Gibbs/Allison Series:

Choosing Between Old and New # 5

By: MChakotayParis (R. Mason)

Chapter 9

A/N: The next few chapters are written from an individual point of view as each member of Allison/Ali's extended family reconnects with her as Ali. Hopefully I can write enough for each person to have their own chapter with Ali if not each section will be clearly marked as to who the person spending time with Ali is. Sorry if some of them overlap but since I've already said in earlier chapters that some of the team members came in pairs it can't be help so forgive me in advance if I retell the same event more than once. I will try to put a different perspective on it since it's coming from a different person.

Augustina Chandler (Auggie)

Auggie arrived almost on the dot at eight o' clock the next morning and was greeted by Tobias and Ali coming down the stairs. Ali wore only her diaper, one of her sleep tops with an oversized tee-shirt on top. As she saw Auggie she gave an ear splitting cry and ran down the rest of the stairs skidding to a stop in the foyer just before she crashed into the older woman.

"Auggie, Oh you came you came!" exclaimed Ali as she threw herself into the older woman's arms.

When Tobias had woke her up and told her that Auggie and Ducky were coming over she could hardly stay still long enough for him to change her and bounded out of bed the minute he was finished. With a smile Tobias threw away the wet diaper, washed his hands then followed his daughter down stairs just in time to see her launch herself into the older woman's arms.

"Ali be careful little one, you don't want to hurt Auggie the minute you get back" reminded Tobias with a smile, though he had a feeling Auggie didn't mind.

At his warning Ali pulled back giving her one more hard squeeze then said softly "Sorry Auggie if I hurt you, but I just missed you so much"

"You didn't hurt me princess but your Papa's right you need to be careful launching yourself at people when they don't expect it okay?" said Auggie softly

"Yes ma'am" said Ali then she smiled as she started pulling the older woman into the living room talking a mile a minute "Auggie I've got lots to tell you and I'd even like to show you some of my pictures if you want to see them?"

"I'd love to princess but how about we eat breakfast first, and then you can tell me all about your stay at the beach house deal?" said Auggie as she patted Ali's leg then looked over at Tobias and Jethro and smile. They had taken excellent care of her and with the exception of the nightmares they mentioned she looked to be just the same old Ali as before.

"Ali, do you want to help Tobias and I fix breakfast or would you like to stay and talk to Auggie?" asked Gibbs as he came over and lightly kissed her head. She was almost back to being their "baby Ali" but he didn't want to push her if she needed to spend time with Auggie.

"I want to help Daddy, is that okay Auggie. We can talk later right?" asked Ali as she looked at the older woman. She really wanted to talk to Auggie but she also wanted, almost needed, to still spend some time with her Daddy and Papa. With a longing look in her eyes she watched the older woman hoping she understood.

"Of course princess, go spend time with you daddies, I'll be right here and you can talk whenever you're ready" said Auggie with a smile then she was instantly enveloped in another of Ali's hug then just as suddenly let go as she scrambled to go into the kitchen with her daddies.

As Auggie watched her go she had to smile, their little girl had certainly done some growing. She now openly asked for something if she wanted it and even made her own choices now as well. Tobias Fornell and Leroy Jethro Gibbs were exactly what she needed and thank heavens they were strong enough men to fight for her, now she would see if the rest of their family was as well. She had a feeling her knew the answer but actions spoke louder than words for her so they would have to show her.

As she got up and watched Tobias, Gibbs and Ali in the kitchen making breakfast the door bell rang and just out of habit she called. "I'll get it" then walked to the door and opened it to find Doctor Donald Mallard standing on the porch. He was dressed casually for him with a shirt, slacks and a jacket but carried his doctor's bag and a small package under his arm.

