Well, here it is, the final chapter.

What can I say except, many, many thanks for all the follows, favourites and reviews you have given me over the two years it has taken me to write this story. So much has happened during this time, I feel like I have as much been on a journey as the Gibbs' family.

While this isn't the end of the series, I will probably take a short break before writing anymore about this family and the universe I have created. I would like to spend some time updating Fire and Ice as well as doing a few one shots I have floating around my head.

Once again, thank you all for your dedication to my writing, taking the time to not only read each story in this series but to put down your thoughts in reviews, PMs and the many Facebook comments and messages. You have taken this journey with me. It's been a great ride! See you in the next story. MC xx

(For those who would like to join the Facebook family, please search Mindless Creations in the FB search bar. The profile pic is the same as it is on here.)

Chapter 28 – Homeward Bound

It was all hands on deck by 6 am the following morning. While Abby and Tim frantically tried to stuff last minute souvenirs into their suitcases, Gibbs and Jenny were packing their own into the trunk of the hire car.

"Mom, Ziva won't get up and I need help trying to close my suitcase," called Tony from the porch step.

Jenny turned around to look at her son.

"What do you mean Ziva won't get up? I woke her nearly half an hour ago."

"Yeah, well, she's decided to stay in bed. Abby's trying to get her up and Tim won't sit on my suitcase so I can close it. I dragged it to his room and everything."

Jenny and Gibbs exchanged a look. Both had hoped after last night's tantrum Ziva may have woken in a better mood.

"I'll go," said Gibbs, giving the suitcase a final shove to push it in place. "You help Tony shut his case."

As Gibbs entered the cottage, the sounds of Abby's frustrated voice carried down the hall.

"Ziva, if you don't get up, we're gonna leave without you!"

"Parenting rule 101, Abbs, never threaten something you're not prepared to carry through with," said Gibbs as he entered the bedroom. Abby was standing over Ziva's bed, hands on hips and pigtails flying. In comparison, Ziva was nowhere to be seen. Gibbs assumed the lump under the covers was his five year old daughter.

"Oh, I'm prepared to carry through with it," said Abby crossly. "I just don't think the rest of you will approve."

"Yep, you're right there," said Gibbs.

He took Abby by the shoulders and gently guided her out the room. Sending her off with a kiss to her temple, he said, "Thanks for trying Abbs. See if you can get the rest of the suitcases in the trunk."

As Abby left, Gibbs closed the door to the bedroom and made his way back to the small lump huddled under the covers.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed his hand on what he assumed to be Ziva's shoulder.

"Time to get up, sleepy head," he said gently. "We need to leave in about ten minutes and you're nowhere near being ready."

"I don't want to get up," sounded a muffled voice from somewhere under the covers.

Gibbs smiled, despite the small flicker of frustration that passed over him.

"No choice, Sweet Pea," he said briskly. "We have a flight to catch at 7.05 tomorrow morning and we have to drive all the way to Adelaide today."

"I don't care," replied the muffled entity.

"Well, I do! Come on Ziva," coaxed Gibbs, his fingers gripping the edge of the quilt. "No more playing around. We have to get going."

"I'm not playing around," said Ziva, applying her own pressure to the quilt to stop it being pulled down. "I don't want to leave Australia."

Rubbing his hand over his face, Gibbs inwardly counted to ten before speaking.

"Why don't you want to leave?" he asked patiently.

He saw what he assumed was a shrug.

"All right, that's enough." Suddenly weary of the stalling, Gibbs applied a no-nonsense tone to his voice. "We need to go Ziva and, whether you like it or not, that includes you."

Scooping under the covers, he lifted Ziva, now wrapped in the quilt, off the bed. Instantly, Ziva began to struggle and complain loudly.

"Ziva! Stop it!" said Gibbs crossly. "Now, you either tell me what's wrong or you start to pack your things but, either way, you will be leaving with us today."

Placing the bundle on the floor, Gibbs pulled on the quilt and quickly unravelled a kicking Ziva. As soon as she was free, Ziva jumped to her feet and ran for the bed. With lightning speed, Gibbs encircled her waist and hoisted her onto his hip. With her held firmly, he sat on the edge of the bed and positioned Ziva on his lap.

"What's going on Ziva?" he asked firmly. "This isn't like you."

No longer struggling against his hold, Ziva had, instead, become as stiff as a board. With a stony expression, she stared ahead and refused to speak.

"Well, if you're not going to talk to me, that's fine. You can sit there while I put all your things into the suitcase and you can sit in the car in your pyjamas without having had any breakfast."

As Ziva realised the futility of her defiance, she suddenly burst into heart wrenching sobs.

"I don't want to go home!" she wailed. "I want to stay here! I want to ride the horses again!"

A sixth sense told Gibbs this was not a child acting out because she wanted to have more fun. He knew there was something much deeper upsetting Ziva and he desperately wanted to get to the bottom of the problem.

Pulling her closer on his lap and enfolding her into his arms, Gibbs spoke softly into Ziva's ear.

