Touch

CH2.

A brush of…

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Thanks to all who have read and a big shout out to all who left a review! This type of writing in straying from my usual type again…so I hope I do it justice.

Sorry this is so long, couldn't break it up!

Gibbs simply brushed his hand over the raised embroidery on the item in his hand. It was amazing that even his hands, as callused as they had become from all of the woodworking, could gently brush the pink lettering and feel the different texture. It read, Daddy's Little Girl, in bright pink. Gibbs slid to the boxes in the floor and thought back to the times of excitement with his family. He smiled as he remembered the anticipation of waiting…..waiting for the longest two minutes in his life. Waiting to see if the test had one line or two, and then the waiting for the doctor to say that mother and daughter are both okay after a long delivery. He remembered the way the a simple brush of his hand over Kelly's back would soothe her as she cried. A simple brush of his hand over her to let her know that he was in her corner, and that he would never leave her. It was then that he realized how many of the same techniques he used to soothe Kelly he used on Ziva and Abby.

Gibbs quickly recalled the time after Ari had shot Kate. His protective instincts went into overdrive, he had lost Kate and he would not lose Abby. After it was apparent that he was trying to hurt the females in his life, he knew that Ari knew about Shannon and Kelly. He knew that he would go to Hell and back to prevent from anyone else getting hurt, but it was when he was walking back from getting coffee and the bullet whizzed past him and into Abby's lab. It was the yell he heard from inside that made him drop his coffee and run…run to check on someone who had evoked feelings he thought were long dead…someone he saw as his….his family….his daughter. Pure, unadulterated fear pulsed through Gibbs veins as he ran into the building and into Abby's lab, it wasn't until he saw that she was ok, shaken but ok, that he finally took a breath. After he had sent Tony to check out the park, he saw Abby, knees drawn to her chest, shaking and scared. Gibbs sat beside her and looked at her, the fear of losing another daughter finally unclenching his heart as he started to pick the glass out of her hair.

Abby looked into the face of the man she felt the most secure around and finally spoke aloud what she had been thinking since the shot had busted through her lab. "He's after me now isn't he?" She looked into his steel blue eyes, searching for answers and comfort.

Gibbs instantly pulled her to his side, tightly tucking her under his shoulder as he knew that now she needed reassurance and comfort. " I will keep you safe Abby." He spoke into her head as he brushed his lips across her head, and squeezed her firmly to him. He knew that both of them needed the security of touch, touch to reaffirm life and touch to connect them in a permanent bond. "I promise."

As Gibbs smiled at that memory, he realized just how much he loved to bestow these little butterfly kisses upon Abby. He never imagined them in any context but that of a paternal show of love and affection. He just laughed aloud as his mind starting flashing some of the times he….

During the time that Abby had a stalker and she was scared to leave the elevator, he didn't attempt to force her to leave or to make her feel like she was overreacting, instead he just went in to talk to his daughter, heart to heart. After listening to her nervous ramble about statistics of dying in an elevator, and looking over her newly acquired arsenal of personal defense items, he did what would have done if this was Kelly. He said with certainty, "No one is going to hurt you Abby."

Abby just played with the weapons in her hand, wanting desperately to believe that, but the lingering doubt still present as she chewed on her lower lip. "You're just saying that to make me feel better." She spoke with an uncertainty. She wanted to believe him, she knew he would never lie to her. She felt that father-daughter connection and cherished it deeply, but the doubt was still there.

Gibbs could see in her eyes the fear and doubt still there. "Did it?"

Abby now looked at him, searching his face for the assurance she needed. "Yeah, can you say it again?"

Gibbs just simply repeated, "No one is going to hurt you, Abs." He could see her nodding her head up and down as she tried to tell herself he was right, but he knew she was still afraid. He just let what comes natural take over and he pulled her tight to him, tucked her head under his chin and brushed his lips across her head. Pressing slightly just enough for her to feel his connection and love, hoping it would seep into her head and push the fear away, he wanted her to know he would not let anything ever happen to her. A simple brush of his lips conveyed the deep connection and love he felt for his surrogate daughter.

The many times after that, the way she would turn her cheek to him, for a simple kiss. A kiss, not as a romantic gesture, but one of appreciation for a job well done. Just as he would kiss Kelly on the cheek for a good grade, or for doing something extra special, he did it to Abby. He knew that Abby loved these simple brushes of his lip across her cheek as an 'atta girl. She basked in his praise just like any daughter would.

