Disclaimer: I actually own a lot of the people here, but nothing you recognise from the show.
A/N: Thanks again to Hannah (YouGottaSingAlong). She didn't write it for me this time, but she was very helpful. I still haven't bought her that chocolate bar.
Abby slammed her hand on her alarm. Simon had bought it for her birthday, the noisiest, most irritating alarm ever made. It was on days like this that Abigail Black wished that she was still Abigail Sciuto. She would have got up, showered, got dressed, grabbed breakfast on her way out and been in work early. Now she had to deal with breakfast for the kids, get them out the door in time (she loved Leroy, but did he have to sleep quite so deeply?), and, and . . . everything. She calmed down a little as she walked into the kitchen to see Simon feeding Cassie. Until she heard,
"You bloody child! Open up your bloody f-lipping mouth!" There was a pause. "Hello, dearest, you woke up."
"Simon Andrew Black! Why are you yelling at our FIVE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER?!"
He looked guilty.
"She won't eat."
Abby strode over briskly, now feeling very awake, and grabbed the spoon off him.
"Here, honey," she muttered as she began spooning Cheerios into the little girl's mouth, still glaring at her husband.
Kate sauntered in, fully dressed in jeans and a bright orange t-shirt. Abby rolled her eyes. This really was going too far.
"Orange, Kate, really? You're that dedicated to this boycott of dark colours?"
Kate smirked knowingly. Abby was going to kill Gibbs for teaching her that expression.
"Yep. Dad, did I hear you yelling at your youngest again?"
Simon glanced around sheepishly.
"She'll never open her mouth. I don't mean to, that is I, I, I, you know, I can't, she just wouldn't, kind of, don't you lot know, I wo . . . sorry, dearest."
Abby, seeming somewhat stressed, shot a look at him.
"Forgiven. But as punishment, you have to wake up Leroy."
"What?"
Kate laughed.
"Brilliant."
"Fine, fine," he said lowly, skulking away.
She opened her eyes and saw Isaac looking at her worriedly. She tried to smile, but ended up grimacing as she turned around. Gibbs looked at her with pity. Tony and McGee didn't seem quite so forgiving. Fabian wasn't looking at her, he was exchanging glances with Isaac as they tried to figure out what was going on. Lucas, Tash, Jamey and Kathy chose this moment to walk into the room. The first thing Lucas noticed was Isaac's nudity, and he speedily removed his jacket, throwing it at him with a comment of,
"Cover up, mate."
"Thank you."
Lucas noticed the heavy silence.
"What did we miss?"
Several people gave him the evil eye.
"Not my fault – was it?"
"No, Lucas," McGee said quietly. "But Ziva wants to explain something."
This was too much for Ziva. She snapped.
"You know, Ari wasn't always the way he was when you met him. As children we were incredibly close he would have done anything for me, and vice-versa. Then he joined Mossad, and he became darker, but we all do. It was when he discovered that his – that our – father had his mother killed that it happened. He went insane."
"What are you saying? That he was just misunderstood?" McGee said scathingly.
She laughed bitterly.
"No. But, McGee, ever since Isaac let that piece of information slip," Isaac looked at her in surprise, he had not expected a blame game, "you and Tony have been looking at me as though I were Ari's reincarnation, not his sister. I don't know if that's because I didn't tell you, or if I'm just guilty by association. I heard Ari gloat over what he'd done and when he raised the rifle to shoot Gibbs, I killed him. I murdered a man I thought I'd always be loyal to, who I loved more than anything, to save Gibbs' life. Does that not in some way redeem me for sharing a father with Kate's killer?!"
She didn't wait for an answer, couldn't. She all but ran out of the house. Isaac moved as if to follow, but thought better of it when he realised he was covered only with Lucas' jacket. Fabian remembered at the same time.
"I have a spare set of clothes in the car, wait here."
"I'm not moving."
Fabian walked out into the hall, past three piles of rope. He paused and turned, calling,
"Gudek?"
Tony stepped out, but still didn't say a word, in shock.
"Weren't there meant to be . . . people here?"
McGee had followed him, and now sprang on Lucas.
"Logan! Where the hell are those damned Nazis?!"
Lucas, Tash, Kathy and Jamey poked their heads round the door with almost rehearsed timing.
"Fuck," Lucas noted.
McGee caught Tony's eye, "Abby?" he asked.
