Hey Readers...here is an update for you. Be sure to be reading along with "Perspective" by 90TheGeneral09 as he is providing some great insight to the students at Xavier and the aftermath of Riley taking Makayla off-campus. As well, he will be providing some insight into a visit that Josh has with Gibbs and Riley on Saturday. I'm looking forward to reading that. :) Chapter 12 to come but don't forget to read and review his new chapter 11. I love his insights into the world at Xavier.

Just some thoughts I had when I read some reviews...this story will probably have some unfinished storylines as I wrap up this part of the story. I just write as my muse directs so I'm sure there are plot holes and unfinished business. I apologize for that. Sometimes there are large amounts of time between when I have time to write and even I forget what I wrote. Please forgive me. I don't have the time to go back and fix too many plot hole mistakes. Bear with me. I just write for fun and to take my mind off this pandemic.

My muse took me in a direction I did not expect in this chapter. I hope you enjoy. The Christmas season is approaching quickly and look at that, my story is almost right in season. WHO KNEW! HAHA Hopefully I can wrap up by Christmas and be ready with a new story in the New Year that will touch on all the loose ends I missed or alluded to in this story.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the reviews!

I love hearing from all of you. Your ideas and insights make writing fanfiction so much more enjoyable for me.

Gibbs pulled his jacket on and walked outside into the backyard. Looking around, he was struck by how beautiful the first snow of the season was. He could see his breath in the stillness of the frigid morning. As much as he always dreaded the winter and all extra work that came with it, he had to admit this first sight of snow glittering in the early morning sun was stunning. He took a quick glimpse in the direction of where his woodshed once stood feeling grateful that he'd had perfect weather Saturday. He and Riley had managed to complete most of his final fall tasks. Gibbs was amazed by Riley's tenacious spirit and stamina despite his injured ribs. He'd enjoyed spending time with the kid, enjoying some laughter and down time together with little Aimee joining in. It had been a nice change of pace. Gibbs had tried to get the kid to rest, but Riley seemed more content when his hands were busy. Even with Josh Marshall's unexpected visit and the subsequent drama and resolution resulting from that, the day had turned out to be a good one.

Sunday came uneventfully and had been a welcomed day of serenity; hopefully, Riley had some time to recharge his batteries and rest from the traumas of the past crazy days. The ribs would take longer but Gibbs was hoping some quiet time would give Riley the space to relax his mind. Gibbs had a few other tasks on his docket this week and wanted to get some help from Riley. With any luck, Riley was still oblivious to the 'chat' Gibbs had had with Makayla Sunday evening. He'd purposely taken the teen girl with him to water plants at Jenny's house. It'd been a shameless cover story to get her alone to talk, but she'd been expecting it and had put up little argument. Gibbs leaned against the fence as his mind traced back over the evening. While he didn't have any regrets for his part, he did fear Riley's reaction. He'd need to talk with him before Makayla.

I needed to help Riley, Makayla had insisted, justifying her reasons for stealing away into the Prefect lounge and looking for evidence.

Gibbs reminded her about their conversation before school Friday morning, prompting her to remember Aimee overhearing her phone call thus proving her plan had been premediated. Makayla went silent when he alluded to it, further proving his assumption correct.

You put your nose where it didn't belong, Mak. Your impulsiveness ended in you getting needlessly hurt and it could have been worse had Riley not intervened on your behalf, Gibbs sensibly pointed out. He didn't know that for sure but he'd allowed the words to resonate with Makayla.

It was an accident. Jensen didn't mean it, she maintained.

He was proud she was defending the young man, and he believed her word on it. Gibbs knew the young man in question hadn't meant to hurt Makayla. Most of the Prefects, as far as he knew, were upstanding young men and women. They wouldn't have held the position if they weren't. But the point remained; Makayla was somewhere she didn't belong and she'd planned the escapade ignoring his warning.

Jensen isn't the one in trouble with me, Makayla, he'd stated sternly.

Hopefully, the young man faced his own parents regarding the issue because accident or not, Jensen Carter was far too rough with Makayla, no matter what she'd done. Hopefully, the teenager's parents made a lasting impression on their son when they pointed out that fact.

