Gibbs checked the mail Monday night, after picking the kids up from his neighbor's house. Besides the normal amount of junk and bills, he found an invitation for all three of his kids to a birthday party. It was for that Grant kid, the one McGee had been talking about nonstop since school started two months ago.

Gibbs really, really, really didn't want to spend a Saturday afternoon surrounded by two dozen kids, but he knew the kids would want to go (at least Tim would want to go), and it wasn't going to kill him to spend a few hours 'mingling' with other parents.

So, that Saturday, he found himself standing outside a green, two story house, holding a gift all three kids picked out, whilst trying to convince Tony to get out of the car.

"I don't wanna," Tony grumbled sitting in his seat, his arms crossed. "I wanna go home and watch Ninja Turtles."

"I promise you, Tony, Abby is recording it," Gibbs said trying to recall what Abby had said about her recording device, but to no avail. It was a lot of technical babble that he tuned out. "You'll be able to watch it later."

"B-but I don't even know Grant," the brunette boy pointed out sullenly.

"Tony, I asked Grant's mother, and she said Matty is going to be here," Gibbs stated, noticing Tony perk up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, so will you please get out of the car?"

The brunette boy sniffed once and then nodded, scrambling out of his seat. Gibbs stepped back to let him out of the car, and then he ushered his horde towards the house.

He knocked, waiting patiently for someone to answer the door. Finally, two women answered the door. "Hi," a red head said, and Gibbs recognized her voice from when he RSVP'd.

"Hi," he responded with a smile.

"You must be…" she squinted her eyes, studying him briefly. "Jethro? I recognize your voice. I'm Carrie." She shook hands with Gibbs then gestured to the other woman. "This is my partner Parker."

Parker smiled and said, "Grant is going to be so excited that you guys are here." She looked down at the three kids and curiously asked, "So, which one of you is Tim?"

"This is Tim," Gibbs replied resting his hand on the sandy haired boy's head. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Grant had two mothers, but he knew his kids were going to have questions. And, when Tony turned to him and opened his mouth, Gibbs quickly shook his head. He'd answer them later.

"Oh, Grant has told us so much about him," Parker gushed as she and Carrie let the Gibbs' into the house. "He's also told us a little about… Ziva and Tony?"

"Yeah, Tony and Ziva," Gibbs replied nodding, confirming her question, gesturing to his other two kids. "And Tim had told me a lot about Grant, too."

The women led Gibbs and his kids down a hallway, featuring several pictures full of three different kids. The older two looked a little like Parker while the younger looked like Carrie. "I didn't know you had any more kids," he commented as they stepped into a spacious kitchen.

"Yeah, our daughters Taylor and Gracie. They are a few years older than Grant," Carrie replied opening the back door, children's screams and laughter wafting into the house. Gibbs watched as about a dozen kids ran around out back.

"You guys can go ahead," Parker said to his horde. They nodded and headed outside, though Tony hesitated for a moment. As they joined their classmates, Carrie took the gift from Gibbs while Parker offered him a beer. Maybe this party wouldn't be so bad after all.

NCIS

During the party, Gibbs met Tony's friend Matty, Tim's friend Grant, and two or three of Ziva's friends. Again, the only name he could remember was Tara. It could be because Ziva mentioned Tara more than the others or that her name was the most normal of the group. Whatever the case, he had a feeling Tara would always be the only name he could remember.

In addition to his children's friends, he also met about a dozen parents. Matty's were very, as the older Tony once described, 'new agey.' They reminded Gibbs of those protesters he used to see when he was younger. Whether or not he agreed with their beliefs, he at least was respectful enough to talk to them. He also met Tara's mother, but she seemed to be on her phone most of the day, so Gibbs really didn't get to talk to her much.

He also met a few single parents, but the majority of them consisted of a woman dragging her husband to a kid's party when he'd rather be home watching a game or something. Gibbs could easily point those guys out. They stood in a loose group, each holding a beer, arguing over the game they were missing. One brought up the recorder device thing Abby had been talking about, the DRV or whatever, and how he was recording it.

