Chapter 2

Dabi was excited; she was officially on vacation and traveling with her dad, in his yellow and black Dodge Challenger R/T, to Stillwater to meet her grandfather, Jackson Gibbs.

She had just graduated from high school and had been accepted at a community college to get her business management degree so she could eventually take over her grandparents' bakery.

She was still seeing Eric but was getting a little confused. She really wanted to get closer, physically, and while he had no problems touching her or holding her hand, but when it came to kissing, the boy was chaste. There had been one time when he'd given her a kiss that had nearly melted her socks off but, much to her dismay and frustration, he hadn't done it again.

Abby figured he was terrified of Gibbs and didn't want to do anything that might get him a bullet in his ass. That didn't make Dabi any less happy.

Gibbs had assured Dabi there was a river near the town so she could go swimming when it got real hot, which the weather forecast was predicting.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and Gibbs noticed.

"You okay?" he signed.

Dabi was deaf and signing was her main way of speaking, with speech her 'second language'.

"Back's a little sore," she admitted. "It'll ease off in a day or two."

Dabi already had a tattoo across her shoulders, but after Azan's death, she had added two more; another butterfly for her deceased half-sister, Kelly, and on her chest, above where her heart was, was a paw print with wings for Azan.

Her cell phone vibrated; it was her grandmother, Sharee, better known as Nana.

"Nana says we may be very close to getting the pastry contract for the Marine Birthday Ball in November," Dabi said, already typing in a reply.

"Good. I can think of a lot of Marines who are going to have to loosen their belts before that night is over."

She snickered.

An hour later, they arrived in Stillwater. It was a quiet little town, with a train running through it. Gibbs pulled up to a store with a large glass window and parked the car. As he and Dabi got out, she stretched, catching the eye of a few teenage boys on the sidewalk. They wolf-whistled when she began to undo her braid and run her fingers through her hair, but, being deaf, she didn't hear them, and so ignored them. Gibbs did, and he glared.

Over the last few months since spring break, Dabi had developed a bit of a bust, going from a very small size AA to a decent size B and as a result a lot of her favorite shirts were getting a bit tight across the chest. Dabi didn't like it but the boys sure did, much to her disgust.

Gibbs and Dabi entered the store and an elderly gentleman with Gibbs' eyes looked up. He smiled when he saw them

"Hey Dad," said Gibbs. This was evidentially Jackson Gibbs.

Jackson came around the counter and looked at Dabi, who blushed.

"Hello, pretty lady. Been waiting for you for a while," Jackson said, smiling.

Dabi smiled back, even as she felt her face heat up.

"What took you so damn long, son? About time you got here," Jackson said to Gibbs.

"We took the scenic route, Dad. Dabi's never been outside of Washington this way," Gibbs replied easily, heading towards the back for some fresh coffee.

"It's a nice town, Mr. Gibbs," said Dabi, following her father as she looked around curiously.

"Call me Jackson," Jackson said.

Dabi bit her lip then said, "What about Grandpa Jack?" she asked.

"That suits me just fine, sweetheart," was the reply.

The bell above the door tinkled and in walked the teen boys Dabi and Gibbs had seen earlier.

"Tom, Marvin, Arnold, what can I do for you boys?" Jackson asked, evidentially knowing the teenagers.

"Hey Mr. Gibbs, what do redheads and McDonald's have in common?" one teen asked, grinning at Dabi.

"I'm afraid to ask," Jackson groaned.

"You've never had it so good and so fast," the teen said, chortling. He turned to say something to his friend but saw his friends looking at something in horror. He turned to see what the problem was, and suddenly he was seeing stars and feeling a lot of pain in his face.

"You're right; that was fast," Dabi said, glaring. She had just punched him.

Gibbs just sighed and took a mouthful of the coffee he had just gotten from the coffee pot.

"That was deserved," Jackson said. He looked at Dabi and said, "Welcome to Stillwater."

The groaning boy got up off the floor, helped up by his buddies. "I was just trying to be funny," he whined.

"That may have been funny, to you, loser, but it wasn't to me," Dabi shot back. "If you're looking to impress a girl, next time try using your brain instead of your mouth, because the next time you make a stupid joke about redheads when I'm around, you'd better make sure your health insurance is up to date!"

"It might be in your best interests to apologize to the young lady, Tom," Jackson said, nodding wisely.

"Sorry, ma'am, really. I promise I won't make any more jokes like that again, I swear," Tom mumbled.

"It's just we tried to compliment you earlier and you didn't even look our way."

"Why the hell would I want to? I'm here on vacation to get to know my grandfather and to relax before I start college in September! I'm not here to get pawed by every moron with a dick and no brain! Besides, I'm seeing someone at home who has a lot more class than you obviously do!" She glared at them. "Beat it, you bunch of long-necked turkeys!"

"Yes, ma'am," Tom mumbled.

As he and his friends stumbled out of the store, a man in a brown Sheriff's uniform entered the store.

"The boys giving you trouble again, Jackson?" the man asked.

"Nothing we couldn't handle, Sheriff," Jackson replied easily. "Or should I say, nothing my granddaughter couldn't handle." He nodded at Dabi. "Dabi, this is Sheriff Lankin, the local law around here."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Dabi said politely, shaking his hand.

"Likewise, ma'am. If I may ask, where's your father?"

Gibbs came in to view. "Right here, Sheriff," he said. "Still chasing the kids around?"

"Only when they get smart mouth," he replied. "Hope you're not bringing trouble."

"Nope. Just here for a few days to relax," Gibbs replied.

"Sure. Let's keep it that way," Sheriff Lankin said. He tipped his hat at Dabi and ambled out of the store.

"Did I miss something?" Dabi asked, puzzled by the exchange.

"Just a long story, which I have no doubt you'll want to hear," Jackson said.

"Right after I grab my bag from the car," Dabi said. "I need my hairbrush."

"And some cream for your back, from the looks of it," said Jackson, not realizing Dabi couldn't hear him as she walked out of the store.

"She can't hear you, Dad, remember?" Gibbs said.

"So how the hell does she understand me?"

"Because she was looking at you; she lip reads."

"And while she's gone, you're going to start telling me everything there is to know about her, including what happened to her mother."

Outside, Dabi grabbed her bag and her dad's bag from the trunk of the car. As she did, she noticed a small, brown and white dog watching her from across the street. He wasn't very big and looked pretty scruffy. If someone gave him a bath, she was sure he'd clean up nicely. Then he wandered off and she didn't think anything more of it. Besides, she was eager to hear what stories Grandpa Jack had about her dad.