Gibbs remembered the look on Makayla's face as the realization dawned on her that she was in trouble with him. To her credit, Makayla hadn't protested but seemed resigned to her fate, almost like she'd known where things were heading from the get-go. Gibbs' mind had been made up as soon as he'd pieced everything together. If his kids knew anything about him, putting themselves in danger was something he would never tolerate. Giving Makayla some space and time at Tony's had allowed them both to calm down and reflect. Once he'd said his piece, Gibbs made quick work out of doling out the consequences. He'd been mindful of her injured shoulder when he tipped her across his knee and Makayla hadn't struggled which made things easier. He used his hand to make it count and hoped upon hope that he'd not need to revisit such a thing with Makayla again for his sake, her sake and most especially for Riley's sake. It felt like her recklessness was becoming a pattern and he didn't like it. Afterward, he'd drawn the sobbing girl into an embrace and thankfully, she'd let him. Unfortunately, the evening ended on a sour note when she tearfully declared that she was never going back to Xavier again and he couldn't make her; she told him she didn't care what he said or did, she would never change her mind. Gibbs knew it was her emotions talking and had wisely decided not to press matters, allowing her some time to mull things over in her mind.

A flash of pink caught Gibbs' eye just then, plucking him from his reverie, and he smirked when he saw Janessa run out from behind the large Poplar tree in the yard. She was fully dressed in her pink Oshkosh snowsuit complete with her pink hat and mitts but her footwear made him laugh out loud. He'd known that he hadn't found any snow boots for her yet. He was still looking for her size which had proven to be so popular that it was sold out at most department stores.

"What's on your feet?" he asked walking towards her with a laugh.

Janessa turned to look at him with her sparkling eyes and red cheeks. She'd been outside for a while, and Gibbs was scratching his head wondering why he hadn't noticed. Some parent he was! He took a quick peek at his watch to see it was just past 7. He thought she'd still be sleeping.

"Your boots," she said lifting her leg and nearly toppling over. "Theys very heavy too." Her serious little face made Gibbs chuckle. "I needs my own boots, daddy."

Gibbs reached to grab her by her hood before she fell into the snow. "You do. Maybe we can go look at the store today. Enjoying the snow?"

Janessa nodded as stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake that floated in front of her face. "Can we go sledding?"

Gibbs shuffled his work boot around in the snow. The ground had a light dusting but certainly nowhere near enough for snow activities yet, besides he was sure he'd seen that the white stuff would taper off and melt away with some warmer weather coming later in the week. Christmas was fast approaching but Old Man Winter was still undecided.

"We should go visit with Santa and ask him for sleds, don't you think?"

She scrunched up her nose considering his words but then glanced up at the tree. "Daddy, have you seen any elephants?"

Gibbs noticed that the wind had blown off the tarps on his woodpile and began in that direction. His main goal this morning was to uncover his car, bring Makayla to school and get some groceries. Old Mother Hubbard's cupboards were barren. He needed to get serious about stocking up for the upcoming holidays. His fingers were crossed that it would be an uneventful week for Makayla at school. Of course, he still needed to convince Makayla to go to school and that hadn't looked promising last night when he broached the subject. He'd made a grave mistake. He'd told her he wouldn't force her to go. Convincing her to go was going to be a feat.

"Not since we went to the zoo, sweetheart," he said, only half-listening to her now.

"Can I has a ladder?"

"I think there's a little ladder in the garage," he answered, again not paying attention to her.

From the corner of his eye, he watched her disappear around the corner of the house. Gibbs walked inside his toolshed and flicked on the light. He smiled at how orderly the large shed was. He'd been meaning to organize the shed for ages. Taking time off work had enabled him to catch up on chores he'd been meaning to do for years. He was almost tempted to take another three months off from work but knew he was just delaying the evitable. He needed to get on with interviewing housekeepers. He'd already placed the AD on Saturday. He expected his inbox would be inundated with resumes and letters of glowing recommendations. He sighed. He dreaded weeding through them. It was bad enough when he had to hire a new agent. Hiring a housekeeper was going to be sheer torture.