"I'm gonna watch it when I get home. Since I got that new flat screen, Maggie hasn't really bothered me much," the guy was saying.

"Jeez, I wish I had a TV. in my basement," another said glumly. "It'd sure be quiet for fifteen minutes. You know, without three girls screaming at each other or their mother screaming at me." The men shared an awkward chuckle before returning to their football talk.

After meeting as many parents as he could, and forgetting half their names, Gibbs spent the majority of the time sitting on a porch swing, keeping an eye on his kids. Tony and Matty had recruited a few other boys and together they were running around Ziva and her friends, making noises every time they tried talking. While Tim, on the other hand, sat with Grant and a little blonde girl, coloring at a small, wooden picnic table.

"Tim isn't very social is he?" Parker asked as she sat next to him.

Gibbs turned his head, met her eyes, and said, "He doesn't make friends very easily." It was the same thing when Tim was on his team. With the exception of a few girlfriends (stuff that Gibbs hadn't really cared about but still heard about), McGee pretty much hung around with his co-workers. In fact, Jethro couldn't remember ever meeting an actual, outside work friend of Tim's. He'd met a few of Tony's, back when DiNozzo had first joined his team, and he even knew Ziva had made a few when she was an adult, but they were the more social of his team, just like Abby. Tim was a different story.

"Neither is Grant," Parker replied softly. "In fact, Carrie was a little afraid to send him to school. He's always been a little shy, preferring to read than actually play with the other kids."

"Tim, too. I'm pretty sure if it was just him and not Ziva and Tony, he wouldn't talk much," Gibbs admitted turning back to the boy in question. The little blonde girl laughed at something he had just said, and Grant smiled.

"I'm glad Grant met your son."

"Yeah, me too," Jethro muttered just as Ziva approached him. "What's up?"

"Tony will not stop bugging me and my friends," she said gesturing behind her. "I did not want to tattle, but he will not stop and I want you to make him stop, please."

With a sigh, Gibbs stood up. He turned back to Parker and said, "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," she replied getting to her feet also, "I think Gracie is home." She then headed back into the house while Gibbs crossed the lawn to deal with his son.

NCIS

The party ended at three, all three kids jacked up on juice boxes, cake, and ice cream. They each were clutching their goodie bags and balloons as they followed Gibbs outside. The older man led them to the car, placing each one in the seat, and buckling them up.

The moment the passenger door was closed, he moved around the car and got inside. He was barely on the road, maybe a block away from Grant's house, when Tony asked, "Why does Grant have two mommies?"

Jethro knew this was coming, and he had actually thought about how he was going to handle this question during the party. He took a deep breath and said, "Sometimes, when people fall in love, they fall in love with members of the same gender as them."

"Why?" Ziva asked curiously.

"Because love is complicated," Gibbs replied slowly, "and we can't control who we fall in love with, and Grant's parents love each other."

"Just like Matty's parents?" Tony questioned.

"Exactly, just like Matty's parents," Gibbs responded nodding. "I just want you guys to remember that Parker and Carrie are no different than any other set of parents, okay?"

"Okay," the kids agreed in unison.

"Good."

Gibbs didn't want to raise his kids to judge others. He wanted them to accept some things for the way they were, but to also ask questions if they had them. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was prejudice, but he knew he couldn't help it, and he also knew his kids were going to see it growing up. His goal was to give them an open mind regardless of what others said around them, and hope that they passed it on to their children. It was a lot to hope for, but he was taking a page out of Abby's book and remaining optimistic.

"I think Grant's mommies are very nice," Tim commented catching Gibbs' attention.

"Me, too," Ziva agreed nodding.

"Do you think Ms. Carrie will make me a cake for my birthday?" Tony asked curiously and Gibbs smiled. Maybe he wasn't doing such a bad job after all.

NCIS

Okay, I didn't write this chapter to start a religious debate or share my beliefs. I wrote it because this sort of stuff happens, kids ask questions, and sometimes it involves something like same sex couples. That's life, and sometimes we've just got to accept it regardless of how we feel. So, yeah, my spiel is over now.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I do not own these characters, and thank you for the reviews last chapter.

See ya