"You are in serious trouble young lady!" Gibbs warned.

"I don't see what I did wrong!" Abby yelled.

"You invited Timmy to live with us without permission!" Margret yelled.

"He used to stay with us all the time! Three whole months when his parents were getting divorced!" Abby yelled.

"Crossing the Pacific is way different than crossing the street!" Gibbs yelled.

"Why is it okay for you to invite someone to live with us but if I do it it's bad?" Abby asked.

"Because we are adults you and Timmy are nine year olds." Margret explained.

"Look Abbs we probably did make a mistake in not telling you right away but we didn't want to say anything until we were sure. We didn't realize how last minute it would be." Gibbs added.

"Yeah sweetie we made a mistake but Ziva needed us." Margret said.

"Timmy needs us!" Abby argued.

"And if you had come to us. We could have spoken to Sheila and arranged for him to come visit us." Gibbs replied.

"Well how about you UN-adopt me and only have Ziva?!" Abby yelled.

"Because I promised your mom I'd take care of you forever." Gibbs replied calmly.

"So what's my punishment?" Abby asked.

"No CC Science Club for the next two weeks." Gibbs said.

"FINE!" Abby yelled.


"I want to know why you and Abby lied to me Timothy?" Sheila demanded.

"We thought it would be okay." Timmy replied.

"I cannot believe you'd do something so stupid. This is something I'd expect out of your sister! Not you!" Sheila yelled.

"Sarah is not stupid!" McGee yelled.

"I didn't say she was stupid. She's far from it I said she had stupid ideas. You however are a genius and usually the voice of reason." Sheila replied.

"Well she would have no reason to leave she loves it here!" Timmy yelled.

"I know this move has been hard on you believe me and I wish that things could be different I wish you took to Japan as well as Sarah did but, she's just such a social butterfly. Honestly that girl's made more friends in seven years than I have in my whole life." Sheila replied.

"Sometimes I wish I could live with dad. We don't get along but at least I could be back in America and closer to Abby. I mean it's two hours away but I'd actually get to see her." Timmy replied.

"I know Timmy I wish your dad were around more and a better father but he's not and that's why I made sure to get full custody." Sheila replied.

"How long can I stay with the Gibbs's?" Timmy asked.

"Well that depends on how long they want you around. They had a tough year and they have that other girl they took in." Sheila replied.

"It would be cool to spend the summer there." Timmy replied.

"Maybe but remember we pick up with home schooling the third week of September." Sheila replied she had decided to home school the kids after the move so they wouldn't have to adjust to Japan's year round schooling.


The next afternoon Gibbs was in the living room watching an ancient Western on TV. It was just him and Ziva in the house. Margret had taken Abby shopping for Timmy room and to stock up on Nutter Butters which were his favorite snack. His flight was due in around five the next afternoon. She planned to take Ziva shopping too but she didn't feel up to it that day. She had been at her room redecorating. He had hauled Kate's stuff up to the attic and Ziva was putting up the few items she possessed. ]

"Hi Gibbs" Ziva greeted sitting down next to him on the couch.

"Hey Ziver." Gibbs replied.

"Gibbs can I ask you a question?" Ziva asked.

"Sure" Gibbs replied.

"How did Abby come to live with you? Margret said she's lived with you since she was a baby." Ziva asked.

"Well I met her mom when she was a teenager we were in the same grief counseling support group. I had just lost my first wife and daughter and she had lost her parents." Gibbs replied.

"I'm sorry." Ziva replied.

"Don't apologize for that." Gibbs replied.

Ziva nodded.

"Anyway it was nineteen ninety two." Gibbs said.


FLASHBACK

Gibbs sighed as he opened the door to the church classroom. He did not like the idea of group grief therapy but Director Morrow had told him if he wanted to join NCIS he had to have seventy two hours of consoling and pass a Psychiatric Evaluation. He hated talking about his girls especially to strangers but Morrow had given him two choices group therapy or one on one therapy. The advantage to group was that he just had to say he'd lost his wife and daughter add a few of the standard I miss them's and such. Then let everybody else talk and he was home free. He walked in the room and sat down between a salt and pepper haired man with a white and orange blind cane leaning on his knee and a heavy set woman who appeared to have just awakened from a coma she'd fallen in in the late sixties. He surveyed the room and his eyes fell on the only person who looked more uncomfortable than him. The two things that separated him from the rest of the group were that she was significantly younger than the rest of the group no older than seventeen she was very pregnant. A man with slicked back hair in a suit walked in and sat in the middle of the group.

"It looks like we have two new comers with us today." The man replied. "Maybe you two would like to introduce each other I am Reverend Burke."

"My name is Jethro Gibbs and fifteen months ago I lost my wife and daughter to a car accident. I don't want to discuss it in detail." Gibbs said.

