dad are not here." Gibbs says casually. Victoria takes a moment. Then she climbs out from behind the curtain and stands up. Gibbs walks over to Victoria. She has cried.
"your mom and dad were arguing? That was why you hide?" Gibbs asks while he helps the little girl dust off her dress.
"I don't like it when they argue," Victoria says and looks down on the floor.
"I never liked it either, when my mom and dad would argue."
"I don't like it at all," Victoria says with tears falling down her face again.
"well. How about you and I go and get some hot cocoa for your birthday. Then I think I have an idea of how you can get them to stop arguing." Gibbs says. Victoria nods.
"but I don't have any shoes." Victoria suddenly remembers. "I got so mad at mommy and daddy that I didn't want to wear the shoes they gave me."
"well," Gibbs says and walks out of the shower room and grabs a pair of blue plastic booties.
"you can put these on." "Gibbs says and helps Victoria out the blue plastic booties that are way too big for her on. "it isn't a glass slipper for Cinderella but, it will do." It makes Victoria giggle.
"When we get outside, I can carry you. it isn't that far." Gibbs says and stands up. They walk to the elevator, and Gibbs lets Victoria press the bottom. While she is distracted, he sends a text message to Jack. "V with me."
"how you finished your homework?" Victoria asks once they get into the elevator. At first, Gibbs looks a bit confused, and then he remembers that he told her earlier he had to do some homework too.
"yeah, I did. I just handed it in."
"What kind of assignment was it?" Victoria asks.
"in English writing."
"it is called ELA."
"Oh, rights," Gibbs says and takes a sip of his coffeecup.
Coffee cart – navy yard
Gibbs carries Victoria to the coffee cart on his arm. She is a bit heavier than he remembered a 6-year old to be, or maybe it has just been a long time since he last carried a 6-year-old around.
"good afternoon Agent Gibbs, the usual?" the owner of the coffee shop asks.
"not today," Gibbs responds to the big surprise of the owner. "I would like 2 cups of hot chocolate. One for me and one of the young birthday princesses here." Victoria giggles when Gibbs calls her a princess.
"it is your birthday?" the waiter asks Victoria. She nods eagerly, so her pigtails his Gibbs in the face.
"yeah, I turn 6years old today."
"Wow, congratulations." The waiter says. "what is your name, young lady?" the waiter asks.
"Victoria." She responds and looks proudly at Gibbs.
"well. happy birthday Victoria." The waiter says when he hands her the paper cup. It has her name on it and a little flag drawn on the side of the cup too.
"thank you."
The waiter hands the other cup to Gibbs. They then sit down on the bench near the coffee cart. The sun is shining, and it makes the glitter on Victoria's dress reflect the sun onto the ground.
"look, it is my dress doing that," Victoria says and points to the reflection on the ground.
"yeah." The little girl seems to have forgotten why she got mad at her parents.
Once the distraction of the sun reflection of her dress and the taste of the hot chocolate wears off, it seems like reality comes back to Victoria, and she looks down on her cup with sadness.
"do you think mommy and daddy are going to be mad at me?" Victoria asks Gibbs.
"no." Gibbs simply says and takes a sip of his hot cocoa. "I think if you tell them why you did it, I think they will understand."
"but they don't want to listen to me. mom and dad pretend like I don't know."
"that they are arguing?" Gibbs asks, and Victoria nods.
"well, parents don't always realize how smart their children are."
"my mom and dad argued last night after I went to bed. I could hear it."
"do they argue a lot?"
"no… only sometimes. It is always when mom and dad think I can't hear them."
"well, have you asked them why they argue?"
Victoria shakes her head.
"no, they won't tell me."
"how about we make them tell you," Gibbs asks and receive a confused look from Victoria.
"There is one specific room at NCIS that makes people tell the truth. People can't lie there. It is a room where, if you ask someone a question in there. They will answer you." Gibbs explains to the amazement of Victoria.
"so if I ask mommy and daddy questions in there, they will tell me the truth?" Victoria asks, and Gibbs nods with a convincing look.
"Can we please do that?" Victoria asks with her pleading eyes. Gibbs remembers that Kelly used to make the same pleading eyes whenever she wanted something.