The sound of rattling metal caught his attention and he walked out of the shed towards his garage to see Janessa dragging a ladder that was bigger than her.

"What are doing with that?"

She dropped the ladder with a grimace. "That's heavy. Cans you carry it, daddy?"

Gibbs picked it up. "Where am I carrying it to?"

"The tree."

Gibbs looked down at her. "Why?"

"I'm looking for elephants."

"In the tree?" Gibbs's brows hit his hairline.

"Uh-huh."

"Nessie, elephants can't climb trees."

Janessa looked at him incredulously. "Yes, they do, silly. You just can't see 'em. They're really good hiders."

"Ness…" he started to argue with her then stopped. DiNozzo. Gibbs sighed. This was exactly something DiNozzo would do. The man was the king of practical jokes and he loved to tease. "Did Tony tell you that?"

"Daddy, cans you bring the ladder? I don't wants to miss seeing them. You can see them the best in the morning time 'cause they come out to eat breakfast."

Gibbs sighed. He might as well play along. Janessa's imagination was a delightful part of her, and he knew he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise until she looked for herself. The sound of the inside door to the house opening made him pause as he turned to see Makayla poke her head out.

"What time are you bringing me to school?"

Gibbs knew he must have looked gobsmacked, and he quickly worked to hide it. Common sense had finally entered his house. Last night Makayla had been insistent she wasn't stepping foot on the grounds of Xavier until hell froze over and today she was willingly asking him what time they left. Well, look at that, miracles did happen! That or his heavy hand of persuasion, whatever the case may be. He heaved a thankful sigh of relief. Perhaps he'd given her a little something to think about. Whatever it was, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"The headmaster wants us there at 9 am," he answered, biting back a smirk. His parenting books might be full of newfound wisdom backed by the professionals but his old-time principles worked just as well in his opinion and he wasn't throwing them all away, not just yet anyway.

Makayla frowned. "Why so late? My first class starts at 8:20."

"I can't answer that, Mak."

She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and slammed the door. Gibbs winced. Oh boy, the ride to Xavier was going to be a real treat. What did he do to get so lucky? Makayla was obviously still annoyed with him for bringing down the hammer but he had no regrets.

Gibbs felt his jacket being yanked on. He looked down to see a persistent face staring up at him.

"Daddy, hurry up or we're gonna miss them."

Gibbs carried the ladder out towards the large poplar tree with Janessa trailing behind him. "Janessa, do you want to come with us to Xavier today?"

Maybe bringing Janessa would be the distraction he needed. Riley could watch Aimee and he could kill two birds with one stone, take Makayla to school, and deal with her headmaster then take Janessa to get winter boots. Plus having Janessa in the car would lighten the mood on the drive. Win-win situation, he hoped.

She wrinkled her nose. "I gots school today?"

"No," he chuckled at her question. "You're a little short to go to grade seven or eight yet, but I thought you could keep me company while I get groceries and afterward, we can find some winter boots."

Janessa tripped over Gibbs's large boots and tumbled to the ground catching a face full of snow. Gibbs reached out to pull her up with one hand still holding the large, incumbent ladder. Tears came to the little girl's eyes as she fought to wipe the cold snow from her face, her mittens only succeeding in adding more of the offensive white stuff to her red cheeks. Gibbs set the ladder to the ground and crouched to help remove the cold snow from her face.

"You okay?"

She pouted. "Elephants are lots of trouble."

Gibbs put his warm hands on her wet, frozen cheeks and kissed her nose. "So are you but we still keep you." He winked at her and she scowled back before smirking. Lately, that little saying had been making its way around the house causing Janessa to burst into snickers every time she said it. Gibbs watched the little girl's face morph into giggles.

"Daddy," she half whined through her laughter.

Gibbs scooped her up with one arm and picked up the ladder with the other. He'd better hurry and dispel the elephant-in-trees myth before it blew out of proportion. He planned to torture Tony later. He shook his head with a chuckle. Elephants in trees. Where did his protégé come up with these things?

