Well here it is! The first chapter of my new story - An Australian Adventure! I won't promise fast updates, but I will promise to never abandon the story. I hope you enjoy :) Please review and tell me what you think

Warnings, Notes and Disclaimers - Please Read!

1. This is a multi-chaptered Epilogue of my third story, 'Redefining the Future'.

2. This continues a de-aging story. If you don't like, don't read.

3. This story is set during July/August 2007. Ages of the 'kids' are; Tony - 11, Ziva 5, Abby 29, Tim 28.

4. While definitely not the focus, this story does contain the discussion of and occasional spanking of minors and adults. Again, don't like, don't read.

5. I do not own any of the characters - I just like to play with and torture them.

6. All mistakes are my own - apologies ahead of time

7. Finally, since our family is in Australia I thought I would include some Australian language for you. I will try to remember to 'Americanize' the speech whenever our family is speaking. However, in descriptive passages I will indulge my native 'lingo' and introduce you to some Australian words.

Australian words used : Jam - fruit conserve usually spread on toast or bread. (I think in the US it's called jelly) Footpath - sidewalk Caravan - transportable holiday home on wheels which is towed behind a car (I think the US equivalent is a camper van) Chips - hot thick rectangular chunks of potato fried until golden. I'm not sure if these are what American's call fries as they are quite thick. In Australia, fries are thin sticks of potato. Either way, I've had the family refer to them as fries. I will edit if incorrect.

Chapter 1 - Settling In

"I said 'Lucky Charms'," grumbled Tony as he stared fixedly at the DS screen in his hand.

"And I said, 'we don't have any'," repeated an increasingly frustrated Jenny. "You know that Tony. You were with me when we went shopping."

"Stupid country!" muttered Tony. "Can't believe they don't have Lucky Charms."

"Tony," intercepted Gibbs. "We wouldn't have bought them for you anyway. The only reason you had some at home was because Uncle Mike didn't know better and decided to spoil you and Ziva."

"Why couldn't Uncle Mike come with us anyway?" asked Tony, still not looking up from the DS.

"Because he has his own life to lead," replied Gibbs. "Now, put the DS down and answer your mother as to what you want for breakfast."

Begrudgingly, Tony placed the DS on the table with an audible sigh before rolling his eyes and saying, "Toast, I guess."

Shaking her head in frustration, Jenny turned to the small bench in the caravan and put two pieces of bread in the toaster.

It had been a tiring few days for the whole family. Leaving DC only three days after the shooting incident which had resulted in the deaths of Eli and Svetlana, not to mention the fatal shooting of Senior only a day earlier, had seemed like a good idea to Gibbs at the time. The sooner the family were away from the horrors of the previous week, the better, he thought. However, in reality, that had meant in the past five days they'd had to organize a new set of passports for everyone, change information on official databases, organize flights, endure the almost twenty-four hour flight to Melbourne and rent a car to take them back to their caravan in Geelong. To say everyone was tired and grumpy was a fairly accurate assumption.

"Abby!" yelled Ziva. "I said I didn't want peanut butter! Now you've put it all over my bread."

"Sor-ry," replied Abby sarcastically. "Can't you just eat it this one time?"

"No! Yuck!" exclaimed Ziva. "You put it on way too thick."

Sighing, Abby pulled Ziva's plate towards herself.

"Fine, I'll have the bread. You can have mine," she muttered as she pushed her plate towards Ziva.

"Yours is toast," complained Ziva. "I wanted bread."

"Just eat it and stop complaining," snarled Abby irritably.

As Ziva opened her mouth to argue, both girls were stopped short by a strangled cry from Jenny. Looking up, they watched as Jenny grabbed the bread bag, snatched up two pieces of bread and dumped them unceremoniously on Ziva's plate. She then pushed the plate of toast back towards Abby and, picking up the bread with peanut butter on it, folded it in half and took a bite.

Swallowing the mouthful, Jenny looked at the two girls who were still staring at her, open mouthed.

"I don't want to hear another word," she finally said. "Just eat!"

