Gibbs finds out he has a 2yr old daughter in one of the most horrific ways. However, he takes this as a sign that he's getting a second chance at being a father & kind of having a family. & this time, he is going to do everything to make sure he doesn't lose that again. He doesn't care what it takes or what anyone else thinks or says; he decided to keep his daughter with him at all times—with the exception of bathroom use.

I DO NOT OWN NCIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! I ONLY CLAIM THE STORY & CHARACTERS I CREATE!


You may or may not know me or my stories, but I write a lot of these stories where the guy (in this case Gibbs) gets custody of a child he didn't know about. It's what I'm comfortable with-especially when I have writer's block. & in all honesty, I thought this would be perfect for Gibbs. But that's just me.

Please, if you don't like this, don't flame or bash me or it.


A Week After Caitlin Joined The Team:

"Hello, Caitlin." Tony greeted Caitlin with a stupid smile.

"Tony." Caitlin stoically greeted.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Tony inquired, watching her.

"You know exactly what's the matter." Caitlin responded, annoyed.

"Oh, come on. Are you seriously still mad at me for coincidentally showing up at the same restaurant as you and you date?" Tony questioned, making a face.

"No such thing as coincidences." Gibbs insisted, walking by with a coffee.

"Do we have a case, Boss?" Tony questioned, watching Gibbs.

Gibbs didn't reply.

"Yes, I'm still mad at you. And as Gibbs said: there's no such thing as coincidences. You snooped through my desk and then purposely showed up at the restaurant." Caitlin angrily answered Tony once Gibbs was out of earshot.

"I take offense to that. I, too, was on a date; she picked the place." Tony defensively argued.

"You were there alone—the entire time." Caitlin hissed.

"Well… What in the world?" Tony was going to reply when he got distracted by a large black, brown, and white dog with a lot of fur pulling a wagon of stuff and a small child on its back.

"What now?" Caitlin questioned, annoyed.

"Baby on a husky." Tony muttered.

"Oh, yeah right. You just want to run because you know I'm right." Caitlin retorted.

"No, seriously. Turn around." Tony insisted, walking past Caitlin as the dog decided to sit.

"I'm not falling for whatever trap you're planning." Caitlin replied, refusing to turn around.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" Tony questioned, squatting in front of the dog.

The dog growled a little when Tony tried reaching for the little girl. It was making sure he couldn't get anywhere near her.

"Ok… I'm not going to hurt her." Tony spoke, backing up a little.

"There really is a dog with a wagon and a little girl." Caitlin spoke, stunned.

"DiNozzo, what are you doing?" Gibbs demanded, walking up from behind him.

"Umm… Well—we, have some guests." Tony replied, unsure, stepping aside.

As soon as the dog saw Gibbs, it stood up and started walking to him.

"Haru? What are you doing here? Where's your mom?" Gibbs questioned, confused.

"You know them, Boss?" Tony asked, watching Gibbs interact with the dog: Haru.

"Them? Where's Tessa?" Gibbs questioned, watching Tony.

"I don't know. Unless she's Tessa, Tessa's wherever this little girl's mother is." Tony replied as Caitlin walked over.

"What little girl?" Gibbs questioned, not seeing a little girl.

Haru moved slightly to the left, revealing a shy girl with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair and light blue eyes.

The first thing Gibbs noticed was that this little girl had his facial structure and eyes. The second thing he noticed was an envelope with his name in big, bold letters on the front pinned to her dress.

"Ok… I'm just going to take this and pick you up." Gibbs warned the little girl before going to reach for her.

"Boss, I wouldn't do that if I were yo—. Well, ok then." Tony tried warning Gibbs. However, he was stunned when Haru laid down and let Gibbs pick the little girl up.

"You wouldn't do what?" Gibbs questioned, holding the girl while simultaneously removing the envelope.

"The dog wouldn't let me near the girl." Tony replied, stunned.

"What kind of dog is he?" Caitlin inquired, interested.

"His name is Haru, and he's protecting her. He's very protective of his people. I was told he's a mix of Siberian Husky, Australian Shepherd, and Border Collie. Come on. Bring the wagon." Gibbs explained before walking to his desk and calling Haru along. He continued to tell Tony to get the wagon, not realizing it was attached to Haru's harness.

"Boss, the wagon is connected to Haru." Tony informed Gibbs.

"Fine. Then see if you can find her mother. Her name is Tessa, and unless she changed her hair color, she has that strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes. Caitlin, go help him." Gibbs gave orders before sitting in his chair.

