Ties That Bind by Margaret and LJ

[LJ]

She sighed audibly in relief as she recognized Mr. Tompkins’ car in the driveway. At least this part she wouldn’t have to do alone. Parking the car, she hesitated before opening the door. Slowly she walked up the path to the front door and, very slowly, knocked.

The door swung open to reveal a tall, well-built man in his mid-forties. Kate found herself reminded strongly of Gibbs as his piercing eyes (albeit brown) examined her closely in the brief moment before letting her in.

“Ah, Kate!” Mr. Tompkins called when she entered what she assumed had been the living room. “Welcome. We were just finishing up the last of the boxes.”<br>
Kate saw him kneeling on the floor next to a large box, Grace helping him tape it shut. There were two other similar boxes in the room, which was otherwise empty. Kate suddenly had a disturbing thought.

“Um, who’s selling the house?” she asked worriedly, hoping desperately that the answer would not be her.

“That would be me,” the man said from behind her, a touch of amused sarcasm in his voice.

“Grace,” Mr. Tompkins grunted as he struggled with a piece of tape. “Would you like to introduce Kate to your uncle?”<br>
“Oh, right,” she responded. “Uncle Jack, Kate Todd. Kate Todd, Uncle Jack. He’s – was – my dad’s brother.”<br>
Kate nodded politely at “Uncle Jack”. He returned it, still scrutinizing her. From what little Kate had seen of him, he was extraordinarily protective of his young niece and determined to make sure she would be going home with someone reliable. Just what I need, she sighed inwardly. Another Gibbs on my case.

An awkward silence was settling over the room. Kate wasn’t sure what to do or say but she had to break the stillness.

“Um, can I carry anything to the car?” she asked.

“That box there,” Grace directed, not looking up. Kate grabbed it, grateful for anything to do, but she had underestimated the weight.

She was still grappling with the box when it unexpectedly lost a good bit of poundage. Surprised, she looked around and noticed Uncle Jack on the other side, lifting with her. Together they maneuvered the heavy container into the trunk of her car.

“Thanks,” she said appreciatively, breathing heavily.

“You’re welcome,” he grunted.

“You know,” she began hesitantly, “I really do want what’s best for Grace.”<br>
He gazed at her again, a look she was so familiar with from a different silver-haired man, and nodded slightly. “I know. You think I’d be letting you take her if I thought you didn’t?”<br>
After getting all the boxes in the car, three of them stood in the living room and stared at the floor while Mr. Tompkins rattled off a few final reminders.

“Well,” he finished, “is everyone ready?”<br>
Grace, tears in her eyes but determined not to cry, nodded. She hugged her uncle fiercely and he kissed the top of her head lightly. Kate stood with Mr. Tompkins, looking on as uncle and niece said their goodbyes.

“Kate?” Mr. Tompkins asked quietly.

She nodded, tears in her own eyes. It was time, she realized, to face the reality. She was the mother of a fourteen-year-old girl who had just faced an enormous trauma. No one said this was going to be easy, she reminded herself.

“Everyone ready?” Mr. Tompkins repeated.

No, Kate thought desperately. But she said,

“Yes.”<br>
Grace nodded again, hugging her uncle one last time, and they all headed out the door. As she and Grace got in the car, Kate was assailed by a sudden onslaught of maternal worry.

“Seatbelt,” she ordered automatically. Grace gave her a look as she drew the strap across her body. Kate cringed inwardly. This was not starting well.

“So,” she tried, forcing a cheerful tone, “what do you like to do?”<br>
“I don’t like to talk in the car,” the girl muttered stonily.

Nosiree, Kate thought. No one said this was going to be easy.

[adrianne1121]

I keep clicking on the down arrow hoping that there is more! That was another amazing chapter, and so sad! I can't wait for the next update!

[nikkinor]

Wonderful, as always, can't wait for the next chapter.

[kentucky56]

This is so wonderful! Please keep it comming and take your time. I could see this going on for a bit to get the full story in. Please don't cheat it, it's too good. ;D ;D ;D

[LJ]

Ch. 6 – Moving In


“Hey, Kate!” Abby called as the car pulled into the parking lot. The perky Goth grinned as Kate and Grace stepped out of the car. “You must be Grace.”<br>
Grace stuck out her hand somewhat hesitantly but, Kate noticed, with less trepidation than she had shown meeting Kate. Abby’s personality tended to make people comfortable around her.

