***SET TWELVE YEARS AFTER THE END OF "FAMILY PORTRAIT"***

"I think you should answer that." Aaron DiNozzo directed Jackie Gibbs.

Her phone was ringing for the third time in five minutes. Each time Jackie had glanced at the caller ID it had been her mother. It was a busy Monday morning at NCIS and Jackie was more than willing to let the call go to voicemail. Jackie was sorting through reports the weekend crew had left for her when the ringtone for her voicemail went off.

"Just check it already…I'm sick of hearing it ring." Aaron whined.

"Shut up probie. You're fresh out of training…which means I own your soul, and you're playing by my rules…rule number seventeen is no whining." Jackie said it sharply as she glanced at her now silent phone.

"I thought it was better to seek forgiveness than permission?" Aaron retorted.

"That's eighteen." Tony DiNozzo said as he walked around the corner.

"I can't believe you have them memorized." Aaron sighed heavily as he busied himself with computer work.

"That's because they are important…I memorized them for a reason." Tony smiled as he sat down at his desk.

"Besides, those are Jethro's rules…you're playing by mine…probie." Jackie glared at Aaron as she teased him.

"Your dad had a good thing going with the rules. I don't see why you had to destroy it by adding your own." Aaron added.

"One more word probie and I'll bring in the DVD of your Kinder dance recital and put it up on the plasma." Jackie said as she stared down Aaron from across the aisle.

"You wouldn't!" Aaron exclaimed. His face was beet red.

"Oh, yes she would." Ziva said as she rounded the corner and sat at her desk, a cup of tea in her hand.

"In fact, I believe I still have the recording somewhere." Ziva mused as she eyed her son jokingly.

"I have a great idea for a rule." Aaron said in a quiet voice.

"Really…let's hear if your probie ideas are worth our time." Jackie was tormenting Aaron to the best of her abilities.

"Never…ever work with family." Aaron said with a laugh.

Jackie arched an eyebrow and thought about it for a minute. It wasn't a bad rule. She actually liked it.

"Okay I think it's going to be number 47." Jackie said with a sly grin.

"Really! I got a rule?" Aaron practically jumped out of his desk chair with excitement.

"You got a rule?" Tim McGee asked as he placed his backpack on the floor next to his desk.

"Yep." Aaron said proudly.

"I don't even have a rule yet." McGee said with a pout.

"Yes you do." Jackie interjected as she looked at the man she considered more of an uncle than a co-worker.

"What's that?" Tim asked with slight confusion.

"Always play the MIT card." Jackie glanced at Tony and Ziva knowingly and the group erupted into laughter.

"I told you guys…he loves it." Alexander McGee popped his head up over the divider that separated the team from the cyber crime unit.

"Get back to work McNugget." Jackie taunted Alex.

"Stop bullying us just because you think you can." Alex said as he rested his arms on the divider.

"I don't think I can…I know I can." Jackie teased as Alex disappeared behind the divider and went back to whatever nerd job Director Vance had given him.

Without warning, Jackie's phone rang again. Jackie sighed and glanced at the caller ID. It was her dad.

"Hi dad." Jackie said happily.

"It's not Jethro." Her mother's voice resounded in her ears.

"Damn it!" Jackie thought to herself. Her mother did this to her a lot. More than a lot. It was actually incessant. If Jackie didn't answer her phone, then Jenny would call from Jethro's phone, knowing that Jackie would always speak to her father.

"Oh hi mom. How are you today?" Jackie asked trying to be polite.

"I'd be a lot better if the battery on my phone hadn't just died." Jenny lied, trying to explain why she had called from Jethro's phone, while Jackie already knew the reason.

"Listen dear…" Jenny continued.

"Yes mom?" Jackie pressed knowing that the entire team was listening to her half of the conversation.

"Luke is coming home this weekend. I just wanted to let you know we're having a big party Saturday. Plenty of people, food, and of course drinks." Jenny said happily.

"Great. I'll talk to Tony. Nobody has weekend duty so far, but you know how that can change." Jackie said simply.

"Dear…are you bringing anybody? You know you can bring somebody. Jacinda is bringing somebody. Luke is also bringing somebody with him all the way from Camp Lejune, sounds pretty serious to me." Jenny's words were daggers through Jackie's heart.

The worst part was that Jenny Gibbs already knew Jackie's answer but she pressed on anyhow.

"No mom…it will be just me, and the team." Jackie forced a smile as she said it.

