A/N: I'M SO SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG FOR ME TO GET AN UPDATE OUT THERE. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
Graduation day arrived a couple weeks later and I was excited, mainly just too finally be over the whole experience but also because it was the first event that my father was actually getting to see and be a part of. I put on my dressing gown and headed downstairs for breakfast and my cup of coffee, I kissed Gibbs on the cheek before I sat at the table, something that had become a regular occurrence over the past couple of weeks. As I dug into the bowl of cereal that had been placed in front of me there was a knock at the door before Abby walked in and came into the kitchen
"Morning Gibbs" she said hugging Gibbs who had started toward the front door and then she gave me a hug and I smiled
"Morning Abby, are you here to help me get ready?" I asked and she nodded
"I am" she said and I smiled happily, I had asked Abby when I got my graduation pack if she would like to have my other ticket and she'd agreed. Throughout the time that I had been having breakfast Abby and Gibbs had been talking about the case that they'd just finished.
Putting my breakfast plate in the sink, kissing Gibbs cheek I grabbed Abby's hand and we headed upstairs to my bedroom. I excused myself to have a shower and she stayed in my room whilst I did so. Re-entering my bedroom I saw Abby sitting on my bed looking up at the picture on my bookshelf, I smiled sadly, it was one of me and my mother about six months ago, just before she'd been rushed to hospital and told that she didn't have long before she passed
"Your mother really was beautiful, I can see how Gibbs would be attracted to her," she said and I smiled
"She was, she always had this energy to everything she did, you kinda remind me of her," I told Abby and she smiled
"Well then I feel honoured, but trust me, Rikki, I'm more of the amazing big sister category," she said and I nodded
"Oh don't I know it," I said and we laughed.
Abby did my hair, make up and then even gave me a manicure, saying that if I ever wanted to have a professional job done then she knew of a person that could do it for next to nothing. We talked and gossiped before I asked her something that had been nagging me for a couple of weeks now
"Abby does Tony really date that many women or is it all just for show?" I asked and she looked up at me and smiled
"He portrays himself as a womaniser because he's afraid of commitment but that is because of his past and the way he was raised" she said and I nodded, every time I walked into the building he was always really nice to me and I had the ever growing feeling that I might be falling for him, I knew at the moment it was just a crush but who knows what it could turn out to be and that was what I was afraid of. Abby who had been watching me smiled and squeezed my hand
"Rikki, do you have feelings for Tony?" she asked
"I think so. I mean I was home schooled so I never really got the chance to socialise with many boys and the ones I did treated me like crap. Tony just – he doesn't you know and it makes me feel a little better about myself and what's happened" I confessed and she nodded
"It's always nice to have someone like that, I had that in Timmy for a while but our relationship was moving too fast for what we were both ready for" she said and I smiled sadly
"Do you ever think of getting back together with him?" I asked and she nodded
"Sometimes, I mean we hang out as much as we did during and even before but I guess at the moment it's still too raw for us to do anything about" she told me and I leant over and hugged her.
There was a knock on the door and I called out
"Come in" when the door opened in walked Gibbs with a neatly wrapped box. I smiled and he smiled back
"I thought to myself that you might not have anything appropriate to wear to graduation, or well you might do but I saw this and thought that you would like it," Gibbs said and I smiled, grabbing the box and ripping the wrapping paper of the to find a dress. It was white with pink flowers on it
"Oh my god dad it's beautiful," I said getting up and hugging him, repeatedly kissing his cheek before I felt him kiss the top of my head.
"I so have to put this on," I said kissing his cheek one last time before running down the hallway to the bathroom to put it on.
Exiting the bathroom and walking into my bedroom I saw both Gibbs and Abby standing there staring in shock
"Wow," Gibbs said when he had recovered "You look beautiful," he said and I felt my cheeks burning and knew that I must look ridiculous right now.
"I agree, you look beautiful," Abby said and I smiled
"Thanks, Abs". After this quick exchange, Abby left to get into her dress and Gibbs stayed. He pulled me in for a hug and whispered
"When you walked in the room you reminded me so much of your mother" I felt a tear fall down my cheek and didn't care, hearing him say that was music to my ears.
"I love you dad" I whispered not sure if he had heard it at first, but when he hugged me just a little bit tighter and whispered back
"I love you too Rikki".
Eventually, we had to leave and I had to put on my robes so that I could graduate, and even had my cap on too. When I left Abby and Gibbs to be put in my seat and to find out what was going to happen during the evening I smiled thinking that I may have lost one person but I had gained two and I was grateful the both of them were here. I sat between my friend Chelsea Rivers and one of the guys I hadn't really gotten along with Justin Runic and I looked around trying to see if I could find my dad and Abby, though from here it was impossible. I made my way up with the rest of my class and as Chelsea walked across the stage to get her Diploma I suddenly felt very nervous, and then my name was called out and I felt my feet walking across the stage and heard the calls from everyone in the room but most importantly as I shook the hand of my professor and looked out at the crowd I saw my dad and Abby sitting side by side screaming my name and felt a little pang of guilt because my mother couldn't be here celebrating this moment with me.
