A/N Just some fluff because I felt like it.

Gibbs walked up his front walkway feeling less concerned about the whereabouts of his car than he had been outside the navy yard. He knew he was tired and recovering from injuries, but he didn't think he was so out of it that he would forget that he where he parked his car. Resigning himself to the fact that he truly had little recollection of where he'd left it, he decided a brisk walk home on beautiful, sunny afternoon wasn't so bad after all. The walk had given him time to clear his head and think about how he was going to proceed with getting the girls placed in a loving, stable home. He'd contacted Child and Social services and they had promised they'd send a social worker to his house within a week depending on caseloads. Gibbs hadn't felt the need to rush the process. If he was to be truly honest with himself, he would miss the girls once they were placed. They were a lot of work and he wasn't getting any younger, but they gave him a great deal of joy too. Taking time from NCIS wasn't something he'd ever planned to do but now as he reflected on it, he actually didn't mind so much. Tony was more than capable of handling things in his absence. Gibbs had lost his patience, and he sure as hell wasn't impartial to anything surrounding the case anymore.

Once he reached his front porch, he opened the door to hear shouting and arguing. He dropped his keys in the bowl on the inside side table and walked into his living room to see Aimee and Janessa jumping on his old, brown sofa. Gibbs cringed when he saw a spring poke through and expose itself to the floor. There was no doubt about it; the sofa had certainly seen better days. It was ugly and hideous but so incredibly comfortable and he hated to part with it.

"Hey! No jumping on furniture!" he scolded, reaching out and grabbing each girl around the waist and lifting them to the floor. The girls squealed indignantly and Janessa snatched something from Aimee's hands and hid it behind her back.

"Your sofa is bouncy, Gibbs." Aimee smirked at him and then tried to reach around Janessa to grab whatever she was holding.

"Stop it!" screeched Janessa, backing up and wiggling her body away to protect her belonging.

"Bouncy or not, sofas are for sitting, Miss."

Aimee wrinkled her nose. "Who cares? Your sofa is old and ugly." She persisted in trying to grab something from Janessa. Janessa swatted at her hand connecting with a harsh smack. Aimee scowled and stood rubbing her hand.

Gibbs sighed. "That's enough, Aimee. Ugly or not, I don't want you jumping on the furniture. Got it?" He shot her a stern look to which she rolled her eyes. "What are you two arguing about, anyway? Janessa, show me what's behind your back."

Janessa's face reddened and she shook her head.

Gibbs frowned. Aimee tried again to grab the object again but Gibbs stepped between them. This time he scooped Aimee up into his arms and plunked her in the nearby chair.

"Stop annoying your sister, Aims. Where's Abby?"

"Fighting with Tim in the kitchen."

"Abby's crying," added Janessa, her voice almost a whisper.

Gibbs lifted a brow in concern. What would have happened to make Abby upset enough to cry? Gibbs sighed. He couldn't help but notice Janessa continuing to back away towards the steps. Now he was curious. What did Janessa have that she didn't want him to see, and why was Aimee so determined to get it? He lifted the little girl up into his arms as he started towards the kitchen thinking whatever it was could wait until later. When he caught sight of the object, however, his heart skipped a beat. He scowled to himself and looked into her dark brown eyes.

"Is that my chisel?"

Janessa nodded as her eyes met his. Gibbs could see tears forming in her eyes as he set her feet on the floor and stooped to her level. It wasn't hard to distinguish that she knew she shouldn't have the chisel. He held out his hand. "Give it to me, please."

Janessa slowly placed the woodworking tool into his outstretched hand. Aimee walked over and stood beside him. "She got it from the basement." She put her arm around her sister. "What's a chisel?"

Gibbs fingered the tool and saw right away his suspicions were correct. It was one of his new chisels, and it was extremely sharp. "It's a woodworking tool that I use for smoothing out rough surfaces and cutting designs. It's very sharp and certainly not a toy!" Gibbs stuck the tool into his back pocket as he rose to his full height once again. He looked sternly at Janessa but his look softened when he saw her tremble under his scrutiny. His parenting skills were more than a little rusty these days. He wanted her to know that his basement was off limits but he didn't want to frighten her. He put his hands on his hips and looked at both girls.