Ziva gave Jackie a sympathetic look. She knew how hard the past year had been on Jackie. As a mother Ziva understood why Jenny wanted her daughter to find somebody nice, but Ziva also knew when to back off.

"Jackie, what don't you understand about work less socialize more? I've tried to get you to understand the concept, but it just seems lost on you. I've always know you were like your father, but this is a bit extreme." Jenny Gibbs droned on.

Jackie rolled her eyes at Ziva.

Without warning Ziva jumped up from her desk and yelled. "Body at Quantico let's roll!"

"I guess you have to go." Jenny said plainly.

"I do mom, I'm sorry, but I'll call you later tonight when I'm done working out, I promise." Jackie said it as she hung up the phone.

"Thanks Ziva!" Jackie yelled across the aisle.

"Works every time." Ziva said with a smile as she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her hands together.

Many times in the past year the various team members had saved Jackie from her mother's clutches by shouting "Body at Quantico" or "Dead Sailor" just loud enough for Jenny to hear them through the phone.

"Agent DiNozzo." Jackie said plainly, instantly regretting her choice of words when she saw three heads turn and look at her sharply.

"I meant the old one." Jackie said jokingly.

"Yep?" Tony said as he looked at Jackie.

"Luke's bringing somebody home this weekend, and apparently there is a party. Nobody is scheduled for weekend duty…can we keep it that way, just to keep mom happy?" Jackie pleaded with Tony.

"Well, Luke is a Marine, so I would say that his party is officially unofficial NCIS business. No weekend work for anybody. I promise." Tony said as he crossed his heart.

"Thanks." Jackie said.

"I need to go to the lab." Jackie said as she stood up and headed towards Abby's lab.

Abby was the only person who'd understand her right now.

"Hey Abby!" Jackie exclaimed as she walked into the lab where Abby was busy adding chemicals to something.

"What's with the frown?" Abby asked as Jackie found a chair and sat down.

"Mom." Jackie said simply.

"What else is new?" Abby asked as she dropped a sample into the Mass Spectrometer.

"Luke and Jacinda are bringing dates home this weekend. The both of them. I have nobody. I'm the oldest, and I have nobody." The last word dripped from Jackie's mouth bitterly.

"Okay, stop it with the oldest thing. You're older by a whole seventeen seconds, and quite frankly that doesn't count. You did the right thing last year. You know it, I know it, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons knows it." Abby said happily.

Jackie looked utterly dissuaded by Abby's commentary. Abby did the only helpful thing she could think of and handed Jackie a Caf-Pow.

"Thanks." Jackie said as she sipped the sweet caffeine-laden drink.

It had been two years ago when she had met him. He was talented, handsome, and so smart. Jackie had been working for NCIS for three years, and she loved her job. Fresh out of Yale Law School, he was an aide to the Speaker of the House at the time. Jackie had instantly become enamored with the young man. Time went on and Jackie fell deeper into the young man's spell. After a few months Jackie's love turned to a quiet suspicion. With the help of the FBI Jackie had uncovered a campaign fund embezzling scheme. It had been plastered all over the papers. Jackie had brought down the largest congressional scam in American history. The Speaker of the House resigned immediately, and now he and his aide were sitting in a Federal Prison for twelve to fifteen years. The only problem seemed to be that after the dust had settled from the sensational trial that Jackie realized she had really loved the man. No matter how many times she had tried to tell herself that he was a slime ball or a bastard she couldn't shake the genuine feelings she had for him.

Jackie had found an outlet for her feelings. She began pouring her heart and soul into NCIS. Working constantly had enabled her to focus her mind elsewhere. Most everybody around Jackie had accepted her new fervor for work. That was everybody but her mother. Jenny Gibbs had insisted that her daughter move on and find somebody else. Jackie understood that her mom cared about her happiness, but right now Jackie wasn't ready for anybody else.

"It will get better." Abby said as she wrapped her arms around Jackie.

"I know…it just takes time." Jackie said as she finished the Caf-Pow.

"Your mom knows from experience what happens when you ignore your personal life and focus only on work. Think about it. NCIS almost destroyed everything she and your father shared. It was by sheer luck that their love made it through." Abby added.

"Oh I know. I've heard the stories." Jackie said as she stood up.

Abby was rummaging around underneath some shelves. Abby stood up holding a bag of potato chips.