XxXxNCISxXxX

Gibbs lifted Janessa over his head and deposited her on his shoulders. She squealed in delight and patted the top of his head. Having Janessa in the meeting was probably a mistake but not one he regretted. Gibbs, Makayla, the headmaster of Xavier, Jensen and his parents made for an awkward and slightly uncomfortable meeting. Gibbs felt sorry for the young man when his father, Jonathan Carter sharply berated his son openly in the room. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Carter were horrified to find out their son dislocated the arm of Michael and Julia Wallace's fourteen-year-old daughter. Neither parent were remotely interested in hearing Jensen's side of the story and profusely apologized for their son's bullish behaviour. Gibbs and Makayla had both been speechless, as had the headmaster. That reaction had been completely expected. Gibbs anticipated that Makayla would face strict consequences for her part, yet the Carter's would hear none of it. It certainly made his life easier. Gibbs' long line of favours had been used up.

Janessa sat quietly on Gibb's lap throughout the meeting and he'd been shocked that Janessa was so demure. Her disappointment with not seeing any elephants in the tree at home had seemed to knock the joyful spirit from her, making her quiet and sullen. While the adults talked, Janessa sat backwards, hiding her head in Gibbs' chest while he stroked her back affectionately. A part of him had been thankful because he'd secretly wondered how he'd keep the little girl from interrupting the conversation. Instead, she'd remained quiet as a church mouse.

Gibbs opened the double doors of the front entrance of the school and walked outside into the sunshine, the cool air hitting his face and refreshing him.

"Daddy," exclaimed Janessa. "Where did the snow go?"

Gibbs smiled as he also observed the missing white carpet. "Looks like Mr. Sun sent Mr. Winter away for another day."

"Agent Gibbs!"

Gibbs spun around to see Makayla run up to him. Her face was flushed as she threw herself into his arms. "Thank you."

He chuckled. "For what?"

Makayla pulled away from him and smiled. "For not forcing the issue about school and letting me decide."

He smiled and adjusted Janessa's weight on his shoulders. He hadn't exactly let her decide. He'd just been putting off the inevitable fight until the last possible second. One way or another, she would have attended school today and what she didn't know now wouldn't hurt her. Heck, now he was the good guy. He'd take it.

"I knew I had to come back to school. I mean, I know it's not your call and that my parents decide where I go to school. I was just so upset about yesterday and well, just everything was getting to me."

Gibbs leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then he quickly looked around as an afterthought, hoping he hadn't embarrassed her. He was proud of her and he wanted her to know it. She didn't seem bothered and just hugged him again. "I thought you'd get mad and force me but you didn't. Not even this morning. You didn't even wake me up or anything." She pulled away and wrinkled her nose. "What would you have done if I refused to go today?"

He poked her scrunched up nose. "Hogtied you," he said simply with a playful smirk.

Makayla smacked him lightly with her good arm.

His face grew serious. "I hope you know that you pulled off a miracle today, kiddo. Mr. and Mrs. Carter are pretty decent people, and it looks like Jensen isn't all that bad either. I'm thinking you struck it lucky that it was him in the Prefect Lounge when you trespassed. Keep your nose clean this week."

Makayla sighed. "Don't worry. I'm done seeking revenge. Riley was pretty pissed at me." Gibbs cringed at the crude language and looked up at Janessa, hoping she hadn't heard it. It was all he needed for the girl to pick up on crude words and bring them to school in January. Aimee's colourful vocabulary was enough to deal with. However, Janessa was distracted looking at all the decorations gracing the outside premises. Xavier certainly knew how to decorate for the holidays and it looked like they spared no expense either. Makayla noticed his wince and quickly rephrased herself. "I mean he doesn't want me getting involved in his business."

"Makayla, Riley isn't in any trouble at Xavier. Let's keep it that way. He has enough on his plate. I don't expect any more problems from Josh Marshall or his friends either. Let's just let it go in the spirit of the holidays. Let bygones be bygones?"

She nodded her head in agreement. "Sure."

Gibbs cupped her cheek and smiled at her. He was glad to see her so affectionate towards him. He hated being the bad guy. "You and me okay?"

