A/N And here we go the end of another story. I wanna thank you all for your reviews alerts and Favorites on this story and for those who are just reading Thank you too!

Disclaimer...Not mine...Yet!

Chapter 16

Jimmy watched as the sheriff left.

Mable walked around the counter and sat next to him, "I'm sorry James. I didn't even think you were Jackson's son, we all thought you were dead," She leant towards him, "My father even thought Jackson had killed you." She whispered.

Jackson laughed, "Mable, you're father was such an old coot, he couldn't even spell your name right." He looked at Jimmy. "You know she spells it M.A.B.L.E instead of M.A.B.E.L." He said although Jimmy looked horrified at Jackson tell him this both Mable and Jackson laughed.

"Yes and remember the amount of times new teachers would try to teach me how to spell my name." She smiled at him. She was glad that Jackson was quick to forgive her, they had been friends at school together and she was fiercely loyal to the Gibbs family, the fact that she had just nearly blown that friendship hurt her a lot.

Jimmy realizing the old woman was trying in her own way to apologize smiled at her, "Do you have any stories of Dad when he was at school?" He asked, breaking the ice between them.

Gibbs sat next to his brother handing him a coffee, "Yeah, I'd like to hear those…..You have some unpacking to do don't ya dad?" he said turning to Jackson.

"Tag teamed by my own sons." Jackson grumbled with a slight smile and headed off to the back, while for the next hour his sons listened to stories of his childhood from one of his oldest friends.

Ziva and Tony sat in the back of the courtroom nine days later; as both Bruce and John Palmer where sentenced to life. For assault, kidnapping, murder and for Bruce; some old counts of child abuse and spousal abuse that had been on his jacket and his lawyer, who to be honest hadn't tried her hardest to defend him, had suggested he 'cop' to so he wouldn't be tried again later.

As they were, led away, Tony and Ziva surreptitiously 'high-fived' each other and walked out so Tony could spread the news.

He dialed Gibbs' cell as Ziva stood on. "Boss, the Palmer boys just went down for life." He informed his boss with a smile.

He closed the phone and looked at Ziva, "Gibbs is coming back tomorrow, he's given us the afternoon off as we have no active cases right now, So, I'm gonna call McGee…Movie night?" He asked before he rang his teammate.

She nodded, "I'll call Abby." She said and started making her own call.

Tony knew this was what they needed.

They needed sometime where they as a team could hang out and discuss all that had happened between Palmer and Gibbs. Any questions, fears…problems they were likely to encounter in the future would be aired amongst the team tonight and Tony, as always watching Gibbs' six would deal with what he could then and bug Gibbs himself for the answers to any other questions later.

Despite popular belief, Tony knew he was Gibbs' partner and it was his job, to make his partners' job, easier at work.

Gibbs closed his phone and turned to Jimmy who was resting on the sofa.

"Jimmy?" he said quietly.

"Shh Leroy…..Sleeping." Jimmy grumbled and pulled the blanket over his head.

Gibbs grinned in the week they had been there they had forged the brother bond they should have had growing up.

Unlike his father and brother, Jimmy was not an early riser; even though he was recuperating, he was still grouchy in the mornings. He had been sleeping on the couch as Jackson had cleared Jimmy's room the weekend after he had decided to exit via the window in his teens.

Jackson and Gibbs had taken advantage of this and had been slowly and quietly repainting his room, and moving furniture in while he had slept.

Last night, in the attic Gibbs had found a box of Jimmy's old stuff and had brought it down and spent the night putting the finishing touches on his brothers room.

"Come on kid, got something to show ya." Gibbs said poking Jimmy.

"Later!" Jimmy grumbled.

Gibbs stood back, hand on his hips. "PALMER! COFFEE MACHINES ON FIRE!" He yelled.

"WHAT! WHERE! HELP!" Jimmy yelled jumping up. He scowled at Gibbs.

"That's not fair!" he grumbled as Gibbs laughed.

"BOYS!" Jackson called from the front of the store. "KEEP IT DOWN!"

"YES DAD!" They chorused looked at each other and fell about laughing.

At the front of the store, Jackson smiled and realized that he had missed this, he knew he had made a mistake in keeping them apart and wondered what they would have been like if he had allowed them to grow up together.

Gibbs got Jimmy to follow him upstairs.

"What do you want to show me then Leroy?" He asked.

"Been busy while you've been supporting the couch." He said smiling.

He opened the door to Jimmy's old room. Jimmy stood there, it had a fresh coat of blue paint, there were pictures of Gibbs with Shannon and Kelly, Eunice and Jackson on a desk with a new laptop and printer. Medical books where on a shelf on the wall and some of Jimmy's high school trophies for science were displayed.

"Wh…What's this….is this…is this mine?" he asked amazed.

"Yeah I still have my room so we fixed yours up so when you come here you have somewhere to stay too." Gibbs smiled.