Completely oblivious to the conversation that had been happening around him, Tim looked up from the tablet from which he'd been reading the news and picked up the nearest jar of jam. Reading the label, he replaced the jar and checked the other jam sitting next to it. Frowning slightly, he looked up for the first time.

"Where's the blackberry I asked you to get? These two are plum and strawberry."

Suddenly, realising the table had been enveloped in a dangerous silence, Tim looked towards Jenny and saw the angry, mutinous look on her face. Back-pedalling quickly, Tim quickly grabbed the plum jam and opened the jar.

"Don't worry," he said hastily. "I didn't feel much like blackberry anyway."

As he spread the conserve on his toast, he heard a muffled giggle from Abby. Turning to look at her, he watched as she covered her mouth with her hand. It wasn't long before the contagious laugh found its way to Ziva and Tony. Soon to follow was Jenny and, finally, even Gibbs let loose with a small smirk.

"Oh Tim," sighed Jenny, as she held her side while she laughed. "I so needed that. I'll buy you a jar of blackberry next time we go to the store. I promise."

"That's fine," said Tim. "It doesn't matter."

"No, you'll get your blackberry," insisted Jenny. "You deserve it for lightening the mood."

Chewing on a bite of toast, Tim grinned at Jenny before giving his attention back to the tablet. With the mood considerably lighter than it had been, the rest of the family fell into a comfortable silence as everyone ate their breakfast.

****NCIS****

"All right team," began Gibbs. "All eyes here."

With breakfast over and the area cleaned, everyone sat around the table and stared as Gibbs carefully unfolded the large map of Australia. Straightening out the creases, he scanned the map quickly before placing his finger on the dot marked 'Geelong'.

"So, this is where we are now," he began, looking at the faces before him. It didn't take him long to notice one member was not focused.

"Tony!" admonished Gibbs.

"Hmmm?" replied the boy, furiously moving his thumbs around the control system of the DS.

"Put that down and focus over here please," demanded Gibbs.

"Hang on," muttered Tony. "I'm nearly through this level."

"Tony, it's either put it down or give it to me," replied Gibbs ominously. "And if I take it, you won't be getting it back for a while."

"Ah huh," murmured Tony, still distracted by the small screen.

Standing quickly, Gibbs reached over the table and plucked the electronic game out of Tony's hands.

"Hey!" yelled Tony. "What did you do that for?"

"I gave you a choice. You chose to ignore me, therefore the game is now mine," replied Gibbs, glaring at the angry look on his son's face.

"That's so not fair!" complained Tony loudly. "I want it back!"

Leaning forward, Gibbs placed two hands on the table and, if possible, deepened the glare directed at Tony.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, the tone dangerously quiet.

With all eyes now focused on Tony, the eleven year old gazed mutinously around the table before dropping his eyes and mumbling, "I'm sorry."

Although the glare remained fixed on the boy, Gibbs lowered himself back into a seated position before returning his gaze to the map.

"OK, so we're here," began Gibbs, pointing once again at the dot marked Geelong.

"When can I have it back?" interrupted Tony.

Frowning, Gibbs looked incredulously at Tony. Amazed that the boy was still harping on about the toy, he refused to engage in a battle of wills and simply said, "We'll discuss it later Tony. Right now, I need your focus here."

Ensuring there was little doubt this was the end of the conversation, Gibbs returned his gaze to the map leaving Tony to sigh loudly and cross his arms tightly over his chest. Realizing he'd probably pushed his luck as far possible for that morning, Tony leaned forward and attempted to look at the map.

"So, this is Geelong and we are here in Queenscliff," said Gibbs placing his finger on the map for the third time in as many minutes.

"Now, seeing as we don't have to worry about staying under the radar," he continued. "I suggest we take the following route and slowly make our way to the center of Australia."

The family watched as Gibbs traced a line along the southwest coast of Victoria, crossing over into South Australia then heading up the coastline to Adelaide. From there, the path was fairly simple. They would basically head north until they crossed the border into the Northern Territory and continue north until they reached Alice Springs.