“I’m Abby,” she introduced herself. “I work with...Kate.” The pause was so brief that Kate wondered if she had imagined it, but Abby apparently faced the same difficulty as Kate. How should Grace address her?

A problem for later, she decided. Right now was the time to keep the conversation in familiar territory. “Abby’s our forensic specialist. She works with everything from blood to ballistics to fibers. Oh, and a lot of our computer stuff.”<br>
“Cool,” Grace nodded, and Kate felt she really meant it. Progress, she cheered inwardly. Baby steps.

“So,” Kate announced, encouraged, “let’s move you in!”<br>
They spent half an hour just getting the large, awkward boxes up three flights of stairs and into the room Kate had cleared for Grace. After some humorous pushing, pulling, and squeezing (and one frightening incident involving sweaty hands and the law of gravity), they managed to get all three into the room not much the worse for wear. Panting slightly as they surveyed the depressing sight of boxes in an empty room, they wondered vaguely what to do next.

Kate turned to Abby to thank her for helping and began giggling quietly. Grace gave her a puzzled frown before looking at Abby and chuckling along. Abby, for her part, was trying valiantly but unsuccessfully to restrain her laughter. Before long, all three were in stitches and Grace had to sit down, she was laughing so hard. Abby’s hair was in its usual pigtails, but the strenuous activity had shifted them so that one sprouted almost straight from the top of her head and the other hung limply from just below her ear. Sweat had trickled down her face, smearing her mascara and leaving dark tracks down her cheeks. Kate’s hair stuck out in all directions and her face was bright red from exertion. Grace’s hair, too, was wild; large chunks of it lay across the remnant of her part and a few brown-blonde strands streaked her face.

The girls’ giggle-fest went on for quite some time, as such things do, because every time one person would start to get a grip on themselves, something else would strike their funny bone and set them off again. Finally they arrived at a mutually sober moment and managed to stop laughing.

“Well,” Abby began, after a few moments of relative silence, “is there anything else I can help with?”<br>
“I don’t think so,” Kate answered, looking around. “Thanks, Abby. I appreciate your help.”<br>
“Yeah,” Grace chimed in. “Me, too.”<br>
“Hey, no problem,” Abby grinned. “I think it’s awesome you two finally met. When Kate told me,” she said to Grace, “I was so surprised, I dropped the beaker of reagent I was holding. Gibbs wasn’t too happy about it,” she cringed, “but it was cheap stuff.”<br>
Grace smiled. Kate wished Abby could stay around; it was so much easier to talk to Grace with someone else there. She knew she’d have to deal with Grace one-on-one eventually, of course, but for now she wished to delay the event as long as possible.

“Well,” Abby concluded, “I guess I should get going. Grace, come by the office sometime. I’ll show you around the lab.”<br>
“Thanks again, Abby,” Kate said as she walked Abby to the door.

“No problem, Kate. See you next week.”<br>
Kate leaned against the door as she shut it, breathing deeply. This was it. Okay, she thought. One problem at a time.

“Hey, Grace?” she called as she reentered Grace’s room.

“Yeah?”<br>
“There’s something I’ve been wondering,” Kate hesitated, unsure of how exactly to frame the question. “What do you want to call me?”<br>
Grace gave her a look, blank but for the slightly raised eyebrow. Anxious, Kate babbled.

“I mean, I understand if you don’t want to call me Mom. After all, I’m not really your mom…yet. And that’s fine. But I’m not really comfortable with you calling me just Kate. It’s a little too informal, if you know what I mean, and, well, I’d just prefer it if there was some sort of honorific – ”<br>
“I understand,” Grace said loudly, cutting Kate off. Kate grinned sheepishly. “So…Miss Todd is kind of formal; what about Miss Kate?” Grace proposed.

Kate grimaced. “Sounds like a kindergarten teacher.”<br>
“Yeah,” Grace agreed, making a matching face. “What about…Aunt Kate?”<br>
Kate considered it. Familiar, yet appropriate; it fit. “I like it.” Something about the faint grin on Grace’s face made her ask, “Not trying to fix me up with your Uncle Jack now, are you?”<br>
Grace laughed and Kate felt a thrill run through her chest. I made her laugh! “No, he’s kind of…taken.”<br>
“That’s good. He’s a little too much like my boss,” Kate smirked. “Not really my type.”<br>
“Oh, yeah? What is your ‘type’?” Grace asked, eyebrow raised. Her eyebrows could give Gibbs’ a run for their money, Kate thought.

