So I've decided to go ahead and repost this and start over with writing it. I've been out of commission for a while and I apologize for that. But I'm going to see if I can get back into the swing of writing again. Let me know what you think!

Gibbs walked into the house, following his girlfriend of seven months. He had met Emily at a coffee shop after running into her and causing her to spill his coffee. His first reaction had been to ignore her and move on, after all, he was running later than usual, but thankfully he had stopped and helped her clean up then offered to buy her another coffee. When he asked to see her again she happily agreed and the two soon formed a very close relationship. It was on their fourth date that he learned about her daughter. She had been afraid to tell him, assuming that once he learned of the child he would not want to see her again. However he had been very accepting as she told him all about Sarah. He learned that she had been married once before, to a Master Sergeant in the Marines and he had died almost two years ago. She had dated on and off but had not found anyone she wanted to start anything serious with until she met Gibbs. From their first date they knew there was something special between him and had enjoyed each other's company greatly. Tonight they were going out to dinner and he was finally going to get to meet Emily's daughter. They had held off on introducing her because she had reacted badly the last time Emily had brought someone home too soon. Now though they were hoping that the seven year old would take thing better and accept them being together.
Gibbs held open the car door as Emily climbed out.

"You ready?" She asked Gibbs as they started towards her house.

"I am. Are you?" he asked a little worriedly.

"Of course, I just don't know how Sarah is going to react," she told him as they walked inside. As they made their way into the kitchen they were met by the babysitter, a teenage girl named Alyssa, "How was she tonight?" Emily asked.

"She refused to eat dinner for some reason, so I left it in the microwave in case she wanted it later. We colored and played Barbie's and read a few books. She did play outside for a little while, but it got to be too cold, so I called her in. But other than dinner she was pretty good."

"Thanks so much Alyssa," Emily said as she handed the teenager some cash, "Sarah, Alyssa is leaving, come say goodbye," she called up the stairs. They heard some scrambling and then footsteps running down the stairs before a little body flew into the kitchen and flung themselves at Alyssa.

"Bye 'Lyss," came a mumbled voice from Alyssa's stomach, "Are you coming back tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow kiddo, but I will be back soon. Be good ok."

"I will," the child said happily, finally stepping back and allowing Gibbs a good look at her. She had curly brown hair and bright blue eyes and looked to be a little small for her age. Gibbs could see that she was missing a tooth right in front, making her smile look that much cuter. Alyssa walked out the back door, leaving the three alone in the room, causing Sarah to finally turn her attention to the two adults.

"Who are you?" she asked Gibbs, glaring at him. The sudden change in mood surprised him.

"Sarah," Emily scolded, "That is not how you treat guests and you know it. Try that again." Sarah sighed,

"Sorry, I meant to say, I'm Sarah, who are you?" This time her tone was much nicer and she looked to her mother for approval. Emily nodded and Sarah smiled then looked back at Gibbs expectantly. He knelt down in front of her so they were eye level,

"I'm Leroy Jethro Gibbs," he told her, holding his hand out for her to shake. She looked at him for a moment then took his hand with hers and shook it a few times before letting go.

"But why are you here?" Emily spoke up,

"Baby, remember how I told you that I was dating someone, that's why I went out a lot now?" Sarah nodded, "This is who I've been going out with and I wanted you to meet him."

"Why?" she asked bluntly, surprising the two adults.

"Because we thought it would be good for you to get to know him." Sarah made a face,

"Ok. Can I show you my picture?" She asked, changing topics quickly. Not waiting for an answer she ran up the stairs again.

"Stop running in the house!" Emily shouted after her. She turned to Gibbs, "Sorry about her. Ever since her dad died she's kind of gone backwards when it comes to manners and respect. We've been working on it, but it's a slow process with her."

"It's not a problem, I understand," Gibbs told her, "I'm kind of being thrown into her life; it's going to take some getting used to." Before she could answer Sarah came back down the stairs, this time sliding down the banister. As soon as Emily saw what she was doing she grabbed her daughter,

"Sarah Lorraine! I have told you over and over again not to do that. You've already fallen off and we do not need to repeat that experience. Do not do it again, understand?"

