Grumpee

By Glow60

Summary – Something terrible happens to Grumpee and one of his grandchildren. Will the others be able to reach them in time?

My Warnings…

* As always I prefer not to use a beta reader so all the mistakes will definitely be mine.

** In this story, before anyone says anything I am making Gibbs age closer to Mark Harmon's age. It is the only way I can make this story work. I don't want Tony to be too old to work for NCIS while Gibbs is retired.

Chapter 1

It was the last day of June; Gibbs was down in the basement finishing up his latest project. He steps back and admires his work. He smiles because he knows his grandchildren are going to love it. He just can't wait for them to see it.

Moments later he hears footsteps. He looks up and watches as Tony and McGee descend the stairs. Tony is the first one to speak, "Oh Gibbs…they are going to love this. I can't wait for them to see it…especially my little boy."

McGee walks around it. He smiles, "I remember asking my dad for one of these when I was a kid. My dad told me it wasn't going to happen. He says there is no reason to buy or build something that we would have to leave behind in a couple of months."

Tony looks at his friend, "Alright poor little McSadStory…we got to get this up to the camp before tonight so we can put it back together again."

McGee becomes angry, "Tony…you promised to stop calling me those names."

"No…I promised…not to call you names in front of the children."

Gibbs head slaps both of them and tells them, "Albright boys…we don't have time for this little bickering. I promised my grandbabies the next time they were up at the camp I was going to have a special surprise waiting for them. Now…help me dismantle this so we can put it in the truck and take it up to the camp. Don't forget, we have a two hour drive ahead of us."

It was four hours later…the three men step back and admire their work. Tony smiles, "Gibbs…we did good."

Gibbs looks at the younger man, "What do you mean by we? If I remember correctly…I made this all by myself."

"Oh come on Gibbs…your not going to give us dads at least a little itsy bitsy credit for helping you to dismantle and putting it back together again."

Gibbs holds up his index finger in front of the younger man's face, "All right…I will give you both credit for helping me put it back together but that is all and DiNozzo…I better not hear from my grandchildren later telling me how you built this and I helped you. Do I make myself clear…DiNozzo?"

Tony just nods his heads. As soon as Gibbs walks away, Tony turns to McGee and winks.

Gibbs stops and turns around. Finally he yells, "Are you two just going to just stand there or are you going to help me get the cabin ready for your wives and kids?"

For the next couple of hours the three men worked side-by-side cleaning and fixing what needed to be fixed. When they were finished they headed into town to do some grocery shopping so they can stock up the refrigerator and shelves. After they returned to the cabin and put everything away Gibbs had just enough time to do a little fishing. When he had caught enough fish, Tony and McGee cleaned the fish while he made dinner. After dinner, the three men just sat out on the porch and watched the sunset. They went to bed early because they knew they were going to have a long day ahead of them.

Early the next morning three SUVs drove up the dirt road. Gibbs, Tony and McGee were standing outside waiting to help them. As soon as the cars stopped, Tony and McGee went to greet their wives and children. Abby and Burt stepped out of the third car. Gibbs hugs Abby and shakes Burt's hand. When he is finished greeting them he opens the back door and helps his granddaughter DeeDee out of her carseat. Gibbs picks her up. He hugs and kisses her on the forehead.

Seconds later little Abby, Johnny and LJ run toward him. He picks each one of them up and hugs. He notices one of his grandbabies is missing. "Where's little Tony?"

Zoe grins, "Would you believe all the way up he was just a little chatterbox and I couldn't get him to stop talking. As I pulled into your driveway he finally falls asleep."

Gibbs just grins.

Zoe reaches to open the door but Gibbs asks her if he can do it instead so she steps back. Gibbs looks inside and sees the sleeping child. He unbuckles the little boy and lifts him out of the carseat. He then gently carries his precious little grandson inside and lays him down on his bed. He smiles as he covers the little boy with a blanket. He stays there for a few seconds and then heads outside to help the others with the rest of the unpacking.

