Chapter 32

Gibbs walked into the bullpen at six am, coffee in one hand, bag in the other. Slinging his bag onto his desk he nodded in the direction of a "morning, boss". He sat down at his desk and booted up his computer. Looking around at the rest of his team, he documented who was there before him and who was late. Glancing at his clock, he confirmed his suspicions. DiNozzo was late for the second time that week. Which wouldn't have been that big a deal. But it was only Tuesday. Gibbs was about to question his two remaining agents when he heard the elevator. He didn't have to look up when he spoke, DiNozzo's self-confidence was as pungent as his third wife' perfume.

"DiNozzo, you're late. Again."

"Sorry boss, won't happen again. But look what I found down in the lobby," he said. Gibbs had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. This man was the most irritating, childish man he had ever had the misfortune of meeting. He was also one of the best investigators, and a more loyal companion that most of his ex-wives had been. DiNozzo had a charm that made Gibbs want to kill him and laugh at him at the same time. It was infuriating.

He looked up and saw DiNozzo in his usual sharp suit, and wide grin that made him look like a small child who had managed to wrap the entire house in toilet roll. He had a woman with him. A woman who he had only vaguely remembered seeing before. Didn't she belong in legal or somewhere where suits were as essential as the air they breathed?

"Boss," DiNozzo spoke again "this is our new recruit, Nikki Jardine."

There was an awkward pause, where Gibbs glared at Tony, trying to decide whether this was another one of DiNozzo's "funny" practical jokes. Ever since Tony had met Ziva, he seemed to be even more painfully chipper. And if this was his idea of amusing, he was going to have to think again.

"Director Vance assigned me to your team?" Nikki said nervously after the uncomfortable silence became too much to bear, her statement sounding more like a question than an explanation "said something about needing help?"

Both Kate and McGee looked up in surprise. They hadn't had a new recruit for years. Some say it was because the higher powers didn't want Gibbs scaring them off before they had even started. Others said that it was because Gibbs was a vampire in disguise who only fed off new recruits. But the rumours said a lot. They said that Gibbs used his special powers to raise Abby from the dead when she was a little girl, and that was who she was still so childish and gothic. Which was totally not true. Because come on, if you had been raised from the dead, why would you sleep in a coffin at night?

Gibbs took one look at the woman and without a word walked over to the elevator and pressed the up button. And he disappeared into the metal box.

There was a silence in the bullpen as Jardine tried to understand what had just happened. DiNozzo had moved to sit at his own desk and spoke.

"Well that went well." Jardine gave him a look.

"No I am being serious!"

"For once he is right. I mean, you are still intact, psychologically and physically," Kate said, completely serious expression on her face, as she leaned over to examine their new recruit. Jardine shrank back, as if afraid of the other woman's wrath. Kate was something of a legend, with a reputation that spanned several agencies. The woman was right to be afraid of her. But despite this fearless reputation, Tony was unable to see her as more than the woman he verbally sparred with on a regular basis. To see a woman so afraid of Kate was more than a little humorous. There were people in the agency to be feared. However, Kate was not one of them. Gibbs on the other hand…

Gibbs stood in the elevator rocking on the balls of his feet. He was angry. His team had the best crime closure rate in the entire building. And he liked his family the way it was. He didn't need some green probie who fancied joining the big leagues to mess with the careful balance that had been struck up between the group. And he was not going to let some kid who was likely going to get in the way of doing what was important. Bringing the wrong to justice. There was nothing more or less to the job, in his mind the black and white never met. It may not have always matched with what the higher ups deemed to be acceptable, but he wasn't there do play games. He was there to win. Win the fight against fear and terror. One criminal at a time.

As soon as the door slid open he stormed out of his metal confines. The director's assistant greeted him from her desk.

"Go right on in, he's expecting you." Gibbs nodded in her direction and walked straight in, not knocking. The director looked up from his desk.

"Come right in, Gibbs,"

"Please, take a seat." Gibbs refused and placed his palms on the desk in front of him. After a drawn out silence with Gibbs just staring at him, he spoke.

"So you found your new team member," the rhetorical question didn't seem to inspire any words in Gibbs, as in his usual manner he stood in silence, waiting for Vance to explain himself.

