It was a dark, stormy night. The thunder was so loud that Gibbs even jumped at one crash of thunder. The rain was crashing down hard, that it felt like you were being pelted by sharp little icy golf balls. The lighting was so bright and extreme that it could blind you for a second if you stared right into it. The storm was getting closer, all weather reports said to stay indoors until further notice. There were flash flood warnings, electrical power outage warnings, severe storm alerts, and even some tornado warnings coming across the screen of the television. Gibbs wasn't fazed by it; he was working in his basement. He was interrupted by the sound of his front door opening and slamming shut, then the sound of multiple feet running towards his steps. Then he saw three people standing at the top of his steps. A loud crash of thunder shook the house causing the three people at the top of the steps to jump.
"Tony, Ziva, Abs," Gibbs said.
"Gibbs," they all replied.
"Umm…Gibbs?" Abby asked, "Can we maybe stay here tonight?"
"Sure," Gibbs said. They smiled in relief and walked down the steps. Tony was nervous about the storm and Ziva was unnerved by it, too, but they would never admit it. Abby was terrified and she would gladly admit it. Another blast of thunder shook the house; this one was louder than the last. Ziva jumped very high, as did Tony. And Abby was now holding onto Gibbs for dear life. The lights started to flicker, until they just gave out. They were in pitch black. Gibbs grabbed a flashlight that was on the table and turned it on, to see where Tony and Ziva were. They were near the steps wide eyed. Abby was clutching his arm, she was scared, and there was no doubt about that.
"The safest place is probably down here," Tony said. Gibbs nodded.
"Stay here," Gibbs said, "Do not move. I'm going to go get some candles," Gibbs sat Abby down on a stool and then he walked up the steps to retrieve the candles and blankets. When he came back he shined the flashlight around to see what they were up to. Tony and Ziva were arguing and Abby was sitting on the stool trying to somehow develop night vision. Gibbs chuckled at Abby's expression. He walked over to Abby and put his arm around her. Abby gave him a hug.
"What do we do now?" Abby asked.
"We just stay down here, until the storms over," Gibbs said. The thunder shook the house again. Gibbs got out his battery powered radio and what it said scared Tony, Ziva, and Abby to the core of their beings.
"We have a cyclone developing in the D.C. area," the person on the radio said, "Everyone on the Washington D.C. area; please get to a safe shelter." Gibbs shut off the radio. He looked around the room.
"Where's Abby?" Gibbs asked Tony and Ziva.
"In here," Abby said. She was inside of his boat. The boat was upside down and was ready for a paint job. Abby had climbed in through the opening. Gibbs smirked and motioned Ziva and Tony to get in, too. They did and Gibbs handed them blankets; then he climbed in himself. He wasn't scared, but they were. Gibbs sat between Abby and Ziva; Abby immediately held tight to him. Gibbs put his arm around her and cradled her in attempt to calm her; then he did the same with Ziva. Tony was next to Abby, he was obviously scared.
"Hey," Gibbs said, "It's going to be fine. It's just a storm; nothing to be scared of." Abby nodded against his chest.
"The news reporter said that there was an F-4 tornado warning for this area," Ziva said, making Abby freak out.
"Oh no! What if there is a tornado? What if we all are in its path? What if we all die? Oh my God! Gibbs! What's going to happen?" Abby asked very frantically, Gibbs stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"Abs, it's just a storm. No one is going to get hurt. We are safe," Gibbs said soothingly.
"Can you put the radio back on?" Tony asked. Gibbs did.
"The storm is getting worse and worse," the reporter said, "There is a great chance of an F-4 tornado developing. Everyone in the D.C. area please find a safe shelter, like a basement or a crawlspace, because this is going to be a bad storm." Gibbs shut off the radio; he knew that Abby was really scared because she was holding on his arm very tightly. Ziva was even tightening her grip on Gibbs' arm. Tony looked scared.
"It's okay," Gibbs said.
"Okay," Abby said with her voice quivering. Ziva held closer to Gibbs.
"Why don't you try to get some sleep," Gibbs told them, "You guys can sleep upstairs or-."
"I want to stay down here," Abby said.
"Me, too," Ziva said.
"I will, too," Tony said. Gibbs nodded. Tony leaned back and got comfy and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Ziva leaned on Gibbs and he had his arm around her and she started to drift off to sleep.
"Gibbs," Abby whispered.
"Everything will be fine, Abby," Gibbs kissed her head, "I promise." Abby nodded and rested her head on Gibbs' chest. Gibbs stayed up for a little longer before he fell asleep.
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The next morning he woke up with a weight on his chest. He looked down and smiled at the sight. Abby and Ziva were leaning on his chest and their hands were conjoined, on Gibbs' chest. Tony's head was on Abby's lap and he was snoring. Gibbs stroked some hair out of Abby and Ziva's faces. Gibbs couldn't help but smile. He loved them, even if they weren't his by blood, they were still his kids. After a couple minutes they all woke up.
"Hey! We survived!" Abby said.
"I told you that there was nothing to be scared of!" Tony said, making Ziva and Abby hit him. Gibbs chuckled.
"I'll make you guys some breakfast, alright," Gibbs said.
"Yay!" Abby exclaimed. Gibbs smiled and he got up and went to make his 'children' breakfast.