While they were lugging everything inside, the children were playing out in the front. Gibbs was now glad he had put the playset in the back of the log cabin because he didn't want any of his grandchildren to see their surprise until they were all there. So for the next couple of hours it was Delilah's job to keep the children entertained while the rest of them finished the unpacking and put their things away.

When it was almost time for lunch, the adult Tony announces that he is going to make lunch. He wants to make something he knows the children would like and would have fun with. He tells them he is going to make pizza. The children start yelling and clapping their hands because they knew they were going to get to help make their own individual pizza.

At the time, the others didn't know it but Tony had an ulterior motive. His little boy is still asleep. He is hoping between the noises and the smells his little one will wake up. His plan works because a few minutes later, he hears, "Daddy…I want pizz…za too."

Tony turns and sees his little boy walking toward him. He picks his little boy up and helps into his highchair. The father kneels down next to son and asks, "Little man…what kind of pizza do you want?"

Little Tony doesn't even have to think about it. He already knows what he wants. It's his daddy's and his favorite, "Pepepepy…roni, saus…age and extra cheeeese."

The father smiles, "You got it little man. Now you just sit here, while Daddy goes to work."

It didn't take long for Tony to get everything ready; he places the ingredients for the pizzas and the individual pizza dough on the table. He leaves it up to the adults to help the children with their pizzas.

Tony now turns his attention back to his little boy and helps him to put his favorite pizza toppings on the pizza dough. When they are finished, little Tony laughs when he sees a smiley face made from pepperoni on his pizza. Zoe takes the pizza away and places it in the oven along with the others. The little boy claps his hands.

Now that the pizzas are in the oven, the father grins as Gibbs walks into the kitchen. The older man pours himself a coffee and sits down next to the highchair without the little boy even noticing him.

Tony grins and whispers into his son's ear. Little Tony turns and sees his Grump…ee. He reaches out for the older man to pick him up. As Gibbs take him out of his chair, little Tony decides to put his messy hands on his grandfather's cheeks. Little Tony giggles when he sees the pizza sauce on the Grump…ee's cheeks. Gibbs touches his cheeks and sees sauce on his fingers. He takes that sauce and rubs it on the little boy's cheeks. Everyone else starts laughing. Seconds later, Zoe hands Gibbs some napkins so the grandfather can clean both him and his grandson's face.

While the children's pizzas were in the oven, Tony starts working on the pizzas for the adult. It turns out Tony is really good at making pizza but nobody ever knew it until after he married Zoe. She was the one who let the cat out of the bag. Once everyone found out Tony's pizza closet secret they all insisted that he make them pizza whenever they were up at the cabin.

When the children's pizzas were finally done, Tony took them out of the oven and sets them down on the counter to let them cool for a few minutes. Zoe and Abby made all the children sit at the children's table and when their pizzas were cool enough the adults set each one of pizza in front of their maker. Gibbs helps little Tony back into his highchair. The older man cuts little Tony's pizza into smaller piece so it will make it much easier for him to handle.

While the children ate, the adults ate a salad that Delilah had made for them earlier. By the time they were finished eating their salad Tony's pizzas were ready. The lunch went well and everyone enjoyed it. After lunch it was time to take all the children outside to see the special surprise that was waiting for them.

The adults stood back and watch to see with their children were going to do. McGee's twin boys headed straight to the fort and start playing inside it. Little Abby and DeeDee ran toward the pink clubhouse. Little Tony just stood there staring at them. Tony and Zoe look at each other and wonder why their little boy didn't seem as excited as the others. Before they could say anything, Gibbs walks toward the little boy.

"Tony…what's the matter?"

The little boy turns and looks at Gibbs, "Where mine?"

"Where is your what?"

"Grump...ee…they have houses…were mine?"

Gibbs' heart went out to the little boy because he knew little Tony always felt left out. Every time they had these family gatherings, his sister Abby wanted to play with DeeDee. McGee's twins were a couple of years older than little Tony so they didn't want to play with him because they thought he was a baby. Gibbs turns his attention back to the little boy, "Tony…I made the playset for everyone."