"The kid is good. And need I remind you that as your superior I can add or take away whoever I damn well like from your team," his voice remained perfectly neutral, but Gibbs could see the underlying threat. He stood up and made to leave when he spoke again.

"She can help you with that new case of yours."

"New ca-" he was cut off by the buzz of his phone.

"Gibbs"

"Hey boss, got a case."

"I'll be right down," he turned and saw a smug smile on the director's face. Shooting him a glare, Gibbs was out the door quicker than he could say "you're fired".

oooOOOooo

The arrival at the crime scene was the usual circus that the ME's van and entourage of cars made it look like. Ducking the tape and flashing some ID DiNozzo and Gibbs entered the scene. As they snapped on latex gloves, they made their way into the living room, the scene of the crime. In true investigative fashion, Gibbs stood and began to assess the scene in front of him. The walls were splattered in a gruesome painting of red, the shade unique to the colour of pure oxygenated blood form the carotid artery. In the centre of the room lay the body of a Lance Corporal, his body curled into a position that was never normal, but so contorted that it would never be healthy. Gibbs sighed. Just another day at the office.

"Kate, photos, McGee, bag and tag, DiNozzo, sketches. I'll interview witnesses." He turned to Jardine as he walked out of the room.

"You coming?" he turned back and heard Jardine run to catch up with him. He supressed the smile that threatened to overcome his own face. If he was going to have this new found attachment, he may as well have a little fun with it. And besides, the woman may turn out to be a good agent after all…

"Gibbs!" Kate called when Gibbs was almost out of the room.

"What?" Gibbs turned and yelled.

"I thought you should know…" she started.

"The point, Kate."

"The witness. It's the deceased 6 year old daughter."

Gibbs closed his eyes. The day just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

Gibbs entered the little girl's bedroom. He was immediately hit by how girly it was. It was almost as overpowering as the as the stench of blood had hit him on the crime scene downstairs. The walls were a vibrant pink with stars stencilled onto the walls. It reminded him too much of another little girl's room. A little girl from another life. His little girl.

June 1984

"Come on Shan, don't be like that!"

"What do you mean, "like that"? Do you want our daughter to grow up thinking that she needs a man to rescue her from the castle? Shouldn't we be teaching her that she can do anything herself, even rescuing herself from castles?"

A heavily pregnant Shannon stood opposite a younger, more brown haired Gibbs. But at this rate, Gibbs was not going to have much brown hair left.

"That has nothing to do with painting her room pink!"

"It has everything to do with painting her room pink."

Gibbs had taken the morning off, deciding to surprise his heavily pregnant wife with a newly painted nursery. Unfortunately, he did not predict the effect that this tub of pink paint would have on his hormonal partner.

"I can't believe you didn't even ask me!" Shannon fumed, popping herself down on the sofa, after her aching muscles decided her weight was too much to bare. Almost unconsciously, Gibbs sat himself next to her, pulling her feet into his lap so that he could massage her swollen feet. This movement seemed to stem the tide of bitter thoughts, as Shannon groaned, closing her eyes. He had always known where her weak spots were.

"I'm being unreasonable, aren't I?" she whined.

"Yup," Gibbs replied, a cheeky grin painted on his face. Shannon leaned over and pushed him in the shoulder. Gibbs retaliated by pressing that spot on the sole of her foot, the one that always made her body turn to jelly. Gosh, this man was good.

"So…" Shannon said, "what else do you have in mind for the nursery?"

"Well, I was thinking about painting a knight in shining armour on her wall…"

Shannon punched Gibbs in the arm again for that one. This man was going to be the death of her…

Present day

The identical pink walls surrounding him were a stark contrast to the bloody crime scene beneath them. This little girl did not belong in Gibbs's world, and yet she had been forcefully and brutally dragged into it. Just like another little girl he had once known…

The girl was playing with the doll's house sitting crossed legged on the carpet with figurines scattered all around her. Gibbs sat down on the floor with the girl his knees cracking and protesting against the sudden change in position. The kid looked up, questions and shining in her eyes like unshed tears.

