Chapter Seven: Midnight Rendezvous

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Gibbs asked as he stood from his spot on the living room floor. He was honestly happy to see the man. He may not have been ready to admit it yet but he needed help not only with the kids but with wrapping his head around everything that had been thrown at him. Seeing his dad standing there, ready to lend a hand was a big relief. He was thankful for the support and the extra set of hands.

"You can't tell me I have grandkids and expect me not to come," Jack said.

"I'm glad you're here."

"Who dat is?" Mason asked as he tugged on Gibbs' pant leg.

"This is Grandpa," Gibbs answered. "Can you say hi?"

"Hi," Mason greeted with a smile and a wave.

"Well hello there," Jack said. "And what's your name?"

"Mason."

"This Mason Anthony, that's Sadie Josephine and Leroy Jethro over there goes by LJ," Gibb said.

"Those are some fine names for some fine looking kids," Jack said.

"Have a seat, Dad, make yourself at home," Gibbs said. "I'll get you some coffee."

Sadie followed Gibbs into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around his leg while he was pouring coffee into two cups, one for his father and one for himself.

"Hey, sweet pea," Gibbs said resting his hand on her head. "Are you being shy?" It hadn't taken long to figure out that Sadie didn't like strangers. "Grandpa's really nice. You'll like him and I know he loves you already." He winked at her as he picked up both cups of coffee.

Sadie followed Gibbs back out into the living room, keeping him between her and their visitor. Gibbs put both cups of coffee on the coffee table then sat down at the other end of the couch and pulled Sadie into his lap.

"Can you say hi to Grandpa?" he whispered loud enough his dad could hear him.

"Hi-yo," Sadie said before blushing and burying her face in Gibbs' shoulder.

"She's my shy one," Gibbs said before kissing the top of her head. "Hey, LJ, come here and say hi to Grandpa."

LJ looked up from the three piece puzzle he was on the brink of solving and realized for the first time that they had a visitor. "Bye-bye," he said.

"He always says bye instead of hi," Gibbs explained when his dad gave him a questioning look.

"Ahh," Jack said. "And when did you get the dog?"

"That's Dash. He's the kids' dog."

"Every kid should have a dog," Jack said. "Do you remember Trigger?"

"Yeah," Gibbs answered fondly. "I loved that dog."

Mason giggled as his grandpa tickled his feet. He was stretched out across the middle cushion of the couch touching, touching, poking and playing with everything he could reach.

"Who's watching the store?" Gibbs asked. He stretched his leg out on the couch and used it to keep Mason from rolling off onto the floor while Grandpa played with him.

"Kathryn James," Jack answered. "Remember her? She was a little younger than you."

"Harold's daughter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. She moved back to Stillwater last year to take care of him. After he died she couldn't bear to sell the family home so she stayed but money's been tight. She's been helping me out some. I'm hoping this'll give her a chance to catch up on some of her bills at least."

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"A week, or two, or maybe more," Jack answered with a smile and a shrug. "As long as I'm needed."

Gibbs just smiled and nodded.


When Gibbs tried to roll out of bed the following morning, he realized he wasn't alone. Someone was on top of him. He sat up and peeked down towards the foot of the bed and found LJ sprawled out on top of his legs, sound asleep. Gibbs smiled as he got up and moved his boy up to the warm spot he'd just vacated. He covered him up before heading into the bathroom to get ready. He had to be at the courthouse at 9:15 sharp and since his dad was in town to stay with the kids, he wanted to stop by NCIS and check on his team's progress. They really needed to find Lisa.

He showered and shaved in no time at all then dressed in one of his nicer suits. When he looked towards his bed, he realized his son was awake and watching him.

"Mornin', Son."

LJ's vibrant blue eyes twinkled in the early morning sunlight and one corner of his mouth curved up into a smile when his daddy acknowledged him.

Gibbs smiled back at his son as he playfully pinched his cheek. "Let's get your diaper changed then we'll go downstairs and see if Grandpa's awake yet."

