Please see Chapter 1 for warnings and disclaimers.

Chapter 13

The next morning dawned far too early for Ashlynn's liking. She had never been a morning person but Gibbs wanted to ensure everything ran smoothly for the boys' first day of school. Unable to argue with his reasoning, she had very little choice but to comply. Cam smirked when Ash settled gently down into her seat, a steaming cup of coffee in hand.

Before the ten-year-old could comment on his sister's obvious discomfort, however, a mild tap to the back of his head captured his attention. The look Gibbs gave his son let the boy know that it would be in his best interest to keep quiet.

"Are you okay, Ash?" AJ asked quietly his voice riddled with insecurity.

Ashlynn smiled at her youngest brother's concern and gave him a wink. "I'm fine sport." Her eyes darted to Gibbs and then back to AJ. "Everything's okay."

The five-year-old gave his sister a scrutinizing look before deciding to take her at her word and offering up a smile. This was far too happy a day to spend worrying. If Ash said everything was okay then he would believe her. The boy could not wait to start at a real school!

In short order, breakfast was cleared and everyone was ready to go. They dropped the boys off at their school, making certain each one made it to his assigned classroom. The drive was a quiet one; both Gibbs and Ash seemed taken up with their own thoughts. As was his custom, Gibbs stopped for coffee, in this instance purchasing two steaming cups.

Before they reached NCIS, Gibbs broke the uneasy silence. "Ash, if there's something else you're keeping secret, you need to tell me now," he stated quietly.

Ashlynn cast a quizzical glance at the man, her heart racing. Forcing her voice to remain relaxed, she answered with seeming innocence, "I don't know what you mean."

Flashing the girl a look of annoyance Gibbs continued, "My gut tells me your hiding something. I'm giving you the chance to come clean right now."

"There are many details about my life that I don't choose to share with you. Things that are absolutely none of your business."

"How about things that are my business?"

"Can't think of any," she replied with an air of casual unconcern.

"Alright," he stated his lips tightening in a firm line. "But if I find out you're lying, your butt will be paying the price."

Despite herself Ash's cheeks flushed pink. Damn she hated it when her mutinous body revealed her emotions! Though she desperately wanted to answer back, she didn't think she could control the timbre of her voice.

They proceeded to NCIS without further conversation. Ash was pleased to get her laptop back despite knowing everything she used it for would become public knowledge – at least to Gibbs' team. She was far less happy to find out there were interviews scheduled with the FBI that afternoon. Apparently they wanted to question her concerning unsolved larceny cases in which her mother was a suspect. The most frustrating point, however, was the fact that Gibbs would not so much as let her go to the restroom alone.

Ashlynn did however use the opportunity to talk with Ziva about something that had been on her mind since before her encounter with Reyes. "Ziva, when did you learn to defend yourself so well?"

"I was raised to be a Mossad agent. I started learning from early childhood."

Ash nodded. "Would you teach me how to fight and to defend myself?"

Ziva tilted her head, studying the girl curiously. "Why?"

Taking a breath and letting it out slowly, Ash turned to view herself in the mirror. "I've taken martial arts classes since I was six, but I suffer from no illusions. I may be able to fend off a mugger, but most of what I've learned is more theoretical and less practical. I have never studied Krav Maga, but I think that something designed for the Israeli Defense Forces, especially when taught by a former Mossad agent would provide me with the practical element I'm looking for."

Ash stared silently at her reflection in the mirror before continuing, "Since my mother," she stopped unable to control her voice. "I was useless… helpless."

"The men had guns. Had you attempted to intervene you would have been killed," Ziva responded matter-of-factly.

"I know," Ash all but whispered. "But… it just left me feeling so… vulnerable," here Ash turned her blue-green eyes to Ziva's dark ones, pleading silently with her to understand.

Ziva offered a curt nod. "I will not keep this from Gibbs." Ashlynn's head bobbed in acceptance. "And if I agree, you will give your word to me that you will not take off after Covas or any of those involved in your mother's death for retribution." Ziva's eyes pinned Ash with a look the girl was very familiar with. She had leveled it at Cam often enough. Ashlynn chuckled.

"What is funny?" Ziva demanded.

"Nothing, really. It's just that I've given Cam that look more times than I can count. I won't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind…about going after Covas, but I'm not completely insane. I'll promise you not to take off after him by myself. "

"Well I am not one to cuddle a younger sibling as you do your brother, so do not expect me to go easy on you during training."