Aimee pulled her sister into a protective hug. "Don't be mad."

"I've told you both more than once that the basement is off-limits. I have a lot of tools and other dangerous stuff down there that could hurt you. Let me make myself perfectly clear here and now so there are no doubts in your minds. You are never allowed downstairs without permission. If I catch either one of you down there, I will be forced to give you a consequence." Gibbs made a mental note to lock up any dangerous tools or chemicals just in case one of them chose to disregard his words at some other point. He'd feel awful if one of them were injured by some toxic chemical or power tool.

"You didn't catch us down there," piped up Aimee with a haughty expression gracing her face.

"Having the chisel is evidence enough to prove Janessa's guilt. Shall I dust for fingerprints?" Gibbs smirked. Aimee glared at him. "I'm a crime scene investor; it's my job to figure out the evidence and punish the wrongdoers.

Gibbs pulled the chisel out of his pocket and held it out towards Janessa. "Why did you take this?"

Janessa chewed her lip and shrugged. Gibbs looked at her and frowned.

"She wanted something to use in playdough," said Aimee.

Gibbs looked at Aimee who was holding fast to Janessa's hand. Janessa was quiet. He noticed that she often got that way when she thought she was in trouble.

"I'm speaking to Janessa, Aimee and I would like her to answer me. She's a big girl and she can speak for herself." Gibbs took Janessa by the hand and led her to the sofa once more. He sat down and pinned her between his knees. He held up the chisel again. "Why did you take my chisel?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. His heart pinched in his chest. He actually had no idea what the small girl was thinking. Was she afraid he would punish her? He just wanted to understand what led her to take the item. He used his thumb to wipe away the tears.

"No need to cry, Ness, you're not in trouble but I'd really like to know."

Janessa blinked a few times. "I dunno." She said softly.

Gibbs smiled taking in what she was saying and what Aimee had said. Spending endless hours day after day in his house must have been beyond boring for the little girls. They could play in the treehouse, and they had a handful of games, puzzles, and books in their room but not really a lot of toys. He was actually surprised they hadn't gotten into more mischief. It was hardly their fault if they did seek out adventure and things to do. Keen minds needed to be busy. Gibbs reached out and pulled the small child onto his lap and hugged her. Aimee walked over and stood beside him so he pulled her onto his other knee as well. He was pleased when she didn't fight him. He was never sure how she would react to what he said and did.

"We need to have a little chat." He leaned back and settled the girls so he could see their faces. Janessa's tears slowed and she looked at him curiously. "I know it's been a crazy couple of months with everything that's happened. I want you to know that you're safety is very important to all of us. Tony is going to continue to work on the case while I take some time off to heal and spend time with you two monsters."

Janessa giggled. "I'm not a monster."

Gibbs kissed her nose. "You are the biggest monster of all, you chisel stealing thief."

Janessa scowled. "I didn't steal it, Mr. Gibbs; I borrowed it."

"Taking without asking is stealing."

"OH," she said, drawing out the word. "I didn't know that."

"Now, you do." He tapped her nose. "Ready to tell me why you took it?"

She shook her head.

"Ok," Gibbs smirked. He figured he'd let the subject drop for the time being. "So, Abby has been helping me take care of you-"

"Why was Timmy yelling at Abby?" interrupted Aimee.

Gibbs lifted a brow. "I don't know yet, but I'll go talk with them later when we're finished chatting."

"Maybe it's cuz we spilled milk on the floor," offered Janessa.

"I'm sure that's not it, Ness. Now, it's my turn to talk for a few minutes, ok?"

Aimee squirmed a little, pushing herself backward until she was sitting on the sofa.

"We spilled milk and cereal on the floor."

Gibbs chuckled out loud. "Just what have you two been up to while I've been gone?" He was beginning to think his thoughts were right on the money. The girls were bored and finding mischief all over. He needed to rethink how things were going to work until they were placed into a permanent home. "I'm thinking you two need some chores to keep you out of trouble."