"What's the matter, Sweetie," he said softly. "I know there's something's bothering you and I can't help you unless you tell me what it is."

He knew he was almost pleading with her but, right now, Gibbs didn't care. His little girl was in pain and he didn't know how to fix it.

After a few hiccuping sobs, Ziva said, "I'm s-s-scared."

"About what?" he asked in surprise.

She paused slightly, hesitating before she answered.

"To…to…to go home," she finally said.

Frowning to himself, Gibbs tightened his grip on Ziva and kissed her head softly.

"Why, Honey?" he asked gently.

"What if…what if someone tries to hurt us again?"

With his chin resting on Ziva's head, Gibbs thought hard as to what she might be referring. Then it hit him. Of course! Her last memories of home had been the shooting, seeing her father aim a gun at her, seeing him shot. No wonder she was terrified. He thought back to last night and could have kicked himself. Her meltdown had occurred while they were talking about work, the very work that led to the tragedy. He had thought the tantrum had been due to over tiredness or not being allowed to ride the dirt bikes but, no, it was far more complex than that. His little girl was terrified to go home because home no longer felt safe.

Rocking Ziva on his lap, Gibbs spoke softly beside her ear.

"Ziva, I know how terrifying that was. I know how confusing it must have seemed. There was so much happening around us. So much we couldn't control. And, so much fear. But, honey, it's over. The people who were trying to hurt us are dead. They can't hurt you or me or anyone, ever again."

"But w-w-what about new p-p-people?" cried Ziva, her voice catching with sobs. "Abba was always talking about people who were trying to kill him or that he was trying kill. He made me and Ari memorise all the names and what they looked like."

Turning her head, Ziva looked into Gibbs' blue eyes.

"Your job is like that too, Daddy. And Mommy's and Timmy's. What if new people try to get us? What if new people try to hurt you?" Her voice trembled as she spoke. "I want to stay here. We're safe here."

Gibbs lifted Ziva up and turned her around to face him. Lifting her chin, he spoke slowly and sincerely.

"Ziva, there are dangers in many jobs. Even if I worked in a pre-school, I could hit by a car going to work. I know it's hard for you to understand but, in my job, I'm trained to look after myself and others. I know how to stay safe. Honey, I can't promise you I'll never get hurt but I can promise you I will always take care to avoid it. As will Mommy, and Tim and Abby. Our goal is to make sure we get home every night to be with those we love and, for me and Mommy, that's you and Tony."

"But why can't you quit and do something else?" she asked.

"Because I wouldn't be happy doing anything else. I love my job. I love helping people and making sure bad people are stopped and put in prison. Do you know something?"

Gibbs paused until Ziva looked at him.

"What?" she asked softly.

"If it wasn't for my job, I wouldn't have you and Tony."

He didn't like to add that it was this very job that had caused them to regress. That part he was more than happy to leave out.

"I wouldn't change my job for a million dollars if it meant I had to live without you two. You and Tony are the most important people in my life. And, it's thanks to my job that I get to have a life with you both."

"What about Mommy?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs frowned in confusion. "What about Mommy?"

"Isn't she important too?"

Gibbs smiled. "Of course she is, Pumpkin," he said with a laugh. "But, if I had to choose between you and Tony or Mommy then, as much as I would miss Mommy, I would choose you and Tony. You mean more to me than anything."

"Really?"

"Really!" said Gibbs sincerely.

He brushed a lose strand of hair away from Ziva's face. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret," he said and waited for Ziva's full attention.

"I'm a little scared about going home too."

He tried hard not to laugh at Ziva's shocked expression.

"But, I'm not scared about anyone hurting us because I know that we are safe."

"Then, what are you scared about?" asked Ziva.

"I'm scared that our house will feel different. That the memories of what happened there will make us feel uncomfortable."

"I don't want to move to a new house, Daddy," said Ziva anticipating his next words.

"I don't either," replied Gibbs. "So, what do you think we could do to help us not feel worried or sad in our house?"

Ziva thought for a second, her head bowed in concentration.

"I know," she said with a smile. "We could remember all the fun things we have done there. All the happy times then, when we feel sad, those happy memories will cheer us up."

"That's a brilliant idea," said Gibbs smiling at this daughter. "So, what's some happy things you can remember?"

"Um…." Ziva brought her finger to her lips as she thought hard. "When we made the tree house?" she suggested.

"Yes, that's a very happy memory.

"When we decorated our rooms. Doing jigsaws. Playing games. Watching DVDs"

"Wow," said Gibbs in exaggerated surprise. "You have a whole bunch of happy memories in our house."

"And we can make new ones," said Ziva.

Gibbs leaned in and kissed Ziva's button nose.

"You're right, again," he said proudly. "How clever you are, Ziva Gibbs. We will make hundreds of new memories in our house. But, do you know what?"

"What?"

"We can't make those memories if we stay here. We have to go home to do that. And I can only make happy memories if you and Mommy and Tony are there with me."

"And Timmy and Abby," added Ziva.

"Yup. All of us."