"Hey there," Gibbs said softly, his voice light and soothing, as if talking to an animal that could bolt at any second. Jardine looked in surprised. Who would have known that that voice that had been barking orders seconds before could turn into the soothing tone he was using on the kid. If the law enforcement thing didn't work out, Jardine was pretty certain that Gibbs could go into the acting business…

The girl looked up, but otherwise didn't respond. She then looked in the opposite corner. Gibbs followed her gaze to where a uniform was sitting, probably designated to watch their one and only witness to the crime. He was currently awkwardly perched on a small flower chair. Gibbs nodded at him and he understood, standing up and leaving the room. Once the door was closed behind him Gibbs started talking again.

"What's your name?"

"Ashley." It was a start.

The girl went back to playing with her dolls. Gibbs was about the speak again when Ashley beat him to it.

"I'm not stupid. I know why you're here. You want to know what happened," the little girl said boldly. Gibbs smiled at her courage, and not to mention her exceptional articulation for someone that age. The kid was like Kelly, as sharp as a knife, wielding words like weapons. Weapons that were only ever used to twist their fathers around their fingers…

"So what did happen?" Gibbs signalled at Jardine that she should start making notes. There was a fumbling as Jardine searched frantically for something to write on. Gibbs rolled him eyes, pulling out a notepad from his own pocket and handing it to her. And he had thought that all the kids in legal were notorious for writing everything down…

"Some people…" he said to the girl, and she laughed with that high pitch noise that was only associated with unadulterated happiness. The happiness that only a child could possess.

"I was watching television when there was a knock at the door," she started.

"Do you remember what you were watching?"

Ashley screwed up her face as she tried to remember.

"Spongebob," she said, looking pleased with herself that she had remembered. The smile she got from Gibbs was the only reward she needed for that moment.

"Go on," Gibbs coaxed.

" Daddy went to get it and then he slammed the door and told me to run and hide. So I ran and I could hear a crack," Ashley's voice was become slowly more breathless, becoming more panicked as the moments progressed, "And the door broke, and… and I heard yelling… and they hurt daddy!" Ashley was almost in tears.

"Where's daddy? I want my daddy!" Ashley said the tears falling. She let out a sob and Gibbs looked at her in alarm. It had been a long time since he had needed to deal with a crying child.

August 1984

Shannon woke late at night, the bleary clouding still covering her eyes as she fought against the tide of sleep. There had been something that had pulled her out of her peaceful slumber. And dammit, she was not happy about it.

Closing her eyes once again, she tried to pinpoint exactly what had interrupted her at such an inconsiderate hour. And then she heard it. The cries. More specifically, the cries coming from the room where her baby daughter was supposed to be sleeping.

Rolling over, she slapped her hand against the half of the bed where her husband slept, already formulating a plan to bribe him into dealing with the child while she attempted to catch some more sleep. However, when her arm hit the warmed mattress, her eyes shot open, and to her dismay she found her husband had gone to see his daughter. And yet crying could still be heard from the room.

Flinging back her side of the duvet, she stumbled out of the room, and in the vague direction of where she saw in her mind was the nursery. The door was mercifully open, (if it had not have been, she would have walked straight into it) and she saw an almost comical sight.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood there in his boxers, holding their baby daughter as if she was an explosive made of glass. As Kelly continued to bawl, Jethro was jiggling about it what he probably perceived to be a comforting manner. But apparently Kelly was getting sea sick.

"What do I do?!" Jethro said, raising his voice to try and be heard over the siren currently being emitted by their darling daughter. Shannon rolled her eyes. For a badass marine, he looked genuinely terrified. But she knew that it was not fear of her that was fuelling his terror. It was the fear that he was going to do something wrong and hurt the one he loved so much. So Shannon thought she would take pity on his kind and weary heart.

"Come on, give her here…"

Present day

Gibbs sat there, trying to keep the memories as he rocked the child back and forth. This girl was not Kelly. But she was going to go through a painful and harsh period in her life. Speaking into the top of her head, Gibbs tried to offer some comfort to keep her tears at bay.

"It's going to be OK," she whispered. Gibbs closed his eyes. He hated lying to children.

Hello kind people of the fanfiction world!

apologies for the late update, but I wanted to make this one a long one. This chapter was dedicated to Elleraymond, Crazy-random-reader of hogwart (and to answer your question I HAVEN'T SEEN SEEK YET! :'( is it good?) , yandoonkeanjaani and never-give-up-hope2

please leave a review on your way out, they are make me update more quickly!

daniela