Aimee made a face. "Chores?"

"Chores," repeated Gibbs. "Now stop interrupting and let me talk."

Aimee sighed and crossed her arms while Janessa nodded and laid her head against his chest.

"I think a chisel would make good designs," she mumbled.

Gibbs closed his eyes and had to swallow hard to stop himself from bursting out laughing. It struck him as funny how difficult it was to have a simple conversation with the girls. They were going around in circles.

"They do make excellent designs in wood."

"Playdough would work too, right?"

Gibbs pulled her in tighter, still working to suppress a smirk. "I'll get you some playdough chisels, okay?"

"Are they shiny like yours?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Probably not; now, stop trying to change the subject."

Janessa giggled. "You said you wanted to know why I took your chisel."

"Yes, I did at that." He smirked. "Why did you?"

"I thought it would make pretty designs in play dough. When can I get some chisels?"

"Maybe we can go buy some this afternoon." Gibbs looked at Aimee who was still pouting over him giving her chores. "Are we finished talking about the chisel now?" Janessa nodded. "Okay, now, as I was saying-"

"Abby!"

Gibbs looked up to see a red-faced Abby burst into the room followed by a very frustrated looking Tim. Abby headed towards the stairs, stopping to face Tim.

"I don't want to talk about it! Leave me alone!" Abby's voice was loud and angry.

Gibbs shuffled Janessa to the cushion as he rose to his feet to intervene.

"You can't keep stuffing things down and hoping your feelings will go away, Abbs. You always do that, and it just makes things worse," reasoned Tim, looking at Gibbs sheepishly as the tone and intensity of his voice self-consciously decreased.

Abby threw her hands up in the air and let out a frustrated growl. "Leave me alone!"

Gibbs stepped forward and held up his hands in a truce. "What are you two arguing about?"

"Nothing!" Tim and Abby shouted in unison. Gibbs blinked several times in disbelief and saw Tim's face redden. It definitely wasn't like Tim to shout at him. With Abby, on the other hand, her outbursts weren't all that unusual.

Gibbs looked at the two wide-eyed girls still sitting on the sofa.

"Why don't you two go watch something on the TV in my room?"

Aimee stood to her feet. "On that old thing? I'd rather play outside in the treehouse."

Gibbs glared at her. The cheeky little thing had the ability to make his blood boil. Aimee grabbed Janessa's hand and pulled her towards the front foyer.

"Stay in the back yard. No wandering off," ordered Gibbs, his command terse. The last thing he needed was to have to go looking for them. "And don't take out the screens in the treehouse, Aims. I still haven't had a chance to fasten them tightly yet."

Other than an annoyed expression and rolling her eyes, Aimee didn't respond to his words. Gibbs heaved a weary sigh. He had a lot to teach her about respect, that was for sure.

"I mean it."

"Yah, yah, I hear you."

Aimee pulled Janessa from the room. Abby started to walk from the room as well but Gibbs caught her gently by the arm.

"What's the matter, Abby?"

Abby pulled away and lifted her arms into the air. "Just leave me alone!"

Gibbs dropped his arm and watched as she beelined to the stairs and disappeared.

Tim looked uncomfortable as Gibbs turned his attention towards him. Gibbs turned and went back to sit down, crossing his leg over his knee and leaning his head back against the sofa. He heard Tim shuffle towards the chair and sit down as well.

"Sorry, Boss."

Gibbs lifted his head. "Why are you sorry?"

Tim dropped his head, looking forlorn and somewhat unsure.

Gibbs chuckled. "Tim, one day you just might end up with an ulcer. Relax for Pete's sake and stop adopting everyone else's problems as your own."

If Gibbs only had a nickel for every time Abby blew up and Tim apologized, he'd be a wealthy man.

"What happened? Why is she so angry?"

"The girls did quite a job on the kitchen," began Tim.

"So they told me. I'm sure it can be cleaned up."

