Recap: Plays directly after the last story ended. Title's property of Bangle's: Maniac Monday.

~ Sunday 'cause that's my funday ~

Gibbs awoke at the feeling of being watched. Cracking one eye open he found the source of this feeling sitting close to his chest, looking at him curiously. A quick glance towards the clock told him it was already 9 in the morning.

"Good enough to stand up," thought the agent as he shifted his attention back to Mini-Ziva. Her small hand was supporting her as she leaned heavily on his chest, peering at his face closely.

Gibbs grinned to himself at the girl's blunt movement and quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to be fast asleep.

It didn't took long before he felt her shift her weight again and a small hand, which pinched his nose shut. Although he still could easy breath through his nose, Gibbs decided to humor the little girl and opened his mouth, letting loud fake snores escape his throat.

His actions were rewarded by a small giggle before the agent felt her other hand clasped his mouth shut.

Not thinking about opening his eyes yet, he experimentally puffed against her hand. Mini-Ziva blinked in surprise and put the hand, which had pinched his nose shut, on his mouth also.

Using her state of bewilderment to his advantage the gray-haired agent swiftly sat up, making sure to wrap an arm around Ziva's small frame in order to steady her, as her hold on him lessened in shock.

Gibbs only paused briefly to check if she was alright before he started to tickle her. The little girl squealed in delight and tried to get away from him. Continuing to laugh, she curled herself up into a tight ball as Gibbs tickled her unyielding.

While Mini-Ziva managed to shield most of her upper body from his offending hands, she completely forgot about her feet. A fact which Gibbs soon took advantage of and which made Ziva laugh even harder as she tried to scramble away from the agent.

After a playful struggle the little girl finally had managed to leave the bed and ran out of the room.

Gibbs followed her in an instant, playfully chasing her before he scooped her up near the staircase.

"Gotcha," he grinned widely as she continued to laugh, though being totally out of breath.

Down the hall a door creaked open.

"What's all the noise about," yawned Tony, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Breakfast, come on," smirked the team leader.

"Now? Still too early," mumbled Tony drowsily.

"Wouldn't be if you had come home on time."

"Uhm..."

"You going to stand there all day or are you coming?" Gibbs asked, already on his way downstairs with Ziva.

"We need to clean the attic today," he reminded the teenager halfway down.

Tony grumbled to himself but followed the pair into the kitchen.

"Do we really need to do this today?"

"Yup. Should have done so days ago. Guy from construction company will come early on Monday. They'll probably start working the same day. Furniture will arrive Friday. So we've got no time to spare and we need to bring all stuff from your room and the attic into storage today."

"Alright," Tony sighed, knowing that any further complains would fall to deaf ears anyways.

"Pancakes?"

Questioned Gibbs, already taking the cooking essentials out of the fridge and cupboards.

"Again?"

"You complaining?" Gibbs mustered him with a smirk.

"Just checking," grinned Tony, pulling a chair to the counter for Mini-Ziva to stand on.

"If ya feel like having something else tomorrow, just say so." The team leader commented as he put a bowl and flour in front of Ziva, who had climbed on the chair and was directly in the middle of both men now.

"Like pizza?" Tony inquired innocently, as he cracked some eggs into the bowl.

Meanwhile the little girl had grasped the container of flour and held it over the bowl, with the help of Gibbs, who wisely ignored Tony's question.

"Slowly," the team leader advised, making sure that they added not too much flour into the mix.

"Good job," Gibbs praised the little girl, "Tony if you add the milk, I'll get the hand mixer."

"On it."

The teenager's absent minded use of his normal response brought a smile to Gibbs' face.

Once the mixer was ready to be used, the gray-haired agent gently placed it into the bowl, letting Ziva put her hand on the handle, before he added his own hand there - like they had done at a prior time.

The vibration of the kitchen machine elicited a giggle out of Mini-Ziva and the men to share a smile over the little girl's head.

"Alright, should be good," announced Gibbs after a while. "Tony," he wordlessly held the whisks up and motioned to the sink, "Thanks."

As the teenager turned back to the bowl a minute later, he saw a few drops of dough on the kitchen counter. Surely they must have squirt out of the bowl as they had mixed the dough.

Seeing that Gibbs was busy with preparing the pan, Tony scooped some of the dough up with his finger. With a last glance to the team leader he stood next to Mini-Ziva, placing his dough covered finger on her nose.