"Thank you," I said before heading back down to the seat where I had been sat during the other classes. Thankful that my class was the last the head of the department got up and started the last speech before finally calling us to our feet so that we could throw our caps and graduate. When I had thrown my hat I watched as the thousands of other hats were scattered throughout the arena, and then before I knew it I had collected my hat and was walking out to meet my father and Abby in the hall ready to go home and celebrate.
"There she is, the lady of the hour! Congrats Rik" Abby said pulling me in for a hug and I smiled as we did a full circle before she released me and I was enveloped in a strong fatherly hug, something that over the last couple weeks I had gotten used to.
"Well done Rikki! Abs could you take a picture of us?" Gibbs asked handing her a camera before she nodded and we made our way over to a clear wall. My Diploma the thing that took pride of place in every shot I smiled as I had picture after picture taken with my father and then with Abby.
Arriving at home, Abby and Gibbs walked through the front door before I did and when I was safely inside and the front door was shut behind me the lights were switched on and I heard multiple different people yelling surprise. I smiled as I looked around the room seeing who was here to celebrate with me and dad. There were Tony and Tim who were the closest to me and had been hiding behind the couch, Director Jenny Shepard was standing in the entrance way between the kitchen and the lounge, Ducky and Jimmy were standing next to each other beside the TV and a couple other agents whom I had met but not really had much of a chance to talk to yet. Everyone though made their way out from behind the various objects when I walked further into the room. Something about the way that Abby and Tim were looking at each other gave me the feeling that there was a history between the two of them that hadn't quite died down yet.
"Hey Rikki, congratulations," Tony said shaking my hand, I smiled up at him and saw the grin that I had learned to love spread, sending shivers down my spine. The rest of Gibbs team came over and congratulated me, Jimmy and Tim shaking my hand like Tony had and Ducky pulling me in for a hug, over the course of the last three or four weeks, I'd gone from meeting Ducky to having him treat me like a granddaughter, which I hadn't really experienced before, it was almost like having a father when you'd gone your whole life without knowing that kind of love. I smiled as he pulled back and pulled from his coat a little gift. Taking it I opened it and looked inside the box to see a beautiful diamond necklace, gasping at the sight he smiled and pulled me over to one of the chairs telling me the history of the necklace and that it was passed down to the female members of his family since the early eighteen hundreds, saying that it only went to those who aspired toward higher education, and since Ducky was an only child and had no children of his own that this heirloom would go to me to start a new tradition in my own family. I felt myself well up with pride and honour and hugged Ducky close, I wasn't expecting anything like this, as a matter of fact, I wasn't expecting a gift from anyone.
Re-joining the group, I started talking to Tony and Tim who had taken to asking me questions about different forms of a person's personality and how that affected the outcome when trying to 'read' a suspect. Apparently they're old partner who had passed recently due to a terrorist attack was a profiler as well and I knew from the answers I got from both dad and Abby that it hadn't been a pleasant loss. I was in the middle of explaining what different techniques there are that could be used to profile when Director Shepard asked for a word. I nodded excusing myself from the conversation and heading out to the hall with her where she stopped and handed me a folder fill off very important looking documents, curious I started flipping through the folder and read the different pages, there was the form that I'd filled out and the psych eval that was mandatory for all new agents, my physical test and by the looks of things reports on the paper I'd taken a couple days ago to see if I had what it takes to get into FLETC.
"Rikki, it seems that you have an astounding amount of knowledge and a great report, your paperwork is filled out correctly you meet all the standards for becoming an agent and I have spoken to the teacher at FLETC in Norfolk, if you feel ready your classes begin at the beginning of next month and they will continue for at least six months. After that the choice is up to you, but know that I cannot guarantee you a place as a full-time agent with your father straight away" she explained and I nodded
"Just keep up the good work and continue to surprise me and you'll be the best there is" she whispered and I nodded smiling, before shaking her hand
"Thank you Director," I said and she smiled before re-entering the party. I headed upstairs to put the folder on my desk before turning to look at a picture of me and my mother.
"I wish you could be here mum, you would be so proud," I said and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard someone say
"I'm proud of you Rikki, Jen just told me that you start FLETC in a couple weeks," dad said and I nodded, turning toward him a big smile on my face
"I know. I can't wait to get started" I told him and he smirked
"I bet," he said before taking my hand as we walked back downstairs. Re-joining the party for the second time I smiled as Tony and Tim insisted on having photos with me and wondering when I was going to FLETC when I told them they smiled
"Oh you're going to enjoy FLETC and Norfolk, both are beautiful places," Tim said and I smiled
"I've been there once with my class, we had a little trip there in our first year and it seemed really interesting," I said and they smiled.