“Oh, I don’t know. Tall, dark, and handsome?” Kate joked.

“So what’s wrong with Uncle Jack? And, of course, your boss?” Grace probed with the cunning of a seasoned attorney.

“I never said they weren’t easy on the eyes,” Kate defended herself, much to Grace’s mischievous delight.

“So,” Grace started, getting slightly more serious, “wanna help me unpack?”

[LJ]

Ch. 7 – Take Your Daughter to Work Day


“No, no, no, no, no!” Kate moaned, thumping her head against the wall for good measure.

“What?” Grace asked from the floor, her nose buried in a book.

“Mrs. Klein is sick,” Kate explained with a sigh.

“So?”<br>
“So I can’t leave you here alone,” Kate declared. “I’ll have to call someone else.”<br>
“Come on! I’m fourteen, for Pete’s sake; I can take care of myself. All Mrs. Klein does is watch me read or drive me to the pool, which, I’d like to point out, is within walking distance,” Grace, suddenly animated, argued.

“Grace, it’s not about whether or not you can take care of yourself; it’s about safety. What if you fell and broke your arm? How would you get to a hospital? I’m not leaving you here alone.”<br>
“I don’t need a babysitter!” Grace grumbled.

“No, but I want someone to check up on you,” Kate called over her shoulder as she dialed. “Hello, Janice? Mrs. Klein is sick today and I have to go to work in half an hour. Would you be able to check on Grace every now and then?...Oh, I see…Okay. Well, thanks anyway. Bye.”<br>
Grace was grinning impishly as Kate hung up the phone. “Oh, well. I guess there’s nothing else you can do,” she sang.

Kate frowned, thinking. There was one thing…but no, Gibbs would kill her. On the other hand, she really didn’t have a choice. “Say, Grace, you remember Abby?”<br>
“Sure,” Grace answered, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why?”<br>
“Well, she did say you could come by the lab sometime…” Kate trailed, smiling meaningfully. Grace shrugged. “Great. Do you need anything?”<br>
Grace held up her book in response. Kate nodded, grabbed her keys, and ushered Grace out the door.


“Remember, don’t let Gibbs see you, don’t get in Abby’s way, do what she tells you, don’t go off and explore on your own, don’t talk to Tony –”

“Aunt Kate,” Grace interrupted, “I get it. I got it the first five times. Sit in the corner and pretend I don’t exist.”<br>
“That’s not what I –” Kate started, cut off this time by the blast of music that welcomed them to the lab.

“Hey, nice tunes,” Grace commented, bobbing her head ever-so-slightly to the rhythm.

“Abby, I need a favor,” Kate hissed, glancing around for Gibbs.

“Sure, Kate,” Abby grinned. “Will you owe me?”<br>
“Big time. Listen, the lady who usually watches Grace for me is sick so I brought her in. If Gibbs finds out, he’ll be…well, Gibbs. Could you let her hang out her for the day? She’s pretty quiet and I’ll try to come by and check on her when I can.”<br>
“Hey, no problem! Grace-ster and I’ll have a blast. Here, Grace, let me show you my centrifuge…”

Kate left them happily chatting about forensics and went upstairs.

[LJ]

Grace got along well with Abby. Sometimes Abby would tell her what she was doing, step by step, and sometimes she just let her read quietly in the corner. It was during one of these quiet (well, relatively quiet; Abby’s music was always blaring) moments that a man burst into the room, skidding ever so slightly on the tile floor. Excepting his unorthodox entrance, he appeared rather calm. Strolling nonchalantly over to where Abby was working, he tapped her on the shoulder and jumped back as she whirled around violently.

“Oh, hey, Tony,” she greeted, turning the music down. “What’s up?”<br>
“Kate caught me going through her trash again,” he shrugged.

Abby laughed. “Tony, you remind me of a guy I dated.”<br>
“How’s that?”<br>
“I caught him taking personal products out of my trash. He said he wanted something to remember me by.”<br>
“Hey, I’m not a creep. I’m a cop. It’s instinctive,” he grinned. “Anyway, can I just hang out here for a while?”<br>
“Sure. By the way, this is Grace,” Abby introduced.

“Hi, Grace. Tony DiNozzo,” he said, waving slightly. “You a friend of Abby’s?”<br>
“Yeah,” Grace answered, not really wanting to get into the details of her parentage. Besides, Abby was her friend.

