A/N -First five chapters are done, so I'm starting to post. Got a gen story that might hit the site soon, too.
Humpty Dumpty
"Morning, Boss, welcome back. McPapa's due back today, too, right?"
"DiNozzo." Gibbs gave a stiff nod as he walked into the bullpen. "He's dropping Tiana off at daycare." Gibbs knew he wasn't quite a hundred percent yet, but he was hoping to get back out in the field. First, he had to get past Ducky. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I want the latest on the break-ins when I get back."
"Sure thing, Boss." Tony turned around, but Gibbs was already gone so he looked over at Ziva. "A sledding accident, really?"
"It happens, Tony. I remember my father breaking his foot on one of Talia's toys when she was little."
"Well yeah, but Gibbs?" Tony shook his head and turned his attention toward the elevator when he heard it ding. Sure enough, McGee arrived a moment later, setting a large cup on Gibbs' desk before dropping his backpack under his own desk. "Welcome back, McGee. Tia all settled in?"
"She sure is. They're studying the letter F today."
"F as in?" Tony wasn't sure exactly what they did in pre-school.
"As in feather and flying and according to Tia, fudge, but that might have been a hint for peanut butter fudge." Tim grinned as he continued up the stairs to check in with Vance and sign the necessary paperwork with HR to end his leave.
Tony watched him leave. "Umm, I could go with peanut butter fudge." Once McGee was out of sight, he turned to Ziva. She shook her head.
"Do not look at me. I do not like peanut butter."
Not sure what kind of person didn't like peanut butter, Tony got up to investigate the plastic drink cup McGee had left for Gibbs.
-NCIS-
"Come on, Duck, I'm fine."
To prove his point Ducky tossed an empty specimen tray at Gibbs, noting the wince as he struggled to catch it. "You are most certainly not fine, Jethro. Be grateful that you have desk duty, I could have easily delayed your return for another few days. In fact, the only reason I am allowing even desk duty is because Timothy is returning to duty today and you're better off here where he can keep an eye on you than at home on your own."
Gibbs rolled his eyes as he set the tray down on the table next to him. "I'm not helpless."
"No, nor are you anywhere near ready to return to the field." Ducky filled out some paperwork and handed it to Gibbs. "Desk duty for five days. Take it or leave it, Jethro. I have no qualms about sending you back home for another week."
"The raid is tomorrow, Ducky." Between Tim working from home and the Cybercrimes unit, they'd tracked down what they thought was every piece of the large group stealing weapons from multiple military installations. The attack against the Blue Grass Army Depot would begin at at 0600 local time and a combined DOD, CID and NCIS task force would take down the suspected headquarters of the ringleaders in nearby Virginia.
Ducky didn't back down. "And you will be coordinating from MTAC."
"I suppose you've already talked to Vance about this."
"Several times, as a matter of fact."
"Fine." Frustrated, and annoyed, Gibbs returned upstairs.
-NCIS-
"Tony, what are you doing?" The question was hissed as Ziva expected Gibbs to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
"It's green, Ziva." Tony had taken the lid off the cup and was staring at the contents. "Gibbs is drinking something green."
Whack
"Boss, you're back."
Gibbs gave a grunt and grabbed the drink before Tony could spill it. Sitting down, he made a show of snapping the lid back in place and taking a long sip through the straw.
At that angle, Tony noticed something and leaned closer, his nose almost brushing Gibbs' hair when Gibbs turned to stare up at the curious man.
"Umm, Boss? You've got glitter in your hair. You know, that thin spot up on top..."
Biting back a grin, Gibbs remembered their last day at his house.
You have glitter, Papa? Tia's eyes lit up as Gibbs set the bottle of green sparkles on the table as the two of them helped Tia with her St. Patrick's Day art project for school. Tim grinned as he opened a bottle of glue, taking a break from cooking now that the roast was in the oven.
"Isn't that what you asked for, Sweetie?"
Sitting around the dining room table, Gibbs and McGee spent the better part of the afternoon helping Tiana. Tim lightly sketched out the words she wanted on the pages while Gibbs helped her trace over them with the glue before she sprinkled the glitter over the wet glue. Pre-schoolers might love glitter, but between the shaking and the pouring and the laughter, there was a fair amount scattered around Gibbs' house by the time they were done. Raking his fingers through his hair at some point hadn't helped, either, but it was the happiest day that had filled his home in many, many years.
"...not that I'm saying you're going bald in the slightest, because you're you and your hair wouldn't dream of ever deserting you and...
Muffling his amusement, Gibbs glared up at DiNozzo, who immediately back-pedaled before retreating back to his own desk. "It's a good look for you, Boss."
Across from them, Ziva looked at Tony as if she thought he was nuts, but he just shrugged, his eyebrows going up as Gibbs deliberately slurped his hulk juice up the straw and smacked his lips.
-NCIS-
All of the day had been spent reviewing plans for the raid. Every blueprint had been studied again and again, every exit route taken into account, but Gibbs still felt like something was wrong. "I don't like it. There's too much area, too many ways this could go wrong."
Vance sighed and rubbed his forehead, they'd been at it for hours. "Are you seeing a problem or is it just that you can't be with them?"
"I don't know." Gibbs was up on his feet and pacing the office. His counterparts with the Army CID and the Department of Defense had left hours ago, but he still wasn't satisfied.
"Talk to me, Gibbs. What's that gut of yours trying to tell you?"
"You mean besides the fact that the DoD has practically no experience with a raid like this or that the idiot from the CID wouldn't know how to think on his feet even if he had six of them?"
Vance struggled not to smile. Colonel Jacobs certainly wasn't the most innovative thinker they'd ever worked with. When Gibbs had earlier claimed the man couldn't change his own underwear without prior authorization, Vance hadn't been able to argue.
"Okay, what do you want to change?" Before Gibbs could open his mouth, Vance reminded him of Ducky's restriction. "Besides being there, yourself."
Gibbs' mouth had already been open, but that admonition snapped it shut. "I hate being on the sidelines."
"What a surprise." The droll comment would have earned a headslap if it had come from DiNozzo, but since Vance was the only one else in the room, Gibbs' hand wisely stayed in place even if it did twitch just a bit.
They were going in circles, so Vance closed and started to stack the files on the conference table. "Go home, Gibbs. Get some rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Yeah." Gibbs knew Vance was right. It was not only going to be a long day, but a long night. He had plenty of leftovers in the fridge, but Tim and Tiana were back at their own home tonight so that McGee could drop Tia off easier at Maggie's house hours before the Yard's pre-school even opened.