Disclaimer: Not mine, but they're awful fun to play with!

Chapter 5

"Hi Madame Director!"

Jenny winced a little at the hated nickname, though when it came from the cheerful Goth, it was difficult to get annoyed. So, she chose to ignore it. Plus, she really didn't want to try and keelhaul Abby with Gibbs around. It wouldn't end well.

"Hello Abby. Jethro... whose is that?"

"Mine."

It was all Jen could do to hold back another 'huh'. Instead she settled for fixing Gibbs with a displeased look, which did nothing than make the pain-in-her-ass head agent smirk. "Very funny. I know you haven't been getting any, Jethro."

Abby stifled a chortle. The banter between those two never failed to raise a smile – often a hidden smile – on the faces of the team. The joy Gibbs took in winding Jenny up seemed only equalled by the pleasure Jenny seemed to get from shooting him down. She would have liked to have seen the two of them when Jenny had been the Probie.

Jen crossed the room to them, and crouched down next to Gibbs, gently chucking the baby under the chin. "Hullo, little one. What'd you do to get stuck with this great big meany pants here? Huh?" She was fully aware that she was pretty much cooing. But the little girl was really really cute.

"She's my niece, Jen." Jethro's reply was curt, a shred of impatience creeping into his tone as it often did when his former junior agent teased him and he was not in the mood for it. "She's going to be here for... the long run."

Eyebrows raised, the director straightened and stared at Gibbs. "You have a niece?"

"Yes, Jen," Jethro sighed. Sometimes, as much as he loved Jennifer Shepard, she got a little too caught up on things that caught her interest for his liking. "Meet Kaylee."

Gently, he set the little girl down on the floor, keeping a close eye on her to ensure she didn't crawl too far away – he could remember all too well how little time it took inquisitive babies to get into things. He could remember the time that Kelly had first found her way near his tools... but... shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present and his little niece – Kelly was gone but for in his heart and bittersweet memories, but Kaylee was in the here and now, and he was determined to give her the best that he could. And when Leroy Jethro Gibbs was determined about something, it was certain that it would happen.

"She's ours now!" Abby grinned energetically, crouching down by the floor to play with the little girl. "We get to keep her, right Gibbs?"

The bemused look on Jenny's face was almost hilarious to Gibbs. "Abby... she's not a puppy, you know?"

"No! She's cuter! And puppies don't learn to talk. Well, not at least in people-talk, although, I once had a dog who did a pretty good impression. She could say her own name and it really sounded like she was saying it in people-talk!"

Despite her better judgement, Jen had to ask. "What was she called?"

"Woof," the Goth forensic specialist deadpanned.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, a move echoed by the Director, though both of them shared a quiet smile over the top of Abby's head. Then Jenny shoved the diaper bag at Jethro's chest. "If I know anything about babies, you're going to need this sooner rather than later."

"Yeah! Tony's probably gonna need a diaper change soon!" Abby giggled.

"Abby," Gibbs said warningly, "If Tony needs a diaper change, you can do it."

Jenny shook her head. "Abby, I've something I need to ask you about regarding some blood work. But I'll come back later." Escaping while she still could – but ensuring to wave at the baby before she did – the director retreated back to the elevator and the sanity of the upstairs room.

Letting out a full throated laugh, Gibbs sat on the ground next to Abby, wrapping an arm around his forensic specialist's shoulders. "I don't think I've ever seen her leave that quickly. I think we've found the trick to getting rid of our Director – just mention dirty diapers."

Abby leant into his embrace, smiling softly "Yeah well, they're enough to bring a grown man to tears... aren't they Kaylee? Yes, diapers are icky icky aren't they, huh?"

It seemed that no-one could resist talking babytalk to the little girl, who just stared back at Abby with big blue eyes, which seemed to be eerily similar to Gibbs' – which was strange seeing as she was no blood relation, but maybe he was rubbing off on her already. Oh god, mini-Gibbs. Mini-female Gibbs, even worse. Abby knew full well what an irate female could be like, and add a Gibbs influence into the mix, and well, this little girl was going to be a force to be reckoned with when she grew up.

"I think we should take the rest of the afternoon off Gibbs! We need to go baby shopping." Abby was sure that Gibbs would have some things, somewhere, left from Kelly, but he couldn't possibly have everything a six-month-old could need stashed in that house of his.

"Sounds like a plan."

It took very little effort to get permission from the Director to take leave for the rest of the afternoon, and together the two of them gathered up Kaylee and the few belongings she had, and headed for the shops.

Oh, this was going to be fun.