LJ talked nonstop while Gibbs changed his diaper but Gibbs had a difficult time understanding most of what he was saying. Once the boy was clean and dry, they checked on Mason and Sadie before heading downstairs. Gibbs knew his dad was awake because he could smell the freshly brewed pot of coffee. That was another perk of having his father in town; there was always coffee waiting for him when he got up in the morning.

"Mornin' Dad," he greeted as he opened the backdoor to let Dash out.

"Mornin' Leroy. Good morning, LJ."

"Was da?" LJ asked pointing at Jack's cup.

"That's coffee," Jack answered. "Would you like something to drink? I spotted some chocolate milk in the fridge earlier."

"Yah," LJ said.

"Are the other two still asleep?" Jack asked as he poured some chocolate milk into a sippy cup for LJ.

"Yep," Gibbs answered. "I'll get 'em up and changed before I leave."

"I can help with that," Jack offered. "I didn't come to watch you do all the work."

"I have a feeling the kids are gonna keep you plenty busy this morning," Gibbs replied. He let Dash in, poured himself a cup of coffee then joined his father and son at the table.

"That's fine by me."

LJ was propped up in his booster seat with both hands wrapped around his cup of chocolate milk, looking back and forth between the two adults and imitating them. Jack slid the section of the newspaper with the comics on the back page over to the little boy and he was immediately interested in the fun pictures.

"I was thinking we could have a get together with your team while I'm here," Jack said.

"That'd be fine." Gibbs knew how much his dad loved his team.

"Did you realize they've been staying away to give you time to bond with the kids?"

"I didn't ask them to do that."

"I know," Jack said. "They're just trying to help the best way they know how. Sometimes you've got to open your mouth and tell people what you need, Son."

"I don't know what I need yet," Gibbs replied defensively.

"I know," Jack said, holding his hands up to try to calm his son before he got all riled up. The last thing he wanted to do was start an argument. "I'm just trying to remind you, you have a wonderful team and all of 'em are willing to help if you just say the word."

Gibbs nodded around another sip of his coffee. "If you think you'll be okay here with the kids, I was thinking about stopping by NCIS after court."

"I'm sure we'll be just fine," Jack said confidently.

"I'll talk to them then."

"Me too," LJ said, his little face every bit as serious as Gibbs' and Jack's.

"You too, huh?" Gibbs asked as he poked his son's arm.

"Yes," LJ said, squirming and giggling at the tickle fingers that were suddenly coming at him from both directions.

The guys finished their drinks then Jack took LJ into the living room to find some cartoons on TV while Gibbs headed upstairs to get Sadie and Mason up. After hugs and kisses were passed out and diapers were changed, the three of them went back downstairs. Gibbs got the little ones situated on the couch with his dad then passed out more hugs and kisses before putting his shoes and suit jacket on. LJ popped off the couch and started putting his shoes on as well.

"What're you doin', buddy?"

"Me go," LJ said.

"Not this time, son," Gibbs said. "You'll have a lot more fun here with Grandpa."

"But Daddy!" LJ whined.

Gibbs scooped his son up and buried his face in the boy's shoulder. How could he love this kid, all three kids, so much when he'd only met them days earlier? "I'll be back real soon, LJ, and we'll spend the rest of the day together. I promise."

LJ puffed his lip out and did his best to look pathetic. As much as Gibbs wanted to cave and take the boy with him, he knew he'd be better off at home. He sat him down on the couch again and passed out one more round of kisses.

"Call if you have any problems, Dad, and if I don't answer call the team."

"Don't worry about us, Leroy, we'll be fine. You just do what you need to do."

Gibbs smiled at the group and waved. "Bye, guys. I love you."

He hurried out to his car and raced off towards the city, hoping rush hour traffic wouldn't slow him down too much.


Court turned out to be as no-nonsense as Gibbs' lawyer had told him it would be. The judge's decision to grant him temporary custody was an easy one and he was in and out of there in no time at all. He could only hope the custody hearing went just as well.