"So," said Gibbs as he stood and placed Ziva on her feet. "Do you think you can break the speed record for packing a suitcase? We need to leave in twenty minutes and your stuff is all over the place."

"I can be real quick, Daddy," said Ziva.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," said Gibbs. "But, just in case, I think a special kiss is in order."

Picking Ziva up, Gibbs kissed her numerous times all over her face making her screech with giggles.

"Daddy! That tickles!"

Putting her back on the floor, Gibbs looked down at her.

"OK," he said. "You ready to beat the record."

When she nodded enthusiastically, he said, "Ready! Set! Go!"

As Ziva commenced racing around the room, grabbing every item of clothing she could see, Gibbs smiled and turned to leave.

"Don't forget to get dressed first," he reminded her as he opened the door. "Otherwise, you'll have to wear your PJs all day."

Ziva stopped suddenly, items of clothing hanging from her hands.

"That's a very good point, Daddy!" she said seriously. "I'm very glad you thought of that."

Smiling, Gibbs stepped through the door and into the hall.

****NCIS****

"Jethro, are you sure you have the passports?"

"Jen, for the hundredth time, yes!"

Abby looked at Tim and giggled. It had been like that all morning. Having driven to Adelaide the previous day, they had finally reached their hotel by ten thirty that night, only to be rudely awoken by loud alarms six hours later. With bleary eyes, short tempers and hungry tummies, they had caught a taxi and were now making their way through the airport to check-in.

"Is it Domestic or International we have to go to?" asked Tim, looking at the two signs which pointed in opposite directions. "Aren't we flying to Sydney first?"

"International," said Gibbs. "We check everything in here but we'll have change planes at Sydney."

"Why couldn't we just fly straight to the States?" asked Tony.

"Because the planes don't go that way from here," replied Abby. "Thankfully though, we only have to check our baggage in once. They'll transfer it to our international flight."

"There it is!" cried Ziva, pointing to a large sign saying Qantas International.

"That's the one," replied Jenny. "Time to hop off the cart, Ziva."

"Oh," complained Ziva, who had travelled the rushed trip through the airport courtesy of the baggage cart upon which she sat. "That was fun!"

"Lucky you," grumbled Tony. "The rest of us had to walk."

"You get to sit down on the plane," said Ziva, grinning.

Rolling his eyes at the absurd comment, Tony reached out for his sister. With a loud squeal, Ziva took flight and the two of them chased each other around the adults who, despite the distraction, had managed to get in line for the flight check-in.

"Tony, Ziva," reprimanded Jenny. "Stop running around. You'll bump into someone."

"No, we won't," argued Ziva, reaching out and tagging Tony before high-tailing it in the other direction.

In one swift movement, Gibbs caught Tony and pulled him to one side, while the other hand grabbed Ziva and brought her to his other side.

"No more," he said sternly.

Unable to contain their excitement, the two children continued a modified version of tag which involved the two of them slapping each other behind Gibbs' back. Within twenty seconds Gibbs had had enough.

"I said, stop," he growled, taking each child by the arm and moving them apart. "Stand still or I'll start playing tag on your bottoms."

The two children immediately straightened up only to collapse in a fit of giggles five seconds later when they looked at each other.

"I'm starving," complained Abby as the queue moved ridiculously slowly. "I hope we'll get time to eat something before we have to board."

"They'll be plenty of time," said Jenny. "Our flight doesn't leave for another two hours."

"Two hours!" cried Tony. "Why did we have to get here so early? What are we going to do for two hours."

"We have to get here early to check in, Tony," replied Gibbs. "And, don't worry. The time will pass quickly. By the time we find somewhere to sit down and have breakfast, it will be nearly time to board."

"Don't forget shopping," added Abby. "Duty free!"

"Abby, there's nowhere to put any shopping," groaned Tim. "Half of your stuff is already packed in my suitcase."

"Carry-on, dear Timmy," replied Abby grinning. "You forgot about carry-on."

Tim rolled his eyes but chose to stay silent.

As the line slowly dispersed, Gibbs took out the passports and handed each adult theirs keeping his own and the children's in his hand. When they finally reached the counter, it was with much relief the family checked in their baggage and received their boarding passes. Heading through the international terminal, each passport was checked and the family were only ninety minutes away from flying home.

"Made it," said Gibbs with a weary sigh as he collapsed onto the chair in a nearby café.

Jenny smiled at him.

"Hard to believe, hey," she said.

Reaching out, Gibbs took her hand.

"It's been a wonderful trip," he said tenderly. "But, boy, am I sure ready to be home."

"Me too," sighed Jenny.

"Me three," added Abby.

"Me four," said Tony. "Um…what are we talking about?"

Gibbs reached over and tousled Tony's hair.

"We're glad to be going home," he said. Then, looking at his daughter, he added, "Aren't we Ziva?"

"Yep!" replied Ziva enthusiastically. "Because, me and Daddy, we're gonna make happy memories when we get home."

Jenny smiled and kissed the top of Ziva's head.

"We sure are, baby girl," she said affectionately. "We sure are."