Title: Family Redefined
Summary: Abby comes to terms with the news. Post-ep to Enemy on the Hill.
Rating: T, just in case.
Category: NCIS, Abby with a sprinkle of Gibbs.
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

A/N: Just a quick ficlet for a friend, SunnyinOregon. Hugs.

First dip into the NCIS fandom, and while I watch the show, I haven't followed it closely. Basically, this is my disclaimer if something doesn't seem canon. (*I got a review reminding me that Abby's parents were deaf, so here's the updated version.)

I had in my mind to write a whole series of "little Abby" stories because the image of a little Abby with pigtails, a Catholic school uniform, and a cute lace choker as a precursor to the dog collar, had me smiling all day. Perhaps later. ;-)

...

"Mommy!" the little girl cried, wrapping her arms around the blond woman's waist. The woman automatically ran her hands over the girl's hair soothingly. Abby sniffled, burying her face further into the fabric of her mom's shirt, completely ignoring the other children getting on the buses or meeting their parents.

"Abby? What's wrong?" the woman signed urgently a few moments later, having pulled away just enough to see her daughter's face. Abby sniffled and buried her face again.

Mrs. Sciuto rubbed the young girl's shoulders, trying to comfort. After another moment, she gently pried Abby's arms from around her and knelt down. She wiped away the tears that stained the girl's cheeks. "Honey, what happened?" she signed.

"Robby Johnson says," Abby started rubbing a hand under her nose, "he says that you're not my mommy." More tears spilled from her eyes as she stared sadly at her mother.

"Of course, I'm your mommy," Mrs. Sciuto asserted silently, her fingers firm. "Why would he say that?" Abby sniffled again.

"His daddy says that we have different hair and that my bone st-," Abby hesistated on the big word, sniffling again. "That my bone structure isn't like yours or daddy's!" she wailed out. Mrs. Sciuto wrapped her arms around the crying child, shooting an angry glare at the scattered children and adults staring at the upset child. Her eyes fell on Mrs. Johnson, who had a tight hold on her son's arm, clearly having overheard Abby's words. She offered an apologetic smile before marching her son to the car. Mrs. Sciuto let out a noiseless sigh and pulled away again. She framed her daughter's face with her palms, wiping away more tears. She kissed Abby's forehead before removing her hands.

"Abby, I want you to pay attention, okay?" her hands moved slowly through the words for emphasis. The girl nodded solemnly. "It doesn't matter what we look like. I am your mother, and I always will be. No matter what. Because I love you." Mrs. Sciuto kissed the girl's cheek. "Okay?" she signed with an encouraging smile. Abby sniffed again, but nodded.

"Now, what did I tell you to do when someone teased you?" Abby smiled a little, her sadness slipping away.

"I told him that y=ax2+bx+c was a parabola, and that teasing was for kids who weren't smart enough to learn algebra," she exclaimed proudly. "He got all red in the face and ran away." Mrs. Sciuto laughed soundlessly, tugging on the girl's pigtails.

"Good girl," she praised with quick fingers. "Now, let's go home and see if we can figure out what happened to daddy's computer before he does." She winked and Abby laughed. Mrs. Sciuto stood, held her hand out for the little girl to take, and the two headed home.

...

"This is a new look," Mr. Sciuto observed silently, his hands gracefully forming the words as he eyed Abby's latest tattoo at the back of her neck. Abby let her father take the coat she had just removed and hang it in the coat closet before she responded.

"Do you like it?" Abby asked aloud, her fingers signing the words simultaneously. She dropped her heavy bag, filled more with textbooks from her college courses than clothes.

"The question is do you like it?" the man's fingers countered. Abby wandered over to the small mirror hanging in their foyer, catching a glimpse of the snow falling outside the window. She surveyed the artwork on her skin, still slightly red in its newness.

"I do," she concluded, sparing a glance over her shoulder and signing her words.

"Then so do I," Mr. Sciuto signed easily, happily. Abby smiled widely and enveloped him in a hug.

...

As Abby lay there, remembering her parents and listening to Gibbs deep breathing, she knew he was right. Family was more than just DNA. She loved Luca, and it didn't matter that he wasn't her biological brother. She loved Ducky and Gibbs, and even Jimmy. She loved Tony and Ziva and McGee, and they weren't related in any way. She huffed out a chuckle when she imagined growing up with Tony and Ziva as bickering siblings.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked roughly, tightening his arms briefly, and she knew sleep wasn't far off for him. Abby shifted a bit, looking up at him.

"I will be," she answered truthfully. He offered a brief smile, which she returned. She may not have the parents she knew anymore, and may never know her biological parents, but here, in her life, she had two fathers, a sister, and four brothers. And they watched out for each other and helped each other, and if that wasn't family, she didn't know what was.