He checked in with his dad on the drive to NCIS and was happy to hear things were going well at home too. Jack had whipped up one of Gibbs' boyhood favorites, breakfast on a stick (which was nothing more than a sausage link on a stick, dipped in pancake batter and cooked to perfection) and he reported that the kids seemed to like it just as much as their daddy did.

"I'll be home soon," Gibbs said. "Don't let the kids do anything cute while I'm gone."

"I'll do my best," Jack said with a chuckle.

Gibbs parked in his spot at NCIS and took the elevator up to the bullpen. His team at least looked like they working, although he suspected they were playing just as much as they were working. He didn't mind the fun and games as long as they got their work done too and they rarely seemed to have a problem doing both.

"Boss," Tony said when Gibbs strolled by. He stopped himself from asking the man what he was doing there. "That's a nice suit."

"What do we got?" Gibbs asked.

"Unfortunately nothing more than we had yesterday," Tony said. "I staked out the soup kitchen they had breakfast at but Lisa never showed up."

"You sure she wasn't there?"

"I was serving the bacon," Tony replied. "She wasn't there. Nobody passes up bacon, Boss."

"Still no financial trail or cell phone to trace either," Tim added.

"I have been running down the tips coming in from the shelters we sent her picture to," Ziva said. "A couple people thought they saw her but it turned out to be nothing."

"We could put her on the 5:00 news," Tony suggested. "If she's laying low, she probably won't see it and if she does try to run all the bus stations, train stations and airports in the area are watching for her."

Gibbs thought it over before nodding his head. "Do it."

"I thought I sent you home," Vance said as he peered over from the stairs.

"Tell the news station we think Lisa may have unknowingly witnessed a crime," Gibbs told Tony as Vance made his way down the stairs and into the bullpen. "I was just checking in, Director."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away," Vance said. "How're the kids?"

"They seem to be settling in," Gibbs answered. "My dad's with them right now."

"Nice suit."

"I had court this morning. Temporary custody."

"How'd that go?"

"Fine."

"Go home, Gibbs," Vance urged. "Your team knows your cell phone number if they get anything concrete."

Gibbs made eye contact with each member of his team and each of them knew exactly what the look meant. They got back to work and Gibbs headed for the elevator but instead of taking it to the ground floor to leave, he went down to autopsy to talk to Ducky.

"Jethro, I wasn't expecting to see you today," Ducky said. He took one look at the man and knew Gibbs needed to talk. "Mr. Palmer, would you please take these samples up to Abby? While you're up there maybe you two can put your heads together and figure out what kind of weapon killed our Lance Corporal."

"Certainly, Doctor."

"What's on your mind, Jethro?" Ducky asked once they were alone.

"I'm kinda feelin' outta my league here, Duck."

"That's to be expected. Most couples make the decision to have a child together and have nine months to prepare for the arrival of their little one. You were thrown into parenthood without any say in the matter or opportunity for preparation."

"LJ asked me if I was their dad yesterday. At least I think that's what he was asking. They're still in the 'difficult to understand' stage."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I was," Gibbs answered with a shrug, "and when my dad got into town last night I introduced him as grandpa."

"I think you did the right thing," Ducky replied. "You don't want to lie to them. I don't see any harm in referring to yourself as dad and your father as grandpa. The children are right on the verge of being able to ask questions. Just try to speak on their level and answer as honestly as you can. I realize it's intimidating because they're your children but just trust your gut, Jethro. It's never led you astray before."

"I just don't wanna mess up," Gibbs said.

"You will mess up at some point or another but children are very forgiving. Give them plenty of affection, say no when you need to and yes when you can and they'll turn out just fine and when you're ready to pull your hair out remember you have quite a few willing souls ready to babysit at a moment's notice."

"Thanks, Duck."


After a long, busy afternoon of keeping three young children entertained while trying to clean out a bedroom packed full of hand carved furniture, everyone in the house was asleep. Bellies were full and the little ones had been bathed. Bedtime stories had been read and father and son had had an opportunity for some quiet conversation before resting their heads on their pillows and drifting off.

