The sun shone brightly and, despite being mid-November, it cast welcoming warmth over him. It had been a long time since he'd been able to be outside to enjoy the uncharacteristically warm autumn weather. Gibbs lifted his face up to the sky and felt the warmth on his skin. Both the sun and the physical work made him feel alive. His shoulder still burned but the throb had settled into a bearable ache he could live with. He'd tossed aside the sling that morning and settled into some good hard physical labour. It was good for him to stay busy and feel useful. He had a houseful of kids to contend with and it motivated him to get up early to work and think about how he was going to balance his houseful. Sharing a room with a teenage boy was only going to last for so long before they both lost their congeniality. He needed a solution for the interim. He'd decided he'd clean out his woodshed and take stock of what he needed for the project. He'd already secured a contractor to put an addition on and he wanted to know what kind of lumber he had on hand.

"Need any help?"

Gibbs looked up from what he was doing to see Riley walking up. The young man looked considerably more rested than he'd looked the night before. Gibbs was glad to see it. The kid had had a rough go of it and deserved some peace and rest. Gibbs intended to see that Riley got it.

"You're up early.' He commented, entering the shed once again and carrying out more lumber. "Didn't expect to see you up until noon." Gibbs smirked at him but Riley remained somber.

"I heard you get up."

"Didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," said Riley, walking into the shed behind him. "Marine training has a way of making you an early bird, whether you like it or not." Gibbs nodded and couldn't help but chuckle. Riley definitely had a point there. Gibbs didn't remember sleeping in since he joined the Marines. Riley eyed him quietly for a moment before saying, "So, you really do have a woodshed." The boy blinked, adjusting his eyes to the dimness of the outbuilding as he looked around. The large shed was filled with lumber, tools and other odds and ends. Everything was perfectly stacked and organized with plenty of room to move around. Gibbs was a disciplined person with everything and even his shed showed how orderly he was.

Gibbs chuckled. "Yep, I do. Didn't believe me?" He pointed to a pile of chopped up hardwood in the corner. "Even got some wood for campfires. Maybe we can have one tonight and roast some marshmallows or something." Gibbs looked at the teen's face and couldn't help chuckling some more. The look of disbelief was uncanny. "You'll soon discover that I always say what I mean, Riley."

The teenager shrugged off the words. "What are you doing with all this lumber?"

Gibbs grabbed some more 2X4s and indicated what Riley could grab as well. "I was thinking of closing in the back porch and insulating it for you. That way you could have your own space. It won't take much work. How does that sound to you?"

"You don't need to go to all this extra work for me. I've been on my own a long time now. Once I get a job, I can pay my own way and get a place of my own." Riley followed Gibbs outside with a load in his arms.

Gibbs dropped the lumber on the ground and wiped his brow. "Ry, enough of that talk, okay? The paperwork is in progress and as of sometime this week, I'll be your guardian until you're 18. We made an agreement with your mom, and I expect you to follow through with it. Remember our deal."

Riley dropped the load he was carrying and stuck his hands in his pockets. Gibbs had trouble reading the expression on his face but it was clear Riley wasn't comfortable or pleased with the agreement.

"Contractors should be here this afternoon so let's just pull out the lumber that I have and leave it here. They'll use what I have and order more."

Riley's eyes widened. "You hired contractors?"

"I'd have built it myself but I'm not sure how long this nice weather will stay with us." Gibbs looked up at the cloudless blue sky and shielded his eyes from the sun. "I wouldn't complain if we had a few more weeks of this weather."

"I'll pay you back, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs sighed and looked at Riley. "You can pay me back by being a 16-year-old kid." Riley looked confused. Gibbs scrubbed a hand over his scruffy face. He hadn't taken time to shower and shave yet that day. "Look, Riley, I can't pretend to know what life was like for you back home. From what you've told me, you didn't have much time to just be a kid. Childhood is short enough. In a couple of years, you'll be responsible for yourself for the rest of your life. I'm offering you a few years of just kicking back and being a teenager. Why don't you just give it a try?"

