Family

Chapter 1

"This is so not fair!" Twelve year old, Emily Gibbs, began to cry. "You're leaving again?"

"Emily, Your father doesn't have much of choice. He'll be back before you know it!"

"Em, I'm sorry, I am okay? But in order for you guys to have a house over your heads and food on your plates, I got to go to work." He took a step towards her.

She took a step back. How could he be leaving again! And so close to her birthday!

"Don't!" She sobbed.

Maybe the less affection she gave her father, the less she would miss him when he left them.

"Emily." Her mother sighed. "Listen, your dad's got to work, and he saves a lot of people doing it. I know you don't like the idea of him going on another tour, but it is, what it is. "

Leroy Jethro Gibbs worked with the Navy. When he was gone, at home he left his wife, Shannon, a teacher and mother of their five kids. Kelly, the oldest who was seventeen, Anthony, who was sixteen, the twins, Steve and Danny, who were fourteen and their youngest, little Emily. Emily didn't know what to do. She wanted to be mad with her dad! Angry with him. Weeks on end, he would leave them, they wouldn't know if he was alive or dead. The six considered themselves lucky if they received a phone call from him once in a Two week period.

"I wish... I could be there-" Jethro started quietly.

"-No! No you don't!" Emily sobbed, backing away from her father.

"You know that's not true. Em, I'm your dad... I want nothing more than for my kids to be happy..."

"But you're leaving!" She cried. "My birthday is in three days, Dad! And you- you're leaving."

Emily looked to the ground and watched her feet as she wiggled her toes. Emily seen her father approaching her. She was too upset to move, or fight his embrace. She missed him already and he wasn't even gone. Jethro, He wished he didn't have to go so frequently. He didn't like the idea of missing his baby girl's birthday! She was growing up too fast. Emily, was going to enter her teenage years and, well, her father just wasn't going to be there. Jethro's hand slid up and down Emily's back as her shoulders started to shrug up and down and her body began to lightly shake. Emily began to hyperventilate at the thought of her father leaving and putting his life on the line again for humanity, yet again.

~Two Days Later~

"Listen, Kelly, Tony. This year... we've got to make your sister's birthday extra special. You both know how broken up she is about your dad not being there, okay?" Shannon spoke quietly.

"We got this mom!" Tony smiled, Nudging his older sister.

"Yeah, Mom! Leave it all to us!"