Auggie greeted him with a smile then said. "Hello Doctor Mallard, Ali, Tobias and Jethro are in the kitchen making breakfast but please come in"

"Thank you Doctor Chandler" said Ducky as he tipped his hat then entered the house. "And it's Ducky please, now where is our little Allison I have something for her"

At his voice Ali's came out of the kitchen squealing and stopped just short of running into his arms. Right behind him were Tobias and Gibbs smiling that Ali had remembered their warning.

"Ducky what did we say about always bringing a present for Ali when you visit?" asked Gibbs in a stern voice but not succeeding because of the smile on his face. Ali was literally bouncing up and down in front of him just dying to get her arms around the older man.

"I know Jethro, but it's been such a long time and with all that our little one has been through I thought she deserved a little something. Here you go sweetheart from Grandpa Ducky" said the older man then handed Ali the present he'd been holding under his arm.

Ali took the present, looking at Gibbs and Tobias for permission then threw her arms around the older man and whispered. "Thank you Ducky, thank you"

"Alright how about Tobias and I finishing up breakfast while you set the table baby girl" said Gibbs

"May I get everyone their drink as well Daddy?" asked Ali as she looked at Gibbs

"Yes you may, but remember that the coffee is hot little one" said Tobias as he and Gibbs headed back towards the kitchen

"What would you like to drink Auggie, coffee or tea?" asked Ali as she looked at the older woman

"Coffee please Ali, black" replied Auggie

"And you Grandpa Ducky?" asked Ali

"Tea please my sweet" answered Ducky with a smile then headed towards the living room to wait for breakfast.

At his answer Ali almost skipped into the dining room to set the table while Auggie slowly wandered into the kitchen. She stood in the doorway a few seconds before either man noticed her.

"Are you alright Auggie?" asked Gibbs as she looked at the woman, she stood leaning against the kitchen door frame with an amazed look on her face.

"She's grown" whispered Auggie as she stood up and looked at the two men

"We'll that's good right, I mean you're the one who told us that she wouldn't be exactly the same Ali as before right?" asked Gibbs as he came over to the women.

He had been worried that maybe they were giving Ali too much independence and that maybe they should rein her in a little

"No, no…I mean yes. I'm the one that said she would be different but I didn't expect this much change. She must feel really confident as Ali with both of you to start wanting this independence. And it's a good thing really; I've been trying to get her to take some initiative for years but she just kept fighting me until I stopped because it was upsetting her. Now with the two of you've done it in ten days, I'm amazed" said Auggie

"Actually it's taken her almost ten years or more to accept it Auggie, but I've been trying every since that first weekend I became her Daddy. Mostly it been just giving her boundaries and rules to follow and sticking to them. We also try and give her a choice in the little stuff but still handle the bigger issues" replied Gibbs

"Well you both have done a remarkable job and I just hope that I can live up to your standards" said Auggie with a smile

"I'm sure you'll do just fine Auggie, just try not to spoil her too much. She gets enough of that from her brothers and sisters" said Tobias with a smile remembering the last time Ali was hurt and how much Gibbs' team spoiled Ali.

"I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything. She's just so darn adorable as Ali" said Auggie with a smile as she looked at the woman in the living room. She was happily setting the table and very carefully pouring coffee into a mug for everyone.

"Not you as well Auggie, Jethro what are we going to do with her?" asked Tobias as he came over and looked at their little one

"Just love her Tobias, just love her" replied Gibbs then wrapped his arms around the other man's waist.

Just then Ali bounced into the kitchen and both men broke apart going back to their previous jobs.

"I'm done Daddy, Papa. Is there anything else I can do?" asked Ali as she watched both men. She knew by the looks on their faces that she had interrupted something just a minute ago as she came into the kitchen. Their faces were slightly flushed and Tobias had a slight red tint to his neck.

"Nope, everything's good little one. Why don't you go wash your hands then we can start eating" said Tobias as he finished putting the last piece of bacon on the plate.

