Thanks for all of your encouraging reviews. Every story that I write is special to me and this one is no exception. I'm not really sure how to finish this one, but I'll give it a shot. Enjoy these next few moments!
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Ducky stood in the bullpen, pacing anxiously as he awaited the 'surprise' Gibbs had called him about. He turned as the elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of the team. He stood in pure amazement as a little bundle of energy came dashing at him.
"Duck Duck!" Gabby exclaimed as she leaped into his arms. Ducky smiled and hugged her.
"Gabriella, darling, so good to see you!" he said.
"Guess what, Duck Duck?" Gabby yelled. She didn't give Ducky time to say a word before she blurted out that she and her mommy were moving to Washington to live with her daddy. It was at this point that Ducky looked up to see Kate standing next to Gibbs, tucked under his arm. He met her gaze and smiled, waving her over. He shifted Gabby and pulled Kate into a one armed hug.
"Welcome home, Caitlin," he said. Gabby moved to get down, but Ducky misinterpreted the action and tried to hand her to Kate.
"I'm too big for Mommy to carry now," Gabby said. Ducky looked between mother and daughter, trying to comprehend Gabby's statement.
"What she means to say," Kate started to explain, "Is that she's too big for me to carry right now."
"'Cause she's gotta carry my baby sibing," Gabby said, shocking everyone in the bullpen. Ducky set Gabby on the floor before pulling Kate into a full hug.
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Abby was in her own world, waiting for some tests to finish running when, all of a sudden, her music stopped playing. Abby paused, looking up, but not seeing anyone around she figured it was a problem with the CD player and went over to check it out. She grew confused when nothing seemed amiss. Looking around, she spotted the corner of a pink blanket peeking out from under her desk. She knelt down and looked past her chair to see a little girl's grinning face giggling back at her. Startled, Abby jumped back, falling and hitting her head on the file cabinet.
Abby came to moments later to find the little girl sitting by her head, a thumb in her mouth and a concerned look on her delicate features.
"Hi," Abby groaned a little as she sat up.
"Hi," the little girl chirped. Abby moved to stand up, but the girl wouldn't let her. She crawled onto Abby's lap, face to face with the forensic scientist. The blanket dropped as the little one ran her hands along Abby's head, checking for bumps. When she found none, the child slipped off of her lap and nodded, giving Abby the all clear.
"Thanks," Abby said, rising to her feet, "Now, what was I doing?" She looked to the little girl, who shrugged her shoulders and raised her hands, palms up, to shoulder height. Abby giggled.
"You're adorable," she said. The computer signaled that Abby's results were ready. The little girl followed, blanket tucked firmly underneath her arm.
"Interested?" Abby asked. The little girl's blue eyes lit up and she nodded, braids flying. Abby picked her up under the arms and set her on the chair next to her.
"I'm Abby," the scientist said.
"I'm Gabby," the little one chirped.
"You know, I feel like we're going to get along well."
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Two pairs of eyes watched from the doorway as Abby and her young namesake got acquainted. Gibbs nudged Kate into the room, but she shook her head, tugging on his arm for him to join them. He pulled free. Kate glared again before walking up behind Gabby and hugging her.
"What are you doing, Baby Girl?" Kate asked, placing a kiss on the top of her head.
"Helping Abby," she said. Abby turned and screamed. She threw her arms around Kate and hugged her.
"Oh my word!" Abby yelled, "I missed you! I can't believe you're alive! Where have you been?"
"Abby , Abby, slow down and take a breath," Kate giggled, "I missed you too."
"How did you survive?" Abby asked. Kate pulled back her hair to reveal a long scar that ran along the right side of her head.
"A fluke of the wind deflected the bullet, but the FBI wanted to protect me, first from Ari and then from this crazy stalker ex-boyfriend of my best friend," Kate explained, "So, I came to in a room in Bethesda, with Ducky and a couple of Marshals in the room. Ducky interviewed me so he could complete the autopsy photos and paperwork. Then, they escorted me to Albuquerque and gave me a new life there." Gabby tugged at her mother's sleeve.
"Tell her about me, Mama," she whispered. Kate smiled, sliding an arm around her daughter.
"This little one pretty much saved my life during those first few months of witness protection. They told me I was still pregnant after Ducky left." Kate said.
"So she's not the child of some New Mexican Native American stud who rides a Harley into the desert sunset?" Abby asked. Kate mock scowled at Abby while covering Gabby's ears playfully.
"Take a good look at her and you tell me who her daddy is," Kate demanded, guiding Gabby's head up so that Abby could look into her eyes. The forensic scientist stopped for a moment staring deep into the clear blue depths of the three year-old's eyes. Then she jumped back and stared at Kate, her smile blooming as she shook her head in disbelief.
"Kate!" Abby said, throwing her arms around Kate again, this time spinning her around and jumping up and down. There wasn't much that could unsettle her stomach now that she'd passed her first trimester, but the motion was enough to make her want to lose her lunch. She sat down in Abby's chair, waiting for the feeling to pass. Gibbs strode into the room to Kate's side, rubbing her back until she raised her head again.
"Are you okay?" Abby asked. Kate nodded, rubbing her belly.
"Baby number two isn't exactly a daredevil yet," Gibbs explained. Abby squealed and hugged Gibbs.
"This is so exciting!" she said. Gabby nodded vigorously and latched onto Abby as she passed by, wrapping her little arms around Abby's neck. The pair danced around the lab laughing and bonding . Kate and Gibbs watched, hands intertwined, smiling. Kate leaned her head against Gibbs's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief that she was finally home where she belonged. It may have been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.
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I'm going to call this one done, but there will undoubtedly be a sequel where I introduce Baby Gibbs #2 (or 3 if you count Kelly). Anyone up for kicking some ideas around with me? I can't promise that I'll devote a ton of time, but it might be nice to co-author for a change of pace. Just let me know! Thanks for reading. CATE