But it wasn't always a brush of a kiss that was needed. Sometimes just a brush of his hand spoke volumes. He thought of how much the simple brush of his thumb down Abby's face, the sign for my girl, made her smile. That simple touch let her know that she was his child, his daughter in every way but blood. But as long as he has known Abby, he can't help but flash back to times when he comforted his newest daughter. He started thinking of how just the simple brush of his hand could break the tough Mossad exterior.

It was in the privacy of his hospital room where Gibbs was recovering from the explosion that he saw just how truly tough Ziva was. After he regained his memories and she spoke of her killing her brother, he saw the fear in her eyes, fear that she was losing the most important man in her life. He saw deep in her eyes the needs of any child, to be held and comforted. So as she started to cry he stopped just being her boss, and started filling that huge void in her life. The void left by the actions of her biological father was grand, but Gibbs decided then that he would do everything in his power to fill it. He pulled Ziva into his arms and did what came natural. He remembered many nights of trying to comfort Kelly when she was upset and it was then that he started to gently murmur into Ziva's hair soothing words. He firmly held her to his heart, wanting her to pull strength from him, and started slightly rocking side to side. The gently brushing of his hand up and down her hair, signaling her to go ahead and release the pain and the firmness of his grip telling her he wouldn't let her do this alone.

Gibbs shook his head and looked at his hands, never truly understanding just how powerful these two hands were. He started to remember back to the painful decision of making Ziva choose which family she truly belonged to, the fear that gripped his heart as he realized that her own biological father had sent her on a suicide mission. He thought back to his profound shock when he looked through his sniper rifle in an attempt to zero in of Saleem's head, only to see the disheveled face of one of his daughters. He did not think he could reach her side fast enough. The phrase, "Let's go home", had never been so true before. He thought back….

Upon in an attempt to return to her family, Ziva had to confront the one man who could hurt her or help her the most. Gibbs. As she listened to him accuse her of lying and betraying him, she felt as if an icicle had been stabbed through her heart. She had to get him to see what she saw. "When I pulled that trigger to protect you….I was not following order…." Ziva was hurt that he would even think that she was that cold. The feelings that she had held at bay for so long were now threatening to overwhelm her. "He was after all my brother…..and now he is gone….Eli is all but dead to me." Ziva continued as she wanted Gibbs to understand her feelings on her biological father. But it was the next sentence that set the record straight. "And the closest thing I have to a father…is accusing me."

Gibbs knew then that this was what he wanted to hear, that she now recognized that a true father is not just biological but one that cares and loves. As he reassured her that all was ok, he didn't grab her in a hug, he just simply brushed his hand over hers as he walked by. He wanted her to know that he was in her corner, he was there for her, but they were not done yet. It was a week later as they were sitting across from each other in an interrogation room that he knew he needed to let her know her place. AS she struggled to keep the past buried, he gently brushed his hands over her tightly clasped knuckles. Silently letting her know that she needed to continue, but also that he was there for her.

Ziva realized as she finished her story, just how deep she had hurt her new family. She looked deep into Gibbs' eyes and saw the true depth of his love for her. " I ….am….sorry…Gibbs." She expected a sharp retort, or a gentle head slap, but what happened next she never saw coming.

Gibbs realizing that Ziva needed to verbally hear how he felt, simply stood up, and walked over to her. He softly whispered, " Welcome home, my daughter" and gently brushed his lips across her head. Such a tender touch, conveyed the depth of his love.

Gibbs leaned his head back against the wall as he realized just how large his family had become. That was one of the main reasons he was in here doing what he was doing. He stood up, knees cracking, as he walked back to the box and gently placed the pink and white embroidered bib in with the rest of Kelly's baby items. Looking at the phrase, Daddy's little girl, he realized that he now had three little girls, and it was time that he let them know that this was their home also. As he closed up that box and put in on the top shelf of the closet, he turned around to survey his handiwork. Three handcarved letters adorned the wall, a K in more delicate scroll, an A with a more flamboyant scroll and a Z with a more simplified scroll. Each initial laying claim on part of the room as their own, each daughter now had a place to call home and it all started with a simple touch.

TBC

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Next up….. a not so gentle touch?