A/N: Hey everyone! I have spent up until this point at an awesome youth evangelism conference and it was amazing! One of the best experiences I have had, but now I'm back I feel that the next chapter of this should be given to you guys. I'm in a giving mood right now, as it was my 17th birthday yesterday and I get to spend the whole weekend with my church family. Enough about my life, and let's move to the topic of the story. Thanks so much for the feedback I have gotten! Only one review (sadly) but so many favorites and follows! Fun fact about that last chapter, I had my cousin read it a while ago and I didn't tell her who wrote it. By the end of that chapter she looked over at me and said that whoever wrote it must be a professional. That made me pretty happy, but I'd be even happier to hear from you guys with reviews! Enough of me talking now...on with the story!


That next morning the elevator doors pinged open and Gibbs walked into the office with a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked around as the seemingly normal morning started out as any other day when he entered the bull pen and stopped short. Sitting on the floor, back to back, in the middle of the bull pen where two young children asleep as they leaned against each other. He stood there for a few seconds, confused at the scene before him when Abbey ran in.

"Gibbs! Gibbs!" She whispered, running around the sleeping children. She hugged him quickly and jumped back.

He stood looking from her to the unknown kids and back. "Abs, you got something to do with this?" He asked and gestured to the kids.

She looked back at them and smiled. "Yeah. They came in yesterday after you guys left. I was the only one here and they looked so tired and scared." She whispered and turned back to Gibbs. "They spent all day looking for this building and then tried as hard as they could to get access to get on the base. That was when I came out and saw them arguing with the marines at the gate. I talked to them and brought them in here. I got them some snacks and drinks and got them to talk to me. Nothing that would help you though, just enough for me to be convince to let them stay here all night instead of sending them away." She rambled on, not letting him get a word in edgewise. She had a look on her face that Gibbs could see that meant she knew more than she was letting on.

Gibbs sighed and closed his eyes for a second, glad that no-one else on his team was here yet and that he hasn't drank all of his coffee. "What do you want me to do Abby? And what do I need to help them with?" he asked.

Abby shrugged and sat down in Tony's chair. She gave a evil smile and put her hands together. "You have to wait for them to tell you." She saw the look on his face and jumped up. "But they're only 9 and have had a long night. Don't wake them up yet, let them wake up on their own, Gibbs." She added quickly.

He rolled his eyes and stepped of to his desk. "Fine. I'll let them sleep, but as soon as they're up, I'm finding out what's going on." He sat down and stared at the unfinished files on his desk from the night before. There hasn't been an active case for his team so they have been catching up on paperwork for the past couple of days.

Abby smiled and walked out of the bull pen. "Thanks Gibbs!" She whispered as she past him and the sleeping kids.

He shook his head and stared at the kids. He looked closer at their faces and realized that he knew them. Gibbs knew that if they were here then this morning was definitely NOT going to be a normal morning.


Fifteen minutes later, Gibbs heard the elevator doors ping and saw McGee and Ziva walking in together talking about the plans they each have for the upcoming weekend. McGee was planning on going and watching a movie that just came out and was planning on asking Abbey to come along too. Ziva was going to visit an old friend that is living in Baltimore.

Their conversation suddenly stopped when they entered the bull pen and saw the same scene that Gibbs did when he walked in earlier. They looked at each other, confused, then turned to Gibbs for answers.

"Uhh.. Boss?" McGee asked quietly. "Why are there two kids sleeping on the floor?"

Gibbs gave a knowing smirk but just shrugged. "Probably 'because they're tired, McGee." He answered, not wanting to get into the details until the kids were actually awake. He reached over his desk, picked up some files that had been dropped off the night before and handed them to the two agents just standing there. "These are some old cases that we have to file into the system. Get started." He ordered before he turned back to his own pile of files.