Riley chewed his lower lip, but Gibbs didn't miss the tremble in it. "I'm not sure what that means…"

"What what means?"
"Being a teenager. I've been taking care of myself since my brother was killed…"

Gibbs put a hand on Riley's shoulder. "It means not worrying about tomorrow. It means sleeping in and giving me attitude. It means complaining, laughing, and tossing the old pigskin in the back yard. It means making some friends, breaking curfew, asking some pretty girls out and buying your first car. Do you even have your beginners yet?"

Riley nodded. "I've had my license for a couple of years."

Gibbs patted the boy's shoulder. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle that either. He'd need to seek some legal advice on Riley's false documentation. Maybe the kid would lose his license and need to redo it again. "After breakfast, I'm taking you shopping."

Riley made a face. "Shopping?"

Gibbs went back into the shed and Riley followed. Both men grabbed another load of lumber and carried it outside. "You need new clothes, some good books to read, maybe a video game console and a cell phone. This week I can help you dust off your resume and you can apply for a part-time job if you want some spending money. No rush though. I'll give you an allowance for now. We'll sit down and discuss some rules and give you some chores, but for now, I don't care if you just loaf around and play video games or maybe join some sports teams and make some friends. Give yourself some time to kick back and relax, but come January, I want to see you sign up for some classes at the community college. You say you graduated high school? How were your marks? What classes interested you most?"

Riley still seemed stuck back at the shopping comment and stood to stare at him with his mouth gaping open. Gibbs nudged him to drop the heavy load he still held in his hands. Riley did.

"Riley?"

"I-I don't have much money, sir."

Gibbs couldn't help but chuckle again. The money thing was something the kid was really stuck on and he could appreciate that. Riley was a good kid and despite his rough start in life, his parents did a good job with him up to a certain point. It was obvious he was a small town kid used to working and not getting anything for free. Gibbs reached into his back pocket for his wallet. When he dressed for the day, he always reached for his wallet and stuck it in his back pocket. It was a habit. He held out some money towards Riley. "Now you have money." Riley shook his head, but Gibbs grabbed his hand and forced it into his palm.

Riley refused to take it. "I can't take your money, sir."

Gibbs sighed, sticking the money back into his pocket. He looked around the yard for a moment and then back at the woodshed. "Okay. I'm gonna take a shower. You have until 8 am to finish emptying the shed of the lumber. Stack it by the back porch for the contractors. If you get done early, there's a weed eater at the back of the shed. The house could use some TLC. I haven't had time to weed eat in a while." Riley's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest but Gibbs raised a hand to stop him. "Yah, I know I said that you're supposed to give me attitude, but I forgot to mention that I reserve the right to discipline for said attitude. That's the parent's job." Gibbs smirked when Riley's face paled and his eyes went to the woodshed once again. "Get to work and by breakfast, you will have earned the money."

XxXxNCISxXxX

Gibbs, his hair still damp, walked into the kitchen to quite the morning commotion. Janessa was standing on the counter by the sink, attempting to reach the cereal on the top shelf, likely placed there on purpose by his father to keep the youngster out of it. Aimee was cracking eggs into a frying pan with one hand while readjusting her headphones on her ear. Her blonde head bobbed in time to the music. Flour was strewn across the floor and what looked like a failed recipe of burnt pancakes lay in the sink. Abby was sitting at the table looking glum, ignoring everything around her and sipping on a coffee. Jackson Gibbs and Makayla were nowhere to be seen. Gibbs walked up behind Janessa and scooped her up into his arms.

"I seem to remember telling you not to climb on the counters, young lady," he said, placing her feet firmly back on the floor.

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Papa Jack puts my cereal way high up."

Gibbs reached the cereal and handed it to her. "That's because you sneak handfuls when you're not supposed to."

She glowered at him, but then skipped to the table to pour some in her bowl.

Gibbs pulled the headphones off Aimee's ears and snatched her mp3 player out of her back pocket, placing it on top of the fridge for safe keeping.

