Author's Note: Okay, I've done it again. I thought Passing the Torch was a oneshot. I was wrong. It's now turned into a total of 7 chapters... don't blame me. Blame Gertrude Louise Genevieve, LOL! For reference, Jimmy mentioned having a niece in "Hometown Hero," but nothing else was ever mentioned about her. I've given her the name of "Alyssa" or "Lyssie" for short, and referenced her in this story.


Chapter 2 – The Ghost of a Normal Day

The day had started out normally enough.

Ducky and Jimmy were wrapping up an autopsy, Ducky standing back and letting Jimmy take the lead for the first time. The young man had to learn sometime, Ducky thought. Anyway, if Mr. Palmer weren't capable and qualified, he'd have fired him a long time ago. He just needed guidance for a while yet, was all. Ducky smiled to himself as he observed his young assistant. Still a bit rough around the edges, but he'd do just fine with time and experience.

Abby was running the first of many tests in her lab, her music blaring and her pigtails swinging in unison with the wild beat emanating from her boom box. She pumped her arms and did a happy dance as one of her "babies" spat out desired results, confirming what she already suspected about the evidence she'd been given to process. She moved to an open area and executed a gleeful cartwheel.

In the squad room, Tony was running a search for an elusive suspect, based on credit card usage, and grinning smugly to himself as he found the information he needed in a fairly quick fashion. He wondered if Probie's search was going so smoothly.

Tim was hacking into a suspect's computer, and rolling his eyes at how easy it was. Clearly, "firewall" was not in the guy's vocabulary. Well, it served him right for being so careless.

Ziva was glaring at Gibbs, waiting to be given a job to do. She'd already given their suspect a name, and provided the names of several witnesses, but after that, she didn't know what else needed to be done. Tony and Tim seemed to be covering the other boulevards… or, was that… avenues? She wasn't sure, but she didn't care at that point. Ziva David was bored silly.

And Gibbs… Gibbs was sipping on coffee, at his desk, quietly absorbing the information his team had collectively accumulated thus far, and presented to him in a neat, legal-sized folder.

Gibbs, upon review of the information they'd collected, decided that the entire team needed a little field trip down into autopsy.

Ziva arose eagerly, glad to have a break in the quiet monotony.

And thus began a most interesting afternoon, down in the room of the dead, where, as they were soon to discover, there dwelled not just one, but two generations of avid storytellers...