Tony wandered aimlessly around the lab, poking occasionally at various machinery and gazing at the newest additions to Abby’s décor. Grace watched him intently, curious about the people Kate worked with.

“So,” she began, trying to sound casual, “this Kate get on your case often?”<br>
Tony turned to face her, a slightly puzzled look on his face as if he couldn’t figure out why she would care. “Yeah, sort of.”<br>
“Sounds like real piece of work,” Grace prodded.

Tony grinned mischievously. “You bet. She’s really anal when it comes to her personal property. I mean, all I did was try to take a message for her. But did she thank me? Nooo, she goes on about how I shouldn’t be touching her phone. And she also has a thing –”

“Tony,” Abby warned, eyes glued to a microscope.

He ignored her. “And she also has this thing about analyzing people. Like a shrink. Okay, sure, she’s a profiler, but does she have to read something into everything I do? I see a pretty girl and ask for a date, it’s because I’ve got unresolved issues with my mother? Come on!”<br>
“Boy, Tony, you must have a lot of unresolved issues there,” Abby quipped, grinning. He rolled his eyes at her. “Don’t listen to him,” she said to Grace. “He’s just upset because Gibbs said something nice to Kate yesterday.”<br>
“Speak of the devil,” Tony muttered, suddenly trying to look purposeful.

“Abby, you got the blood results yet?” barked an irritable silver-haired man, striding in to the room. Kate was right behind him, looking a bit frightened. Grace suddenly understood why Kate had been so paranoid about this man finding her in the office. He was scarily intense.

“Not quite,” Abby said brightly, “but I’m getting close.”<br>
“DiNozzo distracting you?” Gibbs asked, giving Tony something akin to a death glare.

“Nah, Gibbs. You know I wouldn’t let Tony distract me. You, on the other hand…” Abby winked. Gibbs ignored the comment and turned to Tony.

“What are you doing here, DiNozzo?”<br>
“Just, ah, just came for…the blood results, boss,” Tony improvised quickly. Gibbs’ eyes narrowed, sensing deception but unsure if it warranted punishment. He soon found another source for questioning.

“Who’s this?” he directed at Abby, staring at Grace.

Abby suddenly looked unsure. “She’s, um, she’s…” she stalled.

“She’s what?” Gibbs growled.

“She’s mine,” Kate spoke up, a determined look on her face.

Gibbs’ eyes shifted from Kate to Grace and he nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. What is she doing here?”<br>
“The lady who usually watches her got sick and none of the neighbors were going to be around. I thought since we didn’t have too much going on, she could just hang out here for the day. I didn’t have anywhere else to take her and she’s really no trouble and I couldn’t leave her alone in the apartment –”

Gibbs held up his hand to stop her. “This won’t be a regular arrangement.”<br>
“No, of course not,” Kate answered his non-question, relieved that he didn’t seem too angry.

Gibbs nodded, satisfied, and turned to leave. “Get that blood done, Abs!” he called over his shoulder.

“Right away, bossman!” she mock-saluted before turning back to her work.

“Wait, so she’s – you’re – she’s,” Tony stammered, looking from Grace to Kate. “She’s the one? She’s mini-Kate?”<br>
“Yes, Tony,” Kate sighed. “You doing okay, Grace?”<br>
“I’m fine. I’d be better if everyone would stop talking about me like I wasn’t here,” Grace replied resentfully.

“Sorry. I guess you’ve met Tony. Don’t listen to a word he says,” Kate warned. “I gotta get back to work. You sure you’re okay here?”<br>
“I’m fine,” Grace repeated, this time with a tinge of exasperation.

“Okay. See you later.” Kate turned to leave, giving Grace one last word of advice. “Don’t let Tony touch your stuff!”<br>
“See what I mean?” Tony muttered once Kate was out of earshot. “Way too possessive.”<br>
“I don’t think Gibbs is too happy about me being here,” Grace confessed.

“Ah, don’t worry. Gibbs is always a hardnose. Actually, I think he likes you,” Tony admitted.

“If that’s what he’s like when he likes someone, I’d hate to see him mad,” Grace mused.

“Yeah, you would. Trust me, if he didn’t want you here, you would’ve been gone the minute he saw you,” Tony said, his tone far more serious than anything Grace had so far heard from him.

[Margaret]

Okay, since LJ is out of town, I'll put this week's part up here. It'll probably be up at ff.net either Sunday or Monday.