"You did this." He said, it was not a question.

"Nope, Dad and I did it…it was his idea." Gibbs told his little brother.

Jimmy turned and ran, For a second there he thought he had done the wrong thing and ran after him, till Jimmy ran into the front of the shop and hugged his father. "Thank you." He said his eyes wet with tears of gratitude.

"For what son?" Jackson asked.

"My…my room?" jimmy said his voice rising thinking maybe Gibbs had just said that to make him feel better.

Then Jackson smiled.

"One of my brighter ideas that, I want you to know this is your home and you have somewhere that is yours." He said.

Jimmy then knew that he and his dad were going to be ok…it, whatever it was that they had between them, as it wasn't totally family yet, was going to be ok.

Gibbs walked up to them, "Jimmy I have to go back to Washington for a few weeks, but I'll be back to pick you up. When you come home, I want you to stay with me until we can find you an apartment you like."

Jimmy smiled. "Also, I heard from DiNozzo this morning, sit down a second." He said.

His smile faded as he sat at the table. Jackson put a coffee in front of him.

"Bruce and John Palmer were sentenced today." Jimmy took a swig of his coffee hoping that neither of the other men noticed his hands shake. "They both got life….they're gone." Gibbs said. Jimmy looked relieved then a thought crossed his mind.

"Mom….will she…will they put her away for life too?" he asked scared.

Gibbs shook his head, "I enrolled her in a secure unit and talked to a judge, providing she completes the course and stays clean, no charges will be brought, whether or not she has contact with you is entirely in your hands." He said.

"I…I want to see her, she's my mom….I can't not be there for her now."

"She will be allowed to call you in two weeks, I talked to her doctor, and she's being given my cell number. When she does call, I'll be right by your side." He promised his little brother.

Jimmy nodded. Gibbs grabbed his go bag. "I've gotta go I'll see you both in two weeks."

Eunice Palmer sat in her one to one therapy session. The last month had been one of the hardest she had ever faced.

Not only had she had to come to terms with her addiction, but also she had been confronted with the mental and physical damage she had inflicted on her son.

Gibbs had seen Jenny Pressman the file so Eunice could see what Jimmy had had to go through. Although she had at first not let her patient see it listening to her go on for hours on end about how Bruce was going to save them and tell them what they needed to do and how Bruce would make sure Jimmy was brought back into line. She had had enough and had finally shown the woman the file.

She had slowly read the file; the horror of what she had done to her boy was etched on her face.

"Eunice, Bruce was an enabler, he needed you to be addicted and he used your dependence on him to hurt Jimmy. You tried to sell your son to his pedophile uncle for drugs!" She said not sorry for the tears the woman was having. "James is a loving boy, he was eleven when Bruce first threw him out wasn't he?" She asked.

Eunice cracked then, realizing the way she had remembered Jimmy's childhood was Bruce's version of events.

"He was…I thought I was doing the right thing….Bruce suggested I get rid of him, he was always in the way when Bruce's friends came round…" She stopped as she remembered what Bruce had made her do and then the realization that, that was what she had tried to do to her son.

"I…I can't talk to Jimmy, he's going to hate me! He should hate me!" she burst into tears again.

"Eunice, you have taken a huge step today, you are nowhere near ready to be released, but I have arranged with Agent Gibbs for you to have a supervised phone call with Jimmy." She told the other woman.

Eunice took the tissue the other woman handed her and listened as the Doctor dialed the number.

"Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, its Eunice Palmer and Dr. Pressman, is Jimmy willing to take a call from his mother?" She asked.

"Yeah, hold on." There was a rustle on the other end as Gibbs handed the phone over.

"Mom?" Jimmy said.

"Jimmy it's your mom and Dr. Pressman, this call is being supervised for both your safety, are you willing to continue with the call?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jimmy said.

Dr. Pressman nodded and Eunice spoke, "Jimmy, baby….I'm so sorry, I've been working with the doctor and I know that I have a long way to go but I wanted you to know I'm trying." She said.

For a second jimmy didn't answer, Then his voice full of emotion said, "I know Ma…Please work with her I want you to be able to come home."

"The doctor says I may be here for a long time….The drugs made my brain a bit fuzzy, I need to get better….I just need to know did he hurt you?" Eunice asked.

Jimmy had no idea if she meant Bruce, John, or even his dad, but he decided that it did not matter, all that mattered was that his mother was trying. "No Ma….He never hurt me, you get better now and as soon as you're well enough I'll come and visit."

Eunice smiled even though Jimmy could not see her.

"I love you Jimmy." She said with a glint of hope in her eyes.

Two hundred and sixteen miles away, Jimmy Palmer looked at his father and brother who were sitting nearby supporting him and for the first time ever he felt like family surrounded him.

"I love you too Ma….we're gonna be ok." He said and smiled.