Two Telepaths Against the World

Caught Up

Disclaimer: The following characters belongs to their respective companies.

--------------------------------------------

Caught Up

--------------------------------------------

"Gibbs, I took the liberty of cleaning up that picture from the articl about Xavier School. I printed out the picture." Abby told Gibbs before she left for the evening. He would stare at that picture every opportunity he gets. But right now, his priority is catching whoever killed Ross, then he'll talk to Kelly.

--------------------------------------------

Kelly was right in her presumption that the NCIS Agents would easily find the culprit to the crime. Practically the whole academy, and some visitors who came over for the weekend saw Tony DiNozzo run after Geralyn Wu, Allan Ross' obviously athletic and fast lover. After all, everyone at the Academy knows she used to run track for CalTech.

Charles and Jean were among those who came over for a visit. The family planned to stay the weekend at a house of Charles' parents in Washington. The chase came to an end when Ziva David tackled Wu. Charles, who is apparently quite used to mayhem around him was talking about another episode of Bobby and Johnny brawling. They had not noticed their daughter Jean approach the older agent accompanying DiNozzo and David. She practically threw herself at the man and exclaimed "Grandpa!" as she did so.

Charles and Kelly immediately turned to look at the direction where Kelly ran off to. "How did you...?" Gibbs caught himself asking as the little girl whose picture he was just staring at before he left the office refused to let him go. Tony and Ziva stared at them in amazement before Ziva focused her attention back to a squirming Wu and proceeded to escort her to the car.

Tony was about to say something when he thought the better of it and said, "Boss, we'll take care of this. You've got some catching up to do." He said as he opened the driver's seat.

Jean then started babbling. "You're mommy's daddy. You thought she was dead and she thought you were dead. But you're not and she's not and the girl wearing all black found out about it." Jean blabbed on. "Kelly Shannon Xavier, what did I tell you about..." Kelly reprimanded before she noticed the man Jean refused to hold relinquish her hold on.

"He's family. You and dad said we could only talk about it to family. It's not like anyone else can hear me talk about it..." Kelly sighed and merely send a thought to her daughter that they would talk about it later in private. Kelly then turned to the man in front of her. "Dad? Is that really you? You're alive!" Kelly gasped as she rushed to hug her long lost father.

--------------------------------------------

A myriad of thoughts rushed to Kelly's mind, her telepathic powers amplified by Charles'. They saw her father whittling away on his boat, drinking liquor and crying. They saw him crumpled up in the basement, holding their last family picture together. Her daddy never cried. He was tough. She saw how broken up he was as they buried her mother and what they supposed to be her coffin. She could just taste his misery, his depression and his helplessness.

Charles left her to go through her father's thoughts in private, she then saw a memory of him killing a man, Pedro Hernandezm the one responsible for her mother's death and the hollow feeling that followed after. She saw him sink further into depression before he was offered a place in NIS. She also saw Hernandez' children seek revenge, she saw death in the end, the two were apprehended and the drug trade was stopped, just as her mother would have wanted it.

--------------------------------------------

Charles extended his hand to Kelly's father. "She told me a lot about you Mr. Gibbs. I'm Charles Xavier, her husband." He said extending his hand in greeting which the older man shook in acknowledgment. "I think we should talk about this in private. If you'd join us for dinner at home, sir?" Charles offered. "Just call me Jethro." Gibbs told his daughter's husband. He still can't get his head wrapped around the fact that his little girl is now married but he's happy that she seem to have chosen a good man.

--------------------------------------------

Charles then drove to his family's Washington home, it was just a thirty minute drive from the Academy. On the drive home, they figured that Gibbs did not immediately asked the questions that he'd been burning to ask. Instead he asked about Jean, about her studies and activities. Kelly felt ill at ease during the whole trip, guilt at merely believingher mother's words that he father died. She realized now that he mother only made that up so that she would not endanger them while they go into hiding.

After they went inside the house, Charles immediately went on the phone and ordered take out. Kelly then told Gibbs her side of the story while Charles explained how he found and helped her. Jean then explained that while he had not said a word about it, his thoughts fairly shouted what he felt and the emotions he had over it from the moment he saw Kelly and Jean.

Truthfully, Charles had been prepared for a negative reaction from Kelly's father over her daughter and her family's "abilities". He had been prepared how to deal with it and what story to tell him. He had after all seen and dealt with such a reaction from the parents of the children they'd invited to attend the school. But it had been unnecessary, all he could see, even without reading Jethro's thoughts is acceptance, love, wonder and happiness at unexpectedly finding his daughter to be alive and relief that he is not alone anymore.

Gibbs then proceeded to tell Kelly and Jean that his father Jackson and Shannon's mother Joanne might want to receive a visit from their family and that they would be happy to know that Kelly is alive and that they are now great-grandparents.