Disclaimer--I don't own anything NCIS, in case you couldn't figure that out on your own.

A Father's Job

This is strictly AU, set in season five. Gibbs' first wife, Shannon, died in 1991 just like in the show, but his daughter Kelly lived. She's now a Navy ensign in her third year of medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. When her high school boyfriend is found dead outside National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, she—and her father—find themselves dangerously close to losing everything.

Staff Sergeant Jack McLaughlin glanced at his watch again and sighed. She was over half an hour late, which was nothing like her. Even back in high school, she was punctual almost to a fault, and he couldn't imagine four years at the Naval Academy or more than two years of medical school would reverse that.

"Come on, Kelly," he muttered to himself, ignoring the looks from the Navy lieutenants—probably doctors—walking by. "It's hella cold out here." He smiled slightly at his phrasing, thinking that that last deployment in Iraq and all the time he spent around Specialist Greene must have rubbed off on him. He was certainly more profane before he left.

He pulled the sleeve of his jacket up again to check his watch and groaned when he realized only two minutes had gone by. When he emailed his high school girlfriend and asked if they could meet, he should have been more specific. Of course, he had no idea that she would have suggested meeting outside National Naval Medical Center, much less that she would leave him waiting in the cold for more than half an hour.

He dug his cell phone from his shoulder pocket and was about to call her and ask for an ETA, but he never got the chance. He didn't even hear the report from the bullet that pierced his skull.

Special Agent Tony DiNozzo glanced up from his computer at the sound of the elevator doors sliding open and grinned involuntarily. Before the young brunette could notice, he replaced the expression with one of stern concentration, again appearing to study the computer as he watched her out of the corner of her eye.

She entered the bullpen and stopped just before his desk, her eyes sweeping the four desks, three of which were empty. Her gaze finally fell upon DiNozzo. "Ensign Gibbs," he acknowledged, sounding official.

She stared at him for a moment without saying anything, her bright blue eyes scrutinizing. "Special Agent DiNozzo," she finally replied with a slight nod.

As expected, she was the first to crack, a large grin spreading across her face. DiNozzo laughed and stood to give her a hug. "It's good to see you, Kelly," he said sincerely.

"You, too, Tony," she replied as they separated.

"What brings you in?" he asked, finally registering that it had been several months since DiNozzo's boss' daughter had visited NCIS headquarters, as her third year of medical school had her doing rotations in military hospitals around the country. Today, she was out of uniform, dressed casually in khakis and a wool coat, her long light hair in a ponytail, making her look even younger than her twenty-four years.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said with a chuckle. "It is Sunday, you know. Doesn't my dad ever give you guys a day off?"

"Not when we're in the middle of a case. You should know that by now."

"No kidding," she replied, rolling her eyes slightly. "I just got in from Hawaii and wanted to ask if Dad wanted to go to dinner, but he wasn't at home and not answering his cell phone, so I figured I'd find him here. Any idea where he is?"

"Right behind you," a third voice said from just outside the elevator. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs stepped into view, his ever-present cup of coffee in hand, followed closely by Officer Ziva David and Special Agent Tim McGee. "I expected you yesterday."

To DiNozzo's surprise, the younger Gibbs' tanned face pinked slightly. "There were some…unexpected developments," she finally said, attempting to hide her embarrassment with a sip from her own cup of coffee.

Agent Gibbs' eyebrows rose. "Unexpected developments in the form of one Marine First Lieutenant Dillon?" he asked. Ensign Gibbs' face turned even more red.

"He's in town for a briefing," she finally admitted. "He picked me up from the airport last night and we went out to dinner."

"I did not know Gibbs' interrogation techniques applied to his daughter," Ziva whispered to Tony as the two stood back by Tony's desk.

"Usually, they don't," he whispered back. "Med school must be making her soft. Or maybe it's the Marine boyfriend."

"I was not aware that Marine boyfriends made Navy officers soft," David commented.

"Love does crazy things," he said, earning him an eye roll from his partner. A few seconds went by before they realized that everyone else had stopped talking and were watching them.

"Don't you two have work to do?" Agent Gibbs asked.

"On it, Boss," DiNozzo said hastily, retreating back to his computer as Ziva quickly made her way to her desk.

Gibbs turned back to his daughter and opened his mouth to speak, but the musical tones of her phone ringing interrupted his train of thought. Kelly placed her coffee mug on his desk to reach into her right pocket and dig out the slim device. She glanced at the number and frowned before silencing the ringer. "Don't know the number," she explained as she slipped the iPhone back into her pocket. "I'll call back later."

"New phone?"

She nodded, reaching for her coffee. "I dropped the old one in the water coming back from sailing," she explained. Seeing the look on his face, she rolled her eyes. "Don't start. Caiden already made fun of me for over half an hour about it. Besides, it's not as if you have that great of a track record with phones."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Agent Gibbs replied, not even trying to conceal his grin. The smile turned into an expression of concentration as he processed her awkward move with her coffee and phone, and the fact that her left hand hadn't budged from her coat pocket since he saw her talking with DiNozzo. Curious about what he would find on her left hand—specifically, the ring finger of her left hand—after the dinner with her boyfriend of more than three years, he began to pull her arm from the pocket when her phone rang again.

"Stop," she ordered, waving his arm off. "I guess someone really wants to get a hold of me." She repeated her routine with the coffee and the phone, keeping her left hand firmly planted in her coat pocket. She frowned at the display on her phone again, this time answering. "Ensign Kelly Gibbs," she said in her most official voice. A second later, her face brightened as she looked up at her father and grinned. "Hi, Holly. I didn't recognize your number." Agent Gibbs rolled his eyes and groaned as he walked around his desk and took a seat. DiNozzo, McGee, and David gave up pretending to not pay attention and focused on Ensign Gibbs.

She nodded slightly, her ponytail bobbing before she spoke again. "Right now? I'm at NCIS. Yeah, he wasn't answering his phone…yeah," she finished with a laugh, pausing again as Army Lt. Colonel Hollis Mann said something on the other end. "I got back yesterday afternoon. Yeah, it was essentially a red-eye flight. Six hour time difference and a really long flight make for an uncomfortable transition." She frowned and looked up at her father. "Come in to your office? Why?"

Agent Gibbs stood from his chair and gestured for his daughter to hand over the phone. "Just sec," she said to Mann. She handed the phone over.

"Hello, Holly." He didn't waste any time with pleasantries before getting down to business. "Is there any particular reason why you want to see my daughter at CID?" He listened to her reply, his expression blank. "And you didn't feel the need to tell me this yesterday?" he demanded. He didn't even wait for a reply before removing the phone from his ear. Unable to figure out how to hang up, he handed it back to Kelly. "Grab your gear," he said to his team.

"What?" DiNozzo asked. "We're already working on a case!"

"Kelly," Gibbs said to his daughter. She gave him a quick grin before walking the few steps to slap DiNozzo in the back of the head, causing Ziva to laugh. "DiNozzo, Ziva, go to NNMC. Army Staff Sergeant was killed outside the hospital last night. CID seemed to have forgotten that that's a Navy base. They have the crime scene cordoned off already. McGee, you're with me."

"Where are we going, Boss?" McGee asked, grabbing his Sig.

"CID," Gibbs replied, already halfway to the elevator.

"What about me?" Kelly demanded.

"You stay here," Gibbs said forcefully. She frowned.

"But she asked me to come," she argued. Her frown deepened. "Wait. What does this have to do with me?"

Gibbs paused and turned back to face his daughter. "The dead sergeant is Jack McLaughlin." She frowned before a look of recognition crossed her face.