Tony was exhausted as he stepped out of customs at Dulles Airport in Washington DC. He was carrying his three year old daughter in his arms, their carry-on bags on his shoulders. They had been in the air for eight and a half hours, which wasn't exceptionally long if you were travelling alone, but it had seemed like a lifetime with a crying toddler in his lap. When Tali had finally fallen asleep, it had been with fifteen minutes left in the flight. Tony hadn't been able to sleep a wink, and it was now catching up to him. In fact, when he thought about it, Tony hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours. Not only had he been awake during the flight, but he had been up most of the night and all of the day in Paris, packing and making phone calls to double and triple check all of his plans. He had wanted to make sure that he didn't miss anything, because, with a toddler in tow, he needed to be able to keep her routine going as normal.
"Junior!" called a loud voice from somewhere to Tony's right. "Over here!"
Tony yawned tiredly as he looked around, but a smile quickly appeared on his face when he saw his father in the crowd outside the customs gate.
"Hi, dad," he said as he shifted his daughter in his arms. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, son. How are you doing?" Senior asked as he silently took his granddaughter from Tony. "How's my princess?"
"We're okay. Exhausted, but okay."
"Then let's get your bags and go home. I've got my two spare rooms set up for you."
"When did you do that?" Tony asked as they made their way over to the baggage carousel.
"Truthfully? A year ago, when you moved to Paris. I wanted them ready for you if you ever changed your mind and decided to come back home, or if you chose to come and visit me."
"I have an apartment."
"That you decided to rent out. I can't just kick Tim and his lovely lady out without notice."
"Of course not." Tony smiled. "I'm so happy that they finally got married, and I'm glad that McGee and Gibbs are home safe from Paraguay. Remind me to tell them never to do something that stupid again."
"Abby already beat you to it. So did Delilah, Ellie and Nick."
"Good."
Senior smiled as he grabbed Tali's suitcase before it could go back around the carousel. "When did you last sleep, son?"
"About twenty-four hours ago, I think."
"You need to sleep. By the time we get home, it'll be almost midnight. Go to sleep, and when Tali wakes up in the morning, I'll look after her."
Tony pulled his suitcase off the carousel and looked to his dad. "Thanks," he said as they started heading out to the car park.
When Tony awoke the next day, he saw that the alarm clock said it was eleven-thirty-five in the morning. Surprised at how long he had slept, Tony climbed out of bed and padded to the living room in his slippers.
"Dad?" he asked when he spotted his father on the floor with a doll in his hand.
"Morning, Junior," said Senior. "Tali and I were just about to have a tea party. Care to join us?"
"Maybe later. I need a shower and something to eat."
"There's pancakes in the kitchen. I just made them for Tali and I, so they're still fresh."
"Pancakes?"
"Yes."
Tony shrugged. "Thanks for taking care of everything."
"She's my granddaughter, son. I love this little angel, and I'll do anything I can for her."
"Is it too much to ask you to watch Tali so I can go see Gibbs this evening?"
"Of course not. Do what you need to do. Tomorrow, I'll take Tali to get a hair cut and do some clothes shopping. You can take the time to get a hair cut yourself and have time to get yourself feeling better."
"Thanks, dad."
Senior just smiled and waved Tony into the kitchen, then turned back to his game with his granddaughter. Tony felt relieved that he had come home as he ate some breakfast.
"Hello, Tony," said Gibbs when Tony stepped into his former boss' house later that evening.
With a smile, Tony said, "hi, Gibbs. It's been a while."
"That it has, Tony, that it has. How are you?"
Tony's smile faded when Gibbs entered the living room. His friend was pale and looked as though he had lost far too much weight in a very short amount of time.
"I'm fine, Tony. Recovery is just taking a little longer than expected. How are you doing?" He didn't mention that everyone thought it was because he missed Tony so much.
"Better than you. I thought I looked like crap, but this has to be a new record. You didn't tell me you were this sick on the phone."