"sure." Gibbs takes out his phone and sends another text to Jack. The text reads: "bring Palmer and Breena to Interrogation 20 min."
"Okay, let's finish up our hot cocoa and head back to get some answers," Gibbs says and finishes his hot coca. It takes a few more minutes for Victoria to finish. They throw their cups in the trash, and Gibbs lifts Victoria upon his arm, and they are ready to head back and get some answers.
Interrogation room
"Agent Sloane, you said you had found our daughter?" Breen says while they are walking down the hallway.
"she is found, and she is safe. Come with me." Jack says and continues walking.
"where is she?" Jimmy asks, worried. He looks even more nervous when Jack stops in front of the interrogation room.
"she is safe, but there is someone who would like to ask you a few questions," Jack says and opens the door to the interrogation room.
"come in. have a seat," Gibbs says to a very nervous-looking Jimmy and Breena, who is tightly holding on to her husband's hand. Jimmy cautiously steps into the interrogation room. To his immense surprise is Victoria sitting on their chair, where Gibbs is usually sitting when interrogating suspects.
"oh my gosh, baby, are you okay," Breena says and breaks into tears of happiness when she sees her little girl.
"Please sit down," Victoria says, determined without accepting her moms hug. Jimmy and Breena look surprised at each other and then at Jack and Gibbs. Jack can't hide her amused smile while Gibbs, the master of poker face, looks at them as if they were suspects. Jimmy and Breena take a seat across the table from their daughter. She is sitting on the side where Gibbs usually is and has a notebook and a pile of markers laid out on the table. Gibbs closes the door behind them and leans against the wall next to the door.
"agent Gibbs, what is going on?"
"I am the one asking the questions," Victoria says, determined.
"oh, this is better be good," Leon says. He has just entered the observation room where the three field agents gathered with both Kasie and Ducky.
"what is Gibbs up to?" Bishop asks.
"parenting." Jack and Ducky respond simultaneously with the surprise of the rest of the group gathered in the small room.
In the interrogation room is Victoria getting ready to get some answers.
"I want to know why you are arguing?" Victoria says very determinedly to her parents.
Jimmy and Breena look surprised at each other and then a Victoria.
"well, we disagreed on some grown-up stuff," Breena explains.
"why?" Victoria asks.
"well, you know, just like you and Sofia couldn't agree on who was going to play with which doll on your playdate last week, mom and I couldn't agree on who should do what about some adult stuff," Jimmy explains.
"are you going to move away, daddy?" Victoria asks. Jimmy and Breena look very surprised at each other. On the other side of the one-way mirror, the group seems shocked at each other.
"why would you think that, Victoria?" Gibbs asks and kneels next to Victoria before Jimmy and Breena answers.
"because Lucas from my class says that his mommy and daddy argue a lot. So now his daddy is moving away, so he doesn't get to see his daddy much anymore." Little Victoria starts crying.
"listen, Victoria. Sofia, she is your very good friend, right?" Gibbs asks. Victoria nods and wipes away a tear.
"Just because you and she couldn't agree on which doll to play with, does that mean you are not going to have playdates with Sofia anymore?" Gibbs asks. Victoria looks up and shakes her head.
"so just because your mom and dad disagree on who to do what kind of adult stuff doesn't mean they are never going to spend time together again," Gibbs explains. Victori nods in understand and then turns back to her parents. Jimmy and Breena look over at Victoria.
"sweetie, daddy is not moving away. I promise you that." Breena says and reaches over to take Victoria's hand.
"good." Victoria says, determined. "so my shoes with light that was a daddy-moving away gift?" Victoria asks. "because Lucas said that his parents gave him a PlayStation because his daddy was moving far away."
"no, sweetie. The shoes were your birthday present. We gave them to you this morning so you could wear them to school today." Jimmy explains to his little girl.
"I took them off, daddy," Victoria explains.
"don't worry, sweetie. We got them for you." Breena says.
"Okay," Victoria says, relieved that she hadn't lost her new shoes.
"do you have any more questions, Victoria?" Gibbs asks from where he is standing against the wall. Victoria nods.