Ch. 8 – Confessions and Caviar

“Hey, Kate, you bringing anyone to the benefit tonight?”<br>
“Just Grace,” Kate replied warily. “You?”<br>
“Well, I can’t decide between the blonde I met yesterday and the redhead I took out last night. They’re both really hot,” he mused, “but the blonde has a temper problem and the redhead cost me most of this month’s paycheck. What do you think?”<br>
“Tony, you are so immature!” Kate burst out, exasperated.

“Oh, Kate,” Tony sighed, shaking his head in mock pity, “you’re just figuring that out?”<br>
“No,” she replied, glaring at him. “I’m just telling you. Why do you act like a horny thirteen-year-old every time a female is around?” Her question was not new and was born more of irritation than interest but Tony put on a thoughtful face and pretended to consider it seriously.

“Hmm.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe it’s because I’m looking for that ‘special someone’. How will I know if I don’t try?”<br>
“What?” Kate added confusion to her frustration.

“Well, what if Miss Right is out there somewhere? I don’t want to miss her so I gotta try all the samples.”<br>
“You must be joking.”<br>
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”<br>
“What about a serious relationship? What about commitment?”<br>
A subtle change crossed Tony’s face, suggesting for the tiniest moment that he’d heard that argument for the last time. “Yeah, Kate, ’cause I’m the single parent,” he said nastily.

Kate’s face hardened and she turned away from Tony. She didn’t see the briefest look of regret flicker in his eyes before being replaced by a mask of indifference. The stony silence prevailed until Gibbs entered, sucking loudly at his near-empty coffee cup.

“What’d you do to DiNozzo, Kate?” he asked sarcastically. “He hasn’t been this quiet since Abby and Ducky told him about –”

Kate’s cell phone rang. She ripped it off her belt, perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary, and answered, “Kate Todd.”<br>
Gibbs raised an eyebrow, threw his now-empty cup in the trash, and slid behind his computer.

“Grace, I told you not to call me at work,” Kate hissed, sounding more worried than angry. “Are you all right?”<br>
Tony threw the phone a dirty look, Gibbs frowned slightly, and Kate listened intently.

“Grace, I’ll take care of it when I get home. Love you,” Kate finished, slowly hanging up the phone. She was determinedly not looking at Gibbs.

“I need to talk to Ducky,” Gibbs muttered, standing. “You two keep working.”<br>
As soon as Gibbs was out of earshot, Kate turned to Tony, eyes blazing. “You had no right to drag Grace into it.”<br>
“Don’t you think it’s just a little hypocritical of you to say my relationships are shallow?” Tony argued. “You obviously had a little trouble committing, yourself.”<br>
Kate’s face was a tormented mixture of anger and hurt. “Did you ever think,” she bit out, “that maybe it wasn’t my fault?”<br>
Tony rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, presumably to give some sort of lecture on taking responsibility, but Kate cut him off.

“I didn’t choose to go that far!” she hissed, unconsciously echoing Gibbs’ earlier words to her.

“Kate, I,” Tony started, his surprise apparent. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” If Kate hadn’t been so furious at him, she would have laughed at the almost overblown look of shock on his face. In her current mood, though, she decided that it was due recompense for his earlier words.

“Well, now you do,” Kate replied, unwilling to forgive him just yet.


“Why am I going to this, again?” Grace asked, struggling into a skirt.

“Because it’s for charity,” Kate answered, applying her makeup. “And because you need to get out of the house. And because I want you to.”<br>
“Oh. Right.”<br>
“Come on, Grace; it’ll be fun. You can see Abby again and maybe meet more of my coworkers.”<br>
“Like your charming boss?” Grace quipped. Kate rolled her eyes.

“Behave,” she warned jokingly.


“Kate, Grace,” Tony greeted, grinning widely. “This is Brenda.”<br>
Kate nodded in acknowledgement, watching Grace out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t yet seen the girl in a social situation and wondered how she would act. She needn’t have worried.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Grace chirped, curtsying lightly. Kate wondered if anyone else noticed the faintest note of sarcasm in her voice.

“Oh, what a darling!” Brenda shrieked, startling everyone within earshot. “Did your mother teach you that?!”<br>
Grace was caught briefly off-guard but recovered admirably. “No, ma’am. My dad did.” This greatly delighted Brenda (though this seemed to require rather little effort) and she took Grace aside, giggling.