"I told you that I contracted a minor case of malaria."
"This is not minor. You remind me of myself after the plague, Gibbs. Sit down before you fall down."
"I'm fine, Tony." Gibbs, however, did sit down. "Tell me about Tali. How is she?"
"She's good." Tony hesitantly sat on the couch with Gibbs as he spoke. "She misses her 'Merican Family', as she calls you."
"We miss the both of you as well."
"Gibbs?"
"Yeah?"
"I... What would you think of me and Tali... coming home?"
Gibbs looked over, his smile brightening the tired, drawn face. "Home? As in, DC?"
"Yes."
"I think that would be the best idea you've ever had."
"Thanks," smiled Tony. "I miss it here."
"Where are you going to live?" Gibbs asked. "Here?" he added hopefully.
"I don't know. I can't kick Tim and Delilah out, and even if I was going back there, it's not big enough for Tali and I. I think we need a house, with a backyard. Maybe a cubby house or treehouse."
"Stay here until you find something. I have a treehouse for Tali, plus there's a lot of yard out there. I could get a little wading pool for the hot weather."
"Thanks, Gibbs." Tony smiled and hugged him. "I do appreciate this."
"Tali can have Kel's old room too, plus all her toys and clothes. There's so much that you can go through in the attic."
"You don't have to..."
"I want to." Gibbs smiled. "I wouldn't mind hearing the little pitter-patter of footsteps in this house again."
"If we stay, will you work on your health?" Tony asked, almost begging.
"I will." Gibbs frowned at his honesty, but shrugged. "I promise that I will."
"Good. I want Tali to have her 'Merican Family' for as long as possible. That would include you."
"What are you going to do about work?" asked Gibbs, changing the subject.
"I spoke to Vance a few days ago. He's got a position that he said I'd be perfect for. It's just desk work, really, but it's safe and the hours are great. I'd be at my beloved NCIS again, with my friends and you... Are you working still?"
"I'm on desk duty."
"Which means I would see you every day?"
"Yeah..."
"Perfect." Tony grinned. "I'll speak with Vance tomorrow morning then."
"When can I see Tali?"
"I'll bring her for dinner tomorrow night. Dad has a few things to do, so it won't be hard to separate them."
"Great! I'll make dinner..."
"No. Dad cooked so much food. I'll bring something with us that we can have for dinner."
Gibbs nodded reluctantly. "So, do you want to go up to the attic and look through everything while you're here?"
Tony smiled, a real smile, and nodded. "Sure, boss."
Gibbs smiled back. He led his best friend up the stairs, and then into the brightly lit attic. "Look around. I have dozens of boxes of clothes and toys up here. Do you want coffee or something to eat?"
"I'm fine." Tony smiled. "Thank you," he added as he started to look at the clothes in the nearest box.
When Tony showed up at Gibbs' house the next night, he was surprised to find his friend waiting outside. He looked excited, something that he had found out from his father had become quite rare since Tony had left. Senior had informed him that Gibbs was missing him more than ever, which had also been a reason behind Tony returning to DC. In fact, Tony really missed Gibbs too. The older man had been a father to him for most of his NCIS career, and he had missed that relationship more than he would ever admit.
"Merican grandpa!" Tali said excitedly as she ran over to Gibbs. "Sick?"
"A little, sweetheart," Gibbs replied as he picked her up and held her close. "But I'm better now."
"Good. Abba says we are coming back here. We can live with you?"
"Of course! I would love for you and your abba to stay with me forever."
Tony smiled at the exchange between his two beloved people. The rest of the night continued in this fashion, and, at the end of the evening, Tony tucked his daughter into Kelly's old bed, making sure her beloved dog was under her arm. He kissed Tali goodnight and left the room, finding Gibbs at the door to Tony's room.
"I'm really glad you two are here, Tony... I... I really missed you."
"I've missed you too, Gibbs."
"Goodnight, buddy." Gibbs pulled Tony into a tight, loving hug.
"Goodnight, Gibbs."