Hey guys. Before I begin the chapter, I'd like to clear up some confusion on the boogie board incident. A couple of guest reviewers made comments about that. It was an experience that happened to me and it really wasn't as dangerous as it apparently sounded. In this case personal experience was my research. I was small for my age of 24 at the time and in the story, Kelly is 14. I had my boogie board out in the ocean but still in a shallow enough area that my feet touched the ground and the water came up only to my lower thighs I tripped when I tried to run through the crashing waves. the board was still being held upright so that when I tripped I landed on the up facing end of the board. When I said pointy end, I was referring to the curved front end as opposed to the straight flat back end. The front end of a boogie board isn't sharp like the front end of a surf board. Unless you were thrown on top from a height and a pretty high speed, it would hurt a lot but not cause internal injuries most likely. I was taken over to a beach towel and sat down for a little bit to catch my breath but I was fine after less than ten minutes, and I went right back out there. I based Kelly's experience on my own. As for the kids not being allowed to rent surf boards alone, I guess I should have made that clearer too. The kids, when they asked permission, got their parents to rent the boards for them. I just figured that was a given. Except for Tali and AJ and Tori. They are 18 and 19 in this story. Trying to Help: Thanks for your feedback on the repetition of said. I did change wording in most of the sentences to responded, was the reply, or replied. I also used stated a couple of times and other variations and added some action phrases when I did say said. I'll keep looking for new words to from now on, though. As for those who aren't drawn in to my stories because they aren't action filled enough, When I write the family-time and vacation stories, I tend to go more Hallmark movie family style. I can write action and intense stuff too. I suggest you try some of my other multi-chapter stories including Along the Broken Road which started the series this story is in and immediately following sequel which is called Life is a Highway Full of Pot-holes. Also The Unspoken Rule and all of my Criminal Minds multi-chapters. That's where most of the excitement is in my stories. I have my own style of writing and I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea. If you don't like this style, you need not feel obligated to read or review. I know I can't please everyone And I respect that right, but I also know I shouldn't have to change myself or my plots and writing style for others. So I will continue to work on any grammar and formatting suggestions to be a better writer and I appreciate those being brought to my attention so I can fix them, but I won't change my personal style of writing just because some don't like it. I write because I love to write and create and if some people enjoy reading it, that's great, but I won't change the way I am and my style for anyone. Hope that clears things up. Thanks for sticking with this story and I'm glad people enjoyed it. Please read and review this final chapter. Thanks.
The next morning, the Reeves family said goodbye to their surrogate family at the hotel. They had a different flight schedule.
Abby tried not to cry as she hugged her friends tightly. "Don't stay away too long. The girls are getting so big."
"What about my god-kids? Caty and Kelly are both teenagers." Ellie shot back.
"Ugh! Don't remind me. I think God every day that those horror stories you hear about haven't happened to us!" was Abby's horrified reply. The other parents laughed and Tony jokingly replied, "Just wait a couple of years. You probably just jinxed yourself saying that."
"Oh, no! You're right! I'll have to do something to ward that off as soon as I can!" Abby exclaimed. Then it was time for the DC crowd to head to the airport. There were tight hugs all around and a few tears, then the group headed out.
It was a little more complicated boarding for the flight home. There were more things to pack and at least two more carry-ons to register. It finally got resolved however, and the NCIS family got to their gate just in time. When they reached Dulles, Kyle was there to greet his family. He was taking them to get their van so they could get the pets from Gibbs'. They said goodbye to the rest of their family and rushed over to great Abby's brother.
Abby was the first to reach him and pull him into a huge hug. "Hey little bro!"
Kyle returned the hug and responded, "Hey, Sis. Hey you guys! How was the vacation?"
"It was AWESOME! Wait until you hear about Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom and Epcot and..." Alex rambled before he was interrupted by a chuckling Jesse.
"Ok, bud. You don't need to tell him everything right here in the airport. Kyle, why don't you come for dinner later and hear all about it."
"Are ya sure? You guys have gotta be exhausted." Kyle asked uncertainly.
"We'll get take out. I haven't see you in two weeks, Kyle! I've missed you. Come on. Please?" Abby begged her brother.
Kyle grinned. "Ok. I've missed you guys, too. What time?"
Jesse thought for a moment, then told Kyle, "Well, We need to go by Gibbs' and get the animals. We'll probably be there for a good forty-five minutes. So how about six thirty?"
"Sounds good. I'll even bring the food. What do you all want?" Kyle replied.
