Back for another chapter! Right now my area is facing a snow storm - hurray! It's a little out of season, but lovely all the same (despite being dangerous since the ground has thawed and the potholes are horrible!).

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers. Happy women-make-a-difference day to any women who aren't! You are still making a difference, even if you don't have kids! :D

Just an update on the Quarantine Writing Challenge - there are 12 writers and 15 stories! We are in the voting period right now and it will last until May 11th. All of the stories involved are listed in the profile and in the favourite stories on that account, and the poll is open on the profile for voters! It would be awesome if you could spare some time to read the entries, encourage the writers, and vote for your favourites in the comedy and heroic actions categories! There are some NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Doctor Who stories, among others! I am hoping to finish reading through them all today. :) I wish that I could vote, but that would not be ethical, so I need others to be doing it. ;)

For those who are interested, I also have a poll on my profile for this account. It is asking for opinions on spanking being involved in my stories. I know some people love it and some people hate it, but I am trying to understand it a little better. The votes are completely anonymous and would be really interesting for me, so please check that out if you would like your voice to be heard!

Thanks to all the reviewers on the last chapter! You are ... Troubled-Angel-26, Queenofwheels, Loads of Randomness, Sarai, DS2010, A, S, Dawn248, and JessicaRae95. I appreciate it! And thanks to fiftyshadeswritergal whose encouragement helped me keep going this week! :D

Now that all those messages have been completed, please enjoy!

...

"Help!"

Ziva ran to the door in response to the cry and opened it.

"Hi, Abby!"

"Hi, Ziva," came a muffled reply from behind the cupcake boxes in Abby's arms. All that could be seen of her head was the two high ponytails.

Ziva quickly took one of the boxes from Abby.

"Thank you!" Abby gasped in relief.

"I am happy that you are here!" Ziva said jubilantly.

"You're not grounded anymore?" Abby asked curiously.

"I got not-grounded yesterday!" Ziva replied triumphantly. "I have been outside all day today and tonight I am going to Jenny's house."

"Tonight?" Abby asked, thinly veiled disappointment in her voice.

"Jenny has meetings until 6:00, and then she is coming by and I am going to her house for the night. It will be so much fun!"

"And you and I are going to work on that bed for you," Gibbs said as he entered the room. He gave Abby a kiss on the top of her head as he took the remaining cupcake box from her. "Hi, Abs. Good day at work?"

"Yes. And I'm so excited to do the wood working! But, Ziva, I thought that you were going to be around too."

Ziva nodded. She was rather conflicted too, not having been given much choice in the matter. But lately? Everything had been out of her control. At least this was one activity that she would enjoy. She loved Jenny and spending time with her without Gibbs would be fun. It would be like back in the old days when they worked together and everything was normal and good and Ziva could quash every confusing emotion that she ever encountered.

She wished to sharpen that skill back to its former prowess but all of her recent attempts had been unsuccessful.

"I will be here until Jenny comes," she offered Abby. Her eyes sparkled with suppressed mischief as she added, "That is lots of time to eat cupcakes!"

Abby grinned and flipped open the box lids.

"Take your pick! A dozen of the most scrumptious cupcake recipes in all of Washington, D.C. are there in front of you! Enjoy!"

Ziva carefully looked over the decadent treats before selecting one with thick chocolate icing decorated in miniature chocolate chips.

"Thank you, Abby," she said gratefully before taking a nibble. "Oh, this is AMAZING!"

"I know, right?!" Abby cheered before turning to Gibbs. "I got a special bourbon-flavoured one for you, Gibbs! Here it is. Try it!"

Gibbs took the treat from Abby and took a bite of the confection before nodding his agreement. "Tastes good, Abs."

Abby beamed, glad that her gift was being appreciated so fully, then dove for a birthday-themed cupcake with piles of confetti sprinkles.

"Heavenly!" she stated, going in for a second bite. Once she swallowed, she took a moment to ask, "So, until Ziva goes, maybe we could play a game or something? We'd still have lots of time to work on the bed but that way she wouldn't be left out."

"I would not feel left out," Ziva protested. "Go ahead and work on your bed. It is fine with me."

Abby was hearing none of it and Gibbs agreed with a nod. "So, which game do you guys want to play?" Abby pressed.

Ziva, quietly pleased that she was not being pushed to the side in favour of a wood project, noted, "Maybe we should check which games Gibbs actually owns."

"Good point," Abby acknowledged, rushing to a closet. "McGee and I put some here a few months ago when we were here groun ... visiting."

Ziva immediately understood type of "visit" that Abby was referring to but she was in no mood to tease. Her own memories were far too recent and tender to engage in a discussion about that. Instead she quickly went to the closet and began rooting through the boxes. Abby joined her and after a few minutes emerged with a new card game that none of them had ever played before, supposedly dropped off by either Tony or Tim.

"I'll read the rules aloud," Abby said. "Ziva, you deal."

"Nothing for me to do?" Gibbs teased.

"Nope! You're too slow and this is a fast game!" Abby teased. Gibbs shook his head, amused, but left the two girls to their tasks.

