I do not own NCIS…

Unmistakable

Chapter 1

Gibbs strode into the bullpen, coffee in hand, and Tony looked up from his computer.

"Oh hey Boss, D'Arcy McKinna from Child Protective Services is here to see you. She's in the conference room."

Gibbs looked at him curiously as he unloaded his gun and badge into his desk, "Did she say what it was about?"

"She wouldn't discuss it with me, but she did say that it was urgent that she speak to you."

Without another word, Gibbs went straight to the conference room. He greeted D'Arcy with a smile as he always did, but the look on her face made his gut twist into a tight knot.

"It's good to see you again, Gibbs. Have a seat," she said, pointing to a chair.

Gibbs remained standing and said, "So what brings you to NCIS today?"

"I had a hell of a night, Gibbs. I got an emergency call at two in the morning. My boss told me that a child had been dropped off at the emergency room."

"And?" Gibbs asked, impatiently waiting for her to get to the point.

"When I got there I learned that he was a 3 year old boy, and that he hadn't been dropped off at the emergency room, he was dumped out of a car onto the sidewalk in front of the emergency room."

It took every ounce of man that was Leroy Jethro Gibbs not to lose his cool. "Jesus D'Arcy, 3 years old is just a baby…" Gibbs bit his tongue hard and she continued the sad story.

"He's malnourished, underweight and neglected. We also found signs of physical abuse… old and new bruises and burns; but regardless of all that, he is still a sweet, very quiet, inquisitive little boy. He seemed content just to be out of the situation he was in before he got to the hospital."

"Does this child belong to a marine? Whose is he?"

"We don't know who he is, or who he belongs to." D'Arcy replied with a look that told Gibbs he still had not heard the whole story.

"So why are you telling all this to me?" Gibbs asked, fed up with trying to guess.

"Because I asked him what his name was when I first met him in the ER."

"And?"

"And, he says his name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Gibbs backed up in surprise and then shook his head with a smirk. No… That's a mistake… Someone coached him to say that… God knows stranger things have happened to me."

"Gibbs…" D'Arcy interjected gently, "I think you just need to see for yourself." Gibbs sighed, downed the rest of his coffee and signaled D'Arcy to follow him into the bullpen.

Gibbs grabbed his badge and gun out of his desk, and told Tony, Tim and Ziva, "I'm out of the office for an hour. I expect your reports on my desk when I get back."

When he and D'Arcy were on the elevator in hospital, D'Arcy grabbed his hand and gave a squeeze of support. "He looks a little worn down when you first see him, but trust me Gibbs, I've seen much worse… and he's been in good spirits." Gibbs did not reply but gave her hand a small squeeze before letting go, and making his way toward the room.

D'Arcy led the way and finally she stopped next to an open door on the pediatric wing. "He's right in there," she said, and Gibbs slowly pulled back the curtain. The tiny boy was laying on his side with his back turned to them. Gibbs sat down in a chair next to the bed, and the creaking furniture caused the child to stir. The little one rolled over and looked right at him. Gibbs sucked in a breath as he made eye contact with the little one. Legal documentation was the only reason they would need to do a paternity test. It was unmistakable. This child looked just like his father, and had the same crisp blue eyes. For Gibbs, it was like looking into a magic mirror. In an instant, his entire world turned upside down. How did this happen? Who is his mother? Why didn't I know? A thousand thoughts and emotions ran through Gibbs at once, but it only took one small word from a tiny child to snap him back to reality.

"Hi," the little boy said, still resting his head on his batman pillow and popping his thumb into his mouth, but looking at Gibbs intensely. He seemed to be studying his father as much as his father had been studying him. Gibbs could not take his eyes off the tiny version of himself, and a smile crept across his face.

"Hi there," Gibbs whispered as he crouched next to the bed, to get at eye level with his son. "Are you ok?" The little boy nodded but did not say anything. "Is it ok if I ask you some questions?" Gibbs mentally kicked himself. The damn investigator in him always came out at the worst times, but he needed to make it a priority to get whoever did this to his son.

The little boy did not answer his question, but asked his own, briefly removing his thumb to talk, "What's your name?"

Gibbs smiled and ruffled his hair gently. "My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. What's your name?"

The boy popped his head up in surprise and smiled, "Hey, that's my name! But Mama calls me LJ, and sometimes Jet Plane."

"Where did you get such a great name?" Gibbs asked.

"Mama said I got it from my dad. 'I named you after your dad 'cause I knew you're gonna act like him!' He mimicked and then popped his thumb back into his mouth and became quiet. After a moment, he whispered around his thumb, "Are you my dad?"

"Yeah pal," Gibbs whispered, unable to stop a tear that had slipped down his cheek, "Yeah, I'm your dad."

TBC…