She considered him a minute then her face flushed, her gaze falling to the ground. "Oh, you mean…yeah, yeah Agent Gibbs, we're good."

He lifted her chin and winked at her. "You know you can talk to me about anything…even if you're angry with me, right?"

She nodded and changed the subject by asking, "Who is picking me up tonight?"

Gibbs smiled. She didn't want to talk about it and that was fine by him. "I know you want me to say Riley but remember he's still grounded."

Her face fell in disappointment.

"I'll pick you up at 4:30 sharp, kiddo." He kissed her head again and let her go, watching as she disappeared back into the school building once more. He needed to make a point to talk to Riley before tonight. Makayla might be okay with what happened between them, but he felt sure Riley wasn't going to be so forgiving.

Gibbs patted Janessa's legs lightly. "Ready to go shopping, Ness?"

"Can we gets ice cream?"

XxXxNCISxXxx

"Kayley! Wait."

Makayla stopped and looked to see her sister rush up behind her, looking more than a little frazzled and not like herself at all.

"What's up, Missy? I'm late for class."

Melissa grabbed her upper arm tightly and yanked her into the alcove under the stairs where they wouldn't be seen by any passerby. Makayla frowned. The last thing she needed this morning was an altercation with her sister. She just wanted to complete her day without incident and go home. She'd had enough drama at Xavier. Makayla knew she'd been granted a lucky reprieve this morning, and she'd learned her lesson. Drama free for the win.

"You're hurting me," Makayla said, yanking her arm away.

Melissa dropped her backpack off her arm and onto the floor, glaring at her. "Why have you been ignoring all my texts?"

"I've been busy." And last night she hadn't been in a good frame of mind to talk to anyone.

"The entire school is freaking out about what happened between you and Jensen. You could have gotten him suspended."

Makayla felt her face flush. As much as she was angry at Josh and his friends for ambushing Riley, Jensen hadn't been part of that and she wished him no ill will. He was a nice guy and from what it looked like, he'd taken a lot of heat from his parents over what happened and he'd been cool about it, even apologizing for injuring her. None of that was supposed to happen. Makayla looked at her sister's fiery eyes and squirmed under the scrutiny.

"That was an accident…"

Her sister glared at her. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, Kayley. Did you know the whole school was placed on alert after your so-called boyfriend took you off-campus? He can't just barge in without checking in at the office. How stupid is he anyway?"

Makayla's mouth dropped open. "He's not my boyfriend, Missy and I thought my arm was broken. Have a friggen heart already. It's not like we exactly planned to cause trouble. Besides, Riley told Jensen to report what happened, and Jensen did." She knew this from their meeting with the headmaster that morning.

Melissa waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. None of that matters now. I need to talk to you about something else, and it can't wait any longer."

Makayla sighed and shook her head. "No, Melissa, I'm already late for class. Just leave me alone." With those words, Makayla adjusted her backpack and turned to walk away.

Melissa's face darkened and she grabbed Makayla by her arm, spinning her around. "Makayla, I've had enough of your shit and if mom was here, you wouldn't be acting like this."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, Mom isn't here, Melissa. She and dad are gallivanting across Europe, as usual, saving the world, and they don't give a shit about either one of us. We're less than two weeks away from Christmas and neither one of us have heard from them…"

"I talked to mom last night." Melissa deadpanned.

Makayla's heart sunk. "What?" She'd texted both her parents hundreds of times and never got as much as a hello in return. Typical. Melissa was her mother's favourite. Tears pricked at her eyes. Makayla thought she'd have at least gotten a response from her dad. But she hadn't. That fact hurt. A lot.

Melissa tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear. "She and dad needed to go underground in some kind of witness protection program…"

Makayla's heart began to race in her chest. "Why? What happened? Are they okay?"

"I don't know exactly and she wouldn't say. All I know is they can't be in contact with either of us for a while, and she said it was for our safety."

"Aunt Jenny is in Israel. Does mom know that?"