Tim nodded. "Abby was changing the oil on your car-'

"My car?" Gibbs' eyes widened as he released that he indeed wasn't crazy and he had driven his car to work. Leave it to Abby to do something like that. It actually didn't surprise him. Abby always found plenty to do to keep busy. He shook his head. "I thought I misplaced the damned thing," he muttered, more to himself than to Tim.

A smile graced Tim's face. "I found her under your car when I arrived and the girls were having a food fight in the kitchen. She thought they were in the treehouse. When Abby saw the mess, she just broke down into tears. Boss, something more is bothering her than she's letting on. Losing her job at NCIS-"

"She didn't lose her job, Tim. She's just waiting to be seen by the disciplinary committee. I would never allow her to lose her job over this. We don't waste good at NCIS, and Abby surpassed good when she was 18 years old."

Tim nodded his agreement. "She won't talk to me and when I push her…well, that's what I get."

Gibbs sat up. "An Abby sized tantrum." Gibbs was more than familiar. "Give her some time, Tim. I'm going to be around more often now that Tony is taking over the case. Let me deal with Abby."

Tim nodded and stood to his feet. "I'm heading back to NCIS. You got things under control here, Boss?"

Gibbs stood to his feet, playfully smacking Tim on the back of the head. Tim laughed. Gibbs walked Tim to the door and stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"Tell DiNozzo and David to get their asses here for dinner tonight. I'll throw some steaks on the BBQ. That case isn't going anywhere, and I'd rather we have some down time together."

Tim smiled. "Got it, Boss. Shall I invite the Director as well?" Mischief played in his eyes.

Gibbs grabbed a stuffed animal from the bottom step and flung it at Tim's head. Tim caught the animal in midair laughing warmheartedly.

"Get out of here, McGee!"

Tim continued laughing as he left the house. Gibbs laughed as well and he ascended the stairs shaking his head. His kids warmed his heart.

—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—

Once Gibbs reached the top of the stairs he wandered into his room and took a peek out his window. He smiled when he saw the girls happily laughing and playing in the treehouse. They seemed content enough for the time being. Gibbs leaned on the window sill as he continued to watch them laugh and giggle with one another. He shook his head thinking of the chisel discussion. He couldn't believe how much of a run around Janessa had put him on trying to ascertain why she'd taken the chisel. He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. He was going to need to force himself to get much more firm with the child. The more she felt at home with him, the more mischief she seemed to find. Typical five-year-old behaviour. Aimee pushed his buttons and Janessa managed to sneak around under his radar. The two of them both had the ability to make him laugh, boil his blood and drive him mad all at the same time. Yep, healthy kids.

Gibbs reached up and massaged his aching shoulder absentmindedly. Then there was Abby. She was a mystery to him. He had no idea how he was going to handle her. She wasn't a child. She was an intelligent, grown woman. It just seemed that lately, she acted more like a sullen child. He knew she was going through a lot and her emotions were all over the place. He appreciated how much of a help she was to him with the girls. He was more than a little aware of how much he needed her help. His parenting skills were so rusty they were almost non-existent unless you could count smacking Tony on the back of the head. And Gibbs did that when he was irritated with the man's behaviour. He couldn't help himself; it was just an instinct and Tony gave him more than one opportunity to exercise it. More than once, he found himself with an itchy palm around Abby as well but he was way too old fashioned a man to smack a woman on the back of the head. It felt wrong on so many levels yet he surprised himself when he did it to Ziva. Gibbs huffed at the memory. Perhaps the difference was that Ziva had pushed him so far that he broke. Abby had yet to push him that far. Although there had been a few times he wanted to pull her across his knee. That instinct surprised him even more. The thing was Abby reminded him more of a little girl. The impulsive way she acted and the way she dressed all played into messing with his mind.

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and looked longingly at his bed. He felt bone tired and wouldn't have minded crawling into his bed for a long, well needed and deserved nap. His body was still healing and no one would have begrudged him the time to rest except he couldn't. He had two little girls and one big girl who depended on him. Gibbs yawned and walked towards Abby's room. He gently knocked on the door but received no response.

"Abby?"