The little girl looked momentarily stunned at him and then looked cross-eyes at her nose before she went and took a handful of dough from the bowl. Her action caused the bowl to top over, spilling half of its content.

Before Tony could phantom what happened he found himself covered in dough. The sticky mass dripping from the right side of his face where it had met its aim perfectly.

The time seemed to stand still for the teenager, till he was brought back to reality by Gibbs who had first heard Tony's gasp before the room was filled with Ziva's giggles.

The team leader smirked, "Good aim."

Tony's eyes darted to Gibbs.

"You going to strike back?"

"Why does this sound like a question?" Tony tried to get the dough out of his hair.

"Half the dough is spilled on the counter already," Gibbs replied, picking some of it up and smearing it on Ziva's cheek.

The little girl looked shocked at him, her mouth falling slightly open.

The gray-haired agent grinned at her and took another handful of dough. Ziva's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed some dough too, before she jumped of the chair and hid behind Tony.

"Ya serious," the teenager was still somewhat shocked as a glob of dough landed on his shirt.

"Uh huh."

Gibbs crossed his arms and grinned. He was so sure not to get any comeback from his senior field agent that he wasn't prepared for the dough which came simultaneously flying from his two agents. Mini-Ziva had obviously decided to team up with Tony and had given the teenager some dough, as he had held his hand behind his back.

What followed next was a full-blown food fight, leaving not only the kitchen spotted in numerous decorative splotches but also the three occupants.

"I'll call dibs on the shower," Tony stated after they had cleaned up most of the mess and dashed off.

"Hey!" Gibbs shouted after him, "If you leave dough traces around the house, you clean it up."

"Okay," Tony called back, shutting the bathroom door loudly.

The team leader could only shake his head at the teenager's antics and directed his gaze toward Mini-Ziva, who looked up at him innocently.

Much like the two men her hair was sticky with drying dough, her small frame adding to the impression that she has fallen into a dough bowl as nearly every inch of her PJ was covered by dough.

"Bath." Gibbs held his hand out for her to take.

Ziva frowned, "Pan'ake."

The team leader grinned at her and squat down, kissing her furrowed brow.

"First bath, then pancakes," he signed, speaking the words aloud at the same time.

"Pan...cakes." She repeated, pausing briefly mid-word as she tried to pronounce the word correctly.

"Bath."

Mini-Ziva stuck her bottom lip out, clearly unhappy at his demand.

"No."

Her negation rang loud and clear through the room.

"Stubborn as ever, aren't ya," Gibbs thought smiling.

"Alright," he said causally, "Stay. Don't move."

With this he swiftly made his way out to the backyard, leaving a very confused girl behind.

After a while, in which he didn't came back, Ziva got impatient and carefully sneaked towards the backdoor also. Since Gibbs left it ajar, she could open it wider with easy.

The team leader grinned as he caught sight of the little girl out of the corner of his eye.

"Bath," he spoke loudly, "Or this." He held the hosepipe up.

Mini-Ziva's eyes widened and she hurried inside again.

Gibbs laughed to himself and finished to rinse the last few pieces of dough out of his hair. Already having removed his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxers, he left the strained items out to dry. He would worry about getting the dough out of their clothes later.

"Probably looking like a dog," he thought as he tried to shake most of the water droplets of his body.

Once done he returned inside where he found his youngest agent only a few meters from the door, watching it closely.

"Bath?"

Gibbs asked gently as Ziva copied his every step forward with a step backwards. All along looking very suspiciously at him.

"Water's turned off, so Tony must be done." He asserted as he regarded Mini-Ziva.

"Ken?" Gibbs tried anew, this time eliciting a small nod from the little girl and bringing her to stop walking away from him.

He briefly glanced at the floor to check if she had left any footprints in her wake before he squat down anew in front of her and stroked a wayward piece of hair out of Ziva's face.

"Go," Gibbs told her smiling, nodding towards the stairs.

Mini-Ziva gave him a smile in return and dashed upstairs. The team leader following her in a much slower pace.

(One hour later)

"Hey Gibbssssssssss," Abby's smile got even wider as she release the agent from her hug and showed him the bags in her hands, "We brought you guys breakfast."

"Hey boss," greeted McGee, "I hope you don't mind that I brought, him too." The agent motioned towards his dog, who sat behind him, patiently waiting for his owner's next order.

"Nah," Gibbs smirked, "Come on in."

