Gibbs drove into the parking lot at NCIS and pulled into the nearest spot. It was half-past 3 in the afternoon, and he wasn't exactly in the best of moods. He probably should have been more appreciative but he still couldn't get past irritable. His dad showing up out of the blue had really thrown him for a loop. It wasn't that he didn't love his dad; he did, but the man could be absolutely insufferable. They had next to nothing in common and if he came right down to it, Gibbs needed time to prepare for his father's visits. Getting caught off guard when he was already up to his ears in difficulties didn't bode well for anyone. The good news was that Aimee and Jackson seemed to hit it off almost immediately once she got past her uncharacteristic moment of shyness. Gibbs had taken some time to take a shower, get dressed and shave and by the time he arrived back downstairs, his father had managed to clean up the entire kitchen and start a baking project with Aimee. Hell, even Abby hadn't been able to interest Aimee in cooking and she was a super cool scientist. Jackson Gibbs was just an old man, but apparently, he had the patience of Job with kids, well, at least other people's kids. Gibbs didn't remember the man being all that patient with his shenanigans as a kid. Gibbs just remembered getting his butt kicked. A lot.

Coming downstairs to see Aimee laughing and covered in flour sincerely put Gibbs in awe of the man. Eventually, his dad managed to convince him to leave Aimee at home with him while he ran to the hospital to sign papers for Janessa's release. Gibbs had tried to take a few minutes to warn his dad about Aimee unpredictability but Jackson refused to listen, telling him he'd make his own assumptions. Jackson insisted he raised Gibbs to be a respectable adult and didn't lose him so he didn't imagine he'd have any trouble with Aimee. Gibbs didn't have the energy to argue with the old codger. One thing Gibbs had learned through the years was it didn't pay to disobey his dad's wishes. It just wasn't worth the hassle or the lecture he'd most certainly receive.

Gibbs stared out the window seeing the duck pond in the distance. The birds happily swam around ducking their heads under the water to feed. His mind turned to Janessa and he was immediately filled with relief. Janessa's short stay in the hospital had been uneventful. Abby had stayed with her the entire night and reported that she had slept and ate well. Gibbs was grateful for Abby stepping up and helping him so he could take some time to deal with Aimee. He didn't know how single parents managed to do it. Parenting children was hard work. Gibbs was very thankful for Abby and the rest of his team. They all were more than happy to step in and help him whenever he needed it. Gibbs felt a pinch of regret over how curt he'd been with Abby when he saw her at the hospital. He basically had scolded her outright for interfering and calling his father. Abby hadn't allowed his reprimand to bother her. She just hugged him and told him he needed his dad and to suck it up. Gibbs scowled at the memory. Abby seemed to get away with more than Tim or Tony. He was positive Tony wouldn't have told him to suck it up. At least he didn't think so. And if he had, Gibbs would have head smacked him into the middle of next week.

Gibbs got out of his car and started making his way to the entrance. His mind was on Janessa. That girl was positively incredible. Everything was exciting and an adventure to her. When he'd checked in on her to wish her a good morning, she'd stood on the hospital bed and jumped up down calling to him. He had barely made it to her bedside before she nearly took a tumble off the bed. There was nothing like a near hazard to get the old ticker pumping in the morning as if his father arriving unannounced hadn't already done that. Of course, Gibbs had scolded Janessa but it hadn't curbed her enthusiasm for long. Her joyful, bubbly personality didn't allow it. She had to have Gibbs sign her cast right away. Her face beamed with pride at her bright neon pink cast. Her eyes shone with delight. She said she was never ever going to take it off. Gibbs knew that was going to be a problem six weeks down the line when it was time to cut it off.

Gibbs reached for the door at the entrance and pulled it open. Once inside, he swiped his key card in the reader and opened the inside security door. He turned to scan his retina when someone bumped smack into him. He reached out and grabbed her before she could take a tumble to the floor.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked the young girl who stared at him.