"Coddle. I think the word you want is coddle," Ash said with a laugh finding the mental picture of Ziva dressed in workout clothes, cuddling up with her on a workout mat a rather funny one. Even more poignant however, was the insinuation the NCIS agent had made that Ash was like a younger sibling.

XXX000XXX000XXX000

School was everything AJ had hoped and not nearly as bad as Cam had feared. AJ went on and on about his new best friend, Bobby. He didn't seem to tire of expressing the attributes of his new teacher either, or the classroom, or the playground, or any of the other features of his new school. Cam found that even boring desk work might be worth the fun of recess with a group of boys his own age to play with. By the third day of school he was invited to join a local little league baseball team for the upcoming spring session. The ten-year-old couldn't have been more thrilled.

Gibbs and his team started on a new case. With very few options left open to her, Ashlynn pursued some personal interests. When Tim reviewed her searches he found that she had been accessing archeological and historical sites. She seemed to be researching various artifacts and correlating geographical areas none of which appeared to have any bearing on the Covas case.

Ashlynn was surprised to find that Gibbs had no problem with Ziva training her in the art of Krav Maga. After her first session with Ziva, the teen could see why and was seriously reconsidering her desire to learn from the former Mossad agent. The woman was a hard taskmaster, giving no quarter and accepting no excuse. Ashlynn had little energy left for plotting or planning after an early morning workout with Ziva.

On Wednesday, while the team was in the field, Ashlynn kept Abby company down in the lab. Ash's best cajoling couldn't convince the forensic scientist to let her use her computer.

"Come on, Abs, I swear this has nothing to do with the Covas or anything illegal. I just want to check my email."

"So why can't you check your email on your computer?"

"Because, it's private. You see there's this friend, a guy –"

"Friend, friend or boyfriend?" Abby wanted to know.

"With the lifestyle we led I didn't have much time for more than friendships, but…well, I wouldn't mind if it developed into a bit more than friendship," Ash answered with a grin.

Abby smiled at that. "So is he cute?"

"Oh yes, and smart. He has the best accent, too. He's Greek."

"Sounds like you really like him."

"I do, and we were planning to get together this spring or summer. I just want to touch base with him…privately."

Abby bit her lip obviously considering the girl's plea, but finally she shook her head with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Gibbs said no unmonitored computer access and specifically you aren't to touch NCIS computers."

Ashlynn sighed heavily but she really couldn't fault Abby. She knew full well what the wrath of Gibbs entailed. The teenager would just have to find access to some other computer to use. It wasn't like she didn't have a few other tricks up her sleeve.

"So what do think the odds are of Gibbs letting me out for good behavior? I mean let's just say that I do get in touch with Thales, and he should happen to come into town and want to take me out… you know…just the two of us?"

"Seriously?" Abby gave the girl an incredulous look.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Sorry, but I don't think the bossman is going to let you out of the sight of an NCIS agent until Castillo is in custody, and maybe until Covas is put away. I mean, your safety really is more important than a date. Even if it is a really dreamy Greek guy."

Ashlynn rolled her eyes and spun around on the stool she was occupying. Abby had just confirmed what she already knew to be true. Any plans she might have would have to be carried out covertly. That and she really needed to do something about this custody issue!

XXX000XXX000XXX000

Friday afternoon, Gibbs sat at his desk sipping his coffee with some satisfaction. Though he could not officially count the case as closed, his gut told him that they had the murderer in custody. The first week of school seemed to have gone well for the boys and even Ashlynn hadn't given him any trouble.

His cell phone interrupted his train of thought. "Gibbs," he answered, hoping that his ruminations hadn't been premature. "Yes. Is everything okay? I'll be right there."

Tim and Ashlynn turned to look at Gibbs questioningly. Ziva and Tony were following up on what they all hoped with be the clincher in the current investigation.

"Cam got in a fight. I'm headed to the school."

Ashlynn stood but Gibbs shook his head. "No. You stay here with McGee."

"But –"

"No. Sit down and don't give McGee any trouble," Gibbs stated darkly, fixing the girl with a warning glare.

Ashlynn flopped back into her seat with a huff.

It didn't take long for Gibbs to reach the school. He made his way to the office where a downcast Cam sat in a chair. Looking nervously up at his dad, Cam wanted nothing more than to explain that it wasn't his fault.

"You okay?" Gibbs demanded.

"Yeah," the boy answered.

The NCIS agent looked his son up and down but couldn't see a mark on him. Just as he was going to ask what had happened the principal stepped out of her office.

"Mr. Gibbs," she said tucking a silver strand of hair behind her ear, "Thank you for coming. I would like to have a private word with you, if I may."