"Let's see… Who are you? Hmm? Do you like cookies?" Gibbs sighed before asking the little girl, pulling out some graham crackers.

Slowly, the girl took the graham cracker and started munching on it. At the same time, Gibbs opened the envelope and started reading.

Dear Leroy J. Gibbs,

I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Tessa Grant.

The little girl this letter was attached to is my daughter. She is also your daughter. I swear to God that she is yours: you were the only guy I had relations with at the time of her conception, and I didn't start dating until she was almost a year old.

I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was scared.

I don't know your story or history, but I know that at one point, you had a child. Looking at you and how sad you seemed, I can only guess you lost that child. I wasn't sure if you'd want another one.

So, for not telling you, I'm sorry.

Her name is Ariel Hope Gibbs. Her birthday is June 7th, 2001. So, she just turned two four months ago. She was born a month and a half early, so she has some health issues:

She's so much smaller than others her age, so she looks more like a one-year-old.

Sometimes she has trouble breathing, so she has an inhaler.

She walks a little but tends to fall over after every few steps.

She is still in diapers, and for the life of me, I can't get her to use her toilet.

She has super sensitive skin and doesn't like wool or anything scratchy.

And I don't know why, but she doesn't talk. She hasn't said a single word—not one word. She'll make random noises, cry, and giggle, but she will not speak.

I took her to a few specialists. Three doctors said she was autistic, and five said she has ADD. They all say she's slower than most her age—and most like always would be.

What did I do wrong?

I know that not every child is the same, but she is remarkably different from Andrew.

And there's another issue: Andrew hates her. At first, I thought it was because he was used to being my only child for ten years. But now, he's twelve and still insists he hates her. My worst fear came true when I found him trying to smother her with a pillow.

When Andrew was younger, he always said he wanted a little brother or sister. And now that he has one, he hates her. I tried getting him help, but his father overruled any attempt I made. Andrew now lives with his father.

But anyway, you don't really need or want any information on Andrew.

Ariel is such a sweet little girl. For the most part, she's usually happy. She's not the biggest fan of new people, so I showed her pictures of you. And I told her who you were, so she would know who you were. That's how confident I am that she's yours.

Ariel is an insanely picky eater; I cannot get her to eat much. She doesn't like apples unless they're coated in caramel. She loves oranges and orange juice.

Right now, all I can get her to eat is:

Fruit salad containing oranges, bananas, kiwis, strawberries, and grapes.

Noodles with alfredo or white sauce with small chunks or shredded chicken.

Mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy.

White doughnuts with white or dyed frosting.

Cupcakes but not cake.

Chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies.

She'll only eat chocolate if it has peanut butter with it.

I can only get her to drink orange juice, white milk, and sometimes water.

I have provided the following:

A list of all her allergies.

Her birth certificate and social security card.

The bracelet and ankle bracelet she was given at the hospital.

Her first hat.

Her baby blanket.

Diapers and baby wipes.

Several photos.

Pretty self-explanatory stuff.

Some—important information.

But anyway:

If you are reading this, I am most likely dead. Because of my parents, dangerous people are after us. They've already gotten to me; they found me over a month ago. So, I started looking for you—for Ariel's safety. You're the only one I trust for her.

If you decide to put Ariel up for adoption, please do not allow my parents to get her. If they get her, she will be in danger. Just so you know, I do have a restraining order against my parents for me and Ariel. But I think—and I'm not sure, but I think if anything happens to me and she doesn't go with you or a safe family, they'll be able to get her. I DO NOT want that.

Just make sure Ariel is taken care of.

Also, you're welcome to change her name if you wish. I wasn't allowed to name her; my parents forced me to name her Willow May. At the last second, I changed it to Ariel Hope.

She was my hope for having a complete family of my own.

She was my hope for a better life—a happy life.

My hope is for her to have a better life.

My hope is for her to be safe.

Please, Leroy: make sure she's cared for and safe; she was my entire world. And I hope she will become part of your world.

I understand that this is a lot—and that you may not believe what I am writing, so get a DNA test or whatever you need for proof. But I swear to you, she is yours. Just look at her; she has your eyes. Again, I'm sorry for not coming to you sooner.

Please.

Tessa.

P.S.

Haru is Ariel's dog now. I made a will a few weeks ago: I made sure to leave him to her. Honestly, he's been her dog since the day I brought her home from the hospital; he never leaves her side and is always making sure she's not getting herself into some kind of trouble.

