Hey guys, soooooo sorry for the long wait for an update. I went on a "rustic" camping trip and there was no internet. But, I do have the next few chapters written up. Just gotta type 'em and we'll be good! Thanks for all the reviews!
I got back and someone had anonymously given me a new goldfish. I've named him Jethro:)
Jenny bit her lip as she waited for the children to reply. To be honest, they had already stolen her heart and she could see her husband adored them, too. She hoped they would say yes.
"Really?" Tony asked, hope coloring his voice. "All four of us?"
"All four of you," Gibbs said. "But we live on a working ranch, you'll all be expected to help out with chores."
"Yes!" tony shouted. "Yes, yes, a billion times yes! We'll do every chores you give us and we'll be super good and behaved, I promise," Tony said. Grinning from ear to ear, he turned to his brothers. "Right, guys?"
"Definitely," Jimmy said.
"Yeah, anything!" Tim said. They both smiled brightly and jumped around.
"Thank you so, so, so much!" Tony said, hugging Jenny. Jenny smiled and hugged him back. Then, she turned to her husband, who was still holding little Abby.
"Do you think coming home with us sounds like a good idea?" she asked her.
After a long moment, Abby nodded, giving them a small smile. Jenny smiled back.
"Well lets go get everything sorted out and then we'll head home," she said. She took hold of Jimmy and Tim's hands and Gibbs carried Abby to the table where papers were being signed and children were officially being adopted. Gibbs took the children over to the side while his wife handled the paperwork. He wasn't great at all that stuff anyway. Taking a seat on a bench outside the courthouse, he sat Abby on his lap. Jimmy and Tim climbed up next to him on either side. Tony sat on the ground in front of them.
Staring into the distance and thinking too much, Tony suddenly extremely guilty. If he had somehow stopped those men from taking Kate and Ziva, everything would've worked out. They would've all been adopted, and Abby would still be as bubbly as she had been when he first met her. Ziva would've taught him how to flip a person over his shoulder like she had promised on the first night and Kate would've been smiling and laughing and being the big sister that everyone looked up to.
"Mister Gibbs, what's your ranch like?" Tim asked curiously, pulling Tony out of his thoughts.
"It's very big. We have hundreds of heads of cattle and lots of horses to ride and chickens and goats and a big German Sheppard named Jethro," he said.
"You have horses?" Tony asked. "What kinds?"
"Mostly Quarter horses, but we have a few mustangs as well, and a few other oddballs."
"Mustangs?" Tony asked, eyes growing bigger. "Wow."
"Mhm. And you'll all get to pick out a horse for yourselves."
"Really?" Tim said. "Our own horses?"
"Well living on a ranch, you're gonna need one, Tim," Gibbs said.
Tony sighed. Ziva had said she loved horses…
Half an hour later, Jenny came out of the courthouse waving the papers above her head. "It's official, you're stuck with us," she said with a grin. Tim and Jimmy started running around and cheering. Jenny and Gibbs laughed, watching them for a bit, before Gibbs stood up. "Come on, wagon's this way," he said, leading them over to the road.
Jenny stepped up onto the front seat and Gibbs handed Abby up to her. Then, he helped Tim, Jimmy, and Tony into the back of the wagon with all of their belongings. He was a bit surprised when he realized Abby had nothing with her but he shrugged it off and climbed into the driver's seat. With a flick of the reins, he set the horses off at a steady trot.
Jenny was surprised how right it felt to hold Abby in her arms. It was just like she imagined holding her own child would be.
She had been devastated when she and Gibbs made the decision to stop trying for their own child. But when she had heard from Ducky, a friend of theirs who ran the General store in town, that an orphan train was coming, she knew neither she nor Jethro would pass up the chance to help the homeless children. Sure, they had walked out with a bit more than they had bargained for, but when she saw the three boys talking animatedly behind her, she knew they had made the right choice.
As night finally fell, she felt Abby moving around. Looking down, she saw her sating up at the sky. "What's those lights?" Abby asked, pointing up to the star-filled sky.
"Those are stars, Sweetheart. Haven't you ever seen stars before?"
Abby shook her head. "They's pretty," she sighed dreamily. "I wanna show Timmy. Timmy!"
Tim came up behind them almost immediately. "What is it?" he asked. "Are you okay, Abs?"
"I'm okay. Look at those," Abby said, pointing upwards.
"Wow," Tim breathed. "They're amazing! Guys, come look at this!"
Tony and Jimmy also came up behind the front seat.
"Wow, look at all those stars," Jimmy said quietly. "Those are stars, right?"
"Yeah, they are," Tony said, smiling softly. "At least, that's what I remember them like."
"Tim, Jimmy, have you ever seen stars before?" Gibbs asked, stopping the wagon. Both boys shook their heads. "Tony?"
"A long time ago," Tony said. "But not like this. There's so many!"
"They's pretty," Abby sighed again.
Gibbs pulled the wagon off the road into a largo open field. Jenny looked at him, confused, when he climbed out of the wagon. "Everybody out," he said. "Time for a lesson on the stars." He helped everyone out of the wagon and unhitched the horses so they could wander for a bit. He had trained the well enough not to go far.
They laid out in the grass on a hill for hours, just staring up at the stars. Gibbs and Jenny pointed out all the constellations they knew and told the children the stories behind them, and the children in turn drank it all in in amazement. And for the first time, the three boys and one little girl felt like they really belonged.
When it was finally time to get back in the wagon, Abby and Jimmy had both fallen asleep. As they were climbing back into the wagon, Tim saw another wagon pass them, driven by a familiar face. He turned to Tony with wide eyes, and Tony stared back at him.
"Was that just-" he started to ask.
Tony nodded. "We have to save them," he said determinedly.
"Gibbs is the sheriff," Tim recalled. "He can help us. We have to tell him!"
"Tell me what?" Gibbs asked from the back of the wagon, where he and Jenny were standing, having heard the whole conversation.
Tony and Tim looked at each other nervously. Tony shook his head. The man said he'd shoot Kate and Ziva if they sent the law after him.
"Who did you just see?" Jenny asked gently. "We want to help you."
Tim gulped. "The man driving that wagon kidnapped two of our sisters from the train yesterday. He said he'd shoot them if anyone told the sheriff," he said. "Please, you gotta help us get them back."