"What do we do once we get there?" asked Ziva, looking at the map carefully.

"It will depend on timing," replied Gibbs. "We're talking about a lot of miles from here to Alice Springs."

"How many?" asked Tony, finally taking a genuine interest in the family discussion.

"Probably close to 2,000," estimated Gibbs.

Tony widened his eyes in disbelief.

"And that only takes us half way through Australia," he exclaimed.

"It's a big country," agreed Jenny. "It's about the same size as the US."

She then turned to Gibbs.

"And I don't want to rush this trip," she added determinedly. "There's no reason why we have to. I suggest we take our time, stop when we want to, see the sights and just have a relaxing break. If we don't make it all the way, it really doesn't matter."

"I agree," said Abby. "The first part of this trip we were so worried about people finding out who we were and where we were, we didn't get chance to enjoy what was around us. I vote for being a turtle!"

She put her hand in the air as a show of confidence.

"A what?" asked Tim, staring at Abby as if she'd gone mad.

"You know? A turtle," clarified Abby.

When Tim raised his eyebrows indicating he still had no idea, Abby grabbed his arm and pulled on it vigorously.

"A turtle Timmy! Slow and steady wins the race," she said, shaking his arm and grinning.

Then, tousling his hair, she teased, "Come on Timmy, get with the program!"

Ziva and Tony giggled as they watched Tim try desperately to flatten his hair while muttering crossly, "OK, I got it! Get off me!"

"Settle children or you'll go in time out," said Jenny, smirking as the two adults returned to some sense of decorum.

"Ha!" laughed Tony. "At your ages, you'll be there all day!"

When Abby and Tim both poked out their tongues at Tony, Gibbs shook his head in frustration and muttered to himself, "kids," before clapping his hands together loudly.

"Front and center!" he shouted, making everyone jump. "Eyes here! NOW!"

Smiling as everyone immediately straightened up and four pairs of eyes bored into the map, Gibbs turned to Jenny.

"I've still got it," he said softly, winking suggestively before placing a light kiss on her lips.

Using all her willpower not to retort with a smart-ass reply, Jenny merely rolled her eyes and, returning the kiss, said quietly, "Yes dear."

With a rough travel plan mapped out, Gibbs carefully folded the map back into its original condition.

"Ground rules," he said solemnly.

A consensual groan was heard around the table.

"First and foremost," he began, ignoring the loud compaints. "Although we are no longer, 'on the run' so to speak, there are still basic rules that need to be adhered to."

He placed his index finger in the air.

"One; no organisation can run successfully without a leader. Even in a democracy, there needs to be someone in charge. The same applies to a family and, in this family you are looking at two leaders." Here, Gibbs paused long enough to point out himself and Jenny. "While you are all entitled to an opinion, sometimes decisions have to be made and sometimes you may not agree with those decisions. Despite that, you are expected to follow them respectfully. Failure to do so will lead to unpleasant consequences. Are we all clear on that?"

As various tones of 'yes,' echoed around the table, Gibbs nodded before continuing.

"Two; when travelling around and visiting new places, everyone stays together. No one is to wander off on his or her own."

Again, Gibbs paused but this time it was to look pointedly at Tim and Abby. "I understand and appreciate that you two are adults. If you wish to do something on your own for a day, that's fine, but you must first check in with either Jenny or myself before doing so. And, please understand that sometimes the answer will be no, simply because other plans have been made. OK?"

As both Abby and Tim nodded in assent, Gibbs turned back to the group at large.

"Finally, since we were last here many things have changed. As a result, I am revoking all previous groundings that may have been issued."

At this announcement, Abby's head shot up and she stared at Gibbs with a look of disbelief.

"Are you for real?" she asked in astonishment.

Gibbs hid the smirk that was slowly forming.

"Yes," he confirmed. "For real."

"Oh wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" squealed Abby, rushing at Gibbs from across the table and giving him a bone crushing hug.

Disentangling himself from Abby's grip, Gibbs cleared his throat and said as composedly as he could, "Well, other than the normal rules of respect for self and others, that just about covers it. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I do," said Tony. "When do I get my DS back?"

