I don't own NCIS and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: I love that Jimmy and Breena decided to go the adoption route first and wanted to explore that. Hope you enjoy!
Once they figured out what time Jimmy and Breena were picking up their son, the team headed over to their place to wait for them and meet the baby. They're all excited to meet the newest member of the family and are glad the couple finally has the child they've been waiting for.
It took them a year and a half to get to this point. It was long, painful, and exhausting, but two months earlier, they finally met a woman who wanted to give her child to them to adopt. She had given birth the previous day and now Jimmy and Breena were bringing the newborn home.
"I do hope we're not intruding," Ducky muttered to Gibbs.
He shrugged. "They knew this was coming and we'll leave them alone soon, Duck."
"I can't wait to hold him!" Abby was just really excited to see the baby and hold him for the first time. She had plans to spoil him rotten.
Tony and Ziva were making out in a corner, so the rest of the team just ignored them. Meanwhile, McGee was texting someone – most likely Delilah – on his phone and waiting for Jimmy and Breena to show up.
Luckily, they didn't have to wait long. The door opened and the new family of three stepped through. Breena smiled when she saw everyone – Neither she nor Jimmy was surprised they were there at all. "Hi!"
"Thanks for coming, you guys." Jimmy beamed at them, radiating with happiness. He couldn't believe he was finally a father, especially after all the heartbreak and waiting they had been through in the past year and a half.
"So, what's his name, Palmer?" Tony eyed the sleeping baby.
"Dylan Thomas Palmer," Breena answered. She and Jimmy had thought long and hard about the name before coming up with one they both loved. It hadn't been easy, much like the entire adoption process.
"Can I hold him, please?" After getting an affirmative and washing her hands, Ziva held her arms out as Breena deposited the newborn in her arms.
"Just be careful, please." Breena didn't really trust too many people other than herself and Jimmy with Dylan. It was a new mom thing, she assumed, and she hoped, but wasn't sure, she'd get over it eventually.
Ziva stared at Dylan in awe as he let out a little whimper. "You're a handsome little guy, aren't you?" She couldn't believe how much she already adored the little boy, but he was a part of their family. It wasn't all that surprising. But holding him was giving her a lot of feelings she hadn't been expecting.
Tony, with his arm slung over his shoulder, shot a somewhat panicked look towards McGee and Gibbs, who only shrugged. He wouldn't mind having a baby with Ziva, though, but right now he was content to be just Uncle Tony to Dylan. That was a good enough job for him at the moment. "You like him, huh?"
She nodded. "Is he going to wake up soon?" Ziva wanted to see him with his eyes open.
"Well, we just fed him a little while ago, so maybe." Jimmy knew it was strange, but he couldn't wait to wake up in the middle of the night with Dylan. It was going to be amazing and fun and he couldn't wait to experience the joy of parenthood even more.
Abby began to grow impatient and tapped her foot on the floor. "Ziva, I love you, but please stop bogarting the baby. I want to hold him!"
Ziva laughed and then reluctantly shifted the baby over to her friend and co-worker. "He's fun to hold, isn't he?"
Abby nodded and then sniffed him. "Oh my God, this new baby smell is amazing. They should bottle that up or something."
The team took turns holding the baby, but eventually left Jimmy and Breena alone with the newborn. They deserved some family time without them. And for what felt like the first time in a long time, the couple could relax. They hadn't felt this way since they decided to adopt.
'I love you," Jimmy whispered as they lay in bed that night, Dylan next to them in the bassinet.
She grinned at him. "I love you. You too, Mister." She was excited to spend their first full night together with the baby. This is what she had been waiting for.
"He loves you, also. Are you sure it's fine that I go into work tomorrow?" Jimmy wanted to take paternity leave, but Breena had insisted that he go about life normally. That's what she planned to do after her maternity leave was over in a few months.
She nodded. "Yes. I know you want to spend all your time with us, but we can do that after you're off. It'll be fun." Breena was going to be exhausted tomorrow, but she didn't care. That was what being a parent, especially to a newborn, meant.
"I'm going to miss you both so much." He loved his job, but this was his family. He wasn't sure how long he could stay away from them. As it was, Jimmy knew he'd be calling multiple times the next day just to check up on them.
"So are we. But we'll be fine so don't worry." She fully expected the multiple calls and honestly didn't care. She'd probably keep texting him pictures of Dylan just so he didn't miss too much. But that was okay – Jimmy would love that.
"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises." He kissed her and then checked on the baby one more time before they fell asleep.
Dylan ended up waking them up several times that night, but neither Jimmy nor Breena cared. The lack of sleep hadn't gotten to them yet, although it would by the end of the week.
The road to adoption Dylan hadn't been easy – A lot of pain and waiting had been involved – but they didn't regret a single minute of it. Jimmy and Breena had the child they had been waiting for and that was all that mattered.
No one was surprised when Tony and Ziva announced they were expecting their first child six months later. Seems like Dylan's adoption had turned them to the path of parenthood and neither wanted to wait any longer. Ducky spoiled his "grandson" rotten, along with the rest of the team.
The Palmers decided a year after Dylan's birth to expand their family via adoption once more. They wanted to give a home to a child that needed one because it was important to them.