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While Tony was on the phone with Sam, Gibb's went to see Abby. She was flitting around the lab like a hummingbird strung out on sugar. But she made him smile. Her general good nature and sunny disposition was enough to make anyone smile.
“Gibbs!”
“Morning, Abs.”
She could see that he looked tired, and hadn't slept much. She knew he took cases involving children very hard. He got a ghost of a smile though, which surprised her, when she asked, “How's the little girl?”
“She slept through the night without any nightmares, Leslie said that was a good sign.”
“Leslie?”
“Leslie Olsen. She's with Social Services.” He had been fiddling with a one of her toys on the bench and she could see the real smirk curling up the corners of his mouth this time that could only mean one thing, this Leslie had caught his eye. Abby wondered if she was a red head. But his smile was quickly gone and he was back to business, “So you got anything from the slugs Ducky pulled out of the two victims?”
“Actually I do.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard to pull up the results. The same gun killed both of their victims, and Abby had a ballistics match to an open police case. The suspect in that case was a known drug dealer that just happened to live one floor down from their crime scene. The police hadn't been able to charge him in the open case because he had an alibi and they were not able to recover the murder weapon.
Tony entered the lab a few minutes later and shared his conversation with Sam and Colonel O'Neill. Abby pulled up the released DNA records for Daniel Jackson and set about comparing them to little Jackie's DNA profile that had just finished running. It only took her a a few mouse clicks to overlay the images and confirm that Jackie was in fact Daniel's daughter.
Gibbs let out a sigh, he had really hoped to be able to find her father and have a happy ending for the little girl. Now it looked like she didn't have anyone. He wondered what was going to happen to her now? Would she end up in the foster care system? Moved from home to home until she was eighteen, never having a family of her own? He knew there wasn't anything he could do. The system was the system. And he wondered exactly what this Colonel O'Neill and Major Carted expected to accomplish. Did they really think that Social Services was just going to turn Jackie over to them just because they were Dr. Jackson's teammates?
“I need coffee,” Gibbs announced and left the lab. As he hit the sidewalk he flipped open his phone and called Leslie.
---------------
Unbeknown to Sam, Jack was actually taking a walk in the fresh air topside with General Hammond. There were some conversations that needed to take place out of the mountain.
“Sir, I don't really know how to begin this conversation.”
“Well, if it's the conversation I think it is then you can start by calling me George.”
“Yeah. That would be a good start, Si... George. Something's come up. Something important. About Daniel.”
George heard the emotion in Jack's voice. He had long suspected that Jack's relationship with Daniel had gone beyond friendship, but had deliberately looked the other way, not really wanting to know. And he knew that the rest of SG-1 had closed ranks around Jack when Daniel ascended, supporting and protecting him. He also knew that Jack wouldn't be having this conversation with him without good reason. “What is it, Jack?”
“Well, he, ah, visited me last night. And I know that sounds crazy but he really did. And he told me that he found out that he has a daughter and that she needed my help.”
“Dr. Jackson has a daughter?” George asked, the surprise evident on his face and in his voice.
“It gets better, Si... George.” Jack told him about searching through Daniel's journals and then the surprise phone call from Agent DiNozzo.
“Oh, thank god she's safe now.” Was the only thing he could think to say. He couldn't imagine a child living in those circumstances.
“Yeah,” came Jack's quiet response. He was staring at his shoes trying to figure out what to say next. “George, you know that thing you can't ask, and I'm not supposed to tell?”
Jack's eyes finally met George's and they were begging him not to make him say the words out loud. George knew that it would cost Jack everything that he was to admit to it. But he would, for Daniel's daughter. “I know, son.” George replied, those three words allowing Jack to keep his facade intact.
“I have to take some time off. I have to go to Washington.”
“Yes, you do. There is a little girl that needs to be brought back here to the family she didn't know she had. And that will give all of us the opportunity to teach her what an exceptional person her father truly is.” He clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder and they started walking back towards the entrance to the mountain.
There was one thing George wanted to know, something that would nag at him if he didn't ask, “Jack, you don't have to answer, but was it just...”
Jack knew what George was asking, “No. Think old married couple.”
A faint smile crossed George's face, the two of them had bickered and argued like an old married couple on more than one occasion. But the term also implied love and support and a whole host of other things that went into a long term relationship. And of any of the people under his command that he would have been glad to know had those things, Jack and Daniel would have topped the list. And it made the loss of Daniel even more poignant.
Jack connected with Sam on base before they both made quick trips home to pack a suitcase. He also grabbed a packet of papers out of his safe. Papers he never expected to show anyone, but was now glad to have. He picked Sam up at her house and in short order they were on a plane to Washington.