Seeing the thunderous look that crossed Gibbs' face; Tim, Abby, Ziva and Jenny made a unanimous decision that now was a good time to leave the table.

****NCIS****

"So we're heading off to Apollo Bay tomorrow then?" asked Abby.

The family had decided to take a stroll along the main street and were currently looking for somewhere to have lunch.

"Yes," replied Jenny. "I think after the rushing around of the last few days, it will be nice to have a quiet day before setting off again in the morning"

"How long will be stay in Apollo Bay?" asked Ziva.

"As long as we want," said Gibbs. "That's the best part of this holiday. We don't really need to plan too much. And, being winter time in Australia, we're able to find accommodation quite easily."

As they made their way along the footpath, Tony's sharp vision honed in on a shop in the distance.

"Hey! A pizza place!" he called enthusiastically. "Can we have lunch there?"

"No Tony," said Abby. "We've already decided have fish and chips. The man at the caravan park said it's a truly local experience to buy fish and chips and eat it on the beach."

"Who wants to eat food on the beach?" said Tony in disgust. "It'll get covered in sand!"

"Tony are you going to disagree with everything we say during this trip?" asked Gibbs, his patience wearing thin. "From the minute we arrived, all you've done is argue and complain about everything. It's getting very old."

"I wasn't complaining when I had my DS to play with," muttered Tony sarcastically under his breath.

Gibbs suddenly stopped walking.

"Jen," he said calmly as he waited for the group to stop. "Apparently the fish and chip place is just up ahead. Can you take the others and order the food? Tony and I need to have a chat."

As Tony swallowed nervously, he watched his mother nod solemnly before taking Ziva's hand and leading the group further along the street.

"But I want to stay and see Tony get in trouble," whined Ziva as she was firmly led away.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you, young lady," retorted Jenny.

Once out of ear shot, Gibbs put his hand on Tony's back and steered the boy towards a nearby bench. Taking a seat, he indicated Tony should do the same.

"This is not like you Tony," said Gibbs quietly to the boy who was now sitting with his head bowed. "Look at me please."

Tony lifted his head and made eye contact with his father.

"What's the problem?" asked Gibbs.

Tony shrugged.

"I don't know," he said sullenly. "I…I want my DS back."

"Forget the DS," barked Gibbs. "There's more going on here than a stupid game."

"It's not stupid," retorted Tony. Although his voice was quiet, a definite defiance was clearly apparent.

"Tony, that…thing," continued Gibbs, trying to maintain a calm and patient tone. "Is an object designed for entertainment. It is not there to replace family interaction and distract you from enjoying social activities. I don't have any issues with you playing with it occasionally but, when it starts to affect your moods and stops you from participating in real life then I do have a problem with it."

"But I like playing with it?" argued Tony.

Gibbs sighed.

"I know you do. And most times it's fine. But lately it's become the only thing you've wanted to do," pointed out Gibbs. "It's almost as if you are using it to avoid talking to people or participating in activities."

Gibbs watched as Tony dropped his gaze to his lap but he could see the boy was still listening.

"The last few days have been really hard on you," Gibbs continued. "You've had to deal with a lot, including the death of your father."

"He wasn't my father!" snapped Tony with an anger surprising even Gibbs.

"Yes, he was, Tony," replied Gibbs gently. "Whether he acted like one or not, he was still your biological father. And now he's dead."

"Good!" muttered Tony.

"I still think it would be a good idea for you to talk to someone about everything that's happened recently and how that's making you feel," suggested Gibbs.

"I don't want to talk to anyone!" said Tony fiercely. "I'm fine. I was even better when I had my DS!" This last bit was added with a particular sarcasm Gibbs didn't miss.

Opening his mouth to reply, Gibbs was suddenly halted by a small voice shouting in the distance.

"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what?"

Turning in the direction of the sound, he noticed an extremely enthusiastic Ziva running excitedly towards him. Not far behind, Jenny was gaining speed and calling Ziva back. Despite a gallant effort, Jenny wasn't fast enough and pretty soon Gibbs was attacked by a small five year old leaping onto his lap.