Ziva and McGee stared at each other for a second, confusion reflected on both of their faces before they turned towards their desks and got to work. After silently working for a few minutes, Ziva looked around and noticed that Tony wasn't at his desk. She silently growled in frustration. Why did they have to do this and Tony didn't? Finally she spoke up, sounding very annoyed.

"Gibbs, where is Tony and why isn't he here filing these cases with us?" She asked, while McGee looked up from his pile, glad that Ziva spoke up. He was thinking the same things, but was too scared to ask.

"He called me and asked for a personal day today. I didn't ask why, and if he wants to tell us then he will when he is here tomorrow." Gibbs answered without looking up from the file he was reading.

Ziva rolled her eyes at that answer and looked over at McGee. He gave a slight nodded and quietly started typing at his computer. Ziva turned back to the work at hand while McGee multi-tasked by checking Tony's cell phone for his location, which he couldn't because Tony must've turned his phone off, and filing the old cases.

An hour and a half later, Abbey came running in. "Gibbs! Gibbs!" She stopped short when she saw that the kids were still asleep on the floor. "Oh! I thought they would've woken up by now," she whispered. She noticed that only three of the four desks were occupied and she looked around. "Hey, where's Tony?" She wondered aloud.

"He's taking a personal day." Ziva simply stated.

At the noise of the quiet conversation, both kids stirred and opened their eyes, yawning and stretching. They looked around and saw Abbey first, before they took in all of their surroundings. The boy saw Abbey and jumped up. "Abbey, what time is it?" He asked, his eyes wide with a startled look.

His sister stood up and looked around at the three agents who were at their desks. "W-who are you?" She asked quietly.

Abbey came up and laid a hand on each of their shoulders in a hope to calm them down a bit. "It is almost 11 a.m." She then turned them to face the three agents who, by this time, all stood up to greet the finally awake children. "This is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she leaned down to whisper in their ears. "He's the boss." She stood back up and raised her voice again. "And this is his team. Special Agent Timothy McGee and Special Agent Ziva David." She finished introducing the team.

Ziva and McGee walked over and held their hands out. They both tried to hide the confusion on their faces, as to why Abbey knows the kids and what she wasn't telling them. Ziva pushed aside her confusion and put on a smile for the young kids. "I'm Ziva and this is Tim. What are your names?" She asked, trying to be as friendly as possible.

Before his sister could answer, the boy stepped forward with a look of distrust on his face. He didn't answer her question, but instead gave her what seemed like a rehearsed demand. "We need to speak to Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and until we do, we aren't allowed to give any information about ourselves to others." He replied curtly.

Before Ziva could reply, McGee jumped in. He could tell that Ziva was not only shocked by the boy's rude reply but anger was starting to creep into her facial expressions. "Tony is out and he won't be back until tomorrow. If you have a problem with that, you'll have to talk to the Boss." He gestured over to where Gibbs was standing next to Abbey.

Ziva collected herself and nodded, grateful that Tim jumped in. "And if we don't know who you are, you will then be escorted off the base." She added, making sure that her comment sounded more like a threat than anything else.

At that, the girl spoke up. She grabbed her brother's arm. "Just tell them." She pleaded.

He sighed in defeat. "Fine." He turned to face the three agents who were waiting for answers, and stood together in the middle of the bull pen. The boy took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm Matthew and this is my twin sister, Andrea."

Abby placed her hands again on their shoulders. She leaned forwards to whisper in Matthew's ear. "And what about your age and why you want to see Tony." She gently coaxed.

While Abby spoke quietly with the kids, GIbbs came to the realization the Abby knew more than anyone else and because of that, they were only comfortable with her at the moment. He also thought more on what could really be the reason they were here. As he waited for some answers, his minded drifted back to a meeting he had 8 years ago in Baltimore…

Gibbs stood on the outside the apartment door and knocked gently. The door opened a crack and a young women gave a smile and sighed in relief. "Gibbs. Thank goodness you're here." She opened the door the rest of the way and let him inside.