Gibbs knew from past experiences with Kelly that his night would be short but had no idea just how short it would actually be. His ringing phone woke him long before he'd planned on getting up. He tried to roll over and quickly realized one of the little ones, probably LJ, was sprawled out on top of his legs again. He ignored his bunkmate for the moment and grabbed his phone off the nightstand.

"Gibbs," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes. He could hear soft breathing on the other end of the phone but whoever it was remained silent. "Hello?"

"Jethro."

That one word was all it took for Gibbs to go from groggy to wide awake. "Lisa, is that you?"

"I'm surprised you remember my voice after all these years." A quiet, uncomfortable laugh followed the words.

"Where are you?"

"Do you have the kids?" Lisa asked, ignoring Gibbs' question.

"Yeah, they're with me," Gibbs answered. "Let me come pick you up, Lisa. We really need to talk."

"I didn't want to leave them," Lisa explained.

"I know," Gibbs said. He would've said just about anything to talk her into a meeting. He really didn't want to have this conversation over the phone.

"Sorry about calling so late. I couldn't sleep because of the cold and my mind just wouldn't turn off and before I knew it, I was at a payphone, dialing your number."

"I'm glad you called," Gibbs said. "Please let me come get you. I'll take you somewhere warm and get you something to eat."

There was more silence as Lisa contemplated the offer. "Okay," she finally said.

Lisa told Gibbs where to find her then he reluctantly hung up the phone. He could only hope she'd still be there when he arrived. He wiggled out from under LJ, threw on the clothes he'd worn the previous day then put LJ back in his own bed before hurrying downstairs. After waking his dad enough to tell him he was leaving, Gibbs got in his car and raced off towards the city.

He found Lisa sitting in a bus stop, exactly where she said she'd be. He whispered a quiet thank you to no one in particular as he pulled up next to the bus stop and rolled the window down.

"Lisa, it's me. Get in."

Lisa approached the car cautiously, making sure it was really Gibbs before climbing into the passenger seat.

"Buckle up," Gibbs said as he pulled back out onto the street. His tone was already coming out a little harsh. He knew he needed to keep his cool if he wanted to get any information out of her but he was finding it difficult not to just start yelling.

Lisa fastened her seatbelt and peeked in the backseat before facing front again. "You didn't bring the kids?"

"They're sleeping. My dad's with them."

"How are they?"

"As good as can be expected."

Lisa sat quietly and fidgeted with her seatbelt while Gibbs drove. He was quieter than she remembered him but just as difficult to read. "Where're we going?" she asked. She wanted to ask him if he was angry but she was afraid of what his answer might be.

"There's a little diner not far from here that's open 24 hours," Gibbs answered. He'd considered the interrogation room at NCIS but he was worried that would scare Lisa into silence and he needed answers. If she'd been on the street for a couple days she was probably hungry. Bribing her food seemed like an easier way to get the answers he was after than trying to intimidate her.

Gibbs waited until they were settled at the diner and had ordered some food and had full coffee cups before he started asking questions. "How've you been?"

Lisa shrugged. "Things got a little complicated after we split."

"Is that why you started smoking pot?"

"What?" Lisa asked narrowing her eyes. "I've never smoked pot."

"So that officer that busted you for possession just made it up? Planted it on you? What?"

"Greg hurt his back a long time ago. The pot was for him. I never smoked any of it and I never let him smoke in the house or around the kids."

Gibbs wasn't sure if he believed that or not but he decided to move on. "When did you find out you were pregnant?"

"Right before we broke up," Lisa answered.

So she had known she was pregnant when they split. Gibbs nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "How did you get pregnant?"

"Do we really have to talk about this?" Lisa asked uncomfortably.

"I have three kids at home, each of whom share my DNA, that I didn't have a clue existed until a couple days ago so yes, we really have to talk about this."