"Omph!" he groaned as her legs hit a particularly sensitive spot.

"Daddy! Guess what?" repeated Ziva.

"Ziva Gibbs!" chided Jenny as she finally caught up. "I told you not to disturb Daddy and Tony while they were talking!"

"But this is much more important," argued Ziva, her brown eyes imploring with Jenny's green. "This is a 'once in a lifetime experience'!" she exclaimed, repeating what the man in the fish and chip shop had said.

Gibbs laughed at the expression.

"A once in a lifetime experience hey?" he said, muffling his laughter. "Well then, I guess you'd better tell us what's going on."

"Whales Daddy!" shouted Ziva, the excitement almost exploding from her body. "There's whales in the ocean and we can see them if we climb this cliff and look out. And it's a mummy whale and her calf, that's what baby whales are called, and they are swimming around really close. Can we go Daddy? Can we? Pleeeeeeeease!"

As his brain slowly comprehended Ziva's mile a minute sentences, he gave a nod.

"That's sounds like a great idea Sweetpea," he said looking down in the beaming face pointed in his direction.

Ziva immediately clapped her hands and jumped off Gibbs' lap before dancing around in circles.

"Yay! We get to see the mummy and her calf!" she sang as she circled Abby and Tim.

"Sorry," mouthed Jenny, catching Gibbs' eye.

He shook his head quickly, indicating the interruption was fine. At this stage Tony wasn't willing to talk anyway. And, as far as Gibbs was concerned, a few new rules were going to need to be put in place regarding the DS. But, he would deal with those later. Right now, some whale spotting was much more exciting.

The family, led by Ziva and Abby, set off along the cliff walk at the cracking pace. By the time they had reached the small group of onlookers, Tony and Tim were gasping for air and even Jenny and Gibbs were relieved to have finally stopped.

"Where are they Daddy?" asked Ziva as she scanned the ocean.

As everyone squinted into the dazzling water for any sign of the mammals, a voice behind them said, "Just to your left."

Gibbs turned around and came face to face with a man holding his son on his shoulders. The boy looked to be about six.

"They surfaced a few minutes ago," he continued. "They should appear again shortly."

He pointed towards the left of the group.

"They were just in that area over there," he added.

"Thanks," said Gibbs, smiling at the stranger.

"Daddy, can I sit on your shoulders like that boy?" asked Ziva.

"Sure," replied Gibbs, lifting Ziva under the arms and hoisting her over his head. As she settled comfortably, he could almost feel her eyes boring into the distance for any sign of the whale and its calf.

"There they are!" suddenly squealed Abby, startling everyone and nearly making Tony fall off the edge. Gibbs quickly grabbed his arm and held him close.

"Where?" asked Ziva.

"Over there," said Abby pointing to a spot just to the left of them.

The family strained their eyes and stared into the distance.

"Oh I see it," said Tony. "It looks like a lump just under the surface of the water. It's black."

"Where?" asked Ziva again.

She bounced impatiently on Gibbs' shoulders.

"I can't see," she whined.

Pointing towards the whale so that his hand was directly in Ziva's line of vision, Gibbs said, "Can you see it now?"

"Maybe," replied Ziva, squinting carefully.

Suddenly, a large spurt of water rose from the surface creating a misty waterfall which quickly descended into the ocean again.

"Did you see that?" asked Tim, looking up at Ziva. "That's coming from the whale's blow hole."

Ziva frowned and looked at Tim as if he'd said something ridiculous.

"The what?" she asked, still frowning.

"A whale is a mammal Ziva," began Tim patiently. "It has lungs and has to breathe air like us. But, unlike us, it doesn't breathe through its mouth otherwise, when it tries to eat, it would run the risk of taking water into its lungs. A whale's trachea is connected to the blow hole on top of its head. When it surfaces to breath and exhales, the water around the blow hole streams into the air like a water fountain. Once the whale takes in air and fills its lungs, it can submerge again. Some whales can stay under water for up to half an hour before resurfacing."

