a/n:

Damselfly: Chapter I

Leroy Jethro Gibbs picked up his cell phone as it once again rang, but it just as soon found its way back on the table along with the sawdust and tools as he read the I.D. that appeared on the screen. Jackson Gibbs, his father, had bee calling him since around 0600. Gibbs hadn't answered a single one. They two of them had never really been on good terms, haven't been since his mother left them. He blamed Jackson, though he knew that it wasn't the man's fault, and had never been able to resolve the problem.

He let out a breath that was not a sigh and picked up his hand drill. He'd just started a knew hole when his cell rang again. But he answered it this time, wedging it at the crook of his neck as he continued to drill. "What, DiNozzo?"

"Hello, to you too, Boss!" Tony greeted him. "And what a fine hour it is."

"It's near 0800, Tony." Gibbs growled. "Spit it out."

"Right." Tony got to it, not ready for a head slap when he saw Gibbs next. "Got a call about a explosion down in Cumberland involving two Marines from their base."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment as he set his drill down and felt something in his gut. "Tell Ducky, and take the truck with Kate and McGee. Don't do anything until I get there, DiNozzo." he order his Agent and didn't wait for confirmation before he hung up. He sat there for a moment before he moved into action. After that, he was quick to get ready and climb into his truck. He made what should have been a two hour drive, three-quarters that.

The field in Cumberland was taped off. He saw a few Marines putting K9s in the back of a jeep, and were leaving the crime scene alone. An MP at the tape. And that was who Gibbs approached.

He flashed his badge. "N.C.I.S. Special Agent Gibbs. My team will be here shortly,"

"Petty Officer Mark Daniels, sir." The MP nodded and lifted the tape to let his through. "This way," He led Gibbs to the Marine that looked to be in charge, and giving the orders. "Lieutenant?"

The Lieutenant turned. "Who's this, PO?" He asked.

"Agent Gibbs, sir. From N.C.I.S." Daniels introduced.

"Lt. Haune." He shook hands with Gibbs. "You can go back to your post, Daniels."

"Sir. Agent Gibbs," Daniels nodded and went back to his post, waiting for the arrival of the rest of the N.C.I.S. team.

"What can you tell me, Lt.?" Gibbs questioned, his notepad in hand. He might as well get some information while his team had still yet to arrive.

"We've been doing bomb disposal training at the Cumberland base since 0430. Explosion were heard at 0520." Haune told him.

"Explosions; plural?" Gibbs questioned.

"Yes. Reports of two; one fallow right after by another." Haune nodded. "The explosions themselves is what clued the Command Post that something was not right. We don't use live explosives during training, Agent; we do dummy bombs, that if are activated, release powder to simulate an explosion."

"And there's no way that one of the techs that create your dummy bombs, messed up and used real explosives?" Gibbs addressed, knowing that it was an insult, but one that needed to be addressed.

"No way in hell, sir." The Lt. told him, defending his fellow Marines. "The techs created the dummies and then another officer checks them before they go out in the field."

"All right," Gibbs nodded. "Tell me about the exercise."

"There wasn't one,"

"What do you mean?" He looked up from his notepad.

"There was not an exercise scheduled out here," Haune shook his head. "This part of town is not in the Naval base, it's civilian land."

"So why were there Marines out here?"

"Not a clue, sir."

"Okay. Tell me about the casualties."

"There was one," He said solemnly. "With the condition that the body was in, we're not able to I.D. him on scene.

Gibbs nodded. "My M.E. will be able to do that."

"We cleared the area of anymore explosives, it's protocol." Haune informed. "And we had to go in for the Petty Officer."

"The PO?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, sir." Haune nodded. "He was alive, just barely. He arrived at Saint James hospital close to 0600." Gibbs wrote down the name of the hospital. "Daniels said that your name is Gibbs, sir?" he asked out of the blue.

Gibbs looked at him. "That's right," his gaze was narrowed.

"Do you have a son, Agent Gibbs?" he asked, even more sketchy.