Gibbs walked in and looked around at the apartment. It showed signs that children lived here as well. He walked over to the couch and sat down. The woman walked over with two cups of coffee in her hands. He took one and thanked her. He took a sip and leaned back. "So, what do you need, Catherine?" He asked, looking around the room again. He remembered what his house was like when Kelly was a little kid. It was always messy.

Catherine sat on the edge of a coffee table and silently stared at the cup in her hands. She took a breath and looked up to stare directly in his eyes. "Gibbs, I need you to make me a promise." She said, seriousness in her tone and her gaze.

He slid forward onto the edge on the couch and leaned forward. "Anything Catherine. What do you need?"

She seemed to relax at his words and stood up. "One moment." She walked into another room and returned a couple minutes later. She walked back into the room, holding a little girl in her arm and leading a little boy with her other hand. She sat down on a chair and helped them both sit on either side of her. She looked back up at Gibbs, with a happy and almost sad look in her eyes. "Gibbs, this is Matt," she gestured to the little boy. "And this in Andrea. They're both a year old."

Gibbs leaned forward and smiled at the two children. He looked back up at her. "I assume they are yours?" He asked. She nodded while he played with Matt. Gibbs leaned back in his chair and paused for a second. "Catherine, you don't have to tell me who their father is, I can guess. And if you haven't told him yet, I'm not going to either. So, what do you really need?" He pressed.

Catherine looked down before replying. "Protection. Not for me, but for my children." She paused before explaining. "Before they were born, I helped some people put a guy in jail. He's in there for life, but that doesn't mean his goons aren't out there. I ask now, because yesterday I saw one of them. I don't think they saw me, but I recognized him. I can protect myself," she stopped to stroke Andrea's hair. "But they can't protect themselves and if anything ever happens to me, I want to know that they will be safe." She took a breath before finally looking back up at Gibbs.

He stared at her, thinking. After a few minutes he stood up and walked over to her. He squatted down so he was level with the two young children and placed a hand gently on Matthew's head. Catherine nervously sat there, a little confused. Gibbs smiled and looked up at her. He nodded slightly, just enough for her to relax and smiled in relief.

She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug. Surprised by the act, Gibbs paused before hugging her back. She had her head buried in his shoulder. "Thank-you Gibbs." Came a muffled reply.

Gibbs nodded and patted her back gently. "Anytime Catherine. You can always come to me." He whispered in her ear. Gibbs felt that he was once again a father as he comforted Catherine. They stood there in an embrace for several minutes before Catherine pulled away. She smiled at Gibbs before opening the door for him.

"Thank-you Gibbs. I feel better now, knowing that my children are protected." She said, shaking his hand.

Gibbs nodded. "Of course Catherine. I'll always watch over them for you." With one final smile, Gibbs walked out the door and back to work.

Andrea's voice brought Gibbs away from the memory and back to the situation at hand. In contrast to her brother, Andrea looked more than ready to give the agents any information they needed. "We're 9 and aren't allowed to tell anyone why we are here until we talk to Agent DiNozzo." She said, almost apologetically.

Gibbs smirked while he grabbed Tony's chair and an extra chair. "Well, you two can sit here and talk to us or wait off of the base for Tony to come to work tomorrow."

Gibbs watched as the twins had a silent argument before Matthew sighed in defeat and they both sat down. He knew that no matter how bull-headed the kid seemed, Gibbs could tell that he would do anything for his sister.

Matthew crossed his arms while he sat. "How do you all know Agent DiNozzo?" He asked, suspicion in his voice and gaze.

Abbey came back into the bullpen with another chair and the four adults all sat down in a semicircle in front of the kids.

They looked at each other before Ziva spoke up, answering first. "We are his co-workers."

Matthew and Andreas looked at each other, another silent argument passed between the two before Matthew sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. He looked at the name on the letter before he handed it to McGee. "If you read this letter, then you'll all understand." He looked up at Abbey. "Even Abbey will understand everything."