As Tim finished, he noticed several people in the crowd were staring at him and listening intently.

Flushing a deep red, Tim cleared his throat and said quietly, "Er, I did a study on humpback whales when I was in 7th grade. I guess the information stuck."

"You're a walking encyclopedia Timmy," said Abby proudly, patting Tim's arm affectionately.

"So they breathe through that hole in their head?" asked Tony, staring out to sea and hoping for a glimpse of the blow hole.

"Yep," affirmed Tim. "It also means they don't have to completely surface to take a breath. They just need to expose the top half of their head."

"We should drill a hole in your head Daddy," suggested a giggling Ziva, poking her index finger into the top of Gibbs' head. "Then you could walk along the bottom of the ocean with just this top bit sticking out," she added, patting Gibbs' hair.

"I think we'll leave Daddy just the way he is," suggested Jenny, grinning at Gibbs. "We don't want what little brain he has to seep out."

"Hey!" admonished Gibbs, playfully swatting at Jenny while she jumped out of arms-reach laughing candily.

"I think I can see the baby!" exclaimed Abby excitedly.

Once again, everyone turned towards the ocean and squinted into the light.

"It's called a calf Abby," corrected Ziva with an air of importance.

Abby rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever," to herself before catching the glare that was directed at her from Gibbs. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes again, Abby ignored the glare and stared once again out to sea.

"How come they're not leaping out of the water like you see in movies and stuff?" asked Tony.

"I don't know Tony," replied Tim. "I guess they don't feel like it. Whales that perform in places like Sea World and such are trained to do that on cue. These guys are wild. This is what whales are really about."

Suddenly the larger of the two whales rose again to the surface. Watching carefully, the little group gathered on the cliff top were rewarded for their patience when the whale lifted its tail out of the ocean as it resubmerged.

"Did you see that?" squealed Ziva, kicking her legs in her excitement.

Pinning Ziva's legs to his chest so as to remind her not to kick, Gibbs replied, "I did. And it looks like the baby might copy her."

"Calf," muttered Abby sarcastically, under her breath.

"Don't push it young lady," growled Gibbs in Abby's ear. The reprimand was quiet enough that only Abby was able to hear it.

As Gibbs levelled his oldest daughter with a steely glare, he was quickly distracted by Tony who suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Look Dad!" he shouted. "The baby just lifted its tail as well! This is so cool!"

Gibbs smiled at the excited look on his son's face. It was so good to see him animated again. The recent appearance of a sullen, moody and withdrawn Tony was worrying both he and Jenny. He understood that both Tony and Ziva had been through an enormous amount of stress during the past few weeks, but he'd hoped that this holiday may help them to relax and, subsequently, talk about the issues that were bothering them.

After a few more minutes of watching, Jenny checked her watch.

"Time we were going," she called to the group. "Our lunch will be just about ready."

Despite the several groans that assaulted her ears, she was pleased to see everyone making their way back down the cliff top and onto the grassy area near the park.

"How about you four wait here while Mom and I grab the food," suggested Gibbs.

Spying the playground in the distance, Ziva whirled around excitedly.

"Can we play over there?" she asked.

"Sure," replied Jenny. "But mind Abby and Tim. They are in charge. OK?"

"OK," sighed Ziva. 'Come on Tony, let's go on the swings!"

Dragging a less than enthusiastic Tony alongside her, Ziva made her way to the play ground. Abby and Tim followed slowly behind.

"So, how did the talk with Tony go?" asked Jenny as she and Gibbs crossed the main road before turning right and walking along the sidewalk.

"I don't know," replied Gibbs sighing deeply. "He's just so obsessed with that game. He's using as a deflection."

When Jenny looked up at him and frowned slightly, Gibbs elaborated.

"While he's got his face buried in that toy, he doesn't need to face the real world around him. He can pretend nothing has happened. He doesn't have to talk to anyone, make any decisions."

Jenny nodded in understanding.

"Watching him on the cliff top was like having the old Tony back again," continued Gibbs. "He was laughing, animated, engaged in the world around him. I miss that, Jen."

