Thanks for the wonderful reviews.
I wanted to get in a quick update for you. It's a little short, but I hope it will make you smile. Just when Gibbs thought he already had his hands full and was being tested beyond what he could handle...LOL
Keep reading along. Thanks for your support and reviews. They make me smile. :)
Any mistakes are a result of sleep deprivation. LOL
Gibbs woke up twice that night, once with his own nightmares and once to Aimee's. He knew the little girl was being tormented with nightmares because he'd heard them on numerous occasions as had Abby. When he'd stumbled into her room to see if she was okay, he couldn't seem to wake her. She bolted up in the bed, her eyes wide open but continued to scream in terror. Not knowing what else to do, he scooped her up in his arms and brought her to bed with him. His presence seemed to soothe her and eventually, they both fell asleep once more.
The sun was bright the next morning when he awoke. He tried his best to shake the fog from his brain as he rose quietly to dress and seek solace in a coffee. Aimee didn't stir and he was thankful for some quiet time alone with his thoughts. He was still feeling unsettled over all the events that happened the day before and he wasn't sure what to expect going forward. He sat at the table and held his coffee mug with both hands, staring into space. Footfalls on the steps caught his attention and he looked up from his coffee to see a sheepish Aimee enter the room.
He smiled at her kindly. "Good morning, Sleepyhead."
A small unsure watery smile greeted him in return.
"Hey, why the tears?" he asked in concern.
"I miss Nessie…when can she come home?"
Gibbs motioned for her to come closer and she obliged but still kept her distance.
"Abby left me a message that Ness will be released later this morning."
"Is she okay?"
Gibbs smiled and nodded. "No need to worry; she's just fine, Aims," he assured her. "Are you hungry?"
Gibbs rose to his feet and grabbed a box of cereal out of the cupboard. He turned to see Aimee still standing in the same spot with tears swimming in her eyes. He set the box on the table and walked over to her, drawing her into a hug.
"You didn't sleep very well, did you?"
She didn't answer but hugged him back. Gibbs rubbed her back gently and rested a hand on her head. She looked up at him and blinked back more tears.
"You look like you want to say something. What is it?"
She bit her lip tentatively. "A-are you still mad?"
Gibbs smiled and shook his head. "Nope." Aimee looked uncertain and Gibbs pulled her up into his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead before sitting her on a chair. He reached for a bowl and handed it to her. "Wanna talk about your dream last night?"
Aimee's eyes widened and she shook her head.
Gibbs sat down and poured himself a bowl of cereal. It wasn't exactly the best breakfast but it would have to do this morning. He was late for work already but he didn't want to rush Aimee this morning. He'd texted Tony to let him know he wouldn't be into work until that afternoon.
"I had a bad dream last night too," said Gibbs as he poured cereal for both of them.
"You did?"
Gibbs poured milk and nodded.
Resting on her knees, Aimee took a small bite of her breakfast.
Gibbs thought he'd simplify it. "I dreamed that you and Janessa ran away, and I couldn't find you. Scared me to death."
Aimee chewed and dropped her chin.
"The good news is I woke up to find you all snuggled up with me this morning." He winked and smiled at her.
"I'm sorry, Gibbs," she whispered.
Gibbs smiled at her. "All forgiven, Aims. All is forgiven."
They ate in silence for a long time with Gibbs finishing his coffee and cereal. Thinking he needed a bit of protein to get him through until lunch, he grabbed some eggs from the fridge and pulled out the frying pan.
"Want some eggs?"
She shook her head.
He scrambled some eggs and shredded some cheese over top, thinking of what else he could say to fill in the quietness. Normally he was comfortable with silence but this morning he felt like it was weighing heavy on him.
"Is my real dad a bad man?" Her voice was almost a whisper.
Gibbs turned to look at her in surprise. Aimee hadn't spoken much about David Brody since everything went down with Stratton, and she found out about who Brody was. It was difficult to explain because no one really knew what Brody was thinking. The guy's motives were impossible to discern. To be fair, he never knew he had a daughter until much later in the game and, for whatever reason, the man just didn't have any room in his heart to care. His obsessions far surpassed anything logical.
"Is that who you dreamed about?"
Aimee blinked back a fresh onslaught of tears and nodded.
Gibbs set his eggs on the table and straddled a chair beside Aimee. He patted her knee gently.
"I wish I knew how to answer your questions, Aims, but I don't know David Brody very well. I know he was appointed as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the president of the United States and at the president's pleasure. Do you know what that means?" Aimee shook her head. "It means Brody is very well liked by the President because he handpicked him. I think Brody's heart was in the right place but somewhere along the way, he lost sight of what was really important."
"Why didn't he want me?"
Gibbs felt his heart skip a beat. "Your mom didn't tell him about you, Aimee. For some reason, she kept it a secret from him and you. I'd like to think she had good reason to do that."
"He wanted to kill me for the chip in my head, didn't he?"
Gibbs nodded. "That's one of the reasons he is in jail." As much as Gibbs didn't want to tell Aimee the truth, he felt like she deserved to know. He was fighting hard to gain custody and David Brody was the chink in everything. Gibbs was fighting a tough battle to get Brody's parental rights revoked but he kept running into brick walls. Brody was a wealthy man and still respected by countless people. His work in ending human trafficking was monumental and his followers were having a very difficult time believing he was anything but a hero. Gibbs knew that if Brody got his hands on Aimee, she would be in danger. The chip in her head was far more important to the lunatic than the little girl's life. Aimee meant nothing to him.