“Went with the redhead, I see,” Kate muttered to Tony.

“Yeah. Isn’t she great?” Kate actually turned to look at him, sure he must have been joking, but his face showed nothing other than pleasure as he gazed at his date. Kate rolled her eyes and went to rescue Grace from the clutches of the red-headed-but-nonetheless-inwardly-blonde Brenda.

“Sorry about that,” Kate apologized, leading Grace toward the buffet line.

“Good thing I’m such a little socialite,” Grace teased, helping herself to the food.

“Ah, Caitlin!” a familiar British accent called. “And who is this lovely young lady?”<br>
“Ducky!” Kate greeted enthusiastically. “This is Grace.”<br>
“Ah, Grace,” Ducky said knowingly, “what a pleasure to finally meet you. Have you tried the pâté?”<br>
“Ew,” Grace said simply.

Ducky chuckled. “Oh, my dear, it is entirely your loss. Pâté is an exquisite French delight, somewhat akin to caviar in its association with luxury. Speaking of caviar, did you know that while the delicacy itself is originally Russian, the word has quite the interesting etymology? Yes, it came into English by a, one might say, byzantine route. Ha, an appropriate adjective as Turkish played –” Ducky stopped, noting the slight glazing in Grace’s eyes. “But that is a history for another time. Caitlin, I believe Jethro was looking for you earlier.”<br>
“Oh,” Kate said, shaking herself inwardly. “Um, will you two…”

“Yeah, Aunt Kate,” Grace assured her. “We’ll be fine.”<br>
“Not to worry,” Ducky waved cheerfully. “So, Grace, how are you doing?”<br>
Grace was a little surprised by the sudden change of subject and attitude but found herself trusting this man implicitly. He reminded her of Mr. Tompkins, who had been such a supportive character in the past weeks, and of her…well, Mrs. O’Neill’s father. His compassion was refreshing, too; no one besides Aunt Kate had yet asked how she was taking the entire situation.
“Not too bad,” she replied honestly. “Considering.”<br>
“Yes,” he nodded, eyes telling her that he really did understand. “I suppose so. I am sorry, Grace, that you had to experience such loss so early. I will not pretend to know your pain.”<br>
“Thank you,” Grace said, trying to keep a lump from forming in her throat.

“I can’t say I’m not glad you’ve come to us, though,” he said with more of a smile. “You, my dear, are a wonderful addition to our small family. I look forward to getting to know you better.”<br>
“You, too,” Grace replied sincerely as Kate reappeared.

“You guys seem to be getting along well.”<br>
“Indeed, Caitlin. Your daughter is a delightful young woman.” Ducky smiled conspiratorially at Grace and gave her a small wink. Grace smiled back, knowing that she had found at least one confidante in this new world in which she now found herself.

[Gibbsgirl]

I will leave you a review over at ffn when the chapter gets posted... but

Once again a nice bit of development, slowly drawing the team together around Kate and Grace. Can't wait to see where you go from here. This long, slow ride up only makes me anticipate what you must have in store for the ride down the other side!

[Free]

Love the new chappy, guys! I'm really looking forward to more Grace-Ducky interaction now.

[LJ]

Ch. 9 - Two Lunches

“He didn’t!” Grace breathed, astounded.

“You can ask him yourself,” Kate insisted, widening her eyes for effect. “Tony’s always doing stupid stuff like that. Everything they say about girls maturing faster than guys? It’s true.”<br>
“So, when a guy does something really dumb,” Grace began, trying to appear casual while twisting her fingers nervously in the grass, “it’s normal?”<br>
Taking a bite of her sandwich to allow herself time to formulate a response, Kate hid a smile as she chewed. It sounded to her like Grace had a little crush. “It is completely normal,” she reassured the teen. “Not only that, but it may mean he likes you,” she added with a conspiratorial smile.

Grace ducked her head embarrassedly. “I…don’t think so.”<br>
“So, who is this guy?” Kate pressed. “School friend?”<br>
“Yeah,” Grace responded, her face slowly clouding. “Or at least, he was.”<br>
Kate could almost feel the chill settle over their little picnic. Wonderful. Grace had been adjusting quite well over the past few weeks, the short spells of anger and unease tempered by increasingly satisfying periods of bonding – if not as mother and daughter, at least as friends. Kate’s work occupied a considerable amount of time, but a grudgingly understanding Gibbs had granted her weekends as semi-sacred time. Kate had come to look forward to their almost weekly picnics in various parks around the area and she was pretty sure Grace enjoyed the time together as well, even if she didn’t always show it.

