A/N: Finally, an update! Was anyone else having problems uploading? I had this done for a while and wouldn't let me log in. Grrrrrr. In any event, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 23 - A Small Miracle

Morning came all too quickly for the three people sprawled across the living room carpet. Gibbs, of course, was the first one to wake. He noticed that the winter sun was already shining through his front window; the rays painting the room and splashing across the walls. Gibbs knew Kate needed to get to work and tried to gently extricate himself from both her and Trisha.

He didn't get very far. Twice he tried to gently slide Trisha off of the left side of his chest and twice Trisha moaned and quickly snuggled back into him. On the third attempt the little girl cried out in her sleep, causing Gibbs to wince and instantaneously pull Trisha's body tightly against his to offer her comfort. She quieted and moved her arm over his middle.

So instead Gibbs moved on to Kate. Her head was resting in the crook between his neck and left shoulder. "Katie," he whispered, but received no reply. Gibbs nudged the top of Kate's head with his chin. "Katie," he called again, "time to get up, baby."

Kate woke, everything a little fuzzy until her eyes adjusted to the light. "Mmmm," she moaned, "just a couple more minutes." She rubbed her face against the fabric of Gibbs' shirt and sighed, closing her eyes again.

Gibbs ran a hand up and down Kate's back. He looked at the time on the TV and frowned. "Kate," he said quietly so as to not wake up Trisha, "unless you plan on having DiNozzo and Abby hound you all day about why you were late to work… after leaving the bar with me last night…"

That was enough. She let out another sigh and slowly got up. "I'll be in the bathroom," Kate announced as she ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Hey," Gibbs said, "want me to make up something for breakfast?"

Kate smiled at him and shook her head no. "I'll grab something on the way to the office. Trisha's too… well, just look at her. Don't wake her up."

Gibbs watched Kate walk out of the living room, then reached for the remote and turned on the local news station. He put the subtitles on the TV so he could read what was going on. Soon Gibbs felt Trisha stir against him. He looked down to see her eyes open and close a few times. "You don't have to get up yet, kid. Go back to sleep for a while."

Trisha grunted and sat up in response. "Can we move to the couch? My back hurts."

He chuckled lightly. "You think your back hurts? How do you think mine feels, huh?" Gibbs sat up slowly and moved to the sofa. "Come on," he said to Trisha, his arms outstretched towards her.

She went to Gibbs, who pulled her on top of his body. Trisha settled on his chest and got more comfortable. Gibbs nuzzled the top of her head, his morning stubble catching on her blonde hair. He rubbed her back, making lazy circles and random patterns.

"Are we still gonna go visit my mom and dad, Gibbs?" Trisha asked, sleepiness lingering in her voice.

"If you still want to, then yes," he answered.

"I still want to," she stated before she drifted back to sleep.

Later on, after Kate had gone to work and Gibbs and Trisha were in the car heading to the cemetery, Gibbs got a call on his cell phone. He listened briefly before he disconnected and glanced at the little girl seated next to him. Trisha was staring out the front windshield, watching the rain that was falling and beading off the glass.

Gibbs reached over and took her small hand in his. "You still want to do this, Trish?" he asked softly.

Trisha squeezed his hand. "Honestly... no, I don't want to. But I need to do this, Gibbs. I need to say goodbye."

He nodded solemnly and turned his attention back on the road. Once inside the cemetery gates, Gibbs parked the car behind another and climbed outside into the bleak, rainy weather.

She took a deep breath and climbed out, walking in front of the car after Gibbs. Only then did she realize that the car they had parked behind held Kate, Tony, Ducky, Abby, and McGee. Trisha shot Gibbs a questioning look.

He shrugged in response. "They all wanted to be here for you, kid."

"Yea," Tony said gently as he got out of the other car's passenger side. He walked to Trisha and put a hand on her shoulder. "We want to meet your folks." He let go of her and went to stand with the team.

Trisha looked at the people assembled before her. 'My family,' she thought to herself. Gibbs and Kate were holding hands, both of them looking at the tombstones surrounding them. McGee had an arm around Abby, who was holding a small black umbrella above them both. Tony and Ducky stood next to each other. When Trisha's eyes met Ducky's, he nodded at her, as if reading her mind and telling her to go. She nodded once and looked back to Gibbs, staring into his eyes briefly before turning and bolting into the rows of tombstones.

"Wait, I thought she didn't know where her mom and dad are buried?" McGee asked, a little confused.

"She doesn't," Tony replied.

McGee was silent for a moment. "Well then how---"

Ducky cut him off in mid-question. "It's just one of those things, Timothy. She'll find them. Her heart knows where to go."

Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Come on, she needs us," he said as he headed off in the direction Trisha had ran.

When the group finally approached the grave, they found Trisha kneeling on the wet grass, leaning against the top of the rain splattered tombstone. Her face was buried in her arms.

Even from a distance, Gibbs could see her little body shaking as she wept. He fought back his own tears as he slipped his hand from Kate's. He silently walked to the grave and knelt down next to Trisha.

Sensing a presence next to her, Trisha briefly picked her head up to find Gibbs kneeling next to her, his eyes filled with sadness. She bowed her head and began to cry harder. "I miss them so much, Gibbs," she said between sobs.

Gibbs reached out and took her into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and grasped the back of his jacket in her small hands. "I know you do, baby. I know," he said. Gibbs moved his head and whispered into her ear so that only she could hear him. "I know it hurts, Trisha. But don't be sad. Your parents don't want you to cry for them anymore. They want you to be happy…" His voice trailed off as he tried to choke back the lump forming in his own throat.

Trisha's sobs subsided and she became silent, except for the occasional sniffle. "I still miss them," she said.

He nodded and pulled back a small distance. "Whenever you get to missing them too much, you remember this: Your parents will always be with you, no matter where you go or what you do. They'll always be up there, watching over you," Gibbs said as he pointed upwards to the sky. "And what's more important, is that they'll always be with you in here," he added, tapping the area over Trisha's heart with his index finger.

Her gaze fell to Gibbs' finger and then the grass. When she picked her head back up and looked into Gibbs' blue eyes, a small smile had returned to her face. "I love you, Gibbs," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Gibbs placed a kiss on her forehead and returned her hug, holding her tightly in his arms. "I love you too, Trisha," he whispered.

Suddenly, Abby yelled from the tree she and the others were standing under. "Oh, wow! Hey you guys, look!"

Trisha and Gibbs looked at Abby before their gaze turned to the area she was pointing to. The sight caused smiles to grace both their faces.

There in the sky, crossing the cemetery from one end to the other, was a beautiful rainbow.