Daddy's Girl

Chapter Two

Author's Note: I had to play around with the timeline a bit to be able to make sure all the members of 'Team Gibbs' were present for this chapter. Sorry if the screwy timeline messes anyone up. 

At around one-thirty the next afternoon, the team was stuck on a particularly difficult case. Tony, Tim and Kate were scarfing down Chinese take out as fast as humanly possible before returning to work. They were understandably hungry. Having been at work since five am, when a new tip finally aided in progressing the case. Gibbs on the other hand, was still far too angry from the night prior to even think of food. After all this time, she had the nerve to attempt to tell him what she thought was a closely guarded secret over a phone call. And why now? What was the reason? What did she want from him?

Gibbs was pulled out of his anger by his desk phone ringing. Looking down, the call was coming from the security desk on the main floor. He rested the handset between his shoulder and cheek before greeting the day security guard. "Mac, what can I do for you?" he asked in a kind, yet deep voice. There was a pause on the other end of the phone "Gibbs, there's a little girl here with a handwritten note addressed to you on her" he says, more like a question. " Alright. whatever it is, I'll be there in a minute." Gibbs said before handing up. When he looked up at his team, they were already starting to grab their gear, " No. sit down. I'm just going down to security. Eat!" He demanded. The team just nodded before returning to shoveling gobs of food into their mouths.

Gibbs had a feeling he knew who was waiting for him at the security office. He was no idiot after all. She would likely come to try and explain herself. But upon entering the office, He was floored. The only set of eyes that met his, aside from Mac's were a set of crystal blues belonging to a tiny, quiet girl. He knew Calliope was selfish, but letting a child come into a federal building, dripping with trigger happy new recruits, by herself was something he didnt even think she would be so cold as to subject her only daughter to. What was wrong with her? Mac gestured towards the note, crumpled and now laid on the table near the window. "I had to pry it out of her little hands" he said with an air of remorse to him. Leroy ignored everything else in the room long enough to quickly check if the young girl was alright. 

The little girl, his little girl, look up to him with eyes that looks so similar to his that it was almost scary. When Jethro took a step toward her, Her left thumb went directly into her mouth. From that moment on, she wouldn't stop staring him down, waiting with shallow breaths as a man she had never met got impossibly close to her face. He had only wanted to push her hair away from her face. His heart ached at how violently she had jerked away from him as soon as his hand got within reaching distance. She folded into herself, looking to him with wet, terrified eyes. Leroy simply retracted his hand and smiled, as sweetly as he could, at the child before walking across the room to the note. "Have you already read it?" he asked Mac. "No, figured it was at least a bit private" he said with a forced smile. 

Looking at the messy writing, in stark contract to the normally perfect cursive she used to use, it was obvious Callie wrote this in a rush:

Leroy,

Seeing as I was unable to even attempt to explain myself, I figured that you didn't wish to speak to me. I hope this letter finds you well. Considering YOUR daughter is attached to it. I don't want her anymore. She's become more trouble than she's worth. Either you take her or she's going into the system. I can't look in those eyes and see a constant reminder of the man who refused to have a civil conversation with me. Enjoy the second chance you wanted so badly. Any attempt to contact me directly will be blocked. You may contact me through my lawyer. You know which one.

Callie

PS Maxine is hard of hearing. Do with her as you wish. I was ready to rise her together but you ruined that. Good luck. She is a handful. She'll eat you out of house and home.