Although the first two rounds were slow as they learned to play, they quickly got better - well, at least the girls - and the began enjoying the competition. Abby and Ziva were tied, leaving Gibbs far in the dust, by the time Jenny arrived.

"Having fun?" she asked, laughing a little at the confused expression on Gibbs' face as he tried to understand one of the more complicated rules that kept causing him to lose points.

"Hi, Jenny!" Ziva said, excited about their evening plans.

"Hi," Abby mumbled, distracted by her hand of cards, trying to decide on her best course of action.

"Hello," Jenny responded with a smile. "After this round is finished, are you ready to go, Ziva?"

Ziva nodded while simultaneously slapping down a card that cancelled out Abby's last action, causing the scientist's face to crinkle in thought as she tried to find a card to reduce the damage.

"I packed an overnight bag earlier," Ziva told Jenny. "And I am playing so well that I will be winning in just a few turns!"

"Ah ha! No, you won't!" Abby cheered triumphantly, laying down a winning card. Ziva frowned a little, then shrugged good-naturedly.

"You may have won this round, but next time I will beat you!"

Abby laughed and scooped the cards together to return to the box. "You just keep telling yourself that! While you and Jenny are away, maybe Gibbs and I'll keep practicing!"

"I thought we're going to work on that bed of yours," Gibbs said with a tone that revealed how much he had disliked the confusion of the game.

"Of course. I'm just teasing Ziva," Abby replied, hopping up from the table. "Let's order takeout and start!"

Ziva smiled and grabbed her bag and jacket from next to the door. "I will see you later, Gibbs. Thank you for bringing cupcakes, Abby! They were really good."

"Anytime!" Abby hollered from the kitchen where she was sorting through the takeout pamphlets that Gibbs had acquired.

Gibbs came over to see them off and when Ziva showed no resistance, he gave her a small hug.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said.

Ziva smiled charmingly at both him and Jenny. "Maybe I could just go in to work tomorrow instead of coming back here."

"Not happening," Jenny and Gibbs chorused together.

Ziva's smile fell a little, but as it had been the answer that she had expected (even if she had not wanted it) she was not too surprised or disappointed.

"See you tomorrow then," she repeated, then grinned at Jenny. "Where are we going first?"

"How about Pierre's?" Jenny suggested, mentioning Ziva's favourite French restaurant.

"Oh, I love the food there!"

Jenny and Ziva chatted about their evening plans as they headed to the car and Gibbs waved to them from the window before turning back to his own evening guest who was wielding the pamphlets and phone like a fast food champion.

Although that was one area where he could beat her!

He cleared his throat to get her attention. When she raised an eyebrow in question, he started talking. "There's a deal there this week. And make sure you order extra sauce and..."

...

Gibbs always enjoyed spending time with Abby - at least when her caffeine levels were at appropriate positions - and he thoroughly enjoyed her delight with the whole process of making her bed. Between the greasy take out and stories of what had happened at work over the last week in his absence, things felt back to normal. There was nothing that would convince him to stop caring for the little assassin now, but he missed spending time with his other team members too. It was easy to tell that Abby needed some attention as well and she laughed and smiled the entire evening, except for the one moment when she leaned her head against his shoulder before leaving and whispered, "Ziva's going to be okay, right?"

"Of course," he assured her.

"Promise?"

"As much as I can promise about someone else, I promise," he told her.

Abby pulled back and looked at him seriously. "She's very important to us, you know."

"I know."

Then Abby impulsively hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered so quietly that he could barely hear her.

"I'd do it for any of you."

This time it was Abby's turn to say "I know."

Gibbs smiled, then turned the subject to less emotional matters. "We got a lot of progress done on your bed. I'd say in maybe three of four more evenings, we'd have it ready."

"And then I can paint it?!"

"Yes, you can paint it if it means that much to you."

Abby grinned, then looked at her watch. "Well, it's 11:30 and even though it's a weekend I should head home. Thanks for the great evening, Gibbs!"

"That was all you, Abs."

Abby beamed, gave him one last hug, then headed out the door.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can all do something fun together, like a picnic," she called back.

"Sounds good. Love ya, Abs."

"Love you too, Gibbs!"

...

Gibbs was cleaning up in the basement - Abby's enthusiasm in wood working had not exactly followed his regular, meticulous patterns. Just then he heard the door slam and a creak in the floorboards that indicated that someone had entered the house.

"What'd you forget, Abs?" he hollered upstairs, amused. It was fairly regular for Abby to forget something and come bursting back to locate and retrieve it before heading home.

Except this time there was no answer, except for the repeated squeaks of several floorboards.

Someone was pacing.

Gibbs shook his head, then hurried up the stairs.

Just as he had suspected - there was a figure in black, holding a knife and muttering angrily under their breath.

Although that kind of behaviour with anyone else would have him drawing his gun, this time he relaxed although his mind was flooded with questions.

His daughter was back home.

"Hey, Ziver."

...

Please remember to check out the poll on my profile page as well as the Quarantine Writing Challenge. We really need more voters for that so if you could stop by that would be lovely!