"Me too," agreed Jenny. "I don't know how much longer I can put up with the sullenness and rudeness."

"We don't," interrupted Gibbs. "We need to carry on as usual. We wouldn't have put up with that a couple of weeks ago, so why should we now? If we make allowances it will only confuse him. That's why I took the DS away from him. He can have it back tonight but there will be few ground rules accompanying it."

"I agree," said Jenny. "I think we should limit his time on that thing to only an hour a day. I'm more than happy for him to chose when he wants it and he can break that hour up over the day."

"Good idea," agreed Gibbs. "I was going to suggest thirty minutes, but I think an hour is probably fairer. Especially if he breaks it up into two half hour slots."

"He's not going to like it though," added Jenny. "Over the last few days he's practically been on that thing 24/7."

"I know," sighed Gibbs. "But hopefully each day will have its own activities to distract him."

They walked together in a comfortable silence, each one reflecting on the decision they had just made.

"Oh and what's up with Abby lately?" chimed in Gibbs suddenly breaking the silence. "One minute she's her normal self, then the next she fighting with Ziva like a ten year old. I thought we'd sorted out that whole jealousy thing months ago."

Jenny smiled to herself.

"What?" questioned Gibbs, not missing the smug smile on Jenny's face.

"Hon," began Jenny, gently rubbing Gibbs' arm. "You'll never understand a girl's love for her Daddy. No matter how hard you try."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and gave her a wry look.

"Abby's pretty good usually but even she will have her off days," placated Jenny. "We've all been through the wringer lately and she's probably just a little sensitive. And it doesn't help that Ziva is so protective of you. Or that she can be quite opinionated when she wants to be."

"She's five Jen," argued Gibbs

"Yes, I know Jethro," replied Jenny. "But, as we both know, she can be quite a little miss when she wants to be. And you glaring at Abby when Ziva is being a little show off certainly doesn't help things."

"I wasn't," defended Gibbs affronted at insinuation. "I glared at her for rolling her eyes and being sarcastic."

"Yes, something that you do quite frequently," pointed out Jenny firmly.

As Gibbs frowned and opened his mouth to argue, Jenny cut him off saying, "Look, I'm not suggesting you condone that behavior but, maybe you should just ignore it for a while. What you didn't see when you glared at Abby, was the self satisfied look on Ziva's face. She knows exactly what's going on and, if you're not careful, she'll start playing you."

"Sheesh! Kids!" grumbled Gibbs. "Didn't realize there would be so much politics involved."

"Oh you ain't seen nothing yet," warned Jenny, grinning at him. "Wait until Tony and Ziva are teenagers. Then you'll know all about politics."

"Ha!" snorted Gibbs. "Maybe I'll get lucky and be dead by then."

"Don't you dare, Leroy Jethro Gibbs," admonished Jenny. "You'll miss out on the best part of being a parent."

"What's that?" asked Gibbs, frowning at her.

"Being a Grandparent!" she replied smiling. "All that loving and spoiling and handing them back. The best revenge a parent can get."

"You're a wicked women Jennifer Shepherd," said Gibbs, bending down to kiss her gently.

"Yep," agreed Jenny, smiling suggestively. "That's why you love me."

As they reached the doorway of the fish and chip shop, Gibbs stepped aside to let Jenny enter.

As she passed in front of him, Gibbs whispered, "Too right," in her ear before pinching her hard on the bottom and making her squeal. With her face now a beetroot red, Jenny made her way to counter and tried to ignore the stifled smirk on the owner's face.

It was decided in the end that eating fish and chips on the sandy beach wasn't as much fun as the man at the caravan park had led them to believe. After five minutes of brushing copious amounts of sand from their fingers before tying to each the salty chips and battered fish, a unanimous decision to swap the sand for grass was gratefully reached.

"This is much better," sighed Tim as he picked up his piece of fish and bit into it hungrily.

"I agree," said Gibbs as he, too, managed to finish off his food without the added obstacle of sandy fingers.