Ok, now that is all.

"Boss, we couldn't find any woman named Tessa." Gibbs read that letter at least three times before Tony interrupted him.

"You are really good with her." Caitlin noted, somewhat shocked.

"Yeah, thanks. DiNozzo, you have point for the time being. Go to this address and see if there's any sign of a struggle. Call me if there was." Gibbs instructed, writing Tessa's address on a piece of paper, and handing it to Tony.

"On what grounds? We can't just go to some civilian's home and start an investigation. Gibbs, what's going on?" The director of NCIS, Thomas Morrow, questioned, walking downstairs.

"On the grounds that Tessa Grant was Petty Officer Second Class with an honorable discharge due to saving a family of American citizens from an enemy. Something happened, prompting her to send her dog, Haru, out with her two-year-old daughter, alone. Yes, I knew her: I dated her a few years ago. I don't know her daughter, but there's a chance her daughter is my daughter. I want this figured out—whether I have to recuse myself from this case. Now, if you'll excuse me. DiNozzo, Todd: go. Find something out." Gibbs answered, agitated, before once again ordering Tony and Caitlin.

"Ok. Come on, Todd; let's go." Tony quickly obeyed, getting his bags. He may be somewhat of a fool, but he wasn't stupid—and he didn't have a death wish; he would do precisely what Gibbs told him.

"Right." Caitlin agreed, not knowing what to say as Gibbs got on the elevator with Ariel, Haru, the wagon, and the director.

"What are you planning?" Tom questioned Gibbs.

"I'm going to get DNA tests and go from there." Gibbs answered, shifting Ariel.

"Hmm…" Tom hummed, watching Ariel.

"What?" Gibbs demanded, watching Tom.

"She has your eyes, Gibbs. And your chin, nose, and ears. She also has that stare of yours. Yes, get a DNA test, but I'm pretty sure it's going to come back positive that she's yours." Tom gave Gibbs his opinion.

"Gibbs. Director." Gerald greeted Gibbs and Tom when they walked in.

"Where's Ducky?" Gibbs questioned.

"Uh…" "I'm right here. What brings you down here? Oh, who is that little cutie? Gibbs? Who is this little girl and why does she look like you?" Ducky questioned after getting a good look at Ariel.

"Her name is Ariel Hope Gibbs; she is possibly my daughter. Yeah, right now, I don't know. I need you to take a blood sample from her and me, so I can send it to Abby for a DNA test, confirming that she is or isn't mine. Once I get blood samples, you can read the letter. Here." Gibbs answered and told Ducky, not in the mood for explanations. He then handed Tom the letter when he saw that inquisitive look on his face.

"Ok. But I'm telling you right now, you don't need a DNA test to tell you that this is your little girl." Ducky insisted, getting things around.

"Ok, who's first?" Ducky questioned once everything was ready.

"We'll start with Ariel. Haru, come here. Sit." Gibbs answered, sitting in a chair with Ariel on his lap. He then ordered Haru with that look. Haru immediately listened and lay on the floor next to Gibbs.

"Let's get this done and over with." Ducky sighed, knowing how well children handled getting bloodwork or any injection.

Five Minutes Later:

Ducky was right: Ariel screamed her little head off and struggled against Gibbs, Ducky, and Gerald.

Meanwhile, Haru started unhappily pacing back and forth; Tom was made to ensure Haru behaved.

"All done. Let's see. Do you like suckers?" Ducky finished up with Gibbs before asking Ariel, holding up four different colored suckers:

Cherry

Grape

Orange

Watermelon

"She doesn't talk, Duck." Gibbs informed Ducky, noticing him waiting for Ariel to say something.

"She is definitely Gibbs's kid. She's a fighter who doesn't say much." Gerald insisted, watching Gibbs and Ariel.

"This is true." Tom noted as Ducky held the suckers closer to Ariel.

"It's fine. Go ahead." Gibbs gently told Ariel.

Slowly, she took the orange sucker and stuck it in her mouth.

Nope. She didn't like that.

"That's not like regular oranges or orange juice, is it?" Gibbs questioned, smiling, and trying not to laugh at Ariel.

"Do you want to try a different one?" Ducky offered with a smile. He could tell Gibbs was relaxing a little. He hoped his eyes were correct and the DNA tests came back positive.

This time, she reached for Cherry.

That one she liked.

"Jethro, would you like a sucker as well?" Ducky offered Gibbs a sucker, watching him.

"Why would I want a sucker?" Gibbs questioned, confused.