No response.

"Abbs, I know you're in there. May I come in?"

He heard some shuffling around but received no response.

"Abby, you've got exactly 10 seconds to answer me or you better be decent because I'm coming in."

He put his ear to the door and heard her mumbling to herself but he still didn't get any reply to his words.

Gibbs knocked again and then tried the door handle. As he expected it was locked. A smile played on his lips as he walked to the side table in the hall and retrieved the small piece of wire he often needed to unlock the door. He'd locked himself out of that room more times than he could count so he had become an expert at picking the lock. He quickly jimmied the lock and opened the handle to be greeted by a scowling Abby sitting on her bed.

"Generally doors are locked for a reason," she grumbled and turned to face the wall.

Gibbs lifted a brow as he pulled a chair over and sat down.

"Generally. But this door has a bad habit of locking by itself. Didn't want you locked in here against your will, Abbs."

Abby huffed but refused to look at him.

"Thanks for changing the oil on my car." Gibbs waited for a response but saw none. "I enjoyed the walk home from the navy yard. It's a beautiful day." Abby crossed her arms. "Tim told me that the girls were giving you a hard time today. I'm sorry about that, Abbs. We'll all sit down and make some guidelines. That should help."

Abby growled.

Gibbs rested his hands on his knees and looked around the room. Abby was a unique person. She was the only one who could decorate with skulls and have it look joyful rather than morbid. He didn't know many Goths but he did know people often had false impressions of them. Simply put, Goths found beauty in things others considered dark. They loved all that was dark and mysterious. Abby found great joy in things others found disturbing. Gibbs figured that was one of the reasons Abby was so good at being a forensic scientist. Gibbs also knew that Goths weren't unkind, violent or lacking in humour, in fact, quite the opposite was true. Abby was probably one of the sweetest, most caring people he knew. Goths love to laugh. That was certainly true of Abby. Abby was the happiest person he knew. He couldn't even count how many times he'd found Abby dancing around her lab, happily singing to herself as she worked. He'd learned from Abby that Goths weren't sad because they liked dark things - dark things made them happy and inspired them. Who else better to be in forensics? Goths were often intelligent, romantic and artistic realists. Being Goth was not about how one dressed either, although, Abby definitely had a unique style all her own. Goths weren't evil people, part of some satanic cult. Most were involved, upstanding members of society. Abby was a devout Roman Catholic and had memberships to some many community outreach programs. Abby had taught Gibbs so much about stereotypes and how wrong they could be.

Abby sighed. "Are you just going to sit there staring at me?"

"Nope."

"Then, say something."

"What do you want me to say?"

Abby growled again. "Gibbs." Her voice was a frustrated whine.

"Abby."

Abby turned to face him, tears falling down her cheeks. She crossed her legs and arms and glared at him.

"I'm not cut out to be a homemaker."

"Then it's probably good thing you're a forensic scientist."

"You mean I was."

"No, I mean you are."

"Gibbs, I'm not a forensic scientist anymore."

"Did you give back your degree?"

Abby scowled at him. "Gibbs!"

"What?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

Abby reached out and swatted his knee.

Gibbs smirked. "Ouch."

"Stop teasing."

Gibbs leaned back in his chair and hit Abby with a piercing look. "I don't tease."

Abby sighed and growled again. "Yes, you do!"

Gibbs laughed. "Ok, I do. Abby, you are still a forensic scientist; one of the best NCIS had ever had. You made some stupid choices and you can't expect to not to be disciplined for them. Discipline does not mean fired. Jenny would never allow that to happen. Hell, the SecNav is perfectly smitten with you, kid. Do you think he'd let you leave NCIS just to go work for Brody at the Bureau or any of the other hundreds of places who covet you?"

Abby shrugged.

The smile faded from Gibbs' lips as he felt some exasperation build up in him. Abby was being more than a little difficult. "You listen up, Abbs. It's time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and suck up the fact that you can't do whatever you want whenever you want. There are rules for a reason, and you need to obey them just like everyone else."

"Since when do you listen to rules, Gibbs?" countered Abby.