Tony, with a strained smile answered. "Abby."
Fabian, who no-one had noticed leaving, nipped back into the room with a bundle of clothes in his hands. McGee entered with him, and Gibbs exited. Tony looked up at him.
"You knew." It wasn't a question. "You said you'd start telling me things, and you always knew."
Gibbs had no answer except,
"Let's call Abby."
Leroy stumbled into the crowded kitchen.
"Are you sure it's half eight?" he drawled.
"Get dressed," Abby ordered.
"Your own fault," mumbled Simon. "I swear it was midnight at least . . ."
Abby turned her head.
"Not now, Simon."
"Yes, dearest," he said meekly.
The phone began to ring and the family exchanged looks. Finally Kate reached out to grab it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Katie."
"Gibbs, don't call me that."
"Of course not. Is Abby there, Katie?"
"Yeah, right beside me. Felicity's worried. Call her."
"Will do, can I speak to your mum now?"
Silently she handed the phone to Abby.
"Hey, Gibbs, how are you? How is everyone? Did you find Isaac? Someone should have been giving me updates on this you know, I've been worried sick."
"I'm fine, everyone's pissed at Ziva and me – long story – we found Isaac and I'm sorry we didn't call but really since Paul was born till today, nothing's happened."
"What happened today?"
"We stormed the house and found Isaac, but Logan can't tie knots so our Nazis got away."
"DNA?"
"Yeah. The next flight to Gydnia's in six hours. Get on it."
Silence.
"Gibbs, I kinda have a job and a family . . ."
"McGee will smooth it over with Vance."
"Gibbs –"
A long mechanical note told her that he'd hung up. Leroy popped up beside her, suddenly smarmy,
"Can I come?"
"Not fair on your sisters."
"I'll help turn Paul into a Goth."
She was already on the phone again.
"Hi, can I book two flights to Gdynia, Poland, ASAP?"
The next hour was filled with phone calls."
"Leon, do you mind if I take a while off to help in Poland? Oh, and can my daughter come in on work experience to help my assistant?" she asked, lengthening the last word in disgust.
"Mr. Brookside, I'm going to be taking Leroy and Kate out of school for a few days . . . Yes, I know it's last minute . . . No, I can't confirm how long for . . . I'm really very sorry, Mr. Brookside."
By the end of this, Leroy and Kate were grinning ear to ear. Simon had long ago left the room, rolling his eyes as he headed to his study.
"Leroy, pack," Abby ordered. "Kate, supervise my assistant while I'm gone, please."
Kate chuckled and nodded, and shortly headed out the door. Leroy messily threw some clothes and his mp4 into a tattered black rucksack and declared himself 'ready'. As they began to attempt to leave, Simon stopped them, passing a $5 bill to Leroy.
"For mousse at the airport."
Abby smiled and kissed her husband goodbye. Leroy protectively raised his hand over his head.
"Thanks, Dad."
After ten more minutes of everyone not thinking about Ziva out in the car, Tash yelled in exasperation,
"Oh for God's sakes!" following Ziva's footsteps out the door.
She slid into the passenger side of the red car. Neither woman said a word. Then Tash simply declared,
"They'll forgive you."
"Will they?"
"Trust me – my colleagues forgave me."
Ziva's head snapped up and Tash looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Honest. My sister, Lucy, she . . . she wasn't unlike Ari, from what I've heard. My friends at the SIS learnt that that wasn't me. People can be stupid when they're surprised. They'll forgive you."
"Thank you."
"No problem. And you should apologise to Isaac – he thinks you're blaming him."
"What?!"
"Yeah, I know. Men."
----
Isaac, fully clothed, offered Lucas his jacket. Lucas looked slightly disgusted as he answered,
"Keep it. Please." Turning to Jamey, he muttered, so that Isaac could not hear. "Three hundred quid of jacket down the toilet."
She laughed.
Please vote on my poll. I'm very curious.
I've put a picture of Jamey up as my avatar. Hannah says it loses quality and detail when it's scanned, and it's slightly blue because we had to photoshop it to make it clearer.
I received a pitiful amount (3) reviews on my last chapter, and Hannah's feeling unwanted. It's not polite. So unless a decent amount of reviews appear on that chapter and this one, I'm not UDing for two months. TWO MONTHS. It won't take you longer than a minute to review.