She nodded and gently pulled her arm away. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry," she replied, brushing her long, auburn hair out of her face.

Gibbs noticed that the young girl of about 13 or 14 had a visitor's key card clipped to her jacket but he didn't recognise who she was. The tag clearly stated that she needed to be accompanied by an adult, as it was with any minor in the building, not that his girls ever listened to the rule either.

"Who're you supposed to with?" he asked, his voice not unkind.

The young girl blinked as a guilty expression washed over her face.

Gibbs smiled and reached out his hand to greet her. "My name's Agent Gibbs." In those moments as he looked at the uncomfortable teen, he was glad he had agreed to let Abby bring Janessa to daycare that afternoon. The teen girl took a few steps away back and looked ready to bolt away from him in the opposite direction. Gibbs held up his hands as a gesture of peace.

"Makayla Wallace, just where do you think you're going?" scolded a very cross voice from a distance.

Gibbs blinked several times in surprise when he saw Jenny Sheppard stalk up to the girl and take her by the arm. The young teen's face fell, tears swimming in her eyes.

"Nowhere now, obviously," she mumbled softly.

"You're damned right you're not." Jenny eyed Gibbs suspiciously and launched her bad mood in his direction. "Why are you so late?" she snapped.

Gibbs lifted a brow. "Stopped at the hospital to sign some papers about Janessa, remember? That a problem Madam Director?"

Jenny grimaced at Gibb's cold reply but she knew she was out of line for how she was speaking to him. Gibbs turned to the young teen still being held firmly by Jenny.

"So, you're Jenn's niece. Nice to meet you." He offered his hand for her to shake and the girl accepted it politely.

"Hello," said the girl looking uncomfortable under her aunt's scrutiny.

"Makayla is staying with me while her parents are in Europe." Jenny felt compelled to explain. Gibbs remembered and nodded. "I went to pick her up at her school today but couldn't seem to find her. Apparently, she thought it was a good idea to skip school today."

"I told you, Aunt Jenny, I wasn't skipping, honest. Mr. Sanderson said I could take some extra time doing my…"

"The headmaster called me and reported you absent, Makayla. If your teacher had given you permission, I'm sure that would have been reported to the school attendance office, don't you think?"

Gibbs stood by uncomfortably watching Jenny scold her niece. He found himself feeling sorry for the youngster who tried to clarify herself while Jenny ignored her explanation. He listened for several minutes until he could keep silent no longer which was saying something.

Gibbs put a hand on Jenn's shoulder. "Seems to me like you need to do some fact checking, Madame Director, before you continue to cajole the witness into pleading guilty."

Jenny hit him with a scathing look which struck Gibbs as a tad humorous. After the day he'd had, Jenny's overreaction felt amusing to him.

Makayla's eyes looked pleadingly towards Gibbs as she sensed a comrade in him.

"I'm telling the truth, Aunt Jenny, please believe me."

Jenny huffed and crossed her arms.

"Mom told me that you weren't coming until tomorrow to get me so I never thought to call you and let you know that I wouldn't be at school. I'm sorry."

"Makayla, you're in eighth grade, for heavens sakes. You don't get to decide if you skip school or not. Boarding school doesn't exist for you to make your own rules. Your parents placed you in that school to prepare you for entrance into Xavier next year. The competition to get in is steep. Don't you want to be at the same school as your sisters?"

Gibbs saw Makayla's face cloud over at the mention of the prestigious Prep school. He had to say he couldn't blame the girl. Gibbs was a small town boy, born and raised in the small town of Stillwater, Pennsylvania. He never understood the need for parents to force their kids into going to snobby Prep schools. In his opinion, all it did was make more snobs for the world to contend with, more people who thought they were the be all and end all.

"Yes, Aunt Jenny," said the girl looking defeated.