He gently patted the dog behind his ears as the German shepherd trotted past him.

"You brought things for tonight?" He checked.

"Yeah. They are in the car."

"Jethro tried to get to the steaks. He's going crazy whenever he smells the fresh meat." Abby looked at the wagging tail of the dog, who had already discovered a certain girl and was currently licking her face off.

"Why don't you go save her and I'll help McGee with the bags?" Gibbs suggested, smiling as he heard Ziva's happy pleas for the dog to stop tickling her.

"Brought something for Jethro, too?" He asked his agent, once Abby was inside. The articulation of his own name, sounding foreign to his ears.

"Sure boss. Needed to buy some other things also," McGee motioned to another bag from the local pet store.

"Well then, let's get inside."

"I see you already started without us," Tim motioned to his boss' pickup which had already several boxes on it.

"All stuff from Tony's current room. Attic's is five times as full."

McGee groaned inwardly at the prospect of carrying this amount as he followed Gibbs inside.

"Hey Gibbs! They brought donuts and waffles," Tony called from the dining table.

"Uh huh," the gray-haired agent smirked at his 'kids', who were already digging into the boxes of food.

"Coffee?" he asked McGee and Abby.

"Uhm." The unsure look on their faces amusing him greatly, "I got some less strong coffee and enough milk and sugar."

"My doing," commented Tony between bites as the two other adults agreed to Gibbs' offer.

"Man, haven't you gotten fed since days?" Abby laughed, gratefully accepting the coffee which Gibbs held out to her.

"I'm growing," defended the teenager.

"Uh huh."

"What?!"

"Nothing." The gray-haired agent's eyes twinkled with mirth as Abby and McGee laughed aloud.

(Attic)

With Tony and McGee downstairs, packing boxes into the two cars and Ziva and Jethro playing in the garden, Abby used the chance to talk to Gibbs in private.

"Those boxes are all filled with memories of Shannon and Kelly, right?" She softly inquired.

"What makes you think that."

"Cause the boxes with X-mas stuff are hidden in the far corner of your basement."

Gibbs sighed, "Abby..."

"I don't mean to intrude your privacy or hurt you." The goth said gently, "This is the first time you're up here since... well... Am I right?"

"If I say yes, will you drop the subject?" He looked expectantly at her, his eyes giving her a glimpse of the much deeper hurt going on within him. Abby nodded tentative, enveloping him into one of her famous hugs.

"This must be hard." She said against his broad shoulder. Her voice muffled.

"It's for a good purpose, Abs," he gently pried her arms off him, "There's not much to say apart from that."

The scientist gave him a small smile and took another box to carry downstairs. Silently accepting his answer.

As Gibbs decided to take a small break and to check on Ziva, he looked into the garden, not really believing what he saw there.

His gaze came to rest on the little girl and the German shepherd, who were covered from head to toe, or tail in the dog's case, in dark soil. Both sitting in the remains of what used to be a flower bed.

"McGee!" he called out after he had closed the door to the garden again.

"Yes boss?"

"What wrong with that picture?" He motioned outside.

"Oh..." Tim was speechless.

"Yeah, oh..." mimicked Gibbs and raised an eyebrow at his agent, opening the door.

"Uhm..."

"That's so cute!" Abby's shriek made the two occupants of the garden look at the group.

"Now they both need a bath," grunted Gibbs, not to keen of the idea.

"Can I do it?" Abby immediately volunteered, causing both men to look at her strangely.

"If you get them into the bathroom without making a mess out of my house."

"I'll carry Jethro and then bring you the dog shampoo which is still in the car," commented McGee, whistling to get the dog's attention. For once happy that he went shopping shortly before coming over.

Jethro looked up from where he had his nose in Ziva's hair and sprinted over to his owner, who effortlessly carried the German shepherd to the bathroom.

Meanwhile Gibbs motioned for Ziva to come closer. When she finally stood in front of him, she tried hard not to look at him, keeping her gaze firmly glued to the floor.

The team leader shook his head, smirking as he helped her to remove her dirt covert shoes.

"Bath," he told her sternly.

Although the huff of annoyance and the sagging of her shoulder's betrayed Mini-Ziva's dislike of having to take yet another bath, she gingerly took Abby's outstretched hand.

"Kid probably could get away with murder just by looking and acting innocently and remorseful," Gibbs mused, watching both girls disappearing upstairs.

~ TBC ~