Further away, Ziva and Abby sat on the side of grassy hill, eating their meal while surrounded by a flock of hungry seagulls.

"Ziva!" exclaimed Abby. "Don't throw anymore fries to the seagulls. I just told you to wait until we're all finished."

As the seagulls flocked around them like vultures, Ziva picked up another chip and, daring Abby to say something, drew her arm back in readiness to throw it. Instantly, about 20 birds raised their heads in anticipation of the treat.

Jumping up, Abby grabbed Ziva's arm and wrenched the chip out of it.

"I said 'Don't'," she growled angrily.

Instantly Ziva began to wail loudly catching the attention of her family.

"What happened?" asked Gibbs, surprised to see Ziva howling and Abby furiously glaring at her younger sister.

"I told her not to throw fries at the seagulls until we were all finished," began Abby defensively. "Otherwise we can't eat without them trying to steal our food. But she wouldn't listen and deliberately went to throw another fry at them so I took it out of her hand."

"You hurt my fingers!" wailed Ziva getting up and falling into Gibbs' lap.

Remembering what Jenny had told him, Gibbs resisted the urge to offer comfort to Ziva and, instead, leaned her away from him so he could look into her face.

"Did Abby ask you to stop throwing the fries?" he asked calmly.

"She hurt my fingers," howled Ziva, trying desperately to gain sympathy.

"Ziva," said Gibbs firmly, "Did Abby ask you to stop throwing the fries?"

Ziva sniffled before saying sulkily, "Yes."

"And did you continue to throw them?" asked Gibbs.

"I only pretended to throw one," replied Ziva in a whiny tone. "And Abby squeezed my fingers really hard and it hurt!"

"I didn't squeeze your fingers," retorted Abby, sure that she was about to be in trouble. "I just took the fry out of them. And you weren't pretending," she added crossly.

"Yes I was!" argued Ziva rounding fiercely on Abby.

"Ziva!" admonished Gibbs, gaining the child's attention once again. "Why would you even pretend to do something like that? If Abby asked you to stop, you need to stop, especially when she gives you a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why."

Ziva pursed her lips and frowned. This wasn't exactly going the way she had hoped.

"Now, you owe Abby and apology, young lady," said Gibbs, ignoring the look of absolute shock on Ziva's face. "And you can sit here for five minutes and think about the way you should behave when an adult asks you to stop doing something."

"That's not fair," wailed Ziva, her eyes filling with tears. "She hurt my fingers!"

"Show me," said Gibbs, gently taking Ziva's hand and examining the fingers.

As he expected, there were no signs of injury or bruising.

"I want you to look at me and tell me the truth, Ziva," began Gibbs sternly. "Did Abby really hurt your fingers?"

Ziva squirmed slightly before saying softly, "Maybe, just a little bit."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and stared at his daughter.

Sighing under the stringent gaze, Ziva dropped her eyes and said, "OK, it didn't hurt. But she could have!"

"That's what I thought," replied Gibbs. "You can also apologize for trying to get Abby into trouble."

Ziva crossed her arms and stared at the ground.

"Now please!" commanded Gibbs firmly.

Standing Ziva up, he encouraged her to move with a none too gentle swat to her bottom.

Whining in complaint, Ziva stomped over to Abby and, crossing her arms, offered a sulky apology.

"You might want to try that again young lady," suggested Gibbs, giving Ziva a look which left her in no doubt as to his intentions.

When Ziva had apologized sincerely for her behavior and Abby had offered forgiveness, the two sisters hugged before Ziva pulled away and sat herself on the grass next to her father in order to complete her time out.

Gibbs, glancing at Jenny, caught the encouraging smile she offered and returned a similar grin of thanks.

As the warmth of the winter sun rested on their backs, the adults sat in comfortable silence listening to the distant sound of the waves crashing onto the sand. Having completed her time out, Ziva, accompanied by Tony, had made a beeline for the playground and was, once again, making use of the facilities.

With six glorious weeks stretched out in front of them, every member of the Gibbs' family was determined to make this the best holiday they had ever experienced.