"Alright, love you Papa Daddy" called Ali as she left the kitchen to wash her hand

A few minutes later she returned and everyone took their place at the dining room table for breakfast. Ali talked nonstop about her time down at the beach house and all the things they had done. When everyone was finished and the kitchen was clean, Ducky and Gibbs took Ali upstairs to shower and change her before Ducky examined her. Tobias had told Ali that morning that they wanted Ducky to examine her to make sure she hadn't hurt herself while she was down at the beach house. So after she was showered and changed into a clean diaper Gibbs left her with Ducky.

Gibbs found Tobias and Auggie sitting in the living room with three fresh cups of coffee waiting on the coffee table. As he sat down beside Tobias he unconsciously took his hand.

"Well to start I just wanted to say how thankful and proud I am of the progress Ali's made. Without you two I'm not sure Ali would have progressed this far so quickly, so my next question is how do we integrate her extended family back into her life. Did they come all at once or one at a time?" asked Auggie as she looked at the two men. She knew Ali had a strong foundation with these two so it was time to start building on with her extended family

"Tony and Tim came first then the others one at a time except for Ducky and Jimmy" replied Gibbs.

"Then that's probably the way we should do it again. What did they do with her the first time they came over?"

"Tim was actually helping me set up her monitoring system but Tony went outside and played tag with her"

"And how'd that go?" asked Auggie surprised. In all her years of knowing Ali she'd never known her to "play tag"

"Actually pretty good until she fell and hit her head, we ended up taking her to the hospital for stitches. The next day Tony, Time and Ziva came over after she'd been released and we ordered pizza and watched a DVD of Gillian's Island Tony brought over, turns out she likes all those old sitcoms" said Gibbs with a smile remembering that weekend. That had been the one and only time he'd had to punish his team for something regarding Ali, since then every member and even Director Vance had become a stance protector of Ali.

"Sounds like a wonderful bonding time for her, Tony and Tim. I noticed a play set in the backyard, where did you find one her size?" asked Auggie.

"I…we…the team and I made it for her while she was kidnapped that first time. It was our surprise gift to her, some place safe were she could play and be Ali anytime she wanted to"

"And her reaction to it?" asked Auggie although she had a good idea what it would have been.

"Oh she loved it, even just out of the hospital with two gunshot wounds and lots of cuts and bruises she wanted to play on it right away. Ducky and I let her sit on the bench swing for a while until she got tired. After that we ate dinner then put her to bed, but the next day everyone came over and we had a family cookout"

"Well sounds like I might have found my place for us to have our little talk. Tell you what I think I'll do, I'll talk to Ali and see if I can't find out what's causing these nightmares and then we'll go from there on when and how to bring the others back into her life" suggested Ali

Just then Ducky and Ali came down the stairs, Ali having dressed in one of her winter play sets, a pretty red and green one with a matching tank top and flannel Capri pants. The tee-shirt dress was mostly an off white color with little red and green holly and berries all over it. The flannel Capri pants were a Christmas plaid and she wore heavy white socks to finish off the set. Auggie had to say whoever had found that set had done an excellent job, it looked adult enough to be worn out in public but just enough of a little girl to make Ali look adorable in it. And to top it off in her hair she wore a matching bow on a headband. Ali stopped just a few feet from the group and held her arms out spinning around just enough to make the tee-shirt dress skirt billow out.

"You look adorable sweetheart, who bought you the outfit?" asked Auggie as she came over and hugged the woman

"Abby and Ziva, they took me shopping after I came back from the plane crash and forest with Papa but we couldn't find anything so they got online and found a lady who makes these sets. They asked her if she would make one in my size and bought me several for Christmas. Ducky gave me the bow for my hair too"

"Well I think you look absolutely beautiful in it and I'll have to ask them to show me the website so I can get you some too"

"Auggie" said Gibbs with a little warning tone in his voice.

As she looked at the two men she smiled. "Oh hush, aunties are allowed to spoil their little girls" replied Auggie with a wave of her hand and the two men. "Now come on and put some shoes on so you can show me your play set" then lead the younger woman away to find some shoes and a light jacket so they could go outside.

