a/n: i said in the author's note for 'Deja Vu' that i wasn't coming back to this but i'm a liar and i will spend eternity on this ship (that's a Pirates of the Caribbean quote, but it sort of fits? say it in Davy Jones' vice, yo,.). so i suppose i'll declare it something like the Tiva "Eli & Anthony" universe I write in; I'll dabble in it for short little pieces, and then eventually, I may write the story that's behind it all.

but, primarily I'm working on ACD, so don't bug me about this.

here's five little drabbles set in the "Deja Vu" universe: Jenny, Gibbs, and Baby Boy Gibbs.

February, 2001

Gibbs was taking thorough advantage of a rare Tuesday evening home early enough for dinner by commandeering baby feeding duties. Commandeering, in this case, meant his son's mother had given him absolutely no option—she was tired of the little boy refusing night after night to eat his carrots—and disappeared to relax for a moment.

She went in to work earlier than him, and thus came home earlier than him, so she usually handled the most stressful parts of the baby's day—when he woke up screaming for breakfast, and threw a fit over what he was getting for dinner.

Gibbs didn't really blame him—puree was puree, no matter what flavor label you slapped on it.

Within ten minutes, Gibbs had given up trying to force feed him, taken him out of the high chair, and perched him in the center of the dining room table—he'd noticed the little punk was attempting to glare at him while refusing to open his mouth, and the glare was wrong—all wrong.

These things were supposed to be hereditary, but Gibbs was willing to teach.

He sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees, glaring pointedly at his son. The problem was—the little boy, sitting remarkably straight for a baby—kept smiling at Gibbs, or yawning, and then laughing at himself for yawning.

It lacked intimidation.

Gibbs shook his head and leaned forward, poking the corners of his mouth lightly and adjusting them in a frown. He was just trying to get the left side right, and narrowing his eyes to show him exactly how it was done, when Jenny stormed into the room abruptly and flung herself down in the chair next to him.

Warily, Gibbs leaned back, attempting to pretend he hadn't been doing—what he had been doing. He managed to look sheepish and stern all at once—and then raised his eyebrow when he noticed Jenny had her face in her palm.

"Jen?" he asked cautiously.

She yanked her palm away and looked up, flinging her arm out wildly. She opened her mouth to speak, and then she noticed—

"Why is he sitting on the table?" she asked.

Gibbs chose his words carefully.

"I can look 'im in the eye that way," he said vaguely.

Jenny gave him a look.

"You're supposed to be feeding him."

"Doesn't wanna eat, Jenny," retorted Gibbs. He smirked. "'M teachin' 'im how to glare."

Jenny glared at him witheringly.

Gibbs pointed to her solemnly, and looked at the baby.

"Like that," he said seriously.

The boy leaned forward and reached for Gibbs' finger, grabbing it tightly and laughing. Gibbs smiled at him, suckered in, and furrowed his brow in amusement. Jenny watched them for a moment, and then Gibbs cleared his throat gruffly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, remembering her determined march in.

She snapped back into her previous mood, and slapped a piece of paper down on the table.

"We have to change his name," she announced.

Gibbs paused. He turned and stared at her for a good minute and a half and, when he realized she was being completely serious, he said nothing and turned right back to the baby, completely ignoring her.

"Jethro," she prompted after a moment, her tone brittle.

"Your mother is crazy," Gibbs deadpanned, talking directly to the baby.

She made an annoyed noise deep in her throat and pinched his arm, demanding his attention. He gave her a truly exasperated look and turned his palm up, lifting his shoulders in disbelief.

"He's eight months old," he growled pointedly.

Jenny compressed her lips.

"I know how old he is."

Gibbs glared at her for a moment, and then reached for Benjamin, lifting him off the table easily and settling him on his lap. He tilted his head, leaning forward to catch the baby's eyes, and raised his eyebrows.

"You good with Ben, buddy?" he asked.

Benjamin reached out and took Jenny's hand.

"Dada," he said, unconcerned.

Jenny pushed her hands through his silky down of hair affectionately, her eyes still boring into Gibbs' head. He finally looked up and narrowed his own eyes, refusing to humor her.

"What'sa matter with you?" he groused mildly.

"It's his middle name," Jenny insisted, slight panic in her voice.

Gibbs' expression darkened—the argument over Benjamin's middle name had lasted nearly the entire pregnancy and sixteen hours afterwards; he was not about to open that can of worms again.

"No," Gibbs growled.

"Jethro—"

"No," he repeated emphatically. "What the hell's wrong with his middle name?" he demanded.

"Benjamin Shepard," Jenny said. "Shepard," she reiterated, and then tapped her finger violently on the paper she'd slapped on the table, and slid it towards him. "Look what it says on his vaccination record!"

Gibbs leaned forward, and Benjamin pulled Jenny's hand towards him and put his mouth directly over his mother's ring, gnawing with his gums. She was too distracted to notice; she watched Gibbs scan the page until he saw what she was pointing at.

Vaccination; Polio: Gibbs, B.S.

He raised his eyebrows.

"B.S.," he drawled, and smirked.

Jenny pinched his shoulder roughly.

"Bullshit," she whispered, stricken. "It is not funny!" She pushed her hand through her long red hair, still oblivious to Benjamin sucking on her ring finger. "How could I not notice?"

Gibbs shrugged. He looked down and shifted, gently pulling Benjamin away from Jenny's hand and nudging his chin up. Jenny moaned in distress and leaned over, pressing her forehead into Gibbs' bicep. Benjamin reached out and poked her in the face.

Gibbs raised one eyebrow smugly at his son.

"Good thing I nixed Benjamin Jasper then, huh, son?" he asked wryly.

It took her a moment, but when it clicked, Jenny let out a strangled half-laugh, half-groan.

February, 2001

so, the title translates to "The Little Things"
and the baby's name is Benjamin Shepard Gibbs (that's not a hyphenated last name, to be clear. Shepard is his middle name.) born June 2, 2000.

-Alexandra
story #167