"It is only for his co-workers, so we had to make sure that you worked with Agent DiNozzo." Andreas added quietly, suddenly feeling very small surrounded by everyone.

McGee opened the letter and read the beginning before looking up at the expectant faces. "Umm...Boss, do you want me to read it now?"

Gibbs nodded. "Go ahead, McGee." He said softly. He already knew what the letter was going to say and was apprehensive to how everyone else would take the news.

McGee cleared his throat and began to read:

"To all of Tony's co-workers,

I know that Tony has worked here for approximately 12 years, so I can assume that he trusts you all with his life, especially Agent Gibbs."

McGee paused and he, Ziva, and Abby all looked up at Gibbs in surprise. Showing no response to his name, Gibbs stared at McGee.

"Keep reading, McGee." He said slowly.

McGee nodded and turned back to the letter.

"Because of his trust for you, I know that you trust him just as much. You must remember that you trust him with you life at the end of this letter.

My name is Catherine Evans. Tony hasn't seen me in almost 10 years and knows nothing, if any, of this. Since you are reading this letter, I assume you have met my two children, Matthew and Andrea. Yes, they are twins and no, they no nothing of this our why I sent them to you. They were all I had and I was all they had. I never told them anything about their father, other than that he is a hero and saves people all the time. They have never met him and don't even know his name, but since I can no longer be with them, those three need to get together and be there for each other. I know that you will all try you best to get Tony to see that our children do need him.

I know that Tony won't believe any of this at first, but please convince him. Take a DNA test if it is necessary, but I know that you'll find a way because you trust each other.

Agent Gibbs, I hope you still remember our deal. We haven't talked for years, but please keep my children safe. They don't remember ever meeting you, but I have told them stories. I have never asked you to finish your end of the deal, but I'm asking you now. It gives me a piece of mind knowing that they are safe in your hands. Thank-you for everything.

- Sincerely, Catherine."

The silence of the room was crackling with the shock from the short letter. All four adults were silent, trying to comprehend what they just heard. Ziva looked back to the two children sitting in front of them.

"So Tony is... your father?" She asked, confused and shocked.

Matthew shrugged, trying to hide his own shock and anger. He finally found out who the name of the man that left his family to survive on their own and this letter praised that man! How dare she! Sure, she told them stories but that's all they were to him. Matt knew that the stories were told just so their mom didn't have to face the reality that the man she loved had left her and face the fact that he was really a weak coward. He left his thoughts and looked up at the similar looking shocked faces staring back at him.

"If that's what mom said, it must be. I mean, we've never known anything about our father."

Andrea jumped in. "Mom just told us to come here and ask for Agent DiNozzo."

Abby leaned forward in her chair. "Speaking of, where is your mom?" She asked gently.

The twins looked at the floor. Andrea's shoulders quivered as she suppressed a sob. Matt gently put a hand on her's and wiped his eyes with his other hand to stop the tears.

Gibbs could see their pain and walked over to them. He knew they wouldn't be able to answer. Gibbs gently laid a hand on each of their shoulders. "She died, didn't she?" He asked gently.

Matthew nodded and refused to look up. Andrea sniffled before she did the unthinkable. She turned towards Gibbs and fell into his arms, her head buried in his chest while she sobbed.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around the girl and pulled her into his lap, comforting her. "Shh... It's ok. It's ok." He whispered in her ear as he gently rocked her. She cried against his chest, ignoring everything else around her. Gibbs rubbed her back, still rocking and whispering to her, his head laying on hers, letting the rest of the world stay oblivious to the connection he had with the twins and he shut them out as he focused on calming the sobbing girl in his arms.


A/N: So that was the first chapter. I wrote it in my Street Law class one day. Speaking of, we get to watch Law and Order to get a feel for what happens at a trial. It's really cool, but we have to watch the original instead of SVU. I like the originals, but basically our whole class likes SVU more...but we still get to watch TV! Thanks for reading and remember to Review!