Now, though, was turning into a ‘little moment’. Grace’s stony silences were no longer as frequent but their occurrences were nevertheless not enjoyable times in the small household. Kate sighed and began to clean up the area. Progress and bonding were out of the question during these periods.

She opened her mouth to ask Grace to help but reconsidered. The girl was already in a lot of pain, obviously, and it was mostly Kate’s fault. Why add to it? She had been struggling with this question since Grace had first come to live with her. Her instinct to be a firm disciplinarian was curbed by her sympathy for Grace’s situation.

When they got back to the apartment, Grace went straight to her room and shut the door with slightly more force than necessary. Kate sighed again (she seemed to be sighing a lot lately) and took their picnic gear to the kitchen. After she cleaned up, she noticed yesterday’s mail sitting on the table and decided it was time to deal with it. Sifting through the usual junk, she arrived at the phone bill and slit it open…and her eyes widened in shock.

“What the…” she muttered to herself. 719? What area code is that? The unknown number had been dialed several times, the calls lasting a considerable amount of time. They appeared to be the main contributor to the hefty sum at the top of the bill.

“Grace!” Kate called, trying not to sound angry. And she wasn’t angry…yet.

“Yeah?” Grace answered, shuffling into the room indifferently.

“Do you recognize this number?” Kate asked, showing Grace the bill.

“Sure. That’s Uncle Jack.”<br>
Kate tried to keep her rising frustration in check. “Were you going to tell me about these long distance calls you’ve been making?”<br>
Grace shrugged, eyes defiant. “I dunno.”<br>
“Young lady, I’m not made of money,” Kate said firmly.

“Fine. I’ll cut off all contact with my former life,” Grace snapped back.

“I don’t mind you calling your uncle, Grace,” Kate said, softening slightly. “I just want you to ask me first.”<br>
“Whatever.”<br>
Something else occurred to Kate. “Why were you calling him anyway?”<br>
Grace shrugged again, looking down.

“Come on, Grace. I’m won’t be mad,” Kate pushed.

“Because he understands me,” Grace mumbled, still staring at her feet.

Kate sat back, stunned. She shouldn’t be, she knew, but it still hurt that Grace didn’t feel like she could talk to her. It was just more confirmation that their relationship would take a lot of time and work.

“Grace,” she began, “I’m sorry you don’t feel like you can talk to me. I want to talk to you; I want to understand you. Will you let me try?”<br>
Grace looked at her incredulously, trademark eyebrow on the rise.

“Tell you what,” Kate suggested, “every time you need to call your Uncle Jack, try to talk to me about it first. If that doesn’t work out, then you can call him. On that new calling card we’ll be buying you,” she added in consideration of her wallet. “Sound good?”<br>
Grace considered it briefly, then nodded. “Okay, deal.”<br>

Peace reigned in the apartment…for about two days. Kate was feeling good about Grace, work, herself – life in general – and decided to take Grace out to dinner to celebrate their newfound (and, admittedly, awkwardly fledgling) ability to talk. Grace agreed readily and they found themselves at a cozy Italian restaurant that evening. The conversation was going smoothly, until…<br>
“Aunt Kate,” Grace started hesitantly, “what happened to my father?”<br>
Kate froze, forkful of spaghetti halfway to her mouth. Lowering the utensil slowly, she wondered what on earth she could say. She wasn’t ready to tell Grace the truth but she didn’t want to lie.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked, settling for dodging the question.

Grace didn’t fall for it but something, perhaps the pain in Kate’s eyes, made her back off. “Just curious,” she answered, shrugging with unconvincing indifference.

“Huh,” Kate responded, unsure of what else to say.

“What was his name?” Grace asked, looking torn between curiosity and restraint.

“Grace,” Kate sighed painfully, “can we please not talk about this now?”<br>
“I promise I’ll drop it, just,” Grace pleaded, “what was his name?”<br>
Kate knew the girl had a right to know. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself. “Dom…Dominic Fleming,” she breathed.

Grace’s face said she had a million more questions but, true to her word, she returned silently to her pasta. Except for brief comments on the meal, they said nothing for the rest of the evening.

