𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐨... [ENG]

1.01: It's good to be home

After all those years, the word "home" finally made some sense. So I returned back home. Back home, to my safe place.

***

GIBBS' POV:

I was working on another boat in my basement, when I heard some noise coming from the upstairs. Then the door opened. At first, I thought Jack came check up on me. But I was wrong.

"Hello, Gibbs." a woman said. I froze for a moment, because I recognized the voice immediately. "Ziver?" I said in a surprise as I turned around to face her. She was smiling at me. Then I noticed she wasn't alone. There was a kid with her.

We stared at each other for a few moments, then she started to walk down to me, followed by the kid. I hugged her, tightly. "What are you doing here? And who's that with you?" I asked her as we let go of each other.

"Tali, come here." she said to the little girl. "Gibbs, I want you to meet my daughter, Tali." she said. I froze again. Her daughter. The words echoed in my head for a few moments before Ziva continued. "Tali, this is Gibbs, your grandpa." I suddenly felt little hands embrace my leg. I looked down and saw Tali hugging my leg. I smiled at her as I put my hand in her hair and then looked back at Ziva.

We went upstairs, to the living room, and sat on the couch in a silence. Then I finally broke the silence with another question. "Who's daughter is it?" She looked at me visibly confused. "Who's daughter it is?" I asked again. The confusion disappeared as she understood the question. She was staring at me for what felt like eternity. "Tony's.." she whispered as if she didn't want me to hear it.

All of the sudden, she broke the gaze and looked to the ground like she was ashamed. She let out a small sob and wiped a tear away, before turning to me again.

I always knew there was something between them, but I certainly didn't expect this.

"Tony's..." I repeated her words after a while. "Does he know?" I asked although I was sure, she didn't tell him. "No..." she said quietly. "Will you tell him? I mean, it's only fair for him to know."

Her eyes were showing mix of different emotions. "I...I don't know. I know I should tell him, but I don't want him to turn his world around. And Rule #12," she paused. I gave her a small smile. "Ziver," I started to say, but then I changed my mind. "we'll finish this talk later, okay? It's getting late. Uh, where are you staying?" I asked. "Umm...I don't know. Probably in a hotel." she said. "No way. You're staying here. You and Tali take the bed, I take the couch." I said firmly.

She was too tired to argue with me, so she just sighed and nodded in agreement. Tali fell asleep on the couch in between us. I picked the little girl up and followed Ziva upstairs to my bedroom. I put her in bed and tucked her in a little. Then I walked over to Ziva, gave her hug, kissed her on the forehead and said 'Goodnight' then I headed back downstairs.

I checked the time. It was few minutes past midnight so I went to sleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night, because of someone screaming. I ran upstairs to check on the girls. They were peacefully sleeping. I stayed there watching them for a few moments before deciding to head back down.

I started to walk away, but I stopped, because I heard someone scream, again. This time, it was Ziva. She was still asleep and was most likely having a nightmare. Then I heard another noise. It was Tali, but I didn't hear what she said. "Tali?" I whispered, just in case she was talking from sleep. "Grandpa" she whispered back. Grandpa. My heart instantly melted. I think I'm getting old. I chuckled quietly as I walked closer to the bed. "You okay, Tali?" I asked. She just nodded.

"I heard someone scream and it woke me up." she whispered, a little shaken up. "I'm sorry it woke you up, but everything is fine, you can go back to sleep, okay?" Gibbs assured her. She nodded and said "Did Ima scream?" I was shocked by her question and didn't know what to say.

"Just go back to sleep, okay? It's really late." I finally responded. She looked at me, then layed down and slowly drifted back to sleep. I left the room and headed downstairs. I could get a few more hours of sleep if I was lucky enough.

A/N: I'll try to publish next chapter in a week or so. Happy holidays & stay safe.

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