The little boy looks at the other kids playing. "No…not mine."

Gibbs took the little boy's hand, "Tony…come with me…I have something I made just for you."

He leads the little boy to the other side of the playset. The little boy puts his hand up to his mouth and covers it. He starts jumping up and down.

"Tony…do you know what kind of car it is?"

The little boy nods as he keeps jumping up and down and repeating himself, "Yah…red…red Ferrrareeered…red…red Ferrrareee Just…just like Mag…num Peee… red…red Ferrrareee Just…just like Mag…num Peee…I."

Gibbs smiles as he helps the little boy into his car swing. Once the little boy is seated and strapped in, little Tony immediately grabs the toy steering wheel and begins making revving noises. Gibbs grins as he pushing the car a little.

A few seconds later, the little boy's father joins in. Tony kneels down next to his son. He moves back just a little to so he can get a better look at the car swing. He finally asks, "Hey Gibbs…do you think you can make me one of these?"

Little Tony giggles, "Daddy…you too big. You break it."

The father starts tickling the little son. "What do you mean I am too big and I'm going to break it?"

The little boy continues to giggle as he tells his daddy to stop it.

Gibbs stands up and heads to the porch. As he sits down in his favorite rocking chair, he can still hear the father and son talking about red Ferraris and Magnum P.I. He laughs to himself maybe he should have made the father a car swing too.

After a while, little Tony started to get tired of it, his daddy picks his little boy up and carries to the porch. Tony sits down on one of the rockers and places his little boy on his lap. He looks down and can see his little boy is fighting to stay awake. He turns his little boy around so his son's head can rest on his chest. Within seconds the little boy closes his eyes and goes right to sleep. Zoe was going to take him inside but Tony stops her. It wasn't often he gets to hold his little boy like this.

Gibbs who had been watching Tony with his son finally turns his attention to Abby. He had been noticing her seeking smiles to her husband and Burt kept returning them to her.

Finally Gibbs asks, "Okay…Abs spill it."

She looks as the older man, "What do you mean? Spill what?"

"Abby…I have been notices the way you and Burt keep smiling at each other. What's going on between the two of you?"

Abby grin got even bigger, "Okay…seeing Tony with his little boy…I really can't kept the secret anymore. Burt and I are going to have another baby."

At that moment everyone started congratulating them. When they were finished, Gibbs asks, "Well…Abby are you going to tell us the due date or are you going to keep us guessing?"

Abby grins, "The baby is due in late December. Who knows maybe we will have a Christmas baby?"

Early the next morning…

After breakfast, Gibbs decides to take his grandchildren on a nature walk. Last year little Tony was just too young to go with them. This year, Gibbs thinks it is time for his littlest grandchild to join them. The adult Tony invites himself to go alone just incase his little one gets too tired to walk. It was a good thing he did because halfway around the pond, little Tony was starting to get tired and cranky. Tony picks his son up and places him on his shoulders.

A few minutes later, little Abby and DeeDee both start screaming. The children and the adults run toward them.

Gibbs is the first to reach them, "Abby…DeeDee was is it."

The girls point to the some tall grass. Gibbs smiles when he sees what they are screaming about, "It's just a praying mantis."

Little Abby shakes head, "No it's a big…big bug and it's going to bite me."

Gibbs picks up the mantis in his hand and holds it in front of him. "See…it doesn't bite."

Neither of the little girls is convinced. Finally he says, "DiNozzo get over here and show these them there is nothing to be afraid about this little bug."

The father's green eyes get real big, "Gibbs…I…I am not sure I want to do that."

"DiNozzo…its just a little bug."

Tony stares at it for a few seconds before he says, "Yah but it's a really…really big little bug."

Gibbs continues to stare at him. Tony looks at Gibbs and then he looks at his little daughter and DeeDee. He didn't want to look like a wimp in front of them so he holds out his hand. Gibbs grins as Tony closes his eyes. Tony can now feel the thing crawling on his hand. He waits for a few seconds but nothing happens so he finally opens his eyes. He is both relieved and happy when the big little bug flies away.