"No, and I didn't say anything. None of that matters. The point is we can't reach out to them until they contact us. This is important, Kayla. Do you understand? It could mean their lives. Whatever is going on…" Melissa's eyes brimmed with tears. "Whoever is after them doesn't know about us and we need to keep it that way just like before."

Makayla felt tears burning in the back of her eyes. Memories of years ago came flooding to her memory, way back when something similar happened, back when they'd attended school in Europe. Melissa and she had been alone for more than 18 months with no contact from their parents. Makayla had been much younger then and more unfazed by it all but she'd also been surrounded by a plethora of friends in those days. Now, she didn't have as many friends and she felt more or less alone. A paralyzing wave of abandonment washed over her making her shiver.

"I want to call daddy…"

"You can't. I mean it, Makayla. This is just like before. Look, I know you were young and probably don't remember much but we cannot call them. It's Operation Lockdown. We mind our business and stay out of trouble. Understand?" Melissa's green eyes bore into hers. "It's vital that we don't do anything that's going to prompt the headmaster to contact mom and dad."

Makayla's red-rimmed eyes flew to Melissa. "Is someone gonna let Agent Gibbs know what's going on?"

Melissa shook her head. "Mom said it's need to know. Her security clearance is way above Agent Gibbs or even Aunt Jenny's. You know that as well as I do. This is government business, not NCIS." Makayla's mouth went dry, panic wrapping itself around her heart. This couldn't be happening. Not again. "That means you have to stop getting into trouble and toe the line. Whatever happens, you suck it up and keep your mouth shut. You hear me?"

Tears ran down Makayla's cheeks but she nodded. Her heart thumped hard against her ribcage making her feel like bolting. She started to breathe faster and her eyesight went dim. If she drew attention to herself in any way, her parents could be killed and it would be her fault. She couldn't catch her breath. She felt like she was on the verge of blackening out. All the information was too much and she was on overload. She felt her sister shake her but to no avail. This was going to be her breaking point. Tears blurred Makayla's vision as she spun on her heel, bolting out the nearest side door, and leaving her backpack behind on the floor where she'd left it.

Once the cold air hit her face, Makayla's head began to clear a little and she could hear her sister's voice calling to her from behind. Running, she took off towards the parking lot not noticing that Gibbs was still parked, talking on the phone. Makayla searched the lot for Melissa's car. She knew her sister didn't lock her car and stored the keys in the glove compartment, protected by a key code password. Their father had gifted the car to Melissa on her 16th birthday and her father had encrypted the glovebox lock to be Melissa's birthdate. She probably wasn't supposed to know that but she was a good eavesdropper. Spotting the 2005 Burgundy Honda Accord, Makayla ran towards it, flinging open the driver's side door. Melissa caught up to her, still calling after her but Makayla ignored her and threw herself across the seat reaching for the glovebox. Melissa tossed herself on top of Makayla.

"What are you doing?" Melissa shouted at her, pulling her hand away from the lock.

"Get off of me, Melissa." Makayla's voice sounded manic.

"You can't take my car, Makayla. You can't even drive yet!"

"Hey, what's going on?"

Both girls froze to see Gibbs peering into the car and looming over top of them. Makayla's face reddened when she realised her sister was lying on top of her in an attempt to wrestle her hands away from the glove compartment. She looked over her shoulder to see Gibbs' concerned face staring down at her. Gibbs reached in the car and helped Melissa to her feet as Makayla flipped over and sat up.

"It's nothing," Melissa said only to be cut off by Gibbs' stern and clipped voice.

"Don't lie to me, Melissa. Something is obviously wrong for you two girls to be fighting with each other."

Melissa's face paled at Gibbs no-nonsense tone.

"It's my fault, Agent Gibbs," Makayla choked out, trying to slow her racing heart and ground herself. She was losing her grip, and for her parent's sake, she needed to pull herself together. She swallowed a few times and felt herself being hauled to her feet by Gibbs' strong arm. Her green eyes met Gibb's steely blue ones and she knew she needed to find an explanation quickly. He looked pissed and that wasn't a good sign, considering all the crap she'd been in as of late.

"I just received an interesting phone call regarding your parents…"

"Wait. What? What did they say?" asked Makayla, not being able to help herself.