[LJ]

“Hey, Tony,” Kate called. “Ducky and I are going out for lunch. Wanna come?”<br>
Tony looked over at her, then back at his computer screen. “Actually, Kate, I have an interview with a witness.”<br>
Kate’s surprise was evident. “You’re opting for work over lunch?”<br>
“I was trained by Gibbs, you know,” he tossed back unconvincingly.

“Yeah, and that’s had such an effect on your work ethic before,” she retorted sarcastically.

“Well, maybe I’m more mature than you think,” Tony replied, still not satisfying Kate. She approached his desk, craning her neck to see his computer. He swiveled the monitor away from her, swatting at her hands as she tried to turn it back.

“Hey! You’re invading my privacy, here,” he barked.

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Tony,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, what’s on that screen?”<br>
“Nothing!” he insisted, holding up his hands as if to show her he had nothing to hide. She took advantage of his motion to grab the monitor and twist it into a viewable position.

“Aha! Is that your witness?” she crowed, eyeing the photo of a young and well-endowed blonde.

“Yes,” Tony muttered sullenly, sore at being beaten by Kate.

“Well, now I know why you don’t want to come to lunch,” Kate snorted. “Have fun.”<br>
She grabbed her purse and headed toward the elevator. The doors opened to reveal Ducky, out of his scrubs, apparently coming to get her.

“Ah, Caitlin,” he said, beckoning her into the car. “Is Tony joining us?”<br>
“Nah, he has a ‘witness’ to interview,” Kate smirked.

Ducky chuckled. “Of course. The two of us it is, then. I hope you have a taste for Thai food. I know a delightful little place not too far from here. You know, of course, that Thailand was once known as Siam…”

Kate listened with half an ear, her mind mostly on Grace. The girl had been questioning Kate more and more about her father and Kate was running out of things to tell her. Even if she was able to talk about the Incident, she was convinced that telling Grace she was the product of rape was not a good idea. But she kept asking…<br>
Something of her distress must have shown on her face, because Ducky suddenly stopped talking and gazed into her eyes concernedly.

“How are things going with Grace?” he asked sincerely. His tone was different than that of most people when they asked that question; Kate could tell he really wanted to know and wasn’t just asking for conversation’s sake.

She sighed heavily. “It’s a bit of a roller coaster, to be honest. One minute we’re talking and laughing, the next she won’t speak to me because I took away the life she’s always known. I’m just trying to hang on at this point. And now,” Kate added, because she trusted Ducky, “she keeps asking about her father. I don’t know what to tell her.” Kate didn’t elaborate. She trusted Ducky but hadn’t yet felt comfortable telling him about Grace’s origin.

Ducky nodded seriously. “May I tell you a story, Caitlin?”<br>
Kate hid a smile despite her current angst. Ducky rarely asked permission to tell a story. “Sure, Ducky,” she agreed.

“I once knew a young lady, about, oh, 15 years ago. She was a beautiful woman and many of her male colleagues were very interested in her. One night, she went out with a fellow she found quite attractive. He was not a particularly scrupulous young man, though, and after he had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol, my friend was beginning to get concerned about his intentions. Indeed, he soon became belligerent and forced himself on her. She fought but being rather petite and slightly inebriated herself, there was really nothing she could do. About a month later, she realized that she was with child.”<br>
Kate gawked at Ducky. How did he know? She found that she didn’t really mind that he knew; in fact, it was kind of comforting.

“Caitlin,” he continued, “if you ever need to talk about anything, you know where to find a willing ear.”<br>
“Thanks, Ducky,” she replied honestly, tears threatening to form. “Really.” He smiled supportively at her.

“Oh, my, would you look at the time!” he commented, glancing at his watch. “I’d quite lost track. Well, my dear, I suppose Jethro will be wanting us back. Shall we?”<br>
Kate took his proffered arm and walked back to the car with him. She found herself, like Grace at the benefit, grateful for a friend in this ordeal.

[tonylover]

gerat i loved it ;D ;D ;D it would be good if they made a ep like that it would be so coooool well could u give me a message when it has been up dated and keep up wid da good work girls
g2g now cyas

[LJ]

Tonylover, glad you're enjoying the story. It updates every Friday afternoon, both here and at www.fanfiction.net/~commodorenorrington.

[tonylover]

i'll b here 2 c it then ;D ;D ;D ;D
it is so much like the show and u make the characters sound like it was a script or somthing
like that was actually spose 2 b a show!!!
how do u do it !!!
keep ^ the good work girls i love it
i will write u a message when ur new installment comes in have a great time
love allwayz
TL