"Hey!" she complained. "I was listening to that."

"You know better than to play around with that when you're using the stove," he admonished, reaching out to grab the spatula to flip her burning eggs over. "Where's Papa Jack?"

As if on cue, Jackson came limping out of the pantry with some canned fruit. "I'm right here, Leroy. Welcome to the zoo."

Gibbs smirked at his dad and grabbed a mug from the cupboard to pour a cup of coffee. He walked over and refreshed Abby's only to be rewarded with a glare. He sighed inwardly. He was going to need to have a chat with Abby sooner than later. She obviously had not woken up in a good mood and was still seriously upset with him. "Want a cup, dad?"

"Already had two, son. You want any peaches?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope, I want bacon and eggs this morning."

"Bacon!" shouted Janessa who then proceeded to miss pouring milk into her bowl and the liquid crawled across the table and began dripping into Abby's lap.

Abby jumped up. "Janessa, watch what you're doing! Geepers!" Abby brushed the liquid off her pants and looked disgruntled.

Gibbs grabbed some paper towel and quickly began to sop up the mess. Abby continued glaring daggers at him. "Abbs, you got a problem with me?"

"Yah, I do. You have no right to make me stay here. I'm an adult in case you haven't noticed."

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee, eying her pink skull and cross boned pyjamas and her pigtails. It was hard to take her seriously when she looked all of about 16 years old at the moment, but he did recognize she was an adult.

"You wanna talk about why I'm making you stay with me?" he asked, pulling the bacon out of the fridge and grabbing a frying pan that was hanging on the wall.

"No!" she snapped and stomped from the kitchen in a huff.

Jackson Gibbs whistled. "Woo-wee, ain't she in a fine mood this morning. What set her knickers on fire?"

Gibbs began laying strips of thick bacon in the frying pan. "It's a long story, dad." One he didn't wish to discuss with his dad. Abby already had Jackson wrapped around her cute little finger. It was all he needed today to get a lecture from his dad about being too hard on Abby. He knew he needed to talk with his Goth girl and make amends were her about this week, but he also needed to set down some firm guidelines. Abby needed to know what he expected of her in his absence. Gibbs wasn't going to have Abby ruling the roost and manipulating Tim and Tony like she almost always did when he was absent. "What are your plans for today?"

Jackson sat down at the table and spooned some canned peaches into bowls for the girls. Janessa immediately stuffed her mouth full of peaches making Gibbs chuckle.

"Take smaller bites," he said, walking over and taking her spoon from her to cut up the slices into more bitesize pieces. The bacon began to sizzle behind him.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, son. I was thinking I would head home soon. Since you're gonna be off work for a while, I think I could use the break."

"But I don't wants you to go, Papa Jack," cried Janessa, tears flooding her eyes and peach juice running down her chin.

Gibbs flipped the strips of bacon and turned down the heat. He turned to see his father pull Janessa up onto his lap and wipe her little mouth with a napkin. Aimee sat quietly, looking equally glum. His girls had really grown to love having their grandfather around and truthfully, Gibbs had too.

"I'm not gonna lie, dad. I've really appreciated having you here to help out, but I certainly understand if you want to go home too. Thinking of reopening the store?"

Jackson reached out and pulled at Aimee's hair, making her giggle despite her sour face. "No, I'm thinking of selling it."

Gibbs blinked. "Selling it?"

"Yep. How would you feel if I moved here?"

Janessa perked up. "Yay! That's a good idea, Papa Jack then we can goes to the zoo all the time."

Jackson smiled and kissed Janessa blonde head.

"You mean selling the house in Stillwater?" asked Gibbs, unsure about how he felt about it. The house in Stillwater was his heritage and where he'd grown up. His mother was buried there.

Jackson hugged Janessa close. "Well, yah. You're all the family I've got, Leroy and these here young'uns need their ole grandpa close by to make sure you do right by 'em."