"yes," she says, determined, and looks directly at her dad.
"Why are you mad at me today, daddy?" Victoria asks. Jimmy looks confused at his little girl and then at Breena and to Gibbs and back to Victoria.
"I am not mad at you, sweetie."
"yes, daddy. You yell at me not to get glitter all over the room and to not run and not be loud."
Jimmy now realizes he has been snapping a bit at Victoria quite a bit since he picked her up from school. The pressure for him to find an intern combined with the planning of Victoria's birthday has been stressing him out.
"I am sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to sound mad. I have just been super tired lately."
"you just need a little nap, daddy. You can use my nappy." Victoria says and reaches down on the floor where she has a backpack standing next to the chair. She takes out a little, very dirty pink stuffed bunny rabbit and reaches it over to her dad.
"thank you, sweetie. Maybe I will take a nap before your birthday party tonight." Jimmy says and takes the stuffed animal. Jimmy feels a little embarrassed knowing Gibbs is standing in the corner and that fact that at least Jack and probably the rest of his co-workers are watching.
"how about we go home and prepare for your birthday party tonight?" Breena asks now that it seems like Victoria has gotten her answers.
"I only have one last thing to say," Victoria says, determined and look up at Gibbs for permission. Gibbs nods, and Victoria turns back to her parents and looks at them with a furious look.
"I don't want you to argue anymore. I don't like it." Victoria says very determinedly to her parents. They look shocked at her first, but then they look at each other and nod in agreement.
"We promise we won't argue anymore, sweetie," Breena says.
"We don't like to argue neither." Jimmy ads.
"okay:" Victoria says, satisfied and is about to stand up and pack up her stuff.
"I have another question," Victoria says.
"Okay," Jimmy says, now playing more along on the interrogation.
"Is grand ducky coming to my birthday party tonight?" Victoria asks.
Victoria and Jimmy look at each other with a smile.
"yes, he is," Jimmy says with a smile.
"are you Gibbs?" Victoria asks. Gibbs didn't expect the question.
"you said in here people have to tell the truth," Victoria says. It amuses the group behind the one-way mirror that Gibbs's idea backfired at him from a 6-year-old. Gibbs looks over at Jimmy and Breena for permission and receives a nod from Jimmy before answering Victoria.
"Yeah, I am."
"yeah," Victoria exclaims excitedly. She then gets up and packs up her notebook and her markers.
Victoria leaves the interrogation room, in-between her parents holding their hands. When they step out, the entire group of co-workers is standing in the hallway. Victoria greets everyone and tells everyone about what just happened even though they had only seen it themselves. Gibbs is just standing in the door leading to the interrogation room and observes it all. Jimmy walks over to Agent Gibbs.
"Agent Gibbs." Jimmy says. "thank you." he simply says and reaches out a hand to shake Gibbs's hand. Instead, Gibbs takes him into a surprise hug.
"you have a smart kid. don't treat her as if she is not." Gibbs whispers to Jimmy and then break the hug again.
"I won't," Jimmy promises with a determined look into Gibbs steal blue eyes.
Jimmy is about to walk away from Gibbs, but Gibbs grabs his shoulder, and Jimmy turns back to Gibbs.
"Being a dad is the most important job you will ever have. don't ever be embarrassed about being a great dad, no matter who is watching."
Jimmy looks down at his daughter's stuffed animal in his hand and smiles.
"I won't," Jimmy says with a proud smile as he looks over at his daughter, who is proudly showing off her blue dress and her tiara to the team.
"Hey Victoria, how about we put your shoes on again so you can show them to everyone," Jimmy says loud and clear. Victoria looks up at her dad and nods. Jimmy is handed the shoes from his wife's purse. He kneels in front of his daughter and assists her in putting on the shoes. She steps one foot forward while Ducky guides her on how to hold up in her dress elegantly.
Thanks for reading – this chapter was also mildly inspired by the episode where Gibbs sets his father and LJ Moore straight by telling them to stop being mad at each other over Gibb's mother. I love that specific scene in the basement – Gibbs is the son but still the most grown up in the situation.