Haunted

Kate and Tony's genius son and daughter, Stefan and Fiorella, create a time machine. But something goes horribly wrong and they end up in 2006, in a world where Kate died.

Chapter One: Transition

"Aun' Abby, Aun' Abby!" Maria ran up to Abby and embraced her enthusiastically. More enthusiastically than she'd embraced either of their parents lately, Fiorella and Stefan noticed. The fighting wasn't just effecting them.

"Hey Maria Gabriella my baby angel, how are you today?" Abby grinned.

"Molto bene." She scrambled onto Abby's lap, peering at the screen. "Cosa fai oggi?"

Fiorella, Stefan and Maria had stayed with their paternal grandparents for a year when Maria was learning to speak, because their parents were abroad on a mission. Nonna and Nonno would only speak Italian around them, claiming that the children would lose track of their culture otherwise. Maria, although she understood and could speak English, usually preferred to speak in Italian when she knew she'd be understood.

"Working, chicken." Maria rolled her eyes and babbled something off in rapid Italian that Abby obviously didn't understand.

Fiorella and Stefan intervened before Abby could ask. "Aunt Abby, can we talk to you please?"

"Sure, sweets. What do you want to talk about?"

"The Project," Fiorella said significantly. "Do you think it will work?"

"Sure, sweets. You and Stefan did the plans. Why wouldn't it work?"

Fiorella shrugged. "Me and Stefan – we want to use it today. Can we, Aunt Abby? Please?"

Abby grinned, rolling back in her chair and spreading her arms in a 'go-for-it' kind of gesture. "It's your machine, isn't it, sweets?"

Stefan smiled. "Yep. Will you look after Maria for us? Please?"

"Yep. I've just got one concern though, Kiddo."

"What's that?"

Abby grinned and smiled as if she knew the exact answer to the question. "You won't be irresponsible and go too far back – I don't want you going anywhere that there's no time machine to bring you back in. I mean, it would be cool to go back and meet everyone before you existed, bu-" she cut herself off mid sentence. "Just don't do anything stupid, sweets."

Stefan and Fiorella shot sideways glances at each other that Abby missed, before they both nodded. "Course not, Aunt Abby, what do you take us for?"

Stefan let out a nervous laugh. "Thanks, Aunt Abby."

"No problemo, Kiddo. I know I can count on you guys to do the right thing."

Stefan and Fiorella grinned, retrieving a small metallic disc. Stefan fiddled with it for a few seconds, and a time and date came flashing up on the disc: 1200 hours: Tuesday 11th of April, 2006. He showed it to Fiorella. It was fourteen years ago, give or take a few hours.

"We'll be back in about ten minutes, Aunt Abby, but don't worry if we're a few hours off, that could just be the fault of the machine." Fiorella advised.

Maria suddenly ran up beside them and tried to tug the object out of Stefan's hand. Stefan and Fiorella tugged it back, but in the process, someone clicked the 'GO' button. There was a horrible whirring sound as colours flashed by and their heads pounded and they couldn't move. Then there was a suction like feeling and it stopped. "My head hurts." Maria was jolted into English by the shock of the sudden and unexpected sensation.

"Si," Fiorella murmured absently. "Sento stanca." Stefan nodded his agreement.

"We'll have a short sleep before we look around, okay 'ella?"

"Yeah. Gabby, do you think you can stay put while Stefan and I have a quick snooze?"

Maria looked at them defiantly. "Only Papa can call me Gabby!"

Fiorella rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Maria. Can you?"

"Si."

Fiorella smile. That was one less problem to deal with. "Ella? Maria piped up just as the thought had crossed her mind. "Volo dormire."

Fiorella groaned. She looked around, before sliding down on the ground and hugging Maria to her. Stefan slid down and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then they slept.

Abigail Scuito wasn't stupid. She knew that she had no nieces or nephews, and she most certainly knew, therefore, that these were not any nieces or nephews of hers. Which begs the question: why exactly were they in her lab, and why had the little one, upon opening her eyes and seeing her, exclaimed 'Aun'Abby!', followed by something in another language that Abby most certainly did not speak, i.e., Italian.