---------------
They had gotten a warrant to search the drug dealer's apartment, and Tony, McGee, and Kate went to serve it. It did not go well and it was almost a miracle that none of them were killed as the dealer shot through the paper thin walls. Ultimately it ended when Tony put a slug into the dealer's shoulder and he dropped the gun. Once they had him in handcuffs they searched the apartment, finding a cache of drugs and weapons, one of which matched the specs of their murder weapon. Feeling very satisfied that they had gotten a premiere dirtbag off the street, Tony finished processing the scene with McGee while Kate went to the hospital with the dealer. It took them a while but when they were finished they headed back to NCIS.
---------------
Jackie had woken up and eaten her breakfast, actually inhaled the light breakfast the doctor ordered for her. She had not had a truly decent meal in a very long time. The nurses spoke gently to her, trying to draw her out of her shell a bit, but she remained silent. They helped her wash her face and hands and use the bathroom. And with her belly full and no longer growling at her she watched the cartoons on television. Later on she had another little meal for lunch and dozed back off to sleep, where her father waited patiently for her. This time when she dreamed it was of her hospital room, and thankfully not that dank apartment.
“Daddy?” She asked seeing him sitting on the edge of her bed.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Who's gonna take care of me?”
“Well, I'm hoping that you will be able to go live with a very good friend of mine. His name is Jack.”
She smiled, “Like me!”
“Yup. Jack and Jackie. Jack is a great guy, and he and I care about each other very much. He will make sure that you have a wonderful home.”
Her eyes dropped to the blanket and she suddenly looked afraid, and Daniel asked gently, “What is it, Jackie? You can ask me anything.”
She looked up and he could see her lip quivering, “He's not like Mommy's friends is he?”
The reality of that question blew Daniel away and how he yearned to let loose his rage and fury at whichever waste of humanity had dared touch his child. He pulled her into his lap and gave her a reassuring squeeze, “Oh, no, no, no. Jack is not like that at all. He will keep you safe, I promise.”
Daniel told her all about Jack, along with Sam and Teal'c. And she felt much better about it all when he was done and was looking forward to meeting them. He could feel her waking up in the real world which would bring an end to this visit. So he turned and tucked her into the bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He would feel better when Jack was finally in Washington. Jack would protect her, and keep her safe. And most importantly, Jack would love her.
---------------
Leslie had gotten a phone call from Sam and she arranged to meet them at the hospital. Jethro had also called her and informed her that Jackie's DNA was in fact a match to Dr. Jackson's. She wasn't quite sure what Dr. Jackson's teammates from Colorado expected. She certainly wasn't just going to hand Jackie over to them simply because they were his former teammates. It just didn't work that way. In the meantime though, she had another priority call to go on and it sounded like a doozy.
---------------
Gibbs and Tony had decided to meet Sam, Jack, and Leslie at the hospital. They really didn't need to be there, what happened to little Jackie now was out of their jurisdiction. But both men felt compelled to see this thing through to the end. And if Gibbs were honest with himself, he wanted to give Leslie a little backup in case she needed it, the last thing she needed was some overbearing Colonel thinking that the birds on his shoulders would help him circumvent the system.
Tony had peeked in Jackie's room and saw her sleeping, and he smiled gently as he took in the absolutely peaceful expression on her little face as she slept, it was a much better vision of her for him to remember than that sad little photo from the day before. Deciding not to disturb her he headed back out to the small waiting area near the nurses' station to sit with Gibbs.
He pulled out his cell phone and started playing Tetris to kill some time. When his game ended he announced in triumph, “Oh yeah! New high score. Who's the man?”
Gibbs just gave him an exasperated look, but a voice from behind him teased, “Really, Tony? What level?”
He was about to make a smart remark in reply but he turned to see Sam smirking at him, a playful challenge twinkling in her eyes. The sight of her standing there in person in a pair of painted on jeans and a leather jacket made his brain short circuit. When two brain cells finally reconnected he smiled, “Sam.”
Sam was used to getting appreciative looks from men, especially given the fact that she worked with so many of them, but there was something in Tony's that actually made her blush. “Hi.”
“Wow, you guys made good time getting out here.” He could see a guy about Gibbs' age over at the nurses desk, and he assumed it was O'Neill.
“One of the perks of being in the Air Force, lots of planes.”
Jack walked towards them and added, “Being able to fly one helped too.” He extended his hand to Tony, “Colonel Jack O'Neill. Jack, please.”
“Tony DiNozzo, and this is my boss Special Agent Gibbs.”