"Alright then. I guess I need to punish you for skipping school." Gibbs felt like he had to bite back a smirk. Seeing Jenny in a parenting position was way too amusing to him. She was the director of NCIS and a hard ass in every sense of the word, but when it came to kids, she was clueless. "You are staying with me for a undeterminable amount of time," began Jenny, her voice not sounding very authoritative, "So I'm thinking a one-week grounding should be sufficient. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to call the headmaster and speak with him. Minors must be accompanied by…"

"I can walk her inside, Jenn. Maybe introduce her to Abbs," suggested Gibbs. Jenn nodded and continued to glare at her niece reprovingly. Makayla dropped her head in complete and utter discouragement. Gibbs felt his heart go out to the kid. "Rule three, Jenn." Jenny looked him straight in the eye with a scathing glare before spinning on her heel and walking away, her high heels clipping tersely on the linoleum floor.

Gibbs heard the teen girl beside him heaved a heavy sigh as she dropped her arms to her side.

"What's rule three?" she asked, looking dejected.

Gibbs smiled and winked at her. "I'll tell you later. C'mon."

Gibbs walked towards the elevators, scanning his key card once more. Makayla followed suit and trailed behind him into the lift. Once inside, Gibbs pressed the correct floor and the elevator began its ascent to the bullpen.

"You okay?" he asked noticing how crestfallen she looked.

She nodded.

"I do interrogations quite often and I've learned to read people pretty well. When you do it as often as I do, you get to figure out when people are telling the truth and when they are feeding you a line."

Makayla's watery eyes met his, a guilty expression flooding her face.

"I'm a good listener if you want to talk."

Makayla chewed her bottom lip. "Mr. Sanderson did say I could take extra time to complete my assignment." She hesitated.

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yup."

Gibbs looked around the elevator watching the numbers light up as they passed floors.

"Agent Gibbs?"

He looked at her.

"I really didn't need extra time to finish my assignment but I asked for the time anyway."

Gibbs pushed the emergency stop button as he noticed they were approaching his floor. Makayla needed more time to talk and he was fine with giving it to her. The young girl's eyes widened when the elevator came to a halt and the lights went out.

"Give it a minute and the auxiliary lights will come on," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Why…"

"Makayla, I get the feeling you need some time to talk so I'm giving that to you. Don't worry; people are used to me using the elevator as my office." Gibbs offered her a warm smile.

The emergency lights came on, casting a shadow on the small space.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Cause I lied."

"Not to me, you didn't."

Makayla blinked.

"Why did you ask for extra time if you didn't need it?"

"I just needed some time alone. Do you ever just need space Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, I guess I do."

Makayla's eyes glimmered with tears. "It's never quiet at boarding school, and I don't get time to myself. Everything is always loud and everyone is always minding everyone else's business. When my mom said they were going away, I asked my teacher if I could have more time on my assignment and when he said yes, I took the bus to my house."

"And?" prompted Gibbs, appreciating where the girl was coming from.

Makayla looked up at him with her watery green eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong, Agent Gibbs. I just watched television; that's all."

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yep."

Makayla managed a small smile.

"Now, how about you tell Jenny that and save yourself being grounded."

A tear escaped down her cheek and she wiped it away. "I can't," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because Aunt Jenny is just like my mom and dad. All they ever talk about is Xavier Preparatory and how important it is, but no one asks me what I want."

Gibbs turned back to face the door. He never could understand the huge pressure put on kids to prepare for college and university at as young an age as 3 or 4 years old. Parents searching for the best pre-school for 18-month-old babies. It was absurd. Kids should have time to be kids. Hell, even 17-year-olds didn't know what they wanted to do with themselves in college; how could they expect a 13-year-old.

"What do you want, Makayla?" He looked at her once more.

Her eyes seem to light up at his question. "I want to be an artist."

Gibbs smiled. "You any good?"

