Chapter 14, Grandpa Gibbs to the Rescue: Thanksgiving 2024

A/N Some Tali/Gibbs interaction. Since Tali is the oldest of the grandchildren, and the child of Tony and Ziva, Gibbs would have a soft spot for her.

Ten-year-old Tali DiNozzo stormed out of the school building. She was so angry at the girls she had thought were her friends. When they had teased her about her thankfulness essay, she had wanted to kick them. She was also angry at her teacher for insisting that Tali read her essay to the class. So much for having the best essay in the fifth grade.

She opened the door of Grandpa Gibbs' truck and climbed in, slamming the door behind her. "Hi, Grandpa," she huffed. "Let's get out of here now."

Gibbs looked at Tali and started driving. He did not say anything, knowing that if he asked her what was wrong, she would be just like her parents and say nothing was wrong. If he kept quiet, she would start opening up, and he would listen. They drove in silence for a few blocks.

"Grandpa?" Tali looked at her grandfather. "What is a family? How does a family get made? Not about how babies are made, how do people become a family?"

"Tell me about our family, Tali." Gibbs needed her to keep talking to see where she was going with her question.

"Well, there's you, Grandpa. You are the Abba for Ima, Abba, Uncle Tim, Aunt Delilah, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Breena, Auntie Abby, and sometimes even Ellie, Nick and Clayton. Then there are Anthony, Beth, Rivka, and LJ in my family with Ima and Abba. And John and Katie with Uncle Tim and Aunt Delilah; Tori and Charles with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Breena. You are grandpa to all of us kids. We are all cousins and that makes us family. Ellie, Clayton and Nick are like other cousins. And we had Granducky, another grandpa, but he is in heaven now.

"But, Grandpa, when I read my essay about my family, and that I was thankful for everyone, the girls in my class said that all of those people were not my real family; only Ima, Abba, Anthony, Beth, Rivka and LJ. That made me mad. It's not true. You are all my real family. Why would the girls be so mean?"

Gibbs sighed, wishing he could protect his grandchildren from the cruelty of the world. "Tals, they are probably jealous of all of the wonderful family that you have. Maybe they don't have as big a family as we do?

"Many years ago, I had another family. That was before I knew your Abba, and the rest of them. I had a wife and a daughter. They were killed by a bad person, and for many years, I did not want to love again. I made some bad choices, but then your Abba, Aunt Abby, Uncle Tim and your Ima came into my life. I started caring about them, even though my head said don't. I was afraid to lose anybody again. But my heart chose them to be my family. When someone hurt one of them, I wanted to make it all better. I wanted to protect them. It took a while, but they also began to see that it was okay to love and care like a family. Your Abba and Ima had the hardest lesson to learn. They had to be apart for a while to realize that they belonged together. When I met you, my heart burst with love again. I wanted to help your Ima and Abba give you the childhood neither of them had. The first time you called me Grampa, I cried. You, and my kids, taught this old heart that it was okay to love again. Our family may not be blood relatives, but the family we have, Tals, is a true family. We love and care about each other. We would do anything to help and protect each other. No one can take that from us. Do you understand, Tali?" Gibbs turned Tali's face towards him. She had tears in her eyes, as she reached her arms to him to hug him.

"I love you, Grandpa, so much. Our family is the best family because we CHOSE each other!"

~TIVA~

The Palmers continued Ducky's Thanksgiving traditions, and hosted dinner each year since Ducky had passed. When the time came for the family thankfulness sharing, Gibbs asked Tali to read her essay.

"I am thankful for my family. We are just a normal family in that we laugh and cry, fight and make up, share and care, and love each other. My family always has each other's six. At the head of our family is Grandpa Gibbs. He makes sure we all keep following the rules. Ima, Abba, Uncle Tim, Aunt Delilah, Auntie Abby, Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Breena are all his kids. Ima, Abba, Uncle Tim, Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Abby worked with Grandpa at NCIS for many years. They made a family when each of them needed one. Granducky was also part of our family until he died. My brothers and sisters, Anthony, LJ, Rivka and Beth are the best siblings I could ever have. My cousins John, Katie, Tori and Charles are more like extra brothers and sisters. Grandpa says that all of us have opened his heart to love again. Even Uncle Tim's new team, Ellie, Clayton and Nick are family. They have become as much a part of the family as anyone. I would not trade my family for any other one. The one I have is perfect for me."

Tali finished and the adults were all wiping their eyes. Ziva gave Tali a hug, "I am so proud of you Tali. That was a wonderful essay." Tony kissed the top of Tali's head and spoke to all. "That's my girl!"