"Yes mommy, I'm sorry," replied the little girl, looking down at her feet.

"Just don't do it again Sweetie. I don't want you to get hurt." Sarah nodded, "Now show me your picture." Gibbs watched from the other side of the kitchen as mother and daughter interacted. It was obvious that they both loved each other very much and his heart broke a little bit as he remembered his own wife and little girl who had the same kind of love for each other. He was drawn from his thoughts as he felt a tapping on his leg. He looked down and saw Sarah standing in front of him,

"If you're dating my mom, what do I call you?" she asked innocently. Gibbs thought about it for a second,

"Well, you can call me Jethro, or Gibbs if you want," he told her.

"I think I will call you Gibbs," she said decisively.

"That sounds great."

"Well Gibbs, mom says I have to go take a bath, so I guess I will see you later."

"Good night Sarah," he said as she started towards the steps. She turned around and shot him a quick grin before running up the stairs again. Emily rolled her eyes as the child ran up the stairs again,

"Getting her to walk anywhere is nearly impossible," she told him "She would rather run or skip or cartwheel. Anything but walk."

"Sounds interesting."

"Oh, you have no idea. She's definitely a handful, but she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I didn't know I could love someone so much until I held her in my arms."

"I know what you mean."

"How old was your daughter when she died?" she asked carefully.

"Eight."

"Just a little older than Sarah. I'm sorry if this is hard for you. I can understand if you don't want to spend too much time with her or," before she could finish Gibbs stopped her,

"Of course I want to spend time with her. I'll be honest, it is a little hard, but I've come to accept what happened and started moving on. Kelly will always be in my heart but I can't put my life on hold because they aren't here anymore. You and Sarah are a package deal, if I want you I have to want her as well. And from that meeting just now I think we could get along pretty well," he told her sincerely. She smiled at him,

"You're truly amazing. How did I get so lucky?" She asked as she wrapped him in her arms.

"Just fate I guess," Gibbs said as he kissed her forehead. They sat together for a few minutes until they heard the water upstairs shut off. Emily sat up and looked at him,

"We've got a very specific bedtime routine whenever I'm home. It takes about forty-five minutes, so you're welcome to stick around and wait if you want, or you can leave, whichever you prefer."

"I don't mind waiting," he told her. She nodded and kissed him quickly before heading upstairs to meet her daughter.

As Emily pulled the covers up over her daughter a sleepy voice asked,

"Mommy? Is Gibbs still here?"

"Yes darling."

"Is he spending the night?"

"No, he's not spending the night."

"Are you going to marry him?" Sarah was more awake now and looking alertly at her mother, waiting for an answer.

"I don't have an answer to that question right now baby, so you don't have to worry about it, ok?"

"Ok mommy, night."

"Good night," Emily said as she shut off the light and closed the door behind her.

Emily made her way back downstairs and found Gibbs starring at the pictures above the fireplace.

"Is this Sarah?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a newborn infant in the hospital hooked up to wires and tubes.

"Yeah, that's the day she was born. She decided to come a couple months early and scare us all. Thankfully nothing was seriously wrong, she just had to stay there until she got a little bigger and stronger. That child has loved making grand entrances since the day she was born."

"Sounds like her and Kelly would have gotten along. Kelly always had a flair for the dramatic."

"Just wait till that one upstairs warms up to you. The drama never seems to stop."

"I look forward to it. I'm glad I finally got to meet her," Gibbs said.

"Me too, and she seemed to take it fairly well."

"Yes she did. Hopefully I can see her with you more often. Maybe we can all go to lunch tomorrow."

"That sounds like a great idea. She will love that."

"It's a date then."

"Yes it is. See you tomorrow," Emily said as she walked him to the door, holding it open for him.

"Tomorrow," he said, kissing her strongly before walking to his car.