"Is he gonna be in jail forever?"
"I don't know the answer to that either. He broke a lot of laws, and he was in a position of trust so that makes him more accountable for his mistakes. He wanted to do something good, Aimee, but he made it an obsession." Gibbs ran a hand over her head in comfort and then tipped up her chin so they were eye to eye, winking at her. The lost expression in her eyes made his heartache. The pain in her young eyes was torture to see. How could a nine-year-old be expected to understand something he didn't? "You're safe, Aimee. He can't hurt you. Is that what you're worried about?"
Aimee looked at the plate of eggs on the table and reached out to push the plate towards him.
"Your eggs are getting cold."
Gibbs steely blue eyes continued to bore a hole into her consciousness, hoping to be able to read her inner thoughts. As fast as he saw that vulnerability appear, she replaced it with another wall. Gibbs silently groaned. She had been so close to letting him in only to shut him out once again.
He shoveled up a forkful of now cold eggs and put it in his mouth. He chewed slowly watching her. She kept his eye contact for several minutes and then dropped her chin.
"May I be excused?"
Gibbs nodded and Aimee disappeared from the room.
Gibbs sat eating his eggs reflecting on Aimee's reactions to their chat. It wasn't the first time she'd given him a glimpse of her heart. He didn't know if she had done so because of feeling vulnerable after he'd spanked her or what. He'd welcomed the intimate time they had spent together the evening before. She'd clung to him for the rest of the evening after he'd disciplined her, and it had been nice to see the girl let her guard down. He'd decided that he was going to take a page out his dad's book and have her shadow him. Gibbs remembered the times his father had done that to him after a good hiding, telling him that if he couldn't trust him to make good decisions out of his sight then he'd stay in his sight permanently. Shadowing was just that simple, keeping a child close by your side so that you could re-direct negative behavior before it escalates. Gibbs didn't relish doing it with Aimee, but he felt like it was the best thing to do.
The doorbell rang dragging Gibbs out of his musing. He rose to his feet and wandered out of the kitchen to see Aimee answering the door.
"Aimee!" he admonished, picking up his pace to prevent her from opening the door. "Never open the door without asking who it is. I've told you that before." Gibbs felt his temper flare up, frustration coming out in his voice. After all, Aimee had been through, he couldn't believe that she would be so careless to just open the door. He really needed to train the girls better for safety reasons. Since the kids had moved in with him, his wishy-washy open door policy had been replaced by locks and deadbolts.
Aimee recoiled from him to the foot of the stairs but didn't say anything, a sheepish expression on her face once again. Gibbs could tell she was still gun-shy around him. His conscience pricked him as he sighed and opened the door.
"It's about time, Leroy. It's freezing outside this morning, and since when did you start locking your damned door?"
Gibbs' jaw dropped.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
Jackson Gibbs smiled and Gibbs frowned wondering what was so amusing until he realised that his father was looking past him to Aimee who had taken a few steps forward out of curiosity.
"Are you going to let me inside, son, or leave an old man to freeze on your doorstep?"
Gibbs shook his head, still in shock that his father was standing on his doorstep. He stood aside and watched as his father hobbled inside with his cane helping him stay balanced, carrying his overnight bag with him. Gibbs knew he shouldn't be surprised. His father was known to show up out of the blue, but all the same, he was stunned.
Jackson stopped in front of Aimee who stared at him with her mouth gaping.
"Hello there, child. From the looks of it, you must be Aimee."
Aimee's eyes widened and she took several steps towards Gibbs, alarm gripping her. Gibbs wrapped a protective arm around her.
"Dad, don't frighten her. I thought I told you that we'd come visit you this summer. I haven't had a chance…"
Jackson waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be ridiculous, Leroy, she's my grandchild. I'm not frightening her." Jackson looked at Aimee and smiled at her once more and Aimee tentatively returned the smile. "Abby was kind enough to fill me in on the girls and it got my curiosity up. Who takes care of them when you're at work?"
Gibbs closed the door and stood shell-shocked in the foyer of his own home. Of all the things that could have happened, his father showing up on his doorstep was the furthest from his mind.
"Who's taking care of the store?"
Jackson ignored him and looked at Aimee. "Well, now, little darling, Abby tells me you are nine years old. That's a right nice age to be. Tell me now; what is your favourite thing about being nine?"
Aimee blinked looking completely bewildered.
Gibbs hugged her close. "It's alright, Aims; he's my dad and your Papa Jack. Go on; say hello."
"Hi," she said softly.
Gibbs was somewhat surprised by Aimee's sudden shyness. While Janessa was the one he could count on to be exuberant and outgoing and Aimee to be standoffish, usually, neither one of them was shy.
Jackson set down his bag and sighed irritably. "Well, are you going to show me to my room, or make me stand here all day?"
Gibbs picked up his father's bag and set it at the foot of the steps. "Dad, you can stay in the guest room. Now, are you going to tell me why you're here?"
"Do I need a reason to come visit my son? Besides, from what I've heard, you could use my help. Now, tell me; how is Janessa doing?"
Gibbs groaned and forced himself to take a deep breath. God knew, he loved Abby like a cherished daughter, but right then as he stood staring at his father, Gibbs wanted to throttle her.