She nodded. "I think so." She slipped her backpack off her back and pulled out a notebook. She flipped it open and handed it to Gibbs to see. Gibbs brows met his hairline. Not only was Makayla a gifted artist, her work was phenomenal. Gibbs flipped through her notebook in awe of the young girl's talent. The notebook was filled with pencil drawings of people, animals, landscapes and the emotions the drawings evoked took his breath away.

"Don't say you think so, Makayla. Say yes and say it with confidence." Gibbs handed the notebook back to her and flipped the switch, starting the lift once more. Makayla's whole face lit up, the tears still falling down her cheeks. "You don't waste good. You own it."

The lift opened and Gibbs walked off, walking directly towards the bullpen. From the corner of his eye, he saw Makayla stuff her notebook back into her backpack with an even bigger grin settling in on her face. Gibbs smiled brightly as well thinking that he'd made a new friend.

XxX—NCIS—XxX

Gibbs stepped into Abby's lab carrying a Caf-Pow and one black rose. Abby had summoned him to come so seeing as he owed her more than he could ever repay, he thought he'd arrive bearing gifts. As usual, he was assaulted by ear-splitting music as he entered the room. He winced and straightaway flicked the noise pollution off instantly alerting Abby to his presence. Abby came running from her office embracing him with genuine affection. Gibbs returned the hug with a chuckle. He was most definitely getting soft in his olden days.

"What have you got for me, Abbs?"

Abby pulled away, noticing the rose and caffeinated drink. "Gibbs! Gibbs!" She took the rose he handed to her and smelled it. Gibbs didn't understand Abby's morbid love of black roses but who was he to judge. His first wife, Shannon, had adored lilies and he always indulged her as often as he thought of it. Seeing the smile on her face was worth every penny he spent on them and he felt the same for Abby. Abby took the Caf-Pow as well and took a long sip of it.

"I cannot even tell you how much I needed that, Gibbs."

"Was it a rough night at the hospital, Abbs?" he asked as he watched her put her rose in water and set it by her computer desk in her office.

"I already told you, Gibbs. Nessie and I slept like babies. They came and woke her every couple of hours but she hardly woke up long enough to notice. That girl sleeps like a rock."

Gibbs smirked. "I know but she still somehow always manages to end up in my bed by morning."

"Well, I may have climbed in with her instead, just to prevent the wandering and missing you."

"Thanks, Abby."

"Not a problem; now, tell me, how is Jack?"

Gibbs turned an eerily dangerous look Abby's way but she ignored it as she walked over to her computer.

"Okay, not a good subject. Got it, Gibbs. So, the Petty Officer was shot three times with a…"

Gibbs walked over to Abby and stood directly behind her, breaking all the rules of a keeping a personal bubble. He heard Abby gulp loudly and stop mid-sentence. She slowly turned and felt the back of her computer desk digging into her back.

"You don't want to hear about that right now, I'm guessing."

Gibbs stared at her deadpan. Abby swallowed and tried to wiggle her way out from behind her desk but Gibbs put an arm on the counter preventing her from moving.

"Gibbs," she whined.

"Abby, what possessed you to call Jack?"

"You did, Gibbs."

Gibbs scowled.

"You can't keep doing things how you're doing them. Something has to give and your dad has time on his hands."

"He has the store to run."

"It's a general store in Stillwater, Gibbs. How many people need to buy canned peas or applesauce in that town?"

Gibbs steely glare made Abby visually gulp but, despite his attempt at intimidation, Abby did not back down.

"Gibbs, what's it going to take before you admit you need more help than we all can give you? Aimee almost died in a morgue drawer. Janessa fell from an 8-foot fence. You and Aimee spend more time fighting than you do sleeping, Gibbs. You need Jack's help."

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose and began to pace the length of Abby's lab. Abby took a deep breath in relief. She hated it when Gibbs was angry with her, but she knew she was right whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Jack has time on his hands, Gibbs. He is the girl's grandfather and he's more patient than you are." Gibbs stopped and glared at her. "Well, he does, Gibbs. He could take a lot of pressure off you balancing childcare and babysitting. It's October and the girls don't start school until January. How do you plan to keep Aimee busy until then? You can't keep making her sit at your desk every day. She's far too inquisitive for that and she's going to keep getting into trouble."