"How does anyone get pregnant, Jethro? I'm sure you took sex ed in high school."

"You were on birth control and I was using condoms," Gibbs countered. "We took every precaution to not get pregnant."

"Would you believe it was an accident?" Lisa asked.

Gibbs just shook his head and waited for the truth. He was in no mood to play games.

"Fine. I stopped taking my birth control pills."

"Why?"

Lisa cringed at the harshness in his tone even though she knew he had every right to be mad. "When Mom died I realized how alone I was. Dad's already gone. I have no grandparents, no aunts, uncles, siblings or kids. It scared me. I didn't want to be all alone so I went to a doctor and started fertility treatments; figured I'd hurry the process along. That's how I ended up with triplets. The doctor warned about an increased chance for a multiple birth. I didn't think it'd happen to me but I was excited when it did."

"I always wore a condom that I bought and brought with me."

"That you left in your wallet which you always put on my kitchen counter with your keys when you came over. I poked holes in them."

Gibbs hid his face in his hands while he schooled his features. Now wasn't the time to blow up, no matter how bad he wanted to. Their waitress dropped off their food and he managed a thank you before asking Lisa another question as calmly as he could. "Why didn't you just ask me to help you have a baby?"

"What would you have said?" Lisa asked in a tone indicating she already knew the answer.

"I woulda said no!"

"Exactly."

"So that gives you the right to steal my sperm, have my kids and not tell me about them for two years?" He was done holding back his anger.

"You know how messed up I was back then!" she said defensively.

"That's no excuse. You knew I wasn't ready for kids so you went behind my back. That tells me you knew what you were doing was wrong."

"You never would've been ready!" Lisa yelled.

"That still doesn't give you the right to just take what you want!" Gibbs yelled back.

Lisa visibly deflated and her gaze dropped to the table. She knew what she'd done was wrong and she knew she wouldn't win the argument with Gibbs but she had to try. "I had no idea what it was like," she said softly. "I thought I'd just end up loving them like… like I loved my dogs which sounds like a bad comparison but you know how much I love my dogs. The first time I heard the babies cry and held them and looked at them—they're part of me and that love was so much different, so much stronger than any love I've ever had for a dog. I didn't understand until after I'd already had the kids why you didn't want to have more but then it was too late."

"You still should've come to me," Gibbs said a little calmer.

"I tried to make you a part of their lives. I named LJ after you. I chose Anthony as a middle name for Mason because I know how much Tony means to you. I couldn't come to you. I planned on never telling you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. I don't know. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to make you understand."

"Lisa, my kids are strangers. I've missed out on the first two years of their lives and that's something I can't get back. It's something that didn't need to happen and it's something that never should've happened."

"I'm sorry," Lisa said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears. "Don't you get it? I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't always fix everything," Gibbs grumbled. He hated to see her cry but this wasn't something he could just brush off.

"I don't know what else to say besides I'm really, really sorry."

Gibbs watched her cry for a moment before moving around and sitting next to her in the booth so he could hold her. Oddly enough he still cared about her, even after everything she'd put him through. The trust and the intimate feelings were gone but she was the mother of his children and that gave them some sort of odd connection.

"We're not gonna get anywhere yelling at each other," he said. "What's done is done and we can't undo any of it."

"You're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm pissed but throwin' a fit isn't gonna accomplish anything."

"What's gonna happen to me?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know," Gibbs answered. "Could be anything from a fine to jail time depending on the judge. I'll talk to the prosecutor. Maybe they'll give you a plea deal."

He scooted Lisa's plate over in front of her then moved back to the other side of the table. They ate in silence for a moment, both of them calming down, before Gibbs asked another question. "Why'd you leave the kids?"

"Sadie was so sick last weekend. I tried everything to get her fever down but nothing worked. She had a seizure and it really scared me. I thought she was dying. I thought she was gonna die before the ambulance got there but there was nothing I could do."

"She didn't die," Gibbs said.

