The beginnings of this idea have been in my head for a while , so I decided to write it out and see what would happen.

A big thanks goes to NCISNumber1Fan, the author of the fanfic "My real family" since it inspired a lot of the Abby side of this one-shot, and therefore helped my idea form into something write-able.

Please enjoy!

It is 7 am .In a house in Washington D.C; a man sleeps .At a first glance, the sun shining in through the window paints him in a peaceful light. As more details are filled in, it is shown that this is not the case. Although this is the face of a sleeping man, the features are not relaxed, Infact, they are pinched and lonely. The path of a lonely tear runs along his cheek. It is a double bed, but he sleeps alone, and his arm is stretched out, as though it is around someone –someone who is no longer there.

Elsewhere, a teenaged girl is already awake, has been for almost 2 hours .She sits on her bed, combing her hair, over and over. All the knots have been taken out, but still she combs , she takes a deep breath, and puts it down. She picks up the hair bands that were in her lap, and uses them to pull her hair up into two ponytails. Then, she stands up, goes to her mirror, and regards herself. She adjusts the skirt of her black skirt, once again looks at her reflection .She tries her best to not cry. Turning away from the mirror, she leaves the room to wake up her younger brother, but not before glancing at the photo on top of her dresser.

…

is in the kitchen, looking for something to eat .He realises he needs to do some shopping, but he doesn't have the heart to. Then, he finds something. A box. He draws it out. A cereal box. Fruit Loops. He opens it, looks inside. The bag inside the box is half full. Carrying the box, he looks for a dish, locates it and sits down at the dining room table, and pours out his breakfast. As he does, an image flashes in his mind. A little girl, her long brown hair in plaits, wearing teddy bear pyjamas ,sitting opposite him. She pours cereal from another, fuller box of fruit Loops. When the bowl is full, she puts the box down, crams some of the cereal in her mouth. As she munches, she picks up some more, and slides them onto her little finger, where they just about fit. Then, she holds her hand out to him. Chews a while, and when there is enough space in her mouth, she speaks.

"Take them Daddy!They really are tasty!"
The image fades. He picks up some loops and tries to put them on his little finger, but it is much too big, and he just shoves the loops in his mouth instead. When he finishes chewing, he speaks into the emptiness.

"You're right, Kelly."

The teenager and her brother stand together, taking one last look at the grave. Shifting the bag so it was more comfortable on her shoulder; she pressed the button on the music player in her hand. Lively jazz music floated out of the player and into the sky. With the rest of the people who had come to the funeral, the two of them walk out, silent and sombre in contrast to the tune that surrounds them. When they get to the gate of the cemetery, she turns the player off. After thanking the others for coming, the siblings walk down the street, both lost in their own memories. The noise of traffic and adults does nothing to change their moods. As they approach the middle school, the girl speaks.

"Luca, do you want me to sign you in with the teacher before I go back to my school?" She asks her brother.
He glares at her with red eyes.

"I can deal with myself!" He walks away rapidly, leaving his sister blinking in the aftermath of his angry footsteps

…

Now, it is eventually did do the shopping. It was a necessity. But now, he is at a loss. What now? He paces the kitchen. Once, twice, 3 times. He thinks of Shannon, his wife. How often did she need to drag herself out to do the shopping when she didn't feel up to it? Why didn't he find a job that didn't require being shipped out to far-off countries? A job that would have meant that he'd have been there when he was most needed? Why? He leaves the kitchen, heads to the basement .Then, he stares at his boat. Normally, an hour or so doing more work on his beloved boat is enough to calm him. But these feelings within him leave him jittery, indecisive, and insecure. He turns on his heel and walks straight out again.

…

An hour later, and the teenager is in school. Her attention is drawn mostly to both her watch and the window. She watches sunlight dance between trees, illuminating the gaps between everything .She looks at the second hand ticking by. It seems so slow, yet she knows the world is still moving. It is moving, and she is slowing down. Sighing silently, she attempts to look as though she is concentrating. It is hard though. Chemistry might be one of her favourite lessons, but she knows most of what's being taught today already.
She wants the world to stop a while. Give her time to figure out how to catch up with it .She looks her watch. Tick, tick, tick.

…

At 3.55pm, 10 minutes after the end of school, The girl walks through the park, carrying her bag in her hands. She does not want to go home, to an empty house of sadness, echoes of where her parents' feet used to step haunting both her and her brother. She doesn't want to deal with Luca giving her the cold shoulder, drifting away from her, further by the second. She wants to move backwards , to a world where the two of them are the closest things in the world , a world where her parents are alive , where the silence is a different , and one that isn't so much a silence as it is a reduced volume. This world, where she is an orphan, is not one she wishes to live in. She wants to end it all, leave this world, and leave her body.
But she cannot .There is still someone here who needs looking after, who needs her to be his big sister .Even if he claims not to, even if he brushes off all her efforts. She cannot leave.

The thread of a song drifts into reach .Her ears detect it, and grab onto it. It is faint, but it is beautiful, sweet, and sympathetic. Her body responds fully to its presence. Her thoughts fade into the background.