The trip around the pond takes them a little over an hour. When they return to the cabin, the children ran to play on the playset. Tony stays with the children while Gibbs heads inside to help with the food.

Today their plans were to stay at the cabin and have nice cookout and play a little game of baseball with the kids. Around noon the food was ready. They had burgers, hotdogs, fries, corn and salad. For desert they were going to have watermelon. When they were finished eating they cleaned up the area and put the leftovers away.

Now it was time for the baseball game. The girls were going to play against the boys. The losing team was going to do the dishes for the rest of the week. Abby volunteers to keep score, while Gibbs umpire the game and little Tony was going to be his assistant.

Gibbs flips a coin and the boys are up first. Delilah tosses the ball gently so it easy for the children to hit it. Johnny hits the ball and they all start yelling for him to run to first place. LJ is right after him and he repeats what his twin brother did.

When the men are up, Gibbs makes them play on their knees. Burt is up next. He hits the ball but Zoe is able to catch it. McGee is right after him but gets tag out before he makes it to first base. Tony is up next. He hits the ball pretty hard and Zoe misses catching it. While Johnny and LJ make it all the way home, Tony is jump on by little Abby, DeeDee and even little Tony. He never makes it to first base because Zoe finally retrieves the ball and tags him out. When he complains to Gibbs about the interference, the older man said he was busy tying his shoes and didn't see anything. The score is now two to nothing with the boys in the lead.

The girls are finally up. Tony tosses the ball gently to his little daughter but she misses. It takes two more tosses before she finally hits it. Tony and the others start yelling for her to run to first base. DeeDee is up next, she hits the ball and runs to first base and Zoe has to yell for little Abby to run to the next base. Delilah is next up and she hits the ball and advances to first plate while the little girls are encourage to run to their next bases. The bases are now loaded and Zoe is up next. Zoe hits the ball and McGee misses catching it. It falls to the ground right next to little Tony and the little boy picks it up. Tony yells for his son to bring the ball to him. Delilah yells for little Tony not too.

The little boy looks at both his daddy and then the pleading Delilah. The father smiles as he holds out his hands waiting for his little one to toss the ball to him. The smile goes away when he realizes his little boy isn't going to do it. Seconds later, the little boy runs in the opposite direction. Tony runs after him. He trips as he is trying to catch his little boy. He still manages to grab his little boy. Tony hears the girls yelling. He turns and watches as Zoe runs home. The score is now four to two with the girls leading.

Tony turns his attention back to his little one. He turns over onto his back and places the little boy on his stomach. He starts tickling his little boy as he calls him a traitor. Little Tony just giggles.

The father finally asks son why he didn't give him the ball.

Little Tony smiles, "Mommy…makes cake."

Tony laughs and hugs his little boy. He knows there was no way he could compete with cake because cake will always win.

He finally stands up and picks his little boy up. He sits him down on his shoulders. The two head back to join the others.

They played two more innings. The game finally ended in a tie.

The Fourth of July…

The plan today was to spend the whole day at the county fair in a nearby town and then later that night they would watch the fireworks. The adult Abby who was the most excited about it had even talked Gibbs into coming with them. They each took their own car just incase one of them wanted to leave early.

Just before nightfall Gibbs decides he had had enough and wants to go back to the cabin. He tells the others he is leaving and he offers to take any of the children that want to go back with him. All the children wanted to stay except for little Tony. He wanted to go back with his Grumpee.

As Gibbs was driving back to the cabin, he decides to take a shortcut at the very last minute. This road was less traveled but it would get them home quicker. He couldn't have driving more then three miles when a deer ran out into the middle of the road. Gibbs swerved to avoid hitting it and loses control. The truck goes down a steep embankment. It turns over several times before it finally rights itself. Seconds later there is nothing but silence and darkness…

I hope you enjoyed?