Author's Note:

Hi Friends! Hope everyone is ready to have a great week! I've been fighting an allergy cold but hopefully the worst is over. As always, MaidenMoonshine proofed these words for me, and I am grateful for her expertise. If you haven't checked out her story Game Night yet, pop over and give it a go. It's about Jimmy and a super fun short story.

Hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Please read and review. And thanks again for going on this journey with me! : )

Chapter Three

Abby fought to wake up in the light gray pre-dawn of the morning. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself being curiously watched by two giant blue eyes just inches from her face. Abby blinked to get a clearer picture and in that second Tali went from staring to jumping on Abby in her bed with as much energy as Abby has after a few Caf-Pow!'s.

"Good morning, Aunt Abby!" Tali sang out as she bounced on the bed.

Abby wasn't the best morning person, even under perfect circumstances, and her 6 A.M. wake up call by a six-year-old alarm clock was far from those circumstances.

Still, Abby couldn't help but smile at the little girl as she grabbed her and snuggled her into her side.

"Good morning? It's not even light out yet. You go back to sleep," Abby teased as she covered Tali with blankets.

"Noooo!" Tali giggled, trying to pull the covers away.

Both girls were laughing when they heard the bedroom door open. Gibbs walked in, fully dressed and ready for work with coffee in hand.

"I see there's no need for a wake up call for you two," Gibbs observed fondly. "I've got breakfast almost ready. How about you get dressed before the pancakes get cold?"

"Pancakes?" Tali echoed.

Abba only made pancakes on special occasions and sometimes on a random Sunday. Tali couldn't believe her luck in getting pancakes on a weekday.

"Yep," Gibbs confirmed. "With whipped cream too."

That was all that Tali needed to hear. She took off for the bathroom with great speed.

Abby, meanwhile, was not as impressed. She was still tired and wished she was at home in her coffin. That way, she could sleep a little more and get ready in the comfort of her apartment. She was a little cranky about being grounded too.

"Come on, Abs," Gibbs said, noticing Abby's lack of movement. "Get dressed so you have time to eat."

Abby responded by laying back and covering her head with her comforter.

"Not hungry," she said in a muffled voice. "I only want Caf-Pow! So I have at least 30 more minutes to sleep."

"Abby," Gibbs said as he removed the covers from her head. "You need to eat. Plus, it's going to take us more time this morning because we need to drop Tali off at school."

Abby kept her eyes shut but managed a disgruntled noise and a pout all the same.

"Now, Abby," Gibbs said, slipping into his stern Dad tone. "I'm not going to ask you again. And if you're that tired, you can go to bed when Tali does tonight."

That did it. Abby Sciuto was NOT going to bed at the same time as a six year old. She hopped out of bed and began rummaging for clothes as Tali came back into the room.

Gibbs was mildly amused by Abby's quick change of action. He dropped a kiss on the top of the Goth's head with a reminder for both girls to be downstairs in 20 minutes.

Fifteen minutes later Abby and Tali came to the table, one more awake than the other but both ready. Abby had her signature pigtails in and had done the same to Tali's hair.

Gibbs phone rang just then. It was Ziva calling to check on Tali. The two talked for a few minutes, just long enough to reassure the worried Ima that everything was going well.

After a quick breakfast, the trio piled into the car and was soon at Tali's school.

"Be good, Tali," Gibbs said, sending her off with a kiss. "We will be back to get you right after school."

—NCIS—

Tali sat next to her best friend Madison at lunch time, like they did everyday.

She opened her lunch bag carefully, curious to see what Grandpa Gibbs had packed her. First thing she pulled out was a bat-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then came a juice box, grapes and a small package of Twizzlers, Tali's favorite candy. Finally, a note from Aunt Abby with a kiss on it.

Tali giggled as she read the note and stuffed it into her pocket. Ima usually let her have a juice box or a candy but not both.

"Cool sandwich," Madison said, pulling out her own sandwich.

"My Aunt Abby made it," Tali responded, biting into a wing. "She's the best."

Madison hadn't met Abby but heard lots about Tali's NCIS family.

"Hey, you want to play a game?" Madison asked, with mischief in her voice.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Each of us needs to take something from a store without paying for it and bring it to school tomorrow. It's a secret mission. The only rules are that you can't get caught and you can't tell anyone."

Tali wrinkled her nose as she considered what her friend said. It sounded like stealing. She had never done it but she had heard Ima and Abba say they put people in jail for stealing.

"Stealing is bad," Tali said. "How is that a game?"

Madison had an answer for this, just like she did for most things.

"It's only bad if you're stealing for yourself," she said. "The thing you are stealing is not really for you at all. It's just to see if you can do it. It's like a challenge, that's what my brother told me when I found stuff he took from the drug store."

"I don't know," Tali said slowly. "Can't we play something else?"

"We could," Madison said. "But I dare you to do this."

A dare! Tali couldn't turn down a dare! Ima and Abba were always telling her she was a brave girl. DiNozzos didn't turn down a dare!

"Fine," Tali said, getting up as the bell rang. "I'll have my thing tomorrow. I hope you have yours too."

—NCIS—

Tali came out of the school and hopped in Gibbs's car as soon as the bell rang. She hoped Gibbs had somewhere to go so that she could complete her secret mission and not have to think about it anymore.

Turns out luck was with her. Gibbs announced that he needed to stop at the hardware store on the way home as soon as she buckled in.

Before long, they were at the store. Abby decided to stay in the car and listen to music. Tali had been asked if she wanted to wait in the car too but she was oddly vehement about going in with Grandpa Gibbs.

Gibbs found a clerk and the two were searching for a certain size bolt when Tali saw her opportunity and slipped away.

Near the counter, she spotted a display of scented mechanical pencils with pictures of fruit printed on their sides. Tali was immediately drawn to what was probably the only item aside from candy that would appeal to kids.

She quickly took a cherry scented pencil and slipped it in her pocket. Just then Gibbs came behind her and startled her when he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Talia, I told you to stay with me," he scolded, taking her hand in his. "Come on. Let's go."

Tali bowed her head and took her grandpa's hand. Her heart was beating very fast and she had a knot blossoming in her tummy.

The two got into the car and Abby pulled off her earbuds, sensing a change in the mood.

"Everything okay?" she asked, searching Gibbs's face for clues.

Gibbs looked in the rear view mirror at Tali for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, let's go home."

Tali should have felt relieved that she had gotten away with it but instead she felt worse. She loved her Grandpa Gibbs very much and knew exactly how unhappy he would be if he knew she had taken the pencil – even if it was a secret mission that she was dared to do.

Gibbs looked back again at the subdued Tali and frowned. His gut was telling him something else was going on but he couldn't think of what it could be. He shook his head slightly as if to push away all thoughts and decided he'd have to wait and see what happened.