The older girl slapped a hand over top of the little one's mouth. "Sta'zitta, Gabby."

"I told you Ella! Only Papa can call me Gabby!" the little girl stood up and placed her hands on her hips defiantly, glaring down at her. "An' don't swear!"

The older girl sat up. "Maria, per favore! What are you even doing here! Stefan, why is she here and where are we?"

"Don't you remember, Fiorella? Duemillesei?"

"Oh…oh!" Fiorella looked around, and saw Abby regarding them in confusion and curiosity.

"Ciao," she said meekly.

Abby raised an eyebrow. "This is some dream."

"Non sogna, Aun' Abby." Maria smiled at her.

"Maria! Sta'zitta! Sorry, Abby. Um... er..."

"Who are you?" Abby interrupted.

Stefan suddenly had a thought. He reached into his pocket for the time travelling device. "Ella, do you have the machine?"

"No… didn't you?"

Stefan shook his head. "Maria?"

Maria tilted her head to the side. "Qual é la macchina, Stefan?"

"Shit. Ella, are you sure you don't have the..."

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE!" Abby shouted grumpily. She hadn't had her caff-pow yet. The three children jumped and looked at their shoes.

"Spiacente, Aunt Abby," they droned. Stefan and Fiorella looked at each other in horror. Abby placed her face in her hands, far from her normal persona. "I need caff-pow," she moaned.

"Fiorella, right?" Abby pointed at Fiorella. She nodded. "Okay. You and you be quiet. Fiorella: explain or I'll get Gibbs in here."

Fiorella frowned. What was Uncle Jethro going to do to them? But she began to explain anyway. "Stefan and I created a Time Machine. You warned us not to go so far back in time that there wouldn't be a Time Machine where we went, Aunt Abby, but we didn't listen because we were really worried about Mom and Papa…" Fiorella kept talking but Abby just stared at her. Her stomach lurched painfully.

"Oh my God. Kate?" she asked, almost reverently. Fiorella clearly resembled her... how else would anyone look so much like Kate and know Abby as 'Aunt Abby'?

Fiorella stopped. "Are Mom and Papa already dating then?" she asked, surprised. "Funny… I was sure that Stefan set it right? I thought we were only a few hours off?"

Abby shook her head and placed a hand over her mouth, backing away slowly. "Aunt Abby?" Stefan asked, looking at her in concern. "Are you alright?"

Abby gulped. "I am so sorry… only; I don't think your Time Machine thing worked properly."

"Whatever do you mean?" Fiorella asked.

Abby bit her lip, wondering whether to tell them or not. "Kate's dead." She admitted finally.

Maria looked thoroughly distress, and began to wail. "Dove é Mommy! Volo Mommy!"

Stefan saw the tears gathering in Fiorella's eyes. "Maria Gabriella DiNozzo! Just… shut up! Sta'zitta! Don't do this now! Not now!" he shouted, his voice choked with tears.

Surprisingly, it worked. Maria closed her mouth without so much as a protest. Stefan nodded. "Grazie," he turned to his twin. "Ella? Are you okay?"

"What do you think, DiNozzo?" Abby would have laughed if Kate had still been alive. There was no doubt that this was Kate's daughter, but Kate was dead, and the scene only brought tears to her eyes. "Oh, Stefan! What will we do! We have no machine, and it will take years to rebuild, and Mom's dead and I want to go home!" Tears streamed down Fiorella's face rapidly, and Stefan pulled her into a hug.

Maria still didn't seem to understand the situation, and tugged on Abby's skirt. "Aun' Abby? Why can't you speak proper any more? Why aren't I your chicken?" She blinked innocently, tears welling in her eyes. Her voice was softer. "Your Baby Angel?"

Abby's only answer was a heartfelt sob of pity.

Authors Note: I know Abby wasn't very in character, characterization is not a specialty of mine. If anyone has any tips on how to improve my characterization (on any characters, since none are perfect) I will be very grateful. As for my Italian, I know it's not very good and is probably riddled with errors. Feel free to point them out if you can. Thanks for reading and please review.