"Well, I have a lot of different flavors from orange and cherry to watermelon and DNA." Ducky answered, hinting a little.

"Oh, sure." Gibbs agreed, taking a grape sucker while Gerald placed the orange sucker Ariel had in an evidence bag.

"Thank you, Ducky." Gibbs thanked him, standing up with Ariel.

"You're welcome. And don't worry, Jethro: everything will turn out how it's supposed to turn out." Ducky insisted with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure. Come on, Haru; we have to go see Abby now." Gibbs replied before calling Haru.

"Ok, hold on a second." Gibbs stopped where he stood, turned to Haru, knelt before him, and unhooked the wagon from Haru's harness.

And they were off: Gibbs, Ariel, Haru, and the wagon went up first. Ducky and Tom went up second.

"Abby." Gibbs called, walking into Abby's lab.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! Is this her? Is this your possible daughter?" Abby excitedly questioned, running over to Gibbs.

"DiNozzo or Todd?" Gibbs questioned, staring into Abby's soul.

"Neither. The director's assistant paged me and said you have a daughter—maybe. What brings you by?" Abby answered before inquiring.

"DNA test. Ariel's vs. mine. Blood and saliva." Gibbs answered, handing Abby two vials of blood and the suckers as Ducky and Tom walked in.

"Abby, put a rush on them: they're your number one priority—unless Gibbs tells you otherwise." Tom firmly told Abby.

"Oh, of course. You have to be one hundred percent sure. You can't be too careful these days. No matter how much she looks likes Gibbs." Abby replied, taking the vials and suckers from Gibbs.

"Not you too." Gibbs groaned as Ariel leaned her head against his shoulder and started dozing off.

"Jethro, do I have your permission to read this?" Ducky requested, holding the letter given to him by Tom after he finished reading it—a second time.

"Go ahead." Gibbs replied, not caring.

"Yeah?" Gibbs answered his phone.

"Yeah, Boss. We have an issue." Tony started informing Gibbs.

"What is it?" Gibbs demanded as calmly as he could with Ariel on his shoulder.

"Well, Agent Todd and I went to that address you gave us. Tessa Grant no longer lives there—and according to the people living there now, they've been there for almost two years. So, Tessa hasn't lived there in at least two years. We were on our way back to you when we came across an accident of sorts. There were seven casualties: three severely injured on their way to the hospital, and four fatalities. We were stuck there for a good fifteen minutes. As we were headed out, Agent Todd noticed there was someone in the embankment." "The point, DiNozzo?" Tony went on and on until Gibbs had enough and interrupted him.

"The woman in the embankment was Tessa Grant. An ambulance just took her to the hospital. Kate is with her now. I made sure to tell her not to speak to Tessa about anything personal; we'd let you do that. I got her to agree to just talk about what happened to her—if she could answer. She's not in very good shape. In fact, it seems that she's barely alive. What do you want me to do?" Tony quickly answered before inquiring.

"How bad is she?" Gibbs questioned.

"She's—EMTs said they'd try, but they're not holding their breath. She was badly beaten—and possibly raped. I don't know how many times, but I do know she was stabbed multiple times. Like I said, Kate went with her in the ambulance to the hospital; she most likely has all those answers. But if you're thinking about bringing that little girl to visit her: don't. I may not know much about kids, but seeing Tessa like that would most likely traumatize the kid." Tony answered.

"Ok. Call Todd and have her call me. Tell her to give me as much information without giving too many details. I don't know what's going on, but Tessa was scared—scared enough to have her dog bring her child here on their own. She wrote in her letter that dangerous people were after her and her daughter. Did you get anything from her crime scene?" Gibbs instructed before questioning.

"We got some pictures and managed to bag some evidence. Not much. I'm sure Kate will get her clothes if you want." Tony answered.

"You get your butt back here and meet me in Abby's lab. Let Agent Todd know I'll be there shortly. You come straight here. Do not stop anywhere. Do you understand me?" Gibbs firmly told Tony.

"Yes, of course." Tony replied, stunned.

"I'll see you shortly." Gibbs told Tony before hanging up.

"Is everything ok, Gibbs?" Abby inquired, concerned.

"No, probably not. As for you: I think it's time for you to lie down for a nap—somewhere." Gibbs answered before speaking to Ariel, looking around.

Woof! Haru barked once, getting Gibbs's attention.

"That's one smart dog." Tom noted, observing Haru individually removing items from the wagon and setting them on the floor.