The kids all gave their orders at the same time. Each one was different.
Kyle laughed and held up a hand as he said, "Alright, how about I call or text before I come over and get the orders. How's that?"
"Sounds great." Abby assured her brother. The kids all agreed, and by then they were at the baggage claim. It didn't take long to get the bags and before they knew it, they were on their way back to the house. Once Kyle dropped them off, they quickly unpacked and got Gibbs' presents before heading out.
"Hey, Abs, Jesse, kids. How was the trip?" Gibbs asked as he let them in. Scout was so excited to see her master that she couldn't stop licking everyone around her, and Cocoa was as enthusiastic as a thirteen year old dog could be. El Gato, of course, sat on the floor and glared at his family to show his annoyance at them for leaving him and making him stay in a strange house for two weeks. Alex was able to bring him around fairly quickly, though. The rest of the family showed up just then. It had been planned so they could all be there to give Gibbs his gift. It was, after all, from everyone. Torres and Biggs and their families weren't planning on staying long because their daughters were exhausted and cranky. But the others were there.
"Grandpa Gibbs, we brought you back two presents. one from just us kids and one from everyone." Jax McGee informed the former team leader.
"Let's see it." Gibbs encouraged his surrogate grandson with a grin. Shannon DiNozzo handed him the mug and Danny presented him with the package of Magic Kingdom Coffee.
"We got the mug at Castaway Cay when we made our first stop, Grandpa Gibbs." David DiNozzo told the man.
Gibbs smiled. "This is great. I've been needing more coffee. I was running low. And I can always use an insulated mug. Thank you, kids. All of you."
"The kids chose and purchased the mug for you themselves. We knew nothing about it until we returned to the ship."
"You guys are great kids. I really appreciate this." Gibbs responded before hugging first the kids and then their parents and Kasie. Torres and Biggs headed out with their families directly after that. The others started to disperse about a half hour later. Finally, Abby and her family were the only ones left.
"Jack said hi, by the way, Gibbs. She and her family joined us at Disney world. Clay and Ellie and the girls send their love too. We all missed you."
"Eh, come on. I would've just slowed you down. I'm happy just to hear about it from the comfort of my own home. I'm glad you guys are back though. The animals missed you."
Abby smiled. She knew it wasn't just the animals who had missed them. She then sighed and said, "We better get going. Kyle's coming over in about an hour."
"Tell him hi from me. Thanks for stopping by, Abs." Gibbs replied, hugging his surrogate daughter close.
"We'll come back soon." was the reply. The kids all hugged Gibbs and Jesse shook his hand and then they headed home.
Abby and Jesse ended up having Kyle pickup food at Cracker Barrel. They had everything there so each person could get what they wanted. After dinner, Kyle listened intently while his family showed him videos and pictures of their trip that he hadn't gotten on his phone yet and told him stories about the past two weeks. He was thrilled with his sloth shirt and promised to wear it to work the next day. He left pretty early since the family needed to get their sleep. The entire family was in bed by ten or earlier. It felt good to be home.
School started back about a month later. For the first week, Johnny and Caty were inseparable and spent time together in and out of school whenever they had the chance. One day when Johnny was going to meet Caty for lunch, he saw her sitting at a cafeteria table talking to a boy wearing hearing aids. He watched them for a few moments, trying to keep his jealously inside.
Johnny walked towards the pair warily and tapped Caty on the shoulder.
"Hey, Johnny." the girl signed with a smile, as she faced him.
"Hey. Did you bring your lunch today or are you waiting for me to get in line with you?" he replied.
"I brought mine. Johnny, this is Nathan Satterfield. He lost his hearing when he was five. He just moved here. He's going to sit with us at lunch. Morgan's getting her food now, then she'll be over here. Hurry and Get your food and come back." Caty suggested.
Johnny did just that. He did his best to be friendly with Nathan, but it was difficult when he was burning with envy on the inside. He didn't have much to say during the meal. He was relieved when lunch ended. Morgan and Caty had both noticed his change in behavior but chose to wait it out.
Nathan spent a lot of the time at school with Caty and Johnny was beginning to avoid her. She couldn't understand why he was running from her but she couldn't get him to talk to her about it. Her heart was breaking.
One day, she couldn't take it anymore. She burst into tears and ran to her room as soon as she got home. Kelly ran after her.
"What's wrong, Ca-Ca?" she asked, before putting her arms around her sister.