Gibbs felt a smile pulling at his lips. The thought of his father leaving had actually made him nearly panic. As much as he knew he could handle things, he had come to depend on his father a lot. Maybe too much. He'd grown to appreciate his father again, and he would have really missed him had he left. But selling his childhood home and his father's business? Was that the right thing to do?

Gibbs pushed the crispy bacon around the pan and pulled it from the burner. "Are you sure, dad? I don't want you to feel like you have to sell. I can handle things here just fine; in fact, I have placed an ad to hire a housekeeper in January."

"Leroy, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. I want to be here to watch these girls grow up. I missed a lot with Kelly…" Gibbs felt his pulse speed up at the mention of Kelly's name but surprisingly, the piercing pain never came with it. "And I don't want to miss anything with Janessa and Aimee."

Aimee made a face. "A housekeeper? What do you mean, Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked at his blonde-haired spitfire sensing she didn't like the idea. "Someone to make meals, keep the house clean and help tag team watching you girls when I'm not home. Once January rolls around, I will be working and you girls will be in school. Life is going to settle into a very busy routine. A housekeeper will help us keep on track."

Aimee scowled at him. "Sounds an awful lot like a babysitter to me and I don't need a babysitter."

Just then the back door opened and Riley came in looking a little bit sweaty from his morning chores. He looked at Gibbs briefly before walking to the sink and washing his hands.

"Agent Gibbs, I saw Makayla ride off down the street on an old bike. You wouldn't happen to have an extra one kicking around, would ya? I'd like to scope out the neighbourhood."

Gibbs frowned. He hadn't even seen Makayla this morning. Where would she go this time of morning and why wouldn't she have asked permission or at least told him where she was going?

"A housekeeper isn't a babysitter, Aimee. We'll talk about it later, okay?" He patted the top of the glowering girl's head. "Have you girls talked with Mak this morning? Did she mention going anywhere?"

Aimee stood to her feet and snatched a piece of bacon from the frying pan as Gibbs scooped it out onto some paper towel. Riley grabbed a plate from the counter and settled down at the table quietly.

"She said she needed to talk to someone and that she'd be back in a few hours," said Aimee, putting the crispy bacon in her mouth.

Gibbs sighed. Rules were something Makayla seemed to overlook and it irritated the crap out of him. He set the plate of bacon on the table and sat down beside Riley. He threaded his fingers together as his lips set in a firm line.

"Something wrong, Agent Gibbs?" asked Riley, filling his own plate with bacon, eggs and fruit.

Gibbs looked at his girls and Riley while feeling his aggravation rise up in him. "You three don't deserve the cross words I'm about to say, but you can take your annoyance out on Makayla later. No one in this house leaves this property without telling me. Got it? Better yet, you better be asking my permission and not just telling me. Don't test me on that!"

Aimee's eyes widened at Gibbs' cross tone. Janessa sank deeper into Jackson's chest and looked wide-eyed at him as well. Riley's face was deadpan as he sat staring at him.

Gibbs rose to his feet and tossed his napkin on the table. "I'm going to look for Makayla, dad," he said as he went to exit the kitchen.

"Leroy, you should eat first."

Gibbs grabbed his keys from the side table. "I'll eat later."

"Mind if I take the girls with me to Stillwater?" asked Jackson quickly before Gibbs could leave the room.

Gibbs froze in his tracks. "That's a four-hour drive, dad. You sure you want to do that on your own? Why don't you wait until later this week and I'll take ya."

Jackson shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. "Leroy, I'll be fine. I may not be a spring chicken, but I can handle myself just fine. I promised Loretta that I'd show off the girls." Loretta was Jackson Gibbs' on again off again 'not a girlfriend' friend. Gibbs always enjoyed hearing about his father's escapades with the bossy woman who had stolen his father's heart. Gibbs massaged the back of his neck as he contemplated the usefulness of his dad taking the girls with him. It would give him some time to take Riley shopping and deal with Abby.

Gibbs looked at Aimee and Janessa. "You girls up to a road trip with Papa Jack?"