"Eat these, or you'll be in the bathroom all day." Abby said as she tossed the chips at Jackie who caught them one-handed.

Jackie raised an eyebrow at Abby.

"You just drank a ton of caffeine, up your salt intake, and even it out." Abby said with a smile.

"Thanks Abby." Jackie smiled and headed for the elevator.

***THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY***

"I missed you!" Jackie exclaimed as she hugged her twin brother.

"I missed you too!" Luke said as he picked Jackie up.

"Jackie…this is Anna." Luke introduced the red-headed girl standing next to him. She smiled and instantly hugged Jackie instead of shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you finally! Luke talks about you all the time." Anna gushed.

"Really?" Jackie raised an eyebrow as she quickly broke the embrace with Anna.

"Yes, it's Jackie this Jackie that!" Anna exclaimed as her blue eyes shimmered in the May sunshine.

Jackie smiled at her brother. No matter how far apart they were it seemed the twins were constantly thinking of each other. It came in handy every now and then though. Jackie could feel her brother's stress at times and a friendly phone call was never far away when either was upset.

"Hey!" Jacinda yelled as she made her way into the backyard.

"Hey girl! Join the party!" Jackie waved her sister over.

Walking a few paces behind Jacinda was a tall man with sandy-blond hair, and the darkest brown eyes Jackie had ever seen. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He was wearing Khaki cargo shorts and a lime-green polo shirt. "Appearances can be deceiving." Jackie reminded herself trying not to concentrate on the man's age.

"Hi Luke!" Jacinda squealed as she jumped into her brother's arms.

After the next round of introductions Jackie had met Anna, and Cooper. Cooper was apparently her sister's newest boyfriend.

"He might last three weeks." Jackie thought to herself.

Jacinda knew how to play the field. Men came and went in Jacinda's life. She had been likened to Tony in his youth. As the evening went on Jackie couldn't help but notice Jacinda and Cooper interact with one another. She had never seen Jacinda act quite like this before. She was constantly holding his hand, laughing at his jokes, and kissing his cheek. As Jackie observed the couple she barely noticed her father standing by her side.

"Three weeks?" Jacinda said as she turned to face her father.

The older man's blue eyes twinkled.

"Time will tell. I just don't know how I feel about this one." Jethro said as he crossed his arms and watched Jacinda place a kiss on Cooper's cheek for the thousandth time that evening. Cooper instinctively kissed Jacinda back.

"Anna?" Jackie added.

"Luke's done everything right so far." Jethro said.

"Huh?" Jackie questioned.

"She's a red-head. The boy has good taste." Jethro said with a smirk as he walked away to find Jenny.

Jackie laughed at her father's joke. His penchant for red-heads rarely went unnoticed. All four of his wives had been red-heads.

Later that evening Jackie was helping her mother clean up the kitchen when Cooper and Jacinda came into the kitchen to lend a hand.

"Mom what can we do?" Jacinda asked.

"Actually Jacinda, you need to come with me." Jenny said in a dry voice.

Jackie eyed her mother cautiously. Jenny was giving up no clues. Jackie knew instantly that something was going on when Jacinda and their mother disappeared into the basement.

"Cooper…I'll be back in a few minutes." Jacinda explained as she headed to the basement.

"So what can I do to help?" Cooper asked Jackie as she loaded the dishwasher.

"I'm almost done." Jackie said dryly.

"I'd like to help at least. Your parents really know how to party." Cooper mused.

"Well then…start collecting the trash." Jackie said tartly as she reached under the kitchen sink and threw a roll of garbage bags at Cooper.

"Gladly." He replied.

***IN THE BASEMENT***

"So this Cooper fellow, what's the deal?" Jethro Gibbs was pacing back and forth in front of a boat frame as he interrogated his daughter Jacinda.

"He's amazing." Jacinda said with a smile.

Jenny gave her daughter a small smile. She was wary for a good reason.

"How did you two meet?" Jethro asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Jacinda stared at the floor before she replied.

"Work." Jacinda replied quietly.

She had been honest, but she was waiting for the fall out.

"What have I told you about that?" Jethro asked sharply as he looked at his youngest daughter.

"Nobody in this family has a normal job. We can't take the risks that come with meeting people at work." Jenny added from the corner.

"He doesn't work for the ATF, he works for the DEA. I met him through work, not at work." Jacinda explained. We don't even work in the same building." Jacinda added.