"Open up as much as you want to. We do require you say at least one thing a session even if it's just I ran into a friend of my daughter's and we had a nice talk." Rev. Burke replied.

"My name is Gloria Davis and I lost both my parents my dad died when I was six in a boating accident and my mom died eight months ago of heart failure it was very sudden." The girl replied.

"I see you have are about to have a new family member." Rev. Burke replied.

"Yes I lost my virginity to my boyfriend the night my mom was buried and got pregnant. My boyfriend left me and I got kicked out of my Catholic school. I wound up being sent up here to DC to live with my uncle Luca he and his wife Abigail will raise my son Kyle so I can go to college in the fall to be a Forensic Specialist." Gloria replied.


Gibbs completed his mandatory counseling sessions and then went on to work for NCIS. Six years later a new Forensic Specialist came to NCIS. Gibbs went down to greet her. As soon as the doors opened she ran over and wrapped him a bear hug.

"Gibbs!" The woman cried.

"Do I know you?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah Gloria Davis we met in grief counseling years ago!" Gloria cried.

"Oh how are you?" Gibbs asked.

"Great my I had a son Kyle he just turned six. Abby and Luca are thrilled they had been trying for ten years." Gloria replied.

"I see you've got another baby coming." Gibbs replied.

"Yeah another boy me and my husband are going to name him Luca after my uncle." Gloria replied.

"Congratulations" Gibbs replied.

"How's life been for you?" Gloria asked.

"Been divorced twice about to marry number four." Gibbs replied.

"Anymore babies?" Gloria asked.

"No first ex was barren second was to busy screwing my best friend. They are having a baby girl in August." Gibbs replied.

"Oh I'm sorry." Gloria replied.


Another six years passed and both Gibbs and Gloria had gone through divorces. In two thousand one both Gibbs and Gloria wound up going through divorces. Gibbs and Stephanie's was bitter but Gloria and Adam remained friends. In two thousand two Gloria started dating an agent named Chris Pacci. They married in two thousand three. In April of two thousand four tragedy stuck when Chris was murdered in the elevator of NCIS. Gloria was seven months pregnant with baby Abby. Who was born on June 7th two thousand and four. On November twenty second two thousand and five when Abby was only seventeen months old something unthinkable happened. Gloria was brutally murdered by her assistant Chip. Gibbs found her on the floor of her lab when he came down to get the results of some DNA samples. She was alive but her injuries were too severe. He called 911 knowing there was almost no hope. He held her in his arms as she died.

"Gibbs I need you to do me a favor." Gloria pleaded.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked cautiously.

"I need you to raise Abby. Luca can live with his dad but Abby is an orphan." Gloria replied.

"I will raise her like she's my own." Gibbs replied.

END FLASHBACK


"WOW poor Abby." Ziva whispered.

"Yeah I'm really glad Abby wasn't there. Up until a week before she brought her into work everyday but then an agent gave her some green juice while her mom was in the bathroom. The director at the time Jenny Shepard came down to ask her a question and found little Abby lying on the floor drinking what looked like a chemical. She freaked out and pushed an emergency button. Thankfully our Medical Examiner Dr. Mallard quickly determined that it was just juice but after that Abby was no longer allowed in the lab until she got a little older." Gibbs replied.

"You don't think he would have hurt her too do you?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know he was a real psycho but even if he didn't I can't imagine seeing something like that at such an early age." Gibbs replied.

"Hey what's this?" Ziva asked picking up the piece of paper that lat between them on the couch.

"It's a Power of Attorney for the little boy that's going to stay with us." Gibbs replied.

"What's that?" Ziva asked.

"It means that me and Margret can make decisions for him if he gets really sick or hurt badly since his parents are all the way in Japan." Gibbs replied.

"Why?" Ziva asked.

"Well they are really far away and if he were to get in an accident and need some kind of surgery before his parents can get here we can say that it's okay." Gibbs explained.

"What if they think you were wrong?" Ziva asked.

"We would call them first just to be sure." Gibbs replied.

"Hey can I have the key to my desk?" Ziva asked.

"Kate only ever told Abby where she hid it and Abby isn't ready to share it yet. Now if you want a secret hiding place I can make you a little box for your treasures." Gibbs replied.

"Can you put a lock on it?" Ziva asked.

"You really are new around here aren't you?" Gibbs replied.

"Yeah you know I am." Ziva replied.

"It's just an expression Ziva." Gibbs replied.


A/N: What do you think so far? Normally I will update on Fridays but this week I will be publishing Wednesday as well. So that I can post the chapter about Abby's birthday and meeting Tony and still have a chapter that includes McGee joining. Palmer will come later in the story and is going to be the Gibbs's foster son not Ducky's. Please vote in the poll on my profile for "New Life"