Gibbs felt his temper rise. "Abbs, do you really want to go there?"

Abby chewed her lip. "No."

"Look, you might as well accept the fact that you are being disciplined. Accept the consequences for your poor decisions, apologise and promise never to repeat them. Once you do, you will be able to move on from here."

Tears filled Abby's eyes. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Move on."

"Why?"

Abby blinked hard and her bottom lip quivered. "People died, Gibbs."

"Yes, they did."

"It's my fault."

Gibbs stood up and sat beside her on the bed. Abby leaned into him.

"Abbs, remember when you were a teenager and you messed with some chemicals at school and people got sick?"

Abby nodded.

"How did you move on?"

Abby was quiet.

"Abbs?"

"It's not the same, Gibbs. No one died."

Gibbs wrapped his arm around her. "You felt you were correct to do what you did because the outcome justified the means, didn't you? You never anticipated what did happen. And, if I remember correctly, you denied what you did was wrong right up to the very end, did you not?"

Abby sighed. "Gibbs, I was 15 years old. I was hard headed and always thought I was right. My dad showed me otherwise. This situation isn't the same."

"Not sure much has changed, Abbs."

Abby groaned. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're still hard headed and think you're right."

Abby sat up and glared at him. "I do not! I feel horrible that people died."

"I know you do. Those people dying are not directly related to what you did. No one can say their deaths were your fault. You're taking that blame on yourself to hide the real issue, Abbs."

Abby's face reddened.

Gibbs set a warm hand on her knee. "Admit it. You don't think you did anything wrong, do you? Deep down, you think you were justified to work at home because what you were doing was more important than the protocols set up by NCIS. You believe you have the knowledge to set up firewalls and protect yourself against the outside world. You're angry and your pride is hurt but you still believe you were right."

Abby stood up and faced Gibbs in anger.

"That's not true!"

Gibbs rose to his feet. "Yes, it is." His voice was firm but quiet.

"Take it back!"

Gibbs shook his head. "How did your dad change your mind, Abby?"

Abby's jaw dropped. "I was 15 years old."

"I know. What did he do that changed your mind?"

Abby turned away and hugged herself. Gibbs heard her mumble something but he wasn't able to make out her words.

"Abby, until you admit what you did was wrong, you will never be able to accept the consequences and move on. The Percy's died a horrible death but their deaths were not your fault. Stratton already knew everything about Jonathan Percy. Percy made some disastrous choices that ended in his death. His wife was just an innocent pawn. Stop beating yourself up over what isn't your fault and face what is."

Abby shook her head. "I can't"

Gibbs walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Yes, you can. You're right; you're not 15 years old anymore. You don't need to be spanked to be taught the error of your ways."

Abby stiffened and gasped. "How did you know?"

Gibbs pulled away and turned her to face him. He could see the heat of embarrassment in her cheeks. "It's a dad thing."

Abby blushed and dropped her chin. "What if I can't?"

"Can't what?"

"Stop beating myself up."

Gibbs' face was deadpan. "You can, Abby. I have faith in you. Have faith in yourself. And you're not alone. You have Tim, Tony, and Ziva and you have me. You can count on me, Abbs. I'm not going anywhere. I'm willing to help you any way you need. Just say the word." Abby blinked allowing his words to sink in. "We need you, Abbs. Those girls need you. I'm not saying the next few weeks are going to be easy but we're going to get through this."

Abby stared at Gibbs.

Gibbs drew her into a warm embrace, kissing her on the top of the head.

"And, I need you to do me a favour, Abbs? Cut Tim some slack. The guy can only take so much."

Gibbs heard a small giggle. He put his hand on the back of her head and messed up her dark hair. When she pulled away, a small smile graced her lips and he noticed a tiny spark igniting in her eyes once more.

"It might be a little fun to get his goat."

Gibbs chuckled and shook his head. "C'mon, you little trouble maker. I invited the team back for a BBQ. I'm gonna need your help. Everyone knows I'm a horrible cook."

Abby smirked and they left her room arm in arm.