And now ... the story continues (by popular demand! Thanks for the reviews to the following - AnnieQuill, Loads of Randomness, DS2010, didodado, Guest, S, SM, HappyGuest, Fan, Fashionista-girl, ThisBadge, Suzy Q1068, Hetwaszoietsals, Tivagoals, AshLeshawn. Also, thanks to KrisShannon and fiftyshadeswritergal for their encouragement!) I know that I am posting earlier than I had at first suggested, but ... surprise! I love writing this, so I am starting it early, even though I still have one more chapter left in my current Bull story - "The Finding of Cable". (I love the chapters I have pre-written so much that I don't want to wait any longer. If you would like to wait until the new year though...)

This story - which will likely be one in what I hope will be a series of Mini Ziva stories - is going to cover Ziva and Jenny settling into NCIS. Basically, will Gibbs and Jenny work it out so that they can be a family? We'll just have to see...!

...

"Gibbs! Where is she?!"

Gibbs was slightly startled at the abrupt greeting. Abby was blocking his exit from the elevator, backed up by DiNozzo, McGee, and Kate, all of whom were looking just as curious.

And now it starts.

"Who?" he demanded, gently pushing Abby back so that he could step out of the elevator before the doors closed again.

"The new director!"

"Yeah, Jen Shepard is the new director. You all know that," Gibbs grunted. "The whole agency knows by this point."

"She's your former partner, right, Boss?" DiNozzo asked.

"Yes," Gibbs answered, but he sensed another question.

"And she's a redhead, right?"

And there it is.

He could hear the little mumbles and snippets of suppressed laughter from McGee, Kate, and Abby.

And now it is time to cut that off before it spirals out of control, like anything involving these kids.

"You trying to say something, DiNozzo?"

"Uh, no, Boss..."

"Then close your mouth and get back to work."

But DiNozzo did not run back to his desk, and emboldened by his stance the rest of the troublemakers stayed as well.

"Now what?"

"We heard that you took her home last night," Abby blurted out, going where none of the others dared to go.

Great. And I doubt that they are the only ones who heard.

"She needed a drive. The limousine they used to bring her here was not kept around for her to get home," Gibbs answered gruffly.

"So you really did not want to spend time with our redheaded director, your former partner?" DiNozzo needled, ducking as Gibbs raised his hand to deliver a well-deserved head slap.

"Oh, be quiet, Tony!" Abby scolded. She turned to Gibbs eagerly. "What about the little girl?"

"Little girl?" Gibbs asked, playing dumb.

"Everyone knows that the director has a little girl with her! What's her name?" Abby asked eagerly.

"Ziva. She's two," Gibbs said, relenting a little. At Abby's happy squeal, he held up his finger. "But it is still very private that she is here. There is a risky situation that she has been extracted from. Jen's adopting her but the adoption is still very fragile. Don't go talking about it."

"To others," Abby said. She widened her eyes at Gibbs to resemble a kitten. "Because we have to talk about it, Gibbs! Is Ziva here today?"

"This is an office building, not a daycare!" he grunted, trying to thrown them off the track. But Abby was smart.

"But she was here yesterday! I heard that the Director was surprised was this new role, and so I'm guessing that she still hasn't found a daycare or babysitter that she trusts yet. I have a friend with a baby and she's on a wait list of about four daycares and none of them have spaces for another two weeks so one of the nuns I bowl with has been taking care of the baby who is named Charlotte because Delia and Sister Grace found out that they are second cousins three times removed and ..."

"Abby, focus on the Director's daughter," McGee prompted. Gibbs glared at him and the probie went silent.

"Yes, back to Ziva. So, will she be here today? I really want to meet her!" Abby begged.

"Downstairs with the Director. AND," he added, stopping the stampede-leading Abby in her tracks, "you will not bother them."

"Of course I won't! I just want to meet Ziva. Toddlers are adorable!"

"Not now," Gibbs warned. "Abs, this little girl has been traumatized. The only reason she even let me talk to her yesterday was because I promised her cookies. Before that, she just scowled at me. After she got the cookies, she went and hid behind a chair and kept scowling."

"Oh, I can do better than cookies!" Abby assured him, as if that would set him at ease. "I have Caf-Pow! and lollipops and chocolates and gummy bears and ..." She noticed Gibbs' disapproving glare. "...And an apple? Some raisins?"

"What kid likes raisins?" Tony griped.

"I did."

"More than candy?"

"My parents didn't let me have much candy," Abby admitted.

