He'd been here too many times before. But that didn't lessen the pain any. Standing in autopsy, looking at the faces of people he loved. This time, five of them.

Tony DiNozzo, his senior field agent, joker, movie buff, damn good agent. Loyal to the last.

Ziva DiNozzo, ex-Mossad, tough, mother of three, assassin. Another damn good agent. A life saver.

Timothy McGee, expert with computers, kind hearted, smart. The youngest ever director of NCIS.

Rachel DiNozzo, fourteen, loud, smiley, mirror image of her mother.

Nathan DiNozzo, also fourteen, quiet, considerate, a mixture of his parents.

All gone. He could still remember finding out.

XOXOXOX

"Where's DiNozzo and Ziva?" he barked at his probie agent.
"Dunno," Andi Cameron replied without looking up from her computer screen.
"When they get in, tell DiNozzo that he know's which creek he's up without a paddle and then sit on them until I get back," Gibbs snapped, storming out of the squad room to get coffee.

Andi glanced at her watch. It was unlike Ziva and Tony to be this late. Family emergency perhaps? Maybe one of the kids had hurt themselves or was ill. Still, it was strange that they hadn't called in. Maybe she should call them. She decided against it. She'd just get an earful from Tony. Instead she went back to her report.

When Gibbs returned, carrying two cups of coffee, he was pissed to see two desks still empty. Where the hell were they? He picked up his phone and called Abby.

"Forensics."
"Abs, do you know where DiNozzo and Ziva are?" he asked.
"They're not in yet?" she asked. "McGee was supposed to be coming in with them because I had the car last night."
Gibbs covered the phone and said, "Andi, you seen the Director?"
"No," she replied.
"Abs, he's not here," he said.
"Tony's probably running late or something," Abby said. "They'll turn up."

Forty two minutes later, Gibbs' cell phone rang.
"Gibbs," he said, answering on the second ring.
"Special Agent Gibbs? It's Lieutenant Watson from the PD. We've a report of a car crash which falls under your jurisdiction. Two dead NCIS agents." Gibbs' blood ran cold. Tony and Ziva... But, did that mean McGee was dead too? And what about the kids?
"Grab your gear," he said to Andi.
"Where're we going?" she asked. He didn't reply.

Andi recgonsied the SUV as soon as they pulled up in the truck. She looked at her boss, but he didn't speak.
"Agent Gibbs," one of the LEOs said. "There are five bodies in total. We found ID on the driver and front passenger then called you. We haven't checked the back passengers."

Gibbs ignored him and walked straight over to the smashed car. Tony was in the driver's seat, Ziva the passenger's. McGee behind Tony, Rachel between him and her brother Nathan. Andi came up quietly next to him.
"Boss, there's five bodies," she said.
"I know," he snapped.
"No, there's five bodies. Sarah's not here."

Sarah... The little girl who looked so like her father, the seven year old who'd worked her way into everyone's heart. Gibbs felt his pulse quicken. Was ther a chance? There was always a chance. He walked away from the car and pulled out his cell phone, dialing as he walked.

"Hello, this is Maria," a woman answered.
"This is Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS," he said. "Is Sarah DiNozzo there?"
"Yes Agent Gibbs, her parents dropped her off this morning," Maria replied. "Is everything okay?" But he'd already hung up. She was alive.

XOXOXOX

Eventually, he managed to drag himself away from autopsy, allowing Ducky to do his job. Now for what would be the hardest part.
"Gibbs, I'm really worried. McGee's not answering his cell," Abby said as soon as Gibbs entered her lab. Worry was etched in her face.
"Abs..."
"What is? What's happened?"

He guided her over to a chair and made sure she was sitting before he began.
"Car crash," he explained. "Tony, Ziva, Rachel, Nathan and McGee."
"Are they...?"
"I'm sorry Abby," Gibbs said, hating every word, hating how it hurt her. "I'm so sorry."

"No..." Abby whispered, tears starting to slip down her face. "No, no, no!" He put his arms around her and held her, feeling the sobs rack her body. It made the moment so much worse that a little over a week they'd all been so happy.

XOXOXOX

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby cried, running into the squad room, dragging her husband behind her.
"Abby!" McGee said, as he almost tripped over. Andi raised her eyebrows. By now she was accustomed to the forensic scientist's ways.

"Gibbs!" Abby repeated.
"What is it Abs?" he asked.
"Guess what?"
"I hate guessing games."

Tony and Ziva walked into the squad room, in mid conversation. Abby spied them.
"You two! Over here!" she said. Husband and wife exchanged glances, then did as ordered. Tony threw a glance at Andi, who shrugged. "We have something to tell you," Abby announced. "I'm pregnant!"

XOXOXOX

It had been a long day. Gibbs would've liked nothing more than to relax in his basement with a bottle of bourbon to hand. Unfortunately, it wasn't an option. He'd picked Sarah up after school before, and had known her since she was a few hours old. The little girl was practically a mirror image of her father, and was not only like him in looks, but in her ways. She had the DiNozzo grin, the cheeky twinkle in her eyes, could rattle off movie quotes as good as her father, would prank her brother and sister mercilessly and had the same good heart underneath as her dad. Sarah and Tony were practically joined at the hip. There would be no easy way to tell her.

Sarah skipped out of school, grinning the grin which was so like her dad's when she saw him.

"Gibbs!" she cried, running towards him. Despite everything, Gibbs smiled as he crouched to hug the six year old currently racing towards him. "What are you doing here?"
"You're coming home to stay with me," he replied.
"Why?" Ever curious, just like DiNozzo.
"I'll tell you when we get there," he said. Sarah looked at him suspiciously, she could tell he wasn't telling her everything. She'd always had a finely tuned radar for when something was wrong.

"Sarah," he began. "I need to tell you something, something bad."
"Bad?" Sarah frowned. "Like when Goldie died?"
"Bit worse than that," Gibbs said, remembering the tearful little girl telling him her goldfish had died.
"Is it about why I'm here?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said. "Sarah, your mom and dad and Rachel and Nathan were in a car crash."
"Are they in hospital?"
"No. No, they're not. Sarah, they were really badly hurt. Too badly hurt."
"They're not coming back, are they?" Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"No kid, they're not," Gibbs said.
"But... But I want them too!" she said, her eyes filling with tears.
"So do I," he said, hugging her. "Believe me, so do I."