Gibbs was in observation mode. And so far he liked what he saw. They were down to earth people, not caught up with their ranks or titles. The handshakes and introductions went around and Jack asked, “Is Miss Olsen around? The nurses won't let anyone into Jackie's room without her permission. And I really want to see her.”
Gibbs offered, “We haven't seen Leslie yet. But she said she'd be here. Why don't we sit down?”
They did exactly that, Jack flopping down in the nearest chair, his weariness apparent. But Gibbs also saw his anxiousness to find out about Jackie and actually see her for himself. Gibbs could almost see himself in Jack's actions. What he was more than a little curious about though, was the deep look of pain that was in Jack's eyes at the mention of Daniel. Gibbs had lost friends and comrades and he still grieved them all, but the loss in Jack's eyes went far beyond grieving a lost teammate and it created a sliver of curiosity in Gibbs' mind.
Sam sat in the chair next to Tony, Gibbs almost wanted to snicker, he could see DiNozzo spinning up into Don Juan mode. And he had to admit to himself that Tony had good taste, Sam was gorgeous and seemed to have a sense of humor.
The four of them chatted about the things each group had found out about Daniel and Elizabeth. There wasn't a whole lot to tell, and Gibbs and Tony were very closed mouth about Jackie's specific condition, deciding that it wasn't their place to share that information with Jack and Sam, it was Leslie's.
Jack was listening in a distracted sort of way to the conversation, his mind wandering. He wished Daniel would do some sort of a flyby or something, just to let him know he was there. He regarded Gibbs with a trained eye, the man certainly had a military bearing, Marines most likely, and he suspected that there would probably be some black ops holes in Gibbs service record if he checked. The only thing that even remotely made him want to smile was interaction between Sam and Tony. There was definitely a mutual attraction there, and he really hoped for Sam's sake that Tony turned out to be a nice guy, she deserved it.
As the conversation dwindled down to Tony and Sam comparing Tetris scores on their cell phones Jack started to get annoyed. The social worker was over an hour late. And just when he was going to voice his opinion about that, Leslie walked up to the nurses' station. Tony spotted her and said, “There's Leslie now.”
Gibbs could see instantly that something was wrong, her face had that same haunted look from the apartment. She must have gotten another case. Not knowing how it would be received he stepped over to her and put a light hand on her upper arm and asked gently, “Hey. You okay?”
She didn't flinch away from the unexpected touch, and said, “Bad case. Really bad case. Sorry I'm late.”
“Don't worry about it. You need a couple minutes to clear your head?”
She swallowed hard, “It's gonna take a lot more than a couple minutes to get this one out of my head, Jethro.”
He rubbed her arm, “Yeah.”
“I think I am going to go wash my face though, I'll be right back.”
Jack watched them, and then watched her started to walk away and his irritation flared, “Oh, for crying out loud. We've been waiting over an hour. Where is she going?”
Gibbs was about to put Jack in his place but Leslie turned and took care of it herself as she said, “I'm sorry I'm late, Colonel O'Neill. I was in the emergency room with an eighteen month old baby who's high father decided to burn out the bugs he thought he saw crawling under the baby's skin with a cigarette. You'll forgive me if that took priority.”
Jack's face took on a look of pain and said quietly, “I'm sorry. I'm just...”
Leslie gave him a little smile, “I know. You wouldn't have hopped on a plane and gotten here so quickly if you weren't anxious to see her. I do understand. But please, let me just visit the ladies room and collect myself then we'll talk, and you can see her. Okay?”
He just nodded, not knowing exactly what to say now that he made an idiot of himself.
Tony and Sam stood up as Leslie walked away, and Tony said, “Hey, Boss? We're going to run get us all some coffee. We'll be right back.”
“Good idea, Tony.”
Gibbs went back to his chair and sat down. Jack was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands. And he said through them, “I couldn't do her job and not shoot people.” He looked up and continued, “I didn't mean to upset your friend, Gibbs. It's just that Jackie is a part of Daniel and... he's gone. I want to see her, let her know everything is going to be okay, and that she's safe now.”
The pain was evident in Jack's voice, he was either not trying to or just not able to mask it. And it confirmed for Gibbs what he had suspected earlier. “You know it's not going to be easy for you to get custody not being a blood relative, “ Gibbs said gently.
“That's not going to be an issue.”
It was said with such conviction that the words could have come Gibbs himself, and he appreciated the strength of that conviction in O'Neill. He wondered though, why exactly O'Neill didn't think it was going to be an issue. But something kept him from asking, although he suspected that O'Neill wouldn't have told him anyway. And maybe it was better that way.
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tbc...
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