Gibbs turned his back to her and willed himself to stay calm. Abby had a point and he hated to admit it. As much as he tried to get his neighbour to watch Aimee, that only seemed to work out a couple days a week. Aimee more times than not end up at NCIS with him and he didn't have the time to keep a proper eye on her. It wasn't fair to her and he wasn't keeping his mind on his job.

He spun on his heel. "You shouldn't have gone behind my back."

Abby looked nervously at him. "Would you have agreed to call him had I asked?"

"Hell, no!"

"Then I rest my case."

Gibbs growled. Abby cautiously approached him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome, Gibbs."

Gibbs kissed her in return and turned to leave the lab.

"Hey, don't you want to hear about the weapon?"

"Later, Abbs," said Gibbs, waving as he left the lab.

Abby smiled. "Say hi to Jack for me," she called after him.

She stood staring into the emptiness of the room. "Even Superheroes need help sometimes."

XxX—NCIS—XxX

Gibbs lay back on the sofa and adjusted the pillow behind his head. It felt good to put his feet up and it felt good to have eaten a healthy, well-balanced meal. He'd come home with Janessa to find that his father had prepared a hearty meal. He hated to admit it, but Abby had been right. His father was exactly what he needed. For once, his house wasn't in disarray and no one had to scurry around in a panic to make a meal. Abby had been ecstatic to see Jack but had very quickly excused herself for the evening. Gibbs noticed how exhausted she looked. He felt sure it was because of spending the night in the hospital with Nessie. Janessa had immediately taken to her Papa Jack as well and Gibbs wasn't surprised. Jack was a natural at being a doting grandpa Gibbs was being to think that some people were made to be parents and others were made to grandparents. Jackson Gibbs exemplified patience as a grandfather that he never had as a father. Or maybe it wasn't Jackson at all. Maybe it had all been on Gibbs. Things had been really hard after his mother died, and Gibbs hadn't given Jack much of a break with his teenage attitude.

The phone rang beside his ear and he went to reach for it when Janessa rushed into the room and snatched the receiver from under his hand. Gibbs had to laugh at her speed. For some reason the kid was fascinated with answering the phone.

"Hullo," she said brightly.

Gibbs sat up and waved his hand at her, reminding her of the proper way she should answer the phone.

"Oh yah, I'm supposed to say Janessa speaking," she continued.

Gibbs had to bite back a laugh. He watched as Janessa listened to the person on the other end of the line. The little girl furrowed her brow as she listened.

"No." She said before stopping to listen some more. "Okay, bye." She hung up the phone and went to skip from the room. Gibbs did laugh this time and he was on his feet in seconds, scooping her up into his arms. "Mr. Gibbs," she protested as he cradled her. "I gots to help Papa Jack dry the dishes."

He planted a kiss on her forehead, being careful not to bump her injured arm. "Who was on the phone, kiddo?"

Janessa giggled. "Davy."

"Who's Davy?"

"Aimee's friend."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and leaned forward, pushing up her t-shirt with his cheek and blowing a zerbert on her stomach. Janessa squealed and kicked her feet up and down as she dissolved into a fit of giggles. The noise brought Jackson hobbling to the family room, wondering what was going on. Aimee was on his heels and soon was standing in front of him laughing as well. She picked up a pillow from the nearby chair and starting whapping Gibbs with it.

"Hey!" He said with a laugh, realising that it was Aimee's way of wanting his attention as well. He considered that a good sign.

"Get 'im Aimee!" giggled Janessa when she saw Aimee smacking Gibbs with the pillow.