A plush blanket on the bottom of the wagon was soft enough for Ariel to lie on comfortably. Haru dragged her pillow to one end of the wagon for her.

The wagon had been turned into a makeshift cradle for Ariel.

Woof! Haru barked again, indicating the wagon was ready.

"Ok, then. And yes, Haru is a smart dog; he's trained to protect and care for his person." Gibbs told Tom, carefully placing Ariel in the wagon on her stomach.

"Mmmm..." Ariel whined and made other interesting baby noises until she was flat on her stomach. Haru then whipped her blanket over her and placed a soft teddy bear beside her.

Gibbs completely covered Ariel with her blanket and placed the bear under her arm.

And away she went.

"Good boy." Gibbs praised Haru, patting him on the head as he lay beside the wagon.

"So, now what?" Abby questioned.

"What are you going to do with Ariel? Where are you going to place her? Foster Care?" Tom questioned.

"No, I'll keep her with me until I have a definitive answer. If she's mine, I'll keep her. If she's not mine—well, I'll figure something out." Gibbs answered.

"Good answer." A man spoke, walking in.

"Evan?" Gibbs questioned, stunned.

"So, you do remember me?" The man, Evan, questioned, just as stunned.

"Yeah, you're Tessa's best friend—the gay one." Gibbs answered, watching Evan.

"That's me. Let's get down to business, shall we? I can tell you that you are indeed Willow's father. It's a long story that's not mine to tell. But you were the only man Tessa was ever with during Willow's conception. Actually, before she met you, Tessa hadn't been with anyone in over three years. And then after you two broke up, she wasn't with anyone until Willow was nearly a year old. Trust me, I know. I may have thought Tessa could've done better than you, but I also believe you were better than that asshole she dated after. He had a record of domestic and spousal abuse. And he did try going after Tessa, but when she turned around and kicked his ass—and got it for self-defense when cops were called, he went after Willow. He's just lucky police were involved then: Tessa would've killed him otherwise. But anyway: moving on. I don't know anything about the people who went after Tessa or are coming after Willow, except for that they're extremely dangerous. And that Tessa was terrified of whoever they were. I have never seen her afraid of anything or anyone before. It was so bad that she just up and left in the middle of the night shortly after Willow was born. She moved to a different state entirely." Evan informed Gibbs, not taking a single breath.

"So, why are you here?" Gibbs questioned, watching Evan.

"Oh. Right. Tessa contacted me months ago, asking for help. I work for a lot of companies, dealing with helping children. Tessa didn't give me a lot of information, and I'm not supposed to say anything. But this is for you: it's important, classified information about Tessa, her parents, Andrew, and Willow. Well, that's it for me. Oh, it was so good to see you again, Jethro. You were my favorite of her boyfriends—even though she could have done a lot better." Evan answered, handing Gibbs a bag filled with folders.

"How is she?" Gibbs questioned, answering his phone.

"She didn't make it: Tessa died the moment we arrived at the hospital. The EMTs, two doctors, and a few nurses tried reviving her, but it was of no use." Caitlin answered.

"What do you have?" Gibbs questioned.

"Pictures, hair, nail, and blood samples, and I just received her clothing. Oh, and as soon as someone comes to get me because I don't have any other ride, we will have her body. When I told her I was from NCIS, she immediately asked that she be sent to our morgue. She said whoever the coroner was, they could do her autopsy. But she wanted to be cremated immediately after—no ifs, ands, or buts." Caitlin answered and explained.

"Ducky, Gerald, and I will be there shortly. Make sure you stay with the body. Do not, under any circumstances, leave that body. Do you understand me?" Gibbs strictly ordered.

"Ok." Caitlin replied, confused.

"Good. See you soon." Gibbs informed Caitlin before hanging up.

"Get Gerald and head to the hospital. You're there for Tessa Grant; I'll meet you and Agent Todd there." Gibbs told Ducky, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Hey, Boss. What's happening?" Tony asked, walking into the lab.

"Stay with the baby, dog, and Abby. Don't let any of them out of your site. Lock the doors for all I care." Gibbs ordered, leaving.

"What did I miss?" Tony questioned, looking between Abby and Tom.

"I do not know." Abby and Tom answered, confused.

"I'll be in my office. Call if you need anything. And if I were you, I'd do exactly what Gibbs tells you. I don't think he's in any mood." Tom informed Tony and Abby before leaving.

"I couldn't tell." Tony responded, watching Ariel and Haru.

At the same time, Abby closed and locked the lab's door before turning on the security system…