Janessa's eyes were as big as saucers. "I gots to pack my suitcase. Can I bring Ellie?" Ellie was Janessa's stuffed elephant, currently her favourite stuffed animal.

Aimee looked pensive.

"You positive about this, dad?"

Jackson grumbled under his breath. "We'll be gone two days, Leroy."

"Do I have to go?" asked Aimee softly, looking at Gibbs with uncertainty.

"Nope, but decide quickly because Papa Jack isn't going to sit around all day waiting for you to decide." Gibbs squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm going to look for Mak now. Hopefully I will be back before you all leave. Wanna come with me, Riley?"

Riley popped his head up from his plate. "Uh, yah, sure. Okay."

XxXxNCISxXxX

"Are you angry, Agent Gibbs?"

Riley's voice pulled him out of his revelry and Gibbs blinked a few times not realizing he'd been so lost in thought. "No, not really…just thinking."

"You sure look it. What are you planning to do about Makayla?"

Gibbs looked at Riley and saw a hint of fear in his eyes. Gibbs forced himself to relax his shoulders and release his tight grip on the steering wheel. He really didn't know what he was going to say when he found Makayla, but he needed to dial back his annoyance. "I guess I'm going to talk to her and remind her that she can't just take off like that. I need to know where she is. I can't keep her safe if I don't know where she is."

"Is she in some kind of danger?"

Gibbs stared at the road and mumbled under his breath, "Just from me," but to Riley, he said, "No, I just need to know where she is." From the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw Riley nod and turn to look out the window quietly. He didn't think he could explain himself to a kid as young as Riley. He would never understand what it's like to be a parent or know what it's like to not know where your child was. Gibbs would be forever haunted by Aimee's disappearance and kidnapping. He would never be able to articulate to anyone how he felt.

"The answer to your question is yes," said Gibbs, keeping his eyes focused on the road in front of him. Riley turned to look at him but furrowed his brows in confusion. "You asked if I had another bicycle. I do and you're welcome to use it anytime. Feel free to dig around the garage all you like. I tend to be a bit of a packrat; you might find other things that might interest you."

A small smile crept across Riley's face. "Thanks."

Gibbs scanned the scenery around him as he continued to drive around, wracking his brain to think of where Makayla would go and why.

"Look, I think that's her," said Riley pointing out the window in the distance.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, squinting in the sunlight and heaved a sigh of relief when he realized that it was indeed Makayla. He sped up and pulled alongside the girl, opening the passenger window. Makayla paled when she saw him and froze in her tracks. Gibbs pulled the vehicle to a stop and turned off the engine. "Stay here," he commanded to Riley and got out.

Makayla held up her hands. "Agent Gibbs, let me explain before you kill me."

Gibbs towered over the auburn-haired girl and crossed his arms. He was in no mood for anything but truth right now; watching Makayla squirm, he knew she understood his patience was thin and she was walking on glass. A quick glance into the distance, however, made him sigh and drop his arms. Makayla was walking away from her school. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew already what she'd been up to this morning.

"I needed to talk to the principal, Agent Gibbs and apologize. I needed to go and admit what I did without malice…last time I was rude and well, it wasn't fair to him."

Gibbs reached out and lightly smacked her on the back of the head. His face was stern. "Next time, tell me you're leaving, Mak!" Makayla flinched and dropped her eyes to the pavement. Gibbs softened. "Hey! Look at me." She looked up with tears shimmering in her eyes. "I'm proud of you. That took a lot of guts. What did he say?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as a tear escaped down her cheek. "I still have to serve the full suspension but he said he will let me rewrite the exam, and he will make sure it doesn't stay on my permanent record. I'll have a lot of work to do in order to catch up though…"

Gibbs smiled. "That's great, Mackie. I know you can do it! How do you feel about that?"

"I'm willing to finish out the year." She paused and bit her lip for a moment. "I just don't want to go back next year and I'm really hoping my mom will listen to me."

Gibbs drew her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I hope so too, kiddo.

