Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I think there will be one more chapter after this, and my first story will be finished.

Qasim's eyes bulged as his wife practically crushed his hand into mush. He just barely kept himself from squealing as Ellie pushed with all the strength she had left. On the other side of the bed, Kate was faring slightly better, as she had had a better grip on Ellie's hand before the doctor told her to push.

Ellie was screaming through her teeth and tears and sweat were pouring down her face, and her jaw clenched as she struggled to push a small, new life out of her body. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of pain, Ellie felt a huge relief as she felt the baby's head finally came out.

"That's it, Agent Naasir, the head is out now. Little pushes now, little pushes." Ellie fell back into her pillows. For a moment, Qasim thought she had fainted, but then she blinked her eyes open and obeyed the doctor, grunting with every push.

Then, after a few seconds that seemed like years, a piercing wail rang through the room. Qasim's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. His brain seemed to have short-circuited. Ellie took a deep, shuddering breath and struggled to keep her eyes open as the doctor lifted a warm squirming bundle onto her chest. She let go of Kate's hand and gently touched the small, perfect face that was now inches from her own. She became aware that there were tears streaming down her face, but she didn't care.

Qasim was staring, he couldn't help it. He couldn't seem to move, either. He just watched as a nurse dried off the baby (his baby, he still couldn't believe it) and gave him a little hat to keep him warm, and as the doctor gave him a short examination. Qasim watched the man closely, his heart clenching in terror at every expression he made, but after a moment the doctor gave a satisfied nod and stepped back down to the end of the bed, where he picked up some surgical scissors and examined the placement of where another nurse had tied off the umbilical cord. Noticing Qasim's stare, the doctor smiled and offered him the scissors. It took a moment for Qasim to understand, but when he did, he shook his head mutely. Instead, he watched as the doctor cut the cord with practiced ease and handed the scissors back to the nurse to be cleaned.

"Qasim," Ellie said quietly. "Look at him. He's so beautiful." She looked around, and saw her husband staring at her and the baby (their baby). Then Ellie smiled, and Qasim thought she had never looked so beautiful. He smiled back, still wonderstruck, then without warning he grabbed her face and pulled her into a passionate kiss. After a moment he pulled back, leaving Ellie breathless, and with infinite tenderness, he kissed his son on the forehead. Then he looked back up at Ellie.

"Eleanor Naasir, you are wonderful." Ellie smiled tiredly, tears in her eyes. She cupped Qasim's cheek with the hand that wasn't supporting their son, then looked back down at her baby.

"Oh my gosh," she said suddenly, a slight frown on her face. "What should we name him?" Qasim stared at her, then back down at the baby before swallowing.

"Um, I don't know. I hadn't really thought that far," he responded sheepishly. Honestly he hadn't, there hadn't really been time between contractions to think seriously about baby names. He racked his brains as Ellie watched him, clearly waiting for an answer. "Do you...want an Arabic name, or an English one?"

"Arabic," she answered promptly and with certainty. "But not Rasheed."

"No, definitely not," Qasim answered hastily. They would certainly not be naming his son after his terrorist brother. "Do you like...Salim?"

"Salim Naasir," Ellie said to herself, feeling the name on her tongue. It sounded nice. "What does it mean?" Qasim considered before answering, there were a few different translations it could have.

"Safe," he decided, infusing confidence into his voice. Ellie glanced at him with uncertainty, remembering their earlier conversation about what would happen if someone tried to go after their baby. But Qasim smiled reassuringly, and she knew he was thinking about it, too.

"It seems appropriate." Qasim and Ellie both jumped, and Kate smiled to herself. They had obviously forgotten she was there. "I am fairly certain that NCIS babies are the most well-protected babies on the planet." Ellie frowned incredulously.

"What about the President's kids?" she asked skeptically. Kate smirked.

"I used to protect the President's kids, Ellie. And then when Maura and Eloise were newborns, and later when Leo was born, I got a firsthand look at the one-man Gibbs protection detail. It's far more exact than even the actual presidential detail. Trust me, Salim will be the most fiercely protected baby in the U.S." Ellie smiled a little, and Kate smiled back reassuringly. Qasim breathed easier, now feeling perfectly secure in the knowledge that no harm would be allowed to come to his son as long as Ellie's team was alive.

Suddenly, the newly-named Salim screeched, and both of his parents looked down at him in panic.

"What's wrong? Why is he crying?" Qasim asked, his voice an octave higher than normal. Kate, the nurses, and even the doctor all smiled privately at the new father's obvious fear.

"Maybe he's hungry, Qasim," Kate answered, laughter in her voice. Ellie and Qasim frowned uncomprehendingly.

"So, what do I—oh," Ellie said, before glancing down at Salim's scrunched face. She cleared her throat, embarrassed. Kate smiled, remembering her own confusion when Maura and Eloise had first needed to feed. Qasim glanced between them, still not understanding. Upon noticing this, Kate rolled her eyes and stepped forward. She helped Ellie settle little Salim in the right position, and smiled at Ellie's squeak when he began feeding. Qasim blinked and stared. Ellie glanced up at him and blushed.

"Qasim," she said sharply. He swallowed and blinked again. Ellie raised her eyebrows.

"I'm just, ah, I'm going to get some water," he said in a rush before fleeing from the room. Kate laughed as Ellie turned red.

"He's smart, it's never a good idea to mess with a woman who has just given birth," she said after calming down a bit. Ellie glared at her, but she couldn't stop a smile from breaking over her features. She looked down at Salim, and ran a hand over his soft hair. Kate noticed the tender gesture, and said quietly, "He's beautiful, Ellie." Ellie looked up at her, a shaky smile on her face. After a moment, Kate blinked and straightened. "Oh! I forgot, Alex has probably broken something by now." Or someone, she thought, exasperated. She took out her phone. "Can I text her and tell her everything is all right?" Ellie considered.

"She's going to run up here and break the door down, if Abby doesn't beat her to it," Ellie said, looking down at Salim with a reluctant look on her face. She wanted more time alone with him and Qasim, assuming her husband came back from 'getting water' anytime soon. Kate understood, but she also knew the worry that their friends were feeling.

"What if I told her that they could only visit one at a time, and only for a few minutes?" she asked gently. Ellie grimaced, but she knew that if she said no her friends would probably take someone hostage, or do something similarly dramatic, and illegal. So she nodded. Kate grinned and started typing rapidly.

Downstairs, Alex had been staring absently at Clayton for fifteen minutes, and it was really starting to disturb him. Just as he was about to ask her what the heck she was looking at, her phone vibrated and everyone jumped. Alex whipped out the device and read the text Kate had sent her.

"So?" Abby asked, bouncing in her chair. Alex smiled and covered her mouth. "What?" Abby was almost whining now.

"Uh, Ellie had the baby, she says we can come see him-" Gibbs was already out of his chair moving toward the door. Abby was next to him and Tim was right behind them. "One at a time!" Alex called as she hurried to catch up, Nick and Clayton moving more slowly behind her. She glanced back at them. "Hey, Flash, Lightening, come on!" she yelled, earning odd looks from half of the cafeteria. Nick and Clayton sped up, and Alex ushered them into the elevator before squeezing in herself.

A/N: In this AU, Maura and Eloise are Kate and Gibbs' oldest kids, and they are twins. Leo is six years younger than them. One more chapter to go! Please review!