"That explains a lot! Is that why you eat so much now? Making up for lost time?"

"No. Yes. Maybe? I never thought of that before."

"Or maybe they saw how hyper it made you and were restricting your access for your own safety," McGee suggested.

"I like Tony's idea better," Abby grumbled.

The elevator "ding!"-ed behind them and Gibbs could not help the tiny, satisfied smile that spread across his lips as Jenny stepped out, the curly-haired tot safe in her arms.

Abby swung around and gasped happily as she saw the new director and the toddler. McGee, DiNozzo, and Kate were opening staring. Gibbs looked around before he started delivering head slaps. If he were to start, it would be hard to find an end. Every single agent in the room was looking at Jenny and Ziva.

But none of them know them as well as I do, he told himself confidently.

Even though he had only just reconnected with Jenny, the pain that he had felt when she left him was overruled by the love that he felt immediately revive at her reappearance. And Ziva? There was nothing in the world as adorable as her feisty frowns and cookie-crumb-covered little face the previous night.

"Is that her?" Abby stage-whispered.

"Yep."

"Oooh!" Abby squealed, hurrying over to the director. Gibbs saw Ziva's eyes grow wide and her arms sneak a little more securely around Jenny's neck.

"Abs..." he said, a cross between warning and pleading.

"You must be Ziva!" Abby was cooing over the little girl.

"And you must be Abigail Scuito," Jenny said, smiling at Abby. Gibbs had told her all about his team the previous evening, and she had known that the energetic scientist would be the easiest to identify based on his limited descriptions.

"Abby, not Abigail," was the distracted response as Abby pulled a lollipop out of her pocket and held it out to Ziva.

Ziva, unsure of who this stranger was, turned away and whimpered against Jenny's chest. Gibbs got up and walked over, thinking that he might need to intervene to separate the hyper scientist from the shy toddler and overwhelmed new director. DiNozzo, McGee, and Kate were all slowly moving into a cluster behind Abby, equally as curious but not as bold as their favourite little sister.

"Abs, the Director has work to do," Gibbs tried to remind her, but Abby was hearing none of it.

"But I wanted to meet ...!"

He interrupted. "And you did. Now how about you ..."

Abby, in turn, interrupted him. "Gibbs! It's not fair! You got to meet them last night. We had to wait a whole extra fourteen hours!"

Gibbs reached out his hand to physically pull Abby away, but Jenny stopped him with a look.

"It is lovely to meet you, Abby. I hope to tour around today, meeting different agents and employees. I am planning on coming by the lab right after lunch and I look forward to hearing all about your work then."

"Really? Will you bring her?" Abby asked, peeking around behind Jenny to make a silly face for Ziva's enjoyment. The chocolate eyes peering back at her were big and full of confusion.

"I will have to see. She will likely be asleep then in the office with my assistant making sure that she is okay until I return."

"Oh. Is she really tired? Most little kids are really hyper and so much fun."

Like you, Gibbs thought.

"Yes, and she is very shy right now, Abby. She has been through a lot of trauma in the last few months. She has every reason to be cautious and I am trying not to force her into too much at the moment. I'm hoping that she will nap a little this morning too."

"No nap!" a squeak of a voice piped in as Ziva swung her head around to look at Jenny. "No nap!"

All four members of Gibbs' team were delighted by the cute face. Kate and Abby cooed, and it was clear that even DiNozzo and McGee were enthralled by the tiny tot.

"Sounds like you, Abs," Gibbs noted, being swiftly rewarded by a scowl from his co-worker-turned-daughter. He chuckled, then motioned her to the elevator. "You need to run those tests on the evidence that came in last night. I'll be down soon to get the results."

"Bring a Caf-Pow!"

"If you give me results."

Appeased, Abby got into the elevator and cheerfully waved as she disappeared into the lower floors of the building. Gibbs turned back to his agents.

"You heard me. You all need to get back to work too!"

"Yes, Boss," DiNozzo replied promptly. With a quick jerk of his head, he lead Kate and McGee in the retreat to their desks.

"Shouldn't you be joining them, Jethro?" Jenny asked, her eyebrow raised with a smirk.

"Just let me know if you need anything."

She smiled. "Well, I might need some coffee in a few hours. With cream."

"Still two cream?"

"Yes."

"I'll bring one by at 10:30 when I get my refill, as long as we don't have a case."

Jenny smiled. "I will hope that you don't."

...

Please remember to review! Next chapter hint - we'll be seeing things from Ziva's perspective. :D :) ;D