"I barely have any medical insurance on the kids. My job didn't have benefits and I couldn't afford an expensive plan. I figured Sadie would get better care if she was an abandoned child. How is she doing?"

"Is that why you asked your boss for a raise?"

Lisa nodded her head. "Greg and I talked about it the night before. We knew there was no way we'd be able to afford the hospital bill so if I couldn't get the raise we were gonna leave town before anybody came after us but I decided I couldn't do that either."

"Sadie's still a little achy and not eating much yet but she's starting to feel better," Gibbs said. "Lisa, you didn't have to leave her. She would've been taken care of if you'd stayed. She was terrified by the time I got to her and even that wasn't much of a consolation to her because she didn't have a clue who I was."

"I was just trying to do what was best for her."

"Well leaving her in the hospital alone and scared wasn't what was best."

"I'm in over my head," Lisa admitted. "I'm trying as hard as I can but I'm barely treading water and the kids are suffering for it. I know you didn't sign on for this but I didn't know who else to turn to."

"You came to me about two years too late but I'm glad you finally did," Gibbs said. It scared him to think about going through life with three kids out there that he didn't know about.

Lisa let herself relax a little bit. That was some consolation at least. "Did LJ recognize you?"

Gibbs shook his head, not really understanding the question. Why would LJ recognize him?

"I told him I was dropping him off with his daddy," Lisa explained.

That explained why LJ had accepted him as daddy so easily. "He did call me daddy already." There was a trace of a smile on Gibbs' lips but it didn't last long. "I filed for custody of the kids."

"What? No! You can't take them from me," Lisa said desperately.

"Lisa, you abandoned them. They're not just gonna be given back to you. Parenthood isn't something you can take part in when it's easy and convenient."

"But, Jethro—"

"It's not my decision."

"But I didn't leave them because I didn't want them anymore."

"You can't walk out on your kids because things got hard or you got scared. They're helpless. They rely on you for everything. What's gonna stop you from leaving them again?"

"I was scared."

"Raising kids is scary," Gibbs said. "Every cough, sneeze, cut, scrape, bruise, every time they throw up or fall down your heart stops beating but it's your job to take care of them, no matter what." Gibbs almost couldn't believe how different Lisa was from when he'd dated her. Before she'd lost her mother she was a strong, independent, intelligent woman but now her desperation was causing her to make one bad decision after another. She needed help more than she needed to be punished.

"How do I get them back?" Lisa asked.

"You'll have to get a lawyer and file for custody," Gibbs answered.

"How'm I supposed to afford a lawyer?"

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "You might be able to find one that'll take your case pro bono."

"Are you gonna arrest me?"

"You're a civilian. I've gotta take you over to DC Metro. They'll arrest you."

"Are you still gonna talk to the judge?"

"I'll talk to the prosecutor but they don't have to listen to me."

"Are you gonna ask them to lock me up and throw away the key so you can keep the kids?"

"No," Gibbs answered. "The most you could get would be three years, one for each kid, but the judge would probably let you serve that concurrently rather than consecutively."

"Maybe I shoulda gone to Vegas with Greg."

"You would've been found and brought back here and the judge would've been less likely to be lenient."

"There's no way I can get out of this?" Lisa asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "The best advice I can give you is to just face it."

"I'm scared."

"I know, but you'll be okay."

"Please don't make me go, Jethro," Lisa begged.

"Don't make this harder on yourself, Lisa," Gibbs said gently. "Finish your burger."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"You really should try to eat something."

Lisa poked at her food but didn't eat much of what was left. After Gibbs paid, they got back in his car and headed for Metro PD. Neither of them spoke but Gibbs rested his hand on Lisa's forearm in an effort to provide a little bit of comfort. He parked in front of the police station, opened the door for her then walked her in.

"You'll be okay," Gibbs said before they got to the desk. "Just do what they tell you and don't answer any questions without a lawyer."

"Okay," Lisa said.

After dropping Lisa off and making sure she'd be treated right, Gibbs got in his car and took the long way home. He had a lot to think about.