Summer was a great time for CJ as she was able to occupy her time with whatever she felt like and had very little responsibilities. She had the few chores extra around the house but as it was she could spend her days on the bike trails with Steven and sit in the park reading or talking. As far as her parents were concerned it was actually one of the slowest summers on record since they started working at NCIS and so she saw them much more often than usual. Sometimes this was good thing but occasionally throughout the summer it caused added tension as their presence put a cramp in her plans.

The beginning of CJ's freshman year loomed every nearer. Parents and daughter were nervous for differing reasons but the overall tension built over the summer and finally exploded in a three way verbal argument that ended with CJ storming out of the house going to look for Steven, Ziva marching off to their bedroom and slamming the door and Tony driving off to Gibbs' place. The topic of the argument meant very little it was more the difference in each person's view of what level of independence CJ had acquire, required and was taking.

CJ felt that she was old enough to make all school decisions as it was her education and she was the one that had to ultimately do the work. Ziva felt that as parents they should have some input into her classes as they were adults and understood the implications of the decisions better than a 14 year old. Tony thought CJ was making decisions that were reasonable but was being stubborn and pig headed when they were making suggestions and giving her their opinion on the subject.

And so as the deadline for course selection quickly approached the family was literally scattered across the city.

Tony entered Gibb's house and made his way to the basement without hesitation. He didn't wait for an invitation into the workshop but made his way down the stairs and sat on the second to last step waiting for Gibbs to invite the conversation to begin. Jethro continued cutting and let Tony sit quietly until he had finished. Moving onto measuring and studying the plans he finally asked "What's she done now?"

Tony smiled and half laughed to himself. He really didn't show up on Gibb's step anymore unless he had issues with his daughter. All his work related questions and frustrations were talked out with Jimmy, Ziva , Abby or even Tim. But Gibbs' was his go to guy when it came to daughter problems.

"Nothing really" he sighed rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hands "I think it might be us" pausing again "We might be the problem".

Gibbs kept working looking to Tony only to encourage him to continue. "Maybe I should start at the beginning."

"That's a good place to start" Gibbs offered.

"You see CJ starts high school this year and course selection is due on Monday. CJ picked courses and because she is a freshman the form requires a parental signature. She brought the form to us at supper tonight and asked for one of us to sign it. Ziva didn't sign it right away and said she wanted to review CJ's choices. CJ was offended that Ziva didn't trust her decisions and well things kind of blew up and we all stormed away from the table. I think the dishes and food is still all over the dining room."

"Mmmm"

"CJ had made fine choices and it wasn't that Ziva thought she hadn't it was just that she actually wanted to check it over, that is the point of the signature in the first place. But CJ is … well… her own person and she doesn't like to be questioned… and it wasn't meant to be a poke at her responsibility or choices or anything… just a parent doing due diligence."

"Mmmm"

"But… I still feel we kind of made this mess ourselves… we expected a lot of CJ and forced responsibility and independence on her… and now that she has taken it and run with it… we want to review it… and not that I think that isn't reasonable on the whole… I wonder if it was approached not quite right… and if this is what it is like before school even starts… what is it going to be like once it does? She is going to a much larger school and there isn't as much personal sort of interaction with the families… not that we were big at participating but we knew all of her teachers and the principal."

"Would you have known them as well if CJ wasn't…. CJ… and stayed out of trouble?"

"You're right… probably not…"

"What are you really worried about? That CJ doesn't need you anymore? That CJ is going to be in a large school and her antics could go undetected or that she could cause enough havoc to bring the institution down? That your little girl isn't little anymore and you missed it? That you aren't ready for her to be making her own decisions or that she isn't ready to make her own decisions?" Gibbs asked pointedly.

With his elbows resting on his knees and his hands hanging between his legs and his head down Tony sighed again. "I don't know… that's why I'm here I guess… I don't know what I have a problem with… but I have a problem with something… we all do…"

"I can't figure it out for you Tony"

"I know but you always ask the right questions." Smiling as he ran his hand through his hair.

The two men sat in silence for a long time as the older of the two worked steadily at his project and the younger shuffled back so that he was leaning against the wall watching and thinking. It was a great spot to think and if he needed clarification he could talk it through. Tony didn't leave until very late and by the time he left he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

While Tony had been sitting on Gibb's basement stairs Ziva had been at home alone. After initially slamming the door to their room and storming around the room tidying like a mad woman she threw herself on the bed and sat their fighting the tears that threatened to fall. The frustration she was feeling was very profound. She had been part of the kidon unit of the Mossad. She had run numerous undercover operations, she had been an assassin, she had changed jobs and countries and she had done it with militaristic precision and lack of emotion. Yet here was a fourteen year old girl who could rattle her to the bone. She would lose control, yell and say things she regretted. How could her own daughter evoke this sort of response? And then it hit her, CJ was HER daughter. She was flesh and blood, not like Eli but someone she had an actually loving connection with. And it was this connection that caused the tension, emotion and outbursts. She smirked and half laughed as she made the connection and with this epiphany was able to pull herself together and return to the kitchen.

When she got there it was empty. Not just empty but abandoned, half eaten meals left on the plates and not a single person to be seen or heard. Ziva made her way to CJ's room to see if she was holed up there, but finding it empty surmised her daughter had taken refuge with her friend down the street as she had on many other occasions. While she cleaned the dining room and kitchen she reviewed the evening's conversation and came to the sad conclusion that CJ was growing up, and really was most of the way there. She could physically look after herself, knew what was necessary to run a household, had a grasp on what the 'world' was like and generally made decisions for herself. What affected Ziva the most was the fact that she felt that she had not been as much a part of her daughter's life as she had hoped to be. And that now was not the best time to try and increase her presence. Teenage girls didn't all of a sudden need their mothers more. Tears spilt from her eyes and this time she let them fall. She had made this bed, she just wasn't sure she wanted to sleep in it. But as she had determined only moments before it was the connection to her daughter that drove the emotion and so there was hope. They would weather the storms of adolescence together as a family and hopefully get through the other side intact and not too worse for wear.

Meanwhile CJ had found Steven in his garage oiling the chain on his bike. She sat up on the workbench and watched him work. What she couldn't know what how much her actions mirrored those of her father across town in her Uncle's basement. Steven having seen an irate CJ before knew to just keep working and she would talk when she was ready. He was moving onto brake maintenance when CJ finally began to explain the events of the evening and how she felt. She was most upset by the fact that she required a parental signature on a stupid form when really it was her life and her choice. She wasn't an idiot. And her parent's raised her to be independent but would claw that back whenever the whim seized them. Their involvement in specific things seemed random and intrusive to CJ.

Steven didn't say a word through her entire diatribe. When she had finally ranted herself out he asked if she wanted to go riding, pointing to their bikes. CJ smiled, jumped down off the workbench and threw her arms around her friend. "You know just want to say, don't you?" she laughed as she placed a peck on his cheek. CJ climbed aboard her bike and didn't notice the redness rise through Steven's neck and face.