Gibbs set Janessa to the floor and grabbed Aimee around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder and playfully swatting her backside. Aimee kicked her feet and screamed out in a fit of laughter as well. Janessa began tickling his sides and tried to push him onto the sofa. Gibbs purposely fell onto the sofa, pulling Aimee towards him and snuggling her in his arms. Janessa crawled up into his lap and sat on both of them. All three of them were gasping for air as they laughed and giggled together. Jackson stood watching from afar with a humorous expression gracing his face.

"I'm not sure who is the biggest kid, Leroy," commented the old man.

Gibbs chuckled as he managed to pull Janessa off on him. He looked at his father with a bashful grin.

"Janessa, I thought you said you were going to help me dry them dishes. They aren't gonna dry themselves, you know."

Janessa grabbed the pillow and hit Gibbs square in the face. Gibbs intercepted the pillow and went to grab her again but she shrieked and ran to hide behind Jackson. Jackson looked amused but then ushered the small child into the kitchen with him. Gibbs snuggled up beside Aimee and rubbed his scruffy face against hers. She pushed his face away in dismay but her eyes were twinkling. Gibbs smiled and winked at her. These were the times he stashed away in his memory to help him get through the tough times.

"Who's Davy?" he asked.

Aimee furrowed her brow. "How should I know?"

"Ness said someone called you named Davy."

Aimee's face was blank. "I dunno anyone named Davy, Gibbs."

Gibbs shrugged. "Guess it was the wrong number."

He settled back into the sofa and Aimee seemed content to snuggle up beside him.

"Did you enjoy hanging out with Papa Jack today?"

"Yah, he's really cool. We did some baking and then he read me one of your books. You never told me you had kid books, Gibbs."

Gibbs lifted a brow trying to think what book his dad would have read to her. As far as he knew, he'd given all of Kelly's children's books away, and even if he'd kept any, most of them would have been likely too old and outdated to interest Aimee.

"Oh yah, what's it about?" Gibbs was an avid reader. He'd rather read than do just about anything else, other than woodworking that is.

"Well, I dunno the title but it's about a family that got shipwrecked on a deserted island. Their entire ship was ruined in a real bad storm. They have four boys and…" Gibbs listened as Aimee described the book with enthusiasm. Gibbs smiled when he recognised the story. He knew for a fact he didn't own that book, but he also knew that never stopped his father from telling a good story. Swiss Family Robinson was one of Jackson's favourite stories.

"Do you like to read, Aims?"

The little girl's eyes sparkled at the question. "Sure I do. Who doesn't love reading books! You can travel all over the place in a book. I once saw this movie called Nim's Island and the girl in that movie sees books in her head just like me."

Gibbs wasn't familiar with the movie but he hoped he could be. He really wanted to make a concerted effort to get to know Aimee better. Just then the phone rang and again just as Gibbs reached out to grab the receiver, Janessa high-tailed into the room and snatched it out right from under his hand. Gibbs sat in disbelief. Janessa would give the energizer bunny a run for his money.

"Hullo, Janessa speaking," she said with a smirk. Gibbs gave her a thumbs up for remembering to answer correctly. Janessa listened for a few seconds and then handed the phone to Aimee. "It's your friend, Davy."

Aimee looked at Gibbs and shrugged but took the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

Gibbs waited for Aimee to say something but she didn't. She just sat stunned with the phone to her ear. He watched in alarm as her eyes filled with tears and cascaded down her cheeks. He immediately reached out to snatch the phone from Aimee but she stood to her feet and ran to the opposite side of the room. Still, she didn't say anything.

"Aimee, what's wrong? Give me the phone." Gibbs was on his feet and across the room within seconds. He reached for the phone again but Aimee ducked past him and disappeared lickety-split up the stairs.

"Dad," called Gibbs, "Is the cordless phone in the kitchen?"

Jackson came out holding a tea towel in one hand and the cordless phone in the other. "Where's the gall-darned fire, Leroy?"

Gibbs ignored his father's sarcasm and snatched the phone, putting it to his ear as he took off running towards the steps after Aimee. Much to his dismay, all he heard was dead air.