Gibbs gave Cam a squeeze on his shoulder and followed Mrs. Palengades into her office where he noted an attractive brunette, probably in her thirties. After taking the seat indicated Gibbs turned to face the two women, impatient to find out exactly what had happened.

"Mr. Gibbs, this is Cameron's teacher, Ms. Lerrin."

Gibbs nodded politely to the woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Gibbs," Ms. Lerrin said, assessing the NCIS agent before her and finding that she liked what she saw. "I want to put your mind at ease. Cameron in no way instigated this fight."

Here Mrs. Palengades interjected, "Normally, we have a no tolerance policy on fighting, regardless of who started the fight. However, in this instance, the other boy involved has developed quite a reputation as a bully and has been in trouble before. All reports state that Cameron was defending another student and did not become physical until he was pushed."

Gibbs nodded his understanding, pleased to find that Cam hadn't been up to any of his antics. If they planned on punishing Cam for defending himself, they were going to find themselves with a problem.

"However, the other boy was sent to the nurses office with a bloody nose and severe bruising. Apparently your son studies martial arts. I understand that he is new to this school, is in fact new to the school setting, but it is important for him to understand that he cannot use his training on other students."

"I appreciate your policies, and will talk to Cam," Gibbs answered, offering a charming smile that neither woman could ignore. "I have to tell you, though, I will never tell my son that he doesn't have a right to defend himself." He made eye contact with each woman to portray how serious he was about this before allowing his gaze to soften, "I will tell him to take it easy, though."

"I appreciate your understanding," the principal smiled in return, relieved that this had gone as smoothly as it had thus far. "I will tell you up front that I was very suspect of your sons considering the way they were accepted into this program and so late into the school year. Especially Cameron. Aiden was an obvious candidate given his academic record and test results. Ms. Lerrin has assured me, though, that Cameron is an excellent placement."

Ms. Lerrin nodded her amber eyes showing a spark of excitement. "Though Cameron's test scores were not particularly impressive it is obvious that he is exactly the type of student to benefit from this program. He's obviously intelligent and a very kinesthetic learner. He has superior problem solving skills and is a natural born leader. After only a week, he's quite likely the most popular boy in class. He will undoubtedly present with unique challenges, but I am very excited to see his progress."

Though pleased to hear the teacher's high praise, Gibbs turned back to the principal with a question. "Exactly what do you mean by 'the way they were accepted into this program'?" the NCIS agent wanted to know.

"Well, though we are part of the public school system, we are a magnet program. As I'm sure you're aware not only are standards very rigorous, but acceptance so late in the school year is practically unheard of. To be quite frank, the substantial grant provided by the boys' grandfather obviously impacted their applications in a favorable manner. I was concerned that you might think that they would receive other preferential treatment."

"Grandfather?"

"Their mother's father I believe. As I understand it he carries a title in Ireland and is a notable businessman with connections here on the East coast."

"I see," Gibbs answered with a nod, his eyes darkening a bit. He could now understand the principal's concern. She thought he'd bought the boys acceptance to the school and then expected them to have free run of it.

"You didn't know," the principal stated softly, noting the tension in the man's face.

"No."

"I apologize. I just assumed…that was wrong of me."

"No need for you to apologize."

"I have to say, I was quite confused. Given the amount of the endowment, I would have thought private school would have been considered. Well, I appreciate your time, Mr. Gibbs. You are free to take Cameron home and we will look forward to seeing him on Monday."

Gibbs rose and shook Mrs. Palengades hand. He rather respected the way the woman had confronted him with her concerns up front. He didn't hold her erroneous assumptions against her. They were well founded. He was anxious to talk to a certain auburn-haired teen about this misunderstanding. As he turned to shake Ms. Lerrin's hand, he smiled remembering her favorable comments about Cam.

"Don't let him fool you. He's full of mischief," he warned.

"I had noticed the potential," she answered with a smile. "I'll let you know if it gets more than I can handle."

"You do that." Gibbs couldn't help but think that teachers had changed a lot since he was a kid. He'd have a hell of a time dragging Dinozzo away from this one if he were here.

Cam anxiously awaited his father's return, hoping beyond hope that his principal and teacher weren't sealing his fate in there. The slight grin on Gibbs' face as he exited the principal's office put the boy at ease.

"Come on, son," the man said as he approached. Quick to comply, Cam bounced up to walk with his Dad.

Once they had exited the school, Cam tentatively asked, "Uh, so, I'm not in trouble?"

"Oh no, you're definitely not in trouble," Gibbs replied, "Though we have one or two things to talk about."

TBC…