Gibbs held tight to Makayla's forearm to steady her and looked at Melissa and then back at Makayla. "I think you both already know more than me."

Melissa's eyes widened and she took a step back from Gibbs. "I need to get back to class…"

Gibbs clasped a firm hand on her forearm. "Not so fast. The three of us need to talk for a minute."

Melissa pulled away further, freeing her arm from Gibbs's tight grasp. "I'm not accountable to you. I don't need to tell you anything."

Gibbs dropped his hands to his side, giving each girl an imploring look. "I'm not asking you to tell me anything you don't want, but I need you to listen to me for a minute. You especially, Melissa."

Melissa's eyes rounded like saucers.

"Your Aunt Jenn is still in Israel, and from the intel I've received, she isn't going to be back to the U.S. until the New Year. She said she was in touch with you, Melissa and she told you to come and stay with me for the holidays…"

"I already told her I'm staying on campus for the holidays. I want to spend some time with Josh and his family." Melissa said trying to sound in control but her voice was wavering.

Gibbs held up a hand to forestall her. "Listen to me for a minute."

Melissa bit her lip but her body language told Makayla she was not going to back down on her decision. Her mind was made up. There was no way she wanted to stay with Gibbs and Makayla had to admit, she didn't want Melissa staying with them either. Melissa didn't belong in her world at Gibbs. Gibbs' house was her sanctuary away from Xavier and away from her sister.

"Look, I had no problem with you remaining on campus and I told your Aunt Jenn that but this news about your parents is leaving me feeling unsettled. I don't like that you're going to be on your own for three weeks with very little supervision."

"I'm almost 17 years old. I don't need a babysitter, Agent Gibbs, and quite frankly, you have no authority over what I do," Melissa blurted out in indignation.

Gibbs continued, frowning at her but ignoring her outburst. "I was under the impression that your parents would be checking in on you over the holidays but now that seems impossible given this new information. I find it highly inappropriate for a girl of your age to have no one watching over you, especially considering this is such a long break."

"I will be spending plenty of time with the Marshall family," Melissa insisted, her face becoming a mask of impatience and annoyance. "I will in no way be alone, besides I'm old enough to take care of myself. I have been doing it for years while my parents were overseas, way before Aunt Jenny had any say in the matter."

Gibbs ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Be that as it may, your aunt does have some say in that matter now and this turn of events leaves me with little choice, Miss Wallace."

Makayla's eyes widened at Gibbs' choice of using her sister's surname. Melissa's flippant attitude was wearing Gibbs' patience thin. Makayla recognized the telltale signs in Gibbs. Melissa was treading a fine line.

"Little choice of what, Agent Gibbs?" Melissa's face darkened considerably as she stepped towards her car and sat in the driver's seat. She glared up at Gibbs, daring him to stop her.

"At the end of this week, I will pick you up with Mackie and you can spend the holidays with us. This was what your Aunt Jenny wanted in the first place, and she will be happy to know I changed my mind."

"What?" The sisters all but shouted in unison.

Gibbs took a step away from Melissa's car, giving the girl space and time to digest his words. "Just until the new semester begins; by then Jenn should have returned to the US and she will resume guardianship over you." Gibbs looked at Melissa imploringly. "I can't just leave you alone, Missy. While your mother might hate my guts, your father is a friend of mine and my gut is telling me something isn't right. Mike would want me to take care of his girls in his absence."

Melissa shook her head. "No, just no. Forget it. We're not in any danger, Agent Gibbs."

"I don't know that and neither do you and all of this secrecy surrounding your parents' absence is setting off every red flag in me. This isn't up for discussion, in case you thought it was. My mind is made up."

Melissa reached out and grabbed her door, slamming it.

Gibbs leaned towards the car. "Melissa, wait."

The only answer he received was Melissa starting her car, putting it in gear and burning rubber as she sped away.

Gibbs puffed out his cheeks and looked at Makayla's pale face. "Is she usually like this?"

Makayla shrugged. "Worse."

"That's just great." Just what he needed, another hotheaded adolescent on his hands.