Caty just stayed in her sisters embrace for a few minutes before pulling back and signing, "Johnny. He's barely speaking to me and I don't know why!"
"For how long?" Kelly questioned.
"Ever since Nathan, that boy at school I told you about, started hanging out with us at school."
"Maybe Johnny's jealous. Actually, I'm sure he is. Nathan's a boy and he's almost completely deaf."
"So?" Caty countered.
"So, Johnny's probably afraid that since you met another deaf person, that you won't want to date a hearing boy."
"So instead of talking to me about it he just avoids me?" Caty demanded.
Kelly shrugged. "Boys are dumb."
"I'm gonna go to school tomorrow and make him talk to me. This is stupid. Nathan and I are just friends. Barely even that. He's just new so I'm being a friend. So is Morgan." Caty replied emphatically. Ginger sensed her mood and jumped up onto the bed to comfort her mistress. Caty smiled and rubbed her dogs head which calmed her down almost immediately.
Meanwhile, at the McGee house Johnny was sulking at the kitchen table where he was supposed to be doing his homework.
"Hey, Johnny. Did you see the flyer for the Meet Me in September dance? You're taking Caty right?"
"I'm not going." was the grumpy reply.
Morgan looked at her brother in shock. "But you two are dating. I know Caty is really looking forward to it. Why won't you go?"
Morgan's twin replied snarkily, "She can go with her new fling, Nathan. She doesn't need me."
Johnny was so busy stewing that he didn't notice when his sister moved from her seat and came up behind him, so it was a shock when he suddenly felt a hard SMACK on the back of his head.
He spun around and glared at his sister. "You did not just give me a patented Grandpa Gibbs Head-slap!"
"Well you deserve it! Caty is crazy about you. There's nothing going on between her and Nathan and you know it! He's new and needs a friend. She's able to communicate with him and understand him better than a lot of people here. That's all. Honestly! Quit being an idiot!" Morgan reprimanded her brother.
Johnny looked silently at his hands for a few moments, then spoke up softly, "I really have been a jerk to Cate ,haven't I."
Morgan nodded. "She's been really confused lately and hurt, although she's been trying not to let it show. I won't let you keep breaking my best friend's heart. And I won't let you keep letting this eat you up inside. You need to fix this."
"I'll text her tonight to meet me before homeroom tomorrow. I need to do this in person." Johnny sighed.
"Good idea." was the response.
Caty agreed to meet, so the next morning, Johnny got them each breakfast in the cafeteria and met her on the playground. They found a place near a tree away from the other kids and sat down.
"Cate, I've been acting like a big jerk lately. Please forgive me. I have no right to tell you who to be friends with and I had no right to let jealousy make me avoid you." Johnny began.
"Nathan is just a friend. I want us all to be friends. Will you at least try for me? You'll like Nathan once you get to know him." was Caty's earnest reply.
Johnny nodded and squeezed her hand. "I'll try. You still mad?"
Caty pulled him into a hug before giving him a quick kiss. "I forgive you. We're good."
"So, will you go to the school dance with me?" Johnny asked cautiously.
"Sure." was the silent reply.
"Yeeess!" Johnny cheered. before he realized where they were and that people were staring at him. Luckily for him, he was saved from more embarrassment when the bell chose that moment to single it was time to head to class.
A week later, it was the night of the dance. Everyone was so excited. Morgan and Caty had been dress shopping and had each found the perfect dress. Caty's was long sleeved lavender with turquoise flowers all over it. Morgan's was a simple solid rose pink. Morgan was going with Nathan to the dance. The gym was beautifully decorated in a fall harvest theme. The four friends mingled, snacked and talked for a while before a certain song came on.
Johnny grinned and nudged Caty. "Hey, you feel that? They're playing our song."
Caty looked at Johnny and smiled as she felt the rhythm of Do You Believe in Magic.
Johnny stood and held out a hand. "May I have this dance?"
Caty snickered at the over the top formal way Johnny was acting, but she nodded and allowed her boyfriend to lead her to the dance floor. Morgan and Nathan watched their friends for a bit before deciding to join them.
As Caty and Johnny bounce across the dance floor, both of them were thinking the same thing. Whether life kept them together forever or not, it was enough to feel the magic in this moment. Right here, right now. Looking around them at their friends and seeing each other in front of them, it was really easy for both of them to believe in magic.
Well, that's the end of this story. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it all the way through. Thanks to misspatchesmom for editing every chapter before I posted it. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Bye!