Makayla hugged him back and sighed loudly. "You looked like you were ready to knock me into the middle of next week…"

Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment and held her. Overreaction seemed to come to him a little too easily these days. He just had zero tolerance for runaway kids. When he didn't know where his kids were, he panicked. Maybe he needed to talk to someone about that. His patience and endurance had been tested beyond what he could bear. He had nothing left.

"Yah, well, if you take off without telling me again, you will find out exactly what the middle of next week looks like up close and personal." He pulled her away and gave her a stern shake for emphasis. Makayla blinked and her face paled again. Gibbs picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder making her shriek and break into giggles as he walked back to his truck.

XxXxNCISxXxX

When they arrived back to the house, Gibbs shooed the Makayla and Riley into the house to get ready to go shopping. Makayla was excited at the prospect and Riley was indifferent. Gibbs had to chuckle to himself as he unloaded the bike Makayla took and put it in the garage. It was a stereotypical response. He liked shopping about as much as the next guy too. When he flicked on the light inside the garage he noticed a glum-looking Abby sitting on an old tire rim. She blinked in the light and crossed her arms when she saw him.

"You're hell bent on being in a bad mood about this instead of taking it for what it is…"

She narrowed her green eyes at him. "Which is?"

He sighed not sure he even wanted to go down this road with Abby. "Abbs, you know full well what you did was wrong and I'm well within my rights to discipline you for it. You also know that nothing about me is typical. I do things my way. That is never going to change…"

She stood to her feet and turned to leave.

"Abby, you will regret that…" he warned her. She knew better than to walk away from him when he was talking to her. She stopped and turned to face him with a mutinous expression flooding her face. "Wipe that look off your face. You can act like an adult and we'll deal with this like adults or I can toss you over my shoulder like I did Mak. Makes no difference to me. In the end, we still do things my way."

Abby's face softened and she relaxed her shoulders. "Gibbs," she whined.

Gibbs shook his head. "Don't Gibbs me. I need you to promise me that you're going to not give Tony a hard time while I'm off…"

"I never give him…"

"Abbs, don't even go there. We both know you will give him the run around like nobody's business and he won't even know it but I WILL, so here are the rules. You will not go vigilante on any case no matter what. You will not go on any approved or unapproved field trips without running it by the director. Do you understand?"

Abby's face reddened. "But Gibbs, those dogs…"

Gibbs shook his head and stepped closer to her face. "Nope, there are no buts here. It's yes Gibbs only. We can look into the kennel and make sure everything is on the up and up but you are not to do it by yourself, understand?"

Abby wrinkled her nose and huffed indignantly. "Fine, you win."

Gibbs chewed on the inside of his lip, not certain if her words were a victory or a dare. He was going to hope the former was true. He wasn't sure he could take any more mutinies in the ranks. "Good, now, come shopping with me. I'm out of my element here. Riley needs just about everything and I don't even know where to start."

A large gleeful smile broke out across Abby's face. "Shopping?"

Gibbs chuckled. He was in trouble now. "Go, get ready."

He stared after her as she hurried back into the house. When the inside door opened, he could hear Aimee and Janessa's laughter echoing out into the garage and it made him smile. They had all come a long way over the last couple of months. He had been pushed to his limits, tested beyond comprehension and was still standing. He had a lot to be thankful for and he planned to make the best of things. The worst was behind them all and the future was as bright as the sunshine.

So, readers, we have reached the end of Gibb's Test. I thought now was a good place to conclude this story.

Thanks for being such faithful readers. I appreciated all your reviews!

Let me know if you would still like me to continue in this universe.

Tell me who your favourite characters are...who did you enjoy reading about...do you have any unfinished questions...what do you want to see resolved? I will try to answer those questions and resolve those storylines :)

Until next time,

Blessings and love from Jenny Wrens :)

Thanks for all your feedback!

I will begin a sequel soon beginning with Makayla and her storyline...this story was getting too long and it will be easier for me to begin another.

Stay tuned :)