As the doors closed behind the pair all three men had to smile, Auggie had certainly jumped whole heartedly into the role of "auntie" Auggie with Ali and they were glad. Ali still needed the link to her past that Auggie represented but now it was time to change that relationship and start anew with Auggie as the loving "auntie" instead of the counselor.

Almost an hour later Auggie and Ali returned and after motioning with her eyes that one of them might want to take Ali upstairs and change her then put her down for a nap, three of the four adults were waiting on the couch for the fourth to return. A few minutes later Tobias returned and took his place beside Gibbs and Auggie began.

"I believe I found out what was causing Ali's nightmares and unfortunately it was a grievous mistake on my part and for that I want to apologize. It seems that she has not only formed a very strong foundation and attachment to the two of you but to all of your team members as well. When they didn't contacted her or come to see her after she tried turning into Allison, Ali thought that they didn't want to be with her as Ali anymore"

"But that's not true" exclaimed Gibbs

"The DVD's" replied Tobias "We showed them to her and she…"

"Tobias, you know as well as I do that Ali has been in and around the government long enough to know that DVD's like those could have been forced. I'm afraid what she needed was personal confirmation that they still wanted her as Ali, and by me tell you to keep her way from her extended family it only increased her anxiety. I still feel that she needs to have some one on one time with each member but what she needs right now is a family confirmation that they still want her as Ali."

"Do you think that everyone would be able and willing to come over this weekend and spend a few hours or maybe the afternoon with her as a whole family just to alleviate her fears? I think it would go a long way in helping stop her nightmares and help all of you sleep better at night"

"Auggie you don't know how many times Jethro and I have had to tell a member of Gibbs' team to wait and we would call them before they could come over. Everyone will jump at the chance to see Allison as Ali again" said Tobias with a laugh

"Good, then I'll leave you two to make the plans and I will see Ali again soon, please tell her I'm sorry and that I had things to do at work" said Auggie as she stood up.

"But you'll be there this weekend won't you Auggie?" asked Gibbs

"Jethro…I" started Auggie but stopped as she was fixed with the famous Gibbs' stare. Damn that man has piercing blue eyes.

"Augustina Chandler you are as much a part of Ali's extended family as any member of my team. So you made a mistake, but you caught it and fixed it before it got to great and now you need to do the same thing the rest of us to. Make sure Ali knows that you still want to be around her while she's Ali. If you suddenly disappear you know that doubt is going to creep in. She needs all of us standing united with her in this" said Gibbs

"Damn, and I'm supposed to be the one with the Psychological degree, how'd you get so smart?" asked Auggie as she looked at the man with new eyes. She knew he had been through some rough times in his life but he'd come out the other side better and smarter for it.

"Years of heavy soul searching and then finding my other little girl. You think I saved Ali but in truth we saved each other. I was a bitter, lonely old man when I meet Ali and she brought back the joy of an innocent child into my life, something I thought I'd lost forever when I lost Kelly and Shannon" said Gibbs wistfully

"You didn't lose them Jethro, there still here in your heart and with you as part of this family. I can almost feel their presence in this house and they're both happy that you have Tobias and Ali now. So what time do you want us all here this weekend?" asked Auggie with a smile, the first smile she'd shone since she and Ali had returned from the backyard.

"How about we make it a cookout, Ali loves those and that way we can get the chores done before everyone gets here. Let's make it somewhere between two thirty and three, that way Ali can get her nap done before everyone comes over"

"Everyone can bring something pot luck, Jethro and I will supply the meat" said Tobias

"Great see you guys there and thank you again for everything. Call me if there are any more problems" said Auggie as she grabbed her coat from the foyer and left. It had been an eventful morning and she needed time to think, plus write up some notes in her personal file of Ali's before she forgot.

After that the three men waited for Ali to wake from her nap so Ducky could have his turn with Ali.