Haune was giving him a look, one that was making his gut act up. A sign that he couldn't ignore this time. "I do," he said slowly.

Haune was quiet for a moment and he even glanced away. "The Marine that was in the explosion, Agent Gibbs, was Petty Officer Shelby Jackson Gibbs." He said softly.

Now there was silence, everything background sound was muted. Blackout silence. Ears ringing, blood rushing. This was why his stomach was kicking up a fuss; his father calling him since 0600, why the news of a bomb going off in Cumberland had made him pause. The slamming of truck doors brought him back, and he was feeling foul. He gave himself a mental head-slap. "We'll contact you if we need anything else," Gibbs told the Lt.

"Of course, sir. I'll leave you to it." Haune gave a him a nod before he left.

Tony, Kate, McGee and Ducky came under the tape, Palmer following behind with a gurney. The M.E. and his assistant went straight to the body, while his team went to him for instructions.

"You're here already, boss." Tony voiced as they met Gibbs.

Gibbs turned to him. "And doing your job, DiNozzo." He growled and brushed passed them to meet with Ducky at the body, tucking his notebook into his jacket pocket. He needed to get to the hospital.

"Whoa!" Tony voiced as they followed Gibbs. "He wasn't like that on the phone," he muttered, stopping.

"Its what you bring out in people, Tony." Kate smirked.

"No." Tony shook his head. "This is something else."

"If you say so," She rolled her eyes as she passed him. He made a face at her back. "Mature," She told him, not needing to look over her shoulder to know what he did; he was predictable.

Tony looked at Tim. "What are you smirking at?"

Tim forced the curve from his lips. "Nothing," he passed Tony, and it came back up when he was out of the other man's view. But Tony's expression stayed sour as he was the last one to arrive at scene. He was not doing so good to get back in Gibbs' favour.

"What do you think, Ducky?" Gibbs asked the M.E., straight to the point and more briskly than usual.

Ducky glanced at the man before looking down at the badly burned body on the ground. Most of him was there, but most of both the Marine's legs. "I believe that I can safely conclude that he was above the explosion when it occurred." he said as Kate was taking photos of the body.

"There were two, Duck." Gibbs told him.

"Well, one of the explosions, then." Ducky corrected his original conclusion. And despite his mood, Gibbs' lips couldn't help but twitch. "Mr. Palmer," He addressed his assistant. "Would you be so kind as to find this poor fellow's legs?"

"U-um, of course, doctor." Palmer stammered out and scurried away to find the rest of the body.

"Call me when you have an I.D. would you, Duck?" Gibbs asked his friend.

"Of course, Jethro." Ducky agreed.

Gibbs nodded and turned from the coroner, heading back to his truck.

"What about us, boss?" Tony called.

"Do your job, DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped back, ducking under the tape and climbing into his truck, he didn't stop to address his team. They were all capable Field Agents and didn't need him to be there for their every move.

"Where is he going?" Tim asked when Tony didn't say anything more.

"Somewhere he needs to be, lad." Ducky supplied from his place crouched at the body, probably thinking he was helping.

"That was very cryptic of you, Ducky." Tim told him.

"That's just Gibbs, Timothy." Duck agreed.

"So... normal, then." Kate smiled in agreement as well.

"No time for chit-chat, Todd." Tony snapped at her unnecessarily, his gaze still trained on where Gibbs had disappeared to. Finally, he looked at her. "Did I stutter?" he demanded.

"No." She glared at him. "But you will be if I get a hold of you." She growled at him through her teeth and they locked glares. Tim looked between the to of them with anxiety, maybe they did need Gibbs here.

"Found one!" Palmer's cheer disrupted their argument and when they group looked to where the autopsy gremlin was, they saw that he had his arm stretched into the air and one of the Marine's legs in his hand, a smile in place. "Too much?" he asked them.

"Too happy," Tony told him.

"Right." Palmer nodded, lowering his arm as he came back over to them, his tone more solemn.

"Much better, Mr. Palmer." Ducky said as he took the leg.

"As Gibbs suggested," Tony said. "Let's do our jobs!"

chapter I end-