…

he has not got a clue where he is. He has been driving around for at least 2 and half hours, without really thinking about had no real destination anyway, so it's not like it bothers him. But he really, really needs a coffee. There has got to be a coffee shop somewhere.

…

15 minutes later, he heads to the park, intending to sit on a bench, enjoy his coffee , watch his surroundings for a while , then work out how to get home. Seeing a bench, he is about to go towards it , when something flashes past the corner of his eye. He turns half-circle. There is someone dancing under the tree nearby .He moves closer, and sees a teenager .A girl, who isn't directly under the tree. Her eyes are closed, her black dress swirls with her. Her dark ponytails bounce. The movements are a combination of tap dancing and random swirls, twists and bends. For a moment , the sight of the teenager blends with the memory of Kelly , when she was 7 , dancing around the living room on Christmas day , elated by the presents she had just opened , and even happier by the knowledge that her daddy was going to stay at home until she went back to school in January. Then , the two different things separate out , and he quietly dodges the girl , so he is sitting right under the tree , leaning against the trunk. He notices a backpack absolutely laden with badges. He assumes it is the teenager's schoolbag, and puts it next to him.

A while later , she stops , and she looks around , dazed , as though she has forgotten where she is , then , she goes to the tree trunk , picks up the bag and sits down. She doesn't notice there is somebody sitting next to her, until she hears him sipping at the coffee.

He smiles at the curious look, and says

"That was some very powerful dancing there. You perform?"

The girl shakes her head, and the ponytails move.

"No, that was my metaphorical suicide." She replies

.She doesn't look as though she is joking, or trying to sound big. It sounds genuine, and something he sees in her eyes supports that. However, he is confused.

"Huh?"

"I want to end it, but I can't actually do that. I have my brother to look after." She looks at the man and then adds.

"My parents died a week and 3 days ago. A week, 3 days, 2 hours and 15 minutes ago," she sighs, and her lip wobbles." It feels like yesterday I found out."

He puts an arm around her, instantly protective.

"I'm sorry to hear that." he wonders whether to tell her his story. In the end, he says.

"In a way, I'm the same."

"Your parents die recently?"

"Actually, my wife and daughter.3 months, 4 days. Not sure about hours and minutes unfortunately." He smiles a little at that, for it makes the girl smile, knowing that last sentence is a teasing poke at her.

"Tell me."

So he does. Not all of it though. But most of it. He tells them their names, their ages. He talks about being a marine, not being there when they died. His favourite memories. He speaks of his boat, and how he has no idea how to move on. In return, she tells him of a life of love, happiness and fun. She reveals a love of science, and a dream to become a forensic scientist. She tells him of deaf parents and a brother who now seems to hate her. She talks a lot, more than he does. Eventually, she runs out of breath. He offers her the little coffee he has left. She pulls a face.

"No, thanks." She signs it at the same time. Then she tilts her head , giving him a sideways look.

"Why are you so interested in me?Considering you are old enough to be my father…or uncle anyway,…."

He laughs, choosing to not respond.

Instead, he asks

"Will you be OK alone , caring for your brother and all?"

"I'll be fine!I can take 2 years of junior college when I graduate , I'm almost an adult ….actually , no , I won't be fine…I mean , I'm not fine now but…"She is babbling , and clearly trying to not cry. She stands up , and so does he.

"Shhhh." He strokes her hair "Shhhh , it's me your name."

She gives him a suspicious glare.

"Why?"

"So that if you do end up needing help, I can find you."

Tears turn to sniffles as her quick mind considers this.

"Tell me your name. Then I'll find you if I need you."

He smiles at that. Fair enough.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Leroy Jethro…..the names themselves are not unusual, but the combo is unique, well….., I like it." The girl was bubbly again. "I think, just to be on the safe side, I'll call you Gibbs. That Ok, Gibbs?"

"Yeah."

"Gibbs, do you really mean that, about being there? What if I cannot reach you?"

"Rule 3: Never be unreachable."

Unlike most who first hear his rules, the girl acts as though it is normal, something familiar. She looks at her watch.

"I should go now."

"I think so too. You'll be fine, right?"

" No need to worry, Gibbs."

Then, she grabs him in a big, warm hug. When she lets go, she gives a smile, wipes a couple of tears away, and throws one last sentence at him before going.

"My name is Abby."

…

"Oh, and one last thing…can you recommend me any place I can learn some American Sign Language?" It is 8.30pm, and Gibbs has made a phone call he has needed to make for a while now. Or rather, left a message for the person he needed to call, who will probably call back tomorrow. He knows what he wishes to do next. He's worked out how to begin to move on. But boy, it is hard. Shannon and Kelly still haunt him. His regrets are still dominant.

But there are other things to deal with now.

He thinks briefly of the girl, Abby. So bubbly, and yet so alone with her loss. And that hug. He thinks of that hug. It has comfort, warmth, happiness and family all over is everything and nothing like Kelly's hugs. It is something worth remembering, and he replays it, over and over.

That hug, it is the first of many he will receive from Abby in the many years he has left in his life. But today, right at this moment, he doesn't know that. So, he will eat some dinner, then go down to the basement and work on his boat, drink some bourbon. He will reminisce, and then call it a day.

Phew!I finally finished. I hope you enjoyed this. Please give feedback.