Dead…?
Gibbs still couldn't believe it. Shannon and Kelly, his family, gone…
*Flashback*
He had woken up in the gulf after having been in a coma and the first thing he'd asked was to see his wife and daughter. The nurses had exchanged awkward glances before the senior of the two stepped forward and sat down on the visitors chair beside Gibbs' hospital bed.
An important looking man entering the room and flashing a badge spared her the task of breaking the bad news.
"NCIS Special Agent Mike Franks," the stranger said. "I need to talk to Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs alone."
*End Flashback*
It was this NCIS Special Agent who had informed Gibbs of Shannon and Kelly's deaths and told him that he would be escorting Gibbs back to America to identify their bodies.
Gibbs had just left the hospital morgue with Shannon and Kelly's personal effects and was wandering the streets aimlessly.
Shannon was a wreck…the flames had burnt her beyond recognition and they had had to identify her by a gold bracelet given to her by Gibbs the day Kelly was born.
Kelly was a wreck too…but in a completely different way. The flames had thankfully not touched her but the life was gone from her. She had always had an energy of fun but that was gone and replaced by the waxy look of a manikin. She didn't even look human anymore, but it was definitely her.
It was dark, but not very late, and there were lots of children about. A few girls about Kelly's age. Gibbs sat down on a bench and buried his face in his hands, was this how the rest of his life was going to be? Every sight of a young girl similar to Kelly would bring him back into this darkness, no matter how much he tried to move on.
A small hand touched his knee and Gibbs looked up.
"Why are you sad?" the child asked.
"Kelly…?" Gibbs whispered.
The girl looked confused and then was whisked away by her scolding mother.
"Lorraine!! What have I told you about talking to strangers! Especially men like that!" The girl's mother threw a disgusted glance back at Gibbs.
Gibbs was offended for a few seconds before he realized why Lorraine 's mother was so concerned. He considered his appearance; he was wearing the same clothes he had been for the past three days and he hadn't showered or shaved since he had come home from the gulf. Kelly used to like his stubble. She had laughed when it tickled her face as her father gave her a goodnight kiss.
"Kelly…" he whispered again.
"Daddy!!" a girl screamed.
Gibbs looked up and saw a frightened girl running straight for him, followed by an oddly suspicious looking man.
The girl was not just similar to Kelly, she was an exact replica!
Gibbs stood up to greet his daughter with open arms. She was just inches away when the man caught up with her and snatched her up in his own arms.
"Daddy!!" she screamed again, looking desperately at Gibbs who was just standing in shock.
"That man is not your father!!" the strange man shouted.
"Yes he is," she insisted. "I'm Kelly Gibbs, and that man is my daddy: Jethro Gibbs!!"
"No, he isn't," the man shouted, putting Kelly on the ground and clutching her shoulders; she winced in pain. "You are Darcy Thomson and I am your dad."
"No you are not!!" Kelly yelled, trying to push past him.
The man picked her up again and began to walk away.
"Daddy!!" Kelly pleaded one last desperate time.
Gibbs snapped out of his trance and ran after Kelly. Her kidnapper had started to run too, with Kelly weeping and screaming, half over his shoulder. They crossed a road.
The last Gibbs heard from Kelly was another desperate plea for her daddy as a truck sped passed in between them. When the truck passed Gibbs crossed the road in search of Kelly, but all he saw before him was a dark alley with a dead end.
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