"Oh that's a relief." Jethro threw up his hands sarcastically.

"You two…of all people, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?" Jacinda retorted out of frustration.

"Keep in mind when you spill a bowl of alphabet soup the mess that it leaves behind." Jenny added referring to the inter-agency relationship.

"How old is he?" Jethro asked confused.

"Thirty-seven." Jacinda said honestly. She wasn't afraid of the truth and she had no idea why her parents were.

Jenny choked on the sip of bourbon she had just taken.

"You're twenty-three. This is insane!" Jethro bellowed.

"He loves me!" Jacinda yelled as she stamped her foot on the dirty basement floor.

"The ink is barely dry on your Federal ID and you're hooking up with a senior agent Jacinda. Don't you see why we might be concerned?" Jenny asked from the far corner of the basement.

"Once again…this is the pot calling the kettle black. We're done here." Jacinda gave her father a dirty look and bolted up the stairs.

"Jacinda wait!" Jenny yelled to her daughter.

"Let her go Jen." Jethro said as he stood in Jenny's path to block her.

"She hates us." Jenny said miserably as tears welled up in her eyes.

Jethro wrapped his wife in a hug and whispered "no she doesn't" softly into Jenny's ear.

By the time Jenny had dried her tears and headed upstairs Jacinda and Cooper were long gone.

"What the hell did you say to her?" Jackie asked as she put the last of the leftovers into the refrigerator.

"What?" Jenny asked trying to ignore Jackie's question.

"She ran up here crying, grabbed Cooper by the arm and practically dragged him out of the house. Jacinda never cries." Jackie added as she closed the refrigerator door.

"Your father and I expressed concern over her relationship with a much older man." Jenny said as she crossed her arms and stared at Jackie.

"So I'm sure the fact that he works for the DEA has nothing to do with this." Jackie said as she sighed and blew her red bangs out of her face.

"Well…I'm just concerned for her. She's been on the job for three months. This might work, it might not it's anybody's guess." Jenny said as she pulled a kitchen chair out and sat down.

"And dad is how much older than you?" Jackie asked sourly.

"That is not the point young lady." Jenny said. Jenny knew the answer, but somehow it just seemed different with Jacinda.

"Okay, so what I fail to understand is how you and dad can meet at work, date, break-up, date, break-up, date, live together, get pregnant with twins, then get married. All with the better part of a decade separating you two in age. It's all right for Jenny and Jethro, but not the kids?" Jackie asked sourly.

"I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." Jenny said quietly as she looked at the kitchen table, unable to make eye contact with Jackie.

"Right. Because three successful children and a beautiful home in a neighborhood people would kill to live in is a mistake. Or by mistakes do you mean abandoning dad twice?" Jackie threw the insult at her mother with the speed of light.

"I saved his life and mine both times!" Jenny bellowed as she hit the kitchen table with her fist.

"Clearly, you can't even think straight right now. I'll be back when you can actually form a coherent thought." Jackie grabbed her car keys off the top of the counter and headed out the door.

Jackie had barely made her way through the front hall when she remembered something. She ran back into the kitchen and scrawled "RULE 54" on the dry-erase marker board threw the marker on the floor, gave her mother another dirty look, and ran out of the house. She knew Luke would figure it out for her parents eventually.

"Jethro…" Jenny called her husband's name quietly as she headed down to the basement.

"Yep." Jethro replied as he sanded his boat.

"I hate to ask, but I seem to have forgotten. What's rule number 54?" Jenny asked.

"I don't have a rule number 54." Jethro said with confusion as he continued to sand.

"Great." Jenny said as she headed back upstairs.

If Jenny hadn't been paying attention she would have ran smack into Luke. The young man had heard the last bits of the argument, and he was checking in on his parents. He had seen both of his sisters leave in a hurry, and he knew only one thing could have caused such a heated debate.

"Mom…Jackie and I have the same rules." Luke said quietly.

"Of course you do, you two have the same thoughts!" Jenny hissed at her son.

"Well…spit it out!" Jenny directed her son.

"Rule number 54…I don't believe in double standards." Luke said quietly as he looked into his mother's eyes.

The message hit Jenny like a ton of bricks. Jackie didn't care about age, or jobs. She just wanted her sister to be happy. It seemed thus far that Cooper was doing a good job of keeping Jacinda happy. If Jackie could understand that, then just maybe Jenny and Jethro should take some time to evaluate their daughter's newest relationship.